Interview & Giveaway: Weak at the Knees by Jo Kessel

Weak at the Knees

Weak at the Knees
Jo Kessel

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: J.K. Publishing

Date of Publication: September 17, 2013

Number of pages: 293

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon

“We got so busy living life that we forgot to live our dreams.”

Danni Lewis has been playing it safe for twenty-six years, but her sheltered existence is making her feel old ahead of time. When a sudden death plunges her into a spiral of grief, she throws caution to the wind and runs away to France in search of a new beginning.

The moment ski instructor Olivier du Pape enters her shattered world she falls hard, in more ways than one.

Their mutual desire is as powerful and seductive as the mountains around them. His dark gypsy looks and piercing blue eyes are irresistible.

Only she must resist, because he has a wife – and she’d made a pact to never get involved with a married man.

But how do you choose between keeping your word and being true to your soul?

Weak at the Knees is Jo’s debut novel in the new adult, contemporary romance genre – a story about love, loss and relationships, set between London and the heart of the French Alps.

Excerpt: 

Late afternoon Olivier and I are playing with interlocked fingers, sitting side by side on the balcony step, basking in the sun.

“I’ve been thinking about your birthday. Is there anything in particular that you’d like to do?” he asks.

I shrug.

“I don’t think so. Birthdays are no big deal and twenty-seven is hardly one of the big ones.”

It’s getting dangerously close to thirty and my life is still not exactly sorted. He rubs it in.

“There’s only three more years to go until you join my decade! Look, forget about it being your birthday. Let’s just say we’ve got an evening to spend together to do something a bit different. What would you like to do then?”

I’m not brave enough to ask what’s going to happen to us, to ask whether he’s going to have left his wife by then, or whether he’s expecting me to stay as his bit on the side. But perhaps I won’t need to. Because if I can summon enough courage to tell him exactly what I’d really like to do for my birthday, his answer will probably tell me all I need to know. There is something I’ve been desperate to do since we got together, but it’s not been possible seeing as our affair has to be kept secret. It doesn’t seem much to ask and for most couples it’s the simplest thing to do. I can’t bear to look at his face, to see his expression or to read his reaction, so I fixate on our fingers instead, making pretty puppet patterns.

“Actually, there is something I’d like to do,” I say. “I’d like to go out and eat at a restaurant, just you and me.”

He’s silent for the longest moment. His fingers stop moving and so, it feels, does my heart.

“Do you know how difficult that is for me Danni?”

His face is tight and serious when I look up and drown in his clear blue stare. I can barely breathe. It feels like the question mark hanging over our relationship and future has just jumped off the page, quadrupled in size and wrapped itself tight around my windpipe.

Interview: 

1. Tell us about your latest release.

Weak at the Knees is a story about love, loss and relationships, set between London and the heart of the French Alps. The heroine, Danni Lewis, loses her way when somebody very close to her dies. She finds it hard to pick up the pieces and move on and the story explores her journey as she tries to make sense of her life and find love. This journey takes her to France, perhaps the most romantic country in the world. Here Danni does find love in the form of a very hot Frenchman. The problem is that even when she’s found him - her soul mate and the person who makes her feel complete - its way more complicated than she ever thought possible. When her principles and morals are put to the test, Danni and the cliché ‘sometimes love just isn’t enough’ collide dramatically. I’ve always found it gut-wrenching to believe that love might not be enough, because the fairytale has it that love conquers all. I don’t want to give too much away, but is love enough?!

I so hope readers will enjoy the romance of it all and feel as if they’ve been transported half-way across the world to France. I’ve always found France such a sexy country.

2. What have you got coming soon for us to look out for?

I’m working on a sequel to Weak at the Knees, which will move the story along as well as including Olivier’s POV so that we will get the chance to hear his side of things.

3. What song would you choose for Karaoke?

I’m a terrible karaoke singer and just end up embarrassing myself. So however much I might want to get up and sing, I now keep my lips firmly sealed.

4. Which Star Trek or Star Wars character are you most like?

Unbelievably, I have never watched either Star Trek or Star Wars. Sci-fi just isn’t my thing.

5. Who would you most like to be stranding on a desert island with? Least? Why?

I’d most like to be stranded with Hugh Jackman. I would least like to be stranded on a desert island with Robert Mugabe. As my children would say - “He’s a Baddie.” And who wants to be stranded with a baddie? Unless they’re incredibly young and hot…………

Giveaway: 

$50 Amazon or BN.com gift cardA bottle of the fabulous French red wine Chateauneuf-du-Pape

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour Info: 
Don't forget to check out the other stops on the Book Tour:

September 23:
Two Fantasy Floozies
Tina Donahue Presents

September 24:
Books and Other Spells

September 25:
Rogue's Angels
Hope Dreams. Life... Love

September 26:
The Reading Addict

September 27:
Reading In Twilight
Unabridged Andra

September 30:
Christine Young Romance Writer

October 1:
Author Jinni James

October 2:
Jody's Book Reviews and Giveaways
Janna Shay's Fair Play

October 3:
Margay Leah Justice

October 41:
Sexy Adventures, Passionate Tales

October 7:
Rose and Beps Blog

October 8:
Simply Ali

October 9:
Deal Sharing Aunt

October 10:
Power of Passion

October 11:
The London Diaries
The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl

October 14:
Illustrious Illusions
Punya Reviews...

October 15:
Nickie's Views and Interviews

October 16:
Farm Girl Books
Book 'Em North Carolina

October 17:
Bunny's Review

October 18:
The Divas of Desire
Beyond My Writing Space

October 21:
Andi's Book Reviews

October 22:
The eBook Reviewers

October 24:
Reviews Unleashed

October 25:
Writer Wonderland
Books on Silver Wings

October 28:
Jennifer Lynne: Romance Author
Author Raine Delight's Blog

October 29:
Happily Ever After
Aly's Miscellany

October 30:
Literary Nook
Reviews by Crystal

October 31:
Book Reviews by Lexi

November 1:
Silver Lining
Jersey Girl Book Reviews

November 4:
Mommasez...

November 5:
Regina May Ross's Blog

November 6:
Queen of the Night Reviews

November 7:
The Women's Fiction Review
Musings and Ramblings

November 8:
Danita Minnis
As the Pages Turn

November 11:
Booklover Sue
Jodie Pierce's Ink Slinger's Blog

November 12:
Welcome to My World of Dreams
The Revolving Bookcase

November 13:
Harlie's Books

November 14:
Sharing Links and Wisdom

November 15:
The Muse Unleashed
Jenna Allen

Author Bio:

When Jo was ten years old she wrote a short story about losing a loved one. Her mother and big sister were so moved by the tale that it made them cry. Having reduced them to tears she vowed that the next time she wrote a story it would make them smile instead. Happily she succeeded and with this success grew an addiction for wanting to reach out and touch people with words. Jo lives in London with her husband and three children where she works as a TV and print journalist. She tells life stories and can often be found travelling the globe researching the next big holiday hotspots for readers to enjoy. Since becoming a mother anything even remotely sad makes her cry. She’s a sucker for a good romance and tear-jerker movies are the worst. She’s that woman in the cinema, struggling to muffle audible wails as everyone else turns round to stare.

P.S Jo’s pretty certain one of her daughters has inherited this gene.

To connect with the author online:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | LinkedIn