Wild Card Weekend - Julie Leto

Thanks so much to the Pink Heart Society for allowing me to guest blog on the Wildcard Weekend!

And since it’s so aptly named, I thought I’d trot out a real wildcard of a guy...Danny Burnett, the sexy hero of my latest Blaze, TOO WICKED TO KEEP.

Admit it.  He’s cute...in a Keanu Reeves with a smirk kind of way.  Honestly, when I first conceived of Danny, I saw a young George Clooney.  In fact, his name came from the plotting session I did with the Plotmonkeys .  I likened him to Danny Ocean from Ocean’s Eleven and so the name Danny kind of stuck.  And it fits.

He’s a scoundrel.  He’s a thief.  He’s spent the majority of his life conning and scamming people.  It’s not just an art or a profession—it’s a way of life.  So he has no regrets when he gets a job to steal a painting that has been out of circulation since the 30s...even if it means seducing a rather naïve heiress named Abigail Albertini.  In fact, seducing her is the best part!  Never mind that she’s no match for his skills.  Never mind that she’s engaged.  Never mind that breaking her heart will be the ultimate outcome of his scam.

Never mind...until he does the deed and realizes that in all the scheming and scamming, he’s fallen in love.

This is a book about redemption.  This is a book about revenge.  This is a book about ripping off the masks you’ve worn your whole life and discovering the real person within.  Actually, this became a theme of the entire Legendary Lovers series, of which TOO WICKED TO KEEP is the third and final book.

I never intended it to be a theme, though I maybe should have been since the series surrounded three male descendants of the real California bandit who inspired the fictional character of Zorro.  Whether portrayed by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Guy XX or Antonio Banderas ::swoon::, this character has embodied the idea of the double life and of facing the reality of who you are and what you really want.

And of course, it all happens because of a woman.  Isn’t that always the way?  (It should be!)

So what do you think of scoundrel heroes, men who have done wrong in the past and now have to reform...or not.  Who are you favorites in books, television or film?

If you comment, you will be entered to win a copy of the first two books in the  Legendary Lover series, TOO HOT TO TOUCH and TOO WICKED TO KEEP.  If in the US, I will sign the copies.  Outside the US, I need to be able to ship via Amazon.com.