Blog Tour and Giveaway: Search Me: Katie Ashley
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Twenty year old Lane Montgomery never imagined her usually boring summer in the boonies would require her to trade her toe shoes for hunting boots or her monotonous college textbooks for treasure map deciphering. Never would she have imagined after breaking her grandmother’s precious Native American statue, danger, a lost treasure of Cherokee Gold and a hostage situation would arise. Nor could she predict that the one man destined to protect her and her family was her childhood nemesis and former crush, Maddox Diaz.
Returning after three years in the Army, twenty-three year old Maddox Diaz is confronted with more than he bargained for when agreeing to help his childhood buddy and deepest regret, Lane. Suddenly he is thrust into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with armed and ruthless treasure seekers that results in car chases and gun battles all in the presence of the one girl who still manages to haunt his dreams and drive him wild with desire.
Lane is determined to deny the sizzling chemistry with the man who stole her virginity and broke her heart. She just wants to stay alive with her heart intact. Will she be able to resist the man whose body sets fire to all
her senses?
Meet Lane and Maddox:
Lane Elizabeth Montgomery
Age: 19…almost 20
City of Residence: Marietta, GA
Occupation: College student at Agnes Scott and part-time
ballet teacher
Hobbies: ballet, reading, hanging out with friends, movies.
Favorite Music: Country, classical, 80’s, and pop
Favorite food: Maudie’s cornbread dressing with a cup of her
Apple Core Cider.
Favorite Quote: “I do
not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than
myself.--Mikhail Baryshnikov
Maddox Emilio Diaz
Age: 23
City of Residence:
Ellijay, GA. Previous Residence: Fort Campbell, KY
Occupation: Former soldier in the 101st Army
Airborne Division. Now head of shipping and receiving at Maudie’s Mountain
Brewery
Hobbies: working out, hunting, playing video games
Music: The harder the metal the better
Favorite Food: Arroz con gandules y pernil aka yellow
Spanish rice with pigeon peas and pork
Favorite Quote: Strive to be a leader of character, competence, and courage—Major Dick Winters 101st Airborne Division and author of Band of Brothers
Favorite Quote: Strive to be a leader of character, competence, and courage—Major Dick Winters 101st Airborne Division and author of Band of Brothers
Excerpt:
I shoved him away
from me and started stalking over to where West was pouring drinks. Smacking my
palm down on the bar, I shouted, “Give me two more shots.”
West rolled his eyes
at me. “You think you can call any more attention to yourself, Miss Underage?”
Knowing how to appeal
to a man like him, I leaned over the bar, letting him get a good peek down my
shirt. I batted my eyelashes and shot him a winning smile. “Please?”
With a lecherous
grin, West poured two shot glasses and slid them over to me. “There you go,
sweet thing.”
“Thanks, handsome.” I
gave him a flirty wink just as Maddox walked up.
“I wasn’t through
talking to you, Lane.”
“Yeah, well, your
little declarations made me need more tequila.” I tossed back the shot glass,
letting the liquid burn down my throat.
“You payin’ Mad Dog
or do I need to work some payment out with her?” West teased.
Maddox’s face
reddened from his cheeks all the way down to his neck. He tossed a twenty in
West’s face. “I think she’s covered,” he growled.
West snorted before
pouring another shot for Maddox. “Here ya go, buddy. You obviously need
something else to take the stick out of your ass.”
I giggled as I downed
the second shot. The jolt of tequila caused me to shudder from head to toe.
Sweeping my hands to my hips, I cocked my head at Maddox. “So are you just
gonna stand there staring at me, or are we gonna dance some more?”
The band had switched
to an upbeat, somewhat sultry song. Even with all the truckers and backwoods
peeps, the dance floor looked like something out of the opening scene of Dirty Dancing
with all the bumping and grinding. A wicked gleam flickered in Maddox’s dark
eyes. “All right, Princess. You wanna dance? We’ll dance.”
Taking my hand,
Maddox dragged me behind him to the dance floor. He jerked me forcibly against
his body to where we were pressed flush against each other. His fingers dug
into my hips before he ground his groin against mine to the beat of the song. I
gasped at the heat that began stirring beneath my waist at the contact. My breasts
rubbed harshly against Maddox’s taut pecs, causing my nipples to pebble beneath
my shirt.
His hands left my
waist to travel down to cup both cheeks of my ass. When I squeaked at his
actions, he kneaded my flesh in his hands. “You wanted to dance, didn’t you?”
he demanded.
“Yes,” I murmured.
One of his hands left
my ass and snaked up my back. His fingers tangled in the sweat-soaked strands
of my hair, jerking my head back to look at him. “I didn’t hear you, Lane.
Didn’t you want to dance?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Then I hope you’re
enjoying this.”
Considering his
half-mast erection was rubbing against my stomach, I cocked my head at him. “I
would think you were, too,” I countered before lowering my gaze to his crotch.
His eyes drilled into
mine. “Frankly, I think it’s bullshit that you’re the one running this time,
not me, but my dick has a mind of its own.”
Salty rivers of sweat
poured down my back at our exertions. Maddox’s breath scorched against my ear.
“So are you going to let me finish talking to you now?” Although he had asked,
I could tell he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
“Mmm, hmm,” I
muttered, my mind lost in the fog that Maddox’s body was causing me.
Put on your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy ride!
If you had told me forty-eight hours ago, that I, Lane Montgomery--college student, part-time ballerina, sheltered and spoiled only child--would be running for my life from deranged treasure seekers with the very guy who broke my heart...I would have laughed in your face.Lane and Maddox have a long history together from childhood to young adulthood spending time at Maudie’s Mountain Brewery and Orchard. They had a love hate relationship as kids that turned into a crush. And one night changed everything and ruined their entire relationship.
Lane is a now college student, ballerina, and general "good girl." Her life is stable and controlled. She has had limited experience with the opposite sex. Maddox broke her hearts three years ago and she is not really ready to forgive or forget. Avoidance seems like a better plan to her. But now that she is spending the summer back at Maudie's, it is going to be easier said than done.
Maddox is a recently discharged military vet. He is back home now and getting back into civilian life. He is cocky, flirty, and a little bossy. And even better looking than Lane remembers. He knows just how to push her buttons to get a rise out of Lane. Their witty rapport is sarcastic and laced with tension. I was dying to know what he did to make Lane hate him so much, but we find that out later in the story.
"...I was a punk through and through. And you...were such a little princess."
Shortly after being back in each other's lives, a dangerous event forces them to work together. Maddox is thrust in the role as her protector and soon they are on the run and on an adventure with bad guys breathing down their necks.
"Even though you loathe and despise my company, you're willing to stick it out because this is about the most excitement you've had in your little perfect princess world, and you like it.'
"I can't believe you're being sarcastic at a time like this!"
"Yeah, well, I'm sorry that I'm not living up to your heroic expectations, princess."
It is a frantic, harrowing race to decipher a map, find what they are looking for, and keep themselves and those they love safe. They are forced to trust each other and in the midst of it all begin to really communicate again. Eventually those old feelings begin to come to the surface and they rekindle the passion and love they lost in the past. As I learned more about Maddox, I started to really like him. Together they were feisty, flirty, and fun despite the situation they were in. And the shared a history, a connection, and strong feelings that were never really resolved.
There are twists and turns, life threatening danger, and a pulse pounding climax. I was tense, surprised, and curious as to how they were going to get out of the mess they ended up in. It seemed like every turn ended with another hurdle to face.
"You fight back and give it everything you got until you don't have anything else!"
This book is a little different than other Katie Ashley books. It still has the romance, but it is more of a new adult romantic suspense novel with action, danger, and intrigue. But Katie always manages to provide humor and strong connections between the characters that transcend any genre. I found myself laughing out loud at some of their antics and really liked them together.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention how how that cover is! What a perfect Maddox!
Thanks to Katie Ashley for providing me with and ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Katie Ashley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of The Proposition. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her two very spoiled dogs and one outnumbered cat. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Supernatural, Designing Women, and Scooby-Doo.
She spent 11 1/2 years educating the Youth of America aka teaching MS and HS English u
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2 comments
Has a little bit of everything, thriller, mystery and romance. Maddox is already under my skin. Another great read from Katie Ashley!
ReplyDeleteSearch me was a fantastic read. Romance, treasure hunt and right when you thought they figured everything out...boom they were on the run again. It was an on the edge of your seat read for me. Plus Maddox is hot and a Veteran just my type.
ReplyDelete