~ MAYA BANKS ~
Welcome to Under the Covers, Maya! We are excited to start another series with LETTING GO.
Thank you! I’m super excited about the new SURRENDER trilogy and I hope readers will love it as much as I do!
Can you tell us a bit about this first book, LETTING GO?
Letting Go is a classic second chance at love with a bit of a twist. In many books where the heroine has been married before the first husband is often cast as a villain or not as good as the current hero. It’s like they have to put down the first husband in order to ELEVATE the current hero and make HIM the love of her life and he in no way compares to the first husband.
In Letting Go, Joss deeply loved her first husband and was married to him for three years before a tragic accident takes him from her. She was devastated and has mourned him deeply and she thinks that she’ll never find another love like the one she had with Carson (her first husband)
Carson’s best friend, Dash, has secretly been in love with Joss for YEARS and he’s been a staunch source of support for Joss in the years since Carson’s death. He’s been waiting in the wings, hoping for the day when she can move on and he can have his chance with her.
The story is an emotional one with Joss’s decision to finally let go and then her bewilderment over the fact that Dash has wanted her all this time and she never knew. It’s also sort of a friends to lovers story which is one of my favorite tropes 🙂
Readers will see The House (owned by Damon Roche) from the Sweet series in this book. Can we expect any cameos from some of our favorite characters in this trilogy?
Yes, aside from The House, you will see brief appearances from other characters in the Sweet Series because the SURRENDER trilogy is set in the same “world” and locale as the Sweet Series was. So as a treat to readers there will be easter eggs here and there with appearances from “old friends.”
If you had to describe the hero and heroine of this book in three words, what would they be?
Heroine—loyal, giving, very loving. Hero—determined, absolutely alpha and utterly protective
Do you have a favorite scene that you can share a bit with us from?
I have so many favorite scenes but I think perhaps the first one is when Joss realizes Dash’s feelings for her and for the first time looks at him and SEES him as something more than just her husband’s best friend. It’s quite the revelation for her.
We always love knowing more about our favorite authors. What does a day in the life of Maya Banks look like?
I lead a very quiet existence! I’m a total homebody and when I’m not actually working (which is a LOT) my favorite times are simply being at home and having a home cooked meal with my family where everyone talks about their day and we laugh and have good times. I don’t have rigid work hours. I operate by what has to get done. So one day I may get in eight hours of writing and others I’ll work until my husband and children get home from work and school, have dinner and visit with them and then when everyone else goes to bed I’ll often stay up until the wee hours of the morning to write.
For new readers wanting to dip their toes in your stories, how do you compare your erotic romance to your historicals? And do you have a preference as to what genre you feel more at home writing?
It really depends on a reader’s comfort level as far as sexual content. The one thing that DOESN’T change no matter what genre I’m writing is the emotional intensity of my stories. For me, emotion is a must have no matter what genre I happen to be writing. For me the only real difference is sexual content because in my erotic romances the love scenes are more descriptive and in my non erotic romances they’re more subtle but regardless of which, they’re ALL emotional.
Is there a genre you still haven’t tapped into that you are interested in writing?
Honestly at this point, no. I won’t say I’d never write in a different or new genre because for me it’s about the story. If I ever had a story pop into my head that demanded to be told, I’d want to write it, regardless of what “genre” it fit into.
Thank you so much for sharing with us and we hope readers will enjoy LETTING GO as much as we did! Looking forward to the next!
Thank you so much for having me and I also hope that readers will enjoy not only LETTING GO but the other two books in the SURRENDER trilogy as well 🙂
Josslyn found perfection once, and she knows she’ll never find it again. Now widowed, she seeks the one thing her beloved husband couldn’t give her. Dominance. Lonely and searching for an outlet for her grief and wanting only a brief taste of the perfection she once enjoyed, she seeks what she’s looking for at an exclusive club that caters to people indulging in their most hedonistic fantasies. She never imagined that what she’d find is the one man who’s long been a source of comfort—and secret longing. Her husband’s best friend.
Dash has lived in an untenable position for years. In love with his best friend’s wife and unwilling to act on that attraction. He’d never betray his best friend. And so he’s waited in the wings, offering Joss unconditional support and comfort as she works past her grief, hoping for the day when he can offer her more.
When he finds her in a club devoted to the darker edges of desire, he’s furious because he thinks she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Until she explains in detail what it is she wants. What she needs. As realization sets in, he is gripped by fierce, unwavering determination. If she wants dominance, he is the only man who will introduce her to that world. He is the only man who will touch her, cherish her…love her. And the only man she’ll ever submit to.
Coming February 4, 2014!
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[about-author author=”Maya Banks”]
Berkley has a trade paperback edition of LETTING GO up for grabs to a winner in the U.S.
one of my favorite books are in bed with a highlander thanks so much for the giveaway love the interview
Maya is in my top 5 authors! Just love her writing style! Glad she is starting this one! She has the best series!!
That is difficult. Maya is such a prolific writer. But, I would have to say (and this may be a cheat) that Letting Go will be my favorite of her stories. I loved the interview with Maya and the synopsis she gave of Letting Go. Joss, the long suffering friend in love with his best friend’s wife. Yummy! It looks as if it will be a fabulous read that I can’t wait to devour.
I am looking forward to this read. I love Maya Banks.
Thanks for the interview,I am more excited to read this series knowing we will get a glimpse of characters from previous books. My favorite Banks books are her historicals.
I love the Montgomery and Armstrong series – can’t wait for the third to come out.
I love Maya Banks. I’ve read most of her books, but my favorites are probably the first ones I read – the Sweet series.
I have yet to read any of her books but just picked up her Breathless series so I will be correcting that very, very soon!
Thanks for the post and interview, I enjoyed reading it. I am very excited for this new release. I love friends to lovers story lines and this one sounds very emotional. I love the Sweet series and it will be fun to revisit the House! I miss the fun all the women had together and of course those great dominant men! 🙂 My favorite books are from both the Sweet series and KGI Series and it is too hard to pick just one book from either because each series makes a different body that can’t be separated in my mind. 🙂
Never Seduce A Scot!
Kgi series is my favorite.
I love the Breathless series!
I love all of Maya Banks books, however the entire Breathless Series is at the top of my list of favorites written by Maya.
It would be hard for me to pick a favorite, especially in the Sweet series.
I loved the interview. My fav book is Somgbird but there are so many other good ones also.
I love Maya’s KGI series! This sounds like a great new book from her!
Congrats to Maya on the new release! I’ve been reading such great reviews for this 🙂 I’m definitely going to have to go check out the “sweet” series and this is going on the top of my want list!! Thanks for sharing!
My favorite is Sweet Surrender. The cover is amazing by the way. Congrats!
I have so many of Maya’s and so many I haven’t read yet… But the one that has scenes that stick in my mind has to be FOUR PLAY by Maya and Shayla Black. I will forever remember those emotional scenes in my head that Maya wrote. <3 ed that book!
I Love her books the KIG series and Sweet series are so good if someone hasn’t read them they should
Nice interview! I like all her historicals 🙂
I really like the sound of this book thanks…..I like home cooked meals with the whole family, too!
I can’t wait to read this book. I loved the Sweet series and can’t wait to see this trilogy unfold within that world.
Love Maya Banks books. My favorites are with the Colters. I wish she would have more stories like these.
My favorite of Maya’s is a series, not one book, and it the Colters’ Legacy series. Lucky, lucky women in that series! Great interview 🙂 I can’t wait to start this new series!!!
Thank you for this awesome giveaway!
The Breathless Trilogy. Loved them.
great interview and the sweet series is my favorite
Loved the Sweet Series and the Breathless series! I love learning about my favorite authors.
I am so excited that this book is going to bring back some of the characters and locations from the Sweet series! I thought it was sad when the Sweet series ended.
I loved the Breathless Trilogy with Rush being my favorite!
I love KGI #1 The Darkest Hour the most (at least so far). Just can’t beat the first book to a series 🙂
One of the first Maya Bank’s books I reading her Pregnant and Passion series and I was hooked.. I then stared reading her “Sweet” series and her KGI series. and her wonderful Scottish series… can’t get enough of Maya’s books.
Great interview!
I love any of the Sweet series books!
Thanks for the chance to win!
I love Maya Banks’ stories. I have to narrow down my favorite story to just one? I love her menage books. Stay With Me, Brazen, and Men Out of Uniform all stay active on my Nook. There are many more that come in and out of archive as the mood strikes.
Don’t have any favs
Montgomery and Armstrong series.
I love Maya Banks!! I can’t pick a favorite from her, she’s my favorite author next to Ms. James! I love the KGI series!! Thanks for the great interview and giveaway!
The Breathless Trilogy has been my favorite but I also love the Sweet series as well. It’s cool we’ll see some crossovers. Can’t wait to read the book.
The Breathless Series. I LOVE the breathless series!❤️
I keep the Sweet Series audiobooks around at all times! Sweet Submission will always be one of my favorite books ever.
Shannon
I LOVE The McCabe Trilogy, especially Seduction of a Highland Lass, which were my first Maya Banks reads. Rush was also intense and I’m dying to finish the Breathless trilogy.
My fave genre is Historical Romance so I’ll say that my fave Banks book is Never Seduce a Scot with the McCabe Trilogy and Highlander Most Wanted and can’t wait for Highland Ever After to get here next year.