Blurb:
When you think about your life are there things you would reverse?
Derek Scott is the twenty-six year old drummer of Battlescars. With a past marred by tragedy, he has a hard time letting people in. He's also made his share of mistakes. Now, he's trying to come to terms with the choices he has made recently and what they mean for him.
When someone from his past comes back into his life, Derek thinks maybe he can get back on track.
However, things unravel, leaving him more unclear than ever. When long kept secrets find him and force him to decide what really matters in his life, will he be able to choose a path - or will he always be conflicted?
4.5 Star review by Jen Hagen
Conflicted is the story of Derek, the drummer from Battlescars, and the third book in the series. The previous two were Battlescars (Jake’s story) and Afflicted (Blake’s story). You could read Conflicted as a stand alone, but why would you want to miss out on any of the deliciousness that the author has created in the other two books?
Out of the 3 characters that the author has written, Derek seems to be the most complex and the one most closed off from expressing his feelings. He keeps everything inside and lets it brew. He isn’t able to brush things off and after an incident two months ago he is left questioning himself and scared to face the answers. He has spent so much time agonizing over what a potential downfall could be that he has closed himself off even more from his band mates, the people he has always called family. He is being beaten down by the ghost of that night and would give anything to turn back time and say “no.” If he had walls up around himself before this incident, he now has built a fortress and wants nobody near his private thoughts.
…I couldn’t help but speculate if the guys were still going to be supportive once I told them what happened. We were like brothers and to do anything to damage our friendship, or the band, would be a fate worse than death in my opinion.
Derek has a sad past family history and because of this he doesn’t allow himself to feel anything towards anybody for fear that they can be taken away in the blink of an eye. He doesn’t allow himself to do relationships because that would involve feelings and attachment. He doesn’t want to feel the pain of someone he cares for suddenly being absent in his life.
Joss is the 20-year-old sister to Blake, the bassist for the band. Blake is your typical overprotective brother who scares the crap out of anybody who even looks at Joss. Blake doesn’t know that Joss and Derek had a one-night stand almost 3 years ago. Now that Joss has arrived in town to see Blake’s new baby girl, Joss and Derek reunite for more than one night, with no strings attached.
“Before this goes any further, you should know that I’m not settling down material. I don’t know that I ever will be. I need to put that out there, so you don’t accuse me of hurting you later on.”
This is perfectly fine with Joss as she is young, still thinks only of herself, and doesn’t want to be tied down either. But one night Joss accepts a date with another man and this is the beginning of the end of Joss and Derek’s no-strings attached statement. Suddenly Derek realizes that he has feelings for Joss that goes past just a one-night stand and he wants more from Joss, but now it’s too late.
“I don’t need you! I don’t need anyone! Just go, Joss.”
Joss and Derek go their separate ways, she goes back to her life and Derek continues to wallow in his self loathe. Derek befriends Brittany, who is down on her luck and looking for a job. Brittany has nowhere to go, nowhere to live, and nothing to her name. Derek moves her into his guest bedroom and Derek realizes that he can allow himself to feel emotions for somebody without the fear of losing that person.
Not only does Derek wrestle with his inner demon over the incident 2 months ago, but he also has a secret that he has been hiding from everyone. The only person that knows is Joss. Just when Derek is beginning to process the fact that he can have feelings for a woman and tries a relationship with Brittany, his past comes back to haunt him full force. The impact of this realization causes him to have more inner turmoil. How much more can Derek realistically handle? He’s at a breaking point and to top it all, he finally comes to the realization that he has deep feelings for Joss but it’s too late for them. They have each moved on.
I love you. I couldn’t say it out loud, but I needed the closure. It was the end of our chapter.
Both Joss and Brittany have made Derek realize that he wants to be a person that doesn’t use women just for sex, he wants to work at being committed and allowing his feelings to show without fear. He has been angry for so long that so much was taken from him at a young age that he has no idea how to handle any feelings other than anger and resentment. These new feelings of love are foreign to him and when they hit, the force of it causes him to lose his footing and wants to grab onto something that isn’t his to take.
“…I realized that night that I love you. I should have fought for you then. I should have told you how I felt. I should have told you I wasn’t okay. I should have told you that I wanted more. I didn’t know how. I gave up because I was too scared to feel anything.”
Conflicted is told in various points of view from several characters. Sophie Monroe adds a new element to her books in every subsequent new release. Each book becomes more powerful in terms of relating to the character and feeling their insecurities, their hardships, and their heartbreak. Her smoking hot sex scenes definitely have excelled in Conflicted. I adore the guys from Battlescars, and they are definitely worthy of your next read.
Excerpt
Excerpt #1
“Aren’t you just the charmer, Derek Scott,” I laughed.
He tilted his chin and his lips grazed mine in a slow, sensuous kiss. I started to pull back, but his hand
“You’ve been drinking,” I reminded him. “You’re going to regret anything that happens in the morning.”
“I haven’t had that much. Besides, I’m going to spend the rest of my life regretting not having one last time with you. Please,” he pleaded.
Tears pricked my eyes and I nodded, crashing my lips back to his. His large, calloused hand ran up my back, pulling me as close as he possibly could. He helped lift my shirt over my head and unhooked my bra, slowly gliding it down my arms. I wasn’t nearly as gentle removing his clothes; I wanted to be skin to skin with him. I wanted to feel that connection, our connection.
Moments later, we were both fully undressed, touching, licking, and biting one another. There would be no holding back tonight. I started pumping his perfectly thick, hard cock while he swirled my taut nipples with his skillful tongue. Moving to a sitting position, Derek pulled me onto his lap and slid the thick head of his cock along my wet slit before stopping at my entrance. The look in his eyes told me he was giving me one final chance to back out; there wasn’t a chance in hell of that happening. I slowly sank down onto his hard length, enjoying the fullness that came along with it. Using his hands, he helped glide me up and down, finding a perfect rhythm. he helped glide me up and down, finding a perfect rhythm. Not too fast, not too slow; a perfect balance of the two. Within minutes, my entire body was on fire.
“Derek,” I rasped. “I’m gonna come.”
My entire body was aching for release; every nerve ending was sizzling
“Aren’t you just the charmer, Derek Scott,” I laughed.
He tilted his chin and his lips grazed mine in a slow, sensuous kiss. I started to pull back, but his hand
“You’ve been drinking,” I reminded him. “You’re going to regret anything that happens in the morning.”
“I haven’t had that much. Besides, I’m going to spend the rest of my life regretting not having one last time with you. Please,” he pleaded.
Tears pricked my eyes and I nodded, crashing my lips back to his. His large, calloused hand ran up my back, pulling me as close as he possibly could. He helped lift my shirt over my head and unhooked my bra, slowly gliding it down my arms. I wasn’t nearly as gentle removing his clothes; I wanted to be skin to skin with him. I wanted to feel that connection, our connection.
Moments later, we were both fully undressed, touching, licking, and biting one another. There would be no holding back tonight. I started pumping his perfectly thick, hard cock while he swirled my taut nipples with his skillful tongue. Moving to a sitting position, Derek pulled me onto his lap and slid the thick head of his cock along my wet slit before stopping at my entrance. The look in his eyes told me he was giving me one final chance to back out; there wasn’t a chance in hell of that happening. I slowly sank down onto his hard length, enjoying the fullness that came along with it. Using his hands, he helped glide me up and down, finding a perfect rhythm. he helped glide me up and down, finding a perfect rhythm. Not too fast, not too slow; a perfect balance of the two. Within minutes, my entire body was on fire.
“Derek,” I rasped. “I’m gonna come.”
My entire body was aching for release; every nerve ending was sizzling
Author Info/Links:
Sophie Monroe is a twenty-something author from New Jersey. Her rock & roll romance series, Battlescars, is an Amazon and USA TODAY best seller.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophiemonroewrites
Blog: http://sophiemonroe007.blogspot.com/
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6581511.Sophie_Monroe
Conflicted Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17990594-conflicted
Buy Links
What a great giveaway! Hope I win something ;)
ReplyDeleteLove the cover looks so awesome and thank you so much for the giveaway you guys are awesome.
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