Blog Tour: Confessions of a Book Heaux

Today we have my review of Taken by Storm

Amazon ~ B&N

Rating:  5 Stormy Stars out of 5

Series Rating:  So far, it's a 5 out of 5 - there are more books coming

How are the sex scenes? 

HOT and steamy / stormy 

How are the story lines? 

Amazing flow and the story keeps you intrigued

Would you Read it again? 

Yes, I own it in ebook and paperback

Amazing read....

I feel like I say that a lot lately. And I probably do. But damn if these Indie Authors aren't captivating me with their wonderful writing skills. Kelli Maine did just that starting with Taken and No Takebacks. Enter MJ Rocha at the tail end of No Takebacks and consider me intrigued.... Taken By Storm begins with the introduction to MJ. From the moment he's described I already have a mental picture of who I see in this role. 6% in I'm already falling for him when he describes his history with Maddie. "The feel of her hair twisted in his fingers." "Her soft sighs against his neck." "The salty-sweet taste of her skin." ^^^^ um, yes please!I love seeing these two in the present but also getting a glimpse of their past here and there so that we can understand the relationship between them. They have just the right amount of angst to make you root for MJ but also have just the right amount of connection to make you swoon. Finally we learn more about MJ and how Enzo has manipulated Merrick. We also get to see a tender moment shared between MJ and Maddie in the same treehouse that Rachael and Merrick connected. So many great twists and turns in this book that you'll be on the edge of your seat. I had several late work nights wanting and needing to finish it but not being able to because of real life..... but I made it! I'd plan for a weekend of peace and quiet when you start it because you're not going to want to put it down. I can't wait for the next books!! Bring em on Kelli! <3 Me some Rocha Men!!! 

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Author Interview: Amber Lin on her novel "Giving It Up"

Amber Lin will answer reader questions in the comment section below! 

Ask and you shall know. 

Exciting stuff, huh?

And that's just the preview.

Buy Giving It Up

Amazon - Loose ID

Q: Amber, I am completely humbled that you overlooked the worst media pitch ever and agreed to appear on Ravishing Romances. I'll tell you right now, it doesn't deserve you. Giving It Up has received much praise, with many readers reviewing it as a dark, BDSM novel featuring rape as the main subject matter. Giving It Up is so much more than that. Why do you think the focus is there instead of on the hope and empowerment Giving It Up offers?

A: Thank you so much for your kind words and for hosting me! I’m so pleased at the reception Giving It Up has received, and I’m grateful to those readers and reviewers like you who are spreading the word.

I would say that Giving It Up is both: a gritty erotic story about rape but also a journey of healing and hope. I realize that seems contradictory to some, but personally I think they work well together because there can be no light without darkness.


Q:  [Spoiler Question!]


Q: Colin has received both praise and criticism, the criticism being he is too much the strong and silent type. There has also been speculation as to why he pursued Allie in the first place. Care to share your thoughts?

A: I love this question! I could say it was difficult to write a book from Allie’s first person POV when Colin is such a quiet guy. But I think the true difficulty is in loving a man like him. More to the point, trusting him. Which is really the crux of the matter, because Allie can’t trust, due to her past. We live Allie’s dilemma with her. Can we trust Colin? Should we rely on him? We have to judge him by his actions and hope we make the right decision. It’s scary for Allie, and it’s also scary for the reader, which I think is why this comes up.
 
It would be nice if he’d just come out and tell us everything we want to know! But it wouldn’t be true to his character. And also, could Allie have trusted him that way? Look at their first encounter, when she thought he was rough and mean. Look at the guy she turned away before him, the one she would taint with her sex. The only reason she allowed Colin close to her was because she believed he was too cold to actually care about her. The combination of a gruff exterior with a kind and patient heart was the only thing that could have penetrated her walls.



*This explains a few things*

As to why Colin pursued her in the first place, I don’t want to give too much away as a spoiler. But I will say that he has a white knight’s complex due to what happened in the past with his family. So seeing Allie hurt herself that way—he couldn’t have let it go on, even if they hadn’t become involved. Also, and I realize this doesn’t sound romantic, but he has always wanted a family and Allie comes ready-made with a young child. Throw in some good old-fashioned lust for Allie, and he decides to keep her early on. Of course, from there they grow to know each other and this is a romance, after all, so love blossoms as well.

Colin has struggled to find love because it’s so hard for him to open up, and a regular “good girl” would want those flowery words. Allie doesn’t demand those things from him; she reaches within herself to trust him instead. In a way it’s even harder for her to trust than a woman who isn’t “damaged” but it’s also due to her pain and empathy that she’s willing to try. Although neither Colin or Allie are perfect, they are perfect for each other.


Q: Have you received any unexpected responses to Giving It Up? For instance, did you intend for the world to hate Philip to only learn that they love him?

A: I definitely expected some readers to have a problem with Allie, considering what she does at the beginning of the book and the fact that she’s a mother, but overall reactions to her have been great. It was more of a surprise to see the mixed reactions to Colin, as above.

Most of all, I have been pleasantly surprised at people’s reactions to Jacob. In romances, rapists are usually handled one way: they die. Very occasionally they go to jail or some other Very Bad Place, but usually they die, preferably in a painful, gruesome or ignominious manner. So I expected a big revolt about my handling of him. I won’t say more about what does happen to Jacob, except that it’s not black and white. I wanted a more nuanced, dare I say realistic, portrait for him. He is the bad guy in this story, but he is far from pure evil. It’s very gratifying when people get what you were trying to do ☺

Q: Lastly, your website bio mentions you have a historical manuscript. Give us the scoop on that. Is it sold to a publisher, yet?

A: Oh dear. I owe the final draft to my agent so she can shop it for me, although I admit to being totally distracted by the release of Giving It Up. And then all the great feedback got me excited about the sequel and I’ve been working on that!

But okay, my historical. It’s a very different voice from my contemporary, more of the standard historical romance style. However, it still has my dark themes… can’t get away from those ;-)

The working title right now is Merciless and the book opens on the worst night of Lord William’s night. His family is murdered, and worse, and in his grief and mad swath of vengeance, an innocent young village woman is ruined. He does the honorable thing and marries her, but his family’s enemies are still at large. Both of them must fight for their village and each other, hoping that a marriage conceived of violence can grow into love.



Thanks again, Amber!  Giving It Up is an incredible novel and I wish you the best of luck with it.  I'll be impatiently waiting for the sequel.

Amber Lin married her high school sweetheart, birthed a kid who’s smarter than she is, and spends her nights writing down her dirty thoughts. In other words, life is good.

Contact Amber on Twitter, Goodreads or through her website.


 Amber's Blog Tour Schedule


 Read Sallie's Review for Giving It Up

 The floor's open, readers.  Ask Amber what you would like to know!

Giving It Up (by Amber Lin)

Giving It Up rating:  6 STARS

Release Date:  June 18, 2012

Giving It Up is book one of the Giving It Up Series

How are the sex scenes?

Sizzling and real.  Not everyone gets 12 orgasms and hears angels singing at the end.  There is a lot of sex and sexual situations/references.  There are no whips and chains, but there are BDSM undertones, sometimes force is used, and the heroine was raped (before the novel begins) and there are flashbacks.

How are the story lines?

Don't let the erotic genre fool you - this book is full of suspense and had me on the edge of my seat.  Literally.  The hero/heroine get most of the book time, naturally, but the hero's brother is a hugely influential character as is the heroine's best friend.

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Would you read it again?
Absolutely and I will recommend this to my book club.

Summary

Giving It Up by Amber Lin is a contemporary erotica novel set in Chicago, Illinois.

Allison "Allie" Winters is twenty-two, a victim of rape, mother of one and has serious trust and control issues.  Once a month she asks Shelly, her trustworthy high school buddy and only friend who happens to be a prostitute, to watch her daughter while Allie prowls the club scene looking for rough sex.  Because men don't listen to no and when she demands it she's in control.

Colin Murphy is quiet, brooding, and a good, yet very dangerous guy.  After being Allie's only gentle one night stand, he becomes fiercely protective - offering her security when her rapist returns.  Being the youngest of the three Murphy siblings, Colin spends much time helping with family "problems", but soon Allie and her daughter get in the way and Colin has to make a choice...while Allie is still deciding whether she can trust him. 
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Review

If you want to read a stunningly great novel with realistic other-side-of-the-track characters and intense sex scenes Giving It Up should be on your list.  This story has is all:  believability, realism, life problems no one wants to talk about, romance, love between friends, love between mother and child, struggles with self worth, suspense, mystery and best of all, empowerment. 

Allie is a heroine everyone can love.  She's an exceptional mother, choosing to move in with Colin because it's better than letting her daughter near a rapist.  (I know many don't agree with a mother letting her child live with another man, but hear me when say it's better than letting her daughter near a rapist.  It was Colin or that guy.)  At all times Allie's daughter is her number one concern and the choices Allie makes for her - the decisions Allie refuses to even put on her - are nothing short of amazing. 

Allie undergoes a tremendous life changing journey throughout Giving It Up.  She doesn't travel anywhere or achieve something she's always sought.  She learns she still has power, still has a choice and still has a say despite someone once taking it away.  She realizes she's strong and can live her life.  Her past be damned.  And I think that's a message we should teach our children.

Colin is an understated hero.  Yes, he's very controlling and scary as hell, but he's doing what's best for Allie and trying to make it easier for her and the world she lives in.  Colin makes decisions many may not agree with, but keep in mind their situation, life and circumstance.  His unpopular decision may be the best of his options.  He tries to give Allie what she needs, even at the expense of himself, and that proves his loyalty to her.  He's hard, but he cares and he won't toss her and her daughter in the street if things get dirty.

The supporting characters are so intense they deserve their own books.  Amber Lin thinks so too, because Shelly is up next.  As a prostitute, she's already your not-so-average heroine, but her heart of gold saves Allie and her daughter more than once and she deserves her happy ending. 

There really are people who cannot seek help from the police or church or family, and sometimes hard and dirty choices have to be made.  Giving It Up is a story of Allie and Colin making those choices.

I loved it.

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Comment About It

Does a dark intense story make the happy ending more satisfying or does it just make the book harder to read?  Please share!



Learn more about Amber Lin and her upcoming titles on her webpage, Twitter and Goodreads.

The Romance Man recommends Giving It Up

Published by Loose ID

Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this review. eARC courtesy of Amber Lin.

Romance Readers Stand Proud...and blog under a pseudonym

We are romance readers. 

We devour books in one sitting and ponder the intricate meanings of our favorite fictitious relationships.  We seek out tame paperback covers to read in public and hide racy ones behind magazines at the doctor's office. 

We read in ebook format hoping no one notices the words dripping and quivering accidentally highlighted on the screen. 

We are romance readers and, alas, we are a wee bit ashamed. 

But be ashamed no longer dear friends.  Display those sweaty chests and scantily clad women with pride.  Boldly browse the romance section and smile wide while purchasing enough erotica to last your family a month.

For it's us seasoned readers understand that Dean Koontz's Whispers contains more graphic sex than Laura Moore's Rosewood Trilogy and that Tina Folsom's Scanguard Vampires is more scathing than the Game of Thrones cast having a three way. 

We like love, we enjoy romance and you're darn right we expect a happy ending.

Let the others swoon over Patrick Swayze in Ghost yet condemn the same scene in print.  We know reading about sex is the same as watching it on television.  Books may be descriptive, but movies flaunt naked body parts in your face the size of a theater screen.  And there's grunting.  Maybe they'll make a movie of 50 Shades of Grey.  Huh. 

Let's ban together, fellow romance readers, and show everyone what they're missing.

...but you go first.  I feel safer behind my silhouette.


Comment about It

What are you dirty little secrets?