Protecting the Dream
by Michelle Sharp
Series: Dream Seeker, #1.5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Today Michelle Sharp is stopping by to say hello and give us some insight on why having a strong heroine is so important in her writing. I love strong heroines and Jordan Delany from Michelle's Dream Seeker series definitely fits that bill!
Thanks for stopping by today, Michelle!
Hi Margaret and thanks for having me!
You asked one of my favorite questions. What is the importance of having a strong heroine? Wow. I could really dig into this because a strong heroine is the thing that matters most in all of my stories. Not a perfect heroine by any means. In fact, the more damaged the better. But who doesn’t love a woman who has crawled through the crap and comes out on the other side a little better off because of what she has endured? Don’t we all have those moments that almost break us, but when we look back we say, “Yeah, I was strong enough to survive that. And look what I learned.”
Sometimes I think of the romance genre and wonder if I’m doing it wrong? None of my heroines are ever content to wait for a hero to come rescue them. I always find myself centered on the female point of view instead of the big, strong, god-like man. In my last book, Tamed by the Outlaw, I really jumped into that story thinking Jessie would be a rather sweet—love will conquer all—romance writer. Nope. Just didn’t happen. She had attitude in spades. I’m just so drawn to the kind of female characters you remember—for their bravery, their passion, and often for their smart-assed mouth. If you ever read a story with my name on it and there isn’t a heroine like that in it, chances are I didn’t write it. LOL.
Romance is a wonderful genre. Falling in love, the relationship, and let’s be honest, the sex is so important. But the other really important element that makes it all come together for me is a strong, relatable heroine. I really hope that’s what readers will remember most about Jordan Delany in Jordan and Ty’s latest story, Protecting the Dream.
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Michelle. I loved Jordan in Dream Huntress and can't wait to read more about her and Ty in your new release. Jordan is definitely one strong heroine! Congratulations on the release of Protecting the Dream!
Detective Jordan Delany is back and contemplating her most challenging mission to date—moving in with Tyler McGee.
After receiving commendations for their last successful drug bust, Jordan and Ty are planning a vacation.
Or are they?
Jordan allows Ty to keep their destination a surprise. But instead of whisking her away to a warm Caribbean beach, as her not-so-subtle hints alluded to, he detours to an old estate that he has loved since childhood and asks her to move in with him.
Sparks fly when Jordan is blindsided by Ty’s proposal. He wants to buy the aging horse ranch, start renovations, and begin a life with Jordan. But can Jordan overcome her deepest insecurities and commit to living with Ty? And if so, will she be able to navigate the one other minor hitch: the spirit inside the house who is determined to show Jordan the home’s deadliest secret?
The blindfold was purely for Ty’s own self-preservation. If Jordan could see, it’d take her no time at all to draw her weapon and aim it at his head when he pulled in front of the broken-down old ranch house in lieu of a tropical beach. He took a deep breath to slow his thundering heart rate.
Today Ty planned to convince Jordan to move in with him.
Her hints about wanting a beach and some water to play in hadn’t exactly been subtle, and a beach would have been damned easy to deliver. But, no. He’d come up with the bright idea to take her to the middle of nowhere and show her a house with no heat and weedy overgrown pastures. He peeked over at her.
What the fuck was I thinking? She’s going to rip my head off!
Jordan exhaled a giant impatient sigh and crossed her arms. “We’re not heading to the airport, are we?”
“Not exactly.” He swallowed hard. Shit, her instincts were sharp enough to split hairs. What made him think a blindfold would fool her?
“The train station?” she asked.
“Nope.” He sighed, debating whether to keep driving toward the lackluster property or turn around. A couple of weeks ago the plan had seemed like a romantic gesture, a step toward commitment without scaring her off with a marriage proposal. Now his strategy felt foolish.
She sighed again. Heavily. “Hopping on a bus?”
“Un-uh.”
“What the hell, cowboy? I happen to know there are no tropical beaches in Missouri.”
Nerves had eaten away most of his composure. “Could you maybe just be quiet for, like, five more minutes?”
He turned on the gravel road that led to the gated entrance of the old Henderson estate, a onetime horse ranch. His heart was thundering so hard he could feel the wall of his chest vibrate. The woman he loved had been handed double doses of intelligence, bravery, and compassion. But she’d missed the patience line altogether.
He put the truck in park. “I’m hopping out for just a second.”
She reached up to pull the scarf from her eyes, but Ty grabbed her hand.
“Listen, I promise to have you at a beach by tomorrow night if that’s what you want, but I have one surprise that I need you to see first. If you trust me, please keep your eyes covered for another minute or two.”
He brushed a kiss against her lips, and thankfully she nodded.
Award-winning author, Michelle Sharp, has been nominated for a 2014 National Readers Choice Award for Best Romantic Suspense and Best First Book. In addition, her debut novel Dream Huntress has been selected as a finalist in the 2015 Daphne Du Maurier award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense. Although she has a degree in Journalism from Southern Illinois University, she finds weaving tales of danger, deception, and love much preferable to reporting the cold, hard facts.
As most authors probably are, she is an avid reader. Growing up in St. Louis has made her a die-hard Cardinals fan, and having a child with Down Syndrome has made her passionate about any issue regarding special needs kiddos. She’s also a fairly big sucker when it comes to anything with fur or feathers. Michelle is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and Missouri Romance Writers. You can learn more about her at michellesharpbooks.com.
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