Blog Tour: Beautifully Awaken Series by Riley MacKenzie

Diagnosis: Sleep-running

Treatment: Truth 

Prognosis: Beautifully Awake

Lili Porter hates the rain. Bad things happen in the rain. As a small town social worker dedicated to protecting children, she is forced to start over to escape her rural disaster. Determined to follow her father’s advice—head up and chin high—Lili finds herself in a new city, taking on a new system, this time healthcare. In doing so, she gets something she never expected, an intimate behind-the-scenes look at life in the hospital.

 Lili learns that a surgeon’s hands have the power to heal more than physical wounds. And a prescription for truth can cure three years of sleep running and leave you beautifully awake  

Wow! What a wonderful debut novel from two gals who call themselves Riley MacKenzie.  I absolutely loved not only this story, but the actual writing itself.

This story is about to broken people, Lili and Chase. Lili is running from something in her past. She has built up walls and does not let men get close to her heart. Lili is a little different than other damaged characters we read about. A lot of times, these types of characters do not let people in. Period. In Lili’s case, though, she lets people in as friends, even the guys. However, these guys do not have a prayer of making it past the “friend zone.” Chase, a neurosurgeon, is her new boss at the hospital where she works as a case manager. Just like Lili, he is damaged. But, he does not let people in. He keeps everyone at arm’s length and maintains only a professional relationship with people. The only person he really has is his best friend, Asher.

Without meaning to, the pair break through each other’s defenses and they form a seemingly unbreakable bond. The chemistry between Chase and Lili is explosive. Prepare yourself for some smokin’ hot scenes. Chemistry aside, they lack communication when it comes to their pasts. When those demons rise to the surface, they are left more than just a little shaken. They take turns being the rock the other needs and I absolutely loved this about them. While Chase is usually the dominant one in the relationship, there are times when Lili needs to take charge. The two find their balance and dive head first into their future together.

The authors did a wonderful job creating realistic characters. I loved Lili’s pregnant best friend, Sierra. She is spunky, out spoken, fiercely protective, and has a heart of gold. Chase’s best friend, Asher, is equally as awesome. I can’t wait to get my hand on his book. I also wouldn’t turn down a story from Guy. (Just sayin’ girls.)

This book was on its way to a solid 5 stars, but towards the end, it got a little redundant. Chase and Lili’s need for “truth” was repeated a little too much for me. There was also the use of nicknames a little too often, and not just between Chase and Lili. However, I am fully aware that the nickname thing is a personal thing. I also felt there was a tad too much drama. The two just get hit after hit, and I kept thinking that something had to give. Obviously it does, because Riley MacKenzie delivered a beautiful HEA.

Overall, I think this is a fabulous book that everyone should read. Riley MacKenzie is definitely a pair that you should watch out for. I know I am looking forward to more awesome works by them!

I washed up and had just enough time to tug on a clean tank and thong and then climbed back into bed. I heard his footsteps. Excitement and relief washed through me. A small part of me feared he might have changed his mind, but my insecurity vanished the second his chiseled face appeared from the darkness.

His shirt hung open. He folded his arms across his chest and casually leaned against the wall, studying me like the MRI images he methodically memorized before each surgery.

“You moved?” His lips parted into a half grin, and he shook his head disapprovingly.

“You took too long.”

“You put clothes on.”

“You might need some new clothes.” I smiled.

“You’re fucking beautiful.”

            Speechless.

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Diagnosis: Borrowed time 

Treatment: Trust 

Prognosis: Beautifully Done

Asher Craig drives fast, flies high, and screws hard. But make no mistake, he’s a gentleman. He learned way too young that we’re all on borrowed time. Fair or unfair, you only get one ride.

He vows to live for the moment because it’s the only time he owns. The past is beyond his control and the future may not exist. With his only loyalties being his family, he thrives for that edge where plunging over is always in the realm of possibility.

When a beautiful familiar face tilts his axis, he re-examines everything and realizes that second chances are overrated and a lifetime of firsts are irreplaceable. In the end, it’s not her medical degree but his trust that needs to prove that the ride together is worth it ... until it’s Beautifully Done.

 ***Author's note*** Contains spoilers from Beautifully Awake. We highly recommend reading Chase and Lili's story first. For readers 18+  

This is a great follow up to Beautifully Awake. Asher is Chase's best friend. He is a guy that liked to live in the moment and he doesn't do commitment. Let just say he gets around, but he is always honest with the women. He lets them know right off what they are getting into, which is no strings sex. Regardless of his commitment issues, he is a big sweetheart. He is fiercely protective, loyal, and really loved his family and friends.
Talia grew up with Chase and Asher; she was actually Kimi, Chase's sister's best friend. So she was best friends with the boys also. In the first book, we learned that they had a band when they were kids. Talia was the lead singer. After Kimi's accident, she disappeared.
Asher runs in to Talia at a bar. He is determined to not let her disappear again. They keep in touch and starts long distance relationship. I really enjoyed how they got to know each other again. I felt that they had a great dynamic.
Again, Riley  McKenzie delivers a solid storyline. The characters were great; the writing style easy to get into. All in all, just a great story!

We sat silent while he fetched my bottle. “So what about you?” She sounded a tad more relaxed.

“What about me?”

Her iPhone whistled with a new text. She tapped the power button, quickly blackening the screen, before she even had a chance to read the message. Clearly, I was not invited to eavesdrop. Thoughts of someone else’s sexting was a definite mood killer anyway. She dropped the phone in her bag and nailed me with her big cinnamon eyes.

“Sorry. Work.” Yeah right.

“No hidden ink? You all tatted up under this muscley situation you have going on?” She waved her hands up and down the length of my body. Somehow the tension from moments ago vanished and now the conversation was about me. Shit. How a woman could so brilliantly avoid a topic and complete a one-eighty boggled my mind. But I didn’t mind her acknowledging my body. That had to be a good sign, right?

“I pegged you for some completely over-the-top ink to your chicks all hot and bothered?”  

I shook my head for more than one reason. “I don’t need any help from a tat for that.” I loved that she blushed and tried to play it off hiding behind her clear glass.

“Whatever.”

“Don’t blush, all you have to do is ask and you are more than welcome to check out,” I copied her hand motion down my front, “my situation.” I smirked and took a pull from my beer. Her attempt at a repulsed expression was hilarious. Hey, she started it.

“Hate you.”

“No you don’t.”  

“True.” She smiled. It was just like old times. 

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Yep. That's an “s.” There are two of us!

We’re East coast girls separated by Long Island Sound who met in Physician Assistant School and have been besties ever since. We can safely say that thirteen miles of water does not get in the way because we talk or text, no exaggeration, at least 150 times a day. No, really, we do—about everything and nothing. Shockingly, we never (we mean never) run out of things to say. Umm, ever. We definitely laugh A LOT and we’re a tad sarcastic. And if we’re being totally honest, one or two people might have, on occasion, used our names and ‘dramatic’ in the same sentence. But it’s hard to trust the sources since they married us.

It only took twelve years, two husbands, five kids, two dogs, and a two-week vacation in Cape Cod later to decide the romance world needed a splash of medicine. Write what you know.

So you can easily find us at 4 o'clock on Bank Street beach with a glass of cold Prosecco brainstorming. And guaranteed if we bump into you, literally, it’s only because our iPhones are glued to our hands (totally out of our control) either writing or editing our next novel (and yes, it is possible to do from your iPhone, we mastered it … damn those straight quotations).

When we are not working on our book or reading the latest angsty romance on our kindles, you basically name it and we have it going on. Soccer, lacrosse, golf, swimming, dance, gymnastics, football, chess, baseball, basketball, skiing, ice skating, school, homework, and more school. Oh yeah, did we forget to mention our careers in medicine?

Needless to say, we realized fast that something had to go, so we opted for sleep. It’s completely overrated (yet so AMAZING) and delirium makes everything funnier. Good thing we share a brain and can pretty much complete each other’s sentences (definitely weird, we know), otherwise it might have taken us two years to write Beautifully Awake rather than one.

 So that’s our story, who we are … just add AUTHORS to the list!   

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