Virtual Book Tour & Review: Ulterior Motives

Please welcome author Chandra Ryan, who has answered my questions, and is going to talk about her new release, Ulterior Motives. Also, after that, you'll see my review that I've written for the book.  Chandra will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! To find the other stops on the tour, go here. And don't forget to look for the rafflecopter!

The Questions

1)      You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

If I were marooned on a small island with one person, it'd have to be my husband. He’s the only one who could survive with his sanity intact after being confined to a small space with me and all my neurotic tendencies. And the one thing I’d take with me would be a feather duster. Because…um…there’s dust everywhere. Yeah, that’s the reason.

2)      Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

The Wizard of Oz, because having two little boys means my life seldom makes any logical sense. And I’d be

Dorothy. Always looking at rainbows and wondering what’s on the other side but, in my heart, I know that there’s no place like home.

3)      Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them:  night, union,  minute

She was standing in front of Union Station at one minute to midnight. The thick summer air clung to her like a damp cloth, but she refused to let it ruin her mood. In one minute, she’d see her love. In one minute, she’d be in his presence again.

It’d been such a long week while she waited for his return. And now, on this last night, in this last minute, the wait had become unbearable. Time was absolute. A minute was a minute. So how could it be that this night, this minute had lasted an eternity? One minute…

4)      You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to make love to anyone you want.

Who do you choose and why?

Catwoman. Because if I’m set loose on the world of fiction I’m coming back with the best story ever!

5)      What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

My favorite romantic times are the lazy moments. When we’re still snuggling in bed at ten in morning. When we’re watching TV on the couch and the kids are tucked into bed. When we sneak off to lunch when the kids are at school. So much of our lives are rushed, I always savor the times we can just relax and enjoy being together.

6)      When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

I always start with the characters. I have no idea what the people will do until I know who they are. Kat sends off for a mail order groom because she’s a lonely rancher on a settler planet. It’s her life that has made her who she is. And it’s who she is that makes the start of the story possible.

7)      If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

Helena Bonham Carter. We look nothing alik,e but she’s so damn cool that I kind of hope some of that coolness would rub off on me just by association.

   8)    Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

Jack Torrance from the Shining. He’s played by Jack Nicholson and you don’t get cooler than that. But I also think it’s also because he’s just a normal guy, a writer, until he snaps. And when he goes crazy, he doesn’t do it by half-measures. That he’s an everyman makes his character that much more terrifying.

9)      Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?

Steve Jobs. From what I’ve seen and read about him, he always seemed like a very passionate and creative person. He was confident and driven. And he was always hot.

10)   Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

So much has changed over the last couple of years. We have women’s book groups reading BDSM. The Supreme Court’s ruling on DOMA. Prime time television shows allude to sexual practices that used to be considered kinky. So I don’t think there is. I think the world is pretty open to ideas right now.

Ulterior Motives

by Chandra Ryan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Universal Defiance, Book One

On a rural settler planet, Kat must resort to putting out an ad to find a husband. She doesn’t expect to find love—that’s a dream in these parts—just a partner to help work her ranch. Then the devastatingly handsome Jasper answers her ad and turns her on in ways she never dreamed possible. Too bad he’s not who he says he is.

Jasper doesn’t know what he’s getting into when he ventures undercover to investigate a legal claim against Kat’s ranch. But after a toe-curling night under her roof and in her bed, he’s willing to do anything to stay there. He can’t say no to the tough-as-nails businesswoman who makes his body come alive.

When people start getting hurt, though, both Kat and Jasper have to decide how valuable one piece of land is. And the ranch that brought them together might be the very thing standing between them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

“Excuse me, sir.” Her calm words broke through the chaos of the port station and gained his undivided attention. This close to him, staring into his rich, brown eyes, her stomach began to churn with nerves. She quickly pushed through the sensation, though. She didn’t have the time for silliness. And it was the height of absurdity for her to be uncomfortable around her soon-to-be husband. “I’m Katarina Maxim. My friends call me Kat.”

She held her hand out to him in casual greeting as she tried not to fidget. She’d debated how to greet him as she’d driven to the station. A kiss seemed rather forward. But she did want him to feel welcomed. A handshake seemed like the best idea at the time. Now, as she waited for him to take her hand, she started second-guessing herself.

“Katarina, that’s a lovely name.”

She noted that he’d called her Katarina but tried not to let that color her first impression of him. She didn’t hate the name nor did she hate being called by it. It just didn’t fit her. Not anymore. Katarina sounded soft, delicate—refined, even. Like she’d been before her family had moved here. She could only hope that he didn’t see her as any of those things. If he did, he would be sorely disappointment when he got to know her better. “Kat. Only my mother called me by my full name,” she pressed.

“Kat it is.” His smile seemed genuine but his palm was as soft as new leather when he finally took hers. If he stayed, that would change. This planet demanded calluses and blisters. Her hands were proof of that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Being from a rather nomadic family, Chandra Ryan loves to travel and meet people. But she’s found that sometimes, like when you’re stuck inside because of a good old-fashioned Southwestern heat wave, you have to make do. Fortunately for her and her loving family, who don’t like seeing her suffer from cabin fever, she’s found creating new people and places equally as fascinating. Also, you’re a lot less likely to spill your ice tea.

Web site:

www.ChandraRyan.com

Twitter:

@ChandraRyan

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/chandra.ryan

Buy Link:

http://www.ellorascave.com/ulterior-motives.html

Ulterior Motives     

Author: Chandra Ryan

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave

American release date: July 3, 2013

Format/Genre/Length: EBook/ SciFi Romance /78 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★

Desperate times require desperate measures...

Kat Maxim knows she needs help if she’s going to hold on to her ranch, located on a distant settler planet. A husband is the answer, but she doesn’t have time to play games, or the patience to find a man willing to put in the backbreaking work needed to keep the ranch going. So as a last resort, she places an ad for a husband...

... and she gets Jasper.

Well, she has to admit he’s easy on the eyes. And more than she bargained for.

And he’s also not what he appears to be.

Actually, her need for a husband and her placing of the ad coincides with his desire to investigate her ranch. Claims have been filed against it, but before a decision can be reached, Jasper wants to find out what the facts in the matter are. When Kat learns his true purpose, she wants him to go, but he convinces her that together, they can find the truth.

This is sci fi meets western meets romance, all rolled up together, with a healthy dose of erotica.

I liked the characters. Kat is a tough woman, who knows what she wants, and isn’t afraid to do what’s necessary to accomplish it, even if it means marry a stranger she found in a personal ad. Luckily for her, they have a chemistry she can’t deny, but even that won’t get in the way of her goals. Can she trust Jasper? Whose side is he really on?

The writing flows smoothly, and I found myself hoping for Kat and Jasper to stay together after everything was said and done. The mystery of who is trying to get Kat’s ranch is a good one and kept me wondering almost until the end. The only real criticism I can make is that the setting of the settler planet is underutilized. You almost don’t realize it is another planet, which is where it draws its sci fi from. I think the author could have done more to make us feel like we’re on an alien planet. Otherwise, it could be any western with a mystery.

That being said, I like it, and I would recommend it to someone who likes strong women, and good looking men, and hot sex, laced with western style romance.

a Rafflecopter giveaway