Saturday, February 28, 2015

BLOG TOUR: Start Me Up - Nicole Michaels + Review + Excerpt + Giveaway

**Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I was given the pleasure of being a part of the blog tour for Nicole Michaels new book, Start Me Up! I will be giving a review of the book as well as an excerpt so you can get a taste of what this book has to offer AND a giveaway for one copy of this book! 

You can follow along the tour using this schedule:
2/26 www.foreverreadingbookblog.blogger.com
Review
Uncle Mike is my new book boyfriend. Holy Batman Balls, he's a sexy man! And he's actually a gentleman, too! Be still my pounding heart! 

Nicole Michaels has made it onto my list of favorite authors. I enjoyed this book so much! The lust between Anne and Mike from their very first encounter is so palpable that I was yelling "OH MY GOD, PLEASE GET HIM NAKED ALREADY" before I was even through the third chapter. I really liked how Nicole took them right to the edge of having sex and then scaled it back by using children and Mike's own need to be a gentleman as the interference to keep the tension built up between them. 

I loved reading about Anne's party planning (I think myself a bit of a party planner, too) and about her My Perfect Little Life blog, which I just discovered has a Pinterest page which I am now obsessed with! Anne's character is really personable and seems like the type of person who can get along with everyone. The only issue I had with her was her issues with her body. She's clearly gorgeous but she doesn't think so. (Of course, that could be my own issues as a woman because we never think we're as pretty as others do, right?) 

One of my favorite things about this book, though, was the car porn. I grew up around classic cars and car shows so reading about vintage cars in a cute romance was right up my alley. I also thought the fact that Mike didn't want to push Anne up against the car so that they wouldn't dent it was really sexy. It showed that he actually took pride in his work and that is one of the sexiest things about a man, in my opinion. I didn't like how Mike called Ann "Perfect" all the time. I understand that he's giving her a pet name and he's trying to let her know how he feels about her but it seemed like overkill. Once or twice would have been okay but every other time he spoke he used it and it started to lose it's endearing quality to me. 

The decision for Anne and Mike to take things slow and actually get to know each other was a nice touch to the book, as well. And I loved seeing how well Mike interacted with Claire, Anne's daughter. As someone who is married to someone who isn't my daughter's father, I understand that feeling of watching someone you have feelings for take a genuine interest in your child. It can really tug at your heart strings and have you on the verge of tears. 

Start Me Up is going on my list of favorite books for the year. I really enjoyed the relationship between Mike and Anne. And the secondary characters were enjoyable as well. I just really loved Mike. Seriously, Nicole Michaels, I need you to figure out how to manufacture Mike's and send one to me. (Just don't tell my husband!) I cannot wait to read more from Nicole and pin all of the things from Anne! 

Would you like to come in? she asked. He could tell she held back a laugh by the way she bit at her lip.
He hesitated. What would happen if he did? His sister had just asked him to drop Bailey off. In fact, he recalled her specifically saying there was no need to stay. But suddenly he wanted to stay just a little longer. Just for a minute. He had to admit the incredibly pink atmosphere and tiny feminine squeals coming from the back of the house were a powerful man repellent, but she most certainly was not.
I mean, you dont have to. You can just come back at three. She obviously sensed his hesitation and began to step back into the house. His arm reached out instinctively to the wooden frame, signaling her not to close the door.
Maybe, just for a second. Make sure Baileys okay,he said. Her expression called bullshit. You only had to be around Bailey for half a second to know shed never met a stranger or been in a situation she couldnt man- age, much to her overprotective uncles chagrin.
Okay, well, come on in. Youre very brave. A couple of other dads practically ran. She laughed, and the sound was so genuine and sexy. He couldnt recall being so turned on by just a laugh, but hers wassimply perfect.
He entered the house and was instantly met with a familiar floral smell. He wasnt sure if it was a candle or just the natural scent of her home. Two plush couches were loaded with enough brightly colored blue and red pillows to stack all the way to the ceiling. Shit, he wouldnt mind taking a nap right here, but no, the beautiful woman in the room was more appealing, and as she led him through the house he admired every inch of her.
She was curvyher hips were full and her ass round. A body that most women would stupidly think needed improvement, but guys thought was just right. She turned to face him in the kitchen as she said something about what the dads whod left would be missing and he nodded in agreement while he tried not to be too obvious about checking her out.
Her pink dress was snug around her shapely chest, with a white flower pinned over her left breast. Was it a corsage, like youd wear to a prom? Or just a piece of jewelry? He didnt understand, but he also didnt care because it drew his eyes right to her cleavage. Her legs were endless and bronzy, and her pink sandals were once again adorned with flowers. Good God, what was with the flowers and why did he suddenly find them so hot? She grabbed something off the table and he spotted yet another bloom on the smooth ponytail at the back of her head, nothing out of place, no detail forgotten. And then suddenly it occurred to him what shed just said and what she must be assuming.
“Oh, Im not Baileys father. Im Uncle Mike. And he was officially an idiot. Uncle Mike? Oh well, he was no doubt two seconds away from being introduced to her Ken doll husband who probably drove a foreign car, liked sushi, and was the ideal father. Did he look like hed just been imagining her wearing nothing but flowers? He needed to pull his thoughts out of the gutter.
Im sorry. I just assumed. Well, its nice to meet you. Im Anne Edmond, Claires mother, obviously. She opened the screen door that led to the backyard then stopped to look over her shoulder. Her lips quirked and her eyes were a sparkly blue this close up. His gaze dropped to her lips as she spoke, her words leaving parts of his body in a state that just might cause a problem. Then her voice dropped into a conspiratorial whisper that he was sure she hadnt intended to be hot as hell, yet it was.You better brace yourself for this, Uncle Mike.”
He stepped onto the patio and into a little girls dream come true, which thankfully proved an instant cure for the rising problem in his jeans. He now knew exactly why the other dads ran. The backyard was meticulously landscaped, which he could appreciate, but the party decor was so over the top he didnt know where to start. Every direction he turned he encountered an explosion of crafty shit; his eyes had trouble focusing on one thing.
Giant pink and blue paper flowers hung down from the wooden pergola above the patio. An antique wagon was painted white and held all the gifts, the trees in the yard were strung with tiny pink lights, and even the grass was dotted with striped pinwheels. Everything coordinated and looked like it was handmade just for this day.
Pink and blue cupcakes stood on various cake stands on the food table, colorful candies filled bowls, and little zigzag-painted bags that were decorated with all the guests names sat off to the side in an oversized tin bucket. Seriously? Hed been to weddings that werent this over the top.

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About the Author
When she's not writing, cooking, or hanging out with her husband, NICOLE MICHAELS is a portrait and wedding photographer. She enjoys writing love stories with happy endings and lives outside of Kansas City with her husband and three sons. Visit her at http://nicolemichaelsbooks.com/

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