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Book Review of Robin York’s Deeper (Caroline & West, #1)

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Synopsis 

In this New Adult debut by Robin York, a college student is attacked online and must restore her name—and stay clear of a guy who’s wrong for her, but feels so right.
 
When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground.
 
West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works.
 
They hang out, they talk, they listen. Though Caroline and West tell each other they’re “just friends,” their feelings intensify until it becomes impossible to pretend. The more complicated her relationship with West gets, the harder Caroline has to struggle to discover what she wants for herself—and the easier it becomes to find the courage she needs to fight back against the people who would judge her.
 
When all seems lost, sometimes the only place to go is deeper.

Advance praise for Deeper
 
“The perfect new adult story . . . West will make you swoon!”New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy
 
“Beautifully written and full of swoony tender moments, toe-curling chemistry, and delicious, twisty angst . . . Stop whatever you’re doing and read this book.”—Christina Lauren, author of the Beautiful Bastard series

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Review

I fell in love with Deeper and was utterly heartbroken by the pain these characters endured. This is a book that will leave you wanting more. I don’t know how I’ll get through the next few months waiting on Harder, book two in the series.

I absolutely adore West. He is definitely my new book boyfriend! The spark between Caroline and West is so strong my kindle nearly burst into flames. There were some pretty intense moments between these two and after reading this book I can only say, I want West. I want someone to love me that deeply, that intensely.  Fictional guys always seem so perfect don’t they? West, however, is far from perfect, in fact he fucks up…a lot. The way he redeems himself is worth every agonizing, sexually frustrating moment that leads up to it. Yeah, I’m gonna leave you hanging there…sorry.  You’ll just have to read it, trust me…worth every minute!

Caroline Piasecki fell for the wrong man, no, she TRUSTED the wrong man and is betrayed as a result. She spends three years of her life loving him, appeasing him, being good to him, but when Caroline realizes she doesn’t want to be with Nate anymore, she decides to end their relationship. She even believes there is a chance they’ll remain friends, but Nate has other plans. After a seemingly amicable breakup, Caroline receives word that her photos have been posted online and distributed to students at Putnam. The photos are pretty demeaning and as much as Caroline would like them to go away, the damage has already been done. 

Caroline can’t prove that Nate posted the photos, but she knows they were intimate acts, private moments now on display for anyone who has access to the internet. Caroline is mortified. She’s suddenly gone from good girl to ‘slut’. She’s the youngest daughter of a judge. How can she hide this from getting back to her father? What will he think? Caroline is the one who wants to follow in his footsteps. She wants to go to law school, but how can she knowing these photos are out there. All she’s ever wanted is to go to school, get an internship and follow her dreams, but now her dreams have become a nightmare. She’s taunted every time she closes her eyes, every time a stranger looks her way. She can’t stop the comments, she blames herself and she can’t tune out the voices in her head…she’s read the comments online, she hears them everywhere she goes and doesn’t know how to turn them off. She’s barely getting by, but she is incredibly strong. This book shows Caroline’s strength in so many ways.

West Leavitt doesn’t need any distractions, his head is filled with enough. Caroline is his weakness, he can’t understand why, but she gets to him and as much as he hates to admit it, he needs her. West is intense, he’s focused and his priority is to remain at Putnam long enough to graduate. What he doesn’t factor into those plans is Caroline and the way his world will be turned upside down by just allowing her in.  They’re not friends, they bake, they talk, they listen and they part ways. The routine they’ve built for themselves becomes necessary and lines begin to blur. How far is too far, how much is too much? What will it take to bring them together? What will it take to tear them apart?

Deeper is a poignant story that explores revenge porn and how Caroline grows after experiencing what could be seen as her worst nightmare come true. She’s an incredibly strong woman and by the end of the book seems even more empowered than the broken girl we meet in the beginning. Robin York creates a hauntingly beautiful story that explores what its like to find a deep, passionate, earth shattering love in the midst of pain. While I really admire Caroline and her story, West definitely has his own story to tell and I hope Harder gives us more insight into his character. 

This is an incredible debut and I highly recommend this book to all my New Adult fans. This is an absolute must read! 

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About the Author 

Robin York grew up at a college, went to college, signed on for some more college, and then married a university professor. She still isn’t sure why it didn’t occur to her to write New Adult sooner. Writing as Ruthie Knox, she is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary romance, including RITA-finalists About Last Night and Room at the Inn. She moonlights as a mother, makes killer salted caramels, and sorts out thorny plot problems while running, hiking, or riding her bike.

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Deeper Blog Tour

January 24

Romance Addict – Excerpt & Review
Stories & Swag – Review
Fictitious Delicious – Review

January 25

Dream Within A Dream – Playlist
Behind Closed Covers – Review
The Procrastinator’s Corner – Review

January 26
Three Girls & A Book Obsession – Review
The Book Lovers Codex – Review
Kats Read – Review

January 27

Shelf Pleasure – Author Interview
Stay Bookish – Review
Hooked On Books – Review

January 28

Anna’s Book Blog  Review
Steamy Guys After Dark – Character Interview (West) & Review
Sticky Reads – Review

January 29

Ramblings From This Chick – Excerpt & Review
A Novel Idea – Review
Forever Me Romance – Review

January 30

All Romance Reviews – Review
Bookish Treasures – Guest Post & Review
The Reading Date – Review

January 31

XPresso Reads – Dream Cast & Review
The Indie Express – Review

February 1

Books To Light Your Fire – Review
Electively Paige – Guest Post

February 2

BiblioBelles – Review
Reading Between the Wines – Excerpt
Confessions of a BookWhore – Review

February 3

Starbucks N Books Obsession – Excerpt & Review
FicTalk – Review
Not Everyone’s Mama – Review

February 4

Books Over Boys – Author Interview
I Dare You To Read – Review
Reading A Little Bit Of Everything – Review

February 5

Fiction Fare – Guest Post
Dirty Girl Romance – Review
Red Hot + Blue Reads – Review

February 6

Stuck in Books – Character Interview (Caroline) & Review
Keep Calm & Read Romance – Review
Lustful Literature – Review
Falling in Fall Book Blog – Review

February 7

Books, Books, Books – Review
FicCentral – Review
Rumpled Sheets Blog – Review

February 8

Crazy Book Chicks – Review
A Life Bound By Books – Guest Post & Review

February 9

The Book Lovers – Review
Love Words N Books – Guest Post & Review
My Favorite Things – Review

February 10

Cocktails & Books -Excerpt & Review
Gone With The Words -Review
Nerd Alert Book Love -Review

 

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REVIVING IZABEL (In The Company of Killers #2) Release Event

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REVIVING IZABEL (In The Company of Killers #2)

By Bestselling Author J.A. Redmerski

An Adult Suspense 

Killing Sarai (In the Company of Killers, #1) is on sale for .99 cents for the release of Reviving Izabel!

Killing Sarai: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo   

 

SYNOPSIS

Determined to live a dark life in the company of the assassin who freed her from bondage, Sarai sets out on her own to settle a score with an evil sadist. Unskilled and untrained in the art of killing, the events that unfold leave her hanging precariously on the edge of death when nothing goes as planned.

Sarai’s reckless choices send her on a path she knows she can never turn back from and so she presents Victor with an ultimatum: help her become more like him and give her a fighting chance, or she’ll do it alone no matter the consequences. Knowing that Sarai cannot become what she wants to be overnight, Victor begins to train her and inevitably their complicated relationship heats up.

As Arthur Hamburg’s right-hand man, Willem Stephens, closes in on his crusade to destroy Sarai, she is left with the crushing realization that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. But Sarai, taking on the new and improved role of Izabel Seyfried, still has a set of deadly skills of her own that will prove to be all she needs to secure her place beside Victor.

But there is one test that Izabel must face that has the potential to destroy everything she is working so hard to achieve. One final test that will not only make her question her decision to want this dangerous life, but will make her question everything she has come to trust about Victor Faust.

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Check out my review of Killing Sarai & Reviving Izabel  

 

Excerpt 

Victor’s car stops at the mouth of the alley, the brakes squealing to a halt on the street. He gets out leaving the door open and rushes toward us.

“I’ve got it under control,” I say and I look down at Andre next to my feet.

I’ve knocked him out, but not for long because he begins to stir awake when Victor grabs him by the backs of his arms and pulls him to his feet.

“You were supposed to lead him to the parking lot,” Victor snaps.

Andre begins to struggle as Victor drags him toward the car.

“I said I had it under control,” I snap back. “You see I’m not the one that ended up on the ground.”

“What the fuck’s going on?” Andre calls out, trying to fight his way out of Victor’s arms.

Victor shoves him in the backseat, face-down, and plants his knee in his back as he secures his hands behind him with a plastic zip tie.

“Get in,” Victor demands.

I do as he says, rushing around to the passenger’s side and shutting the door.

“Who the fuck are you?! What’s going on? Answer me!”

Andre’s voice is vociferous behind me, filling the small space in the car.

Victor turns around against the seat, leans over it at the stomach and punches Andre so hard he knocks him out cold.

“Thanks,” I say as Victor sits back down and puts the car in Drive. “I was about to go deaf.”

“I didn’t hit him for shouting,” Victor says without looking at me.

I glance over at him as he carefully weaves the car down the thin streets lined with tightly packed cars on either side.

“I hit him because he put his hands on you,” he says.

I turn my face toward the side window, hiding my smile from him.

BUY REVIVING IZABEL NOW: 

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About the Author  

Born November 25, 1975, J.A. (Jessica Ann) Redmerski is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children and a Maltese. She is a lover of television and books that push boundaries and is a huge fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead.

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Giveaway:

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Killing Sarai & Reviving Izabel Review

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Synopsis 

From the author of the New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling novel, THE EDGE OF NEVER, comes a story of passion and survival… 

Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.

Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.

While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.

As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.

This is their story… 

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 Purchase Killing Sarai, (In the Company of Killers, #1) for only 99 Pennies!!! 

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 This book is slated for release December 10, 2013 

 

Synopsis

Determined to live a dark life in the company of the assassin who freed her from bondage, Sarai sets out on her own to settle a score with an evil sadist. Unskilled and untrained in the art of killing, the events that unfold leave her hanging precariously on the edge of death when nothing goes as planned. 

Sarai’s reckless choices send her on a path she knows she can never turn back from and so she presents Victor with an ultimatum: help her become more like him and give her a fighting chance, or she’ll do it alone no matter the consequences. Knowing that Sarai cannot become what she wants to be overnight, Victor begins to train her and inevitably their complicated relationship heats up. 

As Arthur Hamburg’s right-hand man, Willem Stephens, closes in on his crusade to destroy Sarai, she is left with the crushing realization that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. But Sarai, taking on the new and improved role of Izabel Seyfried, still has a set of deadly skills of her own that will prove to be all she needs to secure her place beside Victor.

But there is one test that Izabel must face that has the potential to destroy everything she is working so hard to achieve. One final test that will not only make her question her decision to want this dangerous life, but will make her question everything she has come to trust about Victor Faust. 

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Review 

It appears J.A. Redmerski and I share the same birth month! Perhaps that is why I am such a fan…hehe. I can appreciate a fellow Sagittarius’ creativity. With the upcoming release of Reviving Izabel, the second installment in the In the Company of Killers series, I wanted to provide a brief review of both Killing Sarai and Reviving Izabel

I don’t think I can adequately put into words my feelings on Reviving Izabel, (In the Company of Killers, Book #2).  In fact, I don’t think I can even do so with Killing Sarai. I received Reviving Izabel as an advanced copy from the author and I dropped everything I was doing to read it…I finished it in a few hours and I am still going through withdrawal hehe. This book is a complex blend of dark and dangerous, sexy, earth shattering, toe curling, and lustful desire. I don’t know how J.A. Redmerski did it, but she managed to make a brutal, action packed book into one of the sexiest novels I’ve read in a while. This book has a little something for everyone and I…LOVED…EVERY…MINUTE…OF…IT!!!!

Let me begin by expressing my heartfelt love for Killing Sarai, (In the Company of Killers, Book #1). The book is so far from what I would’ve expected from J.A. Redmerski, especially after reading The Edge of Never series…yet another book I fell head over heels in love with! I digress. Anyway, after reading Killing Sarai, I never posted a proper review…so I will give you my thoughts on it briefly…it fuckin rocks!!! However, it isn’t all roses and sweet words and a happily ever after! It’s raw, brutal and gritty! The main character Sarai has been sold to a drug lord. She becomes his “favorite” girl and though she is living in hell, she’s certainly treated better than most. She’s protected in a way because of his attachment to her, but Sarai wants out, she yearns to escape and never look back so when an opportunity presents itself via Victor Faust, she jumps at the opportunity. Sarai knows her chances with Victor are about as good as living on the Mexican compound but she needs to take a chance if there is any way she can escape. Things get a bit…messy between the two, but slowly they come to a mutual understanding. Their attraction to one another is intense and the build up is insane, but these feelings are problematic for someone in Victor’s line of work, with Sarai’s life in danger and Victor risking his neck to help her, will these two find a way to help one another while staying in each others lives?

Killing Sarai is an absolute must read. I cannot express to you enough how much I loved it. The only problem I encountered reading it was Reviving Izabel wasn’t even in the process of being written so I had to patiently wait on the continuation of this beloved story! If you haven’t already done so, you have the opportunity to read both beginning December 10th!!!! I highly recommend this book to all readers there is something for everyone.

Now, moving on to Reviving Izabel…. this book is PHENOMENAL! The story continues with Sarai who is trying to pick up the pieces of her life in a somewhat normal manner, her thoughts of being Izabel Seyfried haunt her daily. She’s out for blood and a chance to prove she’s cut out for the life of an assassin. She wants more than anything to prove she can handle herself, especially to the one man that consumes her thoughts daily – Victor Faust. Her commitment comes with a price,  will Sarai aka Izabel be up for the task or will she realize this may not be the life for her after all?

I feel if I go any more in depth with my review, I may reveal too much. I was definitely surprised at a few things that happened throughout the book. There are a lot of twists and turns, scary moments, drama, violence and then there are some ahem..some really hot, really, um :::fans self, opens window, takes a deep breath:::, let’s just say this book is as hot and steamy as it is brutal and dark. I don’t know how, but J.A. Redmerski was able to capture the essence of both a romance and a dark work of fiction. She blended the two together perfectly creating a masterpiece and the perfect follow-up to an already amazing Killing Sarai. These books are must-reads on my list and I recommend them for all readers (ok…except young adults and children…this is definitely a mature read…so make sure you can hang before opening this one!)  

*This book was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

 

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