Keep Me by Faith Andrews
Genre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Day: January 28th 2014
Sexy, tatted up, underwear model Marcus Grayson is every girl’s dream—or more likely worst nightmare. He’s a player, a self-proclaimed bachelor for life, and he’s got no problem living up to his man-whore status. But when his older sister’s friend comes back from the past, he may just have the chance to turn some of his adolescent fantasies into reality.
Tessa Bradley is a self-sufficient, take-no-bull, single mother—well, now she is. Finally rid of her abusive, alcoholic ex, she’s making a new life for herself and catching up with old friends; the ones she was forced to break ties with because of her controlling husband. When she runs into Marcus, her friend Riley’s once-adorable turned smoking-hot little brother, she has no idea how he’s about to rock her world.
You wanted me then, now you can have me. Just promise you’ll Keep Me…
My Thoughts:
So here's a clear warning to those who want to give this book a chance: You might want to clear a couple of hours to read this book because once you've started you won't be able to stop. This was such a great book I just couldn't put it down. This is a book about love and second chances. The characters were interesting and I loved that there are two point of views. I loved even the side characters and want to see what was going on with Riley's side and her search for love. I loved how strong Tessa was to be able to get away from her past and look forward to the future. I loved the connection between the characters. The overall story was beautifully written. There was so much issues, romance, and sexy scenes to grab the readers. This was such a great book and I absolutely loved it. I highly recommend you lovely readers to check out this book! 5 of 5 stars!
I
rocked Luca to sleep while listening to the peaceful sounds of Marcus
and my old guitar downstairs. Holding my son close to my chest I
silently sobbed, wishing my life could have been different—good,
like right now. Instead, I was all screwed up, jaded and broken, with
no foreseeable way to fix it.
Nights
like this reminded me how I’d wanted
things to be, how they should be. They reminded me how unfair life
could be, too. Why did Luca’s father have to be such a hateful
bastard? Why did I allow him to ruin my idea of a happily ever after?
And why, for the life of me, did I feel like I was losing control
again? Forget that Marcus and I shouldn’t be. . .dabbling.
. .the way we were. We were having fun, maybe even more. I loved the
idea of dating someone, especially someone I knew wouldn’t hurt me,
but Zack had left me incapable of trust. I gave it all to him, even
when I didn’t trust myself
to do so, and it was the stupidest, most dangerous, mistake ever.
Thankfully an angel came out of it, but that was all I had to show
for years of taking Zack’s shit and never saying anything about it.
That and the tears that just couldn’t stop themselves from flowing
right now.
When
the tiny mouth around Luca’s thumb slackened and his hand fell from
his face, I knew he was out for the count. I stood carefully so as
not to wake him while transitioning him to his crib. After closing
the door behind me, I went into the bathroom to compose myself.
“He
is nothing like Zack, Tessa. He’s a friend. It’s okay to relax
and have a good time.” Great!
Now I talk to myself! But
my little pep talk was just what I needed to rid my mind of ugly
memories and hurtful pasts. There was nothing wrong with enjoying the
company of an old friend and allowing him to make me feel good. I
wiped the tears from my face, reapplied a little bronzer for color,
swished some mouthwash around, and followed the intoxicating music
that was the elixir to my wounds.
“Hey,
what’s that?” I asked as I hopped off the last step, got rid of
my melancholy mood, and made my way toward him. Was
there anything sexier than a hot, tattooed, muscle-bulging man
playing a guitar?
“Ever
heard the Lumineers?”
“Yes,
but not this one.”
“Reminds
me of you. It’s called Classy
Girls.”
As
he sang with a raspy, soft voice about a man trying to pick up a
‘classy’ girl in a bar, the little reserve I had left started to
melt away. I
take it back. . .there is something sexier than a hot, tattooed,
muscle-bulging man playing a guitar. And that would be a hot,
tattooed, muscle-bulging man playing a guitar while
singing an adorable song that reminds him of me!
I
listened and felt my cheeks warm, then gave in to the huge smile
making its way across my face as the pace of the song picked up and
he really got into it. His arms flexed, his fingers danced across the
strings, and his eyes focused on me when he sang, “something drew
me closer to her lips.” The rest of the lyrics passed by with no
significance until Marcus strummed the final note and I realized that
the guy in the song never actually got to kiss the so-called classy
girl.
I
applauded and asked, “And why does that remind you of me?”
He
laid the guitar on the couch beside him and relaxed against the back
cushions. “Because he wants her so bad, but they just don’t fit.”
His
words were a surprise. Did Marcus want me
‘so
bad?’ And although I knew why, was it so obvious that we were the
worst possible match for each other?
With
nothing to say in response, I leaned over him and lifted the guitar.
When I played a familiar chord, I basked in the sensation of how good
those forgotten strings felt underneath the skin of my fingertips.
The first song that came to mind was a new one by Phillip Phillips. I
fell in love with his music during his stint on American
Idol
and downloaded his album to iTunes as soon as it was released. Not
only did it prove to be right up my alley, but the track I was about
to play made me hopeful that I’d feel this way about someone…one
day. I didn’t want to admit that Marcus made me hopeful,
but this was the first step in allowing myself to trust him.
I
gave in to the urge to take the leap and just started to play. I
fumbled with the difficulty of the chords and I hadn’t sung in
front of anyone in. . .forever, but just like the words of the song,
Marcus made it so
easy.
I poured my heart out through shaky vocals and rusty strumming, never
looking up at him to register how he felt. When I was almost done, I
felt a pang of regret for speaking these words to him, even if they
weren’t my own, but it was too late for that, wasn’t it?
With
the last chord, I kept my eyes closed, afraid to face him.
He
pulled at the guitar and I released my grip. His touch was strong yet
gentle at my cheek. When I opened my eyes Marcus looked at me with
emotion that I imagined was foreign to him. This was so different
from lust or desire. “Tessa, that was. . .you’re so. . .do you
know what you’re doing to me?”
I
desperately wanted to know, but I was also too scared to hear the
words. Go
figure!
I could sing him a song about falling hard, but I couldn’t admit
that that’s what was happening.
Before
I had the chance to be embarrassed or to even think, his lips were on
mine, taking control of my brain and the rest of my body.
I
gave in to the parts of me that wanted this, ignoring the parts that
were telling me it was wrong, or too soon, or just plain stupid. I
remembered the word I used earlier to describe what we were doing to
Marcus—fun.
If I just kept convincing myself that that’s all it was, no one
would get hurt. Right?
Author Links:
Thank you for the FANTASTIC review and for letting me stop on your gorgeous blog during the tour!!!! xoxoxoxoxo
ReplyDeleteFaith