~Series Intro~
Welcome to a world that could be yours . . .
Characters who could be your neighbors or friends. Stories so realistic that you start to believe you're really there. Situations you hope to never find yourself in. Friendships, romances, working relationships - and all the white-hot sex you could possibly handle. Sound like fun?
Come with me to Louisville, KY, and meet the Walters family and their friends. They're serious about their work, and just as serious about their play.
~The Groundbreaking~
Character Introduction Novella - This prequel to the series, The Groundbreaking, introduces you to nine characters you'll love. A cage fighter, wounded warrior, widow, cagey attorney, construction company owner, and more give you lots of reasons to love them and to wonder who'll wind up with whom and how!
THE GROUNDBREAKING IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE A FREEBIE!
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Mary Jo - ☆☆☆☆
I really enjoyed this prequel and the way it gives us lots of back story for the books to come.
Angie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This book is really just an intro into the series Love Under Construction. In this short novella we are introduced to key players in the series. We meet Tony, Steve, Nikki, Kelly, Jose, Molly, Laura, Peyton and Vic. Each character’s background is touched on and this book is a real must before starting the series, it helps you understand and go forward. After reading this novella I was hooked and can’t wait to read the first book in the series!
Characters: Each one was described very well in this novella and they were easy to connect with and relate to.
Sex: There is a little in this short novella
Religious: No
Would I recommend to others: Yes
More than one book in the series: Yes
Genre: Romance/Erotica
Would I read more by this author: Yes
Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This novella (as the author explains in the introduction) gives the reader the back stories of characters that will populate the future books. Well, it is going to be an amazing journey, given what we learn here. Each person has a lot of baggage that they bring to the series, and their experiences are bound to impact heavily on the story lines. I cannot wait to start the next one ... right about now!
Johanna – ☆☆☆
This is a prequel for The Love Under Construction Series, small tidbits that allow you to meet and greet the characters before the actual story. There is no real entertainment value if you do not plan to read the series. This was an in-depth look into the lives of the characters, it seems as though all of these people have one thing in common. Life sucks, and they are at their lowest point. Each of them have had joy taken away from them in one form or another and they all are being recruited by a security company. It will be interesting to see if they get their comeuppance, and what it actually entails.
~Laying A Foundation~
Over thirty years of being run into the ground by a crazy wife can ruin a man, and Tony Walters thinks he just might be ruined. He's got a successful business and a large, beautiful family, but is it even possible that he could trust a woman enough to let her pick the lock to his fortress of a heart? When you've gone sixteen years without sex, things look pretty bleak. But there was that one time a couple of years ago . . .
When the pain of everyday life gets to be more than she can take, Nikki runs to the gym to calm her mind and keep herself together even if she's already permanently fallen apart. Since her husband and children were killed in a tragic accident, she's come to the conclusion that her life is pretty much over. Every evening at the gym, she sees the gorgeous guy she's nicknamed The Italian, but a guy like that would never give her the time of day. Would he?
But while love blooms and grows and the sheets sizzle, trouble brews. And when things fall apart, will everyone survive the anger and violence working against them?
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
Love is just a fairy tale -- there are no happily ever afters. At least that has been the case for Nikki Wilkes and Tony Walters.
Nikki is just going through the motions, life has no meaning to her since the death of her husband and kids.
Tony is immersed in work, it is what keeps him going - that and his kids. Two great kids, awesome daughters-in law, and one bat-sh#t crazy ex-wife.
While Nikki has accepted her lot in life, Tony wants more. Except that he doesn't want to get hurt, been there, done that.
A chance meeting between his daughter and Nikki, a bug in the ear of a half-listening Tony and Administrative Professional's Day is all it takes to break Nikki and Tony out of the rut their lives have become.
Lots of romance, sex and danger and all the plot twists associated therein.
I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
PS -- I just hope I can have half the sex life that Tony and Nikki have at their age!
Angie – ☆☆☆☆☆
Laying a Foundation is Tony Walters’ and Nikki Wilkes’ book. Tony is the owner of one of Kentucky’s most successful construction companies. Nikki works in a flower shop. Nikki is still dealing with the loss of her husband and two grown children; Tony is miserable from a marriage to a crazy woman who is still causing issues after being divorced for 16 years. Tony and Nikki have admired each other from afar for several years but have never spoken. One visit to the flower shop changes everything. A budding relationship starts to form and even though there are people out to destroy Tony’s company, life couldn’t get any better after that first date.
Characters: Reading The Groundbreaking helped you already form a bond with all of the characters. The connection to the characters just seemed to click and bond from the beginning of this book. Most of the characters in this book are mature older adults which seems to be rare in books these days. It was refreshing and just made the characters and story more like real life.
Sex: Lots of hot amazing sex
Religious: No
Would I recommend to others: Yes
More than one book in the series: Yes and they need to be read in order. I cannot wait to read
the next one!
Genre: Romance
Would I read more by this author: Yes
Johanna – ☆☆☆☆
Well written but a really long book. The book has really great characters that are developed really well. The cast of the book is a really large Italian family with a lot of family drama. I read the prequel before this and I don't think it's really necessary to read it, but it made a few things stand out so that was kind of unique. At first I was wondering what kind of genre this was; it seemed like a contemporary romance with a slight squeeze of erotica and then I got to the chapter with fisting...lol. The title of this book was aptly named and the cover was okay. It was the synopsis that really caught my eye. The story premise was very good, but drawn out. Which is weird because I found the conclusion to be abrupt considering how long the author took to really tell the story. I still managed to laugh in a lot of places and Tony’s relationship with Nikki was truly romantic. I can't wait to read the next book. Overall entertainment value is four stars.
Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
What a fabulous book. I have just ignored my family for a whole Sunday (well I did cook lunch) so that I could keep reading. I have laughed, I have been quite tearful, and felt pretty hot under the collar too. This is a gem of a story, with so much going on, and so many possibilities for future stories - brilliant fun.
It starts off as a lovely romance between two people who have been dealt some hard knocks. It then gets really very exciting and mysterious, yet keeps the family and romance elements front and centre too.
Carve out some you time and get reading - just one piece of advice, read The Groundbreaking first, as it gives you the back stories to many of the characters which is very useful.
~Tearing Down Walls~
It's hard to believe that a guy as big, beautiful, and over-the-top sexy as Vic Cabrizzi would be afraid of anything, but he has secrets that would kill most people. Sure, he's got a great job with his cousin Tony's company, more than enough cash for anything he wants, and a spot as an in-demand service top/Dom at a friend's BDSM club, but he's got a bruised-up heart that he's given to the wrong woman. And with the problems he brings into a relationship, he's resigned himself to being alone - forever.
Laura's got secrets of her own. Not only is her clothing hiding a painful tale, but it doesn't help that someone from her past is actively looking to kill her. She'll make it simple for them by being unable to tell or trust anyone. But she meets a man who is determined to keep every promise he makes to her, no matter how impossible that might be. Will that be enough to thaw her icy heart and save her life?
Can Laura finally open up enough to stay alive? And when the right woman comes along, can Vic give up the no-strings-attached sex and the silence he hides behind to give her what she needs?
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
****If you have reservations with reading about non-consensual sex please note that there are a few scenes in this book that deal with that.****
Laura Butler is damaged goods. Since her return from Bosnia, she's withdrawn within herself, not letting anyone in and not seeking help. She’s afraid of speaking out, of letting people know what happened to her. One warning changed her life forever, and she is unwilling to take any more chances with her life.
Vic Cabrizzi is a handsome guy, but his past has taught him hard lessons. Looks aren't everything, without control you can hurt those you love. He desperately wants to love and be loved, but he can't bear the thought of hurting another woman, physically and mentally.
What happens when two people meet that have more issues that than can manage? Sparks fly and attitudes are ruffled. Neither giving an inch - until all hell breaks loose and they have no choice but to begin to trust each other.
Sit back and enjoy the ride. Lots of twists and turns, get to know the story of Vic and what makes him tick. Learn about Laura and watch her transformation.
I can't wait for book 3.
Angie – ☆☆☆☆☆
Before reading Tearing Down the walls please be sure to read The Groundbreaking and Laying a Foundation, these books must be read in order. This is Vic and Laura’s story. Vic is a huge hot man who has had relationship issues in the past that he needs to overcome. Laura has a past that haunts her and thinks she will never be happy. Fate has a way of bringing these two wonderful people together and showing them that they can have what they both wish for if they just let go and try.
Characters: I loved Vic in Laying a Foundation and loved him even more in this book. All of the characters are so relatable and feel just like your own family and friends.
Sex: Lots of it
Religious: No
Would I recommend to others: Yes
More than one book in the series: Yes
Genre: Romance/Erotica
Would I read more by this author: Yes
Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
What a fantastic, emotional roller coaster of a story. I've needed a few tissues, been really nervous of how things are turning out, and saddened at how evil people can be to their children. But I've not been able to stop reading, not even when I was supposed to be asleep!
This is a really well written book that builds on from the previous story in Laying a Foundation. It is best that you read the books in order, although this would be a fantastic read even on its own.
Family in all its forms and love in all its guises are the two underlying themes that run through these books. Interlaced in the romance though are trauma, danger, adventure, excitement and lots of passion. This is no easy read, but it is worth every minute. The heat between the characters is off the charts, and always in context. Can't wait for the next one (hint hint!)
Johanna – ☆☆☆☆☆
This book was a well written read, and explored many facets of Dungeon activities in a BDSM world. The genre I couldn't begin to describe because it stretched across so many. I don't see how it couldn't appeal to just about anybody. The characters were from the first two books, The Groundbreaking and Laying a Foundation, almost a thousand pages between all of them so character development wasn't a problem. World building was so good I could almost see myself living with this family. Overall entertainment value is five stars....nicely done.
~Renovating A Heart~
Releasing May 19, 2014
Stay Tuned
Cover Reveal, May 1, 2014
Release Blitz, May 19, 2014
Deanndra Hall is a working writer living in far western Kentucky. A free spirit and chronic jokester, she and her partner of over 30 years enjoy visiting their two adult children and their partners and playing with their three crazy little dogs. When she's not writing, Deanndra can be found kayaking, working out at the gym, cooking something healthy, or reading. After writing for business, industry, academia, and non-profits for years and having her work credited to others, she jumped into the fiction realm, particularly erotic fiction and erotica, and had so much fun she never looked back. Look for her on Twitter and Facebook and on her website and blog.
Connect with Deanndra
Everyday During the Tour one lucky entry will be picked randomly to win a Signed eBook from the Series.
*All entries will be eligible for the Grand Prize - A Kindle Paperwhite
(winner will be announced on May 26, 2014)
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided free copies of The Groundbreaking, Laying a Foundation, and Tearing Down Walls by Deanndra Hall to read and review for this book tour.