Blog Tour: Review + Guest Post: The Best Man by Kristan Higgans

Review + Guest Post

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review*

The Best Man
(Book #1 in the Blue Heron series)
Amazon | Goodreads | BN
Author: Kristan Higgans
Publisher: Harlequin HQN (February 26, 2013)
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult, 432 pages
ISBN-10: 0373777922
ISBN-13: 978-0373777921
My Copy: Paperback

SUMMARY:

Sometimes the best man is the one you least expect…

Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the altar. Now a little older and wiser, she's ready to return to the Blue Heron Winery, her family's vineyard, to confront the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red. After all, there's some great scenery there….

Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief—and best friend of her former fiancé. There's a lot about Levi that Faith never noticed, and it's not just those deep green eyes. The only catch is she's having a hard time forgetting that he helped ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she can find a minute amidst all her family drama to stop and smell the rosé, she just might find a reason to stay at Blue Heron, and finish that walk down the aisle.

MY REVIEW:

Faith Holland is the youngest of the Holland children. After being humiliated at the alter by her high school sweetheart/fiance, she takes off to California to get away for a while. And that "while" turns into years.

Oh. My. Gosh. Kristan Higgans is a pure genius! GENIUS! I absolutely loved The Best Man and all it's characters. After finding out that her fiance is gay, at the alter no less and being outed by the best man, Levi Cooper, Faith flees Blue Heron to put her past behind her. She's still carrying around the love and hurt for her ex fiance Jeremy. She thinks Jeremy has ruined her. No one, and I mean NO ONE, can measure up to Jeremy. Doesn't help that the first two men she meets and has somewhat of an "attraction" to in California are gay and the third man she meets, is a two timing asshole with a wife and child.

After getting a call from her sister, Faith packs her bags is on her way back to Blue Heron. She doesn't plan to stay long, but that short trips turns into an extended vacation with simmering heat between herself and Levi Cooper, the man who "ruined" her wedding. Levi and Faith didn't have much of a friendship growing up, but more of a mutual ground seeing as Jeremy was a big part of both of their lives. Running into each other now, there's a heat that's there and it's coming to a small boil.

I absolutely loved everything about this book. And all the characters. Yes, even the gay ex fiance was awesome. All of the Holland children are a hoot. Faith being the youngest, I didn't think I'd connect with the older siblings, but I did. Ms. Higgans mixed this big bad novel in a big ol' pot of love. Her ingredients:

• Gay Ex Fiance
• Sexting between two grown married folks
• Bathroom mishaps
• Chocolate
• Chocolate
• More Chocolate
• Wine
• Wine
• More Wine
• One hot smokin' chief sheriff (Levi Cooper)
• Cute dogs
• Bickering couples
• Faith Holland

Ahh. Yepp, that's one big ass pot of love. I might have left out of a few ingredients, but the chocolate and the wine will make up for it xD 

I'll admit, this is my first book by Ms. Higgans, but I can assure you it wont be my last. If you love yourself a light contemporary romance read that has you craving that glass of wine (seriously, this book is practically filled to the rim with wine), then this book is for you. This book is the first in the series, and I can't wait for the second story, where we catch up with Faith's older sister.

MY RATING:

GUEST POST:

THE BEST MAN is the first book in the Blue Heron series.  Do you sometimes find yourself beginning to write the next book before you’ve finished the one you’re working on? If you do, what do you do to remember all your ideas?

Since I haven’t written a series before, this has been a learning experience. Knowing that I’ll be picking up another character or two and carrying them into the next book(s) made it important to hint at certain things early on. For example, I knew that Honor, the middle sister, would be the next heroine, so I had to deal with her very carefully in THE BEST MAN.

What’s always interesting is that what one character thinks about another isn’t necessarily true—it’s just that character’s perception. So Faith, the heroine of THE BEST MAN, views her older sister as somewhat terrifying and uber-competent. Honor herself doesn’t see things that way…and she views Faith differently from how Faith sees herself. I love that stuff! It’s so true in families…how many of us have said, “Mom loves you best” to our siblings, only to have them screech, “Are you kidding? Mom loves YOU best!”

As I was writing THE BEST MAN, I knew a few things about Honor’s story, and I kept notes as I went along. When I got to the edits stage of the first book, I was pretty solid on what I needed to know about Honor in this first book.

I’m never terribly far from a computer, so when I get an idea that’s going to have to sit for awhile before it can geminate, I just write it down. If I’m on the road, I call myself and leave messages, so the kids might come home to find a message that says, “Make sure Honor references the grandparents anniversary party.” They know by now not to erase those. 

Hello! I’m flattered that you clicked the button. If you clicked by mistake, well, hello anyway.

I live in a small Connecticut town with a beautiful library, a great agricultural fair, nice people and not much else. I have two lovely, entertaining children and a brave firefighter for a husband, who is, perhaps more importantly, a fantastic cook. Digger from Fools Rush In is inspired my very own Digger, our cheerful Lab mutt. We also have two cats and grieve for an occasional, short-lived beta fish. 

I worked as a copywriter until I had kids and started writing fiction when my children graced my life with simultaneous afternoon naps. Writing, I surmised, was infinitely more satisfying than folding laundry, and so I started my first novel. Before long, I had finished Stalking Joe, whose title was later changed to Fools Rush In. Catch of the Day followed, winning the 2008 Romance Writers of America's RITA© award, which just thrilled me to my toes. Then came Just One of the Guys (August 08), Too Good To Be True (Feb 09), The Next Best Thing (Feb 10), and All I Ever Wanted, summer 2010. More books are in the pipeline.

I love to write books about relationships, since the search for love and security is one of the driving forces of life. And I try to focus on an aspect that’s common, if not universal, hence the “stalking” in Fools Rush In and the crush on the unattainable man in Catch of the Day. People ask if I’ve ever stalked a guy. Of course not! Jeez! Come on! It’s fiction! They also ask if I’ve ever had a crush on a priest. Of course not! Jeez! Come on! It’s fiction! As far as being crazy about one of my brother's friends, which is the plot of Just One of the Guys, well, yes to that one. But I'm not naming names. Dating a fictional man, like Grace does in Too Good To Be True? Um...can I take the fifth on that one? Whether it's my own experience or not, I try to find something we can all relate to.

When I’m not writing, I like to be with my kids, goof around with my husband, read, watch baseball, ride my bike and bake. I suffer from chronic bedhead and an unhealthy (and completely understandable) obsession with Derek Jeter, shortstop for the New York Yankees. Like Millie Barnes, I run, which provides the neighbors with some real entertainment. 

We spend as much time as possible at our family home on Cape Cod, swimming in the Atlantic, shivering on the beach, swatting horseflies and watching fish evade my lure at Higgins Pond. It’s as close to heaven as it gets.

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Guest Post + Giveaway w/ Jess Michaels

Hello there! Thanks for stopping by the blog! Today we have the awesome and talented author Jess Michaels! She will be taking over the blog for the day! So make her feel welcome :p 

     First I’d like to say thanks to Ana for letting me be a part of her blog today! If you have no idea who I am at this point, I write erotic historical romance set in the Regency period. I love alpha males and strong female characters who I’d like to be friends with. And lots and lots of steamy stuff.

     Now Ana actually gave me a topic, so I’m going to post the questions she asked because I’d love to answer them directly. :)

What's your take on smut in books? Is it easy to get down and write those steamy scenes? Are they as steamy as you imagined them in your head? And of course, do you have someone that reads them before you let them get shipped to the printers?

     So I guess I’ve never considered my book to be smut. Like porn, I‘ve always considered “smut” to be a bunch of sex without a story. Not a bad thing, but not really something that sticks with you. I write erotic romance. To me that means I’m still telling a story of two characters, but they may have a sexual conflict that is strong enough that it is a driving force in their book. In AN INTRODUCTION TO PLEASURE, my bestselling first book in my Mistress Matchmaker series, my heroine is being trained sexually by the hero. So yeah, they’re going to get it on, but there’s still a lot of story there between the love scenes.

     As for writing, I’m not sure any of it is easy. Sometimes sex scenes come a lot easier than other times. I don’t have to ‘get in the mood’ or anything because it’s my job. This is what I do.  Lucky me.  But I’m always trying to use every scene I write, sex or not, to forward the plot, the character development or the tension. If I can do all three, then I’m super happy. I’m never writing sex just for the sake of sex and I hope I’m writing love scenes that readers can’t skip.

     There is some discomfort, of course that comes with question number three. I am published, and have an editor, so she always reads my books before they hit shelves. In fact she reads them multiple times. There is also a copyeditor who reads them to catch any final mistakes. It is a little weird when someone makes a comment or correction in a love scene. It really does hit home that someone is READING this. But the panic subsides and after almost 40 books (many of them very sexy), the idea that people are reading my books isn’t as shocking to me as it once was.

     Sexy books are fun! They are fun to write, they should be fun to read. 50 Shades definitely didn’t invent this genre of erotic fiction and I hope readers will give the rest of the talented authors in erotic romance a chance to show you what WE’RE working with.

     Thanks again for having me! :)

Concluding this post, Jess is throwing in a giveaway! *happy dancing here* what's up for grabs you ask? ONE lucky winner will get the chance to win a PAPERBACK copy of Nothing Denied (Book #3 in the Albright Sisters series) by Jess Michaels

<a href="http://www.beachbumreads.com/2013/02/JMichaelsGuestPostGiveaway.html" target="_blank"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtGDUKhX_qNnBn-EUGHc693ZfhmtQeRZg6qXaCu8pXDn5n0GyDB9XLpQo36XhiK_uO0H_glpoCgMYQzaOXupoz0mfC7rh18eYKkFXnwBd7Ijn-v1BaHHS6Yca81y0UW38GoI1f0RMG1cq/s1600/JMichaelsGiveaway.png" /></a>
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Good luck!

Jess Michaels always likes the "good parts" when she reads romance, so it makes sense that she writes erotic books. She is a nationally bestselling and award-winning author of nearly 40 novels and novellas. When not writing, she enjoys being a geek, designing jewelry and trying to keep the cats from scratching the furniture. She lives in Tucson with her husband.

Jess Michaels is a pseudonym for author Jenna Petersen (historical romance) and author Jesse Petersen (urban fantasy)

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Blog Tour: Guest Post + Review: Troubles and Treats by Tara Sivec

GUEST POST + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY

Hey!! Thanks for stopping by! This tour is brought to you by: Talking Supe. Don't forget to enter in the rafflecopter below for a chance to win:

• A Signed copy of Troubles and Treats by Tara Sivec

Troubles and Treats
(Book #3 in the Chocolate Lovers series)
Amazon | GoodReads | BN
Author: Tara Sivec
Publisher: Self Published (Nov. 29, 2012)
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Comedy, Adult, 228 pages
ASIN: B00AFZ7Q6G
ISBN-10: 1480186120
ISBN-13: 978-1480186125

SUMMARY:

Drew and Jenny have spent years being the envy of their friends with their out of control sex lives - well, not really. Mostly it makes their friends want to throw up in their mouths a little.

With two little kids and two busy lives, for the first time, Drew and Jenny aren't on the same page in the bedroom. Drew will stop at nothing to get his previously amorous wife back in the sack and Jenny will do anything for a full night of sleep.

Carter and Claire, and Jim and Liz are their usual (un)helpful selves and are full of advice for the disconnected duo, wanting nothing more than to help restore order to the usually happy couple's lives.

In the third and final installment of the Chocolate Lovers Series, will Drew and Jenny find the spark that's been missing in their marriage, or will the trouble they're having cause a stickier situation than the time Jenny poured honey all over Drew and he fused himself to a tree.

MY REVIEW:

Oh. My. Gosh. Tara Sivec is freaking hilarious! From the moment you start Troubles and Treats to the moment you finish the book, you will have laughed more times than you could ever remember. Drew and Jenny. Ahh, those two are pure comedy.

With Drew working his ass off to relieve his poor penis of having had no playtime with his wife's vagina for the past year, he is determined to get their sex life on and poppin'... or rather, BACK to on and poppin'. Since the birth of their son Billy, Drew and Jenny are no longer doing it like they do on the Discovery Channel. lmbo. Sorry, could't help myself. Failed attempt after failed attempt, Drew finds himself a new resident of the dog house and the only relief his shunned penis does get is the occasional visit from Mr. Hand that is doing nothing to tamp down his sexual frustration.

Troubles and Treats is a really easy book to read. Tara Sivec keeps the ball rolling and there is not a moment where there isn't any funny. I literally had to stop reading this book, because I was updating my Facebook/GoodReads statuses with every other line I read. In the first book, Seduction and Snacks, you get a good glimpse of Drew's infamous t-shirt collection. Well, there isn't a shortage of those in Troubles and Treats! I'm seriously thinking about getting my own printed. lol. There wasn't really anything I didn't like about this book. Some parts were predictable to me, but it was a Oh-My-Gosh-Cover-My-Eyes-I-Can't-Read-About-This-It's-Making-Me-Feel-Embarrassed-And-I'm-Not-Even-In-The-Book kind of predictable. I was peaking through my eyes to see if I was right... and I was. lol But... I'll let you pick up the book and read it yourself so you can have that kind of moment too ;)

Troubles and Treats is definitely a Laugh-Out-Loud Bust-Up-Laughin'-And-Watch-Random-People-Look-At-You-Weird-While-You're-Wiping-The-Laughing-Tears-From-Your-Eyes kind of book. I would most definitely recommend it. 

MY RATING:

GUEST POST:

Since it’s the Christmas season, I thought I’d share with you guys the fun activities that our Elf on the Shelf has been up to.  If you’re not familiar with the Elf on the Shelf, it’s this little stuffed elf with a plastic face dressed all in red.  He comes with a book and the book tells you all about his job as Santa’s helper.  Every night after you go to sleep, the elf goes back to the North Pole and tells Santa if you were good or bad that day.  When he comes back, he forgets where you left him and always ends up in a different place where you have to find him.

Since I’m a loser, I never actually bought the official Elf on the Shelf.  I had never even heard of it until two years ago.  It was too late in the season at that point and I couldn’t find one anywhere.  So I went out and bought a little stuffed snowman.  The kids named him Frosty and he’s been pretty good at keeping them in line.

This year, we decided to have a little more fun with Frosty instead of just putting him in different places around the house.

Yep, that’s Frosty being pinned by John Cena while everyone else watches.  What you can’t really see off to the right is slutty Barbie with her arm wrapped around Santa’s shoulders.  Santa is getting himself some skank action at the wrestling match.           ———>

Frosty decided to have a little party while we were asleep.  Yes, that’s a lampshade on his head.  And Barbie can’t hold her Mountain Dew.  Party animals!

Frosty has also removed the stockings from the fireplace and replaced them with underwear, and TP’d the living room and was found riding on the blade of the ceiling fan.

I don’t know whether the kids are having more fun with this or mom and dad are ☺

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Tara Sivec is a best selling author, wife, mom, chauffeur, cheerleading coach, soccer coach, babysitter, short-order cook, genius and albino squirrel hunter. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two kids. In her spare time she likes to read, write and cover things in chocolate. Most of her material comes from real life experiences with family and friends. Lucky for them, the names have been changed to protect the innocent (aka, drunk).

Website | Facebook | GoodReads | Twitter 

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