Blog Tour: Working It by Christine d'Abo #Review #Giveaway ~ Guest Post

Author: Christine d'Abo
Book: Working It
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Publication date: February 6, 2017
Length: 251 pages
Cover Artist: LC Chase


Reviewed by Morningstar



Synopsis

Nolan Carmichael is getting a fresh start—new career, new company, new life. The only problem is, he liked his old life just fine . . . until an accident robbed him of his health, his job, his self-confidence, and his ability to go out in public without having anxiety attacks.

Zack Anderson has scared away his last four executive assistants. So when he hires Nolan on a whim, he’s not too worried, since Nolan will be gone within the week anyway. Two weeks later, Nolan has made himself indispensable, completely reforming Zack’s schedule, life . . . and libido.

But in a company already torn by internal politics, one wrong step could ruin both their careers. And not only are they working to reopen Ringside Gym, Zack’s retreat when he was a troubled teen, but they also can’t help themselves falling for each other. If only the rest of their lives could go as smoothly as things do when they’re alone together.

Buy Links

Riptide Publishing

Amazon

Guest Post

Thank you for having me here today. I’m so happy to be able to talk to you about my new book, WORKING IT, which is book one in my new Ringside Romance series. Don’t let the series title fool you, this is low on the boxing and high on sexual tension.

As an avid reader of all things romance, I personally love it when authors take chances and play around with what we consider typical romance tropes. Those situations that for whatever reason, really work for us as lovers of romance. One of my personal favorite tropes is the whole boss-assistant dynamic. There’s something wonderful about the tension that can be created when two people are working together, under pressure and in close quarters, that appeals to me.

I wanted to take this trope and do something a little fun with it. What would happen if both the characters were gay? What if they were so vastly different that under any other circumstance they probably never meet, let alone fall in love? What if they worked day in and day out in an office together?

In WORKING IT, Nolan Carmichael is working through the trauma of a serious car accident. He gets a job as Zack Anderson’s executive assistant, a position that no one at the company wants. Somehow the two of them work through their differences and fall in love.

I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

You can visit Christine at her website www.christinedabo.com, and chat with her on Facebook and Twitter. Want to keep up with Christine’s new releases? Sign up for her newsletter and receive a free book!

Review

Working It is an easy read for the most part, with a low amount of angst and a high amount of heat. I love that one of the author’s characters was dealing with anxiety and she didn’t shy away from showing his struggles on page.

Zack Anderson, CEO at Compass, is liked by no one, feared by many, but really has a heart of gold. Working at Compass is what he does because he’s good at his job and the money goes a long way to help fund the reopening of the Ringside Gym. The one place that helped him, and his friends, when he was a teenager. To a troubled teen with anger issues it was a safe haven and a place that taught him how to control his anger. Hiring Nolan Carmichael was impromptu at best and a bad idea at worst.

Nolan Carmichael will never be the same after icy roads tore his life and body apart. Two years later he’s in recovery, trying to rebuild himself and his life, trying to be back to his old self. Hard to do when the man you see in the mirror is not the one you remember, or one you can stand to look at. His new boss, Zack is hot, he can’t deny it, but he’s also cold and mean. But Nolan is determined to make the best of this new start and soon he sees through that tough exterior to the heart inside.

The chemistry between these two wasn’t there in the beginning for me, but I assume that’s because much of it was establishing Nolan and his mental health, but once that heat started building the author took her time and made it hot. These two were definitely opposites that attracted but I didn’t see the enemies to lovers trope many others were talking about. They weren’t enemies, they just didn’t know each other. Once the story got moving they grew to be friends, and then more. There was some push and pull but just enough not to get annoying, but to show the struggle they had with being more. Their personalities were well balanced to each other, which made them fun to watch and interact.

I loved how Nolan owned up to his mistakes in using his anxiety as a scapegoat for his behavior and how he reacted to Zack’s, albeit clumsy, handling of the situation at the end. They both made mistakes, they both went through struggles to get where they did by the end of the story. I loved that. I found the Miranda storyline didn’t help nor hurt the story but it felt completely unnecessary.

As I’ve said; it’s a sweet love story with low angst, hot scenes, and I love you said at the end. I can’t wait for Max’s story

About Christine d'Abo

A romance novelist and short story writer, Christine has over thirty publications to her name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long enough to keep her body in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja in her basement, she’s most likely spending time with her family and two dogs.

Connect with Christine:

• Website: christinedabo.com
• Blog: christinedabo.blogspot.ca
• Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorChristinedAbo
• Twitter: @Christine_dAbo
• Tumblr: christinedabo.tumblr.com
• Pintrest: pintrest.com/christinedabo
• Goodreads: goodreads.com/christine_d_abo

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Working It, one lucky winner will receive a $25 Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 11, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!