Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Blog Tour: Fantasized by You by Steph Nuss

Steph Nuss and Bandit Publishing are excited to share with you the RELEASE of "Fantasized by You" by Steph Nuss. Make sure to add to your Goodreads, pick up your copy and enter the GIVEAWAY below for SIGNED PAPERBACKS and Winner's Choice of Amazon, iTunes and B&N GIFT CARDS! Don't forget to join us at the Release Day and Blog Tour Event starting on July 14th - join by clicking the below link.

Fantasized by You

Love in the City – Book #2

(is part of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone - Book #2 is based on a different couple, but you will see characters from Book #1)

 



Celebrity fashion designer, Harper Jennings is only months away from turning thirty, and her dream of living a happily ever after has yet to come true.
She's given up on her fantasy.
Personal trainer and gym owner, Maverick Jones isn't thrilled about having a designer mentoring in his new clinic, but after meeting the brunette beauty face-to-face, he dreams of having his way with her.
He's ready to turn his fantasy into reality.
But when their fantasies collide, love in the city becomes more complicated than they ever imagined.

Carter was captivated by Ellyson Evans the moment he laid eyes on her,
but she was the one girl who didn't beg for his attention.
He wanted her.
Ellyson vowed to never fall in love, because love can destroy you,
but then she met Carter Jennings.
She wanted him.
Unwilling to risk their comfortable friendship, neither confessed their desires.
Losing touch after college, a chance meeting reconnects them.
They want each other.
But love in the city is never quite that easy.




"Although if I was being honest with myself, I was already lost, but I didn't want to die."

Steph Nuss weaves a tale of a famous fashion designer struggling with a reality of needing control that she is trying to overcome.  It is gritty and heartbreaking at times, but also beautiful and heartwarming.  I would definitely recommend this story to those who also struggle to persevere through their internal battles.  This was a 4 star read for me and Steph Nuss did a great job in bringing the reader into the story, making us feel the emotions that the characters had throughout the novel.

Jen Harper, the beautiful fashion designer who appeared to have it all was how she was known to the world, but Harper Jennings the woman who struggled to control her life through bulemia, was how she was known to her family and friends.  After a close friend and model loses her life to the same eating disorder, Harper's best friend Max convinces her that she needs to enter rehab in order to not have the same fate.  "I grew up surrounded by love and support but, while I was still loved and supported by tons of fans, the bulimia and the stress took over my dreams."  Harper did exactly what Max begged her to do, following her friend Camille's funeral, she hopped a plane to a rehab facility in order to get herself well, so that she would fight the battle against bulimia and win.

Maverick Jones was a gorgeous, intelligent and loving guy, who always seemed to want to help those around him, one of those people he had tried to help had been Camille.  After learning of her death, he became angry that he wasn't able to do more to stop her from the fate of death that bulimia gave her.  In her honor, and to try help those in similar situations with eating disorders, he opened up a clinic adjacent to his gym with counselors and mentors to help those that struggled to beat this illness daily.  He had a bad taste in his mouth surrounding the fashion industry, as he believed it was what lead Camille down the path to her death.  His best friend since childhood, Ellyson or Elly as she was often referred to as, was marrying Harper's brother and it was with that connection that Harper and Maverick finally meet.

Maverick is immediately angry with Harper, and does nothing to hide that fact when they meet regarding her working as a mentor at his clinic. "Tell me, what in God's name was so important that you had to leave when you were part of the reason we buried her. She made damn sure she fit in all those designer clothes of yours."  Maverick's words were harsh and were spoken out of his grief for not being able to help Camille more then he had, but all it took was Elly laying into him and telling Harper's own story of survival that had him softening his tone.  It was soon after that he couldnt get Harper Jennings out of his mind and they started to become close and eventually date.  

Even with Harper's long time body guard and friend Imani trying to keep her safe, Harper was not immune to the craziness of the paparazzi and how fans can become obsessed.  Through all of the obstacles that were thrown in their way, from misleading pictures of Harper & Max, to stories printed in the papers about their relationship, Maverick and Harper's bond grew stronger resulting in them on their way to becoming parents.  I won't ruin the details of the story for potential readers with any spoliers, but the sex scenes were hot and the words spoken to each other actually had me saying "awwww" on more then one occasion.  

My only issue with the story was the ending.  Is there a sequel?  I loved the happily ever after type ending that wasn't completely gift wrapped, but very realistic.  What is the baby's name?  Will the reader ever find out?



Steph Nuss was born and raised in rural Kansas, where she currently resides with her black Labrador son named Gunner. She grew up with a passion for reading and writing. When she’s not immersed into the land of fiction, she enjoys listening to music that came before her time, watching movies and reruns of her favorite shows, and hanging out with her family and friends. She also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology that she’ll never use…unless she’s profiling her characters of course.


Website: http://stephnuss.com/
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