Vegas Vacation by Crystal Jordan (Virtual Book Blast / Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Goddess Fish Promotions, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the Virtual Book Blast for Vegas Vacation by author Crystal Jordan!

Vegas Vacation by Crystal Jordan

Book 1: Destination: Desire Series

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Publication Date: April 16, 2013

Format: e-Book - 178 pages / Kindle - 305 KB / Nook - 2 MB

ISBN: 161921752X

ASIN: B00C4U6NIM

Genre: Contemporary Romance

BUY THE BOOK: Vegas Vacation 

*Release Date: April 16, 2013*

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Book Description:

It’s spring break, and a group of teachers from Half Moon Bay Middle School are planning to cut loose. History teacher Meg Phillips hadn’t planned on being one of them—Vegas isn’t really a town for a bookworm—but somehow she let her friend Anne talk her into it.

Though honestly, she’d rather indulge in some poolside reading than co-star in an R-rated edition of Teachers Gone Wild.

It took some major arm twisting for Finn Walsh to convince his fellow gym teacher, Anne, to do whatever it took to get Meg to Vegas. For over a year he’s been looking for the chance to get to know her outside of work. He’s drawn to her quiet beauty and intelligence—and the hint of fire beneath her understated exterior.

When he finally gets the opportunity to peel away those layers, the result is far more explosive than he ever fantasized. Now to convince her that the week isn’t a wildly out-of-character mistake, but the start of something amazing...


Book Excerpt:

“Come on, Anne. The least you can do is ask her for me. She’ll listen to you.” Finn Walsh offered up his most winning smile, but his colleague gave him a dubious glance.

“Why exactly would I help you get in my friend’s pants?” Anne Kirby snorted, bending her long limbs into a stretch as they both warmed up to start the day. Teaching physical education at a middle school kept them running. “Besides, Meg turned you down the one time you asked her out.”

Yeah, she had. Finn winced. “I don’t want to get in her pants.”

Anne straightened and stared at him. “Right, I believe that one. You want to date Meg, but you don’t want to do her.”

He lowered himself to the wooden gym floor and grabbed the toe of his sneaker to help flex his calf. Meg’s heart-shaped face filled his mind. Brunette curls he wanted to tangle his fingers in, eyes that were an impossible shade of storm cloud gray. She wasn’t tall or short, just average, but she had curves in all the right places. Her ass, especially. Tight, round and perfect. He wanted to get his hands on it. Hell, he wanted to get his hands on all of her, as often as humanly possible. But if it were just about getting laid, he could find a woman for that easily. No, he wanted Meg, specifically. “Okay, I don’t only want to get in her pants.” 

“That’s a little more believable.” Anne smiled when the school bell rang. Within a few minutes, gangly teens began trudging past them into the changing room.

“I mean it.” Finn waved to a few of his students, picking himself up off the floor. “I like her, Anne. She turned me down because she thinks it’s a bad idea to date co-workers. She never said she wasn’t interested in me.”

Crossing her arms, Anne shrugged. “She’s being smart about it. We had an ugly breakup between two teachers a few years back, before you came to HMB. The memory for those of us who were here is still pretty fresh and really harsh. I don’t know if I’d date another teacher either. When it goes sour–”

“If, not when. It doesn’t have to go sour.” Usually, he wasn’t one to fish in the work dating pool either, but for Meg, he’d make an exception. She taught history, and she was quiet, smart, and drew him like a magnet. Seeing her was his best reason to show up for staff meetings. He liked being around her, liked her considered approach to every controversy that came up at work. She wasn’t out-spoken and ready to jump into the fray like Anne, but when she offered an opinion, everyone listened. Everything about Meg appealed to Finn. There was huge potential between them, potential for something that could actually last. He knew it, without any doubts.

My Book Review:

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas ... but Finn Walsh wants Meg Phillips for longer than a week long Spring Break fling.

A group of teachers from Half Moon Bay Middle School are leaving California to spend a wild week in Las Vegas during Spring Break. Gym teacher Finn Walsh begged fellow Gym teacher Anne Kirby to get her best friend and History teacher Meg Phillips to agree to go with the group. After much cajoling by her group of best friends, Meg reluctantly agrees to go on the trip even though she prefers to spend the week at home reading.

Finn likes everything about Meg, and after she has already shot down his request for a date last year because she has a rule against dating a fellow teacher, Finn wants the chance to get to know Meg outside of work, spend time with her, and hopefully change her mind about dating him.

Meg is attracted to Finn, but because of horrible past family and relationship experiences that has made her commitment cautious, she has a personal rule against dating another teacher. Even though Finn makes her all hot and bothered he is strictly off limits.

With the rest of the group spending the week in Sin City doing the Teachers Gone Wild scene, Finn and Meg share a mutual attraction with so much sexual tension and chemistry between them that they agree to spend the week together. But Meg has one rule: they will share a no-strings fling week together and that's it. Finn agrees to the rule, but he has one week to get her to change her mind and give them a chance at something more permanent. Can Finn break through Meg's inhibitions and relationship fears and show her how good they are together? Or will their Vegas Vacation only be a one time fling?

Vegas Vacation is an entertaining story that mixes sweet romance with steamy sex that makes it one hell of a fun read. In the first book of the Destination: Desire Series, author Crystal Jordan weaves a sexy tale of romance and smoking hot sex written in the third person narrative that follows Meg and Finn's journey of intimately discovering each other in Las Vegas during Spring Break.

The author effortlessly transports her readers to Sin City with the quirky group of middle school teachers as they get their groove on during their trip. The description of the various landmarks in Las Vegas is spot on, you feel like you are there right in the middle of the glitter and action that makes up this famous gaming town. While Meg and Finn's week of romance is the main focus of the story, the author also provides a lot of humor and fun from the rest of the group as they enjoy their trip.

Mixed with humor, romance and emotional drama, the reader watches as Meg and Finn's romance develops as they deal with real life issues and fears mixed with delicious descriptions of their sexual attraction and sizzling chemistry. The balance between their touching fun times spent together mixed with their erotic sex scenes is just plain hot, hot, hot. While I love the smoking hot sex scenes, I really appreciated Finn and Meg's back stories as well as the fun touristy things that they did in Las Vegas that helped them develop their relationship. The author does a great job of letting the readers really get to know Meg and Finn, from their past history, to their personalities and emotions, to their undeniable attraction for each other. While I appreciated Meg's character and the inner turmoil of maintaining her personal rule over letting go and starting a relationship with Finn, it was Finn that stole my heart. This sweet sexy man is every woman's fantasy man, he is a man that is a definite keeper because of his desire to have a real relationship with Meg, not just a casual sexual fling. Even as Meg protects her heart and tries to hold back her feelings for Finn, it takes more than just that one week for her to consider all that Finn has to offer. This my friends is a story that is very sigh worthy.

Vegas Vacation is a sweet and steamy romance story that will simply curl your toes and leave a smile on your face!

Vegas Vacation is the first book in the Destination: Desire Series.

RATING: 4 STARS ****

About The Author

Crystal Jordan is originally from California, but has lived all over the United States. Currently, she serves as a librarian at a university in her home state, and she writes contemporary, paranormal, futuristic, and erotic romance. Her publishers have included Kensington Aphrodisia, Harlequin Spice Briefs, Ellora's Cave, and Samhain Publishing.


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Vegas Vacation by Crystal Jordan ~ Virtual Book Blast Page: Goddess Fish Promotions

Virtual Book Blast Contest Giveaway

Win 1 of 5 Digital Copies of All Tangled Up

or 

Grand Prize Pack:

1 Copy of All Tangled Up

$10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card

Vegas-Inspired Playing Card Necklace

Author Crystal Jordan will be awarding the following prizes:

5 digital copies of her backlist story, All Tangled Up to randomly drawn commenters during the tour.

A grand prize pack of a copy of All Tangled Up, a $10 Amazon or BN gift card, and a Vegas-inspired playing card necklace to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Follow the tour and comment on each blog stop; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

The tour dates can be found here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/03/virtual-book-blast-tour-vegas-vacation.html