BookLover Sue: Excerpt, Author Interview & Giveaway

Rush

By: Gina Gordon

Releasing May 12, 2015

Loveswept

Blurb:

In this edgy, sizzling romance for fans of Monica Murphy and Abbi Glines, a bad boy shows a straitlaced law student how to slow down and savor the good things.

Everly Parker is about to graduate from law school, always busy, and can’t stop rushing through life. Her late grandmother left her a bucket list of meaningful, can’t-miss experiences, but she hasn’t completed a single one. Then searing-hot Max Levin bursts into her world. As a casting director for a porn production company, Max is loaded, cocky, and all wrong for Everly. Still, she’s tempted enough to cross the first item off her list: Go out with someone you’d never give the time of day.

Inheriting a porn empire isn’t every guy’s dream (well, actually, it probably is), but Max isn’t complaining. It’s just that until he meets Everly, he has no idea what he’s been missing. As the pressure mounts to take over the family business, Max can’t help wondering what would happen if he chose Everly instead. So far, his life has been a wild ride, but only Everly promises the greatest rush of all: love.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/02/rush-by-gina-gordon.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23166903-rush

Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo | Publisher

Excerpt:

Another day, another woman screws on camera for money.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It pays my bills, and it’s how my father spent the last thirty years building his empire.

As the heir to White Lace Productions, it’s my responsibility to find the hottest and most willing women in the city. It’s what I do, and I’m damn good at it. 

I wrapped my hand around the front door handle to the 24-hour café and stepped into the bright light of the establishment. My director, and best friend, Ben Lockwood, by my side, as he has been since we were eight years old.

“This is definitely your most creative attempt at finding new talent.” Ben cleared his throat beside me.

I clapped him on the shoulder, his shaggy blond hair catching under my fingers. “Madam assured me these are her best girls. This is going to work.”

I’d never been more sure about anything in my life and if I could have given myself an award for innovation, I would have. Not to mention, this was an untapped resource. A way to prove to my father that I had what it took to take over White Lace.

When you grow up with sex toys in the family room, half-naked women at your breakfast table, and lose your virginity to a porn star at sixteen, there’s no question you’ll follow in your father’s footsteps. Besides, what red-blooded male wouldn’t want to work in porn? Not many, and I owed it to every single one of them to make the most if it.

“Can I help you?” A blond-haired hostess greeted us with a pretty smile from her perch behind the desk.

“We’re meeting some . . . friends.” I quirked my eyebrow. “I believe the reservation is under Jade.”

A working girl’s name, no question. But when selling sex for money, pseudonyms were an occupational must.

The hostess motioned to two women sitting on opposite sides of a booth. I nodded and thanked her for her help.

I strode across the café checking out my surroundings. It was your typical establishment. The far wall was lined with booths, the benches covered in easy-wipe brown plastic. Wood tables and matching chairs sat in the middle. The seating area was sectioned off with a metal railing from the order counter, where a large refrigerated showcase housed many delicious-looking desserts. My eye caught on a chocolate cheesecake. Thanks to my mother, I had a weakness for all things sweet. It’s a good thing I spent a lot of time on the running track.

Ben’s voice carried over my shoulder. “It still surprises me that our business meetings consist of meeting as many girls as we can and asking them to take off their clothes.”

Although tonight was only a meet-and-greet, before I offered a contract, I had to inspect the merchandise. It used to be my favorite part of the job. Don’t get me wrong, at first, I was as giddy as a thirteen-year-old boy finding his first Penthouse magazine, but then it got old. Boring. Mundane. There was no excitement in it anymore. A naked woman was just as enticing as a route canal.

And wasn’t that just completely fucked-up.

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Talking with Gina Gordan!

What is your writing environment?

I have an office at home where I’m surrounded by all of my favorite things, including my book collection. Sometimes that room can be daunting and I find better concentration at a café in town.

Who is your perfect hero/heroine? Why?

My favorite type of heroine is one who knows what she wants, owns her sexuality, and makes no apologies for her behavior. While this type of heroine is completely the opposite of Everly Parker in Rush, I admire women are willing to go full throttle into a situation out of their comfort zone even when they know it’s only going to come crashing down around them. Which is exactly what Everly did with Max. As for heroes….I like them bad. I like them alpha. I like them dirty.

Which authors have caught your interest lately? Why?

Lately, I’ve been on a new adult reading kick. I’m loving Jay Crownover’s Marked Men series. The heroines are strong and most of the heroes are battling against stereotypes because they are tattooed and pierced. I have fallen in love with every couple, and each book just gets better than the last.

I also love the Fowler Sisters series by Monica Murphy. Owning Violet was one of my favorite books I read in 2014. The hero had an unconventional past and he was dirty and alpha in equal measure, which I love. Ms. Murphy managed to write two characters who were impossible for each other on paper, but completely perfect for each other in every way.

What type of book have you always wanted to write?

I’d like to try my hand at a thriller. My husband is always on my case about killing off my characters. Maybe one day I’ll get inspired to kill a main character, but while I’m writing romance… Not. A. Chance.

Top 3 things on your bucket list

1. See humpback whales (On April 11, 2015 this item was checked off!!!!).

2. Drive down a dusty dirt road in a convertible a la Thelma and Louise.

3. Visit Jim Morrison’s grave in France.

How did you get the idea for this particular novel?

I wanted to write something different from every other book and short story I had written. The idea came to me after thinking about what the most controversial occupation for a hero would be.

What is your favorite scene in your newest release?

My favorite scene in Rush is the sex scene where Everly tries to give Max the type of sexual experience she thinks he wants (i.e.: porn star sex - because working in porn he could want nothing else). It starts off as playful, Everly excited to try all of these new things to turn him on, but her definition of what Max finds sexy is so far from the truth. The scene takes the reader through a mess of emotions: excitement, desire, fear, disappointment, anger, devastation, heartache, and embarrassment. It’s the most intense and emotionally taxing scene in the book, but really gets to the heart of the two characters and their insecurities.

What is the last movie you watched and loved?

The last movie I watched was The Imitation Game. It was incredible but so angering at the same time. At the end, you literally see Alan Turing’s brilliance stripped away from him. It was devastating to watch.

What would you consider a “perfect date”?

A perfect date for me would be a relaxing night with beer, hamburgers, and maybe a little hanky panky. The more you try and impress me, the less interested I’ll be. My husband tried to impress me on our first date and his plans fell though (Poor guy! So embarrassing! LOL). But fourteen years later, it obviously worked out for the best.

What are you currently working on?

I have a few exciting things in the works with Loveswept that I can’t disclose just yet. In addition, the last book in my Madewood Brothers series, Recipe for Temptation, will release in August 2015.

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Author Info:

When her dream of becoming a mafia princess didn’t pan out, Gina Gordon went after her second dream: becoming a writer. And she hasn’t looked back. A self-proclaimed happily-ever-after junkie and cupcake connoisseur, Gordon loves spinning contemporary tales of knee-bending first kisses, unconditional love, and super-hot sex. She lives in Milton, Ontario, with her husband and their lovable dog.