The Temptation of a Good Man By Delaney Diamond

Can true love be found after one night of passion?
Celeste Burton goes out with her girlfriends to celebrate turning thirty and winds up spending an unforgettable night with the man of her dreams. One week later, as a favor, she attends a wedding with a friend as his date and is shocked when she sees Roarke again.
Roarke Hawthorne despises cheating. Cheating tore apart his family years ago. When the physics professor sees the woman he spent the night with show up at his sister’s wedding on the arm of his brother, he knows he should keep his distance. But because of the night they set fire to the sheets in his hotel room, he can’t resist the urge to be close to her–nor can he resist the temptation to have her back in his bed.

Excerpt
Lust flickered in his eyes, and for tense moments they stared at each other, lost in the memories of heated whispers and tangled sheets. Then, as suddenly as he’d grabbed her, he dropped her arm like a hot coal.
“Derrick doesn’t deserve to be lied to and made a fool of.” He stepped around her toward the door.
Celeste grabbed his forearm to stall his exit. “Wait, please.”
“Celeste, I can’t do this.”
She slipped between him and the door. She couldn’t be the reason for a confrontation between the two brothers, and she couldn’t bear the humiliation of Derrick finding out she’d slept with his brother the first night they met. “Please don’t say anything to Derrick. I’ll stay out of your way. I promise. You won’t even know I’m here.”
He looked down at her hand, and she followed his gaze to where her fingers wrapped around his arm. She withdrew them with haste. When her eyes found his again, desire shimmied down her spine at the hunger she saw in his.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said, his voice thick and low. “I can’t be near you. You’re too much of a temptation. Maybe you can stay away from me, but I don’t know if I can keep my hands off of you.” He slammed his palms against the door above her shoulders.
Celeste jumped, her eyes widening in shock. Shaken, she pressed back against the hard door to distance herself from him. They were too close, and the instinctive movement did little to protect her from the heat of sexual frustration emanating from his pores.
His chest rose and fell with each deep breath, and a storm brewed in his dark brown eyes. “What are you doing to me?”
The tortured question needed no answer. Even if she’d been obliged to respond, he seized her mouth before she could, and his tongue thrust between her lips. The muscular, dark cords of his arms encircled her waist and held her against his body, crushing her soft curves into each hard contour of his.



Delaney Diamond was born and raised in the United States Virgin Islands and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She’s the bestselling author of sweet and sensual romance with multicultural characters. In her spare time she reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of non-fiction. A diehard foodie, when her head’s not buried in a book, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes or dining at one of her favorite restaurants. She also loves to travel. She speaks French and can get by in Spanish.


Your bio states you like to travel. What’s the most memorable trip you ever took?
That’s easy. It’s the summer I spent in Paris, France. I stayed with a friend of a friend, and he and I are still friends to this day. My French language skills improved dramatically. I did plenty of sightseeing and met so many wonderful people. I visited Dunkerque in northern France, and I had fun at the beach in Marseille. I was in foodie heaven, eating all that rich French food. I would love to take another extended trip overseas somewhere.

When did you first start writing stories intended for others to read?
Technically, at the age of 14. By then I’d been reading romance novels for three years (I used to check them out of the library). At 14 I wrote my first romance titled Captured Heart. It was 89 pages, typed on a typewriter. I shared it with my friends and received rave reviews. Lol.

So did you always want to be a writer? If not, what else did you want to do?
No, I wanted to be a teacher, then a secretary. Despite writing a romance at 14 and winning some short story contests in high school, I never considered becoming an author. By the time I finished high school, I knew I wanted to go into the business field, which I did. I have two business degrees with concentrations in international business, and I minored in French. In 2009 I decided I wanted to start writing romantic fiction, and my first book was published November 2010.

What are the main characters in The Temptation of a Good Man like?
The Temptation of a Good Man is the first book in a series called the Hawthorne Family series about four siblings—three brothers and one sister. This first story is about Roarke Hawthorne, the eldest. He’s smart, logical, and an all-around good guy. After his parents passed away, he raised his younger brother and sister while attending college full time at MIT. He’s a professor of physics at The University of Georgia. Celeste Hawthorne is a divorced, single mother who meets Roarke while out with her girlfriends. They end up having a steamy one night stand that later comes back to haunt her.

If you could date one hero from one of your books, who would it be and why? Which hero would you absolutely not date?
I would date Roarke Hawthorne from The Temptation of a Good Man, because he’s an astrophysicist (intelligence is so sexy on a man), he’s a good guy, he likes listening to live music (I love that, too!), and he knows his way around a woman’s body. 

The hero I would not date is Derrick Hoffman, the one in my February 3rd release, A Hard Man to Love. It’s the second book in the Hawthorne Family series. Most people who read the first book hated Derrick, and I carried his personality over into book two.

One of my critique partners said she didn’t like him for the first half of the story, which was my intention, but I hope I didn’t do it too well. I didn’t think he was that bad, and I think he redeemed himself in the end. He went through a lot early in life, which is why he behaves the way he does, but he does come around, with the help of a good woman. Eva’s more patient than I am. I’m too old to put up with foolishness like she had to from Derrick. On the other hand, he is a millionaire…so it’s possible I could make an exception. 

Tell the readers why they should buy your books.
I like to write emotional stories with lots of sexual tension. I put my characters through the wringer before giving them their happy ending. If you enjoy those kinds of stories, you’ll probably enjoy mine.

What works do you have in progress?
I’m working on Book 3 of the Hawthorne Family series, Matthew’s story. He’s the youngest brother and a bit of a playboy. His story is titled Here Comes Trouble. I also plan to write Book 4 of my Hot Latin Men series and Book 2 of my Bailar series—both of which are interracial romance.



Web-links for Facebook, Twitter, Author Site, Blogs, and Networks
Facebook: facebook.com/DelaneyDiamond
Website/blog: delaneydiamond.com
Twitter: @delaneydiamond
Goodreads: goodreads.com/delaney_diamond

Email address for readers to contact you
Email: delaneydiamond(at)ymail.com