VBT: Giveaway, Review, & Interview with Barb Han author of Seducing Avery

BLURB:

Avery McAdams believes in order to truly be herself she needs to keep her head down, her guard up and her focus on her career. Until she’s hired by sexy, charismatic Ryker Li to pull off the event of the century, and he shows up personally to convince her to handle his next party. When she meets him face-to-face, she realizes a piece of her wants him to see her as attractive, which goes against everything she’s convinced herself she believes.

Rich, powerful Ryker has made an art form of getting what he wants, when he wants it, and then moving on. But something about Avery makes him want to stick around.

When he finds everything he never dreamed to look for in a woman, can the billionaire playboy commit to the biggest deal of all? Or will a lifetime of mistrust and suspicion turn them forever into rivals?

Excerpt:

"When you despise something, you'd be surprised at what you're willing to do to avoid it." She picked up the blanket, noticing how the air in the room had gone thin. Avery couldn't swallow. Her throat dried up and her stomach quivered. Being near this man made her pulse thump at the base of her throat. Because when his gaze landed hard on hers, it spoke pure sex.

Thick, sooty lashes framed the most intoxicating shade of exotic brown eyes. His high cheekbones framed hard planes on his face, anchoring perfectly full, perfectly formed lips.

Looking at those lips almost made her forget he thought himself too important to attend the charity event he lent his name to. She quirked an eyebrow at him, curious as to why he really stood here in her office? After all, he'd been too busy or too good to show last night. Then again, why would a man like him waste an evening on orphans when he could have any supermodel he wanted at his side, and in his bed?

Coffee. She needed caffeine. She gripped the Styrofoam cup and took a sip.

His thick lips curled. "What is it now?"

    AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Barb Han lives in North Texas with her husband, has three beautiful children, a spunky Golden Retriever/Standard Poodle mix, and too many books to count.

When she’s not writing, researching, or otherwise getting lost in a story, she volunteers at her children’s school, is in the kitchen ‘creating’ dinner, or can be found on or around a basketball court.

Writing contemporary romance and romantic suspense has been a dream come true for Barb—something she’s wanted to do for as long as she can remember. She left her corporate job, at her husband’s urging, and has been happily playing with her imaginary friends ever since.

In her down time, she plays video games and loves reading with her children. She also enjoys traveling with her family. Many of the places she visits end up in her books.

Website / Facebook / Twitter


Here's what she had to say when I interviewed her:

What part of writing do you find the most challenging? most enjoyable? First of all, thanks so much for having me here at Crazy Four Books. I’d have to say, the most enjoyable part of writing for me actually is editing. I love when the nuts and bolts of the story are there and I get to play around with scenes, words, etc. Writing the first draft is the most challenging. My mantra during this part of the process is: First drafts always suck. You are welcome! :D You are the 1st author to say that they enjoy the editing. lol!

Do you have to concentrate and visualize the story or do ideas just randomly come to you when you're out and about? Ideas come to me at random. In the shower. While sleeping. At the grocery. I have to make an effort to turn it off sometimes. As I’m writing the story, I concentrate and visualize each scene.

What types of books do you like to read? Great question. I read pretty much everything with a happy ending, which must confuse the heck out of Amazon’s recommendation bot. I get the most bizarre recommendations. I find myself a bit more drawn to Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense recently, but I’m game for any great read. Isn’t there a lot of amazing YA out there right now? Yes and I am glad about that but my TBR list is never ending.

What food can't you live without? I love food, so this is a tough question for me. If I had to pick one dish I couldn’t live without, it’d have to be my spaghetti. I use canned organic diced tomatoes and the trick to get the ‘tart’ taste out, aside from letting it simmer for at least an hour, is adding a teaspoon of sugar. Mmmm. I second your Mmmm. I love pasta too.

Are you more likely to wear a skirt or pants? Pants, most definitely pants. Of the Yoga variety.

Do you prefer city or country? City for everyday living and country for weekends. I love the energy and excitement of city life, not to mention the endless options for food and fun. I live near Dallas where there are museums and live theatre to enjoy. I’m close enough to the outskirts of town to be able to drive fifteen minutes to a horse ranch and go for a ride. You could say I want it all. There is nothing wrong with wanting it all!

What is your favorite snack? favorite candy? My favorite snack is hummus with red pepper and pita chips. So good! My favorite candy is anything chocolate. There’s no bad chocolate...am I right? You are definitely right.

What is your favorite color? My favorite color is blue. It has always been.

Home cooked meal or ordered out? Home cooked meals are the best, especially when shared with family and a good bottle of wine. I especially love home cooked meals when my mom or mother in law are cooking. It always seems to taste better when someone else does the cooking!

What is your least favorite chore? I absolutely loathe cleaning the bathrooms. On the upside, I actually enjoy cleaning the rest of the house because it clears my mind. Wow! I wish that I could feel that way. lol!

Do you prefer to go to the theater or wait for the DVD? I used to love to go to the theater, but we moved over the summer and have a cool movie room in the new house. Now, I LOVE to stay home, curl up with the family, and watch a good movie. If it makes me laugh, even better. We can be found there, piled on the loveseat, most Saturday nights.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog! I thoroughly enjoyed answering your questions. :D


Barb will be awarding a randomly drawn commenter during the tour a  $10 Amazon or Barnes&Noble giftcard.

The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win! Here is the Tour Schedule.


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

 My Thoughts:

This book was a relatively quick read. It was a steamy and sweet romance and I liked it.

Avery and Ryker both had trust issues. They were both stubborn and hearing them spar with each other was both fun and annoying. At times I thought okay enough all ready get on with the story. Then the story moved forward and all was right with my world again! :D 

This plot had an arrogant bossy man, an insecure woman focused on her work, romance, trust issues, difficult family members, and steamy scenes. Add in the wonderfully sweet ending and it is easy to see why I enjoyed it so much.

I recommend Seducing Avery to all those looking for a quick romance to read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.  



Question: Do you have a family member whose behavior embarrasses you?

I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please leave a comment!