I'm thrilled to be participating the the Blog Tour for Faking It by Diane Alberts because I love her writing! This tour is hosted by Entangled Publishing. Thanks for allowing us to participate! Be sure and scroll down for a chance to win the diamond necklace Derek gives to Stephanie in this story!
Publication Date: March 11th 2013 by Entangled Publishing
About the book:
Derek Rory never meant to propose to his best friend’s
little sister. But when her boss tells a family-oriented investor he’s
Stephanie’s fiancé, Derek can either play along or let her get fired. He’s
hardly one to turn away from a damsel in distress. If only that damsel wasn’t
adorable and sexy with a laugh that could melt any cold business mogul’s heart.
When a business proposal becomes a marriage proposal,
Stephanie Miller tries to keep it strictly boardroom. But when things get hot under
the table, it’s all they can do to stay apart. As the tangle of lies drags them
deeper into the underhanded world of business politics, Stephanie finds herself
in over her head—not just with her job, but with her “fiancé.” His eyes are
cold, but his kisses light her on fire. If she’s not careful, she’ll end up
faking her way into a real romance.
My Thoughts:
If you want a story full of smoking hot chemistry, fun
flirty banter, and strong but likable characters, look no further. This is my fourth read by Diane Alberts, and I’ve
found you just can’t go wrong with her stories.
Faking It is no exception.
Stephanie wants to make her own way without her brothers or
any man stepping in and taking over. Something she feels has happened far too many
times in her life. This time the stakes
are high because Stephanie is down to her last dollars and if she doesn’t turn
her temporary job in to permanent, she’ll be back to living at her parent’s
home. So when a misunderstanding by a
big investor is taken a step further by her boss, and they assume her brother’s
friend, Derek is her fiancé, Stephanie feels she has no choice but to go along with
the charade.
Derek finally meets the little sister of his best friend from
college, and he’s immediately taken in by this full-of-life, and klutzy
creature. Every one of her emotions is
on display, and strongly felt. Stephanie’s
like a breath of fresh air to his controlled and cold life. For this reason
when this awkward misunderstanding is thrust on him he plays along. Oh, he definitely could get used to playing
the doting fiancé if it includes “faking” kisses and touches in the name of
saving Stephanie’s job.
Stephanie is such a sweet and generous soul, never stingy with
her feelings. But she wants to guard her
heart when it comes to Derek, because he’s just the kind of man she could fall
hard for with his dark and sensual looks, and she doesn’t want to be hurt. When Derek starts showering her with gifts she
resists, thinking that it’s only pity motivating him.
Derek was a sweetheart as well even though he was so
reserved at first. His normally closed heart
opened big for Stephanie, so he feels hurt when she keeps rejecting his
help. Watching these two go from “faking
it” to the real deal was a pleasure.
This is not a very long story (154 pages) but Diane Alberts
is the queen at capturing your attention and heart with a short amount of
pages. She has a talent for writing
spicy scenes with cracking sexual tension but in a tasteful way. I’ll give you just a small taste:
“Cold,” she murmured.
“Give it a moment.” The flex and pull of her lithe body under
his fingertips was hypnotic. Slowly, he began to stroke the sunscreen into her
skin, kneading her as if she were clay beneath his sculpting fingers, shaping
her to his touch. She let out a sighing sound of pleasure and rolled her
shoulders.
Stephanie’s brother, Aaron, was caring and overly protective,
and we have hints about his sastory. I
was happy to hear from Diane that his story will be told in the future.
5 Suns
Author Interview
Well now that we've established how much of a fan I am of Diane's you can see why I'm so excited that she agreed to answers some of my pressing questions about her writing and this lovely story:
Hi
Diane, thanks for stopping by and answering my questions! I’ve read a few of
your books and I always have a big fat smile of satisfaction on my face when I
finish, so I’m really excited to have you on the blog!
Aw,
thank you so much for having me here! And for saying such nice things!
Q: What inspired you to write Faking It?
Hmm.
That’s a good one! I think the story of opposites attract inspired me. I love
how people can have next to nothing in common, and yet fall madly, hopelessly
in love with one another. It goes against all reasons of logic and sense—and
goes to prove the heart is nothing if not unpredictable.
Q: Stephanie is a big klutz but also a strong,
self-willed woman (I loved her!). Is she
based on anyone you know?
~laughs~
I’m a huge klutz, so I guess in a way she reflects that in me. Wow! I hadn’t
realized it until you asked, actually, but she’s a lot like me. I’d say she’s the most “me” heroine I’ve written
yet. Huh. Who knew? There’s a first for everything!
Q: Do
you find it difficult to write from the male perspective? Do you have any advisors to help with
insight?
I do
sometimes. It depends on the man. Some of them just come easily. Others, I
struggle over. I used to have a male editor, so he helped me a lot with keeping
the male POV accurate and realistic. I’m going to miss him!
Q: You write some very nice and spicy
scenes! Is it a struggle to write them?
Do you ever worry about anyone, like your parents reading them? Lol!
My mom
does read them!! Haha! So do my sisters. My thirteen year old has asked here
and there, and I’m all NO!!!!! ~grin~
But in all reality, they come pretty easily. I generally write the basic
motions in the first draft, then fill in emotions and inner thoughts in the
second and third drafts.
Sometimes
it’s more of a struggle to write unique sex scenes, and then other times they
just come. (haha, no pun intended!)
Q: Do
you ever get writers block, and what do you do to combat it if you do?
I
haven’t except for one time. A book was really, really fighting me. I had to
force my way through it and sludge on, no matter how painful it was. I refused
to give in to the temptation to give up. But it was HARD.
Q: What
are you working on now (and when can I read it?!!)?
I’m
actually on a writing break since I’m about to move, but I just sent in
a new, full-length single title contemporary romance to my agent, Louise Fury.
I’m really excited about this one!
I’m also
editing Love Me, the second book in
the Take a Chance series. It’s slotted to come out in a few months! And the
last book in the Superstars in Love series, One
Night, will be out in June. J
Okay,
let’s have some fun with some THIS or
THAT questions:
Oh, fun!
Okay, I’m ready!
Q:
Country or Rock?
Rock.
Q:
Bad-Boy or Good?
In
books? Bad. In real life? Good.
Q: Buffy
or Wonder Woman?
Buffy.
Q:
Physical copy or e-book?
E-book.
Unless it’s one of mine, then I want the hard copy in my hands.
Q: Angel
or Spike?
Angel!
Q:
Summer or Winter?
Summer,
definitely! I freeze to death in Winter.
Okay, I'm thrilled you picked Buffy over Wonder Woman enough that I'll let the whole Angel over Spike go, lol. I'm so excited to hear we get another story in the Take A Chance world! Thanks again, Diane for answering my questions!
Diane Alberts is a multi-published, bestselling author with
Entangled Publishing, Swoon Romance, and Decadent Publishing. She has, as of
this date, four books with Entangled Publishing, one book with Swoon Romance,
and five older books with Decadent Publishing. Her February release with
Entangled Publishing, ON ONE CONDITION, hit #18 on the Barnes and Noble
bestseller list, and TRY ME hit #76 on Amazon. Her Swoon Romance novella,
CAPTIVATED BY YOU, hit #31 on the Barnes and Noble bestseller list. Diane is
represented by Louise Fury from the L. Perkins Agency.
Diane Alberts is generously offereing up the diamond necklace (see picture) Derek gives to Stephanie in Faking It!! How awesome is that?! Just fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.
