I was so curious to see how the magic elves at Harlequin would depict my scarred, one-eyed beast of a hero, Javiero. Beautifully, of course. Look closely. He has an eye patch and scratches in his beard from being attached by a jaguar!
Apparently, this is my year for taking on the fairy tale themes since Cinderella’s Royal SeductionCinderella’s Royal Seduction is out now and I’ve just sent in an Ugly Duckling take-off.
I’m extra-excited for this one, though. It’s the second half of my Feuding Billionaire Brothers. Here’s the official blurb:
From irresistible beast in the bedroom…
to father of her child!
The first time Javiero Rodriguez sees CEO Scarlett Walker after their impassioned night together, she’s in labor with his baby! No matter how shocking the surprise, Javiero won’t let his son grow up in a broken home like he did.
Scarlett has worked hard for independence and she can’t accept empty vows. Yet the scars Javiero gained in a jaguar attack haven’t lessened the tycoon’s rugged appeal. Which means every day is a heated reminder of the pleasure they shared…and could share again!
I don’t know how it happened, either, but I couldn’t have done it without you, Dear Reader!
Thirty years or so ago, when I was dreaming this little dream for myself, all I wanted was to write romance and have publishers turn them into books. I didn’t really know what that would look like. Now I do and it’s even better than anything I could have imagined!
Thank you thank you thank you for being such a loyal fan and making this dream come true for me.
Sopi is exhausted trying to keep her spa from the clutches of her evil stepmother when Prince Rhys Charlemaine turns up to make her feel like a princess for a night. She knows it can’t go further, but Rhys stuns her with a convenient proposal! Can she believe in this fairy tale ending, though?
I’m thrilled to say that Sopi is Canadian and her spa is modelled on Sparkling Hill in Vernon, BC (I moved it to Jasper for artistic reasons.)
Here’s a snippet of one of my favourite scenes:
Through the steam rising off the pool, she watched him unbelt and open his robe, drop it off his shoulders to catch on his bent arms. The muscled globes of his bare butt appeared as he turned and slid free of the robe, draping it over the glass half wall that formed the rail around the pool. He was sculpted like an Olympic swimmer with broad shoulders, narrow hips and muscular thighs.
He pivoted back to face her across the pool, utterly, completely, gloriously naked. A shadow of hair accented the intriguing contours that sectioned his chest and abdomen streaking out to dark nipples and arrowing down his eight-pack abs to—
He dived into the water, shallow and knife sharp, barely making a ripple.
She pushed her face into the stack of towels she held, no longer breathing as she tried to suppress her shock and abject mortification. She fought to push back a rising blush of hot embarrassment and something she didn’t even recognize.
Because she had not only seen their special guest, the prince of Verina, in a private moment. She’d seen the crown jewels.
Waking up to a new cover is the best way to start a day.
The Harlequin Presents cover one for A Hidden Heir to Redeem Him just arrived and I’m in love with Kiara’s gold dress! Isn’t everything about this scrumptious?
A Hidden Heir to Redeem Him is the first in my Feuding Billionaire Brothers. They’ll be out May and June of this year.
Here’s the official blurb:
She kept their child hidden…
Now the secret’s out!
Valentino Casale is outraged to find Kiara kept their daughter a secret from him for two years! Forever branded by his own illegitimacy, the hardened billionaire wants to do things differently…
Kiara could never regret the consequence of her one delicious night with Val. Even if he turned out to be every bit as coldhearted as their night was hot! Yet behind Val’s reputation is another man—revealed only in their passionate moments alone. Could she give that man a second chance?
I can’t believe 2019 is behind us and my 2020 releases are starting to pop like fireworks. Technically, Cinderella’s Royal Seduction won’t release until Feb 1, but you can get it today if you buy direct from Harlequin.com or Mills and Boon.
Cinderella’s Royal Seduction is very much a modern take on the classic fairy tale. Sopi is scrubbing the saunas at a struggling spa while her stepmother seems determined to run it into the ground. When Rhys shows up looking for a wife, all the eligible princesses arrive to catch his eye and win his hand. Sopi has no intention of so much as putting a toe into that race (you’ll love that joke once you’ve read the book!) Besides she’s not eligible. Rhys has to marry a princess and she has no royal blood–or does she?
Through the magic of Modern publishing… (that’s a play on words. My books are published as Mills and Boon Modern in the UK) three of my titles have been bundled into a collection called Secrets and Lies.
This fun collection releases Dec 26th and contains:
A fling with tycoon Henri Sauveterre, leaves Cinnia Whitley pregnant…with twins! Not wanting to be bound to a past mistake she keeps it a secret. But when Henri discovers her deception he’s determind to make Cinnia his wife, and show her just how pleasurable their reunion can be!
Rich, powerful, with a beautiful wife, Greek shipping magnate Gideon Vozaras has it all. Except his perfect life is a façade…. Gideon can’t afford the public scrutiny of divorce, but if his past has taught him anything it’s to fight dirty to keep what’s his–including his wife Adara!
Fun fact: in the U.S., this one is already a 2-in-1
Raoul Zesiger has everything a man could want – including Sirena Abbott, the perfect PA. Until their professional relationship gives way to one hot, impassioned night… and then he has her arrested for embezzlement! But what will happen when Raoul uncovers the truth behind her theft?
I can’t recall ever getting my UK cover before my North American one, which is why the cute little icon with all my buy links is showing my generic green one.
But I’m so thrilled with Kiara and Val I had to show you right now! How stunning is she with the gold and those jewels?
p.s. I am very excited for the release of this one. Val is one of those heroes who is just wretched and in desperate need of love. Kiara is a sensitive artist, sweet and kind and yet she stands up to him when she has to. Here’s the official blurb:
She kept their child hidden…
Now the secret’s out!
Valentino Casale is outraged to find Kiara kept their daughter a secret from him for two years! Forever branded by his own illegitimacy, the hardened billionaire wants to do things differently…
Kiara could never regret the consequence of her one delicious night with Val. Even if he turned out to be every bit as coldhearted as their night was hot! Yet behind Val’s reputation is another man—revealed only in their passionate moments alone. Could she give that man a second chance?
Fun Fact: This book is part of a duet. Val’s half-brother, Javiero, discovers he’s about to become a father when Scarlett goes into labor in Beauty and Her One-Night Baby. That one comes out in June.
NOTE: In the UK, print editions for this one will be sold as a 2-in-1. This title will be paired with The Greek’s Unknown Bride by the marvelous Abby Green.
I recently saw a review for The Maid’s Spanish Secret on Goodreads that made me chuckle. It called my writing style ‘ornate.’ Some of the most common writing advice any aspiring author will hear is ‘Keep It Simple.’ I try, but I always manage to complicate things so I very much appreciate that Kay on Goodreads appreciates my curlicues and digressions:
“Collins’s Maid’s Spanish Secret is a blast, fun, funny, and ornately written. In turn, I was immersed in and moved by Rico and Poppy’s journey to their HEA. I don’t read as many HPs as I used to, but I’ll always read a Collins. And if you read one this year, make it The Maid’s Spanish Secret.”
Here’s the blurb:
“You will come to Spain. You will marry me…” He will claim his heir…
For sweet maid Poppy Harris, her one and only passionate experience was scorching and absolutely forbidden. She shouldn’t have succumbed to Spanish aristocrat Rico Montero’s tantalizing seduction, but his touch was all consuming…and had a nine-month consequence! Poppy believes they could never be anything more. Until Rico appears on her doorstep demanding his hidden daughter—and determined to make Poppy his wife!
I hope you enjoy this intensely dramatic marriage of convenience! All your buy links are here.
Glory, the heroine, is a closeted romance author who writes a romance called Blessed Winter as her romance with Rolf is unfolding. Blessed Winter is a No Room at the Inn Christmas tale complete with dramatic home birth!
Glory bases her hero on Rolf–who is old-school Romance hero Alpha. Very gruff and inaccessible, but when he gives his heart, he’s all in. I hope you enjoy it!
