Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Meet Me at the Beach (Seashell Bay #1) by V.K. Sykes - Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway



Grand Prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and 2 Runners Up will receive a Collection of all the V.K. Sykes Digital Romances


Meet Me at the Beach
Seashell Bay # 1
By: V.K. Sykes
Releasing February 24th, 2015
Grand Central / Forever



YOU CAN’T STOP A RISING TIDE

When Lily Doyle spots her high school crush Aiden Flynn on the inbound ferry, she knows trouble is about to dock in Seashell Bay. And not just because he’s more handsome than ever. If Aiden’s in town, the rumors must be true about his family’s plan to sell their coastal land to the highest bidder. But Lily will do whatever it takes to convince the hottest guy on the beach to protect their idyllic island home.

Gorgeous Lily Doyle was the only thing Aiden missed after he escaped from his hometown to play pro baseball. Now all Aiden wants is to wrap up the business deal and get back to his life, not relive a past that still haunts him. But as memories rush in about the night of passion he and Lily shared long ago, everything else washes right out to sea-everything except the desire that still burns between them.




He gave her a lazy grin that curled its way right down between her thighs.
Lord, the man could smile.
“Lily, have you ever known me to back down from any kind of challenge?” he asked.
She’d been counting on that, but not on the predatory heat in his gorgeous, dark eyes. He looked as if he was hoping she would suggest a wild night of strip poker as her next challenge. Now that would be a disaster. Getting a look at Aiden Flynn’s naked body would be as dangerous as going out on the Miss Annie in a winter gale.
Bram was practically standing on his tiptoes behind his brother as he strained to eavesdrop. Micah started to move forward and Morgan scrambled after him, ready to run a little interference.
“You always loved watching the lobster boat races, right, Aiden?” Lily asked.
Every summer, up and down the Maine coast, various harbors hosted the races. Aiden’s father had often raced his boat, though never once had the bastard allowed either of his boys to go with him. He’d been determined, she suspected, to keep any glory to himself.
“Sure,” Aiden said, suddenly wary. “Who doesn’t?”
Lily gave him an easy smile. “Well, the Seashell Bay races are this weekend, and I’ll be racing my boat.”
When Aiden’s jaw tightened, she knew he’d caught her drift. “So?” he said.
“So, even though it hasn’t raced in a while, I figure your dad’s boat might still be one of the fastest out there. Right, Bram?”
Bram looked as stunned as a deer caught in headlights. “Uh, you know Dad can’t race anymore, and neither can I.”
“No, but this big, strong professional athlete surely can,” Lily said, pouring on the sugar. “Do you think you could beat me, Aiden? Could you outrace a girl?”
Aiden let his thoughtful gaze roam over her. As always, he wouldn’t rush to answer. “Let’s just say for a moment that I agree to this little idea of yours,” he finally said. “What kind of bet are we talking about? What would I win when I whip your butt?”
Oh, I think you’d like to spank my butt, wouldn’t you? Lily forced that too-enticing image from her mind.
“Well, I was thinking the loser could grant the winner a wish. Say, something that involved a personal service.” She tried for as much sexual innuendo as she could without going completely hot with embarrassment, hoping he would take the bait.
“Come on, Flynn. You’re going to take that bet, right?” Micah needled, taking an aggressive, wide-legged stance. “Or has the Boy Wonder just come home to sign away his heritage and hustle back to the big city again?”
Crap. Lily had to repress the urge to smack Micah upside the head. If the well-intentioned loyalist of the Doyle clan managed to mess up her plans, she’d kill him.
“Micah, come on. You know that’s not the way we do things in Seashell Bay,” she said in a firm voice. “Aiden will always be one of us.”
Her friend grimaced but remained silent as he glared at Aiden.
Aiden’s balled fists slowly opened, and he turned his gaze from Micah to Lily. He let the silence between them drag on for too long but then nodded. “I appreciate that, Lily. And if you want me to take a shot at the races, fine. As long as Irish Lady is up to it.” He glanced back at his brother. “Can we get the old girl in shape by the weekend?”
If there was one thing the Flynns had in quantity it was pride, so it was no surprise when Bram started to look enthusiastic. “It’ll take some work, but damn right we can, bro. And it’ll be great to kick some Doyle ass again, even one as sweet as Lil’s.”
Though Aiden was still looking wary and skeptical, Lily had been right in thinking he couldn’t refuse the challenge. Especially from a girl, and worse yet, a Doyle.
But Mr. Aiden Flynn had no idea what he was getting himself into. After all, she’d won her class in the Seashell Bay boat races for the past two years.
And he’d be in for an even bigger surprise when she finally laid out the penalty for losing.


Wonderful beginning to a new series.  Aiden and Lily's second chance at love is full of both tender and sensual moments. Even though Aiden's decision regarding his family's property could cause major problems, they never really let that be an issue between them. There are some interesting characters in Seashell Bay that I'm looking to get to know better.  

ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.





V.K. Sykes is really two people – Vanessa Kelly and Randy Sykes, a husband and wife team who write USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance and also romantic suspense. Randy excels at plot and characterization, but tends to fall down on the job when it comes to that pesky old thing called emotion. That’s where Vanessa steps in. She usually writes the sex scenes too, since Randy is a bit uncomfortable when it comes to that sort of stuff. Vanessa also writes award-winning Regency-set historical romance for Kensington Zebra under her own name. You can check out Vanessa’s bestselling historical romances at www.vanessakellyauthor.com




5 comments:

  1. Hi VK,
    Love the excerpt... particularly when the heroine is named after me (or rather, one of my nicknames - Lili in French).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like a great book! Loved the excerpt and love your books! Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete