Riley tends to fall hard and fast for the guys she dates, and it never ends with the wedding bells she expects. Tired of the heartbreak and unsure if she even knows what love is, she swears off unreliable things like dating and trying to find that elusive happily-ever-after spark. Focusing on her art seems like the perfect distraction, except she’s missing the physical side of being half a couple. Fortunately, her best friend, Zane, is happy to model for her drawings and tie her up in the bedroom with no expectations.
Zane’s granddad raised him with the belief that people who bring joy to the world should be protected at all costs. For Zane, his best friend Riley is one of those people, and he definitely doesn't mind when making her happy involves helping her pursue her creative dream and some sport sex with a hint of kink. They can have fun, and he can keep her from falling for the next idiot who comes along while she searches for her Prince Charming.
Regardless of her resolution, as things heat up between them, Riley finds herself falling again. She needs to decide if she’s in love with the idea of being in love, or if—despite Zane’s insistence that she deserves someone better—what she feels for him is the real thing. If she can’t learn to trust her heart and convince Zane he’s exactly what she needs, it will obliterate a lifelong friendship.
Excerpt:
“You didn’t answer my other question.” Zane smirked and slid from his seat. Coming around to Riley’s side of the table, he dropped to one knee next to her and took her hand in his again.
What is he doing? He’s teasing me, right? Blood rushed in her ears, making it hard to hear. They’d been catching up for all of half an hour, and he was talking about love and marriage?
“Riley Ann Carter.” He locked his gaze on hers. “We’ve known each other forever.”
Oh jeez, he is really doing this. Panic and hope churned in her gut, making her regret the extra shot of espresso.
“You’re the sexiest, most intelligent woman I’ve ever met.” He licked his lips.
Riley’s heart stopped. He’d twitched. The corner of his mouth had pulled up for the briefest moment.
He continued. “With your sister being a close second.”
Her stomach plummeted, relief and disappointment warring for attention. He was yanking her chain. Trying to distract her.
“Would you”—his serious expression faltered again—“and she make out while I watch?”
Was that really relief flooding her or just the tiniest bit of hurt and disappointment? She exhaled, pursed her lips, and then smacked him on the arm. “You’re an ass.”
Yay for new questions! Thanks for having me back, and I’m ready, fire away!
Do you prefer ebooks or paperbacks?
eBooks. I like the physical feeling of a paperback, but I’m such a packrat that I never get rid of them, so these days, I don’t have room on my shelves for anything more than an eBook. Besides, I don’t have to leave home to find it. I can see it online and have it on my reader in seconds.
How do you come up with your covers? Do you design them yourself, or do you have a designer?
I made one of my covers once (The original cover I used on Holding Her Close, Bits & Bytes, #0). I found an image I really liked, and stuck it in front of a circuit board background and added some filters. I know my way around PhotoShop, but I’m not an artist.
My publishers always assign amazing cover artists to do real work for me, and for those books I release on my own, I hire a designer. EDH Graphics is pretty much my cover savior these days.
What 5 words would you use to describe your main characters?
Zane: Loyal, intelligent, sincere, stubborn, and tech-savvy (that’s one word, right?)
Riley: Artistic, soft-hearted, temperamental, wary, and aggressive.
So, where are you on your writing list right now? Any new releases coming out, new projects in the works?
That’s a loaded question, lol. I have a bunch of irons in the fire right now, but I can’t talk about most of them (hopefully very very soon, I’m so bad at keeping secrets). I can say my next big project is more corporate America, a smidge of karaoke, and even sexier IT geeks.
Alright, we are now entering the rapid fire round, so first thing to cross your mind. Ready...go!
Eep!
Vampire or Werewolf (or other)?
Vampire
Ghosts, Real or Myth?
Undecided…
Twilight, Cool or Ick?
Meh (I read the first three books, and then my fandom waned)
For the inner foodie...Dark or Milk Chocolate?
Dark, most certainly.
Sit Down Dinner or Fast Food?
Sit down.
Eat In or Eat Out?
Eat in
Cook or Clean Up?
Cook
And now for the sexy...Handcuffs or Blindfolds?
Both. If I have to pick… Handcuffs.
Leather or Lace?
Lace
Kinky or Vanilla Sex?
I like a dash (or more) of spice. Kinky.
Alright, that's all from me, it was great having you again!
Thanks so much for having me back, it’s always a blast to be here! Before I go, I’d like to get to know your readers better (again). So I want them to tell me, Twilight, cool or ick?
Holding Her Close:
March 10: Long and Short Reviews
March 11: All I Want and More
March 11: Musings and Ramblings
March 13: Love is a Mystery
Conflict of Interest:
March 17: Bitches Be Writn'
March 18: Sharing Links and Wisdom
March 18: Desire Me Only
March 18: Musings and Ramblings
March 20: Romance Novel Giveaways
March 21: Books and Other Spells
Toeing the Line:
March 24: It's Raining Books
March 25: Musings and Ramblings
March 26: Harlie's Books
March 27: Sharing Links and Wisdom
March 28: Welcome to My World of Dreams
Learning New Tricks:
March 31: Rachel Brimble Romance
April 1: Musings and Ramblings
April 3: Untamed Spirit
April 4: Harlie's Books
Author Bio and Links:
Buy Holding Her Close:
Buy Conflict of Interest:
Buy Toeing the Line:
Buy Learning New Tricks:
Liquid Silver Books | Amazon | All Romance eBooks
This sounds like a fascinating story line.
ReplyDeleteThanks, MomJane! And thanks for following the tour :D
DeleteThanks for hosting me today! I love visiting here :D
ReplyDeleteHi again Allyson,. I enjoyed your little Q&A today. Who would've thought you to be a kinky girl?
ReplyDeleteI'll let you in on a little known fact about me: I'm kinky too! Hve a great day,
ilookfamous at yahoo dot com
lol, I know, I'm all sneaky and secretive about it my kink...except when I write ;) And Kinky Girls Unite! Enjoy your day!
DeleteHello :) Enjoyable interview. To answer your question: Twilight, cool or ick?
ReplyDeleteIck, I guess, but I don't have the grounds to say that. I admit it, I never really read the books or even watched the movies. Why? I really wanted to TRY and at least read the first book...I didn't manage it, gave up a few pages from the start and just stopped trying. I might have been biased from the first time a friend told me the vampires in this book glittered when hit by sunlight...NO...that's a big NO! I actually might have read it if they weren't vampires but some other sort of made up creatures....but glittering vampires? With this mental image I just couldn't bring myself to like even get past the first few pages.
This being said, if the books and the movies had such a big success it means Stephanie Meyer has something going for her...I didnt see it, but I won't judge people who enjoyed her works greatly. (but...really, why glitter?!)
I always forget about the mail: shantih@hotmail.it
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