Book Tour for A Good Time by Shannyn Schroeder (Review & GIVEAWAY)

We're starting the week off with an entertaining yet heartbreaking contemporary read, A Good Time by Shannon Schroeder.  Keep reading to get a glimpse of this book and make sure to leave a comment for your chance to win a gift card.

A passionate free spirit and a sweet-talking playboy sound like a match made in heaven—until life gets in the way of all the fun and games…

Indy Adams values her freedom above all else. She works hard to support herself, moonlighting as a waitress while she fights for her first big sale in the Chicago real estate market. The last thing she needs is to be tied down, so she doesn’t think twice about declining her philandering boyfriend’s marriage proposal. Besides, she just landed a new client, a wealthy lothario—exactly the kind of guy who would understand her no-strings approach…

Handsome, rich, and charitable, most women jump at the chance to even talk to video game developer Griffin Walker, let alone date him. So he can’t understand why Indy wants nothing more than a few steamy nights together. Despite his romantic track record, Griffin longs for real love—complete with a home and family—and he wants it with Indy. But a blessing in disguise may lead them both to a life they never expected, and give Griffin a chance to show Indy that it’s okay to want more than a good time…

EXCERPT:

“Why are you here?” she asked again.
“I rolled over in bed, expecting to find a warm naked body and found nothing. When you didn’t pop out of the bathroom, I went to look for you and found this.” He tossed her crumpled note on the kitchen table.
She shook her head to clear it. “You’re pissed because I borrowed a sweatshirt?” How petty was this guy? She stripped it off and threw it at him. He dropped it on the chair.
Indy moved to push past him, but he caught her arm.
“I’m pissed because you snuck out of my house. You just left.”
She yanked her arm back. “I didn’t see the point in waking you. What do you want, a big, fat thank you?”
He deserved at least that much. It had been some of the best damn sex she’d ever had. Not that she would admit it right now.
“I want to know why you left.”
She didn’t know how to answer. I don’t belong in your world? He wouldn’t buy it, even though it rang true. She took a deep breath, stared at the floor, and lied. “I can’t sleep in a strange place.”
She’d felt too comfortable in his bed and knew it was a bad thing. Sex was sex, but sleeping together changed things.
His voice softened. “You fell asleep before I did.”
She shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t try to bust her on her lie. He moved closer and ran a hand over her hair. She wanted nothing more than to snuggle her face into his hand, but held back.
“Fine. I thought you might want these back.” From his pocket he produced her panties.
She looked at her panties dangling from his finger. The tense moment passed and she smiled. “No bra?”
His eyes wandered to her chest and her hard nipples. “I didn’t know you left it.”
“I couldn’t find my panties or bra.”
“I’ll look for it.” He took a step closer and she backed into the wall. “Next time, I won’t let you off so easy.”
She tilted her chin up, her heart already racing. “Who says there will be a next time?”
“You,” he whispered against her lips and kissed her.

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

As the second book in the O'Leary family series we once again get to meet Indy Adams and Griffin Walker and their sexual chemistry is just as obvious as ever.  Their pasts weigh heavily on them though which makes their journey to a HEA rather rocky.  Deceit and interferences from other villainous characters work against them as well.  It'll take a lot of heartache and belief in one another for them to finally acheive the happiness these two damaged people deserve.

Indy has been caring for her sister ever since they were young.  She's put her sister's happiness ahead of her own every step of the way and even as an adult she doesn't think herself worthy of happiness.  Her relationship with a married man definitely doesn't make her happy even when he proposes marriage.  He's a thoroughly unlikable character and continues to make her life miserable even after she leaves him.  Indy's always been a carefree woman never fitting the mold others expect of her especially when it comes to a career.  She's started down many career paths but never settled on one.  Currently she's waitressing while selling houses and waiting for just the right customer whose commission will make her rich.

That customer is Griffin who's using his hunt for a house to get closer to Indy.  He's always been thought of as a womanizer but something about her calls to him.  Even though she might not be considered the right kind of woman he should be seen with he doesn't care and continues pushing himself into her life.  All he wants to do is take care of her as she's never allowed herself to be before.  Taking care of others is what he does best as he runs a charity that mentors teenagers.  Griffin's youth was less than ideal courtesy of a father who was a liar and a cheat and he does everything he can to be the exact opposite as a man.  He's sexy and charming and appreciates Indy exactly as she is, flighty nature and all.  He never forces her to be anything other than what makes her happy.  He never pushes her but is always there when she needs support.  He brings her into his life trying to make her see that they can have a long-term relationship even as she keeps pushing him away.

It's this constant push and pull, back and forth that exasperates me as the story progresses.  Indy's become so used to denying herself happiness that it feels like she's purposefully throwing up more roadblocks to keep them apart.  Outside interferences from other characters also get in the way and left me further frustrated as the bad never seemed to let up.  This story was definitely full of heartache but lacked in the steam department.  I normally prefer my romances hotter with this one being more lukewarm.  That's not to say that the sexual encounters weren't satisfying though, there just wasn't a whole lot of BANG for my buck.  While I liked Indy I found myself exasperated by her and wish she would've stood up for herself and her happiness more.  I was definitely more drawn to Griffin as his charming and caring nature completely won me over and I definitely wouldn't have debated as long as Indy about making a HEA with him.  Even though this is a sequel it can definitely be read on its own.  Ms. Schroeder set a nice pace within this story and I look forward to reading more of her works.

My rating for this is a B-/C+

*I received this book from the author and NetGalley 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 $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the combined set of tours (NBtM Tour).

-To be entered, leave a comment, ALONG WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDY.

-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 7/5.