Review & Giveaway ~*~ You and Tequila by Crystal Donahue

Blurb ~*~
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila… Score! 

Cassel Bailey's life hasn't exactly turned out how she planned. Between the tragic death of her parents, a brother that practically despises her, and working her way through nursing school alone, she's learned to stay guarded, relying only on herself and her friends for love and support. Over time they’ve become her surrogate family. So when one drunken night at the bar lands her in bed with her close friend, Will Tanner, it threatens to change their otherwise platonic relationship forever. Life as she knows it suddenly begins spinning out of control as she struggles to understand her conflicted emotions.

Guided by her authoritative best friend, Tina, and her quirky next-door neighbor, Rita, Cassel must decide between fighting to keep her friendship with Will alive, or going with Plan B and risking it all for something more.

Just when she thinks she knows what she wants, Cassel is bullied into caring for a patient that, unbeknownst to her, played an important role in her sad past. The stunning secret this person reveals about her former lover, Dane, threatens to open up previously healed wounds and leads Cassel to question not only the career she loves, but where her heart truly lies. Everything she thought she knew about life, love, and promises is shattered like an empty bottle hitting the floor.

One thing is for certain, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade... when life gives you limes, you grab some salt and a bottle of tequila and learn to take it one shot at a time.

Excerpt ~*~

“So tell me everything, Cass. What exactly happened, from start to finish?”

“Well,” I start with a hesitant sigh,“a bunch of us met at The Broken Tap last night to celebrate Will passing the bar exam and being offered a position at the County Attorney’s Office. At some point Kelsey suggested we all do a round of shots in honor of the occasion.”
“Kelsey’s always looking for an excuse to do shots,” interrupts Tina. There’s no love lost between those two and I often have to play referee when they’re in the same vicinity.

Shooting her a dirty look for interjecting, I continue, “Anyway, a few rounds later and everyone’s feeling good, a little too good perhaps. I started teasing Will about having to wear a suit every day, knowing how much he hates them. And he started teasing me about having to give enemas and wipe people’s butts for a living. We were just joking around like usual, but the next thing I know we’re making out in one of the booths in the back.” I stop there, not wanting to admit what comes next.

“So that’s it? You guys just had a drunken make out session at the bar? That isn’t so bad, you can bounce back from that.” Tina shrugs, unimpressed with my sex life yet again.

“Not exactly,” I take another deep breath and continue on, “I suggested we take the show on the road. His place was closer so we ended up there.”
“You suggested it? I see,” Tina smirks. We stare at each other for a few seconds before she finally asks the one thing she’s dying to know, “So, how was it?”

Crossing my arms on the table in front of me, I drop my head and let out a muffled groan. Without looking up, I admit, “Honestly, it was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

4 Star Review ~*~

You and Tequila is a fun story with a few twists that make you wonder how things are going to end up.   It will manage to make you laugh, curse at the characters, and maybe even make you think about things that have happened in your own life.  The whole cast of characters are easy to relate to and fairly realistic, which really helps the reader become invested in the story.  You and Tequila is told in the first person point of view which some people dislike, but it works great for this story. 

Cassel, Cass, has issues with how her life has turned out.  When she accidentally sleeps with her best friend, Will, after a night of drinking, she has to come to grips with some new situations and the new direction her life is taking.  How can she sacrifice her best friend for a chance at some good sex? Is it worth taking the risk and having him walk away like so many others in her life have?  These are all things that Cass has to consider as her life takes some drastic turns. 

I really enjoyed the realism of the story and situations that Cass went through.  It is very easy to relate to her and even to wonder what you would do in a similar situation.  There were times I wanted to knock her upside the head for over-thinking things.  But since I do the same thing, I had to pause and stop myself. I do hope that Crystal Donahue gives us more books that take some of the supporting characters and give us their stories because we really become invested in a few of these characters and I for one would love to know more.

You and Tequila is  story that I do recommend to anyone.  It's not overly sexy or sweet.  It kind of falls right down the middle with a lot of reader investment in the characters and situations that could happen to any one of us.

Author Info ~*~

Crystal Donahue has been fortunate to live all over the US, including but not limited to Arizona, Hawaii, and Georgia but she currently resides near the Iowa/Illinois border with her tornado obsessed son and their mischievous cat, Brownie. She is a procrastinator of epic proportions, finds humor in almost everything, loves sarcasm and loathes washing dishes.

A 2004 graduate of Western Illinois University, Crystal has held several unique jobs including driving a Zamboni and being a relay operator for the hearing and speech impaired. While working as a claims adjuster she realized life is too short not to do something that makes you happy, so she quit her job to go back to school and study nursing. Between work, school, and raising her son she somehow manages to find time to write too, usually to the detriment of her social life. Fortunately her friends and family rock so it isn’t much of an issue… yet.

Links

Website/Blog: www.crystaldonahue.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CDonahue_Writes

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Crystal-Donahue/585060708171196

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/crystaldonahue

Buy Links

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17706202-you-and-tequila

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/You-and-Tequila-ebook/dp/B00BJB446A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364866012&sr=1-1&keywords=you+and+tequila

Follow the Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/04/now-booking-tasty-review-tour-for-you.html

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~*~I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this novel. ~*~