Thursday, August 6, 2015

30 Days by Christine d’Abo Blog Tour


For years, Alyssa has been going to bed with a memory. Is she ready to wake up with a fantasy?

Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mate, but not Alyssa Barrow. She met Rob at sixteen, and they were set to live happily ever after—until he became ill. In his final days, Rob urged his beautiful, young wife not to abandon happiness—or pleasure. He even left her a special gift, a sexy game plan to help her move on: Thirty cards with instructions for thirty days of passion. You’ll know when the time is right, he’d said. Now it’s two years later, and when Alyssa meets her hot new neighbor, Harrison Kemp, she begins to think the right time is right now…

From his sculpted thighs to his devilish grin, Harrison is the kind of man women want. Before she can lose her nerve, Alyssa tells Harrison about her long-ignored cards…and asks him to help her fulfill them. It’s a favor he’s more than happy to, um, perform. With his skillful touch, and the hot press of his lips against her skin, Alyssa finds herself re-awakening to life—and a host of other sensations. But what began as not-so-innocent fun soon grows into true intimacy, and Alyssa realizes she’s opening herself up not just to sex…but to love. When it comes to a future with Harrison, what’s really in the cards?

Saucy, heartwarming, and insightful, 30 Days explores the agony—and the ecstasy—of starting over, and how a little encouragement, and a little courage, can go a long way…

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Book 1
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Now, having survived the trials of the sex shop, I was faced with the monumental task of opening yet another door, which proved to be challenging. Someday I’d relearn this basic skill.

As I stood searching through my purse for my keys to the building, a bag filled with sex toys and various things tucked under my arm, I counted the minutes until I could lie on my bed and have a nap.

“Hey, can I get that for you?”

I jumped at the sound of the distinctly male voice behind me and my keys fell to the ground by my feet. Turning, I came face to face with Mr. Nice Ass. Unlike the brief glimpse I’d gotten of him the day before, I had nothing blocking my view of his physical perfection. Tall, built like a runner, with rich brown eyes and neatly cropped black hair. As he got closer, the scent of his aftershave and a hint of coffee washed over me. A pang of desire burned low in my belly, and my pussy took notice. He was easily one of the most attractive men I’d even gotten this close to in my life.

God, did that make me a bad wife? Sorry, Rob.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” He reached down and picked up my keys. “I recognized you from the other day when I moved in and wanted to say hi. I haven’t had a chance to meet many of my neighbors yet.”

“No worries. I’ve just . . . it’s been a weird day.” I readjusted the bag beneath my arm and prayed he wouldn’t notice the sex shop’s logo. “I’m Alyssa Barrow.”

“Harrison Kemp.” He grinned. “My mom was a Star Wars fan.”

“Nice.” I turned and managed to find the proper key, sliding it home. It didn’t help ease the tension building in my body. It was hard to take a deep breath and not be aware of my proximity to him.

“How are you finding your place? Are you all settled in?”

The air was tremendously cooler than what it was outside and the T-shirt and lace bra I had on did little to cover my now hard nipples. Great, I could use the bag I had to cover up the perky evidence, but then I’d be showing off my purchase. Or I could do nothing and let the girls advertise their presence.

Aw, fuck it. I decided to borrow a lesson from Nikki and try not to care what Harrison might think, no matter how awkward it made me feel.

“I’m still surrounded by boxes. I learned long ago that I suck at unpacking. With luck I’ll have everything where it should be right before my contract is up and I have to move again.” He kept pace with me, his gaze dipping only briefly before returning to my eyes.

I straightened my shoulders and kept walking beside Harrison as we made our way toward the condos. “That would drive me nuts. My husband used to keep things in boxes just to get me worked up.” I stopped walking and took a breath. “Rather, my late husband.”

Harrison frowned. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks.” There were many people I talked about Rob with, but it didn’t seem right sharing anything with Harrison. “Well this is me. We usually have a condo association meeting once a month in the old cafeteria. It’s coming up in a few days. I’ll see you there if not sooner.”

“I’ll be in and out of my place a lot for the next little bit. I keep buying stuff. I’m sure I have it in a box somewhere, but you know. It was nice to meet you, Alyssa.” He smiled, but didn’t linger long at my door. “Have a great evening.”

The air in my condo was still and filled with the scent of my air freshener. The urge to laugh was only slightly stronger than my urge to puke. Hot cute guy had chatted me up while I had sex toys in a bag and intended to go to bed and get myself off.

Or as I now called it in my house—Friday.




Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela☆☆☆☆☆
So I knew with the timing of where 30 Days would fall on my review schedule that I was taking a HUGE risk reading it. I lost my partner to cancer four years ago and I usually avoid books such as this one at this time of the year because it’s right between the anniversary of his passing and his birthday, which makes me more emotional than usual. Despite knowing that this book was likely going to hit very close to home for me, its premise was one I could not pass up and I am oh so very glad I didn’t because Ms. d’Abo tempered the expected tears with plenty of laughs, love, and hope for a second chance for love.

I loved Alyssa’s character. Not only was I able to relate to her widow status, but she’s just a genuinely nice person and a bit of a goof. Her memories and musings make it clear how much she loved her husband and her acceptance of being forever single was understandable. But when she notices and I mean notices her new neighbor, she does something she never expected to do – she digs out Rob’s last letter to her and finds his “Alyssa’s 30 Days of Sex” cards. Seriously? Can you blame her for still loving her husband? This is a man who knew his wife so well, the he knew what she would need to “get back on the horse” and gave her the prompts, permission, and encouragement to do so. After a few failed and humorous attempts to use the sex cards, Alyssa ends up recruiting her neighbor Harrison to help her complete some of the tasks. Harrison is the perfect choice – he’s hot, he’s not looking for a relationship, he’s only in town for 3 months, and did I mention, he’s HOT! As the two commence on the “Alyssa’s 30 Days of Sex” project, Alyssa comes to realize that there’s been more missing from her life than just sex, she’s missed the companionship of a man and soon finds herself feeling more for Harrison than they agreed upon. But what’s a girl to do when her second chance at love has an expiration date?

30 Days made me laugh, cry, squirm, and fall in love and for that wonderful rollercoaster ride, it’s a definite 5-star read for me. Even though it seemed as though the focus of the story would be the 30 days of sex, there was far more of a focus on the healing and the love. Granted the sex scenes are smoking hot, but what made them even better was that they were able to have fun during sex and even laugh when the occasion called for it. It was clear to me that Alyssa was developing feelings for Harrison, but with the way the book was written I had no more of an idea of what he was feeling than she did. What was great was when Alyssa realized the other reason that Rob left her the cards and how on point he was with his expectations. And while I cried more than once while reading, I outright bawled when Harrison revealed the contents of Rob’s letter to “him” because it was just one more piece of proof of how much he loved her – so worth the tears. I absolutely loved 30 Days and suspect that I will be rereading it the next time I need a good cry. That said, if the Epilogue is a glimpse into the next book, I cannot wait for the sequel.




Christine d’Abo is a romance novelist and short story writer, with over thirty publications to her name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long enough to keep her body in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja in her basement, she’s most likely spending time with her husband, daughters, and her two dogs.

Connect with Christine

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of 30 Days by Christine d’Abo to read and review for this tour.

1 comment:

  1. Great Review and so sorry for your loss! Glad you found some laughter among the tears!

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