Hi guys, today we have Heloise West popping in on her blog tour for her first novel Hitting Black Ice, Heloise brings along an excerpt and a giveaway and I’ve added my review so you can see what I think of this suspense/thriller. So I will leave you to the post and don’t forget to click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~ 

 Hitting Black Ice

Heloise West

ER physician’s assistant Hunter guards his heart carefully, but that doesn’t stop him from falling for Shawn, the front desk clerk.  He keeps his distance from relationships for a reason, but just can’t help himself when it comes to Shawn.

Shawn is on the run from the law and love to protect himself and anyone else involved. One man is dead because of him, and his life now is simple and easily thrown into a bag at any hint of danger. Until he meets Hunter, and he no longer wants to run.

Forced into a hostage situation, buried passion explodes in the aftermath, and sex in the supply closet brings their hearts back to life. Tentatively, step by step, they begin to explore a relationship together until the past catches up with Shawn.

FBI agent Nick Truman has finally found his man, but when Shawn escapes, he focuses his attention on Hunter. Shawn returns, even though it means sacrificing himself to save Hunter from the man who framed him for murder.

Excerpt

It was nine o’clock. They’d long lost the reservation. Hunter turned away from the warm lights of the restaurant, heart heavy. Shawn was too good to be true. For all he knew, he had a problem like Jerry’s, who’d often left him waiting, wondering, and ultimately fearing as dinner sat cold on the table. He gave in and took a step toward home.

“Hunter!”

He whipped around.

Shawn rushed toward him. He slipped on the snowy sidewalk, nearly going down, but Hunter ran at him, and they crashed together so hard his teeth clicked. Shawn’s arms went around him and his around Shawn, and they managed to hold each other up.

“I’m sorry,” were the first words out of Shawn’s mouth.

“All you deserve is pizza crusts,” Hunter mock-growled and kissed him, unconsciously trying to taste booze on his breath. Like Jerry and too many broken promises. Relieved it was only peppermint mouthwash, he didn’t stop kissing him.

When Hunter let him speak, Shawn said, “I’m starving, I’ll take it.” He pushed Hunter a little away from him. “Jesus. You’re freezing.”

“And starving. There’s a Greek pizza place down this way, come on—”

“I’ll make it up to you,” he said, taking Hunter’s hand.

About author

Heloise West, when not hunched over the keyboard plotting love and mayhem, dreams about moving to a villa in Tuscany. She loves history, mysteries, and romance of all flavors. She travels and gardens with her partner of 10 years, and their home overflows with books, cats, art, and red wine.

Author Contact:

Giveaway

Heloise West Rafflecopter giveaway!

Review

Title: Hitting Black Ice

Author: Heloise West

Genre: Contemporary, Suspense, Thriller

Length: Novel (260pgs)

ISBN: 978-1-62300-665-5

Publisher: Loose Id (2^nd December 2014)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4 ½ Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: ER physician’s assistant Hunter guards his heart carefully, but that doesn’t stop him from falling for Shawn, the front desk clerk. He keeps his distance from relationships for a reason, but just can’t help himself when it comes to Shawn.

Shawn is on the run from the law and love to protect himself and anyone else involved. One man is dead because of him, and his life now is simple and easily thrown into a bag at any hint of danger— until he meets Hunter and he no longer wants to run.

Forced into a hostage situation, buried passion explodes in the aftermath, and sex in the supply closet brings their hearts back to life. Tentatively, step by step, they begin to explore a relationship together until the past catches up with Shawn.

Purchase Link: http://www.loose-id.com/hitting-black-ice.html

Review: Hunter is a physician’s assistant at a hospital in the rough part of the city, he has avoided entanglement with men for the past several months for a very good reason but the front desk clerk, Shawn, has managed to crack Hunter’s shell and draw his interest. Shawn is on the run, he’s hiding from the law to protect himself and those he loves he can’t get involved with anyone but Hunter appeals to him in a way no one has before. Their attraction to each other explodes after a tense hostage situation, and no longer able to deny his passion Shawn can no longer rebuff Hunter. Just as things are looking up Shawn’s past explodes into the present, Shawn has a choice to make: continue to run or protect his lover from the man who framed him for murder.

Hmmm this is a great suspense/thriller with a good dose of passion and a dash of romance. Hunter has had a hard year, his last relationship ended in violence and his guilty feelings are eating away at him. He’s avoided having his heart engaged by sticking to one night stands and booty calls but it hasn’t stopped him from becoming enthralled with the front desk clerk at the hospital where he works. Shawn has avoided getting close to anyone while he has been on the run, getting involved with Hunter is not an option but the fear and adrenalin after being held hostage has the passion between them exploding. One encounter is not enough and Shawn keeps going back for more until his past catches up with him and the eyes of a killer are drawn to Hunter.

I have to admit that as I started reading this story that I wasn’t sure what to expect, we are initially led to believe that Shawn is already in a relationship so I was wary of continuing but I am glad that I stuck with it as what we initially learn is later disabused with the truth. Hunter is a great character whose caring heart has him wanting to help even when things look dour, Shawn is a great man who has fallen foul of some unscrupulous men, he’s running for his life and he may be under the radar but he sticks to legit means to do it. Their passion is explosive and even as Shawn tries to back away he just can’t. Their relationship is very quick to start after a lot of dancing around each other, and you can tell that they both want more than just a series of one night stands. Their relationship is only just beginning even as the story ends so we just might get another story out of this great couple.

The actual storyline is pretty gripping, we are very slowly fed Shawn’s story with tidbits of information, and we discover it all in the shape of a letter written to Hunter explaining everything. As you can guess the story is from Hunter’s view point but you can fully imagine by Shawn’s actions the pure fear and hopelessness of his situation. There’s plenty of action littered throughout the book and I’m not even gonna comment on the bad guys except to say that a fiery pit in hell is too good for them. This really is a great suspense/thriller, it’s well written and while there’s a romance it isn’t a sweet building one, it’s one that is built during fraught times so don’t expect it to follow normal guidelines of relationships, it starts with sex and secrets and we have no clue which way it will go as we are led down a well-crafted story.  

I have to recommend this to those who love thrillers and suspense, who love relationships being embarked on during difficult times, who love action and danger, who love gripping stories of men done wrong and love man who will do anything for the men they are coming to love.  

Check out the other blogs on the blog tour