This “Meet the Character Day” blog is part of a series
examining my romance novels. In each “Behind the Scenes” blog, I talk about why
I wrote the book, share my thoughts on the plot and/or characters, and reveal
what I loved most (or least) about writing the book. The “Meet the Character
Day” blogs are fun chats with the heroes and heroines from my romances.
Warning: blogs may contain spoilers.
Hello romance lovers! Today we’re chatting with Prince
Dalton, the hero from A Most Intriguing Temptation by Kelli A. Wilkins.
Q: Greetings, Prince Dalton. A Most Intriguing Temptation is
the second book in Kelli’s Royal Desires series of historical/fantasy novels.
Can you tell us about the trilogy?
A: Certainly. As readers may already know, A Most Intriguing
Temptation is the second story in a trilogy that began with A Most Unusual
Princess and concludes with A Most Unfortunate Prince. Although the books are
related, each stands alone as an individual read.
A Most Unusual Princess introduced readers to Princess Elara
and myself. The book brought us together through unusual circumstances. (Elara
discussed our interesting first-meet in a previous blog.)
In A Most Intriguing Temptation I’ve been called away to
attend a business meeting with Emperor Salizar. Elara got jealous of the fact
I’d be away and surrounded by Salizar’s sultry “kharim” women, so she decided
to follow me and her brother, Prince Allan, to the palace. Needless to say, she
got into a lot of trouble.
A Most Unfortunate Prince (the last book in the series) is
all about Allan’s banishment from the kingdom and his journey as he finds true
love. Elara and I are also in the story, and we play a central role in the
ending.
Q: Tell us about yourself. What got you in the crosshairs
for your author?
A: I was charged with guarding Elara while she received
suitors. Of course, one thing led to another and we ended up falling in love.
I’m a very patient and understanding person and it takes a lot to push me to
the edge. However, in A Most Intriguing Temptation, Kelli (my author), tested
me at every turn.
In this novel, Kelli explored the themes of fidelity and
trust. I was sent to a palace full of women whose only function is to satisfy
the male visitors’ every wanton need. When Elara learned where I was going, she
followed me, and to my surprise, impersonated a “kharim” woman to test me and
my loyalty to her. I admit, I was tempted, but when I learned of her deception,
I turned the tables on her to teach her a lesson.
Q: What drew you to Elara?
A: Elara is headstrong and intelligent, and she has a sweet
and vulnerable side she only shows to me. Of all the people in her life, I’m
the one who understands her best and can “manage” her moods and
unpredictability. I love her dearly, and yet, at times, she is vexing. As we
spent time together, I realized she was putting on a brave front most of the
time and I learned not to be swayed by her tantrums or tricks. Elara needs to
be treated like an equal, both in and out of the bedroom.
Q: A little naughty fun, where was the wildest place you
seduced your partner? Or where she seduced you?
A: A Most Intriguing Temptation is definitely naughtier than
A Most Unusual Princess. We’re not shy about our lovemaking at home, or
anywhere. Elara (disguised as Oonish) tried to seduce me everywhere—in the
bathtub, in bed, in a hallway… In the book, we made very naughty use of a
settee, and later we got frisky on a pile of satin cushions (and we were not
alone!). After the story ended, we wanted to recreate the wanton atmosphere of
the palace, so Elara and I set up a tent outside to engage in a few wild
fantasies. She likes fooling around outside in the dark, and it’s something I
look forward too, as well.
Q: Do you sometimes want to strangle your author because of
the situations she puts you in?
A: Yes! Kelli put me through several physical and emotional
trials in this book. She says it was “for the good of the story” but I would
have been content not being tormented, teased, and driven mad with lust on
every other page. Kelli thought it was fun and has admitted that creating those
scenes was one of the highlights of writing the book.
Q: Tell us more. What was one of the most embarrassing
things Kelli did to you in A Most Intriguing Temptation?
A: Throughout most of the book, I’m in a state of sexual
frustration. Oonish is at my side every minute of every day, and she’s
practically naked. She goes out of her way to tease me, arouse me, and test my
loyalty to Elara. And since Oonish is Elara, she knows just what to do to get
me hot and bothered. At one point in the story, I get very, very excited and
want Oonish so bad… I have a naughty dream about her and… Well, let’s say, my
body reacted in a physical way to an extremely erotic dream. It was highly
embarrassing to be discovered like that, and I’m not thrilled with Kelli for
putting me in that awkward situation. Naturally, Oonish/Elara thought it was
funny!
Q: Kelli has written romances in all genres in all heat
levels. Does she find the love scenes difficult to write?
A: Not at all. A Most Unusual Princess was a mild book (I
believe you’d call it a heat level of 1) and A Most Intriguing Temptation is
much hotter (a 2 or 3, depending on your taste) and contains a lot of graphic
sexual activities taking place at the palace.
Kelli’s books have different heat levels because she matches
the intensity and situations with the characters and plot. She says makes the
love scenes as natural and as real for the characters as possible, given the
story, the characters’ personalities, motivations, and backgrounds, and what
level of intimacy they share.
She admits that sometimes she’ll be writing a scene and the
characters “take over” and decide the scene should go a different way, or
something she planned on happening changes. (This can happen during regular
scenes or love scenes.) Characters can jump off the page and take the story in
a different direction. (“Of course we can,” I told her. “This is our story!”)
Kelli confided in me although she thought knew all about her
characters before writing A Most Unfortunate Prince, she was surprised to
discover a different side to Prince Allan. (I have no idea what that means
exactly, but Allan will be here in a few weeks to address his book, so you can
ask him.)
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
A: Although A Most Unusual Princess, A Most Intriguing
Temptation, and A Most Unfortunate Prince make up the Royal Desires series,
each of our stories stand alone as individual reads. You can start with book 2
and then go back to book 1 to see how everything started, or start with book 3
and go in reverse order. However you read them, I encourage romance lovers to
catch up on all of our adventures. I’m content with the way the trilogy
ends—but I don’t want to give away the ending. I can say Kelli left all of us
in very good places.
I’d like to add that Kelli has written several fantastic
books in all genres, not just historical romances. She has contemporary,
paranormal, and gay romances that bring incredibly interesting characters to
life.
This visit was fun. Thank you for having me. Elara has
arranged for Prince Allan to answer a few questions in another chat. Brace
yourself, because he’s a wiseass.
Thank you, Prince Dalton, for joining us today. Readers can
learn more about all of Kelli’s books on her site: www.KelliWilkins.com
Here’s the book summary:
A Most Intriguing Temptation
After only four months of marriage to Princess Elara, Prince
Dalton is sent to Emperor Salizar’s pleasure palace on business. Not wanting to
be left behind, Elara risks her personal safety and sneaks along on the trip.
Aided by her mischievous brother, Prince Allan, she
disguises herself as one of Salizar’s sultry “kharim” women and decides to test
Dalton’s loyalty. Masquerading as Oonish, Elara goes out of her way to tempt
Dalton at every turn. Despite Dalton’s resolve to resist the indulgent girls,
he finds himself falling under the spell of the mysterious Oonish.
After nearly giving in to temptation, Dalton discovers
Elara’s trickery and turns the tables on her, making her into his submissive
playmate. Their fun and games are quickly shattered when Emperor Salizar learns
about Elara’s deception. He holds the royals prisoner and condemns Elara to a
fate worse than death.
Can Dalton save Elara before it’s too late, or will her
prank bring about the end of their love?
***
The Royal Desires Series is available on Amazon & other
platforms. Catch this hot historical/fantasy trilogy from the start:
Book 1: A Most Unusual Princess:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CBX43D8
All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/me00L9
Read reviews here:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/a-most-unusual-princess
Book 2: A Most Intriguing Temptation:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8P8604
All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/47kkvj
Read reviews here:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/a-most-intriguing-temptation
Book 3: A Most Unfortunate Prince:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Most-Unfortunate-Prince-Historical-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B01DMBYJ6E
All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/3yPPM6
Read reviews here:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/a-most-unfortunate-prince
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