Monday, January 11, 2021

Blog Tour + Excerpt + Review: "Lizzy Goes Brains Over Braun" by Jasinda Wilder

Today, I am pleased to join the blog tour celebrating Jasinda Wilder's most recent release, "Lizzy Goes Brains Over Braun," book #1 of the Billionaire Baby Club series. I enjoyed this funny, passionate story and recommend it for fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy.

I loved the flirty, witty banter between main characters Lizzy Stephenson and Braun Bennet, and their phenomenal chemistry ensured that the book's steamy scenes were white-hot. Even though things between them happened quickly, I really liked the way their relationship developed; I could see the strength of their connection no matter how much Lizzy tried to deny it. Lizzy's reasons for avoiding a serious relationship with Braun were real and understandable and I could see how they led to her pushing him away, though I wish we had known more about them earlier in the book to provide context for some of her decisions. I also wish the story had been told in dual POV so that we could have learned more about what Braun was thinking. It was never clear to me why he was willing to consider the idea of giving up his parental rights if Lizzy succeeded in getting pregnant.

Lizzy's five best friends and employees were very entertaining secondary characters. I enjoyed their strong friendship and how they were always so supportive were of each other, as well as how independent they all were. That said, they all seemed kind of immature for their age. People say that 40 is the new 30, but even so, a lot of their behavior reminded me of things my friends and I might have done in our mid/late 20s, but not now that we're in our late 30s. (Not all of us are married or have kids, so I don't think that's the reason for the difference.) I don't know, maybe it's just me, but given how close we are in age, I expected to find it a bit easier to connect with these characters. While I liked them and several of their conversations made me giggle, I really didn't see myself in them at all.
 
There was one particular conversation in this book that did NOT make me giggle: Lizzy's friend Laurel told a "one time in college" story in which she described sexually assaulting a sleeping man. It definitely seemed like a double standard to me. If the same thing had happened to a woman, criminal charges probably would have been filed. Generally speaking, I loved how open Lizzy and her friends were about their exploits, but that particular story just wasn't OK with me.
 
While this story wasn't perfect, Lizzy and Braun's romance was sweet yet deliciously steamy, and her friends were an awful lot of fun. I look forward to picking up the next book in the series.

*Review copy provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
 
 
About "Lizzy Goes Brains Over Braun"

Lizzy Goes Brains Over Braun, an all-new fun and flirty rom-com filled with intense chemistry from New York Times bestselling author Jasinda Wilder, is available now!

It was just supposed to be just a 40th birthday prank for our boss after a wild night of girlfriends, laughter, and a LOT of margaritas.

When we placed the ad in the newspaper, we never thought anyone would actually answer it.

We also didn’t think that Laurel would be so brainless as to put Lizzy’s actual phone number in the ad…

Beautiful, successful single woman, 40, seeks attractive male billionaire to impregnate her the old fashioned way. No strings. NOT seeking sugar daddy. Validation required. Serious inquiries only, please.

What could possibly go wrong? Everything.
 
 
Read an Excerpt from "Lizzy Goes Brains Over Braun"

“Oh god, if I eat another taco I’m gonna barf,” I said, pushing back from the table. “So good. So full.”

“Quitter,” Teddy said, stuffing the last of a taco into her mouth. Seven? Eight? I don’t even know. These were not small tacos, either. “Best tacos I’ve ever had. I’m gonna gain ten pounds to my ass and thighs from eating so many, but fuck, so good. Worth it.”

“I’ll just drag you to Zumba and we can dance our asses off, literally,” Kat said, polishing off another taco herself.

Teddy made the sign of the cross. “Begone, Satan. Exercise is from El Diablo and I categorically refuse to do it.”

“Wanna know my secret? Lots and lots of very athletic sex,” Laurel quipped. Or at least, I figured it was a quip. With Laurel, you never knew. “And walking. I walk every night. I put in my earbuds and I turn on an audiobook and I walk. And squeeze my butt cheeks a lot. Firms ‘em up.”

“That’s exercise,” Kat said, droll.

“No, it’s just walking. I don’t even get warm,” Laurel answers, dead serious. “I don’t like to get sweaty and out of breath unless there’s a dick inside me.”

“Just asking for a friend here,” I said, tracing my finger through salt on the rim of my margarita glass, which had not been empty at any point in the evening, which was beginning to wane into night, “but what counts as athletic sex? I mean, I like to think I get it on like Donkey Kong, but I’m not sure what constitutes as athletic.”

“Ever try the wheelbarrow?” Laurel smirked at me. “That’ll get ya sweaty real fast.”

I blinked. “The…wheelbarrow.”

“Yeah. Just what it sounds like.” Laurel took a long drink from her margarita. “He’s standing up, holding your legs, you’re face down with your hands braced on the floor, and he’s drilling you while you hold yourself up. Takes a lot of upper body strength.” She snorted, giggled.

“Unless you just do like a headstand sort of move, but the angle’s better if you hold yourself up.”

“Sounds hard,” I said. “Why would you do that? How is it any better than prone bone on a bed?”

“Because,” Laurel answered, pointing a finger at me, and I wasn’t sure if it was her finger wavering or my eyesight, or both. “Because of geometry. He can hold your legs wider apart, for one thing, and for another, it’s just a different angle. The dick feels different. I dunno. You just have to try it to understand.”

“Wow,” I snickered. “Just wow.”

“What?” Laurel shrugged, her expression demure and arch. “I like fun fucking.”

Zoe spluttered around a mouthful of margarita, caught it with a napkin, shaking with laughter. “Fun fucking?”

“Also known as adventure sex.” Laurel handed Zoe another napkin. “Although the two are slightly different. Fun fucking is weird positions. Like pretty much ninety percent of the Kama Sutra.”

“And what, pray tell, is adventure sex?” Autumn asked. “Inquiring minds would like to know.”

“Anything risky,” Laurel answered. “In the bathroom of a bullet train in Japan, or under the bleachers at your nephew’s football game, or…or handjobs under a table at a black-tie gala.”

I set my glass down slowly. “You have not.”

“Let’s make that a game of two truths and a lie,” Laurel said. “I’ve done two of those.”

Teddy stabbed a finger at Laurel. “I know for a fact you don’t have a nephew. And also that’s gotta be, like, illegal.”

“How in the hell did you manage it in the bathroom of a bullet train?” Zoe asked. “Those things are not large.”

“That was both risky and athletic.” She smirked, bit her lip with a lecherous gleam in her eye.

“It required careful timing to get both of us in there at the same time without anyone noticing. And then he leaned back against the wall and I squatted on his knees and basically twerked myself to an O on him. Tricky, but worth it.”

“I had no idea you were so kinky,” Autumn said.

Laurel held up a finger. “It’s not kinky. Kink is, like, bondage and S and M, and foot fetishes and furries. I just like fun positions in fun places.” 

***

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