Man versus Movie Star

A few years ago when my children were very young we were visiting a theme park when a certain Hollywood ‘A’ list actor turned up with his children. It was early in the morning, out of season and the park was really quiet. In this particular area it was just me….and him (and a couple of muscular security men but let’s forget about them). Being well mannered, I ignored him but I couldn’t help noticing how gorgeous he was with his children and I knew in that moment that I was seeing the ‘real’ man, not the movie star. That encounter stayed with me and when I was asked by my editor to write the opening book for an exciting new series for Harlequin Presents called The Notorious Wolfes and saw that my hero was a world famous actor, I knew instantly what his conflict would be.

Nathaniel Wolfe has secrets. Black, dirty secrets buried deep within his family and kept carefully hidden from the world. He’s the ultimate bad boy, a Hollywood superstar who uses his incredible acting ability to conceal the shocking truth about his past. But secrets, especially nasty ones, have a way of escaping and when his carefully protected world fractures and he realises his past is about to be exposed, Nathaniel needs somewhere to hide. He turns in desperation to the first person he sees, costume designer Katie Field.

Katie lives alone. Coping with family problems of her own, she works hard, spending all her spare time drawing and designing costumes and trying to follow her dream. The closest she comes to glamour is when she dresses other people …….until the night Nathaniel Wolfe begs her for sanctuary. The only red carpet Katie has ever walked on is threadbare and her budget doesn’t allow for meals in expensive restaurants but suddenly she’s entertaining Hollywood royalty in her cramped London flat.

A Night of Scandal is the story of an ordinary girl who finds herself swept into an extraordinary world. Daunted by Nathaniel the movie star, Katie wants to know Nathaniel the man but he fights against revealing that dark, damaged side he’s successfully hidden all his adult life. As their relationship deepens she wants to trust him but how do you believe the words of a man whose greatest skill is his ability to become someone else?

With his past closing in on him, Nathaniel is forced to make a difficult choice. He can continue to hide behind the roles he plays and risk losing the woman he loves or he can finally play the one part he’s always avoided – himself.

I hope you enjoy reading Nathaniel and Katie’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Love Sarah

xxxx