Remmy Duchene is here to talk about the friends to lovers trope and to promote Wounded Pride, a joint venture with BLMorticia!
Hi everyone! My name is Remmy Duchene and I write interracial romance (heat level depending on my mood). I am here to talk to you about Wounded Pride that is being released today at Dreamspinner Press! I am super excited because it’s the second novel written by myself and my co-author BLMorticia and we are happy to give our Renford and Brian a lil story of their very own!
For those who aren’t aware, Wounded Pride is book 2 to Wounded Hearts. Yes, they stand alone based on the fact that the main characters are different. In Wounded Hearts we meet Cyrus and Zane and in Wounded Pride, we have Renord and Brian.
We read all the time about friends becoming lovers and for me, I love those kinds of stories. I could sit for a whole day and merely read one after the other after the other. Sure, in fantasy land there are a few things that get in the way to make us salivate and rub our hands together like evil geniuses while muttering “the plot thickens!” (Wait – am I the only person who do that? Okay, then…carry on). But in real life that kind of progression could end in tears. The path from friendship to something more is a line that must be towed quite carefully. Often times we sit back and say “well, what if he or she, doesn’t feel the same way?” Yes, that could be an issue.
There’s always the fact that we cannot read each other’s minds. We may be able to guess based on how the other person treats us and even that could be mistaken for something it's not.
The problem is, as human beings we really need to be able to have a conversation and then decide to walk away from it. But we aren’t capable of that. Once one friend confesses to having amorous feelings for another, there are one of three possibilities –
1. Let’s do this!
2. No, we can’t possibly do this. What were you thinking?
3. The world ends!
Dramatic? Perhaps, but life is unpredictable—so is love. We never know what the other person is feeling until one or both of you open your mouth and say something. And now—grabbing a kissing that person is the absolutely wrong thing to do - *shifty eyes* I am not speaking from experience here…
Blurb:
Renford Kline is straight… right? He got over his experimentation in college and moved on. Then how does he explain his blush-inducing fantasies about Brian Daystar? Fantasies he’s having when he should be focused on his career move from attorney to professor. When Brian comes to New York, Renford knows he’s in trouble. Everything about Brian attracts him—from his tight body to his beautiful, dark, hair—but Renford is straight… right?
Brian Daystar needs a break. He’s been working nonstop to turn his Montana ranch into a safe haven for at-risk youth—so much so that he can’t even bring himself to care when he finds out his partner, country star Corey, is cheating on him. Their relationship has been over for a long time, but it might take his feelings for Renford to make Brian accept it.
Both men have decisions to make. Renford must come to terms with who he truly is, and Brian is going to have to decide if he will shun his happiness or embrace it.
Excerpt:
“Damn!” Cecily walked over to hand him a bottle of water and a towel. “You’re a beast. Why do you push yourself so hard?”
“It feels good?” Renford panted. “It makes me feel alive.”
“You’re a sucker for punishment.” Cecily laughed. “But you do look good, I have to admit. Anyway, I’m getting better at my pictures, right?”
Renford stopped pacing to take a quick look at the shots she’d taken. He didn’t see why she insisted on taking his picture. He didn’t see himself as particularly handsome. Even in his modeling days, he didn’t really see what the fuss was about.
“They look good—I think.”
“So glad my opinions are all that matters. I’m sending these to Zane… oh shit!”
“What?”
“Whew! False alarm! I almost sent them to Brian.”
Renford laughed before downing the rest of the water, then walked over to dump the bottle into a recycle bin. He grabbed a cold Gatorade from the small cooler, since his body needed to replace the electrolytes he’d lost during the workout.
“So, Mr. Ex-DA, what are you going to do with the rest of your life?” Cecily sat on the bench before him and set the camera beside her. “Use some of those millions?”
Renford made a face. “I don’t know. I’ve been getting offers from universities to teach.”
“Oh! Professor Kline! Love it. Love it!”
Renford chuckled softly. “I’m not sure if I’m cut out for teaching anyone anything. And who would want to come sit down for an hour and a half to listen to me drone on and on about the legal world?”
“Honestly?”
Renford nodded.
“If any of my professors looked like you, I’d have gone to more classes. So technically you’ll be doing the future minds a favor.”
“I don’t know.” Renford grinned. “I don’t think I want to be responsible for someone’s education. I’m no teacher.”
“You were a great lawyer, Ren, and an even better assistant district attorney. You just have to share what you have in here”—she tapped the left side of his head—“with the future lawyers. If we can get a few more like you into the system, who knows what kind of good that can do!”
“You have way too much faith in me….”
“Well, someone has to. If we leave it up to you, you’d stay in your condo and become a hermit. A sexless hermit.”
Renford laughed. “I know I’ve been on a little bit of a dry spell….”
“That’s what you’re calling it?”
“What would you call it?” Renford asked.
“A drought.”
“Okay, Ceecee, you’re overreacting.”
She shook her head. “If you ask Zane, he’ll tell you the same thing. You need to get out there more. Meet women.”
Renford flinched. “I haven’t been interested.”
“You?” She rose to press a palm to his forehead. “Not interested in women? You? Are you sick?”
“No, smartass. I’m not sick…. Can we not talk about it? I have to take a shower and head home anyway. Brian had his ceremony today, and I want to know how it went.”
“Why are you putting so much pressure on yourself? You don’t have be a professor or a layer. For once you can just sit back and enjoy your money.”
Renord pressed his lips into a thin line.
“Seriously, Ren. Between your inheritance, what you made as a lawyer, then ADA – you never have to work again. Money will never be an issue for you or your children’s children. So don’t take this so seriously.”
“I know that, Ceecee. But I’d drive myself crazy.”
“So—this isn’t driving yourself crazy?”
Renford laughed. “Yeah. I guess I really need to calm down, huh?”
Ceecee nodded with a grin. “Yeah. Listen, Ren, I need to ask you a favor.”
Author Links:
Find Remmy Duchene here
IG: manluvlikeaboss
Thanks for stopping by and have a good one!
Hugs,
Remmy Duchene
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