Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway of Blocked by Jennifer Lane

While the abs on the front cover certainly caught my eye, it was the blurb that cemented my desire to read this book.  Read on to find out more about the book, my thoughts, and the chance to win some awesome prizes!

BLOCKED

By Jennifer Lane

New Adult Contemporary/Sports Romance

Released October 21, 2014

Amazon

College freshman Lucia Ramirez has a secret crush on Dane Monroe. He’s a tall drink of water — blond, brash, and one hell of a volleyball player. Hijole. Lucia hopes her volleyball scholarship to his school will make him notice her.

Too bad what’s noticeable is Dane’s obvious hatred for Lucia. Her family’s politics contradict everything he stands for. And politics are front and center in both their families. Dane’s mother is about to face Lucia’s father in the race for US President.

When Secret Service throws them together, Dane can’t deny his frustrating attraction to Lucia’s athletic curves and sweet faith in the world. Amid the intense pressure of college athletics and presidential politics, can opposites not just attract, but overcome overwhelming odds to be together? Or do their differences block their match from the start?

REVIEW

★★★★★ stars

I had no idea volleyball and politics could be so sexy, or that I'd enjoy reading about them so much.  The combination isn't one I'd think would work, but Jennifer Lane makes them coexist in this story seamlessly.  I really enjoyed reading it.

Lucia was a sweetheart and I liked her from the moment I met her.  I loved how passionate she was about volleyball, her family, and even her political convictions even if I didn't agree with them all.  I thought Dane was hot, but he acted like a donkey's behind to Lucia for the wrong reasons, not that there was any reason to behave badly.  I really didn't like that, although that my opinion of him did change later for the better.  I really liked the chemistry the two of them had.  I enjoyed seeing them fight their feelings.

I found it really hard to put this book down and read it in one sitting. You should have seen me yelling at my kindle to flip the pages faster (apparently it'll do that when it's reading something in PDF).  I loved how the story full involved both families and how caring they were.  I was also surprised but liked how inclusive the story was with some of Dane's background and how it was all so upfront, even if it did cause some problems between Lucia and Dane.

Besides the romance between Lucia and Dane, I really liked seeing how children of political leaders are faced with such intense pressure and scrutiny.  I really liked seeing the Presidential race and really wanted to know who won. The story ended on a very open note, so I'm sincerely hoping there will be a sequel. I would consider my first Jennifer Lane book an unequivocal success.  I can't wait to read more from her!

*Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*

To follow along with the tour, go here: http://wp.me/p20ttU-3gn .

GIVEAWAY

(1) $15 Amazon Gift Card

(1) eBook of BLOCKED

(1) BLOCKED cover cookie

(1) BLOCKED bookmark

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Get psyched for romance with psychologist/author (psycho author) Jennifer Lane! By day she witnesses growth in her psychotherapy clients, and by night she wrangles misbehaving fictional characters as she writes sports romance and romantic suspense with a psychological twist. She can’t decide which is more fun.

A swimmer and volleyball player in college, Jen wove some of her own experiences into Streamline—a military mystery about swimmers. And readers can dip their toes into Jen’s world of swimming romance by sampling her free New Adult novella Swim Recruit.

College volleyball romance Blocked is Jen’s newest release, launching 10-21-14. Peek inside big-time college sports and even bigger national politics when the offspring of two presidential candidates find out whether opposites really do attract, or their match is blocked from the start.

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love. She is also the author of The Conduct Series, a romantic suspense trilogy that includes With Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, and On Best Behavior. Ultimately, whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry.

In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, hanging out with her plus-size, “I’m not fat, I’m big-boned” Izzie cat, and visiting her sisters and their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter