Love Affair With An e-Reader: BOOK RELEASE, REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY: "Confessions of a Reformed Tom Cat" by Daisy Prescott

Thanks for joining us for the release day launch for Daisy Prescott's Confessions of a Reformed Tom Cat!! Daisy is sharing an excerpt with us, and a fantastic giveaway, so be sure to read all the way down to check out all the release day excitement!!

Synopsis:

I, Thomas Clifford Donnely, am a manwhore. I’ve been told I’m irresistible to women. Like catnip for a different type of pussy-cat. I guess you could call me a Tom Cat. This is the story about how I lost my wingman, broke all my own rules, and found myself falling in love. Tom Donnelly isn't the marrying kind, or the dating kind. Even after losing his #1 wingman to love, he doesn't see the point in relationships. When his sister's best friend returns to Whidbey Island and propositions Donnelly for a one-night stand, he breaks one of his biggest rules—no fooling around with his sisters' friends. It's just sex, nothing more. That's what Tom does and does well. What happens when "just sex" isn't enough? Hailey King is more than a match for Tom's flirtations. She's known him most of her life and has heard the rumors about his "skills" for years. When her perfectly planned future falls apart, will the last man she should ever fall for turn out to be more than a one-night stand?

Buy this book at:

ibooks | Amazon | B&N

REVIEW:

I requested this ARC because it sounded intriguing. I wanted to know what this Tom Cat had to say about being a play-yah. This is my first book by this author and I had no expectations. When I started reading, two things struck me: 1. This is really well written. 2. This story is told solely from the male perspective.

Tom Donnely embraces his reputation as a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. He is not mean spirited about it and he lets his reputation speak for itself. In other words, he knows that any women he sleeps with knows that this is a one-night stand. He’s got a good old boy kind of charm. Harmless, unless you fall for him because the one thing Tom is most afraid of is commitment.

Hailey King is his sister’s best friend since childhood and has been around his life for years. She is now back in their small town with a fiancé. When the engagement falls apart, Hailey just wants to let go and do something wild. Nothing wilder than hopping in the sack with the local lothario, right?

This is a sweet story that kind of sneaks up on you – kinda like the way love sneaks up on Tom. The serious part of the relationship doesn’t start until the mid-point and it is a slow build. That is pretty much my biggest problem with this book. I liked the writing. Daisy Prescott has a style that is easy to read, and I enjoyed the dialogue between her characters. What I didn’t like is how the book is structured. There are 34 chapters and each chapter is a separate vignette. I found this disruptive. With that many situations, it takes a long time to set up the story. In fact, I did not respond well to Tom at first because with each chapter he digs himself further and further into the stereotype of eternal bachelor. Because this is from his point of view, I found myself saying “what a dog” over and over again. The background is overlong and I feared that Tom would not be able to redeem himself.

But wait for it…thank goodness for the second half of the book when Tom and Hailey start really interacting. Like I said before, his appreciation for Hailey builds slowly, but I liked their times together. The relationship is not overly dramatic. And despite some awkward situations, their developing care for one another felt normal. They simply “got” it each other.

IN A NUTSHELL:

If you want a sweet and touching romance with a satisfying happily ever after, it’s worth you time and patience to read this book.

EXCERPT:

Prologue

When she walked toward me, I was ninety-percent certain she wanted to slap me. I spread my stance and tensed for the impact. Sadly, she wouldn’t be the first woman to smack me or attempt it. Good thing I was pretty fast at dodging and weaving.

I held her gaze as she got closer. Part of me wanted to close my eyes and turn the other cheek … literally. Or back down the hall and hide in the men’s room. Ah, the men’s bathroom. A place no woman dared to go unless absolutely necessary. Urinals freaked them out.

I took a big step backward and then another until the darkness of the hall to the back room enveloped me. I wasn’t running. Far from it. I moved slowly and kept my eyes on my assailant stalking toward me.

I probably should have asked myself why she wanted to slap me. Had I stopped to think, I might have realized unlike most women with the same expression on their face, I hadn’t actually given her a reason to be mad at me. At least none I knew about.

Her eyes narrowed and she cut the distance between us in half with two long strides. To my left was the door to the bathroom and potential salvation. Further behind me stood the backdoor and freedom. While I debated hiding or fleeing, she made the decision for me by grabbing the front of my shirt.

“Hey, what’s up?” Always act innocent. In this case, I didn’t have to act.

“I’ve been looking all over for you tonight.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You have?”

She stared at my mouth and pressed her lips together. “I have. Why is a good man hard to find when you need him?”

Her words rearranged themselves in my head after she’d spoken them. “Don’t you mean a hard man is good to find when you need him?”

She snorted out a laugh. “Exactly. You read my mind.” Her hand not clutching my shirt touched the bared skin above my belt.

“Hey, whoa, where you going with that hand?” I jerked my hips back to escape her wandering fingers.

“I need a good man. And since I don’t know any good men, I decided I needed a hard man tonight.”

“Okay.” I grabbed her hands in mine to protect myself from her assault. “Can I ask you one thing?”

“Sssure.”

The subtle slur answered my question, but I asked it anyway. “Have you been drinking?”

“Tommm, don’t be mean. You sleep with everyone on the island. I need you to sleep with me. Now.” The slight rasp to her voice had strengthened into a sultry purr.

Definitely not sober. “What happened to your own man? Have sex with him.”

She pressed a finger to my lips. “No talking, more sex.”

“More implies there’s some sex to begin with.” I couldn’t figure out why I bothered to argue. Sex without strings was my thing.

But could I have stringless sex with her? I had rules.

While I was lost in some sort of moral debate, she kissed me.

Worse, my body responded, and I liked it. A lot.

She was an amazing kisser—even buzzed and with grabby hands, her lips and tongue teased mine with a balance of aggression and skill.

When she bit my bottom lip, I did the smart thing. I kissed her back.

Daisy Prescott Bio:

Before writing bestselling contemporary adult romances, I dreamed of being an author while doing a lot of other things. Antiques dealer, baker, blue ribbon pie-maker, fangirl, freelance writer, gardener, pet mom and wife are a few of the other titles I've acquired over the years. Born and raised in San Diego, I currently lives in a real life Stars Hollow in the Boston suburbs with my husband, our dog Hubbell, and an imaginary house goat.