*~*LoveLines by S. Walden Release Blitz – Excerpt, Reviews & Giveaway*~*

Title:   LoveLines  (The Wilmington Saga Book #1)

Author:   S. Walden

Genre:   Adult, Contemporary Romance

Release Date:   March 25, 2014

Arrive to work at 7:58 A.M. sharp. Check. Count forty-seven steps to cubicle. Check. Arrange pens in their red-blue-black-green-purple order of importance. Check. Apply hand sanitizer before opening email. Double check.

And that’s just the first few minutes of her work day.

Thirty-one-year-old proofreader Bailey Mitchell is a slave to her tics. She inherited Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder from her father, and it’s done nothing but inhibit her love life. She’s run the gamut of boyfriends—none of them willing or able to cope with her condition.

Enter 32-year-old Reece Powell, her new coworker at Beach Elite Marketing Firm. He’s more than willing to cope. He finds her habits cute and quirky . . . for now. Reece wins her over, and life coasts along for them until Bailey experiences a devastating blow. Tragedy exacerbates her OCD, and Reece realizes her tics aren’t so cute and quirky anymore. Just like all the others, he has the choice to leave.

But Reece isn’t like all the others.

The Wilmington Saga

Follow the stories of Wilmington, NC residents as they fall in and out of love, mend and break hearts, grow, change, lose, win, and experience what it means to truly live in this small coastal community.

LoveLines by S. Walden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC given to Blog for Honest Review*

5 “Puddin’ Pop” “Beboppin’ Bailey” “You’re bigger. You’re stronger. And I give you mad props.” “The thought of him. The very thought of him.” Kisses

My eyes are sore, red and puffy…but my heart is full of love, joy and happiness. Yup…that’s what this book just did to me. I have been a fan of S. Walden’s for a while now…she’s an amazing writer and I was really excited about LoveLines because it’s a little different from her “norm.” This book blew me away…to another dimension – I loved it. Definitely my favorite book that she has ever written. It took me all over the map…made me laugh, I totally swooned, my ugly cry was epic…the giddiness, the anger, the frustration…I loved every second of it!

Bailey Mitchell… ‘Beboppin’ Bailey’ …first of all – I believe it is absolutely impossible to not love a character named Beboppin’ Bailey. Now…even before that, I loved her. I was compelled to love her because she is an incredibly endearing character. Not just because of her OCD, while that was a huge draw for me…how could it not be. She was diagnosed when she was 6 years old, which she inherited from her father…now at 31 she cannot fathom having the life that she wants because of her tics. She wants to be happy…have a relationship…be in love…and after having her heart broken one too many times, she’s doubting that that possibility will ever be in her future. She has a great life…an awesome job that she excels at, a great best friend and the most amazing dad ever but it’s hard to not want more when you’re surrounded by it. I loved Bailey’s personality because despite all the OCD stuff…she’s just a normal girl. She’s funny and cute and spunky…I loved her style and her quirkiness…I loved that she surfed…and even through those oh so frustrating moments when I was in tears and wanted to shake her, I still loved her. She was a definite change of pace from the usual heroines that I’ve read, but it was a welcomed change and I’m seriously hooked on some Bailey right now.

‘Yes, these are the thoughts that occupy my brain on a daily basis: How many steps to take. How many hairbrush strokes. Making sure I line up my proofreading pens just so. Making sure my make-up is just so. Sitting in my fucking desk chair just so. It’s exhausting living a “just so” life. And I don’t want to do it, but the idea of not counting, not arranging, not tic-ing sends my heart reeling with anxiety.’

Reece Logan Powell…OMG I need him, I want him, I love him – can I have him? I’m adopting him. (That will make more sense once you’ve read the book.) I’m not joking…he’s amazing. Not only is he cute…he’s sweet and funny and just as quirky as Bailey, just in a slightly different way. He’s also creative and smart and has a very magnetic personality. But…as usual, the one thing that makes him so attractive to me is the way he feels about Bailey. He doesn’t care if she has tic’s or needs to count or whatever…yes, he wants to help her and I guess in some ways hopefully fix her, but he doesn’t want her to change for him. His love and devotion to her was amazing…like best book boyfriend ever kind of stuff. He was patient and kind, he was loving and attentive, he was honest and reliable. I feel like I am painting him out to be this almost definition of perfect…which he kind of was – it was like he was carved out of the woodwork to fit every need and want Bailey could possibly come up with. There were so many times when he could’ve/would’ve/should’ve given up on Bailey…but he didn’t…his love for her knew no bounds…just as mine does for him.

‘“I’ll hurry. Especially since I plan to kiss you when I get back.”
He watched her face. He couldn’t see the circles of deep pink he’d painted on her cheeks, but he suspected they were there. They had to be. It was too bold a statement not to evoke some kind of response. He wanted her shifting relentlessly in her chair the entire time he was gone. He wanted her heart racing. He wanted her panties the slightest bit moist. He wanted this girl.’

Reece and Bailey are a lot of things to me…separately they have a lot of issues but when you put them together they just work. It doesn’t make sense on paper…it shouldn’t make sense logically…but it does. He’s the unloved/unwanted orphan…she’s the crazy girl that nobody can tolerate forever…and yet they’re a match made in heaven. He loves her in spite of her OCD…heck that’s part of what drew him to her…which just typing that sounds like it would be a crazy reason to like somebody but I think the fact that he does like it and doesn’t care is what made me love Reece for Bailey. Of course I loved just about every aspect of their relationship, not only what Reece did for Bailey’s condition but also…how he broke her out of her shell (which I guess the two go hand in hand). I was not expecting the level of hotness between Reece and Bailey and I definitely was not expecting to love the little Dom side of Reece but trust me…it works. Really works. Bailey is all about control and letting Reece take that control from her is exactly what she needs and I loved every single second of it. It was hot, sensual and kinky.

“I know I’m not the easiest person to love…”
“Are you kidding me?” Reece hopped up from the desk and took hold of Bailey’s shoulders. “You’re too easy to love. That your real problem. You know how I know that? Because I can’t stay away from you. I just wanna be with you all the time. You’re my favorite person, Bailey. That’s not hard. That’s a cakewalk.”

This story is not just about Reece and Bailey falling in love…at least it wasn’t for me. Bailey’s condition is not a joking matter and I didn’t take it as one…yes are there moments where even she pokes fun at her OCD, but there are a lot of serious moments and I appreciated the care with which they were handled. The entire time I was rooting for Bailey to not only find happiness with Reece but also happiness with herself and her condition. I think in the beginning she was resigned to it…she didn’t think she could get better so she was just set to live her ‘just so’ life and see what happened. I loved her development and seeing her grow and it killed me when she had set backs and regressed…but it was all necessary for the end result. Bailey’s family is also a huge part of the story and I have to say that her dad is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Like…best dad I have ever, ever read in a book. I love him…the end. I also couldn’t get enough of the relationship that Bailey has with her best friend, Erica…they’re a perfect balance and I love their banter. And…I guess I might as well address it now…there are two characters that I didn’t care for in the beginning but…they may or may not have grown on me by the end of the book…Nicki, Bailey’s sister – she’s a twat, but in the annoying-perfect-younger-sister way. And then there is Bailey’s mom, Georgie…now she just irk’d me. For a lot of reasons…but once they were explained…I have to admit, I was shocked at my acceptance of things.

“I’ve never belonged to anyone,” he said. All the playfulness was gone. “No one’s ever belonged to me.”
I was too vulnerable to hear this. I knew I would cry.
“You’ve made me so happy Bailey. Happier than any man deserves.”

S. Walden just has a way of writing things that might raise your eyebrow and making them work in this magically fantastic way. I can’t even describe it because she continually blows my mind. The way she is able to combine flawed but loveable characters in a fresh and inventive story line that keeps me engaged from page one is just amazing…because she literally does this every time for me and it just keeps getting better with each book I read. Her writing style is crisp and clean, yet she has the edge and whit that I can’t help but be drawn in by. Her pace and flow is spot on, it never drags, the dialogue is fabulous and above everything else that I love about her writing…she never holds back. Nothing she ever writes about it clean or cut and dry…it’s emotional and it stirs up all kinds of feelings and some of them are messy and hard to deal with and that’s the stuff I can’t get enough of. I thrive off her ability to make me think and feel through her characters.

‘While in the past I enjoyed the solitary nature of proofing, I knew my heart and mind had change. He changed me. He left something inside of me I couldn’t get rid of. It was a small pinprick of light that glowed deep in my belly that suggested he irrefutable change. The love had been planted, and now I couldn’t escape it. I battled it. I knew I was no good for anyone, but the love remained anyways, pulsing a message of hope: You don’t have to be alone.
And I didn’t want to.’

Alright…so the epilogue has me so freaking excited for the next book it’s like…unreal! If I wasn’t already hooked on the other characters that were introduced throughout the course of the book, then I sure as heck am with the last few lines of that damn epilogue! I didn’t know who’s book would be next (I can’t lie…I was hoping for Camden or Christopher – Reece’s friends) but knowing that it’s Taylor (Erika’s employee) and the story line that is going with it…I’m very excited. I can’t wait to see what S. does with this series…EEEP!

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LoveLines by S. Walden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am fully convinced that no matter S. Walden decides to write about, I am going to love it. She has a way about her writing that just sucks you in and doesn’t let you up until you turn that last page. LoveLines was no different. I loved every. Single. Word.

This is the kind of book that when you’re kind of in a reading rut, not sure of what to read next, just in a blah mood with books, this book turns that mood around. It’s fun, romantic, sexy, laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, and just overall a “feel good book”. Trust me on this one.

Meet Bailey…
“Beboppin’ Bailey”

While “Beboppin’ Bailey was definitely my favorite, Reese had some other amazing ones for her…
“Better Than All the Rest Bailey”
“Best Decision I Ever Made Bailey”
“Bet on That Girl Bailey”
“Beat the Odds Bailey”
“Bait Me with a Kiss Bailey”
“Because I Love Her Bailey”

It’s no secret that Bailey has OCD and it’s pretty bad. She counts almost everything, taps her pens, arrives at work at the same time every day, applies hand sanitizer at the exact same times throughout the day, and never ever messes any of that up. It’s just how she works.

What doesn’t work, however, are Bailey’s previous relationships. Most…scratch that….All of her previous relationships didn’t go so well. The guys just didn’t know how nor care to learn how to handle Bailey and her tics.

“Bailey?”
“I’m here.”
“Wanna tell me about your condition?”
“Not really.”
“You brought it up,” Reece pointed out.
“I’m aware”
“Sooo…”
“You’ll run away,” I said softly.
“I’m a man, I don’t run,” Reece replied.
I smiled. “It’s made all the others run away.”
“Because they weren’t men.”

Now that brings to me Reese. Ahh…my Reese. I love him!

“You have this great new guy, and I just have a feeling he’s the one.”
“You cant know that,” I cried.
“We just kissed,” I said.
“And that’s where it all starts.”

“Now tell me,” Reece demanded gently.
I took a deep breath. “I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. Okay.”

Reese might just be THE MOST amazing, kind hearted book boyfriend that ever graced my literary world. He is so patient with Bailey…okay, well, at times. He also knows when to push her which is really fucking hot when he does it. He is considerate yet bossy. Sweet yet super mouthy sometimes. And just really really the closest you could get to perfect.

Reese was in foster care growing up and that fact plays a lot into the book. Reese wants to belong. To someone…and that someone is Bailey.

“I’m…I’m adopting you.”
He stared at her—quiet, serious—and she wished she could take it back.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Say it again,” he demanded.
She furrowed her brows and repeated the words: “I’m adopting you.”
“For good” he asked.
“Yes.”

I fell in love with Reese and Bailey so early on that I was so scared my heart was going to break eventually. They work in the same office and I just felt like that had bad written all over it. That something really fucking shitty was going to happen. I was so hesitant with my reading on this one because I knew…I just knew something was going to happen. But we will get to that later on…

On to the funny. So I said that there were laugh-out-loud moments, right? Most of those moments occurred during interactions with Bailey and her best friend Erica. There were soooo many “YES! That is SO RIGHT! Moments. Like this…

“Yeah, I do. Fuck ‘em. Fuck all those mothers. Fuck their playdates and mommy groups and fucking Melissa and Doug puzzles. Fuck their running strollers and baby couture and breastfeeding advice. Fuck their—” ~Erica

I’m not sure if Erica is getting her own book or not, but I would punch Melissa and Doug in their faces for that to happen. That’s how much I want it!

Okay now let’s get to the sexiness. There is so much hotness in LoveLines and it will seriously get your blood pumping…in a good way of course 😉 One scene that did it for me and that I absolutely loved was one day in their office, Reese decides to take Bailey’s pens. Ummmm, dude. You NEVER touch Bailey’s pens.

However, it led to some very hot and steamy things…

“God, you’re so fucking hot,” he said into my mouth.
Well, this was confusing.
“You and your fucking pens and the tapping and…oh my God…”

He bruised my lips.—biting, sucking—and I pushed against him with all my might. It was useless. Reece was strong. Too strong. I realized suddenly that he was in complete control. Control of my body as he pinned me against the door. Control of my mind as he withheld my pens. Control of my heart as he kissed me passionately, making me ache for all of him—his body between my legs, muscles holding me down, driving into me, driving me to delirium.

Have I mentioned yet how incredibly perfect Reese is?…

“I stole all your pens that morning because I wanted you to come after me and scream at me. I wanted an excuse to act on my weird attraction to your weird tics.”

And then there were some mildly awkward yet still just as hot moments.

“My panties don’t match,” I blurted.
“I love that. It’s so…out of control.”
“My sheets are dirty.”
“I wanna smell ‘em.”

“I fell in love with you because of you. I like your quirky ways. You know how many times I got myself off thinking about your ‘just so’ ponytail? You know how fucking weird that is?”
I cracked a smile.

“I’m gonna blow you so hard,” I said, gazing up at him. “And you’re gonna count the strokes.”
“Me?”
“Well, I can’t very well do it with my mouth full,” I replied. “This is your twisted game, mister. Start counting.”

Of course Reese and Bailey didn’t really jump into the whole dating thing. There was a brief little moment where Bailey tried to convince herself that she shouldn’t date Reese. But helloooo…we all know what’s going on here.
And when it finally happened…when these two came together…it was like your heart being full….almost too full. Content. Happy. Perfect. That’s how I felt.

I never wanted this book to end. I never even wanted to get to the hard stuff. I was perfectly happy just living in the good stuff. The sweet words. The romance. The fluff. I could have read 500 pages of just Bailey and Reese in all their lovey dovey sappiness.

“You’re too easy to love. That’s your real problem. You know how I know that Because I can’t stay away from you. I just wanna be with you all the time. You’re my favorite person, Bailey. That’s not hard. That’s a cakewalk.”

But, then comes the downfall. The heartbreak. The part where I seriously almost lost it and wanted to rewind.
See, Bailey’s problem was that she really had herself convinced that Reese was just like all the others. That he wasn’t interested in learning to live with Bailey’s OCD. She felt like he wanted to cure her of it.

“Bailey, if you think I want to fix you, you’re dead wrong. I don’t even wanna help you manage this thing you’ve got going on. I’m only doing it because I know it’s the right thing to do, but I’d much rather you go tic-ing all over my heart and brain.”

The downfall isn’t quick and it definitely isn’t painless. I’m not gonna lie…there were some major tears shed while reading LoveLines. But in all honesty…that’s what makes a book amazing, right? That’s how you know you are reading one hell of a book from one hell of an author. To provoke those feelings and those emotions.

Speaking of emotions…some major events happen in Bailey’s life. (In case you’re new here, I write spoiler free reviews so you’ll just have to read the book to find out what I am not telling you.)
These events cause a downward spiral for Bailey. Her OCD that was actually getting better, is now back full-force. Her amazing relationship with Reese is struggling so bad that she eventually pushes Reese away. It’s almost like she is punishing herself because she doesn’t know how to deal. In all honesty, due to these events, I kinda don’t blame her. That’s some pretty heavy shit to have to deal with.
The pain she caused not only herself, but Reese, also…it was literally painful to read.

His heart broke then. He felt the ripping. No cracking. It was ripping, like his heart was made out of construction paper. He thought that made sense—that he didn’t have a stronger heart. How could he when there was never anyone in his childhood to help grow it?

“I knew you, Bailey. I understood your problems. And I wanted to help you through them. I knew it would be tough, but you never let me try. You never gave me the choice. I wanted you. Always. And you wouldn’t let me choose you.”

Time heals all wounds, right?…Right!

I knew my heart and mine had changed. He changed me. He left something inside of me I couldn’t get rid of. It was a small pinprick of light that glowed deep in my belly that suggested irrefutable change. The love had been planted, and now I couldn’t escape it. I battled it. I knew I was no good for anyone, but the love remained anyway, pulsing a message of hope: You don’t have to be alone.

“Look at me,” he demanded.
“I can’t, Reese,” I said. “I’m afraid.”
“Of what?”
“I’m afraid you won’t look at me the way you used to,” I said.
“You don’t know unless you look at me,” he replied.

Well, folks. That’s all I’ve got. I like to use lots of quotes with my reviews in case you didn’t notice. I feel like it helps you get a better feel of the book but I try not to give too much away.

Just know that I absolutely loved this book. Everything was amazing. The characters, the plot…LoveLines had it all and I can’t wait to read more in this series!!!

Excuse me….have I mentioned the amazingness known as Reese? Oh, I have? My bad. Deal with it!

“That’s what you always needed, Bailey. Someone who wouldn’t comply. Someone who wouldn’t let you push him out. And I’m sorry I wasn’t that someone for you all those many months ago. But I’m that someone now. And I’m not going anywhere.”

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S. Walden used to teach English before making the best decision of her life by becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Georgia with her very supportive husband who prefers physics textbooks over fiction and has a difficult time understanding why her characters must have personality flaws. She is wary of small children, so she has a Westie instead. Her dreams include raising chickens and owning and operating a beachside inn on the Gulf Coast (chickens included). When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about it.

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