Melanie Milburne on the web:Website Facebook Twitter Author Page
Who is Melanie Milburne?
I am an award winning, best selling romance author for Harlequin Mills and Boon in London who loves dogs, kids, swimming and reading and, of course, writing!
How did you chose your genre?
I chose romance as a genre as it brings so much happiness to readers. I love the escapism of the genre. It's why I read it myself.
What made you tell this story and why did you write this book?
I wrote His Final Bargain as I wanted to explore the issue of being trapped in a relationship through no fault of your own. Eliza's engagement had come to an end but before she could tell anyone, her ex-fiance had a terrible accident that left him permanently disabled. He also was trapped- in his body and mind. The what if question that triggered this novel was: What if you met the love of your life while you were trapped in a relationship you could never get out of?
How did you come up with the title?
I don't have much say in the titles. That is left to my publisher. I quite like this title as it hints at the place where the hero Leon Valente is in his life. He has things he wants to put to rest and his previous fling with the elusive Eliza Lincoln is the first thing on his list.
HIS FINAL BARGAIN
A beautiful love affair and a burning betrayal...Eliza Lincoln is stunned to find Leo Valente at her door; four years ago his passionate embrace was a brief taste of freedom from her suffocating engagement. Until Leo discovered her secret...
Yet he hasn't come to rekindle their affair. He has a proposition he knows Eliza can't refuse: she's the only person who can help his small, motherless daughter. Torn, Eliza can't ignore a vulnerable child, but the last time she was near Leo her desire nearly consumed her. Is she willing to take that risk again now that the stakes are even higher?
Buy Links:
HIS FINAL BARGAIN
Yet he hasn't come to rekindle their affair. He has a proposition he knows Eliza can't refuse: she's the only person who can help his small, motherless daughter. Torn, Eliza can't ignore a vulnerable child, but the last time she was near Leo her desire nearly consumed her. Is she willing to take that risk again now that the stakes are even higher?
Buy Links:
Amazon
Mills & Boon UK
Mills & Boon Aust
Harlequin
There's a kindle copy of HIS FINAL BARGAIN to one commenter! Let us know how you deal with betrayal?
Mills & Boon UK
Mills & Boon Aust
Harlequin
There's a kindle copy of HIS FINAL BARGAIN to one commenter! Let us know how you deal with betrayal?
Fun interview! Sounds like a great read :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by Meradeth!
DeleteI love the title.
ReplyDeleteIntriguing eh, Kelly? I love it too!
DeleteIt must be nice not to have to come up with titles for your books. That's sometimes the hardest part.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by Diane!
DeleteBetrayal is difficult to deal with. I don't know of any way to deal with it other than cry your eyes out!
ReplyDeleteAwww...Sherry, I say, fight back!
DeleteWow Melanie, that sounds like an amazing story. Was it a hard one to write?? Hmmm, how do I deal with betrayal, that's a tough question. I'd probably confront the betrayer head-on.
ReplyDeleteGood on you, Jennifer! Always best to force confrontation!
DeleteHi Meradeth,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting!
Welcome to Romance Book Paradise Melanie! I do hope you will enjoy chatting with all my friends here!
DeleteHi L.Diane,
ReplyDeleteActually, I love coming up with my own titles but I don't always get to keep them! I can't start a book without a working title. It feels too blank and directionless if I don't have some sort of name even if it's very basic.
Hi Sherry,
ReplyDeleteAh, betrayal-that is the worst feeling in the world. But the counterpoint to that is loyalty which is what this book is really about. How far would you go for the sake of loyalty?
Thanks for posting!
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteThis was a tough one to write in that it was deeply emotional. I really felt for Eliza as I think I would have done the same as her given her circumstances. It was important to me to motivate everyone in this novel with believable reasons for doing what they did. One person I really felt for was Samantha, the mother of Eliza's "fiancé". I felt very emotional writing that scene where Samantha and Eliza are last on the page together.
Thanks for dropping in!
Melanie sounds like a star writer and a hard worker who deserves all her success. I loved the blurb for the book. It hits all the right notes about a secret, sympathetic characters including a child, and an all-consuming desire. Sounds hot!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't handle betrayal well at all!!! LOL But maybe if he looked like that...
ReplyDeleteHi Lexa,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your lovely comments. I'm about to work a whole lot harder. I've been reviewing some writing craft notes so my brain is getting a thorough workout. I want my readers to get a better book from me each time. That's the goal, anyway!
Thanks for posting.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteYes, he is rather hot, isn't he? I'm always delighted when my covers resemble the characters I dreamed up. I particularly like my hero in Their Most Forbidden Fling on the side bar. Now that is HOT!!
This sounds like s terrific book with all those intriguing undercurrents. As for me handling betrayal, I'd probably cry my heart out in private, and pretend it didn't bother me when with other people.
ReplyDeleteHi Nas! Hi Melanie! I enjoyed reading this. It certainly sounds like a riveting read with such a strong plot. A devastating situation for a fiance to be in....Denise
ReplyDeleteHi Nas, Hi Melanie. In answer to the question I get upset then angry then walk away. The walk away comes as an age thing I think. The younger me would have made a big deal about it. Now it's just not worth it. Also to the younger ones who are new to betrayal... the best revenge is looking happy, the best advice I was ever given :)
ReplyDeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing quite like a good cry, is there?
Thanks for dropping by!
Hi Denise,
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy the book as well as the blog! Thanks for taking the time to post.
Hi TashNz,
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the age thing. It's funny how getting older makes us wiser... or some of us! I choose my battles these days. I only fight for ones I know I can win. Ha ha.
I was recently given that advice for my teenagers - chose your battles. - oh my gosh - i think i've saved a million grey hairs heheheh
DeleteWow, those are some high stakes in His Final Bargain.
ReplyDeleteHi Theresa,
ReplyDeleteLife is full of high stakes, don't you think? Or at least the most interesting lives are!
I hope you enjoy the book... or it makes you think.
Thanks for posting.
Nas, thanks for asking me to blog on your lovely site!
ReplyDeleteI read for escape, too. This book sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteHi Carol,
ReplyDeleteEscaping in to a romance novel is fabulous fun, isn't it? I love movies for that sense of escapism too.
Thanks for posting!
Great title! Books are the best form of escapism for me! Movies and my favorite tv shows are good, too. :)
ReplyDeleteIf I am betrayed I say something to the person and then I am usually done with them (depending on the betrayal).
Thanks!
Jess
Hi DMS,
DeleteThanks for dropping by. I would be lost without movies. I just love being swept away in a story. A good movie will make me completely forget I'm in a cinema. I saw Broken last Sunday. It's the best film I've seen this year.
Sorry, Jess, I called you DMS. I saw that first on your post. Oops!
DeleteRomance is a wonderful escape, especially when I can't deal with any more "heavy" novels. This doesn't sound like your typical romance. Sounds like a tear jerker, but just the premise already makes me want to read it.
ReplyDeleteHi Lyn,
DeleteI hope you enjoy it. It is a bit poignant but then emotion is all part of storytelling. You have to feel something or you would just put the book down.
Thanks for commenting.
Wow, that sounds like a really interesting premise!
ReplyDeleteHi Deniz,
DeleteI got the idea when I heard of a prominent footballer being knocked down by a tram in Melbourne a couple of years ago. He received head injuries and his fiancé rushed to his hospital bed. I got to thinking...what if that had been the night she had broken off their engagement? My mind ran on with how she would deal with it if he never woke up or had a brain injury so severe she could not bring herself to leave him. See how twisted a writer's mind is?!!!
This book is in my TBR pile, I have to get it read and soon. As for betrayal, I have a bit of a short memory and tend to forgive too easily. Consequently, I often let myself in for trouble again. There are a few life lessons I have yet to learn at 50 I guess.
ReplyDeleteI am exactly the same, Maria. I'm way too soft on people. I've allowed people to get away with shocking things but I haven't stood up for myself enough. I think you just get to a point in your life when you get sick of it. Fifty is a very common turning point for many women. You finally realise who you are and what you want out of life. You also see who is standing in the way of your dreams. Sometimes sadly it is ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting!
Ooooh, this sounds great! How do I deal with betrayal? Not well. I shut down and lose trust. Total silent treatment.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting. Yes, I can do the silent treatment pretty well. Nothing like a good old brood, is there?
Hope you enjoy the book.
That is a complicated relationship dilemma, Melanie!
ReplyDelete