Sierra Kincade is back with... more from her Body Works series. MORE was an incredible follow-up story about side characters from the original trilogy Mike and Amy. And it was EVERYTHING. Check out my review and a guest post from Sierra Kincade! Don't forget to enter the giveaway!
More (The Body Works Trilogy #4), by Sierra Kincade
Publish Date: December 1, 2016
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author and Jean Book Nerd
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: 5 STARS
(Synopsis) Amy has kept her distance from men after her sleazy ex took everything from her—everything but her daughter, Paisley, whom Amy would do anything to protect. She’s learned to keep her guard up, but it’s getting harder and harder to do around a man like Mike, whose penetrating gaze leaves her speechless. Mike is unlike any man Amy has ever met. He’s patient, kind, a loving father, ripped, and, amazingly, seeming way into her. Still, Amy makes it clear that she has no intention of the two of them being more than friends. But when threats from her past put Paisley in danger, Amy finds that more with Mike just might save her life…and her heart.
Do you have any idea how excited I was when I found out that Sierra Kincade was going to continue her Body Works trilogy so that Mike and Amy's story (which had been hinted at in the original trilogy) was going to finally be told?
Talk about hotness on a stick. And on top of that, he's smart (he's going to law school), he's brave and he's good with his hands. Like, REALLY good. Not only that, but he's an amazing dad. And let's face it - that's one of the sexiest parts about him. He's determined to prove to Amy that he is nothing like the last two losers she's involved herself with. It's an uphill battle, but he's patient and focused.
I loved Mike in the first three books because he's a really good friend to Alec and has proven to be loyal. But, in More, my feelings for him moved way beyond love. Seriously, this guy is damn near perfect. But, he has just enough tarnish - because of his former wife - to make him real. And, even though he doesn't show it well, he's carrying some baggage that might threaten the good thing he and Amy could have.
Sierra Kincade does many things well, but creating realistic suspenseful situations that cause our characters to reach inward for strength they didn't know they had - that's her specialty. Although it's not as dark and dangerous as what happened to Anna and Alec, Amy still manages to find herself in some trouble, which is a different sort of tension altogether from what she feels with Mike.
Speaking of Anna and Alec, they show up, and prove to be the best babysitters EVER. Alec having a tea party with a bunch of little princesses is just as swoon-worthy as Mike putting the little girls to bed. Seriously - guard your ovaries, ladies. They're in danger of combusting while you read More.
Amy and Mike's story needed to be told. It wasn't always easy for them, especially given the two precious children in their lives. But, it was SO worth all the trials that they both went through to get to the other side.
What sort of research do you typically do for your books? Specifically for MORE - there are a lot of jobs represented: hair stylist, construction worker, law student, masseuse, single parent. How did you manage to get all the details just right?
Hi Krista!
Research is actually one of my favorite parts of writing a book. In order to make characters authentic and believable, an author needs to be able to imagine them as real people. It’s not just their decisions and reactions that make them real, but the things they encounter in their day-to-day life, like work.
In MORE, Amy’s a hairstylist, and a pretty dang good one. Because the book is from her point of view, I needed to make sure that I got the details of her occupation as close to correct as possible because the reader wouldn’t just see her cutting hair, they’d be in her head as she’s thinking about cutting hair—what to do, how to do it, etc. I believe the best research comes from talking to people, so I interviewed my hairstylist and took notes. She taught me about the different shears she uses, how she applies dye, what beauty school was like, and the logistics of her work, like how she gets paid and uses her station. All of this went into Amy’s character, hopefully not in an overbearing way, but with enough detail to make her job seem legitimate and not fabricated.
The same principles were applied for the other occupations in the book. I interviewed a masseuse for the Body Works series, and even had several massages to get the details right (I know, feel so sorry for me). I interviewed a lawyer friend about her experiences with law school. And though I’m not a single parent, I am a parent, and I see how hard my single parent friends work to provide everything they can for their kids. I hope I captured some of their amazingness in this book, because they impress me every day!
Research is just one of the many parts that goes into writing a book, but it’s one of my favorites. It (hopefully) makes the characters not just real to me, but to you, the reader, too.
Thanks for checking out MORE! Hope you enjoy it!
And their story was absolutely everything I needed it to be. When the book opens, Amy and her young daughter Paisley are still living in Mike's house with him and his young daughter Chloe, even though the events and the danger that landed them there have passed. The girls love being near each other, and Amy has become comfortable with the living situation. But, the constant sexual chemistry between Mike and her are stressing her out, and Amy's considering moving back to her own place.
I get why Amy is hesitant to start a relationship with Mike. He, of all people, would be the most dangerous to her. Because if things didn't work out, it wouldn't be only Amy's heart that would take the beating, but her daughter would feel the effects too. And Mike is more than just her roommate. He's her best friend next to Anna. There's a lot at stake, and Amy's not too trusting when it comes to relationships after her last two have been not only disastrous, but dangerously violent. They've not only literally beaten her down, but they've also squashed her self-esteem and Mike seems determined to help her find it again.
Life was hard, and frightening, and sometimes cruel, but she'd endured. And for the first time in a long time, she didn't consider whether or not she was worthy of him. She considered whether he was worthy of her. And he was.
When Sierra Kincade described Mike, I had this picture in my head of Luke Cage:
I loved Mike in the first three books because he's a really good friend to Alec and has proven to be loyal. But, in More, my feelings for him moved way beyond love. Seriously, this guy is damn near perfect. But, he has just enough tarnish - because of his former wife - to make him real. And, even though he doesn't show it well, he's carrying some baggage that might threaten the good thing he and Amy could have.
Sierra Kincade does many things well, but creating realistic suspenseful situations that cause our characters to reach inward for strength they didn't know they had - that's her specialty. Although it's not as dark and dangerous as what happened to Anna and Alec, Amy still manages to find herself in some trouble, which is a different sort of tension altogether from what she feels with Mike.
Speaking of Anna and Alec, they show up, and prove to be the best babysitters EVER. Alec having a tea party with a bunch of little princesses is just as swoon-worthy as Mike putting the little girls to bed. Seriously - guard your ovaries, ladies. They're in danger of combusting while you read More.
Amy and Mike's story needed to be told. It wasn't always easy for them, especially given the two precious children in their lives. But, it was SO worth all the trials that they both went through to get to the other side.
What sort of research do you typically do for your books? Specifically for MORE - there are a lot of jobs represented: hair stylist, construction worker, law student, masseuse, single parent. How did you manage to get all the details just right?
Hi Krista!
Research is actually one of my favorite parts of writing a book. In order to make characters authentic and believable, an author needs to be able to imagine them as real people. It’s not just their decisions and reactions that make them real, but the things they encounter in their day-to-day life, like work.
In MORE, Amy’s a hairstylist, and a pretty dang good one. Because the book is from her point of view, I needed to make sure that I got the details of her occupation as close to correct as possible because the reader wouldn’t just see her cutting hair, they’d be in her head as she’s thinking about cutting hair—what to do, how to do it, etc. I believe the best research comes from talking to people, so I interviewed my hairstylist and took notes. She taught me about the different shears she uses, how she applies dye, what beauty school was like, and the logistics of her work, like how she gets paid and uses her station. All of this went into Amy’s character, hopefully not in an overbearing way, but with enough detail to make her job seem legitimate and not fabricated.
The same principles were applied for the other occupations in the book. I interviewed a masseuse for the Body Works series, and even had several massages to get the details right (I know, feel so sorry for me). I interviewed a lawyer friend about her experiences with law school. And though I’m not a single parent, I am a parent, and I see how hard my single parent friends work to provide everything they can for their kids. I hope I captured some of their amazingness in this book, because they impress me every day!
Research is just one of the many parts that goes into writing a book, but it’s one of my favorites. It (hopefully) makes the characters not just real to me, but to you, the reader, too.
Thanks for checking out MORE! Hope you enjoy it!
A few of Sierra’s favorite things:
Bad boys with dirty mouths – English Breakfast tea with two packets of Sugar in the Raw – any movie or show with a choreographed dance routine – cinnamon toast – kids who say funny things – friends who raid her pantry without asking – bootleg jeans – making lists – old Garth Brooks songs – and of course, massages.
WEBSITE: http://www.sierrakincade.com/
TWITTER: @SierraKincade
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7877331.Sierra_Kincade
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SierraKincade.author
* 1 Winner will receive a Swag Basket (Contains 3 Paperbacks - The Masseuse, The Distraction, and The Confession).
Giveaway is open internationally. Must be 13+ to enter.
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