Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway: The Best She Ever Had by Shelly Ellis

The Best She Ever Had  A Gibbons Gold Digger Novel By: Shelley Ellis Releasing December 30th, 2014 Kensington Format/Source: E-ARC, NetGalley/Publisher Blurb One by one, the infamous Gibbons sisters of Chesterton, Virginia, are giving up their gold digging ways--except the eldest, who's holding out for her seven figure man. But her heart may have less expensive tastes. . . Thanks to her cold-hearted ways with men, Cynthia Gibbons doesn't blame the folks in town for calling her the "Ice Queen." They don't know the secret she's kept for twenty years--that she once fell crazy in love with a guy who had no money, a guy who broke her heart in the worst possible way. But now Korey Walker is back in town, and Cynthia isn't sure how much longer she can keep the biggest secret of all--that she still loves him. With a divorce behind him, and his new auto repair shop thriving, Korey is looking to the future--until he sets eyes on Cynthia and the past comes roaring back. Even now, Korey doesn't understand Cynthia's hostility--after all, she's the one who broke his heart. He decides to ignore her--until he discovers that his teenage son has fallen for Cynthia's daughter. Determined to stop history from repeating itself, Korey and Cynthia will have to band together. But will keeping their kids apart bring them closer--or destroy their lives for good? Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes | iTunes | Kobo Link to Follow The Best She Ever Had Blog Tour Review The Best She Ever Had by Shelly Ellis had no shortage of family drama, hilarious moments, and lies/secrets that began to surface. And after reading the final book, I have come to the conclusion that if this is how the series ends, I definitely need to start it from the beginning. Cynthia the oldest of the gold digging Gibbons sisters wasn’t afraid to play games to get what/who she wanted. She was reunited with Korey early on. I liked the chemistry between the two of them and how Korey wasn’t afraid to call her on her attitude. Although the book summary indicates that she was hostile, Korey seemed to have greater difficulty letting go of the past. Cynthia’s behavior was less than desirable at times; yet, it seemed that she tried to contain it. The family drama that unfolds in this novel definitely provided hours of entertainment as Cynthia and her sisters struggled with maintaining their gold digging family values. You won’t want to miss Cynthia’s meltdowns—there is nothing like a story about a gold digger who starts to lose control of the situation—especially as the plot thickened while she searched for her daughter. From her internal conflict to her over-the-top behavior Cynthia’s character is absolutely entertaining and you simply won’t want to miss this smexy, funny—serious when necessary—drama filled series.  Rating 4/5  I received an e-arc from the Publisher/ NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Excerpt “Looks like my friend’s here,” Derrick said. Cynthia turned to follow his gaze. She spotted a tow truck gliding toward them with its engine chugging loudly, drowning out the other roadway noise. The truck was haloed by the afternoon sun. Cynthia raised her hand to her brow to block out the blinding light. She squinted. When she recognized the man in the driver’s seat, her bright smile faded. Her mouth fell open, aghast. “That’s your friend?” she squeaked. “Yeah, that’s Korey.” Derrick noticed the change in her facial expression. “Why? What’s wrong?” Cynthia glanced nervously at Derrick as the truck came to a stop not far from where they stood. Her pulse started to race. Her throat went dry. Sweat instantly formed on her brow and underneath her arms. She felt cornered, like a bank robber who had flubbed a getaway after a robbery, had hit a dead end, and now saw red and white flashing lights swirling behind her. “Are you okay?” Derrick asked, touching her shoulder. “You look flushed.” “I’m fine,” she lied, clearing her throat. She shrugged off his hand. “I’m fine . . . really. I’m just a little h-hot . . . th-that’s all.” Derrick stared at her warily. The driver of the tow truck killed the engine and threw open his car door. Cynthia fought the urge to bolt. Her car wasn’t that far away. She could make it before he even reached them. Instead, she forced herself to stay put and watched as he climbed out of the truck and stepped onto the asphalt. After slamming the door shut, he casually strolled toward them. God, he hasn’t changed! Even after all these years, Cynthia thought. Korey Walker still looked the same way he had looked almost twenty years ago when they were in high school together, except now he had a few sprinkles of gray hair on his head and in the beard stubble on his russet-brown cheeks. But he was still tall, still muscular, and still handsome as the devil, which was one reason why she had avoided going anywhere near his auto body and repair shop in Chesterton since he had opened it a little more than a year ago. Back when they were younger, Korey had been the kryptonite to her Superman, and she had been powerless under his spell. Though decades had passed since those days, Cynthia feared she would be powerless again if she got near him—and she didn’t need the confusion he could bring to her life. Korey was not the right man for her now, just as he hadn’t been the right man for her back then. But there was no avoiding him today. “Thanks for coming, man,” Derrick said, stepping forward. He and Korey embraced, then shook hands and slapped one another’s backs. They were quite the contrast: Derrick in his chic, immaculate suit, and Korey in his oil- and greased-stained navy blue shirt and pants, with grime on his hands and dirt under his nails. But even in his shoddy attire, Korey was by far the sexier of the two. Hands down, she thought. Author Info Shelly Ellis is the penname of women's fiction/romance author and creator of the Gibbons Gold Digger series. Her fiction writing career began when she became one of four finalists in a First-Time Writers Contest when she was 19 years old. The prize was a publishing contract and having her first short-story romance appear in an anthology. Since then she has published six novels and two short stories in anthologies. She is married and lives in Maryland with her husband and their daughter. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads Rafflecopter Giveaway $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card a Rafflecopter giveaway