Wednesday 19 March 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: C.P Smith's "A reason to Breathe."

The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog are pleased to be a part of the Blog Tour & Giveaway: C.P Smith's "A reason to Breathe."

Amazon.com:  http://amzn.to/1fUCKOz
Amazon UK:   http://amzn.to/1jjU68f

Synopsis:

Love at first sight was never so dangerous.

Jack Gunnison has a problem, well, two actually, one is 5'5" and the other...a Killer.

Jennifer Stewart needs a change after losing her husband and sending her daughter off to college. 

Moving to the high country of Colorado to restart her life and, follow her dreams, Jenn gets more than she bargained for when she attracts the eye of a killer.

Together, Jack and Jenn must figure out his identity, before he strikes again.


Review: Surj Harvey

Although the synopsis gave the impression that "A Reason to Breathe" was a thriller/ romance novel, it was so much more than that. This book had me grinning like a cheshire cat for the most part, and even when the story line took a serious turn, I still found myself laughing out loud at some of the lines the characters came out with and the situations they found themselves in!!! I don't know how the author did it but I take my hat off to her because I actually found myself laughing at the most inappropriate moments and not feeling guilty about it!!! 

I absolutely adored the two main characters. I loved the fact that they were just that little bit older but also, that they didn't have any skeletons in the closet that would claw at my heart. It made the book so much more light hearted despite the killer element within it. Jennifer was a 39 year old, feisty, sassy, strong willed and fiercely independent woman who didn't take too kindly to be being told what to do... Never had, never would and it was this that more often than not landing herself knee deep in trouble. Taking it upon herself to investigate a murderer really didn't help her cause. If anything, this just made things ten times worse and put her in the firing line of the very, very hot sheriff of Gunnison. 

"Insufferable man thinks he can order me around? Who does he think he is? 
OK, maybe he's the Sheriff, but still, I don't need him barking orders at me.
No wonder he's still single, who'd put up with that?

Well holy shit balls because this man sent my heart into overdrive. Alpha male sounds tame compared to the lion he was. Jack was completely controlling, over protective, 100% possessive and to top it off ...bossy and he made no apologies for it. He was who he was... take it or move on because he wasn't changing for anyone!!!

"I'm not opposed to settling down, what I am opposed to is having to change who I am
in order to do it. I'm a lawman who does whatever it takes to get the job done, 
and that means working all hours and missing shit and being late. 
Haven't met a women yet who didn't want me home by five." 

I have to say, I loved his caveman behaviour... definitely a turn on. And to top it off, Jack wasn't afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. I love this quality in my heroes and with Jack, it just made me swoon over him even more. When he decided he wanted to pursue Jenn, he made sure she knew it but he also made sure every other man that had his eye on her knew it. She was already his (even though she didn't know it) and he sure as hell wasn't going to share (I could imagine Jack beating his chest in an ape like manner (lol) and me.. well I couldn't help but sighing dreamily). 

“Share? I’m not sure I’m ready for any type of relationship, Jack.”
“Babe, You may not be ready, but that’s not going to stop me from changing your mind.”

For me, Jack and Jenn were made for each other. Despite their bickering and the fact that they couldn't agree on much, they just fit together. They seemed to just accept each other for who they were (faults, stubborn streaks and all) and I think this is what made their relationship passionate but fiery at the same time. You couldn't deny the chemistry they shared... it constantly brought a smile or a giggle and on a couple of occasions even gigglesnorts from me. Their banter had me in stitches because each time Jack said no, it was like a green light for Jenn and that lead to them coming to logger heads on numerous occasions. She drove Jack bat shit crazy and the number of times he had to save her ass was untrue. Those scenes were just so comical to read. 

"Babe, I've known you about thirty-six hours, and in that time I've learned pretty damn quick that you're going to do whatever the hell you feel like doing. That being said; I'm gonna do my damnedest to try and keep up with you so I can catch you when you fall. But honest to god, right about now, locking you in a cell sounds pretty damned good to me, at least there I know you're safe."

I have to say though, that despite her determination not to be bossed around, there were times she did accept that Jack was right and it was during those moments, that I saw a tenderness, a gentleness to their relationship:

"Jesus, what are you doing to me?" he whispered.
"Nothing," I gasped, when his tongue circled my ear.
"Baby, if that's nothing, you're gonna kill me when it means something."

The secondary characters (good and bad) just added to the whole story. I loved the surrogate family which consisted of Ben and Gerry, Lorraine, Rosie and Mandy. And Jack's ex's (yup there were a few for Jack had been a bit of a man whore in his time) ... well they brought the bitch fest drama. Don't you just love a good cat fight!! Lol. 

"A Reason to Breathe" definitely had a "who done it" vibe to it and so many times I found myself donning my invisible "Sherlock Holmes" deerstalker hat and pipe trying to piece together all the clues in order to identify the killer... nope I never got it right!!!! I also didn't guess the twist that came right at the end!!! Yet again that involved Jack saying "no" and Jen saying "kiss my ass!!!" Would she ever learn??? 

"A Reason to Breathe" had so many elements I love in a good story but for me the comedy value trumped everything else hands down. I loved the unexpected laughter that I got to experience mixed in with the action, drama, suspense, intrigue and horror like qualities that lay within the pages. The story and the characters were definitely reminiscent of a Kristen Ashley book but that for me was fab because I haven't read a KA book yet that didn't cut the mustard. So if you want your next read to be one that will make your cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing, then this is for you. I rated this book 4 giggling Hearts

Excerpt:

“You awake?” Was Jack’s hello. 

“I am, hope you don’t mind, but I’m taking a shower?” I turned the shower on to warm the water, and then turned around to finish the call. 
“You’re calling me from the shower?” 


“Of course not, I’m calling you from the bathroom before I get in the shower.” There was a long pause, so I called his name wondering if the call had been dropped. 

“Jack you there?” 

“You expect me to work knowing you’re naked in my shower?” That made me smile, he’s such a man. 

“Ah, yeah, I didn’t call to bother you; I just called to see when you would be home so I could get my car?” 

“Based on my speed, I’d say in about ten minutes,” he purred down the line and I felt my heart rate speed up. What is it about this man that I can go from being a grown woman to acting like a teenager with her first crush? Not caring at that point, with memories fresh in my head from this afternoon, I had good reason to be excited. 

“Ok, I’ll see you when you get here.” I tried for alluring, but it came out kinda croaked, though I didn’t think he cared when his reply came back with a tight, “Right. See you in ten.” Wanting to be clean by the time he got home, I jumped in the shower and washed my hair; he didn’t have conditioner; men are so lucky like that, so I focused on soaping up my body. I grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed my teeth in the shower. “She just woke up drunk breath” was an instant mood killer in my estimation. While I was rinsing, I heard the bathroom door open, and I turned to see Jack pulling his shirt over his head, while locking his eyes on mine. His focused gaze moved down my body, then back up, as he kicked off his boots, unzipped his jeans and pulled them off and then opened the shower door stepping in behind me. 

“You missed a spot,” he whispered as he grabbed the soap, rubbing it back and forth between his strong hands. Jack standing there like that, water rolling down his body, clinging to the ripples of his muscles, my brain was incapable of speech. My mouth was open, but no words came out.

Author Bio: 

C.P. Smith is a mother of five and resides in Oklahoma. An avid reader with a vivid imagination, Ms. Smith set out to write books for the older reader. She is passionate about romantic suspense and hopes her stories leave you cheering for the good guys as well as inspire those over forty to never give up on love. 

Author Contact Info:


Giveaway:

(2) eBook copy of A Reason to Breathe (INTL) 
(1) Signed copy of A Reason to Breathe (US only) 
(2) $5 gift cards from either Amazon or B&N (INTL)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

No comments:

Post a Comment