Welcome to My Author Blog
I’m so pleased to have my critique partner, NICKI ELSON, here to tell you about her new book! I adored this book (see my 5 star review.) Thank you to author Darcia Helle for this f’in blog post idea. Take it away, Nicki:
Thank you, Jen, for having me over to celebrate the release of WHEN IT HITS YOU (a new edition of the novel formerly known as Vibrizzio). Reacquiring my rights to this story allowed me to re-brand with an emphasis on the love story. I’m so excited to have it join its sister books in The It Series: WHEN IT HOOKS YOU and WHEN IT HOLDS YOU.
For today’s post, Jen gave me ten F-words to relate to one of my characters. I chose Lyssa Bates, the lead in WHEN IT HITS YOU.
1. Frightful – She dumps a shocking amount of cream in her coffee.
2. Favorable – She’s the kind of friend who’ll whisk your drunken ass away from embarrassment.
3. Flamboyant – She gets saucy on the dance floor with the sexy cousin of the groom.
4. Factual – She’s’ a youngest child.
5. Fanatical – She becomes a little too attached to her battery-operated boyfriend.
6. Feisty – Her first line of defense: sarcasm. Lots of sarcasm.
7. Formidable – She’ll rise to a challenge, whether it’s taking the lead in the boardroom or rocking “the lawnmower” on the dance floor.
8. False – She pulls on a fake smile when her mother and sister get under her skin.
9. Fierce – She’s not afraid to call people out…unless one of those people is her mother or sister.
10. Frustrating – She can’t see herself the way Hayden does.
Lyssa Bates doesn’t need a man. The twenty-six-year-old financial analyst is more than fulfilled by her career, friends, and a ready supply of double-A batteries. Her relationship with Hayden King is purely professional—and that’s how she intends to keep it. But accidental kisses in Dallas, all-nighters in Chicago, and hot tub confessions in Baltimore mess with her head and shake her resistance. Especially when he turns his charms full on her.
Why is it that whenever you’re not looking for love, that’s exactly when it hits you? ~Lyssa
“Nicki Elson has become my MUST read new contemporary romance author! The sex is hot, but the emphasis is on emotions in this book. They really are made for each other.”
~The Romance Reviews
~.~.~
Virtual. That’s where she was supposed to stay—only in my online gaming life. I never intended to meet up with her in person. And I certainly hadn’t counted on her being who she is.
Cliff Walsh has dozens of hot, smart, and willing paramours in his video games. Who needs to look further? The twenty-eight year old attorney is done getting his heart smashed by real-life women who fit his perfect-mate checklist. From now on, he vows to keep his romances digital-only…until a certain redheaded gamer twists all his preconceptions and touches a place in his heart he didn’t know existed.
I always thought I knew what love would look like, but sometimes you don’t recognize it until the moment when it holds you. ~Cliff
~.~.~
Here’s my 5 star review:
When It Holds You by Nicki Elson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cliff Can Hold Me Anytime
Attorney Cliff Walsh is cute, funny, and smart. He’s also tired of women yanking his chain. Chain-Yankers such as tantalizing Trish (the heroine of When It Hooks You) lure him in but end up with other men. Cliff has no choice but to turn to the voluptuous virtual women found in video games.
One such woman, PlanetClaire, intrigues him. In the computer world, she has fiery red hair and alluring curves. Cliff and Claire partner together on screen to battle villains and solve riddles.
The riddles in this story are quite fun! For example, a serpent hisses, “All you have to do is correctly answer a riddle. For only the clever are allowed inssside” then proceeds:
It’s what you want above all things.
Some fulfill it with vows and rings.
For some it’s not an easy fit.
Some are content to sleep with it.
Hmm, what could “it” be? They say working together to achieve a common goal can forge a tight bond, and Cliff and Claire have a virtual blast together. They decide to take their chemistry offline and meet at a gaming convention. When Claire reveals her identity, MY JAW DROPPED!
Claire has some major self-esteem issues that stand in the way. But Cliff has many talents, including snuggling.
Too bad he can’t make it all better for Claire. I love that this book is from a male perspective. Cliff won my heart and I wanted to hug him when his romance woes continue.
Karen said, “I’ve seriously had to stop myself from offering you concealer stick to hide those dark shadows under your eyes. What did she do to you?”
“Nothing that hasn’t been done before.” He tapped the edge of the file he held onto his desk, eager for the conversation to end.
Aww. I’ll snuggle with you, Cliff. The characters feel real and the resolution of the story well-paced. And the humor of the series continues with comments like “That shit’s mine now” when Claire describes Cliff to Trish.
The It Series is fantastic! I encourage you to check out all three books: When it Hits You (coming in 2017), When it Hooks You, and When it Holds You (October, 2016).
View all my reviews
Nicki Elson writes spicy fiction with a sweet and dreamy center. She does other stuff, too…like obsess over Survivor and The Bachelor (and she’s not ashamed to admit it).
Writing fiction wasn’t something Nicki set out to do; it just sort of happened when she realized writing reports was by far her favorite part of her investment consulting position. She traded stock allocation and diversification for story arcs and dialogue and now weaves creative writing into her life with her family in the Chicago suburbs.
Welcome to the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop hosted by Mary from Bookhounds!
Up for grabs: a $10 gift card and three of my ebooks.
Winners can choose from my complete college sports romance: BLOCKED, ACED (Blocked #2), or SPIKED (Blocked #3). Blocked touches on the American presidential election–I’m guessing you’ll like my fictional candidates better than the actual ones. *shakes head*
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hop over to these spooky blogs:
Title: Constellation
Jennifer Locklear lives in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. She married her high school sweetheart, Morgan, in 1995. She is the mother of two children, a son and daughter.
Use Somebody by Beck Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I Hope It’s Gonna Make You Notice…
…Someone like me, thinks Jeremy, super agent to the stars. He’s all about wooing supermodels in Los Angeles. Here he shares his methods for getting his woo on:
I can tell you how to get a woman in bed. You tell me what she likes, I’ll tell you the way into her boudoir. Is she a Midwestern girl? I bet she loves football. Find out her favorite team, fly her to their stadium, invite her dad, get a meet and greet. Ka-ching. You will score.
*jaw hangs open* This Midwestern girl is TOTALLY swooning!
But when his friend/client Andy takes him on a fishing trip on the waters of Idaho, Jeremy is out of his depth. He can’t drive his Tesla along the PCH (what a snob) and cell phone service is spotty (*gasps*). He’s so irritable he almost comes to blows with Andy’s other friend, Todd.
When Jeremy meets elite fly-fisherwoman, Macy, he definitely takes notice. She’s not impressed by him, and sasses him right back. The more she plays hard to get, the more he’s intrigued. Men.
I like the backstory of what made Jeremy so driven and ball-busting. His musings are a pleasure to read, like his insight into fake social media:
I’m sorry, but I’m not a big believer in the “here I am having a snow cone, oh look I just snapped a pic of it in the light of the sunset while I happened to be wearing a fashionable floppy hat” kind of bullshit.
…and his belief that “talent is sexy”:
Listen, hot girls are one thing, but a good-looking woman who is gifted at something? That is pure sex. Have you ever watched a really good female bartender? That is hot. So is a pilot, or a musician, or a painter, or a glass blower, or, gee, I don’t know, a fly fisherwoman.
Andy’s wife Kelly tells Jeremy, “I find you lovable but mildly disgusting because of your general lack of moral compass.”
Can Jeremy find a better sense of moral direction and land the big fish(erwoman)? Stay tuned in this delightful third book of the Fix You series.
View all my reviews
Jennifer Lane Books 