Enter to Win a $20.00 Amazon eGift Card
THE HANG UP
First Impressions #2
Tawna Fenske
Releasing June 13th, 2016
Entangled Publishing
PR specialist
Miriam Ashley makes her living cleaning up bad boys. Mountain
climber-turned-CEO Jason Sanders should be an easy fix. And with a nephew to
care for, he’s motivated. The problem? Every time she tries to help Jason get
his head in the boardroom, they end up in the bedroom.
What the hell is she thinking? He’s
the definition of off-limits. Not just because he’s a client—he spends his free
time risking his life mountain climbing. The same thing that got her father
killed. She’s not going to open her heart to a guy who could disappear at the
drop of a…well, she’d rather not finish that thought.
She needs to leave complicated
alone, but every time she sees Jason, something tells her it’s her who might
fall…
Tawna Fenske is a new author to me. A good friend has been enjoying her books for a while, so when the opportunity to read THE HANG UP came up, I signed up. Now I am thinking, why didn't I read her before?
This opposites attract story is FUN! The breezy pace and the wickedly funny banter between Jason and Miriam had me laughing out loud. The sizzling chemistry sparked between them since the moment they met, well nearly. He was covered in mud and Miriam assumed he was homeless.
Jason is a sportsman, but he is well educated and it's Miriam's job as a PR expert to help him fit in as the new CEO of a scandal plagued outdoor sports company. Neither is looking for a relationship, but they can't stop thinking about each other. He is focused on his new role so that he can secure a good life for his sister and her young son. Miriam is attracted to Jason, but not some of the dangerous adrenaline sports that he loves. Eventually, he is able to coax her into experiencing a couple of adventures in the great outdoors.
Jason is a fun and sexy hero who is focused while trying to breathe new life into the company. A good man, you feel the love for his family. Miriam is smart, sophisticated, and a little uptight like a big city girl. I loved how the two characters brought out the best in each other. Miriam had a good reason to not like the sports Jason sometimes experienced, but she was a trooper and willing to try to enjoy a little adventure thru Jason's eyes. And they had some heartwarming scenes with Jason's sweet little nephew.
To me, this was an enjoyable feel good story. I can only feel that I have some new books on Ms. Fenske's back-list to discover as well as look forward to more good story writing in the future.
“Homeless?”
He quirked an eyebrow at her, which made more cracks in the mud on
his face. “I’m not homeless. I just bought a place down the
street. Two blocks away—it’s the blue duplex with the white
shutters.”
He
pointed toward a shady, tree-lined section of the neighborhood, and
she recalled seeing the glossy “sold” sticker tacked up on the
real estate sign a few weeks ago.
She
looked back at the man. Okay, upon closer inspection, she could see
he wore expensive running shoes and trendy, designer athletic
apparel, even if it was covered in mud. What the hell?
“I
just did the Tough Mudder,” he said, answering her unasked
question. “You know, the big race with all the mud pits and
obstacles?”
“Right,”
Miriam said, and recognition dawned as the guy turned around to show
her the dirt-covered number pinned to his back. At least, that’s
what she assumed he was showing her, though her eyes strayed down to
one of the most impressive asses she’d ever seen.
Even
if it was covered in mud.
The
guy turned back around before she thought to avert her gaze. The
result was an awkward five-second pause where she found herself
staring at his crotch.
Also
very impressive.
She
gave herself a mental slap and met his eyes again. “So what are you
doing walking around looking like a giant malt ball? Don’t they
have showers or something at the finish line?”
He
grinned, flashing a set of perfectly white teeth that contrasted with
the mud. “Just hoses. Hoses with really cold water. I figured since
I only lived a couple miles from the race course, I could just run
there as my warm-up and run home as my cooldown, and then I could
grab a warm shower at home.”
“Right,”
Miriam said, trying to wrap her brain around the idea of willingly
running four miles on top of whatever the hell they ran in the actual
race. People really did this on
purpose?
“The
thing is,” the guy continued, “I lost my key somewhere in the
racecourse, and now I can’t get back in my house to shower off in
time to make it to a doctor’s appointment.”
Sympathy
fluttered through her belly, or maybe that was anxiety. Probably
anxiety. The mention of
doctors and hospitals and anything medically related tended to send
her spiraling down a path of panicked memories and despondent terror,
and she found herself gripping her keys a little tighter. “You have
to get to the doctor?” she asked.
“The
appointment’s at two. Please, I just need to borrow your phone to
call a locksmith. Then I’ll be out of your hair, I swear.”
She
glanced at him, then back at her house. Her phone was back on the
entry table, but right beside that was her guest bathroom with a
shower the guy could use without stepping more than five feet inside
her place. Ordinarily she’d think twice about inviting a strange
man into her home, but there was something about this
man that made her
consider it. She could always stand there with a butcher
knife,
ready to stick it in him if he tried anything funny. She hesitated,
then looked back at the guy.
“I’m
Jason, by the way,” he said, smiling wider. “Jason Sanders. I’d
shake your hand, but I don’t want to get mud on you.”
“Miriam.”
She added polite and
considerate to
his list of attributes. His eyes were kind, and he seemed sweet and
well-spoken.
That’s
probably what every serial killer’s victim thinks just before he
strangles her with her own panty hose.
But
she wasn’t wearing panty hose, and she did have a soft spot for
friendly, burly, blue-eyed, stubble-jawed guys in need.
“Come
on,” she said and turned toward her walkway.
“Follow
me.”
“Follow
you where?”
“My
house. You can’t stand out here being dirty.”
He
quirked one eyebrow, which caused the mud to crack on his forehead.
“You’d rather I be dirty in your house?”
BUY NOW
Tawna lives in
Bend, Oregon with her husband, step-kids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets.
She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to
sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an
average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year.
To learn more about
all of Tawna’s
books, visit www.tawnafenske.com
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What a fabulous review!! Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome. I couldn't help loving this book!
DeleteI tried reading her once and didn't care for it. Maybe I should try her again!
ReplyDelete