Before I begin, I'd like to say a huge thank you to Female First for having me as a guest on your blog today.
A Hellhound in Hollywood
I've been a fan of romance novels since I was in my early teens and one of the first books in the genre that I read, if not the first was Love Comes to the Castle by Barbara Cartland. It's a historical romance novel published in 1989 and is typical of books not only in that genre but of books written at that time. During the regency period in which the book is set, women were mostly seen as second class citizens and were expected to defer to men in most if not all situations.
Of course, that was the way of the world then so if you read an historical romance novel that has been written today, you'd find many of the same constraints for women in society. That's inevitable because for a book to be believable it needs to be realistic. However, one of the big differences that you'd find between a romance novel written today and one from the eighties would be how the women themselves are portrayed.
Many romance novels these days tend to have strong, independent heroines. Modern female protagonists can take care of themselves and don't need a man to rescue them or even to take care of them in any way. Now that doesn't mean these women don't want to be with a man ― quite the opposite in fact. Most women want love and companionship at some stage in their lives, I believe. Yet now, it's not only acceptable for women to have a career as well as a family, it's expected. And so in most romance novels written today, you will likely find that the heroines are career minded. They are usually feisty, strong willed, educated women who are not afraid to voice their opinions. In fact they are far removed from their meek counterparts in romance novels of the eighties.
The same changes in the attitudes of women and towards women can be seen not only in historical romance novels, but in contemporary and paranormal romances too. Strong women are prevalent. And that makes me incredibly happy because as an independent, modern woman myself, I want to read about women who represent me and my peers. The same principles apply not only to the books I read, but to those that I write.
I love to see women portrayed in a positive light and as such, I adore writing about strong women. There is a strong, female protagonist in each and every book of my Huntress Chronicles series. A Hellhound in Hollywood, my latest release and book four in the series is no exception. In this book, the heroine, Alana Day, is so career minded that when smooth talking cowboy Tyler Braddock enters the picture, despite a mutual attraction, Alana keeps him at arms' length. She's not about to let a man interfere with her desire to become one of the best vampire hunters in the world ― just like her mother was before her.
Yet as the job becomes more perilous and they find themselves in life or death situations, Alana and Ty get closer. Is Ty the man to show Alana that there's more to life than work? Love can be equally as important and maybe it doesn't have to be either or. Alana and Ty come up against vampires, warlocks, hellhounds and a demon who would see them dead before handing over the grimoire that they've been searching for. So is there any point in planning a future together when they might not have one?
Blurb for Hellhound in Hollywood:
Vampire huntress Alana Day has always striven to be the best hunter she can be, but is the smooth-talking cowboy Tyler Braddock the man to teach her that there's more to life?
When vampire huntress Alana Day is sent to Los Angeles to retrieve one of the lost grimoires, she expects the job to be as easy as every other. But while out hunting on her first night in the city, she is nearly killed by a savage hellhound. Smooth-talking cowboy and fellow hunter Tyler Braddock saves Alana's life, and they decide to team up to locate the grimoire. Sparks fly between the pair from the moment they meet, but Alana has spent her life focusing on her job and trying to be the best hunter she can be. She's not about to let a man interfere with that plan.
However, the more Alana gets to know Ty, the more she begins to realize that there's more to life than hunting. Love is equally important to her, and maybe it doesn't have to be either or.
Just as she warms to the idea of a future with Ty, their search for the grimoire grows more perilous. Soon they are fighting vampires, warlocks, hellhounds and a demon that would see them dead before handing over the grimoire. What's the point of planning a future together when they might not have one?
Buy Link: https://www.totallybound.com/book/a-hellhound-in-hollywood
About Amy Armstrong:
Amy Armstrong is a Brit that loves chocolate, prosecco, and sunshine. She lives and breathes paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but is also a fan of the classics and pretty much anything else she can get her hands on, including but not limited to contemporary romance, thrillers, horror, dark fantasy and young adult fiction.
Amy writes stories filled with heart, heat and passion. She loves to read about strong woman, but believes heroes come in all different shapes and sizes. She is happiest when writing or soaking up the sun with a pina colada in one hand and her kindle in the other. Her family and friends are an important part of her life and she loves meeting new people with similar interests. She is a full time, multi-published author and loves to hear from readers. She writes M/M romance under the pen name Lavinia Lewis.