Collide Into You

by Kelly Washington

Collide Into You: A Romantic Body Swap Love Story

SHE'S ALL ABOUT ORDER. HE NEEDS A CHALLENGE. THEIR LIVES ARE ABOUT TO COLLIDE.

Love, by its very definition, is disorder...

When twenty-seven-year-old Army Sergeant Keira Holtslander, an orderly and rule-loving intelligence analyst, is reassigned to the Pentagon for a special assignment, she agrees to room with her brother's best friend, Dillan Pope. But there's a problem. Several, in fact. He's sarcastic, egotistical, full of himself, extremely attractive, and a womanizer. Within a matter of days, her life is chaos. She didn't like him when they met nine years ago, and her opinion isn't likely to change now.

Love... crashes around you...

Dillan Pope, a thirty-year-old career businessman climbing his way up the corporate ladder, has learned to use his looks, charm, and sexual skills to his advantage. There isn't much he cannot accomplish. Women easily tumble into his bed and business deals come about effortlessly. But when his best friend's little sister moves in, he knows he's in trouble. She's rather hostile toward him, which takes him by surprise. Not even his patented smile works on her, but maybe that’s why Keira, aka Sergeant Prim and Proper, has always been the one girl he hasn’t been able to forget since their first meeting, nine years ago.

Love... blinds you...

When a meddling barista puts a charm on the roommates, causing them to swap bodies, they must live as the other until they both own up to some hard truths. They quickly learn that panic, fighting, and accusations will get them nowhere. Until they can learn the lessons they refuse to acknowledge, they experience life as the other. Along the way they are forced to concede that maybe the other isn’t so bad.

Love... heals you...

Maybe there's a reason they hated each other. And admitting the feelings that lay hidden may be the only way to undo the switch.

~*~*~*~*~*

Kelly Washington's new contemporary, military romance, written with a touch of magic, will make you laugh and believe in love all over again

Genres: Romance

399 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2014

About the author

A third-generation soldier, Kelly Washington isn’t afraid to push boundaries in real life and in her fiction. Regardless the genre--fantasy, science fiction, or romance--her writing style packs a powerful punch by featuring strong and independent, yet flawed, characters.

She’s the author of the Falling for Him trilogy, the four-volume fantasy series, Reclaimed Souls, several Moira Rothrock novellas (Unlocking the Devil), a stand-alone military romance novel, Collide Into You, and Claiming the Heart of Vraithe, a bonkers science fiction alien romance.

Her short fiction has appeared in spillover mag, Fahmidan Journal, Pulp House Fiction Magazine, Kaleidotrope, Heart’s Kiss, Fiction River, and in more than a dozen anthologies throughout her writing career. Her short story, “The American Flag of Sergeant Hale Schofield” was a 2016 Year’s Best Crime and Mystery Story. She was also an Assistant Editor for the inaugural issue of “Tales from the Year Between, Vol 1: Achten Tan Land of Dust and Bone.”

When Kelly isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her family in Virginia. You can find her on the web at, www.kellywashington.com and on Twitter and Instagram @kellywashwrites.

Reviews

[DawnMarie Carpintero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book for my honest review

Remember the movie Prelude to a Kiss? Well look no further this journey will take you places that you never thought possible as these two characters find there center. But is there center love, happiness, desire and/or happily ever after? Only they can define that.

Keira-sexy, calm, quiet yet out spoken and in the Army

Dillan-man whore is putting it mildly, but a hottie hot

Ellen-mysterious

Keira and Dillian’s journey to finding their happily ever after takes some major twists in this compelling story of the two hard headed characters that are trying to find one another but have yet to see the light or do they?

Dillian is corporate all the way but also knows that he is the man whore than has been keeping one secret to himself for 9 years. But, does this secret that he holds dear to his heart come crashing down or does this man find what his heart has always desired? Can this man finally understand that his heart holds the truth within? Does he finally get tamed?

Keira has been running for so long. She has been in the military for years but has been running from something or someone that she holds so dear. She praises each and every day that she gets to defend our country and protect the ones she holds dear. She has been fighting the war also within herself for so long does she finally get to let herself go and find her heart?

This story is so unique and holds so many qualities that this reviewer cannot begin to tell you how much this journey has meant to me and the fighting men and women that protect our freedom every day. This journey between these two characters takes on a whole new twist that you can’t do anything but be submerged into this book. If you blink you might miss something I far warn you in advance.

And what part does Ellen the coffee shop owner play in all this? Does she understand Keira and Dillian before they understand themselves? Does she make an impact on their everyday lives? Can these two make it to find themselves and be one together? For this you will have to pick up this unique book.

To the author this book is so unique that all I can say is thank you. You show what it is like behind the secret doors and just enough that this story is more in the making that one can ever think possible. Love can be found anywhere and it can’t be denied once it has found the right heart to merge with. You’re a fantastic author and I look forward to reading more from you in the future.

To the readers this is one unique book that will have you at the AWE FACTOR by mid-way in the book and “Oh no they did not” You so will not be disappointed at anytime in this book.

Happy Reading

[KathyAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, this is a scenario that has been done before... but, what could have been a very eye rolling and predictable storyline turned out to be something so much more. It was funny, heartfelt and had some interesting characters throughout.
Who will like this book? Fans of mature couples and slow moving, friends to lovers romances where sex isn't really the focus. And, those who like a little bit of M/M romance. There are two very likable M/M couples in this story. At the end of this book there is an excerpt for Justin and Aaron's story from a previous series by this author called Falling For You if you want to check it out.
This book is primarily about Keira and Dillan who find themselves coming together as room mates. Keira is an officer in the military and Dillan is a successful businessman. Keira likes her life to be in order and in control where Dillan is the live in the moment playboy. Even though they do not appear to be a match made in heaven, the sparks are there and the meddling coffee barrista decides these two could use a little nudge! Yes, she slips them a magical Cup 'o Joe and
they wake up in each others bodies. They are forced to get to know each other in the most intimate ways to learn how to break the spell and so they don't lose their jobs.
This is the part of the book that was so amusing... we all make assumptions about the opposite sex don't we? It's a whole different ballgame when we actually have to play that roll and the grass is not always greener on the other side!
I loved seeing both of these characters slowly break down their barriers and finally allowing the other person to see the real person underneath the façade. By doing so they opened themselves up to something real for the first time in their lives.
Very enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author in the future...

Thanks so much to the author for the complimentary copy!

www.ktbookreviews.com

[Geetanjali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Release Date: October 28,2014

Collide Into You as the subtitle suggests is a romantic body swap love story between Keira Holtslander and Dillan Pope,which means that their bodies get interchanged,that physically Keira becomes Dillan and vice versa.I have watched this phenomenon occur in a few movies but had never read it in a book.So I was very curious to see how this pans out.

Sergeant Keira Holtslander or 'Sergeant Prim and Proper' as Dillan likes to call is an army intelligence analyst who leads a very disciplined and orderly life,and keeps to herself.Dillan Pope who is climbing the corporate ladder in a leading business firm in Washington DC is just her opposite in every way.He is carefree,suave,charming and a ladies man.Trouble brews when Keira is assigned with a top secret assignment in the Pentagon and comes to stay in the flat in Washington DC which is shared by her brother,Jon,a Navy officer deployed to Bahrain,and Dillan.

Keira is not impressed by her brother's best friend and his lifestyle and comes to loggerheads with him within hours of moving in.Dillan is surprised by her hostility and also perplexed that his charms don't work on her.She is also the girl he had a secret crush on when he met her nine years ago.But he gives back as good as he gets and soon it becomes impossible for them to share the same space.Keira is ready to move out when one night the fifty-five year old Ellen from Ellen's Corner Bakery gives them both coffees which swap their bodies the next morning.Now they are at wits end as to how to get back in their own bodies.A quick trip to the meddling bakery owner doesn't solve their problem but rather adds to their confusion when she tells them they have to figure out themselves in a week or be stuck in the swapped bodies forever.She thinks Dillan could use a challenge and Keira can let go a little of her control.

How this pair of polar opposites are then forced to spend time with each other to figure out a solution to get themselves back into their respective bodies is the rest of the story.Do they come to realise that despite their odds they are perfect for each other?Does Keira learn that letting go a little does not make her weak?Can Dillan come up to the challenge of making Keira see that he is more than who he appears to be and fall in love with him?

This was different from most other love stories I have read in the contemporary romance genre.Aside from the body swap bit it was a delight to find gender role reversals in terms of profession and personality between the protagonists.Keira's office in Pentagon building and the general description of the place,the nuances of the procedures and protocols related to her job are done well.Perhaps it is the author's background in the army which makes her writing convincing.It was hilarious and surprisingly realistic the way both Keira and Dillan try to cope in each other's bodies and live the other's life.Particularly,the scene where Dillan's casual girlfriend tries to seduce Keira in Dillan's body had me in stitches.

Apart from Keira and Dillan there are an interesting array of characters in the story.From Keira's brother Jon(though he is not physically present)and his professional baseball playing boyfriend Tanner to Dillan's casual girlfriend,Stacy and Tanner's Irish-American colleague,Alec with whom Tanner fixes Keira up,not to mention Ellen from Ellen's Corner Bakery,they are a riot.Add to the mix,Keira's new colleagues from the Pentagon,viz,the wild and boisterous Sergeant Sean 'Nebraska' Walker,the handsome army couple Sergeant Justin 'Hotten' Hauten and Lieutenant Aaron Parris,there's never a dull moment.I understand these three have a series of their own;I'll have to check them out soon.Also,the mystery of the suspicious stack of old letters which is Keira's assignment in the Pentagon adds flavour to this highly entertaining read.

Could it have been better?Of course there is always room for improvement.For instance,I feel that both Keira and Dillan were too accepting about their situation of body swapping when they first discover it.I would panic if it ever happens to me and I don't think I'll readily accept the situation just because it has been portrayed in a few movies or in this book for that matter.Because they don't live in a world of supernaturals,it is unrealistic to accept the situation as no more than an irritating bug.But all in all,the author has done a good job here which doesn't disappoint.

The story is told in first person alternate POVs by Keira and Dillan.

ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

[Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Collide Into You by Kelly Washington: This romantic story will take you on a wild enjoyable ride! Washington brings to you a story filled with chance meetings, humor, quite a few good one-liners and a little mystery as well. Collide Into You is a witty romantic comedy about two souls that are thrust into a situation that leaves them breathless. Having their bodies swapped by the seemingly sweet baker next door, Dillan and Keira have to figure out their feelings for each other. Talk about walking a mile in the other’s shoes…

I’m not normally one for romance, I always find that it’s forced or that it’s out of place, but not here. There is no cliché love triangles or forbidden love, this is about two people that have a connection that is so profound it touches us all. After having read it, sitting back and thinking about everything, I find I really liked it. I’m interested to see what happens with these two love-birds, what happens with Tanner and Jon, Justin and Aaron, and what bet Nebraska brings to the General.

[Krithika · Rating 4 out of 5]

*R4R*

One word.......Hilarious!!!

This is the first genderswap story I read.I have seen movies though.
The book was funny and there were lot of places where i laughed out loud.The book made me smile throughout.

I enjoyed both the main characters Keira and Dillan.The way they manage through the swap is funny.

[Monica Akinyi Odhiambo · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was such an unexpected twist towards the middle of the book, when the roles were changed and there was a body swap.And I thought wow,I didn't see that coming so I figured why not just read it for the long haul..Though for a moment things were getting really heated.I kept thinking Keira should cut the guy some slack,either way,it was very enjoyable.

[Cyndi Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 #9YearCrush Stars

Collide Into You is my introduction to Kelly Washington's delightful storytelling. This story is full hope and love and delivered up to us on a silver platter of whimsy. What starts out as a simple story of girl and boy at odds with each other, turns into a full fledged quirky novel. I highly recommend this as a perfect feel good ( and slightly angsty) read in the romance genre.

The premise begins with Keira and Dillan as they begin living together as temporary roommates. They’ve know each other for nearly a decade and both, on the surface, hold very low regard for each other. Keira believes Dillan is a “man whore” while Dillan finds Keira to be a bit up-tight and closed off. From this, we are set on a wonderful journey to uncover Keira and Dillan true feelings and with them coming to terms with each other.

This is where are novel turns fun and fantastical and where Kelly’s writing truly shines. She gives her characters voices in a most unique way, and pulling this off is a triumph. Kellys characters are rich and well rounded - full of emotions, full of secrets, and quirky, quirky, quirky. Since the story is focused on Dillan and Keira, we see these two characters clearly. We experience things through their eyes and are delivered a very strong sense of who they are, almost being able to predict reactions. But, the story is full of surprises that debunk our expectations.

Collide into You is nothing without the secondary characters as they are in place to drive the storyline. Most importantly, we meet the local bistro owner Ellen, the main catalyst for a certain plot change in the story. Some of the best dialogue and story within a story telling comes with Keira’s work mates Nebraska, Aaron & Justin. These three characters, characters from Kelly’s Falling for Him series, provide Keira with her with a social life that would be sadly lacking. Then there is her brother Jon’s boyfriend Tanner, whose actions provide another wrench in the path of the story, another complexity in Keira and Dillan’s quest, which is heralded by Ellen. Include Dillan’s girlfriend du jour Stacey, and Keira's set up with a pro baseball player Alec, and the romance that would be Keira and Dillan's is firmly challenged.

The sub plots are focused around Keira's work as an Air Force officer assigned to reading “pen-pal” correspondence from an officer and a German women from the cold war era, as this is the task that brought to the DC area. Dillans work also produces an interesting sub-plot and gives us some context of what Dillan has been up in the years since he and Keira initially met. Both workplace scenarios provide a surprising way for Dillan and Keira to connect

The story takes place during a week timeframe and thus is fast paced, but Kelly writes with a lot of detail which gives the characters the depth needed to give us a great picture of what they go through. I found Collide Into You a very delightful read that will challenge reality a bit, but Kelly makes this work astonishingly well. 5 #9YearCrush stars and my recommendation in the romance genre.

[Kelley Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very different story. All of the characters are likable and well thought out. I like how we see both main character's view points. The switch made it a very interesting story. However, at times, it was also a bit confusing trying to keep track. Great supporting characters. I would like to know more about Alec and Stacey's stories.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**

[Debbie Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! I laughed until I cried! Loved the "switch" and couldn't put the book down. Very well written! Super enjoyable read. I will read more from this author as I need to know what happens or did happen to the other characters.

[Renee Bruning · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really was a fun story line. I enjoyed reading the predicament of the characters from each different point of view. I would definitely recommend if your looking for a fun romantic read with a twist.

[Aracelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A veces me dan ganas de leer cierto tipo de historias y me pongo a buscarlas hasta encontrarlas🧐, así fue como llegué a este libro🥰 porque quería una trama donde los protas cambien de cuerpo 🤭jeje

Keira y Dillan, son como el agua y el aceite😱. Pero se ven obligados a vivir juntos😱😱.
Ella es ordenada y estructurada mientras que él es un caos !😅😅
Gracias a un hechizo de la dueña del café de la cuadra😌, cambian de cuerpos y ahí es donde la aventura comienza🤯😍
Dillan tiene que ser Keira🥸, trabajar e ir a citas😆, y Keira tiene que ser Dillan🥸, resolver el caso en él ha estado trabajando y lidiar con la casi novia😥.
La única manera de deshacer el hechizo es que aprendan lecciones que el otro puede enseñarles 🤗💕

La trama me gustó bastante♥️, siempre quise leer algo así😍, la relación de este par me hizo reír mucho jaja 😂y cuando ya empezaron a ceder a sus sentimientos, chef kiss🤌🏻. ( y si amikas tenemos🔥🤭 con cuerpo cambiados jeje )

[Vanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thirst, so I must settle for tap water. For a body swap book, it's not that bad pero i guess the bar is low for books in this Genre. I wish it could have explored somw aspects about it. and also yung ending could have been done better. Pero I've read it twice so what am I saying

[hobilane]

dnf