Romance Books '4' Us: The Temperate Warrior

Showing posts with label The Temperate Warrior. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Why Vikings?

I’ve been asked this question many times and the answer for me has always been “Why not?” As readers of romance, we like our heroes to be bold, sexy, sometimes brazen, and always chivalrous. What better group of heroic men can give you all that and more than the brave warriors of the North?

I suppose my fixation for Vikings is akin to asking an herbivore why he prefers the taste of grass to a big juicy steak. Okay, I suspect my interest in these men does not go quite as far as an innate behavior, but considering I’ve had this passion since taking World History in high school, it’s seems as close to an inherent condition as I can imagine.

As most everyone has learned, Vikings were a formidable race of men, practiced in the skill of raiding and evading. We were educated to believe that they were greedy pillagers, marked by lack of compassion and extreme brutality in their pursuit for gold and riches. No one was safe from their torment, especially the unarmed monks of the European world.

But as I sat and listened to my teachers describe this particular Scandinavian race of adventure-seeking seamen, I couldn’t help feeling that something was amiss. Could an entire class of people be that barbaric? Did every person—man, woman, and child—set their sights on wreaking havoc over their distant, and some not so distant, European neighbors?

The thought of that concept actually made me laugh. While we know that Hitler and his strong band of Nazis utterly bewildered and outraged the world with their fanatical purpose to end the Jewish community, we also know that not all Germans sided with this tyrannical quest for world domination. On the flip side, I also thought it utterly ridiculous to lump the men from the North into that same category of extremists.

In my pursuit to set the record straight, I struck out to research this race on my own. In reading many research books on the subject, I came to find that most were written by men, laden with facts, dates, and events. To be truthful, it was a huge bore.

Until…I found a book entitled Everyday Life In The Viking Age by Jacqueline Simpson. To my surprise, it was authored by a female and written in such a way that held me riveted. She went beyond factual statistics and delved into the core of the Vikings’ life. She spoke of their unparalleled unity of family and brotherhood, independence and honor. It was the first nonfiction book I’d ever read cover to cover.

In great detail, she explained how most were simple craftsmen and merchants looking to make an honest living with trade, or farmers aiming to settle upon lush lands following the depletion of Norway’s natural resources—while still upholding the role of a warrior if the duty arose. For me, there was something to be said about the fearless men who bravely picked up their families and left their homelands to journey on an open sea in the hopes of making a new life for themselves.

I also found that along with courage, these men made and kept oaths of loyalty, both with their gods and their brothers in arms. It was not likely that oaths were broken, as doing so would have called to question one’s honor, and during this time, a man’s character was either his glory or his shame.

These men were also family men; a people who stood closely together, sometimes living together in the same longhouses and raising each others’ young as their own. While they held a high regard for kinship, they also harbored an untamable desire for exploration. Their vitality for adventure, as well as their unsurpassed nautical intelligence, helped them to perfect the most versatile sea vessel of their time.

In truth, this was the spirit of the Northmen and the reason why I enjoy writing them into my historical romances. I’ve always said I would love to have been born in the 10th century so I could set my own eyes on a few tall, fair-haired, muscled warriors and witness their passionate exploits on the bows of their impressive dragon ships. Hey a girl can dream, right?

I hope I entertained you, if not enlightened you, about why the Vikings are a logical choice for the burly Alpha male heroes we want in our romance novels.

If you love Vikings and crave Alpha males, then try my Norse warriors on for size!

Emerald Isle Trilogy

Ræliksen, Mac Liam, and The Fall of Rain

Amazon Bestseller for Viking Romance!

Available now at:

One man risks his life to save her.

Another risks his heart to love her.

Who will be the victor?

Three of Renee Vincent’s bestselling and critically acclaimed historical Viking romance novels are now available in one spellbinding bundle.

Full of fast-paced adventure, unforeseen plot twists, and courageous, to-die-for heroes like you’ve never read before, this extraordinary boxed set is sure to satisfy every readers’ craving for the ultimate in historical Viking romance.

~ ~ ~ ~

The Temperate Warrior

Available now at:

He was her champion. She was his weakness.

Together, they loved with wild abandon.

Gustaf Ræliksen lives by the blade of his sword. After avenging his father’s murder and reuniting with his family, he wants nothing more than to settle down and have sons of his own. Only one woman will do—a fiery redhead he saved from the spoils of war.

No longer forced to warm the beds of the men who've taken everything from her, Æsa has nothing to offer the noble warrior but her heart.

When someone with a deep score to settle seeks revenge upon her, Gustaf's world is torn asunder. He has but one vow—saving the woman he loves from the ignorant fool who dared to best the temperate warrior.

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Monday, October 21, 2013

Get One of My Books For Free!

That's right romance fans. You heard correctly.

I'm offering a free copy of Book 1 of the Warrior Saga series, THE TEMPERATE WARRIOR, to every single person who signs up for my author newsletter. Here's how it works:

Sign up to receive my newsletter (which means you've now become a special Renee Vincent fan, getting exclusive access to all my giveaways that no one else gets.)
Confirm your subscription
And on Wednesday, October 23rd, you'll get your free copy of THE TEMPERATE WARRIOR.

But remember, you only have two days to sign up for this special offer because on October 23rd, 2013 (at 12:01am EST) only those who've signed up and confirmed their subscription will get the free book.

*If you already received Renee Vincent's AUTHOR newsletter (please note this is not my Deep In The Heart Romance newsletter) you, too, will receive the free book. All you have to do is watch your inbox on Wednesday.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Interview of Historical and Contemporary Romance Author: Renee Vincent

Where did you get the idea for The Temperate Warrior?

Since high school, I’ve had an abnormal fascination with Vikings, particularly those in the 10th century. When I read my first Viking romance about twenty years ago, I knew then that I’d found the perfect genre for quenching my fetish for the bold, brazen, Alpha male. And because of my dream of being writer one day, it only made sense to write one of my own.

In 2010, I published my first Viking romance. Since then, I’ve written an entire Viking/Irish series (The Emerald Isle Trilogy) and a couple of contemporaries thereafter. However, I eventually ventured back to my first love and wrote yet another Viking romance, THE TEMPERATE WARRIOR.

Did the title come first or the novel?
The title came before the story line, truth be told. In MAC LIAM (book 2 of the Emerald Isle Trilogy) we are introduced to Gustaf, the eldest brother of Dægan in RÆLIKSEN (book 1) and his lover, Æsa. In this book is where their love story begins and we quickly find out that Gustaf is a burly, noble warrior, dedicated to avenging his father’s murder. While he is often crazy passionate with Æsa, he is also an attentive and generous lover. Because of this, Æsa gave him the pet name of 'temperate warrior.'

Fast forward two years later, and the title for the first book of The Warrior Sagas just seemed ideal. There was no better title, in my opinion.

Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?
I have two things now actually.

#1 To get in touch with Sam Bond, the cover model from England who has graced two of my Viking romances: RÆLIKSEN and THE FALL OF RAIN. He is such an incredible person and very gracious, allowing me the opportunity to interview him on my blog. He even signed both my books for me.

#2 would be posing on the cover of USA Today Best Selling Author, Shelly Thacker's cover for her western AFTER SUNDOWN with cover model and dear friend, Billy Freda. The very talented Kim Killion made me look like a real cover model. If you'd like to read how that all came about, I've posted the whole story on my blog.

What was the first book you ever wrote (and we're talking the very first one you wrote, not published)?
Okay, don't laugh. Back when I was younger (in grade school) I was on a huge Stephen King kick. I read Cujo, Pet Cemetery, Carrie, Christine, Salem's Lot etc. So, in following that dark influence, I wrote a paranormal horror story entitled Fire and Ice and my best friend who was also my illustrator. I still have it, along with all my other works from childhood, but it's utter crap. In my defense, I was only ten or eleven years old.

What is your writing day like?
I get up in the morning to send my kids off to school and then brew some coffee. Coffee is a must! Then I sift through my inbox and reply to those most urgent. I try to get them off my plate so that hovering emails do not distract me from writing. I do some promo for fellow authors on my Deep In The Heart Romance site http://www.deepintheheartromance.com/ and chat a while on twitter and facebook. Again, trying to alleviate any and all distractions for when I sit down to write. By 10 AM, I am ready to offer my full attention to my current sexy hero until the kids get out of school. Once they come home, I'm back to being just mom.

Who are your favorite authors of all time?
Nora Roberts, Johanna Lindsey, Catherine Coulter, Juliet Marillier, Amanda Quick, Heather Graham, and Elizabeth Lowell. Recently, I've added Kimberly Killion and Margaret Ethridge to that list. I've read EVERYTHING they've ever put out.

At a book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a personal note?
I always put a little note in there. I figure if readers have taken the time to come out and see me, the least I could do is offer a little more of my time and write something more personal than just a signature. Usually, I talk to them before signing their book; I try to get to know them first so I can capture that moment of our conversation in the book they wanted autographed. I love meeting my fans!

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I love cars. Classic muscle cars, in particular, and I own a 1975 Corvette Stingray. I've even named her Lady Mara after my first Viking/Irish romance heroine.

How do you react to a bad review?
Like anyone with feelings, a bad review crushes me because I've poured my heart and soul into my books. Imagine being a parent and someone publicly insults your children. It's virtually the same feeling.

However, while I might be disappointed by someone's negative opinion of my work, I also realize that they have a right to their unique opinion. Not everyone is going to enjoy my style of writing, my voice, or even my plot or genre. But under no circumstances, do I ever lash out at a reader for it. If anything, I am happy that they took the time to read my book and I owe it to them to respect their feelings.

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?
I signed a three-book contract with Turquoise Morning Press in 2010 at the West Baden Hotel in Indiana at a writer's conference. (Again, that whole story is on my blog if you'd like to read it.)

Upon returning home, I visited my sister at the cemetery to share my good news, given her words of encouragement before she'd passed made it all possible. That next weekend, my husband gathered my closest friends together at a restaurant as a surprise and they toasted me on the start of my writing career. I will never forget it.

Along with your contemporary and historical romances, you also write lighthearted and funny Chick Lit under the pen name Gracie Lee Rose. How did this come about?
From an early age, I've always had scenes playing out in my head. Whether it was a story with a moral or a tale with a twist, those ideas have never let me sleep until I wrote them out. And considering I have an eclectic ensemble of stories swarming in my brain at any given time, I write under a couple pen names to accommodate the various genre categories. Gracie Lee Rose is just one of them.

I'm currently writing the next two books of the Jamett & Joseph Series and a stand alone novel called WHERE THE WIND BLOWS. Here's the blurb:

She blew through his perfect world like a gale force wind.

He took her heart by storm.

Dropping everything and leaving her idiot boyfriend behind, Carly Fuller heads to the country to start her life anew, never expecting the dolt to turn possessive and follow her. On the run and in fear for her life, she turns down a long blacktop drive with beautiful black-board fencing. Hoping the wealthy, respectable owners will help her get to the authorities, she finds that the gorgeous horse farm belongs to one hunky carpenter who has more than enough muscle to safeguard her.

While his childhood friends have eagerly left the country, Jeremiah Kessler remains as far away as possible from the busy city life. Content to live in the quiet, rolling hills of Kentucky, his perfect world is torn asunder the day Ms. Windy City Whirlwind blows up onto his doorstep looking for sanctuary from her volatile ex-boyfriend.

As every goodhearted country boy had been taught, he doesn’t turn his back on a woman in need—especially when a funneling tornado is threatening to rip through his town. As the two take shelter in his basement, Jeremiah learns that some good can actually come from the city, in particular the feisty little windstorm under his roof.