Jenna Bayle-Burke with Interview, Review and Giveaway!!!

Today I have the fabulous Jenna Bayley-Burke with me to talk about her upcoming release FOR KICKS.

Hello Jenna. Welcome to Romance Book Craze

Why don't you start by telling us a little about yourself...

The real me or the smiling at booksignings me? I look much better at booksignings because my clothes are clean and I wear an actual outfit. Yesterday I picked my son up from play rehearsal wearing leopard pajama pants. I wear them to work, and I didn't get out of the van. That makes it almost OK. I find I get dressed most mornings to take my girl to preschool or to volunteer at the boys' school, but wind up in lounge pants or workout gear by lunchtime. I get more done when I'm comfy.

When did you realize that you wanted to be an author? When did you start writing?

I tried in elementary school...but got a bad review from my mother. It was always a pie in the sky dream, someday I'll write a book. With the help of a health scare, narcotics and NaNoWriMo, I finished my first novel. There is something intoxicating about writing 'the end'. I think I'm addicted.

If you weren't an author, what would you be?

I'm not really great at anything. I have ADD which keeps me hopping from one shiny thing to the next. Maybe a journalist? Photographer? Zumba instructor? Chef? I'd probably wind up talking my husband into more kids. I love the dynamic of large families.

What do you do in your free time?

Play board games with my girlfriends. We make time (does anyone have free time anymore?) to get together every couple of months after the kids are asleep to act like stupid teenagers. We laugh ourselves silly over games, eat cheesecake, make cocktails we never finish. The best games from our last round were Scribblish and Apples to Apples. Wow. I really sound hip and happening. HA!

I love playing board games, I only use my kids as an excuse, lol.

Do you need anything special while writing?

Quiet. I have noise cancelling headphones for when the kids are home and I'm trying to work. White noise (like at Starbucks) is fine, but I find it hard to truly slip into another world when my reality might come barreling through the door to tell me the wheels fell off his Pinewood Derby car. I also have fun pajama pants that help - leopard print and zebra stripe. The kids are mortified when I answer the door.

Lets talk about your book that is releasing tomorrow ~ FOR KICKS

Oh yes, lets. I'm sounding like a desperate housewife!

Can you tell us a little about the book?

 
Writing lets you work out your personal angst; it's better than therapy. Once upon a time, I managed a department store like my heroine, Breeze. I adored the people I worked with, and actually liked retail management. At first. The hours are grinding, and the corporate politics belong on a soap opera. But they say write what you know, and I knew retail. I used to walk the sales floor and make up stories in my head. This was one of them.

What was the hardest part about writing this book?

 
I may have blocked it out, but I think this one was easier for me than most. I really liked Breeze, and so I gave her Logan because he's just fabulous. 

If there was one thing you would want your readers to take from this book, what would it be?

Do something unexpected every day. If you are interested in something, explore it. And, chocolate makes everything better.

Now for some fun :D

Beer or Wine? Wine (champagne actually)

Chocolate or Chips? CHOCOLATE!

Night home or night out? Is that an offer to babysit? Because if it is, I'm going out!

Favorite Food? ice cream

Favorite movie? Gone With The Wind...but I read the book, and so I tell everyone bits from the book and have been told it's kind of annoying.

Last question...if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I really want to take the kids to Disney before my big one gets too big for the magic.  But that's all hausfrau. I want to do a safari someday. My brother went on one and said it was life changing. But this is the cat who swam with great white's (in a cage, but still). It might be a little much for me!

Thank you so much for being here with me today Jenna. I wish you much success on your release. 

If the shoe fits…run with it!


Breeze Cohen senses something is missing from her life, but her career doesn’t leave time for anything but retail business strategy—particularly the upcoming product launch for her cornerstone client, Nitrous.
No way is she going to let live-for-the-moment Logan Chandler tarnish her professional reputation. Even if the ex-athlete poster boy for Nitrous makes her heart pound like she’s run a marathon.


After surviving a near-fatal accident, Logan doesn’t want to waste a minute of life. It’s meant to be lived, ravished, enjoyed—and there’s no one he’d like to ravish more than Breeze. There’s a deep pool of mutual desire beneath her icy façade. He can feel it every time they touch.
When a training snafu at Nitrous launches Breeze into damage control, Logan is ready and waiting to lace up and take her for a run on the wilder side—if he can catch her.


Warning: Side effects may include a desire to melt chocolate with body heat, spontaneous phone sex, and an intense drive to find loopholes in your workplace fraternization policy.

Breeze is in retail hell, well, the normal person would think so at lease, but Breeze?...nope, this is what she is supposed to be doing if she is going to be the youngest store manager in history. She works long hours and never wastes a minute. Especially when she gets the opportunity to do the new product launch for Nitrous.

Logan was in a life altering accident and now lives for the moment. While launching the Nitrous project he decides that he is going to persue Breeze and help her live more and experience more, and what Logan wants, Logan gets.

I loved this story. It was funny, witty, sweet, and sexy. All the components for a great read.

Logan is every women's dream. He is sexy, caring, rich, and very in tuned with life. I love how he was persistent and did just about anything possible to get Breeze to give him a chance. He genuinely cared for her and pampered her. The things he did for her just made me go "awwwww, what a sweetie" He saw what others didn't and recognized what she needed, even if Breeze herself didn't know it, and made sure she got it. You could tell from the very beginning that his emotions for her ran deep. Breeze was a workaholic. She felt that all she had left was her job so she poured her entire heart and soul into work and would not give an inch for fear she would lose her job and her respectability. She also was a little lost and felt there was something missing. The chemistry between the two was amazing and the progression of their relationship didn't seem forced at all just very smooth and natural. 

This story was amazing. The plot flowed very smooth and hooked me at the beginning. I could not put this book down. Oh and did I mention the love scenes? Oh my...way to melt the panties. I am very excited to find out if Ms. Bayley-Burke is going to turn this into a series and write Logan's friend's story, would love to read it.

Would I recommend this to others? Absolutely!!!

I am serving this one up with 4 Martinis!!!

Available Tomorrow 1/24/12!!!

Buy it

For more information on Jenna and her books visit her blog

And now for the giveaway! Jenna is graciously offering one commenter a $5 Amazon gift card. All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment below and fill out the form to be entered.





Thank you so much for visiting Romance Book Craze
Until next time,
Leagh