BLOG TOUR: Soaring by Kristen Ashley

Welcome! We are once again beyond honored to be a part of the blog tour for a Kristen Ashley book! 

American heiress Amelia Hathaway needs to start anew. 

Her husband cheated on her, and when everything she wanted in life slipped through her fingers, she fell apart. When she did, she took another heart wrenching hit as she lost the respect of her children. 

When her ex took her family from California to live in the small town of Magdalene in Maine, Amelia decided it was time to sort herself out. In order to do that and win her children back, she moves to Cliff Blue, an architectural masterpiece on the rocky coast of Magdalene. 

Her boxes aren’t even unpacked when she meets Mickey Donovan, a man who lives across the street, a man so beautiful Amelia takes one look at Mickey and knows she wants everything from him. 

The problem is, she finds out swiftly that he’s friendly, he’s kind, but he doesn’t want everything back. 

Amelia struggles to right past wrongs in her life at the same time find out who she wants to be. She also struggles with her attraction to the handsome firefighter who lives across the street. 

But Amelia will face a surprise when her friendly neighbor becomes not-so-friendly. As Amelia and Mickey go head to head, Amelia must focus on winning back the hearts of her children. 

She soon discovers she also must focus on winning the heart of a handsome firefighter who understands down to his soul the beautiful heiress who lives across the street is used to a life he cannot provide.

Nikki. OMG. This book was freaking amazing! 

OMG LINDSAY!!!!!!!!!!!! KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA!!!!!  TWO of them!  And yes, this was FREAKING amazing!

Can I just say, that people need to know that I was unjustly put in time out for being unable to put this book down. 

Unjust my ass! I didn't even HAVE THE BOOK YET when you STARTED WITHOUT ME! 

And YOU KNOW how obsessed I am with KA! 

HEY! IN MY DEFENSE...you blow through buddy read books before I get a chance to start. I wasn't feeling good and didn't want to eat any dust. It's not my fault that this book was unputdownable! I only intended to read a few chapters! But before I knew it, I was to 50%, and once I was that far, I couldn't stop! It was impossible! This book was AMAZING! 

 I can understand that. Believe me. Especially when it comes to Kristen Ashley books. But still.... *sniff* You left me!

I will concede to the point that you did warn me not to start until I had unlimited reading time. I didn't heed that warning and was pissed when I had to put it down to go to work 

LOL. That's why I warned you! I knew that if I was like that, you would be even worse with the book and need a day when you had nothing to do to immerse yourself in it. I swear to the book gods, I DID NOT intend to leave you behind. I didn't even realize how far I was until I started falling asleep and looked down. 

Suuuuure  I guess at this point I forgive you  And to be completely honest, we both know of I'd had the book first, there's no way in hell I'd have been able to hold back. 

LOL. Which is why I was going to read a few chapters to get a head start! 

Moving on! Lol This was definitely one of KA's best books ever!

I would have to agree with you. I'll admit that I was a little skeptical based on the blurb. It's very rare for one of KA's women to be on the outs with her kids. And the hero not interested!? I had no idea what we were getting into! 

I know! But with the first introduction of Amelia's ex and then her kids... Yeah I totally got it. And Mickey. He gave me a little whiplash with his 'sometimey'ness (as my mom would call it lol)

LMAO. I love that word! "Sometimey'ness". It's perfect to describe Mickey. I do want to talk about Amelia's ex and kids...believe me, we're DEFINITELY getting into that, but I wanted to make a point about Mickey first. 

Go for it, I know when we get to the others you'll be on a rant to end all rants  Better get the other stuff outta the way...

LOL. You know me so well! 

That I do! So, what about Mickey?

I agree with you about Mickey. Without his POV, it wasn't exactly clear when he decided he wanted Amelia after all. We were going based on her POV so he did run hot an cold. He definitely needed a few Gibbs Head Slaps! But I will say, even though there were a few guys interested in Amelia, I was glad the number was as large as the harem of men that were after Josie in the first one.

Lol I agree! It was kinda odd to have so many men after these women. I liked Mickey a lot. I didn't like his hot / cold attitude at times, but overall, he was one of the best heroes KA has written. And he boxed and was a firefighter  Can't get much better than that! 

Lol. Oddly enough, I didn't mind his attitude. She made it known that she was interested and when he shot her down, she did the mature thing and moved on.  It's not her fault that Mickey then realized what he gave up and wanted a shot.  I was actually happy when she accepted a few dates with another guy. Show Mickey he's not the only guy in town!  

 Truedatbrah! When you put it like that, my feminist side says "Amen Sistah" No sitting around knitting here waiting for him to come to his senses!

Our Dream Cast

*fist bump!* LOL. When he turned her down, I was actually talking to my kindle saying "Ok, now go out, be awesome and start dating someone that will drive Mickey CRAZYJEALOUS!" 

LOL Yep. And ohhh was it sweet when she walked in on the arm of another man at that restaurant and he was fit to be tied! 

Oh man. That scene was awesome! I loved his reaction to seeing her with another man. Oh! And don't forget his jealousy when he saw that guy kiss her!  Loved his alpha response! Makes me want to go back and reread it! 

Omg I know!    Ahh the coat closet.... Nice.

LOL. It was beyond nice! It was downright hot!   Actually, all of their bedroom scenes were that way. 

Oh yes! A definite plus to this book!  is right!

As much as I would love to keep talking about Mickey's prowess in the bedroom, I think we need to talk about Amelia and in connection to her, her ex and kids. 

 Fine. But I just want it known we loved his prowess  

LMAO. I don't think there's any doubt of that.  

So...on to Amelia. Personally, I loved her. She's, by far, my favorite KA heroine...EVAH! 

LOL I loved her too. I felt she was given a complete bad rap. When it came out what her 'transgressions' were, I was pissed on her behalf. After what her ex put her through, she was more than justified in her actions. Heck, I would have probably been worse 

Dude.  Steal my thunder whydon'tcha! 

   You have more to say and we both know it! 

But still! Dang. So, I loved Amelia. And I was extremely curious to see what "horrible" thing she did to make her ex and kids hate her. It was established pretty early on that her ex was at fault for the divorce. As I read, I wracked my brain trying to figure out what Amelia did, and I couldn't come up with anything she could have done to make them all hate her and treat her the way they did. I'll admit, I was worried that KA was going to let us down and it was going to be a "really!? THAT'S ALL?!" And it was in a way. Like you said, Amelia was totally justified in her reaction. Personally, I think it was  NORMAL reaction to the situation. She had EVERY RIGHT to react that way. And HOW DARE HE act as if he's the injured party!? 

I seriously hated her ex. From the first time we met him, I wanted him dead. I hated the way he treated Amelia and I was thankful that Mickey stepped in to dispatch him. 

But what really got me, what burned my bubble...were her kids. I had no respect for them and they way they treated their mom. They KNEW NOTHING yet blamed her for EVERYTHING. And that was beyond inexcusable. 

Amelia had EVERY RIGHT to do what she did. Hell, I don't think she did enough. I would have fought dirty from day one when he started pulling crap. Nice only goes so far but as soon as he started his crap, I would have gone after him with everything in my arsenal. Swear to god, I was plotting the torture of her ex and I waned her kids to take a long walk off a short cliff onto some jagged rocks below and into the deep ocean. I feel bad for saying that since they were her kids, but...I really hated them. It really pisses me off that it took her kids overhearing things other people said to make them stop and think "Oh, maybe mom isn't the bad guy." UH...HELLO!? DO YOU KNOW YOUR DAD!? HOW COULD YOU THINK HE'S INNOCENT IN THIS!? 

 So uhh... I guess there's nothing left for me to input on that matter. Next!

 Uh...where were we? *looking around after coming out of berserker haze*

Aside from wanting to kill her ex and strangle her kids, this book was amazing. Ok, even including that stuff. I honestly loved everything about it. And I even warmed up to her kids in the end. I liked the Brady Bunch vibe Amelia and Mickey had going with their blended family. I loved how things worked out.

*sigh* Ok, yes, I warmed up to her kids too. I loved the blended family vibe Amelia and Mickey had going and I loved Mickey's kids. They were awesome. One thing I do have to say...I would LOVE to see a book for Amelia's brother. According to the note at the end of the book, that's not in the cards, but I still want a book for him. 

Oh me too! I really loved him and how he was there for Amelia! What a great big brother! 

He seriously was. 

Ok so what's our rating? (Even though I know I don't have to ask)

I think we're pretty much agreed that this was a 5 star read. 

Yup totally! 

Soaring 

By Kristen Ashley

Release date March 16, 2015: ebook and print

 “Hello, Boston Stone,” I greeted because I had no idea what else to say.

“You are?” he asked as I put the bags to the ground and touched the button on the trunk that would open it keyless.

As it glided open, I opened my mouth, doing it uncertain if I’d share my name or continue to try to brush him off, but I didn’t have the chance to decide.

I heard the word, “Babe,” growled from behind me.

I turned and saw Mickey stalking our way.

Not sauntering.

Not simply walking.

Stalking.

And he didn’t look happy.

“Mickey,” I called tentatively as a greeting, uncertain at his demeanor.

I hadn’t seen him since he hadn’t seen me (I hoped) at the movies.

He was in his firefighter-not-fighting-a-fire uniform of blue khakis and tee. His eyes were moving up and down my body. He still was unbelievably beautiful (that uniform…seriously).

He didn’t greet me back.

When he stopped, his gaze cut to Boston Stone and it went flinty.

“You need somethin’?” he asked incomprehensibly inhospitably.

“I was just helping this lovely lady with her groceries,” Stone responded.

“I got it,” Mickey stated flatly and then he got it. As in, he carefully pulled me back, grabbed the bags I was perfectly capable of picking up myself and placed them in my trunk.

He then went for the bag Stone was carrying, caught hold, but Stone didn’t let go.

“I can put it in the trunk myself, Donovan,” Stone clipped.

So they knew each other.

“As I said, I got it, Stone,” Mickey clipped back.

Yes, they knew each other.

The handles flattened as they both kept hold and pulled.

“Please!” I exclaimed. “We already had a wine incident. The sidewalk of Magdalene has been anointed with one red, let’s not anoint Cross Street with four.”

Mickey instantly let go and stepped back, running into me but he didn’t apologize or move away.

He stayed close, the back of his left side touching the front of my right.

It was at that point I noticed Mickey gave off a lot of heat.

Stone put the bag in my trunk, shut it and turned slowly to Mickey and me.

But he had eyes on Mickey.

“Are you two seeing each other?”

“That’s your business how?” Mickey asked as reply.

“It’s my business because, if you’re not, I’d like to request you leave so I can ask her to dinner,” Stone returned.

My head jerked as my body locked in shock.

“That’s not gonna happen,” Mickey growled.

My body stayed locked in shock but that didn’t mean my eyes didn’t fly to Mickey’s stony-faced profile in more shock.

“So you are seeing each other,” Stone remarked.

“Again, not your business,” Mickey bit out.

Stone’s expression turned shrewd. “And that’s something that would lead me to believe that the beautiful woman standing behind you is free to go to dinner with me.”

“You forget English?” Mickey asked. “I already answered that too.”

I butted in, “I think I can speak for myself, Mickey.”

He moved nothing but his head (though his torso shifted an inch) so he could look down at me.

His eyes were communicating again.

This time they were communicating the fact that he really didn’t like Boston Stone.

Considering what I knew of Mickey, this would be something that, along with my own natural aversion to Mr. Stone, would have made me decline the man’s invitation.

Unfortunately, Mickey added words to his look so this didn’t happen.

“You’re not goin’ out with this guy.”

Was he being serious?

He couldn’t tell me what to do. He wasn’t my father, my brother or my lover.

Heck, he barely knew me!

All he knew about me was that he didn’t want me. I was his…“attractive” neighbor who he now did not even walk over to beg recipes from (okay, so Aisling didn’t know of any other recipes I had, but whatever).

He didn’t even return my email!

And he was off with beautiful, statuesque redheads, smiling at them, taking them to movies.

He couldn’t tell me who I could and could not see.

“I’m not?” I snapped.

“No,” he turned fully to me, an ominous fully. “You are not,” he enunciated each word clearly.

“Sorry?” I asked sarcastically. “When did you become my big brother?”

He was still enunciating clearly, and dangerously, when he stated, “I absolutely am not your big brother.”

“No, you’re not,” I retorted, tossing my hair, which I hoped was shining in the sun. And with my hair toss, I further hoped my fabulous highlights caught the rays and gleamed. “You’re my neighbor. And if I want to go out with someone, you can’t say boo to the contrary.”

“This guy is an asshole,” he bit off, jerking his thumb at Boston Stone.

I felt my eyes get big and I got up on my toes, leaning into him, hissing, “That’s insufferably rude, Mickey Donovan.”

“It isn’t rude if it’s the truth.”

“You may think so but you don’t say it in front of the man in question.”

“You do if he’s as big of an asshole as this asshole is,” Mickey shot back.

My eyes got wider and I leaned closer. “Stop being nasty!” I demanded.

“You been in town, what?” he asked then answered with another question he didn’t expect a reply to. “A coupla months? I lived here my whole life and trust me, I’m savin’ you from a load of misery, this guy gets interested in you,” he returned.

I rocked down to my stilettos. “I am a big girl, Mickey. All grown up and everything. I do think I can make such decisions for myself.”

“You do, and they’re not what I’m tellin’ you to do, you’d be wrong.”

I glared at him.

Then I pushed right past him, hand lifted and got in the space of Boston Stone.

“Boston,” I said as he took my hand, grinning arrogantly and more than a little obnoxiously at me. “A belated nice to meet you. I’m Amelia Hathaway.”

His hand tightened in mine as he murmured, “Amelia.”

I pulled my hand from his, asking, “Do you know Cliff Blue?”

“Of course,” he replied, inclining his head in a pompous way that actually was kind of creepy.

“I live there,” I announced, doing another hair toss and powering beyond the creepy. “And I have plans this evening but I’m free tomorrow. Are you?”

“I wasn’t,” he replied. “But I’ll be making a phone call and I will be.”

“Excellent,” I decreed. “Seven?” I went on to ask.

“I’d be delighted,” he said softly, his eyes dancing with humor and I could see that too was relatively malicious.

I didn’t care.

I’d go out with him once, just to stick it to Mickey.

Then I’d be done with Boston Stone.

And anyway, I had about seven new outfits that would be perfect for a date and I knew this even though I hadn’t been on a date in two decades.

“I’ll see you then,” I said.

“You will, Amelia.” He dipped his chin to me. “Looking forward to it.”

“And me,” I replied.

He gave me another arrogant grin then transferred it to Mickey.

“Donovan,” he murmured.

Mickey didn’t reply.

Stone looked back to me. “Until tomorrow, Amelia.”

“Yes, Boston. And please, feel free to call me Amy.”

Mickey grunted.

Boston smiled before he turned and sauntered away.

I whirled on Mickey and tipped my head to the side. “See? All grown up and able to make decisions for myself.”

“What I see is a pattern here,” he retorted unpleasantly.

“Oh?” I asked with mock interest. “Do tell.”

Then Mickey told.

“First time I laid eyes on you, your ex was up in your face, cursing at you, threatening you, shouting right at you and acting like a total fucking dick. It’s obvious he’s rich and up his own ass and didn’t give a shit you were alone, and because of that, you probably felt unsafe. It was just as obvious you were lettin’ him use you as his punching bag. Even if no woman deserves the way he was speakin’ to you, he just kept right on punching. Now, you know that guy you just made a date with is a total asshole and you made that date anyway. So that’s your pattern. You open yourself up for assholes to shit all over you. And if that’s the way you like it, baby, then no way in fuck I’m gonna get in there to show you there’s another way.”

Before I could retort, he turned on his boot and prowled away.

I was born a middle class white child in Gary, Indiana, USA. One of the last of a dying breed. I nearly killed my mother and myself making it into the world, seeing as I had the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck (already attempting to accessorize and I hadn’t taken my first breath!). Mom says they took me away, put her back in her room, she looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). She remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing’s changed.

All I’ve ever wanted to do was write (well, and be the Queen of the World, but you gotta start small) and I’ve published a gazillion books and counting (and a gazillion is a lot! shoo!).You can learn about my titles that have been released or that are soon to be released in the Titles section of the website.

Even though I jump genres, there is always a theme to my books…humor (hopefully), engaging characters (again, hopefully) and romance (definitely).

My loves are movies, music, food and fashion and I partake of all of them as often as I can (the middle two more than the others, the former, which takes time I don’t often have and the latter, which takes money I rarely have). In fact, I love food so much, I like to share my good fortune so I put my recipes on offer for you on this page (see top menu and don’t miss them, they’re awesome!).

I grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and have lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus I’m blessed to have friends and family around the globe. My family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write and growing up it was large and multi-generational. We all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. I grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched). Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as I keep growing up, it keeps getting better.

So here I am, thank goodness.

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