Monday, March 18, 2013

Book Tour for Through the Lens by K.M. Jackson (Review & GIVEAWAY)


Fans of romance novels featuring real heroines will dive right into this story set on a romantic and exotic island where where all your dreams can come true.  Keep reading to discover more about this entertaining read as well as signing up to win a gift card just by commenting. Please welcome K.M. Jackson........

Mika Walters is a normal woman working in the not so normal world of New York Fashion. As long time assistant to uber sexy photographer Alejandro Vargas she’s tired of being the girl in the background. Just once she wants Alejandro to look at her with the same smoldering look he gives to his willowy models and now she has her chance.
Stranded.
After a travel mishap where the rest of the crew and the models can’t make the remote location shoot for another three days Mika is taking her moment to catch Alejandro’s eye and put herself in front of Alejandro’s camera and if all goes to plan, his bed… at least until the real world catches up with them.
Alejandro doesn’t know what’s gotten into Mika maybe it’s the sand, maybe it’s the sun, but he doesn’t really care. All he knows is that he’s finally opened his eyes and is seeing her clearly for the first time as the smart, gorgeous and incredibly irresistible woman she is.
But why can’t she realize that what he’s feeling for her is not one of his usual one, well, three night stands? This is real. Real love, real passion. What’s it going to take for him to prove to Mika that she’s the woman he wants? Now and forever.

EXCERPT:

Ale picked up his camera again as if in a daze. It was his third eye, and Mika’s cocoa brown skin filled his lens in a blurry haze before her whole image came into clear view. He did a quick scan, clicking the shutter as the ferry picked up a bit of speed and the wind whipped around them.
Her short brown hair blew in the wind around her face, and the sun glistened on her dampened skin. He could see where some of the hairs clung to the curve of her long neck and around her delicate ear. Herthin white cotton top flapped behind her in the breeze, pressing against her chest, revealing the outline of a black bra underneath.
Ale sucked in a breath. Tightening his grip on his camera, his mind suddenly filled with the image of his hands caressing her pert breasts. Whoa, there. He blinked trying to get his thoughts back in aprofessional perspective. He looked to the horizon again, but unbidden his gaze drifted back to her. She was wearing short khaki shorts that were well-weathered and functional but hugged her curvy body in all the right places and showed off her legs to their fullest advantage. He wanted to reach out and run his hand up that leg from her sneaker to the inside of her thigh. Stop! What was going on here? This was Mika. His Mika. His easy, staid, dependable, and off limits Mika.

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

I enjoy romances set in the workplace and though this one wasn't perfect I found myself rooting for Mika every step of the way as I could see myself in her and found her easily relatable to all us "average" women.  Mix in romantic scenery with beautiful sunsets and romance can't help but flourish between two people with similarly messed-up romantic pasts.

Mika is a capable woman, good at her job, who has always been there when Alejandro needs her.  She's his right hand woman but would love to be more and with her time running out she decides to make a move. While Mika is capable when it comes to business she's a bit lost when it comes to relationships, especially after her recent break-up.  She wants to be the vixen but her low self esteem eats away at her role of seductress.  Luckily Alejandro is more than willing to keep their unexpected relationship going for as long as possible.  Ale is a ladies man who's still rather charming.  After a slew of superficial relationships with "perfect" women who only want him for what he can give them he's more than satisfied to be alone with Mika.  Their alone time results in numerous sexual interludes early in the story which are even more romantic because of the picturesque surroundings.  As Mika continues to distrust the feelings Ale shows her she must make the choice between continuing to live for the promise of love or the promise of a future career.

From the gorgeously depicted island scenery, to the world of high fashion, to the romance between two unlikely lovers yet likable people comes this satisfying story that ends up being an entertaining escapist read.  For a debut novel it shows great promise and I look forward to what Ms. Jackson has planned next.

My rating for this is a B.

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

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON   |   BN   |   ITUNES   |   KOBO


AUTHOR INFO:

K.M. Jackson is a writer of women’s fiction, and a former fashion designer. She lives in the suburbs of New York with her husband, boy/ girl twins and her precocious terrier named Jack who keeps her on her toes.
Website : http://kwana.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KmJacksonAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kwanawrites

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

K.M. will be awarding a 25.00 Amazon gift card to one tour commenter.

-To be entered, leave a comment, along with your email addy.
-A winner 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 3/22.

14 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your review! I've been wondering what everyone would be saying about this story and I'm glad you really liked Mika :)

    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

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  2. It does sound like a great debut to me. I'm looking forward to a wonderful read.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  3. Thanks for sharing! I'm all pumped for the book right now!!!

    -Kate-

    hense1kk@cmich.edu

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  4. Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today and for the review.

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    Replies
    1. Thank YOU for being here today and good luck with your debut!

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  5. Great review and excerpt, thank you.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  6. How many drafts did you make before the final novel?

    shadowrunner1987 at gmail dot com

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    Replies
    1. Good question. It was more than I can count and honestly, I could have added 2 on top of that to be happy. But really a writer is never all that ready to let go.

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  7. Thank you for the honest review! What is your favorite scene in the story?

    lyra.lucky7 AT gmail DOT com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lyra, their whole time on the island had such a fantasy feel that I found easy to get lost in. It was a well-written book with vivid imagery that, though nothing I haven't read before, was an entertaining way to spend the afternoon.

      The Scarf Princess

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  8. I really enjoyed the review. Not all of us are gorgeous and perfect.

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  9. Sounds wonderful! I am excited for this one!

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  10. Very nice excerpt

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete