Jade Lee

JA d E LEE

AUSA Today Bestseller, Jade Lee has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. And as a Taurus, she lives to pit a headstrong woman against a tortured hero just to watch them butt heads on the way to true love. Flesh wounds are rare, but the healing and laughter are real. Jade’s wild, adventurous half writes paranormal and contemporary romances under the pseudonym Kathy Lyons. A lover of all things fantastical, Kathy spent much of her childhood in Narnia, Middle Earth, Amber, and Earthsea, just to name a few. Both Jade and Kathy have a gift for creating lively worlds, witty dialogue, and hot, sexy humor. Winner of several industry awards including the Prism—Best of the Best, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, and Fresh Fiction’s Steamiest Read, Jade/Kathy has published more than 60 romance novels and says she’s just getting started.

In her free time (what’s that?) her hobbies include racquetball, rollerblading, and tv/movie watching with her husband. She’s a big fan of the Big Bang Theory (even though it’s over) and her favorite movie is The Avengers because she loves everything created by Joss Whedon. When travel starts again, she’d love to share all things geek with you in person at any of her many appearances at reader events. She’s usually found at the loudest table in the coffee shop or next to the dessert bar.

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Welcome to Jade Lee

Uncaged: Welcome back to Uncaged! You are releasing a new book called Lord Lucifer in the Lords of the Masquerade series on November 19th. Can you tell readers more about this book?

The idea began as a spin-off from Into the Lyon’s Den, my February 2020 book that launched the Lyon’s Den series. The hero from that book had three vastly different sisters, and I wanted to write their stories. Then I had this brilliant idea…or so I thought. I wanted to

spin three stories out from a single masquerade party. The heroes are dressed up as Lord Lucifer, Lord Satyr, and Lord Ares, and they each fall for one of the three sisters. That was the plan. You know what happens to the best laid plans, right?

Lord Lucifer was the most exciting book to begin with. When the eldest sister Diana was seventeen, her mother forced her to marry a man three times her age. Now, twelve years later, he convinces her to go have some fun at a masquerade. While she’s gone, he’s poisoned and dies. Shock! Gasp! Of course, the murderer implicates Diana, and Lord Lucifer must step in to save her. Very exciting, right? Especially since the more I started writing Lucas (who plays Lord Lucifer), the more interesting he became. You see, everyone thinks he died at Waterloo. He’s been hiding for his own reason, but he gives all that up to protect Diana. He reveals his true identity much to the shock of his parents and younger brother who was set to inherit in Lucas’s place.

That’s a whole lot of stuff for one party. A murder, a secret identity exposed, an almost arrest of the wrong person! It made for a great masquerade but suddenly there was no more room in the timeline for the other stories.

New goal! Now I’m writing three successive parties, one a Season, until all three sisters have a happily ever after. In Lord Lucifer, Diana and Lucas go through some adventures before they find their solution. They go all the way to Ireland, in fact, but the journey is worth it. Not because they find the villain. This is not a mystery. They know who the bad guy is. This is more like the movie The Bodyguard. (Anyone remember that film?) Lucas protects Diana but because he’s with her all the time, they get closer and closer until their love is undeniable.

Oh, and there is one other secret in the book. It’s not a big secret because it’s in the opening chapter, but it is significant. Diana and Lucas knew each other before Diana’s marriage. I included the opening chapter as an excerpt to share with Uncaged readers today. Enjoy! Well, it was supposed to be one masquerade party that had three lords falling in love. Instead, it’s a masquerade every year and the three sisters who find love at the masquerade.

Uncaged: What are you working on next that you can tell us about?

Lord Satyr is in editing. It releases March 2021. So now it’s time to start on Lord Ares (release June 2021). I’m really excited about this one because the heroine has a unique past. She’s a by-blow who has been raised with her father’s family. Trust me when I say her backstory is amazing.

Uncaged: You have a very intriguing idea on your website called Chapters – Interactive Stories. Can you explain better what this is and how it came about?

Do you remember the old choose-your-own-adventure stories? The company behind Chapters took my books and adapted them to be interactive. The main story is the same as are the characters, but each story has some interesting branches that are fun to play. They’ve done a great job. In fact, in my spare time, I often read my own books just to see the fun things they’ve done with them. And—guess what— the newest book is coming out now! As Rich as a Rogue releases Oct 26 on the Chapters app. If you’d like to see how it works, download the Chapters app onto your mobile phone or tablet. I’ll be there as one of their historical authors. Trust me, all their stories are fun to play. And if you sign up for my newsletter (www.JadeLeeAuthor.com) then you’ll see that I often have contests that tie in with the Chapters books. (And all my other books too!)

Uncaged: How has the pandemic changed your life? How have you changed the marketing of your books this year?

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ence or event. I love getting together with fans…in person! Well, obviously that’s not happening during lockdown, and as much as I love virtual conferences, they just aren’t the same. I can’t wait to get back out there and share coffee (or something stronger) with people at events. Nothing beats hanging out face to face. On the upside, I’ve gotten a lot of writing done, and I had more time for the biggest change in my life. Are you ready?

I’m a grandmother! Little Ellie is my first grandbaby and here’s a picture of her. She’s 3 months old, and I think she’s as perfect as can be. Honestly, I never thought I’d be one of those grandmothers with pictures in her pocketbook. I never carried pictures of my own kids, but here I am showing everyone my sweet grandbaby.

Uncaged: Past or present, which authors would you love to sit and have lunch with and why?

I have been very fortunate to know Rachel Caine. I’ve been to several conferences with her, but neither of us had much time to sit and chat. During the lockdown, I read her Great Library Series from start to finish. It’s fantastic! This is my Harry Potter

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because, honestly, I think it’s ten times better. The characters are older, but it’s the same concept. A group of young adults get trained to be something akin to wizards. The have great adventures as they take down a big evil. The first book is titled Ink and Bone. If you haven’t read the series, you definitely need to.

Now back to your question. I would love, love, love to sit with Rachel and talk to her about her writing. It took fifteen years for her to write this series, and I am so grateful she stuck with it. As soon as this lockdown is over, I want to go see her. Unfortunately, she’s very ill, so I’ll have to just shout it from the rooftops here. She’s a fabulous writer. All of her series are great, but this one is my favorite. Plus, she’s a FANTASTIC person!

I also love getting together with my friend and fellow historical romance writer Mary Wine any time I get the chance, because we do fun things like this. We were putting on a demonstration during the Historical Romance Retreat. We have fun.

Uncaged: Have any of your characters ever done something that you didn’t intend when you began?

You mean besides taking over an entire masquerade just for Diana’s story? Forget her sisters? Yes, always! My characters are forever doing something unintended, unusual, and completely unplanned. They’re feisty like that. And there have been several characters that I fight with. The pair in As Rich as a Rogue refused to go to bed with each other until the timing was right. I had a plan for them, and they simply refused. Eventually we worked it out, and of course they knew what they were doing. It takes real skill to know when to impose order on unruly characters and when to let them have their heads. Diana and Lucas, for example, decided to go to Ireland in the middle of their story. What? I hadn’t had that planned at all, and yet there they went. Very strange, but it worked out brilliantly.

Uncaged: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working?

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I play a lot of racquetball, or I did before the pandemic. I look at a lot of pictures of Ellie now. And then there’s the usual—I read, I eat, I play bridge with my husband and kids online. Yup, we’re a real card-playing family. Sounds pretty boring, doesn’t it? But I love my life.

Uncaged: What does success as an author look like to you?

Success is telling the stories I want to tell. So far—thanks to self-publishing—I’m able to do that. Between my different publishers, I’ve released over 60 books!

Success is also having the time and money to do the things I want to do outside of my career. I felt it was important to be a poll worker this year. I am a very healthy person and therefore at lower risk of developing a bad Covid infection. I took the classes and spent much of the last month as a poll worker covering early voting and then election day. I even bought a necklace that says VOTE and wore it every day.

Uncaged: Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now?

I prefer any device that will feed me the stories I want to read, hear, or touch. I always have an ebook, audiobook, and a physical book going at the same time. Right now, I just finished Cindy Dees’ Beyond the Limit in audio, I’m reading Heather Graham’s Long, Lean, and Lethal in ebook, and I’m reading The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim in hardcover. All three are great books!

Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you?

I would like to tell my fans that you are the light of the world. You are! You light up my life, and you light up your corner of the world. I hope and pray that you choose a bright, beautiful light, but even if you feel like a tiny flickering candle, you are still

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As for where they can find me, the best way is though my website at www.jadeleeauthor.com. Plus, I’m all over social media, but I share most of my news in my Jade Lee’s Jewels Facebook Group and in my newsletter. For information about when I have new books coming out or sales on existing novels, follow me on BookBub.

Enjoy an excerpt from Lord Lucifer

Lord Lucifer Jade Lee Historical Victorian Releases Nov. 19

Three titled gentlemen throw a masquerade party at Vauxhall for their own secret purposes. Three ladies attended for fun but find something far greater in the shadows of the pleasure garden.

Welcome to the fabulous new series Lords of the Masquerade by USA Today Bestselling Author Jade Lee.

LORD LUCIFER

Twelve years ago, Lucas failed to protect the love of his life from being forced into an arranged marriage. The day she wed another man, he left England to join the fight against Napoleon. Now he’s back with scars on his body and soul. He’s happy hidden from the peerage as he helps his men reintegrate back into society. Then he discovers the woman he still loves is in terrible danger.

LADY DIANA

three times her age. She’s grown up and found a strength she didn’t have before. Now the one man she can’t forget is back and talking about things that can’t be true. Then her husband is murdered, the estate is in jeopardy, and every finger points at her.

ALL OR NOTHING

No one will help her except Lucas who defies constables, thieves, and his own family to save her. But when she begs him to do more than stand guard, he decides on a dangerous ploy.

He risks everything to save more than her life. He dances with the devil to win her heart.

Excerpt

Seventeen years ago

Chapter 1

The ivy was slick, and it pulled too easily away from the crumbling house, but Lucas Crosse, future earl of Wolvesmead, was determined to scale the wall to reach his damsel in distress. In his mind, he was climbing a tower to rescue his princess. It wasn’t far from the truth and Lucas managed to reach Lady Diana’s window without falling to his doom. But once there, he was dismayed to discover that his princess wasn’t alone. She was trapped by the evil witch of her mother and her two sisters as they brushed her hair, soothed her nerves, and generally promised her that all would be well. That was his job, he thought, and he was impatient to get to it. Especially before he lost his grip and fell eighteen feet onto the shrubbery below. He was busy imaging the results of getting impaled by those hard branches when Diana reached her limit. With a harsh voice, she sent everyone away, including her mother. They scurried out like the betraying rats they were, and finally Diana was alone. Lucas tapped the window to get Diana’s attention, but she had dropped her head into her hands and wouldn’t look up.

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He tapped again, forcefully enough to make it a knock. That did the trick. His lady love lifted her head to glare out at the drizzly night. Thank God because he was getting chilled. She even stood to approach the window. Excellent! He leaned his face in close so that she would see him. He made sure to smile though it probably looked more like a grimace given the situation. Then she saw him. She recoiled in horror. Her face went pale, she stumbled backwards, and her hands went to her mouth as she squeaked in alarm. Not the reaction he expected, but what could he do to change it? He tried to slick the wet from his face. “Diana, it’s me! Lucas!” Her brows narrowed and she peered forward. Then with gratifying speed, she hauled open the window. “What are you doing?” she gasped. “You’re wet!” “I know,” he huffed. “Step back so I can climb in.” Stepping back wasn’t going to be helpful. The windows throughout London were too small for this type of maneuver. Especially when he was larger than the average burglar. But he managed to wriggle himself inside though he fell on his face in an ungainly heap. “What are you doing here?” Diana asked as she passed him a towel. Practical. That was one of the things he loved about her. “Thanks,” he said as he wiped off his face. “Why aren’t you in school?” He straightened up. “Why are you marrying someone three times your age?” She sighed and slumped over to sit on her bed. “You wouldn’t understand.” She was a delicate woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a body just starting to ripen. He thought of her as a pixie or a sprite—some tiny, magical creature who had bewitched him while he wasn’t watching. He’d only met her a few months past when he’d summered with his friend next to her home. They’d shared tea and gone riding. They’d taken walks by the stream and discussed canals.

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And he’d left in August expecting to dance with her in the coming season, to flirt with her during musical evenings, and maybe steal a kiss or three. He’d made plans for just that happenstance and spent many hours daydreaming exactly where and how he would kiss her. Until her father died six weeks ago and suddenly, in the depths of a cold November, he’d learned she was to be wed on the morrow. It made no sense, and he wanted to tell her that. But looking at her now, he saw that she already knew the illogic of it all. She looked as miserable as he felt, and his soul fired up with the desire to be her knight in shining armor.

He dropped to his knees before her and clasped her hands. “You mustn’t do this. How can I help you escape?”

She shook her head. “There is no escape. With Papa gone, Mama needs a man to manage things.” “So let her marry—”

“He doesn’t want her. He wants me.”

The level of misery in her voice destroyed him. “Don’t do it,” he whispered. “They’re horrible people. His children are awful. And they’re older than you!”

“I know!” she said, her eyes welling up with misery. “They’ve already said terrible things to me.” He looked into her blue eyes and felt his heart swell. “Marry me. Tonight. We’ll run to Scotland together.”

He watched her mouth part in surprise and saw hope spark in her eyes. But even as he waited with held breath, he watched her expression tighten. “How will we get there?”

“What?”

“To Scotland? How will we get there?” He shrugged. “I have a horse—” “We’ll hire one for you.”

“How? It’s the middle of the night.”

He frowned. “We’ll borrow one. I have friends.”

“And do you have money for lodging? It’s November. We can’t just sleep out in the fields.”

He tightened his grip on her hands. She was ruining the moment with her questions. Didn’t she see that? It was like being examined by an Oxford don. “We’ll figure it out along the way.”

“And what about my family? How will they survive if I disappear?”

“Your mother will have to find her own solution. It’s what mothers are supposed to do. They shouldn’t sacrifice their daughters to—”

“If there isn’t an influx of money, then my brother will have to leave school. Elliott is just a boy. And who will take care of my sisters?” “Your mother—”

“Picked this solution.” Diana shook her head. “I can’t abandon them.”

Loyal. He couldn’t fault her for that, and frankly, he was ashamed of himself for not thinking of that sooner. “I have some money,” he began.

“Enough to keep Elliott in school?”

He winced. It wasn’t enough to keep the two of them in food beyond a month. “My parents will help us.” Diana stared at him, her eyes sheening with tears as she clutched his fingers. “And my family? Will they help them as well?” Doubtful. His parents hated anything they labeled “untoward.” Marrying Diana before he turned twenty would definitely qualify. It would be hard enough

to get them to accept the marriage. They certainly wouldn’t aid her family, especially since it included her by-blow half-sister. Lilah changed Diana’s family from “untoward” to “regrettable,” and his mother would never touch anything that was so unseemly. “How much money?” he asked.

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“How much money do you think it would take to free you from this marriage, to support your family, and keep Elliott in school?”

“I don’t know. Five thousand pounds per year? Something like that.” He shuddered. Even at half that amount, he couldn’t do it. He hadn’t inherited, his allowance from his father was barely a thousand. He wanted to promise that he could manage her family’s estate, but he knew nothing of farming. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to not learn about sheep, crops, and whatnot. It just wasn’t in his nature.

“What if I brought you three thousand tomorrow morning? Would you run away with me then? It would be enough, yes? We’d figure out the rest. Would you do it?”

She swallowed, obviously torn.

“It won’t be easy,” he pressed, “but we could do it together. We’re in love, Diana. Anything is possible with love.”

He believed that. Indeed, the feeling burned hot inside him, but her eyes widened in shocked surprise. “What?” she whispered. At least that was the word he read off her lips.

“We’re in love,” he stressed. “Aren’t we? Don’t you love me?”

“You love me?” she echoed without answering his question. “I…”

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She was in doubt, but he knew exactly how to change that. He surged upwards and captured her mouth with his. He teased her cold lips and slipped between them with his tongue. And while she gasped in maidenly surprise, he plundered her mouth. He thrust inside and tasted every part of her.

“Diana,” he whispered.

She clutched his shoulders in response, then drew him closer.

It was the most natural thing to press her backwards, to move over her so that he could lay her back upon her bed.

He hadn’t meant to be so ardent. He’d merely intended to kiss her doubts away. But lust surged inside him, love and desire were a potent combination. At least they were for him. Especially since she whispered his name with every kiss and her hands roamed across his shoulders and back. But while he began to nuzzle down her throat to her breasts, she gripped him hard and held him away.

“Lucas. Lucas!”

“Yes?” He lifted his head, feeling her quick breaths as they merged with his own. He saw the pulse in her throat and meant to nibble it while need throbbed in his loins. “Yes.” Excellent! He pressed a quick kiss to her throat and his fingers began to tug at the fabric of her nightrail. “Lucas, stop!” He lifted his head. “What?” “Do you have three thousand pounds? Right now? Do you have it?” She was talking about money? Right now when her scent muddied his thoughts and she was already on fire in her bed? “Do you?”

“Not just now. I have a little more than a thousand.” He’d been saving up to buy a horse. “But I can turn that into three thousand easily. I’m a good gambler, and so many people are bad at it.” She stiffened beneath him. “Gambling? You want me to risk my family on gambling?” “It’s true! How do you think I got a thousand?” He could see that she didn’t believe him and no wonder. What did she know of the kind of money men threw around simply because they could? “I can,” he insisted. He straightened up off her though it physically hurt to do so. “Let me prove it.” “How?” “I’ll come back in the morning with three thousand pounds. I swear it.” He could do it. It might be tight, but he knew of a few hells where the play was steep. “Wait for me,” he pressed. Then he paused. “And if I show you the money, will you run away with me? Will you refuse to marry him?” He touched her cheek. “Will you be mine?” “Yes,” she said, the word barely audible. Then she straightened up and slammed her mouth to his. It was all he needed. He plundered her mouth. And when she gripped his shoulders, he tore himself away. There was too much to do to spend it here. There would be plenty of time for this after the night’s gambling was done. So he went to the window, frowning as he tried to figure out how to wriggle himself back outside without tumbling to his death. “Don’t be an idiot,” she huffed. “I’ll take you down the back stairs.” They tiptoed like giggly children down the back stairs. And when they finally reached the doorway, he hauled her close for one last kiss. Her mouth was hot, her body pliant, and he held her so tight, he lifted her off the ground. “You have bewitched me,” he whispered as he let her go. “Don’t fail,” she responded. “Please, God, don’t fail.” “I won’t.” He didn’t. He spent the night in four different gaming hells. He played upon his wet-behind-the-ears looks. He pretended to be drunk when he wasn’t. And when the players got wise, he slipped out and ran to the next one. And once, he even stole money from a drunkard who had passed out near him. It was for a good cause, he rationalized, as he became a thief. It was for love and for Diana’s family. And when he got the last pound note clutched into his hands, he ran from the hell while his victim screamed, “You better run, boy, but it won’t help. I’ll find you tomorrow and then we’ll see.” He felt the threat settle low in his spine as his feet pounded away. It held real danger and he knew he could never return to the hells he’d been in tonight. A man could make a lot of money in one night. He had proven that. But it had required him to be ruthless in a way that he despised. He’d taken money from friends, acquaintances, and wet-behind-the-ears idiots. It left him feeling filthy and ashamed, but he’d gotten what he wanted. Three thousand pounds. Wonderful, except he would never be able to do that again. The gamblers were on to him. The monied people and the thieves. He needed to get out of London immediately, which would be fine except how would he support Diana and her family in the future? How would he cover the other two thousand pounds they needed to survive? This year and then the next and the next? He didn’t know. And he sure as hell couldn’t marry her until he had an answer. Cold logic in the morning had replaced last night’s romantic passion. He didn’t go to her bedroom that morning. He didn’t drop on his knees and shower her with pound notes as he’d envisioned throughout the night. And he certainly didn’t stop her from dully speaking her vows to her new husband, though he stood at the back of the church and tried not to weep in despair. Instead, he used the money to buy a commission and entered the military that very day. That should have been the end of it. That should have put paid to any relationship between him and Diana. Until the morning, twelve years later, when her brother Elliott walked into his bedroom and said, “I need your help. Diana’s in trouble.”