Dual cover reveal: Joanna Shupe's 'The Courtesan Duchess,' 'The Harlot Countess'
HEA is thrilled to share the covers of the first two books in Joanna Shupe's upcoming Wicked Deceptions series, The Courtesan Duchess (coming April 7) and The Harlot Countess (April 28). Joanna shares her thoughts about the covers …
Joanna: Growing up, I spent a lot of time browsing my grandmother's paperback collection. I vividly remember the eye-catching covers of Johanna Lindsey, Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood and more. What was this secret world of well-defined biceps and long, wind-blown hair? Those covers intrigued me, lured me in, and once I cracked the first spine, I was hooked on romance.
When I sold my debut series in the summer of 2013, I couldn't wait to see my first cover. I think I gave myself carpal tunnel from refreshing my e-mail so often over the last year in anticipation of that thrilling moment.
So imagine my joy when I received not just one but TWO of my covers! These are the first two stories in my Wicked Deceptions historical series, and I think the covers are perfect. Not only are these ladies gorgeous and wearing fabulous dresses, their expressions capture the unique spirit of each heroine.
When I initially provided input on my thoughts for the covers, I felt it was important that the art focus on the heroine. Don't get me wrong — the heroes are important, too. But each of these stories has a strong, empowered female who isn't afraid to take what she wants … and maybe get a little revenge along the way. I couldn't be happier with what the Kensington art department designed for my stories.
So tell me, do you remember the first romance cover that caught your eye? I'll choose one winner at random from the comments to win autographed paperback copies of all three Wicked Deceptions books when they release in the spring of 2015. Please visit joannashupe.com for extras, excerpts, and more.
Thanks for stopping by!
Here are the blurbs about the first two books in the Wicked Deceptions series:
Can a bold-faced lie lead to everlasting love? One by one, the impetuous heroines in the Wicked Deceptions series intend to find out, each in her unique way …
The Courtesan Duchess:
How to seduce an estranged husband—and banish debt!—in four wickedly improper, shockingly pleasurable steps...
1. Learn the most intimate secrets of London's leading courtesan.
2. Pretend to be a courtesan yourself, using the name Juliet Leighton.
3. Travel to Venice and locate said husband.
4. Seduce husband, conceive an heir, and voila—your future is secure!
For Julia, the Duchess of Colton, such a ruse promises to be foolproof. After all, her husband has not bothered to lay eyes on her in eight years, since their hasty wedding day when she was only sixteen. But what begins as a tempestuous flirtation escalates into full-blown passion—and the feeling is mutual. Could the man the Courtesan Duchess married actually turn out to be the love of her life?
The Harlot Countess:
Lady Maggie Hawkins's debut was something she'd rather forget—along with her first marriage. Today, the political cartoonist is a new woman. A thoroughly modern woman. So much so that her clamoring public believes she's a man…
FACT: Drawing under a male pseudonym, Maggie is known as Lemarc. Her (his!) favorite object of ridicule: Simon Barrett, Earl of Winchester. He's a rising star in Parliament—and a former confidant and love interest of Maggie's who believed a rumor that vexes her to this day.
FICTION: Maggie is the Half-Irish Harlot who seduced her best friend's husband on the eve of their wedding. She is to be feared and loathed as she will lift her skirts for anything in breeches.
Still crushed by Simon's betrayal, Maggie has no intention of letting the ton crush her as well. In fact, Lemarc's cartoons have made Simon a laughingstock…but now it appears that Maggie may have been wrong about what happened years ago, and that Simon has been secretly yearning for her since…forever. Could it be that the heart is mightier than the pen and the sword after all?