Who's Your Hero Herd Hops (and Giveaway)

Thanks to The Herd Presents blog hops, I'm taking part in the Who's Your Hero Blog Hop. Today, I want to share who my favourite book hero is. Firstly, I want to say there are many heroes to honour in real life, one of them being my brother-in-law who is the chairman of the Community Policing Forum in Durban. Although he doesn't wear a uniform, he's just as brave, if not more. I don't know of all the things he has to face up to in his job, but all I know is that he's doing a wonderful work in helping to combat crime in Durban where my family live.

Now for my favourite book hero. I have to say this is a very hard one for me. For many years, I would say Aslan was my favourite book hero - the cuddly, yet rather scary lion from the Narnia series. But lately, I've been enjoying the Harry Potter series. I don't often read children's books, but I've found these fantasy novels absolutely charming and gripping.

So, I'm going to choose a book hero from the Harry Potter books.

And Harry Potter it is. Yes, many people say that Professor Snape was the hero in the end, but well, I think he didn't warrant hero status because he was always quite mean to Harry throughout the books. Sure, maybe he had reason to, but it didn't bode well with me. And well, Dumbledore was a great mentor and role model for Harry. And Harry was a kid most of the time. But, Dumbledore didn't reach the ultimate hero status in my view.

I've just finished the fifth book in the series - The Order of the Phoenix - and I wanted to cry in parts. Just when I've been challenged by my editor to enter into a deep point of view in my writing, I thought of how much J.K. Rowling made me feel for Harry. How she took me right into his mind and made me want him to be happy with all my being. So, yes, even reading children's fantasy books has helped me learn a thing or two about writing. I don't think I'll ever be as talented as her, but I do feel challenged to make my readers feel more deeply for the things my book characters go through.

Anyway, back to hero status. I have to say, Harry clinches it for me. He sacrifices his life in the end for everyone. In fact, his whole life, even as a young kid, he's always sought to save and help others, despite being well-flawed like us all. Now, who doesn't need a book hero like that?

Funny that we're on the topic of book heroes and characters in books who work for the betterment of the world around us. My new release has such a character in it - Darryn Reeve, the wonderful private investigator who helps Carol recover her missing magic album.

Here's a bit of insight into who he is. I think he's just the type of guy to have on your side:

Looking up at Darryn, she spoke. “Are you coming with me?”

“To where?” His voice still sounded husky, drugged, lacking the usual alert guardedness. He hadn’t come down from their lust-induced stupor yet. She had, but she wanted him still. So badly. The reasons escaped her.

“Irene. She’s invited us over for lunch. Her grandson’s desperate. I don’t know what to do. She wouldn’t listen to me when I wanted to tell her The Album’s not working.”

“Maybe it will work with her.”

“I doubt it. I need to get to the shop before lunchtime tomorrow.”

“No.” He shook his head and collapsed onto the bed, resting his head in his hands. “We have to come up with another plan.”

Change of heart? Was he considering helping her? Her idea to reach out to him had worked. She should feel guilty, but the realisation that desire had been the greatest motivating factor in hugging him at the window assured her she hadn’t done something manipulative. Her heart squeezed at the thought of hurting Darryn, using him. That’s the last thing she wanted. “I don’t want you to get into trouble. Maybe you should return to South Africa. This isn’t your problem anymore.”

“No.” He jerked his head up. “I won’t leave you.”

“Darryn, it’s my problem now. It always was.”

“No.” He cleared his throat. “Even if you don’t hire me to help you, I’m still staying.”

“What about your business? Don’t you have other clients waiting for answers?”

He shrugged. “I can’t leave you.”

It was like he couldn’t think of any other words to describe what was in his heart. Something inside of her swirled with pain, a strange feeling. It hurt to be cared for so deeply. It hurt because she didn’t know if she could hang onto him or give back what he gave her.

Here's a blurb of the book:

The Album Series

The Magic of Love

The Album Book 3 - Carol’s Story

Carol is frantic as her ordered life has been flung into chaos. Pauline passed The Album onto her but it’s disappeared. She’s the one who’s looked forward to the magic the most; now she can't even use it. To top it off, she realises her boyfriend, Cliff, has disappeared with The Album. The sense of betrayal leaves her reeling.

She hires private investigator, Darryn, to help her find her missing treasure. Shocked at her inexplicable attraction to the man after coming out of a serious relationship, she’s reluctant to fly with him to Canada in search of the stolen artefact, but her need to find The Album burns strong.

In Canada, they soon discover that not only has Cliff stolen The Album, but also magic antiques belonging to other people from South Africa. They soon recover the artefact but, much to Carol’s disappointment, the magic is broken. Carol needs answers and is also burning to help the other antique owners—even if it means leaving her successful career and working with Darryn who has his own issues from his past.

How can Carol still have feelings for a man who keeps on breaking her heart? And will she fix the magic? What will she discover about herself, the magic, and love, while searching for the answers?


You can buy The Magic of Love here: Amazon / Smashwords / Kobo Books


I'm giving away a copy of my latest release, The Magic of Love, to a lucky commenter on this blog post. Tell me who your hero is - I'd love to hear. Please slot in your email address so I can contact you! Don't forget.

Please note, although The Magic of Love is Book 3, it can be read as a standalone. If you wish to start with Book 1, I'm happy to gift you that one instead.


If you want to find the links to other blogs talking about their heroes, here they are: