New Release: The V Card by Lauren Blakely & Lili Valente
- KA
- Dec 13, 2017
- 10 min read
It's here! The V Card is LIVE!!!!!
I was so excited for this book. I know we've all been anxiously waiting for it. I had a review of the eBook all ready to go but then the audiobook released today so rather than do two posts, I've combined the two reviews into one because, yes, I've already listened to it. Thank heavens for being in the UK and having time to listen while my unfortunate US blogger friends had to sleep. Below you'll find the review, an excerpt and giveaway.
A brand new sinfully sexy standalone romantic comedy from bestselling authors Lauren Blakely and Lili Valente, THE V CARD is about all of the seduction and emotions that come when one woman is ready to ditch her V card and enlists her brother’s best friend to teach her the art of seduction! What happens next when he agrees to help her get top marks in seven days are lots of steamy and heartfelt moments. THE V CARD is available now!
Now available on all retailers! Get your copy delivered now!
✮✮✮ THE V CARD is here! Grab your copy today! ✮✮✮
A brand new sinfully sexy standalone romantic comedy from bestselling authors Lauren Blakely and Lili Valente!
When you think about how easy it is to lose keys, phones, sunglasses and your dignity on social media, you might figure it'd be a cinch for me to ditch my V Card.
You'd be wrong.
At 25, I run a successful business, live in a fantastic apartment, and have fabulous friends to go out with any night of the week. And yet I'm still a card-carrying member of a club I don't want to belong to anymore. Good thing I know just the man for the deflowering job—my brother’s business partner and best friend.
Graham Campbell is charming, smart, and, I’m told, oh-so-skilled in the sack. As long as I keep my eyes on the prize, there’s no way this pluck-the-flower project could possibly complicate matters.
***
Work and pleasure. As the CEO of a fast-growing company, I've been enjoying both to the fullest. What do I do when the board throws me for an unexpected loop so I can keep my business in my hands? I enlist the help of my best friend's little sister since she holds a big stake in the company. But then I learn there's another big stake she wants.
The one between my legs.
I can do this. Seven nights to teach her everything I know in the bedroom. There's no way I'll fall for her, even though she’s earning top grades in every single sinfully sexy lesson. And turns out I’m learning something too. The trouble is I don’t have the answer key to what to do when I fall hard for her.
And that throws a whole new hitch in my plans.
PURCHASE LINKS
"Their chemistry is scorching hot...The V Card is charming, feel-good entertainment punctuated by searing heat, heartwarming moments and the magic of New York City."
- USA Today
EXCERPT
As we settle in, the busboy brings the waters, and I cut to the chase. “So, I hate to crash the Sunday Funday vibe, but I invited you to brunch with an ulterior motive. I need a favor.”
She spreads her napkin on her lap with a raised brow. “What kind of favor?”
“I need you at next Monday’s board meeting. As you know, we lost an important account last month when Beaux Rêves in Paris went with a cheaper option. Obviously, they aren’t our only account, not by a long shot. But given how volatile the industry has been lately, I need to make it crystal clear to the shareholders that selling isn’t the right path. With the number of mergers and acquisitions going on, they’re seeing dollar signs, but quick money isn’t the answer. That’s where you come in.”
“You want them to hear from me because of my shares?” she asks, her brow furrowing. “We don’t have anything close to a majority.”
Though CJ inherited Sean’s share of the business when he passed away, that’s not why I need her at the meeting. CJ has a way of putting people at ease, of winning their trust and confidence. She’s a successful business owner in her own right—her accessories company Love Cycle Creations is growing by leaps and bounds every year. Plus, she was courted early on by an accessories conglomerate and she declined—totally the right call, as her company is now a rising star in her field.
I nod. “Of course, but that’s not the only reason. I need to convince them that now is not the time to explore getting into bed with a huge multinational retailer. And to do that, it’ll help to hear from someone with an insider’s stock holdings and an outsider’s perspective. I want them to hear from you in particular since you went through something so similar with Love Cycle.”
“On a much smaller scale, though. My company is tiny compared to Adored.”
“Size doesn’t matter.” I pause to wiggle an eyebrow for effect. “Well, in this case.”
A faint blush spreads on her cheeks. “You and the innuendo.”
“I do love innuendo. I also love Adored. That’s why I want to keep it the way it is—growing, profitable, and independent. I don’t want it swallowed by some faceless corporate giant.” A smile teases her lips for a moment and then disappears. I can’t read her at all, so I’m on the edge of my seat, waiting for an answer. “Please, CJ,” I add when she stays silent for a long beat. “I need you.”
“You need me,” she echoes, her brow smoothing as she sighs. She takes a drink of water, sets down her glass, and runs the tip of her tongue across her lips.
I watch her tongue move, wondering why I’ve never noticed how amazing her mouth is. She has the bee-stung lips of a cover girl, in a shade of pink so deep it brings to mind flushed, hot, intimate things.
Things I should be thinking of in her presence.
In anyone’s presence.
Resist, Campbell, resist…
Finally, just as I’m gearing up to beg, she looks up, a mysterious smile curving her lips. “I know exactly what you need, Graham.”
Damn, that sounded…naughty.
I reach for my water glass, needing something to cool me down since innocent words from a woman I’ve known forever are sending my thoughts straight into the gutter.
“But before I agree to your request,” she adds, her fingers drumming lightly on the white tablecloth, “I need something from you, too. Something I’ve been thinking long and hard about. Very long. And very hard.” Her eyes meet mine, trouble flickering in her gaze.
Glass halfway to my lips, I freeze.
Christ. Who the hell is this sexy-as-sin woman, and what has she done with CJ?
“Lauren Blakely and Lili Valente are a match made in ROM-COM heaven! THE V CARD was an OUTSTANDING romantic comedy that has heart, humor, and an INSANE amount of chemistry! I couldn't take my eyes off the pages for even a minute!”
- Shayna at Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads
“Ms. Blakely and Ms. Valente have written a book that allowed me to laugh, swoon, get revved up and fall in love.”
- My Girlfriend’s Couch Blog
By: Lauren Blakely & Lili Valente
Narrated by: Andi Arndt & Sebastian York
Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
Unabridged
Release date: 12-13-17
Language: English
Publisher: Lauren Blakely and Lili Valente Books
REVIEW
Rating:
Cover - 4 Stars
Story - 5 Stars
Performance - 5 Stars
Overall - 5 Stars
Graham Campbell is on a sex break his focus is purely on his business. Which is why he’s heading to brunch with his best friend’s little sister, CJ, to asks for a favour to help his business, he never expects that favour to come with stipulations, like CJ asking him to become her sex teacher. CJ Murphy needs help, she wants to become more experienced and finally get rid of that V card she’s managed to hold onto for longer than she’d like. Who better, than someone she trusts and knows won’t hurt her? But what happens when their educational agreement turns into something else. Something more?
I love Lauren Blakely’s writing and devour her books, but Lili Valente is new to me, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this co-authored book, well, let’s just say, I’m going to be looking out for more books by Lili. I loved this book. It was fun and sexy. It’s a quick read but complete, it wasn’t drawn out and it felt like the story had everything it needed, I didn’t ever feel like I was missing anything. I hope Lauren and Lili decide to team up again because the finished product is addictive and enjoyable. With plenty laugh out loud moments. I loved the Die Hard references, I was chuckling away, because, let’s face it, we’ve all quoted John McClane, right? The cover is great, sexy but not overly so, the inclusion of the narrator badge is perfect. I’d love to have Luna and Valerie’s story.
Graham and CJ are fantastic, I loved them together so much, who doesn’t love friends to lovers, right? Graham is your typical sexy alpha guy, who has a dose of cockiness, and sweetness about him. I loved that he didn’t just dive in with CJ’s request, he thought about it and even sought help from a friend but in the end, he cared enough to help her. CJ is one awesome chick, she’s strong and feisty and knows what she wants. She hasn’t had the easiest time, and I loved that she didn’t come across as something being wrong with her because of her age, It was just something that hadn’t happened for her yet, some of us have been there, and it was a nice change of pace to other virgin stories. The fact that they had a shared loss, and kept thinking about that for different reasons made them seem even more suited and added an emotional layer to their characters and relationship. The banter they shared was perfection, I’m a sucker for good banter, and they had it in spades.
The progression of their relationship was fast, I mean, it had to be, just look at the premise of the book. It’s a one-week deal, so they had to fall in love within that time, with that being said, it worked. It didn’t feel rushed, the way they started to develop feelings felt organic to them, and the experiences they were having. Let’s not forget the super-hot sex, the sex scenes in this book are going to melt your device, and they work so perfectly with the story. Anyone else wish they had a Graham when it came time to lose that V card? No, just me? Crap! Erm, let’s move on. I adored their friendship, and that it played a pivotal role in their story, they were still friends throughout and worried about that aspect of the relationship. Was I annoyed at their lack of communication towards the end? Heck yes! I was shouting at my phone as I read and later listened to them make assumptions, rather than just telling the other how they felt, for the record that part didn’t change in the audiobook. (Don’t tell Graham but I’m inserting an eye-roll emoticon here). Thankfully my shouting didn’t last too long and their happily ever after started just as it should. The inclusion of the two epilogues worked really well, and I loved both of them, but that’s all I’m going to say because I want you to experience them for yourself.
Sebastian York and Andi Arndt are probably two of the most popular voices in romance audiobooks, and for good reason. They nail it every freaking time, and this book is no different. I absolutely adored their performances. Both have a great range and change tone when switching between male and female characters, and always use inflections for the different emotions they are conveying. With this audio, I felt the inner thoughts of CJ were performed great, Andi really made those moments stand out with the tones she used. Sebastian’s teacher mode was spot on the gruffness in his tone worked really well. The sexy times were pretty darn sexy, both Andi and Sebastian always deliver those parts of the book extremely well and make it seem even sexier… if that’s possible. Having already read the book I can say that this narration team increased my enjoyment of an already fantastic book, however, their delivery took it to a whole new level and made it something special.
*Side-note - this is just about preference, and not the narrators themselves. I wasn’t sure how the pronunciation of Graham was going to go, here in England we pronounce it a little differently, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t spoken in a way that was frustrating to me.
*Another side-note, included at the end of the audiobook are two clips from Lili, and Lauren’s books – which take up around the last 15 minutes of the audio (at standard speed). Both audiobooks are available as part of Audible’s Romance Package.
Excerpt 1 – Hot as Puck by Lili Valente. Narrated by Tyler Donne & Summer Roberts
Excerpt 2 – Most Valuable Playboy by Lauren Blakely. Narrated by Zachary Webber
✮✮✮Enter to win this amazing THE V CARD GIVEAWAY!✮✮✮
Everything you need for a HOT DATE! An adorable Kate Spade hand bag to carry the essentials needed for date night ($179), a $75 Gift Card to the Restaurant of Your Choice, and a $50 Gift Card to your Favorite Lingerie Shop to heat things up after dinner!
About Lauren Blakely:
A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than eighty times, and she's sold more than 2 million books. In September she'll release MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY, a standalone sports romance. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter
Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Newsletter ** Goodreads
USA Today bestselling author Lili Valente writes both naughty
things and funny things (that are also naughty). She has slept under the stars in Greece, eaten dinner at midnight with French men who couldn’t be trusted to keep their mouths on their food, and walked alone through Munich’s red light district after dark and lived to tell the tale.
These days you can find her writing in a tent beside the sea, drinking coconut water and thinking delightfully dirty thoughts.
Website ** Facebook ** Twitter** Newsletter ** Goodreads
Commentaires