Guest Post and Giveaway with Claire Delacroix

United By Book is glad to have Claire Delacroix some of you may also know as Deborah Cooke is taking over the blog today......

The Power of Love

by Claire Delacroix (http://www.delacroix.net)

What would you do for love?

Romance novels almost always have the theme “love conquers all”, and love does conquer a great deal in real life, too. Love can dissolve boundaries between people, and make the differences between them seem manageable instead of insurmountable. Love allows characters to listen and to understand, sometimes even to hear things they’d rather not hear. Love is optimistic and there’s power in that - the message that love can triumph is at the core of the entire romance genre.

But when a person takes a risk for love, that’s an even more powerful choice - in a way, taking a chance because of love is putting our money where our mouth is. Instead of just saying “I love you”, the person does something about it, and is prepared to accept the consequences of that choice, whatever they might be. Because that person is potentially sacrificing something important for the sake of love, the stakes are higher. It’s a noble and powerful choice. We admire people who do this.

We all do this in real life on a small scale. It’s common for most of us to make choices because of love - we take care of people we love when they’re ill, for example, even if they are sick with something contagious. We can also be braver because of love. We might take chances that we wouldn’t risk otherwise - or for ourselves - when the safety or welfare of someone we love is at stake. We’ve all seen a mother step into danger to save her child, without regard for her own safety. It’s the selflessness of love that we find very compelling.

When people sacrifice their own interests for love, in books and in real life, we find their stories inspiring, or even transforming. We love to read about love conquering all, about peoples taking big risks that pay off even bigger. We like to see the noble and heroic people win the day. In books, the stakes are often higher than in real life. Most of us don’t risk our lives for love, but I love characters who do - as a writer, I make sure that character gets rewarded, instead of having to pay a high price.  

In my new medieval romance, THE RENEGADE’S HEART, Isabella falls hard and fast for Murdoch. Isabella is the impetuous one of her siblings, but she also has grown up in a large and loving family. Part of the reason she has such confidence is that she has always been loved. She knows her family will always be there for her. Murdoch appears to be a renegade and a troublemaker - even worse, he seems to be one determined to make Isabella’s older brother pay for a crime against Murdoch’s family. Isabella is so sure of Murdoch and his noble character that she defies her brother. She’s so sure that Murdoch is good and noble, that she risks her reputation to be in his company. She’s so confident that there must be a misunderstanding, that she doesn’t care how far she has to go to discover the truth. And ultimately, she’s so confident that her love is reciprocated by Murdoch, that she puts her own life in jeopardy to save his.

That’s powerful stuff. Isabella believes in the power of love because of her upbringing. Murdoch is a little more skeptical, because of his upbringing, but Isabella shows him the truth. In fact, Isabella’s decision to risk so much is (of course!) the reason that love does indeed conquer all in this story. It’s not a spoiler to tell you that everything works out in the end, but Murdoch’s predicament does test the limits of Isabella’s devotion to him.

In the end, though, Isabella’s choices have left me wondering how far would I go for love? How much would I risk? I’d like to think that I’d risk as much as Isabella!

Today, you can win a signed trade paperback copy of THE RENEGADE’S HEART just for commenting on this post. Tell me how much you would risk for love, or tell me what you have risked for love in the past.

You can also grab a free copy of my medieval romance THE BEAUTY BRIDE right now at most portals. (The links are on my site, right here: http://www.delacroix.net/tbbX.html) THE BEAUTY BRIDE is the first book in my Jewels of Kinfairlie series, which introduces Isabella and her siblings. Madeline, Vivienne and Alexander have their stories told in that trilogy, then my new series, The True Love Brides, takes us back to Kinfairlie to hear the stories of the other siblings. Isabella skipped queue to go ahead of Annelise (I told you she was impetuous!) with THE RENEGADE’S HEART. Annelise’s story, THE HIGHLANDER’S CURSE, will be published next.

 Bestselling author Claire Delacroix sold her first romance, a medieval called THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE, in 1992. Since then, she has published more than forty-five romance novels and numerous novellas. She has also written under the names Claire Cross and Deborah Cooke. THE BEAUTY, part of her successful Bride Quest series, was her first book to land on the New York Times List of Bestselling Books.

She has an honours degree in history, with a focus on medieval studies, and is an avid reader of medieval vernacular literature, fairy tales and fantasy novels. She makes her home in Canada with her husband and family. When she isn't writing, she can be found knitting, sewing or hunting for vintage patterns.

For all promotional opportunities and requests, please email Carla, who is Claire's virtual assistant. You can also email Claire.

 You can find Claire here :  Claire Delacroix Website  / Deborah Cooke's Website  / Blog  / Claire Delacroix Facebook / Deborah Cooke Facebook

And my newsletter signup is at http://eepurl.com/reIuD

********* GIVEAWAY *********

Claire has generously offered up a paperback copy of  THE RENEGADE’S HEART to one lucky person.This is open to all so INTERNATIONAL people can enter as well. All you need to do is fill out the rafflecopter below to be entered.

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