Ramblings of a Book Lunatic: Remembering Joy by Jenni Moen Giveaway, Excerpt, Playlist & Review

Alexis doesn’t believe in fairytales. She knows first hand that life can turn on a dime – that one stupid mistake can shatter dreams and irrevocably shape the future. Even though her memory of that day is hazy, she has spent the last ten years trying to put it behind her and focus on the future. Armed with the knowledge that her career will be her only legacy, Alexis works night and day to prove that she is more than just her last name. It’s not only that she doesn’t have time for love – she doesn’t have the heart for it. After all, there’s no point in starting something that you can’t finish. However, when she meets Adam, she’s drawn to him in a way even she can’t deny. The film student is dark and brooding and strangely charming. He’s the perfect distraction from the mundane life she’s created for herself. And, as if fate is pushing them together, he seems to be around every corner. It’s enough to almost make her entirely forget about her past and take a chance. Unfortunately, Adam’s memory isn’t hazy . . . not in the least. And, what she doesn’t remember, he can’t forget.

Jenni Moen lives in her hometown in Oklahoma with her husband and three crazy, exuberant kids that have the potential to burn the house down at any moment. When she's not chauffeuring kids around town, performing her mom duties as a short order cook and maid, or vacuuming for her fastidious husband, she hammers away at her keyboard at her big girl job as a patent attorney. While vodka and exercise have provided some relief from the daily grind, it is reading ... and now writing ... that are her true escapes.

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Excerpt:

A comfortable silence fell over us as I sipped my coffee and watched him cook breakfast. I don’t know why, but I would have expected him to be worthless in the kitchen. He was the opposite of that. He cracked and whipped with complete ease. He dipped and flipped the bread like a pro. He, too, was full of surprises.

Finally, he put two plates down on the table and sat down in the chair across from mine. He pushed the butter and syrup toward me. “Uhhh, do you have any peanut butter and powdered sugar?” I asked.

He looked at me curiously. “Yes, to the peanut butter. No, to the sugar. I’m okay in the kitchen, but I’m no Martha Stewart.” He rose from the table and returned shortly with a jar of peanut butter. His jaw dropped a little as I carefully slathered butter and then peanut butter on each slice of bread on my plate. It dropped a little further when I drizzled syrup over the entire mess.

“I’ve never seen anyone so totally ruin a plate of French toast,” he said, shaking his head at me.

I cut a bite out of a piece of toast and speared it with my fork. “Trust me,” I said as I leaned across the table and waved my fork enticingly in front of him. He opened his mouth and I slid the fork in. My heart rate quickened, and I held my breath as he curled his lips around the fork. I finally released my breath as I pulled the fork back out again. A flush of heat engulfed me. I had never imagined that feeding a man could be so erotic.

“Good God, woman. That is about the sexiest thing I have ever seen,” he said huskily, licking the syrup off his lips. “If my mother knew how you’d just desecrated her French toast ....” He shook his head.

I cut off a second bite. This one was for me. As I lifted it to my mouth, a pout formed on his perfect mouth.

His plate went untouched as I alternated between feeding him and feeding me. After I slid the last bite into his mouth, I laid my fork down on the empty plate. “Well, my job here is done,” I said with a smile.

“The hell it is,” he said, reaching for me. He took my hand and pulled me out of my chair and around the table. He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me down so that I was straddling him on the kitchen chair.

I’ll be damned if I wasn’t still hungry, too.

Remembering Joy Playlist

Locked out of Heaven - Bruno Mars

One more Night - Maroon 5

Stay - Rihanna

Just Give Me a Reason - Pink

PayPhone - Maroon 5

Madness - Muse

Beneath Your Beautiful - Labrinth

Daylight - Maroon 5

Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men

Love Somebody - Maroon 5

When I was Your Man - Bruno Mars

Sad - Maroon 5

A Thousand Years - Christina Perri

Sail - Awolnation

Let's Stay Together - Maroon 5

This Love - Maroon 5

The Man Who Can't be Moved - The Script

My Review: 5 stars

This was such a good book I didn't want to put it down. But I had to at a few points, just to be clear with myself what was happening. Initially, I really hated Adam. I didn't know what his agenda was, but I just knew that he wasn't up to anything good. Alexis was such a good, caring person so I really had no idea what Adam had against her. I got my first thought of what it might be when she saw his tattoo over his heart, and damn if I wasn't right. I hated being right in this instance. Alexis and Adam's relationship was damn complicated and confusing, and I felt so badly for Alexis when everything came out. I wanted to scream at her Dad, someone, anyone - How do you keep the truth of what happened from someone for 10 years?? I don't think I could. Nevermind from someone you love, I know he saw it as protecting her, but still. Things like that don't stay hidden. I have got to say that I really enjoyed going back and forth between Alexis and Adam's points of view. It was really helpful to understand what was going on inside of their heards, and not just hear it from one side or the other. By the end, I loved Adam and Alexis together, and thought that they had both been through enough. Jenni did a fabulous job with this book, it made me laugh, made me cry, made me so angry that I wanted to reach in and punch a character or two. The characters that Jenni created were so good, so lifelike. I wanted to keep reading after the book was done. I wanted to know more about Adam and Alexis. I guess I'll have to wait for the second book, Finding Joy, and hope that I can get some closure with these characters that have taken up residence in my head.