by: Jennie Martis
Series: Cotton Creek
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 17, 2016
Publisher: Entangled ~ Lovestruck
Chicago City Girl Tackles Colorado Mountains with Sexy, Reclusive Guide
Avery Oliver can see the byline now. What better way to jumpstart her journalism career than to head out into the woods with a sexy guide? It’s all very Bear Grylls, but she’ll take it, even if it means ditching her beloved designer suits and handbags.
All Sullivan Reed needs in life is a fly rod and the roar of a river. Playing guide to a hot little reporter can’t end well…until they strike a deal that’s mutually beneficial. She’ll pretend to be his girlfriend to deflect an overly flirtatious neighbor, and he’ll help her with the article. It’s a win-win.
Until it isn’t. By the time a storm strands them in his cabin, Sully’s done pretending. He wants Avery—badly—but she’s a big-city girl looking for adventure, not his simple life. So why does releasing her feel like he’s lost the perfect catch?
The distraction of her gorgeous legs almost did him in. Literally.
Sullivan Reed hit the brakes just in time to avoid a collision in front of the general store.
The curvy blonde in the red jacket didn’t even notice, her focus intent, trying to wrench her purse from the passenger seat of her car—a little foreign number with rental tags.
She was wearing some kind of short pants, not quite shorts but not really a skirt. Must be the new fashion—not that he paid attention to fashion. According to his ex, he never noticed anything.
But he noticed this woman—noticed her long legs, her too-high heels, and what the hell was up with that purse? It was practically the size of Wyoming. What could she possibly be carrying in there? He could pack for a three day trip in a grocery sack.
Not that he cared. He didn’t have time to be thinking about how high her heels were or the enormity of her handbag when he had other things to worry about. Bigger fish to fry. So to speak.
He needed to get in, grab his supplies, and get back to the shop. He’d stayed up late last night tying some new flies and wanted to get the new stock put up this afternoon so he could be out on the creek by dusk.
Early summer in the Colorado mountains was like paradise to a fly-fisherman. Plus he needed the time spent fishing tonight to mentally prepare himself for the visitor who was supposed to arrive tomorrow.
Besides, with that long blond hair and tall curvy figure, the woman in the red jacket was totally out of his league.
Not that he had a league, or even wanted to be in a league. He wasn’t even particularly interested in the game right now. He just wanted to be left alone.
Present company excluded. He reached across the seat and patted the neck of his golden retriever, Sadie.
Sadie was the only female in his life now, the only female he trusted, and that was fine with him. She hadn’t left him, didn’t yell at him to make more money, never nagged him to pick up his wet towels off the bathroom floor, and she hardly ever snored. All attributes that he valued.
The dog whined, sitting upright in the seat of his old truck, her gaze intent on the blond woman.
She stood on the sidewalk, oblivious to him and the fact he’d almost run her down, her large round sunglasses perched low on her nose as she looked over them to read the parking meter.
Sully watched her dig into her cavernous bag for change. He was no lip reader, but he was fairly certain she dropped a pretty clear F-bomb before pulling her hands out and throwing them up in disgust, apparently giving up on the effort.
He stepped out of his truck, his gaze captivated by the way her hips swayed and the swish of the breezy fabric of her shorts against her legs as she hurried into Miller’s Mercantile. He slammed the door and stepped up to the curb, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his shorts and jingling his loose change.
After dropping a quarter into his own meter, he paused in front of hers.
It would serve her right to get a ticket. “Just because this town is small doesn’t mean you can just ignore the law,” he grumbled, half to himself, half to the dog who watched him intently, and then he dropped a quarter into her meter.
Pausing, he thought about the size of her purse—she was probably pretty high maintenance and would be in there for a while.
He dropped in a second quarter.
Hi Jennie. Welcome back to Read Your Writes Book Reviews. How are you?
I’m doing great! I love this new book and I’m so excited for it’s release and for readers to get to meet Sully and Avery.
Hooked on Love takes readers back to your Cotton Creek series. Before we talk about that book, how are Reese and Wade from Romancing the Ranger?
They are doing great. I think they just went for a hike up to the waterfall. While Avery is in Colorado, she stays at the Baker’s Bed and Breakfast and Wade’s grandmother, Miss Abigail gives both Sully and Avery some sage advice.
Reading the blurb for Hooked On Love sounds like Avery Oliver and Sullivan Reed had some fun with each other. What do you love about them?
I love Avery’s sense of adventure and that she can laugh at herself. A lot of disasters happen in this book and she is really pretty terrible at fishing, but she enjoys life and has fun. She knows how to laugh at the things life throws her, even if they aren’t always that funny. And I simply adore Sullivan Reed! I hope he becomes your next bearded book boyfriend! He’s darkly handsome (think Hugh Jackman meets Kit Harington) and broody with a crusty exterior and after his wife leaves him and takes everything he has, he’s sealed up his heart and doesn’t let himself trust anyone. He seems gruff, except when he’s on the river, in his element, or with his dog, then Avery glimpses the real man behind the mask.
What are some fun facts about Hooked On Love?
1- The scene where the snake falls into Avery’s waders is based on something that really happened to me. Except that in my case, it fell off the top of the freezer in the garage when I opened it and fell down my bathing suit, hit the floor, and slithered into my laundry room. I called my husband who left work to run home (he is my true hero!) and I kept watch over it with a broom until he got home. I was sure it was a rattlesnake, but it turned out to be a garter snake. But still, it was a SNAKE and it was in my swimsuit and my laundry room!
2- Sully has a lot of characteristics of my husband who is an outdoorsman, loves to fish, and has worked as a river ranger and a park ranger in Montana and Colorado.
3- The fly fishing shop in the book is based on the original shop of Angler’s Covey in Colorado Springs.
4- Sadie, the golden retriever in the book is based on Cooper, my own golden retriever.
Oh my gosh. I can’t take snakes!!! I love that you managed to put your dog into the book. You’ve mentioned that you love writing the “meet-cute”. Tell me how these two first met.
Avery Oliver is a city girl journalist who gets sent on assignment to the mountains of Colorado to learn how to fish. She had no idea her week in the woods would lead to a fake relationship with a hunky fly fishing guide, a near-death experience, and a snake literally in her pants.
Avery’s just arrived in town and is in the general store stocking up on supplies and some outdoor fashion essentials. After trying on a few outfits and still in her bra and undies, she pulls on a pair of fishing waders then has the great misfortune of having a snake fall into the waders. She flails out of the dressing room and into Sully’s arms.
I love that! But take about embarrassment. Tell me about the most romantic scene from the book.
For me, the First Kiss scene is always the most romantic because it’s so special. It’s the pivotal moment, the first time their lips meet, and I always want it to touch the reader’s heart, to have the reader falling in love right along with the characters.
The First Kiss scene in Hooked On Love was challenging because Sully and Avery have struck a deal that Avery would pretend to be his girlfriend to fend off the unwanted advances of his neighbor in exchange for Sully’s help with her article, so the kiss is supposed to be pretend, but is actually very real. So, I knew that I had to crack open Sully’s heart just a little then slam it shut again, and I adore Sully so much that it was hard for me to hurt him.
Here’s an excerpt of that scene:
He didn’t know where his boldness came from. Maybe from the fact that she hadn’t known him his whole life and didn’t have a preconceived idea of what he was supposed to be like. He didn’t have to be that boring, moody guy whose wife had left him. He could be anything as far as she was concerned—even the guy who was funny and charming, and who could leave her breathless with one kiss.
Leaning in, he touched her lips again, this time with a little more pressure. She let out a soft moan against his mouth, the smallest of sounds, but the sexiest sound he had ever heard. And she made it because of his kiss.
Letting go of her hand, he slid his up her neck, cupping her cheek as he deepened the kiss. Her lips parted, and he tasted the sweet sugary flavor of the cotton candy on her tongue.
He wanted to savor her, to slowly taste and sample her lips, but instead he crushed her mouth, his body reacting on a primal level—wanting to devour and consume her. His hand on her back gripped her tighter, melding her hips against his.
Her fingers closed around the fabric of his shirt, tightening into a balled fist and pulling him closer as she clung to him.
Every synapse in his body was firing, and it felt like fireworks were going off in his chest. Heat flared up his spine as he felt her fingernails dig into his back.
The blood rushing in his ears drowned out everything else. Then he heard the distinct sound of a throat clearing and realized the music had stopped, and he was standing in the center of the dance floor, making out with a woman.
Dropping his arms, he stepped back, gasping as he tried to catch his breath, and already missing the heat of her body against his.
She blinked—a dazed look on her face as she reached out, steadying herself by gripping his arm.
“Wow.”
Wow, indeed. Wow with a capital W and several punctuation marks. He’d felt that damn kiss all the way to his toes.
His face split into a grin as he watched her swallow and try to get her breathing under control. Her gaze flicked around the dance floor. Some of the couples had left, some were discreetly trying to act like they hadn’t noticed them kissing, and a few were openly gaping at them.
She offered him a satisfied smile then leaned in to speak softly in his ear. “Mission accomplished. Everyone knows we’re a ‘couple’ now.”
His grin fell as her words slammed through him like a sucker punch to the chest.
He’d forgotten—forgotten for just a moment—that this was all pretend. A fake setup to convince the town they were actually a real couple.
The problem was he’d almost convinced himself.
You’ve written several books. Which one heroine would you love to have as your best friend and why?
Sunny Vale from Another Saturday Night and I Ain’t Got No Body. It’s the first book in the Page Turners series, my romantic comedy/cozy mysteries. Sunny is an ordinary schoolteacher who is thoughtful and funny and clumsy and loves Diet Coke and Cheetos- just like me. The Page Turners are a group of women in a book club and they love each other and support each other—even when they set Sunny up on six blind dates and one of them might have been with a murderer. These woman are all a hoot and every time I write one of their books, I feel like I’m hanging out with old friends. And I love it when readers tell me they feel the same way.
Now, if you weren’t married to your incredible husband, which of your heroes would you be falling over yourself to be with and why?
Oh gosh - that’s a hard one - they are all so delicious. I would probably say Owen Bannister from the Bannister Brothers series—he’s ridiculously cute, fun to be around, and plays hockey for the NHL, so he’s rich and muscled. OR it might be Wade Baker - the park ranger from Colorado - remember when he made that little wagon for the hurt dog and took Reese fishing in the dark? Wade is a country boy that loves nature, fried chicken, and his grandma. So he’s a pretty hunky catch. OR it might be Zack from Tucked Away - I do have a thing for hot cowboys who wear Wranglers and square-toed cowboy boots. And he’s a single dad and a veterinarian so he takes care of hurt animals for a living and he has horses and lives on a farm. Hmmmmm…. Tough decision! But great question!
Thanks for introducing me to some new men. I’ve met Wade, but I haven’t met Owne or Zack. I’m going to have to add them to my list. Thank you so much for joining me today.
Thanks so much for hosting me! I’ve had so much fun answering your questions. I hope you and your readers enjoy Hooked On Love and fall in love with Sully and Avery the way that I did! Happy Reading!
Purchase Hooked on Love from:
The Cotton Creek Series:
(Clicking on the book covers will take you to Amazon.)
USA TODAY Best-selling author Jennie Marts loves to make readers laugh as she weaves stories filled with love, friendship, and intrigue. She writes for Entangled Publishing, and reviewers call her books “laugh out loud funny” and full of great characters that are “endearing and relatable.”
She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two sons, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.
Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky hockey-playing men in the Bannister Brothers Books, and the small-town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek Romances.
Places to find Jennie Marts:
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Thank you for hosting HOOKED ON LOVE today!
ReplyDeleteCrystal, Tasty Book Tours
You're welcome.
DeleteThanks so much for the fun interview and for hosting me on your blog today! I appreciate the support and can't wait for readers to discover Sullivan Reed and Hooked On Love! <3
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. I'm starting to realize you put a lot of personal experiences into your books. I still can't get over the snake thing!!!!
DeleteLooks great! I will have to go find the first Cotton Creek book!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. The hero in that book. I'll admit, at some point I wanted to slap him. But what he did for the heroine's dog was so freaking sweet.
Delete