
When a tornado whips through town and destroys the high school gymnasium and stadium, a committee is formed to help rebuild and plan some charity fundraisers. Blake’s grandmother requests that Ivy return to Rosewood for the events. Forced back together for the good of their hometown and their careers, Ivy and Blake have no choice but to put aside their differences, stop running from their pasts, and finally face the music.
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Does Size Matter?
Did that title get your attention? I’m betting so. In my new southern contemporary, Facing the Music, the heroine is a rock star that has made her career writing songs about her exes that aren’t so flattering. Ivy’s first song, her breakout hit, was called “Size Matters”. It was written about her high-school sweetheart after she finds he’s made out with a cheerleader while they were apart. The song becomes an anthem for underwhelmed women everywhere and her ex, Blake, becomes a national laughingstock.
Now, in full disclosure, the song isn’t really about Blake’s junk. It’s about the size of his heart and how he was holding back in their relationship, but you’d only get that if you really listened to the lyrics. If you just sang along with the chorus, it’s all about a woman who admits she’s lied when she told her lover that size didn’t matter. Here’s a few lines from the song:
Size matters…
I said it didn’t, I didn’t mean it
I told you everything was fine
But size does matter
Blake and Ivy have a big hurdle to get over when she returns to her home town and they’re forced to work together for the common good. Both of them have some apologizing to do, some growing up to do and some lost time to make up for.
But it does raise an interesting and controversial question.
Does size matter?
As with all romance heroes, Blake is not lacking in the physical attributes department, which Ivy finally admits. If romance novels are supposed to be driven by women’s fantasies, it would seem that size does matter. And yet, is there too much of a good thing? Is it more about what you can do with it? Let’s have a discussion. Be honest and tell me what you think and maybe we can answer this question once and for all…
— Andrea Laurence
Excerpt from Facing the Music
“I wish I could silence every iPod in America,” Blake retorted. “I would consider it a public service—protecting the general population from bitter, autotuned, subpar pop music.”
“First,” Ivy said, taking a few steps toward him. Her spine was ramrod straight and defiant, pressing her breasts against her silky top and giving him unhelpful flashbacks to today’s earlier encounter. “My music is not autotuned. I am not a belly-baring teenage pop princess. I play my own instruments. I perform live. I write my own music. And if that music is bitter, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.”
“Blame?” Blake laughed. “I think I should get a cut of those four million sales. Before I broke your heart, your songs were nothing but the sad refrains of coffeehouse open mic nights.”
Ivy’s mouth fell open, her response stolen from her lips. It was a low blow and he knew it. Ivy had struggled with her music for months. He knew how hard she’d worked and how her professors just hadn’t seen the emotion and spark that made her songs special.
Grant sidled up. “That’s probably not the best idea,” he noted. “Never piss off a woman with a dart in her hand unless you fancy an eye patch.”
Blake smiled and shook off his brother’s suggestion. “I’m not too worried about that. I remember watching her out on the field during gym in high school. Her aim was never that great.”
“It may not be,” Ivy said, recovering herself. “But at least if I stuck something in you, you’d notice.”
A roar of voices and laughter followed her insult. Blake sighed. Why did she always go for the small-dick jokes? He didn’t have one. He wanted to scream it at the top of his lungs, but it would only make him look like he protested too much. No one would believe him, and he wasn’t about to start wagging it at strangers on the street to prove his point. It was above average. And an excellent performer, too, if his reviews could be trusted. He’d never heard any complaints.
Ivy, of course, didn’t count.
Author Biography

Social Networking Links
Website: http://andrealaurence.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Andrea_Laurence
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5398672.Andrea_Laurence
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GIVEAWAY
For the chance to win Facing the Music by Andrea Laurence just leave a comment below. The winner will be drawn on Sunday. Good luck!
LOL great excerpt. Would love to see how this one turns around for Blake.
I do love second chance stories. Great excerpt.
NATIONAL laughingstock? Now THAT had to be difficult to write and is one obstacle I look forward to reading them both overcome. Thanks for sharing.
Love reading books about second chance love. I’m also a West Coast transplant to the South (not deep however).
Enjoyed the excerpt, looking forward to reading the book!!
Thanks, ladies. Anyone dare to weigh in on the big question at hand? 🙂
Interesting topic
Ouch–sounds like Ivy and Blake have a not-so-easy road back to each other! Thanks for the excerpt, Andrea! I’m not convinced size matters but the knowledge of how to use what one has DOES matter a great deal 🙂
This is going to be an awesome book! I can tell! 🙂
sounds like a fantastic read. Thanks for the giveaway!
Does size matter? That’s a loaded question that I don’t think I would want to answer. This sounds like a good book, and I like that it’s the heroine that is the rock star, instead of the hero.