Blog Tour and Giveaway: Fixed on You: Laurelin Paige

by Reviews by Tammy and Kim - Thursday, August 01, 2013

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Stalking and restraining orders are a thing of Alayna Wither’s past. With her MBA newly in hand, she has her future figured out—move up at the nightclub she works at and stay away from any guy who might trigger her obsessive love disorder. A perfect plan.

But what Alayna didn’t figure on is Hudson Pierce, the new owner of the nightclub. He’s smart, rich, and gorgeous—the kind of guy Alayna knows to stay away from if she wants to keep her past tendencies in check. Except, Hudson’s fixed his sights on her. He wants her in his bed and makes no secret of it.

Avoiding him isn’t an option after he offers a business proposition she can’t turn down and she’s drawn further into his universe, unable to resist his gravitational pull. When she learns Hudson has a dark history of his own, she realizes too late that she’s fallen for the worst man she could possibly get involved with. Or maybe their less than ideal pasts give them an opportunity to heal each other and finally find the love their lives have been missing.

Holy Sex on a Stick! Hudson Pierce is the newest, hot, controlling rich man who thinks he is incapable of love.

And he has a deal for Alayna. Pretend to be his girlfriend to break up his pseudo engagement and as a side item have hot unattached sex in order to satisfy their mutual attraction. And he makes her an offer she cannot refuse.

"I'd discovered that I could divide the men I was attracted to into two categories. The first category could be described as fuck and forget. Then there were the men that were anything but safe. They weren't fuck and forget--they were, "Oh, fuck!" They drew me to them so intensely that I became consumed by them, absolutely focused on everything they did, said and were. I ran from these men, far and fast. Two seconds after locking eyes with this man, I knew I should be running.

“I never pay for sex, Alayna. When I fuck you, it will be for free.”

Now this is quite a proposition for the recent MBA graduate who happens to like working at the bar he just bought. But she has compulsive tendencies that led to her having restraining orders against her for stalking in the past. But then again Hudson has some compulsive tendencies as well but more along the lines of manipulating and destroying women. They are quite a pair with their less than ideal relationship histories and psychological issues. They both become quite fixated on each other. And that is dangerous for them both.

"I should be scared. It's not safe. For either of us. You should be scared too."

"I don;t believe that. I think spending time with another person who has similar compulsive tendencies can provide insight and healing."

As we get deeper into this arrangement, we see more of the demons from their pasts, especially his.The lines become blurred between pretend and real. Attachments are formed but these two people know nothing about healthy relationships. They have an intense attraction and sexual chemistry and enjoy it very very often. Yes, I am saying that this book has lots of sexy scenes.

It is hard navigating unchartered territory. There are challenges, secrets, and people conspiring against them while their own fear and insecurities complicate the situation. I really liked when we saw the cracks in Hudson's armor to the wounded man underneath. And I like that Alayna understood her own issues and was trying to be healthy and truly supportive of him and his problems. She believed in him when most others did not and he did not have faith in himself. But he sees the significance and talent in Alayna as well and she did not have many people supporting her either. But they walk a thin line with control, honesty, and managing destructive behaviors. And sometimes it is hard for Alayna to tell if it is real or a game. And it seems sometimes Hudson has no clue either. They are both kind of fumbling around the pretend relationship and the burgeoning real one.

“I’m drawn to you, Alayna. Not because I want to hurt you or make you feel a certain way, but because you’re beautiful and sexy and smart and, yes, a little crazy, maybe, but you’re not broken. And that makes me hopeful. For me.”

"Because I don't want to destroy you more than I need to possess you. That's progress for me."

"Then I'll try not to fixate on what it means that I'm different for you. That will be progress for me."

Although it did not end in a big cliffhanger, this couple still has more story to tell. The next book Found in You will be out in the Fall and a third book is planned. I am looking forward to the continuation of this complicated relationship. This story had a lot of elements that many seems overdone these days like the rich man with the troubled girl from a different social class. But it really had deeper issues with the psychological component and destructive pasts that made it more unique. The characters were well developed and had excellent chemistry. The writing style was easy to read and flowed well. I would have liked to have Hudson's point of view, but I understand that it would have changed the dynamic of the book since so much of the story relied on Alayna's feelings and confused thoughts. I will admit that at times her compulsions became a little much to handle and repetitive since it happened frequently. But I still would have loved to have seen deeper into Hudson's head as well. But that is just because I really liked Hudson.

"Less than ideal pasts, remember? It doesn't mean it defines our future. Or even our now. "

Thanks to Laurelin Paige for providing me with and ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Laurelin Paige Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Goodreads

Laurelin Paige is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Mad Men and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Adam Levine. She is represented by Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency.