Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway: A Beautiful Distraction (Hard Feelings #3) by Kelsie Leverich

Today, I am happy to join Kelsie Leverich's blog tour for her upcoming release, A BEAUTIFUL DISTRACTION. This is a series I have followed since the beginning and have yet to be disappointed. Thank you to NAL publishing for providing a paper copy for one lucky winnder!

A BEAUTIFUL DISTRACTION (HARD FEELINGS #3) by Kelsie Leverich

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: NAL Trade
272 Pages

A brand new novel in the New York Times bestselling Hard Feelings series—where nothing’s more dangerous than a bad boy with a broken heart…

First Sergeant Rafe Murano did everything to the extreme. He trained harder, he fought harder, and, unfortunately, he loved harder. And falling for the wrong woman nearly destroyed him.

Home from a deployment, and without his missions to consume him, Murano is ravaged by memories of his heartbreak. So he drinks until he’s numb and drowns himself in meaningless one-night stands. But they only take the edge off…

Until he meets Fallon.

Haunted by her past, Fallon Kelly knows all too well about the desperate desire for an escape. So when she sees the tatted-up bad boy who’s one punch away from a ride in the back of a squad car, she offers a distraction—one that quickly becomes an addiction.

Little does she know, this bad boy can love so hard, it can break her…

 

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Thanks to the lovely ladies over at NAL Trade, I have one copy of A BEAUTIFUL DISTRACTION to offer a reader. The only catch is that you have to have a US/CA address. (Sorry international folks!)

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Not going to lie, these books are like candy for me.  I don’t honestly know what it is. Every time a new one comes out, I just devour it. Beautiful Distraction was nothing different. We first met First Sergeant Rafe Murano in the second book in the series and little was known about him – just that he was in a relationship with a married woman. Now in his own book, we find out that Rafe has since moved away from that situation, but has maybe not so much moved on. That is until he meets Fallon Kelly. 

While Rafe’s past history wasn’t something I could get behind, once his side was revealed I understood him more. And it does take two to cheat. He’s intense, mysterious, and loves with everything he has. The interactions with his family were my favorite parts. I love seeing guys who are all tough around other people, but get them with their family and it’s amazing. 

Fallon on the other hand was a little harder for me to warm up to. She’s a strong woman – owns her own burlesque club – but she also hides behind this strength. She comes from a difficult past and finds it very hard to trust people. So when Rafe shows up at her club, her instincts are on high alert to stay away.

Their relationship started off fast and you could easily see where the connection was. They needed something the other could give freely. But like all good romances, feelings get in the way. I don’t know why people think sex without feelings works. It was inevitable that one would eventually fall. And while Rafe owns up to it, Fallon runs. 

While I liked Rafe, Fallon didn’t really do it for me, but that seems to be how it goes with female characters lately. I still love Leverich’s writing style and was still very entertained. Good fun. 

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review.

Big thanks to NAL Trade for allowing me partake in this tour.

ARC Review: Feel the Rush (Hard Feelings #2) by Kelsie Leverich

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: NAL Trade
416 Pages

The New York Times bestselling author of The Valentine’s Arrangement continues her sizzling series with a new novel of a plan that goes awry—in the arms of a soldier....

Picking the wrong men is a talent Meagan Mitchell has perfected. She’s sweet, confident, beautiful— and single. With her thirtieth birthday sneaking up on her, she needs a new plan. No more Mr. Wrongs or Mr. Bads. It’s time to find Mr. Safe....

Army captain Reed Porter lives for the thrill—an Airborne Jumpmaster with a rush addiction. He’s sexy and playful, and he quickly tempts Meagan with his rich Southern drawl and sinful looks. But slowing down and settling down are not on his agenda, making him exactly the type of man Meagan wants to avoid.…

As their undeniable attraction heats up, Meagan has to decide if she’s willing to risk everything on a chance at love with a reckless charmer. Is she brave enough to bet her future—and her heart—on Mr. Thrill?  Or will Reed finally learn that the feeling of a safe landing is just as addicting as the rush of the fall?

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“Sometimes, the things we’re afraid of, the things that scare us the most, are the things that give us the biggest rush.”

Meagan Mitchell is turning 30 and it’s scaring the shit out of her. She thought by this age she would be married with children and she couldn’t be farther from it. So, she makes a decision. Done are the Mr. Wrongs, the bad boys. She needs the safe ones. Moving across country with her best friend seems to be a good start. However, she didn’t expect someone from her past. She didn’t expect Reed Porter.

Reed Porter is instantly attracted to Meaghan the moment he helps get her kitten out of a tree. She’s feisty, sarcastic but a little sweet around the edges. And she’s refusing him at every turn. Challenge accepted. The only problem: he doesn’t remember Meagan from the one night they shared together eight years ago. 

To say this book surprised me would be an understatement. The first in this series was just okay and I honestly probably wouldn’t have continued the series if I hadn’t received this book from the publisher, but I’m so glad that I did. Meagan surprised me. She stuck to her guns, standing by what she wants, and having fun playing with Reed. She knows she should stay away, but something about him is just so damn charming. And charming he is. Reed was just…so dang swoonworthy. He lives for the now, for the thrill. He knows he’s not right for Meagan, that she deserves more, but he’s just having too much fun.

Meagan was living in fear of the future while Reed was living in fear of the past. Their chemistry was so electric it jumped off of the page. I enjoyed reading every part of their relationship. I loved seeing how they fell for each other because, sadly, in a lot of books that part gets lost in favor of the drama.  We got to see Reed’s exterior melt away and Meagan embrace a future of not knowing. Set with the armed forces as a background, these two just wormed their way into my heart. There was a ton of laughter, some sadness, and a whole bunch of swooning. This book was just what I needed right now and I loved every minute of it. 

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

ARC Review: The Valentine's Arrangement (Hard Feelings #1) by Kelsie Leverich

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: December 31, 2013
Publisher: NAL Trade
272 Pages

The �emotional, spicy-hot story” (Belle's Book Bag) that propelled Kelsie Leverich to the New York Times bestseller list!

Tattoo artist Ronnie Clark is counting the days until Valentine’s Day is over. Ronnie doesn’t do romance. She doesn’t do flowers or dates, and she sure as hell doesn’t do love—not anymore.  Love leads to heartbreak, and she’s vowed never to let herself get hurt again.

Sergeant First Class Kale Emerson is home on his midtour leave from Iraq, but he only has one thing on his mind—returning to his soldiers to finish leading their mission. He’s dedicated to his men and to his country, and he’s not interested in getting wrapped up in a distracting relationship…but casual sex, that’s a different story. From the moment he sees Ronnie, he wants her. And he agrees to her terms: no romance, no fluff—just passion.

But as their sexual chemistry ignites, the lines of their arrangement get blurry, and Ronnie starts to push Kale away. And when Kale realizes he’s found his match in this gorgeous razor-tongued woman who is hell-bent against love, winning her heart could be the toughest battle he has ever fought.

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Bad mouth tattoo girl

meets Captain America.

That’s The Valentine’s Arrangement in a nutshell. Ronnie Clark hates love and relationships and everything else that comes with it. Her soldier boyfriend ex cheated on her while in Iraq and now Ronnie has just given up. Kale Emerson is a soldier home on leave and also doesn’t believe in relationships, but for a different reason. He believes in not having a relationship until he’s sure he’s found the one and can devote everything to her – which he can’t due now because of his military status. 

Kale goes to Ronnie to get a tattoo and instantly becomes transfixed. He decides she would be the perfect girl for a no-strings attached sexual relationship while he’s on leave. Obviously, Ronnie’s response is along the hell to the no type and truthfully, when have no-strings attached sex relationships ever worked out. I could already see where this was heading. Throw in foul language, jealously, and ex-fiancés, and Kale and Ronnie have their work cut out for them.

I honestly really liked Kale. He was straightforward, honest about what he wanted, and something about a soldier boy is endearing. He cared about the troops serving with him and their families, and took every loss to heart. The only negative about him was his forcefulness. When a girl says “back off, I don’t want you” that normally doesn’t mean push her against a door and kiss her. At least it doesn’t for me. There’s nothing wrong with a strong man who knows what he wants, but this trend in books where the guy forcefully takes what he wants regardless of if he can read the need of the girl doesn’t make sense to me. 

And then there was Ronnie. Ronnie who was all yes, no, yes, no, I don’t want you, I want you…ahhhhh! I liked that she was strong and feisty and fought back. I didn’t like how rude she was to Kale then would internally yell at herself only to be rude when she saw him again. The appearance of the ex who hurt her was extremely predictable that I spent most of the book turning the page looking for him. And then when he finally did show up, everything about what happened was predictable. GAH!!!!

Overall, it was okay. I liked it. I don’t know if I liked it well enough to continue the series, but we shall see.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.