Hate to Want You, Wrong to Need You: A Q&A with Alisha Rai, Plus a Cover Debut and a Giveaway

Y’all, we are doing All The Things with this one entry.

We have a Q&A with Alisha Rai complete with nosy questions and some light mathematics.

We have ARCs of Hate to Want You, the first book in her new Avon series to give away!

AND we have the cover for Wrong to Need You to share with you, which no kidding, made Amanda and I have the following conversation as we prepped this entry:

Sarah: GET READY.

COVER SENT.

Amanda: Oh…

Oh wow.

Sarah: Right.

Like, omg.

Amanda: Those should come with a fainting couch.

All the words and images herein are so much fun. So let’s get this party started – it’s Q&A time! Please enjoy my asking Alisha Rai questions, all sorts of nosy questions.

Sarah: On a scale of 1 – 45,698, how excited are you about these covers? (And elaborate past the number because I’m a terrible person?)

Alisha: Approximately 44,501. I’d say 45,698, but I’m saving something for the third cover.

I love these covers. I adore them. I want to hug them and pet them and maybe I’ve kissed my screen? I mean, I’m not saying I have, but life will be super convenient for kissing purposes once I have the paperbacks in my hands.

S: I JUST LEARNED that the model’s tattoo says something surprisingly very pertinent to the story! How is it related?

A: IT DOES. Feel free to zoom. On his shoulder, not his abs…actually, I won’t police your zooming.

Tattoos are so fascinating to me because they can reveal a lot about a person. Livvy, the heroine of Hate To Want You, bleeds her feelings into her skin. The tattoo on her cover is all prickly flowers because she’s tired of feeling like a vine clinging to her first love.

Jackson, the hero of Wrong to Need You, uses his tattoos to ground him to the roots he’s abandoned but craves so badly. Everything he puts on his skin is a reminder of what he’s lost and where he came from–what makes him the man he is.

S: We’ve talked before about one of the challenges in contemporary romance being the obstacle(s) that provide tension to keep the protagonists apart. What are the obstacles facing the couples in this series? I know there’s a family feud, there’s distance both physical and emotional – how much crying should we expect to be doing, here?

A: I think if you buy them in the store, you get a free little pack of Kleenex.

Seriously, though, I always try to balance laughs and sexiness and angst, so hopefully any choked up feelings you get will be chuckled or heart-warmed away pretty quickly.

In Hate To Want You, the biggest obstacles are the external circumstances and family dynamics that tore the main characters apart as young lovers. In Wrong to Need You, the obstacles are more internal, the hopeless pain of falling in love with someone who seems unattainable.

In all of the books, though, the main obstacle keeping the characters apart is their shared past. I don’t think all broken or impossible relationships can be repaired, but I love writing about ones that can. It gives me hope, in general…the idea that history can be terrible, but it can be overcome.

S: You said in our podcast interview that Hate to Want You is Romeo & Juliet meets “Hotline Bling” without all the sexism and murder/suicide. Do you have an equally enticing description for Wrong to Need You? 

A: I can give you a trope mashup for Wrong to Need You! It’s best friends to lovers/best friends brother/forbidden love/brother’s widow (is that a trope? It is now!)/workplace romance + consensual angsty boning.

This book also lacks sexist lyrics and the h/h dying. I feel pretty secure promising the lack of those things in all my books.

You write about siblings very frequently. Do things your own siblings have said or done make an appearance in your stories?

A: Probably subconsciously! I have a soft spot for writing characters with younger siblings because nobody else can make you feel both super cool and super…not.

What do you think are key components to writing convincing stories connected by family, either close or estranged? (I mean, let’s face it, family dramas that aren’t our own painful ones are very fascinating!)

A: Ooooh, I do love writing families, both the ones you have by blood and make by choice. I think even when a family is close, it’s imperfect, yeah? There can be frustration and anger and resentment and even pain mixed in with the love, and that’s okay and normal.

For example, Sadia, the heroine in Wrong to Need You has a complicated relationship with her family where they were super close, then estranged, and now close-ish again, but there’s still some residual strain. I think exploring the nuances in family dynamics is really what makes reading them realistic and satisfying.

With your other books, readers have mentioned specific scenes that either made them ferociously hungry or made them fan their faces (or both). Which scenes do you think will cause reader responses?

A: I feel pretty proud of the outdoors sexytimes in these books, but I’ll let everyone pick their own favorite scenes.

As far as food, the hero of Hate To Want You, Nicholas, has a ridiculous sweet tooth and Jackson, the hero of Wrong to Need You, woos his heroine with, like, mac-and-cheese, so I can’t promise any healthy hunger pangs. Maybe some day I’ll write a sexy salad scene.

By the way, googling “sexy mac and cheese” leads to all kind of search results.

…

And now onto the absolutely gorgeous cover of Wrong to Need You, which is the second book in the Forbidden Hearts series.

Seriously, make sure you have a fainting couch nearby.

Ready?

Here is the description:

He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with his brother’s widow…

Accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Jackson Kane fled his home, his name, and his family. Ten years later, he’s come back to town: older, wiser, richer, tougher—and still helpless to turn away the one woman he could never stop loving, even after she married his brother.

Sadia Ahmed can’t deal with the feelings her mysterious former brother-in-law stirs, but she also can’t turn down his offer of help with the cafe she’s inherited. While he heats up her kitchen, she slowly discovers that the boy she adored has grown into a man she’s simply unable to resist.

An affair is unthinkable, but their desire is undeniable. As secrets and lies are stripped away, Sadia and Jackson must decide if they’re strong enough to face the past…and step into a future together.

Wrong to Need You is out November 28, 2017. Mark your calendars!

But wait! There is more!

 Avon has been gracious enough to provide five (5) print ARCs of Rai’s Hate to Want You to give away! This book doesn’t come out until July! So you can stare with your jaw dangling at the cover for book two (I mean, if you’re like us, anyway) and enter to win an advanced reader copy of book one.

We are doing all the fun things, here.

Standard disclaimers apply: We’re not being compensated for this giveaway. Open to U.S. and Canadian residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and feeling free to engage in excess squeeing. Though Hate to Want You has some Romeo & Juliet vibes, please no shouting up to balconies. Also, only happily ever afters here. No poisons or daggers allowed! Comments will close 7 April 2017 around noon EST and winners will be announced shortly after.

To enter, comment below with your favorite star-crossed lovers from books, TV, or film! (And how much do you like the covers, eh?) 

Good luck to all, and thank you, Avon!

WINNER UPDATE: Here are our winners! Thanks to everyone who commented below and winners, check your email (and spam folders!) shortly.

Miss Louisa
Lisa M
YesLikeTheColor
The Other JDK
Emily C