This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Alix Nichols will be awarding a digital box set of her bestselling series The Darcy Brothers to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
For sixteen years, they’ve hated each other...
and craved each other.
Widowed and betrayed, Eva Castellane will do anything to protect her daughter’s inheritance.
Standing in her way?
Alex Castellane—her late husband’s steely, magnetic half brother.
The man poised to take it all.
Her worst enemy.
Her forbidden temptation.
Stuck together in the family castle, their legal fight spirals into war…
until a common threat forces a reluctant alliance.
Desire blurs the lines.
Chemistry sizzles.
Rules get broken.
But as the verdict nears, one slip could unravel Eva’s explosive secret…
A Duchess with a Secret stands alone within the Montevor Royals Saga. It is a spicy contemporary enemies-to-lovers romance with forced proximity, family secrets, and a hard-won HEA.
Read an Excerpt
Alex
The air outside the basement at Mount Evor Secret Service feels colder than it did inside. It isn’t exactly chilly; just crisp enough to bite, which I welcome wholeheartedly. It clears my head.
“I’m going to walk to the hotel,” Eva says. “I need air.”
“I was about to say the same.”
She shoots me a look. “Please don’t. I don’t want to start thinking we have things in common.”
“What about the duchy?” I taunt.
“Of all the things we don’t have in common,” she quips, “the duchy is the one we don’t have in common the most.”
I smile despite myself. The pretty shell has some humor.
“May I walk beside you?” I ask.
“If you must,” she says after a beat. “But don’t think I’m warming to you.”
“Understood.”
We fall into step, heading toward the hotel located in the city’s historic center. She keeps her arms folded tight across her chest like a shield.
“I want you to know I will fight you with everything I’ve got. Dirty. No-holds-barred,” she warns. “My lawyer, Pauline, is very good at her job.”
I glance over. “So, this is your idea of small talk?”
“If you’d prefer silence…”
“No, this is delightful.”
We keep walking. Pombrio glows in the late-September dusk. The limestone facades catch the last golden rays and appear to be lit from within. Lined with old trees starting to turn, cobbled streets stretch ahead, winding gently. Cafés hum with end-of-day energy, clinking glasses, and low laughter. A faint whiff of woodsmoke rides the breeze.
I’d enjoy this stroll more if Eva weren’t so close. Her presence is magnetic and annoying in equal measures. Her perfume doesn’t help. It has none of the sugary sweetness most ladies favor. Instead, it’s seductive in a sharp, provocative way that’s so much her.
Topic: What are some of the challenges that your characters overcome in your story?
When I sat down to write A Duchess with a Secret, I knew Eva and Alex weren’t going to get an easy ride. These two have some proper hurdles to leap… and I had way too much fun creating them!
First up: a surprise inheritance that turns everything upside down and throws them into each other’s path whether they want it or not. Nothing like a little legal drama and a very inconvenient new duke to get the enemies-to-lovers tension crackling!
Then there’s the whole “I’m carrying secrets that could destroy the people I love most” situation Eva finds herself in. Learning to trust someone — especially when your heart’s been through the wringer before — doesn’t come naturally.
And Alex? The man lives for logic and reason, but suddenly he’s dealing with messy emotions, family ghosts, and a choice between what’s technically right and what his heart knows is right.
Watching them navigate grief, old wounds, duty, and a very reluctant attraction was such a joy! They both have to let go of who they thought they were (and who they thought the other person was) before they can reach for something real.
I won’t lie, there were moments I felt a tiny bit guilty for the obstacles I threw in their way. But it was worth it.
If you love romances where the characters have to fight each other for their happy ending, I think you’ll root for Eva and Alex all the way.
About the Author:
Alix Nichols is a caffeine addict, a longtime fan of Mr. Darcy. She pens sexy romantic comedies and romantasy. Her books have been described as "pure pleasure" (Kirkus Reviews) that “keep fans of romance hanging off the edge of their seat” (Romantic Times).
At the age of six, she released her first book. It featured highly creative spelling on a dozen pages stitched together and bound in velvet paper.
Decades later, she lives in France and still writes. Her spelling has improved (somewhat), she has become a Kindle Scout winner, Chanticleer First Place winner, USA Today bestseller, Book Riot's Top 100 Must-Read International Romance author, and Amazon All-Star for being one of the 100 most-read authors in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/author/alixnichols
Website: http://www.alixnichols.com
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/alixnichols
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorAlixNichols
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alix-nichols
Newsletter Signup (and a free bundle!): http://bit.ly/alix-freebook
