June 3, 2015

BLOG TOUR REVIEW, EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Sweet Ache (Driven #6)


SWEET ACHE is live! I'm so excited to introduce you to this amazing book by K. Bromberg. Read on for my review and an excerpt from Sweet Ache. Oh, and there's also a chance for you to win one of two $250 Amazon gift cards. That could buy so many books.

Sweet Ache (Driven #6), by K. Bromberg
Publish Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Signet Select
Format: ARC, obtained from the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 

Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Hawkin Play, the bad boy rock star with a good guy heart, has lived a lifetime of cleaning up after his twin brother’s mistakes. Hunter’s most recent screw-up could land Hawke in jail and risk the band’s future. Hawke agrees to guest lecture at a local college to stay in the judge’s good graces—and a bet with his bandmate to seduce his sexy teaching assistant is icing on the cake.

Quinlan Westin is harder to bed than Hawke imagined. She knows his type and is determined to avoid the rocker at all costs—even if their attraction runs deeper than simple lust.

Just as Hawke might finally be winning over the girl, his brother has other plans. When Hunter realizes his twin finally has a weakness, he’ll stop at nothing to take advantage…

K. Bromberg does it again. Every single book makes me laugh out loud (usually the parts that include Colton in some way). And, every one makes me cry. Sweet Ache was no exception. 

Hawkin Play is a bad boy on the outside and a good guy on the inside. He loves his family - perhaps a bit too much at times. When he takes the fall for his loser twin brother yet again, and finds himself doing community service by teaching a class at the local university, he thinks it's the worst thing that could happen. Until he meets his TA, Quinlan Westin. At first she doesn't want anything to do with Hawk, having sworn off famous playboys for good. But, once she gets to know the real Hawkin, she might change her tune for good.

Hawkin is the front man of his band. He's super tight with all his bandmates, and they seem like they would do just about anything for him. It's his one ex-bandmate that he has to worry about. His twin, Hunter is pretty much a hot mess. He got mixed up in drugs and alcohol and lots of other bad things. Hunter's and Hawk's father wasn't really the best role model for them, and his actions messed up both boys, but especially Hawk, in ways that are nearly impossible to get over. Hawk has tried to made the best of it, and Hunter used it as an excuse. It's because of Hunter's exploits that Hawk is always getting into trouble. And the guilt and remorse are eating him up. 

Blood is thicker than water, but you can still drown in it all the same. 

Because on top of dealing with Hunter's issues, Hawk is also shouldering most of the responsibility for caring for their mother who has Alzheimers. And, in her most confused moments, she blames Hawk for his father's death. Those moments when Hawk is with his mother absolutely ripped my heart out. This boy has dealt with more than any one person should have to deal with in his life. He just needs something good for once. 

Hawkin may be the lead singer of the band, but in this book, Quinlan is the rock star. She is SUCH a cool heroine. She is self-assured and knows exactly who she is. She also knows who her brother is makes her famous by extension, and she's used to people using her and trying to get close to her just because of who she is. I give her mad props for resisting the charming Hawk for as long as she did. But, really. When a man is that sexy, it's impossible to resist for long. 

I know that I won't be able to resist Hawkin's pull on me any longer, that it's stupid to deny myself. To not take the chance to see where this may lead us because when all is said and done, we regret only the choices we didn't take, not the ones we did and failed at.

Quinlan and Hawk are really great together. They keep each other on their toes. They laugh a lot together, which is awesome. But, most of all, Quinlan offers Hawk someone he can lean on, even if he has a hard time telling her everything that has happened to him. She is someone he aspires to be, I think. It's hard for Hawk to allow others to share his burdens, although there are a lot of people who would be willing to do so. Quinlan has an excellent support system already with her brother Colton, his wife Rylee and her parents. When Hawk draws near to her, I think he realizes he could have them by extension too, and although it freaks him out a bit, it also gives him hope. 

But, I look at her and can't fathom how her independence, her strength could make me weak if this were to continue. The idea, the notion, the possibilities begin to spiral out of control, beg me to question things and beliefs so ingrained in me that I've only ever questioned them in theory.

Quinlan gives Hawk the strength to do things he never had the strength to do before. And this, coupled with the amazing chemistry between these two, make them an unbelievable couple. They are hot and fun and so good for one another. 

 
Hawkin

I keep my eyes fixed on the freeway in front of me as I let the comment resonate, knowing it’s truth despite the constant tumult that burdens me. A part of me sags in relief at her observation, knowing that someone else sees the cracks in my resolve while the other part of me begins to question again.

And the scary thing about questions are they usually result in a revolution of some sort. I’m just not sure if I can withstand an overhaul of principles without it resulting in casualties.

“Am I the reason he’s like this Q? How did this person I’ve been with since conception . . . how can we experience the same tragedy but be so completely different? Did I try too hard, protect him too much, throw him to the wolves when I shouldn’t have and end up proving I’m just like Dad?” I speak the questions floating around in my mind aloud, throw them out there even though I know there’s no way in hell she has the answers.

She does nothing more than reach over and lace her fingers with mine, staying silent, but her unconditional support is deafening. Except even with someone beside you, the quiet has a way of smothering you when you’re left alone with just your thoughts. And of course mine turns to where we are headed right now.


New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author K. Bromberg is that reserved woman sitting in the corner who has you all fooled about the wild child inside of her—the one she lets out every time her fingertips touch the computer keyboard.

K. lives in Southern California with her husband and three children. When she needs a break from the daily chaos of her life, you can most likely find her on the treadmill or with Kindle in hand, devouring the pages of a good, saucy book.

On a whim, K. Bromberg decided to try her hand at this writing thing. Her debut novels, Driven, Fueled, and Crashed of The Driven Trilogy were well received and went on to become multi-platform bestsellers as well as landing on the New York Times and USA Today lists. Her other works include a short story, UnRaveled, and a companion piece to The Driven Trilogy titled Raced. She is currently working on three stand alone Driven novels, Slow Burn, Sweet Ache, and Hard Beat. She also plans to release a novel addressing the 10 year gap at the ending of Crashed in late fall 2015

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