Something to Prove by Shannyn Schroeder – Review, Interview & Giveaway

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Description:
Two ambitious people team up to prove themselves to their families—and find there may be more to their partnership than just business. . .

Elizabeth Brannigan is determined to show her father she’s capable of running the family business. Saving his struggling Chicago bar seems like the perfect project. But she’ll need a little help dealing with the rough crowd. Who better to assist her than the handsome co-owner of a thriving Irish pub? Of course, with so much work to do, there are bound to be a few late nights. . .

Colin O’Leary’s father passed away before he could prove to him that he wasn’t a screw-up. Now he wants to show his brother he’s responsible enough to own a bar of his own—and Elizabeth may be able to help him. But when their professional aspirations clash, tempers—and passions—flare. Are they mature enough to mix business with pleasure—or will they have to choose between the two?

Review:

Something to Prove by Shannyn Schroeder is the 3^rd book in her O’Leary’s series.  I have not read the first two books in this series, as this is the first time I have read Schroeder.  After reading this book, I want to go back to the first two books and find out more about this great O’Leary family.  Don’t worry though, this book can be read as a standalone, as you meet most of the O’Leary’s throughout the story. 

Something to Prove is about Colin O’Leary and Elizabeth Brannigan.  Elizabeth, who works for her father’s business, has something to prove, as she is always in competition with her older brother.  She arrives in Chicago to take over an Irish Pub that is a disaster & falling apart.   Elizabeth knows that her brother owns the property, but she is determined to fix it up and make it a viable property to prove to her family that she can do this on her own and sell at a profit.  But it isn’t going to be easy, as she is faced with an impossible task, as well as incompetent employees.

Colin has recently returned to help his family with the family pub, which his brother Ryan runs.  Colin has to prove himself, as Ryan doesn’t trust him not to leave them again.  When Elizabeth does research on the bars in Chicago, she meets Colin and in a short time, Colin goes to work for Elizabeth to help revamp the Irish Pub.  He continues to work late at night for his family bar, but Colin wants his own place one day.  This time he wants the responsibility and to stay. 

There is immediate chemistry between Colin and Elizabeth, but they are two very unlikely people to make any kind of relationship work.  Elizabeth is uptight, a workaholic, and is obsessed with proving to her father that she is capable of taking over his business, as he nears retirement.  She resents her brother always being the favorite in her fathers’ eyes.  She wants nothing to stand in her way, and that includes the sexy fun loving, Colin.  He is most definitely a hunk, who is also a ladies man.  But even though Elizabeth will not mix pleasure with business, Colin finds himself totally attracted to her.  What follows is a wonderful contemporary romance that is against all odds,  

Besides the wonderful romance that slowly builds; the storyline of revamping the bar, sabotage, and meeting the other O’Leary’s was a lot of fun.  Watching Elizabeth slowly find herself unable to resist Colin, and part of her trying to fight it, as she plans to leave Chicago when her job is done, made this even better.   In comparison to Colin, with a wonderful family, Elizabeth was very much alone.  Her father’s tactic of putting the siblings in competition against each other was sad.

At times, Elizabeth was annoying, especially refusing to see how Colin felt about her, and her stubbornness in thinking she had to do this herself, even to the point of not seeing her brother trying to make amends.  Will Elizabeth allow herself to open up her heart to Colin?  Will she convince her father that she can run the company? Will Colin prove himself to have his own place?  Will they both end up together?   You must read this book to find the answers.  I really enjoyed this fabulous and unlikely romance that was a fast and enjoyable read, despite Elizabeth being annoying at times.  Shannyn Schroeder weaves a wonderful story of two people trying to prove themselves to their families, each with their own issues, and finding love along the way.  I wholly recommend reading Something to Prove.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

We would like to welcome Shannyn Schroeder to The Reading Cafe today.  Shannyn is here to discuss her new release, Something to Prove, as well as to tell us what she has upcoming in 2014.

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Hi Shannyn.  Thank you for taking the time today, to answer some questions for our members at The Reading Café.  We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Shannyn:  First, thank you for having me today. I’m a former teacher who discovered romance after deciding to stay at home with my kids. After reading hundreds of books, I decided to try my hand at writing one.

TRC:  Did you always have an interest in writing?  When and how did you first start writing?

Shannyn:  When I was younger, I wrote. Throughout high school and college, I often wrote poetry or short stories. I never considered writing as a career because I was sure I wouldn’t get a regular paycheck – and I wanted that paycheck. Once I started teaching, writing fell by the wayside, but I rediscovered it after staying at home with my kids for a few years.

TRC:  Something to Prove was released in January, which is the 3^rd book in your The O’Leary’s series.  For our members who have not read this series, can you tell us the premise of The O’Leary’s?

Shannyn:   The O’Learys series is based around a large Irish-American family in Chicago. When I wrote the first book, I hadn’t planned to write a series, but by the time I learned about all the O’Leary siblings, I knew I wanted to write their stories.

Each book in the series is a standalone – only the supporting characters and the city of Chicago are the same. There are no cliffhangers or overarching plot elements. Each O’Leary sibling is getting his or her own story.

TRC:  Can you please give us a brief description of Something to Prove?

Shannyn:  Something to Prove is the story of Colin O’Leary, the oldest, and Elizabeth Brannigan. They team up to rescue a failing bar. These two are opposites. Colin is laid back and friendly, while Elizabeth is all business. However, they complement each other well, and they’re both working toward the same goal: to make the bar profitable to prove to their families that they are successful.

TRC:  You write contemporary romance. Have you thought about writing in other genres?

Shannyn:  When I started writing, my first 2 attempts at novels were romantic suspense. I love to read romantic suspense and as writers, we’re told to write what you know. The premise for these books was pretty good, but something was off. It was my voice. It wasn’t until I wrote More Than This that I found my writing voice is contemporary romance. I might try something else somewhere along the line, but I’m having a lot of fun right now.

TRC:  Can you please tell us what you working on now, and what you have upcoming in 2014?

Shannyn:  I just turned in the revisions for Catch Your Breath, the 4^th O’Leary book – Moira’s story—which will come out in July. I’m starting Liam’s book now. In addition, I will have 3 non-O’Leary novellas coming out later in 2014.

TRC:  What is your writing process?  Do you like to outline your story before you start? Do you have a specific place you like to write?  Is there a special time of day that works best for you?

Shannyn:  My process starts with learning about the characters. I create collages with photos of famous people who look like my characters (or at least how I envision them). I also create a soundtrack for each book. Then I spend some time staring at pictures and listening to the music. I don’t outline or plot much of anything. I picture some scenes that I think will be in the book, but for the most part, I just sit down and write.

I do have a desk in the guest room where I write. My corkboard hangs nearby with my collages. I do most of my writing there, but I can write anywhere. When I started writing, I only wrote while my kids were in activities – an hour of ballet, an hour of writing. Now that I have deadlines, I try to have a better routine, but I still work around my kids’ schedules. I do my day job stuff in the morning and then write for an hour or 2 before I get the kids from school. Sometimes I write some more at night after they’re in bed.

TRC:  Many authors have friends or family, that they bounce ideas and information back and forth.  Do you have anyone you like to discuss your story with? 

Shannyn:  I have my critique partner, Paly. She is a lifesaver. She likes to plot, which is something I’m horrible at, so when I need to figure out where my story is going, I call her. She also reads my early drafts and lets me know when I’ve screwed up a character.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: chocolate or popcorn

Favorite Dessert: chocolate cheesecake

Favorite TV Show: too many to choose from – Justified, Shameless, Criminal Minds,  Sherlock Holmes…I could go on and on

Favorite Actor & Actress (TV or Movies) – I don’t have a favorite

Last Book You Read: Too Good to be True by Kristan Higgins

Favorite Fictional Character (not your own): Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye) will always hold a special place in my heart, even though I haven’t read him since I was 16. My favorite romance character changes too often because I fall in love all the time with the characters I read.

Milk or Dark Chocolate: milk, unless it’s sea salted dark with caramel

Dog or Cat: dog

Thank you Shannyn for taking the time to answer our questions.  We wish you the best of luck with Something to Prove.  Please keep us informed about your upcoming new releases, as we look forward to working with you again.

Shannyn & Kensington Books are offering an ecopy of Something to Prove to one lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. Please register using the log-In at the top of the page or by using one of our social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please post your email address along with your comment.

3. Giveaway open USA only.

4. Giveaway runs from February 2, 2014 to February 6, 2014