Monday, July 27, 2015

BLOG TOUR: "Lucky's Promise" by Jenn Nixon

Title: Lucky's Promise Author: Jenn Nixson 
Publisher: WCP ISBN: 978-1-61798-157-9 Genre(s): Romance/Suspense/Thriller/Romantic Suspense Heat Rating: sweet Length: 99,178 Price: $4.99 Purchase page:  
All Romance eBooks: http://bit.ly/LuckysPromiseARe 
Amazon: http://bit.ly/LuckysPromise 
iTunes: http://bit.ly/LuckysPromiseiTunes 
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/LuckysPromiseBN -- this one will be ready by release date 
Kobo: http://bit.ly/LuckysPromiseKobo 
Wild Child: http://bit.ly/LuckysPromiseWCP 
 Release date: 7/21/15 Author website: www.jennnixon.com Author contact email: jennafern@gmail.com  
Blurb 
After years of searching for her mother’s killer, Felicia “Lucky” Fascino is finally on the right track. With the help of her family, and on-again off-again boyfriend, Kenji Zinn, Lucky is getting closer to fulfilling the unspoken promise she made to her adoptive father. 
As the group continues to dig deep into the assassin’s network, and search for the elusive Quimby, ties to the past come back full circle, endangering everyone Lucky loves and cares for. It’s only a matter of time before their secret is uncovered. 

Excerpt:  
Felicia swung her chair in his direction and said: “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” 
“No.” 
“Why not?” she said, bordering on a screech. 
“It is the same conversation. ‘You can trust me, Felicia.’ ‘You can talk to me, Felicia.’ ‘I’m here for you, Felicia.’” 
“You’re still mad because I didn’t want to talk about my crappy ass life while we were on vacation?” He lifted an eyebrow to make a statement, and her whole face flushed. “We were on vacation!” 
“With no distractions. With no interference. Just you and I…and still you refused me every time I tried.” 
“Fine. What do you want to know?” Kenji stared at her as she rose from the chair and hitched her fists on her hips. Her head jerked to the right, both eyebrows lifted on her forehead. “Well?” 
“Humph,” he said, tossing the remote onto the bed and stalking into the living room across the hall. She wouldn’t answer his question, so he didn’t even bother asking. He went to the wet bar in the far corner. Searching through the miniature refrigerator, Kenji grumbled, finding nothing but wine. 
Phen and I are going to meet after breakfast and talk about the job.” 
He glanced back. Felicia stood in the doorway, her hands in front of her body, fingers twisted together like a frightened child. A complete turnaround, again. It wasn’t an act; everything about her said she was scared. Why? Couldn’t she confide in him by now? His frustration threatened to swell again, and he was backing her into a corner. If he pushed, they would fight, and he didn’t want that. Not right now. Kenji sat down in the leather love seat and rubbed his temple. 
She didn’t move from her position, but her heavy sigh filled the room. “It’s my last one before he puts me up as the new safety. I’m going to need some pointers….” 
He bobbed his head but didn’t look up. 
“Is it more than…me not talking?” she squeaked. 
Kenji came close to spilling everything. Forcing her to face the feeling he had for her was unfair. Making her talk when she wasn’t ready seemed cruel. Confessing his fear for her safety would make him appear overprotective and controlling. The fury he felt, he didn’t completely comprehend himself. Discussing the situation with Taro was the only thing he could mention and remain truthful. 
“I am still aggravated with myself.” 
“I told you outside the restaurant it didn’t matter anymore. It’s over and done. I trust you, and if you trust your brother…it’s cool, babe.” Her disposition continued to change, now that he no longer pressed her. 
“It will never happen again,” he said, adding a grumble. 
“I know.” She moved into the living room and sat down on the coffee table between the two sofas. Felicia reached out, took his hand. He held back the rest of the clutter racing through his head. She bent her head down to look him in the eyes. “We okay?” 
“Yes, beleza, we are.” 

I received an advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

A lot of "sweet" level romance can be so saccharine, so predictable, that it leaves a stale taste in my mouth. I gave up on reading this genre for pleasure a while ago. However, with Lucky's Promise, I found an interesting plot that made a very typical story be elevated to a new level.
Mixing a thriller with a romance can be very tricky. It has been done poorly before, but those authors should take a page from Ms. Nixon's book (not literally; that would be plagiarism)! From the start, even though this is the third book in the series, I found myself immediately taken into the story, feeling as if I were there. Her ability to write sweet scenes is only surpassed by how great the action and suspense were. I'll be honest, I was not expecting that, though I had read some of her other books before this one and knew how talented she was.
You will feel your heart swell, pound and clench, depending on the scene. I could easily see this book as a film or possibly an HBO series. It was fun, the characters had very individual personalities and the story flowed smoothly. I think my only issue (and this might stem from my being new to the series) was that due to everyone's various nicknames, I sometimes forgot who was whom.
Other than that, this was a lot of fun and renewed my faith in sweet romance!

4/5--great book!

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