Title: Tough Guy
A Cocky Hero Club Novel
Author: Jamie K. Schmidt
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 21, 2021
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Told in the first person. Alternating persons.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from Give Me Books Promotions and the authors. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising".
Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward are excited to bring you the Cocky Hero Club: original works from various authors inspired by Keeland and Ward's New York Times bestselling Cocky Bastard series.
BLURB:
My sister lives to ruin my life.
That isn’t fair. It’s not her fault our dance instructor called me fat and awkward, and our parents funded Lisa’s training because I had a better head for business.
So when Lisa went off the rails after her injury, it naturally came to me to track her down. The trail starts at the Spearmint Rhino —an upscale gentlemen’s club five minutes off the Las Vegas strip, where a group of hot Aussie soccer players are having a bachelor party. Hello, Chance Bateman! My sister still wears his jersey as a nightgown. However, Lisa's trail goes cold at Dalton’s, which is owned by a world-famous bouncer, Miles Carvello—six feet four inches of muscle, tattoos, and swagger. Combined with his intense green-eyed gaze, Miles makes my insides sizzle. I’m just not sure if Miles Carvello is the reason she’s hiding out or not. Danger seems to surround him.
How does a former Broadway hoofer wind up in Vegas as a stripper? I’m about to find out, since no one will talk to me because I’m an outsider. And besides, Miles thinks I’m too much of a prude to do it.
I need to find my sister. She’s in trouble. I can feel it. I keep running into the bachelor party as well as Miles while I'm out searching for her. And while both of them are a good time, they're not getting me any closer to finding Lisa. And I've got a terrible feeling that her time is running out.
***
I don’t remember Jackie Mitchell’s sister. Just another stripper with baggage in a long line of them. But Jackie? Damn, she’s the real deal. I don’t want to get distracted. I need to shoot this club into the stratosphere. I owe it to my uncle’s memory not to let the gangsters win. But she oozes sensuality that reminds me that I should take time to enjoy the finer things in life – like her long, toned legs wrapped around my shoulders.
However, the demons of my past are pushing into my future. If they’re going after my employees, as a way to get to me —they picked the wrong guy to mess with. And if they touch Jackie, all bets are off and I’ll put them in the ground—and to hell with the consequences.
Tough Guy takes place a year before the events of Cocky Bastard and features a few appearances by our favorite Aussie soccer player, Chance Bateman before he meets the love of his life, Aubrey.
*Tough Guy is a bad boy/road trip erotic romantic suspense inspired by Cocky Bastard.
PURCHASE LINKS:
My Thoughts:
After reading the blurb, you may know what your next read is going to be. Or a re-read – depending on which applies to you.
The author starts her tale off with the reader feeling sorry for Jackie. Had me wanting to grab the phone she was holding and tell the person on the other end to hire a professional. She did a good job in getting me to feel very protective of Jackie – could picture myself in her shoes. I started hoping that she created the perfect man that would be just what Jackie needs.
Miles believes in keeping his business safe. It was easy to see how much he cares about the people in his employ. But there are rules he expects to be followed or there are consequences. That’s one thing that adds a sense of realism to this tale. He was good at bringing Jackie out of her shell and finding out who she was meant to be.
Early on, our author writes scenes that certainly will grab the reader’s attention. With everything going on, she knows just the right time to turn up the heat and when to turn it down to a simmer – both of which she does very well. When it comes to the suspense, my mind jumped ahead by forming my own conclusion – watching too many reality crime shows will do that to you. If you start the book early enough, and have nothing on your schedule, you will be able to get this finished in one day.
This story is less about Miles being a cocky man and more into how it ties into the series. It certainly does that. I was left wanting to go to Vegas and follow Jackie’s movements from beginning to end – what a great way to retrace some of the characters steps. I might even get a different perspective as to what was going on.
FEBRUARY RELEASES
AUTHOR BIO:
USA Today bestselling author, Jamie K. Schmidt is known for her erotically charged romances, Jamie’s books have been called, “hot and sexy, with just the right amount of emotional punch,” and “turbo-paced, gritty, highly sexual thrill rides.” As a #1 Amazon best seller and a 2018 Romance Writers of America Rita® finalist in erotica, Jamie writes daily, drinks lots of tea, and sneaks away to play World of Warcraft whenever she makes her deadlines. Along with her husband who lets her stick magnetic signs on his car about her books and her thirteen-year-old son who wants to be her cover model, Jamie lives in Connecticut with her rescue pup Romeo, who is cool with her writing schedule as long as he can be cuddled up in a blanket next to her. You can find Jamie on Twitter at @jamiekswriter and on Facebook at jamie.k.schmidt.1, where she’ll be chatting about her latest book and wishing desperately for a kitten to be her new writing buddy and some carbs—not necessarily in that order.
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