Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host a virtual book release day event for Lost Without You by author Heather Thurmeier!
Author Guest Post
Continuing Characters
I love when I find a new great series to sink my teeth into. Best of all, I love when the series is completed so I can read straight through. There’s something about following the characters through multiple books that is so much more satisfying to me as a reader than reading a single, stand-alone novel. So I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to write my reality TV romance series!
When I wrote the first book in the series, Falling for You, it was just a single story. But the book had a lot of amazing secondary characters that I found myself becoming more and more curious about as I got closer to finishing the book. By the time I reached The End, I knew I had to give a couple of those characters more attention with their own story. And so the series was born!
I was lucky enough to be writing and editing the series novels all within a short time frame. It gave me the opportunity to go back to the 1st book while writing the 3rd to add in details I’d just learned about my characters. I hope that when readers pick up the series, they learn a little bit about each of my main heroines in each of the stories. Falling for You is Cassidy’s story, but you actually learn a lot about who Paige and Zoe are too. By the time you get to Paige’s story, Stuck on You, or Zoe’s story, Lost Without You, you will hopefully feel like you already know the characters and will be eager to see what’s in store for them next!
In Lost Without You, we finally get to find out the truth about Zoe Oliver. There were hints along the way in the first two books, but now Zoe gets to be in the spotlight. I hope that when readers get to her story, they are surprised by who Zoe really is. I know I was! And I really, really hope readers feel satisfied with the series conclusion!
Do you like to read series with continuing characters or do you prefer stand-alone books? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
~Heather Thurmeier
About The Author
Heather Thurmeier is a lover of strawberry margaritas, a hater of spiders and a reality TV junkie. She was born and raised in the Canadian prairies, but now lives in New York with her husband and kids where she’s become some kind of odd Canuck-Yankee hybrid. When she's not busy taking care of the kids and pets, Heather’s writing her next romance, which will probably be filled with sassy heroines, sexy heroes that make your heart pound, laugh out loud moments and always a happily ever after.
Praise for Heather Thurmeier:
"Heather Thurmeier's hunky heroes and feisty heroines will have you laughing out loud, falling in love ... and coming back for more!" ~ Carly Phillips, NY Times Bestselling Author
"Heather Thurmeier writes sweet, funny romances that capture your heart!" --NYT and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Probst
Book Review
Lost Without You by Heather Thurmeier
Book 3: Reality TV Romances
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Publication Date: July 1, 2013
Format: eBook - 209 pages / Kindle - 380 KB
ISBN: 9781440552
ASIN: B00D5X0504
Genre: Contemporary Romance
BUY THE BOOK: Lost Without You
BUY THE SERIES: Reality TV Romances
Book 1: Falling For You
Book 2: Stuck on You
Book 3: Lost Without You
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Book Description:
Book Excerpt:
“I’m gonna cook you up something real nice, baby. It’ll be like our first date, out here, in the wild... It might even make you want to get a little wild yourself.” He walked off with a wink and she burst out laughing, climbing down from the tree stump she’d been perched on while hosting. He was too much.
“Do girls actually fall for lines like that where you come from?” she asked him. He turned back toward her. “Their panties certainly do.”
Zoe felt her cheeks burn at his words as he walked off into the woods after the rest of his team. Her panties weren’t dropping for him because of one meal...or for any other reason actually. Maybe Rick was more of a player than she’d realized when she’d started her “harmless” flirting with him.
She glanced over to where Chip stood, well within hearing range of that little conversation. He looked as if he was studying a production clipboard, but if the expression on his face was any indication, he was rather pissed at a production note.
More likely, he’d just heard Rick’s comments too. And if she wasn’t mistaken, he seemed more turned off by them than even she was.
“Everything okay, Chip?” she asked, hoping she sounded casual.
“Fine. Why?” he asked, not meeting her gaze.
“You seem a little annoyed at your clipboard.”
“I’m fine, Zoe. Nothing to worry about, just a little hiccup in the production schedule to work out on the fly.” He scribbled a few notes in the margin then handed it back to one of the assistants. He pushed his hands into his pockets as if they were hanging out, waiting for a movie to start instead of standing in the middle of the woods waiting for teams to return.
Maybe he hadn’t overheard Rick’s comments. Or maybe he had and he didn’t care if she flirted with a contestant. Hell, he would probably encourage it. He’d probably say it was good for ratings for Zoe to hook up with Rick, what with the drama and spectacle it would certainly cause.
“While we have a second, I should point out that I do think it would be best not to fraternize with the contestants so much,” he said, turning to face her straight on and finally meeting her gaze. “You do remember how that all worked out for Cassidy on The One, don’t you?”
Was that a threat?
“Of course I do. I was there for your big scandalous reveal at the finale.”
“Then you should already know that a crewmember getting involved with a cast member usually isn’t the best idea.”
“Well that’s good, because I have no intentions of shacking up with Rick. It’s a little harmless flirting.”
Chip crossed his arms. If she wasn’t mistaken, he almost looked a little jealous. Maybe there was more behind his warning than he let on.
“So talking about your panties is nothing to you then? Just casual, everyday flirting to you? Good to know.”
“I wasn’t talking about my panties, he was.”
“Well that makes all the difference, now doesn’t it?”
Zoe felt her pulse race as she took a step closer to Chip. “Listen, I don’t know what’s gotten your panties all in a bunch, but mine are fine—” Her voice strained as the heat passing between them spiked at the mention of her panties.
Her chest heaved as she struggled to talk around her hitched breathing.
Focus!
She swallowed, her throat feeling dry. “And I don’t plan on dropping them for anyone any time soon. Got it?” she finished, her voice stronger than it had been but still rather pathetic and unconvincing.
He smiled, letting his gaze flicker down to the area in danger of “droppage” for a moment before meeting her eyes again. “Now that sounds like a challenge if I ever heard one,” he said quietly.
She suddenly felt the panties in question moisten under his gaze.
“Do girls actually fall for lines like that where you come from?” she asked him. He turned back toward her. “Their panties certainly do.”
Zoe felt her cheeks burn at his words as he walked off into the woods after the rest of his team. Her panties weren’t dropping for him because of one meal...or for any other reason actually. Maybe Rick was more of a player than she’d realized when she’d started her “harmless” flirting with him.
She glanced over to where Chip stood, well within hearing range of that little conversation. He looked as if he was studying a production clipboard, but if the expression on his face was any indication, he was rather pissed at a production note.
More likely, he’d just heard Rick’s comments too. And if she wasn’t mistaken, he seemed more turned off by them than even she was.
“Everything okay, Chip?” she asked, hoping she sounded casual.
“Fine. Why?” he asked, not meeting her gaze.
“You seem a little annoyed at your clipboard.”
“I’m fine, Zoe. Nothing to worry about, just a little hiccup in the production schedule to work out on the fly.” He scribbled a few notes in the margin then handed it back to one of the assistants. He pushed his hands into his pockets as if they were hanging out, waiting for a movie to start instead of standing in the middle of the woods waiting for teams to return.
Maybe he hadn’t overheard Rick’s comments. Or maybe he had and he didn’t care if she flirted with a contestant. Hell, he would probably encourage it. He’d probably say it was good for ratings for Zoe to hook up with Rick, what with the drama and spectacle it would certainly cause.
“While we have a second, I should point out that I do think it would be best not to fraternize with the contestants so much,” he said, turning to face her straight on and finally meeting her gaze. “You do remember how that all worked out for Cassidy on The One, don’t you?”
Was that a threat?
“Of course I do. I was there for your big scandalous reveal at the finale.”
“Then you should already know that a crewmember getting involved with a cast member usually isn’t the best idea.”
“Well that’s good, because I have no intentions of shacking up with Rick. It’s a little harmless flirting.”
Chip crossed his arms. If she wasn’t mistaken, he almost looked a little jealous. Maybe there was more behind his warning than he let on.
“So talking about your panties is nothing to you then? Just casual, everyday flirting to you? Good to know.”
“I wasn’t talking about my panties, he was.”
“Well that makes all the difference, now doesn’t it?”
Zoe felt her pulse race as she took a step closer to Chip. “Listen, I don’t know what’s gotten your panties all in a bunch, but mine are fine—” Her voice strained as the heat passing between them spiked at the mention of her panties.
Her chest heaved as she struggled to talk around her hitched breathing.
Focus!
She swallowed, her throat feeling dry. “And I don’t plan on dropping them for anyone any time soon. Got it?” she finished, her voice stronger than it had been but still rather pathetic and unconvincing.
He smiled, letting his gaze flicker down to the area in danger of “droppage” for a moment before meeting her eyes again. “Now that sounds like a challenge if I ever heard one,” he said quietly.
She suddenly felt the panties in question moisten under his gaze.
My Book Review:
Fans of author Heather Thurmeier's Reality TV Romance series, our wait is finally over! The third book of the series, Lost Without You, features Zoe's story! Yay!
Zoe Oliver is the bad girl/snarky bitch that America loved to hate in the first two books of the series. With hints of her story sprinkled in the other books, the reader's interest in reading about Zoe was peaked, and now we finally get to see who the real Zoe is when she returns to participate as the host in Wild Expedition, producer Chip Cormack's latest reality TV show!
Zoe's carefully cultivated facade of perfect hair, makeup, clothing, stiletto shoes and a standoffish bitchy persona is put to the test once again during a month in the Montana wilderness. A mutual interest between Zoe and reality TV producer Chip Cormack provides lots of sparks in a rugged camp setting. Even though Zoe fights their obvious attraction every time they get close, Chip is determined to break down her protective walls. With a very flirty contestant pursuing Zoe, and a blackmail attempt by another contestant who is from her childhood, Zoe's carefully hidden past is threatened to be revealed, and may ultimately cause her to lose a chance at happiness and love with Chip.
In the third book of the Reality TV Romance series, Lost Without You, author Heather Thurmeier weaves an entertaining tale of romance and intrigue that finally reveals the true story behind Zoe's public facade and persona. It is a story that will not disappoint the fans of this series. Set in the rugged Montana wilderness, the story is written in the third person narrative with alternating perspectives by Zoe and Chip. The reader follows Zoe and Chip's month long journey of developing a HEA relationship mixed in with the reality show's quirky trials and tribulations in a survival camp setting.
I really enjoyed how the author gradually revealed Zoe's hidden past, it kept my interest peaked as each little piece of the puzzle was revealed. I also enjoyed the backstory of Chip's attraction towards Zoe, since he was more of a mystery in the first two books of the series, it was fascinating to see how his plan to get close to Zoe once again was planned out and revealed. The author does a wonderful job of developing Zoe and Chip's relationship, it was intriguing, sizzling, emotional, and frustrating, it kept me turning the pages in search of how it would turn out for them.
While Zoe's hidden past and her developing relationship with Chip is the highlight of this entertaining story, the author also provides a reality show setting with a cast of quirky contestants who compete in a wilderness survival competition with humorous and dramatic trials and tribulations in true reality TV style. And if that isn't enough to peak your interest, all of our favorite cast of characters from the first two books in the series make a cameo appearance at the end of the book, which nicely wraps up the finale to the series in a thoroughly enjoyable way!
I really enjoyed reading each book in this series, but I have to admit that Lost Without You is my favorite! Zoe simply won me over, and even though I did enjoy her snarky persona in each of the books, I loved getting to know the real Zoe, as well as getting to know the mysterious Chip Cormack.
While each book in the series can be a stand alone read, I would suggest that you read the books in sequential order so you can enjoy the seamless flow of each story with intertwining threads running through them. This series of books is just like reality TV shows, they will get you hooked from the start!
RATING: 4 STARS ****
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