15 March 2016

Blog Tour of The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich




Welcome to the blog tour of The Total Package by  Stephanie Evanovich. In this blog tour w\you will find the review  of the book, an excerpt, an author interview and a giveaway. So keep reading!





My rating: 3 of 5 stars


"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

----J.K.Rowling



Stephanie Evanovich, the New York Times bestselling author, pens her new chick-lit drama, The Total Package, that narrates the love story of a quarterback on the football team who is trying to atone for his past mistakes both on professional as well as personal front, and am ambitious hot and sexy side-line sports reporter, who has her own secrets to keep her away from the man who once broke her heart.




Synopsis:

Smart and sexy Dani Carr knows as much about football as any man--maybe more. It’s always been her dream to make a living talking about the game she loves. But Dani’s not interested in being just the usual eye-candy sideline reporter; she wants to be the first woman analyst on a pre-game show, the ultimate in exclusive boys-club jobs. And it turns out, that despite the odds, she has the talent to get her there.

Star quarterback-and heartthrob--Tyson Palmer always did things in spectacular fashion, including ruining his career after debuting as a first-round draft pick. When the head coach of the Austin Mavericks refuses to let him waste his million dollar arm, Tyson makes a Hail Mary pass at redemption and succeeds with everyone…except Dani, who appears to be using her high-profile commentator job to make a name for herself at his expense.

Dani refuses to let anyone forget about Tyson’s transgressions….and for good reason. There’s history between these two, sizzling history that dates back to their college days, and it ended in another spectacular flame-out of Tyson’s. He’s conveniently forgotten all about that episode because Dani is no longer the cute girl next door he barely remembers--she’s a bombshell with huge ratings and a long memory.

But can a woman trying to claw her way to the top and a quarterback who knows all about rock bottom make it to the Super Bowl without destroying each other in the process? And what will happen when Tyson-riding high on his career comeback-realizes he needs to make an even more important comeback with Dani?



Tyson Palmer is the famous quarterback who was a heart-breaker, but after a stint at a rehab owning to his substance addiction, he is a reformed man now. And is more focused on his game rather than chasing skirts and breaking them. Tyson's eye catches the sexy reporter whom he could not recognize from his destructive and wild past. Will he get to make this woman fall for him despite of so much reluctance from her end?

Dani Carr is the hot and sexy side-line sports reporter, who after spending one night in the company of Tyson and in end getting her heart broken, is now adamant that she won't give her heart to this man anymore, also because of the secret that she keeps more close to her heart than any man. Dani is now ambitious and the distraction of Tyson being there all the time is not helping her at all. Will she get away from the man who once broke her heart?

The author's writing style is quite charming and at times the narrative is layered with funny anecdotes and with lots of emotional moments. The narrative is engaging and at times bit cheesy, considering the fact that this is a dramatic romance chick-lit story. The pacing at times goes from being slow to being medium. There are some mundane day to day activities mentioned page after page that put me off for a bit and the time jumps are way too abrupt, which made it real difficult for me to comprehend with the main characters' feelings.

The characters are well-developed and they go through a lot of evolution given the challenges they had to face all through the story. Dani is incurably in love with the man who broke her heart ages ago, it seems she could not get over him and still fancies him. And this distraction made it difficult for her to achieve success in her job as a sports presenter. Tyson is the character, whom I really liked through out the story. He is handsome and level-headed, but Tyson when he was in college was wild and an addict. I loved the reformed Tyson much better as he turned into an understanding jock. Moreover, the issues with Tyson are depicted with lots of sensitivity and realism. The supporting characters are also quite well-crafted.

The love story between Tyson and Dani is sweet in the beginning then it turned something compassionate. Their love grew eventually with time. The love scenes between them are projected with passion and depth that can make the readers feel for the characters.

Overall, this is a charming and entertaining story that will make you fall in love with the idea of love yet one more time.

Verdict: Chick-lit fans can give this book a try!

Courtesy: I received a copy of this book for the blog tour.
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Excerpt:

Within the last three years, the adjectives attached to Tyson Palmer’s name slowly morphed into overrated, reprehensible. A real waste. Wanting to stay in his father’s good graces, Tyson had often joined him in his downhill slide. Douglas Palmer proved a bad example. Tyson took responsibility for his mother’s heartbreak, stuffed all the hurt and pain deep down inside, and set the sequence on his time bomb to self-destruct.
 Coming back here was supposed to be a kind of victory lap. But Tyson wasn’t being followed by throngs of alumni or asked to attend any ceremonies, not even the ones taking place on the football field. He wasn’t invited to any parties. Instead Tyson had been forced to retreat to the Bunker, where he was pointed at from a safe distance, like an animal in a zoo. Occasionally someone would approach him, politely engage him for a few moments, mostly about the weather, and be on their way. Nothing to see here—the phrase cops always used to move spectators along from a crime scene. His teammates and Blitz management had tried to be supportive . . . in the beginning. But it wasn’t long before Tyson’s shenanigans robbed him of his ability to lead, and they all had grown weary of him, even before he started racking up more interceptions than touchdowns on game day. He knew that within the next twenty-four hours his dirty drug test results would leave him jobless and probably tossed out of the league. The book they were getting ready to throw at him was heavy. I sure won’t miss those cold Massachusetts winters, he thought to console himself.
 “Tyson?”
 Bloodshot eyes focused on a face that was vaguely familiar. It was a wisp of a ghost brushing by him. Someone insignificant, but at the same time, not—pretty, but low maintenance. Dark hair, hazel eyes with a glint of determination magnified through the lenses of her glasses. When he’d seen her last, she had something he needed. And something he’d wanted.
 “Helen?” he tried to zero in. They had spent quality time together, at least for a while. He hadn’t seen her naked, but it probably wasn’t from lack of trying. Those whose pants he didn’t get into were much more likely to stand out. “Ellen?”
 “Ella,” she said hopefully. “I was your English tutor, in your senior year?”
 Now he remembered. A flash that was stark and vivid, from the predrug days, before those first few injuries that weren’t so quick to heal. She had been one of several students handpicked by the administration when he fell short on his classes during football season. Hired for several hours a week to basically cram the exams into his skull and dictate his essays to him. He wasn’t stupid, but he also didn’t make it easy. Back then he thought about nothing but football and was easily distracted when it came to anything else. “Right.” He smiled at her, feeling the warm nostalgic wave. Her last name was something Italian.“Ella Bella.”
 He had made up the cheesy nickname for her on a rainy afternoon four weeks into that semester, after they abandoned meeting at the library in favor of his dorm room. When he decided he would rather make out than recite the answers to an upcoming test. She was appealing enough, fresh faced and makeup free, a sophomore who had held on to her freshman fifteen. Not girlfriend material, but he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend.
 And after one delicious kiss, Ella Bella had shot him down. Not in cold blood, of course; she’d stammered through the willing-to-date-him speech, but he’d never asked her for a date, and casual sex was off the table. She told him that she was still a virgin and she planned on staying that way. Something about a virgin never failed to make a horny guy hum. Tyson jokingly asked her to bang him every time they were together after that, but he was hardly brokenhearted when she laughed him off. There was always someone else on the sidelines. It was more his way of telling her he was available if she ever wanted to change her mind. He began to view her more like a little sister, especially since she could talk football better than any other girl he knew at school, even better than some of his teammates.
 “You remember?” She smiled back at him, and then giggled. He still had it. And clearly she knew nothing of what was happening in his world. These days he was on almost every woman’s shit list.
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Author Interview:

Stephanie, with THE SWEET SPOT, and now with THE TOTAL PACKAGE, you write heroes within the sports world (Baseball for TSS and Football for TTP).  What aspects of that lifestyle makes for writing a great hero?  And as with Tyson, what aspect's of that lifestyle can make for great drama/character development?
 Sports heroes are fun because it's easy to picture them having lots of attitude.  Also, they are disciplined when it comes to their bodies, which really helps ratchet up the hotness.  And if they are at the top of their games, they usually have lots of disposable income. In Tyson's particular case, it all sort of worked against him, because it was that very lifestyle that caused him to implode.
 

Me: You write heroines that any reader can not only relate to, but could consider that woman a best friend, as with Dani from THE TOTAL PACKAGE.  Do you find qualities of yourself if any of your heroines or do you write them based on someone you know? Holly from Big Girl Panties shares the most of my views and personality traits, so thanks for the compliment!  Amanda from The Sweet Spot has the full on sass I always wish I had.  Dani Carr?  (Heavy sigh).  There were times I actually hated her, because she made some really bad decisions that I wouldn't personally make in a million years.  I can remember at one point calling my editor in tears and telling her I can't write this woman anymore.  My editor was thrilled and told me it showed real growth. Geez.  Talk about growing pains.

If you could cast Tyson and Dani with any celebrity, who would you choose?  Any reason why? I would love to see Billy Miller as Tyson.  For folks out there that may know him, he plays Jason Morgan on General Hospital.  Excuse me, make that the NEW Jason Morgan, taking over for Steve Burton. The fact that Billy got me to forget about Steve is a coup in and of itself.  I'm a huge GH fan, and for a long time I shook my fist in the air and shouted - "There is only one Jason Morgan!"  Billy is adorable and does vulnerable so well.  And has the killer blue eyes. While I was writing The Total Package, I would often picture Kaley Couco.  Or maybe I was just watching a lot of Big Bang Theory.  But she is totally my pick for Dani.

What is your favorite romance troupe to write?  (Second Chance Romance, Opposites Attract, etc)?  Since The Total Package is only my third book, I'm not sure I have enough experience to give that question an honest answer.  But now I suddenly feel like trying to write an opposites attracting, second chance romance.



Which was your favorite book to write?  And which couple was your favorite to write?  Yikes!  Why do I feel like you've just asked me to choose a favorite child? Haha. But seriously, each book offered me the opportunity to meet new people and continue this amazing adventure, not to mention try and grow as a writer.  In all honestly I think the book that is my favorite will always be the book the am working on at the time.  It keeps me focused and in the moment. 



Of course all your readers want to know what you have in the works for your next release?  I'm currently working on a younger man/slightly more mature woman story with a martial arts backdrop.  I'm even venturing into first person with this one.  I was always the kid that just jumped into the deep end of the pool and my days alternate between thinking I'm having the time of my life and ordering a straight jacket.  Some days, those thoughts alternate hourly. 

Thank you so much for chatting with us today!!  Thanks so much for having me.  It's been a real pleasure.  Bring on the Ides of March! 

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Book Purchase Links:
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Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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    Author Info:

    New York Times Bestselling Author, Stephanie Evanovich is a full-fledged Jersey girl from Asbury Park who began writing fiction while waiting for her cues during countless community theater projects. She attended New York’s School of Film and Television and acted in several improvisational troupes and a few small-budget movies, all in preparation for the greatest job she ever had, raising her two sons. Now a full-time writer, she’s an avid sports fan who holds a black belt in tae kwon do.





    Connect with Stephanie on: Website Facebook Twitter | GoodReads

    1 comment:

    1. Thank you for hosting and reviewing THE TOTAL PACKAGE on your blog today!

      Crystal, Tasty Book Tours

      ReplyDelete

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