Paperback Launch Day Blitz & Giveaway: Sweet Dreams: Kristen Ashley
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(June 24, 2014; Forever Mass Market)
(June 24, 2014; Forever Mass Market)
She's ready for the ride of her life . . .
Lauren Grahame is looking to reinvent herself. After leaving her cheating husband, Lauren moves to Carnal, Colorado, and gets a job as a waitress in a biker bar called Bubba's. It's a nothing job in a nowhere joint . . . until Tatum Jackson walks in. Lauren has never seen a man with such good looks, muscles, and attitude. But when he insults her, Lauren doesn't want anything to do with him. Too bad for Lauren he's also the bar's part owner and bartender.
When the rough-around-the-edges Tate meets the high-class Lauren, he thinks she won't fit in at Bubba's. Yet there's more to Lauren than meets the eye, and Tate soon sets his mind on claiming her as his own. Before long, the desire burning between them is heating up the cold mountain air. But when violence strikes the town, Tate must reveal a dark secret to Lauren-one that may put an end to their sweet dreams.
Tate
kept my hand in his as we walked to room three, which was way closer to Ned and
Betty’s. I had to walk double-time to keep up with his long strides. He didn’t
release my hand when he made it to the door. He just unlocked it, opened it,
and pushed me inside.
I
walked four steps in while Tate flipped the light switch.
It
was an exact copy of my other room, to the letter.
I
threw my purse on the bed, turned to Tate, and remarked,
“Weird,
it’s like I didn’t even move. It’s the same room.”
“Enjoy
the ride?” Tate asked and I blinked at him.
“Sorry?”
“Did you enjoy the ride, Lauren?” he
repeated and I smiled.
“Yes,
Tate, it was—”
I
didn’t finish but I made another sound. It was a gasp because one second he was
standing inside the closed door. The next he was standing right in front of me,
one of his hands was sliding up my neck into my hair, the other arm was wrapped
around my waist pulling my body into his.
“What
are you—?” I got out before his fingers in my hair fisted, pulled down just a
tad less than gentle, and his mouth was on mine.
And
he kissed me.
No.
He kissed me.
Brad
was a good kisser and he was great in bed. He wasn’t my first kiss though, or
my first lover. I’d had a better kisser than Brad, but not a better lover.
But
Tate’s kiss . . .
There was no describing it.
It
didn’t start slow. It started hard and wet and so demanding
I
had no choice but to give back what I got. And I did. Our tongues sparred, then
our teeth bit at each other’s lips and our heads twisted this way and that, all
of it a mindless, sexy dance that was all- consuming. There was nothing but his
mouth and my mouth, what they were doing and what they were making me feel.
Nothing. Not in the whole universe.
When
he lifted his head a fraction of an inch I found one of my hands was up his
shirt in the back and one of them was cupping the back of his head. His hand
was still fisted in my hair but his other arm had moved up to curve tight just
under my shoulder blades, the pads of his fingers pressed into the side of my
breast.
We
both were breathing deep, our breaths mingling between us. I could feel his on
my sensitized lips and he had to feel mine.
Finally,
he spoke. “Shit, Ace.”
“Shit
what?” I whispered, staring into his eyes, so close, I could count the tawny
flecks.
“This
isn’t good,” he whispered back and I swallowed and felt a sour pit forming in
my belly.
“It
isn’t?”
“I
gotta focus.” He went on whispering.
“On
what?” I asked, also whispering.
“On
shit that doesn’t include what that mouth and tongue of yours could do to my
cock.”
My
hand at his back fisted. “Tate—”
“And
if your pussy is as sweet as your mouth.”
“Tate—”
“Shit,”
he muttered.
“Tate—”
“I
gotta find this guy,” he told me.
“I
know.”
“I get back, Lauren, you’re on the back
of my bike.”
I blinked at what he said, mostly because
I didn’t understand it. Then I swayed because he let me go and without a word
or looking back, the door to my room closed behind him.
Several
moments later, when I could speak, I asked the door, “Get back from where?”
Like
the hall earlier that day, the door didn’t have an answer.
(Click on covers for past reviews of The Gamble, Jagged, and Kaleidoscope)
Tate...A man who has never had a healthy relationship and has lost almost everyone he has ever loved. The first words about Lauren that come out of his mouth make you gasp. Literally gasp! Yes, Tate has a wee bit of a temper and often says things in the heat of the moment that he does not mean.
"Jesus, Krys, maybe you wanna talk to me before you hire some sorry-ass, old, fat suburban bitch to drag around our goddamned bar?"
Tate soon learns that words do have consequences and he begins to see he was wrong. On the surface they are all wrong for each other. Lauren is pure class. Tate is a bad ass, foul mouthed, biker, bar owning, bounty hunting bad boy.
But they are combustible when they are together. Lauren doesn't speak "Biker" and Tate is not really good at spelling out his feelings, so communication is not always their strong point. They fight. They surrender. They fight some more. Trust is a huge issue. Secrets, omissions, and past issues and relationships threaten to unravel them.
"Are you the good guy, the sweet guy who takes care of me or are you this guy who's kind of a jerk?"
"I'm both those guys, babe. Your job is to get used to it."
"I'm gonna piss you off 'cause I can be a dick. That's who I am. And you're gonna piss me off 'cause, babe, you got attitude. That's who you are. And that's who we're comin' out to be together. And I'm all right with that because, with what I had before even when you're a bitch, I like it. But when you're not, it's sweetness the like I've never tasted."
This books is suspenseful with danger lurking from a serial killer and two unstable exes. It brings you in, touches your heart, makes you feel, scares you, breaks your heart, and puts it back together. Their relationship is so strong and beautiful.
"Two kinds of women get under your skin. The ones who do damage, they don't feel good there but once you're fuckin' stupid enough to let them in you got no choice but to take the the time it takes to work them out. Then there are the ones that don't do damage, who feel good there, feed the muscle, the bone, the soul, not rip it or break it or burn it. The ones you don't wanna work out."
"You gave me sweet dreams, Tate, now I get to to return the favor."
This is such an in depth well written book that you feel like you are living in Carnal with these characters. You are part of this town and learn to love the people in it. KA is one of the most descriptive authors I have ever read and manages to give you such a full rich picture of not only the main characters, but the whole town and all of their complex relationships. It is heartwarming to see how the town bands together to protect one of their own.
Tate and Lauren are one of my all time fave Kristen Ashley couples and stories. I absolutely love this book and have already read it multiple times. Tate is a stand out even in the world of amazing KA Alpha Males. It is just one of those comfy reads that I can return to and fall in love with Tate and Lauren all over again.
"You're the something special I've been looking for. And what I was looking for was what I needed to put my mind at ease."
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever/Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book. Quotes subject to change in final edited draft.
“Jesus, Krys, maybe you wanna talk to me before you hire some sorry-ass, old, fat, suburban bitch to drag around our goddamned bar?”
This is exactly how we were introduced to Tate and Lauren. When I first read that line, I was like, oh no he didn’t! I thought damn KA, did we really have to go there. He knew nothing about her, said not a word to her, had never met her and just ran off at the mouth at first glance insulting Lauren. I was not a fan of Tate after that sentence and even more so after I just finished reading the paragraphs before it explaining to you what type of crazy life Lauren had led and the crap that she put up with. I honestly didn't think he would ever be able to talk his way out of that one and make me like him again.
Laurie was lost, she was clueless and she was one of the sweetest heroine’s. I truly liked her and I loved that she was trying to find her “inner biker babe” for Tate. She made friends with all those around her and she took care of those she loved with everything she had. Life was crazy for her as she dealt with a serial killer, an ass of an ex, Tate’s multiple personality disorder and finding her way back to herself. She hung in there though and Laurie built a family around her. Making a home for not just herself but for Tate and Jonas also. For me she was a strong beautiful character.
“You can’t make me believe you honestly want this life.”
“Brad, it’s so beautiful, I not only want it, I’d fight and die to keep it.”
Tate was a JERK, he had a temper and he didn’t think before he spoke. He flung words around in anger and just expected you to deal with it because he was a badass biker/bounty hunter. He was stuck in a life that kept handing him crap, there was nothing beautiful about it. He was loyal to a fault, and he was alpha. Tate grew on me quickly though. He had a soft side and he was very protective over Laurie. She had come in and rocked his world; she was the beautiful he never had. He was an amazing father; I loved his playful side with his son. Tate was safe and with this safe, he brought peace to Lauren’s world.
“Then you shouldn’t have thrown her away when she was your wife. Now she ain’t. Now she’s somethin’ to me and I don’t let men I don’t like get close to her and I gotta tell you, man, I do not like you.”
“Baby, I think you don’t get this but you're safe here.” “You weren’t safe with him but, honey, swear to God, you’re safe with me.”
The two of them together were electric. In bed and out of bed. Sparks flew, inner peace was found, tempers were tested, love grew and a functional loving family was created. Lauren and Tate were the exact opposite of each other, but for them it worked perfectly. Lack of communication between these two is the cause of much drama! Both are dealing with ex’s who have made a major impact on their lives due to this the beginning of their relationship was more push than pull. Things heat up quickly and you find yourself rooting for Tate and Lauren to overcome these obstacles and heal each other. Their story was heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time.
"I'm gonna piss you off 'cause I can be a dick. That's who I am. And you're gonna piss me off 'cause, babe, you got attitude. That's who you are. And that's who we're comin' out to be together. And I'm all right with that because, with what I had before even when you're a bitch, I like it. But when you're not, it's sweetness the like I've never tasted."
This is one of my favorite KA books; Tate and Lauren have made it to my top five couples written by her. She always delivers that perfect amount of suspense, romance, love, drama, and alpha-maleness that we all love. Her stories suck you in and make you lose hours of your life and Sweet Dreams was no different. She has a way of making every single character an integral part of the story. KA’s books are a unique brand of addiction, one you will find you can’t get enough of.
I was provided with this book from the publisher for free via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! Quotes subject to change in final edited draft.
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Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, and has lived in Denver, Colorado, and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake. Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up. And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
Tour giveaway: One winner gets a copy of the book with signed bookplate and an OPI nail polish set. Five winners get a copy of the book with signed bookplate. This giveaway runs through July 22, 2014 and is open to US/Canada only.
Blog Giveaway: One winner gets unsigned paperback copy. US/Canada only. Ends June 30, 2014
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1 comments
thank you! KA is my favorite author!! :)
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