Spotlight & Giveaway: Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Ali Brady to HJ!

Hi Ali and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Battle of the Bookstores!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Two booksellers with absolutely nothing in common must compete for the same job when the new owner combines their bookstores. Unbeknownst to them, they’re also chatting online in an anonymous forum for booksellers. And as their rivalry heats up in real life, their online connection grows. We like to think of it as THE HATING GAME meets YOU’VE GOT MAIL, with lots of heart, humor, spice, and a cozy bookish setting.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“Books are too important to be casualties in our war.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Our male main character, Ryan, runs a romance-focused bookstore, while our female main character, Josie, runs a literary-focused shop. This led to a lot of fun character moments as these two clash over everything from the literary preferences to the way they organize their stores!
• Once we decided to set this book in the Boston area, we knew we needed to take a research trip to make sure our scenes are true to life! We traipsed all over Boston, including checking out the beautiful Boston Public Library, a cannoli taste-off between Modern and Mike’s (Mike’s won), and visiting the Somerville area (where our fictional bookstores are located).

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

The story is a classic enemies-to-lovers where the characters initially dislike each other not only because they’re in direct competition but also because they are so different in their approaches to reading and bookselling. Even still, they’re so attracted to each other! But as they get to know each other (both online and in real life), Ryan is attracted to the softness and warmth beneath Josie’s sometimes icy exterior. Josie is attracted to Ryan’s kindness and sincerity. And of course, they both enjoy sharing their love of reading with each other, even if they tend to gravitate toward different genres.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

There is one scene that made us both blush—but not from writing it! There’s a scene where our characters are at a bar, reading out loud from books they’re considering for a book club. We went to the bar as part of our research trip, and there was a rowdy Irish band playing, but they stopped playing JUST as Bradeigh got to a steamy part she was reading out loud. We laughed so hard, and of course, we had to include it in the book.

Here’s a snippet from that scene:

I return to my book. But after reading the same sentence four times, I give up and look across the table at Josie. Her cheeks are flushed. She’s only had a few sips of her Irish Flower cocktail, not enough to bring that much color to her face.
It must be the book.
“Good part, huh?” I ask.
“No, Josie says, too quickly. “I mean, it’s okay.”
“Which one?”
She holds up a copy of a beach read from a few summers ago, and I wonder which part has gotten her all hot and bothered. I don’t remember it being super high on the spice scale.
“Read it to me?” I ask.
“No,” Josie says, closing the book. But she still has her finger on the page, holding her spot.
“It’ll be fun. Here, I’ll read mine out loud first.”
Josie doesn’t look convinced, but I clear my throat and begin reading. “Within its slender frame resides a mosaic of life—dewdrops clinging delicately like jewels.”
Josie’s lips part as she listens to me read. Who knew a blade of grass could be so erotic?
“Each blade, a testament to resilience and endurance, whispers tales of forgotten kingdoms and ancient battles fought silently under the watchful gaze of the sun.” Okay, this is getting weird. I close the book again. “Your turn.”
Josie gulps and looks around, taking in the crowd—everyone’s talking and laughing, and the Irish band is playing a lively jig. There’s no way anyone could over hear us.
“No one’s paying attention to the new nerd who brought a stack of books to the bar,” I tell her.
Josie shakes her head but opens her book. “Okay, but here’s the thing: I don’t read romance. So this probably isn’t even that steamy…”
“Then it shouldn’t be a big deal to read it.”
Josie’s eyes spark—she doesn’t like to back down from a challenge. Clearing her throat she starts to read, her voice low.

…and you’ll have to read the book for the rest of that scene! 🙂

Readers should read this book….

If they love bookish romances, rivals-to-lovers (and online friends-to-lovers), and You’ve Got Mail.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

Right now we’re working on another bookish romance, but can’t say much more about it than that! But we’re so excited for all our upcoming events for Battle of the Bookstores where we’ll get to meet readers.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One finished copy of Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: One of the bookish conversations our characters have in the book is about the third act breakup that takes place in most romance novels. Do they drive you crazy, or can you see the importance of them for the plot and the relationship? Tell us in the comments !

 
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Book Info:

A LibraryReads Pick

Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion.

Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer.

Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other.

As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.
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Meet the Author:

Ali Brady is the pen name of writing BFFs Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey. They are the USA TODAY Bestselling authors of romantic, heartwarming, funny novels including The Beach Trap, The Comeback Summer, Until Next Summer, and Battle of the Bookstores. Their books have been “best of summer” picks by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Parade, and Katie Couric Media. Alison lives in Chicago and works as an advertising creative director. She’s also the Founder and Co-President of The Artists Against Antisemitism, and the author of You and Me and Us and Little Pieces of Me. Bradeigh lives in Utah with her husband, four children, and two dogs. She works as a doctor and is the author of psychological thrillers Imposter and The Followers.
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