Please welcome Nancy Herkness to Book Reviews & More by Kathy.
In your new romance, Second Time Around, Kyra and Will have a (non-romantic) history. What is their relationship when the book opens?
Kyra hasn’t seen Will since she dropped out of Brunell University eight years before. She had a huge crush on Will in their college days, but his blue-blood world and her blue-collar world took them on very different paths after that. Until the fateful day when she sits down at his table in the Ceres Café in New York City (part of an international chain of restaurants which he founded and is CEO of). Kyra expects the meeting to be a one-time reunion, but Will has other ideas.
Kyra was raised in a normal, middle class family while Will was born with a gold spoon in his mouth (silver is soooo last season). How does their social status affect their friendship?
Will doesn’t want it to affect their relationship at all, but Kyra is more of a realist. She understands the vast gulf that his wealth and background put between them, especially when Will’s mother expresses her disapproval. Kyra is still struggling under a load of debt left over from college and her parents’ deaths. She tends bar at night and works as a cook at an after-school care center during the day. Will is the CEO of a multibillion dollar corporation, lives in a Manhattan mansion, and hobnobs with celebrities and high society. Kyra sees no way to have those worlds intersect instead of colliding with terrible results.
After not seeing each other for several years, what reaction do the hero and heroine have when they reunite?
Kyra finds Will even more fascinating and sexy than he was in college, but he’s also more intimidating with his custom-tailored suit and aura of power. Will finds Kyra’s company exhilarating because she reminds him of the days when his life was less constrained and more charged with possibility. He also remembers the night in college when he nearly took their relationship a step further and wonders what would have happened if he had.
Would you consider their romance a slow burn or a quick inferno?
Because of their previous encounters in college, the passion between Kyra and Will ignites like a bonfire. Kyra figures their relationship can’t last, so she resolves to enjoy every moment of it while she can.
Since they have very different backgrounds, would you say they have the same goals for the future or are they on different paths?
At first glance, their goals appear to be very different. Kyra is focused on paying off her crushing load of debt. Will has reached the pinnacle of success but feels a restless dissatisfaction and doesn’t know how to change that. In reality, they both want to go back to their goals from their college days: Kyra aspired to be an editor and Will longed to study and teach the classics. However, until they find each other again, neither one can see a way to realize those dreams.
This is the first full length novel in your “Second Glances” series. Why did you decide to write second-chance stories? What about this trope appeals to you?
For a writer, the second chance story offers so many opportunities for wonderful conflict! The two characters don’t just bring their own personal baggage to the relationship; they bring all the mistakes and misunderstandings from their first encounter. That adds immeasurably to the tension. I love it! Also, in real life, I am a big believer in second chances; we all deserve them every now and then.
What can you tell readers about the next book in the series?
I can tell your readers that I just finished it. LOL! It’s a crossover story, bringing Hugh Baker, the movie star from THE VIP DOUBLES DOWN (Wager of Hearts series), together with Jessica Quillen, the veterinarian from SECOND TIME AROUND (Second Glances series). They were once engaged, but when his career started to take off, Jessica handed him back his ring. They haven’t seen each other since, except when Jessica watches him on the big screen in the movie theater. Although it’s set in the Second Glances world, there just might be a cameo appearance by a character from the Wager of Hearts series in there, too.
Thank you so much for having me on your wonderful blog!
My pleasure! Congratulations on the new release.
Title: Second Time Around by Nancy Herkness
Second Glances Series Book One
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 329 pages
Summary:
A former love makes a lasting impression in a warm and sexy romance from Nancy Herkness.
Kyra Dixon, a blue-collar girl from the boondocks, is dedicated to her job at a community center that matches underprivileged kids with rescue dogs. When she runs into Will Chase—Connecticut blue blood, billionaire CEO, and her old college crush—she’s surprised that he asks a favor from her: to be his date for his uptight family’s dreaded annual garden party. If his parents don’t approve, all the better.
Kyra’s not about to say no. It’ll give her a chance to be oh-so-close to her unrequited love. What begins as a little fling turns so mad hot, so fast, that Kyra finds herself falling all over again for a fantasy that won’t come true. How can it? She doesn’t belong in Will’s world. She doesn’t want to. But Will does want to belong in hers.
All he has to do now is prove it. Will is prepared to give up whatever is necessary to get what his heart most desires.
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Purchase Link: Amazon
Author Bio
Nancy Herkness is the award-winning author of the Wager of Hearts, Whisper Horse, and Second Glances series, as well as several other contemporary romance novels. With degrees in English literature and creative writing from Princeton University, she has earned the New England Readers’ Choice award, the Book Buyers Best Top Pick honor, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, and she is a two-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award.
Nancy is a native of West Virginia but now lives in suburban New Jersey with a goofy golden retriever.
Author Links: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads
Giveaway
Great interview