Book Tour for More Than This by Shannyn Schroeder (Review & GIVEAWAY)

I love running across a story where the characters are ones you can easily relate to who you can picture as being a friend.  There's a sense of family that gives you a fuzzy feeling while reading this and that's why I'm happy to bring it to you today.  Ms. Schroeder is here today talking about opposite's attracting as well as hosting a unique giveaway.  So get reading and commenting......

I have always loved a great opposites attract story. They draw people in for so many reasons.

First of all, opposites will have passion. Sparks fly when you force two people who are vastly different to be together. Sometimes those sparks are good, and sometimes they can be scary, but they’re never boring.

Part of the reason for the sparks is that I think each person recognizes that the other has something within them that they themselves are missing. No one likes to think of themselves as incomplete, and I certainly don’t mean to imply that you need to find your opposite to be complete. But the being attracted to our opposite happens because that person has something we don’t. Maybe we want to poke at it, maybe we want to understand it, or maybe we try unsuccessfully to ignore it, but it’s there.

Although the two people are opposites, the only way a relationship can really work is if their foundational beliefs match. Watching two people peel away the layers and toss aside the baggage they carry is fascinating because when they get to the bottom, they discover they’re not really all that different.

If two people are very similar, they can easily fall in love and have a long life together, but I believe that it will become predictable quickly. If you love someone who is like you, you know how he or she will react to a situation. There will be few surprises. And for some people, that’s exactly what they want and need out of life.

When you’re with someone who is your opposite, there’s always a bit of mystery. You can’t assume they would make a decision opposite yours because like I said, on a deep level, you have similarities. But it’s the surface stuff that keeps us guessing.

And drives us a little crazy.

Can you tell I married my opposite? We’ve been married for 17 years and there are things he does daily that makes me bonkers. After so many years, I should be used to it, right? Although we know each other well enough to understand each other, it’s never boring.

I think the last thing that makes me enjoy an opposites attract story is that the people tend to balance each other. My husband, for instance, is a very impulsive guy. He’s the one who’s 20 feet in the air and then says, “Maybe I should’ve looked…” I’m a planner. I set goals and take the necessary steps to achieve them. Over the years, we’ve rubbed off on each other. Now, he plans and worries about the future and he’s taught me that it’s okay to take risks. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t be published.

What do you like best about opposites falling in love?

When a lonely teacher teams up with a handsome bartender for some outrageous acts, they both get more than they bargained for…

Learning her ex-husband is going to be a father, Quinn Adams is determined to have a baby of her own—without the partnership of a man. But her sister and friends believe she needs to focus on herself first, and step out of her comfort zone by completing a list of adventures. Challenge number one is to go on five dates within two weeks. After a few disastrous attempts, Quinn’s ready to give up—until sexy bartender Ryan O’Leary offers his assistance.

Ryan has always been the dependable one in his family, often at his expense. But lately, he’s been longing for a life—and a woman—of his own. The woman he has in mind is Quinn. Though it seems all she wants is friendship, Ryan can’t ignore the explosive chemistry he feels between them. In the hopes of becoming closer, Ryan offers to help out with Quinn’s list. But when she asks him for a serious favor, he’s afraid it will jeopardize his chance to become more than friends.

EXCERPT:

“What’s up? Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“It’s only been a week.”
“I’ve gotten used to you stopping by more often.”
“I’ve been working. The end of the year is a busy time.” This was the third time she’d seen him since the kiss, and he’d said nothing.
“What’s this?” He tapped her calendar.
I guess we’re still ignoring the kiss. “I’m trying to choose the best day to play hooky.”
Ryan’s laughter rose above the noise of the milling crowd. “You need more help than I thought. Sweetheart, a hooky day isn’t something you plan. You just do it. You don’t think about work. The day is supposed to be fun.”
Quinn groaned and thumped her head on the table. “I can’t do that.”
“Didn’t you ever cut class?”
Quinn raised her head. “No. Perfect attendance all four years. Eight if you count college.”
His crinkly-eyed smile returned. “Oddly, I’m not surprised by that fact. If you’re not comfortable with it, why are you doing it?”
“Remember the list Indy and Kate created for me last week?” You know, the night you kissed me senseless one minute and moved on to a bimbo the next?
He nodded and she continued, “The first item on the list is to play hooky.”
“Playing hooky should not be stressful. Everyone does it. Lighten up. Pick a day and have fun. Your students will survive without you. Most of them have played hooky and can appreciate it.”
She slammed her calendar shut. “Okay. Monday it is, then.”
He shook his head again. “Not quite spur of the moment.”
“Hey, I’m a work in progress.”

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THE BOOK:

From the moment I started reading this book I found myself becoming fully immersed in the back-and-forth relationship between Quinn and Ryan.  There was much to like about them as well as the friends and family surrounding them and I was sad when this heartwarmingly sexy story came to its abrupt conclusion.

Quinn is a character I could easily relate to.  She's quiet and reliable but after her divorce realizes that life is passing her by and that she'll soon end up alone.  Her friends see this too and goad her into making a list of five life altering events she must perform.  What ensues is a series of sadly humorous outcomes.  Even though these outcomes made me chuckle I couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards Quinn.  She didn't let this get her down though and kept trudging forward.  Luckily, bartender Ryan offers his services to get through her list.  Ryan is the perfect match for her on many levels. He too is reliable and loyal to his family.  He's also sexy, charming, with a sly sense of humor that keeps Quinn smiling.  Their relationship evolves slowly allowing for a slow-burn build-up of sexual tension that permeated every page.  It's both satisfying and frustrating the constant back and forth labeling of friend or lover.  Seeing how good they are together, how supportive they are of one another had me screaming at them to just "GET IT ON".

These two are extremely likable and react to realistic life issues in a believable way that had me fully invested in their outcome.  Surrounding them are a cast of equally likable secondary characters that enhanced that family feel I felt the moment Quinn and her friends came on the scene.  This was a nicely flowing story with a sweet yet sexy romance involving two characters I was rooting for every step of the way.  The ending was a bit abrupt and at times I wanted to shake the protagonists to get them to see what a great HEA they could have together but overall I enjoyed More Than This more than I thought I would.

My rating for this is a B+

*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

Shannyn Schroeder is a former English teacher, who now works as a part-time editor while raising her three kids.
Even though she wrote from high school through college (mostly poetry), she’d never considered a career as an author. Writing fell by the wayside as she focused her energy on creating lesson plans and new and fabulous ways to torment her teen students. One group in particular dubbed her “The Torture Master,” a title she carried into motherhood.
After the birth of baby number two, Shannyn resigned from teaching and fell in love with reading romance novels. She read so many books so quickly that her husband teased, “If you’re going to read so many damn books, why don’t you just write one?”
So she did.
That first book is safely buried on her hard drive, but the process set Shannyn on the path to professional author. She came to reading romance later than many, but lives for the happy ending because real life can be depressing. She writes contemporary romance because she enjoys the adventure of new love.
In her spare time, she loves to bake cookies and watches far too much TV, especially cop shows. She is recovering from her Diet Coke addiction, fears putting her foot in her mouth on social media, and has a renewed appreciation for the bad girls of the world.

Web site: http://www.ShannynSchroeder.com

Twitter: @SSchroeder_

**********GIVEAWAY**********

Shannyn will be awarding a 15" x 12" Pampered Chef flat baking stone (similar to the one her heroine uses) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US only).  She'll be awarding a Keeper Kase (to keep your autographed book cover flats in) with an autographed cover flat from "More Than This" to one commenter at every stop (US only).

-Giveaway is OPEN TO US ONLY.

-To be entered, leave a comment, along with your email addy.

-Winners will be chosen randomly from all comments made throughout the tour, so the more you comment the greater your chances of winning.  A list of all participating blogs can be found here.

-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 1/11/13.