BLOG TOUR EXCERPT & REVIEW: The British Knight

The British Knight, by Louise Bay
Publish Date: December 5, 2017
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author and Social Butterfly PR
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(Synopsis) When I’m offered the chance to leave New York to live in London for three months, I can’t pack my suitcase fast enough.

As soon as I touch down I’m obsessing over red telephone boxes, palaces and all the black cabs.

But my favorite place is the tube. It’s wall-to-wall hot British men in suits.

When I’m offered a temporary job working for a barrister, I say, sign me up.

On my first commute into work, it’s a total accident when I lose my balance and fall against the most handsome Brit alive. He’s as charming as James Bond and as suave as Mr. Darcy. I want to lick tea from his hard abs and listen to his accent all night long.

Turns out Mr. Handsome is my new boss. And his attitude isn’t as hot as his gorgeous face, broad shoulders and tight ass. He’s brooding, short-tempered and the most arrogant man I’ve ever met.

As we’re fighting, out of nowhere he kisses me. And I’m pretty sure I see fireworks over Big Ben and hear God Save the Queen.

I wasn’t looking for the fairytale but I might have found my knight in shining armor. The problem is he lives an ocean away.

In 2017 I became a big Louise Bay fan. I've read all the books in this series that came before The British Knight - King of Wall Street, Park Avenue Prince, and Duke of Manhattan - and I have loved them all. The British Knight is just as amazing as the rest, featuring a character we've met before and a new enigmatic and emotionally unavailable Brit - my favorite kind.

Violet King is the younger, flightier sister to Scarlett King who was the star of Duke of Manhattan. She has a habit of being pretty emotionally unavailable herself, never committing to anyone or anything. After losing her latest dead-end job, Violet decides a change of scenery is in order, and heads across the pond to stay in her sister-in-law Darcy's London house. Violet takes a job as an assistant to a very driven barrister - Alexander Kingsley. 

Alexander is living in his father's very large shadow and feels constant pressure to measure up. He works 100 hours/7 days a week and he has no plans to stop. He has an amazing connection with Violet, and despite not wanting her to interfere in his work life, her zest for life and her ability to not take everything so seriously start to affect him. 

Alex and Violet are on two very opposite ends of the spectrum - Alex is very serious about his job and Violet tries very hard NOT to be serious about anything at all. I loved reading about how both of them start to move toward the middle. Violet learned that being dedicated to a job - and a person - doesn't have to be a bad thing. And Alex learned that he doesn't have to be like his dad in order to be successful. 

Of course their road isn't entirely smooth. Changing your entire outlook on life doesn't happen over night or without some growing pains. 

Louise Bay is a great writer. I've never been to London before, but she made it easy to picture. Alex and Violet are so different, and yet their chemistry was perfect. The sexual tension was awesome - it was my favorite part of the book. Their efforts to resist each other were admirable, and when they failed, I cheered. 

I can't wait for Darcy to find love like her brother and now good friend Violet have. I'm hoping her story is next. If you're a fan of opposites attracting, especially when one of the people involved is a hot, grumpy Englishman, you don't want to miss The British Knight.  

Alexander

My workout this morning had been punishing. The harder I worked, the harder I worked out. I was a big believer in that if I wasn’t physically fit, I couldn’t perform as well in my job. And I was willing to do whatever I had to do to be the best barrister I could be. As a result, I’d been up since five, worked out until six thirty, and then had a conference call with Dubai at seven. I hated days when I was late into the office, but this morning couldn’t be helped. My commute had been . . . unusual. The woman I’d knocked into while getting off the tube had been beautiful, and I couldn’t keep the image of her gazing up at me in the middle of Lincoln’s Inn Fields out of my brain. I needed to focus. And perhaps get laid when I got the time. But it wouldn’t be tonight. I’d be working. I had hundreds of witness statements to go through and my opening statement to draft.

In three days, I’d be in court, and that was my sole focus. There was no time to be wasted on fantasizing about women.

As I trawled through my emails, trying to pick out the important ones from the hundreds littering my inbox, someone knocked at my door. I resisted the temptation to growl. I hated being interrupted—I needed a sign for the door.

“Come in,” I barked.

The door swung open, and I could tell by the footsteps that the head clerk had swooped in. “Mr. Knightley.”

“Craig.” I didn’t take my focus off my laptop screen. Craig was an avuncular and charming man in his mid-fifties. He’d been in the business since he was fifteen and had clerked my father. If anyone could interrupt me, he could. And he knew it. Over the years, I’d tried to get him to call me Alex, but he insisted all the clerks and admin staff call the barristers by their surnames. The bar could be a very old-fashioned place.

“I want to introduce you to your new assistant, Violet King.”

I paused, my fingers hovering over my keyboard. I knew nothing of this and would never have agreed to it—I worked alone. Slowly, I turned to find Craig in front of my desk, his eyebrows raised in expectation.

“My what?” I asked. A figure moved in beside him and I slid my gaze to the right. I found myself staring straight at the beautiful woman who’d invaded my thoughts since I’d arrived in chambers. What was going on? I looked away from her, sure that Craig would see my attraction to her if my eyes lingered over her for more than a split second.

USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes sexy, contemporary romance novels - the kind she likes to read. Her books include the novels Duke of Manhattan, Hollywood Scandal, Park Avenue Prince, King of Wall Street, The Empire State Series, Indigo Nights and Hopeful.

Ruined by bonk-busters and sexy mini-series of the eighties Louise loves all things sexy and romantic. There's not enough of it in real life so she disappears into the fictional worlds in books and films.

Louise loves the rain, the West Wing, London, days when she doesn't have to wear make-up, being on her own, being with friends, elephants and champagne.

She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

Connect with Louise:

Faceboook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlouisebay/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/louisesbay
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8056592.Louise_Bay
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WqwGAf

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Park Avenue Prince

My love affair with all things Louise Bay started with Max in King of Wall Street, and now it continues with Sam in PARK AVENUE PRINCE.

Park Avenue Prince, by Louise Bay
Publish Date: February 13, 2017
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-ARC, provided by Social Butterfly PR
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) I’ve made every one of my billions of dollars myself—I’m calculating, astute and the best at what I do. It takes drive and dedication to build what I have. And it leaves no time for love or girlfriends or relationships. 

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not a monk.
I understand the attention and focus it takes to seduce a beautiful woman. They’re the same skills I use to close business deals. But one night is where it begins and ends. I’m not the guy who sends flowers. I’m not the guy who calls the next day.

Or so I thought before an impatient, smart-talking, beyond beautiful heiress bursts into my world.

When Grace Astor rolls her eyes at me—I want to hold her against me and show her what she’s been missing.

When she makes a joke at my expense—I want to silence her sassy mouth with my tongue.

And when she leaves straight after we f*ck with barely a goodbye—it makes me want to pin her down and remind her of the three orgasms she just had.

She might be a princess but I’m going to show her who rules in this Park Avenue bedroom.

Sam Shaw is the ultimate reluctant billionaire. After being orphaned at age 12 and then thrust into the system, Sam had to learn the hard way to cherish every possession you had, because you never knew when it could be taken away from you. Even though he's become incredibly successful and wealthy, He doesn't live like it. He owns a beautiful new home on Park Avenue, but the only furniture in it is a thrift store couch and a mattress on the floor. 

After his best friend convinces him to at least buy some art to put on the walls (it's a good investment, and therefore not frivolous, so it's okay with Sam), Sam ends up at Grace Astor Fine Art and is immediately taken with Grace Astor, herself. He initially just wants to get her in his bed, but after he finally succeeds at that, he's shocked to find that he wants her there again. And again. And again. 

Although they were raised very differently, Grace and Sam have a lot in common. Even though her parents are rich, she doesn't think that extends to her. She believes she has to work hard to get what she wants and not to take handouts from others. She opened her own art gallery with her own money that she made. Even though it's not a job for the New York socialite elite, she does what makes her happy. Rich, pretentious men that her parents throw at her are not what make her happy, so she avoids dating suits and instead gravitates toward the artistic, creative sorts who need her help and encouragement in order to flourish. Unfortunately, this also means she gets screwed over a lot.

Both Sam and Grace have money (well, Grace's family has money), but it's nice that, for once, their money isn't a barrier to their relationship. No - their problems are far deeper than that. Between Sam's fear of abandonment and Grace distrusting Sam's overall character, they both had a lot of work to do. Their relationship progressed at a very believable pace. It's very clear in the beginning that they were hot for each other because of how they looked and because of this raw, exciting chemistry that always was present between them.

But beyond that, it took a lot of conversations and time spent together in order to slowly break down their walls. And it was definitely a gradual process. Trust is earned over time, and that's a lesson both Grace and Sam had to learn. But, their times together were sweet and poignant, as well as sexy as all get out. There was a lot of talk about art and their pasts and their futures and how - or if - they fit in. 

Since Grace is Harper's BFF from The King of Wall Street, we had a chance to catch up with Max and Harper and their kids, which was so much fun. Seeing them through Sam's jaded eyes was heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Sam and Grace finding each other and learning more about themselves in the process. 

USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes sexy, contemporary romance novels - the kind she likes to read. Her books include the novels Hopeful, The Empire State Series, Parisian Nights, Promised Nights, Indigo Nights and King of Wall Street.

Ruined by bonk-busters and sexy mini-series of the eighties Louise loves all things sexy and romantic. There's not enough of it in real life so she disappears into the fictional worlds in books and films.

Louise loves the rain, the West Wing, London, days when she doesn't have to wear make-up, being on her own, being with friends, elephants and champagne.

She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

Connect with Louise:
Faceboook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlouisebay/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/louisesbay
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8056592.Louise_Bay
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WqwGAf

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: King of Wall Street

King of Wall Street, by Louise Bay
Publish Date: August 24, 2016
Publisher: self-published
Format: audiobooks, purchased
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) I keep my two worlds separate. 

At work, I’m King of Wall Street. The heaviest hitters in Manhattan come to me to make money. They do whatever I say because I’m always right. I’m shrewd. Exacting. Some say ruthless.

At home, I’m a single dad trying to keep his fourteen year old daughter a kid for as long as possible. If my daughter does what I say, somewhere there’s a snowball surviving in hell. And nothing I say is ever right.

When Harper Jayne starts as a junior researcher at my firm, the barriers between my worlds begin to dissolve. She’s the most infuriating woman I’ve ever worked with.
I don’t like the way she bends over the photocopier—it makes my mouth water.
I hate the way she’s so eager to do a good job—it makes my dick twitch.

And I can’t stand the way she wears her hair up exposing her long neck. It makes me want to strip her naked, bend her over my desk and trail my tongue all over her body.
If my two worlds are going to collide, Harper Jayne will have to learn that I don't just rule the boardroom. I’m in charge of the bedroom, too.

The boss/employee trope never gets old for me. It's one of my favorites, not just because of the office shenanigans that inevitably happen, but because of the forbidden aspect of the relationship. It's always fun to see how they get by the rules that prevent them from being together. 

King of Wall Street is a perfect example of all the things I love about this trope. Max King is CEO of his company and the king of his castle. He rules at work, and at home, he's the boss of his 14-year-old daughter. So, the out-of-control feeling he gets when he sees Harper Jayne around the office is unnerving. 

That is the part that I love about this book. Max is obviously used to being in charge and maintaining control. This ultra-alpha male acts completely out of character around Harper. This leads to lots of dirty thoughts and even dirtier acts. And after every one, both he and Harper swear it's the last time. 

Famous last words. They don't want to want each other. Max is Harper's boss. Harper doesn't even particularly like Max since his attraction to her translated into irritation at the office. Add in the fact that Max is trying to keep his life with his daughter separate from his corporate persona, and it all equals a complicated mess for these two. 

Neither of them planned to delve any deeper than their crazy attraction to one another. But, screwing leads to talking, and soon they realize that there's more to each other than a pretty face. The chemistry between Max and Harper was high and the angst and drama was relatively low, all things considered.  

King of Wall Street is narrated by the amazing audiobook duo, Andy Arndt and Sebastian York. If you have never listened to a book narrated by these two, you should go fix that problem now. They are great individually, but when they team up, you just know the book is going to be amazing. 

I'm already looking forward to the next book in this series, Park Avenue Prince. If it's as good as King of Wall Street, I know I'll love it.