Blog Tour: All of Me by Jennifer Bernard (Promo, Excerpt, Review, Giveaway)
Good morning, readers! Today on the blog, we’ve got a tour stop for the contemporary romance All of Me by Jennifer Bernard that released on May 26th, 2015. All of Me is the first book in Jennifer’s new A Love Between the Bases series and features hotshot baseball pitcher, Caleb Hart, and the woman hired to change the ball team’s image, Sadie Merritt.
In addition to the book’s back cover blurb, we’ll also be featuring a few image teasers with dialogue from the book, as well as a tasty book excerpt, our book review and rating, and a link to a tour-wide giveaway for A Touch by Alyssa Milano Texas Rangers Women’s Addison Slim Fit V-Neck Burnout T-Shirt in Royal Blue (Winner will choose size/US ONLY). You won’t want to miss it.
Author: Jennifer Bernard
Publisher: Avon Romance
Page Count: 384 pages
Format: E-Arc
Source: Publisher
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: A Love Between The Bases
Heat Level: Hot & Sizzling
Release Date: 5/26/2015
Jennifer Bernard, the USA Today bestselling author of the Bachelor Firemen series, scores another homerun with a brand-new series about sexy, single baseball players.
Playing for the Kilby Catfish is hotshot pitcher Caleb Hart’s last chance to salvage his career after a major league meltdown. But the day of his opener with the minor league team, Caleb strikes out with the gorgeous woman who is delivering a petition to run the unruly Catfish out of town. Now to stay in the lineup, Caleb will need to score big with the feisty brunette he can’t keep out of his thoughts.
After the nasty lies Sadie Merritt’s rich ex-boyfriend spread about her all over town, she’s lucky to have a job at all. She can’t afford to screw it up by falling for the player who is supposed to be helping her change the image of the fun-loving Catfish. But that’s easier said than done when Caleb’s voice alone is enough to make her pulse race. And when he surprises her with a mind-blowing kiss, she knows there’s no turning back.
Jennifer Bernard is the USA Today bestselling author of the Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriels series. She is a graduate of Harvard and a former news promo producer. The child of academics, she confounded her family by preferring romance novels to … well, any other books. She left big city life for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She’s no stranger to book success, as she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name not to be mentioned at family gatherings.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Read on for book teasers, an excerpt, a review and rating, and a link to a fantastic tour-wide giveaway.
From All of Me by Jennifer Bernard:
Caleb made her lose her head, plain and simple.
Sadie rested her forehead against his chest, amazed all over again by the firmness of his toughened muscles. The heat of his body contrasted with the cool water in the most heavenly way. “Maybe I didn’t think this all the way through.”
“Are you telling me a dumb baseball player got the better of a brilliant future law student? Nah.” He bent his head so he could nuzzle her hair. “You smell nice. Like water lilies.”
She smelled hot man, mixed with lake water and sun-baked mesquite. Somehow they’d drifted away from the gravelly edge, so the stench of mud wasn’t as prominent. She felt so dreamy and secure, held tight in Caleb’s arms as they floated aimlessly in the lake. He grinned down at her, the light reflected off the lake water turning his eyes a soft, clear blue. Sun glinted in his hair, spangled with crystal drops of water. He really was a remarkably beautiful man. Everything seemed to still while she soaked in the details of his powerful physique, his rawboned handsomeness, the flash of vulnerability in his eyes.
She could really lose herself in him. Completely and utterly. Never before had she felt anything close to that.
“Dream on,” she told him, and flipped out of his arms. She dove under the surface, letting the slide of water through her hair and across her body wash away the effects of that alarming moment.
She’d always loved to swim, and it took only a few moments to put distance between herself and Caleb. But he wasn’t a professional athlete for nothing, and within moments he was splashing in her wake.
Shrieking with breathless laughter, she flung herself backward, as if onto a watery couch. He grabbed an ankle, and she flipped to her stomach, kicking hard. But it was no use; she felt herself being inexorably pulled toward him, his wonderfully big hands reeling her in.
And then there she was, snuggled against his chest again. It rose and fell with his rapid breaths. “There, that’s better,” he said with satisfaction, the words rumbling against her ear. “I kinda like this whole fishing thing.”
“No fair, I got distracted,” she protested, turning her body in the circle of his arms so she could see his face. Water streamed from his hair, down his neck to his wide shoulders. His eyelashes clung together, so his eyes looked bluer than ever. “I’d forgotten how much I love swimming in this lake.”
“It’s starting to grow on me too. Or at least something is.”
She giggled, and then, as a grin split his face, started laughing. As he watched her something shifted in his expression. His goofy smile vanished, replaced by an intent, hungry look. His head lowered, eyes glittering. The rest of the world receded, so only his face remained, coming closer and closer to hers, his mouth reaching for her …
Oh wow. He was going to kiss her.
And then he was kissing her. His lips burned against hers, sending pure shock throughout her body. Kisses didn’t feel like that. They didn’t turn your lips to fire, they didn’t liquefy your lungs so you could barely breathe. They didn’t make you dizzy.
She pulled away with a gasp, still in his embrace, their faces close enough so she felt his quickened breathing. Caleb looked just as stunned as she felt, his eyes gone dark and gray as a hurricane. For a long moment the two of them just stared at each other, poised on the edge of the unknown. Water lapped against her hips, and a breath of air kissed her shoulder. Everywhere her body touched Caleb’s, heat seared.
And then they were on each other again. He seemed to consume her, exploring her mouth with long sweeps of his tongue that left sparkling trails of heat in their wake. He tasted so wonderful, like summer days, like fireflies and bicycling down dusty back roads, like every time she’d laid on her back in a meadow and dreamed about the future.
Little whimpers rose from her throat. She pulled her mouth from his, her cheek brushing across his stubbly chin, its roughness sending more shocks through her. His grip loosened and she slid down his body until she stood on the lake bottom, pressed against him from head to toe. The huge bulge in his briefs made her feel a little faint.
“Sweet Jesus,” he whispered as she nibbled on his jaw. She couldn’t help it; she wanted to eat him up. “You’re making me crazy. We can’t do this here.”
“Shh.” She didn’t want to talk. She wanted this all-consuming, crazy conflagration that she’d never even imagined before. Tugging at his shoulders, she rose on tiptoe, brushing her lips against his again. With a heartfelt groan, he gave in.
*ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review *
All of Me is a good, solid, romance read. Both lead characters are searching for a second chance and doing all they can to avoid making another mistake that could cost them their dreams. They both have a lot going on in this story, both professionally and personally, and those things made them both the worst people in the world for each other and the best. They understand each other in a way no one else in their lives quite can, and yet, even as they realize that, they also know that their being together could be bad for them both.
After a rough game in the major leagues, Caleb Hart has been traded to the Kilby Catfish, a minor league baseball team with a reputation for rowdy behavior. When a petition to get the team to clean up its act or find another town is brought to the team manager’s attention, newbie Caleb is tasked with dealing with it…and with the mayor’s beautiful, somewhat reserved, and a little bit feisty assistant, Sadie Merritt.
Sadie is doing everything she can to repair her reputation after a humiliating, mortifying breakup with her ex-boyfriend, son of the wealthiest family in town. The last thing she needs is to screw up her newest assignment, or worse, allow herself to be distracted by the Catfish’s gorgeous hotshot pitcher and unintentionally be drawn into yet another scandal she didn’t ask to be in. She might be attracted to Caleb, but she can’t allow herself to fall for him. Because she knows where a decision like that can lead, and she’s still not done picking up the pieces from the last time she let herself trust in someone. A man just as charming, just as wealthy as Caleb.
I really liked this story. I loved the overall theme, and I really enjoyed learning more and more about Caleb and Sadie, and going on their story journey with them. They were fun, and I truly felt for both of them. They’ve both been lied to, though in different ways, and have had to struggle to pull themselves together because of it. That’s not an easy thing to do, and the author does a great job of showing that in this book. She does a great job of showing the inner strength both characters have, despite their own doubts and personal frustrations.
If you like your romance with angst, depth, and real-life personal dilemmas, All of Me is a great book to read. It’s all about learning how to pick up the pieces after an unexpected and painful life lesson, learning how to trust in someone and in yourself again, and finding the courage to put yourself back out there to live, laugh, and love again. To be accepted for exactly who you are, and to find the strength within to stand up, not just for yourself but for those you care about, too. To fight for what’s right even when it isn’t easy and could have dire consequences for you in the end. Such a great life lesson to learn, and a very good reason to pick up this book. Because life does tend to get messy, and All of Me is all about doing what it takes to make it through to the other side…
Amazon | B& N | BAM | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads
This a tour-Wide giveaway for:
A Touch by Alyssa Milano Texas Rangers Women’s Addison Slim Fit V-Neck Burnout T-Shirt in Royal Blue
(Winner will choose size/US ONLY)
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway here!
This blog tour is ran by the fantastic:
May 18th- Ramblings from This Chick– Int/P
(Stop 2) My Book Snack– Rev/GP
May 19th- Lush Book Reviews– Rev/P
(Stop 2) Urban Girl Reader– P/Exc
May 20th- Written Love Reviews– P/Exc
(Stop 2) Christine’s Words- Promo
(Stop 3) All Romance Reader– Rev/P
May 21st- Life with Two Boys– Rev/P
May 22nd- Mignon Mykel Reviews: Rev/Exc
(Stop 2) We’re Jumpin Books– P/Exc
May 25th- Unwrapping Romance– P/Rev
(Stop 2) Born to Read Books- Rev/P
May 26th- Crystal Blogs Books– GP
(Stop 2) What I’m Reading- Rev/P
(Stop 3) Wicked Reads– Rev/Exc
(Stop 4) Harlequin Junkie– Spotlight
May 27th- To Each Their Own Reviews– Rev/Exc
(Stop 2) The Smutty Kitty- Rev/P
(Stop 3) Lady Muslin Myst’s Mysterious Hodgepodge– P/Exc
May 28th- Kawehi’s Book Blog- Rev/P
(Stop 2) Sizzling Pages Romance Reviews– Rev/Exc
May 29th- SiK Reviews- Rev/P
(Stop 2) Love.Life.Read- Rev/P
May 30th- Unbound Passion- Rev/P
June 1st- The Book Tart– Rev/P
(Stop 2) Books N Pearls- Rev/P
(Stop 3) Okie Dreams Book Reviews- Rev/P/Exc
June 2nd- The Many Faces of Romance– P/Rev
June 3rd- Manga Maniac Cafe– GP/Exc/P
June 4th- Book Reviews and More by Kathy-P/Exc
(Stop 2) Pretty Sassy Cool- Rev/Exc
June 5th- Pretty Girls Read Books– Rev/P
June 8th- Jen’s Reading Obsession- P/Rev/Exc
June 9th- My Book Addiction and More– Int/P
(Stop 2) Karen’s Killer Book Bench- P/Exc
(Stop 3) Roberta’s Dreamworld– Int/P
(Stop 4) Books Need TLC– Rev/P
June 10th- Cat’s Reviews– Rev/Exc
(Stop 2) Travels N Reads– P/Exc
June 11th- The Sassy Bookster- Rev/P
June 12th- Storm Goddess Book Reviews– Rev/P
(Stop 2) Fic Central– Rev/P
This sounds like a great summer read! Thanks for sharing everything with us!
Thank you for hosting ALL OF ME!