I am so excited to be participating in the release event for Lady Luck by Kristen Ashley! Today I have an excerpt, a re-post of my review from 2013, and two giveaways. Thanks for stopping by!
Series: Colorado Mountain #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: 7/29/14
Is love in the cards?
Since birth, Lexie Berry has had nothing but bad luck. Orphaned at an early age, she had a rough childhood and a boyfriend who was murdered. Now the beautiful, stylish Lexie is determined to change her luck and her life. But first she's got to make good on a promise: to pick up Ty Walker from prison. One look at the gorgeous ex-convict and Lexie knows she's in trouble-and already thinking about taking a walk on the wild side . . .
For five years, Ty was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Now he wants revenge on the people who framed him. Yet when the high-stakes poker player sees the leggy Lexie, he suddenly has other desires on his mind. Realizing that Ty is innocent, Lexie tries to stop his plan for vengeance and help him become a better man. But as Ty battles his inner demons, dirty cops and criminals plot to take him out. Can he and Lexie find a way to escape the past?
I’d
woken up to my bouquet in a vase precisely where it now stood. Upon waking,
after seeing Ty’s side of the bed was mussed but empty, processing the fact
that I slept on top of the covers in my wedding dress, those flowers in that
vase were the second thing I saw after I rolled.
And
the minute I saw them, I’d frozen, blinking the sleep out of my eyes, convinced
I was seeing things.
Unless
Vegas had bouquet fairies as well as one-hour tailors, there was no one but Ty
who could have located a vase and put my bouquet in it while I slept the sleep
of the dead. And, when I realized I wasn’t seeing things, I didn’t know what to
think about Ty locating a vase and putting my bouquet in it. I didn’t know him
all that well but from what I did know, this seemed a very un‑Ty‑like thing to
do. Therefore, I lay in bed and stared at those roses for what had to be five
minutes trying to figure out what I thought.
I
got out of bed not knowing.
But
I also got out of bed with a warm feeling deep in my gut that felt really,
really good as well as thinking that
this fake marriage business wasn’t going to be that bad.
Sure,
he didn’t talk much.
Sure,
when he did, most of it was crude, but it wasn’t like I wasn’t used to that
from Ronnie, Shift and their crew. In fact, Ronnie, Shift and their crew were
worse.
Sure,
there were important ways he was closed off. Then again, we barely knew each
other. Sharing our deepest, darkest secrets within forty-eight hours of
meeting was not something to be expected. I had no idea why I poured my heart
out to him last night. What I knew was, when I did, although he didn’t exactly
handle me with care, he was honest. He shared his opinion and I just happened
to like his opinion no matter that the realization it made me come to didn’t
feel all that great. Not to mention, he’d shown himself to be wise.
Sure,
he seemed to have no sense of humor but he also didn’t get ticked when I
laughed when he didn’t find anything funny. And he didn’t have no sense of humor. His lips curled up
last night. I saw them.
He
also didn’t like smarmy men with gold chains staring at my breasts and since I
didn’t like that either, I thought it was very cool that he barked at the gross
guy who was checking me out making that gross guy stop checking me out.
And
he had a way with a compliment.
I reviewed Lady Luck in 2013. Here's what I thought...
Lady Luck is the book my KA expert friends have been waiting for me to read....pretty much since the day we became friends. To say that Erin and Cindy love Ty Walker is a massive understatement. He is the standard they hold all other book men to, and though he's not an obvious choice, I can totally see why.
So, I went into Lady Luck super excited, ready for another epic story of love and lust, suspense and redemption. This a story of a wrongfully convicted man who leaves prison dead set on revenge, but walks out to a miracle. A story of a woman who sets out to fulfill an obligation, but finds a forever love with an unlikely hero. Ty and Lexie were ridiculous. I loved them so hard. These two became a team, impenetrable, unbreakable. I am totally Team Walker.
Besides the amazing that is Ty and Lexie, Lady Luck has all the fabulous pieces that make the Colorado Mountain series a favorite. We get the hot, strong and (really) silent dude in Ty. We have another spirited, strong, and funny heroine in Lexie. Their relationship is intense and heartwarming. The residents of Carnal play a huge part in the story, particularly my lover Tate. We even get treat of Max and Nina! What's also cool is certain seemingly small bits from Sweet Dreams wind up playing heavily into this story, proving that Kristen Ashley is always going to surprise her readers in the best ways possible.
Lady Luck is another wickedly awesome book in the Colorado Mountain series. This book and series delivers everything I've come to know, expect, and love from a Kristen Ashley novel. These books make me laugh, cry (in both sadness and joy) and clutch my heart at every breathtaking moment.
A Favorite Moment....
"Your nightmare, mama, was my dream.
My heart clenched.
"Never had a home until you gave me one."
My breath started sticking.
"Never had anyone give to me the way you gave to me."
My breath stopped sticking and clogged.
"Never thought of findin' a woman who I wanted to have my baby."
Oh God.
"Never had light in my life, never, not once, I lived wild but I didn't burn bright until you shined your light on me."
Oh God.
"Whacked, fuckin' insane, but, at night, you curled in front of me, didn't mind I did that time that wasn't mine 'cause it meant I walked out to you."
He had to stop. He had to.
He didn't.
"Your nightmare," he whispered, turned his head and against my neck he finished, "my dream."
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About Kristen Ashley
Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, and has lived in Denver, Colorado, and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.
Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake. Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up. And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake. Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up. And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
