Blog Tour: Never Say Never series: CM Stunich
Add to Goodreads Buy: Kindle/Paperback
"Never Ross wants to be loved.
It's that simple, but it's not that easy."
Never is a girl with a broken soul who doesn't date nice guys and can't seem to go to bed at night without crying herself to sleep. She doesn't need any complications in her life, especially not when they're attached to a man that could be her emotional twin.
Ty McCabe can't stand Never the first time he meets her. He's aware that the feeling's mutual and the two don't think they'll ever see each other again, but when fate takes a hand and puts them both in the wrong place at the wrong time, Ty and Never form a tentative friendship that opens the door on their dark sides and shows them what it's like to live in the light.
"Sometimes, the only way to go forward, is to take a few, careful steps back."
Ty's hot mouth is on my neck, and I find myself taking short, sharp, little breaths as I press my shaking hands to his chest. If I sleep with him again, I'll be making the biggest mistake of my life. He's the first real friend I've ever had, and I don't want to cheapen the feelings that are simmering between us. We made that mistake once before, and we survived. We've been through a lot since then, and I know that if I lose him now, I will never be whole again. Ty is my other half, lover or no, and just being around him is enough for me.
“Ty,” I say, trying my best to sound stern. Instead, my voice comes out like a butterfly, flutters against Ty's hair and swirls it gently against my lips. I moan and find that my fingers are now curled in the fabric of his T-shirt.
“Never,” he says back to me, the word like fire against my skin. In those two syllables, I hear how he feels about me. He thinks he's in love. Ty McCabe thinks he's in love with me. He doesn't say it aloud, but I can tell. Sex isn't the best way for me to show my feelings; I've abused it for far too long that it has somehow lost some of its meaning. I try to tell Ty this, but I can't speak with his lips on my throat and his hand sliding across the nape of my neck.
I run my own hands down his chest and put them beneath his shirt, on the hard plane of his belly. His muscles contract as I press my fingers into them, touching, feeling, absorbing the man, the complication, that is Ty McCabe. All the while, my mind is racing in circles trying to talk me out of this.
“Kiss me,” Ty says and it's not a question, it's a request, albeit a gentle one. His voice is softer than I've ever heard it. His words are naked, stripped of all the bullshit that's happened to him, all of the horrible things that mirror my own life. Ty and I are like twins, like two halves of the same whole. They say that opposites attract, but Ty and I are very much the same and the attraction between us burns brighter than the sun. “Kiss me,” he says again and I do.
This series of New Adult novels are Recommended for Ages 18 and Up
"My Name is Ty McCabe and this is my best friend, Never."
Before I even begin to try to wrap up my thoughts I must first say, Ty McCabe, Never Ross, and CM Stunich have stolen my heart with their story. It has been a while since I have had a 6 star read, and Ty & Never have found a spot on my shelf! I know this review has had mixed ratings, but there was just something about this couple that worked in a major way for me.
"When I look into Ty's eyes, I can see that we're exactly the same. He's as wounded as I am, and we're both bleeding all over one another. It's a recipe for disaster."
I just knew from the blurb that I immediately wanted to get inside the heads of Ty and Never. They are my favorite type of characters. Characters that are so damn broken, living on the edge of reality. Ready to fall and break at a drop of a pin. Characters who can't begin to consider loving them self, but would give the world heart and soul for that one person they find completes them. I connect the most with stories such as these. Ty and Never can't get any more damaged and broken than they were. Their pain, their self-loathing just flowed off the pages. My heart ached on a consistent basis for them. Their pasts had broken them, took them to the bottom of the gutter and just left them there to rot. These two don't realize it at first but they need each other to put the broken pieces back together, once agonizing piece at a time.
"I like things the way they are. You're my best friend, my reason for getting up in the morning, the only thing in this world that convinces me that it's worth the effort to breathe."
Tasting Never is not your typical love story; it is dark, raw, and very emotional. Our heroine and hero tear each other down every chance they can. Their words are volatile and aimed to hurt. The chemistry was off the charts intense and I am not talking about in the bedroom (in fact I love that this book didn’t contain much of that and when it did, I felt it was placed perfectly). The emotional intensity of watching their push and pull wrecks you in some places. There isn't any instant love here there isn't even instant friendship. Ty and Never have to work at it, and they have to work hard at finding that middle ground between their pasts and their present. Sex is used as a major crutch even against one another. Each time they hurt each other, they take space away just to be drawn right back in from missing the other so damn much.
"I went out to a bar and I picked up a girl. I had sex with her because I was afraid of you."
"I was in the middle of f**cking someone when I got your message."
Ty and Never were an emotional roller coaster of pain, loneliness, and heartbreak, the author takes you on their ride and keeps you there all the way to the end with your heart in the bottom of your stomach. Their friendship grows slowly with many bumps in the road, but it gets stronger and while it does, you feel their love also growing strong right before your eyes. They are beginning the agonizing process of fixing those broking pieces. Ty and Never, their fear shows with each step they take. Her story is very well developed, as are her characters. The only small complaint I have, and since I know there is another 2 books in the series I can't even call it a complaint. I would have loved to see glimpses into Ty's past. I adored that we saw why Never was so lost and broken, now I need to know why Ty is. I need Never to slowly fix him as he has begun to fix her. Have no fear we will get this in book 3! I want these two lost souls to find their happily ever after, if anyone deserves it they most certainly do.
Thanks to CM Stunich for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review
These books were fast reads, but emotional, raw, heartbreaking, and just drew me in from the first page.
Never Ross: College student, suffered tragedy in her past, cut off from her family, damaged, broken, uses sex to escape...
"There's a monster inside me, eating little bits of me everyday, and I can't seem to stop it. It makes me do things I don't want to do, say things I don't want to say...."
Ty McCabe: Oh my, swoon! Tattooed, Pierced, jewelry wearing, hot, secretive, young misunderstood man. He has a mysterious past and is just as broken, hurt, and damaged.
He's beautiful to look at, but he's also broken, bruised, and betrayed.
This is why I don't get close to wounded guys. Guys like this, like Ty, they're just built to explode, to rain their burning past down on you and melt your soul.
These two people meet with immediate spark and just as immediate negative reaction. But an unforeseen event thrusts them back together and they are given a second chance to see what the other is made of. So begins a push and pull of getting together and being apart. They are off and on again friends. They are constantly pushing each other away, hurting, and coming back together. They are both so intense and so in need that it seems they cannot be together without upsetting the other, but also can't seem to be apart. They cannot decide if they are really wrong for each other or really right.
Something about other tortured souls calls to me, makes me want them. When I look into Ty's eyes, I can see that we're exactly the same. He's as wounded as I am, and we're both bleeding all over one another. It's a recipe for disaster.
We're both upset and neither of us knows why . We don't know how to read our own emotions, so reading each other's is virtually impossible.
They are so much alike that it scares them. They both use sex as a weapon. She uses it to forget and disconnect and he used it for money and when scared. But they truly become each other's best friend and the only one who understands. They try to make positive life changes together. But their intense chemistry, passion, and emotional connection is hard for them to ignore no matter how hard they try. And are they ready for more?
Ty and I are like twins, like two halves of the same whole. They say that opposites attract, but Ty and I are very much the same and the attraction between us burns brighter than the sun.
And before Never can move on, she must face her past.
I know then that somehow, someway I'm going to have to open up the Pandora's Box of my past soon. Sometimes, the only way to go forward, is to take a few careful steps back. Damn you, Ty McCabe. Damn you.
This is a powerful, raw, story of two broken people that just fit when they are put together. But there is more healing needed for them, more to share, and more story to tell in the upcoming FINDING NEVER AND KEEPING NEVER(coming March 2, 2013).
Thanks to CM Stunich for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review
Thanks to CM Stunich for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review
Add to Goodreads Buy: Kindle/Paperback
"Tell me, Never, do you still love him?"
Never Ross and Ty McCabe have come a long way – but they can't stop now. Their pasts are still there, ready to sweep over and consume them if they don't confront them. A visit to Never's family seems like the first logical step, but will it make things better or worse? And what about Noah Scott? Ty is Never's tortured other half, but can he also be the healing balm that she so desperately needs? With McCabe's past still a virtual unknown, Never is going to have to make more than one decision capable of breaking both their hearts.
"Ty has changed; I have changed, and things are not always what they seem."
Never Ross and Ty McCabe have come a long way – but they can't stop now. Their pasts are still there, ready to sweep over and consume them if they don't confront them. A visit to Never's family seems like the first logical step, but will it make things better or worse? And what about Noah Scott? Ty is Never's tortured other half, but can he also be the healing balm that she so desperately needs? With McCabe's past still a virtual unknown, Never is going to have to make more than one decision capable of breaking both their hearts.
"Ty has changed; I have changed, and things are not always what they seem."
“Before you say whatever it is that you're going to say, can I show you something?” he asks as the fog of his breath tangles and dances with mine in the crisp winter air.
“Ty, you don't – ”
He cuts me off.
“Please.” He says the word like it's a question, but it's not. He's not asking my permission. Ty is telling me that he's going to show me whether I like it or not, so I better be ready for it. “I need to show you how much you rock my f*cking world.” And then Ty is kissing me hot and hungry, down my neck and back up again. He's biting my lip and making me bleed, brushing his lips across the beating pulse in my neck, the one that throbs like crazy when he's around.
“Ty, stop,” I say because we're on a playground for God's sake, but he doesn't. He doesn't stop. He adjusts my wrists so that he's holding them with one hand, and although I probably could fight him if I wanted to, I don't. I don't want him to stop, not now, not ever.
"You're not a girl that any guy could just put up with. You're a f**king whirlwind, Never."
This book starts right where book 1 ended. Never and Ty are trying to be honest with each other and be together. And he is going to accompany her home to see the family she has not seen in 5 years and deal with the demons in her past that have caused her to be so damaged.
I don't know how to handle a situation like this. Love 'em and leave 'em, that was my previous policy. Now, here I am on a two thousand f**king mile drive with Ty McCabe who I don't know, not really. I feel him though, inside and out and everywhere and nowhere all at once. I am Ty McCabe and I am not. He's me and He's not. It doesn't make any sense to me but I know it's all true.
Ty is her lifeline and keeps her moving forward even though he is worried because she is also facing her ex boyfriend Noah that she never had closure with.
Noah Scott: Wealthy, college student, All American boy, and still not over Never. He has waited for her for 5 years...
Never steps back into her childhood home with her sisters, her mother, and has to face everything that sent her running before. But with Ty at her side and a new sense of purpose and understanding, she finds her strength. Ty has to stand by and let Never deal with Noah as well.
See, Ty gets me. He gets that I'm f**ked up and he knows that I know that he's just as screwed up, so we work together, him and me.
"You've got all the cards now," Ty tells me, and I shiver because I was thinking the very same thing about him.
They are tested as a couple, but their connection has grown stronger and more meaningful. I adored Ty even more in this book as he proves to be just what Never really needs to face her issues. He is loving, understanding, protective, and sweet. He supports her even when it is killing him to do so.
"Never...I will do whatever it takes to make you better, even it it means destroying myself in the process."
"No lies, remember? I'm dead f**king serious here. I am like, head over friggin' heels, butterflies and puppies, hearts and f**king kitty cats in love with you...Seriously...I am like a f**king Disney prince or some s**t. Want me to sing for you? I could sing."
And Never becomes healthier and happier as she faces her demons and begins to heal. But it is still a work in progress. Communication continues to be an issue with this couple as they feel their way around it. But Ty still has his past to deal with and his secrets to share. We have learned some of them, but not all.
Tyson McCabe, my bad boy, my tortured soul, my little piece of dark with bits of light that glimmer like stars.
"When I'm ready, baby, you can cut me open and dig through what's left." I almost tell him that there's no need, that all I really need from him is his heart and that, I'm pretty sure, I already have.
KEEPING NEVER coming out March 2, 2013 will give us more of Ty's past and his future with Never. I can't wait for this next book and look forward to seeing the progression of this beautifully damaged but strangely functional couple.
Thanks to CM Stunich for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. Tammy's Rating:
“I dream of a partner that I can split my pain with, one that
understands me, that completes me, makes me whole, and now I’ve found him.”
Book 2 is Never’s story; her past and present, her demons
and her struggle for answers. Never loves Ty with every ounce of her being, he
is her soul mate. But in order for her
to move forward, she has to tackle her past, fix things with her family and see
for the last time if her heart still lies with her first love. I enjoyed following Never’s journey and her
path to finding her true self, but I did not enjoy this book as much as the
first one.
“I feel him though, inside and out and everywhere and
nowhere all at once. I am Ty McCabe and I am not. He’s me and he’s not. It
doesn’t make any sense to me, but I know it’s all true.”
In the first book, Tasting Never, the emotional chemistry
between Never and Ty was raw and intense. Damaged and broken. I just didn’t get that same feeling with
Finding Never. I don’t know if it was the added love triangle, but I lost some
of that intensity and I missed it. I still loved them as a couple, especially
their understanding of each other, although, I sometimes got the feeling that
Never ignored Ty’s unsaid feeling so that she could justify exploring feelings
for her ex. Ty was amazing and supportive in this aspect, more than most people
would be, but even as a reader I could feel the pain and hurt just below the
surface. The words he left unspoken each time Never went with Noah or Noah was
around tugged at my heart. No amount of confidence could hide what he kept
buried. Never should have also seen this, since she always said they were like
two peas in a pod and respected his feelings more.
“Relationships can’t be measured with a clock or a calendar,
Never. It’s about getting each other. You get me, and I get you. That’s the only
thing I give a shit about.”
While I absolutely adored
Ty, Never didn’t work so well for me. She
annoyed the living day lights out of me, and I often found myself disliking her
a lot this round. I totally get that she had to put the past behind her in
order to move forward in her future with Ty. It’s the way she went about it
that I didn’t agree with. These two were
perfect for one another, they were kindred spirits. Why did she need to explore
her past with a boyfriend she hadn’t seen in five years? Especially since the
entire time she knew, it was Ty she wanted. It was Ty she thought about
constantly. Ty got the “new” Never when no else understood. The relationship
with Noah felt forced to me, like she just couldn’t bear to let go of the past
even though it was the present that she needed more than air. One thing that
really pissed me off about her was the way she would get so pissed off or
jealous of Ty’s past with other girls. How dare she expect him not to look or
even talk about another girl while she strings him along figuring out whether
her feelings lie with him or the ex. I truly wanted to rip her face off on a
couple of occasions.
However, I loved this quote from the book. It really shows
how Never has grown with Ty not just as friends, or even as a couple but as an
individual. After reading book 1, the
fact that she is able to differentiate that love is a different feeling than
need and self-destruction is huge. Sex is no longer a means of escape for her,
but an act that attaches feeling to a single meaningful person.
“All I know for sure is that making love and sex are two
totally different things, and I can finally tell them apart.”
Ty was amazing in
Never’s story. His character was built around strength and acceptance, the
author’s continued development of him is perfection. I don’t know if I could
have withstood half of what Ty has been through and still come out the bigger
man. He placed Never’s feelings before his own. Her happiness matter to him
more than anything else, even though he wanted her to choose him. Not because
he made her, but because she looked at all the choices and realized that he was
it for her, that there honestly and truly was nobody else who compared. In addition, this story focuses mainly on Never and her family more than Ty and their friendship/relationship. I loved that we saw Ty showing his support for her, and allowing her to make the hardest decisions she had knowing that he was by her side no matter what the outcome.
“Tyson McCabe, my bad
boy, my tortured soul, my little piece of dark with bits of light that glimmer
like stars.”
And this right here, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly why I
love Ty McCabe. He said the sweetest things.
He was stereotypical bad boy on the outside (tats and piercings) and
underneath the facade he was so damn vulnerable and broken, but not afraid to
put it all out there for his girl. Even if there was a slight chance, he might
lose her.
“No lies, remember? I’m dead f**cking serious here. I am
like, head over friggin’ heals, butterflies and puppies, hearts and f**cking
kitty cats in love with you. Seriously, I am like a f**cking Disney prince or
some shit. Want me to sing for you? I could sing.”
I still loved the story and our hero/heroine. I adore CM Stunich's writing style, and I think that I had a a little bit harder time on a personal level connecting to the love triangle because I am attached to Ty. I couldn't stand the thought of seeing him broken.
Thanks to CM Stunich for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Book 3 in the series
Ty's past revealed
Coming March 2, 2013 to Amazon
Join the Facebook Release Event
C.M Stunich:
Facebook/website/Twitter/Goodreads/
Amazon/B&N
C.M. Stunich was raised under a cover of fog in the area known simply as Eureka, CA. A mysterious place, this strange, arboreal land nursed Caitlin's (yes, that's her name!) desire to write strange fiction novels about wicked monsters, magical trains, and Nemean Lions (Google it!). She currently enjoys drag queens, having too many cats, and tribal bellydance.Always a fan of the indie scene and 'sticking it to the man,' Ms. Stunich decided to take the road less traveled and forgo the traditional publishing route. You can be assured though that she received several rejections as to ensure her proper place in the world of writers before taking up a friend's offer to start a publishing company. Sarian Royal was born, and Ms. Stunich's books slowly transformed from mere baking chocolate to full blown tortes with hand sculpted fondant flowers.
C.M. is a writer obsessed with delivering the very best and scours her mind on a regular basis to select the most unusual stories for the outside world.
Ms. Stunich can be reached via e-mail or by post and loves to hear from her readers. Ms. Stunich also wrote this biography and has no idea why she decided to refer to herself in the third person. Come visit me at www.cmstunich.com !
Happy reading and carpe diem!
0 comments