Blog Tour: Always Yours, Baby by Airicka Phoenix

BOOK BLURB: 

How could someone so pure want filth like him?

Damon Comb was no stranger to pain, hunger, loneliness, and abandonment. Being given a family that would die for one another didn’t erase six years of torture. It didn’t take away the nightmares. She did. She was everything someone like him should never be allowed. She was goodness and strength and she made him human.

How could someone so broken complete her?

Willa McClain had it all, a family that adored each other, the love of an entire town and a future she worked her butt off to get. But all she wanted was the boy with the sad blue eyes and the crooked smile. He was her best friend, her protector and the only one who really understood her.

How could a love like theirs be extinguished?

But nothing ever lasted forever. Damon knew better than anyone how quickly the tides could change. Can he keep his past at bay before it consumes the only light in his dark world? Can he finally tell Willa the truth, or will his fears tear them apart forever?

How could love so strong ever fail?

4.5 Star Review by Lisa Kane

Willa is the daughter of Lily and Sloan McClain and Damon Comb is the adoptive son of Cole and Beth McClain. Damon spent the first 6 years of his life severely abused and neglected by his father. Those memories still haunt him and he has never really believed he is worthy of love. He works for Sloan at his furniture moving business, but he's smart and excelled at math in college. He just hasn't figured out what he wants to do next. But the thing he has never questioned is his love for Willa.
He has loved that girl since the first time he laid eyes on her. They are the best of friends and have been inseparable.

But both are hiding something from the other. The love they have is more than a best friend kind of love, but neither one wants to be the one to say it out loud. What if this changes everything? What if the other doesn't feel the same way? That pain would kill them and their lives would never be the same. No matter that Calla, Willa's half sister (her father is Cole and her mother is Lilly) and her husband Jared (Damon's best friend) have been telling them for years to just admit their feelings and get on with their lives.

Damon is 25 and Willa is 23, both have finished college and are living with each other. Both are still virgins. I know you just read this sentence again and said...ok..maybe Willa you can believe that about, but Damon? If you've read the series, then you know he is all about Willa. Only Willa. Other girls never interested him. Even when his closest friends were screwing around, Damon had no interest. It would be Willa or no other.

Breaking down their barriers is easier said than done. Damon agrees to one of Jared's stupid ideas to see if Willa would agree to date another guy. Just to see if she's all about Damon. Once he agrees, he knows this isn't going to be a good thing.

"But what if you'd said yes?"
Voicing his fears to anyone else would have mortified him. But she knew them all as closely as he did. She had held him through the nightmares, had wiped his tears, and promised never to let anyone hurt him again. He hadn't cried or had a nightmare in years, but he knew it was only because she was always close by.
"Then I guess you would have had to challenge Michael to a duel in my honor."

And once the do admit how they really feel about each other, taking the next step isn't as easy as one would seem.

What kind of guy in his mid-twenties had never had sex or even kissed a girl? What kind of guy waited for one girl his entire life? And what the hell would he have done if she'd turned him down? What girl would want someone so inexperienced? 

But admitting their love and giving in to their feelings should complete their life right? But what happens when Damon's nightmares come back? When the past he thinks is past isn't?

He didn't belong with them anymore. He couldn't look at them knowing that all of this was his fault. He couldn't bring himself to meet Sloan's eyes, not when there was a resentment there.

I adore this series. The first two stories were about Lily and Sloan and then Beth and Cole. The next one was Jared and Calla's and now Damon and Willa's. Toby's  (Beth and Cole's son) will be the last of the series, but I keep hoping that Ms. Phoenix will continue it. Maybe the grand babies' stories?

"Why?"
"Because you saw me when no one else did."

BUY LINKS FOR ALWAYS YOURS, BABY

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1cUMjgb

BUY LINKS FOR PREVIOUS TITLES IN THE SERIES:

Forever His Baby *Sloan & Lily* (Book 1):

Amazon us: http://goo.gl/syIa8C

iBooks: http://goo.gl/lOZ7RW

Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/Q6GRZB

Smashwords: http://goo.gl/nqrsaH

Bye-Bye Baby *Cole & Beth* (Book 2):

Amazon us: http://goo.gl/5uX19t

iBooks: http://goo.gl/QydkSn

Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/CZIFA3

Smashwords: http://goo.gl/M2Dutw

Be My Baby *Calla & Jared* (Book 3):

Amazon us: http://goo.gl/nDgRIa

iBooks: http://goo.gl/H88IMk

Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/EWpDvs

Smashwords: http://goo.gl/7EU3BW

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Airicka Phoenix is a romance junkie with an incurable addiction to chocolate. She is also a prolific author of several novels written for young adult and new adult romance addicts who love bad boys, hot kisses and a gritty plot. Airicka prides herself in producing quality material her readers can fall in love with again and again.

When she's not hard at work bleeding words onto paper, Airicka can be found cuddling with her family, reading, watching TV shows, or just finding excuses not to do chores.

Be the first for giveaways, teasers and upcoming releases by joining Airicka's newsletter on her website www.AirickaPhoenix.com

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website: www.AirickaPhoenix.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/VgLqD

Facebook: http://goo.gl/eYXrrh

Twitter: http://goo.gl/yoVWYF (@AirickaPhoenix)

Goodreads: http://goo.gl/HGVszf

Google+: http://goo.gl/wgdslQ

Instagram: http://goo.gl/QRmqdy

Pinterest: http://goo.gl/Y5AOQq

Amazon:  http://goo.gl/Nq57nJ

Review: Against the Tide by Nikki Groom

I was happy until I met him. 
I was content until I met her. 
That's a lie. I was lonely. 
That's a lie. I was incomplete. 
He was nothing but a handsome distraction. 
She was nothing but a pretty pastime. 
That's untrue. He changed my life. 
That's untrue. She altered my world. 
I blame him. 
I blame her. 
I blame myself. He wasn't to know. 
I blame myself. It wasn't her fault. 
I don't want to need him.
I hate that I want her. 
There's no easy solution.
There's no going back. 


4.5 Stars by Jen Skewes

Against the Tide is the first book that I have read by this author and it will not be my last.  I loved this book.  My goodness did Nikki Groom take me on one heck of a ride.  I felt all of the emotions with this book, it was at times so raw and intense and plenty of drama and angst to keep you immersed in this story.  I did not want to put this book down. 

Meg has been in a relationship with her boyfriend for the past five years.  But things have changed and the boy that she fell in love with in high school is not the same man that he is today.  He is possessive and while he loves her and gives her everything she could ever want she is tired of the life that she lives with him.  Her boyfriend is a drug dealer and while she has always known what he does she is at the point where she doesn’t want that life any more but at the same time is afraid of leaving and being alone. 

Finn has never been in a relationship before.  His main concern in life is to take care of his dying mother and protect his little sister.  He loves his family and they mean the world to him.  To blow off some stress Finn frequents a club and one night he sees this woman across the crowded room.  He has no idea who she is but he feels some sort of connection with her.  Like he feels her in the room before even seeing her.  He cannot explain but he knows that she feels it too.  And she does.  When Meg looks him in the eyes she feels that same connection.  And one night she finally decides to follow him and they end up having one very hot moment together.  But when that one moment is over and they go back to their friends at the bar they both find that their life will never be the same again.  The paths that they thought they were on, have just been changed.  And at this moment all the passion that Finn felt for Meg just turned to hate. 

Something happens that cause Finn to blame himself for, but he also blames Meg.  He wants to hate her, but he can't.   He blames her for his pain but at the same time he cannot help the feelings he has for her and hates himself for even wanting her.  This is where Meg and Finn’s love/hate relationship starts.  There are moments between the two of them that is just so raw and so intense that I felt my heart beating out of my chest.  I was not sure what would happen with Meg and Finn or where their story would even go.  But I did know that I wanted them together.   Because beneath the hate there was a man who was lost in a world filled with pain and guilt.  He was a man who was capable of loving Meg, you just had to find him and bring him back to life.    

Finn was such a good guy.  Something happened in his life that caused him to go down this very dark road.  But with the help of his loving friends he was pulled out of the darkness and brought back to the light.  He realized how horrible of a person he had been and swore he was going to make things right with Meg.  He would do everything he could to get her to forgive him and give him a second chance.  And once you see the real Finn you will fall in love with him.  Well to be honest I fell in love with him from the beginning but you will love him even more.   Him and Meg were so good together.  I loved the witty banter back and forth and the chemistry between them was off the charts.  They were connected in so many ways and while they both wanted each other I think they both needed to find themselves.  This was a journey about self discovery for both of these characters an in order to find love they needed to find themselves and accept the path that they now had to face.  

Nikki Groom did such an amazing job with this story.  There is a heck of a lot of drama, suspense, some hot scenes, and a lot of emotion.  I was on the edge of my seat just waiting to find out what happened next.  And the supporting characters were a fantastic addition to this story.  I am hoping they we get to see Torran, Harley and Kyle get their own story’s because I loved all three of them.  And I am wondering if Loretta will be the one woman that can actually tame Kyle.   This was an excellent story and I look forward to reading more from this author!!

Review: Heartfelt Lies by Kristy Love

Loving Cassie was effortless.
She was a thirst I couldn’t quench. 

She was everything I needed, but nothing I deserved.
I failed her more times than I could count.

I lied relentlessly.
And she always forgave me.

Until she couldn’t.

Maybe I deserved to be left behind.

* * * 

Jax swept me off my feet with his disheveled hair and his easy smile. 
I loved him fiercely. 
He made me believe in the fairytale. 

Then the walls crumbled around me.
The lies never ended.
I left him behind. I had no choice.
I mourned the loss of him.

But I moved on.
I created a new life,
Now, I was marrying someone else.

Where do we go now that he’s back?



4 Star Review by Jen Skewes

Heartfelt Lies is book 2 in the Undone series and Jax’s story. When I first read The Fragile Fall I fell in love with Jax and could not wait for his story.  In reading the blurb I knew that this was going to be a second chance love story, which I love.  But I still had no idea what direction this love story would take.  And what I was not prepared for was how real and emotional it would be.   You do not have to read The Fragile Fall first but I recommend that you do because it will help you understand Jax and the relationship he has with his sister and Will.  As well as his need to help his mother and keep her in his life. 

This story had me from the prologue.  All we know is that at one time Cassie and Jax loved each other, but something happened that broke that love.  It’s now five years later and Cassie is about to marry someone else.  Jax is back and wanting a second chance with the only woman he has ever loved.  Cassie has had his heart from the beginning and he hopes that she will give him a second chance.  From the moment I read the prologue I was sucked in.  I needed to know what happened between the two of them to break up and most importantly what was going to happen now?  Would Jax get his second chance?

Kristy Love then takes you back to the past where Cassie and Jax met and we see these two connect and fall in love.  Cassie is a single mom to an adorable two-year old boy named Ben.  She is working hard just trying to make ends meet.  She has no time for a man in her life or romance.  But meeting Jax changes all that for her. 

From the moment he first saw Cassie he was completely taken back by her beauty.  He could not stop thinking about her and needed to see her again.  The more time they spend together the harder they both fall.  Jax loves Ben and loves spending time with him and Cassie.  But Jax also has a lot on his plate at the moment.  He has been living with his mother who he recently reconnected with.  She is a recovering drug addict and trying to stay sober.  Jax has this need to help and protect his mother and to keep her in his life.  He will do whatever it takes to help her out, even if that means lying to the people around him.  But the more he gets caught up in his own lies the more he starts to break.   And if he didn’t have enough going on something happens that causes him to completely spiral out of control.   He copes in a way that makes it all go away but at the same time causes the ones that he loves to slowly drift away. When Jax finally hits rock bottom will his family still be there to pick up the pieces?  Or will the one person he loves the most walk away?

This story goes back and forth from the present to the past.  We slowly get to see how Cassie and Jax met, how they fell in love and how it all fell apart.  And what I loved about the way this book was written was the suspense of it all.  Piece by piece we learn about the past and see what happened to Cassie and Jax.  Just as we get closer to the truth of their past we are brought back to the present.   We are left wondering what happened next. 

This is a story about love, forgiveness, redemption and second chances.  But this story also deals with a very delicate topic, one that I think Kristy Love did an amazing job with.  She made me feel the emotions, the hurt and the pain.  I loved Jax and my heart broke for him and what he went through.  If anyone deserved a second chance it was him.  He loved Cassie but he let his pain and guilt get in the way of it all.  But in the end he grew so much as a person and I loved the man that he became.  I became so connected with his character that I myself felt so proud of how far he had come.  Cassie was such a sweet and beautiful person.  She had her struggles with being a single mother, not seeing her family and just trying to make it all work.  She loved Jax so much but her son had to be her priority.  I admired her for the woman that she had become despite all the obstacles she had to face.   

What I loved about this book is that it is told in both Cassie and Jax’s point of view.  So we get to not only see how Jax’s decisions affected him but how it affected those around him.  We see how hurt Jax is and the reasons for his self destruction.  But you also get to see the other side of it.   We see how much Cassie wanted to help and fix it all but just didn’t know how.  But you also get to see her hurt as well and his addition affected her as well.  You see both sides of addiction and I think Ms. Love did a wonderful job portraying the feelings of both sides.   Heartfelt Lies is an emotional journey but one that will leave you smiling in the end and well worth the ride.  Another amazing job by Kristy Love.