September 17, 2015

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: Sweet Temptation (The Sweet Trilogy #4)

I am so excited to help celebrate the release of the final book in Wendy Higgins' Sweet Triology, SWEET TEMPTATION. This book is a tall drink of water - oh wait. That's Kaiden Rowe. The star of this show, and the object of my affection. Just... keep reading. You'll see why.

Sweet Temptation (The Sweet Trilogy #4), by Wendy Higgins
Publish Date: September 8, 2015
Publisher: Harper Teen
Format:
paperback, provided by the publisher
Genre:
young adult paranormal romance
To Buy:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes. As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father’s ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry. Disobeying his father would mean certain death. Thankfully for Kaidan, he’s good at his job. And he enjoys it.

Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve.

Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons’ oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.

Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.

Sweet Temptation takes the three stories we're already familiar with, told from Anna's POV in Sweet Evil, Sweet Peril and Sweet Redemption, and turns them around to give us a chance to get inside Kaiden's head for a change. Sweet Temptation is not just a retelling. If you'll recall, there are a lot of times in the series - especially in the first two books - where Anna and Kai are apart. We finally find out what Kai was doing, how he was feeling and what he was thinking. And, I have to say - I was surprised. 

The Kai that he showed Anna and the other Nephs is not the same Kai we got to see as we took a trip inside his beautiful head. We got to hear his internal monologue the very first time he saw Anna, when he realized she was a Neph, and just couldn't believe she didn't know it. Even then, he was absolutely fascinated by her. 

I remember when Wendy put out the call on social media for fans' favorite scenes from the series that we would want to see flip flopped. I saw tons of responses, and even submitted my own. Most of them were requests to see the scenes you would expect - the road trip hotel room from Sweet Evil, the angel infiltration at the summit in Sweet Evil, the night of reconnection in Sweet Peril, the wedding and wedding night from Sweet Reckoning. I had requested seeing the New Years Eve party from Sweet Evil when Anna first "worked" and had to put up with watching Kai do the same. 

All those scenes and so many more were there. And, seeing these scenes unfold from Kai's POV was incredibly satisfying. I was especially surprised by what was going on with him during the road trip he took with Anna. He was so tortured the entire way. He wanted her so badly, and at this point, Kai was not used to denying his baser urges. 

Kai was gone for most of Sweet Peril while Anna and Kope started building their army of Neph. While Anna was pining for him and admiring Kope's muscles, Kaiden was doing his best to forget the woman he suspects he loves, all while avoiding his dad and trying really hard to not work. Kai was absolutely miserable. But, then, we know that Anna was also equally miserable, so it all evens out. 

And then in Sweet Reckoning is when all the "big" stuff happens - the wedding, the showdown, the epilogue. For some reason, it seemed like all these scenes were even bigger and more colorful when seen through Kai's eyes. 

I think the best part about Sweet Temptation was that it really did feel like I was reading a new book. Sometimes retellings feel like the same book just slightly repackaged. I don't think I need to tell you that Kai's head is a very different place to be than Anna's. Wendy warns you about it in the forward of the book. His head is darker, lustier, naughtier - all good things in my book. There is more language and slightly more sex, which pushes this into the upper YA category. 

Sweet Temptation is a big book at 475 pages, but it still went so fast. Kai was more endearing, more amazing and more... sweet... than I ever thought before.  

Read The Rest of the Sweet Trilogy:


Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1):  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Sweet Peril (The Sweet Trilogy #2): Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Sweet Reckoning (The Sweet Trilogy #3): Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Check out the rest of the tour stops:

 
After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, I taught high school English until becoming a mommy. I've always had a heart for teens, and writing YA stories gives me the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal years before adulthood.

I live in Virginia with my husband, daughter, son and doggie Rue.

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2 comments:

Mandy said...

I can't wait to read Sweet Temptation!

Betul E. said...

This series sounds so good! Looking forward to reading it