We’re delighted to be joined on our blog by True Love author, Sophie Pembroke who talks about the inspiration behind her new Dream Destinations duet!

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One of the joys of writing romance is the fabulous places it takes me to. For my Dream Destinations duet, I wanted to explore two rather more unusual locations – and ones with a lot of contrast between them.

For Their Icelandic Marriage Reunion, I took my Hollywood A-Listers, Winter and Josh, to the land of fire and ice – where they experienced geothermal lagoons, hot springs, whale watching, waterfalls and glaciers, the northern lights, and even a museum dedicated to penises in Reykjavik!

So when it came to writing book 2, the story of Winter’s assistant, Jenny, and Josh’s best friend, Liam, I knew I wanted to take them somewhere that was the total opposite. Somewhere warm, laid back, remote… somewhere they could connect with nature… And so they ended up in a luxury treehouse in Costa Rica! There, they had the rainforest to enjoy, with all its fascinating wildlife. There were sloths, and monkeys, and tropical birds. Shoreline and beach cafes and secluded coves… and more waterfalls, albeit warmer ones!

But one of the things I like most about how this duet turned out, is the way that the locations reflect the relationship struggles each couple are going through.

For Winter and Josh, their love has gone cold – heartbreak has frozen all the passion there used to be between them. Now they’re thrown together in the bleak but amazing landscape of Iceland, and hoping that the land of fire and ice can reignite everything that used to be between them. Because while we might think of Iceland as unrelenting cold, don’t forget it’s also home to 130 volcanoes (most thankfully dormant!) and there’s a lot of heat bubbling away under its surface… just like Winter and Josh!

In Baby Surprise in Costa Rica, Liam and Jenny are dealing with the fallout from their hot and heavy week in Iceland – facing the cold light of day, and a positive pregnancy test. This wasn’t what either of them planned for their future – and the insane chemistry that still sparks between them isn’t making it any easier to deal with.

They might be enjoying the sun and surf of Costa Rica while they figure out what to do next, but inside both of them are ice cold, running away from past hurts that have frozen their hearts. They’ve both sworn off love, relationships, and families – and for good reasons.

If they’re going to move on, they’re going to have to face and share their pain, let the other in, and find a way to move past it. To melt those ice walls they’ve built around their hearts.

Can the warmth of the Costa Rican rainforest do that? Or the heat that still burns between them?

Most of all, will they have the courage to face the future together?

You’ll have to read the book to find out…

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Baby Surprise In Costa Rica by Sophie Pembroke

In this Dream Destinations story, the heat of the Costa Rican rainforest is nothing compared to the memories of Jenny’s steamy fling with ex-Hollywood heartthrob Liam. But now she has to break the news to him—she’s pregnant! Liam is blindsided by Jenny’s revelation—he has spent the last few years guarding his heart. Now, with nowhere to run, they must decide on their future together and not be distracted by their chemistry…

By Lauren Gardiner