Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Destiny of Violet and Luke: Jessica Sorensen

by - Thursday, January 09, 2014


The Destiny of Violet and Luke
The Coincidence #3
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Luke Price's life has always been about order, control, and acting tough on the outside. For Luke, meaningless relationships are a distraction-a way to tune out the twisted memories of his childhood. He desperately wishes he could forget his past, but it haunts him no matter what he does.

Violet Hayes has had a rough life. When she was young, she was left with no family and the memory of her parents' unsolved murders. She grew up in foster homes, living with irresponsible parents, drugs, and neglect, and trying to fight the painful memories of the night her parents were taken from her. But it's hard to forget when she never got closure-and she can't stop dreaming about what happened that tragic night. To make it through life, she keeps her distance from everyone and never allows herself to feel anything.

Then Violet meets Luke. The two clash instantly, yet they can't seem to stay away from each other. Although they fight it, they both start to open up and feel things they've never felt before. They discover just how similar they are. But they also discover something else: The past always catches up with you . . .


Excerpt:


For a brief second, I seriously contemplate pushing the emergency button and stopping the elevator, so I can push her back against the wall and kiss her fiercely before pulling away and leaving her. Regain a little of my control and power over the situation.
But as the elevator continues up and my arms stay at my side, I realize that I can’t go through with it and honestly I have no idea why. She’s messing with my head and I don’t know what else to do besides stare at my reflection in the shiny steel doors for the rest of the elevator ride. When the doors open, I let out a breath of relief, glad we’re coming to the end of this strange, silent journey. As we approach Violet’s dorm room toward the end of the hall, I spot Kayden and Callie standing in front of the door. They’re smiling as they talk to each other and they make it look so easy, so natural, like it’s as simple as breathing. But even breathing is difficult for me sometimes.
Callie says something and Kayden laughs, but when he sees me walking up the hallway with Violet his expression fills with inquisitiveness.
“What’s up?” he asks as we walk up to them. He glances from Violet to me, then his eyebrows arch, his eyes widening a little.
Callie steps out of the way as Violet moves out of my arm and drags her foot as she moves up to the door. “Are you okay?” Callie asks, looking down at Violet’s ankle.
“Yeah,” Violet answers with indifference as she punches in the code to their room with her finger. The lock beeps and she shoves the door open, tossing her book aside as she starts to shut the door behind her. I’m about to call our stubborn challenge a tie, when she pauses with the door still open a crack, her eyes sparkling with life for the very first time, and says, “Thanks, Mr. Stoically Aloof.”

“You’re welcome, Violet with no last name,” I tell her and then she shuts the door.

Playlist 

Feel free to use with your review!
World Heaves by Mount Eerie
Come As You Are by Nirvana
Millstone by Brand New
It’s Time by Imagine Dragons
All My Life by Foo Fighters
Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger
Basket Case by Green Day
Dreams by The Cranberries
Stay by Shaun Reynolds feat. Laura Pringle
Low by Cracker
Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down
She Hates Me Puddle of Mud
All the Same by Sick Puppies


We met Luke in The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden and learned more about him in The Redemption of Callie and Kayden. He is broody and obviously troubled, but is also a good support to his friends. We also met Callie's roommate Violet. It was obvious that she is different, stand offish, and a bit on edge. They  both have troubled pasts with major family issues and pain. She is now mixed up in dangerous activities and craves the adrenaline rush. She has nightmares stemming from her tragic past. Luke's past continues to haunt him and it is hard to avoid. He tries to forget and cope, but does so in unhealthy ways.

"I think I might have met my match for the Stubbornest Person in the World award. It's an award I've pretty much been winning since I was sixteen when I decided to stop trusting people and doing only what I wanted."

Both them hide their dark thoughts and feelings, but have pasts that have marked them and shut them down. Both are stubborn, aloof, and need control. Both have ways of trying to make the pain go away at least temporarily. These were two seriously closed off, damaged individuals. People always leave her so she is not going to get attached to anyone. He cannot let weakness show or lose control. He does what he wants when he wants to. No one really understands them and they do not usually let anyone see the real person they are underneath.

She's a challenge, secretive like myself, and that only makes me more curious. About her. About her secrets. About getting to know her. It gives her so much power over me because I want to know her and she won't let me. And I usually don't want to know things about most people. 

I've never cared about anyone before, but then again no one's ever given me a reason to care about them. And no one's ever made me feel safe. 

It was a gradual process of seeing two people slowly break down walls and expose vulnerability. Their confusion and fear made them wary, but at the same time there was  tenuous bond of friendship and a small promise of more. They did not want to get attached or need each other, but something kept drawing them closer.

"Because...you go against everything I've built...for myself."
"Yeah, you, too...for me..."

It was heartbreaking, emotional and intense. These two characters keep so much bottled up so when it releases there is no way it could be anything less than explosive. I know I should have expected that maybe this couple would also have two books. But I really did not check the Goodreads list ahead of time. But as it slowly unraveled, I began to clue in that their story would be resolved in this one. There will a book 3.5: The Resolution of Callie and Kayden and book 4: The Probability of Violet and Luke in this series. We got to see a little of Callie and Kayden in the beginning of this one and more with Seth and Greyson. I really like Seth and Greyson and they provided a bit of comic relief and some support. 

This book was a slow build and it was not incredibly angsty, it was more the peeling away of layers and learning how the past affected the present. I did not think this one was quite as gutwrenchingly emotional as the first two books even though they both had their shared off issues and ghosts. It was a little harder to get a feel for the characters because they were so emotionally detached for so much of the story, especially Violet. At least with Luke, I had seen him with his friends so I knew he was capable of caring and supporting those that were important to him. Violet was extremely guarded and really did not know how to  handle someone truly caring about her. She is the epitomy of a runner. But still I was invested enough that  there were times that my heart broke, where I was angry, frustrated, and sad. There were a few sweet times and a little humor, but it was really the gradual chipping away at these two stoic characters to real their inner depths and damaged thoughts and to see the beginning of a connection  that will face tremendous challenges. 

Like with any Jessica Sorensen books, the characters are broken, deep, and have dark pasts. This plotline in this one was unique due to the events and the secrets swirling under the surface. Through no fault of their own, these two people's lives were irrevocably changed and their whole outlook on life became skewed. They became troubled loners without much to look forward to. But that is what made their bond so powerful...that two such destroyed people could possibly find a little hope. But the more attached they become, the more in danger they are of being broken again. And the past does not always stay buried and when it comes back with a vengeance, will it destroy them or bring them closer?

Jessica surely has mastered the skill of leaving us needing more. My heart and mind is definitely left on edge with them. I am looking forward to the completion of their story in book 4 of this series. 


Thanks to Jessica Sorensen, Forever/Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. Quotes are from arc copy and are subject to change in the final draft. 


Jessica Sorenson can write the tortured characters like no one else. I never would have guess their back stories were so dark, based on their appearances in Callie and Kayden's books. But I should have known better.  

I wasn't a big fan of Violet before I started reading this book. Nor was I a big fan of Luke, but first for Violet. She often leaves Callie with no where to sleep, with her signal ribbon left on the door so many nights. She is standoffish and rude to everyone around her, keeping that wall up around herself to keep everyone else out. Luke is the same, only add in a constant stream of alcohol. He does have Kayden who knows some of his secrets, but just like Violet there are very few people who know anything about his past. As the story progresses and the backstories come out, their prickly exteriors make so much more sense and the sympathy I started feeling did wonders for my connection to both characters.

Together they seem like they would be a train wreck, but something about each starts to heal the other. Watching these two work through their pain together should have hurt. There is so much working against them, as individuals and as a couple. I liked that even once they started getting to know each other they both held back from trusting completely. For both of them, that is such a huge part of what made them them, that trusting quickly or even completely would have been so far out of character. 

Callie and Kayden don't really play a part in this book, though Seth and Grayson do make pretty major appearances. As a very sideline character previously, it was nice to get to know Grayson and to watch him and Seth together. They definitely bring humor in to the story, as well as sounding boards for both Luke and Violet during crisis situations. 

This is not the end of Violet and Luke's story. I wasn't expecting a cliffhanger before I started reading (mostly because I didn't check to see if there was a second book listed on Goodreads for Violet and Luke -- there is), though as I got closer to the end it was obvious there was still too much to resolve in the one book. But where the story ended left me hurting for both characters, even though I knew it was coming. Yes. I saw the ending and called it at about a third of the way through. But that didn't diminish the journey for me, maybe partly because I didn't think it would be the end. In fact, I almost think having a good suspicion kept me reading to find out when it would click for the characters and what that one piece of information would be. So now it has me waiting for the second book, which has been announced, thankfully. This is a story that definitely needs a resolution. Those two both deserve it.

Thanks to Jessica Sorensen, Forever/Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Other books in this series

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden
The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (Book 1)
Add to Goodreads      Buy: Amazon/B&N
Read Kim's 5 star review and Tammy's 6 star review

Callie has grown up keeping her feelings locked away from the outside world, and as her painful past threatens to consume her life, most days it's a struggle just to breathe. For as long as Kayden can remember, suffering in silence has been the only way to survive, until one night when Callie and Kayden's worlds collide. After that moment, Kayden can't stop thinking about Callie and when they end up at the same college, he does everything in his power to convince her that it isn't coincidence - it's fate.

the redemption of callie and kayden
The Redemption of Callie and Kayden (Book 2)
Add to Goodreads   Buy Amazon/B&N
Kim's 5 star review


The dark secret Kayden has kept hidden for years is out. Worse, he's facing charges for battery. The only way he stands a chance against the charges is if Callie speaks up, something he'll never ask her to do. Callie knows Kayden is going back to his dark place and desperately wants to save him. But saving him means admitting her secrets aloud. Callie and Kayden are stronger than they think, especially when they're together. Together they move forward, face their demons, and finally start to heal from their traumatic pasts.

Jessica Sorensen
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The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen, lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.






GIVEAWAY
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·         GRANDPRIZE: Kindle Fire

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