Guest Post~ A Most Unlikely Countess by V.L. Locey

Hi there! I`m so happy to be here. I`d like to thank Harper for inviting me! My name is V.L Locey and I`m a mulitgenre erotic romance author.

One of the things that I enjoy the most about being an author, aside from spending most of my days in my own fictional world, is doing research to make my books not only factual but colorful. Sometimes the research is in the form of geographical information. For instance, Veikko Aho, the leading man of A Most Unlikely Countess is a Finn/Swede who was born in Lahti, Finland. His family then moved to Helsinki when Veikko showed great promise as a hockey player. All that background info about Veikko had to be researched.

As did international youth hockey, some tidbits of the Finnish language (one of three languages that Veikko speaks), and perhaps the most appealing of all, Finnish and/or Swedish cooking! Now I`m a big fan of food, so it was a real pleasure to search the interweb to find some of Veikko`s favorite foods. In the excerpt below some of our leading man`s top dishes are mentioned. In my house we grew up on halopki(stuffed cabbage), peirogies( dough filled with mashed potatoes), and kielbasa( a mouthwatering Polish sausage). What ethnic foods did you grow up with? I`d love to hear about them.

How about a blurb then that excerpt I was talking about?

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BLURB:

Painfully shy Liz Argon probably shouldn`t be dreaming of Veikko Aho, star goalie for the Philadelphia Wildcats. As she works side by side with ‘The Count of the Crease’ on his memoirs, she finds herself falling for the handsome goaltender. His tender ways with her and her mentally fragile mother are slowly claiming her heart. If only Veikko wasn`t already engaged to a woman far better suited to move in to ‘The Count`s’ world. In book two of the To Love a Wildcat series, we`ll see if a glass slipper can survive in the rough and tumble world of professional ice hockey.

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EXCERPT:

“Did you ever watch television as a child?” I inquired, firing up my iPad in eager anticipation of writing down his replies. I could just picture him running over the Alps with a herd of goats singing about lonely goat herds. How romantic and picturesque that must have—

At that he laughed out loud. The sound tore me from the Bavarian daydream. His laugh was deep and meaningful, not a bit pretentious or condescending. When Veikko Aho laughed it was honest.

“You are funny,” he said, pausing at the diving board then dropping his head to try to spy under my bang wall. “I will concede I`m not as young as Alain, but even at my advanced age and birthplace I have seen television a time or two. They are those ugly boxes with moving pictures one puts inside their house?”

“You`re making fun of me,” I mumbled in mortification, my sight locked on his loafers.

“Never, Elizabeth,” he said instantly in a gentle tone that helped ease the embarrassment a pinch. “I was teasing you, not making fun. For some reason I find it appealing when your cheeks grow pink. Do not let that trait disappear.” His tone shifted from playful to something wistful. “A young woman who blushes is a rarity that appeals to all men.”

“Viviana doesn`t blush and Alain finds her pretty appealing,” I grumbled, spinning from the man who had such weird thinking. Men today do not like women that blush and stammer. They like women that flaunt and taunt.

“Yes, he does, but Alain is brash and bulletproof yet, or so he thinks. Give him another seven years to get to thirty-one as I have. His tastes may change. Or he may just like his women so outspoken. I thought I did as well at one time, now…I think I hunger for someone more subdued who would be happy to stay home at night writing while I rest before the fire.”

He tugged. I went willingly into his embrace. “Toss in a dog to fetch your slippers and the male dream is complete,” I said into his chest as I hugged him.

“I would have the woman writer to fetch my slippers and pipe,” he joked, feeling me grow tense in his arms. “Or perhaps it would be wiser to leave the fetching to the dog. Then I would have my woman writer for more enjoyable reasons?”

“Good save,” I snickered, smacking his backside with my iPad.

“Saves are my job,” he countered so smoothly you`d think it had been scripted. I laughed. He kissed me. I`m aware that I have limited carnal knowledge of men, but is it normal for a man`s kiss to lift you from yourself each and every time? Is it always so steamy? Does the taste of your soul mates mouth make your core weep? Or is that just my reaction to this particular man?

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You can find Liz and Veikko`s book, A Most Unlikely Countess, here: (It is recommended that you read the series in order)

Secret Cravings Store

Amazon

All Romance eBooks

B & N

You can find Pink Pucks & Power Plays, the first book of the To Love a Wildcat series, here:

Secret Cravings Publishing

Amazon

All Romance eBooks

B&N

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, belly laughs, anything romantic, Greek mythology, New York Rangers hockey, comic books and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a steer named after a famous N.H.L. goalie, a pig named after a famous President, and a flock of assorted domestic fowl.

V.L. is a self-published and conventionally published author. She is a proud Torquere Press and Secret Cravings Publishing author. When not writing romantic tales, she can be found enjoying her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand, writing, or cheering on her beloved New York Rangers. She can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, and GoodReads.

I love to meet new friends and fans! You can find me at-

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Thanks for stopping by, V.L.! I learned so much about Finnish/Swedish foods. What an interesting topic to write about, too–hockey. And loved your excerpt. It was great to have you here!

~H.A.B.