Release Blitz and Giveaway: Size Matters: Alison Bliss
Size Matters (A Perfect Fit #1)Alison Bliss
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The rules of (fake) engagement . . .
Leah Martin has spent her life trying to avoid temptation. But she's sick of low-fat snacks, counting calories, and her hyper-critical mom. Fortunately, her popular new bakery keeps her good and distracted. But there aren't enough éclairs in the world to distract Leah from the hotness that is Sam Cooper - or the fact that he just told her mother that they're engaged . . . which is a big, fat lie.
Sam sometime speaks before he thinks. So what started out as defending Leah's date-ability to her judgmental mother soon turned into having a fiancee! Now the plan is to keep up the fake engagement, stay "just friends," and make Leah's family loathe him enough to just call the whole thing off . But Sam has an insatiable sweet tooth, not only for Leah's decadent desserts but her decadent curves. Her full lips. Her bright green eyes. Yep, things aren't going quite according to plan. Now Sam has to convince Leah that he's for real . . . before their little lie turns into one big, sweet disaster.
Leah Martin is a real woman. She is a sweet, smart bakery owner and she's got curves. And she's got a bit of a self esteem problem due to her weight and her history. She does not hold out much hope that Mr. Right is just waiting for her.
Sam Cooper is sexy, handsome, and charismatic, but a bit confused about what he really wants. He just got out of a relationship that left him really needing a break. He inadvertently plays into all of Leah's insecurities when they meet. He actually likes her and her curves, but everything he says or does seems to be easily misinterpreted.
OMG the words that come out of their mouths and various connotations cracked me up! Innuendo mixed with potential insults with a bit of flirting. Size matters differently for men and women and it all gets mixed in with their interpretations.
Due to circumstances they end up friendly, and in another big mouthed move he announces they are engaged in order to help her save face...not realizing that he just made everything more complicated and now they would have to fake it for it awhile. And it all just ramps up from there. It's a chaotic ride of lies, hidden feelings, and misunderstandings. She is insecure about her appearance, so it's easy to convince herself that he isn't attracted to her and doesn't really like her. And he's scared of moving too fast with a relationship until he's sure he's found the right girl. But their friendship and chemistry keep getting stronger and harder to resist. Problem is his confusion and inability to stick with a decision leads to some crazy mixed signals. And poor Leah just has to go along with it and deal with the fall out.
Things change fast and constantly. They set expiration dates to end the farce, but circumstances or sudden decisions change the plan. There is lots of banter, sparring, innuendo, hidden meanings, and comedic situations to keep it flowing.
I could totally relate to Leah and her fears and insecurities. She has been conditioned to believe she is fat and unattractive so it easy to believe the worst. I got frustrated with Sam at times because he was living in denial land and was scared to admit his feelings even to himself. They had such hot chemistry and he really could understand and appreciate her and he was protective of her--even when he was confusing her and messing with her head. But in order to really move forward she will have to find her own self confidence and take up for herself. He likes her sweets and her sweet self, but if he doesn't get his act together and go after what he really wants, he may lose his chance.
This is fast-paced, funny, feisty, frisky and just plain fun. But underlying it has really good messages about what is really important and what makes someone beautiful. Under the humor, it takes on a sensitive subject and makes some good points. The characters have depth and have opportunities to show growth.
This is book one in a new series and I imagine book two On the Plus Side will be about her vivacious, outgoing friend Valerie. I also liked his best friend, Max, so I hope we see more of him.
Leah
Martin nearly choked on her beer.
“What
do you mean just pick one?” Her eyes
scanned the entire bar before settling back on her friend. “Pick one what?”
“A
guy, of course.”
Yeah,
because it was just that simple. For
Valerie, maybe. Even though they were close in size, Valerie always wore her
weight better and turned heads everywhere she went. It probably helped that she
had expressive doe eyes, wavy platinum-blond hair, and looked more like a
cutesy toy poodle any guy would give their right testicle to take for a walk.
“I
hate to tell you this, Val, but that only applies to women who look like you.” If
Leah had to classify herself in that same frame of reference, she’d accurately
describe herself as a Bulldog. Not only did she have the breed’s innate stubborn
streak, but she also had the matching broad shoulders, wide hips, large chest,
and—if she didn’t lose a few pounds—probably the same short life span. “Hippy
brunettes with body image issues and smudged eyeliner don’t get the luxury of just pick one.”
“Oh,
shut up,” Valerie said, rolling her eyes. “Your eyeliner looks fine.”
Yep, that about sums it up. My
eyeliner is the only thing that looks decent on me tonight.
The
little black dress she wore was just that—too little—and was slowly squeezing
the life out of her. Especially after packing on ten extra pounds in the last
few months. The sheath of fabric clung to every curve, as well as every bulge. Thank
God they lived in Texas instead of Alaska or an Eskimo might’ve mistaken her for
a seal and tried to skin her.
“So
what’s your pleasure?” Valerie asked, not giving up. “Plenty of gorgeous men in
here tonight.”
“Sure,
if I squint.”
“Okay,
stop being negative. You’re gorgeous, and lots of men love curvy women. I
should know. Now pick one.”
No
point in arguing with her. Once Valerie set her mind to something, she didn’t
stop until the mission was accomplished. But the only time Leah had ever had
her pick of anything was when she stood in front of the doughnut case at work,
deciding between a chocolate éclair or a cream cheese danish.
“How
am I supposed to know who to pick? It’s not like they wear signs on their
foreheads saying, ‘I dig fat chicks.’”
Valerie
shot her an exasperated look. “We’ll just establish a baseline for the kind of
guy you want.”
“The
kind of guy I’d want wouldn’t be hanging out in a bar called Rusty’s Bucket. In
fact, I wouldn’t be here either if you hadn’t forced me to come.”
“Leah, you got dumped. Happens to all of us
sooner or later.” Valerie’s voice softened as she reached for Leah’s hand. “It
sucks, I know. But you’re always at work or upstairs in your apartment, which
means you never leave that damn building. It’s not healthy. You can’t hide out
forever.”
“I’m
not hiding. I’ve just…been busy. I
never imagined I’d be this swamped only a month after grand opening, and I’ve
had to put in a lot of extra hours.” Leah caught Valerie’s I’m-not-buying-it
expression. “Come on, Val. The wedding is tomorrow night. Everything has to be
perfect because...well, you know.”
Valerie
rolled her eyes. “Why does it even matter?”
“Because
my reputation is at stake. It’s my
cake the happy couple will be stuffing into each other’s mouths. They can choke
on it for all I care, but it’s going to be the tastiest damn wedding cake
they’ve ever eaten while keeling over. Everything has to go as smoothly as
possible, and I have a million things to do before tomorrow night. I still need
to—”
Valerie
raised her hand to stop her from continuing. “What you need is a break. Let’s
find some guys to dance with and have a few hours of fun before you lock
yourself up in the cave again. Just humor me, okay? Now, what would say your
dream guy’s most attractive quality would be?”
Leah
sighed. “A pulse.”
“No
vampires. Check. What else?”
“I
don’t know. This is stupid.” Leah caught the disappointment in Valerie’s eyes
and groaned. “Okay, fine. I guess I’d want…”
Her
gaze sifted through the crowd, landing on two men at the bar. While the one
standing motioned to the bartender, the other rolled up the sleeves of his blue
button-down shirt, drawing Leah’s attention to his tanned, muscular forearms. When
he finished, he bumped his elbow against the other man’s ribs and said
something that made them both laugh. The warm, amused smile he wore sent a zing
of pleasure through Leah, like she’d been given a intravenous shot of
serotonin. Him. I’d want him.
On the Plus Side
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Expected June 27, 2017
Alison Bliss grew up in Small Town, Texas, but currently resides in the Midwest with her husband and two sons. With so much testosterone in her home, it's no wonder she writes "girl books." She believes the best way to know if someone is your soul mate is by canoeing with them because if you both make it back alive, it's obviously meant to be. Alison pens the type of books she loves to read most: fun, steamy love stories with heart, heat, laughter, and usually a cowboy or two. As she calls it, "Romance...with a sense of humor."
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