Sara Adrien on her second series

Sara has just released her fourth consecutive novel – and they’ve all made it to number one in historical romance on Amazon. Jam-packed with a love triangle, blackmail and an arranged marriage, Instead of Harmony has plenty to think about while enjoying the ride. In today’s interview, we discuss what to expect from this first book in Sara’s second series and from the Klonimus saga as a whole. Hint: if you love a good treasure hunt, this one’s for you.

Can you please share the blurb for Instead of Harmony?

Sweethearts trapped in a childhood love triangle. He’s empty without his muse. She’s caught up in her parents’ missteps. Will their wounded souls find healing in each other’s arms?

London, 1814. Raphael Klonimus can fix anything but his broken heart. The son of a prominent Jewish family of jewellers, the talented pianist hasn’t felt whole since he lost the girl he loved to an arranged marriage. He’s shocked when he discovers a letter on his bed leading to an old hiding spot where a surprise visitor waits in the cold.

Delilah “Laila” Mandel’s grief is mixed with desperate hope to reunite with the boy next door. Marrying a fatally ill friend to clear her mother’s debts, the new widow yearns for the embrace of the man who might have already moved on after she was forced to leave him behind. When her deceased husband’s scheming cousin attempts to blackmail her to wed again, she flees to the capital city hoping her childhood sweetheart will help.

Considering himself a coward for once letting her go, Raphael sweeps the beautiful woman off to a secret castle despite seeing himself as unworthy of her affections. But after a bone-melting kiss that starts to mend their hurts, Laila fears others’ greed and desires could crush their second chance at happiness.

Will they break free of the chains that bind them and grab hold of a rapturous forever?

Instead of Harmony kicks off your second series. What are the key differences between the Infiltrating the Ton trilogy and the Diamond Dynasty?

The biggest difference is in the upbringings and goals of the protagonists. In Infiltrating the Ton, the Pearler family aim to mix with the crème de la crème of England’s aristocracy. They hide their Jewishness, or they wouldn’t have any rights. I’ve had some comments that this isn’t historically accurate, and in all likelihood, Jews couldn’t have succeeded in this ploy, but I’m exploring the fictional possibility of it. I’m fond of doing that and, as we see from current developments, society is ripe for shifts in how we think about discrimination.

In the Diamond Dynasty series, Raphi, Aaron, Gideon and their younger brothers are fighting to find their place based on a meritocracy. They are openly Jewish – in the way they dress and their engagement with the Jewish community – but they insist on their rights as citizens and want to show what they can do. This approach marks a big difference between the Klonimus family and the Pearlers.

Once the Jews are in the open, they need to keep reclaiming their place. In truth, their trouble has only just begun. The third series will explore that further.

The thread binding the books in Infiltrating the Ton was the jewellery competition. What is the thread in the Diamond Dynasty trilogy?

This one has a treasure hunt. Clues are revealed in each book and there are twists and turns leading to the reveal in the finale. Underlying the action is the question: do the Jews have the right to keep the treasures? It could all belong to the crown.

As the billionaires of today are learning, you can’t earn anything without paying taxes on it. My characters are paying taxes in a different way, and they need to decide if it’s worth trying to find the pot of gold. The Klonimus family must take enormous risks and self-finance their search … and the treasure might not even exist. Maybe their search stems from a reason other than the treasure itself – you’ll have to read the books to find the answer.

What other themes are explored within the Diamond Dynasty series?

There’s a generation clash between Pavel, the Klonimus patriarch, and his sons. Pavel taught his children about three pillars:

1. To honour and respect the Jewish religion.
2. To honour and respect all people.
3. To find your happiness, that is, to find a way to stay true to these rules but also stay true to your heart.

The lovers featured in the series each have to find a way to navigate these deep waters. With the best of intentions, they interpret and apply the same set of rules differently.

Raphi didn’t claim the girl he loved while he had his chance, and the story takes place after he’s lost Laila.

Aaron claims his girl right away but gets the sequence of events wrong.

Gideon, the eldest brother, honours all the rules and has the sequence right – perfection – but his arranged marriage is missing the element of love his father wants him to have.

In a spin-off, their younger brothers and their friend will also tackle these questions from various perspectives – and countries!

They must balance each of the pillars, as each one has a different weight. These days, the last one, happiness, is overrated. You can’t always make decisions because it will make you happy in the moment. Through the lens of historical fiction, I let my characters live out the consequences of giving too much weight to any of the pillars. All of this can be translated to our decisions these days; there’s more to these books than romance.

Do these rules impact the females in the relationships differently?

While Raphi can defy the order of events, Laila is locked in to managing her reputation and following convention. Universally, these issues matter more for girls.

Laila always tries to do the right thing, but when she turns 24 (which is more like being 34 these days) she realises everything she’s invested never pleased anyone and it made her miserable. So, when tragedy strikes, she is rattled, and Raphi helps her to climb out of her rut.

What’s next?

Book Two in the series, In Eternal Love, is coming out in May, and the third book, In Tune with his Heart is out in August. I also have an unrelated holiday short story in an anthology, The Grand Mistletoe Assembly, which will be out in October.

You can find Sara here:
Email: author.sara.adrien@gmail.com
Website: www.SaraAdrien.com
Facebook: Sara Adrien
Instagram: authorsaraadrien
Twitter: @AuthorSAdrien
LinkedIn: Sara Adrien
Pinterest: @authorsaraadrien
BookBub: Bookbub
Goodreads: Goodreads
Booksales link:  Amazon

Next time: a short story, Checkmate
Next interview: debut novelist, Donna Carbone on the evolving nature of friendship
Next interview with Sara: Sara Adrian on the thrill of writing treasure hunts