Blog Tour & Giveaway: Kristen Ashley's "Soaring (Magdalene # 2)."

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Kristen Ashley's "Soaring (Magdalene 
# 2)."

Amazon UK:    http://amzn.to/1AJ4i3c

Amazon.com:   http://amzn.to/1vay89C

Synopsis:

Her husband cheated on her, and when everything she wanted in life slipped through her fingers, she fell apart. When she did, she took another heart wrenching hit as she lost the respect of her children. 

When her ex took her family from California to live in the small town of Magdalene in Maine, Amelia decided it was time to sort herself out. In order to do that and win her children back, she moves to Cliff Blue, an architectural masterpiece on the rocky coast of Magdalene. 

Her boxes aren’t even unpacked when she meets Mickey Donovan, a man who lives across the street, a man so beautiful Amelia takes one look at Mickey and knows she wants everything from him. 

The problem is, she finds out swiftly that he’s friendly, he’s kind, but he doesn’t want everything back. 

Amelia struggles to right past wrongs in her life at the same time find out who she wants to be. She also struggles with her attraction to the handsome firefighter who lives across the street. 

But Amelia will face a surprise when her friendly neighbor becomes not-so-friendly. As Amelia and Mickey go head to head, Amelia must focus on winning back the hearts of her children. 

She soon discovers she also must focus on winning the heart of a handsome firefighter who understands down to his soul the beautiful heiress who lives across the street is used to a life he cannot provide.

Review: Surj

Three percent... that's all it took... three percent and I felt that classic Kristen Ashley warm, fuzzy feeling start to wrap itself around me like a warm blanket on a cold winters day. I could feel the smile start to creep slowly over my face and before I knew it, I was full on grinning like a cheshire cat, my heart skipping a beat because (in that moment) I knew that I was going to absolutely love "Soaring." The drama had already started which meant this book had my undivided attention but it was Mickey Donovan in his fireman's outfit, beating his chest and being all protective over a woman he barely knew that had me hook, line and sinker. Yeah, yeah I know what you're going to say... so easily bought. What can I say, this author writes the best possible men... FACT! 

One thing I've come to realise as I've worked my way through the "Magdalene" series is that it's different from anything this author has written before. Don't get me wrong, we still get a kick ass heroine and a very hot, to die for hero. However, there is no big mystery. No 'who done it.' No murders, no gun battles, no bikers, no drug dealers and absolutely no private security services (although the last one would have been the icing on the cake... lol). . Instead what you get are regular characters who have problems that everyone can relate to. If you haven't been through them yourself, chances are, you'll know someone who has. In fact in this book, there were so many times Amelia and Mickey had me wondering what I would do if I were in their shoes. There were pain in the ass exes, there were teenagers with their own angsty problems and to top it off, there were insecurities and fears on both sides. 

"You open yourself up for assholes to sh*t all over you. And if that's the way you like it,

baby, then no way in f**k I'm gonna get in there to show you there's another way."

As I worked my way through "Soaring," I suddenly realised that this was not going to be as straight forward a story as I had initially hoped. I should have paid more attention to the synopsis to be honest because it was there in black and white. Yes there was an instant attraction between Mickey and Amelia... an undeniable chemistry that was difficult to ignore but for them, there would be hurdles (like a gazillion of them) before they even came close to an amicable relationship, let alone friends to lovers. Yup, be prepared for verbal sparring (of the best sort) because when these two went at it, they really didn't hold anything back. Mickey and Amelia had both been burned by their previous marriages and so I completely understood their reluctance and hesitation to throw themselves head first into anything that involved any form of commitment. On top of that, Amelia was kinda on a journey of self discovery. Her whole life had been planned, dictated... how she should act, behave, the decisions she should make, the people she should associate with. Now (at forty seven) all of a sudden she had freedom to be whoever she wanted to be. Unfortunately that was easier said then done when you had spent your whole life being conditioned to be a certain way. I loved Amelia's strength. She was a woman on a mission to win back her family and come hell or high water, she was going to achieve her goal, even if she had to take a few knock backs... and boy did she get knocked down... but she just kept on getting back up again. 

I was going to be me. I had absolutely no idea what that me would turn out to be. 

I just knew whoever she was, for the first time in her life, she'd be real. 

And Mickey... he was your typical KA hero ... hot, alpha, protective, a little controlling (OK maybe a bit more than a little but hey he knew what he wanted from life). But there were moments I wanted to knock some sense into him and tell him to wake up and smell the coffee. 

As much as I loved both Amelia and Mickey completely, there were times I could have banged their heads together. They were not going to make this an easy ride for the readers but I knew the wait would be worth it... and it so was. When these two got it on, it was hot to trot... as in steamy... really steamy and what that man could do in the bedroom or on the kitchen table or anywhere quite frankly was enough to make my toes curl and my thighs clench!!! 

The cherry on the top for me was getting reacquainted with Jake, Josie and Alyssa who all played their parts in how Mickey and Amelia's story would unfold. The women did what all KA women do... they rallied around when one of their own was in need, dropped everything when a friend was at the depths of despair and of course offered advice (of the best kind) when said friend was in dire straights. 

"Our girl here is beautiful. But she's broken. I don't know why. I just know this sh*t is real.

And every girl knows a makeover is the start of picking' up the pieces. And I'm all over that."

"Soaring" was a brilliant addition to the Magdalene series. The writing was typical KA which I absolutely love. The only down side... there's only one more book to go. I am well and truly gutted. 

I rated "Soaring ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Excerpt:

“Hello, Boston Stone,” I greeted because I had no idea what else to say.

“You are?” he asked as I put the bags to the ground and touched the button on the trunk that would open it keyless.

As it glided open, I opened my mouth, doing it uncertain if I’d share my name or continue to try to brush him off, but I didn’t have the chance to decide.

I heard the word, “Babe,” growled from behind me.

I turned and saw Mickey stalking our way.

Not sauntering.

Not simply walking.

Stalking.

And he didn’t look happy.

“Mickey,” I called tentatively as a greeting, uncertain at his demeanor.

I hadn’t seen him since he hadn’t seen me (I hoped) at the movies.

He was in his firefighter-not-fighting-a-fire uniform of blue khakis and tee. His eyes were moving up and down my body. He still was unbelievably beautiful (that uniform…seriously).

He didn’t greet me back.

When he stopped, his gaze cut to Boston Stone and it went flinty.

“You need somethin’?” he asked incomprehensibly inhospitably.

“I was just helping this lovely lady with her groceries,” Stone responded.

“I got it,” Mickey stated flatly and then he got it. As in, he carefully pulled me back, grabbed the bags I was perfectly capable of picking up myself and placed them in my trunk.

He then went for the bag Stone was carrying, caught hold, but Stone didn’t let go.

“I can put it in the trunk myself, Donovan,” Stone clipped.

So they knew each other.

“As I said, I got it, Stone,” Mickey clipped back.

Yes, they knew each other.

The handles flattened as they both kept hold and pulled.

“Please!” I exclaimed. “We already had a wine incident. The sidewalk of Magdalene has been anointed with one red, let’s not anoint Cross Street with four.”

Mickey instantly let go and stepped back, running into me but he didn’t apologize or move away.

He stayed close, the back of his left side touching the front of my right.

It was at that point I noticed Mickey gave off a lot of heat.

Stone put the bag in my trunk, shut it and turned slowly to Mickey and me.

But he had eyes on Mickey.

“Are you two seeing each other?”

“That’s your business how?” Mickey asked as reply.

“It’s my business because, if you’re not, I’d like to request you leave so I can ask her to dinner,” Stone returned.

My head jerked as my body locked in shock.

“That’s not gonna happen,” Mickey growled.

My body stayed locked in shock but that didn’t mean my eyes didn’t fly to Mickey’s stony-faced profile in more shock.

“So you are seeing each other,” Stone remarked.

“Again, not your business,” Mickey bit out.

Stone’s expression turned shrewd. “And that’s something that would lead me to believe that the beautiful woman standing behind you is free to go to dinner with me.”

“You forget English?” Mickey asked. “I already answered that too.”

I butted in, “I think I can speak for myself, Mickey.”

He moved nothing but his head (though his torso shifted an inch) so he could look down at me.

His eyes were communicating again.

This time they were communicating the fact that he really didn’t like Boston Stone.

Considering what I knew of Mickey, this would be something that, along with my own natural aversion to Mr. Stone, would have made me decline the man’s invitation.

Unfortunately, Mickey added words to his look so this didn’t happen.

“You’re not goin’ out with this guy.”

Was he being serious?

He couldn’t tell me what to do. He wasn’t my father, my brother or my lover.

Heck, he barely knew me!

All he knew about me was that he didn’t want me. I was his…“attractive” neighbor who he now did not even walk over to beg recipes from (okay, so Aisling didn’t know of any other recipes I had, but whatever).

He didn’t even return my email!

And he was off with beautiful, statuesque redheads, smiling at them, taking them to movies.

He couldn’t tell me who I could and could not see.

“I’m not?” I snapped.

“No,” he turned fully to me, an ominous fully. “You are not,” he enunciated each word clearly.

“Sorry?” I asked sarcastically. “When did you become my big brother?”

He was still enunciating clearly, and dangerously, when he stated, “I absolutely am not your big brother.”

“No, you’re not,” I retorted, tossing my hair, which I hoped was shining in the sun. And with my hair toss, I further hoped my fabulous highlights caught the rays and gleamed. “You’re my neighbor. And if I want to go out with someone, you can’t say boo to the contrary.”

“This guy is an asshole,” he bit off, jerking his thumb at Boston Stone.

I felt my eyes get big and I got up on my toes, leaning into him, hissing, “That’s insufferably rude, Mickey Donovan.”

“It isn’t rude if it’s the truth.”

“You may think so but you don’t say it in front of the man in question.”

“You do if he’s as big of an asshole as this asshole is,” Mickey shot back.

My eyes got wider and I leaned closer. “Stop being nasty!” I demanded.

“You been in town, what?” he asked then answered with another question he didn’t expect a reply to. “A coupla months? I lived here my whole life and trust me, I’m savin’ you from a load of misery, this guy gets interested in you,” he returned.

I rocked down to my stilettos. “I am a big girl, Mickey. All grown up and everything. I do think I can make such decisions for myself.”

“You do, and they’re not what I’m tellin’ you to do, you’d be wrong.”

I glared at him.

Then I pushed right past him, hand lifted and got in the space of Boston Stone.

“Boston,” I said as he took my hand, grinning arrogantly and more than a little obnoxiously at me. “A belated nice to meet you. I’m Amelia Hathaway.”

His hand tightened in mine as he murmured, “Amelia.”

I pulled my hand from his, asking, “Do you know Cliff Blue?”

“Of course,” he replied, inclining his head in a pompous way that actually was kind of creepy.

“I live there,” I announced, doing another hair toss and powering beyond the creepy. “And I have plans this evening but I’m free tomorrow. Are you?”

“I wasn’t,” he replied. “But I’ll be making a phone call and I will be.”

“Excellent,” I decreed. “Seven?” I went on to ask.

“I’d be delighted,” he said softly, his eyes dancing with humor and I could see that too was relatively malicious.

I didn’t care.

I’d go out with him once, just to stick it to Mickey.

Then I’d be done with Boston Stone.

And anyway, I had about seven new outfits that would be perfect for a date and I knew this even though I hadn’t been on a date in two decades.

“I’ll see you then,” I said.

“You will, Amelia.” He dipped his chin to me. “Looking forward to it.”

“And me,” I replied.

He gave me another arrogant grin then transferred it to Mickey.

“Donovan,” he murmured.

Mickey didn’t reply.

Stone looked back to me. “Until tomorrow, Amelia.”

“Yes, Boston. And please, feel free to call me Amy.”

Mickey grunted.

Boston smiled before he turned and sauntered away.

I whirled on Mickey and tipped my head to the side. “See? All grown up and able to make decisions for myself.”

“What I see is a pattern here,” he retorted unpleasantly.

“Oh?” I asked with mock interest. “Do tell.”

Then Mickey told.

“First time I laid eyes on you, your ex was up in your face, cursing at you, threatening you, shouting right at you and acting like a total fucking dick. It’s obvious he’s rich and up his own ass and didn’t give a shit you were alone, and because of that, you probably felt unsafe. It was just as obvious you were lettin’ him use you as his punching bag. Even if no woman deserves the way he was speakin’ to you, he just kept right on punching. Now, you know that guy you just made a date with is a total asshole and you made that date anyway. So that’s your pattern. You open yourself up for assholes to shit all over you. And if that’s the way you like it, baby, then no way in fuck I’m gonna get in there to show you there’s another way.”

Before I could retort, he turned on his boot and prowled away.

Giveaway: A copy of The Will and Soaring plus a ton of KA swag 

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