Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Blog tour: Stripped by Jasinda Wilder
SYNOPSIS:
So how did I get myself into this situation, you ask? Simple: desperation. When you're faced with being homeless and hungry or taking off your clothes for money, the choice is easier than you'd imagine. That doesn't make it easy, though. Oh no. I hate it, in fact. There's nothing I'd like more than to quit and never go into another bar again, never hear the techno beat pulsing in my ears again, never feel the lecherous gazes of horny men again.
Then, one day, I meet a man. He's in my club, front and center. He watches me do my routine, and his gaze is full of hunger. Not the kind of desire I'm used to though. It's something different. Something hotter, deeper, and more possessive. I know who he is; of course I do. Everyone knows who Dawson Kellor is. He's People Magazine's Sexiest Man alive. He's the hottest actor in Hollywood. He's the man hand-picked for the role of Rhett Butler in the long-awaited remake of Gone With the Wind.
He's the kind of man who can have any woman in the entire world with a mere crook of his finger. So what's he doing looking at me like he has to have me? And how do I resist him when he looks at me with those intoxicating, changeable, quicksilver eyes?
I'm a virgin, and he's an American icon of male sexuality. I'm a stripper, and he's a man used to getting anything and everything he wants. And he wants me. I know I should say no, I know he's the worst kind of player…but what my mind knows, my body and my heart may not.
And then things get complicated.
4 star review by Jen Skewes
Grey Amundsen has been living her life by her father's rules. He is the Pastor in the small town that they live in. Grey has been sheltered for most of her life, not being able to experience what most girls her age do. She doesn't have many friends, but the one thing in life that she is passionate about is dance. Her father has reservations about Grey going to dancing school but with the help of her mother they convince him to let her go. She loves her Daddy but he doesn't understand her and while he believes he is protecting her it only pushes her away. The only person that she can really count on is her mother. Her mother is the only person who truly understands and "gets" her, and right now her mother is really the one person she can count on. Until life takes an ugly turn and takes it all away from her. Leaving Grey feeling all alone.
Grey sets out to move to LA and go to college there. She no longer has the support of her father and is now a small town girl moving to the big city to try and make her dreams come true. But living life on your own with no job, no family and no friends is not easy. Despite her efforts, finding a job seems to be impossible. She finally gets a job but it isn't exactly the type of job she was looking for. Grey is innocent, young and a virgin. Being sexy is something that she knows absolutely nothing about. But some how she manages to secure a job as a stripper. A job that completely disgusts her and makes her sick every time she goes out there. But in order to stay in college and work hard towards her dreams, she has no choice. Then one night at the club she meets him. The guy who knows she doesn't belong there, the guy who looks at her a way that is so different from the other men in the club. The guy who will change her life....Dawson Keller.
Dawson Keller is a famous actor who is a sexy player but also sweet, loving and just simply amazing. I loved everything about him. He first meets Grey at the club and is immediately drawn to her. That first night they share a passionate kiss and then he leaves. But as fate will have it, they end up meeting again and find out that they will be working together. Dawson wants Grey and will do what it takes to get her. Grey cannot fight the attraction and feelings that she has towards Dawson but they come from two different worlds. She's a virgin and he is a famous actor and well known player. So why would he ever want to be with her?
I loved Dawson and Grey together. You could see how much he truly loves her and cares for her. From the moment he met her it was as if he wanted to protect her. She wasn't the typical girl that he was used to dating. He saw something in her that night at the club and he needed and wanted her in ways he couldn't explain. I loved Grey and at times felt bad for her. She was a strong character who was doing everything she could to survive. She could have went home to her father many times and asked for help, but she didn't. She was determined to make it work. Her feelings for Dawson scared her, I think mainly because of her innocence and his reputation. But as time went on and she realized that his feelings for her were true she tried to make it work.
Stripped was a an enjoyable read and I loved the characters in it. I loved how she experienced many first with Dawson. When you first meet him, you expect him to be this rich, obnoxious playboy, but he is the complete opposite. He is sweet and caring and will capture your heart right from the start. Grey and Dawson are simply perfect together. Another fantastic job by Ms. Wilder.
Chapter 1 (Part 4)
I’m in the center of the room, upright, coming off a pirouette, arms clutched against my chest. My palms turn out and push as if against a wall, an invisible barrier in front of me. The barrier gives way suddenly and I topple forward, stumbling as if taken by surprise.
“This is where I’m stuck,” I say, huffing for breath in the middle of the dance floor. “Originally, I’d intended to fall forward, but it just doesn’t feel right.”
“Show me the original move, please.”
I do the pirouette again, the pushing against the wall, the deliberate stumble forward, and let myself fall forward. I stand up and wipe the sweat off my upper lip. “See? It just…it doesn’t work.”
Mrs. LeRoux shakes her head, scratching the back of her neck. “No, your instincts are correct. It’s not quite right.” She peers at me as if seeing me moving, though I’m still. I can tell she’s working through the choreography in her head.
“Ah, I have it. Instead of falling forward, stumble, sway, and spin in place, but off balance. Like this, yes?” She demonstrates what she wants me to do. “Through the rest of the piece, you’re battling the forces containing you, struggling to find your equilibrium and your freedom. So here, at the end, you must be victorious. It is the purpose of this piece, yes? It’s an expression of your sense of entrapment. I see this. So now, you must break through. The wall gives way. So, when you end the pirouette, which is beautifully done by the way, instead of just pushing against it, act as if you’re beating it down. Smash and flail against it. Let your anger bleed through. You’re holding back at the end, Grey. You’re ending weak. This must finish strongly. You must feel the power in yourself, yes? This could be a breakthrough. Not just in your dance, but in your head. In your soul. In yourself. Batter against the wall.
“I think I understand some of your struggles in your life. I fought them, too. My father was very demanding. He put me into ballet when I was only four years old. I danced every single day for my entire life. I had few friends and fewer social activities. There was only ballet. Only ballet. Then I met Luc. He swept me away. He was a dancer, too. He was so fluid, so strong. Every thing he did was beautiful. We met in a vineyard in le Midi. I don’t remember exactly where. Near Toulouse, perhaps.” She gazes into the middle distance, remembering. She shakes herself. “No matter. I understand. You must break free, in yourself. In this dance.”
She waves her hand in the gesture that means again, again.
I run through the piece from the top, and this time I think of each rule I have to follow, each party my school friends go to that I can’t, each time I’m told that a pair of jeans is too tight, a top too low-cut, that I’m wearing too much makeup. I think of the expectations of me to be a perfect little southern belle, the perfect little pastor’s daughter, the expectation that I’ll marry a godly man headed for the seminary, some boring young man with no aspirations beyond the pulpit and the flock.
I put all that into the dance. When I leap, I fling myself into it. When I spin in place, I let all my muscles pull me into the spin with all my energy. When I crawl across the floor, I claw at the polished wood planks as if pleading for my life. When I begin to batter at the walls surrounding me, I see my father’s face, hear his voice and his harsh criticism, and his strict, dictatorial ways demanding perfection, I pound and pound and pound at it. Finally, I feel the walls give way and stumble forward, spinning in place, flailing, intentionally off-balance, wobbling, spinning around the floor as if finding joy in the unscripted dance of free steps. I end standing with my head hanging, hands loose at my sides, chest heaving, breathless.
I look up to gauge Mrs. LeRoux’s reaction. She’s leaning against the wall, hand covering her mouth, eyes wet.
“Perfect, Grey. Just…perfect. I felt it all. Perfect.”
Her gaze flicks over my shoulder, and I turn in place to see my mother watching from the doorway to the foyer area. Her eyes reflect her emotions, and I know she’s seen it all. I know she saw what I felt in that dance.
AUTHOR BIO:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jasinda Wilder is a Michigan native with a penchant for titillating tales about sexy men and strong women. When she’s not writing, she’s probably shopping, baking, or reading.
Some of her favorite authors include Nora Roberts, JR Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Liliana Hart and Bella Andre. She loves to travel and some of her favorite vacations spots are Las Vegas, New York City and Toledo, Ohio.
You can often find Jasinda drinking sweet red wine with frozen berries and eating a cupcake.
Jasinda is represented by Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency.
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My favorite is Falling into you :)
ReplyDeleteFalling Into You! And, I stopped the the awesome Three Chicks blog tour...
ReplyDeleteWounded and Three chicks blog tour :)
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ReplyDeleteI just started wounded and am loving it, but I think falling into you is one of my all time favs!!!
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Falling Into You is my favourite book by Jasinda <3
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Wounded my favourite book by Jasinda. I entered at www.threechicksandtheirbooks.com
ReplyDeleteMy favourite book by Jasinda is Wounded and today I commented on Three Chicks and Their Books.
ReplyDeleteI loved Falling Into You and I stopped at the awesome Three Chicks blog tour, of course!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read anything by this author yet, but the excerpt and the blurb seem promising. I stopped at the Three Chicks and Their Books blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Falling in you right now and it's really good! I stopped by Three Chicks and Their books blog to enter :)
ReplyDeleteI loved Falling Into You and Falling Into Us. I entered through Three Chicks and Their BookS! Thanks for the giveaway!! <3
ReplyDeleteFalling Into You and Three Chicks and Their Books
ReplyDeleteStopped at Three Chicks and Their Books Falling into you Thank you for the great chance :)
ReplyDeleteFalling into you and falling into us...I could never pick between the two.
ReplyDeleteTHROUGH THREE CHICKS AND THEIR BOOKS, well, originally it was Falling into you, but now, I'm at 80% of Falling Into Us and am totally in love with it. I was scared to read it after blubbering so much through Falling Into You, and yes, I've cried and parts have broken my heart, but I just love Becca and Jason to pieces! Great, great, great pair of books Jasinda!
ReplyDeleteFalling Into You is my favorite and I entered at Three Chicks and Their Books
ReplyDeleteDenise
Thank you so much for the review. <3
ReplyDeleteThree Chicks and their Books. My favorite is Falling into You but I love the Big Girls series as well.
ReplyDeleteFalling Into You but they are all amazing. Three Chicks and their Books!
ReplyDeleteI loooove Falling Into You. Entered at Three Chicks and their Books.;)
ReplyDelete