Thursday, April 11, 2013

Goddess Fish Book Tour Book Review: High Stakes








High Stakes
by Cheryl Douglas

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BLURB:

Former party girl, Alisa Turner, made a deal with her daddy, Trey. He’ll provide the seed money for her new business venture as long as she promises to stay out of trouble. Too bad her good intentions tumble 30,000 feet when she meets a sexy stranger on a flight to sin city.

Hotel mogul, Liam Bryson, has never believed in love at first sight, but when a sexy little siren twenty years his junior tempts him into a night of high stakes Blackjack, he’s suddenly playing for keeps.

Alisa wakes up in Liam’s bed the next morning, cursing Tequila and the five carat diamond on her left hand. She demands an annulment before her over-protective father finds out she reneged on their agreement, but her new hubby isn’t prepared to let her go without a fight.
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Excerpt:

“Good afternoon,” he said, beginning a lazy perusal that started with her bare, bronzed legs and ended where it had started, fixed on her eyes.

Alisa was too shocked by her physical reaction to his scrutiny to respond to the casual greeting. She was used to male admiration, but when a man was this obvious, she usually felt irritated, not warm and tingly all over.

His eyes zeroed in on her bare left hand, and he smiled, revealing a flash of white teeth and disarming grin so sexy it should have come with a warning label. No man had a right to be this handsome. It simply wasn’t fair to the poor unsuspecting girl seated next to him with no hope of defending herself when endless hours filled with nothingness stretched out before them.

“Your boyfriend must be crazy to let you travel to Sin City all by your lonesome.” His voice was low and raspy, filled with sexual innuendo and promise.

“I, uh…” Spit it out, damn it. “Don’t have a boyfriend.”

He licked his full lips as his intense eyes outlined her face. “Husband, fiancĂ©… lover?” His voice deepened even more as he uttered the last word, sending thrill bumps skittering across her bare skin.

“No, no, and…” She drew a shallow gulp of air into her lungs, but the word still sounded breathless. “No.”

“Damn, I really need to fly commercial more often. I had no idea what I was missing out on.” He smiled again as he extended his hand. “Liam.”

She hadn’t expected his hands to be calloused or rough, and they weren’t. He was obviously accustomed to sitting behind a desk, and that suited her just fine. She loved elegant, refined men, and he more than filled the bill. “Alisa.”

Review:  Last year I read Trey and Sienna's story, so when I had the chance to read about their daughter Alisa, I jumped at the chance.

It was a great read, but it didn't blow me away quite like Trey and Sienna's story had.  I described their story as a read much like a soap opera. Alisa and Liam's story felt more like a reality show.

As always Cheryl's writing style is spot on. This is a book that you simply can't put down, but for some reason, it didn't work as well for me as some of her other works. Maybe because Alissa is a spoiled little rich girl who gets everything she wants even when she's being reprimanded by her father, or that Abby shows no sign of resenting her father's much younger wife. Or maybe because of Liam's offer to have sex shortly after a heart attack. My mom's had many and I have a book that says sex is a no no for quite awhile after heart attack, no matter how young, rich and handsome you are.

OK. 

That sounds like I didn't like the book and that wouldn't be the case. I gobbled this book up like it was candy.

Why?

I really came to like Alisa, though everything about her is not what I usually like in characters or friends for that matter, but the thing is, she grew up. She figured out what she wanted and she went for it and didn't let go, even when things weren't looking so hot.

The book had its ups and downs for me, but I enjoyed it and I definitely want to check out more of the  Next Generation Nashville series.

Rating: 4 flowers





AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Cheryl began her professional career as a nutritionist, but her love of books started at an early age. She studied writing for many years before she decided to pursue her passion as a full-time career. After receiving constructive criticism from several well-known authors, Cheryl finally had the confidence to write her first romance novel.

The first book in the Nashville Nights series, Shameless, was a book that had been dwelling in Cheryl’s subconscious for years. For her, the surprise came when the manuscript began taking on a life of its own. Characters came to life, secondary characters became more prominent, outlines were forgotten, and a single title evolved into an eight book series, and another eight book spin-off series entitled Nashville Nights, Next Generation.

One word would aptly describe Cheryl: workaholic. She lives and breathes her writing, when she’s sleeping, watching TV, driving, reading… it’s always in the periphery of her mind. Her imagination rarely takes a holiday, even when she escapes to a sandy beach with her husband and son, she’s planning, plotting, outlining, and daydreaming.

Cheryl feels blessed to be able to get up every day and do something she loves. The thousands of fans who have embraced the Nashville Nights have made that possible. She writes for the readers who ask for more, she writes to satisfy the muse residing inside of her, but most of all, she writes because she couldn’t imagine doing anything else with her life. It took her thirty-seven years to decide what she wanted to be when she grew up, but now that she knows, she’s convinced she’s found her purpose.

Buy Links:

AMAZON:


BARNES & NOBLE:



Other Links

Website:

Facebook:

Cheryl will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host. She'll be awarding the following prizes to randomly drawn commenters during the tour:

* two $20 Amazon Gift Cards
* ten trading card/cover flat packs (US/Canada)
* ten eBooks from the Nashville Nights series (winner's choice)
* two sterling silver necklaces (US/Canada)

Follow the tour and comment at every stop for more chances to win!

8 comments:

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

Thank you for hosting

Cheryl Douglas said...

Thanks so much for having me today. I really appreciate you taking the time to read High Stakes!

MomJane said...

This review was excellent. It sounded as though she liked the story in spite of herself.

Rita Wray said...

I'm looking forward to reading Liam and Alisa's story. They are likable characters.

Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

bn100 said...

Thanks for the review

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

great review, I like that this is a next generations read, not many of those around <3

lilypondreads at gmail dot com

Mary Preston said...

Thank you for your review. I do love watching characters 'grow up'.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Andra Lyn said...

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! You are very honest and put exactly what us readers need to know into your reviews! I'm glad that even though there were flaws you still really enjoyed it!

andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

 
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