KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site, so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
A Wounded Warrior Legacy Novel
BY NIKA RHONE
BLURB
Three injured veterans determined to reclaim their lives. Three service dogs donated by a grieving family. Three hearts that will find a way no matter the odds. Meet the men and women of the Wounded Warrior Legacy novels, who’ve never met a challenge too difficult to overcome…with a little help from their four-legged friends.
Losing her sight may have ended Miranda Hernandez’s Marine Corps career, but she’s determined not to lose her independence as well. With her guide dog, Sam, by her side, she’s taking the first steps toward a new life despite her overprotective family’s interference. But there’s one last mission to complete before she can put her past—and her guilt—to rest. She has no time for the velvet-voiced neighbor who keeps showing up at her door. And in her dreams.
FDNY firefighter Ben Murphy has a reputation for always keeping things casual in the bedroom, and his heart well out of reach. But there’s something about Miranda’s strength and resilience that makes him want more than just another temporary fling. Despite her blindness, she sees him more clearly than anyone ever has before…including himself. And for the first time, he wonders if he could truly be enough for a woman to love.
But everything shatters when a well-intentioned white lie spirals into a firestorm of doubt and betrayal. Can they find the courage to face their deepest fears, or will the wounds of the past prove too deep for even love to heal?
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JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
A Wounded Warrior Legacy Novel
BY NIKA RHONE
Interview
Who or what inspired you to write?
My dad. He would make up bedtime stories for me as a kid rather than read me books. Somewhere along the line I started making them up, too. Eventually, I began to write them down so I’d remember them, and I guess I just never stopped. But I did, thankfully, get better at the process, and continue to improve with every book (I hope, anyway!).
What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?
The best is having so much autonomy. The worst is having so much autonomy. LOL. I love the freedom of being the one to decide everything, from covers to storylines to promo. It can also be daunting to know the whole process is on you to do right, well, and on time. It can be a balancing act, for sure. But I’m so glad I made the switch from small press.
If you were to recommend books (in any genre), what would they be?
Oh, I have so many favorites to share. The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs is top of my paranormal list. For anything contemporary romance, you can’t go wrong with Nora Roberts or Linda Howard, and I adore Marie Force’s Fatal series. Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters series is incredible (Navy SEALs, yay!). Myra Platt’s historical romances are adorable, and Pamela Burford’s cozy mysteries are to die for (IYKYK). Familia by Lauren Rico for women’s fiction is great. Jennifer Estep’s Crown of Shards fantasy series, and her Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series are both awesome. I could go on and on, how much space do you have?
Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?
I think it kind of chose me. I started reading romance on a fluke when I picked up one of Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters Navy SEAL books not realizing it was a romance. After that, I read the genre voraciously. I was trying to write some sci-fi/fantasy at the time, but eventually those ideas started taking a backseat to the romance plot bunnies that started cropping up. I think I got so wrapped up by it because in romance, you know that no matter how bad things get, you’re always going to find that happy ending by the time you close the book. Some days, especially these days, we just need that in our lives.
If you write open door romances, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?
That was what I was reading, so it was what I wrote. For me, it’s about the feelings and intent of the characters while they’re having sexy times. There has to be more purpose to the scene than just the physical act, no matter how titillating it might be.
Can you briefly tell me about your book(s)?
Right now I have 2 full series out, and just released the first book in a new one. The first series, Boulder Bodyguards, is romantic suspense, focused around 3 friends who each find themselves in situations that require they spend some up-close-and-personal time with their respective bodyguard. The Boulder Beaumonts is a connected series (though not suspense), picking up the story of the 3 billionaire brothers of the FMC of the last bodyguard book. All of them can be read as standalones, but there’s an over-arching continuity to the world that makes reading them in order a fun easter egg hunt for readers. The new series, Wounded Warrior Legacy, is about wounded veterans and their service dogs, and finding love in spite of their physical and mental challenges.
Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?
I shouldn’t, but I do! Des was supposed to be a tertiary character in the very first bodyguard book. A one-and-done. But his personality was so big and fun, I brought him back for book 2. The next thing I knew, he’d found his way into all six Boulder books, PLUS the bonus novella I wrote for my newsletter subscribers. I plan more books in that world, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he manages to pop up in some of them, as well.
How much of yourself do you put into these characters?
Like any author, I think I drip little tiny bits of myself into a lot of the characters as I write them. I definitely gave Peter Beaumont my inability to eat anything spicy. And all the references to Star Wars and other sci-fi shows is me, too. I’m an unabashed geek.
Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?
I think it’s strength. All of my characters have doubts, about others and about themselves. But in the end, they all find the strength they have within to become the best version of themselves they can be.
What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?
Yes! I’m super excited for the next book in the Wounded Warrior Legacy series, coming out later this year. It’s romance, but the series definitely touches on some deeper issues than I’ve tackled before, which is both challenging and fulfilling. After that, I’m tinkering with a romcom idea, and I have plans to revisit the Boulder world for another connected series at some point. So many ideas, never enough time!
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About Author Nika Rhone…
Nika Rhone spent her childhood wearing out library cards as she read her way through the extraordinary worlds far beyond her small hometown on Long Island, NY. By her teens, her imagination was taking her places all on its own, forcing her to learn how to type (badly) so she could get all the stories down on paper. After a long love affair with science fiction and fantasy, she finally discovered romance, fell head-over-heels, and now spends her days crafting happily-ever-afters for the characters who still tell their stories faster (and better) than she can type them. Her books include the Boulder Bodyguards, Boulder Beaumonts, and Wounded Warrior Legacy series.
Links to Nika’s websites, blogs, books, #ad etc.:
Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/3Eo5NMD
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/4aTHp1u
Website: www.nikarhone.com
Email: nika@nikarhone.com
Where to find my books: https://books2read.com/NikaRhoneAuthor
Happy Reading!
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Special Giveaway: Nika will gift a digital copy of JUST THE WAY YOU ARE to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog. Good Luck!
Happy Reading!
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Thanks, Nika, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Book looks like incredible read would love to read in print format
Thank you so much! It’s available in both ebook and print from Amazon.
Your stories sound wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
Eileen, thank you so much!
Good morning, your books sound like very good reads, Thank you for sharing about them and thank you for sharing your great sounding excerpt, I love the sound of them. Have a great week. (not entering this ebook giveaway as I am not tech savvy, but Thank you) I will be looking your book up in print for sure.
Alicia, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy them!
Hi, Nika! So fun to see you here on Karen’s newsletter!
New to you readers are in for a treat!
Thanks, Karen and Nika.
BTW, Briggs and Estep are favs of mine, too, as well as Lindsay Sands
Hi, so good to see you! Thank you so much for the kind praise. And yes, I’ve read some Lindsay Sands, too. So many good authors to keep track of!
Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench, Nika. I love the sounds of this book and series. I can’t wait to dig in. Like you, I’m Indie, which sounds wonderfully freeing, but also challenging. Being my own boss means I have to fight to keep my workers inside when it’s nice outside, or when I just don’t feel like working. As a boss, I can be such a slouch! LOL Thanks for sharing your book and insights into your writing!
Thanks so much for having me, Karen! And it’s the truth, being the boss of yourself and your characters (although they’d probably disagree we are, lol) can be tougher than it seems.
Why did you select ‘wounded warriors’ to write about? How did you research this genre? I can’t imagine losing my sight the way your FMC did. Thank you for sharing with us today.
Hi, Jaylee, thanks for asking! It’s a topic that’s been in my head for awhile now, but I wanted to have the right story before I tried writing anything down. I grew up seeing guide dogs being trained in my hometown since there’s a facility one town over, and it always stuck with me.
Plus, my husband is a retired Marine (thankfully perfectly healthy), so it was a no-brainer for me to start with that branch of the service. The other 2 books with have vets from the Army and Navy.
As for research, I read books, watched interviews, and I had 3 sensitivity readers who are sight impaired and use guide dogs help me to make sure I got things right. I wanted Miranda to be strong and capable despite her blindness, but also believable.
nice interview
Thank you!
I’m looking forward to reading this.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!!