Innovative Online Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for Pretty Reckless by Jodi Linton

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Book Tour presented by Innovative Online Tours for Pretty Reckless by Jodi Linton.  Please leave a comment or question for Ms. Linton to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  

Pretty Reckless

By Jodi Linton

Deputy Laney Briggs, Book 1

Publisher: Ignite, an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC

Release Date: March 24, 2014

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Length: 245 Pages

ISBN:  978-1-622665-14-3

ASIN: B00IQOFSCW

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

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About the book: 

Welcome to Pistol Rock, Texas where everyone knows secrets last about as long as the sporadic west Texas rain showers.

Laney Briggs has long been considered reckless, but she’s turned herself around—she’s respectably engaged and she’s become a Pistol Rock deputy sheriff. Everything’s fine until a dead body turns up and her ex, Texas Ranger Gunner Wilson, decides to stick his boots into the town’s first murder case.

Laney will be damned if she lets Gunner trample all over her turf and her chance at a quiet, contented life. His seemingly endless ability to undermine her resolve and her libido was only outdone by her constant urge to butt heads with him. But when the bodies start to pile up, Laney has to ask the lethal bad boy for a hand—and a truce in exchange for his help.

Having an ex-boyfriend as an ally might not be the best idea, but Laney has always been pretty reckless…

Excerpt

His grin widened as he moved in for the kill, skimming his thumb down my cheek until his callused hand caught my chin. I bit my lip, knowing nothing good could come from me sneaking a taste—although, I would’ve given my right arm to melt in his arms and sample that sinfully delicious mouth again. He leaned into my personal space, placing his mouth at my ear. Ah hell, he still smelled as clean as a cotton sheet. His smile pressed into the side of my neck, electrifying my pulse.

“I took the job because we both know you want me back,” he whispered, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear.

I gritted my teeth against temptation. “You’re an impossible man, Gunner Wilson.”

“So I’ve been told,” he admitted, reveling in tormenting me.

Instantly, I wanted away from the bastard. I dug a heel into the hard ground and spun around, stalking back toward the cruiser.

“Now, Laney, don’t be like that,” Gunner called, chasing after me.

As I stuck an assertive middle finger in the air, a droplet of rain breezed past the back of my hand. I lifted my chin and looked up at the sky. It had turned a hazy gray with pillowing clouds at the horizon and a chill starting to blow across the parched land. Perfect. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck out in the rain with Gunner.

Before I had a chance to take off in a mad dash for the cruiser, the rain came down in torrents.

“Looks like you could use a little help there, sweetheart.” Catching up with me, Gunner smiled and quickly covered my head with his hat. I turned my face into his chest, and we sprinted for the cruiser. When we got there, he opened the passenger door and slipped his arm from my shoulders. I lifted my face to him. He smiled and swept a wet piece of hair out my eyes. Gaze fixed on him, I slid inside the cruiser.

“Wasn’t that fun?” He laughed, shaking off his cowboy hat and jumping behind the wheel. His shirt was drenched and clung to the rippling muscles of his chest and arms.

I tugged at my blouse, trying to stop it from sticking to my breasts.

Gunner was clearly enjoying the free peepshow. “A little nippy down there,” he observed.

I looked. Sure enough, my nipples were popping out like a thermometer in a Thanksgiving Day turkey. I crossed my arms over my breasts and gave him a stone-cold look.

“Just commenting, darling,” he said and turned the car on, put it in gear, and punched the gas. Mud squished under the spinning tires. He tried putting the cruiser in reverse. A lusty roar erupted, but the cruiser sunk deeper.

Oh shit, God. Please don’t do this to me, I prayed frantically, even though I wasn’t sure if he was listening.

“Are you talking to God?”

“Well, if you must know…I’m begging him to get me the hell out of here.”

“Would it be so bad if you got stranded out here with me?”

“Yes!”

BIO:

Jodi Linton lives and works in Texas, with her husband and two kids. She can be found cozied up to the computer escaping into a quirky world of tall tales, sexy, tight jean wearing cowboys, and a protagonist with a sharp-tongue quick enough to hang any man out to dry.  She is currently at work on her next Deputy Laney Briggs book.

ONLINE LINKS:

• Website http://jodilinton.com
• Facebook http://facebook.com/JodiLintonAuthor
• Twitter http://twitter.com/jodilinton1
• Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20944652-pretty-reckless
• http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7912388.Jodi_Linton

A fan of mysteries and suspense, I jumped at the chance to read Jodi Linton’s Pretty Reckless, the first book in the Deputy Laney Briggs series.  After all, what could be better than a strong female heroine, a mystery set in Texas, and some yummy Texas cowboys and law men.  Pretty Reckless is all of that, plus it’s something more; it’s funny, set in a colorful small town and is a strong beginning for what looks to be a promising series. 

Being the deputy sheriff in Pistol Rock, Texas is Laney Briggs’ idea of the perfect job.  A small, quiet town with little to no crime, everything is smooth sailing, including her engagement to the local vet.  Only things heat up when dead cows, and a dead cowboy, make an appearance and Laney’s ex, Texas Ranger Gunner Wilson rides into town.   Determined to protect her future, and her heart, Laney soon finds herself neck deep in a mystery, a possible drug war and fending off an ex-lover who doesn’t want to take no for an answer.

Ms. Linton does a wonderful job developing the characters in this story; I easily connected with Laney, a strong, independent woman who’d been burned by love and is determined to do the right thing.  Smart, sassy and definitely opinionated, Laney made me laugh on numerous occasions.  The secondary characters are also well developed and I found myself drawn to Gunner, even though he had let Laney down in the past and had even cheated on her.  When she has to turn to him for help, I understood her reluctance and applauded how determined she was to protect her emotions.  I also enjoyed the people in the town of Pistol Rock, Texas, who added a lot of humor and color to the story.  I also enjoyed the romantic escapes Laney found herself in with Nathan, her fiancé and the town vet, Luke the local rich kid of a well to do rancher and Gunner as he tries to win Laney back.

Will Laney solve the murders before anyone else becomes a victim? Will she be able to protect her heart and keep Gunner on the ex-list? You’ll have to read Pretty Reckless to find out. I enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the next book to see what adventure Laney finds herself involved in next.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Crowns  

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review 

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Tour Schedule

6/2   Excerpt Book Purses & Reviews
6/3   Review TBR
6/6   Review Queen of All She Reads
6/6   Guest Post Deal Sharing Aunt
6/9   Review My Devotional Thoughts
6/10  Guest Post Kelly Reci
6/10  Review/Excerpt BlackHippieChick's Review & advice
6/11  Review Just a Simple Mom
6/12  Review/Excerpt My Life. One Story at a Time
6/12  Review Pure Jonel