Blog Tour: The Best Laid Plans by Tamara Mataya

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The Best Laid Plans

By:  Tamara Mataya

Published:  November 4, 2013

By:  Swoon Romance

Source:  Publisher

Mature Content:  18 & Up

Host:  AToMR Tours

GR's Summary:

Jayne Griffin isn’t looking for Mr. Right. She’s looking for Mr. RTFN and a toe-curling good time. She’s got the brains, the powerful job as a futures broker, and thanks to a makeover and a thin book of dating advice, the confidence to turn any man’s head.

Malcolm Black notices his high school crush, Jayne, from the stage of her company’s work party. His adolescent feelings for her died beneath months of abuse at the hands of bullies. Abuse that was Jayne’s fault. Though this scorching hot studio musician is unrecognizable as the band geek he used to be, the hurt still lives inside him, and he hatches a plan: Seduce Jayne into falling in love with him, and then shatter her heart.

The white-hot chemistry between them is a pleasant surprise. It all goes so smoothly until Feelings start to develop... and that invitation to their ten year high school reunion lands in their inboxes.

Jayne wants the perfect lover. Malcolm wants revenge. But you know what they say about The Best Laid Plans..

Lindy's Thoughts:

First, I'd like to mention that I love the book cover!  It is downright sexy, and played a significant role into why I wanted to read this story.  On top of that the book summary really sparked my interest.  The words and phrases "high school love interest,"  "bullying," and "seduce" really grabbed my attention.

We quickly learn that Malcolm suffered horribly at the hands of bullies his freshman and sophomore years of high school, and he blamed Jayne for the "bullying" and the breaking of his heart.  He spots her at a club when he is playing guitar, and devises a plan to seduce her, make her fall in love with him, and then break her heart, the way that she broke his.  We learn the details of the bullying, and his interactions with Jayne, little by little as the story goes on.

For me, the beginning of the story was slow and monotonous.  Malcolm and Jayne end up having sex fairly quickly in the story, and very often.  I didn't feel like there was anticipation or much of a storyline at the beginning, yet there was so much sex, and I kind of got bored with it all.  Don't get me wrong, the sex scenes were really good.  They were explicit, and very steamy.  However, I needed more than great sex scenes to pique my interest in the story.  I really wanted to get invested in the characters, but had trouble connecting with them.

Then, when I reached the 50% mark, the story finally picked up pace, and improved.  The story got more interesting once the characters started talking and interacting with each other, besides having sex.  As the plot deepened, and I learned more about Malcolm being bullied during his high school years, I started getting more involved in the story, and felt empathy for all that he had suffered.

My Rating:

I give The Best Laid Plans by Tamara Mataya 3 fast-paced, transformative, and Explicit Sex Filled Stars!  This story had a very good message about how bullying can drastically change a persons life, and that the negative effects are long lasting.  Self-esteem gets completely obliterated, the scarring that takes place is deep and brutal.  I enjoy when a story has a meaningful message and makes people realize how much their actions can effect another person's life, and appreciated the message in this story.

My Favorite Quotes:

"What was wrong with her?  He was addictive, perfect.  Delicious.  Too much and not nearly enough."  (eARC, Loc. 916)

~Jayne

"She'd never met a man with his control.  It was obvious how much he wanted her, but he played with her, teased her body, never giving in to the need.  His self-control was maddening and her new favorite thing."  (eARC, Loc. 921)

~Jayne

"He didn't just want to be the best lover of her life.  He wanted to obliterate the memory of every other partner she's had until his touch, his mouth, his hands were the only ones she could remember."  (eARC, Loc. 944)

~Malcolm

The Way Ria Sees It:

The Best Laid Plans was an interesting read for me...I really enjoyed some aspects (lots of aspects actually), but at the same time would have done some things differently. I enjoyed the flow of the story for the most part, but at times some of it felt forced. I feel like Ms. Mataya really has the steamy market nailed! I loved Jayne quite a bit, because even through her beauty and success, I could feel her inner struggle to love herself. Some points made were profound and meaningful, and some seemed a little too much. All and all, I would recommend this as a lazy sunday read.  Oooh, did I mention the sexy time? Lots and lots, and lots, and lots, and yep you guessed it, LOTS of sexy time!

T-ime, has wedged a deep pain into the heart of someone who was wronged in his youth.

H-elp, Jayne has always been alone.  Rising to the top she has done it on her own merit.

E-vent, seeing Jayne ignites a blind force for Malcolm.  He wants to reunite with her.

B-and, Malcolm plays for himself and for those that need him.

E-xercise, mind and body Malcolm will never be victimized again.

S-ex, has become a conversation between two souls. What started as pure lust is turning into more.

T-wist, everything is in place, the plans are laid out, but now he is wishing for a different outcome.

L-ove, has always been a deterrent for Jayne. She fears what her heart is feeling. 

A-void, the truth always comes knocking. Two seemingly strangers wish for nothing more than to be together.

I-nnocent, so many years have passed, and so much was mis understood.  These two hearts need a second chance.

D-esign, Malcolm must figure something out soon! Lest his...

PLANS

come crashing down on him and his life.

My Recap:

Good steamy sexy time!! Bow chicka Bow WOW!! ;) The ending was put together VERY neat and TIDY...I like that...I’m not DYING because there isn’t more (since it's a stand alone HEA), BUT If Jayne and Malcolm HAPPEN to NOT let Ms. Mataya up until she writes *more *ahem *ahem then I would LOVE to continue their story :)

My Rating:

(hard hitting analysis time)...

Between 3.5 and 4.0.  My overall enjoyment was very pleasurable, but some things I would have done a little differently. Both characters were solid, and I felt everyones interactions where honest. I WOULD recommend for an enjoyable afternoon, BUT no earth SHATTERING or SHOCKING revelations. There are however, heartwarming, maddening moments. and lots of emotions *winky face! A LOT (see last sentence in first paragraph) if that sort of stuff is entertaining, then you’ll get an extra kick out of this one...

Purchase At:

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

About Tamara Mataya:

Tamara Mataya is currently a librarian; she lurked there for so long recommending books to patrons and shushing people, that she suspects they only hired her so it would be less creepy. Now she’s armed with a name tag, and a thin veneer of credibility. She’s also a musician with synaesthesia – which isn't an issue until someone plays a wrong note, which makes her want to squirm inside out. It makes for a good live show.

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