Review: Consequences by Aleatha Romig

Consequences on Amazon

Book Synopsis 

Besieged by memories of a brutal abduction, Claire Nichols wakes in an unfamiliar bedroom, within a luxurious mansion. Her recollections have one common denominator, the man she just met, Anthony Rawlings. 

Unbeknownst to Claire, for a very long time, she has been within Anthony’s sights. Many of the pivotal events in her life occurred, due to his sinister manipulation. Every action has a consequence, and his actions result in their chance meeting.

More than a psychological thriller, Consequences is a vivid story of one woman’s struggle to survive incomprehensible circumstances. Every aspect of her being suddenly depends upon the tall, wealthy, dark haired, dark eyed businessman. Anthony Rawlings is known to the world as prosperous, benevolent, and kind. Claire quickly learns that he can also be a menacing controlling captor.

With few options but concession, Claire attempts to earn her freedom, while enduring a hellish existence that truly appears perfect. Persevering tests and trials, she struggles to retain her pure Midwest values and beliefs. Encouraged by memories of a loving upbringing, she gains strength in the simplest of joys: solitude in nature and good in the face of evil.

His goal in sight, Anthony’s calculated agenda encounters an unforeseen detour. He becomes captivated by Claire’s beauty, resilience, and determination. The interaction of these two compelling characters instigates strong emotions: fear, anger, love, and lust. Claire and Anthony’s tumultuous journey flows into uncharted waters of intrigue and passion.

Utilizing vivid detail, this 167,000-word novel unfolds like a movie, before the eyes of its readers. From the opening criminal abduction, through twists and turns, to the unlikely romantic thrills, the suspense climaxes as Anthony’s motivation becomes evident.

Anthony and Claire must decide if they will stay true to one another, or allow preceding actions to result in justifiable Consequences.

My Take

Note to Self: Never sign a cocktail napkin. Ever. 

This story begins in your face with a beaten Claire Nichols waking up in a strange room in the home of a strange man. How did she get there?

Claire, an out of work meteorologist, pays her bills by bartending at a local restaurant. One night she meets a handsome, mysterious man who coaxes her into having a drink with him. 

As Claire is forced to stay with Anthony until her debt is paid, their relationship continues to evolve and change constantly, in such ways that pull the reader in such conflicting directions that you can't possibly know which way to go.

*****

This book took me on one crazy rollercoaster of a ride. I found myself feeling a myriad of emotions ranging from horror, absolute anger, frustration, shock, and disgust, to hesitant pleasure and utter confliction about the happiness I was feeling.

It's seriously hard to form the words to actually say that I liked this book, but in all reality, I absolutely loved it. Ms. Romig does an incredible job weaving a twisted tale that keeps the readers of their toes while questioning everything. I went from a broken heart, to my heart being fully healed only for it to be broken, torn out, and stomped on again. I was an emotional mess reading this!

Claire- My heart utterly broke for her as she endured the emotional and physical abuses that Anthony inflicted upon her. Her strength and determination not to be broken made her an admirable character. At the same time, her ranging emotions for Tony became frustrating, but I can't blame her because I was feeling the same things!

I cannot put into words how I feel about Anthony Rawlings at the end of Consequences. One one hand I feel intense loathing for him, but on the other hand, I truly believe he cares for Claire and has a dark, hidden past that has made him this way. He's as cold, calculating, and cruel as he is caring, charming, and loving. This makes the mindgame so much harder because Claire, and the reader, never knows which Tony she's going to get.

This book was dark, twisted, and it blew me away. It was psychologically gripping, thrilling, and I cannot wait to see how this series plays out!

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Author Bio

 Aleatha Romig voted #1 "New Author to Read" on Goodreads, July 2012 through now! She is a "Published Author's Network" member of the Romance Writer's of America.

She has lived most of her life in Indiana, growing-up in Mishawaka, graduating from Indiana University, and currently living south of Indianapolis. Together with her husband of twenty six years, they've raised three children. She works days as a dental hygienist and enjoys spending her nights writing. She also likes to spend time with her family, friends and patients. Her pastimes include exercising, reading and writing. 

Aleatha enjoys traveling, especially when there is a beach involved. In 2011 she had the opportunity to visit Sydney, Australia to visit her daughter studying at the University of Wollongong. Her dream is to travel to places in her novels and around the world. CONSEQUENCES, her first novel was released in August 2011 and has sold over 20,000 copies. TRUTH, the sequel was released October 2012 and has surpassed 10,000 copies in less than 3 months!

Aleatha originally published through self publisher Xlibris a subsidiarity of Author's Solution/ Penguin Publishing. In October of 2012 she re-published on her own, a true Indie Author. Later that month she published Truth through Romig Works. Aleatha is happy to be represented by Danielle Egan-Miller of Browne & Miller Literary Associates.

Author Links 

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Cover Reveal: Escaping Me by Elizabeth Lee

We are sooooo excited for this cover reveal. Elizabeth Lee is a founding member of the Gutter Girls and one of our guest authors. It also helps that she's country, badass, and pretty damn hot. Ash and Tessa were  very lucky girls to have been able to beta read this book! It's AMAZING, incredible, sexy, and we just loved every bit of it! Without further ado, here's the cover!

Add Escaping Me to your Goodreads TBR now!

Synopsis

All she wanted to do was forget. Forget the memory of walking in on her boyfriend in the middle of, well, another girl. Forget how she had her entire life planned out. And, forget about being perfect all the time. Unfortunately, she was Whitney Vandaveer and despite the fact that she moved to the middle of nowhere—she couldn't.

He always knew he would never be more than nothing. No job, no money, no future. Cole Pritchett had accepted the fact that he would always be the screw up and he was okay with it. Until he met her.

Here's the thing they quickly found out—sometimes we all need a little help escaping who we think we are.

The Lovely Elizabeth Lee

When I'm not writing or playing the part of wife and mother, you can find me dancing back-up for Beyonce, singing back-up for Miranda, or sunning myself on the beach with a drink in hand. Here's the thing about being born and raised in a small town—you have a very vivid imagination! Now, I channel it all to create stories where the girl always ends up with the right guy, first kisses are magical, and a happy ending is just that!

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Review: Surviving Raine by Shay Savage

 

Synopsis

 

As the captain of a schooner catering to the elite on the Caribbean Seas, Sebastian Stark does his best to avoid any human encounters. Interacting with people isn’t his thing, and he prefers the company of a bottle of vodka, a shot glass, and maybe a whore. There’s no doubt he’s hiding from a checkered past, but he does well keeping everything to himself…

…until the night his schooner capsizes, and he’s stuck on a life raft with one of the passengers.

Raine’s young, she’s cute, and Bastian would probably be into her if he wasn’t suffering from alcohol withdrawal. As the days pass, DTs, starvation, and dehydration become the norm. Even the most closed person starts to open up when he thinks he’s going to die, but when she realizes their traumatic pasts are connected, it’s no longer the elements that have Bastian concerned.

He has no idea how he’s going to Survive Raine.

 

 

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Erica's Review:

5 ADDICTING STARS!

Mix together addicting, gut-wrenching, gritty, heartbreaking, and heartwarming and you'll get Surviving Raine.  This story took hold of me and didn’t let go, not even once! From snarky Bastian’s mood swings to sweet as sugar Raine’s breakdowns, I loved every page.

I’m going to start my review post shipwreck and tell you a little bit about my new book boyfriend....

The story is told from Bastian's POV. One thing that Bastian knows how to do is survive. When he and Raine are thrown to sea after the shipwreck, Bastian saves Raine’s life. One thing you should know is that Bastian doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He’s a self-proclaimed asshole that drowns himself in alcohol and sex every day. Of course, that’s sex that he pays for because no way is he going to put forth the effort to charm a woman. Not a chance. Bastian is so crass. A fun fact about me is that the more inappropriate something is, the funnier I think it is. Everything Bastian does and says is inappropriate! I hung on his every word!  His asshole words hurt me so good.  ;)

          "It's not you," I said. "I'm just a moody asshole, remember?"

Things get interesting on the life raft, because Bastian may have survival skills, but can he survive alcohol withdrawals in such treacherous conditions? That’s where it gets even better…he’s already an asshole AND then you take his alcohol away?! It. was. awesome!  While Bastian is struggling to survive his withdrawals, Raine does what she can to take care of him. Bastian is out of it most of the time, but when he wakes up to Raine comforting him he starts to feel things he's never felt before. Things he doesn't understand. The question of whether or not he'll survive being a castaway turns into whether or not he can survive Raine...

"I've seen you, Bastian." Raine's voice was low, soft, and unmistakably confident.    "I've seen you. Not who you pretend to be, not who you try to hide behind, not the drunken whore who uses booze and women to try and forget everything in his life. I've seen the real you. Please, Bastian. Please don't hide from me anymore."

 

 

Raine begins to break through Bastian's walls and makes him realize that much of what he believed about life wasn't actually true. He has a lot of revelations throughout the book. Bastian has a devastating background and is a very broken man. He has a lot of skeletons in his closet and he slowly bares them all to Raine. A. LOT. of secrets come out. Some were downright shocking. Bastian has some really primitive like moments and my jaw was on the floor through a couple of chapters. He was like an animal!

 

"I closed my eyes and tried to take some slow, calming breaths, but it just didn't help. If slow, calming breaths were of any use, I would have quit smoking."

 



 

In the end, Bastian is his own worst enemy...can he overcome his own demons in order to hold onto Raine? Is he changed man?

 

          "You are forgiven, my strong, beautiful, gentle idiot."

 

This is another one of my favorites of 2013! I just couldn't get enough of the story and was eager for more when I got to the last page.  I tried to conjure up more of Bastian and Raine on my kindle...but it didn't work. The good thing is that there HAS to be another installment. It didn't end with a cliffhanger, but it definately set the story up for more! I'm down for more!  Move this baby on up on your TBR lists. NOW!

 

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Shay Savage

 

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Review: Before Now by Cheryl McIntyre

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Blurb

Park Reed is a bastard in every sense of the word. He hasn't always been this way. But after his heart was broken by the only girl he ever loved, being heartless gets him through the day and allows him to fill his nights with the nameless girls he has no intentions of seeing again. He now lives his life following his ever-growing list of “life lessons.”

Lucy Braden is everything Park is not. She’s sweet, caring, and an all-around nice person. She tries to follow Lucy's Rules to Live By every day.

When Park moves in with Jessie, which happens to be the floor below Lucy, Jessie's one stipulation: Lucy is off limits to Park. The problem with that is Lucy is determined to be a good friend to Park and see past the drinking and random girls to find the man beneath it all. The other problem: Park follows his own rules.

Before Now is a companion novel to Sometimes Never, and many of its characters are in Park’s story. However, it can be read as a stand-alone book.

My Take

I want to preface this review by saying that I have not read Sometimes Never, therefore I was meeting Park & the gang with completely fresh eyes. I also apologize in advance for this review. It's going to be all over the place because I am having a hard time putting into words how much I love this book.

Before Now is the story of Park & Lucy, and is told in dual POV (if you know me, you know I LOVE dual  POV). 

Park Reed is the ultimate, sexy, bad boy rocker. He's tall, dark, and devastatingly hot with tattoos. He's also broken, on a self-destructive path as he tries to escape his path, using booze and one night stands to forget the pain. He sets up "Life Lessons" which he intends to use to keep from ever having his heart broken, and from ever allowing anyone to get close. 

Life Lesson #4: Do not-under any circumstances-fall in love. 

Lucy Braden is the blonde girl next door optimist who grew up in foster care and was eventually adopted by a great family. Although she's also had her share of pain in the past, she overcomes it and has a positive, beautiful outlook on life. Lucy has her own set of rules, very different than Park's. 

Life Lesson #4: Love whole-heartedly. 

When Park moves into an apartment with his friend Jessie, he's greeting by a playful Lucy accidentally shooting him in the face with a water gun, intended for Jessie. Their attraction is instant, as is Jessie's warning for Park to stay away from her. 

Lucy immediately sees that Park needs a friend, someone to be there, but he's extremely resistant to her advances. Unfortunately for Park, Lucy's pretty damn persistent. He tries and tries to fight their undeniable chemistry and attraction, but it's not long before he can give in. 

Park's past then shows up, causing him to go back to his self-destructing ways, hurting Lucy and himself in the process. 

*****

I'm going to try to hold back from breaking into the ultimate gushfest, but I have to tell you--I 100% abso-freaking-lutely loved this book! Park and Lucy are one of my new favorite couples. When I finished the last page, I had a huge, goofy grin on my face and I could not stop smiling. Seriously, in love with this book.

Park... you just couldn't help but love Park. He's damaged, sexy, and a bad boy who's hiding a kind heart. He's ranking very, very high on my book boyfriend list. 

Lucy was exactly what Park needed, and vice versa. She does not change Park, she has no intention to. She simply helps draw out his amazing qualities while helping heal the damage that his past created. Their relationship had me laughing, crying, and wanting to throw my Kindle.

Okay, I'm going to stop gushing now. Go read this book and love it! Ms. McIntyre, you have a new fangirl for life. I hope it doesn't freak you out when I say

Favorite Quotes

You're all puppy paws and kitten whiskers. You're too damn good and I don't know what to do with that.

I don't know what it is about him that draws me in. He's an ass. He's arrogant. He's a slut. He's also breathtakingly gorgeous and the way he looks at me makes my body react without permission or apology.

I can't give up on you. I don't know how and that gives you all the power over me. The power to hurt me again and again.

You and me, Lucy, we're like a fire: Hot and unpredictable, scary and mesmerizing all at once. We started with a spark and before I knew it, I was consumed. I love the way you burn me up from the inside out. 

We merge like two flames, fast and out of control. Because sometime that's just how love works. we may smoulder, we may blaze, we may rage without reason. But it's always beautiful.

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Review: Tangled by Emma Chase

 

SYNOPSIS

 

Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed?

He’ll tell you he has the flu.

But we all know that’s not really true.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything - or anyone - derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life?

Can Drew Evans win at love?

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.

 

 

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Review

5 Stars!

BAM! Hear that? That’s the sound of Emma Chase blasting her way into the writing world with her debut novel Tangled. She had me eating out of her hand when I was only a few pages in. If you’re looking for a light, hysterical, naughty, and entertaining read, look no further. Tangled is easily one of the best books I’ve read so far this year!

The story is told from Drew Evans perspective. I felt like he was having a conversation with me the whole time I was reading. Emma Chase nailed it when it came to Drew. She created a character, she knew her character, and she owned it! Being in Drew’s head the whole time was fantastic. I loved every word, every page!

"Good guys are boring. You need a little bad to keep things fun. And nice guys? Nice guys have something to hide.

Jeffrey Dahmer’s neighbors thought he was a nice guy. Until they found those heads in his freezer."

If you’re on the fence about reading this one, jump over! You definitely want to see how playboy Drew Evans falls in love, screws it up, and then attempts to finagle his way back in Kate’s heart. I can’t wait to read more from Emma Chase. I hope she’s in her writing cave!

"And another thing—don’t get too comfortable. Take chances. Don’t be afraid to lay it on the line. Even if you’re happy. Even if you think like is freaking perfect.”

My Drew and Kate 

 

Reviewed by:

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

 

EMMA CHASE

 

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother of two who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night she is a keyboard crusader, toiling away the hours to bring her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

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Review: Watch Over Me by Tara Sivec

 

 Synopsis

Addison Snow is your typical teenager. She has a family that loves her, friends that make her laugh, and she’s wrapped up in the excitement of graduating high school and going off to college to pursue her dream of becoming an author. When her mother, who also happens to be Addison’s best friend, dies unexpectedly, her world comes to a crashing halt.
 

Death changes everyone…
 

To make the pain go away, Addison and her father travel down separate, dark paths. She chooses to end her grief forever, while he drowns his sorrows in the bottom of a bottle. How do you learn to live again when the most important person in your life is gone?

 

Addison struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. Instead of getting back to being the carefree teenager she once was, she’s stuck handling all of the responsibilities that should have been her father’s. She has no time to grieve, no time for emotions, and no time for happiness…until Zander Reinhardt walks in. All it takes is one little handwritten note on a napkin to kick­start her back to life and help her realize that maybe there’s more to that life than pain.

 

But can it really be that simple? Can she really trust this man who makes her feel alive again for the first time in a year?

 

Addison and Zander both have secrets they aren’t ready to share. When the truth finally comes out, is it enough to tear them apart or has something bigger than themselves always been watching over them, pushing them together, making sure they both get their happily ever after?

 

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Review

3-3.5 stars

"It's easy fixing other people's problems. It's my own that can suck it."

This is a sweet story about learning to cope with grief. It's really clear that this story is deeply personal to the author. For those readers that have dealt with the loss of a mother or family member, this story will probably be a home run for you. The book is very serious and the plot line is heavily focused on Addison's journey to overcome the pain and heartbreak of losing her mom.

I'm a huge Tara Sivec fan and all of her other books have been 5 star reads for me; however, with this book you get a very different Tara Sivec as she dives deeper into the new adult genre. It seemed to swing a little closer to the YA line for me. I straddle a very thin line when it comes to YA books. It seems to be hit or miss for me with each one. For the die hard young adult fans, you'll love Watch Over Me.

"It doesn't "work if I work it" because I don't care to work it."

The story follows 18 year old Addison, who has pretty much given up hope of ever being happy again. As you learn about Addison's mother's death, alcoholic father, and shattered life, you'll also get a dose of a boy named Zander that seems to be watching Addison. He begins leaving her notes on napkins at her bakery. He wiggles his way into her life little by little. I felt like the romance in this story was very subdued. You really don't get much Addison/Zander action until you are at least halfway through the book and even then it's a little brushed over. Like I said, this book REALLY focuses on Addison's mother's death and her issues that stem from that. Addison was very close to her mom. Thoughts of her mother consume her mind and sometimes trigger her to have panic attacks. She's a young girl that's had a lot of unwanted responsibility thrown into her lap. She always carries the load for everyone else and often forgets to take care of herself.

"Stop leaving me notes. Stop staring at me. And stop smiling," I growl before I turn on my heels and walk away.

Is it okay if I still breathe? What about blink? Is blinking allowed, Bakery Girl?" he calls to my back."

As the story progresses, the book references time that Addison/Zander spend together, but you only get a birds eye view of that time. I enjoyed the witty banter between the two of them. There is one steamy scene and some kisses exchanged between the two of them towards the end, but that's all the action you'll get from these two lovebirds. You'll be excited to know that Zander does have a secret he's hiding that causes a little drama towards the end of the book. Aside from the drama at the end, I have to be honest the story was a little slow for me. I think the reason for that is probably just because I couldn't relate.

Overall, I thought Addison was a very sweet character and I enjoyed reading about her journey to overcome her pain and depression. I was pulling for her the whole time and I could feel my heart smile at the end. If there is a best all around award out there, Tara Sivec needs a nomination! Her books cover every little bit of the reading/writing spectrum. I wonder if she has any paranormal up her sleeve? It wouldn't surprise me!

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 Listen to the WATCH OVER ME playlist on Spotify!
 

****
 

About the Author

TARA SIVEC

T.E. Sivec is the pen name for Tara Sivec. Under T.E. Sivec, she delves into a more serious genre that is her absolute favorite to read - romantic suspense. She loves reading a book and feeling her heart speed up with anticipation and wanted to be able to give that feeling to her fans.

T.E. lives in Ohio with her husband and two children, living the dream of being a full-time writer.

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