Bad Things by R.K. Lilley Blog Tour, Review and Interview!

 * COVER *

* SYNOPSIS *

 "Danika hasn’t had an easy life. Being insanely attracted to bad boys has never helped make it easier.

One look at Tristan, and every brain cell she possessed went up in smoke. This man was trouble with a capital T. It was a given.
She knew better. Bad boys were bad. Especially for her. Considering her history, it was crazy to think otherwise. So why did crazy have to feel so damn fine?

For as long as she could remember, Danika had been focused on the future with single-minded purpose. Tristan came along and taught her everything there was to know about letting go, and living in the present. She fell, hard and deep. Of course, that only made her impact with the ground that much more devastating."
 

* AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT *

R.K. Lilley lives in Colorado with her husband and their two beautiful sons. She's had a lot of interesting jobs, from being a first class flight attendant, to being a stablehand, but swears she never knew what hard work was until she had children. She's been addicted to both reading and writing fiction since she can remember. She loves to travel, read, hike, paint, game, watch anime, and make the most of every single day. She is the author of the erotic romance novels In Flight, Mile High, Grounded, and the novella, Lana.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

 

* BUY IT *

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

* GIVEAWAY *

To win an e-copy of Bad Things by R.K. Lilley, leave a comment on this blog post.  A winner will be chosen at random on the last day of the tour, 6/28/13!
 

* REVIEW *

Danika and Tristan's story is one of trust, friendship, love, sizzling hot attraction and self destruction. Is it possible to love and care about someone but destroy them at the same time? Such is the relationship between them. I both loved them and hated them together. It was emotionally draining most of the second half, but I was so connected to them. I really wanted it to work. I wanted them to have a HEA. What I got, I didn't expect. Something so deep and so sad, yet so beautiful. Wow, R.K. Lilley, you blew my socks off. What most people have asked me about this book is if it was a BDSM story. And I surprisingly told them no. I totally expected it to be that. That's what the other stories were and that's what I thought R.K. Lilley's style was. Boy was I wrong! She can write anything and I would not be able to put it down. I can't even tell you how many things I highlighted. (Ok, I checked...73) I read the book in one day and the next day could not stop thinking about it. I'm craving the second part of their story. To be able to not end with a cliffhanger but leave the reader wanting more is a true talent.

"I knew that we were going to be a dangerous combination. Bad things were going to happen if we spent too much time around each other."

Tristan is one of my new favorite book boyfriends. First of all, let me tell you how domestic this guy is! He cooks for Danika just about every day. Even after a late night out. He loves the nightlife and introduces it to Danika. They have a blast while trying to hang out as friends. Sometimes this gets Tristan in trouble and he can't control his temper. Enter, James Cavendish. I was so happy to see the appearances he made. He sure has an affect on everyone. Tristan knows how to make a woman swoon and I was no exception. I never got tired of him and his "ways to remain friends" with Danika. Most of his friends were great except for Dean. I wanted to kick that douche bag in the junk, repeatedly. I really hope that Tristan gets rid of him in the future. He is bad news for sure!

Danika is a bit immature, but I love her. She is young and still discovering herself. Her sense of humor and quick wit kept me laughing (and highlighting). The sexual tension between her and Tristan was palpable. So bad that it kept sending him to the showers. One of the funniest scenes in the whole book was when she got caught. Can't elaborate, but let me just say, you probably shouldn't be using certain buzzing objects when others are home. She put her trust in Tristan and he was a comfort zone that she didn't have in a long time. The thought of their friendship dissolving is sad and that's why they were so careful about each other. The rest of the ladies were a blast too. Bev and the other 'Fuck Anonymous' ladies were hilarious and reminded me of my own group (without the huge age disparities). Frankie is one of my favorites as well. I'm dying for a series about her. I also love that typically when she is around, Mr. Cavendish is not far behind.

When things turned serious, I was sad at how Tristan was coping, or not. His past made him not want to admit to loving someone. His actions caused great pain for himself, Danika and others. The tragedy by the story's end was sobering. I didn't have a dry eye for the last 10%. If anything good came out of it was that two people who needed support chose to lean on each other. That decision sealed the deal for me. Because they chose that over their own pride, it made me love them and the story that much more. I get annoyed with angst just for the sake of angst, but this was so smart and so real, I needed it to end the way it did.

"I'll never forget that for as long as I live; the way you were my strength, when I was too weak to even stand."

I'm beyond excited that we get a whole second book on them. R.K. Lilley is amazing at what she does and this series is one of my top faves. This book can be a standalone, but I love going back in time and getting more of my favorite characters from the Up In The Air trilogy. I would recommend all of them and doesn't matter if you read the trilogy first or Bad Things first.

xo,  D 

 

* AUTHOR INTERVIEW * 

 

D:  When you originally wrote the Up In The Air series, did you have plans for the supporting characters to have their own books too?

R.K. Lilley: As I developed some of the supporting characters, I did begin to plot out some stories in my head, but not necessarily with the idea of writing them their own books.  Some of them just sort of stayed in my head, until I became obsessed with telling their stories.

 

D:  Are there any plans for Frankie to have a book of her own?

R.K. Lilley:  I don’t have any plans at this time, but I do love Frankie. 

 

D:  When did you know you wanted to be a writer? 

R.K. Lilley:  I’ve been an avid reader since early childhood, and making my own stories has always just gone hand in hand with my love of reading.  I’d say it was a concrete concept in my mind somewhere between age ten and twelve.

 

D:  In what environment do you write your best stories?

R.K. Lilley:  Everywhere.  I wrote the horseback riding sex scene in Mile High while I was on a plane on the way to Tokyo.  I have two young kids, so I write wherever, and whenever I can. 

 D:  In your books, the characters are always in fabulous cities/countries.  Where would your dream vacation be and have you been there?

R.K. Lilley:  I want to see as much of the world as I possibly can.  I went to Japan last summer, and that had been my dream vacation for years.  It was amazing.  Now I’m obsessing about visiting Australia.  I’ve never been.

D:  Do you love Las Vegas?  having gone there a few times, I think it's a great setting for a story.

R.K. Lilley:  I do love Vegas.  I lived there for ten years, and I’ve written several books based there.  It is a crazy city.  Limitless fun and Trouble to be had there.

D:  What are 3 things that you won't leave home without?

R.K. Lilley:  My laptop, my phone, cute shoes. 

D:  Which character, male or female, from all of your books do you relate to the most?

R.K. Lilley:  I relate to all of them in some way, but the closest to my actual personality is probably Jillian from Breathing Fire. 

D:  What is your favorite beverage? 

R.K. Lilley:  Coffee.  Mmm coffee.

 

* Blog tour schedule *