Make it Right is liiiiiiive!
So it’s finally here. The release day of MAKE IT RIGHT! Squeeeeee!!
I have a couple of things to say about this book.
I know I got a lot of raised eyebrows when it was announced that Max would be the hero of the second book. I mean, he was a jerk to the first degree in MAKE IT COUNT. He was the “villain.” Right? But I fully believe that every villain is the hero in his own story. And that’s the case with Max. When I started the first draft of MAKE IT COUNT, Max was rather one-dimensional. He was an asshole. Through and through. Just a jerk. But then…as I was writing, he made himself known. He was angry. He was jealous. And he had reasons. When he punched his closet door in MAKE IT COUNT, I knew in my heart, he was getting a story next.
Max would get his girl.
And, if I do say so myself, I gave him a pretty awesome girl.
Lea. Oh my Lea. Originally, I had planned to make her shy. I had planned for her softness to grind down the edges of Max’s hardness. She’d kill him with kindness, dammit.
But Lea had other plans. As I began writing her POV, she came across a little snarky. A little tough. And a whole lotta backstory underneath those fragile looks, scars, and limp.
And I fell for her, HARD. I loved writing her. I love how she pushes back at Max. I love that she had as much to learn from Max as Max had to learn from her.
This book is not just Max’s story of redemption. It’s a little bit of Lea’s, too. I’m so happy with how she turned out and how their relationship shaped up. This book was fun to write, from Wayne (the cat) to cucumber innuendo, to inappropriate Meet the Parents convos to the sexy times. Through all of it, these characters surprised me. And I feel lucky to have spent time with them.
BLURB:
Max Payton lives by two rules:
Size and strength win any fight, and never show weakness.
When a rash of assaults sends Bowler University for a tail spin, Max volunteers to help teach a self-defense class. One of the other instructors is the beautiful pixie-faced girl he keeps butting heads with…and who challenges everything he thought he knew.
Lea Travers avoids guys like Max – cocky jocks who assume she’s fragile because of a disability caused by a childhood accident. She likes to be in control, and something about being with Max makes her feel anything but. But during the moments he lets his guard down, Lea sees a soul as broken inside as she is outside. Trusting him is a whole other problem…
When the assaults ramp up and hit close to home, Lea and Max must learn, before it’s too late, that true strength can come from vulnerability…and giving in to trust is sometimes the only way to make things right.
Buy Links for MAKE IT RIGHT ($1.99!):
So, in MAKE IT RIGHT, Max makes cookies. And he has a little trick that involves the butter. I laughed when my editor wrote in the margins (does this really work?). Because yes, yes this is a real trick.
Max said it’s okay to share his recipe for chocolate chip cookies, so here it is! And keep scrolling because I have a fun giveaway!
MAX PAYTON’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Ingredients:
2 cups and 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and then cooled to room temperature (Max says this is essential!)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg and 1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients together, set aside. Mix butter and sugars until combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Bake for 15-17 minutes.
And now! A fun giveaway! In MAKE IT RIGHT, Danica wears an apron with a special saying.
You wanna win it? Enter below! (I’m going to open this up to EVERYONE. International!)
