BLURB:

Allie prowls the club for a man who will use her hard and then ditch her. Hey, it’s not rape if she wants it. Instead she finds Colin, who looks tough but treats her tenderly, despite her protests.

He tempts her, but kindness and a few mindblowing orgasms aren’t enough to put her back together again. Allie has no hope for a real relationship. Two years ago her best friend betrayed her in the worst possible way â€“ sheâ€™d be stupid to trust a man again. Besides, she has her daughter to think of, the only good thing to have come from that dark night.

But when her rapist returns, threatening her sanity and custody of her daughter, Allie turns to Colin. Under his protection and patient touch, Allie begins to heal and learns to hope. Colinâ€™s no saint, though, and his criminal past draws danger of its own. Allie must fight to protect her child and the man she loves, hoping her newfound power will be enough to save them all.

Excerpt: (Warning! R rating)

We stripped at the same time, both eager. I wanted to see his body, to witness what he offered me, but it was dark in the room. Then he kissed me back onto the bed, and there was no more time to wonder. The cheap bedspread was rough and cool against my skin. His hands stroked over my breasts and then played gently with my nipples.

My body responded, turning liquid, but something was wrong.

Iâ€™d had this problem before. Not everyone wanted to play rough, but I was surprised that Iâ€™d misread him. His muscles were hard, the pads of his fingers were calloused. I didnâ€™t know how he could touch me so softly. Everything about him screamed that he could hurt me, so why didnâ€™t he?

I wanted him to have his nasty way with me, but every sweet caress destroyed the illusion. My fantasy was to let him do whatever he wanted with me, but not this.

â€œHarder,â€ I said. â€œI need it harder.â€

Instead his hands gentled. The one that had been holding my breast traced the curve around and under.

I groaned in frustration. â€œWhatâ€™s wrong?â€

He reached down, still breathing heavily, and pressed a finger lightly to my cunt, then stroked upward through the moisture. I gasped, rocking my hips to follow his finger.

â€œYou like this,â€ he said.

Yes, I liked it. I was undeniably aroused but too aware. I needed the emptiness of being taken. â€œI like it better rough.â€

Colin frowned. My eyes widened at the ferocity of his expression.

In one smooth motion he flipped me onto my stomach. I lost my breath from the surprise and impact. His left hand slid under my body between my legs and cupped me. His right hand fisted in my hair, pulling my head back. His erection throbbed beside my ass in promise. I wanted to beg him to fuck me, but all I could do was gasp. He didnâ€™t need to be told, though, and ground against me, using my hair as a handle.

That small pain on my scalp was perfection, sharp and sweet. Numbness spread through me, as did relief.

The pain dimmed. My arousal did too, but that was okay. I was only vaguely aware of him continuing to work my body from behind.

I went somewhere else in my mind. Iâ€™d stay that way all night.

At least thatâ€™s what usually happened.

Review:

I have to tell you. I started reading this book and IÂ immediatelyÂ hated it. Â I didn’t like the prose, the plot was loose at best, and I honestly wanted to toss it in the “done” pile. Â I took a few days break and went back to it. If I hadn’t promised a review I wouldn’t have kept reading, but I am so glad I did.

The first chapter is slow, by the second chapter Amber starts to pick up steam and when the third chapter rolls around I was completely and utterly hooked.

Allie is such a complex character, I feel like after an entire book, we still haven’t scratched the surface to her true self. There is so much more to this book than the blurb. This book isn’t about sex, it’s about trust. Allie wants someone to hurt her because she doesn’t trust them. When Colin doesn’t hurt her, she’s forced with the truth of what she really wants.

As Allie gets deeper and deeper involved with Colin and his not-so-perfect life, she finds herself alone and unsure of who to trust. She’s got to rely on herself and her own gut instinct to get her out of an impossible situation.

Amber Lin creates a world that sucks you in and gets you to stand up an pay attention. It’s not the perfect fairy tale we’ve come to expect from most books, but it’s raw and it’s real and once I got over the first few chapters, I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

4/5 Stars.

Prizes:

One randomly drawn winner from each blog will receive a Giving It Up Swag Pack, which includes romance trading cards, a signed cover flat, a signature soap bar for showers together handcrafted by AnaBanana Creations and a $10 Amazon gift card.
One randomly drawn commenter on the tour will win an erotic romance prize pack, including paperback copies of Bared to You by Sylvia Day, Simply Carnal by Kate Pearce, Lessons in Letting Go by Cara McKenna (print combo of Willing Victim and Curio), Comfort Object by Annabel Joseph, a collection of signed Giving It Up swag AND a $50 Amazon Gift Card (BN.com or All Romance may be substituted)

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Amber Lin loves to read angsty romance with plenty of sex, so it was no surprise that her debut book turned out to be erotic romance set against a dark urban landscape. She writes with one rule in mind: it has to get worse before it can get better. She lives with her husband, son and passel of puppy dogs in the great state of Texas.