Title: Smoldered
Author: Rachel Blaufeld
Date of Publication: October 16th 2014
About
Smoldered:
Asher Peterson is a self-made man,
owner of the Electric Tunnel, Sin City’s hottest adult entertainment spot.
Brazen and formidable in designer T-shirts and motorcycle boots, he seems
unflappable whether he’s making his rounds through the decadent decor of the
Tunnel, or whipping through the desert heat on his bike. But inside he is a
shattered man, desperate to understand what unconditional love from a woman
feels like.
Hiding the effects of his
emotionally stunted youth behind a gritty persona, and keeping his fractured
soul buried deep while seeking out his baser instincts, Asher is convinced he
is man enough to leave the past in the past. The only clue to his broken soul
is his deep-seated need to provide safety and a good life for emotionally
damaged women within the glamorous walls of his strip club.
Fooling himself that he deserves
little in life, Asher keeps his big heart tightly guarded with everyone but
Sienna Flower, his friend, business partner, and headliner. Until, that is, the
night he runs into his childhood friend, Natalie Parker. While trolling a rival
strip club, perusing their offerings for his own personal pleasure, he collides
with his past. Coming face-to-face with a woman he only knew as a girl, he’s
shaken when he finds the dark-haired beauty in a precarious position. Now all
grown up, she’s a hardened soul who reminds him of where he came from, and
stirs within him the need to protect yet another woman.
Known as Nat to most everyone,
Natalie is a single mom to Quinn. But when she’s under the bright spotlights in
a thong, she’s known as Natasha or Nataleigh Dallas. A girl who once had
everything going for her, she’s now a jaded stripper with only room for her son
in her life, and has erected impenetrable barriers around her heart. The
strength of those walls is challenged the night a man she has known since
childhood steamrolls his way back into her life, flashing those smoky-gray eyes
that have always melted her.
A man she has loved from afar since
she was a young girl, one who lights fire to her walls, burning deeper, setting
everything ablaze––smoldering her.
Asher and Natalie, two people who
are equally tormented by their own demons, set out to rescue each other as
part-time lovers in a torrid, desperate workplace affair. Thinking they can
remain friends while keeping their hearts at a safe distance, they find
themselves at odds when their situation morphs into a messy, tangled mess.
Ripping free of each other proves
impossible as they learn that the very web that connects them goes much deeper
than they ever expected.
iBooks:
http://tinyurl.com/mhrv3qs
Excerpt:
At this point, the moon was waning, the sun about to burst over the horizon, and I began to dread what I would look like in the orange glow of daylight. Not really how I looked, but I feared in the light of day I’d be seen for the traitorous asshole I was.
I wanted to hide in the shadows of the night, to make amends wrapped in the warm glow of the moon and stars against a background of awe, mystery, and suspense. Forgiveness seemed so much more attainable in the shadows, and now brightness was chasing me away, bringing me back to reality where I was meant to live a life without the unconditional support of a woman.
Wasn’t that what my mom taught me?
I was in a mental fight with the sun when I heard Natalie speak.
“This is it, Ash. I’m leaving. I know you came here to try and stop me, but you can’t. You can’t always be my protector, boss, friend, and sometimes lover. It’s all too much.
Together—separate—it doesn’t matter. It’s too consuming. You’re both my salve and my kryptonite, and I have to get out on my own.”
I wanted to roar, but then remembered the sleeping kid behind her slightly ajar door and her neighbors, who more than likely worked hard at getting a good night’s sleep.
And, my pride.
I stood up, kissed her on the cheek, and walked away. The sun was coming, and I wouldn’t, couldn’t, refused to be exposed in the light of day.
I had laid my heart on the line.
I would be damned if I stood with the hot desert rays burning down on me and begged.
I would be damned if I stood with the hot desert rays burning down on me and begged.
About
Rachel Blaufeld:
Rachel Blaufeld is a social
worker/entrepreneur/blogger turned author. Fearless about sharing her opinion,
Rachel captured the ear of stay-at-home and working moms on her blog,
BacknGrooveMom, chronicling her adventures in parenting tweens and inventing a product,
often at the same time. She has also blogged for The Huffington Post, Modern
Mom, and StartupNation.
Turning her focus on her sometimes
wild-and-crazy creative side, it only took Rachel two decades to do exactly
what she wanted to do—write a fiction novel. Now she spends way too many hours
in local coffee shops plotting her ideas. Her tales may all come with a side of
angst and naughtiness, but end lusciously.
Rachel lives around the corner from
her childhood home in Pennsylvania with her family and two dogs. Her obsessions
include running, coffee, icing-filled doughnuts, antiheroes, and mighty fine
epilogues.
Website: https://rachelblaufeld.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8133160.Rachel_Blaufeld
REVIEW:
I found myself liking this book in the series more than the first book (Electrified). I think what did it for me is the fact that Asher and Natalie already have a history, and in my opinion that makes a story a bit more believable. Now don't get me wrong, just because they have a history doesn't mean it's a good one; they've each got their own issues from the past that are heartbreaking and definitely adds to the drama and angst.
You can't help but to fall in love with Asher, despite his troubles and tendencies to want to protect the women in his life, but there is just something about Natalie that really brings out his protective instinct, even if she wants to keep him at arms' length, since her son is her number 1 priority. This book is written so well that you can help but to fall in love with both characters and when you get to the pivotal moment in the story, just be prepared with a couple of tissues :)
Does Asher and Nat have a HEA? You'll just have to read to find out, but I will say that even though this book is part of a series, it doesn't have a cliffhanger (thank the stars!)
RATING
ARC provided in exchange for honest review.
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