Smiling Book Reviews: Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Charming the Troublemaker by Pepper Basham

~Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY below!~

Title: Charming the Troublemaker
Author: Pepper Basham
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 1, 2017

Troublemaking never looked so good…

When Dr. Alex Murdock is demoted to a university in rural Virginia, the last thing he expects to find is a future. But country charm never looks as good as it does on Rainey Mitchell.

Rainey Mitchell doesn’t need a high-class flirt in her wounded world, but trouble and temptations wafts off the new professor as strong as his sandalwood-scented cologne.

When circumstances thrust them together to save her tutoring clinic, can the troublemaker find the hero inside and encourage the reticent Rainey to open her heart again.

Click here to purchase!

Charming the Troublemaker by Pepper D. Basham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another winner by the talented Pepper Basham! And we're back with the wonderful Mitchell family! Loved it!

We learn a little about Rainey and Alex in the first book of the series, A Twist of Faith. This book finds their stories more fleshed out. Rainey is very wounded from her ex-husband's betrayal and Alex is trying to overcome his playboy past. As a dashingly handsome and annoyingly flirtatious male, Alex doesn't stand a chance with Rainey at first. But Alex is drawn to Rainey from the beginning, so he does his best to win her over. It doesn't hurt his cause that he adores Rainey's daughter, Sarah, and Sarah adores him back. :) Will Alex break down her walls or will the secret he is protecting tear them apart forever?

I loved the always present humor and humorous situations (think underoos - so hysterical... LOL:D). I loved the Mitchell family support - Mama Mitchell is always there for her kids. I loved the swoon worthy, romantic sparkle and sizzle between Rainey and Alex as well as the tenderness Alex has for Sarah. And I liked that there was a light touch of mystery and suspense in the background to help balance out the story.

Don't miss out on this wonderful addition to Pepper's heartfelt, romantic, Blue Ridge Mountain stories!

*Thanks to CelebrateLit for a complimentary copy of this book. I was not paid or required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes novels peppered with grace and humor and inspired by her love for history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of 5 great kids, speech-pathologist to about fifty more, lover of chocolate, jazz, and Jesus. Her debut historical novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in May 2015 and has garnered awards such as Reader’s Favorites Award, finalist in the Grace Awards, shortlisted for the Inspy Awards, and most recently a finalist in the ACFW Carol Awards. Her second historical novel, The Thorn Keeper, released in Feb 2016 and her first contemporary romance, A Twist of Faith, released in April 2016 with a 4 star review from Romantic Times. The third book in the Penned in Time series, The Thorn Healer, released in December 2017 with a 4 1/2 star review from Rt and Top Pick rating.

Pepper’s first novella arrived in March as part of a Love at First Laugh novella compilation and her novel, Just the Way You Are, released on April 6th – a funfilled Britallachian romance!

Find Pepper on her website http://www.pepperdbasham.com/ or on her group blog www.thewritersalleyblog.com or on social media here:
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pepper-D-Basham
Twitter - https://twitter.com/pepperbasham
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pepperbasham/

Guest Post from Pepper Basham

I have a thing for underdogs. Misfits. Lost souls who desperately need to find where they belong.

I can’t help it! Call it a ‘fix-it’ mentality or an awareness that God rescued me and now I want to rescue other people…even fictional characters, but I’m definitely a softy for those characters that people are less likely to root for. Catherine from The Thorn Bearer/Keeper became my first rescue…and I just HAD to find another.

I guess that’s how Charming the Troublemaker came into existence.

Dr. Alex Murdock desperately needed to be rescued. In a bad way.

If you’ve had a chance to read my first book in the Mitchell’s Crossroads series, A Twist of Faith, you’ll know that Alex doesn’t seem to be made up of much hero material. He’s a flirt, a little arrogant, and…well, kind of like a lost puppy.

As Book 1 grew and came to a close, I knew Alex and Rainey’s story would be next…but I immediately ran into a real problem.

Who in the world was Alex Murdock? We really didn’t get to know him very much in Book 1. He zoomed in a few times, ruffling feathers and then finally showing off some interesting kindness/compassion in the end, but…he was still a big-time flirt.

So the question emerged: Can a flirt be a hero?

What is Alex hiding behind that ready smile and sense of humor? Why does he seem so lost?

The answers were surprising!! Just wait.

The Mitchell family draw him right in, as they did with Dee, and his world is forever changed.

And then there’s Rainey. Strong-willed and independent, she is deeply wounded by her ex-husband’s betrayal. Though she gives off all these ‘confident’ vibes, she hides her insecurities behind a tough exterior in a desire to keep people at a distance – well, everyone except her family.

Alex rocks her world with his ready charm.

And she sees beyond the plastic grin to recognize another wounded soul.

Throwing them together into a book has been a hilarious and heart-stirring adventure, I wasn’t prepared to encounter. They’re so much fun!

AND…he’s ADORKABLE!! Seriously!! He is SUCH a dork, but makes me grin. And…he looks like Armie Hammer 😉

Let me just give you a hint to some of my favorite scenes:

Anything with Sarah!

Underoos

All of the scenes in Rainey’s house

And those in Mama Mitchell’s

Okay, I like the WHOLE STORY…and I can’t wait to see what you think too.

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Reading Is My SuperPower, November 15

Moments Dipped in Ink, November 15

Fiction Aficionado, November 16

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Fiction, Faith, and Fun, November 17

Inklings and Notions, November 17

Faithfully Bookish, November 18

Radiant Light, November 18

Reflections From My Bookshelves, November 19

The Power of Words, November 19

Cordially Barbara, November 20

Red Headed Book Lady, November 20

Smiling Book Reviews, November 20

Kat’s Corner Books, November 21

A Greater Yes, November 21

100 Pages per Hour, November 22

Splashes of Joy, November 22

Carpe Diem, November 23

Bookworm Mama, November 23

A Baker’s Perspective, November 24

The Important Things in Life: God, Books, & Chocolate, November 24

Daysong Reflections, November 25

Rachel Scott McDaniel, November 25

Remembrancy, November 26

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 26

Christian Chick’s Thoughts, November 27

Karen Sue Hadley, November 27

To celebrate her tour, Pepper is giving away a grand prize of a paper copy of A Twist of Faith, a mug from the Blue Ridge Parkway, one driftwood scented candle, one mango scented candle, and a Troublemaker snickers

highly appropriate. Chocolate with a nutty personality :)!!