Thursday, July 18, 2013

Taste The Heat by Rachel Harris ~ Character Interview, Review & Giveaway

Super excited to have Jason from TASTE THE HEAT by Rachel Harris with me today!

Hey Jason.  A fire captain, huh? Like that.

*Laughs and shakes his head with a grin*

How did you decide to become a fireman?

My father was the Chief. He’s retired now, but I always knew I wanted to join the department. Hard work, helping people, protecting your community. It’s in my blood I guess.

You must be good at it if you became the captain.

I’d like to think so. I worked my way up like anyone else, but the MSFD is a family and I’m proud to be a part of it.

You have a daughter?  How old?

Smile crosses his face and he nods. Yeah, Emma. She actually just turned twelve.

I take it you’re single though, right?

*Jason shifts in his seat* Ashleigh, Emma’s mother, died four years ago. It hasn’t been easy raising Emma on my own, but we make a good team. I’d thought it would be just the two of us forever…until a certain sexy chef entered the picture.

So, growing up you were friends with Colby’s brother?  Best friends.  Tell us about him.

Cane and I have been best friends for over thirty years, since preschool. He’s Emma’s godfather, a great friend, and an even better brother to Colby and Sherry. He’s loyal and fiercely protective.

You remember Colby from growing up?  What did you think of her then?

*He chuckles softly* Colby was the kid sister who trailed us everywhere we went. Her wardrobe swung from her mild obsession with the movie Clueless to the gruesome flannel stage during her love affair with Kurt Cobain. She was starry-eyed and wore her heart on her sleeve. She was a cute kid, even when she made me eat burned roux, but other than that one time I accidentally saw her naked in junior high, I never thought of her as anymore more than Cane’s sister. Until now.

Now that she’s back in town and you’ve seen her again, what are you thinking about her….I mean what do you think of her?

I’m thinking all kinds of things about her, but mostly, I’m fascinated. She’s really made something of herself. Her restaurant in Vegas is famous and she’s turned Robicheaux’s around. She’s talented, sexy, smart, and funny as hell.

Is it awkward having a relationship with your friends sister?  Did you talk to him about it?

Yeah, it’s awkward. Not so much now as it was when we first got together. Cane was not happy. Like I said before, he’s fiercely protective—of both his sisters and his friends. He didn’t think we would be good together. Sitting down and talking to him about it was one of the most terrifying conversations I’ve ever had, second only to telling Ashleigh’s parents we were pregnant with Emma.

Colby’s a chef, right.  What’s she make that you love?

I love every damn thing that woman makes. I think she’s on a mission to get me fat. Luckily, I own a gym and teach classes twice a week. But, if I had to pick a favorite, I’d definitely go with her beignets. They have a few *clears throat* special memories attached to them.

Describe the perfect day to me.  Who would be with you, where would you be and what would you be doing?
 
Camping again with Colby and Emma. That trip was a turning point in all our lives and is now one of my top five favorite memories ever. We’d pitch that same red tent at Camp LeBeaux, roast hotdogs, and eat our weight in s’mores.  

One superpower is yours, what one would you want and why?

Invincibility. As a fire fighter, I willingly put my life in danger every time I step into a burning building. It’s in my blood, it’s part of who I am, but Emma’s already lost one parent. And Colby’s lost both hers. I don’t want either of my girls to suffer again, not when I can help it, and if I could guarantee they have to worry again, I’d do just about anything.


Tell me something about you that we don’t learn in your book.

I’m a fifth-degree black belt and make killer fried chicken 

This or that

Coffee or tea? Coffee
Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate…especially chocolate body paint *grins*
Spring or fall? Fall. Saints football
Mountains or beach? Mountains
Green, blue or brown eyes? Gray preferably
Blonde or brunette? Brunette.
Kissing or cuddling? Kiss first, cuddle after.

Thanks for spending some time with me, Jason.

Thanks for having me, Val!

Um...you did catch the chocolate body paint comment, right???


Source:  Received eBook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.


Book Description:
One sexy fire captain. One Cajun chef. One combustible kitchen…

When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she can’t afford to taste. Colby can’t wait to leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas.

Fire captain Jason Landry isn’t looking for love, either. Disillusioned by his past, he knows he should be focusing on finding the perfect mother for his daughter. But when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can’t help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason can’t say no.

As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn’t as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility of getting burned?




My Thoughts:



4 stars - The heat is up between Jason and Colby!

Oh, I so love romance between little sister and brother's besty!  Jason's older and only had eyes for his high school sweetheart but Colby is back in town and she's looking scorching hot! A widower and guarding his heart, Jason thinks he can just have a fling to get this girl out of his system.  It has been a while after all.  Colby has given up on love long ago so a fling sounds perfect even if it's with the long time crush.  They can handle it, right.

Yeah, right.  What I loved about this book were the characters.  Jason is still tender after the lose of his wife.  He believes he needs to find a mother for his twelve year-old daughter.  Love is not really an expectation but he's not sure Colby is right for the job.

There are lots of things to love about Jason.  His devotion to his wife who has been gone for 4 years is perfect.  He still loves her.  His heart is broken.  But he wants the very best for his daughter.  That first period thing is not a talk he got through very well. (YES, it's in the book and I loved it).  I love his love for his daughter.  You can see by their relationship how much he cares for her and how willing he is to do everything he can do to be a good father.  But there was also his relationship with is father.  His respect for his dad and his insight gets him thinking.  I respect that and I loved that.  Of course, this guy is sexy as hell AND he brings chocolate body paint on their date! He so did!

Colby is great too.  She's still reeling from her own pain.  Her idealistic vision of love from her childhood has long since been smashed into a billion pieces.  She has no desire to put them back together again but a girl has needs.  Still, she puts it out there and confides her bad story to Jason.  I was impressed by that.  There wasn't lies between them.  They was such a strength and tenderness that only comes from years of knowing each other.  The one issue between them was a total misunderstanding and no one was at fault.  These two were great together and I completely enjoyed this story.  The ending was perfect!

I really liked Cane, Colby's brother.  I love how protective he is and how much he cares for his sisters.  He's this bad boy that's really a math nerd at heart.  That is just perfect for me.  I'm so hoping this series continues and that his story is up next.  Would love to see this bad boy in action.

The story is fast paced and I read it in a few hours.  Once I started, I couldn't put it down.  If sweet romance is your thing with some CHOCOLATE BODY PAINT on the side, pick this one up.  Gonna enjoy Jason!

Rachel Harris Bio:
Rachel Harris grew up in New Orleans, where she watched soap operas with her grandmother and stayed up late sneak reading her mama’s favorite romance novels. Now a Cajun cowgirl living in Houston, she still stays up way too late reading her favorite romances, only now, she can do so openly. She firmly believes life’s problems can be solved with a hot, powdered-sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.

When not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, she homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches reality television with her amazing husband. Taste The Heat is her adult romance debut. She’s the author of MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY and A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES. She loves hearing from readers!






****GIVEAWAY****



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7 comments:

  1. Valerie!!

    I'm SO glad you enjoyed this book! As you know, I adore you, so I was very nervous. It's entirely possible I just scared my dog squealing at your review ;)

    Thanks so much for being a stop on the Taste the Heat tour, and for the support. It truly means a lot.

    xoxo
    Rachel

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  2. I loved this book so much!! Great interview and review. Hehe! Chocolate Body paint!! Totally loved that!!

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  3. looking forward to reading taste the heat! childhood crush. finding a mom for his daughter. sounds like an excellent read. thank you for sharing. :)
    jukyjoauka at aol dot com

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  4. I loved this book and gosh Jason. talk about swoon. awesome interview and YES, chocolate body paint! haha!

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  5. Ah, I can't wait to read Taste the Heat. I just couldn't fit it in right now, but I will be reading it in the future. Jason sounds yummy!

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  6. Oh he sounds like such a cutie! Can't wait to read this one. It really does have so many of my favorite things in it :)

    Enjoyed the interview :)

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