I could hear the excited squeals of my readers for miles. Because I just delivered another alpha male in my latest novel, The Protector. Jake Sharp. Oh, Jake Sharp, how I love your moody, alpha, military bones!
But why so alpha? Why do I make all of my heroes dominant men? Men who my heroines – all strong women, it should be noted – can’t help but surrender to in the bedroom? Men who my readers fall so easily in love with. It’s ironic, since I’m a fiercely independent woman and very strong-minded. I like doing what I like, when I like. But I’m still a woman, and I still crave a strong, confident man at the end of a long day who can take the reins.
My heroines are strong-minded women, too. They take on the men that I create. There’s the inevitable play for power. There are sparks – sparks that carry over into the bedroom…where they’re perfectly happy to let the hero take over from there.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that, as women, we can have the best of both worlds; independence and the sanctuary of a man. I hold down my job, work bloody hard, retain my independence in my professional life…and then I’m quite happy to let a man take the power when I’m done for the day. I’m prepared to surrender the independence that makes me feel equal, satisfied and fulfilled during my working day, to a man who’ll make me feel just as satisfied and fulfilled, but in another way.
Women should rule the world, and men should rule the bedroom. After all, doesn’t this get to the heart of why we all love to read romance? I don’t want to carry my control over from the boardroom to the bedroom. I want to be worshipped by a man. I want to feel desired. That in itself makes a woman feel pretty powerful, being the centre of a man’s attention. Knowing that you make his world keep turning.
I want to be taken care of in a way that a man should take care of a woman. With respect for my ambitions, admiration for my dreams, and unwavering support in my career. And when I’m done for the day, a big cuddle in strong arms that I’m happy to let carry me up the stairs to the bedroom. Over to you, mister.
*****
A new standalone novel from Jodi Ellen Malpas, the bestselling author
of the THIS MAN and ONE NIGHT trilogies
People think they have Camille Logan nailed: daddy’s girl, beautiful, spoiled young woman with her father’s bank balance to fund her lifestyle. But Camille is determined to have a life free from his strings. Out on her own, she’s made mistakes, including one that found her clawing her way back after a stint in rehab and plenty of bad press.
Now, after fighting so hard to be independent and happy, she finds her life threatened as a result of her father’s ruthless business dealings. Caught between resentment and fear, Camille prepares herself for the measures her father will take to protect her. But nothing could prepare her for the ex-SAS sniper who crashes into her life.
Jake Sharp resides in his own personal hell. He was distracted from duty once before, and the consequences were devastating – both personally and professionally. He vowed to never let that happen again. Accepting the job of bodyguard to Camille Logan isn’t the kind of distraction from his demons he should take. Women and Jake don’t mix well, yet protecting the heiress seems the lesser of two evils. But Jake soon discovers that she isn’t the woman she’s perceived to be. She’s warm, compassionate, her presence settling, and his duty to protect her soon goes deeper than a well-paid job, no matter how hard he fights it. He needs absolution. He comes to need Camille. But he knows he can’t have both.
Available from: Amazon UK | Amazon US
*****
About Jodi Ellen Malpas:
British talent Jodi Ellen Malpas sold hundreds of thousands of her self-published e-books of her passionately erotic trilogy, This Man, before landing a major US publishing deal and sailing straight to the top of the New York Times bestsellers chart in a few short months.
Success quickly followed in the UK, with thousands of readers falling head-over-heels for the devastatingly handsome Lord of the Manor Jesse Ward, and his feisty counterpart, Ava O’Shea, as all three books in the series became major Sunday Times bestsellers. This was followed by further success with her second series One Night which introduced the irresistibly enigmatic M.
In 2016 Jodi Ellen Malpas signed a new major deal for two standalone titles with The Hachette Group, the first being The Protector.