Blog Tour and Giveaway: Working It: Kendall Ryan
Working It (Love By Design #1)Kendall Ryan
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A story of heart-stopping, toe-curling passion by the beloved bestselling author of Hard to Love, Resisting Her, and The Impact of You.
Straight-laced and well-mannered southerner Emmy Clarke is out of her depth in New York City’s fashion world, but when she lands a job as an assistant at a modeling agency it seems like the perfect mix of business and pleasure. Working under the notoriously tyrannical Fiona Stone is a nightmare, but there’s one distinct perk: ogling the ridiculously hot male models who parade through the office—particularly rising star Ben Shaw.
Ben is everything Emmy’s not: exquisitely gorgeous, highly paid, and well-traveled. He’s also got more issues than Vogue. Emmy looks after Ben on photo shoots, but she refuses to become another one of his lusting groupies. Ben finds Emmy’s refreshingly real attitude to be surprisingly attractive.
Against a backdrop of the most fashionable cities in the world, casual flirting turns into an illicit affair, but when Ben’s twisted past is revealed, and the bitter Fiona catches wind of their relationship, their careers and hearts are threatened.
Excerpt:
The photographer only prompted Ben very little. He knew how to move on camera, holding each pose for a few clicks, then turning, tilting his jaw just slightly, pouting his mouth, placing his hands on his hips, in his hair. He knew how to work the camera. The one thing that remained constant despite his movements was his intense stare, looking straight into the camera. Those dark hazel eyes burning so brilliantly. A shiver raced up my spine remembering how dark and hungry his eyes looked when he rubbed the toy against my panties last night.
The photographer clicked away, in obvious joy at getting to work with such a talent. “Chin up,” he directed. “Beautiful.” Click, click. “Relax your shoulders.” Click. “Stunning. Just like that.” Click, click.
The ads for the designer denim jeans hugging Ben in all the right places would be on billboards and in magazines that fall. I felt like a cool kid that I got to sneak a peak of the behind the scenes action.
“Great, now look off camera. Pick something to focus on,” the photographer told Ben.
His eyes found mine.
“Good, stay there,” the photographer said.
Ben’s pouty lips parted and his gaze slipped lower, settling over my chest. His jaw twitched. Desire raced through my system. My breasts felt so full and heavy, they practically throbbed for his touch.
Every tilt of his jaw, each flex of his arms felt sexual to me, a silent beckoning me with his eyes. I suppressed a hot shiver. The things he could do to my body without laying a finger on me scared me. This man was devastating to my system.
“Smoldering!” the photographer called out, continuing to click away.
If he only knew…my panties were about to ignite. Honest to God, I was a fire hazard. Ben needed to stop looking at me like that. His eyes wandered the length of my body, and I lost any interest I had in keeping us apart. My body wanted this too bad. Craved it. Like a junkie needing a fix.
A male model, a dragon lady, and her sweet, awkward assistant....and a three month trip to Paris.
Emmy is thrust into the world of high fashion modeling and meets Ben Shaw, one of the top male models for the agency she works for. A little texting where it is easier to be bold and a little flirtation leads to a connection and chemistry that is hard to deny. Ben has never been liked for himself or taken care of. He has never felt any real love. He makes her feet beautiful. She gave him real and normal. She cals his anxiety and helps him relax and sleep. He makes her feel and want. It was all unexpected and confusing for them both. And her boss and his agent Fiona Stone is possessive over Ben and that has the potential to cause a whole lot of trouble.
There are situations that bring clarity and other that being heart beak. Their little bubble of happiness lives under the constant threat of bursting.
Ben was totally drool-worthy: sexy model good looks, alpha personality, but with a broken little boy vulnerability as well. He was so used to not feeling anything or being attached that Emmy blindsided him. She brought out different needs in him that were both scary and dangerous, and also made him feel. But he's not perfect and neither is his past or his life. I wanted to hug him at times and smack him at others. He did not always make the right decisions and at times did not really understand what he wanted. But he was still quite a swoonworthy guy.
Emmy was initially shy and bumbling, but found her inner vixen and sassiness. I liked that she could play off of Ben and keep him on edge, but at the same time she was nurturing, caring, and loved taking care of him like he so desperately needed. She was not weak, but still had insecurities.
Their chemistry was intense and passionate. Their rapport was fun and flirty. I liked that they talked, shared, and learned about each other as well. Sure there were still some secrets, but they really were not his to tell. Ben really was a good guy that had a checkered past, lived in the fast lane, and was held back by various issues. But he was deeper than he even believed himself to be. And Emmy was not a casual type of girl.
A male super model and a simple country girl... From New York, to Paris, to Milan, to Tennessee and into the world of high fashion modeling. This was an engaging fast paced read. The characters had depth and were truly likable. Kendall Ryan pulls you into this glamorous competitive world, but interjects real people with needs, issues, fears, hope, and desires. I enjoyed the fact that we intermittently got Ben's point of view and could see his thoughts and feelings swirling around. It was kind of risky starting the prologue in the present and giving away some of the story line, and then returning to the past, but it grabbed me from the first page.
Fiona was a top notch antagonist playing both sides and fully immersing herself into Ben and Emmy's personal and professional lives. She was obnoxious, intrusive, controlling, needy, and desperate. I loved his hot and flirty model friend Braydon. Oh my...his presence just added more steaminess and surprises. And her friend Ellie was awesome providing humor and much needed counsel. I look forward to their stories in the third book All or Nothing. This story came to a fairly satisfying conclusion, but they have more to face in the future. The next book will be Craving Him and will continue their story.
Thanks to Kendall Ryan, Atria Books, Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Kendall Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of
the contemporary romance novels HARD TO LOVE, UNRAVEL ME, MAKE ME YOURS, RESISTING
HER and THE IMPACT OF YOU. She's a sassy, yet polite Midwestern gal with
a deep love of books, and a slight addiction to lipgloss. Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the
latest books news.
Giveaway:
Kendall is giving away:
·
Ebook copy of Working It
·
Signed
copy of Hard to Love
·
$25
Amazon Gift Card
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