Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I'm excited to share my review of Shannon Guymon's fun new romance today, along with an excerpt and a giveaway!
About the Book
I recently heard great things about Do Over, so when I found it on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. The first chapter (which you can read on Shannon Guymon's website) totally drew me in. So much emotion! My heart broke a bit for Iris, and I was really curious how the rest of the story would turn out.
It's not unusual for me to not read book blurbs, so I didn't realize going into Do Over that it was a part of a series. The funny thing is that I read the rest of the series a few years ago. I didn't remember very many details, but I was somewhat familiar with most of the characters. However, I think Do Over stands alone very well, especially because Iris is a new character.
The main characters are both really well off, and although that makes for some hard to relate to circumstances, most of the story is pretty believable. The relationship comes on very quickly, but it is presented in a way that doesn't feel like it is so fast.
I really like the cover, although I pictured some tougher looking boots.
Do Over is a cute, clean romance that you can easily read in a few hours.
Excerpt
Iris lowered her pencil and turned her head to see a huge man, most likely Vin Diesel’s twin brother, standing behind her grinning as if he had just won the Super Bowl. His black hair was spiky and went quite nicely with the large black gauge in his ear. His nose looked like it had been smashed in a few times, but overall he looked like a nice man. He must be excited to have a designer on the job.
“Hi,” Iris said in a polite, friendly way and then went back to work.
“Honey, I don’t know where you came from, or why you’re here, but I need to send someone a thank-you card, because I have just fallen in love.”
Iris frowned, turning back around to face the imposing man. He really was huge, and his arms were covered in real tattoos, not the fake henna ones she had. Yep, one of them looked like Satan. And he was looking at her like she was Sunday dinner and he hadn’t eaten in months. Time to shut this guy down.
“I’m Iris Levine. I’ll be working on this project with Trey Kellen. I’m just doing some preliminary sketches before I meet with the owners tomorrow. Let me know if I’m in your way,” she said dismissively.
The man’s eyebrows went up. “You’re the designer Trey was telling me about this morning? Wow. I would have never guessed. I never imagined a serious designer could look like you. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” the man said with such blatant honesty that Iris had to smile.
She heard boots hitting gravel and turned to see Trey running fast toward them.
“Donny, I see you’ve met Iris,” Trey said, looking back and forth worriedly between the two of them.
Iris opened her mouth to say something, but Donny rushed in. “Trey, why in the world didn’t you warn me about Iris. I about had a heart attack standing here trying to take it all in.”
Iris blushed and started to feel a little uncomfortable. What had happened to her invisible Stay-the-Heck-Away-from-Me sign she’d posted on her forehead? The tattoos, the chains, the black, the hair?
Trey nodded his head and patted Donny on the shoulder. “Now why would I want to do that? I don’t want you trying to steal my girlfriend.”
Donny made a huffing noise and shook his head, continuing to stare at Iris. “She’s not your type, Trey. She’s mine. Look at her. She’s perfect. No way is she your girlfriend.”
Iris started feeling panicky and looked at Trey, silently pleading for help. Trey winked at her, his light blue eyes practically sparkling at the position she was in.
“Sorry, Donny, but I found her first,” he said and then stepped around Donny to gently and slowly put his arm around Iris’s shoulders, completely breaking one of her rules.
Iris bit her lip but didn’t say anything, so Trey cleared his throat and faced the doubting giant in front of him.
“But regardless of my passionate regard for Iris, she has been hired by Sam to design the restaurant, so we both need to be careful not to let our feelings get in the way of work. I’d hate for Iris to feel uncomfortable being on the jobsite,” he said, his voice sounding firm and with an unmistakable warning.
Donny nodded his head as his shoulders fell. “Gotcha, boss. It was nice meeting you, Iris,” he said looking at her soulfully one last time.
Iris and Trey watched as Donny went back inside the building. When she could no longer see Donny’s massive shoulders, she let a shaky breath out. She stepped away from Trey, forcing his arm to drop and turned to face him.
“Oh. My. Heck.”
Trey laughed softly and reached out to grab a strand of fiery red hair. “What? You’re surprised?”
Iris shoved her hands in her pockets and kicked a rock. “Well, yeah! I’ve done everything but put a sign on my back that says stay back. Maybe he’s dyslexic.”
Trey laughed again and reached out taking her arm in his hands as he studied the tribal tattoos in dark brown that ran from her wrist to her shoulder.
“Well, there’s one thing you forgot. Men. You’re obviously used to a certain type of man. You’re back off sign that works so well for the successful, business-suit-wearing, corporate kind of guy actually does the opposite for my dear friend Donny. You see, there’s a whole population of men who will take one look at you and start to believe in heaven again.”
Iris’s mouth fell open in horror at her giant mistake. “Oh, no.”
About the Author
“Christmas has come early,” a deep, gravely voice said behind her.
Iris lowered her pencil and turned her head to see a huge man, most likely Vin Diesel’s twin brother, standing behind her grinning as if he had just won the Super Bowl. His black hair was spiky and went quite nicely with the large black gauge in his ear. His nose looked like it had been smashed in a few times, but overall he looked like a nice man. He must be excited to have a designer on the job.
“Hi,” Iris said in a polite, friendly way and then went back to work.
“Honey, I don’t know where you came from, or why you’re here, but I need to send someone a thank-you card, because I have just fallen in love.”
Iris frowned, turning back around to face the imposing man. He really was huge, and his arms were covered in real tattoos, not the fake henna ones she had. Yep, one of them looked like Satan. And he was looking at her like she was Sunday dinner and he hadn’t eaten in months. Time to shut this guy down.
“I’m Iris Levine. I’ll be working on this project with Trey Kellen. I’m just doing some preliminary sketches before I meet with the owners tomorrow. Let me know if I’m in your way,” she said dismissively.
The man’s eyebrows went up. “You’re the designer Trey was telling me about this morning? Wow. I would have never guessed. I never imagined a serious designer could look like you. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” the man said with such blatant honesty that Iris had to smile.
She heard boots hitting gravel and turned to see Trey running fast toward them.
“Donny, I see you’ve met Iris,” Trey said, looking back and forth worriedly between the two of them.
Iris opened her mouth to say something, but Donny rushed in. “Trey, why in the world didn’t you warn me about Iris. I about had a heart attack standing here trying to take it all in.”
Iris blushed and started to feel a little uncomfortable. What had happened to her invisible Stay-the-Heck-Away-from-Me sign she’d posted on her forehead? The tattoos, the chains, the black, the hair?
Trey nodded his head and patted Donny on the shoulder. “Now why would I want to do that? I don’t want you trying to steal my girlfriend.”
Donny made a huffing noise and shook his head, continuing to stare at Iris. “She’s not your type, Trey. She’s mine. Look at her. She’s perfect. No way is she your girlfriend.”
Iris started feeling panicky and looked at Trey, silently pleading for help. Trey winked at her, his light blue eyes practically sparkling at the position she was in.
“Sorry, Donny, but I found her first,” he said and then stepped around Donny to gently and slowly put his arm around Iris’s shoulders, completely breaking one of her rules.
Iris bit her lip but didn’t say anything, so Trey cleared his throat and faced the doubting giant in front of him.
“But regardless of my passionate regard for Iris, she has been hired by Sam to design the restaurant, so we both need to be careful not to let our feelings get in the way of work. I’d hate for Iris to feel uncomfortable being on the jobsite,” he said, his voice sounding firm and with an unmistakable warning.
Donny nodded his head as his shoulders fell. “Gotcha, boss. It was nice meeting you, Iris,” he said looking at her soulfully one last time.
Iris and Trey watched as Donny went back inside the building. When she could no longer see Donny’s massive shoulders, she let a shaky breath out. She stepped away from Trey, forcing his arm to drop and turned to face him.
“Oh. My. Heck.”
Trey laughed softly and reached out to grab a strand of fiery red hair. “What? You’re surprised?”
Iris shoved her hands in her pockets and kicked a rock. “Well, yeah! I’ve done everything but put a sign on my back that says stay back. Maybe he’s dyslexic.”
Trey laughed again and reached out taking her arm in his hands as he studied the tribal tattoos in dark brown that ran from her wrist to her shoulder.
“Well, there’s one thing you forgot. Men. You’re obviously used to a certain type of man. You’re back off sign that works so well for the successful, business-suit-wearing, corporate kind of guy actually does the opposite for my dear friend Donny. You see, there’s a whole population of men who will take one look at you and start to believe in heaven again.”
Iris’s mouth fell open in horror at her giant mistake. “Oh, no.”
About the Author
To find out more on Do Over and author Shannon Guymon, visit her blog and Facebook page.
Giveaway
One lucky Literary Time Out follower will win an eCopy of Do Over from publisher Cedar Fort. The giveaway is open Internationally. Enter using the Rafflecopter form from now through February 20th.
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You know, I love reading about romance...but for me personally the things that say romance to me is when I'm having a rough day, and my husband comes home and starts to clean the house without me saying anything. Or when he randomly sends a text from work to say he loves me or appreciates me or whatever.
ReplyDeleteOn our first date, my (now-) husband played his guitar in the back of his SUV late at night. I thought that was uber-romantic. Romance means something different now that we've been married 11 years, but there's still something about a guy serenading you with a guitar!
ReplyDeleteI love being able to just go on dates with my husband--especially when we don't usually go there.
ReplyDeleteMy first date with my hubby was on Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteAny romance other than going on a "date" with two kids in the backseat will do!
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that comes to mind is the huge, homemade valentine I received from my husband when we first started dating in college. As he was an engineering major, I had not expected something so "crafty" and homemade from him. He even worded to make it sound almost like a marriage proposal (that came about a month later!).
ReplyDelete