{"id":45334,"date":"2019-08-21T09:00:54","date_gmt":"2019-08-21T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=45334"},"modified":"2020-10-11T21:59:58","modified_gmt":"2020-10-12T01:59:58","slug":"blog-tour-with-excerpt-arc-review-i-hate-you-the-hookup-3-by-ilsa-madden-mills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=45334","title":{"rendered":"Blog Tour with Excerpt & ARC Review: I Hate You (The Hook Up, #3) by Ilsa Madden-Mills"},"content":{"rendered":"

I want you . . . even when I hate you. <\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I Hate You, an all-new enemies to lovers sports romance standalone from Wall Street Journal<\/em> bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills, is LIVE!!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Buy it today!!<\/strong>
\nAmazon US<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0<\/strong>Amazon Worldwide<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/h4>\n
\n

Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Blaze Townsend<\/em>: I hate you.
\n<\/strong>Charisma Rossi<\/em>: I hate you more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

She\u2019s been expecting this ever since their latest showdown. She had good reason.<\/p>\n

Hottest guy she\u2019s ever seen.
\nFormer fling.
\nDumped her in front of her friends.
\nAt her own party.<\/em><\/p>\n

So no, she\u2019s not about to forgive and forget just because he sits next to her in class.
\nHe thinks all he has to do is turn on those baby blues, and she\u2019ll melt right back into his arms. Please.<\/em>She\u2019d be crazy to let this cocky player affect her again. (Tell that to her body.)<\/p>\n

Charisma Rossi.
\nNerd girl with a dash of bad.
\nThe one who got under his skin.
\nThe one he cut loose.<\/em><\/p>\n

Blaze knows she\u2019s the riskiest prospect at Waylon University, but none of the interchangeable girls he hooks up with have ever made him feel the way she did. There\u2019s absolutely no way he can have the girl and <\/em>the game.<\/p>\n

So why can\u2019t he stop trying to win her back?<\/p>\n

Can this wide receiver score the girl or will he make the biggest fumble of his life<\/p>\n

Find\u00a0I Hate You<\/em> on GOODREADS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4 \u201cPromise me you\u2019ll stay\u201d stars<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Charisma Rossi used to be life of the party. Outgoing and fun, she knew how to have a good time. Things changed, though, when her popular football boyfriend dumped her in front of everyone at her own party. Her confidence took a hit and she\u2019s been hiding out ever since.<\/p>\n

Now, with the start of the new semester, she\u2019s ready for a \u201cnew\u201d Charisma. She plans to keep her distance and move on but when her ex comes back into the picture, he proves just how hard it is to stay away when he seems to want her back.<\/p>\n

I love sports romances and I love second chances so I couldn\u2019t have been more excited that I Hate You<\/i> has both.\u00a0Add in swoon, steam, angst, and feels, and you’ll easy find yourself engrossed in this story.<\/p>\n

When we see Charisma and Blaze together, there\u2019s still a spark and the sexual tension is off the charts! I could feel their connection so I was desperate to know what really went down. I know that sometimes things aren\u2019t always as they seem so was thinking up all different rationales. I loved the way the story unfolds and I wasn\u2019t disappointed.<\/p>\n

This book gave me two endearing characters that were multi-layered and complex.\u00a0My heart hurt for Blaze and the childhood he had. He is such a sweet guy and I felt his conflict while he wrestled with his feelings. He\u2019s swoony and sexy, and I am so glad he was only a player on the field. It was refreshing and made me fall a little harder for him. Charisma had her own insecurities and fears that shaped her life. She had to face them and I was happy when she did.<\/p>\n

I loved both Charisma and Blaze individually but I felt like I got to know them better when they were together. They are intense and the emotions are all over the place but you can really feel their connection. They turn up the heat but it\u2019s when they open up that the real relationship forms. It\u2019s more than just physical and I enjoyed the friendship and love that sneaks up on them.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you see me, Charm? Can you see the man I really am underneath all this? Can you look at me and see that I can\u2019t go on without you?\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The push and pull is a little too much and I found myself frustrated at times. I understood the reason they held back but it took longer than I\u2019d like to fully commit and trust each other. And just when I think things are going well there\u2019s another setback.\u00a0Still, the journey is worth the pain because when they are finally a couple, everything comes together beautifully. My heart was full and I was giddy over their HEA, especially after the epilogue!<\/p>\n

I love the other books in The Hook Up<\/a> <\/em>series so it was nice to see characters from I Dare You<\/em><\/a> and I Bet You<\/a><\/em>. I hope we get more of this group of characters!<\/p>\n

*ARC generously provided by the\u00a0author and\u00a0Social Butterfly PR in\u00a0exchange for an honest\u00a0review*<\/i><\/p>\n

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\n

Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cNeed some help?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m on my tiptoes when the question comes, trying to reach a book on the top shelf in the bookstore at the student center.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My heart does a nosedive off a cliff as that familiar gruff voice washes over me, his accent a smooth drawl that\u2019s reminiscent of hot summer nights and slow kisses\u2014kisses we never had\u2026well, except for that one time freshman year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I ignore him and try to grab the book.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re too short. Let me,\u201d Blaze says, this time closer, his voice soft.<\/span><\/p>\n

I ease back on my feet and whip around, internally wishing I\u2019d worn something more <\/span>I hate you and don\u2019t you wish you still had me<\/span><\/i>, but sadly, I\u2019m not in my kickass shoes and itchy dress. Today it\u2019s flat-soled red Converse, black joggers, and a Yankees sweatshirt. I blow at a piece of hair in my face. <\/span>Shit.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Of course, he looks magnificent in a tight long-sleeved black shirt that clings to his broad chest and tapered jeans molded to those leg muscles. His face is unshaven, the darkness on his jawline adding a broody look.<\/span><\/p>\n

Curse him and his hotness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I stare at him a little too long, until I snap out of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need help,\u201d My voice is strangled as I move to brush past him\u2014forget the textbooks\u2014but he reaches out and takes my elbow.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCharisma\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His fingers are a hot brand on my skin\u2014it\u2019s the first time we\u2019ve touched in three months\u2014and I pull away. A tremble starts in my legs. <\/span>How dare he?<\/span><\/i>It was one thing to see him in a social setting and pretend I was fine, but when we\u2019re face to face without people watching\u2026 \u201cDon\u2019t put your hands on me. I\u2019m not your hookup anymore, football player.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His face reddens, and he drops his arms. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean\u2014\u201d he stops, not finishing as he studies my face.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wonder what he sees. <\/span>You know what he sees, Charisma\u2014someone who wasn\u2019t up to his usual standards.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Everything I didn\u2019t say last night rushes out. \u201cDidn\u2019t mean to what? Dump me in the middle of my own sorority\u2019s party in front of all my friends and half of campus? And you know, that\u2019s totally fine. We both knew I wasn\u2019t enough to keep your attention.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His jaw clenches and he frowns, his brow furrowing. \u201cI didn\u2019t plan for things to happen that way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you want to break up with me? Over candlelight? A text would have worked just fine,\u201d I bite out.<\/span><\/p>\n

The silence builds between us, and he watches me intently, as if trying to figure me out. He starts at my hair and works his way down to my feet, then comes back to my face. Just when I think I might combust from the intensity of his eyes, he looks away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d I cock my hip. \u201cYou look like you want to say something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He taps his hand against his leg. Ice-blue eyes, ones I used to stare into and get butterflies from, glitter down at me. \u201cYou just can\u2019t handle that<\/span> ended things, sweetheart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot your sweetheart.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNever were.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shit\u2026shit\u2026<\/span><\/i>my heart feels like an anvil just landed on it, heavy and hard, and I can\u2019t breathe for a second at his words, part of me pissed, the other part devastated. I wanted to be his sweetheart, I did, but he\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019re not my type.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for the reminder,\u201d I say quietly, my anger folding away piece by piece and slipping into that horrible self-pity I despise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He closes his eyes and scrubs his face with those talented hands, strong and big and capable, skillful with a football.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He steps in front of me, much like he did last night, and I tilt my head back to take him in. At my height of five feet, three inches, it\u2019s hard to glare at a guy who towers over you and not look ridiculous, but I manage\u2014until his eyes flicker with lingering emotion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I dart my eyes around the store, searching for a way out, but I\u2019m stuck between him and a bookshelf. \u201cYou\u2019re blocking my path.\u201d I focus on his legs. No sexiness there\u2014well, except for the tight muscles under that denim.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what I know,\u201d he says in a low voice, ignoring my statement. \u201cYou told <\/span>me <\/span><\/i>we were just <\/span>messing around<\/span><\/i>. You set all the rules. Isn\u2019t that how you operate? So why does me ending things with you even matter?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou never asked for more. You could have.\u201d The revealing words fall around us, tinged with hurt, and I want to pull them back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The silence between us crackles, yet I\u2019m aware of other people around us. There are a few girls on another aisle, and I glance over as one of them pulls out her phone. No doubt she\u2019s taking a picture of him. Part of me retreats, anxious she\u2019ll get me in that photo\u2014a girl who clearly doesn\u2019t belong. He doesn\u2019t notice. Everyone knows who he is, and they\u2019re probably wondering why he\u2019s talking to me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I didn\u2019t,\u201d he finally says, the words taut as if pulled from him unwillingly. He taps his leg, his tell that he\u2019s anxious or angry. We weren\u2019t together long, but every moment we spent together, I studied him like a wine connoisseur given a glass of rare cabernet. I know what makes him laugh, usually random things that make no sense. I know that groan he makes deep in this throat when he slides inside me, like he\u2019s home. I know the feel of his hand when he cups my face and stares at me, a hesitant expression on his face\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t even look at me anymore. I wonder why,\u201d he says, his voice a challenge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Steeling myself, I face those baby blues. \u201cYou know why. I wish we\u2019d never met up last fall. I wish you\u2019d never flirted with me. I wish I\u2019d never fucked you that first time in the library\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSame page. Same fucking page, Charisma.\u201d And then he\u2019s walking away, broad shoulders swaying as he stalks down the aisle\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

The Hook Up<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

I Dare You (#1) <\/strong>– (Maverick & Delaney)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon <\/a>\u00a0| Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

I Bet You (#2) <\/strong>– (Ryker & Penelope)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon <\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

I Hate You (#3) <\/strong>– (Blaze & Charisma)
\nReview<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy: Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

I Promise You (#4)<\/strong> – (Dillon & Serena)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

About the Author<\/b><\/h4>\n

\"\"Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her contemporary romances ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Seven of her ten novels have placed in the Amazon US Store Top Six Best-seller List: Dirty English hit #1; Fake Fianc\u00e9e and I Dare You hit #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things all placed #6 in the Amazon US Store.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, hit #4. <\/span><\/p>\n

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero. <\/span><\/p>\n

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online. <\/span><\/p>\n

Keep up with Ilsa and join her UNICORN GIRLS FB GROUP<\/a>\u00a0and sign up for her\u00a0NEWSLETTER<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Text ROMANCE to 21000 to sign up for book release phone alerts (max of 4).<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

AMAZON<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0INSTAGRAM<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0GOODREADS<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0BOOKBUB<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0BOOK+MAIN\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I want you . . . even when I hate you.     I Hate You, an all-new enemies to lovers sports romance standalone from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills, is LIVE!!   […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,65,9,58,29],"tags":[59,343,301,357,48],"class_list":["post-45334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-enemies-to-lovers","category-lol-funny","category-romance","category-sports-star","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-blog-tour","tag-excerpt","tag-ilsa-madden-mills","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMM-I-Hate-You-BookCover55x85_HIGH.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-bNc","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}