Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Royally Bad
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.noraflite.com/
CITY:
STATE: CA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Female.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
WRITINGS
Also author of the self-published novels Letting You In, 2013, and Letting You Know, 2013, in the “Letting You In” series; For the Thrill, 2014, For the Fight, 2014, and For the Bond, 2014, in the “Beyond Blood” series; Hard Body Rock, 2014, Slow Body Rock, 2014, Flawed Body Rock, 2014, and True Body Rock, 2014, in the “Body Rock” series; and the standalone novels Only Pretend, 2014, Watch Me Fall, 2014, My Secret Master, 2015, Outlaw Road with Adair Rymer, 2015, Chained with Leah Holt, 2015, The Bad Boy Arrangement, 2015, Never Kiss a Bad Boy, 2015, Billion Dollar Bad Boy, 2016, Thousand Yard Bride with Allison Starwood, 2016, Rock Me Deep, 2016, Peacock with Allison Starwood, 2016, Mr. Lucky with Jackson Kane, 2017, and After Our Kiss, 2017.
SIDELIGHTS
Nora Flite is an American romance writer. She grew up in Rhode Island but left for the warmer climes of Southern California to avoid having to deal with snow. Flite has written a number of romance novels across several series, including the “Beyond Blood” series, the “Body Rock” series, and the “Last of the Bad Boys” series.
Flite published the novel Royally Bad in 2017, the first in the “Bad Boy Royals” series. Members of the Badd family act outlandishly arrogant and spoiled to cover the fact that this tight-knit family is hiding some big secrets. Sammy has been hired to design a dress for a Badd wedding. But her encounter with Kain Badd ignites some sparks, as these two strong personalities clash. However, the further Sammy gets pulled into this family’s affairs, the more dangerous it becomes for her to escape from their internal conflicts.
In an interview in the Harlequin Junkie Website, Flite talked about her personal connection to the novel. She admitted that she made the setting of the “book in Rhode Island, which is where I grew up. As a kid, you knew to NEVER go to Providence, especially Federal Hill, because of the mafia activity there. I used a lot of that ‘common sense’ fear about the area when writing this book. Same for the bits about Newport—I loved touring the mansions there! And so, of course, the Badds HAD to have a big mansion there as well.”
A contributor to Kirkus Reviews pointed out that the concept of a Mafia family being royalty “isn’t validated in any substantive way.” The same reviewer concluded that “most of the characters are immature or barely likable, though the central romance has some compelling love scenes and becomes more believable by the end.” Writing in the All about Romance Website, Sidney Young remarked that Royally Bad “concludes on a climactic action scene so chock full of awkward turns of phrases that I had to re-read it several times to figure out what happened.” Although Young found the chemistry between Kain and Sammy to be “combustible,” she wished that she “could believe in their romance a little more.” Young reasoned that “in order to enjoy this book, one needs to suspend all disbelief and just go along for the ride. Descriptions and setups are kept vague so that the author doesn’t have to bother with maintaining any kind of consistency in the storytelling. This would have worked in a much funnier book, but not one in which most of the humor falls flat.”
A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the author “introduces a number of brooding Badd siblings for future installments, though readers may not feel compelled to seek them out.” In RT Book Reviews, Anna Dougherty opined that “the first book in the “Bad Boy Royals” series is imperfect, yet still manages to come together and thoroughly entertain.” A contributor to the Gothic Mansion Books Website claimed that the mix of romance and thriller genres in this novel “makes this story a great read. I couldn’t put it down.” A contributor reviewing the novel in the Literary Gems Blog shared that “Scotch is one of those character’s that you feel a gravitating pull to. She is likable and relatable. I couldn’t help, but want the happily ever after for her. She is the definition of a best friend—loyal to a fault.” In a review in the Reading Cafe Website, a critic lamented that “there was a lack of flow at times which took away from some of the believability.” However, the reviewer conceded that “there is a whole lot of story going on. Twists and turns that seriously are incredible, and if you believe in fate, then you’ll get a kick out of this book.”
A Harlequin Junkie contributor explained that “Royally Bad has sex, drama, angst, and suspense. Nora Flite created a dynamic and unique family in the Badds who work and fight together. Ms. Flite wrote some fun banter and good conflict. Fans of Sophie Jordan and Kirsty Moseley will enjoy Royally Bad.” A contributor to the Subclub Books Website lauded that “this story was absolutely not what I expected and so freaking good I was surprised. It never quite went where I was expecting and threw some major WTF curveballs at me, but I could not get enough.” The same Subclub Books Website reviewer concluded: “I can’t wait for more. I’m officially hooked. Nora Flite say hello to my keeper shelf.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2017, review of Royally Bad.
Publishers Weekly, October 7, 2017, review of Royally Bad.
ONLINE
All about Romance, https://allaboutromance.com/ (October 7, 2017), Sidney Young, review of Royally Bad.
Gothic Mansion Books, http://www.gothic-mansion-books.com/ (March 28, 2017), review of Royally Bad.
Harlequin Junkie, http://harlequinjunkie.com/ (April 17, 2017), author interview; (April 18, 2017), review of Royally Bad.
Literary Gems Blog, http://www.literacygemsblog.com/ (October 3, 2017), review of Royally Bad.
Nora Flite Website, http://www.noraflite.com (October 22, 2017).
Reading Cafe, http://www.thereadingcafe.com/ (April 1, 2017), review of Royally Bad.
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (October 7, 2017), Anna Dougherty, review of Royally Bad.
Subclub Books, http://thesubclubbooks.com/ (April 6, 2017), review of Royally Bad.*
About Nora
Nora Flite
A USA Today Bestselling Author, Nora Flite lives in SoCal where the weather is warm and she doesn’t have to shovel snow–something she never grew to love in her tiny home-state of Rhode Island.
All of her romances involve passionate, filthy, and slightly obsessive heroes–because those are clearly the best kind! She’s always been a writer, and you’ll probably have to pry her keyboard/pen/magical future writing device out of her cold, dead fingers before she’ll stop.
She loves when people say hello! If you see her in the wild, walk up and start chatting. Or hey, just email her– noraflite@gmail.com
Join Nora's newsletter and get a FREE short story! http://www.noraflite.com/vip
A USA Today Bestselling Author, Nora Flite lives in SoCal where the weather is warm and she doesn't have to shovel snow--something she never grew to love in her tiny home-state of Rhode Island.
All of her romances involve passionate, filthy, and slightly obsessive heroes--because those are clearly the best kind! She's always been a writer, and you'll probably have to pry her keyboard/pen/magical future writing device out of her cold, dead fingers before she'll stop.
She loves when people say hello! If you see her in the wild, walk up and start chatting. Or hey, just email her-- noraflite@gmail.com
www.NoraFlite.com
NEW RELEASE! After Our Kiss: http://amzn.to/2wj0Fm6
Preorder: Royally Ruined (Bad Boy Royals #2) amzn.com/B06W9NN9WP
Her Bad Boy Romances:
Royally Bad (Bad Boy Royals #1) amzn.com/B01J9QK82K
Rock Me Deep: amzn.com/B01KU3TSQ8
Peacock: amzn.com/B01NCPZWFU
Billion Dollar Bad Boy: amzn.com/B01DEFBQN2
Never Kiss a Bad Boy: amzn.com/B019S8ZRPM
The Bad Boy Arrangement: amzn.com/B017JC7I38
Exposing the Bad Boy: amzn.com/B00WP0I942
Last of the Bad Boys: amzn.com/B00RFWYY58
Her Dark Romances:
After Our Kiss: http://amzn.to/2wj0Fm6
My Secret Master (A Dark Billionaire Romance) amzn.com/B010L48RR2
Only Pretend: amzn.com/B00KPEW1XA
Watch Me Fall: amzn.com/B00NRRK4L8
Looking for a book and can't find it?
Re-released/updated/revised--
Never Kiss a Bad Boy (formerly the Beyond Blood series)
Rock Me Deep (formerly the Body Rock series)
website- www.noraflite.com
Goodreads - www.goodreads.com/NoraFlite
Facebook - www.facebook.com/NoraFliteAuthor
Twitter - @NoraFlite
Spotlight & Giveaway: Royally Bad by Nora Flite
Posted April 17th, 2017 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Spotlight / 27 comments
Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Nora Flite to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway
Hi Nora and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Royally Bad!
Please summarize the book for the readers here:
Kain Badd looks great on paper: rich, handsome, and he’s even a prince. But after spending a few minutes together, Sammy sees the real him—arrogant, possessive, and too hot for his own good. If she hadn’t agreed to help plan his sister’s wedding, she could have avoided him. Instead, she’s waking up in his bed after an unforgettable night she definitely wants to forget. But he won’t let her.
When Sammy thinks her life can’t get any crazier, the wedding is raided by the police, and she spends her first-ever night in jail. The irresistible Kain isn’t just bad in name—his family is connected to a dangerous underworld. Now she’s mixed up in a power struggle between his family’s empire and their rivals. She has no choice but to put herself back in this filthy prince’s extremely capable hands.
Sammy must trust Kain to keep her safe. She’s just not sure she can trust herself to resist temptation.
Please share the opening lines of this book:
Fingers crawled up the outside of my thigh. They might as well have been cutting through the layers of my organza dress, because my skin tingled like he was touching me directly.
Who was he, you ask?
Dressed in a crisp, midnight-blue suit that didn’t fit his bad boy persona—and a cocky smirk that totally did—Kain Badd was the biggest pain in my ass since I’d tried on my first thong. Sure, the guy was cut from marble, and his eyes were the kind of blue that was reserved for Photoshop magazine edits . . . but he was a dick.
Please share a few Fun facts about this book…
Originally, the Badds were actually called the Royals. But another popular series released around the time I was writing the book, and they had also named their family the Royals, so… I changed it to something that fit even better!
I set the book in Rhode Island, which is where I grew up. As a kid, you knew to NEVER go to Providence, especially Federal Hill, because of the mafia activity there. I used a lot of that “common sense” fear about the area when writing this book. Same for the bits about Newport– I loved touring the mansions there! And so, of course, the Badds HAD to have a big mansion there as well.
What first attracts your hero to the heroine and vice versa?
Kain is first attracted to Sammy because he catches her dancing freely in her bridal shop. Seeing someone acting to silly and vibrant isn’t something he’s used to. It’s a breath of fresh air.
For Sammy, she’s attracted to Kain at the start because he’s– well, he’s a smoking hot guy with tons of tattoos! Haha. Of course, the things she likes at first are also what push her away; she’s smart, she knows cocky guys might be sexy, but boy, are they trouble.
Using just 5 words, how would you describe hero and heroine’s love affair?
Hallmark card set on fire. 😉
What can you share about their first kiss…
Sammy thought she could go for it, kiss him, and that would be enough to get Kain out of her system. Spoilers: she was very wrong.
If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?
Oooh. I love that question. I’d say the opening scene where Kain’s sister’s wedding is raided by the police, and Sammy has NO CLUE what’s going on as she gets arrested, would definitely be crucial. It’s such a funny moment that really nails home that Kain Badd and his family are total bad news, and sets up the tone for the rest of their story.
What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned for 2017?
I just finished Royally Ruined, which is book two of the Bad Boy Royals series and focuses on Costello, the oldest son of the family. That’s out in October of 2017. I’m also working away currently at something lighthearted, sexy and fun– it’s about a modern day prince who falls for his dog walker. I hope people love it!
Thanks for blogging at HJ!
Flite, Nora: ROYALLY BAD
Kirkus Reviews. (Feb. 1, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Listen
Full Text:
Flite, Nora ROYALLY BAD Montlake Romance (Adult Fiction) $12.95 4, 1 ISBN: 978-1-5039-4279-0
When designer Sammy Sage sells a wedding dress to Francesca Badd, she becomes embroiled with a family that has royal blood and Mafia ties and falls in love with sexy Kain Badd, which leads to a wealth of uncovered secrets in both families.Francesca gets whatever she wants, so when she wants the wedding dress she sees in Sammy's shop, she must have it, even if it means forcing Sammy to pull an all-nighter to finish it in time for the wedding. Since money isn't an issue, Francesca and her brother, Kain, are willing to pay an exorbitant fee for the service, and Sammy agrees, since her finances have been troublesome after the recent death of her father and her mother's sudden health issues. When she delivers the dress, she is somehow finagled into acting as maid of honor for Francesca and helping her wrap up the wedding plans, which gives her time to fall into Kain's very sexy arms. She doesn't want to like the arrogant man, but somehow she can't help it, which puts her in an odd position when the police raid the wedding and she discovers the Badds are notorious crime lords. She comes under suspicion for the hefty checks the family has paid her, and things get even stranger when she is suddenly placed under house arrest on the Badd estate--for her own protection, since someone is clearly targeting her. As Kain tries to figure out what's going on, danger closes in on all of them, and Sammy discovers her father's death might not have been the accident she believed. Flite's series debut has a vaguely interesting storyline but ends with more questions than answers. The idea of a Mafia family with royal blood just seems odd and isn't validated in any substantive way. Most of the characters are immature or barely likable, though the central romance has some compelling love scenes and becomes more believable by the end. Meh.
Royally Bad
Nora Flite
Buy This Book
With Royally Bad, author Nora Flite introduces her readers to the big, bad Badd family. The Badd clan – led by patriarch Maverick Badd and consisting of brothers Kain, Costello, Hawthorne and little sis Francesca – pretty much controls the seedy underbelly of Rhode Island. Oh, and they’re also royalty. Maverick’s older brother is the king of an unnamed country, which makes the Badd brothers not only rich and drop dead gorgeous, but also technically princes. Be still, my beating heart.
Twins Kain and Francesca are searching for a wedding dress for Francesca when they come upon Sammy Sage in her bridal boutique, jamming to the beat of Daya’s “Hide Away” and twirling around the room like she’s a real-life Cinderella. Francesca, of course, immediately falls in love with a wedding gown Sammy has designed, which sets the scene for Sammy to visit the Badd Manor the next day for a dress fitting. One things leads to another, and before the night is over, Kain and Sammy find themselves slaking their serious case of instalust by having amazing, bone-melting sex on the floor of Kain’s bedroom.
The next morning, Sammy tiptoes out of Kain’s room only to run into Francesca, who’s just fired her maid-of-honor for sending pictures of her vajayjay to Midas, the bridegroom. Francesca naturally asks Samy to step in for the maid-of-honor, and thus, two days after meeting the Badds, our heroine finds herself standing at the altar with a woman she barely knows and with the hand of the best man – Kain – cupping her ass. But before the bride and groom get to say their “I do’s”, they are interrupted by a swarm of cops searching for a cache of illegal weapons. In the ensuing melée, Sammy is arrested along with Kain and a parade of other guests.
At the police station Detective Stapler explains to Sammy that the Badds is a family of lawbreakers involved in all kinds of shady enterprises. This revelation makes Sammy more determined than ever to never see Kain again. However, as fate would have it, Sammy is attacked in her own home that very night. In her panic, Sammy hits the intruder on the head with a coffee mug, runs out of her house, and manages to throw herself into the street just as Kain is riding by on his motorcycle.
It turns out that the raid on the Badd Estate and the invasion of Sammy’s home was orchestrated by the Deep Shots, a rival gang resentful of the Badd’s stranglehold on the strip club business in town. With her safety compromised, Sammy has no choice but to move in with the Badds while the family tries to figure out the Deep Shot’s end game. But what she didn’t expect is for Maverick Badd to order her confined to the property, thereby making her a virtual prisoner of Rhode Island’s version of The Godfather.
In order to enjoy this book, one needs to suspend all disbelief and just go along for the ride. Descriptions and setups are kept vague so that the author doesn’t have to bother with maintaining any kind of consistency in the storytelling. This would have worked in a much funnier book, but not one in which most of the humor falls flat. The early scenes that are meant to be humorous– such as when Sammy tries to fix some broken blinds naked while holding a towel in front of her – feel too forced to tickle the funny bone. And don’t even get me started on the line that starts one of the chapters: “Have you ever smelled stripper ass?” Instead of being charmed, I found myself reciting the litany of Things Which Don’t Make Sense in my head – Why doesn’t Sammy put on some clothes in the bathroom before fixing her blinds? Why is Kain the only Badd arrested at Francesca’s wedding? Why is Midas never around and why does Francesca continue to live with her parents even after her marriage? Why doesn’t anyone in this story change their names to something that does not sound like they came straight out of a Monty Python skit? Why? Why? Why?
Sammy and Kain’s chemistry is combustible from the first moment they meet. But in keeping with the book’s theme of Cinderella-Meets-Prince-Charming, Kain’s the one who doggedly pursues Sammy while Sammy wants nothing to do with him. While this age-old setup has the potential to be very romantic, I found there to be too little build up to Kain’s feelings for Sammy for it to be believable. By contrast, Sammy does not fall for Kain until she becomes the Badds’ unwilling houseguest and gets to spend more time with him. I liked Sammy a lot for her gumption – she’s not afraid to stand up to Kain and his father – and there are a couple of moments shared between Kain and Sammy that are quite charming and well-written. I just wish that I could believe in their romance a little more, and not have this nagging feeling that Sammy is really just a victim of Stockholm syndrome.
In the end, the book concludes on a climactic action scene so chock full of awkward turns of phrases that I had to re-read it several times to figure out what happened. When Sammy “chucked something at his[the villain’s] head from inside of her backpack”, I spent a good twenty seconds wondering how Sammy got inside her backpack in the first place. Yet, the book is not completely devoid of charm. There are some tender moments between Sammy and her mother that brought tears to my eyes; and I found myself mildly intrigued by the few glimpses I had of Costello. I figure that if an author can get me interested in a character named Costello, that’s got to save her from D or F territory, doesn’t it? Anyway, in a nutshell, Royally Bad is comprised of a string of over-the-top scenarios occasionally interrupted by quieter and more introspective moments. People who can shut off their brain while reading may enjoy this book, but others need not apply.
Book Details
Reviewer : Sidney Young
Grade : C
Sensuality : Warm
Book Type : Contemporary Romance
Review Tags : Bad Boy Royals series
Royally Bad
Nora Flite. Montlake Romance, $12.95 trade paper (265p) ISBN 978-1-5039-4279-0
Flite’s (Rock Me Deep) ridiculous contemporary series launch combines nonstop, over-the-top drama with steamy romance. Wedding dressmaker Sammy returns from New York to her Rhode Island hometown following her father’s mysterious death. She plans to launch a business and care for her ailing mother. Impetuous twins Frannie and Kain Badd soon descend upon her shop, demanding a wedding dress in two days and offering $20,000 for it. An instant crush on Kain spurs Sammy’s efforts to accommodate the family, which results in her serving as party planner and maid of honor. Then the police disrupt the festivities. After a brief stint in jail, she returns home and is attacked by a stranger; Kain rescues her and whisks her away to the luxurious Badd estate, where she drags him into bed and learns that his family are both royals (of some sort) and local crime lords. Charming leads and humorous action sequences offset the frequent need to suspend disbelief, as when Sammy uncomplainingly endures weeks of imprisonment chez Badd before discovering a subplot involving the Deep Shots, a rival gang. Flint introduces a number of brooding Badd siblings for future installments, though readers may not feel compelled to seek them out. Agent: Rebecca Friedman, Rebecca Friedman Literary. (Apr.)
Image of Royally Bad (Bad Boy Royals)
ROYALLY BAD
Image of Royally Bad (Bad Boy Royals)
Author(s): Nora Flite
The first book in the Bad Boy Royals series is imperfect, yet still manages to come together and thoroughly entertain. Initially, the Badd family, in all their opulence, come across as spoiled, whereas Kain simply behaves with high-handed arrogance. Their collective behavior seems unreal until it becomes clear that it's all meant to hide a close-knit family. The characters are complicated, which makes it easier to forgive a plot that starts out messy. Sammy's involvement with the dress is understandable, but her role in the upcoming wedding is far-fetched. Despite all that, the attraction between Kain and Sammy is intense, and the explicit sex scenes are described with delicious detail.
Wedding dress designer Sammy Sage finds her life is turned upside down the minute Kain Badd and his sister walk into her shop offering her an obscene amount of money to finish a dress. She has no idea who she's getting involved with, but she takes the job; the money is much needed if she wants to continue caring for her mother. Suddenly, Sammy is roped into planning the wedding and acting as maid of honor! Then she winds up caught in the middle of a turf war between the Badd family and a local rival who doesn't like following their rules. (MONTLAKE ROMANCE, Apr., 265 pp., $9.99)
Reviewed by:
Anna Dougherty