Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Review Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Heat by Penny Reid


Heat by Penny Reid
(Elements of Chemistry #2)
April 30, 2015
Genre: New Adult Romance 18+
Contains: Explicit sex, strong language
Source: eARC for Honest review

Elements of Chemistry: HEAT is part 2 of a 3 part series (65k word novel) and ends in a cliffhanger.

**Blurb contains spoilers if you haven’t read Elements of Chemistry: ATTRACTION**
Four days left.
Private beach (…and boat).
Not so invisible girl.
And maybe less of a jerk-faced bully than originally thought.
What’s the worst (or the best) that could happen?

Kaitlyn is finding life outside of the science cabinet of obscurity to be quite illuminating …and so are her pants.
When things heat up between Kaitlyn Parker and Martin—previously known as the jerk-faced bully—Sandeke, she places her trust in the one person she never thought capable of earning it, let alone keeping it safe. Fortunately or unfortunately for Kaitlyn, where she gives her trust she can’t help but also give her heart.

But how will the world beyond the sanctuary of their newfound connection react to their relationship? Soon senators, chinless billionaires, and elements beyond Martin and Kaitlyn’s control want to weigh in on the young couple’s future.

Navigating the chaotic inferno of new love might be more than Kaitlyn bargained for, and much, much more than her trust—or her heart—can handle.


Phew! I've survived dating boot camp! I'm not sure how I'm feeling. I think I may be suffering from a hypoglycemic episode because that ending has left me a bit light-headed and weak in the knees. What I love about Kaitlyn and Martin's story is the incredible character development. These are not weak, one-dimensional, cardboard cut-outs. They are a wealth of depth and emotion and layers, and I love how deeply Penny has delved into them, and I imagine will continue to delve right through Capture, the next and final book of this trilogy.

I absolutely love getting to know Kaitlyn and Martin, and watching them get to know themselves. And they are not perfect. Martin was a rough start for me from the beginning of Attraction, but he really grew on me here, flaws and all. I liked Kaitlyn from the start, but even Kaitlyn has her limitations and imperfections. Penny really captured their youth and inexperience, despite their high intelligence. And their naïveté in the ways of love they are experiencing. They are short-sighted and prideful in their own ways. And this makes for some fascinatingly frustrating fights and some super steamy sexy times. Actually, lots of sexy times. The title of this book is "Heat" for reason! Because when your passion comes out in one way, it comes out all over the place. And then there's the drama. The crazies and manipulators are coming out of the closet, making for exciting, twisty-turny, where's-this-story-going-next reading. What's going to happen next?! I cannot wait to find out!

Note: For those, like me, who hate cliff-hangers, I know you're thinking about just reading straight through the series. But let me encourage you to at least go a few days to a week between books, the gap between Heat and Capture in particular. (I have now completed the trilogy, and say these things in complete honesty.) There is some perculating that needs to be done. Like a good marinade, the flavors need time to set to really make the quality of the meal complete. Trust me when I say that giving yourself some time between book will actually make reading Capture even better. Trust me!


“How long have you been up?” I scowled at him, willing my heart to calm and the brief spike of adrenaline to recede.

“For about five minutes. I was up when you knocked and I heard the door open.” He grinned down at me. His voice was deliciously roughened by sleep.

“Do you always grab girls and throw them on your bed when you wake up?”

“Only if that girl is Kaitlyn Parker.”

I appreciated that he’d just used my own line against me and I shook my head at his shenanigans. This seemed to make him happy because his eyes lit with menacing satisfaction.

But then the longer we stared at each other the thicker the air grew between us, and the more difficult it became for me to breathe. His gaze also changed and lit with a new flame, both ominous and hungry. I momentarily forgot why I was there and what my super genius idea had been. All I knew was that his look held the promise of something that was going to feel fantastic.

“I like you here,” he whispered, his eyes half lidded as they moved to my mouth, lingered there.

“You like me where?”

“In my bed. Being in my bed every morning should be one of your life rules.”

“Oh…” Every inhale felt painful, tight.

“All I can think about is touching you,” he said, lowering himself to kiss me.
It was the key phrase and it sparked my memory. I remembered why I was there. I remembered my super genius idea.

“Wait!” I said, turning my face to the side.

“Wait?”

“Yes, wait. I have an idea and it involves you not kissing me.”

“That sounds like a terrible idea.” He nuzzled my neck, licking my throat, using his hot breath to make me squirm.

“It also involves you letting me go.”

“Another terrible idea.”

“But it’s not. It’s really genius…oh!”


Don't Forget Book 1: Attraction
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About Penny Reid:
SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing). By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.
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