I killed, but I escaped hell.
Emotionless. Disconnected. Cold. A mannequin. It’s what I’d become in order to survive the years held in captivity. I was able to endure the abuse and devastating loss as long as I remained detached.
But he wouldn't let me.
Crisis, the bass guitarist in my brother’s rock band, Tear Asunder. He’s cocky, rude, a total man-whore. But the rock star has far more beneath the surface of his inked skin, and he’s determined to make me laugh again.
He made me a "deal", but really, it was blackmail.
His terms were simple. Until his playful honesty became the building blocks to something unexpected. Something strong enough to pull me from the eye of the storm.
Because even though I escaped years of abuse, it didn’t mean I was free.
For mature audiences only.
Shattered by You is written as a standalone, however, it is recommended you read Book 1 and 2 in the Tear Asunder series.
EXCERPT
Haven
Haven
I woke up to my phone buzzing on the nightstand. I rolled over and put the pillow over my head. My leg muscles ached from my run last night, having pushed myself farther and longer than usual. The wind had been strong, trying to unhinge me with each step. I refused to give in. I’d win this fight. I’d kill the monsters. I’d watch them bleed until they no longer lived inside me.
But they did. My last few episodes proved that.
Buzz.
I sighed and tossed the pillow aside.
“Pick up your phone,” Crisis called through the door.
Oh, my God. “What are you doing outside my door?”
“Pick up your phone and find out.” I heard a thump on my door.
I reached over and snagged my phone.
Move it, Ice. We’re taking out the big tractor.
I scrolled.
Don’t ignore me, baby.
Third text.
I made coffee.
Fourth.
Okay, maybe not yet, but I will.
I made coffee.
Fourth.
Okay, maybe not yet, but I will.
Fifth.
I’ll just sit outside your door until you get your ass out here.
I glanced at the time on the screen. Nine. “It’s Sunday. I’m going back to sleep,” I called, then tossed my phone aside and rolled over, tucking the sheet under my chin.
The door burst open and quickly shut again. Crisis leaned against it, his lips pushed together with that familiar crease between his eyes. “Our brother is a fuckin’ Terminator. I swear he has radar in his head that goes off every time I talk to you.”
My eyes narrowed in on him; he was so full of crap. “Crisis. Get out.” My brother wasn’t—
A light knock sounded on the door. “Sis?”
Shit. I sat up, making certain to keep the sheets covering me because I was wearing a pink silk negligee with skimpy spaghetti straps and it barely covered my breasts. Kat had bought it for me when I first came to live with them, along with a drawer full of panties and bras. She said, ‘every girl deserved to have beautiful negligee next to her skin.’ At first, I balked, internally of course, wanting nothing to do with anything sexy. But after a few months feeling the soft silky material on my hands as I pushed them aside in my drawer . . . I tried one of them on.
I’d never had anything but cheap clothes, and the negligee felt nice against my skin. It made me feel . . . good about myself.
Crisis crossed his arms and I couldn’t stop from glancing at his tatted biceps. Then my gaze trailed down his hard muscled body to strong thighs clothed in worn jeans hanging low on his hips.
God, where was my head? It was too early in the morning and I was wavering under the sweet clenching between my legs and the whirl in my belly. He was a rock star, a hot rock star who was always on social media. Triple hard limit.
“Haven? I just saw your door close.”
I cleared my throat and gestured to Crisis to get away from the door before my brother barged in, saw him and jumped to conclusions. He pushed away and came straight for me, his eyes sparking a mischievous glow.
My brother knocked again. “We’re going to brunch today at Georgie and Deck’s. I’d really like you to come.”
Fine. Crisis wanted to play . . . he froze halfway toward the bed when I raised my brows and smiled. He shook his head back and forth and mouthed, “Don’t do it.”
“Yeah, come in,” I yelled.
Crisis dove for the bed, threw the duvet up in the air and landed flat on his stomach, the cover settling over him just as Ream strode in. I lay frozen beneath the covers, my heart racing, and a whoosh of blood charging through my veins. My breath hitched as warm heated air brushed across my bare thigh and goose bumps popped up along my skin.
I’ll just sit outside your door until you get your ass out here.
I glanced at the time on the screen. Nine. “It’s Sunday. I’m going back to sleep,” I called, then tossed my phone aside and rolled over, tucking the sheet under my chin.
The door burst open and quickly shut again. Crisis leaned against it, his lips pushed together with that familiar crease between his eyes. “Our brother is a fuckin’ Terminator. I swear he has radar in his head that goes off every time I talk to you.”
My eyes narrowed in on him; he was so full of crap. “Crisis. Get out.” My brother wasn’t—
A light knock sounded on the door. “Sis?”
Shit. I sat up, making certain to keep the sheets covering me because I was wearing a pink silk negligee with skimpy spaghetti straps and it barely covered my breasts. Kat had bought it for me when I first came to live with them, along with a drawer full of panties and bras. She said, ‘every girl deserved to have beautiful negligee next to her skin.’ At first, I balked, internally of course, wanting nothing to do with anything sexy. But after a few months feeling the soft silky material on my hands as I pushed them aside in my drawer . . . I tried one of them on.
I’d never had anything but cheap clothes, and the negligee felt nice against my skin. It made me feel . . . good about myself.
Crisis crossed his arms and I couldn’t stop from glancing at his tatted biceps. Then my gaze trailed down his hard muscled body to strong thighs clothed in worn jeans hanging low on his hips.
God, where was my head? It was too early in the morning and I was wavering under the sweet clenching between my legs and the whirl in my belly. He was a rock star, a hot rock star who was always on social media. Triple hard limit.
“Haven? I just saw your door close.”
I cleared my throat and gestured to Crisis to get away from the door before my brother barged in, saw him and jumped to conclusions. He pushed away and came straight for me, his eyes sparking a mischievous glow.
My brother knocked again. “We’re going to brunch today at Georgie and Deck’s. I’d really like you to come.”
Fine. Crisis wanted to play . . . he froze halfway toward the bed when I raised my brows and smiled. He shook his head back and forth and mouthed, “Don’t do it.”
“Yeah, come in,” I yelled.
Crisis dove for the bed, threw the duvet up in the air and landed flat on his stomach, the cover settling over him just as Ream strode in. I lay frozen beneath the covers, my heart racing, and a whoosh of blood charging through my veins. My breath hitched as warm heated air brushed across my bare thigh and goose bumps popped up along my skin.
My Review
The previous books in this series were intense and covered some very serious topics and they are not for the fainthearted. Shattered by You is no different.
We met Haven, Ream's twin, in the previous book. She is slowly recovering from the nightmare that she lived through for the past 12 years. She's reunited with her brother and seems to be adjusting to real life, but Vincent Wesson, aka Crisis, the bass player for Tear Asunder and Ream's best friend, is not buying it. The band going back on tour and he doesn't think that leaving Haven alone is a good idea, but she insists that she will be fine. So the two of them strike a deal: She talks to Ream every day and if Crisis texts her, she responds. The first time she doesn't, the band comes home. She agrees and over the next few months, she starts to learn about the real Crisis. What starts as innocent text messages between Haven and Crisis slowly turns into more.
I LOVED Crisis. Despite the fact that he had a reputation as a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy, he became very attached to Haven. He saw right through the front that Haven was putting up. She didn't want her brother to worry about her, so Crisis put himself in the position where he could worry about Haven. But the thing I liked best about him was that he wasn't Crisis with Haven, he was Vincent. He didn't care that he was a famous rock star. He showed up at Haven's school just to have lunch with her. Sat in on her classes with her when he thought she needed him to be there. Taught her how to drive...on a tractor. Went out with her and her friends to a karaoke bar. He wanted to be there for her and if that meant acting like a normal guy, being Vincent instead of Crisis, he did it.
The two of them together made sense. Crisis was very understanding and didn't pressure her to do anything she wasn't ready for. He showed a different side to him when it came to Haven and it surprised some people, but not everyone.
This book isn't just about Haven and Crisis. It's a story about healing. Haven had a lot of obstacles to overcome throughout this book. She suffered horribly while she was away from her brother. She was forced to take drugs, work in a strip club and be a sex slave. To say that she had demons chasing her is an understatement. She refuses to tell Ream what really happened to her because she doesn't want him to feel guilty, but carrying around that burden gets to be too much for her. She does have Crisis to help her through some of the hard times, but to really get over what happened, she needed to open up to Ream. He was carrying his own burden regarding what the last 12 years and he needed to know what really happened to Haven in order to move on.
Have was a tough chick and she had to give up some of that toughness to allow Crisis to help her heal and thankfully she did. It wasn't an immediate thing though and it took a lot to accomplish that. There were plenty of moments when I thought that he would take a step back and potentially give up on her, but thankfully he never did. But by letting others in and help with the healing process, she became an even stronger person.
I love this series and Shattered by You is a gorgeous book and a wonderful addition to the series. If you have read the previous books, this is a must read. If you haven't read them, go back to the beginning and read them. You won't be disappointed.
We met Haven, Ream's twin, in the previous book. She is slowly recovering from the nightmare that she lived through for the past 12 years. She's reunited with her brother and seems to be adjusting to real life, but Vincent Wesson, aka Crisis, the bass player for Tear Asunder and Ream's best friend, is not buying it. The band going back on tour and he doesn't think that leaving Haven alone is a good idea, but she insists that she will be fine. So the two of them strike a deal: She talks to Ream every day and if Crisis texts her, she responds. The first time she doesn't, the band comes home. She agrees and over the next few months, she starts to learn about the real Crisis. What starts as innocent text messages between Haven and Crisis slowly turns into more.
I LOVED Crisis. Despite the fact that he had a reputation as a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy, he became very attached to Haven. He saw right through the front that Haven was putting up. She didn't want her brother to worry about her, so Crisis put himself in the position where he could worry about Haven. But the thing I liked best about him was that he wasn't Crisis with Haven, he was Vincent. He didn't care that he was a famous rock star. He showed up at Haven's school just to have lunch with her. Sat in on her classes with her when he thought she needed him to be there. Taught her how to drive...on a tractor. Went out with her and her friends to a karaoke bar. He wanted to be there for her and if that meant acting like a normal guy, being Vincent instead of Crisis, he did it.
The two of them together made sense. Crisis was very understanding and didn't pressure her to do anything she wasn't ready for. He showed a different side to him when it came to Haven and it surprised some people, but not everyone.
This book isn't just about Haven and Crisis. It's a story about healing. Haven had a lot of obstacles to overcome throughout this book. She suffered horribly while she was away from her brother. She was forced to take drugs, work in a strip club and be a sex slave. To say that she had demons chasing her is an understatement. She refuses to tell Ream what really happened to her because she doesn't want him to feel guilty, but carrying around that burden gets to be too much for her. She does have Crisis to help her through some of the hard times, but to really get over what happened, she needed to open up to Ream. He was carrying his own burden regarding what the last 12 years and he needed to know what really happened to Haven in order to move on.
Have was a tough chick and she had to give up some of that toughness to allow Crisis to help her heal and thankfully she did. It wasn't an immediate thing though and it took a lot to accomplish that. There were plenty of moments when I thought that he would take a step back and potentially give up on her, but thankfully he never did. But by letting others in and help with the healing process, she became an even stronger person.
I love this series and Shattered by You is a gorgeous book and a wonderful addition to the series. If you have read the previous books, this is a must read. If you haven't read them, go back to the beginning and read them. You won't be disappointed.
Haven’t read this series yet?
Grab Books 0.5 - Two in the
Tear Asunder Box Set
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1GjFMt1
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1RIiKhe
Nook: http://bit.ly/1AMtVkA
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Qo3kwg
iBooks: http://apple.co/1KLtuuh
Nashoda Rose is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Toronto with her assortment of pets. She writes contemporary romance with a splash of darkness, or maybe it’s a tidal wave.
When she isn't writing, she can be found sitting in a field reading with her dogs at her side while her horses graze nearby. She loves interacting with her readers and chatting about her addiction—books.
No comments:
Post a Comment