Spotlight & Giveaway: Can’t Help Falling In Love by Mariah Ankenman

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Mariah Ankenman to HJ!

Hi Mariah and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Can’t Help Falling In Love!

 
Hello readers!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

When Charlie Jackson, the town bad girl, get assigned anger management classes the last thing she expects is to have the hots for her nerdy, goody two shoes teacher. Now Charlie is on a mission to show this good boy how fun being bad can be.
 

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

He chuckled. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a smart-ass?”
“Frequently.”
“I like it.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The meet-cute disaster is an homage to the epic scene in Birds of Prey where Margot Robbie lost her breakfast sandwich.
• Pugs are my favorite dog which is why I had Charlie fall in love with Puddles the Pug
• The town of Kismet is fashioned after Idaho Springs in Colorado

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

Luc falls for Charlie’s feisty wit and strong personality.
Charlie digs Luc’s nerdy look and loves how much he cares about the people around him.
 

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

The scene where they first hook up and Charlie is frantically running around cleaning her house only to have Luc accidentally open the closet door to have everything come crashing down on them made me laugh out loud while reading it…right before I went back to blushing at the heat coming next!

“Bedroom,” he muttered between drugging kisses.
“Down the hall,” she managed to get out. Amazing since her mind had currently turned to mush from his touch alone.
Luc showed an amazing feat of strength as he pulled them away from the wall and began to walk down the hallway, carrying her in his arms, lips rarely leaving her mouth. If her mind hadn’t been blown away by his sensual assault, she might have had the fortitude to inform him of the correct door. As it stood, she could barely remember her own name. When he pulled open the hallway closet door their lust-fest came to a screaming halt as clothes, papers, and a host of other items came crashing down on their heads.
“Dammit!” She buried her face in his chest, embarrassment finally rising over the desire.
A deep chuckle reverberated from his chest to her forehead. She lifted her face, affecting her meanest evil eye.
“Don’t say a word.”
“What?” He raised two innocent eyebrows. “I think it’s sweet you tried to pick up for me.”
“I. Am. Not. Sweet.”
His gaze darkened, lust burning in those dark depths. “Really? Because I think you are the sweetest damn thing I’ve ever tasted.”

Readers should read this book….

If you enjoy unlikable heroines who make no apologies, love grumpy sunshine dynamics where she’s the grump, enjoy secret hookup romance with lots of humor and steam, then this is the book for you!
 

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

I’m currently finishing up edits on the next and final Jackson Family Distillery book Head Over Heels In Love, Ace and Millie’s story, which will be out May 2025.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: $10 Amazon e-gift card

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Excerpt from Can’t Help Falling In Love:

“Where’s your spare?”
She winced, glancing at Charlie with an apology and leaning to the side to see her spare on the back left corner of the car.
Cassie’s eyes went wide, exasperation reddening her cheeks. “Charlie!”
“Before you yell at me,” she held a hand up in defense. “I completely forgot I popped a tire last month when I drove out to Clearwater Creek. Those roads are a nightmare. I was so tired when I got home, I just forgot.”
“You forgot for an entire month?” Cassie shook her head. “We drove to Denver on a spare! Do you know how dangerous that is? How are we going to get home now?”
“Cassie, I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
Blinding bright headlights cut her off as she slammed her eyes closed, hands automatically going in front of her face to shield herself from their brilliance. The sound of tires crunching on dirt filled the air as a car pulled off on the shoulder and came to a slow stop directly behind her car.
She reached into her trunk, grabbing her tire iron in a firm grip. They were just inside Kismet city limits, but that didn’t mean they were safe. A dark, isolated mountain town road in the middle of the night was the setting of dozens of slasher movies. She should know. She watched enough of them.
“Oh good, maybe they can help,” Cassie said with a sigh.
Her best friend was too trusting. Charlie moved in front of Cassie, holding up the tire iron in a defensive position as the car door opened and a tall, shadowy figure stepped out. Her heart raced in her chest, thumping loudly as blood rushed in her ears.
“Evening ladies,” a deep, familiar voice said. “Car trouble?”
Oh shit!
She knew that voice. As much as she wished she didn’t. That deep, sexy, timber didn’t belong to a random slasher, though right now she kind of wished it did. Not really, but she did wish it belonged to anyone other than—
“Luc Woolf.”
“Charlie Jackson.” He nodded, stepping into the light of his car’s headlights.
They illuminated him like a freaking angel or something.
Suddenly a chaotic mess of dark brown curls invaded her personal space as her best friend leaned over her shoulder. “You two know each other?”
He rolled his lips in, as if holding in his laughter. “We’ve…run into each other before.”
Oh, ha ha. Sooooo funny. A teacher and comedian all rolled into one. Wasn’t he just the bees-freakin’-knees. She would not laugh at his stupid humor.
“Car trouble?”
“No.”
One dark eyebrow arched. He leaned to the side, inspecting her car which clearly revealed a flat front tire and spare on the back.
“Really?”
She wanted to whip that smug smile off his face. With the tire iron or her own lips, she wasn’t sure, but it infuriated her as much as it turned her on.
Dammit.
“We’ve got it handled,” she insisted, straightening her spine, infusing all the confidence she could into her words.
“No we don’t,” Cassie challenged from behind her.
She turned to face her betrayer of a best friend. “Cassie!”
“What?” Cassie shrugged. “You don’t have another spare. Fred isn’t going to tow you this late at night and unless you want to call one of your brothers—”
“Hell no!” She didn’t need another lecture on car maintenance from the Jackassons. She’d rather walk home in the dark than call any of her brothers. Ten miles wasn’t that far.
“I can give you both a ride,” Luc’s smooth, velvety voice offered.
A tempting siren’s call if she ever heard one.
Huffing out a breath of frustration, she turned and gifted him a tight smile. “Thanks, but my mother always told me not to take rides with strange men.”
Her insult bounced right off him, his smile never wavering. Who the hell was this guy?
“Wait, I thought you two knew each other?” Cassie came out from behind her and stared at Luc. “Who are you?”
Luc’s memorizing gaze captured Charlie, stealing her breath as he seemed to peer into her very soul. Then he blinked and it was gone. His attention turned to Cassie’s as he answered.
“Luc Woolf. I’m the new therapist at the hospital and I also volunteered to take over supervising the anger management classes going forward.”
“Oh.” Cassie blinked, realization setting in. “Ohhhhh, oh now I see. So this is the annoying Mr. Tall, nerdy, and sex—”
She dropped the tire iron, clamping her hand over her friend’s mouth before she could reveal all the embarrassing things she’d shared over dinner about the man standing in front of them. Embarrassing, private things that were said in best friend confidence.
Luc dipped his head down, but she heard the chuckle escape his lips. Damn him.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Book Info:

Sometimes being bad can be oh so good!

Growing up with three brothers, Charlie Jackson had to be tough. Some might call her the B word, but she simply defends those who need it. Unfortunately, not everyone sees her protection as defense. Like the judge who ordered her to take anger management classes after she messed up her jerk ex’s car. Not a problem, a few months pretending to listen to a bunch of people talk about accessing feelings should go down as smooth as the vodka her family makes at their distillery.

Luc Woolf knows all about harboring anger at the world. Growing up with a father who liked the bottle more than his family, he suffered his fair share of rage. But he gave up that emotion long ago when he realized anger did nothing but make a person miserable. These days, he keeps a cool head and helps others process their emotions as a therapist. However, when he volunteers to moderate an anger management course, he meets the one person who tests his careful control, Charlie Jackson.

The two couldn’t be more at odds, but they can’t deny the scorching heat between them. This bad girl wants to show this good boy how much fun breaking the rules can be. After all, opposites attract. But when the struggles of real life interrupt their fun times, will their differences pull them apart or bond them together?
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Meet the Author:

Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious children and loving spouse who is her own personal spell checker when her dyslexia gets the best of her. Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books, visit her website http://mariahankenman.com/ follow her on social media, or sign up for her newsletter.
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