Do You Believe...?

Before I begin, I’d like to say a huge thank you to you, Lisabet, for having me as a guest on your blog today. It’s so great to be here!

Do You Believe In Love At First Sight?

Even though I’d consider myself to be a romantic person ― a trait that helps my career as a romance novelist immensely ― I’ve always struggled with the idea of love at first sight. I’m not sure why exactly. It might be because having personally experienced being in love, I don’t fully understand how someone could have that depth of feeling for another person without knowing anything about them. How can you know, without question that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone after just one glance?

You see, I always believed that the people who claimed to have fallen in love at first sight, had mistaken feelings of attraction and lust, for love. I thought they had somehow become carried away in the passion of the moment ― so much so, they had become confused or that maybe their feelings were just wishful thinking. I was certain that to love someone wholeheartedly, you had to know them. Does this person have the right traits for you to successfully build a long-lasting relationship with them? Do you have things in common? Do you share the same values and ideological beliefs?

However, the more I spoke to people about this topic, the more I came to realise that I might have been mistaken. I’ve been told many times that yes, love at first sight does in fact exist and those same people have said that they had personally experienced it. Hearing that over and over, made me recognise how unlikely it was that so many people had been confused about what they were feeling. Surely we know our own minds and hearts enough to know when to trust our instincts about love.

The fact is, in many circumstances couples don’t need to have common interests or the same values to love each other and to have a long and happy life together. I have friends, married for over twenty years who have very differing beliefs about God, religion and politics. Another friend is a larger than life social butterfly yet her husband is quiet and introverted. She loves going out, he loves staying in. Another couple I know will freely admit to having nothing in common yet they are very happy together. And of course, even if it takes a couple far longer to fall in love, there is no guarantee that the relationship will then stand the test of time. It took me around three months to fall in love with an ex, but the relationship only lasted for a few years. I’ve met other people who say they fell in love at first sight and have been together nearly all of their adult lives.

The common thread here is that there is no rhyme or reason to love. And ultimately, does it matter if love at first sight is a real phenomenon or not? As long as the people experiencing it believe it to be real, that is all that matters. The important thing surely is the love that a couple feel for one another, however long it took for them to get there. So how do you feel about love at first sight? Do you believe in it? Have you experienced it firsthand?

I must admit, I’m very much in love with the idea of love at first sight. I’m an avid reader of paranormal romance, especially vampire and shifter stories which usually go hand in hand with fated mates and destiny. There’s something so romantic about the idea of a soul mate and the notion that we are able to recognise that person after just a glance or brief encounter.

As a writer, I’m naturally a very curious person and as I find the subject of love at first sight so fascinating, I decided to explore it in my latest release. A Hellhound in Hollywood is Book Four in my Huntress Chronicles series. During their ongoing war against angels, demons have been collecting ancient grimoires in a bid to raise Lucifer and bring about hell on earth. In this instalment, vampire hunter Alana Day has been sent to Los Angeles to retrieve one of the lost books. 

As her mother is a well known and celebrated hunter, Alana has big shoes to fill. She feels that to make her mother proud, she has to be the best hunter she can be. Hunting has always been the most important aspect of her life so when she meets smooth talking cowboy, Tyler Braddock, and experiences love at first sight, Alana fights her feelings every step of the way. She doesn’t have the time for a relationship and is afraid to take a chance on Ty. However, Ty is a typical alpha male who goes after what he wants with relentless intent and during his pursuit, he teaches Alana that there’s more to life than work.

Contest!!!

Want all four books in the Huntress Chronicles series? Just leave me a comment telling me about your experiences (or lack thereof) with love at first sight.

Blurb

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?

Excerpt

I moved back a couple of steps then did a quick scan of my surroundings to check there was no one around before lifting the gun and pointing it at his back. He turned slowly then met my gaze. I stopped breathing. Damn, he was handsome. Really handsome. My stomach dipped, but the sensation was far from uncomfortable. I didn’t believe in love at first sight, even though it felt like I was experiencing it a little bit or…a lot.

It was too dark to determine his exact eye color, but they could have been green, brown or blue for all the difference it would have made. The attraction hit me in the gut like the right hook from a heavyweight. His strong jaw, shaded with stubble, and full, fleshy lips made him all the more appealing. I tried to ignore his many attributes and remember that he was essentially trying to kidnap me. He was dragging me back to his motel to do heaven knew what. I frowned as the carnal image of hot, sweaty bodies flashed through my mind.

“You wouldn’t shoot me,” he said smugly, briefly glancing at the gun, his mouth twisting into a smirk. “And what’s more, you couldn’t.”

Now see? That pissed me off and I forgot about the instant attraction I felt toward him.

“Oh, I could,” I assured him. “And each time you open your mouth, it gets more and more likely that I will.”

He chuckled again, and this time, able to see the movement on his lips as well as hear the sound, produced an even stronger reaction in me. Arousal flooded my system. The masculinity that oozed out of him caused my pulse to accelerate and I was pretty sure my heart was trying to beat its way out of my chest.

“You couldn’t,” he repeated. “You want to know why?”

I gritted my teeth. “Humor me.”

“Because the safety is on, and even if you did somehow get it off before I managed to get the gun out of your hand, you wouldn’t risk losing your job by shooting a fellow hunter.”

“A fellow…what?” I cocked my head to one side and lowered the gun a little. “You’re kidding me.”

I was usually great at sniffing out a lie, but I didn’t detect one.

That was a relief. For some strange reason, I didn’t want this beautiful man to turn out to be a liar. Arrogant jerk was bad enough.

A grin was his only reply—a really sexy grin—but I pretended not to notice it and continued to scowl at him.

“How do you know I’m a hunter?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Only hunters hang around in alleyways in the dead of night.”

“Right.”

“Or hookers,” he mused.

I was so furious that my glare, already frosty, must have turned glacial.

“Drug addicts or…”

“Okay, I get it. I get it. Good call.”

“Besides, you’re carrying a stake.”

I stared at him for a full ten seconds while I weighed up just how fast he could get the gun out of my hand.

“Plus,” he went on, “you’re Lizzie Day’s daughter. I recognized you the second I saw you back in that alleyway.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he wasn’t finished.

“Plus,” he went on, “Roland, your handler at the council, told me you were hunting in Hollywood in a ten-block radius east of La Brea. That’s why I’m here. I’ve been looking for you all night.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m trying really hard not to pull the trigger.”

Another chuckle slipped from his lips. “And here I thought our first date was going so well.”

I snorted. “If this is your idea of a date, then I hope you’ve got other skills because you’re seriously lacking in the romance department.”

He moved closer until he was inches away from my face and the heady scent of his aftershave hit me full force.

“Oh, I have skills,” he informed me.

I made a noise in my throat that sounded suspiciously like a groan and thought it best to change the subject in case I did something crazy like kiss him or offer to have his babies.

Thanks for reading! If you’d like to purchase a copy of the book, you can find it at the sites below.

Amazon.com - http://goo.gl/N4IRZ2

All Romance - https://goo.gl/xnkjmC

Barnes and Noble - http://goo.gl/ScSTeQ

Totally Bound - https://goo.gl/h88SRD

About Amy

Amy Armstrong is a Brit who 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 thrillers, horror, dark fantasy and young adult fiction. 

Amy writes stories filled with heart, heat and passion. She loves stories of 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 writer and loves to hear from readers. 
 

Amy also writes M/M romance under the pseudonym Lavinia Lewis.

If you would like to find out more about Amy, you can find her at the any of the links below

Email - amyarmstronguk [at] yahoo.co.uk

Website - www.authoramyarmstrong.com

Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/authoramyarmstrong/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5895606.Amy_Armstrong

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