Release Day Blast: Bittersweet Deceit by Blakely Bennett + 2 x 5* reviews + excerpt + giveaway

Title: Bittersweet Deceit

Author: Blakely Bennett

Genre: Erotic Romance

Release Date: August 5, 2014

Cover Designer: Yocla Designs

Editing: Read Owl

Synopsis 

Lainie is a thirty year old, full-figured woman entrenched in a love affair with a married man. Although Lainie loves Mason desperately, she vows never to say those three little words while he remains with his wife.

Stayman, an enigma in Lainie’s close-knit group of friends, has been circling her with interest, trying to garner her attention. When circumstances make it clear who’s blocking his way—Mason—Stay goes full-court press in pursuit of Lainie.

Lainie doesn’t see Stay as relationship potential because she is blinded by her love for Mason. However, the more she learns about Stay, the more she comes to realize she never really knew him in the first place.

An unexplainable mystical connection evolves between Lainie and Stay and she has to choose between a man she so hopelessly loves and a man who offers her everything she needs.

 

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I slipped into the jacket and latched the repeating circles onto my wrist. The bottom of the coat stopped just where the broad lines of the dress changed from horizontal to vertical. “What do you think?” I asked Samantha.

“You look stunning,” a deep male voice responded. I turned around and found Stay smiling at me.

“Wow Stay,” Sam said before I could respond. “Looking mighty handsome. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this is a date.”

Stayman looked sharp in his black dress pants, matching coat, and dark-gray dress shirt. I gazed at him but was at a loss for words. We stared at each other for a second.

Sam saved me by saying, “Stay, there’s a wire mannequin in the attic that I’d like brought down, and Lane and I can’t lift it. I wondered if you could do that for us. Not now. I wouldn’t want you to mess up your clothes, but—”

As he removed his coat, he said, “It shouldn’t take long and I’ll just take off my shirt.”
 He started unbuttoning as both Samantha and I watched as he slowly revealed his chest. Stay slipped out of his shirt and laid it neatly on top of his jacket.

His smooth, lean torso was highly defined and I got caught staring at his chest. He winked at me and then said to Sam, “Come on and show me the way.”

Once they walked away, I glared into the mirror and said, “Don’t even think about it.”

Minutes later, he had managed to carry the mannequin down.

“Let’s put it in the back,” I said, leading the way. “It needs to be cleaned up before it can be out on the floor.” I showed him where to put it. Scanning his physique from his head to his shoes, I noticed that he continued to let his golden-brown hair grow in and chose to where black boots instead of dress shoes. To make matters worse, his five o’clock shadow was incredibly sexy. Damn, he looks hot. Look away girl, just look away!

 “Here,” I said, holding out a lint roller, but not making eye contact.

Some dust had settled on the front of his pants just over the zipper area. “You don’t want to help?”

I turned away and said, “Go get dressed.”

“Are you sure that’s your final decision?”

“Very sure.” My rapidly beating heart settled down once his clothing was back on.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Let me go grab my clothes bag and my clutch and I will be.” Sam followed me into my office.

“He looks hot!” she exclaimed. “He must really like you. I’ve never seen him dressed up before.”

“Stop it,” I said, making sure my dress lay straight.

“Forget about MM for the night,” she said to me with a serious expression. She pulled the tag off my jacket.

“That’s not possible. Thanks for closing up and helping with the outfit.”

“No problem.

Simone's Review

*ARC received in return for an honest review

Blakely Bennett really knows how to write a love story, one that may not be the way you imagine a couple to fall in love, or even what would work for you in a relationship or how far you would push your boundaries for someone that you love.So if you loved Stuck Inbetween you are going to love Bittersweet Deceit just as much, but for different reasons. What I loved about both these books were, that Blakely really opens your eyes and mind to thinking more out the box when it comes to what is a perfect relationship. What is perfect for one couple can be completely different for another, we are all very different and complex creatures and our needs, and what make us happy, can be very different from one another, but who are we to say which one is wrong or right!!

So on to my review......

Bittersweet Deceit is still centred around the same group of friends from book one, so you still get to swoon over Bond and Red (result), but this time Lainie, who is Jacqs best friend, takes the lead female role. Lainie is thirty and owns her own boutique, the only problem is that she is in love with, and having an affair with a married man. To be honest there was a lot about Lainie I could not relate to, but that was down to my standards of women or men having affairs. It's just something I don't condone. I did love that Lainie was not your typical size zero, but a real curvy woman that does really exist in the real world. Lainie knows this relationship is doomed from the beginning, but she is totally head over heels for this guy and drops everything, including her knickers, every time he calls but as time go on starts wondering if this is truly what she wants. What she doesn't realise is, someone has been watching her from a far and is just biding his time to show her what she really wants and needs.

"I desire you like I have never wanted another soul in my life. And I've tried to get your attention before but back then, you looked right passed me. My chance is now." ~ Stay

In walks sex on a kinky stick Stay!! I wanted to jump into my kindle and lick him myself and claim that he is mine, but noticed I had already melted into a hot mess on the floor. He's the right mix of sweet and sex with added hotness to get your taste buds going. I felt so many different emotions for this man, one minute I was swooning to the next when I was salivating, I mean is this man for real? (I wish)

I loved the way Lainie and Stay's friendship grew and slowly changed in to something else. The way Stay would never push her, but would always be around to support and look after her, Yes!! another quality Stay had a patients of a saint (could he get anymore perfect?). I will be honest, there where times Laine really did get on my nerves, I found myself thinking are you really that dumb?, with some of her thoughts and actions and the way she treated Stay, I was really willing her to just suck it up and put her big girl panties on and do the right thing ( I mean like PICK STAY ALREADY)!!

Blakely has done it again, I just adore this slightly dysfunctional group of friends and cant wait to read more of their stories. Her unique writing style and panty melting moments had me gripped from the start and not wanting to let go. I loved this book just as much as the first as the stories are very different, but equally a 5 star read for me.

Simone gives this a rating of

Andrea's Review 

*ARC received in return for an honest review

WOW!!  Another scorching, emotion-filled page turner of a HIT from Blakely Bennett. My kindle nearly blew up with the heat. 

I've just finished reading Bittersweet Deceit and, just like Stuck in Between (book #1), I'm left sitting with my head all over the place. I freakin loved it! Add it to your TBR list NOW!

I have shouted and shook my fist at my kindle, laughed and nearly had my heart jumping out my chest with the tension but it's what I'm coming to expect from Blakely Bennett.  I love about her style of writing,  she creates such wonderfully colourful and flawed characters that weave their way into our minds, and hearts, and refuse to leave. They take over and, even days after finishing one of her books, you are still thinking about the characters and wondering what they are doing, as though they are your friends. Blakely has a talent of taking a taboo subject and running with it, pushing us and compelling us to turn the next page, no matter how uncomfortable we may feel.

Having read, and loved, Stuck In Between I couldn't wait to dive into Lainie's story, especially when I realised we'd see more of Stay. We got a fleeting glimpse of the connection between the couple in book #1 and I liked what I hoped I'd seen but I never imagined how emotional this book would leave me feeling. 

Bittersweet Deceit is the story of a fuller- figured, thirty year old woman, Lainie, caught up in an affair with a married man and so blinded by her consuming love for him that she can't see what's right in front of her...Stay, a friend who sees her as something more than a friend. He's been watching from the side lines, waiting for a chance to tell her how he feels. When an opportunity arises and throws them together Stay takes this as his chance to make his move and fight for her.

It goes against Lainie's principles, having an affair, but she can't help how she feels, how he makes her feel. Mason brings out her sexier, wild side and makes her feel sexy even though she can't understand what he sees in her. Although Lainie is head over heels in love with Mason, she won't tell him, at least not while he's still with his wife and that's where the problem lies. Mason told her from the start that he'd never leave his wife because of his children, even though their relationship had deteriorated.
This leaves Lainie waiting around for stolen moments, secret meetings, texts and phone calls, all on Mason's terms but she loves him so what can she do?

Then along comes Stay. *sighs and swoons* Stay grabbed hold of my heart and refused to let go. Stay is part of Lainie's close circle of friends and is in love with her but she's so wrapped up in Mason she hardly notices him as anything more than a friend and when she does, oh my! The heat between those two was red hot!  

"I want you, Lainie. I'm half hard every time you are even in the same room with me and it's not just sex I want. I want to peel away the layers all the way down to your soul. Just give me the chance." ~ Stay

I loved the relationship between Stay and Lainie. He was so sweet with Lainie when she was ill and always seemed to know when she was hurting but underneath that sweet gentlemanly exterior lay a HOT dominant into BDSM, spanking and anal play just waiting to come out and play. *stops to fan myself* When they were together they couldn't deny, or ignore, the force of electricity charging between them. Damn, were they HOT?! I want a chair like Stay's!! Oh, I wanted to wrap my arms around him (ok, my legs as well!) so many times. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve like a big neon sign but she couldn't, or didn't want to, see it.

Oooooh, I wanted to shake Lainie and shout, 'get a grip, girl! Mason might think he loves you but he doesn't. But Stay does, and is hurting, go get him!' I have to admit I couldn't connect with Mason. Was it because he was cheating on his wife? Partly, but also because I'd already decided way back in book 1 I wanted her to be with Stay.

I also liked the way we still got to see a bit of Jacqs, Red & Bond and find out how they are doing, although I'd love to return to those three at some point. *hint hint*

I just adore ALL the characters in this series and highly recommend this as a MUST read. I am now waiting impatiently for book three!!

Andrea gives this a rating of

Blakely Bennett grew up in Southeast Florida and has been residing in the great Northwest for over eight years. She graduated from Nova Southeastern University with a degree in psychology, which accounts for her particular interest in crafting the personalities, struggles, and motivations of her characters. She is an avid reader of many genres of fiction, but especially erotica and romance. Writing has always been her bliss. She is attracted to stories of self-struggle and ultimate recovery.

Blakely is married to a wonderful, loving and supportive husband, also a writer, who helps to keep her grounded. She is a mother, a communitarian, a lover of music (always on while she is writing—thank you, Pandora), and a good friend. An advocate of love and female empowerment, she is a facilitator for a women’s group. She loves to walk and hike for exercise and finds that, since moving to Seattle, WA, she is now one of those “crazy” people who walk in the rain.

Bittersweet Deceit (erotic romance) is her 6th novel. She is also the author of the dark erotic suspense, My Body Trilogy (My Body-His, My Body-His (Marcello) & My Body-Mine) and co-authored the contemporary romance, The Demarcation of Jack with her husband, Dana Bennett.

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Jacqs is a twenty-eight year old woman caught up in an on again, off again relationship with Bond, who is her best friend and the one who causes her the most heartache. She succumbs, yet again, to his powerful charisma, but vows not make it into more than it is, a great night of sex.

Bond, too sexy for his own good, wants Jacqs for himself as he “dates” his way through the female population of South Florida. He selfishly doesn’t see the conflict of interest.

Red, Bond’s best friend, has watched Bond take Jacqs for granted for way too long and soon stakes his own claim on her.

Will Red and Jacqs budding relationship pull apart their tight-knit group of friends and will Jacqs survive being Stuck In Between.

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