Reading Keeps Me Sane Book Blog: Review/Excerpt Tour- PURE WICKED by Shayla Black

About PURE WICKED: A Wicked Lovers Novella

During his decade as an international pop star, Jesse McCall has lived every day in the fast lane. A committed hedonist reveling in amazing highs, globetrotting, and nameless encounters, he refuses to think about his loneliness or empty future. Then tragedy strikes.

Shocked and grieving, he sheds his identity and walks away, searching for peace. Instead, he finds Bristol Reese, a no-nonsense beauty scraping to keep her family’s business afloat while struggling with her own demons. He’s intent on seducing her, but other than a pleasure-filled night, she’s not interested in a player, especially after her boyfriend recently proposed to her sister. In order to claim Bristol, Jesse has to prove he’s not the kind of man he’s always been. But when she learns his identity and his past comes back to haunt him, how will he convince her that he’s a changed man who wants nothing more than to make her his forever?

Excerpt

“Hungry? I tossed together some stuff for sandwiches and salads last night, using your leftovers. Hope that was all right.”

“Sure.” She normally didn’t neglect to feed her guest for over twenty-four hours. Geez, she really had been tired.

“I’ll make you a plate.”

She cocked her head at him. Hayden had never been half so helpful. Or caring. As soon as they’d begun dating, he’d expected her to feed him more often than not after cooking all day. He’d claimed that all his pencil pushing behind a desk exhausted him, so more often than not he’d preferred to end the day with a blow job. Less effort on his part than actual sex.

She and Jamie hadn’t done more than share a bed and some skin for a few hours but already he was far more considerate. Giddy little butterflies began dancing in her belly, and Bristol had to remind herself that being a nice human being didn’t mean he intended to be romantic. And they were not having a relationship.

“That would be great.” She smiled his way.

“Give me a minute and I’ll get you fed.”

“Thanks. I’m going to dry my hair now and hope that I don’t look like Medusa when I’m done.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s impossible since you’re gorgeous, but go for it.”

Bristol rolled her eyes at the compliment. “I look terrible. You don’t have to butter me up, but I appreciate it.”

As she turned for the bathroom, Jamie grabbed her wrist and snapped her around, flush against his chest. “I’m serious. I think you’re beautiful. You’re not calling me a liar, are you?”

His silky tone warned her that would be a bad idea. Bristol swallowed against the sudden tension in the air. “No. I just…”

“Don’t take compliments well?” He raised a brow at her as if he already knew the answer. “As long as I’m around, you need to start accepting them. And believing them.”

She stared up into his dark eyes in breathless disbelief. He may not be trying to romance her…but he was certainly making her heart flap and quiver. Which made her feel like a twit. She had to stop reading happily-ever-after into his nice gestures.

“Sure. Okay. Thanks.” She pulled gently at her wrist, eager to leave the room before she made an idiot out of herself.

Jamie was slow to release her. “I’ll have your food ready in ten. Then we can talk.”

What did he want to say? She’d rather they simply had sex. She didn’t find tangling between the sheets with him nearly as confusing as watching him defend her against Hayden or staring back into his eyes as he complimented her. But she had a few things to say if she was going to persuade him to go with her to dinner on Tuesday night at her mom’s house, then move on afterward.

Review

Pure Wicked by Shayla Black

About Shayla Black:

Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels. For over fifteen years, she's written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold well over a million copies and been published in a dozen languages.

Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She's thrilled that she's been living her dream as a full-time author for the past seven years.

Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her teenage daughter, and a very spoiled cat. In her "free" time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.