Blog Tour: Playboy by Katy Evans

Ahhh, it's here!! I'm really excited for you guys to read Katy Evan's newest work, Playboy. It features Wynn from the Manwhore series and Cullen Carmichael, Callan's older brother from Womanizer. Without further ado, here are the details!

 

Playboy by Katy Evans
Publication Date: July 29, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

A brand new contemporary romance from New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Katy Evans.

It started as a game.

We flirted. We played. Most importantly—we won.

Then I discovered who he was: Gambler. Famous playboy. Silver-eyed player who never plays to lose...

And my best friend’s soon-to-be brother in law, Cullen Carmichael.

He needed a good luck charm, I needed a distraction.

So we made a gamble and set off for Vegas—but pretty soon—I was in too deep.

My heart, soul, and body weren't supposed to be part of the deal.

But somewhere between big wins and long nights, my house of cards started to tumble.

What was this devil with those piercing eyes doing to me?

I’d given up on love, but the wicked, all-in Cullen Carmichael was upping the ante and wouldn’t stop until he’d won it all.

Read Today:

Amazon ➜ https://amzn.to/2Ks0ziz 

iBooks ➜ https://goo.gl/KZtdzb 

Nook ➜ https://goo.gl/YFL3ic 

Kobo ➜ https://goo.gl/daUTwS 

Amazon PB ➜ https://amzn.to/2jmzNf4 

Audible ➜ https://adbl.co/2rdeYWZ 

Google Play ➜ http://bit.ly/2rdCLpY 

Add to Goodreads ➜ http://bit.ly/2u05pwX

Excerpt:

“So you just kissed me because you wanted to.” I speak on a breath.

“Very good. You’re perceptive. Intuitive.”

I realize he’s teasing me in that low, terribly rumbly voice and I wish he would smile at me.

He takes my hand and fingers my palm with his thumb as he leads me to our suite.

I’m sizzling where he touches me, nervously prying my hand free when he leads me into the biggest, most spectacular two-bedroom penthouse suite I’ve ever seen. Not that I’d seen one before in person, only movies.

There’s a kitchen area, and windows from floor to ceiling. A living room, a pool table, gold brass chandeliers, a brown-and-beige-patterned carpet, dark woods, Italian leathers. Gorgeous! I could move in here.

Now I see the appeal but won’t admit as much.

Thinking of our bet, I pay attention to the art on the walls. It’s expensive. I can tell by the numbered print and the signature. Painters with indecipherable and artistic signatures are often the artists to watch. It’s like they know from the moment they paint their first work that they’re on to something big, something that will distinguish their work from all others.

I wish Cullen loved art as much as I do. Maybe I could drag him away from the tables to a local gallery.

“Wow. I could just live he—” I spin around and bump into his big warm body, and he bends his head and kisses my words right out of me.

Kisses me stupid. Kisses my toes curled. Kisses my brain blank. Kisses my heart crazy.

About the Author:

Katy Evans is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her debut REAL shot to the top of the bestselling lists in 2013 and since then 9 of her titles have been New York Times bestsellers. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages across the world.

Connect with the Author:

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2LXvxzk 

Twitter: @authorkatyevan 

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2mMgBsR 

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2OoQl4H 

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2AdFs2A 

Amazon Author: https://amzn.to/2rdox8A

Playboy by Katy Evans

While it isn't quite necessary to read the previous books in the Manwhore series, I still highly recommend it because Rachel, Gina, and Livvy's books were great. Rachel and Saint's was my favorite! This time, it's Wynn's turn in Playboy. It's been a long time coming but I never thought she would be paired with Callan Carmichael's brother, Cullen. He was barely mentioned in Livvy and Callan's book but what we do know of him was that he liked to compete, gamble, and a mysterious figure. Fast forward a couple of months later, specifically after the events of Womanizer, Wynn meets Cullen at an unexpected place -- not knowing that he had already marked her as his when she was with her ex-boyfriend, Emmett, a long time ago.

It's a very interesting premise and I wish I liked it more but I felt like something was missing. I had hoped for more of Cullen's POV but what we got was Wynn's back and forth between seeing Cullen as "just a friend" and being tempted by him at every turn. He was obviously seducing her from the get-go and I wanted to know why he was doing it. It seemed like he knew more about her than meets the eye. Anyway, I did really love the banter between Cullen and Wynn though. They were constantly daring and betting against each other until it finally culminated into a very hot night between the two. Although they first met in Chicago, much of the book takes place in Las Vegas. I won't go into detail as to why they were there but as we all know from the synopsis, Cullen is a high-stakes gambler and he aims to win the prize, both Wynn and the title of best player in the world.

Ah, the romance. Katy Evans excels in writing sexual tension and chemistry between her main characters; Wynn and Cullen is no exception. The road leading up to their night together was my favorite part of Playboy. Not only is Cullen confident, sexy, and broody but he knows exactly what he wants and it's Wynn. I'm just shocked that she was able to withstand his intensity and want for so long to be honest. They didn't get together until halfway through the book! I do have to point out that I did get a Remy and Brooke vibe from this book. Cullen considers Wynn his "lucky charm" and it reminded me of Brooke being Remy's from Real.

In the end, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to fans of Katy Evans and the Manwhore series. It was honestly the perfect ending to it all. We even got to see characters from past books and what they have been up to. I'm not sure who's going to be next but I really am curious about Pepper (Wynn's gallery assistant) and Isaac (a friend of Cullen's and the group).

* This ARC was generously provided Social Butterfly PR and Katy Evans for an honest review. *

Rating: ★★★★☆

Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

Right off the bat, I just want to say that I never thought I would be reading a book about HUGH. I mean, he was one of the "antagonists" in the Kate Daniel's series. It's hard to not hold a grudge but I think... Ilona and Gordon have managed to make me (and I'm sure several others) a fan. I no longer "hate" or despise Hugh for what he did. He's still an asshole but he's also become more human in my eyes. Not to mention Elara is his perfect half; their chemistry is hilarious and HOT. Anyway, I'll go further in-depth on what I thought about the story, characters, and romance in this review.

Story: While the story did start off pretty slow, it eventually picks up once Hugh meets Elara, our new heroine so to speak. Unlike Kate's book, Iron and Magic is written in third person. We don't exactly know the full extent of Hugh or Elara's minds but we do know enough. Hugh has been cut off from Roland and he is not the same person who once was. Not only is he miserable but also broken as well. He has lost the will to go on until the Iron Dogs, those who are loyal to Hugh, persuade him to make a move or else they will all die by the hands of Roland's men. By moving on, he eventually meets Elara and her people.

Romance: What I loved most about Hugh and Elara's relationship is that it starts out very unconventional. They absolutely hate each other's guts but are forced to marry each other for the sake of their own people's safety. What we all don't realize until much later on is that their mutual hatred for each other has turned into a deep attraction between the two. Hugh loves taunting and fighting Elara and I'm quite certain she feels the same way. He doesn't feel broken whenever he's with her and instead feels electrified by it. It almost reminds me of Nevada and Rogan's (from the Hidden Legacy series) relationship when they were in their early stages. I never expected to root for Hugh but I'm definitely rooting for him now and his relationship with Elara!

Characters: There were a lot of new characters in this book, some old and new, and also a few unexpected cameos (Raphael, Andrea, Ascanio!!!) Kate was also mentioned a couple of times in this book and I honestly got goosebumps. Fans of the Kate Daniel's series should know that Kate's story is ending very soon so this can be counted as a prequel of sorts to the final book. Anyway, I look forward to getting books/stories for the new characters since I do see an attraction between one of the Iron Dogs and Elara's friend/close confidant, Stoyan and Johanna.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though it took me awhile to read and review it. I can't wait to see where Hugh's story will lead because Elara is a very special being. I'm not too entirely sure what she is but... she is very powerful and ancient. Even Hugh is unsure and that says a lot. However, the fact that Hugh is willing to try for their marriage is already an amazing thing, especially when they never wanted each other in the first place. I highly recommend this book for fans of Ilona Andrews and the Kate Daniel's series.

* This book was generously provided by Netgalley for an honest review. 

Rating: ★★★★☆

Teaser: Playboy by Katy Evans

A brand new contemporary romance from New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Katy Evans.

It started as a game.

We flirted. We played. Most importantly—we won.

Then I discovered who he was: Gambler. Famous playboy. Silver-eyed player who never plays to lose...

And my best friend’s soon-to-be brother in law, Cullen Carmichael.

He needed a good luck charm, I needed a distraction.

So we made a gamble and set off for Vegas—but pretty soon—I was in too deep.

My heart, soul, and body weren't supposed to be part of the deal.

But somewhere between big wins and long nights, my house of cards started to tumble.

What was this devil with those piercing eyes doing to me?

I’d given up on love, but the wicked, all-in Cullen Carmichael was upping the ante and wouldn’t stop until he’d won it all.

Preorder Links:

Amazon ➜ https://amzn.to/2Ks0ziz
iBooks ➜ https://goo.gl/KZtdzb
Nook ➜ https://goo.gl/YFL3ic
Kobo ➜ https://goo.gl/daUTwS
Amazon PB ➜ https://amzn.to/2jmzNf4

Audible ➜ https://adbl.co/2rdeYWZ
Google Play ➜ http://bit.ly/2rdCLpY Add to Goodreads ➜ http://bit.ly/2u05pwX

*Playboy contains characters from the Manwhore Series, but is written to be read as a standalone.