Friday 24 October 2014

Author Spotlight Week: Gift Wrapped Excerpt by Karla Doyle

Today I have one final treat for you to celebrate the end of our inaugural Author Spotlight Week featuring the fabulous Karla Doyle! We have a final sneak peek from Karla’s upcoming book, Gift Wrapped. Gift Wrapped releases 15 November 2014 and after reading all the sneak peeks I cannot wait to get my hands on it!

An Excerpt from Gift Wrapped, Chapter One

She wiped clammy palms on her skirt and joined her handsome, last-minute shopper by a rack of hoodies and yoga pants. “Tell me what you had in mind and hopefully I can send you out of here with a smile on your face.”
From the creases forming at the corners of his eyes, the words sounded as sexually suggestive to him as they did to her ears. Oh the awesomeness that flew out of her mouth sometimes.
“I think you can count on that happening…” His mischievous hazel eyes dropped to her nametag, then back. “Manager Brinn.”
Top salesperson in her district for the past nine months, yet hearing her name in his deep, smooth voice left her without a single intelligent thing to say.
The whole situation was crazy. Letting her assistant manager leave early, even though it meant closing and tackling the sale prep alone. Inviting a hot guy—who appeared to be unattached—into the store afterhours.
Maybe it wasn’t crazy. Maybe it was one of those fated situations. Or maybe she needed a semi-nutritious meal and a day off really, really badly.
As casually as anything, he unzipped his coat and scrubbed one hand along his clean-shaven jaw. He smiled. Just a little one, but it warmed her all over. The man made no bones about checking her out. Top to bottom, not lingering over any one area, though his slow perusal indicated he appreciated the view.
Thank god she’d opted for her business-sexy look today, rather than slumming it in the comfier clothes the store sold. The short black skirt, sheer hose and strappy heels made her legs look long and lean, despite her shorter stature. The crossover top’s plunging neckline accented her cleavage. With her hair in an upsweep, she almost pulled off elegant—or she had nine hours ago, when everything was fresh.
As much as she’d love thirty seconds in front of a mirror with lipstick and a piece of dental floss, the clock was ticking. Security guards would be banging on her door at six o’clock, telling her to clear out, no exceptions. Because after all, who in their right mind would want to stay late at work on Christmas Eve? Only someone with no personal life whatsoever would sign up for that.
She pushed the self-pitying thought aside and reclaimed her voice. “Better start shopping, you’re running down the clock.” For show, she tapped her watch. “Santa’s on his way. I need to get home to my bed so he’ll sneak in and fill my stocking.”
Her private shopper laughed and winked. “Santa has all the luck.”
 
There are currently no pre-order links but there are a bunch of ways you can keep up to date on news about Gift Wrapped and Karla Doyle's other upcoming work below: 

Karla’s Website:  www.karladoyle.com
GW on Karla’s Website:  www.karladoyle.com/gift-wrapped/

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Author Spotlight: Icing on the Cake by Karla Doyle


Today, we’re continuing our inaugural Author Spotlight Week celebrating Karla Doyle with a review of one of my favourite books, Icing on the Cake. It’s the second book in Karla’s Close to Home series, and while there are elements that are continued on from Cup of Sugar, it’s all very well fleshed-out and you can read Icing on the Cake as a standalone book. Having said that, Cup of Sugar is fantastic and I definitely recommend getting your hands on it if you haven’t already!

Book Summary:
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.

Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.

Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.

One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.

But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…

Review:
I loved the first book in this series, but I’m a firm believer that icing is the best part of any cake and that is definitely true of this book too. It’s sinfully delicious, achingly sweet and so very naughty! But it’s also deeply emotional and deals with some pretty heavy themes in a very loving way. I’ve read it more times than I can count and each time I fall more and more in love with it.  

Generally speaking, my favourite character of any book is going to be the Hero, especially if he’s a tattooed, bossy alpha male because…well, that’s just all kinds of yummy! But I have to say, Sara blew me away. I hated her in Cup of Sugar, she was so nasty to Nia, but the more you learn about her, the more her actions make sense and the more you fall in love with her. By the end of page 2, I was hooked! Sara is sassy, she’s snarky, she’s all kinds of prickly but she feels so, so deeply. She has a vulnerability that is endearing and makes you want to give her a big hug. She cares for everyone in her orbit and she loves so deeply. As I found out more about her back-story, I fell more in love with her. She’s someone I would love to be friends with. She’s loyal, hilarious and kind of a badass. I loved that her sass is an integral part of who she is, that it’s not something that just disappeared once she dealt with her issues and found her happy place. It made her such an interesting and realistic character. 

Now, the hero of the story, Curtis is so many kinds of yummy it’ll be difficult to list them all here. He’s a badass, he’s got attitude and it’s clear that he’s not the kind of many who wants to settle down. He’s big, he’s got tattoos, and he’s bossy and a little bit cocky. Oh, and he’s a cop! I loved the dynamic that created between Sara and Curtis. I also loved that he’s a little bit kinky, and the sex scenes between the two are highly erotic, leaning a little towards the kink side of things (but still classy and delicious rather than tacky or silly). Curtis has an edge to him that is so tantalising and sexy that it also makes you overlook those times where he does silly male things that make you want to slap him upside the head. He cares deeply, his relationship with his brother is adorable and really sweet and I love the way he wants to take care of Sara. I love the way he supports her for who she is and doesn’t try to change her. Even when he makes some bad calls about her work (oh, the arrogance!) it’s really more about wanting her to have the goodness she deserves and for her to be safe, than trying to control or change her. He just lets her be her and it’s a beautiful thing to read. 

The dynamic between Sara and Curtis evolves so naturally, it’s like watching a real-life relationship unfold from between the pages. It’s organic and very real, but also deliciously erotic and oftentimes, super frustrating. They both make mistakes that will make you want to sit them down and give them a stern talking to. They fit so beautifully together, something that you wouldn’t expect but it just works so well.
The dialogue in Icing on the Cake is my favourite of any of Karla’s books. It’s sassy and witty and so realistic. Sara has a biting, snarky wit that will make you laugh out loud and Curtis is so masculine, you can practically hear his voice jumping out at you from the pages. I rolled my eyes at him more than a couple of times! 

The book is emotional, and deals with some really dark themes but it’s also so funny and fun, and that balance is perfect! It’s sexy and enjoyable and you won’t be able to put it down.
I can’t recommend Icing on the Cake enough. It’s a book I’ve read many times and never, ever get sick of. The plot is realistic and flows so organically, you’ll find yourself hooked by the end of the first page. The characters are incredibly well crafted and so realistic and relatable. The dialogue is spot on, sassy and fun and delicious. And the sex scenes…well, let’s just say you should keep a very large, cold drink next to you while you’re reading Icing on the Cake. It’s deeply sensual, erotic and sexy.

Purchasing Information:
Crossing the Line is available in both eBook and paperback form from a variety of retailers, so you’re bound to find one that tickles your fancy!  

The purchase information and a delicious excerpt can be found here: http://www.karladoyle.com/books/icing-on-the-cake/  

If you'd prefer to read the first book in the series, Cup of Sugar, first, you can find it here: 

Where to Find Out More:
Karla Doyle has an awesome back-catalogue of books, and a very exciting list of upcoming books, so if you’re curious about her work or want to get your hands on one of her books (which I totally recommend), there are a bunch of different ways to keep up to date on any news.

Karla’s Website:  www.karladoyle.com 
Email:  karla@karladoyle.com  

Author Spotlight: Crossing the Line by Karla Doyle



Book Summary:
Lifelong best friends Derrick and Jeremy met Hanna at a bar ten years ago. Both wanted her—one married her. Now the other man has been invited to join in for one hot weekend. Everything would’ve been fine if they’d had their fun that weekend, then gone back to normal. But they didn’t. And when past demons resurface, things will never be the same—for any of them

Review:
Welcome to the very first book review for our inaugural Author Spotlight Week featuring Karla Doyle. 

Okay, full disclosure time: up until very recently, Crossing the Line was the only book in Karla Doyle’s book catalogue that I hadn’t read. I’m not proud of this but for a long time I very adamantly refused to read it and I was about 92.7% sure I’d hate it. This has nothing to do with Karla’s writing skill; I’m actually completely addicted to her books. Body of Work and Icing on the Cake are up there as some of my favourite romance books of all time. I just had a very personal reaction to the subject matter of the book and I didn’t want to read something knowing that I was going to be super biased against it. But here’s the thing, I picked up a copy while it was on sale and even with that bias…I really freaking loved this book. 

The blurb suggests that that fateful, hot, threesome weekend is the pinnacle of the book, that sex is the focus. And while the sex scenes in this book are beyond smoking hot and deliciously erotic, Crossing the Line is an immeasurably emotional book. It deals with some very real, highly emotional and difficult themes and it does that very, very well. Few other books handle threesome situations, such as the one featured here, in such a realistic and emotional way. The emotions in this book are so raw and so realistic that you can almost reach out and touch them. The characters suck you in from the very first page. They’re people who could be standing next to you at a shopping centre or hanging out with you watching movies. They’re loveable, endearing and vibrant characters but they’re also exceptionally real. They make huge, whopping mistakes that make your heart ache for them. There were moments, I won’t spoil it but you’ll know when you come across it, that literally took my breath away. 

Now, it’s a relatively short read, which normally is a bit of a struggle when dealing with such big concepts. But Karla Doyle has managed to fit in a tremendous amount of emotionally driven plot without it seeming rushed, fake or silly. There are copious amounts of seriously delicious, incredible sex scenes, combined with heart breaking mistakes and deep but realistic character development. The dialogue is perfect. It’s witty and engaging and always spot on for every single scene. The characters are rich and so very human. Derreck and Jeremy have been friends forever, and it could be so easy to make them sound like carbon copies of each other, but they’re both so completely different and such vibrant characters. Hanna’s pain and passion is so tangible, and you can easily see why both these incredible men love her. I was rooting for their happy ending and so blissfully happy when they got it. 

Crossing the Line was surprisingly incredible. There were parts of it that were difficult for me to read, on a personal level, but the characters and plot are so well formed that they suck you in, and you can’t help but be moved by their story. The sex scenes are smoking hot, leaning toward the erotic without being crass or tacky and they will definitely leave you feeling steamy. The plot flows beautifully and draws you in, the characters and plot points develop naturally, never feeling forced or silly and the characters and the issues they deal with are so real, it’s almost like living it along with them. Overall, this is an incredible read and I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in romance with a twist of eroticism. 

Purchasing Information:
Crossing the Line is available in both eBook and paperback form from a variety of retailers, so you’re bound to find one that tickles your fancy!  

The purchase information and excerpt can be found here: http://www.karladoyle.com/books/crossing-the-line/

Where to Find Out More:
Karla Doyle has an awesome back-catalogue of books, and a very exciting list of upcoming books, so if you’re curious about her work or want to get your hands on one of her books (which I totally recommend), there are a bunch of different ways to keep up to date on any news.

Karla’s Website:  www.karladoyle.com 
Email:  karla@karladoyle.com