Blog Tour Kick Off: Illicit Intent

Illicit Intent

Debbie Baldwin

366 Pages
Published January 1, 2021
Gatekeeper Press

Amazon | Goodreads

This is the second book in the Bishop Security series, following False Front. Each book can be read as a standalone book. They have overlapping characters and are set in the same world but can easily be read separately.

Calliope Garland’s newsdesk assignment was fairly straightforward—dig up the dirt on the sketchy CEO of a Wall Street hedge fund. But when the man is murdered and valuable data destroyed, a simple investigation turns deadly. Calliope is unwittingly in possession of vital financial information and a priceless work of art; either of which may get her killed. With an ever-growing list of people who want to harm her, Calliope must set aside her reservations and turn to the one man she knows she can trust.

Miller “Tox” Buchanan is a study in contradictions: kind but lethal, passionate but distant, self-possessed yet hesitant. He knows he should keep his distance, but when Calliope is hurled into danger, Tox will stop at nothing to protect her. Fans of Lori Foster, Sandra Brown, and Toni Anderson will love Illicit Intent.

Be advised: this story contains scenes of violence equivalent to an R-rated movie and explicit sexual situations.

Author Guest Post

The Fairytale Conundrum
By Debbie Baldwin

I am the author of the Bishop Security romantic suspense series. The first three novels, False Front, Illicit Intent, and Buried Beneath, are currently available in print and e-book at all major online booksellers. Let me start off with a sincere and heartfelt thank you. Without passionate readers like you supporting independent authors, I wouldn’t have a job, and countless wonderful books would go undiscovered.

I set out to write novels with clutch-your-Kindle, heart-bursting love stories combined with smart, relevant thrillers. My struggle when I first began, and as I continue, is how to take that alpha-male/damsel-in-distress paradigm and make it modern. I don’t mean something so simple as having a female protagonist with a powerful or dangerous career, but rather, giving the man and woman equal emotional power while still allowing for the sizzling dynamic that fuels a passionate romance.

Romance novels used to be called “Bodice Rippers,” and there’s a reason for that. No matter how enlightened we become as a society, the idea of a dominant, experienced partner paired with a complimentary counterpart, sparks a fire in fantasy. I’m an Ivy League-educated professional with a law degree, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love a good, steamy rescue fantasy. The absolutely essential requirement is consent. As long as both characters are fulfilling their romantic vision, let the buttons fly!

The key to a twenty-first-century fairytale, for me, lies in the couple dynamic. I have found that one character can assert his or her capabilities all they want, but if their partner doesn’t acknowledge that ability, the pairing is somehow off. In False Front, Nathan Bishop is a corporate executive and former Naval Intelligence officer who hides his secret warrior behind the facade of a rich playboy. (He is inspired by the iconic title character in Baroness Orczy’s classic novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel.) Nathan’s love interest, Emily Webster, is a highly skilled, capable woman. Yet, when a madman wants to abduct her, it requires both Nathan and Emily, working together, to save her. More importantly, it absolutely requires Nathan to respect and rely on Emily’s abilities and think of her as an asset, not a victim.

The second installment in the series, Illicit Intent, features Nathan’s best friend Miller “Tox” Buchanan and the free-spirited reporter, Calliope Garland. This novel’s romance explores the true meaning of “opposites attract.” Tox is rigid, orderly, and contained. Calliope gets lost chasing butterflies on her morning run. The key, again, is respect and admiration for the antithetical qualities of the other person, a romantic middle ground where both Calliope’s and Tox’s attributes fit together to make them stronger as a couple—and they will need both of their skill sets to track down missing billions stolen from a hedge fund, solve the mystery of some infamous stolen art, and save Calliope from an unknown threat.

Buried Beneath pairs ex-CIA officer, Cam Canto with brainy, introverted archaeologist, Evangeline “Evan” Cole. Again, Cam is the alpha male, but both characters have complementary skills that make them not only a sizzling romantic twosome but also a badass force! In the caves beneath Mallorca, they will need every trick in their combined book to solve the mystery of a mythical treasure, thwart a drug cartel, and bring down a notorious, international villain.

So bring on the fairytale. The Yin and Yang symbols are curved for a reason; the dynamic between romantic partners is not a flat line. There is give and take, dominance and submission, weakness and strength on both sides. The passion of this connection ignites when each character acknowledges and respects the attributes of their partner, and when they realize those qualities are not only valuable but actually enhance their own. When the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, romance soars.

Debbie Baldwin:

Debbie Baldwin is a successful print media and television writer. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Debbie and her husband live in Saint Louis, Missouri with their puggle, Pebbles. They have three children in college.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | Goodreads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Illicit Intent, Debbie Baldwin

Sharing is caring!