06 December 2014

Shiver Tour Stop!

This is a love story.
This is a romantic story.
Except bananas. Bananas are never romantic.
Lissa was a twenty-year-old girl trying to make it in the equestrian world. She was sassy and smart, strong and a little weird. And she had no idea what she was doing.
Ethan was twenty-seven, tattooed, tall, dark, and hot. And lugging some baggage. He’d already made it in the business and brought Lissa on to help get her on her feet. And it turned out, he liked a little weird.
Ethan made it clear that he wasn’t in the market for a relationship. Lissa was happy to learn the ropes and push her attraction aside.
But how do you draw the line when every touch makes you…shiver?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22586128-shiver?from_search=true
This book turned out not to be quite what I had expected, in a good way.  This story follows Lissa and Ethan.  Ethan takes burgeoning equestrian Lissa under his wing, trying desperately not to give into the attraction between them.  Lissa is attracted to him as well, but so thirsts for what he can teach her, she sets it aside.  Or so she thinks.  How long can they deny the promise of something really great between them?
This book was interesting on a few levels.  One, it’s about horses which is something I don’t know that much about but was done in a way I could follow and found fascinating. It’s a fun and sweetly romantic story that takes you pretty far into the future with Lissa and Ethan, and from there things get even more interesting.  I don’t want to spoil it for you, but I actually learned something from this book that I hadn’t known about before.  So, not only was I entertained, but I was also educated, so it’s a win/win situation!  That’s not something I generally expect from a romance novel.
Now for Ethan.  Oh my.  Can you say deliciously alpha?  Because he was deliciously alpha.  He was commanding but you could still tell that he cared and cared deeply for Lissa.  But oh my goodness, that man was fun to read about.
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much.  It’s a very complete story, taking you places I think you’re not going to expect.  I would recommend it!  4 stars.
“Dance with me?” Lawrence’s voice behind me pulled me from my musings.
I turned with a smile. “Why thank you, sir.”
I followed him onto the dance floor, the orchestra playing a Frank Sinatra ballad. He swept me into his arms like, well, like the perfect gay best friend.
“Don’t you say it.”
“Say what?” I asked innocently.
“I am not your gay best friend. I have sisters. They took dance lessons. My mom made me partner them.”
I couldn’t help laughing loudly, drawing some disapproving glances. He quickly spun me and dipped me in playful retaliation. As he drew me back up, I stood staring straight into Ethan’s heated gaze. 
“Can I cut in?” he asked without breaking our eye contact. 
From the corner of my eye, I caught Lawrence nodding and stepping away before I was pulled flush to Ethan and we glided across the floor. 
“You look absolutely stunning.” He breathed softly into my ear, his right hand settling low, really low, on my bare back, and I shivered.
“Cold?” I felt him smile.
“No, I’m not cold,” I stated quietly, enjoying the feel of being in his arms, the texture of him beneath his tuxedo, and the touch of our hands. 
“Are you having fun tonight?”
“I am.” I nodded slowly. “I didn’t know you would be here.”
“I came as a trophy.”
I pulled back to look in his eyes. “Whose trophy? And why?” I was a little irrationally angry and felt stupid that I thought we were having a kind of moment, only to find out he was here with someone else.
“Why are you angry? You do realize you’re here with a date too, right?”
I waved him off. “Lawrence and I are just friends. He’s my arm candy for the night. And maybe a kiss at midnight if I get tipsy enough.”
He glared at me, jaw flexing back and forth. “You’re just friends who sleep together?”
“No. Just friends. As in… actual friends. Nothing more.”
“Why have you both been blatantly flaunting your relationship in front of me then?”
I shrugged. “It tickled me.”
“It tickled you,” he repeated slowly, dangerously. 
“Yes. It did. It tickled me to see your mood swings every day, and I was making bets on when you were going to start your period.”
Despite his irritation, he laughed out loud. “God, you’re weird.” He pulled me closer, wrapping my arms up around his neck and sliding his hands down my bare arms and then down my back, settling them there. “I don’t know what I’m doing with you,” he muttered softly.
I live in beautiful Northern Virginia with my incredible husband, two awesome kids, three dogs, and two budgies. My husband and I both grew up riding and competing horses and have our own equestrian operation that we run together. In my spare time, I read through the hundreds of stories awaiting me on my e-reader.
My love of books started early, and my mom used to ration my reading time so I didn't go through them too quickly. I love all things romantic, whether it's dark or light or silly or dirty, but I really love a happy ending!
In my small moments of quiet time, you'll find me sipping on wine and reading while any movie where people randomly burst into song or dance plays in the background.
 

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