Stick Girl Book Reviews: January 2014

Tainted Blog Tour & Giveaway

I was very excited to be invited to take part in Tainted Blog Tour! I haven't really done anything with my blog in awhile and as far as Blog Tours go I'm only willing to do those for Author's I truly enjoy their work.

Tainted by K.A. Robinson is one of those books that was on my TBR that I just couldn't wait for! I've been in love with the Torn series since the beginning! Tainted is the third book in the series and the final book that features Drake & Chloe ( I sure hope as the series continues we get "glimpses" of these two down the line)

Part One: Facing My Demons

Drake lost everything the day Chloe walked away from him. Feeling angry and hurt by her abandonment, he dives deeper into his cocaine use. Each day becomes a struggle for him. After his band is picked up by a recording studio in Los Angeles, things go from bad to worse. What happens to a man who has lost everything he ever truly cared about?

Part Two: Learning to Love Again

When Drake showed up on Chloe’s doorstep, begging for forgiveness, she couldn’t turn him away. To Chloe, loving Drake is like breathing and she couldn’t bring herself to let him go again.

But what happens next? Follow Chloe and Drake as they learn to forgive and heal together.

Will Drake’s fame get in the way of their happily ever after? Or is love enough to keep them together?

The epic conclusion to Drake and Chloe’s story.

If you haven't added Tainted to your Goodreads TBR you may do so here TAINTED (TORN 3)

Now for my 4 star review of Tainted...........

I have to admit when I had Tainted in my hands I was torn between....

and ......

because this is the last book for Drake & Chloe not saying we may or may not see them in the future but as far as them being the focus of the book this was it. I was sad to say goodbye to them and I sure hope we get little glimpses of them in the future! I honestly was surprised to see the third book was about them. I thought the Twisted was it given the Epilogue but the author gives us the in between period that wasn't revealed in Twisted. The book is broken into 3 parts consisting kicking off with Drake's POV during the 6 months following all hell breaking lose. If you read the series it was the time frame where I seriously wanted to.....

Drake! We were treated with Chloe's POV following what occurred PRIOR to the Epilogue in Twisted and finally we have Drake's POV after the Epilogue from Twisted.... When we enter the first part of Drake's POV things are just .......

Oh hell the issues that he needed to face and he truly needed to face them alone but don't you have to admit to them first? Well, I could very well sit here and said I .....

and wanted to beat Drake but you know what I didn't. I think the author did a great job describing the issues. We've known from the get go that Drake has never been "vocal" per se or completely opened up. He was damn good at.....

rather than face his problems head on. Chloe made her position on these problems very clear in Twisted and Tainted opens with that scene but from Drake's eyes and I had to .....

Chloe on for taking a stand and STICKING to it! We got to watch the band get the big break we all of us have wanted and they were truly on their way to being .....

Yes that was great! I also loved that Jade, Eric and Adam finally just put everything on the line for Drake but of course it ultimately took him......

before he followed through. When you read it from Drake's POV and see everything he kept bottled up for so long you will be like I was....

How one person could keep that all to themselves for all that time is astounding but then again Drake is a MAN and we all know when it comes to men......

I loved the way Chloe's POV was presented and how she handled things and of course them coming together......

was like a ......

There is one part in all this where I was ........

and I seriously wanted to .......

someone's arse! The ENDING was PERFECTION! OMG!!! Drake was just.....

his last show on that tour and when he stepped off stage I was .....

telling that poor man to ...

When I got done I had to do my typical ...

I knew what their ending was from the Epilogue of Twisted but Tainted gave me further insight and a way sweeter Epilogue and I was totally..

Overall Tainted was a 4 star read for me. I'm glad I got to see the "behind the scenes" portions of Twisted and how everything ended up for Drake & Chloe. If you've read Torn & Twisted then you have to read TAINTED now.

If you haven't read this series I recommend you do so Torn was by far my favorite of the series followed by Twisted. Tainted was a good read but it didn't pull the emotions out of me the first two did and I think that's due to the Epilogue of Twisted.

I'm really looking forward to Logan's book I've really liked him all along (although Drake was ALWAYS my favorite between them). I will continue reading any books that spin off from this series. There are so many awesome secondary characters that I would love for the author to delve further into!

If you haven't had the opportunity to purchase Tainted (OMG!) you may purchase the book from one of the following links:

Amazon ~ Tainted

Smashwords ~ Tainted

Kobo ~ Tainted

iTunes ~ Tainted

B&N ~ Tainted

Haven't had an opportunity to read any of the books in the Torn series? Oh you so have to start this one I guarantee you will totally enjoy it! You can add Torn (Torn 1) and Twisted (Torn 2) to your Goodreads TBR and purchase by following these links:

Torn: Amazon ~ Torn
Goodreads ~ Torn
Kim's review of Torn

Twisted: Amazon ~ Twisted
Goodreads ~ Twisted
Kim's Review of Twisted

About the Author

K.A. Robinson is the New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author of The Torn Series and Shattered Ties. She lives in West Virginia with her husband and toddler son. When she isn't writing, she loves to read dystopian, zombie, and New Adult books. She has an addiction to Caribou and Starbucks coffee.

Author Links:

Facebook

@KARobinsonAutho

authorkarobinson.blogspot.com

Novelisting: http://bit.ly/1fThlls

Another book by K.A. that you need to check out is Shattered Ties.

Goodreads ~ Shattered Ties (Ties 1)
Shattered Ties: Amazon ~ Shattered Ties

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~ Cover Reveal & Giveaway ~

Enticing Interlude by Michelle Mankin

~ Okay Ladies I just have to say this is one book I'm SUPER DUPER excited to read! I've read all of Michelle's books published to date and if you haven't, OMG get on it NOW!

This series is awesome and I can't wait to see what bad boy Justin is going to bring to the table!

Be sure and follow the links to add this one to your GR TBR and join the FB Release Day Party! Release date February 4th!

Make sure to check out the TEASER & enter the GIVEAWAY for a paperback of Irresistible Refrain with a Black Cat Records tattoo, a BS and Tempest concert bracelet, and a Tempest lanyard!

Release date: Expected February 4, 2014

Come join our Facebook Release Day & Blog Tour Event

Author: Michelle Mankin

Title: Enticing Interlude ~ Series: Tempest Series # 2

Cover Designer: Cover created by Michelle Preast of Indie Book Covers

Genre ~ New Adult

To the talented vocalist Justin Jones, love is merely a game that he plays by his own rules.

But to Bridget Dubois, love and heartache are one and the same.

Broken too many times before, the delicate beauty keeps her emotions carefully concealed. Bridget has her own set of rigid rules when it comes to men. She prefers to avoid them altogether, especially dangerously seductive auburn haired emerald eyed players like Justin.

But the new lead singer of the rising rock band Tempest doesn’t like to be ignored. Justin is used to getting what he wants, and now he’s set his sights on Bridget.

Suddenly, it’s no longer a game.

What do you do when the one you can’t have turns out to be the one you can’t live without?

As the pressure builds, will it temper them or will it shatter them both like fragile crystal?

*Each book in the Tempest series features a different band member. They can stand alone, of course, but why not enjoy each one?*

“It is working.” I threw back at her. “This isn’t about Carter, and you know it. This is about you being afraid.” It took a great deal of effort to ignore how fantastic it felt to have her in my arms.

“I talked with Lace.” She tilted her head back and rapidly blinked her eyes as if she had something in them. “She thinks you’re a good guy. So do I. That’s why I’ve been trying to ignore that little voice inside my head that keeps telling me it isn’t smart to get involved with you. But I’ve got a son, Justin. I can’t afford to play around. I need someone steady. Someone I can trust to be in it with us for the long haul. And we both know that’s not your kind of scene.”

“Bullshit.” My fingers curled into her upper arms and I yanked her to me. My body didn’t get the message that I was angry and responded instantly to the feel of her soft curves. I should have been upset, but all I really wanted to do was kiss her… badly. My eyes dropped to her mouth. I felt a tremor flow through her body.

Yeah, she wanted that too.

There was more than one way to convince her we were right for each other.

Michelle Mankin is a young/new adult romance writer as well as a self-proclaimed giant... inside of her own mind!

For many years she worked in the insurance industry as an underwriter. Somehow, the boredom didn't kill her but the hour and hours of looking at facts and figures provided ample time for her mind to wander.

Black Cat Records in Vancouver provides the central backdrop for all of Michelle’s current novels. Love Evolution, Love Revolution, and Love Resolution are a Brutal Strength centered trilogy, combining the plot underpinnings of Shakespeare with the drama, excitement, and indisputable sexiness of the rock 'n roll industry.

Things take a bit of a darker, edgier turn with the Tempest series. These pierced, tatted, and troubled Seattle rockers are young and on the cusp of making it big, but with serious obstacles to overcome that may prevent them from ever getting there.

When Michelle is not prowling the streets of her Texas town listening to her rock music much too loud, she is putting her daydreams down on paper or traveling the world with her family and friends, sometimes for real, and sometimes just for pretend as she takes the children to school and back.

Connect with Michelle Mankin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Mankin/233503403414065

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleMankin

On her website: http://www.michellemankin.com/

Irresistible Refrain - Tempest Series (Book #1)

Genre: New Adult

Two years ago everything changed for the remaining members of the Seattle rock band Tempest.

Two years is a long time.

Too long to keep on remembering.

Not nearly long enough to forget.

In trouble with nowhere else to go songstress Lace Lowell seeks refuge with the band during their stop in New York City. It's a risky move for her because they are both there, two impossibly good looking men whose lives are inseparably entwined with hers. One who bruised her heart and one who smashed it into pieces.

Warren “War” Jinkins, the mercurial lead singer of Tempest, has always had a thing for Lace. But then again so does his best friend and band mate.

Bryan “Bullet” Jackson, the sinfully handsome tat-sleeved lead guitarist, has a bad boy reputation befitting his nickname. For the past two years Bullet’s had a rule with the groupies: one time, never twice, leave ‘em satisfied, but always leave ‘em.

Two guys, one woman, and a host of dark secrets all together within the tight confines of a tour bus as the group travels cross country.

Can the past be forgotten and buried?

Will friendships prevail?

Or will the three of them succumb to seductive impulses too addictive to resist?

** Irresistible Refrain is a gritty rock and roll tale intended for mature readers seventeen and up. Contains sexual situations, strong language, and drug use. **