Welcome to my stop on Chelsea Cameron's Sweet Surrendering blog tour, organized by Inkslinger PR. As part of the tour, Chelsea Cameron is going to tell us about her favorite Halloween movies! Then continue reading and enter an amazing giveaway!
Published October 15, 2013
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author and Inkslinger PR
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Rating: 3.5 STARS
(From Goodreads) She’s his boss. He doesn’t care. This office isn’t big enough for the two of them…
When Rory Clarke ends up hiring the guy she spent one steamy night with to be her administrative assistant, she's determined to keep things professional.
Lucas Blaine has other plans for her. He wants Rory, and it’s hard to resist his stunning blue eyes, chin dimple and the way he fills out a suit. Everywhere she looks, there he is, giving her a panty-melting smile and pulling her away for the most amazing (and satisfying) sex she’s ever had in her life.
What starts off as one sexual encounter turns into multiple trysts in and out of the office and the lines she’d tried to draw so carefully are blurring. But the closer they get, the more Rory realizes that there are things about Lucas she doesn’t know, things he’s hiding from her. She’ll have to decide if she can surrender to her feelings or get out while she still can.
I have read one other book by Chelsea Cameron, and I had no idea she was such a comedian! Sweet Surrendering was such a surprise to me. It was a sweet story punctuated by hilarious inner monologues and witty banter that kept me laughing and snorting in between rants at the MC's fits of ignorance. I love a good story that keeps me waffling back and forth between funny and frustrating.
Rory is a VP at her father's company who happens to be sleeping with her new hot assistant. Lucas is complex and brash and really good at his job - er, both of them. Neither was really in a position to fall in love, but it happens anyway and complicates an already complicated situation. Now, all of a sudden, Rory's job is becoming more of a problem, as is all the secrets that Lucas continues to keep from her.
For the most part, I loved Rory. She is smart and driven and not a size 2. I got the impression that she was very confident and didn't take much crap from people - especially men. She has a fantastic relationship with her parents (and what a refreshingly wonderful thing THAT is!) and with her BFF and roomie, Sloane. I love the way Chelsea Cameron painted Rory. It was like love transformed her into a caricature of herself. Someone she didn't quite recognize. And, while she delighted in it, it also pissed her off.
Stupid love. Love made you want to punch yourself in the face. It also made you so distracted that you didn't get as much done at your job as you should because you were too busy fantasizing about your stupid guy and his magical penis. It made you spend meetings trying not to draw little hearts, or see what his last name would look like with your first name. Love made you into a fucking twelve-year-old girl.Lucas was all snark and sass right from word one, so in the moments when we saw him vulnerable, it made me want to hold on to them and savor every word. Most of the time, he was funny and sharp, though. But, boy, is he good with his words when he uses them.
"I don't want just nights. I want mornings. And mid-mornings and late mornings and noons and afternoons and evenings and everything in between. Sunrises and sunsets and twilight. I want it all. I want to be with you. Definitions and everything. I want to call you mine."Lucas' big secret wasn't that much of a secret. I figured it out pretty early, and it left me wondering what the hell Rory was doing that she couldn't see it either. I get that she was caught up in the relationship and in being in love and all that. But, really? She couldn't see that coming? Not only that, but every time she asks him to open up and talk to her about the things he was hiding. he flat out refused, and she was totally okay with that. I call BS. No woman I know in a new relationship with a guy would stand for that, no matter how good the sex is.
There were elements of the story that weren't entirely believable. The pacing seemed a bit off at times too. There were times in the middle when the story stalled a bit. And, the last 15% went at lightning speed - so fast, it almost seems like we were missing something.
Despite that, I was intrigued and keep engaged with the dangling carrot of when Lucas' secrets finally would come out and blow up in his face. It was good when that happened, but I felt it was resolved too quickly. I wanted Lucas to stew for awhile. Sweet Surrenderings was told only from Rory's POV. I think I would've liked to have seen Lucas' too. But, it was a good story with a good HEA. I look forward to the next book in the series - perhaps about Sloane?
Guest Post
It's that time of year. The leaves are turning colors and falling. Kids are back in school. EVERYTHING is pumpkin flavored. Even the pumpkin is pumpkin-flavored. I love fall. But the thing I think I love MOST about fall is that it's finally time to watch some of my favorite movies! I'm not the kind of person who can watch a movie "out of season". Except for Elf. That can be watched anytime. Because of reasons. So, without further ado, my top five favorite Halloween movies!
5. Night of the Living Dead (The original): This is a classic, yo. The original, in black and white. It's so bad that it moves from terrible to terribly AWESOME territory. My favorite thing about this movie is the fact that the blonde chick's hair remains almost PERFECT for the entire movie. Priceless. Plus, you can't beat the fake zombies eating the fake guts.
4. Casper: Two words, kids. DEVON SAWA. I had the biggest freaking crush on him when I was a kid. He's just… yeah. "Can I keep you?" *Chelsea swoons away* Plus Christina Ricci has a ridiculous forehead. It's like a fivehead. And you can't beat the crazy ghosts. I may also have a thing for BIll Pullman.
3. Practical Magic: Apparently, I have a thing for Sandra Bullock. So many of the movies she's in are some of my favorites. But I think this is the best. PLUS, it has Stockard Channing and Diane Wiest. They're total badasses and let you have cake for breakfast. It's also one of the most romantic Halloween movies, I think, ever.
2. Hocus Pocus: If you haven't seen this movie, we can't be friends. My mother would never let me watch it at home, so I would go over to my best friend's house and we'd marathon it. You CANNOT go wrong with this movie. It's also one of the most quotable Halloween movies ever. "I am beautiful! Boys will love me!" Yeah, this movie is made of win.
1. The Nightmare Before Christmas: I know what you're going to say. "But Chelsea, this is a CHRISTMAS movie. It has CHRISTMAS in the title." After I smack you, I will inform you that Jack Skellington lives in HALLOWEEN TOWN and this movie can be watched on EITHER holiday. Or both, which is what I do. This is one of Tim Burton's masterpieces, and my favorite of his films. The part when Jack is singing and he walks over that hill thing and it unfurls gives me chills. Every time. And this one also has an earth shattering love story. What can I say? I like a little love with my scary.
About the Author
Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)
Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, LIsten coming out in 2014.
Learn more about Chelsea --> Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads
Giveaway
Grand prize winner: Will get to name a character in a future book, win a signed inspiration collage, and a red shoe charm bracelet. Four (4) runners-up will receive a red shoe charm bracelet. Contest is international.
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