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?
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.
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/
Twitter
- https://twitter.com/amyarmstronguk
27 comments:
Hello, Amy,
I LOVE this excerpt. You really capture both the chemistry and the arrogance.
Thanks for offering such a generous giveaway. I hope you do really well with this. (I'm off to buy a copy myself!)
Love the excerpt. I do believe in love at first sight but I also believe that you have to work at it for that love to continue.
Yes. I do believe in love at first sight. I knew my husband was the one for me when I first laid eyes on him. We dated for 10 years and have been married for 37 years. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Yes. I do believe in love at first sight. I knew my husband was the one for me when I first laid eyes on him. We dated for 10 years and have been married for 37 years. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Great excerpt...did have a love at 1st sight and it was great for a few years until he changed for the worse and we couldn't work through it unfortunately he wasn't willing to fix things...
I do believe in love at first site but a future needs some work.
Thank you, Lisabet! And thanks so much for having me as a guest today.
Wow, that's a long time spent together. How wonderful! And so great that you recognised something in each other at first meeting. Thanks for commenting!
Thank you, Chris! I'd have to agree. All relationships need work to stand the test of time, no matter how they began. Thanks so much for sharing your opinion!
Thank you, Michelle. Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that. It's sad when relationships don't work out after we've invested our time in them. I hope the experience didn't put you off finding love with someone else.
Absolutely agree. Even the best relationships experience trying times and need work sometimes. Thanks for commenting!
could happen
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Great excerpt!
I met my husband on a visit with my girlfriend at her family home in Maine. We clicked immediately and he started proposing 2 weeks later. We were married 1 year later and our 30th wedding anniversary is coming up in June. I think if you see the true person at first sight, it can work, but, as in everything, a relationship takes work to stay alive.
emmasmom69 AT gmail DOT com
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Thank you! What a lovely story. It's so great to hear of such a long-lasting relationship. It reminds me a lot of my parents. Sadly, my mum passed away a few years ago, just ten months before their fiftieth wedding anniversary. They were married within six months of meeting. I'm not sure that it was love at first sight, but perhaps something a lot like it. Thanks so much for commenting!
In the eighties I walked into a bookstore and first thing my eyes did were land on a gorgeous man. Long hair green eyes, dimples! I was fifteen and I wanted him, lol. We dated other people in between but a friend brought him to my house and we were married three months later. We've been together for twenty six years and I love him as much as I did the first time I saw him!
I'm Lmao! It was a record store! Sorry I have books on the brain continuously!
Yes, I believe in first sight. Met my husband of 35-1/2 years and married him 4 months later. Loved the excerpt.
Patricia
panthers.ravens@ yahoo dot com
I do believe in love at first sight, but when I first met my husband, I tried to get rid of him! I didn't want a long distance relationship.
Once we got together, though, it was as if we'd been a couple forever. We started our period living together on a three week driving trip across the U.S. Nothing like traveling with someone to see if you're compatible!
I should say we've now been together 35 years...!
Aww, I'm loving all these stories of love at first sight. It goes to show that it is possible. Thanks for sharing, Kelly!
Lol! Sounds like a mistake I would make! :)
Thank you, Patricia! Wow so another person to fall in love at fist sight. Amazing how many people have experienced it.
Aww, that's a lovely story, Lisabet and shows that long distance relationships can and do work. :)
Thanks so much to everyone who commented. A winner has been drawn and it is kaisquared! Congratulations! Thanks again for having me, Lisabet!
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