Authors explore Alpha appeal in 'Brought to His Knees' set

The 10 authors of the Brought to His Knees boxed set (99 cents!), a collection of erotic novellas and a short erotic novel, join HEA to answer a few questions …

Anya Richards, author of Three Strikes

What do you find sexy about an Alpha male brought down by love?

Anya: What red-blooded woman doesn't like reading about a dominant man taken down by love? Those Alphas may be hard to live with in real life for some of us, but it sure is fun to imagine being the woman who can reduce one to a desperate, pleading mess, as long as he bounces back to his bossy self afterwards!

What hero did you find most appealing when the heroine captured his heart?

Anya: While it wasn't true to the book, the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite depictions of an Alpha fighting tooth and nail against love and losing. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy fencing and especially taking that infamous plunge in Pemberley's lake in an attempt to get Elizabeth out of his system always gets me.

Please tell us about your book in the boxed set.

Anya: An attack left ex-Jamaican Posse member Vincent Williams scarred and also made him re-evaluate his life. He's out of the gang and also the closet but lonely, yet to meet a man interested in more than a brief encounter. Because of his career, Sergeant Kyle Pictou won't come out, but can't resist Vincent. It's just sex, after all. Yet, as desire evolves into friendship and seemingly boundless passion, it's Kyle who's left wanting more — though he knows he can't have it.

Cynthia D'Alba, author of A Cowboy's Seduction

Appeal of Alpha brought down by love? An Alpha male is strong, mentally and emotionally. He is aware of his strengths and uses them to HIS advantage. He believes he is the master of his universe until love rushes into his life and sweeps him off his feet. Why is that sexy? Because an Alpha male not only embraces his fall for his woman, he relishes in it.

Appealing hero? I write because of the books of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She has given me more hours of joy in reading than any other author I know. In It Had To Be You, the Alpha male of ALL Alpha males is Dan Calebow, the head coach of a pro football team, a whole group of Alpha males. He is in charge and has everything under control and Phoebe Somerville waltzes into Chicago and into his life. Nothing was more enjoyable that watching her slowly and surely destroy his Alpha-Macho shell and bring the master Alpha man to his knees.

Your book in the set? My story is A Cowboy's Seduction. It's the story of two forced vacations at the Sand Castle Resort where two strong-willed individuals meet and battle for control, of emotions and control. At 32, Brock Wade has been head of his family, raising two brothers and one sister since their parents died 14 years ago. At the same time, he has kept the family cattle ranch running, and profitable. He is a cowboy — physically strong, practical, intelligent and stubborn. He walks with the swagger that says he knows who is in charge and it's him. Divorcee Natalie Diamond is tired of being the lodestar for her ex-husband and the model employee at her accounting firm. When her parents give her a vacation for Christmas, she decides to release Fun Natalie, the woman she used to before a lousy husband, the divorce, and all the pressure of fulltime employment. Attracted to each other, Natalie and Brock embark on a fun, two-week vacation affair. Before it's over, these two people are swimming in deep emotions neither expected.

Danica Avet, author of Born to Sin

Appeal of Alpha brought down by love? I'm sighing over here. I just love it when you have this dangerous, strong man who probably controls everything in his world, but can't control his heart. He can fight the pull, he can fight the emotion, and he still goes down.

Appealing hero? Oh that's easy. Zsadist from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I have an anti-hero addiction and everything about him screamed he was the kind of man who'd never be in someone else's power again. Until he met Bella, then he evolves into something, someone more. But he's still a strong Alpha.

Your book in the set? Taylor Guillory has had enough of being buddies with Sinclair "Sin" Rivas and decides to move their friendship to the next level with a little seduction she learned from adult movies. She soon discovers Sin isn't the kind of man a woman can have a taste of without wanting more. But he has secrets that can destroy their newfound passion and she'll have to learn how to handle a man born to sin.

Felice Fox, author of The Sound of Your Name

Appeal of Alpha brought down by love? I love the idea that "every boy wants a good girl to be bad just for him, and every girl wants a bad boy to be good just for her"! The power of the feminine fascinates me too — a woman so confident and lustful she unlocks a primal need in him, and he becomes the man he won't be for anyone else.

Appealing hero? Abel Cameron, from Dark Lashes (one of the Cameron Ranch stories) is the most dangerous kind of bad boy — when he's wicked, he means it. Convinced the shared, open relationship he's in is the only kind that will tolerate him, Abel knows he won't ever be the primary man in any woman's life. But when Talia shows up, he realizes this is the one woman who could break and keep him — and he's just reckless enough to show her how to do it. Abel sacrifices himself to save his own life, and hers, and I love him for it.

Your book in the set? In The Sound of Your Name, columnist Ellie Donovan had done many things to get a great story for Modern Luxury Magazine, but pimping herself out to a pro bull rider who thinks she's the only thing keeping him on track for the gold buckle, isn't one of them. Being sexy Brody Cameron's good luck charm wasn't exactly a hardship — until she discovers she doesn't want it to end.

Jennifer Kacey, author of Beneath the Pages

Appeal of Alpha brought down by love? Alpha males are immovable rocks. They are strong, sure and someone everyone can rely on to be completely steadfast. The concept of a tiny female laying them low with nothing but a glance in their direction — uber sexy!!!

Appealing hero? In Beneath the Pages, Radigan is positive when he took Acacia to his bed months before that it would be a one-night stand and he could finally get her out of his system. It's worked with everyone else so why should she be any different? But it did nothing but turn her into the one woman he wants to own. She's the one person he can't have, and the only one that he'll give his heart to. Nothing is more appealing than finding the one person that changes a hero's thoughts on love.

Your book in the set? Acacia owns and runs Fame, one of the hottest celebrity magazines in the country. She survives on convincing the rich and famous to reveal things they would normally do anything to keep hidden. She lives, eats and breathes the magazine. Day in and day out. She has no life, nothing to keep in the dark. Nothing but the night she gave herself over to the one man she never should have wanted. Radigan, the most sought after actor in Hollywood, wants her again, and won't take no for an answer. He had her for one night. Several hours of the best sex of his entire life, but she was gone the next morning before the sun had fully risen. His attempts to contact her have gone unanswered. Everything he's tried so far has been a miserable failure. But he finally knows what to do to slip beneath the pages of her heart. This time he's playing for keeps and the exclusive rights to her body, heart and soul.

Lynne Silver, author of Cruising for Love

Appeal of Alpha brought down by love? I love when a guy is all tough on the outside, but when it comes to the woman he loves, he's total mush. That's what makes it sexy; that it's only for her. She's the special one.

Appealing hero? I'll default to my usual book and say that I loved when Remus Lupin finally succumbed to Tonks. (Yes, I'm talking Harry Potter. What else is new?) Was I the only romance reader who desperately wanted a spin-off romance novel featuring Tonks & Lupin without the sad ending please. Or hey, maybe a Young Adult with Teddy and Victoire! The door's still open on that book, JK ... hint, hint.

Your book in the set? Jonah Coleman knows life as a physician on board a large cruise ship is perfect. The weather's great and you can't beat the scenery. But when his high school girlfriend — his first love — shows up as a passenger, his desire for her reignites. After a romantic week back together, Jonah has to choose between his so-called perfect life and the girl, now a woman, he's never stopped loving.

Sabrina York, author of Whipped

Appeal of Alpha brought down by love? Nothing is sexier than a man so besotted with a woman he can't see straight … unless it's a hunky Alpha so besotted with a woman he can't see straight! I love writing hard and heartless heroes who discover, in the course of a story, their squishy soft center — for one woman and one woman only.

Appealing hero? For me, the most appealing aspect of a man lost to love is the humor of it all. Imagine, this big strapping man who can jump out of an airplane blindfolded, in a typhoon, without a second thought, becoming as helpless as a kitten in the face of his desire. Though my hero Dane is a dominant, it's definitely Tina who calls all the shots! And come on ladies, isn't that the way it should be?

Your book in the set? Dane Coulter is mourning the loss of his best friend, fellow Special Ops buddy, Cody. Oh, Cody didn't die. It's worse. He's getting married. Cody is, in Dane's opinion, Whipped. He swears he will never suffer the same fate. But when Dane meets a woman who can take all his dominant loving, and beg for more, he realizes he may have met his match. It's a damn shame she's the one woman in the world his man-code deems untouchable … his best friend's sister.

Sayde Grace, author of Chief Sin

Appeal of Alpha brought down by love? There's just something so intriguing about a strong sexy man who is hurting. I know that sounds kinda mean, but doesn't it just make you want to take his mind off of his pain and maybe you know, find some pleasure.

Appealing hero? Wow, that is such a loaded question. I actually have a book that I've read literally about a hundred times. Dark Wager by Mary Spencer is my all-time-favorite book because in it the heroine is just an ordinary looking woman even a little on the not so pretty side but she has a tone of charm. The charm she exudes captures the heart of many men but the hero is dark and brooding and she brings him out of his shell and makes him likable. The way he yearns to love and protect her is beyond sexy.

Your book in the set? Mavis Tanem has the world at her feet. She's young, wealthy, and independent, yet none of that means anything. Years of seeking revenge against her father have left her cold and hard. There's no place in her life for softness — for love. Yet when her brother goes missing she's forced to go back to where it all started. And back to Bowie Sinet, the man she broke. A single night is too much and yet not enough for either of them. They both know it's too late to change the past, but maybe together they can exorcise the ghosts that haunt them, and find some peace.

Tina Donahue, author of Make Me Surrender

Appeal of Alpha brought down by love? When a big, tough guy can be tender and vulnerable because he wants his woman that badly. It's no longer about games, but intimacy. He's put his heart, pride and future in her hands. Wow.

Appealing hero? Hawkeye in The Last of the Mohicans (played by Daniel Day-Lewis — yum). There's a scene at a waterfall when he and Cora (his lady love) are trying to escape the Indians. Hawkeye has to take off to save Cora. Before he leaves, he says to her — "You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you." OMG, what a scene. What a guy.

Your book in the set? In Make Me Surrender, full-figured Mercy craves two outrageously sexy hunks, Travis and Dutch. Travis's saloon caters to bikers. Dutch operates a motorcycle repair shop on the premises. When a position opens in the saloon's kitchen, Mercy wants it badly to be near them. The guys aren't so sure. She's deliciously curvy, but too sweet. Think again. Mercy encourages wild nights of pleasure with them, along with days of fun and friendship that turns to surprising tenderness then love. Before she's through, these tough guys will be the ones who've surrendered.

A.M. Griffin, author of Dark Wolf Enterprises

Appeal of Alpha brought down by love? In Dark Wolf Enterprises, Kristof Farkas is loyal to family and is very protective of Trudy, the heroine. And it also doesn't hurt that he's tall, dark, handsome, rich and a wolf shifter. Wowza.

Appealing hero? Trudy Hollander in Dark Wolf Enterprises is a feisty nerd who just had her world turned upside down. Her employee was murdered right outside her office, she was attacked in her home and if that wasn't enough Kristof changed into a wolf right before her eyes. After all of that Kristof would have expected her to go nutty. But instead she stayed focused and put all of her trust in him. That's what appealed most to him.

Your book in the set? The big break Trudy Hollander's small accounting firm needs has finally arrived, but unfortunately it comes with murder, mayhem and Kristof Farkas, a man she just can't seem to resist. Even worse, Kristof is the CFO of Dark Wolf Enterprises — the one person who can pull the plug on the job that will take her company to the next level. And then there are the assassins who can jump from three stories up and still be able to run away … Kristof has no intention of giving in to his inner wolf and claiming Trudy. She's human. Too fragile to withstand being a shifter's mate. But the need to protect her is stronger than his resolve, and his desire is more powerful yet. He'll fight with everything he has to keep her safe, both from those who would hurt her, and from himself.

Amy Ruttan, author of Building Bridges

Appeal of Alpha brought down by love? Alphas are so broody and a force to be reckoned with. I just love when the right heroine gets under his hardened exterior and makes him melt.

Appealing hero? William liked her feisty spirit and her honesty. After having countless women pursue him for shallow reasons, he liked that she was just herself.

Your book in the set? My book is Building Bridges, and here's a short teaser line: A vet tech and a lone wolf rancher ride out a sudden storm, but can they weather the emotions they stir up in each other ...