Changing Constantinou’s Game by Jennifer Hayward – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

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Description:
Alexios Constantinou is notorious for his lethal charm, so when the exquisite Isabel Peters is—literally—dropped into his lap during a hellish elevator ride, he doesn’t waste the opportunity! With tensions sky-high after their near-death experience, an insatiable desire ignites between them, and all bets are off.

But when Alex discovers that reporter Isabel’s next story is him, he’s furious…yet determined to use it to his advantage. He’s calling the shots, but the closer Isabel gets, the closer she comes to discovering his carefully concealed secret. Now, with everything at stake, he’ll need a whole new game plan….

Review:

Wow!! CHANGING COSTANTINOU’S GAME by Jennifer Hayward starts out with a BANG or should I say a loud thump!!

Our elusive millionaire, Alex gets trapped in an elevator with Izzie, our tenacious reporter. Neither knows who the other is, so this trapped confinement lets them lower their guards. Alex discovers that Izzie keeps a drugstore in her purse (who doesn’t?) and her love of “smutty novels”. She makes him smile, due to her quirkiness and genuine fear of elevators. What starts out as a near death experience develops into a night of “no strings attached”!!  

Wait, you didn’t think things would be that easy? Alex figures out that Izzie was sent to interview him and he feels betrayed. Both characters have major trust issues and while Izzie sits on her story, things still get complicated. This is a story of ambition, hidden secrets and most of all building trust. This novel does not follow a predictable format. There are many surprises along the way!

I have not read any of Jennifer’s other novels, but I am a new fan. Her writing is effortless and her characters soon wrap you around their fingers. Both characters are so endearing in different ways and their relationship is hot! This novel is a must read for the contemporary romance lover! I have to admit, I even shed a few happy tears at the end! Enjoy!

Reviewed by Jules

Copy provided by Publicist

Shining A Light On The Elusive Alpha Hero

 Alpha heroes – oh how we love them! They command and seduce us. Sweep us off into passionate tales. Stride into our pages like the larger-than-life figures they are and make us wonder why we haven’t met one at a cocktail party yet. I mean we’ve been getting out there right?

But as compelling as they are, many writers say they find the alpha male difficult to write. That that type of character just doesn’t come naturally to them. So I thought I’d tackle the subject of our sexy, scintillating alpha in this post.

I’ve been lucky in that I’ve been surrounded by alphas my entire life. First my father, an alpha surgeon, then in my career in PR where I worked with charismatic CEOs on a daily basis. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, one thing’s for sure – an alpha might be wrong, but he’s never uncertain. He is grounded in the fact that he is master of his domain and he commands it all with a firm, confident hand. In fact, there’s nothing in the world an alpha’s powerful authority and money can’t buy, except as we say in Presents land, “the love of a woman strong enough to tame him!”

So where do you find inspiration for an alpha if you don’t have one close by to study? How do you incorporate those key characteristics that make an alpha irresistible yet incorrigible all at the same time? I think of our modern-day superheroes. They all have something about them that elevates them to a level above the ordinary man. Spiderman spins his webs, Superman has his superhuman power, Aquaman can breathe under water and command the sea. Formidable? Yes. Yet all of these superheroes also have the necessary hubris that puts them in jeopardy, flaws that test their superiority. And this is what causes their problems.

If channelling a superhero is too far out for you, then think of the globe’s most powerful CEOs. Would Steve Jobs have forgotten to read a report before going into a meeting, taken no for an answer on a deal or let a competitor get in the way? I think not J He was brilliant, uncompromising and unafraid to trumpet a vision he had for what the consumer electronics industry should look like. He was, in essence, extraordinary.

For my current release, Changing Constantinou’s Game, I chose as my alpha, Alexios Constantinou, a legendary football quarterback who set the world on fire with his pro debut. A big lover of sports, I think quarterbacks are the biggest alpha of them all. How else would you step on a field and command a team of big, macho personalities with adrenalin racing through their veins? How else would you step on the field knowing at the end of the game you’ll either be a hero or the player everyone points the finger of failure at? (Not always, but you get what I mean). You have to have a certain ego to be a quarterback, you have to think you’re better than the rest. But despite being brilliant on the field, Alexios, like every alpha, has flaws that bring about his destruction. He is a wounded warrior who has never gotten over the loss of his identity when an injury ended his career. He prefers to ignore his pain and let it tear him apart inside rather than face it and move on. But the love of a good woman in my heroine Izzie might just bring him back from the darkness.

I’d love to know what you think makes an ideal alpha hero. What do you love most about them? And maybe a favourite or two?

Thanks for having me at The Reading Café! I’ve so enjoyed being here.

JENNIFER HAYWARD has been a fan of romance since filching her sister’s novels to escape her teenaged angst.
Her career in journalism and PR, including years of working alongside powerful, charismatic CEOs and traveling the world, has provided perfect fodder for the fast-paced, sexy stories she likes to write, always with a touch of humour. You can find out more about Jennifer and her books and sign up for her newsletter at her website. Or you can find her on twitter, facebook.and goodreads

Jennifer is graciously offering a paper copy of of Changing Constantinou’s Game ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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6. Giveaway open Internationally.

7. Giveaway runs from August 24 to August 28, 2014