Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Can't Get Enough by Gena Showalter - Release Day Review, Excerpt, and Giveaway

   

From New York Times Bestselling author Gena Showalter, comes the next standalone romance in the Original Heartbreakers Series

CAN’T GET ENOUGH!

Grab your copy today!

   

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Author: Gena Showalter
Publication Date:  5 December 2017
Publisher: Strawberry Valley Press
Series:  The Original Heartbreakers
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Age Recommendation: 17 and Up
Rating: 4 Stars
~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 


Book Description:

New York Times best selling author Gena Showalter returns with a sizzling Original Heartbreakers tale, featuring a rough, tough bad boy brought to his knees by... a kindergarten teacher? 

The king of one-night stands... To inherit--and destroy--his father’s business at long last, Brock Hudson needs a temporary wife.  The ruthless ex-military heartthrob has always avoided romantic entanglements.  Women are sweet, but vengeance will be sweeter.  Or so he thinks. Only one woman will do, but the vulnerable beauty is more than he bargained for—sexier, wittier, and utterly irresistible.

The queen of the deep freeze… After an abusive first marriage, Lyndie Scott has sworn off relationships.  But still she longs for a child of her own.  Turns out, the brawler who used to frighten her with only a glance is the answer to her problems.  She agrees to his proposal, with a caveat: spend every night in bed with her, then walk away for good when it’s time to divorce. Even if she’s pregnant.

A marriage of breathtaking inconvenience... As the days pass too quickly and the nights heat up, Brock battles a sense of possession and obsession. Will the former commitment-phobe convince his wife they’re better off together, or will she pack her bags and go?


My Review:
 
I am rarely ever as happy as when I have a Gena Showalter book in my hands.  She just knows how to give me all the swoons, laughs, a few tears, and lots of warmth from her characters friendships and romances.  Can't Get Enough was no exception to this.  

I wondered how Gena was going to take this one-night stand guy and turn him into a true hero, she's done it with each of the Heartbreakers up to now but I wasn't quite sure Brock could truly be redeemed.  Yes, I know he is broken, they all have been, but those very prevalent, through his friends books, one night stands and constant drinking issues were extremely concerning and I was afraid too big of a hurdle to climb over.  Well. let me be one of the many, I am sure, to tell you that I loved Brock Hudson.  He has some serious issues, yes, but this guy is truly a hero in my book.  He is the hero that Lyndie needs and even though he will tell you she changed him (she'd whisper with her 'magical vajayjay', ha)  he really in a way was his own hero too, she just made him want to be that person, but he had to become it all on his own.

Lyndie, she's such a sweet soul.  I loved her drive to create the life she should have always had.  I got a little frustrated with her constant need to show her independence, but having never been in her shoes it is hard for me to not appreciate it at the same time.  I knew that Lyndie's past was bad but I have to tell you until one particular moment right after Brock and Lyndie's wedding I didn't realize just how bad it had been.  To overcome what Gena put her through and still keep her beautiful, yet scarred, soul was absolutely moving.  Out of the two of these character Lyndie to me truly was the stronger and I loved her so much for it.

Together Brock and Lyndie were wonderful.  They fought a hard battle, with a lot of missteps along the way but in the end they never gave up on one another.  I loved how they were each others strength, how they were their to remind the other of how precious they were, these two people who were abused and practically discarded by the very people who were supposed to love them the most.  I will say there was a lot of internal monologuing for me in this one, which is the only reason I didn't give this one a 5 star.  I felt a times there was so much monologuing that you could basically skip entire paragraphs. I can understand the need for it at the same time however, these two are pretty complicated characters and most of that complication derives from their own personal feelings about themselves.  To become who they ultimately will in the end they have to work out their own thoughts, but it did make it drag a time or two.  I adored their romance though.  While it was full of it's ups and downs there was always something so pure and vulnerable about it.  You could feel the heat coming off the pages every time they looked at one another and their romantic moments, let's just say for Brock practice totally made perfect and Lyndie, she's quite the little hell cat underneath her khakis and cardigans (it's always the quiet ones, haha)

Can't Get Enough is just another wonderful addition to the series, I have not been disappointed in any of them and if you are a contemporary romance fan I doubt you will be either.  These all can be read as standalones, of course you will see the outcome fo the relationships that came before the one you are reading, but we all know these are HEA's so I don't think that would spoil anything for you at all. I am even a little teeny tiny bit hopeful that this isn't the last of this series, or maybe into a spin off series....there was some talk about a certain gentleman that you will meet in Can't Get Enough and one that I would really like to know more about and see settled and happy.  If this is the end, I am so going to miss Strawberry Valley, I am completely in love with that little town.

~HAPPY READING ~

     

EXCERPT: 

 “But… marriage? ”Lyndie asked. “I promised myself I’d never do the whole legal-ties thing again.” Straight white teeth nibbled on her bottom lip. “How long would our marriage last?” “I don’t know exactly.” Anticipation blended with excitement, driving Brock mad in the best possible way. So close to victory! “I’ll need to find the employees of the Hud and Son Group new jobs before I dismantle the company. There will be no collateral damage on my watch.” The employees were innocent, and he wouldn’t leave them in the lurch. “If I had to guess, I’d say a month. Maybe two, but not likely.” Her beautiful lips shaped the words, One month. His father’s will had two stipulations: Brock had to be married in order to run the business and, if he planned to continue running it, he had to remain married. Daddy Dearest had used the perfect bait. Miranda’s downfall. He’d known Brock would seethe as he imagined his mother rich, happy, and carefree. What Brock hadn’t yet comprehended? Why his father cared about his relationship status at all. What made his father think a commitment would “bring him out of the darkness and into the light?” Thankfully—and shockingly—there’d been no requirements for Brock’s wife. No “proper” pedigree. No reputation above reproach. No set family worth. The very requirements for the girls he’d dated in high school. Little wonder he’d always gravitated toward wild, tattooed biker babes. Lyndie was an anomaly, everything he’d never wanted but now had to have. She gulped. “Would we live together?” “Yes. For the sake of appearances, but also because your safety and peace of mind matter to me.” He would be on his best behavior. Would sidestep any conversations about the terrible things he’d done in the past. She would never know how much blood stained his hands. “I will continue to protect you from Rick Lambert. From anyone who threatens you.” Her shoulders rolled in. “I’m a magnet for crazies, aren’t I?” “Scottie, you’re a magnet, period.” She drew in a deep breath, slowly released it. “I’m shocked to admit this, but I like the idea of having you here… which makes me not want to have you here. I can’t learn to rely on you. I must rely on myself.” Craved her independence? “What if I promise not to ever cook your meals or clean the house or do anything gentlemanly?” The corners of her mouth twitched. “That would help, yes.” Closer still! “We’d have to sleep in separate bedrooms though. I’m not going to get used to your warmth.” Twin pink circles stained her cheeks. A flush of embarrassment… or pleasure? “But, uh, just to be clear,” she said, and gulped, “you will want to have sex with me, yes?” His excitement deflated. Did she not want to have sex with him? “Yes. I will. I do. I hope you’ll want to have sex with me.” Many times. Every night. “If you allow me into your bed, I will make your pleasure a top priority. But I will expect nothing, and I will never pressure you for something you aren’t willing to give. The money will be yours whether we sleep together or not.” Her breath hitched. Her pupils grew, black spilling over amber. Her nails dug into her knees, as if… no way. As if she had to stop herself from reaching for him. He went still. She wanted him. Lyndie Scott wanted him. Do not pound your chest like a gorilla. “I don’t want your money, Brock.” Heart thudding against his ribs, he opened his mouth to tell her that he’d give her anything. If she wanted him to beg, he would beg. He had no pride. Not with her. Shoulders squared, she added, “I want your sperm.” Uh, what the what now? His brain short-circuited. Groaning, she hunched over to anchor her elbows on her knees and cover her face with her upraised hands. “I think I misheard you,” he rasped, but deep down realization had begun to click. Lyndie Scott had caught the baby fever. She might agree to marry him, but she expected a child in return.  

     


GiveAway:
($50 giftcard for one winner)


   

About Gena Showalter: Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series--Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles--and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series.  In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she's appeared on Nightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black--if you ask her about it, she'll talk for hours…hours!  Her books have been translated in multiple languages. She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfans    


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