Please welcome Author Melissa Cutler to Sweet Spot Book Blog!
We're chatting about her latest romantic suspense book release and more! There's a giveaway down below.
~ Q&A ~
1.
Welcome to our blog! Please tell our readers a little about yourself
Hi,
Grace, and Hello, Sweet Spot Book Blog readers! My name is Melissa
Cutler, and I’m a romance author. A few things you should probably
know about me are: 1) my favorite
romance novel of all time is THE SECRET by Julie Garwood. (Judith
ROCKS!), 2) I have two suspicious rescue cats named Sugar and A.J, 3)
I once got a ticket for rolling a stop sign while turning right into
a mall parking lot, but I passed traffic school with flying colors!,
4) My favorite movies are Bull Durham and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,
and 5) I am both a terrible housekeeper and gift wrapper.
2.
What do you think readers will like about the main couple in Secret
Agent Secretary, Ryan and Avery?
Great
question! What I’m hoping readers enjoy most about Ryan and Avery
is discovering how perfect they are for each other. There’s no
better woman for a jaded, weary black ops agent like Ryan who has a
deadpan, killer sense of humor than a spy-obsessed, whip-smart
optimist like Avery. I love that he loves how smart and capable she
is. He doesn’t want to control her or run her life; he wants to
help her fly. And in turn, she breathes new life into him and helps
him rediscover how much he loves the world of black ops.
3.
In this book Avery has quite the fascination for guns and gadgets.
As a romantic suspense writer I'm sure you've done a lot of research
in this area. I'm curious if you have a weapon of choice like Avery
does?
Yes,
I do research guns and weaponry quite extensively. I find guns and
America’s love/hate relationship with them endlessly fascinating.
I’m NRA certified with handguns and have tried out many, many other
kinds of firearms. So far, the gun I have enjoyed learning about and
firing the most is a S&W 1911 pistol. I don’t enjoy shotgun
recoil at all, and that would be my least favorite. Of other
varieties of weapons besides guns, what I find truly fascinating is
everyday objects in a person’s environment that can be turned into
weapons—from lamps to T-shirts to (in Avery’s case) paperclips.
4.
Can you share with us a little of what you're currently working on?
Absolutely!
Right now I’m working on the second book in my new Destiny Falls
series, which is a contemporary romance series that revolves around a
men’s league ice hockey team comprised solely of ex-soldiers who
were wounded in battle. The first book is titled THE FIRST TIME and
it debuts this coming August. The book I’m presently working on,
THE ONLY EXCEPTION, comes out in November.
Quickie
questions:
Current
favorite song or band? Tricky question! The last album I bought was
by Florida Georgie Line, the last single I bought was Eminem’s
“Friends with the Monster”, and my favorite all-time album is
Paul Simon’s The
Rhythm of the Saints,
so I’d say I have quite the eclectic taste.
Sweet
or savory? Savory!
Read
anything good lately? Yes. I’m finishing up Lisa Kessler’s You
Slay Me,
which is a paranormal romance about a demon slayer, and it’s SO
GOOD. Loving the alpha hero!
Many thanks to Melissa Cutler for stopping by and chatting with us!
Tops on Avery Meadows's
bucket list is assisting in the capture of an international criminal
mastermind…from the safety of her desk as an ICE Agency secretary. But
when fate catapults her into the arms of sexy, brooding Ryan Reitano —
an undercover ICE agent with dangerous secrets and a past he's desperate
to hide — Avery's dream of saving the world takes on a whole new
twist...
Series: ICE: Black Ops Defenders #2
Release Date: January 1, 2014
Book Links:
ICE: Black Ops Defenders Series:
Book 1 - Tempted Into Danger
Book 2 - Secret Agent Secretary
Book 3 - Hot on the Hunt (expected publication July 2014)
About the Author
Melissa Cutler knows she has the best job in the world, dividing her
time between her dual passions for writing sexy contemporary romances
and edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense for Harlequin, Penguin, St.
Martin’s Press, and Kensington Books. She was struck at an early age by
an unrelenting travel bug and is probably planning her next vacation as
you read this. When she’s not globetrotting, she’s enjoying Southern
California’s flip-flop wearing weather and wrangling two rambunctious
kids.
Five Stars
Feel the RUSH!!!
I love reading romantic suspense. I
love the feel of being on the edge as the plot moves at a quick pace.
I love the build-up of the romance and tension and wondering if the
couple will survive in the next moment. I love how the description
of a deadly weapon can be so sensual. Secret Agent Secretary made me
feel all this and more!
Avery Meadows feels so fortunate to
have her job as a secretary for the ICE Agency. She has a huge
fondness for anything related to secret agents, spying, and gadgets.
Her job is likely the closest thing to getting things checked off her
bucket list even if she doesn't really see any action as an office
secretary. At least she can admire her office crush, Agent Ryan
Reitano, from afar...le sigh! Then one evening Ryan asks for her
help. Oh, boy, what happens next turns into one of the BEST thrill
rides I've ever been on. What an adrenaline rush!!!
I was first introduced to Ryan in the
previous book, Tempted into Danger. In that book you meet all the
members of his Black Ops team. Now, Secret Agent Secretary has
details on what became of that team, so if you don't want to know,
then I suggest reading that book first. The previous book also made
me quite interested in Ryan's character. He's very much into taking
down international criminal Vincenzo Chiara and in this book you'll
find out why. With Avery by his side, his lifelong quest to getting
this particular bad guy could very well happen.
“Number one rule of being a
secret agent—there's a time to kick butt and a time to stay cool.
Recognizing which is which can mean the difference between life and
death—or worse.”
I absolutely adored Ryan and Avery! I
loved how Avery kept surprising Ryan at every turn. She sure is not
any ordinary secretary. I love the kind of heroine that can hold her
own, and Avery sure does kick some major butt! There's a scene with
paper clips, and...well...let me tell you that I will now be carrying
paper clips in my purse in case I need them in that way. And don't
get me started on what she named her car. Yep, I'm sort of a fan of
Avery, LOL! Ahh, but then there's Ryan, and when you finally learn
all his secrets, your heart will just widen for him, too! I loved
how these two challenged each other. Then there's this scene with a
weapon that was off-the-charts sensual. Oh, my! Can you tell that I
freakin' LOVED this book? I can go on and on, but I won't. You'll
have to discover how awesome this book and this series is for
yourself.
Secret Agent Secretary has everything
for romantic suspense fans. It has secrets, car chases, really bad
guys, guns, gadgets, double-crossing, and a likeable hero and
heroine. There's plenty of action and danger. The story takes place
over only a few days, so the plot is very fast-moving. There are
lovely twists and turns including a huge my-eyes-totally-bugged-out
moment that I didn't see coming!
I enjoy Melissa Cutler's writing very
much. I thought it was so clever of her to incorporate the names of
well-known fictional secret agents in the story. She sure knows how
to draw out the tension between two people while creating a story
that finds the right balance of emotion, suspense, intrigue and
romance. I really did not want this story to end. I felt like I was
part of the adventure the entire time! I'm already bouncing in my
seat for the next book!
*A complimentary copy was provided in
exchange for an honest review.*
~ Author-Hosted GIVEAWAY ~
Melissa Cutler is giving away a copy (print or digital) of TEMPTED INTO DANGER, which
is book one of her ICE: Black Ops series (SECRET AGENT SECRETARY is
book 2) to one commenter (USA only, sorry). She would like to know...
What’s YOUR
current favorite song or band? Or what was the last song or album you
bought?
Please comment below. Giveaway ends 1/19/14. One commenter will be chosen at random. Good luck!
