GUEST BLOGGER LAURA FRANTZ: The Melt Factor (and Giveaway!!)

Julie here, and okay, right off the bat—if a blog is entitled “TheMelt Factor,” I am SO there!! And if that same blog is written by one of my favoriteauthors and friends, well then, honey, I’m pullin’ up a chair for a front-rowseat! But ... if that dear friend just released one of THE BEST historical romances I have EVER read, then, darlin'— I'm gonna gush like a fountain. 
Let me go on record right now to say that Laura Frantz's newest release Love's Reckoning literally—and I do mean literally, as in my chest was so tight I could barely breathe—took my breath away. I have never experienced that with a romance before, where the prose and the tension was so powerful that my chest was tight and my breathing shallow. And, yes, I suppose it could have been my atrial fibrillation acting up despite my medicine, but I don't think so. Laura Frantz is just THAT good at writing historical romance to curl your toes, your hair and your fingers around the edges of the book. And so it should come as no surprise that I had no problem writing the following endorsement:
Stunning.Heart-wrenching. Breathless. Not since GoneWith the Wind have I read an epic novel that has stolen my heart, mybreath, my sleep to such a jolting degree. Love’sReckoning marks Laura Frantz not only as a shining star in Christianfiction today, but a shooting star who soars skyward to the glittering heightsof Rivers and Higgs.Without further ado, I give you my dear friend, Laura Frantz.
The Melt Factor
I'm getting ready to create my 11th hero:).  So far wehave Ian, Captain Jack, Red Shirt, Colonel McLinn, and a couple you've yet tomeet. If I dig deep in my antique trunk, I'll unearth those unsung heroeswho'll never see the light of day ~ Matthew, Stephen, Winston Cade Cabot Luce,the 7th Duke of Devlin (isn't that atrocious? He was from my college days!),and there are one or two I can't remember which were less than memorable. Whichbrings me to the point of this post…
Heroes must be memorable:)

I will confess I felt a little like one of myheroines when I saw the man in this picture on Pinterest recently.I melted. It’snone other than Eoin Macken, Irish actor in the BBC’s Merlin series. There's something so irresistibly handsome about him- perhaps even heroic. Happily married woman that I am, I was instantlysmitten! This picture might not have the same effect on you and that's okay.Everyone has a different melting point;)

I love creating heroes even more than heroines.A hero doesn't have to be handsome. But his soul and spirit should be. He canbe angry but never whiny. He can be lost but there has to be the ring ofredemption about him. He must be flawed. But strong. Your hero should be socompelling that you find yourself thinking about him when you're not writing.That goes for your heroine, too. I always say my characters are as real to meas my own family members - and I'm not exaggerating! Hopefully you feel thesame about the hero you’re writing about – or reading about.
Inmy latest release, Love’s Reckoning, Ihave a Scottish hero named Silas Ballantyne.  Here’s a sneak peek at a favorite scene, designed to make myheroine melt. We’ll see if she does…  The rain was soaking her cloak; it lay like a second skin overher linen dress, bulky and overwarm, so at odds with the icy finger trailingdown her spine. Someone was following her—riding hard and fast, as much as themud and weather would allow. She veered off the trail, the abrupt motion nearlyspilling her from the saddle. Thunder rumbled, and she sensed Sparrow’s panicbefore her frantic neighing began. Another boom and Sparrow bolted, straightinto the path of a man. He turned his horse sideways and cut them off.Silas!The sudden stop unseated her from her horse, and she fell to theground in an ungracious heap. But she didn’t care. She was crying in sheerrelief, thankful when he reached down and pulled her to her feet.“Eden, are you hurt?” A wealth of emotion shook his voice.Surprise. Chagrin. Unchecked happiness. Taking hold of Sparrow’s reins, he ledthem beneath a sheltering elm till a flash of lightning sent them scurryingtoward a rock overhang that looked to be the start of a cave. There they stood,dripping wet and speechless.This close, she could see shadows beneath his eyes, the scruffybeginnings of a beard, the firm set of his features beneath the brim of a newfelt hat.His chest heaved beneath his sodden greatcoat. “Why in heaven’sname have you come?”“Your supplies—” Her own chest rose and fell from her frenziedride. “You left them.”The light faded from his eyes. “You came all this way through thestorm—for that?”“Why else would I come?”He ran a hand over his bristled jaw and glanced at the surly sky.“Because you miss me, mayhap. Because you have something to tell me. Becauseyou want to go west.”All shyness fell away and she looked hard at him in surprise.“With a man who thinks of me as a sister?”“Och, Eden.” A flash of exasperation rode his handsome features,and he came nearer, his eyes a soul-searching green. “A sister? Nae.” Hisfingers skimmed her bruised chin. “You’re more than that tome . . . far more.”“More?”In answer he began slowly untying the chin ribbons of her bonnet,knotting the ends so that it dangled down her back. She waitedexpectantly—breathlessly—as he removed his own wet hat, setting it atop a lichen-edgedrock jutting from the cave wall. Despite her cumbersome cloak, the touch of hishands on her shoulders sent a delicious shiver clear to her bones. He pulledher nearer, and she was enveloped in the heady scent of wet leather and her ownsoft soap. His mouth found hers at last, feather-light then firm.Her first kiss.She felt a breathless bewilderment that she didn’t know what todo—where to put her hands, how to tilt her head. But he did. As he deepenedeach kiss, she nearly swayed. This was so . . . exquisite. Sounexpected. Instinctively, her arms circled his neck as he held her tighter,nearly lifting her off the ground. She grew so weak with longing she gave alittle cry when he released her.Leaning back against the rock wall, crushing her bonnet, she feltnaught like the Eden of old but some wild, untamed creature. He’d stirred tolife every feeling she had and a few she never knew existed, and she had nowish to tuck such feelings away. She’d been brought to the brink of somethingnew, something glorious, and felt suddenly and achingly unfinished.She reached for him again. “Silas, please . . .”He leaned into the ledge beside her, eyes dark with desire, hisbreathing a bit ragged. “Nae, Eden. I’ll not love you here, but somewhere safe,sound—and rightly wed. As you deserve.”Was that what was missing, then? The Lord’s blessing? Her eyesroamed his handsome features, seeing him in a new light. The self-containedSilas of old was gone, and in his place was a man who loved her—wanted her—andwas about to leave her. Though she bit her lip till it nearly bled, anguishedsobs tumbled out of her and she was back in his arms, not wanting his comfortso much as his kisses.“I have your heart, and you have mine,” he whispered. “’Tisenough, aye? For now?”But she couldn’t answer because it wasn’t enough, not nearlyenough. How could it be with a wilderness between them?He held her, smoothing her damp hair back from her face,whispering things she’d never thought to hear. And then, in silent agony, she watchedas he went back into the rain and rounded up their horses. They’d ride out intothe storm because it was no longer safe for them to stay here alone and in eachother’s arms.
GIVEAWAY: Okay, take the hero you're either reading about or writing about. What is it about him that lends to the "melt factor"? Were you smitten right away? Or did he grow on you? Leave your answer in a comment or just leave a comment and you will be entered to win Laura's latest, Love's Reckoning. TWO giveaways, so TWO chances to win! Good luck!!
BIO:        Laura Frantz credits her grandmother as being the catalystfor her fascination with history. Frantz's family followed Daniel Boone intoKentucky in the late 18th-century and settled in Madison County, where herfamily still resides. Frantz is the author of The Frontiersman's Daughter and CourtingMorrow Little, both Carol Award Finalists, and The Colonel's Lady, ReadersChoice/Family Fiction Awards for Historical Novel of the Year and Authorof the Year. She is currently working on her new historical series, TheBallantyne Legacy, and lives in the misty woods of Washington with her husbandand two sons.