Saturday 1 February 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: M. Leighton's "All the Pretty Poses."

The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog are pleased to be a part of the Blog Tour for M. Leighton's "All the Pretty Poses."
(Giveaway at Bottom of Post)

Synopsis:

He never wanted to be a hero…until she needed him to be.

Strength…
It took Kennedy Moore years to put her life back together after Reese Spencer shattered it.  But she did.  Now, years later, strong and independent, she is in pursuit of a single dream—to dance with the Altman American Dance Theater.  Unfortunately, Kennedy is learning that a girl from nowhere with no money and no contacts might never be able to reach her goal.  

That is, until Reese reappears, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Kennedy just can’t refuse.  In exchange for working on his yacht for a few short weeks, he’ll get her an audition with the famous dance troupe.  All Kennedy has to do is keep her head down, work hard and resist Reese.  That sounds easy enough, right?

Weakness…
Reese doesn’t want to make it easy for Kennedy.  Seeing her again has started a fire in his blood—an unwelcome one.  It took him years to forget about her before, so this time he has a plan.  It’s simple:  Get Kennedy on his yacht, seduce her, get her out of his system, move on with his life.  That sounds easy enough, right? 

But the one thing Reese didn’t plan for was Kennedy herself—a girl so strong yet so broken, she makes him want to rescue her, to take care of her.  To save her.  Even if he has to save her from himself.

Blog Tour Review: Surj Harvey

CONFLICT!!! My god this book was full of it and by the end... even I'd gone  through my own tug of war a couple of times. If it wasn't internal battles ... it was a war of words. If it wasn't that it was fisty cuffs... and if it wasn't that, then it was definitely the past and the present coming to logger heads. Do you know what though? This conflict held my attention and kept me entertained. "All the Pretty Poses" was my first experience of M. Leighton's work and it definitely won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride it took me on. 

Harrison Reece Spencer was "Rich. Handsome. Privileged. Heartless." He was never wrong, never felt guilt and ALWAYS got what he wanted. To be honest, saying first impressions count, I wasn't massively impressed by this man. He was arrogant, cocky and completely self assured and for me, it just didn't work. I know he had his reasons but despite this, he was just not floating my boat!!!

Because my father raised the perfect replica of a perfect bastard. Me. 

He would have to work very hard if he wanted to redeem himself and win me over. Thank god for the slight shift in his character when he clapped eyes on Kennedy... the gangly girl he's known all those years back. The girl whose heart he'd shattered. Well, she wasn't gangly anymore. In fact she was a stunner and surprise surprise, he decided he wanted her. Reece dangled a big enough carrot in front of Kennedy knowing she'd struggle to say "no" to his offer and of course he was right (gggrrrrrr):


"I want to help you, Kennedy. I really do. And I will. But I won't deny that I want you." 
He takes one easy step toward me. "Or that I intend to have you."

Kennedy was such a likable character. She had a strength, a fighting spirit that I admired. I got the impression that she had overcome a lot in her life but what that was exactly, I wasn't privileged to know until later on in the book.  What I did know was that whatever it was seem to involve Reece and it had taken a lot for her to get over. Kennedy was no way in hell going to have her heart broken for the second time!!! 

I remember what it felt like to be pierced by him, both emotionally and physically. 
And I remember what it felt like to be crushed by him too. 

What ensued was a battle of wills and my what a battle it was. Unfortunately Kennedy's mind kept losing to her body and all those feelings she'd had back then were quickly resurfacing. Part of me wanted this second chance romance to work but on the other hand, there was still something about Reece I couldn't take to. Too many things coming out of the woodwork that were making me angry and redemption was not coming any time soon. 


He wants to make me beg. I want to make him work for it. 

Each time I saw a softer, gentle side to him, something would happen to make me think he was just a pig. And that whole working on his yacht and the line between personal and professional relationship growing blurrier by the day wasn't helping. I wanted him to cherish her, never want to let her go but it seemed she was at his beck and call when and if he pleased. NOT GOOD Mr Spencer. As for Kennedy, she was quite happy to be a guest on the yacht one minute and a worker the next. One minute she was sipping cocktails, then next she was drinking cheap bottled water. He was in control ... 100%  and I wanted her to take some of that control back. The whole situation left me reeling at times.

So the secrets ... Let's just say, when one secret was revealed, it was like diarrhoea. The revelations just kept on coming. I was left completely heart broken and just as I recovered from one secret, another would come hurtling at me at 90 MPH knocking me for six. Everything started to fit into place... everything started to make sense. And as for Reece, I could see him changing (for the better). But would he make the ultimate sacrifice and would he finally get on my good side??? 

"All the Pretty Poses" was a quickish read which I did manage to finish in an evening. It was well written from both Kennedy and Reece's POV (which really did help Reece's cause). The drama kept me interested and the secrets definitely appealed to the nosy side of me. I needed to know what had happened all those years ago because it was obvious that it wasn't just the fact that he had upped and left. 


"I can't let you go. Not again. Not ever again. Not even if you tell me to leave. 
Not even if you beg me to walk away. I can't do that. 
You gave me something real in the woods that summer. You made me feel. "

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from this author. I rated "All the Pretty Poses" 4 Hearts. 

About M. Leighton:

M. Leighton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Wild Ones and The Bad Boys romance trilogies.  She is a native of Ohio, relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she lets her mind wander to romantic settings with sexy Southern guys much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books.  When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.  

Author Links:

ALL THE PRETTY POSES Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1aTaHHB

Giveaway: 2 x $250 Visa Gift Cards:

Like the M. Leighton, Author Facebook page (5 points, can only do once)
Follow @mleightonbooks on Twitter (5 points, can only do once)
Share the giveaway graphic on Twitter along with one reason that you’re excited to meet Reese (10 points, can do once per day)
Tag three different friends in the comments under the graphic on the M. Leighton Author Facebook page with one reason you’re excited to meet Reese (10 points, can do once per day)

Details:

The giveaway begins at 12:00 am EST on January 14, 2014 and ends at 12:00 am EST on February 3, 2014.  Winners will be randomly selected by 5:00 pm EST on February 5, 2014.  For a complete list of rules, please see the “Rules” section of the Rafflecopter. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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