Three Chicks and Their Books: Review and Release Day Blitz: FREED by Lynetta Halat

Truth. Pain. Freedom. An awakening like no other. When life is determined to buck you off, dig in and ride hard. The bull. The most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves. To survive, I have to face the truth. Easier said than done when it’s not all black and white. There’s the in-between, and this murky void is where I always tend to land. The horns. Lies don’t always hurt. My lies protected me, but when they are exposed and I can no longer outrun the many shades of truth, I’ll be in for one hell of a reckoning. The ride. From the outside, my life looks like one big adventure after another. But, there is no freedom in anarchy, and that’s the way I’ve lived my life. Until now. Until Ransom. Denver Dempsey was a slut for oblivion. Now, she’s a slut for love. And it’s that kind of thinking that got her in trouble in the first place. Ransom awakens Denver in ways she never imagined, but when her true feelings send her reeling, will they catapult her into the arms of Greer—her ex best-friend-with-benefits? After never loving anyone, herself included, she now loves two. One kept her alive. One teaches her how to live. If they didn’t both love her … if hearts weren’t bound to be broken, it would be the stuff dreams are made of. Will Denver remain locked up in the bullpen, or is she strong enough to open the chute and be freed?

4.5 Star Review by Jennifer Hagen

Upon the completion of the first book, Used, I was 110% Team Greer. I am now swaying my vote. Ransom has totally won me over. Don’t get me wrong I still love Greer, but we were able to see a different side of Ransom that captivated my attention and I could feel my heart soften towards him with every wink and smile he would give Denver. And every time he would give her soft touches that seemed as natural as water flowing in a river…well let’s just say there was no way I could not like him.

Denver was promised an “awakening” by Ransom at the conclusion of book one. I think we all knew what that meant – Ransom is into BDSM. Ransom is pushing aside his preconceived notions of Denver and her slut status to help her lose the insecurities she possesses due to her best friend and only sexual partner, Greer, hurting her deeply. He wants Denver to be able to trust in people and he thinks this is the way to do it. Ransom was interested in Denver when he first met her, but once he heard of her slut status he changed his tune and became downright condescending towards her. This was why I couldn’t feel anything towards him in the first book.

Greer still holds a piece of my hurt though. He is hurting badly from the night when everything changed between him and Denver. He can’t forgive himself and can’t move on from the event until he knows that Denver forgives him. Denver forgives him because she knows that the game they were playing with each other had crossed many lines before that night.

“I’ll spend the rest of my life proving how sorry I am, if that’s what it takes Denver. I miss you so much,” he says, his voice cracking. My eyes fill with tears. “I miss you too,” I whisper.

I’m glad I don’t have to choose between Greer and Ransom because it would be a very difficult decision to make. Golden Boy who has loved her for years and made a mistake versus hot bull rider oozing confidence in everything he does. Both have deep feelings for her and want nothing more than her happiness.

Here I am a girl who never felt loved – who never felt herself capable of love – loving two men.

And besides deciding who to give her heart too, Denver also stumbles across a secret that would change the course of one those boy’s’ lives.

“What would you if you knew a secret that wasn’t yours to tell, but not telling it might cost you everything?”

This was an enjoyable read even without all the angst that was flowing through the pages in the first book. Ransom is into kink, but there’s one revelation where my jaw dropped and I had to re-read just to make certain I had read that correctly. Hot guy…BDSM…how can this even be possible??? I enjoyed the light BDSM but I think Ransom didn’t even begin to show us what he was really all about. – She has no idea how deep my kink runs.— but what we were given was plenty hot. Denver’s growth is phenomenal and it was enlightening to see her strength persevere and confront those who have ever hurt her.

Since the dawn of time, Lynetta Halat has lived to read and has written innumerable stories and plays. A lover of good books, bad boys, and kickass tunes, she'd always dreamt of penning books that people could connect with and remember. She also has a secret penchant for wringing the emotions out of unsuspecting readers, and she collects reader's tears in much the same way that wine connoisseurs collect their favorite vintage. Her first novel, Every Rose, was the perfect catalyst to launch her into the world of publishing, effectively burrowing her way into the hearts and minds of readers throughout the world. Everything I've Never Had was her follow-up adult romance novel. Now, she has penned Used, a New Adult Romance that she hopes sinks its teeth into you and doesn't let go.

Her love of the English language prompted her to pursue a Master's degree in English from Old Dominion University in Virginia, where she also minored in snark and interpretive dance. She lives somewhere along the Mississippi Gulf Coast with her adorable husband, two amazing sons, and two loveable dogs. When she's not writing riveting stories, she likes to focus on her macramé art and her scouring of eBay, where she buys locks of hair from her favorite rock stars, most especially Bret Michaels and Dave Grohl.