Interview with Sydney Landon

Sydney Landon

Today we have the pleasure to introduce you to Sydney Landon. Her Danvers series follows the romantic lives of the high-powered businessmen who work at Danvers International. In WEEKENDS REQUIRED, Claire Walters is desperately trying to balance her full-time job as assistant to CEO Jason Danvers with the part-time job at a party planning company to raise money for her mother’s medical bills. When Jason shows up at one of her parties, he’s shocked to find his mousy assistant jumping out of his friend’s bachelor cake. And he’s stunned at what a beautiful, sexy woman she is. Suddenly Jason decides that it’s time to mix business and pleasure.

In NOT PLANNING ON YOU, free-spirited Danvers Event Planner Suzy Denton does not want to get involved with very sexy businessman Grayson Merimon. But their undeniable attraction has been building for months, and when circumstances throw the two together, Gray is determined to prove to Suzy that he is exactly the right man for her.

 

Please help us welcome her to UTC today!

Welcome Sydney.  For those who haven't heard of you or the Danvers series before, what can you tell us about it?

The Danvers series are contemporary romance novels based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The series centers around Danvers International, a communications company. Jason Danvers is the hot, powerful CEO and kicks off the first book in the series, Weekends Required. The men of Danvers are strong, sexy and powerful and the women of Danvers are beautiful, quirky and ready for their happily-ever-after.

You had major success while you were self-publishing these books! Did you ever expect the massive response you originally received?

No! I never imagined how these books would create such a fan base. I have always enjoyed writing, but Weekends Required was the first book I actually finished. The characters just came alive for me and even though I loved them, I never imagined that others would as well. It’s been totally surreal.

Fans have been waiting for FALL FOR ME, which is coming out in December. What can we expect of Beth and Nick's story?

Nick and Beth’s story is a little different from the first two books. This is of course a love story, but also a story of setting insecurities aside and learning to love the person in the mirror. Nick and Beth will face a tragedy that will either bring them together or tear them apart forever.

People often want to learn more about the person behind the books. Tell us five fun things about you.

I’m a total shoe addict. I have a closet full, but still wear my Yellow Box flip flops daily. I am also obsessed with pocketbooks. I love a new bag with a lot of color and attitude. I surround myself with technology. I am never more than a few feet from some type of computer when I’m home, usually my Ipad. I’m a huge South Carolina Gamecocks Football fan. Any time they are playing, I’m never far from the game. I make up stories for my children about our cats. If I ever decide to stop writing romance novels, I would probably write a children’s book.

What authors are on your must buy list? 

Ruth Cardello, Sylvia Day, EL James, Richelle Mead, Rachel Caine.

If we were unforgivably rude and pulled at random five things from your hand bag, what would we find?

My IPhone, hand sanitizer, eye liner, lipstick and cherry Chapstick.

Thanks for sharing with us today, we can't wait for the third book to come out!

Claire Walters has worked for Jason Danvers as his assistant at Danvers International for three years, and he has never thought of her as a woman until the day she jumps out of a cake at his friend's bachelor party.

Claire is forced to work a second job at a party planning company to support her ailing mother. She is horrified when Jason not only finds out, but has a front-row seat to the action. With Danvers in the process of merging with another company, Claire is forced to travel with Jason as well as work weekends. Suddenly all the fantasies she has entertained for years about her boss seem to be coming true. Her outspoken best friend Suzy thinks that just getting laid will solve everything. The problem is, Claire sees much more in Jason than just sex.

Jason is determined to know how the beautiful, sexy woman in the cake could also be his Plain Jane assistant who tries her best to blend into the background from 8-5 every day. Now not only does Jason see her as a woman, he fully intends to give her the fairy-tale ending that she deserves!

READ OUR REVIEW

Suzy Denton seems to have it all together. She loves her job as an event's planner for Danvers International, and she loves her high school sweetheart and fiance Jeff. Fast forward a month and it's all gone to hell in a hand-basket. She finds out Jeff's dentist has been doing more than drilling his teeth, and Danvers is in the process of merging with Mericom creating the largest communications company in the US and also bringing Gray Merimon, the CEO of Mericom into her life.

Gray pursues her from almost their first meeting. Even though he looks like sex on a stick, Suzy is afraid of being hurt again, and she thinks Gray is just another stuffed shirt looking for a relationship. When he calls her bluff, Suzy agrees to one night of sex, hoping that he will be terrible in bed and she can finally get him out of her system.

When circumstances throw them together for more than one night, can Gray convince Suzy that two complete opposites can be a perfect fit?

READ OUR REVIEW

Review: Not Planning on You by Sydney Landon

Not Planning on You

by Sydney Landon

(Danvers # 2)

 

Tags: Sweet, Claimed, Top Bitch (assuming this means the heroine was a no-nonsense, take charge kinda gal)

This was a hot, sweet, and good ride. It was a quick ride, but a good one, nonetheless. That said, it also had so many elements of what it so prominently selling right now - a book very similar in many ways to the Fifty Shades and Crossfire series. In some ways that was positive, and some ways, it was meh. But I'll get back to that in a moment.

Not Planning on You begins with our heroine, Suzy, an event planner for Danvers International located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, finding out that the uberhawt, ubersexy, all alpha male, CEO of Mericom, Grayson Merimon (Gray for short) will be spending a lot of time at Danvers in Myrtle Beach...much to her chagrin. She is still getting over the heartache of her fiance' cheating on her and putting her heart back together, and while Gray definitely sends her libido into overdrive, Suzy is not ready for a relationship or to give her heart out once again. Luckily, Gray is a very insistent man, and whittles away Suzy's strong layers, getting her to finally agree, not to a date of course, but to a night of some hot and heavy sex to help simmer the temptation that has been wracking both of them. While on their non-date, and prior to the amazing sex that is supposed to occur, Suzy has an accident, breaks an ankle, and finds herself needing to be taken care of for some time. Of course, Gray instantly takes charge, takes over, and refuses that anyone but himself take care of her.

The chemistry between Suzy and Gray jumps off the page from the get-go, and it is clear to see that they are going to set things aflame when they do finally get down to business. Suzy is a very strong, independent woman who knows who she is, what she wants, and what she doesn't. She is beautiful, full of confidence, and loves to dress in a way to show off her assets and style, topped with six inch stilettos. Gray, the dark, hot and brooding CEO, is equally as gorgeous, all male, and the perfect man in all senses of the word. After he gets Suzy back to his home (that he is able to purchase within a day, and with the mindset of making it their home eventually), his perfection goes into hyperdrive. Not only is he richer than rich and the most perfect male specimen to be found, he has a wonderful relationship with his brother and his parents, his manhood is well above average, AND he cooks from scratch. Believable for the reader? Not.At.All. Nonetheless, he takes care of Suzy, and through their time together, they get to know one another very well, and you can see how they are able to fall in love...not because they are beautiful and the sex (that they haven't yet had) is amazing, but because they really do click and enjoy each other's company.

Of course, there is always a problem in perfect-ville. For Gray and Suzy, it's Gray being stalked by a pesky ex-lover. This comes to haunt them in the worst way imaginable and drives a wedge between our hero and heroine. Are they able to survive it as a couple? You'll have to read it to find out. ;)

So going back to how Not Planning On You is similar to Fifty and Crossfire, and how that can be good and how that can be bad, I'll start with the good. It's good in that it gives the reader the perfection of man to dream about and with which to escape reality. Do we all want that? Hell yes! There are so many elements that I imagine women dream about and are enticed by: tall, dark, sexy CEO who is head over heels in love with the woman of his affections, he's rich, he does all the right things, he is blessed with his amazing manhood, AND he cooks! Sign me up, please!! Now the bad. Is it achievable? Hell no! NO ONE can be THAT perfect. Additionally, the hero's name is Gray. Really? Wow! If that doesn't send up a signal, I'm not sure what would. Also, I think the CEO part has become too cliche', and the hero should not be as well off and owning his own company. It would be nice to see that changed up a bit. Much like Fifty, too, the conflict was a bit far-fetched and way too easily overcome.

Not withstanding my minor criticisms, though, Not Planning On You was a fairly quick and enjoyable read. While some could say that Suzy and Gray fell in love too quickly, I actually enjoyed watching them fall in love in a way different than most contemporary novels these days. They didn't fall in love through their lust for one another, but because they actually spent a lot of time together, getting to know one another. And when they did finally get together, watch out! The sheets were set on fire. I also really enjoyed watching Gray fall to pieces when Suzy would say or do something to break down his hard exterior. He is definitely a kitten underneath his Tiger skin, and it was adorable to see. I also enjoyed the peripheral characters, most especially Beth and Nick, who I can only assume might be the main characters in the next Danvers novel. I know I will be reading it to find out.

*Review copy provided by publisher

Review: Weekends Required by Sydney Landon

3.5 Feathers

Weekends Required

by Sydney Landon

(Danvers # 1)

Claire Walters has somewhat of a hectic life. She has to work two jobs in order to keep up with her mother’s medical bills. During the week she’s the plain Jane assistant to hottie Jason Danvers of Danvers International. Every woman in the office seems to have day dreams about him but she tries to keep her relationship professional, so she punches in; she punches out and tries her best to maintain her composure. During the weekends Claire works for a party planning company which specializes in bachelor parties. Her job is to play dress up and jump out of a cake for the special birthday/bachelor boy. Not something she loves doing, but it pays her well enough to cover all the expenses in her life. But one party turns everything around when she pops out of a cake and finds Jason front row and center. She’s not only horrified but knows for sure she will lose her job at Danvers.

When Jason sees his assistant jump out of a cake at his friend’s bachelor party, he cannot believe his eyes. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would react so wild to what he thought was his plain Jane assistant. In that instant he saw a woman he desperately wants and the only way to keep Claire out of this cake jumping business was to make her work long hard weekends with him; only problem is he’s finding it hard to keep Claire off his mind and soon he finds himself completely captivated by her and willing to do anything to make her happy. What he doesn’t know is by trying to make her happy he’s pushing her away and soon they find themselves in a tug of war between passionate nights and arguments of denial and frustration.

While I found Jason to be a bit dull and mechanical in his words, I did enjoy the way he lost control in his lust for Claire. Also he’s just so damn sweet. And while I found Claire to be a bit annoying when it came to her doubts in Jason, she did show a difference from the “fall to your knees” woman we normally see in contemporary romances. While she did melt for Jason she also knew she had a life to deal with and didn’t let distractions get in her way, distractions meaning having sex with her hot boss. And let’s face it ladies, it is quite a taboo subject to sleep with your sexy boss but isn’t is oh so naughty and hot?!

Weekends Required is your typical Contemporary Romance where the two main characters battle their feelings for each other while indulging in hot passionate love making. If you’re looking for an easy read with some inappropriate flirting under tables and sex up against a wall, this should satisfy your little craving! Enjoy!

* Review copy provided by publisher