Presents...
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Amber L. Johnson's For Authentication Purposes. I have all the details about the book and my review for y'all.
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For Authentication Purposes
Published by The Writers Coffee Shop
Release Date: March 5 , 2015
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from TWCS in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Synopsis
Dawn Sims has made a name for herself writing romantic fiction online. When she's pushed to try her hand at publishing, she thinks she has everything figured out. The only problem? She's never been in a relationship, especially one that has led her to finding The Big O.
So much for writing what you know.
Warner Green has had Dawn in his sights since she walked into his class in seventh grade. She broke his teenage heart not once, but twice, so seeing her in his night class at the local community college was an unexpected surprise.
Accidentally reading her bad erotica on her laptop was a blessing from the Smut Gods themselves.
It's clear she has no idea what she's writing about, but Warner does. In fact, he knows so much that he's willing to offer her his services. The deal is simple: teach the good girl from high school everything she needs to know to write from experience. If he gets to live out a fantasy or two that he's been harboring for almost a decade, then there's no harm in that either.
The lessons turn more heated, and Dawn begins to question where Warner has learned his skills, but he's not ready to talk, until his past comes back to haunt him at the worst possible time.
It shouldn't matter when it's for authentication purposes only.
I adore Johnson's voice. She tells a story in such a relatable way, and with, what I've come to expect, her signature humor. For Authentication Purposes didn't pack quite the emotional punch that I found in previous reads from her but it was certainly a lot a fun!
Dawn and Warner, aka Bunny and Wardo, have known each other since junior high. They orbited one another for all these years - and now find themselves in a college class together.
Following an incident in class, Warner discovers that Dawn has a problem:
"Your story sucks because it's false. No one wants to read that shit because it's not real. Hell, it's not even much of a fantasy. You have nothing to go off of. The best advice a writer can have is to write what they know. And you know jack shit about sex." -Warner, eARC Loc 351
And it's a problem he's more than happy to help with. If it happens to enable him to accomplish his own goals, all the better.
Johnson referred to For Authentication Purposes as humorotica, and that's an apt description.
"Shifting a little to look at him, I resisted the urge to kick him in the nuts and lick his neck at the same time." -Dawn, eARC Loc 750
As I said, Dawn and Warner have been in each others' lives for years but witnessing them become better acquainted, taking the time to do away with what they thought they knew about the other, to figure out what they each were all about, was a delight. The hows and whys behind they're doing it even more so.
The story is relayed through alternating POVs. Therefore, I came to care for both Dawn and Warner, getting inside both their heads. I giggle-snorted so many times over their thoughts and during the interactions. That saying, opposites attract, is certainly true of these two. Dawn was so straight-laced and Warner was, well, not so straight-laced. He loved doing and saying things to get under her skin. And Dawn was easy to rile.
For Authentication Purposes is a fun, sweet romance with some smoking sexy times. Johnson has made her way onto my favorite authors list with her dynamic characters and humor.
"Come on. Say it. I know where you're going."
Shifting a little to look at him, I resisted the urge to kick him in the nuts and lick his neck at the same time. I mean he looked pretty hot sitting in my chair eating a muffin. Stupid handsome face and fornication hair paired with what I assumed were dirty jeans and a plaid flannel.
"Fine. I'm going to buy a vibrator with the money you gave me. Happy?"
His smile was full force now. "Hell yeah, I'm happy. Ecstatic, even." He chewed around the pastry in his mouth and laughed "I'll come with you to make sure you get the right one."
"Oh, hell no. Being with you in a porn shop is on my list of Things to Never Do before I Die."
A true child of music, Amber's parents surrounded her with the loudest beats they could find, molding her into a girl who found inspiration and meaning in lyrics and chords. Raised on John Hughes movies, Luck Dragons, and pirate ships, she dreamed of love and adventure. When Amber began to create her own world, she envisioned a place where Happy Ever Afters do exist.
Since then, she has authored several romance novels, all of which focus on songs and the way they can touch people's lives. Music may not be able to fix a broken heart, but it can provide one hell of a soundtrack for healing.
A full-time wife and mother with a full-time job, Amber finds her muse in everyday life and the
people who bring her inspiration.
