Mallory
Crowe
Trusting
the Boss (Billionaires in the City #4)
6/19/2015
Blurb:
STAND ALONE CONTEMPORARY BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE
Billionaire heiress Emma Devaroux has been living a safe-yet-mundane existence in Georgia for too long, but when she learns her sister, Joslyn, has been arrested, she heads to New York City to find out what really happened. Unfortunately, as an unemployed debutante, she’s not exactly qualified to be leading an investigation. But help is at hand in the form of the handsome, former military man Jace Lance who happens to be the one who got her sister arrested in the first place.
Jace thinks Emma is crazy for even considering working with him since he’s the one who stopped Joslyn from killing his former client. However, he can’t deny that the sexy southerner is in over her head when her tycoon cousins try to hire him to make sure Emma doesn’t find out the truth about what really caused her sister’s murderous actions.
As they begin to uncover the truth together –and get to know each other intimately – it becomes clear that the more answers they get, the more danger Emma is in. Jace is determined to protect her, but how can he keep her safe when her whole family is in on the conspiracy?
STAND ALONE CONTEMPORARY BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE
Billionaire heiress Emma Devaroux has been living a safe-yet-mundane existence in Georgia for too long, but when she learns her sister, Joslyn, has been arrested, she heads to New York City to find out what really happened. Unfortunately, as an unemployed debutante, she’s not exactly qualified to be leading an investigation. But help is at hand in the form of the handsome, former military man Jace Lance who happens to be the one who got her sister arrested in the first place.
Jace thinks Emma is crazy for even considering working with him since he’s the one who stopped Joslyn from killing his former client. However, he can’t deny that the sexy southerner is in over her head when her tycoon cousins try to hire him to make sure Emma doesn’t find out the truth about what really caused her sister’s murderous actions.
As they begin to uncover the truth together –and get to know each other intimately – it becomes clear that the more answers they get, the more danger Emma is in. Jace is determined to protect her, but how can he keep her safe when her whole family is in on the conspiracy?
Buy links:
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1IwD94M
Review:
This is the
fourth book in the series and the first that I have read. This book was fun to read and can be a stand-alone
book in my opinion.
After the attempted
murder of wealthy businesswomen Victoria Green by the hands of Joslyn Devaroux,
heiress Emma Devaroux and security specialist Jace Lance are brought together
under deceit that can destroy their relationship before it even has time to
start. Emma wants to uncover the truth
about her sister’s motives and with dead ends, she ends up hiring the man who
witness the attempt. Jace was Mrs. Green’s
bodyguard and is hired by Emma’s cousin to prevent her from finding out the
truth. Jace is stuck with what he should
do. Their relationship starts out strained. Jace feels he is betraying his past employer
but has the connections to help Emma.
Then there is Emma’s cousin that has hired him to through off Emma. Emma is strong willed and can dish out just as
good as Jace. As time goes on and the
danger increases, their feelings grow.
This story is
full of suspense and intrigue. I love
the playful flirty banter between them.
The characters are well written and the story will keep you engaged from
start to finish. I did have a few
questions at the end but still an amazing read.
I look forward to the next book by Ms. Crown’s.
by Kellie
Giveaway:
$50
Gift Card
Mallory Crowe has lived in Michigan her whole life and has been in love with romance ever since she’d skip to the end of every novel, just to make sure the hero and heroine survived and ended up together. She lives with her husband and three dogs. When she’s not writing, she’s spending too much time in front of the TV, hiking, or working with various animal rescues.
Website: http://www.mallorycrowe.com/home.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/croweink
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005600806967&fref
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13623321.Mallory_Crowe
Excerpt(s):
EXCERPT # 1
“Here’s what’s going to happen.
You’re going to turn around and go up those stairs. Once you’re out of here,
you’re going to forget you ever met me and pretend that there’s nothing
Victoria Green can tell you that you don’t already know.”
A deep anger settled in her gut at
the idea of this virtual stranger telling her what to do. “And if I don’t?”
Jace leaned in, until his face was
inches from hers. “Well, for starters, I will throw you over my damn shoulder
and carry you out of here until you’re far enough away I’m sure you’ll leave me
alone. Think I’m bluffing?”
For a long moment, Emma debated the
merits of slapping Jace right in his smug face. Screw slapping—punching would
be much more effective.
“What’s it gonna be, Georgia? Are you
walking out on your own or do you need assistance?”
Emma shook her head. Jace wasn’t
worth the bruised knuckles. “I’d rather avoid being touched by a Neanderthal,
thank you very much,” she said in her sweetest voice, laying her natural accent
on a bit thicker than normal.
If he wanted to get rid of her, fine.
She’d leave gracefully. Her anger simmered just beneath the surface as she
walked up the stairs. Let him win the battle. But she sure as hell wasn’t going
to give up and when all was said and done, she’d win the war.
EXCERPT # 2
“Are you okay?”
Another shiver racked through her.
“No. I’m cold and pissed.”
Her Southern accent was more
noticeable in her anger and he cracked a small smile. “You have seaweed in your
hair.” He plucked it out and tossed it back into the black water.
Emma set her hands on his chest and
pushed up. “Do you have any idea how much seaweed was down there? It was
disgusting! I thought it was going to grab me and pull me down.”
Jace had swum through his fair share
of seaweed-infested water and he knew exactly how disconcerting it could be.
But he couldn’t stop himself from giving her a hard time. “Come on. You’re not
saying a little old plant scared you?”
She gave him a playful punch to his
chest. “You’re such a show-off. I can’t believe that you made it all the way
out there without an issue and I took two steps and fell in.” She glanced to
her left and rolled her eyes. “Not even your phone fell in after all that!”
Jace let out a laugh and caught her
wrist as she went in for another blow. “Hey, I’m not going to apologize for
being good at what I do. I walked on the edge closer to the support. You ran
out right onto the weakest part of the planks.”
Emma stared down at him and in a
flash, the joking air was gone, replaced by something decidedly hotter than the
ocean water that now soaked through their clothes. “I guess I hired the best,”
she said softly.
EXCERPT # 3
. “Nothing fancy. Just a t-shirt and
sweatpants, but at least they’re clean and dry.”
“It’s perfect.” She held out a hand.
“I’m sure they’ll be big, but the
pants have a drawstring, so they should stay up.”
“Thanks.” She started to turn to the
bathroom, but at the last minute, she twisted back around. “What did you intend
to say?”
“When?” he asked, but his clenched
jaw told her he knew exactly what she was asking about.
“I walked out of the bathroom and you
said you didn’t mean to…something.
I’d like you to finish your sentence.”
He cocked his head and considered her
for a moment. “I don’t think you really want me to answer that.”
Emma squared her shoulders. “I think
I’m a grown woman and I asked you a question.”
“Fine. I didn’t mean to ogle you like
a fourteen-year-old virgin. I should’ve been more professional than that.”
The corner of her mouth hooked up. “I
knew it! You were affected by that kiss last night.”
“The kiss you started. And yes, I’m a
red-blooded male. You can’t expect me to be a robot when a woman like you makes
a move.”
Her heart beat faster in her chest as
she replayed his words in her mind. She’d gotten what she wanted. An admission
that she wasn’t the only one going insane. Now she should turn back and get
dressed and pretend this whole conversation never happened. “A woman like me?”
Jace reached up and ran a piece of
her wet hair through his fingers. “What do you think you’re doing, Emma?”
She opened her mouth but no words
came out. Her second attempt was a bit more successful. “I don’t really know. I
kind of like not knowing, though.”
How
did you come up with the idea for this story?
Well this was a character built story. Jace was a small side
character in TEMPTING THE BOSS and I liked the idea of giving this badass guy
more to do and I needed a woman who could handle him, but also was in need of
his skills in some way. So in creating a heroine for him, I ended up creating
this entire family that the next four books are going to be based around.
Where
do you find your inspiration?
My biggest source of inspiration is music, by far. When I hear a
great new song, my mind just takes it as a jumping point to creating an
entirely new world or universe. I also have different playlists to listen to
depending on the mood of my story, be it a really dramatic, sexy or sweet scene
I’m writing.
Is
there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I’d say the most challenging part of writing is staying focused
on the story I’m trying to write. I get a lot of new ideas and only a small
fraction of those would be viable stories. So I need to push all these new plot
bunnies out of my mind and stay focused
on the love story at hand.
What
are your current projects?
Currently I’m working on my next book in the Billionaires in the
City series which will be about Emma’s cousin Michael and a girl from the IT
department at his company who gets in over her head. On the side, I’m slowly
going through some paranormal romance manuscripts I wrote a few years ago and
hoping to get them cleaned up for a 2016 release.
Tell
us about your first book. What would readers find different about the first one
and your most recent published work?
My first published book is Book One in the Billionaires In The
City series. I’d say the biggest difference would be that with each manuscript
I write, I have (unintentionally) ramped up the suspense. I love a very strong
external conflict and nothing is sexier than a protective guy, so the
danger aspect of the books have
increased with each new one. I don’t think I’d call TRUSTING full on romantic
suspense, but there is an element of danger added for sure.
Is
there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I don’t write anything with a particular message in mind. I
write because I want to entertain my readers and give them an escape for the
few hours that they are invested in my characters. That being said, I do tend
to sneak a lot of rescue dogs (which are a passion of mine) into the books and
I also try to have strong independent women who fall into love even if they
don’t NEED a man.
Does
music play any type of role in your writing?
I LOVE music and some songs are hugely inspirational to me. Sometimes an entire song will have me
thinking up a new idea or it might just be one lyric or even the tone I get
from the beat. The first book in the Billionaires in the City series was
actually inspired by a slowed down version of a rap song. The song is about the
rapper offering to get his girlfriend anything she wants, be it expensive
champagne or extravagant trips. For some reason, my mind turned that into a
secretary running all around New York getting her playboy boss anything and
everything he asked for and eventually she gets fed up and leaves. And that’s
the set up for book one.
Are
experiences based on someone you know, or events in your life?
I actively avoid basing anything in by books on real life. That
being said, I’m a CPA and come from a business background, so that really helps
with writing business and corporate based romances.
What
books have influenced your life most?
There’s not one that really stands out, but the entire genre of
romance really shaped me growing up. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
was the book that taught me that romantic troubles and humor transcends time. Christine Feehan is the first paranormal author I fell in love with and Jayne Ann Krentz
writes these amazing couples that contradict and complement each other at the
same time.
Are
there any new authors that have grasp your interest?
I was only recently made aware of some of the indie all-star
authors out there, so in the past year, I’ve been devouring Kathleen Brooks,
Cali MacKay and Evelyn Adams.
Do
you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I never really expected TEACHING THE BOSS to take off the way it
did, and I’m so grateful not only for readers giving me a chance, but for
following through all the books in the
series. It means so much to me that people are connecting enough with the
characters that they want to follow them through all the books J
How
can readers discover more about you and your work?
The best way to keep updated about new releases and special
offers is through my newsletter sign up at mallorycrowe.com. I also have am
very active on facebook and love to keep in touch with readers J
Do
you have a special time to write? How is your day structured writing-wise?
I have a great support group of other writers who I’m in contact
with every day. We’re all crazy ambitious and trying to get new books to our
readers as often as possible and together we make sure we stick to the goals we
set for ourselves. So we will set aside chunks of time during the day to write
and we encourage each other to keep to our schedules.
Why
did you choose to write contemporary romance stories?
I chose to write romance because those are the only stories that
ever come to me. It’s strange because in life I’m very much a realist, but when
it comes to books, television and movies, I NEED there to be some sort of love
story and a happily ever after.
What
is for you the perfect book hero?
I love heros that you hate at first and adore by the end of the
book.
When
you start a book, do you already have the whole story in your head or is it
built progressively?
My stories definitely build progressively. The beginnings are
normally very well engrained in my mind ahead of time (because the meet-cute is
my favorite scene to write and read of any book) and I also like to have some
idea of the climax. What everything is building to. So knowing those key scenes
in the book I bridge the story together.
TRUSTING THE BOSS was a different beast. It’s a standalone
romance, but there are elements from the plot that carry over into the next
three Billionaire In The City books. So when I started writing TRUSTING, I also
had key scenes for books coming up in the series that I was preparing some set
up for.
When
and why did you begin writing?
I’ve always had stories going on in my mind. I’d get really
frustrated when TV shows didn’t go exactly the way I wanted them to, and I’d
think of these elaborate plot lines and episodes that would be better. I knew I
wanted to write romance from a relatively young age, around high school.
However I set it on the backburner until I was established in a “real job”. So
after I did all the expected things of going to college, getting a career,
getting married, I carved out the time to actually start writing. And then I
never stopped…
When
did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve had stories constantly playing in my head for as long as I
can remember, however I never thought I would be a good writer. I think that
crafting a good story and writing a good story are two separate talents and
it’s hard to get both to work together. So I never really considered myself a
writer until I started on my third book. That’s about when I actually felt I
was writing well.
List
three books you have recently read and would recommend.
I really loved Feels Like Home and Loving Bailey from Evelyn
Adams. Kathleen Brooks’ Women of Power series was also amazing! Book One is
Built For Power. For a steamier read, I go to Cali MacKay’s Passion and
Surrender.
Tell
us something that people would be surprised you know how to do.
Well before I started writing, I was a licensed CPA and passed
all sections of the exam in one try and I don’t think most people expect
accounting and romance author to go together in one person. I’ve met so many
fellow romance writers who have the most interesting backgrounds or former day
jobs. It’s fascinating when you realize that creativity isn’t only limited to
certain types of people.
Will
you write more about these characters?
For sure! The heroine of TRUSTING THE BOSS, Emma Devaroux, is
the sister of someone introduced in the 3rd book in the series and
the next four books will all focus on the not so functional Devaroux family.
Emma and then her three cousins (who are all brothers) each get their own book
as they try to clean up a relative’s mistakes and end up getting pulled into an
FBI investigation.
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