REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY: A BEAUTIFUL DISTRACTION by KELSIE LEVERICH

Welcome to the blog tour for A Beautiful Distraction! I have a review and giveaway to share with you; thanks for stopping by! 

Series: Hard Feelings #3

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: NAL Trade

Publication Date: 5/6/14
Format: Paperback
Pages: 360
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5 stars

A brand new novel in the New York Times bestselling Hard Feelings series—where nothing’s more dangerous than a bad boy with a broken heart…

First Sergeant Rafe Murano did everything to the extreme. He trained harder, he fought harder, and, unfortunately, he loved harder. And falling for the wrong woman nearly destroyed him.

Home from a deployment, and without his missions to consume him, Murano is ravaged by memories of his heartbreak. So he drinks until he’s numb and drowns himself in meaningless one-night stands. But they only take the edge off…

Until he meets Fallon.

Haunted by her past, Fallon Kelly knows all too well about the desperate desire for an escape. So when she sees the tatted-up bad boy who’s one punch away from a ride in the back of a squad car, she offers a distraction—one that quickly becomes an addiction.

Little does she know, this bad boy can love so hard, it can break her…

"I know you, babe. I've memorized you. And if you'd let me, I'd memorize your heart. I know how to make it beat a little faster. Just tell me how to make it mine."

I've been so anxious to read A Beautiful Distraction since the moment Rafe Murano came on the page, in Feel the Rush, as one of Reed's fellow soldiers. Rafe was an intense guy, and it was clear that something heavy was eating away at him. When I found out what that was, I was initially put off. But gosh, when you see how torn up he is by the situation, it was quickly easy easy to cut the guy some slack. In A Beautiful Distraction, we've moved forward a few years with Rafe stationed in Colorado, home from his fourth deployment. Now that he no longer has the distractions that come with being 

deployed, Rafe is still trying to move on from the woman who destroyed his heart, and in the way of many dumb guys, he does this by booze and women. It's a solid plan that never fails, right? No. But don't worry, Rafe Murano's world is completely flipped when he lays eyes on Fallon Kelly.

Fallon is a real departure from the other women in the series. And you know, I appreciate that each of Leverich's leading ladies are dynamic and engaging. She's not an open, friendly person like Megan (Feel the Rush) or covered in hard edges like Roni (The Valentine's Arrangement), but she does have her own heavy issues. Fallon is a closed book, for sure, and it's not exactly clear what's put here there, besides the fact her parents were image-obsessed jerks who threw her out when she was seventeen. It is implied, though, that something much heavier weighs on Fallon, and helped contribute to the controlled woman she's become. The past has left Fallon with no desire to become close to anyone, but Rafe is not just anyone. He's the man who crumbles her walls with dark eyes and a crooked smile.

A Beautiful Distraction. The title of this book is absolutely perfect. Rafe and Fallon tentatively become involved because they are desperately attracted to each other, but also because they are each desperate for a distraction. From the past, the emptiness of the present. Rafe and Fallon simply fit, and I love how they acknowledge that, and don't fight the attraction, even if they fear the future. I love the honesty between them, the acceptance, and the strength. Especially when old, awful faces show back up. It was dramatic and draining and it was awesome. I loved every moment of this story, the ways in which Rafe and Fallon changed one another for the better, by simply loving each other. The story left me smiling, wiping away tears, and completely fulfilled.

And can I just say, the Murano family is just begging for a spin-off!

I have to say, Kelsie Leverich is such a talented writer. I enjoyed The Valentine's Arrangement very much, Feel the Rush even more, and in this book, her talent is stronger than ever. The prose is very well-written, focused, but also has a beauty that caused me to sometimes pause, then re-read a paragraph multiple times because it's just that good. Leverich has a secured me as a devoted reader.

The Hard Feelings series is one of intense, fast-moving relationships. Relationships between characters who aren't necessarily searching for more, or who may be searching for an ideal that they just haven't found yet. The relationships don't start our destined for forever, simply right now, but it's
inevitable. Leverich also gives respect and tribute to those in the Armed Services, and their family. I've really come to love this series. It's passionate, sexy, heartfelt, and delicious. I highly recommend
it.

 

Favorite Quotes

  He moaned into her mouth again, and the sound vibrated against her lips, numbing them and warming them at the same time. "I needed to taste you," he whispered, his lips still lingering over hers. "Had I known you would taste so good, I would have kissed you the moment you were in my reach." Then he kissed her again.

  Brushing his thumb over her bottom lip, he smiled. That one dexterous touch melted her. Her body warmed from the inside out. 

  "I want you," he whispered, his voice dripping with a desirous hunger as his lips tenderly swept over her jaw. When he raised his head back to look at her, his velvet eyes swam with a heady list that forced every nerve, every sense to sharpen and bind to him.

The Hard Feelings Series

     

(covers lead to GoodReads pages)

 

My Reviews

The Valentine's Arrangement | Feel the Rush

Purchase Links

  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

GIVEAWAY

I have one copy of A Beautiful Distraction up for grabs, courtesy of the publisher.

Must be 18+ years of age; open to US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author

Kelsie Leverich grew up in the small town of St. Joseph Illinois before getting married and following her husband from one Army post to another. After eight years, they finally settled down in Avon, Indiana with two adorable knuckleheads that are better known as her kids. Kelsie's life revolves around her family (to include two dogs and a cat) and most of the time, actually all of the time, it’s a crazy mess—but that’s the way she loves it! When Kelsie’s not writing, you can usually find her snuggling on the couch with her kids and a good book or out on the lake with family and friends. Kelsie is not a morning person, has a soft spot for animals, loves musicals, hates seafood, and thinks laundry is the source of all evil.


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