Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Book Tour for Wedding Date for Hire by Jennifer Shirk (Review & GIVEAWAY)


Readers who like sassy, fun, and flirty reads will find themselves drawn to this story of a love that starts out under fake circumstances but soon becomes more.  Keep reading to get a tantalizing taste of Wedding Date for Hire by Jennifer Shirk, along with my impressions of it, and learn even more about this book by visiting the other sites hosting this tour.  In honor of this book make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $25 bookstore GC too!

Maddie McCarthy is single, between jobs, and (oh, the shame) lives with her mother. To make matters worse, she's the maid of honor for her sister's wedding, and desperately needs a date. Then she sees her salvation—Match Made Easy, a service for women in Maddie’s exact position. If she can't find a boyfriend, she'll do the next best thing...
Hire one.
Trent Montgomery isn't actually part of Match Made Easy. He's just doing a favor for his cousin, but one look at the blonde who hired him, and he's totally hooked. Now Maddie thinks that the attraction sizzling between them is just “part of the package.” And Trent is running out of time to prove to her that her date-for-hire might just be her happily-ever-after...

EXCERPT:

Maddie ignored his question, planting both fists on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Helping you."
"You mean helping yourself," she spat.
"No, I mean helping you. Maddie, listen. You don't seem like the kind of woman who would call Match Made Easy on some whim. There must have been a pretty darn good reason. Or maybe even more than one. Start being honest with yourself, and don't let your pride about what happened in our past get in the way. I can help you with whatever that reason is in the present. If you let me."
Maddie looked down at her hands, wrung together in one giant knot of tension. He was right. This woman didn't just want simple company at this wedding. There was definitely more to it. But he had to remind himself that whatever the reason was, it wasn't his concern.
After several long moments, she finally conceded. "Okay," she breathed. "Fine. I really don't have a choice at this point. You're hired."
Yes! He couldn't wait to tell his cousin. Luckily for his self-respect, he had seen the end zone before and was able to school his expression into a perfect mask of impassiveness.
"Great," he said. "Let's go talk to Kennedy then." He started in that direction but after several steps, realized Maddie wasn't following.
When he glanced back, he saw Maddie no longer wore the troubled expression of a defeated woman desperate for a date. Instead, she'd taken on a warrior stance with those glossed lips of hers settled into a fine tight line. "Look, hot shot, Sabrina may think that we're a couple, but my family can spot bad acting faster than Roger Ebert at a B-movie festival, so you better be convincing."
He advanced another step and had the satisfaction of seeing her lose a little of that tough-act bravado. "I can be very convincing," he assured her in a voice several octaves deeper than he intended.
"Well…all right then." She bit her lip. "I'm paying a lot for you so I don't want there to be any mistakes."
Trent managed to drag his eyes away from that shiny mouth of hers and grinned. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I guarantee I'll be worth every penny."

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON  |  BN

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

Readers who like their romances with a bit of sass and sweetness will find this quick read a delightful romp where the past collides with the present in a relationship that may start out as fake but soon becomes more.  Stereotypes, preconceived notions, and familial influences all seek to conspire against the HEA between two very different people who are both cynical when it comes to love which had me rooting for them every step of the way in their burgeoning relationship.

Maddie's life couldn't be any worse as she's just lost her job and been dumped by her cheating ex-boyfriend, but it does get worse as she's forced into attending a family wedding where her ex is the best man.  Tired of her family's mockery over a curse regarding never finding love for her being the eldest daughter, and for her perpetual Old Maid status, she does the only thing she can do and hires a date.  The date in question though leads to even more drama as he's the boy she once had a crush on and who mocked her as well.  As they spend time together they'll discover how much they've changed and how much they've grown and if they can put their pasts behind them they just might make a future together.  Maddie was a likable character, a bit hardened to life and emotionally bruised, who gave off a "don't mess with me" vibe.  She was strong-willed, sassy, and always witty with her banter and I enjoyed her crackling interactions with Trent.

Trent's life is vastly different from his youth, but his cynicism when it comes to love remains.  Brought up in a family of wealth he wanted for nothing but affection from his parents.  The only time they valued him was when he was making them look good.  His success in football earned their love but after leaving the sport due to recurring injuries he's once again on his own with only his cousin to count on.  His dedication to her puts him into contact with the girl who could've been more to him if he just took the chance.  He's getting the chance now though as he becomes her date for a wedding that will change both of their lives irrevocably.  Trent is a delightful hero in every sense of the word, charming and honest.  He's loyal and giving to those few he cares for, not at all the proverbial rich boy as he's made a life for himself independent of his family name.  The moment he and Maddie meet it's electric, with witty and snarky banter.  Their connection is sensually charged which made their time together even more crackling.  He didn't count on finding love but he was smart enough not to let it get away again.

This was a quick read, fun and flirty, with likable characters.  Though I like my romances to be steamy I was okay with the sweet and sensual tone of this as it was all about the connection of these two lost souls when it came to finding love.  Far too often they were left betrayed by the notion of love but together they find mutual acceptance and support in a charming and heartwarming story. This was my first time reading this author but it won't be my last as she's crafted an entertaining and humorous tale with a chick-lit vibe.

My rating for this is a B+

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

AUTHOR INFO:

Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.
She writes sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Samhain Publishing, Amazon/Montlake Romance, and now Entangled Publishing.
Lately she's been on a serious exercise kick. But don't hold that against her.

GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE:  https://www.goodreads.com/jennifershirk
NEWSLETTER:  eepurl.com/Q6TH1  

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

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