Guns n’ Boys Series Blog Tour
Book #1 He Is Poison
Book #2 He Is Mine
Book #3 Homicidal Instinct
Book #4 Swamp Blood
Book #5 Chokehold
Book #6 Bloodbath
Book #7 Gilded Agony
Writing a romance series about a single couple comes with a set of difficulties. Each release needs to feel both familiar and fresh, to give the readers the sense of going on an adventure with people they know well. In most genres, the plot is what delivers this kind of experience, but in romance the development of the relationship is equally important, if not more so. I have written another post for this blog tour that is all about relationship development, so this time I would like to focus on one aspect only.
When a new relationship develops, all the ‘firsts’ are unique and exciting. The characters fantasize about one another, marvel at physical and mental attributes they like in their partner, and once sex comes into the picture, the tension that has been developing throughout the length of the book is finally released. But what can an author do to keep the fire burning once the characters settle into a comfortable relationship?
I think one of the worst things that can happen within a long series is the couple settling into a routine. Partners who know one another well might want to have the most vanilla kind of sex after a hard day’s work, but while this might be wonderful in real life, most of the time it’s not very interesting to read about over and over. If the book is an erotic romance or the couple’s connection has been heavily charged with eroticism from the start, it is important that the tension doesn’t fizzle out with subsequent books.
This is relatively easy to achieve in books that have a suspense element, because danger has an arousing effect on the body. While not strictly sexual, this arousal will result in a fast heartbeat, heat, but most of all–a sense of worry that the character’s partner might be in danger. This creates a need for connection that the readers can easily empathize with. In Guns n’ Boys, the characters often go through perilous situations, and by holding their partner, the characters are reassured that everything is as it should be.
Domenico and Seth, who are the main characters of the series, are very sexual by nature, but like all couples, they go through slumps and experiment with things that don’t always end up staying in their repertoire 😉 I wouldn’t suggest using role playing scenarios and gadgets as the only tool to uphold the sexual tension in subsequent books, but it does come in handy when it fits the overall theme on some level.
The method of keeping the sexual chemistry throughout the series that I find most organic is also most difficult, because it depends on the state of the relationship itself. I already mentioned that sometimes relationships in long-running series feel stagnant. I think that is because the authors like their characters too much and don’t want to take them out of perfect “marital” bliss. This can work for some subgenres, but not for erotic romance. In case of Domenico and Seth, a lot of the in-relationship tension comes from their difficult personalities. They will go through disagreements and once they make up–they will also want to reconnect sexually. This effect can also be achieved by making sure both partners evolve as people, thus making them fascinating and fresh to their lovers as the story goes on.
And then of course there’s a lot to be said for some good old hate sex.
Domenico Acerbi. The Villani Family’s best assassin. Ruthless. Vicious. With no patience for weakness.
Seth Villani. The Don’s son. Clueless. Stubborn. In dire need of someone to keep him in line.
Domenico Acerbi grew up ready to give his life for the Family. Ready to follow orders and exceed expectations. A proud man of honor.
The last thing he wants to deal with is training the Don’s son for his future role within the organization. Lazy, annoying, spoiled, and as hot as a Sicilian summer, Seth Villani is no mafia material. But a man who could never become a threat might just be what Domenico needs.
Seth Villani wants nothing to do with the mafia. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get a say when he’s pulled back into the fold. Thrown into a den of serpents otherwise known as the Villani Family, Seth has to find a way to navigate the maze of lies. But when Domenico Acerbi, the most vicious snake of them all, sinks his fangs into Seth, letting go becomes impossible.
If Seth is doomed to follow in his father’s footsteps, he might as well enjoy himself with the most intoxicating man he’s ever met. Maybe he can even fool himself into believing that Domenico isn’t a handsome sociopath who kills for a living.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:Themes: Enemies to lovers, mafia, homophobia, assassin, organized crime, forced proximityGenre: Dark, twisted M/M romance / crime thrillerLength: ~110,000 words
WARNING: Adult content. Sizzling hot scenes. If you are easily offended, this book is not for you.
‘Guns n’ Boys’ is a gritty story of extreme violence, offensive language, abuse, and morally ambiguous protagonists. Behind the morbid facade, there is a splash of inappropriate dark humor, and a love story that will crawl under your skin.
K.A. Merikan are a team of writers who try not to suck at adulting, with some success. Always eager to explore the murky waters of the weird and wonderful, K.A. Merikan don’t follow fixed formulas and want each of their books to be a surprise for those who choose to hop on for the ride.
K.A. Merikan have a few sweeter M/M romances as well, but they specialize in the dark, dirty, and dangerous side of M/M, full of bikers, bad boys, mafiosi, and scorching hot romance.
FACEBOOK PROFILE
K.A. MERIKAN’S TWITTER (RUN BY KAT)
AGNES MERIKAN’S TWITTER
K.A. MERIKAN ON GOODREADS
PINTEREST
M/F ROMANCE BY MISS MERIKAN
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 
These two need so much therapy, too, but I get the feeling that’s something Domenico would have a rant about despite how much benefit he could get from it. Alas.
LikeLike
Lull Z, OMG! Yes. Domenico would absolutely rant about therapy!
LikeLike
Congrats and thanks for the post. This series is great, but no surprise coming from y’all. – Purple Reader,
TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com
LikeLike
Bring on the hate sex! Haha. I read about characters and relationships like this to live vicariously because, of course, in real life I want my relationship to be much more peaceful. Moondrawn (at) gmail (dot) com
LikeLike
I’ve once read a series where I fell in love with the 1st installment (the “firsts” were here) and the connection/chemistry/tension fizzled out on the subsequent books. Reading the 2nd book was hard & I DNF the 3rd one. I’m glad that this has not happened to your works. Domenico & Seth continue to excite us & give us all the sexual tension we need. 😉
LikeLike
I love them both, and this guest post was very interesting!
LikeLike
These authors do a great job writing relationships. I never get tired of reading about these two. 🙂
lkbherring64(at)gmail(dot)com
LikeLike