[Book Spotlight & Interview] Rock Her by Rachel Cross

BLURB:

She’s a small town nurse who had to grow up fast. He’s rock music’s most infamous guitarist. When a day at the beach turns life or death, their worlds collide, and no one will ever be the same.

Kate Gibson’s life has been all about family. She spent her high school years taking care of her dying mother, and her college years raising her younger sister. 

Alec Sawyer’s past was an excess of everything: drugs, parties, rock, sex, and money. His downfall had been long, spectacular, and public.

Thrown together by fate and the media, Kate and Alec find themselves falling in love. But dating in the spotlight has its downside, and some secrets are better left in the dark.

BUY LINKS can be found at: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17902151-rock-her

Rachel Cross’s debut novel, Rock Her, embraced me from the beginning. What an amazing job weaving the two main characters lives together in such a way that I was rooting from page one. There wasn’t a slow moment in this book, which says a lot for a contemporary romance.

Kate, the heroine, is such a strong, selfless woman – becoming a “parent” at an early age, taking care of her sister after her mom died. I could so relate to this character as I’m sure many women will. She’s always thinking of others instead of herself to such a point that she ends up saving a surfer’s life – putting her own life in danger.

Luckily, she meets THE Alec Sawyer from this incident and the two lives intermingle in ways that neither of them expect. Alec, a past rock star and now attorney, is a little older, wiser and still a heartthrob. Despite being able to catch any woman he wants, innocent Kate catches his eye and they form a quick relationship that had my heart pitter-pattering and at times desiring to take a cold shower to “cool off.”

What I loved about these two the most was their genuine love for one another. Not once did I doubt it and the words and actions of the characters proved it to me. I didn’t have to guess. 

Ms. Cross blew me out of the water with her debut novel. I look forward to reading more from this author.

What was the first romance novel you read that made an impression on you? Fifteen by Beverly Cleary. It was the perfect antidote to Forever by Judy Blume which scared the hell out of me in elementary school. Ralph? Fifteen was sweet and I used to read and reread it at the Catholic school library in 6^th grade so that tells you the heat level.

Which authors have caught your interest lately? Why? I love Ruthie Knox, Sylvia Day, Kristen Ashley and Debra Kayn.  I like the wit of Knox, the angst of Day, the action and alphas of Ashley and the sense of community and self-discovery of Kayn's heroines.

What type of book have you always wanted to write? A psychic book. I love Linda Howard's Dream Man and Teresa Weir's Bad Karma.

What’s the last movie you watched and loved? An obscure little rom/com movie called Timer on Netflix.

How did you get the idea for this particular novel? Endless hours of watching my husband surfing. At least, that's how I came up with the dramatic opening scenes. The characters have been in my head for a while. I'm interested in knowing and writing about people who conquer their demons.

Flirting Questions

What’s your favorite body part of the opposite sex? Obliques. I was lucky enough to get them on my cover. Love 'em.

What’s an absolute no-no in a relationship? Not loading the dishwasher.

How did you meet your significant other? Online. And it’s a great story.

What’s your idea of a perfect date? Hitting a bucket of balls at a driving range, seeing the latest action thriller and eating at a taqueria.

If you could take a romantic trip, where would it be? Tahiti is the most romantic place I've been, with Hawaii a close second. New Zealand and Galapagos are on my bucket list. 

Flirting Quickies:

Boxers or Briefs? Boxerbriefs all the way.

Planner or Panster? Plotter

White wine or red? Red. Pinot Noir. Preferably from the Russian River Valley (CA)

Sleep in or get up early? Early riser. Always.

Beach or mountains? Beach beach beach. And I can hear it and smell it from where I write.

Twilight or Fifty Shades? Both. And the Crossfire series. Love 'em all.

Clubbing or candlelight dinner? Clubbing with a large group of friends after a candlelight dinner alone with my husband.

Backpacking or luxury hotel? Luxury hotels. One job I had required frequent stays at Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton's. Miss it.

Christmas or Halloween? Both, but Halloween edges out Christmas.

Optimist or pessimist? Glass is overflowing.

Author Bio: 

Fueled by black jelly-beans and Pinot Noir, Rachel Cross writes contemporary romance that rocks. She lives in coastal California with her surfer/pilot husband and two daughters. Her past includes stints as a firefighter, paramedic, clinical manager and Weekly World News tabloid model.