Monday, 16 February 2015

Blog Tour ~ Excerpt, Review & Giveaway ~ A Desperate Man: Volume 2 By Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine



Book Description:

Illusions — we all create them.
For some it’s to project an impressive image to a prospective employer; for others it’s to attract the eye of another.
My illusion is a bit more...complicated.
Years in the making, my secret has the potential to bite me in the ass. And not in the way I typically enjoy.

Sex.
As women, we’re judged for reveling in the same carnal pleasures that men do, but I’ve never been shy about my voracious appetite.
Now, I’m under no illusions that I’ll find love with any of my one night stands.
After all, I have one rule — no repeats — but it’s a rule that’s becoming harder to follow since Evan James came back into my life.
Did I say back into my life?
My name is Reagan Spencer, and you may think you know me, but...
How well do we really know anyone?


Excerpt:

“Walk with me?” Evan asked.
She gave him a small smile and nodded. “Sure.”
Pushing off the rail, she fell in step with him as they walked along the river’s
edge.
“I’d be scared of what you’d see if you looked at me through your lens,” he
admitted.
“You shouldn’t.”
Evan scoffed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t imagine there’s much
good there…”
“You’d be surprised at what I see.”
That comment had him coming to a standstill. “Would I?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” he said, and started walking again. “Tell me what you see.”
Reagan slid her thumbs down the straps of her camera and cocked her head,
looking him over.
“I see a successful man. One who dresses well, even on a Saturday morning. So
that would indicate to me that he takes pride in his appearance. Maybe cares about what
others think also. The fact that you were leaving a therapist’s office makes me think
you’re a man with some issues, but also a man who is willing to work through them.
Again, that comes back to pride. You seem to be able to swallow yours when need be.”
Evan’s brow furrowed, but he said nothing as she continued.
“You also have a certain…air about you. It’s in the way you move. You’re
confident, but at the same time, when you flash that smile, the arrogance disappears, and
you look like the boy you used to be.”
The smile under discussion appeared, and Evan asked, “How do you know what
kind of boy I used to be?”
“Hey? This is my story,” Reagan reminded him before he continued asking
questions she wasn’t willing to answer.
“Oh, my apologies, I somehow thought it involved me.”
“It does, but you’re on the outside listening, so shh. You asked, remember?”
With a serious face, he nodded. “You would be right.”
“Okay. Now I lost my train of thought.”
Evan chuckled. “Well, it’s probably for the best that you didn’t mention any of
my unappealing attributes.”
“Speaking of…” she said, and turned to walk backward, facing him. “How did the therapy session go today?”
“Really great. There was an orgy, a sampling of sex toys, and a dessert buffet
afterward. Very satisfying.”
“Evan…”
He blew out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “It was fine. It’s always
fine. Today, Dr. Glover brought up behavior triggers, and it helped to figure out where
this whole mess started.”
Curious, she asked, “And where was that?”
“It wasn’t any one event. It was the high off the power I got from my job, it was
being in an unhealthy relationship…my grandparents passing…the worry about
following in my parents’ footsteps. The further things spiraled out of my control, the
more I craved that control in other parts of my life. Well, a very specific part of my life.”
He glanced over at her before continuing. “Obviously that’s the condensed version, but…I think it helps. Knowing those things and hopefully being able to stop them in the future.”
But the urge isn’t gone?”
The look in his eyes was haunted as he replied, “No. No, it isn’t gone.”

Review:

Review by Donna ~ 4.5 Stars

“He was by leaps and bounds the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen…and he was damaged beyond repair.”

And shit just got real!! OMG I need the next one now...like stat!! Serials are like crack for me, I love them because they are quick reads that you can fit in between reads and you know that the next instalment will be there before you know it. They build the anticipation and they have you salivating for your next fix and this instalment was no exception.

I love these characters, I have fallen hard for both Evan and Reagan. Evan is really coming full circle in this book, his therapy is going well and it seems that he has really turned a corner. He still however has one Achilles heel and that is Reagan. Despite everything, he cannot seem to stay away from her and it seems the attraction is mutual. Seeing Evan through Reagan’s eyes also gave us a whole new insight into Evan. Gone are Evan’s self deprecating comments and we begin to see the real man underneath and you will be surprised just how beautiful and romantic this man can be, but we still get a good side helping of arrogant and cocky.

“Within the stirrings if lust she felt every time his name was mentioned, there was the twinge of something more…something dangerous, and the more she felt herself falling, the more she couldn’t stop herself.”

This book is told from Reagan’s POV and it was great to get an insight into her head. I always thought that Reagan was hiding something and it seems my hunch was correct. The trouble is with secrets is they always come to light and the repercussions can be devastating. I didn’t see this one coming but when it did, everything I had read began to click into place. I have to say, this instalment also made me like Reagan that bit more. She always came across as a bit aloof in Evan’s instalment but in this one we get to see the real Reagan and it is so different from her outward persona. Miss Perfect isn’t so Perfect after all.

“Sometimes we have no idea what we need until someone gives it to us.”

I am loving this series and I seriously cannot wait for the next instalment, as far as I am concerned it cannot come quick enough.

About the Authors:

Brooke

You could say Brooke Blaine was a book-a-holic from the time she knew how to read; she used to tell her mother that curling up with one at 4 a.m. before elementary school was her ‘quiet time.’ Not much has changed except for the espresso I.V. pump she now carries around and the size of her onesie pajamas.

Her first solo novel, a romantic comedy, is due out in early 2015, but first, she thought she’d write a raunchy story with her best friend that would scar her conservative southern family for life.

If you’d like to get in touch with her, she’s easy to find - just keep an ear out for the Rick Astley ringtone that’s dominated her cell phone for ten years.

Brooke’s Links

Brooke Blaine’s Amazon Author Webpage: http://amzn.to/1EORCJH
Instagram: @brookeblaine1

Ella

Ella Frank is a #1 Amazon Bestselling Author. She writes both contemporary and erotic fiction and is best known for her Exquisite Series, and Temptation Series.
The minute she began her love affair with reading, she became and avid supporter of the romance genre and has never looked back.
Ella is Australian born and bred but currently resides in Houston, Texas with her husband.

Ella’s Links

Website: www.ellafrank.com
Ella Frank’s Amazon Author Webpage: http://amzn.to/1vxYU1J
Instagram: @Ellafrank1


Giveaway:

at
Labels: ,

5 comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)