Hi, everyone! Today I am sharing a Feature Post and Book Review for GOING DOWN EASY (Boys of the Big Easy #1) by Erin Nicholas. Below you will find a guest post from the author, my book review, an excerpt from the book, a summary of the book, author info and a Rafflecopter giveaway.
This is a hot and steamy contemporary romance that also has a lot of heart which will hook you from page one! Enjoy the post and review, get this book and good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
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Guest Post from Erin Nicholas:
Wooing a Woman: New Orleans Edition with Erin Nicholas
My newest book, Going Down Easy, is a hot, contemporary romance set in one of the sexiest cities in the country: New Orleans. I’ve loved New Orleans since my first visit there in 2011 and have been back multiple times. I fall more in love with the place every time I’m there. There’s just something about the city that I can’t explain but that keeps me coming back. The music, the history, the laid-back attitude, the food…there’s just so much to love. So finally, the right characters and stories came along and it was time to write a series set there. Here’s a little bit about my characters and book…
Gabe Trahan: dirty-talking, charming, and a little bit sweet bar owner in the French Quarter. Has lots of friends and close to his family. Has a slow, sexy drawl, panty-melting grin. And a son, Cooper, who is five years old.
Addison Sloan: restoration architect who comes to New Orleans from New York City once a month to consult on a new project with a local firm. Confident, independent (very), smart, sassy. Loves dirty-talk in a slow Louisiana drawl. And jazz. And beignets. And pralines. And pretty much anything related to New Orleans. She’s also a single mom to five-year-old Stella.
How they meet: Addison comes into Gabe’s bar with a friend. The chemistry is immediate. And Addison’s love for New Orleans is obvious. Even the mention of beignets makes her eyes sparkle, she melts when she hears jazz, she loves the café au lait, the horse-drawn carriages—just everything. Gabe’s never been much of a romantic, but suddenly he wants to get that sexy, sweet look on her face as often as possible. (You can actually read all about this in “Easy Going”, the prequel novella! Check out Goodreads to find it 🙂
So whenever Addison is in town they go to jazz clubs, eat all the traditional New Orleans dishes—gumbo, crawfish, pralines—and they take in everything about the city. And Addison gives him a new appreciation for his home town. Though, their favorite place is definitely the balcony on the apartment above Gabe’s bar. For lots of reasons 😉 (Did I mention the prequel novella? “Easy Going”. Goodreads).
Then, everything changes. Addison is moving to New Orleans to take a permanent job with the firm…and she has no time or energy or interest in a full-blown, all-the-time, same-city relationship.
But Gabe’s not giving up.
He has every intention of using Addison’s weakness for New Orleans and the south “against” her in a huge play for her heart. So how does he do it? Read on for hero Gabe Trahan’s Seven EASY(ish) Steps To Woo A Woman in New Orleans:
Step #1
Start off with reminding her of the sweet stuff about being with you in New Orleans. Send a basket of pralines and Magnolias. Be romantic. Do not mention dirty stuff on the card. Probably.
Step #2
Turn up the heat. Send her some beignets and an extra bag of powdered sugar to remind her of the night on your balcony where lots of other things ended up with sugar on them. Maybe mention the dirty stuff on the card now. Or again.
Step #3
Invite her on a horse-drawn carriage ride around the Quarter. Make it impossible for her to say no by sending the invite with a bottle of Pimm’s No. 1 and tell her that there’s going to be a parade at the end. She can’t resist a parade.
Step #4
Have your mutual friends suggest a night out on the town to her and then surprise her by joining them at Preservation Hall for the jazz show. Make sure you show up just before it starts. There’s no way she’ll yell at you when she can be listening to jazz. She’ll very likely let you stand really close and wrap your arms around her like you’ve done all the other times she’s heard a jazz trumpet. You can say some dirty things in her ear here. For sure.
Step #5
A few days later, send her a book about alligators. Make sure it’s something her five-year-old daughter will be interested in. A coloring book with alligator trivia would be perfect. Insert a brochure for a swamp boat tour in the book. Text her the next day and suggest you all go on the swamp boat tour together.
Step #6
After a day in the sun on the bayou with your kids, invite her to a masquerade ball. Be sure to mention it’s at a plantation. And that she gets to wear a ball gown. And a mask, of course. And that there will be mint juleps. She’ll be putty in your hands. This is your chance to do a few dirty things.
Step #7
In the end, even if some of the other stuff has failed, use the Ace up your sleeve. Show up on her doorstep with a pot of your grandma’s gumbo and tell her that you’re madly in love with her and that if she’ll let you in, she’ll be able to have that gumbo regularly for the rest of her life. No one can say no to grandma’s gumbo.
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My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
GOING DOWN EASY (Boys of the Big Easy #1) by Erin Nicholas is such a fantastic start to this new series! This contemporary romance is super sexy and hot, but it also has so much heartfelt emotion. If you are or have been a single parent, there will definitely to be situations you will relate to.
Gabe Trahan is a sexy, single dad who looks forward to his once a month fling with the visiting Addison, a restoration architect from New York City. Addison loves everything about New Orleans including her no-strings-attached once a month weekend fling with Gabe. Besides the best sex ever, Gabe sees his beloved city through new eyes and Addison gets a native son who knows all the best spots for beignets, pralines and jazz.
Suddenly though, Gabe decides he wants more. But what can happen with Addison in NY. He does not even know about her personal life except for her name and job. What Addison has not told Gabe is that she has accepted a job in New Orleans. As much as she is addicted to their weekends, she is not interested in a relationship and even if she was, the minute men find out she is a single mom they all take-off.
Gabe is not taking-off. He will do anything to convince Addison that he is not like her ex and could not be happier about Addison being a single parent like himself. Gabe wants to join their family lives and he is willing to do anything to make Addison believe that she can trust him with herself and her daughter’s futures. Addison does not give up control easily, but this sexy single dad is showing her another way of parenting and love.
I loved everything about this romance! Gabe and Addison are extremely hot as a couple and so caring as parents. Ms. Nicholas does a great job of writing about differing styles of parenting without one type being better than the other. The single parents group adds other interesting adults to the story and I hope to see them in more stories in this series. Gabe’s son and Addison’s daughter are not just added placeholder characters, but integral characters to the story’s plot. Ms. Nicholas writes very hot and explicit sex scenes. The fun sex scenes were the ones that started, but never finished until the end of the story in the laundry room. I believe all parents will be able to relate to those.
I am so glad this is the start of a series and I will be able to read even more about the boys of the Big Easy in the future. I cannot recommend this book enough!
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Going Down Easy Excerpt:
Gabe had sent her flowers.
Addison stood staring at the gigantic bouquet of white flowers sitting on the desk she was using for the day.
“These are magnolias, right?” she asked Elena.
“They are. The state flower of Louisiana.” Elena stroked the petal of one of the gorgeous flowers. “Someone knows your weakness for all things New Orleans.”
He definitely did. Addison hadn’t even needed to read the card to know who the flowers were from. Gabe knew she was a sucker for anything that was traditionally associated with the city. Beignets, bourbon, masks, beads, gas lanterns, and balconies with looping wrought iron railings. For six months he’d been taking her out on the Sunday she was in town and letting her soak up the city. And now she’d gone from associating those things with New Orleans and the unique spirit of the city to associating them with him.
But why was he sending her flowers? That was new. So far, their routine was she showed up at the bar on Saturday night, they spent the weekend together, she left on Monday morning, and then thirty days later, they repeated it all over again. There was no contact in between times. No texts or calls—they didn’t have each other’s number. No letters or gifts—he didn’t have her address. And definitely no flowers.
“See you soon, Gabe,” Elena read from the card. She lifted her eyes, meeting Addison’s. “Gabe? Who’s Gabe?” Then her eyes widened. “Wait. These aren’t from Gabe Trahan, are they?”
Oh, crap. Addison took a deep breath, thought briefly about lying, and then realized there was no real reason to not tell her friend the truth. “Yes.”
Elena’s eyes widened, almost as if she hadn’t expected that answer. “Really? You’ve seen him since that first night?”
Addison rounded the desk and set the folder she was carrying on top of the nearest stack, straightening the pile of already straight files. “Yes,” she said simply. The fewer details she offered, the better, probably.
“When?” Elena asked. “I had no idea you’d seen him again.”
And then it hit Addison . . . Elena wasn’t just her friend anymore. She was Addison’s boss. Was this going to reflect badly on her? Was a just-when-she-was-in-town affair something Elena would frown upon?
“I didn’t think it was important to mention. We just . . . went out a couple of times.” They had. They’d gone out to Preservation Hall for jazz. They’d gone to Café du Monde for coffee and beignets. They’d gone to the French Market. They’d gone to Gabe’s bedroom. And his shower. And his kitchen table. And his balcony . . .
“You’re dating Gabe Trahan?” Elena asked, planting her hands on her hips.
“No,” Addison said quickly. “Not dating. We’ve had . . . drinks when I’ve been in town.” And many, many orgasms. And laughs. And fun.
“Which time?” Elena asked.
“Which time what?”
“Which time that you were in town did you have drinks?”Addison sighed. “Each time.”
“You’ve seen him every time you’ve been in town since you met him?” Elena asked, clearly shocked.
“Yes. But,” Addison added before Elena could go on, “it’s nothing serious. It’s been . . . a fling. Just a little fun. No big deal. And”—she took a deep breath—“this weekend was the last time. Now that I’ve moved here, I won’t be seeing him anymore.”
Saying it out loud made her heart clench even harder than it had when she’d driven away from him that morning.
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About the Book:
Title: Going Down Easy
Author: Erin Nicholas
Release Date: August 28, 2018
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary:
As far as flings go, single dad Gabe Trahan is pretty sure that Addison Sloan is his best bet. Once a month, Addison comes to New Orleans and then…It. Is. On. Until Addison returns to New York, it’s just hot, happily-no-strings-attached sex. And beignets. And jazz. But lately for Gabe, it isn’t nearly enough.
Sure, maybe Addison’s gotten a bit hooked on Gabe. After all, who can resist a guy who’s so sexy, so charming, and so…available? But maybe he’s too available for her right now. Addison’s just moved to New Orleans, and relationships are definitely off the table. Besides, guys always bail when they learn her secret: she’s a single mom.
Only Gabe’s not running. Worse, he’s thrilled. But Addison never signed up for ever-after romance, and Gabe won’t settle for anything less. Now it’s a battle of wills—and when it comes to the woman he’s falling for, Gabe isn’t above playing a little dirty.
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Author Biography:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,” “enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.
Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes in her books).
Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.erinnicholas.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErinNicholasAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErinNicholas
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3155383.Erin_Nicholas
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