Riptide
Author: Amber Lea Easton
Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand
Length: 98,000 words
Genres: Contemporary Romantic Suspense (Adventure)
Heat Level: Steamy
BLURB:
One violent night shatters Lauren
Biltmore’s life. As an anchorwoman, she's accustomed to reporting the news
rather than being the lead story. She escapes the spotlight by fleeing to
her brother's home in the Cayman Islands. Haunted by nightmares, all she wants
is a distraction from reality.
Distraction arrives via sexy
screenwriter, Noah Reynolds. His take-me-to-bed looks mask a past ripe with
scandal. He knows he should stay away from Lauren, especially when the worst
night of her life unlocks his writer's block and while he's dealing with a
stalker of his own, but ethics are his weakness.
Attraction sizzles beneath Caribbean
sunshine. As their relationship grows, Noah's stalker intensifies her torment.
Lauren wonders if her paranoia is justified or a carryover from her past.
What's real? What's imagined? Tentative trust is tested as their love is
swept up against a riptide of deceit, murder, and revenge.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
I have read a lot of book reviewers commenting on how hard
it was each night as the hour got darker to put Easton’s novel down. I cannot
tell you how true this statement is. Not only do you have a hard time putting
the book down (thinking only one more chapter before bed) with each turn of the
page, you are thrown into a dark, hair-raising, turbulent, body aching,
emotional rollercoaster ride. The characters are powerful…all of them, major to
minor. You understand why they do, say and act. They are the story and the plot
is only there to support them. One of the best character driven novels I’ve
read.
Okay, I know what about the romantic aspects of the novel.
It’s steamy. Really STEAMY in fact at times. I truly could feel the passion,
wanted it myself, craved it! Many sexual scenes between Lauren and Noah reminded
me of my college years, how it was between my husband and me ten years ago. It
made me want to recapture those moments again…and I’ll just leave it there for
now.
I will say this, Easton’s novel is sure to capture those who
never thought about picking up a romance novel. Trust me; I’m one to pick up a
sci-fi or fantasy novel before a romance when looking for a book to read. Not
now, if I see Easton is the author. You not only get romance, but you also get
adventure, suspense, tension…and much…much more.
EXCERPT:
He
toweled himself off, his thoughts centered around Lauren and their last date.
It hadn’t exactly gone as planned given the dead guy face down amidst the fish.
Not that he’d helped the situation with his not-so-smooth-moves-on-the-beach
later. The past two days had given him perspective. He wanted her. Right
or wrong, mistake or not, he needed to see where this could go. He couldn’t get
her out of his mind. Maybe tonight he’d get another chance if he could track
her down.
“Noah.”
Lauren cleared her throat from where she stood outside the open bathroom door.
She leaned against the wall in a Caribbean blue tank dress that hugged her body
in all the right places, legs exposed from mid-thigh down, ankles crossed, long
hair glistening over lightly tanned shoulders, gaze averted to the floor and
smile playing across lips he desperately wanted against his skin. “Sorry to
barge in. You left the deck door wide open.”
“No
problem.” He cinched the towel around his waist and wondered exactly how long
she’d been standing there. The thought of her watching him shower and dry off
did crazy things to his nervous system. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Erin
told me.” She leaned her head back against the wall and dragged her gaze from
his toes upward. “Heard you were on private charter for the past few days.”
He
leaned his shoulder against the doorframe and let her gaze soak him up. He
liked the way she looked at him as if he were dessert.
“About
the other night...I’m sorry. Can I make it up to you? Dinner tonight?
Etcetera?” he asked.
She
caught her lower lip between her teeth, gaze lingering on his chest. “Are you
sure this time? No running away when things get hot?”
Electricity
zapped in the three feet separating them.
Damn, the woman did insane things to his
rational thinking. He’d decided on the boat that he needed to see her, make
things right, take it slow, get tangled up in some strings. Seeing her live and
in person threw common sense out the window.
“I
can’t decide if you’re hotter when wet or dry...I’m thinking it might be a
tie,” she said.
Oh,
what the hell. With an opener like that, how could a man resist? He crossed the
space between them, slipped his hand behind her neck, and kissed her on that
mouth he’d been fantasizing about all week.
Her
hands slid over his damp chest while her mouth moved slowly beneath his, her
teeth lightly catching his lower lip. Eyes open, they smiled against each
other’s mouths.
“Miss
me?” he asked.
“It
would be very uncool of me to answer that.” She slid her hands over his abdomen
and lingered on the towel. “Are you still wanting to back off, or have you come
to your senses?”
He
braced his hands over her head. The only thing he wanted to do was kiss her
slowly and make her beg for more. He looked into her eyes. “You’re making me
forget all of the reasons this is a mistake.”
“A
sexy mistake.” Her fingers touched his chest in a featherlike caress. She
licked her lips.
“Good
point.” He smiled. “We’re headed into the danger zone.”
“You
have no idea how dangerous.” She tugged on the towel, a wicked grin in her
eyes.
Oh,
he had an idea about the level of danger. He’d thought of nothing else for the
past forty-eight hours and ranked this situation a solid Level Red. Despite
that, all he could think about was how good it would feel to have her long legs
wrapped around his hips while her nails clawed against his back. He needed to
pull the emergency brake. Slow, he reminded himself. Slow.
He
leaned against her, enjoying the way her body arched toward his like a magnetic
pull. He tangled his fingers in the hair at the back of her neck. “What do you
want, Lauren? After the other night, you know I’m more complicated than I
seem.”
Her
gaze flicked up to his. “I know what I’m doing.”
“You
have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”
“Show
me. Let’s make some mistakes together. We’re both consenting adults. What the
hell?” she whispered, her teeth pulling at his lower lip.
“You’re
reckless.”
“Does
that scare you?” she asked.
He
paused a fraction over her lips and looked into her eyes. Yeah, she was scary
reckless, but that turned him on more than he could say. So what if she wanted
to use him for a distraction from her own demons? He knew that had something to
do with it—the woman oozed intensity.
Her
mouth widened, taking his like a woman starving for the taste of him. Ravenous.
Her fingers fisted in the back of his hair. Her bare foot slid up the outside
of his leg. Tongues clashed in a passionate dance that left no doubt about
mutual desire.
He
pressed her against the wall, uncaring about the slipping of the towel down his
hips. This woman made him want more than he had dared want in years. His hands
roamed up her sides, thumbs caressing the outline of her breasts. Closer. He
couldn’t get close enough.
She pressed her hips against his.
“Five days ago I didn’t think I’d feel any emotion ever again. Now here I am
making out with you. Insane.”
“A
little bit of crazy is good for a person.” He wrapped his hands in her hair,
holding her face close to him. “What do you feel now?”
“You.
I feel you.”
“You
say all the right things,” he said against her mouth. His skin rippled beneath
her touch. He couldn’t explain his reaction to her...he felt like an addict in
desperate need of a fix.
BOOK
TRAILER:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published
fiction and nonfiction author. For twenty years, she's worked in the fields of
journalism and advertising with a brief detour into the financial industry. Although she holds a
BA in Communications & Journalism, she is a perpetual student of life who
enjoys taking courses on a wide variety of subjects when time allows. Smart is sexy, according to Easton, which is why she writes
about strong female characters who have their flaws and challenges, but who
ultimately persevere.
Easton currently lives with her two
teenagers in the Colorado Rocky Mountains where she gives thanks daily for the
gorgeous view outside her window. She finds inspiration from traveling, the
people she meets, nature and life’s twists and turns. At the end of the day, as
long as she's writing, she considers herself to be simply "a lucky lady
liv'n the dream."
Visit
Amber at:
Website - http://www.amberleaeaston.com
Twitter - @MtnMoxieGirl
You can find out more about Amber Lea Easton, Riptide and
her World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/a2azncg
To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com