Watson, Jo
WORK TITLE: Almost a Bride
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: South Africa
NATIONALITY: South African
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7770522.Jo_Watson * https://www.headline.co.uk/authors/detail.page?id=5uYFdbCrvtMNvxevfO9dHqz6opd0uIJewGUZMCzERPAInWXPoCdnAg__
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2016157148
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2016157148
HEADING: Watson, Jo (Romance fiction writer)
000 01170cz a2200205n 450
001 10315950
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010 __ |a no2016157148
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca10639399
040 __ |a IAhCCS |b eng |e rda |c IAhCCS
053 _0 |a PR9369.4.W377
100 1_ |a Watson, Jo |c (Romance fiction writer)
370 __ |a South Africa
372 __ |a Romance fiction |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Authors |2 lcsh
375 __ |a female
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Watson, Jo. Burning moon, 2016: |b title page (Jo Watson)
670 __ |a Goodreads.com, Nov. 22, 2016 |b (Jo Watson, born in South Africa; genre: chick lit, humor and comedy, romance. Award-winning writer of romantic comedies. Collector of colorful, kitsch things that usually sparkle. Adidas addict, Depeche Mode devotee and proud Wattpad writer! She didn’t intend on becoming an author and “accidentally” wrote her first book, Burning Moon, two years ago. When Jo is not writing, she is binge watching TV, contemplating the nature of entangled particles and blackholes and hanging out with her husband and son on the Southern tip of Africa) |u http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7770522.Jo_Watson
PERSONAL
Born in South Africa.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
AVOCATIONS:Watching television.
AWARDS:Watty Award, Burning Moon, 2014.
WRITINGS
- "DESTINATION LOVE"
- Burning Moon, Forever (New York, NY), 2016
- Almost a Bride, Forever (New York, NY), 2017
- Finding You, Forever (New York, NY), 2017
SIDELIGHTS
Jo Watson is a South African based writer. She won a Watty Award for her book, Burning Moon, in 2014. She was born in South Africa, and lives there with her husband and son.
Burning Moon
Watson’s debut novel and the first in the “Destination Love” series tells the story of recently single Lilly Swanson. On the day of her wedding, her fiancé gets cold feet ten minutes before the two are scheduled to say their vows. Lilly is devastated and baffled. She has planned her whole life out down to the minute, and getting stood up on her wedding day was not a part of the plan. In a rare moment of impulsivity, Lilly decides to keep her honeymoon tickets and fly to Thailand on her own.
On the plane, she meets Damien, a bohemian traveler flying to various destinations with only a backpack to keep him company. Though Lilly is initially resistant to Damien’s appearance and demeanor, the two quickly hit it off. Damien is spontaneous and free, something Lilly is completely unfamiliar with. He finds Lilly funny and their attraction is immediate. She opens up to him about her recent heartbreak, and he is set on shaking up her need for routine by turning the trip into one of spontaneity and excitement. When the plane lands, Damien convinces Lilly to join him in his adventurous life in Thailand. With no other plans, Lilly agrees.
While Lilly thinks of herself as structured and uptight, Damien seems to bring out a lighthearted side of her. The highlight of their time together is Burning Moon, the world’s most exclusive party, that Damien has plans to attend. He invites Lilly to join, and she experiences a sense of freedom she has never allowed herself to have before.
By the end of the trip, Lilly is conflicted. She must decide whether to return to her former life and self, that of structure and plans, or continue on with Damien in a life of lighthearted fun and passion. A contributor to Harlequin Junkie described the book as “witty, enjoyable and unique.”
Almost a Bride
In Almost a Bride, Annie is a woman heartbroken and lost. On the first day of her dream job, as a fashion assistant for a magazine, she forgets the shoes she had intended to wear. When she returns to her home to retrieve them, she discovers her boyfriend and his coworker, with whom he is having an affair, sleeping together in her house. Worse yet, the two mistake Annie for an intruder, call the cops on her, and get her arrested.
To overcome this tragic shock, Annie decides to take a solitary tropical vacation. To her horror, her ex and his new girlfriend have booked a vacation at the same resort. Out of answers and desperate, Annie pretends that she is on a romantic vacation with Chris, an attractive man she met on the beach at the resort. Chris is a screenwriter who is struggling with writer’s block. For him, helping Annie develop a story to save face is a means to an end to his writer’s block, so he happily obliges.
Although initially an act, the connection between Annie and Chris begins to develop into a real romance. Instead of jumping fully into this new relationship with Chris, Annie backs off, committed to dedicating some time to truly thinking about what it is she wants out of life. Chris is accepting of this decision, backing off romantically and allowing Annie the space and time to fully heal. As a result, the two grow closer, developing a friendship that ultimately becomes romantic, when they are both ready.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, January 2, 2017, review of Almost a Bride, p. 45.
ONLINE
1 Girl 2 Many Books, https://1girl2manybooks.wordpress.com/ (July 12, 2017), review of Burning Moon.
B.F.F. Book Blog, http://www.bffbookblog.com (October 19, 2017), review of Burning Moon.
Bibliomanicezza, https://bibliomaniacezza.wordpress.com (January 5, 2017), review of Almost a Bride.
Book Nympho, http://thebooknympho.com (January 31, 2017), review of Almost a Bride.
Harlequin Junkie, http://harlequinjunkie.com/ (February 10, 2017), review of Almost a Bride; (October 19, 2017), review of Burning Moon.
Jennifer Vido, http://www.jennifervido.com (January 31, 2017), Jennifer Vido, review of Almost a Bride.
- Burning Moon Forever (New York, NY), 2016
- Almost a Bride Forever (New York, NY), 2017
10/2/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1506984585920 1/6
Print Marked Items
Almost a Bride: Destination Love, Book 2
Publishers Weekly.
264.1 (Jan. 2, 2017): p45.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Almost a Bride: Destination Love, Book 2
Jo Watson. Forever, $14.99 trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-1-4555-9550-1
Watson continues her Destination Love contemporary series (Burning Moon) with this middling story set on the
beaches of Mauritius, where heartbroken Annie Anderson tries to have some fun while making sense of her shattered
life. When her boyfriend cheated, she lost not only her dream of becoming his wife but also her job, her home, and her
self-esteem. When her friends are delayed from joining her on their group vacation, Annie finds herself alone of the
beach, where she meets screenwriter Gemini "Chris" Christophersen. He doesn't believe in love, though it's all he
writes about. Since neither is interested in a relationship, they embark on fully open conversations, feeling they have
nothing to lose. Annie is drawn to Chris's sense of humor and he finds pleasure in her straightforwardness. When they
run into Annie's ex and his new flame, Chris steps in and pretends to be Annie's boyfriend. There are some laugh-outloud
moments, but the ages of the characters are out of sync with their juvenile antics, and readers will find the
ultimate prank hard to swallow. The opening is cleverly creative, but the story doesn't hold up to the hype. Agent: Erica
Silverman, Trident Media Group. (Feb.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Almost a Bride: Destination Love, Book 2." Publishers Weekly, 2 Jan. 2017, p. 45. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA478696518&it=r&asid=ef07b1d1c76ee460bf59b28bc1b2e5f3.
Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A478696518
- Jennifer Vido
http://www.jennifervido.com/blog/2017/01/almost-a-bride-by-jo-watson.html
Word count: 10382Jennifer Vido
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« #arthritistipoftheday Elevated Leg Pillow | Main | #arthritistipoftheday Crocs »01/31/2017
Almost a Bride by Jo Watson
AlmostaBride_LaunchDayBlitz
Title: ALMOST A BRIDE
Author: Jo Watson
Series: Destination Love, #2
On Sale: January 31, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Trade Paperback: $14.99 USD
eBook: $4.99 USD
Add to Goodreads
Watson_AlmostABride_TR**Newly revised and expanded, Wattpad sensation Jo Watson's ALMOST A BRIDE is now available in print for the first time!**
That awkward moment you catch your boyfriend in bed with another woman and then mistakenly get arrested #chargesdropped
Annie knows life isn't always fair. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you get mistaken for a crazed intruder when you come home early and find your boyfriend wearing nipple clamps with a coworker on the night you thought he was going to propose to you.
The important thing is to move on, and for Annie that means treating herself to a tropical vacation. But when she runs into her ex and his new woman staying at the same resort, reason is washed out to sea. Caught off guard, Annie pretends she's with Chris, a cute screenwriter she meets on the beach. With his own writing blocked, Chris is happy to help Annie craft a story to save face. Soon Annie isn't just getting over her ex, she's getting under Chris. As her fictional feelings grow increasingly real, Annie has to decide if she's ready to risk her heart on a new relationship.
BUY THE BOOK HERE
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Google Play
iBooks
Indiebound
Kobo
THE DESTINATION LOVE SERIES
BURNING MOON, #1
ALMOST A BRIDE, #2
FINDING YOU, #3
Series Page on Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jo Watson is an award-winning writer of romantic comedies. Burning Moon won a Watty Award in 2014. Jo is an Adidas addict and a Depeche Mode devotee.
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EXCERPT:
I knew something was wrong the second I walked up to my front door.
Call it intuition. Call it a sixth sense. But I just knew.
I blame the shoes. The shoes were undoubtedly the cause of all the
problems that day. It was the shoes’ fault that I came home early, and
the shoes’ fault I was fired.
I suppose I can’t blame the shoes for making me late, though—
that was the alarm clock’s fault for rudely deciding not to do its job.
And when I finally realized, through the thick haze of sleepiness,
that it hadn’t gone off, it was too late. I was already late for work.
And when I say work, I mean my brand-new job—job of my
dreams—as a fashion assistant at Glamorous Girl mag.
I’d just made a total career change, leaving behind a successful job
as a stylist in advertising to pursue a job in the magazine industry. It
was early days, so I was still desperately trying to impress by being
perfect, polite, and oh so obliging. Whether it was the request for
the latte to be served at 97.7 degrees with no sugar, soy milk froth,
and a sprinkling of organic cocoa powder flown in directly from
the foothills of the Andes. Or whether it was for the jasmine-and-lavender-
scented candles to be burned in the office for exactly ten
minutes before my boss arrived—that was me.
Little Miss Annie Obliging.
Because let’s face it, the word assistant is just a glammed-up euphemism
for slave. But I was ambitious and determined, so when I
realized I wouldn’t be able to attend to the scented candles, or fetch
the latte, I panicked. So much so, that I left the house without the
said troublemaking, life-ruining, world-annihilating shoes.
Let’s take a moment to talk about the shoes. They weren’t
ordinary shoes, oh no, they were none other than the just-off-the-
Paris-catwalk-and-not-for-sale-to-mere-mortals-yet Christian Louboutins.
They also happened to be the centerpieces for that day’s
shoot.
The same rushed panic that had caused me to forget the shoes in
the first place had also left me with barely enough time to scrape my
hair back into a casual bun and slip on a creased T-shirt and pair of
jeans from my floor.
The latter is a bigger sin than you think. Because where I
work, wearing anything other than the most fashionable apparel
is sacrilege. People practically throw holy water at you and start
wailing in Latin for fear that you’ve been possessed by the demon
of bad fashion. In fact, a real demon possession, complete with a
backward-rolling head and the ability to speak in tongues, would
be preferable to the demon of last season’s handbag and Crocs
sandals.
So when I finally got to work, underdressed, out of breath, without
the shoes, and over an hour late, I was in serious trouble.
My boss was throwing a hissy fit, due to lack of flowery scents in
her office, and her personal assistant Cedric was in the throes of an
overly dramatic caffeine withdrawal, due to lack of latte.
And it kept getting worse.
Two hours later the panicky fashion director summoned the
Louboutins. Those shoes had been troublemakers from the start. It
had been an absolute trauma getting them in the first place. They’d
been flown into South Africa late the previous night, and I’d been
tasked with collecting them. Everyone was holding their collective
breath for the grand arrival. So when I was forced to confess to their
absence…well, you can only imagine.
When lunch finally arrived, I jumped into my car and sped home.
I had exactly one hour to get in and out before the photo shoot, more
than enough time.
I pulled into my driveway at breakneck speed, ran for the front
door, slipped my house keys into the lock, and turned—
But…
Something made me stop.
Something told me not to go inside.
Something was very wrong.
I looked around nervously. Everything seemed normal. Peter
across the road was blasting his TV as usual, the ratbag Chihuahua
from number 45 was running up and down the garden perimeter
yapping at an unseen force, and Mildred, my neighbor, was outside
watering her hydrangeas.
So why was I hesitating?
I took a deep breath and inched the door open.
Nothing looked out of place.
Everything was exactly the way I’d left it.
Yet everything felt wrong.
I slunk down the hallway toward the kitchen, where I knew I’d
find the shoes perched next to the coffeepot. But once inside, I was
hit by a terribly eerie sensation…someone was in the house. A shiver
licked the length of my spine when my suspicions were confirmed.
Creeeeaaakkk…A noise was coming from my bedroom directly
above me.
Shit, shit, shit, there was an intruder in the house!
I launched myself at the cutlery drawer, grabbing the largest knife
I could find while simultaneously dialing the police and still managing
to hold on to the shoes for dear life.
“Police! Help, there’s an intruder in my house. Forty-Seven Mendelssohn
Road, Oaklands. Quick.”
Now what? I’d never been in a situation like this before. What
was the correct protocol? Should I hide, evacuate the house, attack
the intruder, scream loudly? Or perhaps a combination of the above?
I thought for a second before deciding to get the fuck out of there!
But just as I had one foot safely installed outside the front door, I
heard another noise. This time it was different. It was…
It sounded like…
My blood ran cold.
But it couldn’t be. Trevv was at work. Trevv had a very important
day in court, he told me. His client’s final hearing was today. Right
now, in fact. I’d called him from my office about an hour ago and
he’d told me he was in court.
He was in court, dammit!
I started climbing the stairs.
More noises.
Two voices?
But that was impossible…wasn’t it?
The noises grew louder and louder the farther up the stairs I
went. I’m not really sure at what point I knew what the noises were
or knew what I was going to see when I opened the door. But I just
knew.
It’s one thing walking in on your boyfriend having sex with another
woman, but it’s another thing entirely walking in on him the
second the other woman is coming. She was facing the door but was
bouncing up and down so vigorously that her face was a blur. And
then suddenly her body stiffened, she threw her head back, opened
her mouth, and let out a high-pitched wail. As if that wasn’t self-explanatory
enough, she decided to toss in a few words for good
measure.
“Yes, Trevvy, yes. Oh my God, oh my God, oh Trevvy. Harder!
Ah, ah, ah.” *Pant, pant, pant* “I’m coming!” *Long high-pitched
scream*
Now…there were several things wrong with this picture, aside
from the obvious. Firstly, who the hell screams like that in bed? No
one does! Sex is not so good that you have to break the sound barrier
with your squealing dolphin sounds. Secondly, what the hell was
she wearing? She was clad in some kind of leathery studded number
that looked like it had been worn by one of the Village People. And
to make matters worse, Trevv was blindfolded with the tie that I had
bought him two Christmases ago and…OH MY GOD…were those,
were those…nipple clamps?
I felt sick to my stomach.
And thirdly, who was this mystery woman without an ounce of cellulite,
without the slightest smidge of fat, and with boobs that seemed
to defy all known natural laws of gravity and motion? Which
woman can be that damn perfect…
…and then her features came into focus and the answer dawned
on me.
Tess.
Tess Blackman.
My boyfriend’s “coworker.” The woman I’d invited into
my home on several occasions for dinner. The woman that I always
phoned when I couldn’t get hold of Trevv, because I knew they
were probably together working on a case, tired and exhausted and
burning the midnight oil when they’d rather be at home with their
significant others. She had a fiancé after all.
Poor overworked Trevv and Tess.
God, I was naive.
But the show didn’t end there. Tess’s eyes were still closed when
Trevv started making some delightful grunting-moaning-squeaking
sounds. He’d never made sounds like that with me before. His sweaty
hands reached up and grabbed at her hungrily.
Faster.
Harder.
Loud, long moan.
I was frozen. It’s hard to know what to do when you watch your
partner of two years with his penis somewhere you wouldn’t even
like to imagine, let alone witness in full blinding daylight.
Once all their postcoital panting had tapered off, Tess opened her
eyes and saw me standing in the doorway. The look on her face was
indescribable. Shock and horror and fear all at the same time. And
then she opened her mouth and screamed.
Trevv then turned his head toward the door and whipped off his
blindfold. Our eyes locked and then he did something truly bizarre.
Unexpected. He grabbed Tess by the hand and dragged her to the
other side of the bed.
“Anne, please…you don’t want to do this.” Trevv threw his hands
in the air defensively. He looked terrified. She was bleating hysterically
by this stage.
What was going on? Wasn’t I the jilted one? Wasn’t I the one
that was supposed to be upset? I started walking toward them, which
seemed to only make matters worse.
“Anne, please. Please.” He seemed to be begging now. “Think
about what you’re doing. I know this is bad, but this isn’t the way to
handle it. Please don’t do this.”
Things happened pretty quickly after that. Suddenly, the room
was filled with armed police officers. I was about to tell them they
could all go home, when Trevv cut me off.
“She has a knife. She’s going to kill us!” he shouted, pointing at me.
What knife? I glanced at my hands, and that’s when I realized I
was still holding the large knife, and it was pointed in their direction.
I quickly turned to explain. “I wasn’t going to—”
“Ma’am…” One of the police officers cut me off and started creeping
toward me as if I was a feral pit bull that hadn’t eaten in a week.
“Put down your weapon.”
“I swear, this isn’t what you think, I was just trying to—”
BAM! Face on floor, handcuffs around wrists.
Three really painful things happened at that point: One, the knife
slipped and cut the entire length of my palm. Two, some of my
newly acquired, gorgeous nails snapped off. And three, the crystal-encrusted,
six-inch heel of the priceless Louboutin snapped off,
rolled across the floor lifelessly, and disappeared under the bed.
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« #arthritistipoftheday Elevated Leg Pillow | Main | #arthritistipoftheday Crocs »01/31/2017
Almost a Bride by Jo Watson
AlmostaBride_LaunchDayBlitz
Title: ALMOST A BRIDE
Author: Jo Watson
Series: Destination Love, #2
On Sale: January 31, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Trade Paperback: $14.99 USD
eBook: $4.99 USD
Add to Goodreads
Watson_AlmostABride_TR**Newly revised and expanded, Wattpad sensation Jo Watson's ALMOST A BRIDE is now available in print for the first time!**
That awkward moment you catch your boyfriend in bed with another woman and then mistakenly get arrested #chargesdropped
Annie knows life isn't always fair. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you get mistaken for a crazed intruder when you come home early and find your boyfriend wearing nipple clamps with a coworker on the night you thought he was going to propose to you.
The important thing is to move on, and for Annie that means treating herself to a tropical vacation. But when she runs into her ex and his new woman staying at the same resort, reason is washed out to sea. Caught off guard, Annie pretends she's with Chris, a cute screenwriter she meets on the beach. With his own writing blocked, Chris is happy to help Annie craft a story to save face. Soon Annie isn't just getting over her ex, she's getting under Chris. As her fictional feelings grow increasingly real, Annie has to decide if she's ready to risk her heart on a new relationship.
BUY THE BOOK HERE
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Google Play
iBooks
Indiebound
Kobo
THE DESTINATION LOVE SERIES
BURNING MOON, #1
ALMOST A BRIDE, #2
FINDING YOU, #3
Series Page on Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jo Watson is an award-winning writer of romantic comedies. Burning Moon won a Watty Award in 2014. Jo is an Adidas addict and a Depeche Mode devotee.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Goodreads
FOLLOW FOREVER ONLINE
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
EXCERPT:
I knew something was wrong the second I walked up to my front door.
Call it intuition. Call it a sixth sense. But I just knew.
I blame the shoes. The shoes were undoubtedly the cause of all the
problems that day. It was the shoes’ fault that I came home early, and
the shoes’ fault I was fired.
I suppose I can’t blame the shoes for making me late, though—
that was the alarm clock’s fault for rudely deciding not to do its job.
And when I finally realized, through the thick haze of sleepiness,
that it hadn’t gone off, it was too late. I was already late for work.
And when I say work, I mean my brand-new job—job of my
dreams—as a fashion assistant at Glamorous Girl mag.
I’d just made a total career change, leaving behind a successful job
as a stylist in advertising to pursue a job in the magazine industry. It
was early days, so I was still desperately trying to impress by being
perfect, polite, and oh so obliging. Whether it was the request for
the latte to be served at 97.7 degrees with no sugar, soy milk froth,
and a sprinkling of organic cocoa powder flown in directly from
the foothills of the Andes. Or whether it was for the jasmine-and-lavender-
scented candles to be burned in the office for exactly ten
minutes before my boss arrived—that was me.
Little Miss Annie Obliging.
Because let’s face it, the word assistant is just a glammed-up euphemism
for slave. But I was ambitious and determined, so when I
realized I wouldn’t be able to attend to the scented candles, or fetch
the latte, I panicked. So much so, that I left the house without the
said troublemaking, life-ruining, world-annihilating shoes.
Let’s take a moment to talk about the shoes. They weren’t
ordinary shoes, oh no, they were none other than the just-off-the-
Paris-catwalk-and-not-for-sale-to-mere-mortals-yet Christian Louboutins.
They also happened to be the centerpieces for that day’s
shoot.
The same rushed panic that had caused me to forget the shoes in
the first place had also left me with barely enough time to scrape my
hair back into a casual bun and slip on a creased T-shirt and pair of
jeans from my floor.
The latter is a bigger sin than you think. Because where I
work, wearing anything other than the most fashionable apparel
is sacrilege. People practically throw holy water at you and start
wailing in Latin for fear that you’ve been possessed by the demon
of bad fashion. In fact, a real demon possession, complete with a
backward-rolling head and the ability to speak in tongues, would
be preferable to the demon of last season’s handbag and Crocs
sandals.
So when I finally got to work, underdressed, out of breath, without
the shoes, and over an hour late, I was in serious trouble.
My boss was throwing a hissy fit, due to lack of flowery scents in
her office, and her personal assistant Cedric was in the throes of an
overly dramatic caffeine withdrawal, due to lack of latte.
And it kept getting worse.
Two hours later the panicky fashion director summoned the
Louboutins. Those shoes had been troublemakers from the start. It
had been an absolute trauma getting them in the first place. They’d
been flown into South Africa late the previous night, and I’d been
tasked with collecting them. Everyone was holding their collective
breath for the grand arrival. So when I was forced to confess to their
absence…well, you can only imagine.
When lunch finally arrived, I jumped into my car and sped home.
I had exactly one hour to get in and out before the photo shoot, more
than enough time.
I pulled into my driveway at breakneck speed, ran for the front
door, slipped my house keys into the lock, and turned—
But…
Something made me stop.
Something told me not to go inside.
Something was very wrong.
I looked around nervously. Everything seemed normal. Peter
across the road was blasting his TV as usual, the ratbag Chihuahua
from number 45 was running up and down the garden perimeter
yapping at an unseen force, and Mildred, my neighbor, was outside
watering her hydrangeas.
So why was I hesitating?
I took a deep breath and inched the door open.
Nothing looked out of place.
Everything was exactly the way I’d left it.
Yet everything felt wrong.
I slunk down the hallway toward the kitchen, where I knew I’d
find the shoes perched next to the coffeepot. But once inside, I was
hit by a terribly eerie sensation…someone was in the house. A shiver
licked the length of my spine when my suspicions were confirmed.
Creeeeaaakkk…A noise was coming from my bedroom directly
above me.
Shit, shit, shit, there was an intruder in the house!
I launched myself at the cutlery drawer, grabbing the largest knife
I could find while simultaneously dialing the police and still managing
to hold on to the shoes for dear life.
“Police! Help, there’s an intruder in my house. Forty-Seven Mendelssohn
Road, Oaklands. Quick.”
Now what? I’d never been in a situation like this before. What
was the correct protocol? Should I hide, evacuate the house, attack
the intruder, scream loudly? Or perhaps a combination of the above?
I thought for a second before deciding to get the fuck out of there!
But just as I had one foot safely installed outside the front door, I
heard another noise. This time it was different. It was…
It sounded like…
My blood ran cold.
But it couldn’t be. Trevv was at work. Trevv had a very important
day in court, he told me. His client’s final hearing was today. Right
now, in fact. I’d called him from my office about an hour ago and
he’d told me he was in court.
He was in court, dammit!
I started climbing the stairs.
More noises.
Two voices?
But that was impossible…wasn’t it?
The noises grew louder and louder the farther up the stairs I
went. I’m not really sure at what point I knew what the noises were
or knew what I was going to see when I opened the door. But I just
knew.
It’s one thing walking in on your boyfriend having sex with another
woman, but it’s another thing entirely walking in on him the
second the other woman is coming. She was facing the door but was
bouncing up and down so vigorously that her face was a blur. And
then suddenly her body stiffened, she threw her head back, opened
her mouth, and let out a high-pitched wail. As if that wasn’t self-explanatory
enough, she decided to toss in a few words for good
measure.
“Yes, Trevvy, yes. Oh my God, oh my God, oh Trevvy. Harder!
Ah, ah, ah.” *Pant, pant, pant* “I’m coming!” *Long high-pitched
scream*
Now…there were several things wrong with this picture, aside
from the obvious. Firstly, who the hell screams like that in bed? No
one does! Sex is not so good that you have to break the sound barrier
with your squealing dolphin sounds. Secondly, what the hell was
she wearing? She was clad in some kind of leathery studded number
that looked like it had been worn by one of the Village People. And
to make matters worse, Trevv was blindfolded with the tie that I had
bought him two Christmases ago and…OH MY GOD…were those,
were those…nipple clamps?
I felt sick to my stomach.
And thirdly, who was this mystery woman without an ounce of cellulite,
without the slightest smidge of fat, and with boobs that seemed
to defy all known natural laws of gravity and motion? Which
woman can be that damn perfect…
…and then her features came into focus and the answer dawned
on me.
Tess.
Tess Blackman.
My boyfriend’s “coworker.” The woman I’d invited into
my home on several occasions for dinner. The woman that I always
phoned when I couldn’t get hold of Trevv, because I knew they
were probably together working on a case, tired and exhausted and
burning the midnight oil when they’d rather be at home with their
significant others. She had a fiancé after all.
Poor overworked Trevv and Tess.
God, I was naive.
But the show didn’t end there. Tess’s eyes were still closed when
Trevv started making some delightful grunting-moaning-squeaking
sounds. He’d never made sounds like that with me before. His sweaty
hands reached up and grabbed at her hungrily.
Faster.
Harder.
Loud, long moan.
I was frozen. It’s hard to know what to do when you watch your
partner of two years with his penis somewhere you wouldn’t even
like to imagine, let alone witness in full blinding daylight.
Once all their postcoital panting had tapered off, Tess opened her
eyes and saw me standing in the doorway. The look on her face was
indescribable. Shock and horror and fear all at the same time. And
then she opened her mouth and screamed.
Trevv then turned his head toward the door and whipped off his
blindfold. Our eyes locked and then he did something truly bizarre.
Unexpected. He grabbed Tess by the hand and dragged her to the
other side of the bed.
“Anne, please…you don’t want to do this.” Trevv threw his hands
in the air defensively. He looked terrified. She was bleating hysterically
by this stage.
What was going on? Wasn’t I the jilted one? Wasn’t I the one
that was supposed to be upset? I started walking toward them, which
seemed to only make matters worse.
“Anne, please. Please.” He seemed to be begging now. “Think
about what you’re doing. I know this is bad, but this isn’t the way to
handle it. Please don’t do this.”
Things happened pretty quickly after that. Suddenly, the room
was filled with armed police officers. I was about to tell them they
could all go home, when Trevv cut me off.
“She has a knife. She’s going to kill us!” he shouted, pointing at me.
What knife? I glanced at my hands, and that’s when I realized I
was still holding the large knife, and it was pointed in their direction.
I quickly turned to explain. “I wasn’t going to—”
“Ma’am…” One of the police officers cut me off and started creeping
toward me as if I was a feral pit bull that hadn’t eaten in a week.
“Put down your weapon.”
“I swear, this isn’t what you think, I was just trying to—”
BAM! Face on floor, handcuffs around wrists.
Three really painful things happened at that point: One, the knife
slipped and cut the entire length of my palm. Two, some of my
newly acquired, gorgeous nails snapped off. And three, the crystal-encrusted,
six-inch heel of the priceless Louboutin snapped off,
rolled across the floor lifelessly, and disappeared under the bed.
0 0 0
Posted on 01/31/2017 | Permalink
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ShareThis Copy and PasteJennifer Vido About Meet Jen Book Club Picks My Books My Blog Contact Jen « #arthritistipoftheday Elevated Leg Pillow | Main | #arthritistipoftheday Crocs » 01/31/2017 Almost a Bride by Jo Watson Title: ALMOST A BRIDE Author: Jo Watson Series: Destination Love, #2 On Sale: January 31, 2017 Publisher: Forever Trade Paperback: $14.99 USD eBook: $4.99 USD Add to Goodreads **Newly revised and expanded, Wattpad sensation Jo Watson's ALMOST A BRIDE is now available in print for the first time!** That awkward moment you catch your boyfriend in bed with another woman and then mistakenly get arrested #chargesdropped Annie knows life isn't always fair. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you get mistaken for a crazed intruder when you come home early and find your boyfriend wearing nipple clamps with a coworker on the night you thought he was going to propose to you. The important thing is to move on, and for Annie that means treating herself to a tropical vacation. But when she runs into her ex and his new woman staying at the same resort, reason is washed out to sea. Caught off guard, Annie pretends she's with Chris, a cute screenwriter she meets on the beach. With his own writing blocked, Chris is happy to help Annie craft a story to save face. Soon Annie isn't just getting over her ex, she's getting under Chris. As her fictional feelings grow increasingly real, Annie has to decide if she's ready to risk her heart on a new relationship. BUY THE BOOK HERE Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-A-Million Google Play iBooks Indiebound Kobo THE DESTINATION LOVE SERIES BURNING MOON, #1 ALMOST A BRIDE, #2 FINDING YOU, #3 Series Page on Goodreads ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jo Watson is an award-winning writer of romantic comedies. Burning Moon won a Watty Award in 2014. Jo is an Adidas addict and a Depeche Mode devotee. Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Goodreads FOLLOW FOREVER ONLINE Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest EXCERPT: I knew something was wrong the second I walked up to my front door. Call it intuition. Call it a sixth sense. But I just knew. I blame the shoes. The shoes were undoubtedly the cause of all the problems that day. It was the shoes’ fault that I came home early, and the shoes’ fault I was fired. I suppose I can’t blame the shoes for making me late, though— that was the alarm clock’s fault for rudely deciding not to do its job. And when I finally realized, through the thick haze of sleepiness, that it hadn’t gone off, it was too late. I was already late for work. And when I say work, I mean my brand-new job—job of my dreams—as a fashion assistant at Glamorous Girl mag. I’d just made a total career change, leaving behind a successful job as a stylist in advertising to pursue a job in the magazine industry. It was early days, so I was still desperately trying to impress by being perfect, polite, and oh so obliging. Whether it was the request for the latte to be served at 97.7 degrees with no sugar, soy milk froth, and a sprinkling of organic cocoa powder flown in directly from the foothills of the Andes. Or whether it was for the jasmine-and-lavender- scented candles to be burned in the office for exactly ten minutes before my boss arrived—that was me. Little Miss Annie Obliging. Because let’s face it, the word assistant is just a glammed-up euphemism for slave. But I was ambitious and determined, so when I realized I wouldn’t be able to attend to the scented candles, or fetch the latte, I panicked. So much so, that I left the house without the said troublemaking, life-ruining, world-annihilating shoes. Let’s take a moment to talk about the shoes. They weren’t ordinary shoes, oh no, they were none other than the just-off-the- Paris-catwalk-and-not-for-sale-to-mere-mortals-yet Christian Louboutins. They also happened to be the centerpieces for that day’s shoot. The same rushed panic that had caused me to forget the shoes in the first place had also left me with barely enough time to scrape my hair back into a casual bun and slip on a creased T-shirt and pair of jeans from my floor. The latter is a bigger sin than you think. Because where I work, wearing anything other than the most fashionable apparel is sacrilege. People practically throw holy water at you and start wailing in Latin for fear that you’ve been possessed by the demon of bad fashion. In fact, a real demon possession, complete with a backward-rolling head and the ability to speak in tongues, would be preferable to the demon of last season’s handbag and Crocs sandals. So when I finally got to work, underdressed, out of breath, without the shoes, and over an hour late, I was in serious trouble. My boss was throwing a hissy fit, due to lack of flowery scents in her office, and her personal assistant Cedric was in the throes of an overly dramatic caffeine withdrawal, due to lack of latte. And it kept getting worse. Two hours later the panicky fashion director summoned the Louboutins. Those shoes had been troublemakers from the start. It had been an absolute trauma getting them in the first place. They’d been flown into South Africa late the previous night, and I’d been tasked with collecting them. Everyone was holding their collective breath for the grand arrival. So when I was forced to confess to their absence…well, you can only imagine. When lunch finally arrived, I jumped into my car and sped home. I had exactly one hour to get in and out before the photo shoot, more than enough time. I pulled into my driveway at breakneck speed, ran for the front door, slipped my house keys into the lock, and turned— But… Something made me stop. Something told me not to go inside. Something was very wrong. I looked around nervously. Everything seemed normal. Peter across the road was blasting his TV as usual, the ratbag Chihuahua from number 45 was running up and down the garden perimeter yapping at an unseen force, and Mildred, my neighbor, was outside watering her hydrangeas. So why was I hesitating? I took a deep breath and inched the door open. Nothing looked out of place. Everything was exactly the way I’d left it. Yet everything felt wrong. I slunk down the hallway toward the kitchen, where I knew I’d find the shoes perched next to the coffeepot. But once inside, I was hit by a terribly eerie sensation…someone was in the house. A shiver licked the length of my spine when my suspicions were confirmed. Creeeeaaakkk…A noise was coming from my bedroom directly above me. Shit, shit, shit, there was an intruder in the house! I launched myself at the cutlery drawer, grabbing the largest knife I could find while simultaneously dialing the police and still managing to hold on to the shoes for dear life. “Police! Help, there’s an intruder in my house. Forty-Seven Mendelssohn Road, Oaklands. Quick.” Now what? I’d never been in a situation like this before. What was the correct protocol? Should I hide, evacuate the house, attack the intruder, scream loudly? Or perhaps a combination of the above? I thought for a second before deciding to get the fuck out of there! But just as I had one foot safely installed outside the front door, I heard another noise. This time it was different. It was… It sounded like… My blood ran cold. But it couldn’t be. Trevv was at work. Trevv had a very important day in court, he told me. His client’s final hearing was today. Right now, in fact. I’d called him from my office about an hour ago and he’d told me he was in court. He was in court, dammit! I started climbing the stairs. More noises. Two voices? But that was impossible…wasn’t it? The noises grew louder and louder the farther up the stairs I went. I’m not really sure at what point I knew what the noises were or knew what I was going to see when I opened the door. But I just knew. It’s one thing walking in on your boyfriend having sex with another woman, but it’s another thing entirely walking in on him the second the other woman is coming. She was facing the door but was bouncing up and down so vigorously that her face was a blur. And then suddenly her body stiffened, she threw her head back, opened her mouth, and let out a high-pitched wail. As if that wasn’t self-explanatory enough, she decided to toss in a few words for good measure. “Yes, Trevvy, yes. Oh my God, oh my God, oh Trevvy. Harder! Ah, ah, ah.” *Pant, pant, pant* “I’m coming!” *Long high-pitched scream* Now…there were several things wrong with this picture, aside from the obvious. Firstly, who the hell screams like that in bed? No one does! Sex is not so good that you have to break the sound barrier with your squealing dolphin sounds. Secondly, what the hell was she wearing? She was clad in some kind of leathery studded number that looked like it had been worn by one of the Village People. And to make matters worse, Trevv was blindfolded with the tie that I had bought him two Christmases ago and…OH MY GOD…were those, were those…nipple clamps? I felt sick to my stomach. And thirdly, who was this mystery woman without an ounce of cellulite, without the slightest smidge of fat, and with boobs that seemed to defy all known natural laws of gravity and motion? Which woman can be that damn perfect… …and then her features came into focus and the answer dawned on me. Tess. Tess Blackman. My boyfriend’s “coworker.” The woman I’d invited into my home on several occasions for dinner. The woman that I always phoned when I couldn’t get hold of Trevv, because I knew they were probably together working on a case, tired and exhausted and burning the midnight oil when they’d rather be at home with their significant others. She had a fiancé after all. Poor overworked Trevv and Tess. God, I was naive. But the show didn’t end there. Tess’s eyes were still closed when Trevv started making some delightful grunting-moaning-squeaking sounds. He’d never made sounds like that with me before. His sweaty hands reached up and grabbed at her hungrily. Faster. Harder. Loud, long moan. I was frozen. It’s hard to know what to do when you watch your partner of two years with his penis somewhere you wouldn’t even like to imagine, let alone witness in full blinding daylight. Once all their postcoital panting had tapered off, Tess opened her eyes and saw me standing in the doorway. The look on her face was indescribable. Shock and horror and fear all at the same time. And then she opened her mouth and screamed. Trevv then turned his head toward the door and whipped off his blindfold. Our eyes locked and then he did something truly bizarre. Unexpected. He grabbed Tess by the hand and dragged her to the other side of the bed. “Anne, please…you don’t want to do this.” Trevv threw his hands in the air defensively. He looked terrified. She was bleating hysterically by this stage. What was going on? Wasn’t I the jilted one? Wasn’t I the one that was supposed to be upset? I started walking toward them, which seemed to only make matters worse. “Anne, please. Please.” He seemed to be begging now. “Think about what you’re doing. I know this is bad, but this isn’t the way to handle it. Please don’t do this.” Things happened pretty quickly after that. Suddenly, the room was filled with armed police officers. I was about to tell them they could all go home, when Trevv cut me off. “She has a knife. She’s going to kill us!” he shouted, pointing at me. What knife? I glanced at my hands, and that’s when I realized I was still holding the large knife, and it was pointed in their direction. I quickly turned to explain. “I wasn’t going to—” “Ma’am…” One of the police officers cut me off and started creeping toward me as if I was a feral pit bull that hadn’t eaten in a week. “Put down your weapon.” “I swear, this isn’t what you think, I was just trying to—” BAM! Face on floor, handcuffs around wrists. Three really painful things happened at that point: One, the knife slipped and cut the entire length of my palm. Two, some of my newly acquired, gorgeous nails snapped off. And three, the crystal-encrusted, six-inch heel of the priceless Louboutin snapped off, rolled across the floor lifelessly, and disappeared under the bed. 0 0 0 Posted on 01/31/2017 | Permalink Comments The comments to this entry are closed. MY OTHER ACCOUNTS PINTEREST Jennifer Vido Follow On CATEGORIES Blog Interviews Reviews Books Par for the Cour… Jennifer Vido (Pape… $14.00 Country Clubbe… Jennifer Vido $1.99 by Jennifer Vido Privacy Get Updates from Jen! Email: For Email Marketing you can trust RECENT POSTS THE PLAYBOY BACHELOR by Rachel Van Dyken Book Review: Any Dream Will Do by Debbie Macomber Book Review: Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan Can't Stop Lovin' You by Lynnette Austin Summer on Firefly Lake by Jen Gilroy ALL I AM: DREW’S STORY (A THIS MAN NOVELLA) by Jodi Ellen Malpas A SEAL’S COURAGE by JM Stewart ONE WEEK TO THE WEDDING by Olivia Miles UNTIL YOU by Denise Grover Swank Black Tie Optional by Ann Marie Walker Subscribe to this blog's feed SEARCH Jensjewels's blog Powered by TypePad Jennifer Vido About Meet Jen Book Club Picks My Books My Blog Contact Jen « #arthritistipoftheday Elevated Leg Pillow | Main | #arthritistipoftheday Crocs » 01/31/2017 Almost a Bride by Jo Watson Title: ALMOST A BRIDE Author: Jo Watson Series: Destination Love, #2 On Sale: January 31, 2017 Publisher: Forever Trade Paperback: $14.99 USD eBook: $4.99 USD Add to Goodreads **Newly revised and expanded, Wattpad sensation Jo Watson's ALMOST A BRIDE is now available in print for the first time!** That awkward moment you catch your boyfriend in bed with another woman and then mistakenly get arrested #chargesdropped Annie knows life isn't always fair. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you get mistaken for a crazed intruder when you come home early and find your boyfriend wearing nipple clamps with a coworker on the night you thought he was going to propose to you. The important thing is to move on, and for Annie that means treating herself to a tropical vacation. But when she runs into her ex and his new woman staying at the same resort, reason is washed out to sea. Caught off guard, Annie pretends she's with Chris, a cute screenwriter she meets on the beach. With his own writing blocked, Chris is happy to help Annie craft a story to save face. Soon Annie isn't just getting over her ex, she's getting under Chris. As her fictional feelings grow increasingly real, Annie has to decide if she's ready to risk her heart on a new relationship. BUY THE BOOK HERE Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-A-Million Google Play iBooks Indiebound Kobo THE DESTINATION LOVE SERIES BURNING MOON, #1 ALMOST A BRIDE, #2 FINDING YOU, #3 Series Page on Goodreads ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jo Watson is an award-winning writer of romantic comedies. Burning Moon won a Watty Award in 2014. Jo is an Adidas addict and a Depeche Mode devotee. Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Goodreads FOLLOW FOREVER ONLINE Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest EXCERPT: I knew something was wrong the second I walked up to my front door. Call it intuition. Call it a sixth sense. But I just knew. I blame the shoes. The shoes were undoubtedly the cause of all the problems that day. It was the shoes’ fault that I came home early, and the shoes’ fault I was fired. I suppose I can’t blame the shoes for making me late, though— that was the alarm clock’s fault for rudely deciding not to do its job. And when I finally realized, through the thick haze of sleepiness, that it hadn’t gone off, it was too late. I was already late for work. And when I say work, I mean my brand-new job—job of my dreams—as a fashion assistant at Glamorous Girl mag. I’d just made a total career change, leaving behind a successful job as a stylist in advertising to pursue a job in the magazine industry. It was early days, so I was still desperately trying to impress by being perfect, polite, and oh so obliging. Whether it was the request for the latte to be served at 97.7 degrees with no sugar, soy milk froth, and a sprinkling of organic cocoa powder flown in directly from the foothills of the Andes. Or whether it was for the jasmine-and-lavender- scented candles to be burned in the office for exactly ten minutes before my boss arrived—that was me. Little Miss Annie Obliging. Because let’s face it, the word assistant is just a glammed-up euphemism for slave. But I was ambitious and determined, so when I realized I wouldn’t be able to attend to the scented candles, or fetch the latte, I panicked. So much so, that I left the house without the said troublemaking, life-ruining, world-annihilating shoes. Let’s take a moment to talk about the shoes. They weren’t ordinary shoes, oh no, they were none other than the just-off-the- Paris-catwalk-and-not-for-sale-to-mere-mortals-yet Christian Louboutins. They also happened to be the centerpieces for that day’s shoot. The same rushed panic that had caused me to forget the shoes in the first place had also left me with barely enough time to scrape my hair back into a casual bun and slip on a creased T-shirt and pair of jeans from my floor. The latter is a bigger sin than you think. Because where I work, wearing anything other than the most fashionable apparel is sacrilege. People practically throw holy water at you and start wailing in Latin for fear that you’ve been possessed by the demon of bad fashion. In fact, a real demon possession, complete with a backward-rolling head and the ability to speak in tongues, would be preferable to the demon of last season’s handbag and Crocs sandals. So when I finally got to work, underdressed, out of breath, without the shoes, and over an hour late, I was in serious trouble. My boss was throwing a hissy fit, due to lack of flowery scents in her office, and her personal assistant Cedric was in the throes of an overly dramatic caffeine withdrawal, due to lack of latte. And it kept getting worse. Two hours later the panicky fashion director summoned the Louboutins. Those shoes had been troublemakers from the start. It had been an absolute trauma getting them in the first place. They’d been flown into South Africa late the previous night, and I’d been tasked with collecting them. Everyone was holding their collective breath for the grand arrival. So when I was forced to confess to their absence…well, you can only imagine. When lunch finally arrived, I jumped into my car and sped home. I had exactly one hour to get in and out before the photo shoot, more than enough time. I pulled into my driveway at breakneck speed, ran for the front door, slipped my house keys into the lock, and turned— But… Something made me stop. Something told me not to go inside. Something was very wrong. I looked around nervously. Everything seemed normal. Peter across the road was blasting his TV as usual, the ratbag Chihuahua from number 45 was running up and down the garden perimeter yapping at an unseen force, and Mildred, my neighbor, was outside watering her hydrangeas. So why was I hesitating? I took a deep breath and inched the door open. Nothing looked out of place. Everything was exactly the way I’d left it. Yet everything felt wrong. I slunk down the hallway toward the kitchen, where I knew I’d find the shoes perched next to the coffeepot. But once inside, I was hit by a terribly eerie sensation…someone was in the house. A shiver licked the length of my spine when my suspicions were confirmed. Creeeeaaakkk…A noise was coming from my bedroom directly above me. Shit, shit, shit, there was an intruder in the house! I launched myself at the cutlery drawer, grabbing the largest knife I could find while simultaneously dialing the police and still managing to hold on to the shoes for dear life. “Police! Help, there’s an intruder in my house. Forty-Seven Mendelssohn Road, Oaklands. Quick.” Now what? I’d never been in a situation like this before. What was the correct protocol? Should I hide, evacuate the house, attack the intruder, scream loudly? Or perhaps a combination of the above? I thought for a second before deciding to get the fuck out of there! But just as I had one foot safely installed outside the front door, I heard another noise. This time it was different. It was… It sounded like… My blood ran cold. But it couldn’t be. Trevv was at work. Trevv had a very important day in court, he told me. His client’s final hearing was today. Right now, in fact. I’d called him from my office about an hour ago and he’d told me he was in court. He was in court, dammit! I started climbing the stairs. More noises. Two voices? But that was impossible…wasn’t it? The noises grew louder and louder the farther up the stairs I went. I’m not really sure at what point I knew what the noises were or knew what I was going to see when I opened the door. But I just knew. It’s one thing walking in on your boyfriend having sex with another woman, but it’s another thing entirely walking in on him the second the other woman is coming. She was facing the door but was bouncing up and down so vigorously that her face was a blur. And then suddenly her body stiffened, she threw her head back, opened her mouth, and let out a high-pitched wail. As if that wasn’t self-explanatory enough, she decided to toss in a few words for good measure. “Yes, Trevvy, yes. Oh my God, oh my God, oh Trevvy. Harder! Ah, ah, ah.” *Pant, pant, pant* “I’m coming!” *Long high-pitched scream* Now…there were several things wrong with this picture, aside from the obvious. Firstly, who the hell screams like that in bed? No one does! Sex is not so good that you have to break the sound barrier with your squealing dolphin sounds. Secondly, what the hell was she wearing? She was clad in some kind of leathery studded number that looked like it had been worn by one of the Village People. And to make matters worse, Trevv was blindfolded with the tie that I had bought him two Christmases ago and…OH MY GOD…were those, were those…nipple clamps? I felt sick to my stomach. And thirdly, who was this mystery woman without an ounce of cellulite, without the slightest smidge of fat, and with boobs that seemed to defy all known natural laws of gravity and motion? Which woman can be that damn perfect… …and then her features came into focus and the answer dawned on me. Tess. Tess Blackman. My boyfriend’s “coworker.” The woman I’d invited into my home on several occasions for dinner. The woman that I always phoned when I couldn’t get hold of Trevv, because I knew they were probably together working on a case, tired and exhausted and burning the midnight oil when they’d rather be at home with their significant others. She had a fiancé after all. Poor overworked Trevv and Tess. God, I was naive. But the show didn’t end there. Tess’s eyes were still closed when Trevv started making some delightful grunting-moaning-squeaking sounds. He’d never made sounds like that with me before. His sweaty hands reached up and grabbed at her hungrily. Faster. Harder. Loud, long moan. I was frozen. It’s hard to know what to do when you watch your partner of two years with his penis somewhere you wouldn’t even like to imagine, let alone witness in full blinding daylight. Once all their postcoital panting had tapered off, Tess opened her eyes and saw me standing in the doorway. The look on her face was indescribable. Shock and horror and fear all at the same time. And then she opened her mouth and screamed. Trevv then turned his head toward the door and whipped off his blindfold. Our eyes locked and then he did something truly bizarre. Unexpected. He grabbed Tess by the hand and dragged her to the other side of the bed. “Anne, please…you don’t want to do this.” Trevv threw his hands in the air defensively. He looked terrified. She was bleating hysterically by this stage. What was going on? Wasn’t I the jilted one? Wasn’t I the one that was supposed to be upset? I started walking toward them, which seemed to only make matters worse. “Anne, please. Please.” He seemed to be begging now. “Think about what you’re doing. I know this is bad, but this isn’t the way to handle it. Please don’t do this.” Things happened pretty quickly after that. Suddenly, the room was filled with armed police officers. I was about to tell them they could all go home, when Trevv cut me off. “She has a knife. She’s going to kill us!” he shouted, pointing at me. What knife? I glanced at my hands, and that’s when I realized I was still holding the large knife, and it was pointed in their direction. I quickly turned to explain. “I wasn’t going to—” “Ma’am…” One of the police officers cut me off and started creeping toward me as if I was a feral pit bull that hadn’t eaten in a week. “Put down your weapon.” “I swear, this isn’t what you think, I was just trying to—” BAM! Face on floor, handcuffs around wrists. Three really painful things happened at that point: One, the knife slipped and cut the entire length of my palm. Two, some of my newly acquired, gorgeous nails snapped off. And three, the crystal-encrusted, six-inch heel of the priceless Louboutin snapped off, rolled across the floor lifelessly, and disappeared under the bed. 0 0 0 Posted on 01/31/2017 | Permalink Comments The comments to this entry are closed. MY OTHER ACCOUNTS PINTEREST Jennifer Vido Follow On CATEGORIES Blog Interviews Reviews Books Par for the Cour… Jennifer Vido (Pape… $14.00 Country Clubbe… Jennifer Vido $1.99 by Jennifer Vido Privacy Get Updates from Jen! 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Review: Almost A Bride by Jo Watson
January 5, 2017BibliomaniacEzzaGallery
30145154Title: Almost a Bride (Destination Love #2)
Author: Jo Watson
Published: 31st January 2017
Publisher: Forever
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads Summary
That awkward moment you catch your boyfriend in bed with another woman and then mistakenly get arrested #chargesdropped
Annie knows life isn’t always fair. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you get mistaken for a crazed intruder when you come home early and find your boyfriend wearing nipple clamps with a coworker on the night you thought he was going to propose to you.
The important thing is to move on, and for Annie that means treating herself to a tropical vacation. But when she runs into her ex and his new woman staying at the same resort, reason is washed out to sea. Caught off guard, Annie pretends she’s with Chris, a cute screenwriter she meets on the beach. With his own writing blocked, Chris is happy to help Annie craft a story to save face. Soon Annie isn’t just getting over her ex, she’s getting under Chris. As her fictional feelings grow increasingly real, Annie has to decide if she’s ready to risk her heart on a new relationship.
Review
‘Almost a bride’ really read like romcom movie for me but in book version because the plot was so ridiculous and some parts of it was just so funny I legit laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of it.
The plot combined with the banter and conversation we read between Chris and Annie were really humorous especially how Chris who is American pretended to be Annie’s fake Australian boyfriend, Boyden, complete with a fake Australian accent which I am pretty sure does not sound remotely Australian. Also, when Chris and Annie try to one up against Tress (Trevv is Annie’s ex boyfriend and Tess is his new girlfriend) it caused a lot more comical situations to arise especially when Trevv was sneaking around Chris and Annie’s rooms just to see if they were really together or were they just faking it.
Whilst I find the rate of how Chris and Annie actually fell in love quite unbelievable, it was nice to read how towards the end of the vacation Annie wanted to focus on herself first before she enters a new relationship even when she does care about Chris. I find this to be very refreshing to read because it shows how Annie improves as a character where she feels like the life she is at now is not enough and she wants more for her and having a relationship just isn’t enough for her. She needs something more substantial like a career or at least get her shit together and I really liked how Annie realizes being in a relationship isn’t going to solve the problems in her life, she has to settle that herself. It is inspiring okay to me and it is a reminder to me that I too need to get my life together and achieve more in life rather than just settle for things.
Also, it was nice how even after Annie rejected Chris to be in a relationship he still wanted to be there for her even if as a close friend and from that they got to know each other more and thus their love for each other was substantiated by the fact that they took the time to get to know each other as friends.
Now, the reason as to why this book did not get a complete 5 was because it was predictable like I knew what they were going to fight about, how they were going to fight about it, what they were going to say, stuff like that. So that kind of killed the mood for me but fortunately the book was funny enough for me to continue reading till the end. This book is definitely for readers who want something light and amusing to read.
*Received an ARC fromo Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review
**Sorry I have been MIA for a few days, I was sick and did not have the time not energy to update my blog and yeah I forgot to schedule my posts again 😛
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6 thoughts on “Review: Almost A Bride by Jo Watson”sjhigbee
JANUARY 7, 2017 AT 8:50 AM
A great review – I hope you’re now feeling a lot better!Liked by 1 person
Reply
BibliomaniacEzza
JANUARY 7, 2017 AT 1:13 PM
Thanks yeah I feel slightly better, just having cough now thoughLiked by 1 person
Reply
sjhigbee
JANUARY 7, 2017 AT 6:06 PM
I hope it leaves soon – so exhausting when you keep coughing:(.Liked by 1 person
BibliomaniacEzza
JANUARY 7, 2017 AT 9:31 PM
Yeah it is… 😦Liked by 1 person
bakahaido
JANUARY 6, 2017 AT 11:08 AM
Sounds like Forgetting Sarah MarshallLiked by 1 person
Reply
BibliomaniacEzza
JANUARY 7, 2017 AT 1:14 PM
Yeah the book even made a reference to forgetting sarah marshall man…Like
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REVIEW: Almost a Bride by Jo Watson
Posted February 10th, 2017 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Contemporary Romance, Review / 4 comments
HJ_TopPickIn Almost a Bride by Jo Watson, the author immediately captures your attention with many laugh-out-loud moments at the expense of our heroine. Readers are introduced to Annie while she’s having the worst day of her life. I’m not exaggerating either, you will feel so bad for what Annie goes through, but at the same time, you can’t help but laugh at how the author set up the situation.
Annie finally lands the job of her dreams, a fashion assistant for a magazine. Only..she forgot to bring a very important pair of shoes to the photo shoot. So of course, she runs home thinking she’ll just grab the shoes and rush back to work. But as soon as she gets home, the same home she lives in with her boyfriend, she hears moaning coming from the bedroom. Turns out the boyfriend has been cheating on her. Things escalate from there and she lands herself in jail. In one day, Annie loses her job, her boyfriend, and her home. I know what you’re thinking…it can’t get worse than this, right? Oh, but it can.
Annie meets Chris while on vacation. For Annie, this vacation is important for her to move on and for Chris, he needs inspiration to get over his writer’s block. When Annie finds out her ex-boyfriend and his new lady love has followed her on her vacation, Chris offers his help, by pretending to be her new boyfriend. Shouldn’t be that hard since he already knows how to craft stories, but playing pretend can have consequences, especially when their hearts get involved. Will Annie or Chris realize there’s more to their relationship than pretending, before it’s too late or will their story end here?
I’m a big fan of romantic comedies and Almost a Bride put a smile on my face more than once. The dialogue was witty, the words were well-written and the heroine was one-of-a-kind. Was the story unbelievable at times, of course, but that just made it all the more funnier. The only reason I’m not rating this 5 stars is because of how long it takes for Chris and Annie to gain to their happy ending. A lot of soul searching was involved; maybe too much time apart.
This is book two in Destination Love series but can be definitely be read as a standalone. If you’re a fan of pretend relationships turning real or enjoy rom coms, certainly check this book out.
Book Info:
Publication: January 31st 2017 | Forever | Destination Love #2That awkward moment you catch your boyfriend in bed with another woman and then mistakenly get arrested #chargesdropped
Annie knows life isn’t always fair. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you get mistaken for a crazed intruder when you come home early and find your boyfriend wearing nipple clamps with a coworker on the night you thought he was going to propose to you.
The important thing is to move on, and for Annie that means treating herself to a tropical vacation. But when she runs into her ex and his new woman staying at the same resort, reason is washed out to sea. Caught off guard, Annie pretends she’s with Chris, a cute screenwriter she meets on the beach. With his own writing blocked, Chris is happy to help Annie craft a story to save face. Soon Annie isn’t just getting over her ex, she’s getting under Chris. As her fictional feelings grow increasingly real, Annie has to decide if she’s ready to risk her heart on a new relationship.
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4 Responses to “REVIEW: Almost a Bride by Jo Watson”
TAMMY Y
10TH FEB, 2017, 4:43PM
Thanks for your review. I will look for this bookREPLY
BURMA TURNER
11TH FEB, 2017, 7:30AM
This book sounds enjoyable. I like a change of pace sometimes. I will definitely check this one out! Thanks for the review.REPLY
JENNIFER SCHULTHEIS
13TH FEB, 2017, 8:23PM
It’s very enjoyable! Hope you enjoy it!REPLY
SHARLENE WEGNER
12TH FEB, 2017, 9:15AM
This sounds a little like Sophie Kinsella books. I think I would really like it. Thanks for the review!REPLY
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ALMOST A BRIDE BY JO WATSON
POSTED JANUARY 31, 2017 BY JONETTA IN BLOG TOUR, BOOK REVIEW | | 4 COMMENTSAlmost a Bride by Jo Watson
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Almost a Bride by Jo WatsonAlmost a Bride by Jo Watson
Series: Destination Love #2
Published by Forever on January 31, 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: the Publisher
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Goodreads
five-stars
four-flames
That awkward moment you catch your boyfriend in bed with another woman and then mistakenly get arrested #chargesdroppedAnnie knows life isn't always fair. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you get mistaken for a crazed intruder when you come home early and find your boyfriend wearing nipple clamps with a coworker on the night you thought he was going to propose to you.
The important thing is to move on, and for Annie that means treating herself to a tropical vacation. But when she runs into her ex and his new woman staying at the same resort, reason is washed out to sea. Caught off guard, Annie pretends she's with Chris, a cute screenwriter she meets on the beach. With his own writing blocked, Chris is happy to help Annie craft a story to save face. Soon Annie isn't just getting over her ex, she's getting under Chris. As her fictional feelings grow increasingly real, Annie has to decide if she's ready to risk her heart on a new relationship.
In just one day, Annie Anderson’s life turned sideways and then completely upside down when she comes home early, finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman. If that wasn’t sad enough, she ends up losing her new job on the first day. And yet it gets worse. When she goes away for a much needed excursion to a fabulous island with her friends, who shows up there but the cheating ex and his gorgeous arm candy.
As bad as Annie’s day from hell was, it was related in such a way that I couldn’t stop laughing. While my heart broke for her, Annie’s story is so cleverly written that I also found the humor in the situation. The escapades during the vacation were even more outrageous but so vividly described I felt I was witnessing everything firsthand. Even Annie’s introduction to Chris-the-writer-turned-fake-fiancé was memorable.
I’m not much for reading romantic comedy but there was something about the premise of this story that grabbed my attention and made me go for it. I am so glad I did because this is truly a diamond in the rough. It’s a page turner and you’ll fall in love with Annie, her motley crew of devoted friends and her fake fiancé Chris. This is a wonderful story filled with heartache, humor and wisdom, so well written that I’m now hooked to this series and the new-to-me author. I’m definitely going back and reading the first book and all that come after this one. This was outstanding.
excerpt
I knew something was wrong the second I walked up to my front door.
Call it intuition. Call it a sixth sense. But I just knew.
I blame the shoes. The shoes were undoubtedly the cause of all the
problems that day. It was the shoes’ fault that I came home early, and
the shoes’ fault I was fired.
I suppose I can’t blame the shoes for making me late, though—
that was the alarm clock’s fault for rudely deciding not to do its job.
And when I finally realized, through the thick haze of sleepiness,
that it hadn’t gone off, it was too late. I was already late for work.
And when I say work, I mean my brand-new job—job of my
dreams—as a fashion assistant at Glamorous Girl mag.
I’d just made a total career change, leaving behind a successful job
as a stylist in advertising to pursue a job in the magazine industry. It
was early days, so I was still desperately trying to impress by being
perfect, polite, and oh so obliging. Whether it was the request for
the latte to be served at 97.7 degrees with no sugar, soy milk froth,
and a sprinkling of organic cocoa powder flown in directly from
the foothills of the Andes. Or whether it was for the jasmine-and-lavender-
scented candles to be burned in the office for exactly ten
minutes before my boss arrived—that was me.
Little Miss Annie Obliging.
Because let’s face it, the word assistant is just a glammed-up euphemism
for slave. But I was ambitious and determined, so when I
realized I wouldn’t be able to attend to the scented candles, or fetch
the latte, I panicked. So much so, that I left the house without the
said troublemaking, life-ruining, world-annihilating shoes.
Let’s take a moment to talk about the shoes. They weren’t
ordinary shoes, oh no, they were none other than the just-off-the-
Paris-catwalk-and-not-for-sale-to-mere-mortals-yet Christian Louboutins.
They also happened to be the centerpieces for that day’s
shoot.
The same rushed panic that had caused me to forget the shoes in
the first place had also left me with barely enough time to scrape my
hair back into a casual bun and slip on a creased T-shirt and pair of
jeans from my floor.
The latter is a bigger sin than you think. Because where I
work, wearing anything other than the most fashionable apparel
is sacrilege. People practically throw holy water at you and start
wailing in Latin for fear that you’ve been possessed by the demon
of bad fashion. In fact, a real demon possession, complete with a
backward-rolling head and the ability to speak in tongues, would
be preferable to the demon of last season’s handbag and Crocs
sandals.
So when I finally got to work, underdressed, out of breath, without
the shoes, and over an hour late, I was in serious trouble.
My boss was throwing a hissy fit, due to lack of flowery scents in
her office, and her personal assistant Cedric was in the throes of an
overly dramatic caffeine withdrawal, due to lack of latte.
And it kept getting worse.
Two hours later the panicky fashion director summoned the
Louboutins. Those shoes had been troublemakers from the start. It
had been an absolute trauma getting them in the first place. They’d
been flown into South Africa late the previous night, and I’d been
tasked with collecting them. Everyone was holding their collective
breath for the grand arrival. So when I was forced to confess to their
absence…well, you can only imagine.
When lunch finally arrived, I jumped into my car and sped home.
I had exactly one hour to get in and out before the photo shoot, more
than enough time.
I pulled into my driveway at breakneck speed, ran for the front
door, slipped my house keys into the lock, and turned—
But…
Something made me stop.
Something told me not to go inside.
Something was very wrong.
I looked around nervously. Everything seemed normal. Peter
across the road was blasting his TV as usual, the ratbag Chihuahua
from number 45 was running up and down the garden perimeter
yapping at an unseen force, and Mildred, my neighbor, was outside
watering her hydrangeas.
So why was I hesitating?
I took a deep breath and inched the door open.
Nothing looked out of place.
Everything was exactly the way I’d left it.
Yet everything felt wrong.
I slunk down the hallway toward the kitchen, where I knew I’d
find the shoes perched next to the coffeepot. But once inside, I was
hit by a terribly eerie sensation…someone was in the house. A shiver
licked the length of my spine when my suspicions were confirmed.
Creeeeaaakkk…A noise was coming from my bedroom directly
above me.
Shit, shit, shit, there was an intruder in the house!
I launched myself at the cutlery drawer, grabbing the largest knife
I could find while simultaneously dialing the police and still managing
to hold on to the shoes for dear life.
“Police! Help, there’s an intruder in my house. Forty-Seven Mendelssohn
Road, Oaklands. Quick.”
Now what? I’d never been in a situation like this before. What
was the correct protocol? Should I hide, evacuate the house, attack
the intruder, scream loudly? Or perhaps a combination of the above?
I thought for a second before deciding to get the fuck out of there!
But just as I had one foot safely installed outside the front door, I
heard another noise. This time it was different. It was…
It sounded like…
My blood ran cold.
But it couldn’t be. Trevv was at work. Trevv had a very important
day in court, he told me. His client’s final hearing was today. Right
now, in fact. I’d called him from my office about an hour ago and
he’d told me he was in court.
He was in court, dammit!
I started climbing the stairs.
More noises.
Two voices?
But that was impossible…wasn’t it?
The noises grew louder and louder the farther up the stairs I
went. I’m not really sure at what point I knew what the noises were
or knew what I was going to see when I opened the door. But I just
knew.
It’s one thing walking in on your boyfriend having sex with another
woman, but it’s another thing entirely walking in on him the
second the other woman is coming. She was facing the door but was
bouncing up and down so vigorously that her face was a blur. And
then suddenly her body stiffened, she threw her head back, opened
her mouth, and let out a high-pitched wail. As if that wasn’t self explanatory
enough, she decided to toss in a few words for good
measure.
“Yes, Trevvy, yes. Oh my God, oh my God, oh Trevvy. Harder!
Ah, ah, ah.” *Pant, pant, pant* “I’m coming!” *Long high-pitched
scream*
Now…there were several things wrong with this picture, aside
from the obvious. Firstly, who the hell screams like that in bed? No
one does! Sex is not so good that you have to break the sound barrier
with your squealing dolphin sounds. Secondly, what the hell was
she wearing? She was clad in some kind of leathery studded number
that looked like it had been worn by one of the Village People. And
to make matters worse, Trevv was blindfolded with the tie that I had
bought him two Christmases ago and…OH MY GOD…were those,
were those…nipple clamps?
I felt sick to my stomach.
And thirdly, who was this mystery woman without an ounce of cellulite,
without the slightest smidge of fat, and with boobs that seemed
to defy all known natural laws of gravity and motion? Which
woman can be that damn perfect…
…and then her features came into focus and the answer dawned
on me.
Tess.
Tess Blackman.
My boyfriend’s “coworker.” The woman I’d invited into
my home on several occasions for dinner. The woman that I always
phoned when I couldn’t get hold of Trevv, because I knew they
were probably together working on a case, tired and exhausted and
burning the midnight oil when they’d rather be at home with their
significant others. She had a fiancé after all.
Poor overworked Trevv and Tess.
God, I was naive.
But the show didn’t end there. Tess’s eyes were still closed when
Trevv started making some delightful grunting-moaning-squeaking
sounds. He’d never made sounds like that with me before. His sweaty
hands reached up and grabbed at her hungrily.
Faster.
Harder.
Loud, long moan.
I was frozen. It’s hard to know what to do when you watch your
partner of two years with his penis somewhere you wouldn’t even
like to imagine, let alone witness in full blinding daylight.
Once all their postcoital panting had tapered off, Tess opened her
eyes and saw me standing in the doorway. The look on her face was
indescribable. Shock and horror and fear all at the same time. And
then she opened her mouth and screamed.
Trevv then turned his head toward the door and whipped off his
blindfold. Our eyes locked and then he did something truly bizarre.
Unexpected. He grabbed Tess by the hand and dragged her to the
other side of the bed.
“Anne, please…you don’t want to do this.” Trevv threw his hands
in the air defensively. He looked terrified. She was bleating hysterically
by this stage.
What was going on? Wasn’t I the jilted one? Wasn’t I the one
that was supposed to be upset? I started walking toward them, which
seemed to only make matters worse.
“Anne, please. Please.” He seemed to be begging now. “Think
about what you’re doing. I know this is bad, but this isn’t the way to
handle it. Please don’t do this.”
Things happened pretty quickly after that. Suddenly, the room
was filled with armed police officers. I was about to tell them they
could all go home, when Trevv cut me off.
“She has a knife. She’s going to kill us!” he shouted, pointing at me.
What knife? I glanced at my hands, and that’s when I realized I
was still holding the large knife, and it was pointed in their direction.
I quickly turned to explain. “I wasn’t going to—”
“Ma’am…” One of the police officers cut me off and started creeping
toward me as if I was a feral pit bull that hadn’t eaten in a week.
“Put down your weapon.”
“I swear, this isn’t what you think, I was just trying to—”
BAM! Face on floor, handcuffs around wrists.
Three really painful things happened at that point: One, the knife
slipped and cut the entire length of my palm. Two, some of my
newly acquired, gorgeous nails snapped off. And three, the crystal-encrusted,
six-inch heel of the priceless Louboutin snapped off,
rolled across the floor lifelessly, and disappeared under the bed.giveaway
About Jo Watson
Jo Watson is an award-winning writer of romantic comedies. Burning Moon won a Watty Award in 2014. Jo is an Adidas addict and a Depeche Mode devotee.
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I LOVE reading and am just crazy about so many series and writers. I’m open to exploring new authors and genres and appreciate those who not only write well but can deliciously craft a character and a tale. Your suggestions for new authors and titles are very much welcomed.I also love to talk about books. There’s nothing more exciting than to finish a great story and cover it A to Z with other people, exploring different perspectives and points of view. So, if you see something on my shelf you’d like to talk about, send me a message and we’ll talk!
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4 responses to “Almost a Bride by Jo Watson”felicia geekyblogger (@thegeekyblogger)
That looks like it was so much fun 🙂 🙂2nd feb, 2017 at 12:08pm
jonetta
I really wish I’d listened to this on audio. Loved reading it but listening would have been off the charts. It was very much a lot of fun.2nd feb, 2017 at 12:45pm
christy loveofbooks
This looks so dang good!31st jan, 2017 at 11:01pm
jonetta
That it is! I inhaled this book.1st feb, 2017 at 5:13am
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copyright © 2017 the book nympho.tweak me theme by nose graze Save:) - Harlequin Junkie
http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-burning-moon-by-jo-watson/
Word count: 662Burning Moon by Jo Watson takes a woman whose life is completely planned out and throws some unexpected surprises her way.
Lilly Swanson is supposed to be getting married to her perfect fiancé but he bails on the wedding ten minutes before she’s supposed to walk down the aisle. Lilly is devastated, depressed, and can’t seem to wrap her head around what happened. For the very first time, Lilly is all alone. In an unexpected move, Lilly decides to keep her honeymoon plans and fly to Thailand by herself and go through with her honeymoon…alone.
Lilly and Damien meet on the plane to Thailand and hilarity follows. This is one trip that will go down in the record books. Damien is backpacking from place to place and finds Lilly silly but also vulnerable. There is something about her that calls her to him and when he finds out her story, he tries to shake her up. Damien is all about risks and making the journey and Lilly couldn’t be more opposite. When Damien and Lilly get to know each other better, he leads her on the adventure of her life, which might include her being set on fire, going to a strip club, and getting to experience the Burning Moon.
“It was all so clear now. Everything had happened exactly the way it was supposed to. Coincidence. Synchronicity. Call it what you like. But this whole time when I’d been cursing Karma for causing my life to fall apart, it was actually coming together. I just didn’t’ know it…until now.”
Damien shows Lilly that her life is just beginning and it’s hers for the taking.My first thoughts of Lilly are that she’s a snob. She sees Damien and immediately refers to him as a drug addict or a goth drummer and decides to make assumptions based on his clothing and the reasons why he’s backpacking. Jokes on her when she finds out Damien comes from money and isn’t at all what she thought. She also jumps to conclusions at an incredible rate, but I also feel sorry for her. Having her whole life planned out, only for her to get the rug pulled out from under her couldn’t have been easy. As for Damien, I loved that he gave Lilly a chance. He obviously saw something in her, something deep down that Lilly had to find for herself, in order to take back her life. I really enjoyed his perspective on life and how he didn’t give up on her.
Overall, this book is witty, enjoyable and unique. If you’re looking for a fun and romantic read, this is for you!
Book Info:
4S August 2nd, 2016 | Forever | Destination Love #1Lily Swanson has been planning her perfect life since she was twelve years old: Meet Mr. Right, have the big white wedding, buy a house in the ‘burbs and raise 2.5 picture-perfect kids. However, when her fiancé bails, leaving Lily alone at the altar to face 500 gossipy guests, her dream turns into a nightmare. But then Lily makes an impulsive decision—she ditches the dress, grabs her passport, and heads off to Thailand to spend her honeymoon alone.
Or so she thinks…
Because Lilly quickly learns that everything in Thailand is very hot-the weather, the merchandise, and especially Damien—the sexy, spontaneous man she meets before her feet even hit the sand. Now with no plan, and nothing holding her back, Lily lets Damien lead her on a wild, unpredictable ride to the world’s most exclusive party, Burning Moon. But after a week of letting go, indulging her every impulse and desire, Lily must go back to the girl she used to be. Or can Damien convince her that their party doesn’t have to end?
- B.F.F. Book Blog
http://www.bffbookblog.com/review-burning-moon-by-jo-watson/
Word count: 561There’s a very fine line between blushing bride and mascara-streaked sobbing mess. #beenthere
Lily Swanson has been planning her perfect life since she was twelve years old: Meet Mr. Right, have the big white wedding, buy a house in the ‘burbs and raise 2.5 picture-perfect kids. However, when her fiancé bails, leaving Lily alone at the altar to face 500 gossipy guests, her dream turns into a nightmare. But then Lily makes an impulsive decision—she ditches the dress, grabs her passport, and heads off to Thailand to spend her honeymoon alone.
Or so she thinks…
Because Lilly quickly learns that everything in Thailand is very hot-the weather, the merchandise, and especially Damien—the sexy, spontaneous man she meets before her feet even hit the sand. Now with no plan, and nothing holding her back, Lily lets Damien lead her on a wild, unpredictable ride to the world’s most exclusive party, Burning Moon. But after a week of letting go, indulging her every impulse and desire, Lily must go back to the girl she used to be. Or can Damien convince her that their party doesn’t have to end?
The Destination Love Series
Burning Moon, #1
Almost A Bride, #2
Series Page on Goodreads
Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-A-Million iBooks
IndieBound Google Play Kobo
BFF K’s Review of Burning Moon
rating_4.5
On her wedding day, Lilly is left at the Church with 500 guests and a note from her fiancé that he “just can’t”. She decides to take her honeymoon trip to Thailand by herself. (The process of getting there is a hoot!) Lilly meets Damien early on in the trip and fate continually brings them together. The book is an entertaining, enjoyable, slow burn with beautiful settings and a big pay off!
Burning Moon is full of very strong character development. You get a very clear understanding of who Lilly is and why she behaves and thinks certain ways. You understand why she is cautious and conservative. But it is easy for the reader to see that her true personality may not be reflected in those behaviors. There is a fun, lighthearted, and lively side to Lilly that she doesn’t even fully understand. Damien brings out a side of Lilly that embraces spontaneity and passion. He is her opposite but her complement at the same time. Thailand is a brief but intense interaction that is a life altering for both.
Burning Moon is really about more than just a trip and a chance encounter. It is a tale of self-discovery, understanding, and self-acceptance. There are parts of the book that are poignant and heart wrenching but also parts that are hysterically funny. I enjoyed the audio version of this book and found myself frequently laughing out loud and grinning like a fool!
If you are looking for a book with a unique premise, a fun setting, great dialogue, and lovely characters I highly recommend you try Burning Moon in any format including audio. It’s definitely one for the TBR list! Now I’m looking forward to the next book in the series to learn about one of Lilly’s best friends, Annie. Another character and another adventure!
- 1 Girl 2 Many Books
https://1girl2manybooks.wordpress.com/2017/07/12/review-burning-moon-by-jo-watson/
Word count: 1007Burning Moon (Destination Love #1)
Jo Watson
Headline Eternal
2016, 304p
Freebie on iBooksBlurb {from the publisher/Goodreads.com}:
Chase your dreams. Dance under the stars. Fall in love at the festival of Burning Moon.
WARNING: Being jilted at the altar in front of 500 wedding guests can lead to irrational behaviour, such as going on your honeymoon to Thailand alone.
On the way to paradise, symptoms may include getting arrested, setting yourself on fire, turning up on a ‘Missing Poster’ and going viral.
Side-effects may include desert island stranding, star gazing and jungle trekking.
Recovery will lead to partying the night away at Burning Moon festival – and falling in love with the person you least expect…
Hmmm.
I read this because I actually spotted the second one while browsing iBooks and when I went to have a look at the first I discovered that I already had it. I download stacks of free books every week and then generally pick through when I’m looking for something and choose ones to read at random. I was looking for something to read before bed and this isn’t too long so I ended up finishing it in one night.
Lily is humiliatingly dumped by her fiance just before she’s about to walk down the aisle to marry him, leaving her a simple note and disappearing off the face of the earth. Lily wallows for a while before she makes a snap decision to fly to Thailand on her own and go on the honeymoon they were supposed to have. On the plane she makes eye contact with a man and he pops up several times both on the flight and after. Damien shows Lily a completely different holiday to the one she was expecting and along the way she completely realigns what it is she wants out of life and especially love.
I love the idea of this. I really do. Just the execution didn’t work for me personally.
One of the things I really don’t like is that sort of wacky, crazy comedy where everything is exaggerated for ridiculous effect and this book contains a lot of that. Lily is basically a walking disaster in the way that makes you wonder how she’s even made it to mid-20s without suddenly becoming a headline in the Darwin Awards. There were a few things I just had trouble buying, even given Lily’s disturbed state of mind.
The other thing is the speed. I’m all for getting over the douchebag that dumped you five minutes before you were due to walk down the aisle but everything happens so quickly. She invites Damien to stay with her in her luxurious honeymoon suite when they get off the plane, she’s having a bath (which is in the main part of the suite) trusting him to just keep his back turned, then she’s following him to some party. The whole thing takes place over a few days and then she loves him so much by the end of that that it overshadows her life for the entire next year. It just felt so rushed and even though there were some times where the chemistry showed flickers of promise, everything was happening so fast that I didn’t really have time to sit back and enjoy it developing.
I liked Damien, although the fact that he was super rich felt superfluous to the plot really, I wasn’t even sure why it was there given he was basically backpacking his way around the world without a $ to his name. When Lily invites him to stay with her it’s because he hasn’t got any money yet to pay for accommodation and needs to go and sort that out somehow, obviously working odd jobs to scrape together enough cash to tide him over until his next flight. All the flights are prebooked in advance but he seems to wing it in between which just made me feel anxious because I’m old now and the time where I find it romantic to just drift around the world without money or plans is now long gone. Actually to be honest, I’m not sure there was ever a time in my life when I would’ve been on board with that sort of lifestyle. I’m not as organised and uptight as Lily but I’d certainly like to arrive in a foreign country and know that I had enough money to pay for somewhere to sleep that night. Damien was interesting though in that he wasn’t quite a typical love interest character – bit gothy, the complete opposite of what Lily thought she really wanted in life. He was nothing like her former fiance, nothing like what she’d pictured for herself and it made her think about why she had such definite ideas about what she’d wanted and how set the plan had been for her life. Damien was like the opposite of a plan. He seemed pretty together and knew what he wanted to do. The conflict felt a bit contrived but mostly what I didn’t like about this book was Lily. She read quite immature and I think she needed that year to really grow up and figure out what would make her truly happy, not what she thought she should do with her life.
This was okay, it was different reading a book mostly set in Thailand. I’ve never been there but despite the hoards of Aussies that go every year I’ve never really read anything that takes place there. However, it could’ve been anywhere with a beach really. But I didn’t love it. Too much just didn’t really work for me or required too much suspension of disbelief.
4/10