{"id":11298,"date":"2025-04-15T01:05:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T05:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/?p=11298"},"modified":"2025-04-14T21:40:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T01:40:04","slug":"interview-with-bristol-rieger-from-dark-hearts-aflame-by-amber-daulton-characterinterview-romance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/?p=11298","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Bristol Rieger from Dark Hearts Aflame by Amber Daulton #characterinterview #romance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Where are you from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was born in Aspen, Colorado, though I spent much of my adult life a few hours away in Denver, where I worked. I also spent some time in Mexico as a teenager.<\/p>\n

What is your job?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a tricky question. I\u2019m technically retired, but keeping Carmen safe and myself out of trouble is a full-time job. I used to work for Onyx\u2014one of the largest underground crime organizations in the American Southwest\u2014but after the feds brought Onyx down, I\u2019m hiding out in Mexico. It\u2019s proving harder than I anticipated to stay off the radar.<\/p>\n

Are you a people person or a lone wolf?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lone wolf. I don\u2019t have friends; I have associates and employees. Well, there is one friend, Alan, but I\u2019ll probably never see him again. He\u2019s back in the States and finally free from the danger I inadvertently put him in. (His story is Arresting Alan, the final book in Amber Daulton\u2019s Arresting Onyx series.)<\/p>\n

Do you have any special powers or skills?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is the ability to keep secrets a skill? I like to think so. If I don\u2019t keep a lid on my past actions and what I plan to do in the future, I could see the inside of a black body bag sooner rather than later. My life hinges on how well I keep my secrets.<\/p>\n

What is your main goal in life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It used to be staying alive and off the radar from the government and my former crime bosses alike, but now, I\u2019m determined to see Carmen happy and settled with whatever she needs. I knew her back when I was a teenager living in Mexico with her cartel family, but I never expected to see her again when I returned a few months ago.<\/p>\n

Do you have any tattoos or piercings?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have several tattoos.<\/p>\n

Swirls of dark ink encircle the purple and blue flowers and the flock of birds on my left arm, and a small bluish-green snake slithers around the blooms. Vines of blood-red roses twist from my right biceps to my wrist. In between my shoulder blades, there are two crisscrossing black snakes inside a black woven circle, which is the symbol of my loyalty to the Onyx gang. Below that is a spider web with the Lozano Cartel name in the webbing, signifying my loyalty to them back when I was much younger. Black bands crisscross my upper back and shoulders to connect all the tattoos while also camouflaging the gang signs and a few scars.<\/p>\n

As you can tell, I\u2019ve lived quite a hectic life.<\/p>\n

Who is your greatest enemy and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have lots of enemies, especially if my secrets get out. Currently, I\u2019m dealing with Carmen\u2019s enemies\u2014namely, her estranged husband and her abusive father.<\/p>\n

What is Carmen\u2019s father\u2019s greatest strength?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ovidio Lozano is more depraved than my own father, and believe me, that man was no picnic. Ovidio\u2019s greatest strength would have to be his role as jefe in the Lozano Cartel. He\u2019s the leader\u2014the top dog, as they say\u2014and has scores of mindless sycophants at his disposal. I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m going to stop him from finding Carmen. Ovidio and Jorge, Carmen\u2019s soon-to-be ex, are hunting her down like an animal.<\/p>\n

What is their greatest weakness?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arrogance. They don\u2019t know I\u2019m helping her, and they have zero respect for Carmen as a woman or as a warrior in her own right. They think she\u2019s weak, and that will be their downfall.<\/p>\n

Who is your love interest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carmen Lozano is the one woman I know I shouldn\u2019t touch. She\u2019s a cartel princess who\u2019s joined a resistance group to beat back the cartels. Crazy, right? She\u2019s been living with them for seven years before our paths crossed. The last time I saw her, she was thirteen years old, and I was twenty. Now, we\u2019re both adults and ready for something more than the awkward friendship we shared as kids.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about Carmen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Her strength. She doesn\u2019t take anyone\u2019s bull and says what she thinks. She\u2019s the strongest woman I know.<\/p>\n

What is the most annoying thing about Carmen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Her persistence in learning my secrets. The woman can nag with the best of them, but her determination is also one of the things I love most about her.<\/p>\n

Is there anything else you\u2019d like readers to know?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dark Hearts Aflame is the first book in the Lozano Cartel series, which is a spin-off from the Arresting Onyx series. All these books can be read as a standalone, so don\u2019t worry if you haven\u2019t checked out Arresting Onyx (though I do recommend it because they\u2019re freaking awesome, and I play a minor role in each of those books, which makes them even better). Following my book is Lost in His Spiderwebs, a dark captivity romance that features Carmen\u2019s brother, Rub\u00e9n, and a secondary character from my own book. No spoilers here. You\u2019ll be surprised by the stubborn woman who brings Rub\u00e9n to his knees.<\/p>\n

Thank you for stopping by!<\/p>\n

Dark Hearts Aflame<\/strong><\/p>\n

Author: Amber Daulton<\/p>\n

Genre: Dark Romance<\/p>\n

A drug lord on the run. A cartel princess in hiding. All it takes is a spark to set their world ablaze.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bristol Rieger left his criminal life behind for a fresh start in Mexico. Flying under the radar of the government and the cartels alike, his best-laid plans go awry when a woman from his narco days discovers his whereabouts. Carmen Lozano, however, is no longer the innocent girl he remembers.<\/p>\n

Carmen escaped the chains of her tiara and her abusive marriage to join a group of resistance fighters. The last thing she expected was the now-retired capo setting out to seduce her with his wicked touch. Embracing the blood on his hands is easy, but his secrets wear on her patience.<\/p>\n

When their enemies close in, Bristol will have to summon his inner monster to protect her. But can that monster be tamed again?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Excerpt:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou should go.\u201d Carmen switched back to English and rubbed her temples.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019m not welcome here and all.\u201d Bristol grasped her close, right where Rodolfo did. Her breathy sigh fanned his face, snapping the last thread reining in his desire. He kissed her. Hard. Damn it to hell. Her soft lips yielded to his firmer ones as he plundered her mouth, the stinging cut on his busted lip barely fazing him. Her essence of woman and spice tingled his tongue, driving his need. She grasped his shirt with hungry hands, burrowing against him as though she were trying to climb inside him. Fuck. He\u2019d give anything to let her. Her sexy little moans traveled down his throat and pulsated right through his thickening cock, as decadent as if she fisted him.<\/p>\n

Carmen flattened her hands to his chest and pushed.<\/p>\n

He released her and dragged in a steadying breath. His chest shuddered beneath her palms. The thin scab over his split lip broke away, and he licked up a drop of blood. Wanton heat flared in her dreamy, half-lidded eyes as though she<\/em> wanted to lick it for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really should go, Bristol.\u201d The words left her mouth with a breathy sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d He\u2019d better leave before he committed himself to the resistance just to see the inside of her bedroom. He kissed her forehead and headed down the steps while pulling his keys from his pocket. Once he cranked the engine, the bike rumbled to life between his legs. His dick lurched, needing relief. How he would make it down the mountain in one piece with a fucking hard-on was anyone\u2019s guess. He cast his gaze back at Carmen.<\/p>\n

What a goddess. Strength coursed through her and blazed in her dark eyes. She stood with her arm angled all sassy-like on her tilted hip. The proud jut of her chin fascinated him. She waved goodbye, but they both damn well knew this wasn\u2019t over. They\u2019d kiss again. And do a lot more than that.<\/p>\n

He wouldn\u2019t leave Savillaruz until he tasted every inch of her and silenced every threat to her life. After years of darkness, he finally had the chance to do something right. He wouldn\u2019t let her face the dangers alone, not when he could help. She was his redemption. Once he hit the road, she would be safe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Purchase Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Universal \u2013 https:\/\/books2read.com\/darkheartsaflame<\/a><\/p>\n

Amazon \u2013 https:\/\/amzn.to\/3WMhySS<\/a><\/p>\n

Barnes & Noble \u2013 https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/dark-hearts-aflame-amber-daulton\/1144724204<\/a><\/p>\n

Kobo \u2013 https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/dark-hearts-aflame<\/a><\/p>\n

Apple\/iBooks \u2013 https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/dark-hearts-aflame\/id6544805264<\/a><\/p>\n

Smashwords \u2013 https:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/1509101<\/a><\/p>\n

Goodreads\u00a0\u2013\u00a0https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/211106548-dark-hearts-aflame-lozano-cartel-book-1<\/a><\/p>\n

BookBub \u2013 https:\/\/www.bookbub.com\/books\/dark-hearts-aflame-lozano-cartel-book-1-an-on-the-run-dark-cartel-romantic-suspense-by-amber-daulton<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"About Amber<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amber Daulton is the author of the Lozano Cartel<\/em>, the Arresting Onyx<\/em>, and the Ramseys in Time <\/em>series, as well as several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.<\/p>\n

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Universal link \u2013 https:\/\/linktr.ee\/AmberDaulton<\/a><\/p>\n

Exclusive Newsletter (free ebook to new subscribers) \u2013 https:\/\/amberdaulton.com\/newsletter-signup\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where are you from? I was born in Aspen, Colorado, though I spent much of my adult life a few hours away in Denver, where I worked. I also spent some time in Mexico as a teenager. What is your job? That’s a tricky question. I’m technically retired, but keeping Carmen safe and myself out…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[969,1084],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amber-daulton","category-character-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11298"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11305,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11298\/revisions\/11305"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}