This is the front cover illustration I did for Eloisa James' When The Duke Returns, Avon Books. The model was Ewa Da Cruz, costume by Sharon Spiak and Photography by Shirley Green. I was looking for a way to get across the title's celebratory feel, but also an intimate romantic sense and hit upon the idea of using fireworks in the distance. It is smoky out there and our heroine is smiling coyly at the off stage Duke. The mask helps convey the thought of a vaguely naughty party. On the stepback image, which you see when you open the front cover, she now has her man in her arms. I liked this pose very much and it was a happy accident, made by trying different positions. To me, he looked so heroic, but also so fragile and she seemed both hungry and protective in her touch. The party keeps going on out there somewhere... but she has her duke!
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