Friday, April 6, 2018

Gun Violence in Romantic Suspense by Rachelle Ayala



While writing my latest inspirational romantic suspense, Hide My Heart: Love and Trouble, I developed a truly sadistic and abusive villain. He was a hunter, and he hunted my heroine and her baby. Of course, he would use every tool at his disposal and that meant guns. He pulls a handgun on my heroine and she knows he'd use it too--not an empty threat.

However how much violence is acceptable or enough? I confronted these questions while writing Hide My Heart: Love and Trouble.

Early on, I knew Hunter would be violent. It's his nature. To be true to his character and to portray the real danger my heroine and hero were under, guns and violence were necessary to the story.

While my book is an inspirational romance, it still had to feel real and show the hunt, the chase, and the ultimate standoff. I do not "glory" in blood and guts. There are no gruesome descriptions or long, protracted fight scenes, but at the end, the story had to ring true. While it might make a few readers squeamish, the ultimate payoff is justice and a final resolution that prepares the way for love to triumph and a happy ending to play out.


A single mother on the run. 
Amber McKay ran away from home to find adventure. She found Hunter instead. Now Amber’s on the run again and this time she isn’t alone. 

A bartender and innkeeper who’s never left home.
Nate Riley has always had big dreams - leave home, marry, raise a family. Family responsibility stole those dreams. Will fate return them? 

A backwoods killer on the loose.
Nothing escapes Hunter Dixon. Especially his prize possession, Amber McKay. She is coming home no matter who has to die. 

When Amber finds out this may be her grandmother’s last Christmas, she is determined to say goodbye to the woman who always loved her. But she’s hiding from Hunter, and she has a big secret. She turns to the one person who has never let her down, her childhood crush, Nate.

Nate agrees to help, but Hunter closes in. While Amber and Nate explore their budding romance, they must fight a crippling ice storm and a determined enemy to stay alive and protect her secret.

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or read a preview on Amazon.

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Rachelle Ayala is a USA Today bestselling author of dramatic romantic suspense and humorous contemporary romances. She is the winner of multiple awards, including the 2015 Angie Ovation Award for best Multicultural Romance with Knowing Vera, the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Gold Award for A Father for Christmas, the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Gold Award for Christmas Stray, the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Finalist for A Pet for Christmas, and the 2017 Readers’ Favorite Gold Award for Playing for the Save.

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All the best, Rachelle

6 comments:

  1. Wow, Rachelle! Looking forward to reading this book!

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  2. It sounds like a great story. So suspenseful!

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  3. Sounds like a good story. I don't mind that there's a bad guy who would shoot someone in a suspense story.

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    1. It's dangerous in real life, so yes, dangerous in the story too. But there's a HEA.

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