Spotlight & Giveaway: Holding on Tighter by Shayla Black

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Shayla Black to HJ!

In this seductive new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Falling in Deeper, mixing business with pleasure can be a dangerous proposition…

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Unfortunately, I’m TERRIBLE at summarizing, and my words about the book…there are about 100,000 of them. I think the official blurb says it way better than I can because seriously, brevity isn’t my strong point.

BLURB HERE
Jolie Quinn is a woman in charge. Her no-nonsense attitude has made her a rising star in the fashion world and her brand a household name among the Dallas elite. Nothing will stop her from achieving her goals—not even the gorgeous British security contractor who seems just as interested in seeing her personal assets as he is in protecting her professional ones.
After a tragedy left him broken, Heath Powell made a rule of staying unattached. But Jolie challenges him in a way he can’t ignore, and he isn’t used to backing down from a confrontation—especially when the reward for winning could feel so good. As passion blazes between them, the stubborn, confident beauty arouses more than his desire. She touches his heart.
When a mysterious enemy threatens Jolie and her company, Heath is the only person Jolie can trust to help. But working with him to save her business might put her dangerously at risk of falling in love…
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the wall of windows as Jolie Quinn hustled down the hall of her North Dallas office, ready to make things happen. Which probably meant she had to bust some asses. It wouldn’t be the first time . . . nor the last.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• One of my favorite things about the book is that, at the beginning of every chapter, I have a different rule for success, since my heroine, Jolie Quinn, is a serious businesswoman. These are her mottos. At the end of the book, I found myself with twenty really good principles to live by, so I had them made onto a canvas, which will soon hang on my office wall.
• Jolie’s theme song throughout this book was Demi Lovato’s song Confident.
• Jolie and Heath never did exactly what I anticipated. There’s one scene in particular that I thought…Oh, he’s going to be so furious with her and they are going to have one heck of a fight. But he backed up and approached her in a totally different way, which sparked a scene I hadn’t even envisioned. It’s actually one of my favorites.

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

Jolie Quinn is an independent woman who owns a growing fashion empire and doesn’t need a man to complete her. Her whole life, she’s seen what happens when a woman is in love with the idea of love and she wants nothing to do with anything that will interfere with her success.

Heath Powell is a hot British bodyguard. He moved to the States to reset his life after a tragic loss. He accepts a temporary security gig working for Jolie, but when sparks ignite, is he ready to face his past so he can look forward?

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

I would totally use one of my favorite scenes that shows their razor-blade banter. The verbal back-and-forth between these two was so fun to write, and I’m excited to share it with everyone!

“Apparently my sister isn’t sure now who sent the flowers. I’m sorry that I accused you and disturbed your evening. Good night.”
She whirled around and headed for her car. God, she’d all but jumped down his throat, and Jolie felt ridiculous for not asking Karis more questions before she confronted Heath. She never went to any meeting unprepared, damn it.
“Wait.” Heath grabbed her arm.
Something electric arced between them, and she gritted her teeth against the sizzle.
The reaction made her even more prickly. “What?”
“Since we’re off the clock and we’ve clearly set aside our working relationship for the moment, I think it’s only right that I have the chance to say what I think of you.”
She swallowed. If he was this hip to give her his opinion after she’d hurled a bunch of insults at him, she couldn’t expect anything but ugly. Jolie sighed. It sucked but she’d earned it. “I’m listening.”
“Excellent.” He released her, his fingers curling into a fist as he began walking around her, studying her, drawing conclusions. “You don’t trust men and that runs deep. It colors your decisions and prejudices everything you say to me. If you’ve never been in love, then your deep-​seeded distrust must come from the lack of any stable father figure in your childhood.”
“Thanks, Freud,” she snapped.
Heath jerked back to face her and leaned in so close their noses nearly touched. “Am I wrong?”
She refused to stroll down that memory lane. “Does it matter?”
“I daresay it does. But we’ll come back to that. If you were merely mistrustful of men, you would have waited until tomorrow and delivered a well-​placed warning to keep me away from your sister. Instead, you came after me. And when you found me with another woman, your temper flared. If I merely lived up to your expectations of being a womanizing prick, that shouldn’t make you angry at all, simply smug at being right. But you were livid. I doubt all that displeasure is on your sister’s behalf. In fact, I suspect, Ms. Quinn, that you have more than a passing interest in me. You were jealous.”
Apprehension raced through her veins. He was uncomfortably close to the truth. “You’re egotistical.”
“But I’m right.” He gave her a tight smile. “For the record, if I intended to disregard policy and pursue a woman in the office, I wouldn’t bother with your sister. As you say, she’s naive and provides no challenge. But you . . . You would be far more interesting. Pretty, strong, smart, not easily bendable. Color me intrigued.”
She tensed. “I’m your boss.”
“Temporarily. We’re both adults. Surely neither of us are prone to torrid emotional attachments. We could keep business separate from personal, couldn’t we?”
Normally, she’d say yes. But working with him constantly buzzing around her, asking questions, and watching her every move had already dented her focus. “I have no intention of becoming your next conquest.”
“I never planned to pursue you.”
Jolie wondered why, then dismissed the question as she buttoned her red coat. “Perfect. There’s nothing left to say except I’m sorry for intruding on your evening. I hope we can forget this by morning.”
She had to get out of here. She’d overplayed her hand and needed to regroup, to think about how to treat him tomorrow. The last thing she wanted was for Heath Powell to decide she was a challenge he should convert into his next bed partner after all. Normally, the sexual urges of a man wouldn’t concern her unless she was interested.
If so, she found a way to have him for a night or two, then ended it.
Something told her that nothing with Heath would ever be that simple.
But when Jolie turned her back on him and headed for the parking lot, he snaked an arm around her middle and pulled her against his big, steely body. “I never planned to pursue you . . . but I’ve changed my mind.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

That it’s never too late to find love, especially in unexpected places. And since this is the final novel in the Wicked Lovers series, I’ve included updates from virtually every other Wicked Lovers character. A little here, a little there. There’s definitely a lovely trip down memory lane for longtime readers of the series, as well as a fun tease for something I have upcoming. I smiled the whole time I was writing it.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned for 2017?

I’m just finishing up the first book in my all-new contemporary romance series. MORE THAN WANT YOU kicks off the More Than Words series on April 11. I’ll continue this summer with book two. More details soon! I’ll also have something new and exciting for Wicked Lovers fans that should be right up their alley launching in 2018. I’m also looking to continue The Perfect Gentlemen and Doms of Her Life series this year. So much going on!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Print copy of HOLDING ON TIGHTER

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Book Info:

olie Quinn is a woman in charge. Her no-nonsense attitude has made her a rising star in the fashion world and her brand a household name among the Dallas elite. Nothing will stop her from achieving her goals—not even the gorgeous British security contractor who seems just as interested in seeing her personal assets as he is in protecting her professional ones.

After a tragedy left him broken, Heath Powell made a rule of staying unattached. But Jolie challenges him in a way he can’t ignore, and he isn’t used to backing down from a confrontation—especially when the reward for winning could feel so good. As passion blazes between them, the stubborn, confident beauty arouses more than his desire. She touches his heart.

When a mysterious enemy threatens Jolie and her company, Heath is the only person Jolie can trust to help. But working with him to save her business might put her dangerously at risk of falling in love…
Book Links: Amazon B&N iTunes Kobo  
 

Meet the Author:

Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty novels. For over fifteen years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold millions of copies and been published in a dozen languages.

Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past seven years.

Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband and her teenage daughter. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.
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