Caged In Winter

By Brighton Walsh

Genre: New Adult

Synopsis

In this emotional and sexy New Adult debut from Brighton Walsh, the only thing more frightening than commitment is hope…

Aspiring chef Cade Maxwell is immediately, viscerally attracted to Winter Jacobson. But it’s not her mouthwatering curves he’s drawn to—it’s the strange emptiness in her eyes. When Cade saves her from a drunken customer with grabby hands, he’s shocked at her response…

Winter doesn’t need Cade’s help. After a lifetime of getting by on her own, she’s happy to rely on herself. She’s exactly seventy-six days away from graduating college, and if she can hold it together that long, she’ll finally be able to rise above the crappy hand she was dealt.

But now, every time she turns around, Cade is there, ready to push her, smile at her, distract her from her plans. Winter knows she can’t afford to open up—especially to a man she’s terrified to actually want…

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Michel’s Review

Caged In Winter is an outstanding debut in the New Adult series Caged In Winter.  It has the emotional angst that fans of this genre love.

Winter Jacobson has been on her own all her life.  She has been shuffled from one foster home to another.  She has never felt like she belonged anywhere.  She never felt loved.  Once she became a legal adult she vowed that she would always control her life.  She would never take another handout, she would never depend on anyone but herself, and she would never allow herself to care for others.  That kind of attitude and life is very depressing and lonely.  Winter doesn’t realize what she has dedicated her life to becoming until it is almost too late.  The lessons she will learn and love she receives will change her outlook on life and make her a better person.

Winter has been struggling to maintain a crappy full time job as a waitress, a full time academic schedule, and trying to keep a roof over her head.  When she meets Cade Maxwell , she resents that he has stepped in to help her out of a sticky situation at work.  She feels that she could of controlled the situation herself.  Little does she realize is that she has sparked Cade’s attention for various different reason’s.  Her rejection and nasty attitude towards Cade makes him more determined to break down her walls.

Winter will struggle to hang onto her old mantra.  Cade’s charm and dependability will crumble her walls one brick at a time.

Just as things are beginning to look bright for the both of them, Cade’s overprotective nature and Winter’s unreasonable need for independence will collide.  Winter’s choices may tear both of them apart. Can she let go and accept all that Cade has to offer or will she let the only dependable person she has ever known slip through the cracks.

I thoroughly enjoyed Caged In Winter.  Cade was a genuinely nice guy that was easy to love.  At times I got annoyed with Winter’s selfishness and stubborn attitude, but overall I understood her reasons.  I would of liked this book to have a little hotter love scenes so that the reader could fully grasp the sexual chemistry between Winter and Cage.  I also would of liked more scenes where Cade truly made Winter smile.  We read about it but didn’t really experience the moments.  Otherwise it was a very good book.

I would highly recommend Caged In Winter.  I am looking forward to the next book in this series that is coming in 2015.  Keep an eye out for Tessa Ever After in March 2015.  The characters in this book are full of life and character.

Author Bio:

Brighton Walsh spent nearly a decade as a professional photographer before deciding to take her storytelling in a different direction and reconnect with writing. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and two children.

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Pull

Sequel to Push

Release Date: November 6, 2014

By Claire Wallis

Synopsis

***PULL is the continuation of Claire Wallis’ sharp and shocking debut novel, PUSH. It is the second book in the series and is not intended to be a standalone.***

“It is impossible for someone like me—someone with a sin-list capable of wrapping itself around the world—to find redemption. To be repaired.”

David Calgaro has secrets, and the only woman he’s ever loved is about to pay the ultimate price to protect them. He’s spent a lifetime searching for purpose and control. And the only place he’s managed to find them is in a single, perfect moment; a moment in which he has absolute control over someone else’s life.

David is unredeemable, unfixable, unsalvageable. But Emma Searfoss has forced a tiny sliver of hope to penetrate his soul. Hope that, even though redemption is impossible, maybe life isn’t. Maybe he isn’t who he thought he was. Maybe he’s meant to be more.

This is a new adult novel with mature content for readers 17 and up.

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Michel’s Review

It is no secret that Push by Claire Wallis has been my favorite book of 2014.  This psychological thriller / new adult romance had me speechless.  Push was unpredictable, dark, somewhat crazy, and shocking.  At the same time, it delivered a unique romance that was very emotional and very sensual.  The characters were in a class by themselves.  On one hand I absolutely loved the leading (anti) hero, David.  David was super sexy, full of charm, and possessed all the bad boy traits women love.  He treated Emma like gold.  But as the story unfolded and revelations were made, David turned out to have a monster hiding under the surface.  How could I love this kind of monstrosity.  The things he did were horrific and unforgivable.  Somehow, after all the revelations, after all the peeks into David’s soul, I still loved him.  I knew there was no hope for the redemption of his deeds and dark soul.  I knew there was no way that this monster could change his traits.  I still had hope.  I wanted him to find his happily ever after.  I wanted him to have the love that Emma gave him without remorse or regret.  But how could this happen?  The way Push ended on a major cliffhanger that clearly showed David was beyond redemption.  Where could this story go?

I fretted over Push for more than five months.  I stalked Claire Wallis on all the social media.  I was anxious for the next book.  When the release date for Pull was announced, I marked my calendar.  I pre-ordered the book as soon as it was available.  I had a coronary when Claire sent me an ARC copy to review.  I downloaded the book and devoured it.  I wanted to shout out to the world that I finally knew what happened.  I wanted to talk to other readers about it.  But I was sworn to secrecy until this book released.  Well…now I can tell you all about this book! Well sort of, I don’t want to give away any spoilers.  I won’t ruin the reading experience for others.

Pull picks right up where Push left off.  David is on the bridge.  What happens after that is mind blowing.  David managed to redeem himself in the very last minute.  Emma’s complete trust and faith in him was the very thing that redeemed his soul.

As the rest of the story unfolds the reader will get a complete insight on who David really is.  The reader will understand how he became the monster he was.  The reader  will cry for the life he had to endure.  The reader will rejoice in the love he has found with Emma.  The reader will be amazed at the way this love changed him.  The reader will feel validated that they loved this man.

Pull was the perfect sequel to Push.  The ending was PERFECTION.  When I finished the book, I only had one thought.  My one thought was that this ending was the only ending there could be.  I was happy that David and Emma found the unpredictable happily ever after they deserved.

Claire Wallis is a brilliant writer.  Once again she wrote this story in an unique way. There is only one prologue in this book from Emma’s POV.  The body of the story is written in third person from David’s perspective. The reader gets insight from David in the past to David present day.  The glimpses of Emma are through David’s eyes and reactions. Again throughout the story there are chapters written from first person POV.  It is the same scenes from Push that was written in a secondary characters POV’s.  These scenes are written from David’s POV.  The reader gets a complete understanding of what was happening in those crucial moments from the monster’s perspective. The ending only has one epilogue and it is from Emma’s POV.  One would think that writing these books in this manner would make it discombobulated and choppy.  Not so.  Each passage is meticulously plotted to add to the suspense and outcome of the story.  Each word is specifically chosen to draw the reader deeper into the characters lives and actions.  The character development is phenomenal.  The story flow is precise and flawless.  The plot is beyond description.

Claire Wallis wrote a story that is motion picture worthy.  I can easily see these books on the big screen with viewers sitting on the edge of their seats.  I would probably be choking on my popcorn and blowing coke out my nose in the climatic moments.

Claire Wallis has hands down won my 2014 favorite writer and 2014 favorite books recommendations.  She has blown me away with her superior writing.

Read Push and Pull by Claire Wallis.  It is a reading experience that won’t be forgotten!

Push

Book 1

By Claire Wallis

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Synopsis

I feel like I am wrapped in a cyclone. Everything is whirling around me, drawing the air out of my lungs and filling me with the best kind of turmoil. Every time his tongue slides against mine, a prickle in my gut tells me how right we are together. How much I need David. How much I need us.

I hope the cyclone never stops.

Emma Searfoss has spent a lifetime trying to escape her abusive stepfather. It’s why she moved far away from home. It’s why she’s kept no ties with her remaining family. And it’s why she’s got a major rage problem. When her neighbor shows up to fix the kitchen in her new apartment, his enigmatic charm calms the fire in her. David is cool and collected, and he makes Emma feel safe for the first time ever. But David has his own chilling past—his six previous girlfriends have all disappeared without a trace. Emma’s walking a dangerous line, but David’s pull is intoxicating. And impossible to resist…

Author Bio:

Enamored with the process of creating messy characters filled with imperfections and wicked inclinations, Claire believes that you don’t actually have to like a character to fall in love with them – a good story, after all, is best served with a hearty side of evil (just ask Disney). Claire’s first New Adult novel, Push, was released by MIRA Books on May 1st 2014. The story speaks to her appreciation of enigmatic male characters, perfectly capable of charming themselves straight into your unwilling heart. She enjoys writing about characters that are, at any given moment, both loathed and loved. You know, the ones that refuse to be forgotten.

Claire Wallis has penned hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles over the last ten years, with science playing the lead role in almost all of them. Though non-fiction writing will forever be her first love, fiction has unexpectedly swooped in, hooked her by the soul, and become her true love. As a result of this coup d’état, Claire’s writing career has made a complete U-turn, and instead of rocks, plants, insects, and microbes, she is now putting human characters in the lead.

Claire’s previous jobs include working at a limestone quarry, hawking vegetables at a farmer’s market, clerking at the dollar store, and convincing new mothers that they need to renew their subscription to that parenting magazine in order for their child to survive. She lives in Pennsylvania with her amazingly awesome husband and son.

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Giveaway:

Ebook Copy of Push

Ebook Copy of Pull 

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