The Thrill of it by Lauren Blakely Blog Tour

The Thrill of It by Lauren Blakely
(No Regrets #1)
Publication date: November 21st 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

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?

Goodreads

Purchase 

Lauren is offering a special pre-order price of 2.99 on The Thrill of It E-books!  After release the price will be 3.99, so pre-order now!

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Teasers:

Review:

 5 "messy, crazy, brave and honest" smooches!

There is no such thing as real love.  There is only agenda.  There are only expectations.  And if you can remove the sticky mess of feelings from the equation, you’re better off.

Harley is a cynic when it comes to love… and really, who could blame her?  One cannot possibly understand something that they have never truly known.  Abandoned by her father when she was only six years old, Harley was left dependent upon a mother who was falling apart.  She grew up watching her mom find happiness in the arms and beds of many different men.  Her mother taught her that looks are everything…  That having a man is everything. 

“You look so pretty,” my mom says…

no matter what, without fail, you can set your ever-loving clock to it, You look so pretty is always the first thing my mom says to me.

I wish I hated it.

I wish I didn’t need to hear it.

But I ache without it.  It’s become as necessary as air and sun.

It’s my confirmation that all is right in the world.  She raised me to be pretty.  She trained me to be pretty.

Like most children, Harley adores her mother.  Her mom is one of the most respected journalists in the country.  She is successful, powerful, and beautiful.  Her mom has no idea who Harley is… what she has become.  Harley is a virgin call girl who answers to the name of Layla.  Her pimp… a business associate of her mothers.  Layla is a slut… and her mother can never know.

Slut is a dirty word.

Slut is a loaded word.

Slut is for microscopic miniskirts and tramp stamps and tottering red plastic high heels. 

Slut is for ripped t-shirts sliding down shoulders,

for shots drunk off of bellies,

for names written on bathroom stalls. 

Slut is for loose girls.  For easy girls.  And it is only for girls.

That’s why I hate the word… Just the word itself sounds dirty.

Harley is a virgin—addicted to sex. 

Trey is also addicted to sex and like Harley the root of his addiction lies with his parents.  Sex is how Trey forgets.  It is how he numbs his pain…  Where he finds the comfort that he doesn’t get at home.

The two become the best of friends.  They understand each other in ways that no one else could.  Part of being a recovering sex addict is not.having.sex.  Hello blue balls!  For me, not Trey… although I am sure he probably had them too!

Harley is going through some really serious shit and Trey is the one she confides in.  He is the one person who knows everything.

I want to wrap my arms around her, let her cry on my chest if she needs to, have her soak my shirt in salty streams.  I want to be her rock when everything around her is restless in the breeze.  I want her to know that I love her for who she is, not who I try to make her. ~Trey

Be still my beating heart.  

Harley and Trey are developing real feelings for one another, but where there is love, there is pain.  And when an addict is in pain, they turn to their drug.

The past is alluring.  It puts on rose-colored glasses and seduces us.  But if you return, you’ll only need more of the drug.  You’ll need a bigger dose.  You’ll need more to take the pain away. 

Wow.  I am afraid that nothing I say will truly express my love for this story.  Lauren Blakely  has seriously outdone herself with this one.  I am a sucker for a GREAT heroine and Harley is among my favorites.  I love her.  I want to steal her away and keep her in my pocket!  Abuse comes in many forms.  Both Harley and Trey have turned to sex as a result of selfish parenting.  Maybe it seems a little extreme but I am sure it happens every day.  Sex is so easily confused with love.  It feels good... it is comforting... a temporary fix.  As a parent, it is a great reminder that everything we do directly affects our children.  

…it could happen to your daughter.  It could happen to your son.  Your kid could be a sex addict.  Your kid could be a prostitute.

The Thrill of It has one of the most unique story lines I have read in a while.  It is wave on top of wave of intense emotion and you can't help but fall in love with both Harley and Trey.  The Thrill of it is a captivating read filled with sex, lies, betrayals, friendships, love and sexual tension that will leave you burning for more.

*Reviewed by Heather

AUTHOR 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 her upcoming novel, 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, and Trophy Husband. On October 21 she'll release the sexy rock star romance Far Too Tempting, and on November 21 she'll release her edgy new adult novel THE THRILL OF IT. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney.

Author Links:

https://twitter.com/laurenblakely3

http://laurenblakelybooks.blogspot.ca/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6860216.Lauren_Blakely

Flash Giveaway!

Leave a comment on this blog post to enter to win this The Thrill of It necklace.  This giveaway is for our blog only and a winner will be selected from the comments around 10pm CST tonight!  Good luck!

 

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