High Stakes
by Cheryl Douglas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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, fiancé…
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!
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher & Mary Ann Kinsinger
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