Release Day Launch, Review, and Giveaway: Who I'm Becoming: Shanora Williams
Who I'm Becoming (FireNine#4)
Shanora Williams
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With so many women to choose from, it’s not in his nature to chase after just one, but when Lauren Harkin enters his life, that all changes.
Lauren is smart, sexy, confident, and knows exactly how to get under his skin… and although he hates to admit it, he loves it. He wants her in every way possible, but she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Famous FireNine rocker, Delray isn’t the kind of guy Lauren needs to bring into her life. After having her emotions tampered with repeatedly, she refuses to give into someone who will most likely take her for granted and make things worse.
But with much effort and some sexual manipulation, Montana and Lauren come to an agreement neither of them can resist. As their fling carries on, though, everything intensifies, and once they realize it true fear sets in.
Soon they come to the realization that they care for one another more than intended, and they both know caring for someone other than themselves means opening their hearts.
The reality they face with each other is totally unexpected and becomes their biggest fear… and neither of them is ready for it.
I
pressed the button to my floor and it opened several seconds later. Silence
crept between us but it wasn’t an uncomfortable one. It was sort of… nice.
After taking nearly decades to find the hotel key in my pockets, I stuffed it
into the lock of the door and stumbled inside, laughing at my own idiocy.
She
followed in behind me, and I flipped the light switch. A dim light illuminated
above her head and she smiled. “Well… you’re here,” she breathed.
“I
am,” I said.
“Do
you… need anything?”
“Nope…”I
paused. “Well maybe just for you to stay.”
She
let out a girlish giggle. “Montana, you know I can’t stay.”
“Why
not?” I asked, stepping in.
She
dared a step as well, angling her head and locking eyes with me. Bringing her
hand up, she ran it across my cheek and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
“Because it would be wrong of me to sleep with you.”
My
dick pulsed. Her voice was smooth and seductive. It was sexy as hell with that
accent. “Why would it be wrong?”
“It’s
a long story. Just know it would be.”
“Don’t
beat around the bush, Princess.”
She
smirked. “I’m not. Maybe when you’re sober…”
I
laughed, throwing my head back. “I guess that’s never then.”
“Well,
then I guess we’ll never have that experience, huh?” She was teasing the hell
out of me. Her voice. Her body... so warm and close. Fuck.
What
made it worse was how she turned around and walked away, swinging her plump ass
in those tight blue jeans. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Big show, right?”
“Yes,”
I whispered. I couldn’t stop staring.
“Good…”She
opened the door.
“Wait,”
I called before she could make it out.
She
lifted both brows, glancing over her shoulder. “Yeah?”
I
walked towards her, licking my lips. “Tell me your name. I need to know it.”
She
lowered her head, biting a smile. “If I tell you my name will you take it easy
for the rest of the night?”
“I
will… for you, Princess.”
She
paused, batting her mascaraed eyelashes while running her eyes up and down the
length of my body. Her smoky eyes then met mine, she stepped back, and a warm
hand pressed against my chest. She stood on the toes of her high-heels and
whispered, “Lauren Harkin. Don’t forget it,” she murmured. “Because if you do,
I won’t tell you my name again… you’ll just have to suffer with not knowing the
name of the woman that, in every way, intrigues you.”
My
eyes stretched.
And
she smirked.
And
it was right there, in that moment, when she had me. It was in that moment when
I realized I had to have her. I had to get her up under me. I had to dick her
down at least once. She was begging for it, and my body wasn’t denying it. I
wanted her and I wanted her something serious.
I loved being completely out of it, so out of it that everything blurred together. You can't focus, because focusing means facing reality. You can't think because sometimes thinking too much fucks you over in the end. You just...live. And living for myself is what I did best.
Montana Delray...Bassist for the hugely popular band FireNine...He's the fun loving, outgoing, wild party boy who loves women but is never with the same one twice. He wears his colored mohawk and piercings proudly and has a filthy mouth. His friends are all settling down and finding their mates, but he never thinks that will happen to him. But now that they are returning to France for a tour, he realizes he is about to come face to face with the one that turned him down and has kept him guessing since their paths crossed a year ago.
Lauren Harkin has had her shared of heartbreak and now wants to be a bit wild, spontaneous and fun. So surprisingly she is open to a connection this time and they share an incredible night. That ends abruptly leaving no real closure. And not being able to fully get enough even after some struggles, they find themselves involved in a "no strings attached" affair.
"Just promise me it'll only be for fun. Nothing serious. I can't handle that right now."
"I'm Montana Delray. I don't do serious. Fun is my middle name."
But the more time they spend together, the more dangerous it becomes that they will get to know each other more and also like each other even more. It is confusing, scary, and exhilarating at the same time
We were crazy, but the really crazy thing was how we could be crazy together. How we could go crazy on each other. How we would do crazy things like fight and make up, and act like none of it ever happened in only a matter of seconds. The thing between us was crazy, but I loved it. I loved every f***ing moment of it.
But Lauren is exhibiting some serious fears, insecurities, and damage. And she has secrets. And Montana has not had a real relationship in almost a decade. So they are bound to make mistakes and cause some pain.
What happens when two people who don't think they want a relationship suddenly realize they are getting in over their heads? Of course it leads to mistakes, misunderstandings, miscommunication, fear, avoidance, angst, and hurt feelings.
And they both have demons to face that have made them who they are and keep them from becoming who they want to be.
Montana really pulled at my heartstrings. He has always seemed so wild, out of control, and even shallow. But he really does have a good heart under his easygoing party boy veneer that has been damaged by his past. He has insecurities and walls up that have kept him from finding connections.
But Lauren got to him. Maybe because she wasn't easy and challenged him. Maybe because she could see right through him down to his softer core. Maybe it was their intense chemistry. She was strong, sassy, passionate, and caring. And from all that combined, she did what no other woman had been able to do and that was keep his interest and make him want more. I loved this softer side of him that not even he knew he had. And there was an unexpected vulnerability and sensitivity to him.
"...If I'm risking getting...hurt...or if I'm risking having my emotions or even my...heart...in the hands of someone else...I want it to be with you."
But her past deeply affected her and was not going away. And she had her own secrets that could change everything and threatened to ruin it all. What will Montana do when it all comes to the surface? Are they strong enough to face the challenges and truly change? Or will they revert back to their old ways?
I enjoyed more with the guys of FireNine (Gage, Roy, and Deeds) and their significant others. They truly are a family and extremely close. They are there for Montana when he needs an ass kicking or support. This story was a little different from the others in the series just like the characters personalities are so different. It was not as highly angsty and heartbreaking as Gage and Eliza's story, or as dark and emotional as Roy and Kelsey's. It had enough drama and mystery to keep it interesting, but also was true to Montana's usual positive personality and nature. That does not mean that there was no angst or hard situations, but it was not done in a way that was not so long and drawn out that it became terribly frustrating. Montana and Lauren were actually quite mature in a lot of ways which is surprising coming from the ultimate party boy who always loved to be drunk or high and never had a girlfriend. I have loved seeing the change in Mr. Montan Delray throughout this series and his story. And this book brings the whole group together in the present, while also showing how far they have all come since it all began.
I was gifted a copy in exhange for an honest review.
FireNine Series
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author Shanora Williams considers herself a wondrous, down-to-earth author who’s all about romance, paranormal, and the historical fiction. Coffee and Oreos are her addiction. Reading is a necessity. Whenever she isn’t writing or reading, she’s most likely spending her time with family and loved ones, or watching hit TV series’ on Netflix.
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