Maree Rose Unveiled: Let's Talk The Darling Series
In preparation of seek me darling's release, we conducted an exclusive interview with Maree Rose. We asked her the questions we all had on our mind. This is what she had to say.
Can you tell us a bit about what inspired The Darling Games?
I've loved masked men trope for a while, but the concept of not knowing for most of the book who the masked men are was something that played on my mind. The potential that there could be multiple options and creating 'favorites' while second guessing was even better. One of the very first scenes I wrote for this book was the reveal of Dare, I then had to write everything leading up to it. I love a good mystery and the inevitable gasp and cheering when the reveals finally happen makes me feel like a kid kicking my feet and giggling, and I wanted my readers to feel that. But on the other hand I also wanted to convey how utterly obsessed those men are with their darling girls, because honestly who doesn't love an obsessed man who would burn down the world for the one they want. Originally hunt me darling was going to be a standalone, but then while writing the epilogue the concept of hide and seek came from the twins being born.
Do the books in The Darling Games need to be read in order or can they be read as a standalones?
These can absolutely be read as standalones. I have written them in a way that you can easily pick each book up without having read any of the others. There are some things that might come across as more impactful if you read them in order but its not necessary. So essentially you could read seek me darling and then go back to read her parents story to find out what started everything, or because you see small glimpses of her twin through phone calls in this one you could then go and read hide me darling to find out about about her story. The timeline for hide me darling and seek me darling occurs concurrently so you could even read them at the same time (I will have a tandem read graphic available if you're game for that)
Can we expect appearances from characters in past books in Seek Me Darling?
There are small appearances from past characters but nothing that gives away their own stories. We get a couple of small interactions with her parents as well as the phone calls with her sister (which also appear from her sisters side in hide me darling) and they all make a very brief appearance at the end. But as I didn't want to give away any details of the other stories in case anyone chooses to read out of order, the appearances are kept to a very small glimpse. They will all be returning for a small special edition novella so you can get to see them all interact now that all the books have been released.
Describe what readers can expect in Seek Me Darling in 3 words...
Dark, unapologetic, obsession
Who has been your favourite character to write in the series?
Definitely Seanna. I loved her take no prisoners vibe. She had no doubts about herself. She is feisty and gave as good as she got. The sass and teasing between her and the other characters in her book has to be my absolute favorite. Not to mention there are some specific *scenes* that have also become my favorites... ;)
What's next for you? Can we expect more dark romance coming soon?
Always expect more dark romance. It honestly depends on where my mind takes me. I do have a sequel and a book 2 in a series to write if my brain decides to co-operate, but then I also have some ideas for Mafia or MC so if something ends up talking louder then that's the direction I'll go in.
What upcoming events are you attending? Where can readers meet you and get their books signed?
I'm going to be at BABE in Sydney at the end of the month, I also have RARE London in July, Sinners & Stardust in Boston in August, RARE Melbourne as well as LoveNVegas in October. It's a very busy year!
To celebrate, we are doing a giveaway in collaboration with Maree Rose. Visit our instagram page here, for details on how to enter. Entries will be open until Monday, 19 May 2025 at 10am AEST.
