Monday, November 17

*** Blog Tour, Review, Excerpt & Giveaway *** Draw Me In by Regina Cole


Title: Draw Me In
Author: Regina Cole
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Add to: Goodreads
Purchase Links:  Amazon US  /  Amazon CA  /  Amazon UK  










Synopsis 


In Regina Cole’s steamy novel of hot ink and delicious angst, two tortured artists take a leap of faith—but the past threatens to tear them apart.

After her parents pull the plug on her college fund to finance their nasty divorce, Hailey Jakes is desperate to pay her own way and finish her degree in graphic design. She can hardly believe her luck when the sexiest guy she’s ever seen hires her to be the receptionist at his tattoo shop. With sea-blue eyes, jet-black hair, and full sleeves of tattoos on his muscular arms, Neill Vanderhaven looks like the kind of guy who wouldn’t give her the time of day. In fact, he’s mesmerized by her—and it doesn’t hurt that she’s talented as hell.

But Hailey and Neill have more in common than instant chemistry: They’re both carrying serious baggage. Hailey’s parents split after years of blowout fights and sloppy affairs. Neill just got out of something serious with a woman who loved her bad habits more than she loved him. When they take the plunge on a new relationship, they’re both breaking their own rules.


But then a terrible misunderstanding brings Neill’s worst fears to life, and their connection threatens to come crashing down. What they have is more than skin-deep, but now Hailey and Neill need to decide whether the kind of love that lasts forever is worth such exquisite pain.




My Review


Hailey Jakes is your typical college student until one day she receives a phone call that changes everything for her. Hailey is dealt a huge blow to her personal life. Not only are her parents divorcing after years of cheating and unhappiness. But with the looming divorce there isn’t any money for her tuition.  So not only is she dealt the news of her parents, she's now facing the idea of not getting her art degree.

Determined to not have to drop out and return home in the midst of a divorce war she does what any other would do; she gets a part time job.

Hailey happens to luck out big time, after ponding the pavement with not one prospect in sight she pretty much stumbles in and lands a receptionist job that will suit her needs perfectly.

Welcome to Sinful Skin.

Hailey is hired on the spot by one mother of a tattooed god of hotness known as Neill Vanderhaven.
Hello sexy biker tatted hottie!

Just as her family life seems to be falling apart there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel. 
It turns out that Hailey and her new boss, Neill have INSANE chemistry that just radiates when they are together. I so enjoyed reading how these two tried in vain to ignore and deny their connection.
As the story moves along I loved watching the building of sexual tension and continued attempts at denial.

But denial and attempts at avoidance can only last so long. Soon enough they are waving their white flags in defeat, giving into their incredible sexual attraction. What follows is some pretty hot and heavy scenes with the perfect touch of sweetness to make you swoon.

“It felt right, having her close, touching her. My blood pumped harder every time she entered the room. But actually being able to feel her heat, smell her clean scent, rub against that silky skin? It was heaven. And I was tired of living in hell.” -Nell

Of course everything can’t be perfect as both Neill and Hailey have a ton of issues that really do work against them, not allowing them to truly be happy. There are also a few surprises along the way that manage to come between these two and I found myself gasping at what could have happened. 

But luckily for them its not really these outside sources standing in their way of fully committing to being together, its more them themselves and their issues allowing them to be  hesitant to pursue a relationship. For Neill its a past relationship that has left him hurt and unable to trust and for Hailey its her parents divorce, as well a the pressure of school.

Thankfully for us they eventually both realize that they deserve to be happy and decide that they want to be happy together. As they finally admit that what they share is worth the fight and both allow the walls they've build to around them to crumble, we see them fight for each other and I loved it!


I really liked this story, but I do have to say that I was left with some unanswered questions and I felt something was missing plot wise, I feel so much more could have be done with certain plot aspects, once they were introduced. I would have liked Neill to be a tad bit more alpha as that's what I first expected out of the tatted hottie once first introduced.

But overall Neill and Hailey were a fun fresh couple that I enjoyed getting to know and Draw Me In is definetly worth a read.





★★☆ 3.5 Stars ☆★★

Reviewed By Gillian Grybas



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Excerpt


I almost floated back to campus. Even the fact that the dining hall had long since closed wasn’t enough to dampen my spirits. My keys jingled in the lock of my dorm room.
         “Jackie?” I called softly as I opened the door. An empty room greeted me, my side partially organized with a haphazardly made bed and random stacks of books and folded clothes, Jackie’s side a chaotic jumble with zero semblance of order. The bathroom door stood open, our suitemate’s side shut.
         “Must be out,” I said to myself as I raided our small fridge. A Snickers bar from the tiny freezer and a Diet Dr Pepper was a good dinner, right? I dropped into my desk chair, unwrapping the candy bar and grabbing a cold, sweet bite. With the chocolate melting in my mouth, I yanked open the desk drawer. The rest of my room might be a mess, but my art supplies were always painstakingly organized. With pencils and sketchpad in hand, and my blood sugar happily spiking, I started drawing. A strong jawline shadowed with beard growth. An aquiline nose. Dark, curling hair that laid playfully against the collar of his tee. And the eyes. Those eyes were the hardest part. They weren’t just eyes, they were more than that. Portals to another world or pools of lust itself. The metaphor might be melodramatic, but dammit, they were gorgeous.
         I concentrated as I lined each lash, portrayed each tiny beam of light, each dark fleck in those stormy blue eyes. When it was done, I sank back into the chair.
         Neill. Neill Vanderhaven. I was crushing hard on my new boss.
         The door to the room opened suddenly, and I jumped, slamming the sketchbook shut, nearly upsetting the remnants of my soda in the process.
         “Hey, Hales!” Lily, my suitemate and good friend, nearly skipped into the room, her bright green earrings jingling softly; her dark eyes were bright with excitement. “You really missed a good Frisbee game this afternoon. Walt and Brian nearly killed each other. I didn’t know before today that contact Frisbee existed. Whatcha working on?”
         I clutched the sketchbook to my chest. “Just doodling. Nothing, really.”
         Lily flopped onto my bed, folding her long legs beneath her. “I wanted to see if you could help quiz me. I’ve got a chemistry test tomorrow, and some of these elements are tripping me up.” She shoved her bangs away from her forehead, the silky hair flopping right back into its previous position the moment her hand fell away.
         “Sure,” I agreed, yanking open my desk drawer. “No problem. Just let me put this away . . .”
         “Oh, come on, let me see. You know I love your drawings,” Lily cajoled as she reached for the sketchbook, fluttering her long lashes. “You don’t have to be embarrassed.”
         “I’m not.” I gripped the sketchbook tighter. The spiral binding cut into my palm. “It’s
just . . .”
          “Hey, you know I love your art. When have I ever said anything mean about it?” Lily pouted, her normally thin lips going impressively full when pooched out like a manipulative kindergartener’s.
         I sighed in defeat. “You haven’t.”
         “Oh yeah, and you haven’t told me how the job search went today!” Lily bounced on the bed. “So give me your drawing and tell me while I ooh and aah over your talent.”
         “Dammit, Lil,” I groaned, but passed the sketchbook anyway. The chair legs scraped across the wooden floor as I turned the chair so I could face Lily.
         Lily flopped the book open to the silky red ribbon bookmark. Her jaw went slack, almond eyes rounding as she took in the sketch. “Holy shit, Hales. Who the hell is this?” Her voice was breathy, almost reverent.
         “That,” I said with a weak smile, “is my new boss.”
         “Holy shit,” Lily repeated in an awed whisper.

         “You’ve got that right.”







About the Author


Regina Cole, lover of manly muscled arms, chest hair, and mini-marshmallows, has been reading romance since her early teens. While she loves a love story of any heat level, she’s been drawn to the erotic side, and is loving every minute.


When she’s not frantically pounding away at the keyboard, she can be found fishing with her family, playing with her dogs, trying out strange new recipes, or snuggling with her hubby.










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