Unused Napkin: Tessa Teevan

Friday, 24 April 2015

REVIEW: Instigation (Clandestine Affair, Book 1) by Tessa Teevan

RATING:

*Complimentary ARC received from author*

VIA

Breaking up is hard to do.
Three years after her life changed forever, Gabriella Latham finally has it all. Killer job [if working for her boyfriend counts]. Killer closet [even if she doesn't technically own any of it]. Killer boyfriend [who refuses to let her leave him, even when she tries]. Unfortunately for her, the last part isn't hyperbole. She just doesn't know it yet.
Adrian Morningstar was a dream come true. No one had ever loved her more, and for the first time, in longer than she could remember, she was no longer alone. He was the Prince Charming to her Cinderella, until suddenly he became the Beast with whom she could not escape.
Until him.
When Rafe Matthews is hired to oversee the guest home construction of one of the most powerful businessmen in the country, he finally has his in. Nothing will get in the way of what he sets out to do.
Until her.
Watching from the shadows, he's drawn to the beautiful, isolated woman of the house. His curiosity is piqued and he has to have her. She may be taken by the boss, but that's not enough to stop him. Or her.
Nothing is quite as it seems, and this is only the beginning.
Passions ignite. Tempers flare. Secrets kill.

REVIEW

I’m a little torn about this one…

I like it quite a bit, really. The premise sounded interesting. Gabriella was with one man until things started to change, then she met another man…

The opening immediately makes you wonder what the heck is going on. Shortly after, you can tell there’s definitely more there than meets the eye. It gets more interesting as Rafe is introduced, making you wonder some more what his angle is.

I enjoyed how everything is being laid out. The mystery is slowly opening up. It’s making me question where everyone fits in. I wonder how those 2 men fit into the puzzle, and why they’re doing the things they’re doing. For sure, I’m hooked in with the suspense and mystery I’ve been given a glimpse of so far.

Where I struggled is Gabriella/Brie. I am not able to fully connect with her somehow. I don’t appreciate what appear to be her co-dependent thoughts. Her past may have contributed to that, and granted, there really are women like her, but unfortunately, I’m not getting how her identity seems to be attached to which ever man is in her life. I wish she can come to those conclusions about herself without a man’s aid. That’s what it felt like to me the whole time. I didn’t agree with most of her decisions/actions. But interestingly enough, if not for her unintelligent actions, she wouldn’t have been in the situation she’s in, and where would have the story gone then?

Adrian and Rafe are 2 interesting fellas. Obviously, one is meant to be the hero. Regardless of who the hero is, given how I like a dark read every now and then, I’m just as curious about the one not meant to be a hero, because I found, when done right, those men are the ones who make you question your boundaries. This then brings me to my next point, that this story line is a great vehicle potentially to be a really dark read. If so, it could go down really spectacularly and be one heck of a mind-screw. Somehow, I don’t think this won’t be that dark. Either way, I’m curious. I have started formulating my own theories. There'll be 2 more books in the series, I wonder if I’m right. And yes, it ends on quite a cliffie but it's a cliffie I actually liked.

As it stands, my reaction is a bit on the tepid side, mostly because of Gabriella/Brie. But like I said, I’m curious, very curious…

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

Monday, 20 April 2015

RELEASE BLITZ: Instigation (Clandestine Affair, Book 1) by Tessa Teeva

Instigation, Book 1 in The Clandestine Affairs Trilogy

Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Romantic Suspense—Full Length Novel

Author: Tessa Teevan

Release Day: April 20, 2015

Release Day Sale 99 cents! Will be $2.99 after release day!

Blurb

Breaking up is hard to do.

Three years after her life changed forever, Gabriella Latham finally has it all. Killer job [if working for her boyfriend counts]. Killer closet [even if she doesn't technically own any of it]. Killer boyfriend [who refuses to let her leave him, even when she tries]. Unfortunately for her, the last part isn't hyperbole. She just doesn't know it yet.

Adrian Morningstar was a dream come true. No one had ever loved her more, and for the first time, in longer than she could remember, she was no longer alone. He was the Prince Charming to her Cinderella, until suddenly he became the Beast from whom she could not escape.

Until him.

When Rafe Matthews is hired to oversee the guest home construction of one of the most powerful businessmen in the country, he finally has his in. Nothing will get in the way of what he sets out to do.

Until her.

Watching from the shadows, he's drawn to the beautiful, isolated woman of the house. His curiosity is piqued and he has to have her. She may be taken by the boss, but that's not enough to stop him. Or her.

Nothing is quite as it seems, and this is only the beginning.

Passions ignite. Tempers flare. Secrets kill.

Purchase the Book on Amazon!

US | UK | CA | AU

... and Barnes and Noble!

Playlist

Excerpt

A devilish, almost villainous grin graced his lips as his eyes filled with amusement. “Oh, Gabriella, you’ve no idea,” he said. “I shouldn’t do this. I shouldn’t be here, but I can’t seem to help myself.”

His words caught me off guard as his hands gripped my hips and he pushed me backwards until the brick of the wall bit into the skin of my lower back. He leaned down until his lips were dangerously close to mine. My insides quivered, and my heart leaped into my throat. For an entire week, I’d been waiting for his hands to be on me again, and now that he was right there, I knew I’d die if he didn’t touch me. Kiss me. Take me home and ravish me like he had that first night.

“Adrian,” I whispered, surprised at the breathy, sultry tone of my voice. God, it’d only been a week and I was already dangerously addicted to him.

His eyes gleamed as if he could read my mind, and I wondered if this has been his plan all along. To give me a taste, a perfect sneak peek at what being his would be like, and then take it away, only to keep showing up to tease me. To dangle the proverbial carrot on the string that was too high for me to get a taste or even the slightest nibble. It would suffice only for a moment, but it would be just enough to keep me from going insane. He was a deranged Pavlov and I was his little dog, salivating and panting, wanting him, that torturous bell ringing over and over again, but instead of giving me what I wanted, he kept it too far out of reach.

Author Bio

I'm a twenty something book junkie who is also obsessed with sports. Bengals, Buckeyes, Reds are my teams! I work for the government during the day, hang out with Air National Guard on the weekends, and have been married to my own book boyfriend for over seven years. We currently live right outside of Dayton, OH with our two cats. If I’m not writing or looking through tons of photos of hot men, all in the name of research, then you can probably find me curled up with my Kindle, ignoring the rest of the world. I love my sports almost as much as I love my books. My other obsessions include red wine, hot men, country music, and all things Grace Potter.

Connect with the Author

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Goodreads

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

Thursday, 12 March 2015

COVER REVEAL: Instigation by Tessa Teevan

Instigation

Book 1 in The Clandestine Affairs Trilogy

Tessa Teevan

Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Romantic Suspense—Full Length Novel

Release Day: April 20, 215

Synopsis

Breaking up is hard to do.

Three years after her life changed forever, Gabriella Latham finally has it all. Killer job [if working for her boyfriend counts]. Killer closet [even if she doesn't technically own any of it]. Killer boyfriend [who refuses to let her leave him, even when she tries]. Unfortunately for her, the last part isn't hyperbole. She just doesn't know it yet.

Adrian Morningstar was a dream come true. No one had ever loved her more, and for the first time, in longer than she could remember, she was no longer alone. He was the Prince Charming to her Cinderella, until suddenly he became the Beast from whom she could not escape.

Until him.

When Rafe Matthews is hired to oversee the guest home construction of one of the most powerful businessmen in the country, he finally has his in. Nothing will get in the way of what he sets out to do.

Until her.

Watching from the shadows, he's drawn to the beautiful, isolated woman of the house. His curiosity is piqued and he has to have her. She may be taken by the boss, but that's not enough to stop him. Or her.

It leads to a game of cat and mouse. But who is the true predator? And who is the prey?

Nothing is quite as it seems.

Passions ignite. Tempers flare. Secrets kill.

Playlist

Teeny Tiny Teaser

"You know too much as it is. It's too late. God, I'm so fucking sorry for this. Sometimes I wish I'd never laid eyes on you that day. That I'd just kept going. And yet, no matter what happens, I'll cherish the memories we had for the rest of my life. I couldn’t live without them, as selfish as that sounds. But then again, I think you've found I'm a selfish man."

Pre Order Instigation Today!

Pre-Release Pre-Order Sale 99 cents!

Will be $2.99 once it goes live

Amazon US | UK | CA | AU

About the Author

I'm a twenty something book junkie who is also obsessed with sports. Bengals, Buckeyes, Reds are my teams! I work for the government during the day, hang out with Air National Guard on the weekends, and have been married to my own book boyfriend for over seven years. We currently live right outside of Dayton, OH with our two cats.

If I’m not writing or looking through tons of photos of hot men, all in the name of research, then you can probably find me curled up with my Kindle, ignoring the rest of the world. I love my sports almost as much as I love my books. My other obsessions include red wine, hot men, country music, and all things Grace Potter.

Connect with the Author

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Goodreads

Giveaway

5x $5.00 Amazon Gift Cards

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, 12 February 2015

BLOG TOUR: Intoxicate by Tessa Teevan

Intoxicate, Book # 4 in the Explosive Series

Can be read as a standalone

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Day: January 29, 2015

Blurb

Marry me. Two words Kalli Montgomery never expected to say out loud to Xavier Cruz, even though she's been in love with the sexy, single father for as long as she can remember. Unfortunately, she hasn't just been friend-zoned for the past ten years. No, even worse, he's treated her like a little sister, no matter how hard she tried to prove she could be so much more. When she agrees to spend the summer as the caregiver for his daughter, Lily, she knows it's her last chance to finally make him take notice. As unexpected circumstances threaten to disrupt his home life, Xavier's desperate to keep his family together. He'll do whatever it takes, even if it means marrying a woman he doesn't love. For Xavier and Lily, Kalli will do just about anything, even at the risk of getting her heart broken in the process. Little does she know, sometimes love isn't quite as unrequited as one may think. Xavier sees her-he always has. And the vow he made all those years ago never to go there with his best friend's little sister is wavering, and it's wavering fast. When they come up with a plan that leads to wedding bells, it's a no brainer. This marriage of convenience has one rule: absolutely no falling in love. Easier said than done. Throw together a girl who believes rules are meant to be broken, and a man whose whole career revolves around following orders and you get a recipe for disaster. What could possibly go wrong?

Purchase the Book!

Amazon US | UK | CA | AU | B&N

Playlist

Review

RATING:

This is a first Tessa Teevan read for me, and now I'm not sure why so. I have the first 2 books in this series as part of 2 different anthologies, and now, I'm thinking, heck, I better un-bury those from my to-read pile.

If you're looking for a break from dark/mind-screw reads, I think this is a pretty good direction to go. Kalli and Xavier's story is simple in a way. They have a history, something was there between them but nothing happened for valid reasons, then fast forward a few years, the pull is still there until it reached a point that s/he knows and even the people around them know, that something just had to happen. Not saying it's simplistic, of course, because the emotions involved are anything but simple. Other people's lives are involved so there a lot of factors to consider when making decisions.

I'll tell you what I really like with this. Kalli, the h. Throughout the story, Kalli was consistent with her thoughts, and her understanding of Xavier and what ever else is happening shows a lot of maturity and foresight without effort. I can tell she's a good person.

Xavier, the H, for a change is the one with more baggage to deal with, which affected a lot of his thoughts and actions. But at least he wasn't a total a$$ about it all. When he messed up, he owned up to it. And regardless of his indecisions when it came to Kalli, I give him credit for being the good father and son that he is.

While I didn't get the "pact" because in my head I'm thinking "who's kidding who!" (especially from Xavier's POV), I really enjoyed the dynamics between Kalli and Xavier. There is a naturalness to it that makes everything so relatable. It's sincere, sweet and quite loving. And the attraction between them was laid out quite yummily and oh so gooey! Melikey!!

The side characters, I'm assuming, are the MC's in the other books in this series. I guess I better get a move on it and read their stories now too!

Excerpt

Shooting a glare at him, I throw my hands up in exasperation. “Are you telling me that this whole anticipation thing is one-sided? Is it that easy for you to resist? I really need to step up my game.” Xavier’s eyes fall to my lips for a quick moment before he looks back up at me. I see the desire in his expression, and without him even saying a word, I know he wants this, too. So why is he making me wait? “You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now. How many times I’ve thought of doing just that. Every time you were curled up against me on the couch, I wanted to kiss you. Every morning when you showed up, I wanted to kiss you. Every time you said goodnight to Lily and then slipped out my door? I wanted to kiss you before you left. It’s not a new development. The first time I ever saw you, Kalli, I wanted to kiss you. And I’ve wanted to ever since.” His admission floors me. He’s told me before that he “saw” me, but I had no clue it was from the very beginning. I’m not really sure how to process it. In fact, he beats me to the punch. “So now you know. This will be just as hard for me, but it will be so damn worth it. Because when you’ve wanted something for as long as I’ve wanted you? It’ll be the best feeling in the world when I finally get it.” “Our first kiss will be that epic?” “A first kiss to rival them all,” he quips, grinning at me. He holds his arms out wide. “Now, we’ll start with a hug and work our way up.” “I feel like I’m sixteen again,” I tell him as I wrap my arms around his waist. His hands come down to my back and he gives me a big squeeze, my head pressing against his firm chest. I love this feeling of being in his arms, him holding me close. There’s nowhere on the planet I’d rather be than right here with him. As much as I want him, I know he’s right. I don’t care when it comes. Because when it does, our first kiss will be unforgettable. His chest rumbles as he chuckles. He squeezes me tight one last time before letting me go. “And it’s only just the beginning,” he tells me. “Have a good night, crazy girl.”