Title: My Vicious Demise
(stand-alone sequel)
Author: Shana Vanterpool
Release date: February 23rd
Genre: New-Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Swoon Romance
For twenty-three-year-old Rebecca O'Connor, there’s only one reason to live…her little sister, Raina.
Through years of growing up in an abusive home, Raina and Becca have formed an unbreakable bond…until Raina falls in love and elopes.
For the first time in her life, Becca is on her own. After breaking up with her boyfriend, she is homeless, broke, and she’s losing her grip on her life.
Then she meets James Rush, a shy guy with sharp blue eyes and an invisible lure for her heart…
Becca has always had to be the strong one. But the deeper James pulls her under, the more she wants to succumb to her vicious attraction. The fact that he’s deaf might make him that much more desirable. At least he appreciates beauty.
But James is going nowhere fast…
A twenty-two-year-old college student, James can't shake the feeling his life is dull and uneventful. He may be alive, but he’s not living, as he hides in his introverted shell to protect himself from a past that left him empty, neglected, and abused.
When James meets Becca, their futures are forever altered. She’s a black-haired, tattooed, confident bartender who immediately hexes him with her charm. When he’s with Becca, his past stays in the past.
Caught in each other’s web of safety and desire, it’s only a matter of time before they are confronted with the one task too terrifying to face…
Letting go of the past, and daring to love.
Amazon:
AUS: http://goo.gl/NVswxT
I rang the doorbell and then remembered that James wouldn’t hear me. The door was locked and the inside of the apartment sounded quiet. I sank down with my back to the railing and waited, ignoring the pit in my stomach. I’ve never been more nervous to see a man. I’ve done terrible things to them. I’ve cheated, fought with them, and keyed them—I wasn’t afraid to let a man know how I felt. This one time I wasn’t sure I understood what I felt. James didn’t look like the kind of man who could deal with me.
The door suddenly opened.
Hot fucking damn.
James stood there in only his boxers. His hair was rumpled and sexy and his eyes were narrowed from the sunlight. He covered them with his hand and looked down at me, shielding the sight of his swollen, reddened cheek. As he did so his eyes tightened, suggesting he wasn’t happy to see me sitting there. It comforted me and sickened me. I didn’t expect him to jump for joy at my presence. His reaction was what I wanted. I should be pleased. Not guilty and empty.
The golden sunlight shined off his exposed skin, highlighting his six-pack. Who the hell knew James had a body like that? His was extremely pale and lean. His torso was tall, extending his rippled abs all the way down the length of him. He had a patch of dark brown hair between the indentations in his pelvis and his boxers hung off his hips, giving me a preshow I didn’t mind attending. His arms were abnormally long and stretched tightly with lean muscle. He would look so hot with a tattoo on his side, or maybe one down his chiseled abs. Even his thighs were hot. I wanted to slide his boxers down his legs and take him in my mouth. There was something insanely enticing about a man when you had his cock in your mouth. I lived for being in control of him and knowing he was probably too lost in his own pleasure to even remember his own name because of my tongue. The outline of his penis was evident in the sun. James had a mighty big secret to tell me.
But James didn’t want to tell me a secret. He could barely look at me. He stood back and motioned for me to come inside. I shook off the heat overtaking my body and stood up, tugging my purse and duffle bag in after me. Memories came rushing back of the last time I was here. Raina, falling apart under Kent’s influence, bawling in my arms after Kent broke her. And me trying to save her from our father by stealing here away. I didn’t save her and my father made many promises the same way Kent did. The apartment smelled like cinnamon and coffee. It was still clean and warm. Really, it was worthy of Rain.
James waved me into the hall. I followed at a distance, sliding my hand over the black leather couch. He opened Kent’s door and nodded inside. I had no intention of sleeping in their bed. The idea made my skin crawl. I shook my head at him and he shrugged, closing their door in a way that suggested he didn’t blame me.
He turned around and stared at me long enough to mouth, “The couch?”
I nodded, feeling ill. Do not engage with him. How he felt was no concern of mine. “You mind if I take a shower?” I still smelled like Heath.
He inclined his head toward the bathroom in the hall. He paused, seemed to struggle with himself, and then returned his gaze to mine. “Are you hungry?” he mouthed.
Most men would have told me to kiss their ass after I ignored them the way I ignored James. He was begging me for something last night that I didn’t give him. I’d panicked then and I was panicking now. Becca, please, he’d texted. I need to see you. What happened for him to want me of all people? Was it because Kent was gone? Or was it the same reason why I hugged him in the street? Honestly, this man was a subtle threat. He seemed safe and approachable. But I had a feeling if I got too close he’d force me to get up on my own the same way my father did. One lesson was good enough. I didn’t need two.
“Starved. I can cook if you want.” He looked surprised. I smiled, easing some of the tension between us. At least it eased the tension for me. “Where do you think Rain learned? I’ll shower and then cook. That cool?”
He nodded. This time when he left he didn’t hesitate. I stared at his bedroom door and reminded myself this was the way it was supposed to be.
James accidently meets Becca again when he is feeling low and there is an instant attraction. One undeniable to either one of them. From there things start to fall apart – or maybe they are just falling where they need to and fixing what was broken. Both are holding onto their pasts with both hands, afraid to let go, but together, they may be able to let go and finally move into the future.
LOVED THIS BOOK! It had steam, angst, emotional turmoil, love, regret, and hope. You got hints of James’s not so great life in book one and book expands on that and then some, which allows you to understand him and in the end you also come to understand Becca a bit. James deserved to find someone who can love him, to give him a happily ever after, and while it may not be the stuff of fairy tales, he finally found someone who will accept him for him. 4.5 stars. It is a must read!
Well after My Sweet Demise I was really looking forward to James' story.
This book pulled me under from the first chapter. Two broken people: Becca, Raina's sister and James, Kent's roommate and longtime friend.
Becca is at the end of her rope. She uses men so that they don't get close, and after using the wrong one she finds herself homeless. She also hasn't been speaking to her sister Raina, having felt abandoned by Raina's relationship with Kent. Kent goes out on a limb and tells her to stay at his place while he is away.
Becca and James have an immediate attraction. James mostly keeps to himself. His self esteem is dismal to say the least, seeing his deafness as a hindrance. He deems himself not good enough, well for anything.
Their budding relationship makes them want to be their best selves. And each feels they aren't good enough for each other.
Can the forge forward and make a relationship work?
Go one click this one now!
WOW where to start with this review... Shana Vanterpool you are seriously going to have a fan girl for life with me! I was blown away with the first book in this series My Sweet Demise the story of Kent and Raina and normally when a second book comes out and is about another couple it never adds up to be better than the first book or even as good as the first... but this book WOW I say again really hit the mark. I absolutely loved James's character that was portrayed in MSD but I had no clue he could be so much more. Then you have the girl that was hated in MSD Becca.. never did I think I would actually feel anything but disgust for her character by the way she treated her sister Raina ... but again you proved me wrong and I found myself actually understanding her reasoning for the way she was and she earned back my respect. This book is definitely a must read on all accounts and is a huge 4.5 stars from me!
James and Becca have there own demons they face every day... there pasts are both tainted.. neither know what its like to feel love for anyone beyond the minimal family they have... and neither trust easily... Will they learn to find a way to push past all the barriers to finally know love and loyalty? Or will they both be the vicious demise of each other?
You have to get to one-clickin on this magnificent story. This is only the second book I have read by this author but as I stated above I am totally fan girling :)! Thanks for great roller coaster ride of emotions I went through reading this.. and I look forward to so much more in the future!!!
I thought that I fell in love with Kent and Raina's story in My Sweet Demise by Shana Vanterpool but nothing could have compared to James and Becca in My Vicious Demise! Two people who were completely broken down with an almost self loathing for entirely different reasons are thrown together due to the friends and family that they have in common. It is the recognition of the hurt and pain buried deep inside that can only be recognized by another who has felt the same, that brings this unlikely pair together, while struggling to come to terms with loving someone and being loved by someone. James and Becca's story definitely moved into my favorite of these four and I couldn't stop reading until I found out how it ended for these two!!! This was a 4.5 star read for me and I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this series to everyone!
This book pulled me under from the first chapter. Two broken people: Becca, Raina's sister and James, Kent's roommate and longtime friend.
Becca is at the end of her rope. She uses men so that they don't get close, and after using the wrong one she finds herself homeless. She also hasn't been speaking to her sister Raina, having felt abandoned by Raina's relationship with Kent. Kent goes out on a limb and tells her to stay at his place while he is away.
Becca and James have an immediate attraction. James mostly keeps to himself. His self esteem is dismal to say the least, seeing his deafness as a hindrance. He deems himself not good enough, well for anything.
Their budding relationship makes them want to be their best selves. And each feels they aren't good enough for each other.
Can the forge forward and make a relationship work?
Go one click this one now!
WOW where to start with this review... Shana Vanterpool you are seriously going to have a fan girl for life with me! I was blown away with the first book in this series My Sweet Demise the story of Kent and Raina and normally when a second book comes out and is about another couple it never adds up to be better than the first book or even as good as the first... but this book WOW I say again really hit the mark. I absolutely loved James's character that was portrayed in MSD but I had no clue he could be so much more. Then you have the girl that was hated in MSD Becca.. never did I think I would actually feel anything but disgust for her character by the way she treated her sister Raina ... but again you proved me wrong and I found myself actually understanding her reasoning for the way she was and she earned back my respect. This book is definitely a must read on all accounts and is a huge 4.5 stars from me!
James and Becca have there own demons they face every day... there pasts are both tainted.. neither know what its like to feel love for anyone beyond the minimal family they have... and neither trust easily... Will they learn to find a way to push past all the barriers to finally know love and loyalty? Or will they both be the vicious demise of each other?
You have to get to one-clickin on this magnificent story. This is only the second book I have read by this author but as I stated above I am totally fan girling :)! Thanks for great roller coaster ride of emotions I went through reading this.. and I look forward to so much more in the future!!!
Becca has not spoken to her sister, who she raised and cared for since their parents walked out on them years ago, because of the man she chose to marry. Jumping from man to man and bed to bed, because no man will ever control her or her actions, Becca finds herself alone and afraid for the first time since she can remember. Without Raina to turn to, Becca is lost until she finally reaches out to Kent in a moment of desperation. Offering her a place to stay while they are away on Spring Break, Becca runs into the sexy but quiet James and all bets are off!!
James is the quiet broody friend who is anything but. Being deaf and almost ashamed that he is broken, unwanted and unloved, James begins to fall for Becca in a way that he didn't expect It is only when she proposes a relationship "friends with benefits" that he begins to worry about when, not if, she will leave him because he is so unworthy. When he realizes that Becca is in fact saving him from the loneliness that he has lived within for so long, he begins to open up to her in ways that he hasn't done with any other girl besides his best friends wife Raina.
The circumstances that have brought both Becca and James to a point in their lives where they just yearn to be loved and be dependent on someone else are completely different but heartbreaking all the same. To watch the evolution of these two from individuals, to friends, to lovers all the while trying to understand where the changes are coming from will warm your heart and even bring a tear to your eye. You MUST read this book!
James is the quiet broody friend who is anything but. Being deaf and almost ashamed that he is broken, unwanted and unloved, James begins to fall for Becca in a way that he didn't expect It is only when she proposes a relationship "friends with benefits" that he begins to worry about when, not if, she will leave him because he is so unworthy. When he realizes that Becca is in fact saving him from the loneliness that he has lived within for so long, he begins to open up to her in ways that he hasn't done with any other girl besides his best friends wife Raina.
The circumstances that have brought both Becca and James to a point in their lives where they just yearn to be loved and be dependent on someone else are completely different but heartbreaking all the same. To watch the evolution of these two from individuals, to friends, to lovers all the while trying to understand where the changes are coming from will warm your heart and even bring a tear to your eye. You MUST read this book!
When I walk into a book store I feel at home. When I smell the pages of a brand new book things make sense. When I read I am who I always wanted to be. I read to escape and I write so others can as well. My family, my actress dog Bella, coffee, and a steamy love story are a few of my most precious things. Keep up to date with future releases by following my site: https://shanavanterpoolauthor.wordpress.com
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