Guest Post – Obsessed by Lisa Sanchez

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books!

Today we are welcoming Lisa Sanchez to the blog.  She is the author of Obsessed, a Romantic Suspense novel.  Obsessed is touring as part of a Goddess Fish Blog Tour.  Click here to find out more about the stops on this tour. There is a $20.00 Amazon gift card up for grabs to someone who comments on this tour.  To increase your chances, follow the tour and comment at each stop!

Obsessed was released in March to rave reviews.  Emily at Sensual Reads gives Obsessed 4.5 stars and says: “Obsessed is a riveting roller coaster ride from the first page until the very last.”  Night Owl Reviews has given Obsessed it’s Top Pick award and 4.75 stars.  These are pretty good ratings, I think!  I haven’t had the opportunity to read Obsessed yet, but I’ve read several reviews and it holds the top spot on my wish lists!  When I found out that I was hosting Obsessed, I wanted Lisa to talk about her favorite character.  Here’s what she has to say:

Thank you so much, Barb, for having me at Sugarbeat’s Books! I’m so happy to be here.

Today I’m going to be talking about my favorite character from my latest release, Obsessed. Nick Ackart is the male protagonist of this particular story, and he most definitely is not your typical hero. Now, don’t get me wrong. I enjoy stories with muscled up, wealthy, corporate tycoons who whisk their heroines away for an amazing weekend of shmexing just like anyone else. But, I also love me a bad boy, a man who for whatever reason is suffering or broken.

Why, you ask? For me, it’s simple. When the broken and brooding hero comes full circle, when he overcomes whatever obstacle has been holding him back, his happily ever after is that much sweeter. Plus, there’s just something about a bad boy that makes me weak in the knees. I’ve described Nick as tall, tatted and angsty on more than one occasion. He sports a skull trimmed cut, gauges, tattoos, nipple rings and a serious attitude. Oh! And did I mention his profession? Nick works in construction. Shmexy Boy works with his hands. Rowr!

Nick is very jaded at the beginning of the story. He’s suffered a huge loss, endured a life-changing event that’s knocked him off his axis. Rather than seek help, he flounders about on his own. His coping mechanism consists of copious amounts of booze and meaningless sex. The booze keeps him numb, and though he’s not looking for a connection, the string of one-night stands helps him to mask his loneliness. As the effects of the booze wears off, Nick comes to the realization he’s not happy with how he’s been dealing with things and decides to lay off women. This, of course, is when he meets Halley. I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone. But, I will say that Halley gets under Nick’s skin something fierce, and he finds it impossible to stay away from her. Feelings he believed had died long ago rise to the surface, and we see a whole new, and might I add, very delicious side of him.

The thought of reading a book about Nick is what has put Obsessed at the top of my wish list!  Here’s the blurb:

The victim of both a brutal attempted rape and now a serial stalking, Halley Davis is broken, and desperate to glue the shattered pieces of her life back together. Tormented by a psychopath and battling a heavy dose of anxiety, sex and dating are the last things on Halley’s anxiety-ridden mind. That is, until she meets the man who rescued her from the hands of a would-be rapist. With a body made for sin, a wicked, sexy tattoo and an aura that screams “badass,” her rescuer not only calms the storm of terror raging inside her mind, he ignites a passion within her she’s never known before.

Tired of using meaningless sex to drown out the horrors of his past, Nick Ackart has sworn off women. In fact, if women were classified as meat, his ass is Vegan. Despite his determination to remain unattached, Nick is unable to stay away from the emerald-eyed beauty he rescued from a sadistic pervert. Immersed in a tangled web of sexual desire and deep emotion he was certain was long dead, he vows to protect Halley from the monster hounding her, even though he stands to lose his heart in the process.

If the blurb didn’t convince you, here’s an excerpt!

Kaiti let out a frustrated sigh and yanked her cell out of her bag. “This crap isn’t gonna fly. I need to call the city and find out why our water isn’t turned on. I’ll be right back.” She stormed out the back entrance of the future bakery, her black heels clacking against the floor, her cell phone plastered to her ear.

Alone, Halley inhaled a slow, steady breath. She stood in the center of the large empty space, just breathing in the possibilities. Closing her eyes, she let her imagination run wild. She may have been standing amidst the dusty remnants of what was once a clothing boutique, but her mind pictured a bustling café. A top-notch pâtisserie, pushing out the finest cassata, pasticciotti, and cannoli money could buy. Located on Columbus, in the heart of San Francisco’s North Beach, Zeppoli’s Bakery would be the place to go to get your sugar on. In just a handful of weeks, the dream she’d been holding on to for so long would finally become a reality. And oh yeah, baby, she was giddy with excitement.

The corners of her lips pulled up into a smile as she pictured a large refrigerated display case full of pastries, cakes, and desserts. The image of a shiny new commercial-grade convection oven filled with biscotti sent her mouth watering and her mind racing with possibilities. Most women got excited about new shoes, expensive designer purses. Not her. Throw a commercial-grade mixer in front of her, and she’d salivate all over the thing. The name KitchenAid was an aphrodisiac.

“Daydreaming, are we?”

Halley jumped, her high-pitched yelp bouncing off the dust-covered walls. She wheeled around, her hands automatically reaching for her injured neck and chest as she backed away from — Mr. Blue Eyes?

First of all, Obsessed can be purchased at Loose Id.  Be sure to check out this book as well as her other works!  I’d like to thank Lisa for dropping by the blog today to talk about Nick and her book Obsessed!  I hope she visits again!

Lisa loves to connect with her readers!  She can be found at her website, her blog, on Twitter, and at Goodreads.