Spotlight & Giveaway: Losing It by Shelli Stevens

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Shelli Stevens to HJ!

Hi Shelli and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Losing It!

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

Losing It basically gives you an idea what this is about. My heroine Kristen is just out of college and frustrated that being a virgin seems to be stigmatizing. So she decides the best time to “Lose It” is while visiting her family and BFF while up in Seattle. Things get wonky when she tries to seduce a guy who turns out to be Blake, the best friend of her brother (who she’d never met). Blake realizes that while she can’t be swayed from her mission, he can help her pick a decent guy by being her wingman. Which ends up a crap plan, because of course he ends up wanting her for himself.
 

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

It’s so hard to pick just one out of this book, I have so many one liners I love (but aren’t as fun out of context) But here’s a few lines that I love:

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he muttered. “Kristen Watson. Guess I should start asking girls their last names just to be safe.”
“What? It’s not like I knew you were friends with my brother.” Her cheeks went pink, and she folded her arms across her chest. “Trust me, I would’ve run fast and hard if I’d known who I was trying to seduce.”

What inspired this book?

I think a big part of it was growing up with three brothers, and often having a lot of guy friends/roommates in life. Sometimes I felt like I understood how they worked more than girls. The idea came to me while on a plane home from a writing conference and I was so excited for it! My Bro Code series. All the unspoken rules my heroes will have to break to fall in love.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

I think my hero’s sense of humor surprised me. Like when he sabotages some of the heroine’s attempts to find potential lovers. I’m a total pantser, meaning I don’t plot out a book or the characters. I have a skeleton of an idea, and just write and the book and the characters reveal themselves as I go.

What was your favorite scene to write?

I had a lot of fun writing a scene where Kristen asks Blake to practice making out with her. She really does want to get a little more experience, but she also hasn’t given up on her crush on him.

* * *

“Will you make out with me?”
His head turned toward her ridiculously fast, his brows drawn tight with shock.
“But let me initiate it and lead,” she rushed on. “I don’t know how to do this. I feel every ounce the inexperienced virgin with these guys.”
“Kristen—”
“I know. I’m asking a lot.” Heat stole into her cheeks. “Clothes will stay on. We will absolutely not have sex. Because we both know that’s not an option.”
Though maybe it could be at some point. She still had hope.
That was, if he got to that point of no return and he stopped thinking with his head. Tori had practically given her step-by-step instructions and sworn it wouldn’t fail.
She just had to get him past that initial reluctance.
“Just pretend I’m anyone else, and we could just have a little fun.”
* * *
Fuck.
Blake’s teeth ground together as his blood started pounding fiercely.
One moment he’d been emotionally drowning in dark memories, and the next his dick was jumping to life.
The way Kristen watched him threatened to undo him. Those wide, dark eyes held a mix of need and innocence.
This is James’s sister.
He needed to say no. Needed to start the engine and drive the hell off this hilly, dark, secluded spot.
But, God, her offer hung in the air between them like Pandora’s box.
“You can tell me no,” she said softly. “Or tell me to stop if you think it’s going too far. But otherwise, it’s kind of harmless, right? If we don’t have sex?”
Harmless in what world? Her inexperience showed.
“Blake?” Uncertainty rang in her husky use of his name.
God, it was so tempting to kiss her. To taste the sweetness between her lips again, which he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about.
“Fine.” The word rasped from him, almost in desperate surrender. “Let’s get in the back seat, though.”
They both fumbled with their seatbelts and made quick time moving to the back of the vehicle where they had more room.
He sat in the middle and leaned back, vowing not to do a damn thing to help her with this little experiment. Or whatever she intended. That meant he wasn’t quite as guilty, right?
“Okay, that’s good.” She nodded. “Try and be a little indifferent and hard to get. I need to figure out how to be seductive.”
A laugh of disbelief rose, but he swallowed it.
She moved over to straddle him, a knee on each side of his thighs, and her hands lightly grasped his shoulders.
He flexed his jaw, meeting her gaze. The hesitation and nervousness there almost had pity rearing its head and demand he take the lead.
But no, this was her game to control.
“I’m going to kiss you,” she announced.
A smile tugged, and despite his determination to be a dormant partner in this little scene, he couldn’t help but offer advice.
“You don’t need to announce it, sweetie. You should just do it.”
“Oh, right.” She nodded. “I’m going to try again.” She winced. “Wait, I shouldn’t have said I’m going to try again. I’m just going to do it. But not say it.”
“Kristen—”
“Oh God, I’m beyond awful at this,” she muttered.
He started to laugh, and then her mouth covered his, drying up all his amusement.
Her lips moved softly, almost hesitantly against his before her tongue slid out to stroke the seam of his mouth.
Incredible.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The sagging middle (middle of the book) always gets me. I have to find ways to keep it fun and interesting. When the couple isn’t together yet, but you still have hope. This was one of those scenes:

“How’d you find out which station I worked at?”
“Oh, you know.” She waved her hand casually. “Called all the stations in Seattle and asked if Blake was working. Narrowed it down to a couple stations that had a Blake. Borrowed Tori’s car and went to the wrong one first; now here I am.”
He blinked in dismay. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, I did.” She shook her head, flushing at the memory of showing up at the wrong one. “But hey, I was on a mission.”
“I’ll give you my number next time.”
“That would’ve been helpful.”
“Anyway, it’s sweet you brought dessert.”
“Cherry pie with lattice crust, and that shit isn’t super easy to make, so you’d better eat it.”
He gave a slow smile. “I’ll eat your pie.”
She could feel herself blush from her head to her toes.
“Crap. It’s way too easy to forget you’re James’s sister.” He leaned back against the wall and stroked his jaw. “You know, if you could wrap some of that yellow CAUTION: KEEP OUT tape around your lower half—make a skirt out of it—that might help me remember.”
That made her laugh. “Oh sure, I’ll grab some of that at the Walgreens on the way home. Maybe put on a barbed-wire bra or something, too.”
Their gazes held, and the atmosphere between them sizzled in a playful, easy, and comfortable way. The attraction between them never left—and was becoming harder to deny—no matter how hard they wanted to.
“I wish things were different, Kristen,” he said softly as he teased a strand of her hair. “You look so damn hot right now.”
Her pulse jumped. “Are you serious?”
She was hardly dressed to seduce. She glanced down at her outfit. Jeans, boots, and a knit sweater because it was cooler today. Her hair was loose and brushed, and her makeup was minimal.
“Yeah. That dress last night was sexy and all, but it didn’t feel like you.” He looked her over. “This fits you.”
“You barely know me.”
“I feel like I know you better than you realize.”

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

This series is pretty spot on for me. I think the last few years have been a departure, trying something new (like my cowboy series that I loved to write too). But sexy contemps with a little bit of humor are very much on brand for me. It’s where I started, and where I circle back to no matter the other genres I explore. It doesn’t mean I’ll never write other styles again, I absolutely will. I love to mix it up. But sexy contemporary always feels like home base to me.

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

I want people to have fun reading it. To believe in love, especially if they haven’t found it yet or have been hurt before. I want them to believe that love is out there for them. The right person. I also want them to walk away with a smile. I love writing books people can escape into. Life can be pretty heavy, even more so lately. So when someone reads my book, I’m hoping you can step into another world, forget for a bit, and add some light and brightness to your day. It’s why I write romance. HEA (happily ever after) or bust.

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

I’m currently working on book 3 of the Bro Code which is called Won’t Back Down. It should be out late summer. Book 2, Her Fake Boyfriend, is done and out in June. I’m also playing with the possibility of a 4th book…

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: An ebook copy of Losing It & 3 Tule ebooks

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: I’m curious what’s a complete turn off for you in a book? That makes you say “nope” and put it down, or click out of it.

 
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Excerpt from Losing It:

The room was a sea of red cups and intoxicated twenty-somethings. Part of the crowd moved to the trendy hip-hop music blaring from the speaker system, while others tried to hold conversations by yelling.
Blake tightened his grip on his cup, its near emptiness evident in the distinct crunch of ice, and slid his gaze around the crowd.
This wasn’t his scene. Not anymore. Ten years ago, when he’d been in full throttle frat-boy mode, it had been his life. Until the day it abruptly hadn’t, then he’d avoided these parties at any cost.
But he’d made a promise to drop by a friend’s twenty-eighth birthday bash tonight, and so here he was.
Fifty minutes to go.
Then he could bail without guilt.
“I’m having trouble believing it. You actually came.”
Blake turned at the deep voice and smiled at his approaching friend, the birthday boy himself.
“Wasn’t about to miss your party.”
“Right.” Jack shook his head, his brows furrowed. “You just don’t come to these things.”
“Not really my scene.”
“Yeah, I know.” Jack gave a slow, knowing grin, one considered lethal to the female population. “How’s your new place going, anyway?”
“It’s good.” Blake nodded, jamming his hands into the pockets of his jeans, thinking about his apartment just out of Seattle. “Real good.”
And real quiet. Before he’d gotten his own place three months ago, Blake had lived with three other guys. They’d first met in the fraternity but had bailed on the frat after their sophomore year to rent a house together. Calling those guys his friends was an understatement. They were like brothers.
“Yeah, I bet it must be nice having a honey pad all to yourself.”
“It’s pretty sweet.”
Blake rolled with the friendly dig that he was popular with the women since it would be hard to dispute it. There hadn’t been a whole lot of honeys coming and going lately, though. Not while he’d been finishing up training as a paramedic at Harborview.
“I’m looking into my own place, too,” Jack admitted. “Need my own space.”
A flash of tan skin and red dress caught the corner of Blake’s eye, but he kept his attention on his friend. There were half-naked women all over this party, and he’d already checked out more than a few. So far, no one had drawn his interest.
The sound of a husky, feminine laugh had Blake’s ears pricking.
While still trying to listen to Jack talk about his new job, he turned nonchalantly to glance behind him and found the girl in the red dress. A tall, curvy brunette with legs a mile long and a smile that screamed confidence. A legit goddess that half the guys at the party were clustering around.
The laugh sounded again, and Blake realized abruptly it hadn’t come from her. Puzzled, he shifted his gaze, and that’s when he discovered the woman standing next to the goddess.
Unremarkable.
It was the word that came to mind when he checked her out. Much shorter than her friend, almost scrawny, with blonde—almost brown—hair, and arms that were folded over a pair of small breasts. No sexy dress for this one but a pink-checkered flannel, skinny jeans, and brown leather boots that hugged up her calves. Unlike her friend, she didn’t ooze sensuality. Instead, she embodied the image of “girl next door.”
She and her friend seemed young. Maybe still in college, even. Which wasn’t all that weird since most of the crowd seemed to range from their early to late twenties.
As if sensing his stare, she lifted her head, and their gazes locked. She seemed to trail off from whatever she’d been saying to the guy standing next to her, and her lips parted slightly.
Her gaze slid from Blake’s head to his toes, and those dark-brown eyes took on a considering look.
“Pretty sure you haven’t heard a damn thing I’ve said in the last minute.”
Blake winced and turned back to his friend. Jack had a brow lifted before he cast a glance to where the women were.
“Ah, I see what happened there. She’s superhot.”
It only took a second to realize his friend was talking about the brunette. She was gorgeous. No man with a dick and a heartbeat would disagree. And Blake couldn’t deny that at some point in the past few years, he probably would’ve tried to get her to go home with him.
Tonight, there wasn’t the slightest temptation. Checking her out had almost felt clinical. Somewhere, somehow, it had all gotten a little stale. Boring. Getting the hot girl had never been a novelty for him. It was a given. They were drawn to him like a magnet.
Especially when they realized his career choice. Or maybe because of it. Before he’d gotten certified to be a paramedic, he’d been strictly a firefighter.
Either way, the girls went a little nuts over it. And being a guy who didn’t like to get too serious, they always assumed they could change him. Fix him. They were always wrong.
Another husky laugh—almost bawdy now—rang out, and he felt his gaze drawn to the plainer girl again. It was usually girls like her, the one standing in the shadow of the goddess, who had enough sense to stay clear of him, seemed to realize right off the bat that he was a player and no woman would ever change him.
So, it was a little surprising when she slid another considering glance his way and then gave him a slow smile.

Kristen could sense the commitment-phobe in the man from across the room. From the lazy grip on his beer to the calculating look in his gaze as it slid over the women in the room.
Oh, this guy was hot as hell, and he knew it.
He looked closer to thirty than twenty. His biceps appeared as if he spent every free minute lifting weights. He had an angular face that was sexy and rugged and dark hair just a tad longer than conventional. The kind of a hair that a girl wanted to slide her fingers into her while being kissed senseless.
While she now had his attention, those blue eyes had initially been on her friend, Tori. Pretty standard given Tori was the hot one. But she’d caught him glancing her way more than once now. Kind of cool and surprising.
Her heart quickened, and an idea she’d been playing with gained momentum.
Could he be the one?
She lifted her cup and took another sip of the lukewarm beer. It tasted like piss. Whoever had been in charge of the alcohol had definitely gone for cheap instead of quality. It wasn’t making her want to drink much for courage.
Sidling closer to her friend, Kristen nudged her in the side and whispered, “Bathroom.”
Tori glanced down at her in surprise, and understanding flickered in her eyes. She gave a nod and moved away from the group of men surrounding her.
They found a bathroom, slipped inside, and locked the door.
“I found him.” Kristen’s confession came out on a nervous rush.
Tori arched a brow in clear skepticism. “I haven’t seen you talk to anyone yet.”
“Well, I haven’t, but he’s incredibly hot.”
“And that’s a requirement?”
Kristen bit her lip and considered that question for a moment, then gave a little nod. “If I’m going to do it like this? Then yeah, absolutely it is.”
Her friend made a nearly silent harrumph. “Okay. Point him out.”
Kristen grabbed the door handle, opened it, and peeked her head out. He was exactly where he’d been a few minutes ago.
“That one.”
Tori peeked her head out, too. “Not the one in the gray T-shirt with the amazing biceps?”
“Totally that one.”
Tori ducked back in and closed the door. She placed her palms on the bathroom counter and leaned back, giving Kristen a narrow-eyed look.
“Well, you nailed picking the hottest guy here.”
“Nailed being the key word. Or it will be later tonight.” Kristen’s lips twitched in amusement, even as her stomach swirled with nerves. “Go big or go home, right?”
Tori gave a soft snort. “Yeah, but if his dick is anything like his biceps, I think you may regret that ‘go big’ part.”
Just the imagery of those words had Kristen’s knees going weak.
What the hell am I doing?
She clenched her fists and drew in a deep breath. She knew exactly what she was doing.
“So, what’s your plan?”
Kristen gave a slight shrug at the question. “Go out and talk to him. Flirt. Make it clear I’m interested in having some fun. I’m sure it’s not that hard.”
“It shouldn’t be. Men are ridiculously easy. Just be careful, okay? Guys like that eat girls like you for dinner.”
“I’m counting on that.”
Tori gave a choked laugh. “You have an incredibly dirty mind for a virgin—you realize that, right?”
“I do realize that. And it’s going to waste.” Playing with a strand of hair, Kristen gave a slight smile.
Her dirty mind was the result of hanging with mostly guys and having two brothers. She’d met Tori in high school biology, and they’d become best friends while dry heaving during dissections.
“Are you going to tell him?”
“About my lack of experience? No way.” Kristen shoved a hand through her hair. “Going by Paul’s reaction, virgins are the antichrist.”
“Right. Paul. The whole reason you’re doing this. Your guy friend at UNLV you’ve been crushing on since your junior year.”
“He likes me. I really think he does.” Kristen’s pulse quickened as she mentally brought up the image of his smiling face. “But when I suggested we try going out, he shut me down. He was so sweet and said asking me out had crossed his mind, but he won’t date a virgin—”
“Can I just add that’s, like, the lamest thing to say? But I guess I understand. Some people get weird or clingy.”
“Stop it. I wouldn’t be like that.”
“You never know. Happened with a guy I slept with who was a virgin. He followed me around like a damn puppy after.” Tori shrugged. “Anyway, how did he even know you were a virgin?”
“It just came up one night while we were partying with a group of friends.”
Just the memory of how he’d so casually rejected her, with his reasoning basically being a hymen, sent a wave of embarrassment through her.
Being a virgin had never seemed like a stigma until that moment.
“So, you sleep with the hot guy at this party and lose the virginity. Then this Paul guy will be all over you like white on rice?”
“In theory. Or my theory.”
“And what if you do get attached? It’s not a groundless assumption.”
She met her friend’s pensive gaze. “Get attached to the guy who’s going to help me lose the hymen? He’ll be a pawn. A means to an end.”
“Super romantic analogy right there. Maybe don’t spell it out to him like that. And just a side note, your hymen is probably gone by now. You are twenty-two.”
“I know.” Kristen sighed. “And I’m not going to tell him any of this stuff. It’ll just be a one-night stand where we basically know nothing about each other.”
Tori rolled her eyes. “This has got to be the most screwed-up, convoluted way of getting together with a crush.”
“You’re not wrong, so I’m not even going to try and argue with that.”
“Okay, well, promise me this. If there’s no chemistry between you and Mr. Biceps out there, you’ll walk away.”
Kristen remembered the way she’d felt a rush of warmth as his gaze had slid over her. The way she’d gotten a little breathless when she’d imagined kissing him.
Chemistry wasn’t likely to be a problem. “I promise.”
Tori slid away from the counter and squeezed Kristen’s shoulder. “Well then, let’s get another beer in you for liquid courage and do this already.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Thou shalt not sleep with thy friend’s sister…

It was basically the number one rule of the bro code, and Blake Wolfe just came dangerously close to breaking it. How could he know that the gorgeous woman he made out with at a party was his friend’s little sister? Now that he knows, she is hands off…which is easier said than done.

Kristen Watson is in Seattle for a much-needed vacation after graduating college. Though she has more planned than just hanging out with her bestie—it’s also the perfect time to ditch her virgin status and have a little fun before joining the real world. But finding the perfect guy is proving harder than she expected, especially when the perfect guy is apparently off-limits.

Blake knows trying to dissuade Kristen from the plan is useless. So he does the next best thing and volunteers to be her wingman. But helping her pick “the one” might be as challenging as trying not to claim her for himself.

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Meet the Author:

Shelli is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author who read her first romance novel when she snatched it off her mother’s bookshelf at the age of eleven. One taste and she was forever hooked. It wasn’t until many years later that she decided to pursue writing stories of her own. By then she acknowledged the voices in her head didn’t make her crazy, they made her a writer.

Shelli is a true pluviophile (lover of rain) and currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters. She writes various genres of romance, but is most known for her contemporary series such as Holding Out for a Hero, The McLaughlins, and A is for Alpha. She’s a compulsive volunteer, and has been known to spontaneously burst into song.
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