To celebrate the release of her new contemporary romance, A Single Kiss, Grace Burrowes (she of the twinkling eyes in this photo) answered three questions from Rose.  Thanks so much, Grace, for stopping by!

Did you find writing contemporary romance difficult after authoring so many historical romances?

 No, actually. I happen to live in the contemporary world, and this was very helpful when writing contemporary romances. In all seriousness, human nature is human nature, and while some aspects of society shift as time goes on, our hearts remain the same.

Now that you have written several contemporaries, do you have a preference as to which you find more enjoyable to write?

I love them all, and can see writing more of each. I’m also taking a crack at Scottish contemporaries, which combines a little bit of far, far away with a lot of right now. Maybe those are the best fun so far? I’ll have to write some more before I make up my mind.

Is there any of you in Hannah?

Of course! Somebody once upon a time put forth the notion that female readers identify with the heroine and fall in love with the hero. Erm… that has always felt to me like a narrow rendition of the reading and writing experience. There’s a lot of Hannah in me, and there’s a lot of Trent. Also a lot of James, MacKenzie, the judges, even the snarky state’s attorney and the imaginative, lonely kid. You write what you have inside you, and the entire book is from my heart, not only certain characters.

I’d say what resonates most with me about Hannah’s experience (also Trent’s), is the loneliness of single parenting. It can be physically, emotionally, and financially grueling, and it’s a long, long haul. (Good books help a lot, though!)

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My review appears below, after the excerpt.  Be sure to also click on the Rafflecopter link  at the end to enter the giveaway.

Book Information

Book: A Single Kiss                                                                                                                    Author: Grace Burrowes                                                                                                       Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca                                                                                        Release Date: January 6, 2015                                                                                                  Genre: Contemporary Romance

Summary

Hannah Stark has set her sights on corporate law to assure her a career of paperwork, predictability, and conservative suits. Contracts, finance, and the art of the deal sing to her, while the mess and misery of the courtroom do not. But her daughter needs to eat, so when Hannah is offered a temporary position in a small town firm’s domestic relations department, she reluctantly accepts.

Trent Knightley is mightily drawn to his newest associate, though Hannah is as protective of her privacy as she is competent. When their friendship and attraction heat up, Hannah’s secrets put her heart and Trent’s hopes in double jeopardy.

Excerpt

James stood beside Mac at the window in Mac’s office, watching the head of the domestic relations department escort his newest associate to her car. “Why isn’t that idiot sneaking in a little kiss here and there?” James asked. “He’s not even touching her. Didn’t offer his arm, hasn’t got his hand on her back.”  “Some of us appreciate a more subtle approach,” Mac said. “Some of us with a little discretion and tact.”  “I about sat her in my lap at lunch earlier this week. She said I was flirting my eyelashes off, and laughed at me.”   “Laughed?”

By a little blue Prius, Trent handed Hannah her briefcase. “You have my condolences, James. You must be losing your touch. We depend on you to carry the Knightley standard into the bedroom of western Maryland, but it looks as if at long last – well, one hopes it’s long last-”  “Shut up,” James smacked Mac’s shoulder for good measure. “It’s just as long and lasting as it ever was, but Hannah Stark has been inoculated against my devastating charms by the only thing that has ever protected a female from falling for me.”   “Common sense?” Mac drawled. “A functioning brain? A sense of humor? An accurately calibrated ruler?”

“She’s fallen for him,” James said, gesturing towards the parking lot. “We have reason to hope.”

My Review

Hannah Stark’s financial situation is precarious.  She thinks her problems have been solved when she’s offered a job at the Knightley Brothers’ Law Firm, but to her dismay, she finds she’ll have to spend six months working in Family Law before she can move to her specialty, which is corporate. Since she has a daughter to support, Hannah accepts the job, but with dread and a churning stomach.  Hannah is very familiar with Family Law from her own childhood, and the experience was not good.  Trenton Knightley runs the Family Law department in his family owned firm.  Though his initial meeting with Hannah is shaky, due to some erroneous conclusions she makes, he is soon impressed with her work.  Before long, Trent finds himself becoming impressed with Hannah as a woman, as well as a lawyer.  He realizes that he’s her boss, and he doesn’t want create any type of hostile work situation, but his feelings are very strong, and he wants to pursue a relationship.  Hannah is very skittish, and rebuffs his attempts to get close to her.  In addition to that, Hannah is literally becoming ill over her job duties, though she soldiers on.

Hannah and Trent are both sympathetic characters, and I liked them very much.  While Trent was in a position of power, he never used that as leverage.  He can see that Hannah has been through an experience that has left her leery of any relationship.  He doesn’t give up, but he takes things very slowly, letting her get to know him, and find out what type of person he is.  I admire that he went through  a bad marriage and divorce without becoming bitter or vindictive.  I had to cheer Hannah’s strength in being able to handle her aversion to the cases she was assigned – I could feel her fear and dread.  It was wonderful to see Trent’s patience finally winning her over, little by little, and to see her fears of intimacy fade.

I always enjoy seeing the good guys finish first.  Hannah and Trent both have had some bad experiences in their pasts.  They are dedicated parents, and their daughters forming a fast friendship was a nice touch.  The story did contain some drama, in the person of a vindictive and jealous co-worker who was intent on destroying Hannah, and there were also some twists about Hannah’s mysterious past.  I found the resolution very satisfying.  Grace Burrowes has departed from a long line of historical romances to venture into the contemporary field.  This book has all the warmth and character depth that she is known for, and it worked for me.  I recommend this heartwarming story for her historical fans, as well as for readers of contemporary romance.

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Author Biography                                                                                                                  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Grace Burrowes’ bestsellers include The Heir, The Soldier, Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal, Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish and Lady Eve’s Indiscretion. The Heir was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010, The Soldier was a PW Best Spring Romance of 2011, Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish won Best Historical Romance of the Year in 2011 from RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards, Lady Louisa’s Christmas Knight was a Library Journal Best Book of 2012, and The Bridegroom Wore Plaid was a PW Best Book of 2012. Her Regency romances have received extensive praise, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Grace is branching out into short stories and Scotland-set Victorian romance with Sourcebooks. She is a practicing family law attorney and lives in rural Maryland.

Social Networking Links                                                                                               Website: http://www.graceburrowes.com/                                                                   Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4152482.Grace_Burrowes    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grace-Burrowes/115039058572197    Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GraceBurrowes

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