Release Blitz: UNLOCKED: Maya Cross
Unlocked(The Alpha Group Book 3)
Maya Cross
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Release date August 18, 2013
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The breathtaking conclusion to the
USA Today best selling Alpha Group Series.
Who
is Sebastian Lock?
The heart can lead you to dangerous
places. Abandoned by the man she loves, with nothing more than sweet words and
riddles for an explanation, Sophia Pearce felt like her life was crumbling
before her eyes. And then they came for her. Now, things will never be the
same.
Confronted with the truth about
Sebastian’s identity, she’s thrust into a high stakes world beyond anything she
could have imagined. A world that threatens much more than just her feelings.
Sebastian’s enemies will stop at nothing to get what they want, and they want
her.
The energy between them is as intense as
ever, but as the danger mounts, and loyalties are tested, Sophia must answer
one simple question. What is she willing to risk for love?
This book will be approximately
45,000 words, or about 160 printed pages. It contains erotic content and a
dominant man who always gets what he wants in the bedroom. It is intended for
readers aged 18 and over.
Links to Other Books in the Series
Locked (The Alpha Group Book One)
Kim's 4 star review
Lockout
(The Alpha Group Book Two)
Excerpt:
(Note: Text may change a little before
publication)
I hadn’t expected Sophia to sleep at
all, not after what she’d been through. Trauma like that can ruin a person. But
somehow she’d drifted off. I had no idea where she found the strength to be
that tough. She never ceased to amaze me.
For a while I lay there trying to get
some rest myself, but the events of the last two days had thrown my whole world
into chaos. It was all happening again. The fact that I’d averted the worst
didn’t make the situation any better. I was an asshole. I should never have let
it get to this point, but I was weak, and it had nearly cost the woman I love her
life. How the hell could I sleep knowing that?
To make matters worse, even now I was
still incapable of staying away. She was as secure here as anywhere, but the
moment she’d left my sight I began to feel agitated. I still hadn’t managed to
shed the mindless terror that had seized me when I first heard she’d been
taken. The urge to go to her, to simply hold her and never let go, had been
almost overpowering.
I’d tried to distract myself. There was
certainly no shortage of work to be done — most of my colleagues were holed up
together in the board room, planning things until well into the night — but I
was useless there. My mind only wanted to focus on one thing, and soon I found
myself propped up against the wall outside her room, nursing several fingers of
scotch in a heavy crystal tumbler. I didn’t know why, but just being close to
her helped. I made myself vow not to enter. It had taken an immense level of
control to cut her off the first time, and every moment in her presence
stretched my willpower just a little more. I would keep her safe and solve all
this, and then when it was all over, I’d let her go again. It was the only way.
But the moment I heard her sobbing
through the door, all sense of self-control fled. Before I knew it, I was on my
feet, and then in her bed. I expected her to fight, after all, I had to be the
last person she wanted to see, but she didn’t. Instead she just burrowed into
me without a word. I hated how perfect that felt, the way her body fit like a
missing puzzle piece against mine. I still didn’t understand how such simple
contact could make me so damn content, but it did.
And now she slept. I couldn’t help but
run my eyes over her again. Truth be told, I’d barely been able to stop staring
since the moment I entered the room. She looked so fucking beautiful lying
there, her face utterly peaceful, her curves perfectly accentuated by the thin
cotton sheet. She’d taken the T-shirt I left her, but not the pants, and now in
the throws of sleep she’d managed to knock part of the cover free, exposing one
delicate hip. It was a tiny thing, the barest hint of pale skin and black
cloth, but the sight took my breath away nonetheless. I felt impossibly low
ogling her after everything I’d put her through, but I was powerless to do
anything else. Her body was like a drug, a burning rush through my system that
was impossible to ignore. I knew how that hip would feel if only I’d reach out
and touch it. I had every inch of her body charted in my head; so perfectly
soft, so perfectly feminine.
Fuck. I had to pull myself together.
Ripping my gaze free, I eased my arm out
from under her. I’d done what I came to do. She was resting. There was no
reason for me to stay.
She stirred briefly, and I came within a
hair’s breadth of pulling her back against me once more, but after a few
moments she settled. Taking one last look, I moved quietly out into the
corridor and resumed my watch. I’d be there if she needed me, but anything
beyond that was too hard. There was no happy ending here, and letting myself
think otherwise would only destroy me more.
"God it seems like being in a relationship with you should come with an advance warning: may involve significant peril."
Unlocked begins right as Lockout ended. Sebastian has left Sophia and inadvertently put her in more danger. Sebastian has been very mysterious all along and keeping his secrets locked tight. But Sophia was getting too close and the situation was getting more dangerous. He wanted to protect her, but still failed.
There was no happy ending here, and letting myself think otherwise would only destroy me more.
Slowly the secrets he has been keeping are exposed. We finally see what the Alpha Group really is about. Sophia and Sebastian are in the middle of danger with enemies, hidden agendas and no one to truly trust. It is a life and death situation causing tension, anxiety and fear.
Sebastian is alpha, dominant, incredibly protective, and determined to figure out a way to ensure their safety. In this book, we also get his point of view. So his layers are finally peeled away and we get to see what makes him tick, his secrets, and his true feelings. He is deep, compassionate, caring and domineering. But he also respects Sophia and wants the best for her. I have to say that he has grown on me more and more each book, and I really felt like this book let us see the true Sebastian. And I really liked him.
...my attraction to Sophia was like gravity; unyielding and inescapable. Something about her just rendered me utterly powerless. From the moment I met her, I felt like I was trapped in a whirlpool, swimming in vain against the current as it gradually sucked me down. It scared me. It felt like only a matter of time before it drowned us both.
Sophia is strong and handles herself remarkably well in bad situations. She has been hurt through this whole process, but cannot fight the connection she has with Sebastian. She is independent, strong willed, and also has issues in her own personal life to deal with. She is not afraid to fight for what she wants and those she cares about.
"Nothing worth having comes risk free...I can make my own decisions. I understand the risks, and I'm telling you, I'm okay with them. I love you, Sebastian, and if that's the price for being with you, then it's one I'm willing to pay. The question is, are you?"
Their chemistry is hot and uncontrolled. Their feelings are deep and intense. But they really are in a big mess. The danger is real and there are a lot of people who could be against them and it is difficult to tell who is friend or foe. There are twists, turns, and surprises that keep you guessing and turning pages.
"I'm just a pawn getting shuffled around the board right now, only it's not a game, it's my bloody life."
It's the steamy, suspenseful, enlightening, dramatic conclusion to this trilogy that includes Locked and Lockout. It was so important to get Sebastian's point of view this time. It made him less of a mystery and allowed us to connect even more with him. The plot twists were interesting and it was a roller coaster of suspense and danger. Through the past three books, we really got to know Sophia and Sebastian and in this one they grew even stronger. This final book gives us the answers we have been seeking and the resolved ending we have been longing for.
Thanks to Maya Cross for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Maya Cross is a writer who enjoys making
people blush. Growing up with a mother who worked in a book store, she read a
lot from a very young age, and soon enough picked up a pen of her own. She’s
tried her hands at a whole variety of genres including horror, science fiction,
and fantasy, but funnily enough, it was the sexy stuff that stuck. She has now
started this pen name as an outlet for her spicier thoughts (they were starting
to overflow). She likes her heroes strong but mysterious, her encounters
sizzling, and her characters true to life.
She believes in writing familiar narratives
told with a twist, so most of her stories will feel comfortable, but hopefully
a little unique. Whatever genre she's writing, finding a fascinating concept is
the first, and most important step.
The Alpha Group is her first attempt at
erotic romance.
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2 comments
Sounds like a great series. I'm afraid I haven't read it yet. However, I must look into doing so. :)
ReplyDeleteJust put on my tbr list
ReplyDelete