Cover Designer: Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations.
Release Date: 9/2/2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blog Tour Hosted by: Angie’s Dreamy Reads
Synopsis:
Celeste Hebert has always appeared to have it all, but there are many things she's never had, been forbidden from having.
One night. One song. One kiss. The perfect trifecta to unleash the floodgates of a forbidden attraction between the widow and her husband’s bad boy cousin, Adrian.
Celeste endeavors to rebury the feelings that surface after this one night since her powerful family despises him. Kindred spirits, best of friends they attempt to douse their attraction; however, Adrian always seems to know exactly how to push her buttons and may prove too much to resist.
Having defied his family by making his way on his own terms, Adrian struggles to regain their acceptance. When he meets his cousin’s wife and wants her for his own, he feels he’s finally lived down to the title—black sheep. But, when his cousin dies unexpectedly, Adrian fights his attraction and swears to honor them both by helping her raise her boys.
Finding himself enveloped in a cocoon of love and acceptance, Adrian knows it’s more than just physical attraction. However, unforeseen events threaten to destroy those he now holds dear and his newfound peace.
Will the ties that bind them be their undoing?
Review:
This book starts out with the angst I crave in a love story. I found myself almost yelling at my iPad at Celeste & Adrian to give in to what was completely obvious. They are meant to be together. Despite their crazy families. Despite the age difference. Despite the they face. Those two complete each other. Adrian won me over with the way he loves her three boys.
I felt like I read the beginning of one book then the end of another though. Like it is two completely different stories. But the characters evolved and changed to create that feeling. Celeste went from a woman who sacrificed her own happiness to please others to the absolute opposite. She fought for her happiness despite the heartache she had to endure to get there. Adrian's issues were very heartbreaking because I was rooting for their HEA sooner in the book. I'm so glad they got the happily ever after in the end!!!
I do wish the sex scenes would have been steamier. I like my scenes smoking hot, and I feel like those two could have scorched the damn pages straight out of my iPad. There were some moments where I felt the author was about to bust through, like with the guitar pick, and then I was left wanting just a little more. This is a great compliment to her character development though. Adrain is freaking HOT!!!! Like I love him, can feel him when he's near, scorching HOT!!! So when a book boyfriend is that HOT, the sex should be mind blowing.
Lastly but definitely not least AND the reason this book nailed it for me. I will remember this book because of one perfect quote. Adrain says something that I love so much. As an author myself I'm completely jealous of this line. I actually said "Damn! I wish I would have come up with that!!"
"Over me? To be over me, babe, you'd have to have been under me. And if you'd ever been under me, there'd be no getting over me." - Adrian
Maybe that line made me expect HOT steamy scenes because I wanted to feel like there would be no getting over Adrain. I really liked this book over all and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good love story with an HEA!
So it's a 4.5 kiss from me. ~ Amy
Excerpt
Adrian runs his hands up my arms and shoulders until they grasp both sides of my neck to tilt my head back so that I'm staring straight into his arctic blue eyes. I immediately start trembling, and it's not with fear. "Celeste, I'm begging you not to leave here looking like that. You look gorgeous, babe, but I can't sit here all night wondering who's hitting on you, who's imagining moving that scrap of fabric over to get a glimpse at what is..."
"What is what?" I breathe heavily.
"What is underneath it all." His brow wrinkles, and I feel his hands tighten their pleasurably painful grip. "What is underneath it all?"
"Just me, Adrian, just me," I breathe. "That's all."
"So everything then. Just like I thought." He removes one of his hands to run it up the back of my thigh. My eyes widen and I swallow hard.
"That's not a good idea," I whisper. His hand wraps all the way around my thigh, his fingertips coming to rest along the crease of my left cheek. My thigh pulses with fire.
"Why not?" His fingertips tease back and forth a little. Even though it’s a light touch, it feels like his calloused fingertips mark me.
"Why not? Look at us. We can't even have a civil conversation for everything that has passed between us, and you want to further complicate it. What you're doing will further complicate matters."
His hand stills. He exhales loudly and lets his head drop on my chest. "You do this to me. I don't act like this. That day in the park, watching you cross and uncross your legs. Throwing your hair over your shoulder. Laughing without a care in the world. Cheering me on like it was your favorite thing to do! It killed me. Killed me. I've never wanted a woman the way I want you. Never."
His words rain down on me like fiery drops of lust. I close my eyes and rewrite that memory. I thought he was just being an ass, but his unexpected anger was because he was yearning for me. I bite my lip, open my eyes, and shake my head. "It's just because you can't have me, Adrian. I'm nothing special."
"Oh, baby, you have no idea." He runs his nose up my throat, scenting me as he goes. I lean my neck back, giving him more access even as my brain screams at me to run—not walk—out of this room. But when he says, "You're everything to me." My head falls back even further and my eyes close again as I feel him slant his head and attack my chin, throat, and neck with closed-mouth kisses. I hear myself moan and give myself one more little jolt to try to spare myself from this delicious torment that will only end in frustration.
All rights reserved. Copyright Lynetta Halat 2013.
Author Bio:
For as long as she can remember, Lynetta Halat has lived to read and has written countless stories and plays since she was a young girl. A teacher by day and an avid reader and closet writer by night, she has always dreamt of penning books that people could connect with and remember; and her first novel, Every Rose, was the perfect catalyst to launch her into the world of publishing. Her love of the English language prompted her to attain her master's degree in English from Old Dominion University in Virginia. A self-proclaimed "Coast Girl," she lives in Mississippi with her adorable husband, two amazing sons, and two loveable dogs. She is currently at work on her third book.
Author Links
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Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/
Website: www.lynettahalat.com
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Giveaway:
Kindle Paperwhite
$25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
5 Signed Paperbacks of Everything I’ve Never Had
10 ebooks of Everything I’ve Never Had
Rafflecopter Links: (There are TWO Rafflecopters for this tour!!! One is open INT. The paperbacks are on a separate RC and are US ONLY)
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I cant wait to read this. It sounds soooo good. Thank u for the giveaway.
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