Title: The Thrill of It (No Regrets Book #1)
Author: Lauren Blakely
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 21, 2013
A new adult story of Love. Sex. Addiction. Blackmail. And Power…
Some say love can be an addiction. Others say it’s the thing that makes life worth living. Let me tell you everything I know about love…Love isn’t patient, love isn’t kind. Love is a game, a chase. A thrill. Love is wild and war-like, and every man and woman must fight for themselves. At least that’s how it was for me. A high-priced virgin call girl by the time I started college, I was addicted to love and to sex. Even though I’ve never had either. I controlled love, played it, and held the world in the palm of my hands. Then I fell down from those highs, and I’m being blackmailed for all my mistakes, forced to keep secrets from everyone, except the only guy I don’t regret.
Trey…
With all the other women, I knew what they were. They were temporary. They were pills, they were bottles, they took away all the pain, and numbed the awful memories that wore down my ragged, wasted heart. Until I met Harley. She’s the only girl I ever missed when she walked away. But now she’s back in my life, every day, and there are no guarantees for us, especially since I don’t know how to tell her my secrets. What happened to my family. All I know is she’s the closest I’ve ever come to something real, and I want to feel every second of it.
How can you love with no regrets when regret is all you know?
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Make sure you check out the FREE prequel novella to The Thrill of It…you can read it before or after (I recommend after) and hear all about that one night that started it all!
Title: The Start of Us (No Regrets Book #0.5)
Author: Lauren Blakely
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 25, 2013
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A new adult story of First Times. Last Times. Connections. And No Regrets…
I only wanted a tattoo. A mark on my body to remind me of who I used to be. Something to hold onto when I started my penance for all the things I’d done wrong, the bad choices I’d made by the time I turned nineteen. Instead, I found a night of possibility, of truth, of hope for the future. And the most intense physical connection I’ve ever had.
The only one I’ve ever had, and one I will never forget.
Trey…
When she walked into my tattoo shop, I knew she was like me. Harley had secrets. She had a messed-up past, and things she wanted to run from, or forget ever happened. I couldn’t let her go. So we agreed on one night – to spend it together wandering around the city, getting to know each other, the clock ticking because we knew tomorrow would bring an end to the possibility of an us.
Unless tonight was only the start.
How can one night be the start of something when tomorrow it has to end?
Check out what happened when I sat down with Harley and Trey.
Any excuse to get back to New York is a good excuse in my book, and meeting with Harley and Trey is one of the best excuses ever. I fell hard for these two. They’re flawed, beautiful, emotionally captivating people that are just so easy to love. I’m so excited to just sit down and chat with them and find out what makes them tick. I arrive at the coffee shop we scheduled to meet at and step into the dimly lit space. There, towards the back in a booth sit my lovely couple. Harley is tucked in tight to Trey’s side and he must be telling her something fantastic because the look of joy and happiness radiates from her. She busts out laughing at whatever he says last, just as I arrive at the booth. They both bounce up to greet me and I play catch up with them. There’s so much I want to know, but can’t ask…so I’ll behave (for once!).
Lisa: “I can’t thank you both enough for doing this interview.”
Trey: “It’s no trouble.”
Harley: “We love doing interviews – they’re fun!”
Lisa: “Alright, well I still appreciate it very much. So I won’t tie you up for too long. Harley, I always do ladies first – you ready?”
Harley: “Yup!”
Lisa: “Well…let’s get the not so fun questions out of the way first…have you seen or talked to your mom since you last saw her? Do you think there is any hope for a relationship with her?”
Harley: “She’s been calling and texting me all the time. But I don’t have anything to say to her. As for the future, I would never discount the possibility because I like to think I’m living proof that people can change, but she’d have to change significantly. Maybe get a personality transplant even.”
Lisa: “That’s actually not a half bad idea. So, you seem to enjoy your newly revamped tattoo – plans to get any more? Especially what happened after Trey was done! 😉 Just sayin’…”
A bright smile curves her lips.
Harley: “I love my new ink! I can’t stop looking at it. And I love it when Trey inks me so yes, I definitely have a few more in mind.”
Lisa: “Nice! Good to hear. Summarize Trey in one sentence.”
Harley: “He is my best friend, my love, my rock, my hope.”
Lisa: “Aww…very good sentence. Alright…now, just go with me on this one – while…a little twisted and unusual…do you think your relationship with Cam was the closest thing to having a father/daughter relationship that you’ve had?”
Harley: “Yeah, pretty weird, huh? He certainly treated me better than my real dad. Considering I NEVER hear from him. Or his parents for that matter, which is pretty strange too since they promised they’d stay in touch with me. But Cam was there for me in a way no one else ever was.”
Lisa: “Well, you may not have had the healthiest relationship but at least you had someone. What’s the hardest lesson you’ve learned so far?”
Harley purses her lips, I might have stumped her with this one.
Harley: “All of them??? Or really this one – keeping secrets from everybody never works.”
Lisa: “Oooh…I wasn’t expecting that one! I’m impressed. Alright Trey, are you ready to impress me?”
Trey gives me a devious grin and a wink.
Trey: “Sure, why not.”
Lisa: “Fabulous – did Kristen ever thank you?” 🙂
Trey: “Yeah, she baked me cookies, and let me tell you, that girl can bake! She also doesn’t hassle me anymore when I take her beer, so yeah, that’s cool.”
Lisa: “Wow…never would have expected that from her. What’s your favorite thing about tattooing? Favorite tattoo you have on your body? And I’ll ask you the same thing I asked Harley…any plans for more?”
Trey: “What I like best is that tattoos usually matter to people. They get them because they’re important to them; they represent something. As for me, my favorite tats on me are the birds on my chest. And hell yeah – I’m getting more! I don’t ever see stopping.”
Lisa: “Awesome. Summarize Harley in one sentence.”
Trey: “Harley is the first, the last, the only.”
Excuse me while I swoon.
Lisa: “Have you seen or heard from your parents since you last went to their apartment?”
Trey: “Yeah, I still see them every week. They’re good at pretending that night never happened. Whatever. They want to meet Harley though.”
Lisa: “Hmm…well the pretending, not so good – but I’m glad they want to meet Harley. Okay…I know you like Harley in her t-shirts, jeans and converse – but does she ever bust out the Mary Jane’s and skirts for you?” 😉
Trey: “Hell no! She knows better than to do that for me! But she has other looks I like; and those are just for me.”
Whoops…touchy subject. Need to learn what I can and cannot joke about with Trey.
Lisa: “Now comes the fun stuff – together questions! What are your favorite five things about each other? (physical, non-physical, whatever!)”
Harley gazes over at Trey.
Harley: “His heart, his love, his passion, his kisses, his tattoos and what they mean.”
Trey: “She’s brave, strong, hot, sweet and mine.”
His last favorite thing earns him a kiss from Harley.
Lisa: “Deepest regret?
Harley: “Nothing. Gotta live with no regrets
Trey: “What she said.
Lisa: “Good way of thinking. Favorite memory together?”
Harley: “All of them! Especially the ones yet to come. But if I had to choose, I’d say then night he fixed my tattoo.”
Lisa: “Worst flaw?”
Trey: “I’m impulsive, especially when insecure.”
Harley: “I shut down when I feel unloved.”
Lisa: “Most annoying pet peeve?”
Harley: “When people cut their nails in public places.”
Harley scrunches her noise up – umm…yeah, totally agree with her – that’s nasty!
Lisa: “Gross! Biggest fear?”
Trey: “Losing someone I love.”
Harley squeeze Trey’s hand.
Lisa: “Very understandable. Where do you see yourselves in five years?”
Harley: “Together.”
Trey: “Always.”
Harley: “Anywhere.”
They are just so swoon-tastic…I can’t get enough.
Lisa: “Let’s play a little game of either/or…Chocolate or Vanilla?”
Both: “Chocolate!”
Lisa: “Hard or Soft?”
Harley: “Soft, but hard works too” 🙂
She gives Trey a saucy little smile and he pulls her close to whisper in her ear until she blushes. Nice!
Lisa: “Go out or Stay in?”
Harley: “Both.”
Lisa: “Drawing or Writing?” 😛
Trey: “Drawing, of course!”
Surprise, Surprise!
Lisa: “Books or Movies?”
Harley: “Need both like air or water!”
Lisa: “Alright…I can accept that answer, I guess. Kristen or Jordan?”
Trey: “No fair! We both need them both.”
Lisa: “Fast or Slow?”
Trey: “How about just all night long?”
Lisa: “That’ll work too…”
Except now I’m singing the song in my head and I have a strong case of déjà vu.
Lisa: “Soda or Tea?”
Trey: “Neither. Beer is good.”
Harley: “As long as it’s caffeinated I’ll take it.”
Lisa: “Loud or Quiet?”
Harley: “I’m learning to like loud, but quiet is my natural setting.”
Lisa: “Okay, last set of questions – rapid fire! Tell me the first thing that comes to mind…Addiction?”
Harley: “Ruled my life.”
Lisa: “Parents?”
Trey: “Plastic.”
Lisa: “Tattoo’s?”
Trey: “Truth.”
Lisa: “Slut?”
Harley: “It’s a bad word.”
Lisa: “Forgiveness?”
Both: “All the time.”
Lisa: “Trust?”
Harley: “What we have”
Trey: “One of the best parts of us.”
Lisa: “Love?”
Harley: “The Ugly Beautiful.”
Lisa: “OMG you guys, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to meet with me, I really appreciate it.”
Harley: “Of course!”
Trey: “Anytime.”
I give them both quick hugs and we say our goodbyes, they have a dinner to get to with Kristen and Jordan and I’ve got a flight to catch!
The Thrill of It by Lauren Blakely
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*
4.5 ‘red ribbon’ ‘the arrow’ ‘The ugly beautiful.’ Kisses
Wow…Lauren Blakely just went a little…different on me. And I liked it! A lot. Lauren has absolutely mastered the funny, sweet, hot romances – The Thrill of It is not that kind of book. While it has funny, sweet and hot moments…it’s a relatively deep and intense book, more than normal. It’s a very good and welcome change for me, I’m excited to see this side of Lauren’s writing and I was completely sucked into everything that was Harley and Trey.
Harley Coleman…or is it Layla? It’s hard to see the real Harley behind the mask, the flawless persona that she presents at all times. She’s gorgeous…blond hair, brown eyes, killer body…perfection, always. That’s the way she was raised, the way she was groomed…by her mother who acts more like her sister than a parent. But don’t worry…I’ll talk about her later. Harley is…a mess. Deep down, she is not a bad girl at all, she may not have the straightest of moral compasses, but…that goes back to her mother IMO. She does have a good heart…you just can’t really see it for all the lies and deceit. She plays different roles to so many people, it’s hard to find the real Harley! She’s a completely different person with Barb (her mom), Kristen (her childhood friend), Cam (her pimp)…but one boy does. In one night, he’s able to see through everything and truly gets Harley. And for the first time ever, she wants it.
‘Love isn’t a quilt. Love isn’t patient, love isn’t kind. Love is a game, a chase, a thrill. Love is wild and war-like, and ever man and woman for himself.
I can play the game.
I can control it.
I need to feel in control. I need to hold the world in the palm of my hands, my world, my life, and be the one who sets it in motion. The only one. I’m not controlled. I control.’
Trey Westin…oh my poor fragile Trey. He is the big, bad, intimidating force that has a huge heart and doesn’t know what to do with the feelings he’s been forced to keep tied up tight for years. Forced to ignore and forget. His past is sad, heartbreaking…and only made more difficult by the way his parents handle it. So what does Trey do…replace the negative feelings with good ones – is there any better way to do that then with sex? Now…that’s kind of where it gets sticky, and he’s got a scar on his right cheek as a permanent reminder of his mistakes and the penance for his actions. But honestly…that scar only makes him sexier, the imperfections that make him so perfect…and Trey is pretty damn sexy to begin with (I just hate how/why he got it). Trey is cautious and guarded, which similar to Harley, is partially due to his parents. He’s never been able to open himself up and feel accepted, so the results shouldn’t be surprising, but it’s definitely painful…because the potential is there, especially when a beautiful blonde girl sees all that he has to offer and brings out the best in him.
‘I gasp quietly as his fingertips reach my bare skin.
“But there’s this other girl and I remember everything about her,” he says, and in an instant, all I see, all I feel are his words. They have their own heartbeat and pulse, a living being, surrounding me.
He traces lazy fingers across my stomach, and I want this feeling to last forever because it’s so out-of-this-world intense. I swear my body is sliding into another plane of existence, some realm of pleasure I’ve never allowed before, as feelings spill over – want, desire, fear all wrapped up in a messy package, without a bow.’
Oh I am such a sucker for the broken souls in this world. And oh boy…Harley and Trey are some fabulously broken souls – I know that sounds weird, but work with me on this. I cannot tell you how perfect they are for each other…both addicts to love in different forms. She’s the virgin call girl and he’s the guy who sleeps with married women. She’s going to SLAA (Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous) because she’s being blackmailed…he’s going because…well, he has to do something to change his life. He does her red ribbon tattoo, the permanent mark to remind Harley why she is making this change…and he can’t stay away from the beautiful blonde that only makes him want to know more – I just can’t explain it but their story captured me. Their connection, their chance meeting – that happened twice, their friendship and bond that they formed and developed…their longing, their desire, their battles. They had so much to deal with personally and so much that they shared together. Harley was so open with Trey and I loved that. I loved that he was the only one she has ever opened up to completely. No one else. Just him. It did frustrate me that Trey didn’t completely return the favor…but I’m glad he got there eventually.
“You. Are. Brave.”
I scoff, then sneer for good measure. “How does that make me brave?”
She grips harder. “You are brave to tell me. You are brave to let me in. You are brave and crazy and you are stupid to think you can handle that all yourself,” she says, laying a gentle hand on my cheek, her smooth skin on my rough stubbled jaw.
“So I’m stupid. Like that’s news.”
“You are stupid brave. And stupid courageous. And stupid amazing. And I won’t let you go through any more of this alone,” she says fiercely, eyes blazing with an intensity I’ve never seen before.’
Okay…let’s address the elephant in the room. The god awful parents that these two people got stuck with. Yes…I am all for saying that as humans, we need to be accountable for our choices in life…but I do think how we are raised and the people who raise us have an incredible impact on those choices. Poor Harley’s dad ran off, so she never had a father figure growing up and her mother…is a train wreck. She treated Harley like a roommate/best friend/sister more than a daughter. There are just certain lines that should never ever…ever be crossed between a parent and a child and I’m pretty sure Barb crossed every single one she could. It makes me cringe and it explains so much of Harley’s behavior. It’s also very telling that Harley’s mom is the reason why she got into her career…that’s right folks, Barb introduced Harley to her pimp! Cam…the pimp with a heart of gold (don’t laugh – he might be slimy but he’s very likeable) and sadly…he’s the closest thing to a father this girl has ever seen. Sad, twisted, but true. Then you have poor Trey, whose parents just closed him off. I know guys aren’t supposed to be emotionally and blah blah blah but seriously…when tough shit, bad shit, hard shit, sad shit happens…as humans – we need to express those feelings and emotions, get them out, deal with them. Closing up and pretending like the bad stuff never existed…not such a great way to handle life…especially for a 15 year old boy. I know they were dealing in their own way but seriously…if they only knew the damage they had done to their son. It’s very selfish. Both Harley and Trey deserve so much better from their parents…but then again, their pasts led them to each other.
‘“I am so fucking in love with you,” he says hungrily, and he loops his arms around my neck, tucks his face in my hair, and breathes me in as if I’m his oxygen. I’ve never known what it’s like to be cherished, but I’m starting to get a sense, and it’s a heady feeling. I’m no longer a prize, but a treasure. His treasure.’
I said before that I was happy with this change in Lauren’s style…but even though the subject matter and the story may be a little detour from her usual, the key elements of her writing were 100% there. The connection between the couple, the banter, the ability to still insert humor in a few places so it’s not complete angst and drama 24/7. The sexual chemistry that just sets the pages on fire…holy bejesus…Harley and Trey are combustible – and I’m not even talking about sex here people! (Hello…she’s a virgin and they’re both in SLAA!)…but somehow, leave it to Lauren to create this mind blowing hotness. Honestly though, Trey and Harley made me swoon just by holding hands. *sigh* But I digress! The way TTOI was built was so complete…it was logical and flowed so well, the characters were amazing (even though some were more likeable than others – I still have to say the unlikeable ones were still very well developed), the pace was perfect and the intrigued totally kept me hooked from page one until the end.
‘Now I know. Now I get it. I understand. This is love. It’s not a game. It’s not a razor’s edge. It’s not a transaction.
The poets are right. The dreamers are right. The lovers are right. This isn’t nothing. This is everything.’
Oh and speaking of the end…so, I knew TTOI was a series – SQUEEE…love my series books…but damn! Talk about a little bit of a cliff! I was all happy because things were going good…everyone was in a good place and then BAM! So…be prepared. It’s not a major dooms-day cliff, but we are definitely left hanging. I’m excited to see where the story goes from here because the plot has definitely thickened and Harley and Trey have an interesting road ahead…I am anxiously awaiting Every Second With You.
Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and her books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. Like the heroine in FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. Her novels include Caught Up In Us, Pretending He’s Mine, Playing With Her Heart, and Trophy Husband. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney.
