BLOG TOUR- REVIEW, EXCERPT, AUTHOR INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY OF SIX OF HEARTS BY L.H. COSWAY

RATING: 5 STARS

“Come on upstairs, and I’ll get you some antiseptic for that,” I whisper, touching his hand for a second. I slip off my heels and leave them at the bottom of the stairs.

He follows silently behind me, and I wonder if he’s checking out my arse again like last time. I don’t have the courage to turn around and investigate, though.

When we reach the bathroom, I pull a bottle of antiseptic from the shelf and some cotton wool from the cupboard. Jay sits down on the edge of the bathtub, watching me.

“You really shouldn’t have attacked that man,” I say. “I’ve had worse things said to me over the years.”

His eyes darken. “Who’s said worse to you, Matilda?”

I shrug it off. “Almost every time my friend Michelle and I go out, we get crude stuff shouted at us. I think it’s all part and parcel of being around drunk men with no filters.” I pause and amend, “The women can be fairly nasty at times, too.”

“Well, that’s probably because they’re jealous. And the men do it because they misguidedly think it’ll get them laid.”

I laugh softly and pour some antiseptic onto the cotton wool before sitting down beside him and bringing it to his hand. “‘Misguided’ is definitely the right word.”

When the cotton wool meets his knuckles, he hisses and curses, “Motherfucker.”

“You know what? You Boston-Irish swear even more than us Irish-Irish,” I joke.

“Yeah,” says Jay. “I’ve got a dirty mouth, but it’s mostly used for good.”

I glance at him. The way he’s looking at me makes me feel all funny and hot, so I hand him the cotton wool.

“There. You can finish yourself off,” I say, standing up.

I have to resist the urge to face palm when I see the size of his smile. Sometimes I think my brain might just be a gaping hole containing nothing but unconscious innuendo.

“You know what I mean,” I mutter as I open the door to leave.

“Oh, I know exactly what you mean,” Jay calls after me.

“I’m going to bed.”

“Sleep tight.”

I can still hear him chuckling as I close my bedroom door.

I've always been a fan of magicians or the cooler more modern term, illusionists. Them making you see things one way when they are really another. So to say when I read the blurb for this months ago I was more than intrigued and breathing a sigh of relief that this was a book that you just knew would be different from the rest. And rest assure, this book was that and then some. Let me get you through the backstory and then be prepared for my lovefest. You've been warned!

"Six of Hearts" by L.H. Cosway introduces you to Matilda Brandon, secretary for her dad's small law firm and Jay Fields, big time illusionist in the States. He's made his way back to Ireland to start legal action against a newspaper company who has labeled him every bad name in the book and he wants her dad help to take them down. He's also back after tragedy struck him many years ago. He's back to settled a vendetta he started many years ago on that fateful and tragic night. He's here to make the people who ripped away his childhood pay, but that damn heart of his keeps getting in the way. Why, you ask, because there is more to Jay and Matilda then meets the eye. Their connection started many years ago and Jay will make sure that connection continues through their future. But first he's got to settle the score with his enemies before they have a chance to rip away their future.

This is my second book by Ms. Cosway. My first book was Still Life With Strings and needless to say I loved that book too. Ms. Cosway has a way of writing her books that make you feel like your watching a movie. The setting, her characters seem so life like. It's crazy. I read this book in 2 1/2 days, a record for me. If I was single and no kids then, probably a day. She also doesn't want to make you put her books down. You want to curse and throw things when you have too. Sucky feeling let me tell you. Her characters dialogue is engaging, humorous, witty and heartfelt. Her characters themselves are just lovable and people you would want to have in your everyday life. *Sigh* Why can't books be real sometimes?

Jay and Matilda is on my favorite couple list. They are in my top five and someone is definitely getting kicked out their spot so I can put them there. Matilda is sweet, a bit nerdy (loved that), caring and a strong female but in a quiet way that makes you take notice. She fell for Jay right off the bat, I mean who wouldn't. But she didn't chase or throw herself at his feet. She respected herself as a woman. Matilda was such a well written character. Loved her. Jay, Jay, Jay...if I was single I would do everything opposite Matilda and throw myself at this man's feet. I think...no I know I drooled quite a bit during this book when it came to him. He oozed coolness, confidence, humor and dominance. I swear I could see Jay as a dude in real life. Much cooler than David Blaine and Cris Angel. He wasn't some alpha millionaire trying to get his woman, no he was a illusionist, wealthy in his own right trying to get his woman. That alone made him so much more appealing. Forgot to mention, muscles, tatted and a bit of a bad boy. Yeah that hooked me too. Not going to even lie! Why can more of our book hubbies or boyfriends be more like Jay Fields? I love you LH for creating him. He is just perfection.

If you want something DIFFERENT, real life feel kind of a romance then do yourself a favor and pick this book up! I need a change from the mundane every now and then. This was it for me. This book came at such a good time. For me, Ms. Cosway puts fun back into reading. Just like Jay puts fun back into the art of magic. This book will not disappoint. I'm becoming such a fan of her work. I swear to you once I was done I wanted to reread this book all over again. But because of my reading schedule, I just couldnt'. Damn, damn, damn!!! I will be waiting patiently for her next book that's for sure. Out of a 5 I'm giving this 5 stars. Excellent!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH L.H. COSWAY

1) Now we know Jay is a magician, illusionist if you will, where did you get the inspiration to write a character like Jay?

Oh, everywhere really. None of my characters come from any one person or thing. Jay is obviously a product of my life-long love for magic. Sometimes certain places really inspire me and give me this urge to create. For example, going to a weird underground night club will make me think of Jay and how I could set a scene for his performances using the real night club as inspiration.

2) I truly felt Jay and Matilda were just a little too real (lifelike), maybe this was a real life experience or something. Are Jay and Matilda based on anyone that you know?

If only they were real…sigh. My character’s personalities are usually based on a combination of real people I’ve known and then there’s always a little bit of me in there, too. It’s something I aspire to, actually, to make my characters feel like real people, so I’m glad they came across that way to you. When I’m writing dialogue, I always try to think about what a person would actually say in real life, rather than some clichéd sentence that you often come across in books.

3) If they said Six of Hearts was being made into a film, who would you want to see play Jay and Matilda?

On Pinterest I’ve used a lot of Tom Hardy pics for Jay, and a lot of Emilia Clarke pics for Matilda. No actor is ever exactly how you imagine the character, but those two come pretty close.

4) How has being an author changed you, if it has at all?

It definitely has changed me. Now I’m constantly dreaming up scenarios for my books and absorbing life around me as inspiration. For example, while I was writing Six of Hearts I went to an outdoor cinema in a park with my friends. There were lots of couples around me having romantic dates, and I was like, Jay and Matilda so have to do this in the book.

5) What inspires you to write?

Gah! Life, art, people…everything. Every once in a while I’ll get this sharp feeling of inspiration in my chest, and I’ll be like, I must write. Whatever I’m doing at that very moment inspires me to create a new story or add to the one I’m already working on. It could be walking down a street where I can picture my characters walking, or stepping into a building where I want to set a story or scene.

6) Who's on your music playlist when your writing?

It’s always different with each book. When I was writing Six of Hearts I listened to a lot of Eminem. I was basically rediscovering his entire back catalogue as I composed the story. In my early teens he was a little bit like a religion for me, so it was great to go back and relive that music. His songs were the perfect vibe for Jay, because they have this really intense and often cathartic mix of anger and humour. One or two of his songs also mention magic and illusion (and the start of the video for “Role Model” has this great Houdini-esque scene.)

7) Favorite Book?

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. It’s where I get my pen name “Cosway” from.

8) Favorite Movie?

Oh, there are too many to name. One of my favourites in recent years was Byzantium. It was so unique and I love films with strong female leads.

9) Favorite Concert you been to?

Shall we return to the topic of Eminem? Lol. I’m not sure if this was my favourite concert, but it was certainly the most memorable. When I was just 15, my friend and I went to see him play this gigantic outdoor concert. We really had no right being there as it was basically full of crazy people on drugs. But I’ll always remember the pure excitement of that moment when he first came onto the stage and I was seeing this guy who was my idol in the flesh.

10) If you could meet any famous person (dead or alive) who would it be?

Stephen Fry. Even though he’s intimidatingly intelligent, he’s also one of those people that I feel like you could have an incredible life changing conversation with. And I secretly kind of wish he was my BFF.

Thanks to LH for taking the time to answer my questions! <3 <3 <3

-Lynne

The Nerdy Dirty Girlies Book Blog received a complimentary copy of Six of Hearts by the author in exchanged for a honest review