Wednesday 16 April 2014

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Rachael Wade's "The Replacement."

The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog are pleased to be a part of the Book Blitz & Giveaway for Rachael Wade's "The Replacement."

Amazon UK:  http://amzn.to/1fnLoR2
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1aVa43z


Synopsis:

*Contains sexually explicit content and mature subject matter, including language and elements of abuse.*

A gritty New Adult drama about a young woman’s self-destructive quest to find purpose, self-worth, and love in a broken world.
My name is Elise Duchamp. I’m twenty-three years old and I’m known as the town whore.

No, not the kind who exchanges sexual favors for money. The other kind. The kind who gives it all away for free, whenever and however she likes. I am that girl. The one everyone whispers about and the one none of the girls seem to like, because all of their boyfriends either want to sleep with me or already have. Promiscuity is my thing—the kind that slowly, violently turns my insides black, but gives me something I need.

All things considered, I’m not completely reckless. I’m safe, and contrary to popular opinion, I do have a heart. I live in a world of careless choices, and with those choices come careless people. I cannot judge them, because I am one of them. I too bow down to the altar of the self-serving. I am not a good friend. I am not and never could be anyone’s girlfriend. I’m convinced any goodness in me shriveled up and died long ago.

But I am a replacement. That is something I know how to be, and this is a story of the lengths I’d go to in order to keep it that way.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17608477-the-replacement?ac=1

Review: Apologies in advance for the bad language! 

How many fucktards can one author possibly fit into one book? Well Rachael Wade's "The Replacement" would be hard to beat because it was jam packed full of them. Yup, around every corner, I found a complete twat that made my blood boil ... and just as one would exit... another would enter but hey, that was the nature of the story. 

Elise Duchamp was known as the town whore but she never hid it. She was what she was and that was that. 

I find self respect in owning up to what I am and not bulshitting anyone about it. 
Honesty is self respect in my book. Granted, I'm deceptive. But if you flat out asked me 
if I deceived you, I'd never bullshit you about it. That's gotta count for something. 

However getting insights into her  past really did help me understand just how broken she really was. Her childhood was a complete fuck up with a father who made both her and her mother feel utterly worthless. There was no love on his part and when her mother was on deaths door, he chose to up sticks and leave... never to be heard of again. Memories of her childhood and his cruel words taunted her and turned her into the person she had become.  Deep down I could see a woman who just wanted to be needed, wanted to be loved unconditionally, who needed some kind of peace, some kind of validation, some kind of atonement:

I didn't always sleep around. That didn't start until college. 
My mom might not have needed me anymore, and dad might not have wanted me, 
but that was easily remedied. The world was full of needy people. 

Unfortunately, she didn't help her cause! As I progressed through the book, I very quickly realised that there was a certain type of man Elise went for and it didn't matter who got hurt in the process. No man of this sort was out of bounds... if Elise wanted him, she got him. To begin with, I kinda felt sorry for her but the more I read, the more angry and frustrated I got with her because she just wasn't helping herself. It didn't matter how many life lines were thrown her way, it was like she'd pressed a self destruct button and there was no switching the damn thing off. I could have screamed at her at times because I knew at some point, her actions would blow up in her face. It was car crash reading that didn't seem to be getting better any time soon. Just as something good seemed to be happening for her and maybe a corner was being turned, she would go right ahead and jeopardize it!!! Arrggghhh!!! Yes some of her actions were predictable but that didn't make the reading any easier. 

So let's talk men. Tim... fucktard!!! Christian.... fucktard!!! Nate.... Fucktard!!! Need I go on. And when you read "The Replacement" it won't take you long to realise why. But Jay... he was just so lovely... he was like a father figure to Elise and he saw underneath that persona. He saw something no body else took the time to see and I loved him for that. He gave Elise a break when no one else would and continued to do so right up until the end of the book. This guy rocked!! He deserved daddio bear hugs!!! 

And Ryder... my beautiful tree hugging Ryder who went against the grain and decided to travel instead of going to an Ivy league college... much to the disgust of his father. Whoop whoop the only other guy who I fell in love with in "The Replacement." He really was something else... so different to what I'm used to reading about. He wasn't rich, he didn't live in a mansion and his past (other than the college thing) wasn't really fucked up. He chose to do what he loved... he travelled and most of the time he lived in a tent!!!  But he was persistent in his chase of Elise and so he won me over. He wasn't just after sex although with Elise throwing herself at him, it was hard to resist... but he resisted!!!! Yay. 
"I'll never just drive away, Elise Duchamp."

I truly wanted things to work for them but if history was anything to go by, this would not be straight forward:

"I'm a whore. I'm rotten to the fucking core, and if you shake this crazy fantasy you have - 
of me and you frolicking in the woods together, star gazing and listening to Fleetwood Mac- 
you'd fucking see that! You'd run in the other direction if you had any shred of sense!"

Right up until the very end of this book, things were coming out of the wood work that were sending my nerves into over drive and the twist at 88% left me dumb founded and so heart broken. Honestly, I could have cried with that lump in my throat growing by the second!!! Would Elise ever catch a break? 

"The Replacement" was about forgiveness, atonement, acceptance and unconditional love. The journey to finding all of these things wasn't an easy one for Elise and it definitely wasn't an easy one to read but I really enjoyed it all the same. I would whole heartedly recommend it plus it's a standalone so you will get closure thank god!!! I rated "The Replacement" 4 Hearts 

"I don't just want a quick lay with you, don't you get that? 
When I fuck you, I want all of you. Your mind, your heart- I want you."

Excerpt:

A fine shiver runs down my spine as I watch his confident stride to the other side of the Jeep. He gets in and his woodsy scent engulfs me as he starts the ignition. We drive for about twenty minutes, making small talk and casually flipping through radio stations when it hits me that we’re not approaching a neighborhood, but a campground.

“Uh…so you really are taking me for a Thanksgiving Day hike?” I look at him in surprise, not at all prepared for a romp in the mountains. I’m still recovering from my dream and the fact that I slept straight through my alarm this afternoon, not to mention the fact that my black heeled booties aren’t very proper for a hike in the woods.

“Before you panic,” he says, parking the Jeep and leaning across me to reach the glove compartment, “shut your eyes.”

“Shut my eyes?”

“You heard me.”

I do as he says and can’t help the smile that’s forming on my lips. I can hear the smile in his voice and his closeness is causing all of my muscles to lock up. As I hear him open the glove box, I’m swamped with the realization that I want him to kiss me again, the way he did the night of the festival. 

But that was a first kiss and I ruined it, and Nate’s fingerprints are still branded on my skin.

I hear the rustling of a bag and a soft snap, and then something is touching my lips, but it’s not Ryder’s mouth. It’s sweet and salty and divine. “Open,” Ryder says patiently, his tone smooth like silk. My lips part and my tongue is met with luscious chocolate tinged with sea salt. I purr in satisfaction and his finger slides the piece of heaven further onto my tongue. “Nice?”

“Mmmm,” I hum, more enthusiastically now. “Oh my God…so good.”

“You can open now.” 

I allow my eyes to drift open, and I’m greeted with his, dark as the chocolate melting in my mouth. I swallow and feel my eyelashes flutter with his closeness, his face just inches from mine.

“I don’t believe you, though,” he says. He tilts his head slightly. “I need to taste for myself.” 

A hot rush of breath hits my lips and his mouth presses down onto mine. I melt into the seat, my muscles relaxing from his touch. This is nothing like the first kiss. I lean into it, let him draw me into his warmth. The driver’s seat groans as he shifts, cradling my neck and jaw with his rough hands. Our tongues meet and glide, mixing and exchanging the remnants of chocolate, and I moan into his mouth, absorbing the taste.

“Elise,” he whispers against me, deepening the kiss. I fall into him, everything plummeting like there’s nothing left to live for and today is the apocalypse. My hand finds and unclicks my seatbelt, then his, and then I’m lifting myself from the passenger seat to slide over the console and onto his lap. He pants as he accepts me, a low groan sounding from deep in his throat. It’s like a grenade in the quiet car, fueling my desire. 

I slip my thighs over him, straddling him in the driver’s seat. My hand slips down his chest and grabs one of his, guiding it to my breast. His head falls back against the headrest as I devour him, and he squeezes, rolling his thumb around and around, moaning in satisfaction. Things are spiraling out of control fast, but his touch is so gentle, so patient, like he’s touching glass. I’m breakable to him, but the pressure is firm and certain.

It makes me want him even more.

My hands glide over his hard abdomen and find their way under his shirt, fumbling with his belt buckle. I’ll ride him right here if he’ll let me.

“Wait,” he breathes, dropping a hand to his belt.

“I got it,” I say, undoing the loop. “Keep touching me.” I continue undoing his belt while I reach back with my free hand to loosen my hair tie, letting my wet hair fall around my shoulders. I feel naked already, with no powder on my nose or mascara coating my lashes. My hair isn’t blown out to perfection, and my lips are natural, but I’m raw and open to him, and it makes me brave.

“Elise, not yet.” He smiles against my mouth and brings his head forward, his breathing labored. “I owe you dinner, beautiful.”

“I don’t want food.” I roll my hips to meet his erection and his head snaps back, smacking the headrest.

“Shit, baby, you’re killing me here.”

“So quit struggling.” I lean down and bite his neck, dragging his flesh sharply through my teeth.

He groans. “I don’t have anything in here.”

“In my bag.” I blindly feel my way to the passenger seat for my purse, digging out a condom.

He lets me tear at the wrapper for a second before snatching it from my hand. “Elise, I really want to give you that meal.”

I stop kissing him, pulling back to search his eyes for traces of evidence of sarcasm, but I only find sincerity. Our chests rise and fall against each other as our breathing slows, and I slowly shift off of his lap, lazily sliding back into the passenger seat. My head rolls toward him. “You have the restraint of a saint.”

“You have a sinful body. There are too many things I want to do to it to qualify as saintly.”

“Well, we can’t all keep our wings clean.”

“My wings are black when I’m near you.”

“You’re in luck.” I straighten my sweater and sit up. “My wings are black all the time.”

Author Bio: 

Rachael Wade is the Amazon bestselling author of The Preservation Series, The Resistance Trilogy, and the upcoming sci-fi series, The Keepers Trilogy. When she’s not writing, she’s busy learning French, watching too many movies, and learning how to protect animals and the environment. Visit her at www.RachaelWade.com and www.LightsOnOutreach.com, or come chat with her on Twitter via @RachaelWade

Author Links:


Giveaway:
-1 signed paperback & swag (US only) 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 comments:

  1. Great review! I like how intense and profound this story seems to be! Glad you liked it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ladies, I love this review and really appreciate you being a part of the tour today! :)

    Much Love,
    Rachael

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! This book sound wildly hot! I can't wait to read it :)

    ReplyDelete