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1001 Dark Nights, 1001 Dark Nights Novella, A Seaside Pictures series, Authors NICUnurse Enjoys, available now, Blog Tour, Contemporary Romance, kindle unlimited, New Release, NICUNurse, NICUnurse Reviews, Provoke, Rachel Van Dyken, Rockstar romance, Wickedcoolflight, Wickedcoolflight Reviews
We are beyond excited to be sharing this release from Rachel Van Dyken with you today! PROVOKE is part of her Seaside Pictures series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. It just went live today! Check out an excerpt and book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now.
Purchase your copy of PROVOKE today!
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The Wickedcoolflight Crew
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About PROVOKE:
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes a new story in her Seaside Pictures series…
The music industry called me a savant at age sixteen when I uploaded my first video and gained instant fame. And then Drew Amherst of Adrenaline became my mentor, and my career took off.
Everything was great.
Until tragedy struck, and I wondered if I’d ever be able to perform again. I fought back, but all it took was a falling light to bring it all back to the fore. So, I walked away. Because I knew it wasn’t just stage fright. It was so much more.
The only problem?
Drew and the guys are counting on me. If I can’t combat the crippling anxiety threatening to kill me, I might lose more than I ever dreamed of.
Enter Piper Rayne, life coach, with her bullshit about empowerment, rainbows, and butterflies. She smiles all the damn time, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure there’s not a problem she can’t solve.
Until me.
She was given twenty-one days to fix me. To make me see what’s important. What’s real. The problem is, all I can see now is her. The sexy woman who pushes me. Provokes me.
Only time will tell if she’s able to do her job—and I can make her mine.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
Add PROVOKE to your Goodreads TBR here!
Purchase your copy of PROVOKE today!
If you plan to purchase this book, we’d be grateful if you used our links. This helps us maintain the blog and costs you nothing! Thank you for your support!
The Wickedcoolflight Crew
Amazon Kindle
NICUnurse’s Review of Provoke by Rachel Van Dyken
Provoke is part of the Seaside Pictures series by Rachel Van Dyken but is a true standalone novella in the 1001 Dark Nights world. Now, Rachel ranks just under Nora Roberts on my most favorite author list (Nora’s #1 in case you didn’t figure that out), so of course, I recommend all of the Seaside Pictures books if you’re up for a full series binge. Actually, if you’re not an essential worker and have more time on your hands than you ever wanted right now, Seaside and Seaside Pictures are romantic, yet hilarious, and will brighten these crazy days of quarantine, shelter-in-place, and social isolation.
But about Provoke…. Braden is a musical savant whose career was at its height when tragedy struck. Convinced he’s recovered, he resumed performing on stage only to have a freak accident make him realize that emotionally, he’s far from recovered. In comes Piper. Life coach extraordinaire. She has three weeks to get him stage-ready. With chemistry that’s truly explosive, will they both survive?
NICUnurse’s Rating: The plot of Provoke really hit home with me because even though at the time the Vegas mass shooting happened, I no longer lived there, that town was home for me for many years, and so many of my close friends–those that are more like family–still live there. So, I connected to the story in a pretty emotionally deep way. But funny how life works sometimes. The message in the story–using brokenness to help others heal along with us, moving forward after tragedy as survivors and not victims and despite very real fear–is just as timely in our world today. And when I read these words, I couldn’t stop the tears:
“Maybe there was no explanation for why bad things happened. But thank God we had good people on this planet to help us get through it. Those who loved us through our pain and told us it was okay to be scared.”
See what I mean? Totally rings true in our world right now. Whew! Even with all the heavy, Provoke brought me to tears of laughter with the witty banter that we all love about Rachel Van Dyken’s books. And the texting! Wouldn’t be the same without the group texts! Yeah…plenty of LOL moments to help get you through the heavy. Needless to say, Rachel packed a huge amount of emotion, along with plenty of fun, into one short novella. I doubt by now that you’re surprised that:
I give Provoke by Rachel Van Dyken 5 out of 5 propellers!
Excerpt:
“Braden!” Mom yelled for me.
I made a face at my computer. “I’m going to be dead if she heard me. Also, hi, Mom. I assume you’re watching my live feed. Hey, we’re out of Pringles so—”
She stormed into my room, swatted me on the head with an empty can of Pringles, then barreled back out.
“Love you, Ma!” I called over my shoulder.
“Love you too!” she yelled.
I put my hand on my heart. “All right, let’s do this.”
I had been singing the shit out of my newest song. Within a day of its first airing, it had garnered over two million views. Actually small by comparison to my biggest hit, which had over forty million.
My channel was doing so well that my mom was able to stay home with my little sisters, which just made me feel like the man of the house—I was somehow contributing since my loser dad stopped sending child support eons ago.
I closed up for the night and headed downstairs just as the doorbell rang.
“Braden, can you get that?” Mom said from the kitchen. “I’m elbow-deep in chicken.”
“Ew, Mom, take your fetishes elsewhere.”
A curse and then, “Braden, I swear I’m going to put naked chickens in your bed if you say something about that on your channel.”
I paused for effect and then said. “I’ll think about it.”
“Braden!”
I busted out laughing as the doorbell rang again. “Hold your ass, man.”
I jerked open the door and nearly died when Drew Amhurst, Adrenaline’s front man and all-around A-list rock star stood there, sunglasses low on his nose, and both hands on his ass, smirking. “Like this, bro? Or am I doing it wrong?”
I grinned. “Did we just become best friends?”
“I’d shake your hand but you told me to hold my ass.”
“Brothers don’t shake hands.” It totally slipped from my mouth. Before I knew what was happening, Drew charged me, pulled me in for a tight hug, kissed both my cheeks like we were Italian or something, and then set me down.
“Brothers hug.”
BOOK TRAILER
“[S]eductive yet sweet…Van Dyken (the Liars, Inc. series) mixes comic relief with personal growth, making this catchy romance irresistible.” —Publishers Weekly
“This one promises to be a compulsive, engrossing romance for the right readers.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Van Dyken’s (The Matchmaker’s Playbook) prose is absorbing, and readers will find themselves rooting for Mackenzie and Slade individually and together. An enjoyable romp that blends sex with soul-searching…” —Library Journal (starred review)
About RACHEL VAN DYKEN:
Rachel Van Dyken is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author. When she’s not writing about hot hunks for her Regency romance or New Adult fiction books, Rachel is dreaming up new hunks. (The more hunks, the merrier!) While Rachel writes a lot, she also makes sure she enjoys the finer things in life—like The Bachelor and strong coffee.
Rachel lives in Idaho with her husband, son, and two boxers.
Connect With Her:
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