Blog Tour: Review + Excerpt & Giveaway: Unlikely Allies by C.C. Koen

Hola! 

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for The Unlikely Allies by C.C. Koen hosted by the wonderful Indie Sage PR! 

So here’s what you have to look forward to in this stop – A review by yours truly (spoiler free, hopefully!), a wonderful excerpt to give you a sneak peak into this beautiful book and a Giveaway where you can win a goodie bag (US Only!). 

I hope you enjoy your stay as much as I have enjoyed bringing this for you!

What happens when a single mom’s four-year-old daughter falls in love with Mr. Right and she doesn’t?

Maggie Tyson’s rule: no bad boys. Her incarcerated ex-husband broke her of that attraction. Needing to escape his threats and the scrutiny of the people in her hometown, Maggie relocates to New York City. Determined to not make the same mistakes, she has a mile-long list of dos and don’ts. Unfortunately, her daughter, Cecily, doesn’t like to follow them. When Cecily wanders away from her and right into Rick Stone’s office, Maggie knows he’s the exact type she’s been trying to avoid. Can she resist him or will she succumb to his willful charm?

Rick Stone’s rule: bed them don’t wed them. Running a multibillion dollar business doesn’t leave him with much time to do anything else, particularly with an overbearing grandfather breathing down his neck. But when a man works hard, he needs to play even harder. Voted America’s most eligible bachelor, Rick doesn’t have any problems getting women into his bed—except one.
Two auburn beauties stumble into his life.
One will break his heart.
The other—heal it.
Will he love or leave them?

I have always loved reading kids in a romance story! There something that is magical about being in the mind of kid, to see how they see the world and to understand how absolutely innocent their frame of mind is. It’s so easier to fall in love with a child character because of how open and honest they actually are!

And that is what hooked on to this book – Cece! That’s it! I adored her. She is this wonderful ball of energy who bought even the grumpiest of man down to his knees (Read: Rick’s Grandpa!) with just her own pure little self.

Rick Stone is the first one to meet Cece – and he is still bowled over. A guy who has decided that having a family is definitely not on his bucket list is bowled over by the friendship band, the warm hugs and the genuine smiles that Cece had only for him. And that fact that her mom’s a looker is not exactly a hardship for him – although to be fair their relationship wasn’t exactly a bed of roses. But more on that later!

Rick is the ultimate workaholic and a playboy. He lost his father and since then has been emotionally closed off, especially since his grandfather has been been on his case to do things his way in business and trying to marry him off to a Grade I Witch! While I never could understand the reason for his emotional distance, I still liked, not loved, but liked him! He was in the end a stand up guy!

Maggie is the single mother of Cece – who is only just getting out of a really bad and f****d up situation. She is only now getting on her feet, providing a safe life for Cece and the last thing she wants or needs is to get involved with a playboy with serious control issues!

But here, I had a problem with Maggie as a character. She did basically come off as immature woman, even with a kid. Don’t get me wrong, she was a kick ass mom, and she knew how to keep Rick on his toes but she still made decisions that honestly made me want to throw my iPad at the wall and that’s saying a lot since I absolutely love my iPad.

Now after reading till now, you must be wondering why I have given this book a 4 Star rating – it’s only because of Cece and the epilogue 😀

The epilogue made up for any irritations I might have had with the book or the characters and I am really hoping and praying that Cece gets her own book because that epilogue was full of hints 😉

So, Ms. Koen, can we (I) please have an answer about Cece’s story? 😀 😛

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

If you love kids in romance – trust me you will like this one! Because Cece is definitely the heart stealer of this story!

Rick waved to Paul, the evening security guard, and exited the office building. Another midnight departure. It wasn’t that Rick noticed the time anymore; a fifteen-hour work day was common for him. Tonight though, he left with each task on his to-do list accomplished.

Dead tired, he focused on the parking garage across the street. At the walking signal, he jogged to the other side. Two huddled bodies in the bus stop enclosure captured his attention. “What are you doing?” He rushed toward them, stopping at the edge of the bench.

Maggie jolted and glowered at him. “You scared me half to death. I’m waiting for the bus.”

Was she out of her mind? “It’s not safe. You can’t even defend yourself. Not with a sleeping girl in your arms.”

Maggie rested her cheek on top of Cece’s. “I don’t have a choice.”

“You could have caught a cab.”

She tilted her chin up, shot him an agitated brow, and buried her face against Cece’s. “It’s far. It would’ve been too expensive.”

“I’ll drive you. Where do you live?”

“No,” she whispered.

“It wasn’t a choice, Maggie.” He leaned down to scoop Cece into his arms, but Maggie put her hand up, stopping him.

“Don’t.” She stared, unrelenting, and her back scooted into the corner of the booth. Her tight, squared shoulders were on full alert. “How do I know you aren’t some lunatic?”

He wanted to laugh, he really did, but her honest reaction shouldn’t have surprised him. Used to getting his way, he hadn’t thought twice or considered she’d protest the offer. His mouth pulled into a frown as he considered his intimidating stance towering over her. He backed up a few steps, raising his hands. Unwilling to relent, he scrolled through his cell, pressed a few buttons, and when he got an answer, he kept his focus on her. “I need you to vouch for me.” His best friend’s laughter on the other end ticked him off, but he wouldn’t rest until he had his way. “Mention I’m a good guy.” Then he eased closer to Maggie, his hand extended, urging her to accept a concession he wasn’t used to making.

Her eyes flicked from him to the phone and back a few times. He wasn’t sure if the blank look on her face meant she believed him or she’d scream for help. Several tense seconds later, she plucked the cell from his hands, her fingertips clipped to the top and nowhere near close to touching him. “Hello.” Her quiet, reserved whisper revealed hesitancy, but her intense observation demonstrated she wouldn’t surrender easily. “Maggie Tyson.” After a brief pause she answered with a relieved and happy bounce in her voice, “Oh, Matt, hey.” She listened and nodded, her lips curled into a quirky smile and disappeared before he could appreciate it. “Yeah. Uh, huh. Will do, bye.”

After he tucked the phone in his suit pocket, his hand clenched it over and over, waiting for her to say something, anything. Tired of the long silence and her scrutinizing inspection of his eyes, nose, mouth, and grinding jaw, he rocked back and forth on his heels for the second time. “Well?”

Don’t forget to enter this amazing giveaway to win The Unlikely Allies Goodies Bag – US Only! Go ahead and click on the beautiful picture below and enter for your chance ❤

C.C. Koen writes contemporary romance with a twist. An avid reader who enjoys mystery and suspense, her stories will never be what you expect. Determined to find adventure in her dreams and life, she enjoys skydiving, sailing and any activity that challenges her. Teacher by day, romance writer at night produce an active imagination that comes to life in her writing.

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