Blog Tour: Beautifully Awake

Title: Beautifully Awake
Author: Riley Mackenzie
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 2, 2013
Hosted By: Love Between the Sheets
Reviewed by: Taryn
Reason for Reading: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Lili Porter hates the rain. Bad things happen in the rain. As a small town social worker dedicated to protecting children, she is forced to start over to escape her rural disaster. Determined to follow her father’s advice—head up and chin high—Lili finds herself in a new city, taking on a new system, this time healthcare. In doing so, she gets something she never expected, an intimate behind-the-scenes look at life in the hospital.

Lili learns that a surgeon’s hands have the power to heal more than physical wounds. And a prescription for truth can cure three years of sleep running and leave you beautifully awake.

 WHERE TO BUY 

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Lili is a social worker who left her small town to take a job as a case manager in Pediatric Surgery at Philadelphia Hospital. Due to budget issues, resources had to be reallocated and case managers started to rotate on different surgery services. At the beginning of the story, Lili had just started a new rotation in Neurosurgery. Her first encounter with the sexy, chiseled Dr. Chase Colton, Chief of Neurosurgery, left her awestruck. Their mutual attraction was instant and magnetic. She was then invited into the OR for surgeries in which the patient was woken up mid-procedure. Very quickly, Lili and Chase’s relationship moved from professional to personal as they were unable to ignore their intense connection. Over time, they had to help one another come to terms with their traumatic pasts in order to move on and find true happiness together.

When I first read Beautifully Awake’s description, I knew it would appeal to me since I’m such a big fan of medical dramas on TV. As promised, there was a glimpse into the daily workings of a hospital and its staff. We got to know Guy--the 3rd year resident with a bit of a crush on Lili, Sam--the intern, Jackson--the physician assistant, Leanne--the nurse, and Kate from the recovery room. And we also got to see what happens in the on-call room, if you know what I’m saying. ;) I’m not sure how realistic all of these medical details and scenarios were, but it was fun to read anyway.

I had mixed feelings about Chase as a love interest. He was attractive, mysterious, and an unselfish lover. He treated Lili well, wining and dining her in New York City and spoiling her with designer shopping sprees. But at the same time he was extremely possessive, which was a big turn off for me, and some of his lines were too cheesy for my taste.

Lili and Chase’s chemistry was off the charts. This story was more explicit than the romances I usually read, so be prepared for some seriously steamy scenes. But it wasn’t all lust and passion--Lili and Chase connected on a much deeper level, too. Once they finally opened up about their pasts, they helped each other start to trust again and let go of guilt.

Some of my favorite secondary characters were the best friends. Sierra, Lili’s pregnant BFF, wasn’t afraid to tell her the truth and was always there to support her and listen to her problems. Sierra also provided a lot of comic relief with her pregnancy stories. Asher was also a great friend to Chase, and toward the end of the story, Lili found herself wondering why Asher was still single. I was thinking the same thing while reading. It turns out that the next book in the series will tell Asher’s story!

I recommend Beautifully Awake to anyone looking for a sexy and entertaining read about two broken people who help one another heal their emotional wounds.

GIVEAWAY

Prizes:
(5) Signed Paperbacks of Beautifully Awake (US Only)
(5) $5 Starbuck's Gift Cards
(1) Grand Prize: Kindle Paperwhite 

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