by: Rosanna Leo
Series: Handymen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 20, 2021
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
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He was looking for an escape. In her, he found his home.
Contractor and Handymen host Nick Zorn needs a change. He’s been feeling listless, and when his ex-girlfriend embarrasses him in a viral post by sharing private details of their sex life, he’s downright ready to escape. When an opportunity to reinvent his career arises, Nick takes it, even though it might mean the end of Handymen. However, the team has one more project to tackle together first—a struggling cat sanctuary in dire need of renovation.
When Nick arrives at the shelter and meets its owner, a lovely widow named Claire, his life is once more thrown into disarray. Neither of them is looking for a relationship, but the attraction is fierce. As he helps Claire fix her workplace, he realizes he wants to help her in other ways too. Their flirtation sizzles, flaring into a friends-with-benefits arrangement.
But the more time they spend together, the more reluctant these ‘friends’ become to fight their deepening connection, even though they know their inevitable break will devastate them…
Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of cyberbullying and harrassment, mentions of animal hoarding, bereavement and mourning. There are also references to male impotence and erectile dysfunction.
Hi Kim! I’m thrilled to be here, talking about romance.
Congratulations on your latest release. I want to talk about the series as a whole before we get to the individual books. Can you tell readers and me about your Handymen series?
Absolutely! Inspiration struck me a few years ago when I was watching a show on HGTV Canada, called Income Property. I always thought the host Scott McGillivray was a cutie, and he always seemed so assured and helpful on the show. I remember thinking, “He’d make a great romance hero!” My Zorn brothers, the heroes of Handymen, were born from that idea. “Handymen” is the name of my fictional show in the series, a show that helps homeowners tackle large renovations. The hosts of the show are the three brothers, and they have a contracting business as well. In each book, one of the brothers falls in love with a guest on the show. However, it’s not just about renovations. I really wanted to explore the theme of mental health awareness, so that is something that comes up in each book too. Book 1 deals with PTSD and gaslighting, book 2 deals with the aftermath of bullying and family dynamics, and book 3 explores grief and stress-related erectile dysfunction.
Tell us about the three couples and what brings them together.
I’d love to introduce you to my couples!
In A Good Man, Michael Zorn is the hero. Heroine Emily is a guest on the show and is renovating her grandmother’s old home as a base for her organic soup business.
In An Irresistible Force, the Handymen team have been asked to demolish the old cottage for middle brother Eli’s former mentor. However, when they get there, they find a woman chained to the building! Bernie Nolan isn’t going to let it go down without a fight.
In A Reluctant Attraction, the team are renovating an old cat sanctuary. That’s where younger brother Nick meets Claire, the owner of the sanctuary.
Tell us about A Reluctant Attraction, the third book in the series.
A Reluctant Attraction was bittersweet to write because it’s the final book in the series. In it, hero Nick is ready for a change. And when his ex-girlfriend humiliates him online, he’s downright ready for an escape. So he’s got a lot on his plate when he meets heroine Claire. Claire runs a cat sanctuary that needs a lot of help, so she ends up being a guest on Handymen. Claire is a young widow who isn’t quite ready to start dating again, but when she meets Nick, the attraction is fierce and mutual.
They begin to get to know one another, and Nick finally becomes comfortable enough to share that his online embarrassment happened because his ex-girlfriend told her followers he had erectile dysfunction. Claire and Nick embark on a “friends-with-benefits” arrangement, to help them both get back in the saddle again. What results is an explosive sexual relationship.
Just as they begin to get close, they realize they might be torn apart when Nick leaves town for his new job…which leaves them with a difficult decision: do they accept they’re not meant to be together, or do they find a way to make it work?
What do you love about Nick and Claire?
I think the thing I love most about Nick and Claire is their openness with one another. There’s a lot of honest discussion in the book about sex and relationships, and they don’t play mind games. Because they begin the relationship as friends, they don’t hold anything back, and that was really refreshing and fun to write.
What attracts them to each other?
For Nick, he’s attracted to Claire’s heart, first and foremost. He can see she’s had a difficult time since her husband died, and he really wants to patch up the cracks in her life. Even from the beginning, he sees this is a woman who gives so much to the people (and cats) in her life.
As for Claire, she’s attracted to Nick’s humor, talent, compassion, and his honesty. But his tight butt certainly doesn’t hurt either!
What was your favorite part of this story to write?
I think my favorite part to write was the scene with Mortimer the cat. Mortimer is a cat that’s been at the shelter for years, and everyone calls him the “Manager.” At the start of the book, Nick admits he has a fear of cats, but when he sees how much they mean to Claire, he’s determined to overcome his fear. Claire wants to help him with this, so she helps him make friends with Mortimer. I’m a cat lover too, so it was really fun to write and get into Mortimer’s head a little bit. But I think what I loved most about it was the fact that it shows the tenderness between these two characters. They really want to help each other tackle their respective issues and to be a source of support for one another.
Tell us about one of your favorite scenes from the book, and why is it a favorite?
My favorite scene has to be the moment when Claire finally admits what’s holding her back from taking a leap of faith to be with Nick. Her husband’s early death was such a cause of pain and she’s terrified to give her heart away again. It was very emotional to write, and I’m proud of how the scene turned out.
Was there anything that surprised you about this story?
I think what really surprised me is how attached I became to the characters in this series. I’ve been living with them for several years now, and they do feel like old friends. When I wrote “The End” for A Reluctant Attraction, it was a big emotional wallop. But it also felt really good because I knew I’ve given all six protagonists some great HEAs.
Can you tell us a fun scene from A Reluctant Attraction?
Sure! I think the one that’s most amusing to me is “Grandma Ingrid’s house of cats.” I won’t say too much about it, other than it’s a funny story that Nick tells Claire at one point. It was so much fun to write this anecdote, and I hope readers enjoy it.
One more question before I let you go. What’s next for you?
I have a few projects on the go. There are two new series I’ve begun plotting and I’ve made a bit of headway on them. Both are paranormal romances, which has always been one of my first loves. It’s still early days for both of them, but I hope to have more info soon! I also wrote a couple of novellas during the pandemic, and I’m hoping they might be suitable for anthologies down the line.
Rosanna, thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions.
Thank you for having me, Kim. I really appreciate you having me here!
You’re very welcome.
Damn, he’d never been so at a loss for words around a woman.
She was just so lovely. No, not just lovely. She looked fucking hot, to be perfectly honest. She’d worn her hair down, and the chocolate waves danced around her shoulders. Her jeans were like a second skin, emphasizing every curve. She wasn’t wearing one of her usual slogan T-shirts. Instead, she’d put on a silky black blouse, one that hugged her breasts. Although she’d been wearing ballet slippers earlier, she’d slipped them off when everyone went home. She now went barefoot in the house, but her toenails were painted a vibrant pink.
They were the sexiest feet he’d ever seen.
Claire didn’t wear a lot of jewelry, from what he’d seen so far, and tonight was no different. Her only ornamentation was a silver bracelet that dangled around her slim wrist, and some sparkly earrings.
And her wedding rings, of course.
“I hope you enjoyed the party,” she said, her voice soft and sexy. He could just imagine what it would be like to have a voice like that whispering in his ear first thing in the morning, as they snuggled in bed.
Naked, of course.
Anytime he pictured himself snuggling with Claire, and he’d begun to imagine it a lot, they were always naked.
“I did, thanks.” His throat was parched, and no matter how often he cleared it, it didn’t help. “Do you mind if I get myself some water?”
“Here, let me.” She filled a glass.
As Claire turned to hand it to him, she must not have realized he had already stepped closer. Their arms connected at an odd angle and the water splashed out of the glass, all over the front of his shirt.
It clung to his gut, as if he was a contender in a wet T-shirt contest.
“Ohmigosh. I’m so sorry.”
Nick plucked at his shirt. “It’s okay, really. I was kind of hot anyway.”
Claire looked at the wet patch and let out a strange laugh.
She was totally checking him out.
Interesting.
Grateful for that ab routine his trainer had given him, Nick reached for a couple of paper towels and dried himself off as best as possible.
“I could get you another shirt, if you’re uncomfortable.”
“I’m fine, thanks. It’s just water. It’ll dry.”
“Of course. I’m sure you’d rather not dress up in my dead husband’s clothes.” She pulled a face. “I’m sorry. That was meant to be internal monologue. Ugh. I’m not very good at this.”
“Oh, yeah?” Nick chuckled. “What’s this, exactly?”
“You know.”
“I’m not sure I know. I might need you to spell it out.” He drew closer, so close her perfume teased him with its sweetness.
She swallowed. “Chatting up wet men.”
Another step closer. “I only see one man here.”
“You, then,” Claire said on a breath. “I’ve been trying to chat you up all night, and failing miserably.”
“Ah. I should probably let you know you haven’t been failing at all. You have all my attention.”
Her sparkly lips formed an ‘O,’ although no sound emerged.
“If all it took was a glass of water, Claire, I would have drenched myself some time ago.”
She was just so lovely. No, not just lovely. She looked fucking hot, to be perfectly honest. She’d worn her hair down, and the chocolate waves danced around her shoulders. Her jeans were like a second skin, emphasizing every curve. She wasn’t wearing one of her usual slogan T-shirts. Instead, she’d put on a silky black blouse, one that hugged her breasts. Although she’d been wearing ballet slippers earlier, she’d slipped them off when everyone went home. She now went barefoot in the house, but her toenails were painted a vibrant pink.
They were the sexiest feet he’d ever seen.
Claire didn’t wear a lot of jewelry, from what he’d seen so far, and tonight was no different. Her only ornamentation was a silver bracelet that dangled around her slim wrist, and some sparkly earrings.
And her wedding rings, of course.
“I hope you enjoyed the party,” she said, her voice soft and sexy. He could just imagine what it would be like to have a voice like that whispering in his ear first thing in the morning, as they snuggled in bed.
Naked, of course.
Anytime he pictured himself snuggling with Claire, and he’d begun to imagine it a lot, they were always naked.
“I did, thanks.” His throat was parched, and no matter how often he cleared it, it didn’t help. “Do you mind if I get myself some water?”
“Here, let me.” She filled a glass.
As Claire turned to hand it to him, she must not have realized he had already stepped closer. Their arms connected at an odd angle and the water splashed out of the glass, all over the front of his shirt.
It clung to his gut, as if he was a contender in a wet T-shirt contest.
“Ohmigosh. I’m so sorry.”
Nick plucked at his shirt. “It’s okay, really. I was kind of hot anyway.”
Claire looked at the wet patch and let out a strange laugh.
She was totally checking him out.
Interesting.
Grateful for that ab routine his trainer had given him, Nick reached for a couple of paper towels and dried himself off as best as possible.
“I could get you another shirt, if you’re uncomfortable.”
“I’m fine, thanks. It’s just water. It’ll dry.”
“Of course. I’m sure you’d rather not dress up in my dead husband’s clothes.” She pulled a face. “I’m sorry. That was meant to be internal monologue. Ugh. I’m not very good at this.”
“Oh, yeah?” Nick chuckled. “What’s this, exactly?”
“You know.”
“I’m not sure I know. I might need you to spell it out.” He drew closer, so close her perfume teased him with its sweetness.
She swallowed. “Chatting up wet men.”
Another step closer. “I only see one man here.”
“You, then,” Claire said on a breath. “I’ve been trying to chat you up all night, and failing miserably.”
“Ah. I should probably let you know you haven’t been failing at all. You have all my attention.”
Her sparkly lips formed an ‘O,’ although no sound emerged.
“If all it took was a glass of water, Claire, I would have drenched myself some time ago.”
Purchase A Reluctant Attraction from:
The Handymen Series:
You can read my A Reluctant Attraction review here.
From Toronto, Canada, Rosanna occupies a house in the suburbs with her husband and their two sons and spends most of her time being tolerated by their cat Sweetie. When not writing, Rosanna works for her local library, where she is busy laying the groundwork to become a library ghost one day.
Places to find Rosanna Leo:
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Thank you, Kim! it was wonderful coming to visit with you here!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions!
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