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Review, Excerpt and Giveaway : IN THE NICK OF TIME by Sylvie Fox (CR)
Book Blurb
Hot nights, huge consequences.
Divorced
and done with her dry spell, Holly Prentice is ready to get back in the game.
But with two conditions: her future mate can’t be married to his career, and he
has to have a couch. Nick Andreis loves
his job, and his only furniture is a king-size bed. He’s also single, sexy, and
six years Holly’s junior. Any guy this
hunky and carefree can’t be serious about the future.
After one
spontaneous and explosive night, Holly decides that her search for Mr. Right
can wait. Nick can be Mr. Right
Now.
Nick has
waited years for Holly. Now that she’s
dating again, he’s determined to be the only
man in her life. He wants what Holly
wants: forever. Convincing her of that
won’t be easy, but Nick agrees—with fingers crossed behind his back—to Holly’s
idea that they can be bed buddies until someone serious comes along. His plan: use the time between their
passionate nights to convince her that he is the one.
Will
Holly’s unexpected pregnancy change the rules of their games? Or can they both
decide to play for keeps?
Available at: Crimson Romance ebooks | Amazon | B&N | iTunes
Available at: Crimson Romance ebooks | Amazon | B&N | iTunes
Book Excerpt
When Holly heard footsteps coming toward the deck this time, she assumed it was her best friend Sophie coming back to cajole her into a better mood, but she was surprised instead to see the profile of a man, his face obscured by the darkness.
From what she could see, he was hot with a capital H. Why couldn’t someone like this tall drink of water spill into her life? The casual knit shirt he wore, pulled across broad shoulders, lay across a washboard flat stomach. Was that a sexy bomber jacket, too? She loved long, thick, dark hair, and his fell over his forehead in such a way that her hands itched to brush it back. His distressed jeans hugged him in all the right places. He had bad boy written all over him. She’d always been a good girl with bad boy fantasies. Maybe it was time to end her celibate period and indulge in a few.
Right now.
Tonight.
“Holly, is that you?”
Wait, she knew that voice. “Nick?” she asked uncertainly.
When he stepped fully onto the deck, Holly’s breath stuck in her throat, then hissed out slowly.
Thank goodness. It was just Nick.
She could put off a close encounter with an available member of the opposite sex for another day.
~~~
She’d met Nick about five years ago, when he was fresh out of college and her ex was mentoring him at the network. She and Drew had sort of taken Nick under their wing. He’d been that young guy who’d come over for home cooked meals dozens of times. She’d seen movies with Nick and palled around with him while her ex husband had been working. None of that history could explain the sudden flutter in her heart. It wasn’t as if Nick were some attractive guy she’d just met for the first time at a party. He was just Nick, really. Nothing to get worked up about, she admonished herself.
Still, tonight, for reasons Holly couldn’t quite put her finger on, Nick took her breath away. Had he been this handsome and virile all these years? Had she been this lonely and shamelessly hard-up before?
Surreptitiously, she gave him a good once over. Life was obviously agreeing with him. He was all planes and angles, hard muscles, and beautiful hair. She’d always treated him like a little brother, but the feelings he inspired this evening were anything but fraternal.
~~~
Something about the way he complimented her seemed more than superficial, but she didn’t probe it and scooted a few inches from him on the couch so she could look directly into his vivid green eyes.
“How’s your–”
“What are you–”
Their words crashed into each other, and they both laughed, dispelling some of the awkwardness. They’d been friends for years; she didn’t know why she was suddenly feeling uncomfortable around Nick.
“You first,” she said, pulling her hand back and rubbing both of them together for warmth.
He clasped her hands in his large ones again, rubbing them briskly this time. “You’re cold. Here, take my jacket.”
Before she could protest, he stood and removed the sexy-as-hell brown bomber jacket from his broad shoulders and wrapped it around her. He then rubbed her arms for good measure. His touch alone warmed her. Correction: his touch made her hot. She loved being wrapped in his jacket, even though she didn’t need it to keep her warm. As long as he was near, her body generated enough body heat to ward off the desert night chill. The jacket smelled of leather, saddle soap, and Nick. She couldn’t remember being this turned on just sitting next to, and not even touching, a man.
Nick didn’t say anything. He just looked at her with something akin to longing in his eyes. Feeling the need to fill the silence, to look away from his smoky green eyes, the golden flecks simmering with something like desire, Holly started asking questions, talking about anything to dispel the awkwardness that had returned as soon as he touched her, again.
Toot's Review by Stacy Sabala
This story left me a bit battered. It is an emotional ride. In the beginning Holly is newly divorced and
picking up the pieces of her life. She,
then, meets an old friend while attending a house warming party for friends she
had when married. She is emotional just
being there, but she completely panics when she feels an attraction to Nick. He is younger by six years and she freaks out. He has had feelings for her for a long time
and literally tries to court her. She
refuses to be more than friends with benefits claiming that she isn’t ready. I was frustrated with her stubbornness and
fear. She had been hurt and had major
insecurities which were understandable.
However, I almost gave up on her.
Nick, on the other hand, never did which finally brought her
around. The reader rides an emotional
roller coaster as complications, including an ex husband, pop up. They send
Holly and Nick into a tail spin. This
story is a great example of realistic fiction. The main character could be anyone you
know. The author did a great job
infusing the story with true human emotion when it came to relationships, the
good and the bad. If you like reading a
reflection of real life in your romance then this book is a good choice.
Author Bio
I
write the kinds of books I love to read. The quirky characters in my romance
novels experience angst, conflict, mostly great sex, and always get their
"happily ever after." In my mainstream fiction, ordinary woman
experience angst, conflict, and occasional great sex, but they also get
embroiled in struggles against extraordinary odds, and I don't promise a happy
ending. I also love thrillers, but I don't write those. I live in Los Angeles with my husband, son,
and a whole lot of pets. When I'm not hanging out in Hollywood, I'm eating my
way through Budapest.
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This book actually sounds like something I'd enjoy very much
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