Today we welcome Gina L. Maxwell to our blog as she celebrates her new book FIGHTING FOR IRISH which released on January 13th! You need this book for the HOT Boston accent – OMG! SWOON! Check out an excerpt from the book below and fall in love with Irish like Christine did! This book is currently on sale for the first TWO weeks of release at $2.99 instead of $3.99 so get it ASAP!!!!
See below for the giveaway information from Gina!
Former MMA fighter Aiden “Irish” O’Brien hasn’t stepped into the ring since he accidentally took someone’s life in the heat of rage. When his friend calls in a favor that sends him south to check on family, Irish figures he’s got nothing to lose. His life is on the ropes. The least he can do is make sure the sexy redhead is safe.
Kat MacGregor has forty-eight hours to settle the twenty thousand dollar debt her deadbeat ex-boyfriend owes a crime boss. If she doesn’t, she’ll pay for it—with her life. Kat’s halfway out the door when a sexy new guy walks into the bar and insists he’s there to help.
Irish is forced to fight in the underground MMA circuit to win the money she needs. But he’s been lying to Kat. About who he is, about knowing her sister, about why he comes home bruised every night. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him, but breaking her trust will cost him the most important fight of his life: the one for her heart.
“When you said you could only give me one night…”
Just the mention of having her at all had him getting hard in his jeans. “Yeah?”
“Well, we didn’t really get that. So I thought maybe tonight you could, I don’t know…stay?”
His hand on the doorknob tightened. Pressing the metal into his palm until it hurt was the only thing keeping him sane while she nervously asked him for something that both excited and scared her.
“You sure, kitten?”
She swallowed hard and nodded. Holding her gaze, he closed the door, flipped the locks, and secured the chain before slowly walking to her. His hands moved to her small waist as he stepped in close. Her hands slid up his arms and stopped at his elbows as though she wasn’t sure she should hold him any closer. He hated there was any space between them, but he’d allow her her baby steps if that’s what she needed to feel safe.
Ever so gently, he kissed her lips. She didn’t shy away, but met him with a quiet intensity of her own. He let her set the pace and take the lead. He didn’t want to take things further until he was sure she was ready. They came together again and again, sometimes pressing firmly as they breathed each other in. Sometimes touching with no more than a whisper as they teased themselves with the promise of more.
It was that “more” that had Aiden’s cock straining for release and his brain fighting it back to wait until she made the first move. Then again, maybe she wasn’t as ready as she’d thought.
Pulling back, he cupped her face with his hands to still her. “I don’t want you to think we have to do anything you don’t want. Sex is not a condition of my staying the night. I can just hold you and be perfectly happy with that.”
“I’m not hesitating because I don’t want to be with you. I know you’ll stop if I tell you.” She lowered her gaze and a slight flush colored her cheeks as she whispered, “I’ve never had that before.”
A silent rage washed through him for the horrors she must have endured in her past. “Look at me.” He waited the extra second it took her to obey before speaking again. “No man should ever push you for more than you can give. You have a goodness inside of you, Kat. And that goodness recognizes itself in others. So you listen to that. Trust it. And don’t go near anybody that doesn’t have what you got. You understand?”
She nodded. Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them back before they fell. He thanked God for small favors with that. She was already breaking his heart; he didn’t think he could handle her tears, too. “So tell me what you want, sweetheart.”
“I want my night with you, but—” She took a deep breath and pleaded with her light blue eyes. “Can you lead, but do the going slow thing?”
Aiden wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hold her close forever so no one could ever put that look in her eyes again. The people who wronged her when she was young should be bound and tortured as they’d done to her, whatever it was. Maybe someday he’d do some hunting, but his only concern now was to give her what she wanted—what they both wanted—and show her how good he could make it for her.
“Ah, Kitten, I can do more than that.” Picking up the end of her braid, he slid the elastic from it and began to unweave her hair. “I wanna make you feel things you never thought possible.” He brushed the golden-red waves behind her shoulders and sank his fingers through them at her nape. “I wanna give you nothing but good things to remember from now on. So the past can never touch you again.”
And with that promise, he kissed her.
Aiden entered her mouth and stroked her tongue with his, guiding her in the erotic dance. Not fast or forceful, but slow and deliberate. He took his time with each step before progressing to the next. He wanted her to feel every moment, every connection their bodies made.
They broke apart, their breaths sawing in and out. With every exhale, a measure of tension left her body even as her pulse raced beneath his thumbs. Blue eyes bright with desire caged him. Swollen, cherry lips tempted him. He breathed her in, then went back for more.
Christine’s 5 STAR Review!
I have to say that being an avid fan of Gina and having followed her since book 1 (ahem Parker Hurley!), FIGHTING FOR IRISH is her best book yet! Gina has grown so much as a writer and a story teller with each book and I have enjoyed watching this progression with each book in this series. This was a bit darker than the first two books but I enjoyed it immensely. Gina has shown us that she has a wide range in her writing and you will enjoy this book for its action packed, sitting at the edge of your seat excitement combined with the love and hot sex we have come to know and love with a book from Gina!
We know a bit about Kat McGregor from Rules of Entanglement as she is Vanessa’s younger sister. At the end of Rules of Entanglement, Kat goes missing, having run away and gone into hiding because of her loser ex boyfriend who has a gambling debt he owes. This story goes into more detail of Kat’s relationship with her ex boyfriend and her abusive past as a child and shows how broken, hurt and mistrusting she is of men because of it.
Aiden (Irish) O’Brien has come to the area for his good friend Jackson to locate Vanessa’s younger sister. What he wasn’t expecting was that something as simple as finding Kat and bringing her home would involve him actually moving, living and working in the bar with Kat while getting to know her on a friend basis. Though through it all, he never reveals to Kat who he is exactly, he can’t help but be attracted to her on more than just a friend basis though he obviously has a dark past too as he fights to keep his growing attraction in check as he feels he is undeserving of love and happiness.
Things that worked for me:
IRISH and KAT!
Despite Kat’s past and things that she had to deal with, I really enjoyed her character. I thought she was so strong for having to take care of herself and fight her own fights. There was so much depth in her character with everything that she has suffered and been through often times my heart just broke for her.
Irish’s choice to protect Kat and settle her debt and protect her in the process made me just LOVE him! He was the epitome of a book boyfriend with his caring, protective and patient personality. I was BEYOND ecstatic at Irish and Kat’s first kiss as I felt the tenderness through my kindle. It was like a gift. Something so soft and kind, showing her what real attraction and feelings could feel like and opening Kat’s eyes to new and better memories. It was perfect.
Yes of course the sexual tension killed me at times lol but every moment they spent together, every connection and emotion was so beautifully done. In all those moments, I felt that I was connected with them – I was there too. Everything was so real and meaningful and it truly touched my heart. It was complete and utter perfection.
This book was action packed and throughout all of the heart stopping scenes all I could think was – who will come out on top as the winner?!
Well of course, I would never say so you will have to pick up this book to find out!
While all books in this series can be read as standalones, I do recommend that you read them in order as for me I loved meeting them and getting to know them throughout the series. It really connects you to each of their stories making you want to know them even more.
Great job Gina! You made my heart soar with this one! Can’t wait to see what you have for us next! <3
Gina is a shameless romance addict with no intentions of ever kicking the habit. Growing up she dreamed of entertaining people and taking them on fantastical journeys with her acting abilities, until she came to the realization as a college sophomore that she had none to speak of. Another ten years would pass before she discovered a different means to accomplishing the same dream: writing stories of love and passion for addicts just like her.
A member of the Romantic Writers Association (RWA), San Antonio Romance Authors (SARA), and Rose City Romance Authors (RCRA), she recently signed with Entangled Publishing to write for two of their imprints.
Her Fighting for Love series with MMA heroes will debut July 2012 for the Brazen imprint with the first book in the series, Seducing Cinderella. The first book in her Prophecy of Souls trilogy, Desires of the Soul, is set to release in mass trade paperback in Summer 2013 for the Entangled Select imprint.
When she’s not writing or wrangling plot bunnies in her San Antonio home, Gina keeps busy with her wonderful family and their ever growing extra-curricular activities. Thanks to their immense patience and support, she’s able to live her dream of bringing a little romantic fantasy to the world, even if only in the pages of a good book.
Series Reading Order
Book 1 – Seducing Cinderella
Book 2 – Rules of Entanglement