Review: Raising the Stakes by Karen Rock with TWO Giveaways

 Tour Schedule

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Raising the Stakes by Karen Rock. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. 

Raising the Stakes
by Karen Rock
Genre: Adult
Age category: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 1 April, 2015

Description:
Hiding from the world…

Tucking herself away in the Adirondack woods was supposed to keep Vivienne Harris safe. From dark memories of the Bronx, from danger, from entanglements. But when an orphaned bear cub raids her pantry and conservation officer Liam Walsh appears with news of poachers nearby, her private, peaceful world is turned upside down!

Suddenly two forces are drawing her out—Button, the cub who needs her help, and Liam, the man who's dead set against her rehabilitating the bear. If she can just win Liam's support, Vivie knows she can give Button a good life. And maybe find the courage to embrace a future with Liam…

My Review:
I've come to love the stories that Karen Rock weaves. Each one is unique and tells the tale of two people falling in love. However, this one is slightly different, but the cover is perfect for this story.

Vivie is seeking a safe, comfortable life in the Adirondack woods in upstate New York. An orphaned bear shows up in her kitchen and when Liam appears to help, her peaceful zone flies out the window. Vivie and Liam butt heads more than once and over many different things--especially when it comes to raising a bear. Their differences drive them apart, but their need for security draws them together. I used to want to have a pet bear or a monkey--so cute and cuddly. I loved reading about the animals.

Vivie is recovering victim of a violent act and is driven to show love to those who need it, namely orphans who are animals. She has a menagerie of pets--a baby bear cub, a cat, and a dog. She really roots and cheers for the underdog and helps them at all costs. Liam isn't like that. He has his own emotional scars and doesn't like to be rooted. He is a rule follower and does what's best for the big picture, not each piece of the puzzle.

I enjoyed seeing Niall and Kayleigh in a cameo role from a previous story. I loved the way Vivie and Liam work together and the interactions with Button the bear were the best. I love a good, clean romance. I wish there had been a little more in here, but it was fitting with what the characters were going through.

Content: mild romance (kissing); no language or religious elements; mild violence (mentions war violence, death, an attack/rape--not graphic at all). Clean.

Buy Links:

- Amazon

- Barnes & Noble

- Kobo

- Harlequin
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:
Karen Rock is an award-winning YA and adult contemporary romance author. She holds a master’s degree in English and worked as an ELA instructor before becoming a full-time writer. Currently she writes for Harlequin Heartwarming and her first novel for the line, WISH ME TOMORROW, has won the 2014 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the 2014 Golden Quill Contest and a finalist in the Published Maggie Awards. The first novel in her co-authored YA series, CAMP BOYFRIEND, has been a finalist in the Booksellers Best and Golden Leaf awards.

You can find and contact Karen here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Tumblr
- Quarterly Newsletter
- Amazon Author Page

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Raising the Stakes. These are the prizes you can win:
- a 100$ Amazon gift card (INT)
- a set of signed paperbacks of Wish Me Tomorrow, His Hometown Girl, Someone Like You and A League of Her Own (US only)

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway