Alpha males... they’re everywhere!
They’re smoking hot, powerful, assertive--what woman doesn’t want a man to be
all these things? They are a powerful archetype ubiquitous in the romance
scene, and for good reason. But I don’t just love alphas--sometimes it’s great
fun to go on a hunt and catch a handsome loner, or to figure out what it takes
to make that shy guy scream (in delight!). When I wrote Alien Bride, I wanted
to take a step away from the traditional alpha formula, shake things up, and
experiment with a different kind of sexy.
Alpha, beta, omega, these are all
designations in the pecking order of male social hierarchy:
Women are naturally drawn to alphas:
they’re at the top, always confident, always in charge. While alphas can have
any chick they want, the downside to that position is that it includes a
constant power struggle with other males to maintain, and some alphas may tend
to look at women in terms of what they may get from them.
Beta males are wingmen; they are
handsome, ‘nice guys,’ and will either try to challenge the alpha for his
status, or will openly submit to him. Betas may get friendzoned if they lack
the raw sex appeal of an alpha.
Gammas are indifferent to the social
hierarchy, and may be loners, or have philosophical inclinations. They reject
social convention and move to the beat of their own drum. They have dominant psychological
tendencies like the alpha, but are not moved by social convention to compete.
Deltas are less self-assured than
the aforementioned types of males, and feel most comfortable following trends,
and hanging out with other deltas. They may place women on a pedestal.
Finally, omegas are at the bottom of
the pecking order. They are submissive in social situations and reject
convention. Their guise of non-conformity is tied to a deep insecurity about an
inability to perform socially like the alpha.
I completely wanted to step outside
of the traditional alpha mold when writing Alien Bride because I thought it
would generate some interesting situations, an unusual courtship, and lots of
tension!
Orion, the book’s hero, is actually
a Byronic hero, but Byronic heroes can still come in all flavors of the social
pecking order. Alpha Byronic heroes are absolute lady killers; betas might be
the silent type; Orion is a gamma, so combined with the Byronic element, he’s a
loner in the extreme. Sleeping alone in an old chateau’s abandoned belfry, and
feared by all--except his alpha and the women who fawn over him--Orion has
turned his back on society in disgust. His mood swings and tendency to drink to
excess are really just his way of coping with a painful past, and the fact
that, deep inside, he is a sensitive person bruised by the world. That last
bit, though, he’d die before admitting to anyone--
--to anyone, except Ninkasi.
Ninkasi, the college-grad daughter accidentally kidnapped in lieu of her
father, an important senator and chesspiece in Orion’s ultimate plans for
revenge.
Ninkasi looks exactly like her, the
woman Orion lost long ago.
When Orion and Ninkasi meet, Orion’s
plan for revenge is paramount; as a gamma, he doesn’t care about anything else.
He falls hard for Ninkasi, harder than an alpha or a beta might, as gammas may
still revere women (rather than see them realistically) and possibly obsess.
Due to his Byronic flare, Orion is definitely the kind of guy who gets
obsessed; one of his obstacles to overcome is that he can’t stop obsessing
about things that happened in the past.
Finally, he does contain a small
streak of beta. What with all of his dark, aloof, extreme qualities, to make an
impression on Ninkasi, Orion must go the beta route and explore what kind of
relationship can grow with kindness between them.
Orion is a reserved, but intensely
deep and passionate man. He’s not the type to go out and take whatever woman he
wants--it took circumstance to throw the right one into his arms--but with all
those reservations and pent up energy, if he can socialize enough to seduce
Ninkasi, there will be nothing less than fireworks between the sheets.
Alien Bride
Sex, Drugs, and Biopunk
Book 1
Brie McGill
Brie McGill
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 1492890758
ASIN: B00G1IL2PM
Number of pages: 419
Word Count: 140,000
Cover Artist: Cover Shot Creations
Book Description:
Ninkasi Mara didn’t plan to celebrate her university graduation entangled in a bungled kidnapping meant for her father, a corrupt senator in the pocket of Techthonic Innovations. Locked alone in the gilded tower of Chateau Bernadette, Ninkasi fears its opulent pleasures will erode her will until she collapses into the comforting arms of the mysterious masked man who frequents her chamber with vintage wines and sumptuous dinners.
For more than twenty years, Orion has plotted the perfect revenge. Manipulating the hand of an insurrectionist faction, he intends to settle a shadowy score with Techthonic Innovations, a biotech giant with a history of dubious experiments. When the faction’s amateurs fail to return with the senator, they further complicate Orion’s task by returning instead with a woman who is a painful reminder of a love lost long ago. Torn between risking the secrecy of the faction and a maelstrom of emotion, Orion secretly visits her chamber in disguise.
When Orion disappears, Ninkasi is dragged into the search and rescue mission. To find him, she must learn the truth of his secrets about his hatred for the company and the physical anomalies he tries to hide. The answers await discovery in a terrifying alternate world beneath her feet in which human sacrifice is the least of her worries.
There is a reason Orion went alone...
For more than twenty years, Orion has plotted the perfect revenge. Manipulating the hand of an insurrectionist faction, he intends to settle a shadowy score with Techthonic Innovations, a biotech giant with a history of dubious experiments. When the faction’s amateurs fail to return with the senator, they further complicate Orion’s task by returning instead with a woman who is a painful reminder of a love lost long ago. Torn between risking the secrecy of the faction and a maelstrom of emotion, Orion secretly visits her chamber in disguise.
When Orion disappears, Ninkasi is dragged into the search and rescue mission. To find him, she must learn the truth of his secrets about his hatred for the company and the physical anomalies he tries to hide. The answers await discovery in a terrifying alternate world beneath her feet in which human sacrifice is the least of her worries.
There is a reason Orion went alone...
About the Author:
Doctors suspect Brie developed an overactive imagination during childhood to cope with the expansive corn maze known as rural Pennsylvania. Unable to afford an operation to have the stories surgically removed from her brain, she opted instead to write them down.
Brie lives with two devious cats, Lunar and Loki. In her spare time, she enjoys making laser sounds with her MiniKorg, channeling entities in hyperspace, and roflstomping video games from the nineties.
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