Seven Dirty Words by Charlotte Howard (excerpt, review and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Seven Dirty Words

by Charlotte Howard

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Paige Holmes hides herself in a masculine world in a desperate attempt to remain safe.

Just as she is ready to face her fears and her past, she finds herself torn between Matt Jackson and Vance Ellery: handsome, rich, and safe – or handsome, rich, and dangerous?

Which will she choose?

The one who appears to be the most perfect, or the one who makes her use all Seven Dirty Words?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT

“I’ve never seen a girl eat like you.” He laughed.

“I’m starving,” I said, in between mouthfuls of prawns and peas, trying to ignore the dimming room. A crash overhead started the storm’s symphony. Fat raindrops splattered against the window as the room lit with a sudden flash. Seconds later, another rumble filled the air. I shuddered.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t like thunder storms,” I admitted, finishing the last of my noodles. The truth was I was afraid of any loud noise.

“Don’t worry, I won’t force you out in this.”

“I forgot to bring a coat,” I grumbled, rubbing my arms as though it had suddenly got cold.

Matt stood and peered out the window. “It’ll be a while before this is over.” He picked up the plates and took them into the kitchen. I followed him, not wanting to be alone.

As I walked in, I suddenly remembered the large windows, and saw the dreary sky blanketing the village. My eyes widened in fear as another flash filled the sky.

Matt smiled at me.

“What’s so funny?”

“You are.” He laughed, nearing me. “I didn’t think you were afraid of anything.”

“Appearances can be deceptive.”

“They most certainly can!” He took my hand and led me back into the living room. “Well, it looks like we’ll be here a bit longer than intended.” We sat back down on the sofa.

“And no TV to kill the time,” I said, staring at the empty fireplace. “Look, if you want to get rid of me, I can make a mad dash to the car door. It’s only rain.”           

“I don’t want to get rid of you, Paige.” As he said my name, the hairs on my neck and arms stood on end. “But I’m not willing to share you either.”

Amazon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

British author, Charlotte Howard, was born in Oman and spent much of the first part of her life flitting between Oman, Scotland, and England. Now settled in Somerset, Charlotte lives with her husband, two children, and growing menagerie of pets.

Her career as a writer began at an early age, with a poem being featured in an anthology for the East Midlands. Since then Charlotte has written many short stories and poems, and finally wrote her first full-length piece of fiction in 2010.

During what little spare time she has, Charlotte enjoys reading and writing (of course), spending time with her family, and watching action movies whilst eating curry and drinking tea.

Charlotte is an active member of Yeovil Creative Writers Group.

Links:

Website

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

Instagram

******************************************


GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here

********************************

My Review

3.5 out of 5 stars

Seven Dirty Words by Charlotte Howard is the first story in the series of the same name and centers on Paige Holmes, a woman who plays rugby, does MMA training, and works in a male-dominated industry, yet does not have a person warming her bed, until suddenly she has two vying for the spot.  The intense competition for her attentions leads her to make some potentially unwise decisions and forces her to revisit past issues, threatening to unbalance her precarious and hard-won equilibrium.  Who is she going to entrust her heart to, and will she survive the decision?

This story combines sizzling eroticism and intense angst and provides a twist on the concept of a sinfully attractive wealthy male sweeping impressionable female off her feet.  There are multitudes of twists that complicate the story and I was a bit wrung out by the time I finished and a little disturbed by Paige’s decisions, even though I could somewhat understand what prompted them.  The author does a nice job of gradually revealing the details that lead up to this point but I never really got a true sense of who the main characters are, and sadly, I wound up more irritated with all three of those involved in the triangle than sympathetic, and I wasn’t terribly thrilled with some of the secondary characters, either.  I get the feeling that the story arc will intensify through the sequels and I think that those who enjoy tangled relationships and convoluted emotional journeys described with a British flavor will savor this story, but don’t expect a tame sweet happy ever after tale, because that definitely does NOT describe this work!

 
A copy of this title was provided to me for review.