A Moment With… Rachel Debrave

It’s so wonderful to be welcoming Rachel Debrave to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Too Much to Hope For.

Scarlett Hope has found a surprising rhythm at Haddon House. Just months into life with Laird Edward Cameron-Reid, their chemistry is electric, and the future feels full of promise – but something inside her is stirring. She’s traded city charm for estate calm yet still feels caught between worlds.

Then Harry shows up. A famous music producer – and a blast from Scarlett’s past – he’s in town to film with a renowned band. His arrival is magnetic, disruptive, and the last thing she ever expected. Scarlett loves Edward, but Harry’s presence reawakens the version of herself she thought she’d left behind.

When Edward’s daughter announces she’s pregnant and moves in full-time, the pressure only grows. And when Scarlett meets Sophie, a young woman struggling to make a home for her unborn child, one small act of kindness turns into something far bigger – a project that might just change everything. But as tragedy strikes, Scarlett faces a deeper choice – not between two men, but between who she was and who she’s becoming.

Too Much to Hope For is a high spice, emotionally layered story of love, legacy, and identity – about staying rooted in love while growing into something more. Perfect for readers who loved the emotional fire of A New Hope in the Highlands, the small-town heart of Things We Never Got Over, and the soul-deep reckoning of After I Do.

Without further ado, it’s over to Rachel. 

When Chemistry Isn’t Enough – Writing Spice Without Losing The Story. 

Readers and writers talk a lot about “spice” at the moment. How much is too much. Whether it’s necessary. Whether it adds anything at all. As both a reader and a writer of romance, I find the conversation fascinating – and occasionally a little heated.

Because for me, the question isn’t really about how explicit something is. It’s about whether it matters.

I love chemistry. There’s nothing quite like that first charged exchange between two characters who just click. The dialogue sharpens. The air shifts. You can feel the pull before either of them admits it.

But chemistry on its own is easy.

What’s harder – and far more interesting – is asking what that chemistry is doing.

There’s a lot of conversation about ‘spice’ versus ‘smut’. I find it fascinating – and sometimes a little puritanical and/or judgemental – on either side of the fence. Some readers want closed-door romance. Others want very explicit, on-the-page intimacy. Neither is wrong, and let’s not yuk someone’s yum (as the cool kids are calling it!). But for me, the real question isn’t how graphic something is – it’s whether it means something.

Is it revealing character?
Is it escalating tension?
Is it complicating the relationship?
Or is it simply there because readers expect it?

When I was writing Too Much to Hope For, I knew Scarlett and Edward would have chemistry. They always have. That part wasn’t the challenge. The challenge was making sure their desire didn’t become a shortcut.

Because desire absolutely can be.

It can paper over insecurities. It can delay uncomfortable conversations. It can create the illusion of closeness without the vulnerability real intimacy requires. It can make two people feel connected in the moment while quietly avoiding the harder work underneath.

And if you’re not careful as a writer, it can fix problems that shouldn’t be fixed by a good night in bed.

Scarlett and Edward are not inexperienced. They are adults in their thirties, both divorcees, both carrying pride and baggage and old wounds – and both a little left field and non-vanilla. So when their physical relationship deepens in book two, it doesn’t magically solve anything. In fact, at times, it exposes how much they’re avoiding.

That, for me, is the line I tried to walk.

Writing chemistry is about being honest. If two people are drawn to each other and have history and unresolved longing, it would feel false to pretend they’re simply going to sit down and talk everything through first. But it would also feel false to let the physical connection do all the emotional heavy lifting.

Spice works when it serves the relationship.

When it reveals who is holding back and who is pushing forward.
When it shows vulnerability rather than just bodies.
When it complicates things instead of tidying them up.

Sometimes that means scenes that are tender. Sometimes it means scenes that are messy. Sometimes it means characters using desire as armour, distraction, or even control – before they’re ready to admit what they really feel.

That’s where it becomes interesting.

Because romance isn’t about two perfect adults making flawless decisions. It’s about watching flawed people navigate attraction, fear, pride, ego, insecurity, and love in ways that feel recognisable. And let’s face it, recognisable often means complicated.

In Too Much to Hope For, the heat isn’t there for shock value. It’s there because Scarlett and Edward are trying – imperfectly, much of the time – to figure out whether chemistry is enough, or whether they’re brave enough to build something deeper. Whether they can stop hiding behind the physical and start risking the emotional.

For me, that’s the difference between writing smut and writing spice.

One can exist in isolation, whereas the other has to be anchored in relationship, growth, and consequence.

And when it is, the payoff isn’t just about the scene itself. It’s about the shift it creates. The way it moves two people closer to honesty – or further from it.

If you enjoy romance where the chemistry is strong but the emotional stakes are stronger, where attraction complicates rather than simplifies, and where adults are allowed to be messy on their way to something real, then Scarlett and Edward’s story might well be for you.

Because sometimes the heat isn’t the point.

Sometimes it’s what it reveals.

About Rachel Debrave –

Rachel Debrave writes contemporary and fantasy romance with an often twisty, dark sense of humour and a taste for dark edges and emotional depth. Her stories blend heat, heart, and layered character arcs – often set against sweeping Scottish landscapes or otherworldly backdrops.

Her debut series, beginning with A New Hope in the Highlands, explores second chances, found family, and the quiet resilience of heroines who don’t just survive – they set the pace.

When she’s not writing, Rachel can be found wandering the Scottish countryside with her dog, Daisy, reading, or playing the piano (rarely very well!) with a touch of dramatic flair.

Say hello to Rachel via her website and on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. 

Too Much to Hope For is book 2 in the Highland Hearts: The Haddon House Duets book series. It was released on 17th February 2026. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Amazon US. 

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.