BLOG TOUR, REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Played (Elite PR #2) by Clare James

Title: Played

Author: Clare James

Publisher: Entangled Brazen

Release Date: October 19, 2015

Series: Elite PR #2 

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

ISBN: 9781633754515

Play. Or be played.

The music should be enough. End of story. But Aaron Major is finding out it's not, and now his agent has hired a firm of suits to help launch his debut album, turning his life into a goddamn circus. Smile here. Play there. Be nice. Well, screw that. If Aaron wanted to spend his time shaking hands and kissing babies, he would've gone into politics.

Helping launch the career of country singer Aaron Major should be a cakewalk for PR pro Melody Sharp. Aaron is charming, sexy, and oh-so-appealing when he's on stage. Off stage, though, he's her worst nightmare. A stubborn, ornery, reclusive nightmare without a lick of business-or fashion-sense. The only way he's going to make it in music is with a serious makeover-and quite possibly a personality transplant.

Soon, they're engaged in a game of give and take, and though it's Melody calling the shots, it's Aaron who holds all control...

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My Review

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Melody is going through a rough patch. She has been demoted at work and abruptly evicted from her apartment. Luckily for her, her hot new neighbor takes pity on her and let's her stay overnight in his guest room. But fate is about to intervene. You see, that new neighbor happens to be fallen country singer Aaron Major. And it turns out he is planning a comeback. And guess what? Melody works in PR. (Don't ya just love when it all comes together!) So before he knows it, Aaron not only has a new PR firm, but also a new roommate. Talk about Hurricane Melody!  

I loved Melody. She was so spunky and despite the setbacks in her life, once she saw the way back, she went full speed ahead and didn't let anything get in her way (Hurricane Melody indeed!). And I felt that she was just what Aaron needed. He had reservations about getting involved with her (personally and professionally) because she reminded him of some aspects of his previous life, the one he is trying to forget, but in some ways she really didn't give him chance to say no. Once he saw what she could do for him (again, both personally and professionally) he sat back and enjoyed the ride. 

And as a couple Melody and Aaron were fantastic and I thought they had great chemistry. When Aaron moved into his apartment and first met Melody you could tell that they were attracted to each other. But once they formed a friendship/working relationship, the physical aspect came quite easily. Plus it helped that their chemistry translated into some really steamy scenes that had me fanning myself!  

This was a quick read for me. I found myself invested in the story line and I really wanted Melody to succeed and help Aaron become the performer he wanted to be. She believed in him, as an artist, from the beginning and wanted to help him as much as, if not more, than she wanted her own career to benefit from his success. How sweet is that??

If you read the first book in this series, Caught, I definitely recommend reading this one. Vivian and Jarod are mentioned a few times and we get a kind of update on how they are doing. 

Clare James writes contemporary romance and new adult novels with spunky heroines and sexier-than-sin heroes. Her books have made several best-selling lists including the tender love stories in the Impossible Love series; the steamy romantic comedy Dirty Little Lies; and the touching family drama Wednesday. She’s also the author of a new series with Entangled’s Brazen line about the women of Elite PR and their very naughty clients. The first two books in the series are out now!

A former dancer, Clare still loves to get her groove on – mostly to work off her beloved cupcakes and red wine. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and young son, and is always on social media chatting with readers.

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GIVEAWAY

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RELEASE WEEK BLITZ, REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Caught (Elite PR #1) by Clare James

In CAUGHT, a new Entangled Brazen release, racecar driver Jarod Cage must put his future in the hands of celebrity publicist Vivian Blake to save his career. Which is becoming a problem, because the heat between them is about to redline. But when you go this hard and fast, putting on the brakes is the most dangerous thing you can do …

Want to get to know Clare better? Check out her Dear Reader letter!

Watching sex tapes at the office is just part of PR professional Vivian Blake's job, especially when she has to clean up a celebrity's image. Except that her newest client isn't quite that easy. Racecar driver Jarod Cage is beyond hot, and his onscreen “performance” is already compromising Viv's cool professionalism.

While Jarod hasn’t exactly been discreet about his personal life, he never thought his reputation could cost him both his sponsor and his racing career. Now he has to put his future in the hands of a tiny, pixie-like publicist. Which is becoming a problem, because the heat between them is about to redline. But when you go this hard and fast, putting on the brakes is the most dangerous thing you can do...

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My Review

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Whew....this book went from 0 to 60 in no time at all!  

Vivian works in PR. She deals with famous people all the time, but she was not prepared for Jarod Cage. The man comes storming into her life and before she knows it, he is getting her off while hiding a closet. 

Despite the fact that they are attracted to each other, they really don't like each other. Vivian knows next to nothing about the world of race car driving and Jarod doubts her ability to handle his situation. Vivian thinks that Jarod is a jerk and is not sure how she is going to work with him. But she needs to make this work because if all goes well, she will get a promotion and a transfer to the New York office.

The more time Vivian and Jarod spend together, the more she starts to like him. Turns out he is not the jerk she thought he was. He is actually a very sweet, funny, laid back guy with a heart of gold. The two of them have a great rapport and amazing chemistry. 

He took his time with each child, making sure they got their money’s worth. But he was the one who always got the most out of it. He loved their excitement—how they were so open to new things and wanted nothing more than to have fun. No ulterior motives, no hidden agendas. Plus, they hadn’t had the chance to become jaded yet. They gave him…hope.

He went thirty minutes over the allotted time for the event. That was nothing new. He expected Vivian to be bored to tears or punching away on that phone of hers. Turned out, he’d misjudged her again. She was laughing with the kids, the phone nowhere to be found.

“Well, that was awesome,” Viv said when the last rug rat made his way off the infield. “You’re really good with kids.”

“Thanks,” he said, somewhat embarrassed. A rare emotion for him. Sex tape notwithstanding. “It was a good day all the way around.” 

“It was,” she agreed.

“It’s not over yet,” Jarod reminded her.

“That’s right,” she said. “My surprise.”

“Your surprise.”

“Are you taking me for a ride?”

Jarod wiggled his eyebrows. He honestly couldn’t help messing with her. Though it might have seemed like he was being playful, there was nothing innocent about his intentions. 

“In the pace car,” she clarified.

The two of the form a fantastic working relationship and are successful in repairing Jarod's reputation. Their working relationship slowly turns into a personal one and that's when things get really complicated. Getting involved with a client is a big no-no and she can't risk losing her job. 

But the two of them are a great couple. The sex is off the charts hot and the closer they grow, the more Vivian starts to rethink her plans to move to New York. She not only becomes close to Jarod, but the whole racing community starts to become her family. They accept her with open arms and she accepts them right back.

This book was a great read. I found the race car driving aspect of the book quite interesting. I usually read books involving football or baseball stars, so it was a nice change. I also like that at the end of the book the author dropped a few hints about Vivian's coworker, Mel being the next book.  I look forward to reading it!

Rafflecopter for Release Day Blitz Giveaway:

Clare is offering up a fabulous prize during the Caught Release Day Blitz event. One lucky Grand Prize winner will receive a $25 Gift Card for Amazon or B&N (winner’s choice) and two Runner-ups will win an eBook copy of one of Clare’s backlist titles (winner’s choice)! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

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Clare James writes contemporary romance and new adult novels with spunky heroines and sexier-than-sin heroes. Her books have made several best-selling lists including the tender love stories in the *Impossible Love* series; the steamy romantic comedy *Dirty Little Lies*; and the touching family drama *Wednesday*. Her new title, *Caught*, is the first in a series about the women of Elite PR and their very naughty clients. It will be published with Entangled Publishing’s Brazen line in June 2015.

A former dancer, Clare still loves to get her groove on – mostly to work off her beloved cupcakes and red wine. She lives in Minneapolis with her two leading men – her husband and young son – and is always on social media chatting with readers.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads