Duo Review – Franco by Kim Holden

Franco Genovese is the drummer for world renowned American rock band, Rook. He’s got it all. A killer smile. Tattoos. Talent. Razor sharp wit and humor. And a heart as big, and generous, as they come.
Life is good. Steady. Uncomplicated. Just the way he likes things.
Until one night at an unassuming L.A. bar changes everything.
Enter Gemma Hendricks.
She’s a successful young architect from Northern England with an adorable smile, sarcasm for days, and an unparalleled trusting heart.
The attraction is instant.
So is their friendship.
It’s also temporary because they’ll both be heading home, thousands of miles apart from each other, in a few days.
Or is it?
There’s something Gemma wants more than anything else.
And when Franco propositions her to provide what she’s looking for, everything changes.
Will it transform friendship into love, or will it be their ruin?
Note from the author: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is recommended for mature audiences.

 

 Buy Franco today at Amazon Also Available on Kindle Unlimited

 

BFF A & BFF K – DUO REVIEW of Franco

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BFF A’s Review

Bright Side breaks your heart.

Gus heals your soul.

Franco makes you smile.

I love Franco so much!  Meeting him in Bright Side and Gus, I knew a little bit about him, but I have a whole new appreciation for him now.  He and Gus have an amazing friendship.  Seriously, they are the relationship everyone needs to have with at least one person in their life. Unconditional, no questions, laugh, cry, shenanigan creating friend. #goals  #dudebestfriends

Franco meets Gemma.  I like her right away and know she is my kind of girl because she doesn’t like beans and guacamole. (I know, seems really weird from a taco loving person.) She is an independent girl who knows exactly what she wants and has a plan in place that fits her style, life and timeline.  Gemma and Franco fit perfectly together.  They are real, they are a perfect compliment to one another.

“There are some people in life that you can vent to, or pour out sadness to, or voice frustrations to, and they readily and willingly absorb it for the sole purpose of ridding you of it.  They’re the same people who can immediately replace that negativity with their light. Their presence gives you the power to purge the bad and embrace the good.  It’s rare.  I’ve only known a few people in my life who are that way.”

Franco is unconditional in all of his relationships, he is so easy to love, to want what is best for him, because he is always puts others first.

“I’m just going to hold her because sometimes touch is the only way to tell someone that you care unconditionally.  It doesn’t require complemented, deep explanation- it only requires effort.  Effort is who I am, I can give her effort all night long.”

Seriously, how can you not love a guy like this?

And this is the absolute truth, favorite words spoken by Franco, a perfect summary to the entire series.

“We all have issues and we all do our best to overcome them.  Hold close the peeps you love while you’re going through your shit, that’s all any of us can do.”

Kim Holden does not disappoint.  She has such a magical way of making everything seem right in the world, even when your heart is breaking, you feel her love and support through Kate, Gus and definitely Franco. This is such a perfect ending to such a soul touching series.  It makes me smile.

 

BFF K’s Review

This is one of those books that you just want to read with your BFF, so you can text/talk to each other as soon as it’s over (See the Instagram post below.)

There’s still time for you to add one more book boyfriend to your 2016 list, and Franco is the one!!!

 

All of the characters in Franco are so calm and reasonable. They must all have major $$$ invested in therapy, and it’s such a wonderful, inspiring, refreshing, change from sometimes needless character dramas. This whole crew is a perfectly-imperfect cast of rational, well-adjusted, thoughtful, kind, caring, people. And to really blow your mind, they’re mostly men!

 

Franco is like the cherry on top of the Bright Side Sundae. (If sundaes made you cry.) It is so good to see Gus doing so well in this book. After the heartbreak for Gus (and everyone else) in Bright Side, it’s heart-warming to see Gus not just surviving, but thriving. And the relationship he has with Franco is something else! #SquadGoals #DecoratingWithDouchebags #FrancoCrush

 

Gemma meets Franco in a bar in LA and there is an instant connection. While the connection is partly physical, it’s predominantly a friendship born of affection and a shared sense of humor and snark.  She’s facing some tough, emotional stuff, but it doesn’t change who she is at the core. And, the fact that she loves Edward Cullen just sealed the deal for me. #AlwaysandForever #Sparkly

 

But, the very best of the part of the book is Franco and Gemma together. They are sweet and kind and funny and crazy-in-love and perfect for each other. God bless the wankers.
 

 

I’m sad to see the Bright Side world come to an end, but it is an incredibly satisfying conclusion. While I believe that you will most enjoy this book if you’ve read Bright Side and Gus, I think the quality of the writing and the relationships will allow this book stand on its own.

 

Join us in the J.O.G Club – Jealous of Gemma or Jealous of Gus. You will all want Franco to be your BF or BFF!

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AND – there’s an awesome shout-out to a couple of our FAVORITE Colleen Hoover characters!

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Advance copies of this book were received from the author. Receipt of these copies did not impact the content or independence of these reviews.

 

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About the Author

I (Kim Holden) live in the greatest city in the world: Denver, Colorado. Some of my favorite things: reading, writing, the two coolest guys on the planet (my husband and son), my bicycle, Facebook, iced coffee, and music. I also love dreaming. And speaking of dreaming, I have a bit of advice for anyone reading this … follow your dreams. It’s never too late. Get started today … heck get started RIGHT NOW! Make your dreams reality.
I love to hear from fellow readers. Love. It. Please come find me. We’ll hang out. It’ll be fun:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KimHoldenAuthor
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7445352.Kim_Holden
My Website https://kimholdenbooks.com

Release Day Blitz – The Revolution by S.L. Scott


My world was rock solid.

Until I saw her.

Lara Kessler showed up as if heaven sent her to me, and suddenly my priorities changed. Love is funny like that. One minute you’re living the dream, then BAM! Half my soul shows up backstage wearing a purple shirt and sexy skin-tight jeans, making me realize what I’ve been missing all along. Loving her means exposing a life I’ve tried to bury.

My heart had lost its beat.

Until I saw him.

Kaz Fabian caught my attention the moment I laid eyes on him. Love is funny like that. The famous guitarist was every woman’s fantasy—great face, chiseled jaw, cut biceps. The rock star was pure sex on and off stage, but his charm and charisma won me over. Loving him means burdening him with a life I’ve tried to leave behind.

With her future dim and his past in the spotlight, can they overcome their fate or will they just be another tragic love story?

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#KazIsHere

BFF K’s Review is coming later this week!

Add to your TBR on Goodreads

Read the one that started it all!

The Resistance (Book One) is NOW AVAILABLE and

Free on Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US     Amazon UK

Amazon Kindle Preview of The Revolution

About the Author

New York Times and USA Bestselling Author, S. L. Scott, was always interested in the arts. She grew up painting, writing poetry and short stories, and willing her days away lost in a good book and the movies.

With a degree in Journalism, she continued her love of the written word by reading American authors like Salinger and Fitzgerald. She was intrigued by their flawed characters living in picture perfect worlds, but could still debate that the world those characters lived in were actually the flawed ones. This dynamic of leaving the reader invested in the words, inspired Scott to start writing with emotion while interjecting an underlying passion into her own stories.

Living in the capital of Texas with her family, Scott loves traveling and avocados, beaches, and cooking with her kids. She’s obsessed with epic romances and loves a good plot twist. She dreams of seeing one of her own books made into a movie one day as well as returning to Europe. Her favorite color is blue, but she likens it more toward the sky than the emotion. Her home is filled with the welcoming symbol of the pineapple and finds surfing a challenge though she likes to think she’s a pro.

 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Goodreads

 

 

Release Day Blitz & Excerpt – A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner

BFF K is SO excited about this new release. She’s started this book and knows it’s going to knock your socks off! Come back next week for her review of A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner!

 

Title: A Love Letter to Whiskey
Author: Kandi Steiner
Release Date: Oct 13, 2016
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It’s crazy how fast the buzz comes back after you’ve been sober for so long.
Whiskey stood there, on my doorstep, just like he had one year before. Except this time, there was no rain, no anger, no wedding invitation — it was just us.
It was just him — the old friend, the easy smile, the twisted solace wrapped in a glittering bottle.
It was just me — the alcoholic, pretending like I didn’t want to taste him, realizing too quickly that months of being clean didn’t make me crave him any less.
But we can’t start here.
No, to tell this story right, we need to go back. 
Back to the beginning.
Back to the very first drop.
This is my love letter to Whiskey. I only hope he reads it. 

 

 

 

 

The first time I tasted Whiskey, I fell flat on my face.

Literally.

I was drunk from the very first sip, and I guess that should have been my sign to stay away.

Jenna and I were running the trail around the lake near her house, sweat dripping into our eyes from the intense South Florida heat. It was early September, but in South Florida, it might as well have been July. There was no “boots and scarves” season, unless you counted the approximately six weeks in January and February where the temperature dropped below eighty degrees.

As it was, we were battling ninety-plus degrees, me trying to be a show off and prove I could keep up with Jenna’s cheerleading training program. She had finally made the varsity squad, and with that privilege came ridiculous standards she had to uphold. I hated running — absolutelyloathed it. I would much rather have been on my surf board that day. But fortunately for Jenna, she had a competitive best friend who never turned down a challenge. So when she asked me to train with her, I’d agreed eagerly, even knowing I’d have screaming ribs and calves by the end of the day.

I saw him first.

I was just a few steps ahead of Jenna, and I’d been staring down at my hot pink sneakers as they hit the concrete. When I looked up, he was about fifty feet away, and even from that distance I could tell I was in trouble. He seemed sort of average at first — brown hair, lean build, soaked white running shirt — but the closer he got, the more I realized just how edible he was. I noticed the shift in the muscles of his legs as he ran, the way his hair bounced slightly, how he pressed his lips together in concentration as he neared us.

I looked over my shoulder, attempting to waggle my eyebrows at Jenna and give her the secret best friend code for “hot guy up ahead”, but she had stopped to tie her shoes. And when I turned back around, it was too late.

I smacked into him — hard — and fell to the pavement, rolling a bit to soften the fall. He cursed and I groaned, more from embarrassment than pain. I wish I could say I gracefully picked myself up, smiled radiantly, and asked him for his number, but the truth is I lost the ability to do anything the minute I looked up at him.

It was an unfamiliar, warm ache that spread through my chest as I used my hand to shield the sun streaming in behind his silhouette, just how you’d expect the first sip of whiskey to feel. He was bent over, hand outstretched, saying something that wasn’t registering because I had somehow managed to slip my hand into his and just that one touch had set my skin on fire.

Handsome wasn’t the right word to describe him, but it was all I kept thinking as I traced his features. His hair was a sort of mocha color, damp at the roots, falling onto his forehead just slightly. His eyes were wide — almost too round — and a mixture of gold, green, and the deepest brown. I didn’t coin the nickname Whiskey until much later, but it was that moment that I saw it for the first time — those were whiskey eyes. The kind of eyes you get lost in. The kind that drink you in. He had the longest lashes and a firm, square jaw. It was so hard, the edges so clean that I would have sworn he was angry with me if it weren’t for the smile on his face.He was still talking as my eyes fell over his broad chest before snapping back up to his sideways grin.

“Oh my God, are you fucking blind?!” Jenna’s voice snapped me from my haze as she shoved Whiskey out of the way and latched onto my hand, ripping me back to standing position. I’d barely caught my balance before she whipped around to continue her scolding. “How about you brush that long ass hair out of your eyes and watch where you’re going, huh champ?”

Oh no.

I didn’t even have time to call dibs, I couldn’t even think the word, let alone say it, before it was too late. I watched it, in slow motion, as Whiskey fell for my best friend before I even had the chance to say a single word to him.

Jenna was standing tall, arms crossed, one hip popped in her usual fashion as she waited for him to defend himself. This was her protocol — it was one of the reasons we got along. We were both what you’d call “spitfires”, but Jenna had the distinct advantage of being cripplingly gorgeous on top of having an attitude. She flipped her long, wavy blonde ponytail behind her and cocked a brow.

And then he did, too.

His smile grew wider as he met her eyes, and it was the same look I’d watched fall over guy after countless guy. Jenna was a unicorn, and men were enamored by her. As they should have been — she had platinum blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, legs for days and a personality to boot. Now, before you go thinking that I was the insecure best friend – I had it going on, too. I worked hard, I was talented – just not at the things traditional high school boys valued.

But we’ll get to that.

“Hi,” Whiskey finally said, extending his hand to Jenna this time. His eyes were warm, smile inviting — if I had to pick the right word for him, just one, I’d say charming. He just oozed charm. “I’m Jamie.”

“Well, Jamie, maybe you should make an appointment with the eye doctor before you run over another innocent jogger. And you owe Brecks an apology.” She nodded to me then and I cringed at my name, wondering why she felt the need to spill it at all. She always called me B — everyone did — so why did she choose the moment I was face to face with the first boy to ever make my heart accelerate to use my full name?

Jamie was still grinning, eying Jenna, trying to figure her out, but he turned to me after a moment with that same crooked smile. “I’m sorry, I should have been watching where I was going.” He said the words with conviction, but lifted his brows on that last line because he and I both knew who wasn’t paying attention to the trail, and he wasn’t the guilty party.

“It’s fine,” I murmured, because for some reason I was still having a difficult time finding my voice. Jamie tilted his head just a fraction, his eyes hard on me this time, and I felt naked beneath his gaze. I’d never had anyone look at me that way — completely zeroed in. It was unnerving and exhilarating, too.

But before I could latch onto the feeling, he turned back to Jenna, their eyes meeting as slow smiles spread on both of their faces. I’d seen it a million times, but this was the first time I felt sick watching it happen.

I saw him first, but it didn’t matter.

Because he saw her.

 

About the Author

Kandi Steiner is a Creative Writing and Advertising/Public Relations graduate from the University of Central Florida living in Tampa with her husband. Kandi works full time as a social media specialist, but also works part time as a Zumba fitness instructor and blackjack dealer.

Kandi started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic (like most girls brought up on Disney movies).

When Kandi isn’t working or writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys beach days, movie marathons, live music, craft beer and sweet wine – not necessarily in that order.