Book Tour for Intoxicated by Jeana E. Mann (Review & GIVEAWAY)

When a good girl decides to go bad it makes for one heckuva sexy journey in Intoxicated by Jeana E. Mann.  Keep reading to get a tantalizing taste of this story, along with my impressions of it, and learn even more about it by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour.  You'll also learn from Ms. Mann herself on why readers love bad boys.  Make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $40 Amazon GC too!

Why do readers love bad boys?
Nothing makes a romance novel hot like a bad boy. The badder, the better in my opinion. Bad boys are taboo – everything that our daddies warned us against, and that makes them all the more appealing.  The best bad boys are handsome, reckless, and a little bit heartless where anything or anyone but their heroines are concerned. Sometimes they ride motorcycles and sport tattoos. Other times they wear a business suit and spend their time making millions. No matter what their profession, they are always appealing.
As a reader, I think bad boys make great romantic leads because they have so far to travel in their character development. It is interesting to discover all the events that drive the bad boy to mend his evil bad boy ways. When a bad boy shows tenderness for his love interest, my heart beats a little faster. When he has to choose between his old life and a new life with his girl, I suffer through the decision with him. And that’s what makes a bad boy great. If the author has done a good job with the story, the reader will feel all of the bad boy’s pain and indecision as he becomes more human and vulnerable.
Some of my favorite bad boys are Rhett Butler from Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell), Ghost from Leave Me Breathless (Cherrie Lynn), and most recently Nate from Before Jamaica Lane (Samantha Young). All of these bad boys are flawed but have a vulnerability and tenderness that melts my heart. Who is your favorite bad boy?

Love is intoxicating, but the hangover can be agony...
Conservative, straight-laced Ally Taylor has the perfect life – successful fiancé, beautiful home, great career – until she catches her fiancé and best friend in bed. Desperate to shake off the sting of rejection, Ally heads to Felony, a notorious heavy metal club on the bad side of town. Even more dangerous than the bar is Jack Jameson, the hunky alpha male bartender whose smoldering dark eyes and dimpled smile turns her common sense to mush and her knees to noodles. After eight long years in a failed romance, the last thing Ally wants is to hook up with someone like Jack, but she can’t help wondering if he’s really as good in bed as his reputation suggests.
Jack Jameson has had his eye on Ally for months, drawn to her smart mouth and tightly wound self-control. When Jack finds Ally sitting on a barstool in his club, heartbroken and miserable, he’s more than happy to offer a little heat between the sheets to distract her. Too bad Ally’s not interested in his “hit-it-and-quit-it” philosophy. If only Jack could convince Ally that he’s tired of the endless parade of girls through his bedroom, she might see him in a different light.
When Jack and Ally get together, everything goes wrong and it’s more than either of them bargained for. Ally’s got serious trust issues and a need for control that makes Jack crazy. Jack’s got more baggage than an airline carousel; the constant stream of women from his past stirs up all of Ally’s insecurities. Can Ally overlook Jack’s womanizing past and learn to trust him? Will Jack be able to commit to just one woman or will a secret from his past ruin everything?

EXCERPT:

Her cell phone rang and like an automaton, she answered it.  
“Popsicle?” The voice on the other end of the call was deep and masculine, slightly rough, like gravel underneath silk.
“Jack?” Dismay gave way to pleasure at the sound of his voice, followed by a fluttering between her legs.
He chuckled, the sound warming her numb body. “Hi, baby. I missed having lunch with you today.”
“Look –– it’s really not a good time, Jack.”
“Why not?” He paused and she could picture the unlit cigarette dangling from his lips as he spoke, a gleam in his dark eyes. “What are you doing?”
Oh, hell, she thought. Why fight it? She felt like a salmon swimming upstream only to be pushed back time and time again. The strength to resist had ebbed away with her latest disappointment.  
“Uh, well, I’m sitting in a parking garage staring at the wall.”
“Bad day, baby?” His voice lowered to a caress that raised goose bumps on her arms. For some reason, the compassion in his voice brought tears to her eyes.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m having a bad day.”
“Come and see me,” he said. “I can make you forget all about it.” Like a lamb being lured to slaughter, she was powerless to resist him when he spoke in that tone.
“I’m not sure you can,” she replied as she traced the curve of the steering wheel with a finger.
“Such a pessimist. Come and see me,” he repeated, his voice turned seductive. “And take your panties off before you get here.”

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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

I love when a debut author jumps right out of the gate with such a memorable and entertaining story as Intoxicated is by Ms. Mann.  From start to finish I found myself fully immersed in the main character's sweet and sexy relationship, the immensely likable hero's friend, and the intense emotional baggage both of the lead characters carry that makes them easy to relate to.  In fact, I'm already anticipating the next installment in this series and I just finished this one!

From an early age Ally has always felt lacking.  From her average size to her serious nature she's always tried to be the good girl so that she'll be successful in someone's eyes.  After discovering her fiancée of eight years cheating on her she decides she's had enough of being good as it's left her nothing but lonely with self-esteem issues brought on by her recent ex.  Taking a walk on the wild side leads her to the grungy bar Felony and the super sexy and charming bad boy Jack.  From the moment they meet the sexual tension between them crackles and a fun-filled and sexy journey commences where he teaches her to enjoy life instead of hiding from it.  It's not an easy journey though as his past is full of emotional clutter and her self-esteem issues have her doubting Jack's every word and deed.  Ally is a strong-willed woman wound very tightly and I enjoyed Jack's attempts at getting her to lighten up.  She's charmed by him but not naive of his past of one-night stands.  I enjoyed seeing her evolution of empowerment at the hands of Jack but wish she hadn't been so forgiving of her mother's early acts as they set Ally on her path of low self-esteem.

Jack is the kind of man you can't help but be drawn to despite his lack of commitment.  He's sexy, charming, and tells it like it is.  Until recently he's been content with his one-night stands but now his life feels lacking and he's tired of meaningless encounters with women who offer no challenge.  Seeing Ally pushes all his buttons though and he makes it his mission to claim her and show her all the pleasures of life.  He's drawn to her as she makes him work to spend time with her, he's drawn to her honesty and her inner strength and the journey he undertakes to win her is both sweet and sexy.  He says all the naughty things she longs to her which had me enjoying their interludes immensely.  He has emotional baggage too though and a past of drugs and a manipulative ex who constantly invades his life stirring up trouble manipulating him for money and attempting to drag him back into the past.  With such a confident nature I hated seeing him manipulated by his ex and found her presence a huge intrusion.  Ultimately Jack is a good man at heart who's finally matured and knows that he wants someone of substance and his interactions with Ally were a delight to see.

This was an entertaining start to the Felony series revolving around a grungy bar and the people who work there.  This story nicely balanced the romance and intense emotions to allow for character growth.  The sexual interludes were flirty and sexy both in and out of the bedroom to satisfy fans of the erotic.  One or two events felt a bit disjointed amongst the overall storyline and felt a bit overly melodramatic late in the story but the connection between Jack and Ally kept me fully immersed in the story.  With the glimpses we got of Jack's friend Randy I'm greatly anticipating the next installment as his gruff yet sexy exterior completely won me over.  Those looking for a story of decadent delights will find themselves intoxicated by Ms. Mann's series starter.

My rating for this is a B+

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

AUTHOR INFO:

Jeana Mann is the author of sizzling hot contemporary romance. Her debut release Intoxicated was a First Place Winner of the 2013 Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest and a finalist for the 2014 Carolyn Readers Choice Award.
Jeana was born and raised in Indiana where she lives today with her two crazy rat terriers Mildred and Mabel. She graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Speech and Hearing, something totally unrelated to writing. When she’s not busy dreaming up steamy romance novels, she loves to travel anywhere and everywhere. Over the years she climbed the ruins of Chichen Iza in Mexico, snorkeled along the shores of Hawaii, sailed around Jamaica, ate gelato on the steps of the Pantheon in Rome, and explored the ancient city of Pompeii. More important than the places she’s been are the people she has met along the way.
Be sure to connect with Jeana on Facebook or follow along on Twitter for the latest news regarding her upcoming releases.

WEBSITE:  http://JeanaEMann.net
FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/JeanaEMann
TWITTER:   https://twitter.com/JeanaEMann (@JeanaEMann)
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:  http://www.amazon.com/Jeana-E.-Mann

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