Monday 4 November 2013

Blog Tour: D.L Roan's "Second Nature."

@DLRoan     @ReadLoveLust
The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog are pleased to be a part of the Blog Tour for D.L Roan's "Second Nature."

Synopsis:

Former operative, Grant Kendal, has spent his life hunting the shadows of evil. He can feel it changing him; twisting him into the very thing he despises. A mindless killer.

Thalia Brezlin is a marked woman, hell-bent on revenge. She is haunted by the nightmares of her past. A past that lies in wait to destroy her. When she washes ashore Grant’s desolate island of exile, beaten, stabbed and clinging to life, their worlds collide.

Follow them across Africa, Madagascar and India into the underworld of human trafficking. Where innocence isn't lost. It’s stolen.

Passion will rage, rules will be broken, lives will be shattered and the truth will be revealed. Survival is Second Nature.

WARNING: Second Nature is a contemporary erotic romance and contains explicit sexual content, adult language and graphic violence. Recommended for the adult reader only. While Grant’s story can certainly be enjoyed on its own, the author recommends becoming better acquainted with him and his journey by experiencing his debut in Second Chances (When Seconds Count, #1) 

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYglDiih0c8

Blog Tour Review: Surj Harvey

Holy shit, what the hell did I just read? Honestly, this book was like a freakin' movie playing out in my head and it was just amazing. I don't know what I was expecting but honest to god, I got so much more than I bargained for but in such a good way. This is NOT your conventional love story, not by a long shot. Yup there was that element but I got drama, a whole lot of action, mystery and bucket loads of suspense (which nearly killed me).  For the most part of the book, my insides were doing somersaults and my heart beat so fast it felt like any second, it'd explode out of my chest. This book was edge of your seat reading so buckle up ladies and prepare for one hell of a  ride!!! 

D.L Roan covered some pretty ugly topics in "Second Nature."They were harrowing and gruesome but unfortunately the reality for some. Sex trafficking is an ongoing problem all over the world and although people assume it only occurs is poorer countries, they couldn't be further from the truth. Thalia Brezlin was a regular American teenager with a bright future ahead of her... until she was kidnapped. Well that was the prologue, fast forward several years to chapter one and the young girl I had initially met was gone and in her place was a "La Femme Nakita" incarnate!!!! Jesus this girl was kick ass, hardcore, feisty and on the surface she feared nothing. She knew how to handle herself  and she definitely knew her way around a gun!!!! What the hell had happened to her in those missing years? Straight from the off, I was desperate to know more. This was a woman on a mission for revenge and nothing and no one was going to get in her way!!!!  Well, maybe one Grant Kendal given half the chance:


She was the most stubborn, suspicious, obstinate, guarded, 
powerfully compelling, beautifully resilient piece of work he'd ever seen. 

Having been severely beaten and stabbed, Thalia managed to escape and ended up washed ashore barely alive. And who happened to be the sole inhabitant of this island? OK so there were two inhabitants... Winston the hilarious monkey and Grant Kendal, one very hot, bad ass alpha assassin!!! The more I got to know Grant, the more I went weak at the knees because as hard as he was on the outside, there was a softer,caring, protective side to him; a side even he had never seen surface. He was a trained killer... emotions never came into the equation!!! Thalia had gotten under his skin (yay...everyone deserves to be loved don't ya know!!!):


Gone was the dominant, controlling killer who took command of her mind 
and body to fulfill a mutual sexual need. In his place was a caring, 
tender lover who was intent of reaching her heart. 

What had started of as sexual need, turned to lust, turned to so much more and neither of these characters really knew what to do with these feelings... they were alien... neither having felt anything of the sorts before and I loved it. Their bickering, their snide, sarcastic comments towards one another, the way they drove each other mad with their actions and behaviour just made me want to read even more because I knew that despite all of this, despite the growing attraction, despite that connection, Thalia was still on a mission and that mission consumed her. Love and affection wasa luxury she couldn't afford to have and for Grant... love and affection was a luxury he didn't deserve. 

Although there was an element of romance in this book, there was so much more. Right from the word go, there was drama and action and from the first page, I already had questions that needed answering. But the more answers I got, the more questions I had. This book was one tangled web of deceit, lies and of betrayal with so many curve balls thrown in, even the characters were left dumb founded. How the author managed to get so much in without leaving me confused I don't know, but she did it and did it so very well. 

As connections between characters were revealed and sub plots came to light, I ended up in a reading frenzy... even the husband had to make his own tea. I couldn't leave this book without getting to the end.... I needed all the pieces of the puzzle, but as each one was revealed, I felt my heart bottom out because none of it was pretty. There were scenes of violence, blood spilled, death and torture, none of which were pleasant to read but were part of the harsh realities of that world.  Right up until the last chapter, my stomach was in knots. I had no clue which way this book would go and it drove me nuts!!!! I wanted my HEA god damn it. 

D.L did an amazing job with the writing. This is only the second book written in third person that has held me captive from the first to the last page. I lived every every emotion the characters felt and visualized the whole story in my head. Pure brilliance. My only little niggle was the ending. I know this is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone which is how I read it. I just wanted a little more information about Gabby and her three husbands? What was the deal with that? Each to their own and all but I felt like I missed something somewhere... maybe I did in my reading frenzy and it was right under my nose all along. Who knows? 
I would definitely recommend "Second Nature" and rated it 4.5 Hearts

Excerpt:

Like a prophet to his promise.

Even though she didn’t want to need his help, she did. He hadn’t asked one thing of her in return yet. The least she could do would be to keep her mouth shut. When he rounded the front of the car and opened her door, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him, focusing instead on the suddenly interesting crushed soda can on the floor at her feet. “You’re good at it, you know.”
“I’m good at a lot of things, sweetheart.” He unceremoniously unbuckled her seat belt and scooped her from the front seat. “I don’t need you to tell me that.”
She pounded her fist on his shoulder as he walked to the only visible door into the building. “I was talking about being nice!” She pushed against his hold on her but got nowhere fast, as usual. “I was trying to be nice, you jerk!”
Grant stopped in his tracks and peered down at her, his amber eyes searching hers. Searching for what she had no clue, but damn if that panty-melting fire in his eyes didn’t cut right through the bullshit in her brain. “You really think I’m good at being nice?”
Thalia forced herself to look away. “I take it back. You totally suck at being anything but an asshole!”
He studied her, a big goofy grin on his face. “I think you like me, fossa.” Heat flushed her cheeks; heat having nothing to do with her infection or fever. You should have just kept your big mouth shut!
Grant continued to the door, still holding her cradled in his arms. “You hate needing my help, but,” he reached up and pounded three times on the door, then three more, “I think you like me and you don’t know what to do with that.”
When no one answered he carefully sat her on her feet. “Okay, Captain Psychology, what does this mean?” She elbowed him in the gut, extracting a satisfying groan. 
Grant recovered and struck with the stealth of a panther. Lacing his fingers into her hair he pulled her head back, forcing her to look at him. His breath billowed out, hot and moist against the shell of her ear as he leaned in and spoke with a growl. “It means my little fossa, that as soon as I get you someplace safe and your leg is healed, I’m going to bend you over and spank that smart ass of yours.” 
Thalia froze, unwanted images of being naked and on display flashed through her mind. His heavy hand splayed across her ass and she could almost imagine the sharp bite of erotic pain. Grant’s hot tongue slipped out and traced along the outer shell of her ear, sending a tingling blanket of electricity dancing along her skin as he sucked on her sensitive lobe. 

“Then I’m going to fuck you.” He turned her face and kissed along her jaw. “Long,” he sighed, the tip of his tongue tickling the corner of her mouth. “And hard,” he said in a low, baritone whisper just before his hand tightened in her hair and he crushed his mouth to hers. Devouring her, his tongue rushed along hers in long, demanding strokes like a prophet to his promise.

About the Author:

D.L. Roan lives and writes in her "beautifully wild and southern" home state of Florida with her "perfectly flawed hero" husband and two 80lb lap dogs. Completely addicted to the written word, she's had a brood of characters residing inside her imagination for as long as she could remember. Being able to bring them to life and let them out to play has been a life's dream fulfilled. Romance has always been her favored genre. While erotica is her favored spicy flavor, she also enjoys paranormal fantasy and has been known to stalk the work of certain historical romance writers. In addition to exorcizing her characters' lusts, D.L. enjoys scuba diving, fishing, and sitting by a bonfire on a starry night. She loves to hear from her fans so check her out on Facebook or send her a tweet.  

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/DL-Roan/166648563489077
Twitter:      https://twitter.com/DLRoan

Second Nature (When Seconds Count # 2) Purchase Links:

Amazon.com:       http://amzn.to/1fz1BGn
Amazon UK:        http://amzn.to/H0OTB9
Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/GOQdr1
Smashwords:        http://bit.ly/1bT54z5

Second Chances (When Seconds Count #1): Purchase Links:



Amazon US:        http://amzn.com/B00BH34Y74
Amazon UK:        http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BH34Y74
Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/15NyzNz
Smashwords:       https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/318499
iBooks:                http://bit.ly/18rA994

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1 comment:

  1. Loved the review! Thank you for supporting DL Roan on her Blog Tour! Second Nature was phenomenal, excited for book #3!

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