Friday, November 29, 2013

REVIEW+GIVEAWAY: THE THRILL OF IT BY LAUREN BLAKELY



THE THRILL OF IT Synopsis:
A new adult story of Love. Sex. Addiction. Blackmail. And Power...

Some say love can be an addiction. Others say it's the thing that makes life worth living. Let me tell you everything I know about love...Love isn't patient, love isn't kind. Love is a game, a chase. A thrill. Love is wild and war-like, and every man and woman must fight for themselves. At least that's how it was for me. A high-priced virgin call girl by the time I started college, I was addicted to love and to sex. Even though I've never had either. I controlled love, played it, and held the world in the palm of my hands. Then I fell down from those highs, and I'm being blackmailed for all my mistakes, forced to keep secrets from everyone, except the only guy I don't regret.

Trey...

With all the other women, I knew what they were. They were temporary. They were pills, they were bottles, they took away all the pain, and numbed the awful memories that wore down my ragged, wasted heart. Until I met Harley. She's the only girl I ever missed when she walked away. But now she's back in my life, every day, and there are no guarantees for us, especially since I don't know how to tell her my secrets. What happened to my family. All I know is she's the closest I've ever come to something real, and I want to feel every second of it.

How can you love with no regrets when regret is all you know?


OUR REVIEW:
Wow, that synopsis is something else, isn't it!? And as contradictory as it seems, Harley is exactly as described--a high priced, virgin, call girl. But she's more than that. She's a very lonely girl. She's a young woman who had a messed up role model for a mom and NO role model for a dad. She's closed off to connecting with anyone, really...until she has the epic one night with Trey.

I was very intrigued with that description. One of those "things that make you go, hhmmmm." Call girl. Virgin. Sex & Love addicts? But I thought she'd never been in love? I was a smidge confused for a bit there, but I was on the hook to figure out how all of this goes down and how they got from point A to point B! and she's being blackmailed? How! Why! Why is she putting up with this crap? So my description...intrigue x 1000! 

Trey is a very lonely guy. He's got parents who are cold and non-communicative. He's used sex to fill a void that can't seem to be filled--until he met Harley. 
Here's the problem--they are worried that being involved with each other will ruin any forward progress they are each trying to make in controlling the problems they have. They both have feelings for each other but worry about voicing them--worried that the other won't reciprocate or will only want the other in a moment of weakness, not because of true feelings. So what we have is a novel full of doubt, over-thinking, and a strong desire (on the reader's part) to push these two together. 

Yeah...that whole pesky don't be with anyone for an entire year while going through group therapy in the SLAA (Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous group) really seemed to be getting in the way of things. But lucky for them, they met the day before and had one last hoorah together before meeting again in their new group. As much as I wanted them together, I was still stoked that at least they had each other through everything that went on and become best friends. The tension is still reallllyyyyy thick, so good luck with that!

For me, the first half of this novel moved a smidge slowly; I felt like there was a lot of rehashing of internal monologues but not enough moving forward of the plot. I wanted more, quicker. The last half of the novel explained more and I felt more connected to the characters...and then we got to the last page and I had a WTF moment..you might too. 

Agreed! There were a lot of details falling from a lot of places through the first 25% or so...but then we finally start getting a bit more information to put together and like you said were able to really connect to the characters. Things really sped up after that, and were enjoyable to the point that an unlikely character becomes one of my favorites by the end! Who knew...*hint* Bridget Jones' Diary...and the end. I think that my head about exploded with that one. Still not 100% sure how I feel about that particular turn of events, but I did enjoy this book. :)

Shelley 3 1/2 Stars
Courtney: 4 Stars

Lauren Blakely Bio:

Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat,
heart, and humor, and her books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. Like the heroine in FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. She loves hearing from readers! Her novels include Caught Up In Us, Pretending He's Mine, Playing With Her Heart, Trophy Husband, and Far Too Tempting. On November 21, she'll release the edgy new adult novel THE THRILL OF IT. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney.

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