Release Blitz & Review::: Hopeless Vows by Rachael Duncan
Title: Hopeless Vows
Author: Rachael Duncan
Genre: Contemporary Romance Standalone
Release Date: February 22, 2016
Photographer: Perrywinkle Photography
Cover Designer: Cover Me Darling
It was a modern take on an arranged marriage that was supposed to lead to my happily ever after. The rules were simple:
1. Marry a complete stranger chosen for you by professionals.
2. Live together as man and wife for eight weeks while cameras record your every move.
3. Make a decision to stay together or get a divorce.
Call me crazy, but I had complete faith in the process, until I saw who was waiting for me at the end of the aisle.
Austin James has never met me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know him. With no other choice, I say my vows and pray I can make it through the next eight weeks. Then I’ll leave. What connects us is my best kept secret, and I’ll protect it at all costs even if that means walking away from the only person I’ve ever cared about.
4 out of 5 stars
This is the 2nd book I’ve read recently with the mystery wedding angle though this one was different because the newlyweds were on a reality show. I enjoy Ms Duncan’s writing style and immediately fell in love with Austin. His wife, Jillian, on the other hand took a little longer for me to like.
One of my hesitations with this book was how quickly Austin & Jillian seemed to connect. I I know that everyone has different comfort levels, but there is no way I would have shared a bed with a man I just met on my wedding night -- even if he were my husband.
However, saying all of that, Austin would have quickly wormed his way into my heart. He sends Jillian flowers every Monday and his notes on those flowers got me from teh very beginning. He is so sweet:
Friendship is the foundation to a happy relationship. And I look forward to you becoming my best friend. Have a great day, gorgeous.
He calls her gorgeous from day one and he treats her like a princess always. I was almost jealous of how much he loved her - even before he loved her.
Now onto other characters, I hated Jillian’s best friend, Janey, from our second encounter with her. I just didn’t like how she interacted with Jillian even though she was the only person in Jillian’s life. Maybe I’m just judgmental, but she drove me crazy!
Overall this book played with all of my emotions - I was awed, angry, sad, happy, joyful, scared. Basically, if you can feel it, I did while reading this novel. This book had great build up to the climax and the story flowed really well, too.
"This is the first book I've read by Rachael Duncan, but it won't be my last. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish." - A.M. Madden, Amazon and Barnes & Noble Best Selling Romance Author
"I can't rate Hopeless Vows high enough and I honestly feel like this will be Rachael's breakthrough novel that will take her places and have her name known all around this community. Brilliant job!" -Swoon Worthy Book Blog
"I haven't had a book hangover in so long and after reading Hopeless Vows, I did. This book is beyond good." -Joanne Schwehm, author of the Prescott Series
"What did I think? I'm honestly not sure I can convey what I think right now. I feel like no matter what words I put down that it won't do this book justice." - Books, Chocolate, and Lipgloss
"Jillian and Austin literally sizzled on the pages. The chemistry was palpable. The characters were well-developed and the plot was so much more than I thought it would be." -Casey L. Bond, author of The Sin Series
"I love the way her writing balances sexiness, humor and hurt, and I find myself able to relate to her characters, no matter how outlandish or unconventional their circumstances." -Give Me Books
"As an author, it's hard for me to find a book that is unpredictable for me. Usually, I can see twists and turns coming from a mile away, but Rachael had a couple for me I never saw coming." -JB McGee, Best Selling Author
The longer this experiment goes on, the more I fall for him, and the more the deceit eats at me. When I lie awake some nights, it crawls up my body, tickling my skin, reminding me that underneath, I’m a horrible human being. Deceitful. Cowardly. Manipulative. Selfish. All negative adjectives, and all describe me. He’ll never find out, taunts an inner voice. What’s worse is that it also tells me it’s okay to keep this from him. That the two of us can live out this fantasy unscathed and content. As delusional as my inner voice is, I find myself clinging to it like a leech, feasting on the lie.
Rachael Duncan is an Army wife to her amazing husband, Steven, and mother to their beautiful daughters, Natalie and Zoe. She grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and went off to graduate from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor's degree in political science. With initial plans to work in politics, she moved to Washington, D.C. and worked on Capitol Hill for a House Representative. After a short time, she realized it wasn't for her and began pursuing other careers until she started writing.
She's author of Tackled by Love and The Lies and Truth Duet.
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