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Vegas Vacation (Destination Desire #1) by Crystal Jordan – ARC Review/Excerpt/Giveaway

Crystal will be awarding 5 digital copies of her backlist story, “All Tangled Up” to randomly drawn commenters during the tour, and a grand prize pack of a copy of “All Tangled Up”, a $10 Amazon or BN gift card, and a Vegas-inspired playing card necklace to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.  Just leave a comment and an email and you are entered.  Tour link is at the bottom of the post for more chances to win.  Good Luck!

BLURB:

 

It’s spring break, and a group of teachers from Half Moon Bay Middle School are planning to cut loose. History teacher Meg Phillips hadn’t planned on being one of them—Vegas isn’t really a town for a bookworm—but somehow she let her friend Anne talk her into it.

Though honestly, she’d rather indulge in some poolside reading than co-star in an R-rated edition of Teachers Gone Wild.

It took some major arm twisting for Finn Walsh to convince his fellow gym teacher, Anne, to do whatever it took to get Meg to Vegas. For over a year he’s been looking for the chance to get to know her outside of work. He’s drawn to her quiet beauty and intelligence—and the hint of fire beneath her understated exterior.

When he finally gets the opportunity to peel away those layers, the result is far more explosive than he ever fantasized. Now to convince her that the week isn’t a wildly out-of-character mistake, but the start of something amazing…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT

 

“Come on, Anne. The least you can do is ask her for me. She’ll listen to you.” Finn Walsh offered up his most winning smile, but his colleague gave him a dubious glance.

 

“Why exactly would I help you get in my friend’s pants?” Anne Kirby snorted, bending her long limbs into a stretch as they both warmed up to start the day. Teaching physical education at a middle school kept them running. “Besides, Meg turned you down the one time you asked her out.”

 

Yeah, she had. Finn winced. “I don’t want to get in her pants.”

 

Anne straightened and stared at him. “Right, I believe that one. You want to date Meg, but you don’t want to do her.”

 

He lowered himself to the wooden gym floor and grabbed the toe of his sneaker to help flex his calf. Meg’s heart-shaped face filled his mind. Brunette curls he wanted to tangle his fingers in, eyes that were an impossible shade of storm cloud gray. She wasn’t tall or short, just average, but she had curves in all the right places. Her ass, especially. Tight, round and perfect. He wanted to get his hands on it. Hell, he wanted to get his hands on all of her, as often as humanly possible. But if it were just about getting laid, he could find a woman for that easily. No, he wanted Meg, specifically. “Okay, I don’t only want to get in her pants.”

 

“That’s a little more believable.” Anne smiled when the school bell rang. Within a few minutes, gangly teens began trudging past them into the changing room.

 

“I mean it.” Finn waved to a few of his students, picking himself up off the floor. “I like her, Anne. She turned me down because she thinks it’s a bad idea to date co-workers. She never said she wasn’t interested in me.”

 

Crossing her arms, Anne shrugged. “She’s being smart about it. We had an ugly breakup between two teachers a few years back, before you came to HMB. The memory for those of us who were here is still pretty fresh and really harsh. I don’t know if I’d date another teacher either. When it goes sour–”

 

“If, not when. It doesn’t have to go sour.” Usually, he wasn’t one to fish in the work dating pool either, but for Meg, he’d make an exception. She taught history, and she was quiet, smart, and drew him like a magnet. Seeing her was his best reason to show up for staff meetings. He liked being around her, liked her considered approach to every controversy that came up at work. She wasn’t out-spoken and ready to jump into the fray like Anne, but when she offered an opinion, everyone listened. Everything about Meg appealed to Finn. There was huge potential between them, potential for something that could actually last. He knew it, without any doubts.

Review:

I love Ms. Jordan.  I’ve read most of what she has written and she never disappoints.  The first book in her new series Destination Desire is the perfect lead off.  🙂

Before I go into the whole “why I loved” this book, a few things…this book is written from the male POV and sticks with it.  Sure we get Meg’s POV but hearing it from the male is so much better for me.  🙂  Also, the traditional roles in this one are switched.  Finn wants forever and Meg just wants a fling.  You knew, right?

Finn, I really like that name.  I kept thinking about Finn McMissle from Cars2 and picturing a very young Michael Caine.  Can you tell I have a kid.  Anyway, he’s not too perfect other than wanting Meg for over a year.  Talk about a love-sick puppy dog, but there is more to Finn than meets the eye.  He’s not an alpha male out to prove that he can beat up everyone, he’s just your average Joe that has fallen in love with a fellow teacher. 

Meg is the more messed up of the two.  Ms. Jordan threw a twist in their relationship that I never saw coming and it made me understand Meg’s reluctance to pursuing a relationship with Finn.  Powerful emotions came over me when Meg came clean and I really felt for Finn.  Don’t get me wrong…when you read it, the whole book will come together and you will be shouting at your Kindle for these two. 

The secondary characters are written so we only get a taste of them but the taste is great.  I can’t wait for Kate, Anne and Julie’s stories to come out.  I can feel the friendship between them and when Meg confesses to her friends on why she can’t be with Finn, I got their hurt feelings.  I would feel the same way but still support her like they did in the end.

Why should you read Vegas Vacation?  Meg and Finn!  These are two wonderfully written characters that you will cheer for, fall in love with and you WANT them together.  The smexy times in Vegas are hawt (the bathroom scene-bring a fan) but Ms. Jordan doesn’t write sex for sex’s sake.  There’s a point to it and it brings all of their emotions to the surface that they both have to face individually and then together.  *sigh

I can’t wait for Julie’s story later in the year.  Yes, I went to Ms. Jordan’s website and looked to see who was next.  Bring it on Ms. Jordan because I can’t wait to revisit my new BFF’s.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

 

Crystal Jordan is originally from California, but has lived all over the United States. Currently, she serves as a librarian at a university in her home state, and she writes contemporary, paranormal, futuristic, and erotic romance. Her publishers have included Kensington Aphrodisia, Harlequin Spice Briefs, Ellora’s Cave, and Samhain Publishing.

 

Links:

 

Website: http://www.crystaljordan.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/crystaljordan

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CrystalJordanFanPage

 

Buy links will be added to the book’s page on my website as they become available: http://www.crystaljordan.com/books/vegas-vacation

 

 

15 thoughts on “Vegas Vacation (Destination Desire #1) by Crystal Jordan – ARC Review/Excerpt/Giveaway

  1. Congrats on such great review and being a recommended read review. Liked the average Joe aspect in the review.

    strive4bst(At) yahoo(Dot) com

  2. Ohh, great review. I wanted to read the book based on the description but now I REALLY want to read it!!

    carrie dot rogozinski at gmail.com

  3. Hee, I’m so glad I had you shouting at your Kindle over this book, Harlie! Such a compliment 🙂

    Thanks for the luck, Shelley! I’ll take all I can get when a new book comes out.

    It was an awesome review, wasn’t it, Maria? Yay!

    1. Crystal you are the bomb. I can’t wait to read more of the series! Oh and I just had a flash of Finn Ryder from Tangled. I love that name!

      Harlie

      1. I loved Tangled! I have to admit the name came from Huckleberry Finn. I was reading it with my nephew and went, “I need to use Finn as a name some time, I really like it.” And so it stayed with me until a hero came along that fit it!

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