New Release * Toxic by Kim Karr * Blog Tour * Review * Excerpt

Toxic by Kim Karr
Also by this author: Frayed, The 27 Club, Blow
on July 7th 2015
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
ASIN: B00OQSF6E2
Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Kim Karr turns up the heat in a smoking hot, emotionally compelling romance that takes you into the world of Manhattan's elite. Meet Jeremy McQueen, a sexy, intense, brooding entrepreneur who goes after what he wants, and Phoebe St. Claire, a socialite-turned-CEO who's been drifting through life searching for something she thought she'd never find again--the right man to share her future.

Phoebe St. Claire has devoted herself to saving her family's hotel empire--but her best efforts have not been good enough. With her whole world in turmoil, the tenacious go-getter turns to the once love of her life. Far from innocent, Jeremy McQueen was the guy from the wrong side of the tracks who her parents would never have approved of. Their years apart have only made the sexy bad boy more irresistible than ever--and their reunion is explosive.

When she asks Jeremy to help her salvage her family business, he agrees immediately, with only one condition--he wants her in his bed.
But soon surprising circumstances leave Phoebe reeling. Was this fairy tale romance just too good to be true? Will Jeremy's secrets pull them apart all over again?

THIS IS A STANDALONE SECOND-CHANCE ROMANCE WITH NO CLIFFHANGER ENDING.

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MARIA and YESI’S THOUGHTS

“I was weak. And I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The boy I loved and lost. Him. The boy I’d never forget.”

Toxic by Kim Karr is anything but. With a hot, sexy, confident bad boy as the unlikely hero, readers are sure to swoon at what could be one of our favorites by this author. This second chance love story is a stand alone. And it’s good, with twists and humor, not to mention steamy scenes.

Maria: I absolutely loved Jeremy McQueen. Even when he made me mad. His character was the right mix of cocky, arrogant, dirty and sweet.

Yesi: Me too! He was the quintessential bad boy but not really. He was hot, sexy, dirty but with a sensitive side.

“Who are you?” He wore a cocky grin. “The guy who’s going to sweep you off your feet.” I bit my lip. “What if I don’t want to be swept off my feet?” He shrugged…”I can always toss you over my shoulder and carry you.”

Maria: I liked the story. I liked the different spin author Kim Karr put on the boy meets girl, boy loses girl, will boy get girl back premise. I liked that it was kind of realistic what with the jealousy, insecurity, and misunderstandings; like a real relationship.

Yesi: The story kept my attention the entire time. I was dying for them to get their toxic relationship to finally line up and just couldn’t read fast enough. It is a second chance romance with lots of drama and angst in between. It’s the perfect summer read!

Maria: Emotions were raw, a testament that once trust is broken, it’s almost impossible to get back. Phoebe’s character annoyed me at times. I wanted to knock some sense into her, though the author does a great job letting the reader understand why she is this way.

Yesi: I agree, but, sometimes Phoebe took things to the extreme. I wanted to shake some sense into her more than once for sure. LOL!

“And like I said, great loves only transpire through tragedy.”

Yesi: I like how we got the backstory and the way the past and present was  presented. The author doesn’t spend the entire time flip-flopping though because once we get the why, then the story shifts to all in the present.  I liked that a lot.

Maria: I liked that too…I also enjoyed the way their reasons for doing what they did unfolded. It added to the plot development and the twists. Her motivation I got from the beginning but his? It took some time.

Yesi: Exactly. My heart broke for her. He had some serious explaining to do. And that’s what kept me intrigued. Kim Karr held on to that and when it came to light, BAM! It made sense! Great storytelling.

Maria: Loved some of the secondary characters like Jaime. He was awesome and added humor and compassion. A great best friend. His story interested me. Miss Bardot was a great, eccentric mother figure.

Yesi: Miss Bardot was fantastic. I loved her quirky look on life and she was a great supporter of them both.

Maria: And the sex? HOT!!!

Yesi: Holy hell it was!! Jeremy McQueen in the bedroom and out…HOT DAMN!!!

Maria: Kim Karr knows how to write steamy, dirty and seductive scenes!!! *fanning self*

“And you don’t have to set an alarm. I’ll wake you up.” “You will? And how do you plan on doing that?” I teased. His grin was wicked. “My tongue in your p***y should do the job just fine.”

Yesi: One of my favorite standalones this year and I can attribute that to Jeremy McQueen! Toxic had all of the elements that make a good contemporary romance AND it ended where it should have. I’m a fan of the standalone romance, a big fan.

Maria: Totally agree! His character is swoon worthy! Another BBF to add to the list. And so nice to have a complete story with a beginning, middle AND end.

Yesi: A truly memorable couple and definitely a memorable leading man!

“I would have skipped all of this,” he reached his arms out, “to be with you.”

Overall, we both really enjoyed this story. The character development and pacing kept us reading and rooting for Phoebe and Jeremy to find a way to get their HEA. There were some twists and turns that added to the drama and kept us turning pages.  We could not put it down. The lies, misconceptions, doubts, desire and the past made for an angsty, compelling read. Fans of Kim Karr and romance will not be disappointed. We definitely recommend this book!

 

 

EXCERPT

© 2015 by Kim Karr

Published by the Penguin Group

Phoebe St. Claire

Feeling a bit drunk and overwhelmed with so many and so few choices at the same time, I needed some time alone and snuck off toward the beach path.

I ran toward the ocean and twirled in the sand as the wind blew around me. Once I started to feel dizzy from twirling, I still wasn’t ready to head back to the party, so I took the path that would lead me to the large Olympic-sized pool. I tugged my sandals off with thoughts of putting my feet in the water to rinse the mud and sand away. As I approached the pool, I noticed how it glowed like it was lit by small pale fires. Lost in the enchantment of it, the sudden movement beneath the surface startled me.

A fair-haired boy emerged from the water. He pulled himself up and out so quickly that I was momentarily stunned. And then when he drank me in with his eyes, I shuddered.

I couldn’t help it, the way he looked at me just made me shiver. No one had ever looked at me like that before and I found myself gazing back into his intense eyes.

He was utterly beautiful. His bare chest was sculpted but not overly bulky like Danny or Jamie. They worked out every day pumping obnoxious amounts of iron to look the way they did. In contrast, the boy standing before me had a swimmer’s build.

He stood stoic and a cautious look crossed his face. He was long and lean in a pair of bright green neon swim trunks.

Right away I could tell he didn’t care what anyone thought about him.

I loved the idea of that.

So I smiled at him.

He shook his head and his hair fell into his eyes.

I wanted to reach out and push it away. It wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short. It was perfect.

“Hey,” he said, grabbing a towel off the ground.

It didn’t belong to the club. It was small, beige, and a bit worn—not the large hunter-green fluffy ones monogrammed in white I’d always gotten when I used to come here to swim as a kid.

“Hey,” I said back, swinging my sandals nervously.

He grabbed a pair of jeans that lay next to where the towel had been and walked right by me.

I turned to watch him as he strode into one of the cabanas and dropped his trunks. I froze and squeezed my eyes shut, thinking I shouldn’t be watching him but then opened them quickly when I couldn’t resist maybe catching a glimpse.

“Didn’t your parents ever tell you it isn’t polite to stare?” His voice was low and sexy, and it tugged me out of my own head.

I put my hands on my hips. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to undress in mixed company?”

He pulled his jeans on and laughed. “My mother might have mentioned that once or twice but I’ve never been good at following the rules.”

And it didn’t escape my notice that he didn’t put any underwear on first.

Hot. Totally and completely hot.

I didn’t see anything I shouldn’t have seen, it was too dark, but something inside me electrified at the thought of seeing him naked and I stepped closer. That’s when I noticed the scuffed-up black work boots on one of the lounges with a T-shirt thrown next to them.

I raised a brow. “Is this your changing room?”

He laughed again but this time added a smile and put his hands up. “Okay you caught me. I better get out of here before anyone else does.”

He was adorable and charming and my heart skipped a beat or two.

Then I stepped even closer and entered the cabana entrance, effectively blocking his way. “Why? You’re not doing anything wrong.”

He shrugged but he didn’t try to move around me. “I usually swim in the ocean but when the water is too rough, like tonight, I come here.”

I bit my lip in contemplation before speaking. “Does it really matter if you get caught?”

He crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Let’s just say it’s not just the swimming. It’s more that I’ve been caught doing a few too many things that I shouldn’t have been doing in the past.”

A bad boy.

The thought made my pulse thunder. “So you’re not a member at this club?”

He cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot. “No,” he laughed but his laugh was anything but genuine. “Are you?”

I hesitated as I considered my answer. “No, I was just walking the beach and wanted to rinse my feet. I’m Phoebe,” I said extending my hand. Technically, I wasn’t lying. I wasn’t a member, my parents were. I hadn’t even been here in years. And I was out for a walk.

Amusement danced in his blue eyes. “Jeremy,” he said back.

When I chewed on my lower lip, I noticed how his eyes focused on it.

Mine focused on the entirety of his mouth—his strong, firm jaw, his sensuous lips, and his tongue that had snuck out to lick his lips.

That mouth.

It was almost too much.

Almost.

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