Title: The Australian (Crime Royalty Romance #2)
Author: Lesley Young
Synopsis:Charlie Sykes takes everything and everyone at face value—and believes life would be a lot easier if everyone else did, too. Aussie Jace Knight, international hotelier and purported playboy, has never met anyone like the absurdly literal and obliviously beautiful American who applies for his personal assistant position. The trouble is, how do you pursue a woman whose definition of flirting comes straight out of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary? That, and he’s not the only one after Charlie. Seems Mr. Knight might not be a reformed criminal after all. Soon, Charlie’s immersed in a whirlwind of international espionage that takes her from the hip streets of Sydney to the majestic Great Barrier Reef and the wild, desolate outback. A dangerous trap’s being set, but how will Charlie protect herself and prevent a tragic betrayal, when she can’t even sort out what her heart’s telling her?
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A
contemporary romance playlist
Three songs that fueled the fast-paced romantic
suspense novel The Australian by
Lesley Young
The second book in my stand-alone Crime Royalty
Romance series features a shorter playlist than the first book (The Frenchman). But the songs I did
listen to while writing The Australian
were so integral that I will never be able to hear them again without pivotal
scenes playing out in my head.
Here are the three key moments in the book that
wouldn’t have happened without music.
Jace
Knight . . .vulnerable
For most of The
Australian, Charlie Sykes not only keeps playboy and international hotelier
Jace Knight on his toes, she throws him right off his game. He’s so into her,
but because she establishes boundaries from day one, he’s torn because it’s not
clear to him that she does want him. Due to complicated circumstances, she ends
up loving and leaving Jace, which confuses the hell out of him.
A couple of songs really helped me to write Jace
true—a very masculine Aussie wearing his heart on his sleeve. Makes sense that
the songs are rock alternative, almost-ballads. When I hear these tunes I can
smell the humidity and beach, hear the roar of Jace’s motorcycle and absorb the
angst of a very proud man humbled by fast-budding love. They include If I Had My Way by Big Sugar, and Deny by Default.
Charlie
Sykes . . .falling in love
When Charlie, who doesn’t understand or cope
with feelings very well, realizes she is falling in love with Mr. Knight, it
isn’t a warm-fuzzy moment. It’s the exact the opposite—she’s terrified because
she believes there are circumstances that prevent her from being with him. But
the truth is, and hopefully readers suspect this, she’s really terrified
because she doesn’t yet understand the glory of love.
Instead, love, as she’s been taught in her
limited life experience, is a burden, a heavy weight, and Jace is not unlike a
drug she has no control over. When she stares out her high-rise condo window
down at Sydney’s harbor, her heart aching and her eyes wide with fear, this
song plays on repeat in my mind—Addicted
To You by Avicii.
Epiphany
. . . the cost of loving Jace Knight
There is an extremely shocking and dangerous
development that happens in the wild, Aussie outback. I won’t say what, but an
intense, violent drama plays out. And this a pivotal moment in the novel, not
just because it is a plot advancement, but because it is when Charlie
experiences firsthand the true cost of loving a man like Jace.
Deep down inside, she is forced to admit being
with him is a high-stakes game, entailing a life full of risk, precisely what
she moved to Australia to avoid. She realizes how much she doesn’t want this,
and begins the heart-wrenching journey to decide whether she can bear the price
of loving him. The moment this realization dawns—the red, dusty earth, the
smell of guns firing and sweat, and the heat from Jace’s eyes asking her to be
brave, in more ways than one—plays in my mind every time I hear Love Runs Out by OneRepublic.
Thank you so much for featuring me on your
fabulous blog! The series is stand-alone so don’t worry about whether you read The Australian or The Frenchman first. Stay in the know about new releases and great
deals at LesleyYoungBooks.com.
https://open.spotify.com/user/1143937416/playlist/5opc4ON2hp2xiCbOHxVFLH
https://open.spotify.com/user/1143937416/playlist/5opc4ON2hp2xiCbOHxVFLH
Lesley Young Biography
Lesley
Young is a genre-defying author of unforgettable heroines who experience thrilling
life- and love-altering journeys. Her debut novel was Sky's End; her most
recent stand-alone series, Crime Royalty Romance, includes The Frenchman and The
Australian. She loves to hear from readers. Follow her at Facebook.com/LesleyYoungBooks, @LesleyYoungBks and
lesleyyoungbooks.com/blog.
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