Love might mean coming as you are, but staying is a different matter.Nick Fischer is a screw-up; everyone knows it and they’re not afraid to tell him so. The only thing he’s got going for him is that he plays a reliable rhythm guitar for License to Game, and his big fat bulldog, Princess Fiona, is so ugly she’s cute. Dempsey Lawrence is a former child star turned financial advisor, and while … financial advisor, and while she’s curious about the hot mess of a man who’s her co-panelist for a presentation on financial literacy, she has no intention of pursuing anything with him. Too loud, too crass, too wild, Nick is altogether too much. Plus, he’s famous, and she is so over stardom and everything that comes with it.
Except that when Dempsey gives Nick an inch, he takes a mile, and she finds that she doesn’t mind so much. Until Nick brings the pitfalls of stardom to Dempsey’s doorstep, then all the attraction in the world might not be enough to promise a happily ever after.
more
I just loved Dempsey and Nick’s story he is a rockstar doing community service for being nude in public he also has ADD that when he meets Dempsey she is a financial consultant to the rich and famous she is also an Agoraphobic who has not left her house in years. I liked that these two became friends first and that it slowly grows to something more this was a super read well written I just loved it.
Parker takes a delightfully cheerful hero with ADHD (and if, like me, you also have ADHD you can totally relate to Nick’s brain) and pairs him with a heroine with big issues of her own. How the couple makes their sexy love story work not in spite of, but rather with their personal mental health issues is a testament to the author’s skill. She takes heavy topics and creates a light, summer-style read that I’ll come back to again.
She should of just kept het forst impression.
Just because their relationship in private is awesome it is the public that she is over.
He has to make a decision or she is out
To bad he has had a taste and is keeping her
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the 1st book I’ve read written Tamsen Parker; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I will definitely be reading more of her books.
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I loved the chemistry between the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
It’s hard to write about something like ADHD well. It’s hard to write about crushing anxiety and agoraphobia well. And somehow, Parker manages to do this for her hero and heroine in The Inside Touch. While their mental issues aren’t all that Nick and Dempsey face, they are the defining characteristics each has to find a way to address and make work if they’re ever going to succeed as a couple, and The Inside Touch is the story of how they get there.
Reading Nick’s POV is kind of amazing, because “scattershot” doesn’t begin to address the mental ping-pong his brain goes through when he thinks about anything. It’s more like those old Family Circus cartoons of Billy walking home, where instead of taking a straight line, he meanders through neighbor’s yards and public areas before he finally gets to where he’s going. And at times, that can make for a bit of a taxing read. But understanding Nick’s brain processes is vital to seeing why he’d work so hard to make something with Dempsey successful.
Because Dempsey, you see, while outwardly controlled, has as much or more damage than Nick, with acute agoraphobia affecting all the relationships in her life. Dempsey also has many scars from her past, and the very trauma she’s gone through also gives her the ability to see and enjoy Nick’s random approach to life in a way that most people wouldn’t. And Nick’s sweetness and generally optimistic attitude are a wonderful counterbalance to the fear and pessimistic view of people that Dempsey possesses.
This is in many ways a cabin romance due to Dempsey’s condition. But the other members of LtG, Nick’s band, make important appearances here, and the music lifestyle is something that Nick and Dempsey have to address as well if they’re going to succeed as a couple.
Parker is an assured author, and her ability to depict the thought processes of both Dempsey and Nick in The Inside Touch is ample demonstration of that. And though it’s part of a series, it can easily be read on its own. Go explore the minds of Dempsey and Nick: you won’t be disappointed!
Okay, I am not an animal person; I am just not. I don’t hate animals, I’m not just not drawn to them or to books that feature animal’s prominently. But in Tamsen Parker’s The Inside Track, a dog, Princess Fiona, absolutely steals the show.
Princess Fiona is Nick Fischer’s dog. Nick is a guitar player for the band License to Game. He’s pretty famous; has ADHD (his mind moves at a frenetic pace) and gets himself into lots of trouble (like being naked in a fountain).
FYI, The Inside Trace is written in first person point of view. This makes Nick’s ADHD very noticeable – and may be hard for some readers to get through. But it fits Nick’s personality so very well.
When speaking to a group of students as part of his community service deal for aforementioned naked stunt, Nick meets Dempsey Lawrence. Well, meets her via video conference as she is speaking at the same event remotely. And he is intrigued.
Nick pursues Dempsey . . . who is definitely wary. Dempsey is a former child star who suffers from agoraphobia and doesn’t leave her house. I loved that Nick was not taken aback by this at all and had no qualms bringing his suit to her door.
Nick does not come alone, however. He usually brings his large bulldog Princess Fiona with him – and Fiona is as scene stealer. She often wears loud clothes and even a tiara. I thought several times that Fiona might’ve been the key to Nick’s winning Dempsey’s heart.
When Nick signs a contract to do a variety show, he makes sure to include a clause that allows Fiona to be on set whenever. And this is what he tells Dempsey about it:
“And even though they were weird about it, I made them put a thing in the contract that says Fiona can be on set anytime she wants. So I’ll have to take her shopping because most of her outfits are for, like, going out on the town and not for being a maven of show business…”
A rock star who dresses his dog? I fell for Nick and Fiona in a big way. Nick isn’t perfect; in fact, he’d probably be hard to live with as his mind wanders amazingly. But when he falls for Dempsey, he falls quick and hard.
And while he does make some big mistakes with Dempsey, Nick is dedicated to her and to making their relationship work despite the challenges of loving someone with agoraphobia. I was super impressed.
And Dempsey is not magically cured by love. She does have to deal with some issues and try to make some changes, but Nick loves her with her anxiety, depression and agoraphobia. He is very accepting and I loved that fact.
And just for fun. My favorite quote from This Inside Track is this one:
“I hook my thumbs in the sides of her panties and draw the things over her hips and down her legs and . . . it might sound weird, but I love her bush? It’s kind of fluffy and friendly, and I like how it feels against my eyelids when I really go to town on her.”
Fluff and friendly bush. I LOVE IT!
Book Disclosure: An ebook was provided by the author.
When I first started reading Inside Track I was a bit worried about Nick’s internal thoughts. He’s got ADHD and Tamsen Parker does an awesome job of making you feel like you are in his head. It was a little hard to take his thought patterns at first, but he’s so guileless and sweet that I couldn’t help falling for him. He ends up having to do some community service at a school and “meets” Dempsey over a video conferencing session she delivers after his presentation.
Nicky is immediately intrigued, but what he doesn’t know is that Dempsey has severe anxiety and agoraphobia (why she was talking about financial planning via video conferencing technology).
What transpires after that is a really sweet story of two people who find each other and love. I just absolutely adored this book and I applaud Tamsen Parker for writing such a sensitive story about these issues and the impact these mental illnesses can have on a person. Nicky knows his limitations, and so does Dempsey, although they have some new challenges with their health issues as they grow closer to each other.
This is a special book. I felt uplifted at the end of this and it reinforced my thoughts on the power of love. I don’t want to say more than that so I don’t spoil it, but I really loved this story, and the characters, including Fiona, Nick’s dog. Everything was just right for me in this wonderfully offbeat and uniquely fresh love story. It truly made my heart sing.
An ARC was provided for review.