Monday, February 3, 2014

Blog Tour: Abandon by Cassia Leo






A steady stream of meaningless sex is all Tristan has left when he discovers the grandmother who raised him is dying and his best friend is getting married. He is lost; and the dark secrets in his past keep coming back to remind him of this.

Until Tristan has an idea that will change his life and fulfill his dying grandmother’s wishes: Abandon his playboy ways and settle down.

And who better to do it with than Senia, the girl who has occupied his thoughts since their scorching hot tryst in the back of his sports car. The girl who makes him laugh and feel like a kid again.

But when his world begins to crumble around him, the pain Tristan is hiding finds its way to the surface. Will Tristan finally learn to trust again? Or will he abandon Senia when she needs him the most?





5 star review by Jen Skewes

Cassia Leo has done it again!!  She has created another amazing story that is emotional and heart breaking.  I always loved Tristan and while sometimes he came across as an ass, I knew that I would just fall in love with him.  I knew there was a reason why he was the way he is.  Abandon is truly Tristan’s story.  Yes Senia is a part of his story and there is a wonderful love story behind it.  But this is a story about a  man learning to break free from his painful past, the one that has been haunting him for years.  The one that he has kept a secret for so long.

Tristan’s childhood was anything but perfect.  His mother was a drug addict who never took care of him.  His grandmother basically raised him and he also helped his grandmother take care of his baby sister.  His mother basically abandoned the both of them.  But it was one summer where he lived with his mother that changed everything.  To be honest what happened to him that summer was horrific and heart breaking and something that a child should never have to experience.   It was the summer that defines who he is today.  While his mother was a shitty mom his grandmother was the one person in his life that loved him.  She raised him and was always there for him.  When he finds out that his grandmother is dying he vows to change his life and become a better person, to find a woman and settle down.  And the only person that Tristan would even consider is Senia. 

Tristan is now grown up and living the life as a playboy rock star who has meaningless sex with many woman.  He became friends with Senia through his best friend Chris.  After years of sexual tension building up between the two of them they finally gave in to one night of passion.  They both agree that it was nothing more than sex.  But that one night changes everything for the both of them.  Tristan wants to be a better person, wants to try to settle down and make his grandmother proud before he has to say goodbye to her.  And Senia is the one person that he wants to be with, but Senia isn’t exactly on the same page as him.  Until she finds out that she is pregnant and that changes everything.  The one night stand that they had builds into something that is so much more.  But Tristan’s past still stands in the way of his future.  And in order to move forward and settle down he needs to move on from the pain of his past.  

I cannot begin to describe the emotions that I felt while reading this book.  It’s no secret that Cassia Leo is one of my favorite authors.  She has an amazing way with words.  She makes you feel everything that her characters are feeling.  Abandon deals with some deep and dark issues.  But Cassia Leo did an amazing job with those issues.  They were never too overwhelming for the reader where you felt the need to step away.  In all honestly Cassia Leo went to a place that I never expected, and I mean that in a good way.  There was this build up to the truth behind Tristan’s pain.  We slowly go back in time to his past and get a glimpse of what he experienced.  And that moment when he finally tells his full story, you sit there with tears in your eyes, and your heart breaking for that little boy and the pain he went through.   And at the same time your heart is also breaking for the man that he has become because of it.  I was rooting for him and Senia to find happiness.  I think with everything that Tristan went through in his life he didn’t think he deserved the love of another woman and didn’t deserve to be happy.  So he drowned himself in meaningless sex and his music.  But when he is with Senia he feels alive and I also think in a way being with her gives him hope, that maybe he can have the happy future and that he actually deserves it.  

This was one emotional journey.  I love Tristan.  He is sexy but at the same time funny, and caring.  Behind the pain is a really sweet and caring person.  He loves his grandmother and will doing anything to protect his sister.  I loved watching his relationship with Senia evolve into something more than friends.  Senia and Tristan had amazing chemistry and an undeniable connection.   Senia knew how to handle Tristan in a way that other people couldn't.  They had some struggles that they had to face but they faced them together.  I laughed and cried right along with them.  Cassia Leo did an amazing job with Tristan’s story and after all the heartache and the pain she leaves you with a smile on your face.   



Three Chicks Interview Tristan and Senia



Three Chicks:  When you finally told Molly and Senia about your past how did it feel?  You’ve been carrying it around for so long it had to have felt like some weight was lifted off your shoulders.

Tristan:  I never wanted to tell anyone; especially not Molly or Senia. But it felt like the first day of my life. I didn’t have to pretend anymore.

Three Chicks:  Senia, what was going through your head when Tristan told you about his mother and his past?

Senia:  I was disgusted. I could hardly breathe from the rage and grief. He opened up to me at a very difficult time. Part of me wanted to tell him to just shut up because I couldn’t handle it. But I knew it was more important for both of us to be there for each other in that moment.

Three Chicks:  Tristan, you were afraid to give your grandmother your address for fear that your mother would find out.  Why?  Did you think your grandmother would give it to her or that she would accidentally find it?  And did your grandmother ever try to convince you to mend your relationship with your mother?

Tristan:  I was afraid that Elaine would convince Grandma to give her my address for some innocuous reason. Grandma had a good heart. She still loved Elaine and believed there was good in her. It made me sick to keep Grandma and Molly at a distance, but I didn’t want to be part of Elaine’s twisted world anymore. And, yes, Grandma did try to get me to give Elaine the benefit of the doubt on a few occasions, but every time Elaine went back to using, my case grew stronger. Until Grandma just gave up.

Three Chicks:  Tristan, after finally opening up about your past, do you regret never telling your grandmother?  Have you told anyone else besides Molly and Senia?

Tristan:  I don’t regret not telling Grandma about Elaine; not a single bit. The only other people who know about what happened back then are Chris and Claire. Senia begged me to tell them so there wouldn’t be any secrets between the four of us.

Three Chicks:  Senia, when did you know that you were in love with Tristan?

Senia:  Ha! Probably the first time I saw him on stage, but I thought it was sexy crowd smile that gave me butterflies. I didn’t realize how inevitable we were until I found myself changing my life for him.

Tristan: Gave you butterflies? I thought you pissed your pants the first time you saw me on stage.

Senia: Shut up.

Three Chicks:  Tristan, you have been with many women, had plenty of one-night-stands and meaningless sex.  What is it about Senia that made you want to give all that up?  That made you want to change?

Tristan:  It’s hard to deny that kind of attraction. And her need to push me away only made me want her more. But it was her friendship and the prospect of being a father that changed me. I had never felt that at ease with a girl. Everything came naturally. There wasn’t a bunch of bullshit between us and she refused to succumb to my every whim – except in the bedroom. *wink*

Three Chicks:  Tristan, if your mother cleaned up her act and was truly sorry for everything she has done to you, do you think there is anyway that you would be able to forgive her?

Tristan:  I don’t know. I’d like to believe that I might, but I still carry the guilt and shame. Not for what was done to me, but for what I did. I don’t know if I could ever forgive her for turning me into that person.

Three Chicks:  Tristan, what does your friendship with Chris mean to you and are things between you and Claire better?

Tristan:  Chris is my brother. He turned my life around when I was twelve and he never judged me all the years I was a complete piece of shit.

Senia: Didn’t he kick your ass once for checking out Claire’s ass?

Tristan: Anyway, yeah, things are better between Claire and me.

Three Chicks:  Five words to describe your life right now?

Tristan: Happy. Hectic. Comfortable. Close. Love.

Senia: Musical. Magical. Fantastical. Unbelievable. Love.

Three Chicks:  Senia, what do you love the most about Tristan?

[Tristan chuckles.]

Senia:  His devotion to his family.

Three Chicks:  Senia, when you moved into Tristan’s house, there was a moment when you thought he was still sleeping around.  Why didn’t you ever confront him about it?

Senia:  I was afraid. We weren’t a couple at the time and I was afraid of so many things. Mostly, I was afraid of raising a baby alone and not having anyone to help with the pregnancy. I was also afraid of giving into my jealousy. I knew that once I did that, it would be like acknowledging how much I cared, and I wasn’t ready to do that.









New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cassia Leo grew up in California and has lived in three different countries. She loves to travel and her dream is to one day score a record deal based on her awesome shower singing skills. She is the author of the Shattered Hearts series (Relentless, Pieces of You, Bring Me Home) and the Luke and Chase series.










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