Title:   Worn Me Down (Playing With Fire Book #3)

Author:   T.E. Sivec

Genre:   Contemporary Romance

Release Date:   January 21, 2014

“Worn me down like a road. I did everything you told. Worn me down to my knees.
I did everything to please.”

Austin Conrad has never taken his personal life seriously. As a Navy SEAL, he spends all of his time in dangerous, life-threatening situations. The only way to leave behind the horrors he’s seen throughout his career, is to turn it all off when he gets home. He’s too much of a playboy to settle down; even if he did find a woman he could stand to be around for more than one night, he would never taint her life with the demons of his past.

When his best friend and SEAL team member, Brady Marshall asks him to keep an eye on his baby sister, Gwen, Austin figures it will be a walk in the park. The only thing Austin likes more than flirting his way under a beautiful woman’s skin, is walking away with a smile on his face. Austin never expects that the single mom and her little girl will be the ones getting under his skin.

Gwen Stratford knows all too well about living in a nightmare. After taking her daughter and fleeing from her abusive husband in the middle of the night several months ago, she’s worked hard to get her life back on track and forget about the man who tried to break her. Growing up under the iron thumb of her parents and then moving right on with a man who ruled their marriage with his fists, Gwen is finally able to breathe and live her life the way she wants.

When scary, mysterious things begin to happen to Gwen and her daughter, she realizes you can never outrun your past; it always has a way of catching up with you. As she struggles with the desire to keep her newfound independence, she knows she won’t be able to protect herself and her child alone. She’ll need to lean on the one man who drives her crazy.

Can Gwen really put her trust in a man who thinks life is one big joke, or will he be just another man in her life who tries to wear her down?

Have you read the other amazing books in the Playing With Fire Series?  While each book can be read as a stand alone, I totally recommend reading all the books in the series!  🙂

Title:   A Beautiful Lie (Playing With Fire Book #1)

Author:   T.E. Sivec

Genre:   Contemporary Romance

USA Today Best Seller.

The Playing With Fire Series will include 4 books. Some of the characters will reappear in the books, but each book can be read as a stand alone.

He saw her first, but his friend made the move.

She settled for the safer choice, but her heart knew the truth.

They love, they crave, they lie.

Garrett McCarthy, Annabelle Parker, and Milo Roberts were as close as friends could get. They shared in each other’s joy during graduations, promotions, and engagements. They consoled one another through heartache and loss.

When one of the friend’s life is tragically cut short, it’s up to the two left behind to pick up the pieces and find out the truth – no matter the cost. As they slowly start to uncover the nature of his deception, and the very powerful people behind it, they begin to question everyone and everything, even themselves.

Everyone has secrets – some do it for love while others do it for power. Those secrets can change perceptions, alter reality and sometimes destroy lives.

What do you do when you find out your whole life has been a lie?

Title:   Because of You (Playing With Fire Book #2)

Author:   T.E. Sivec

Genre:   Contemporary Romance

Brady Marshall has made a career of playing it safe. When he decides to do something rash and becomes a Navy SEAL, he thinks he’s finally escaped the rigid structure of the high society life his parents forced down his throat. All he does is trade in one set of rules for another. He follows military protocol to a T, but it still results in the death of an entire team of Navy SEALS and puts his best friends directly in harm’s way. He’s struggled to stay afloat and not drown in grief, guilt, and booze, but he’s losing that battle quickly. When his baby sister flees her abusive husband and shows up on his doorstep with his young niece in tow, he has no choice but to clean up his act. He will stop at nothing to protect them and never let them down again, even if it means taking a job that goes against everything he believes in. If protecting a pop star princess who thinks she’s better than everyone means he can keep a roof over their head, what other choice does he have?

Layla Carlysle has lived a life of luxury. She’s been a star since the young age of fifteen, and every record she releases shoots straight to the top of the charts. She has people surrounding her every single day telling her how amazing she is, how beautiful she is, and how lucky she is, but she’s never felt more alone in her entire life. She wants nothing more than to break free and do what she really wants to do: write her own music, sing her own songs, and find a way to finally be happy with her life. The only thing standing in her way is her mother, Eve Carlysle. Eve has controlled every single aspect of her daughter’s life and will stop at nothing to achieve fame and fortune, even if that means using her daughter to get there. When an overly-amorous fan’s letters become increasingly more sinister, Brady will have to suck up his opinion of how the other half lives to take the job seriously. The pair will need to learn to trust each other and put aside their differences before the letters become a reality and someone’s life is in jeopardy.

Brady has been to hell and back, and he refuses to let anyone else get close to him again. Layla has never lived her life for herself, and the emptiness is threatening to break her for good.

Sometimes our lives are already planned for us, but because of you, all of that could change in an instant.

Welcome everyone for the final portion of our group interview. Today we find out a little something about Emma. Find out what Garrett and Parker have been up to, and get a little tease of Cole. To get the full story, check out all of my interview blog partners:

Part 1 – Ana’s Attic Book Blog

Part 2 – Straight Shootin’ Book Reviews

Part 3 – A Love Affair With Books

How much money has Emma collected for her swear jar and do you think she gets more when Austin is in town or out of town, Gwen?

At last count, she had enough for her first two semesters at school. I’d like to say that she gets more when Austin is in town, but that’s a lie. He’s been really good at watching his language when he’s around her. I have yet to learn this skill.

Do you guys keep in touch with Garrett and Parker? What are they up to?

Actually, Garrett and Parker are planning a trip out here to visit next month. We’re trying to put together a party with Brady and Layla and Cole and Olivia. It’s been a while since we were all in the same place at the same time.

So, Cole – what’s his story?

Cole…oh Cole.  He’s a tortured soul and he’s keeping some secrets.  I can’t give away too much, but it’s going to be a crazy story – a lot of lies, a lot of misconceptions and a lot of pain. Cole and Olivia are going to travel to hell and back, but I have a feeling they’ll get a happy ending…unless someone decides otherwise.

Worn Me Down by Tara Sivec

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

4 “pipsqueak” Kisses

There are a few things I can guarantee I will get when I read a book in the Playing With Fire series. One…it will captivate and hold my attention. Two…it will have insanely amazing bad ass characters. Three…I will never see anything coming plot wise. Four…I will fall helplessly and hopelessly in love with the couple and never want the story to end. Well…mission accomplished Tara Sivec…mission accomplished. I am hooked like a crack addict on this series and I have no shame in admitting it. Now…Worn Me Down can be read as a stand alone and it would make perfect sense but…I think the series means more if you read the books in order since each book builds off the other.

Gwen Marshall…she goes by many names. Gwendolyn to her parents who built her into their idea of perfection…Gwen Stratford to her ass hole soon to be ex-husband…Gwenny to her friends growing up…and her favorite name ever…Mom. But after living her life the same way for over 10 years…being the ‘good daughter’ and the ‘good wife’…Gwen is finally standing up for herself and doing what she needs to do for her daughter and for herself. She’s shed her ‘perfect’ image…got rid of the long blonde hair in exchange for dark hair with blue and purple (which I think is bad ass for the record) and she has decided to stop living behind the scars of her past. Gwen won me over in Because of You and I knew I was not going to have any problems falling more in love with her character. There are a lot of layers to Gwen and from the little I gathered in BoY, I couldn’t wait to find out about. I knew it was tragic…but it was worse than I thought. No one deserves to go through the amount of pain that she went through and my heart broke for her. With that said Gwen is not the sum of her mistakes. She is a mother, she is a fighter, she is smart, she is brave and she has a great big brother that is willing to help her through the hardest time in her life. Above all what I loved the most about Gwen is she is the most amazing mother. I loved her relationship with Emma and I could not get enough of seeing them together. Her entire purpose is to keep that little girl safe and I saw that time and time again.

‘It’s always easy to judge other people when you have no idea what kind of life they live behind closed doors, when you’ve never walked one footstep in their shoes or when you’ve never given your heart to a man you believe when he told you it would never happen again.’

Austin Conrad is the quintessential career SEAL. He’s a badass and unfortunately…he knows it. This makes for an interesting combination of cocky and arrogant while also infuriatingly hot. He’s also a bit of a manwhore…which we all know is one of my all-time weaknesses. All of Austin’s behavior stems from his upbringing. He was raised in the foster system and never knew what it meant to have a family…he never had a home, he never had stability or love or consistency. He joined the Navy as soon as he could and that has been his family and all he has known…and the SEALS are not exactly known for being warm and fuzzy. Of course that broke my heart but it makes the situation with Gwenn and Emma that much harder because he wants something with them…but he doesn’t know how to make it happen. Heck, he doesn’t even know how to process how he feels about everything because it’s so foreign for him. It’s hard to want something so bad but not know anything about it.

‘I knew from the first moment she called me an ass that kissing her would be like a fiery explosion, neither one of us surviving without getting burned. She’s mouthy and she’s stubborn, but there’s a vulnerability buried deep down inside that makes me want to take care of her, consume her and protect her at all costs.’

Gwen and Austin should never have been. He’s the hot-shot career SEAL who is never going to settle down and she’s the mom with a horrible past who has trust issues. Both of them don’t want to want each other (something I will never get enough of!) but are completely drawn together. I loved how combative they both are…like if they weren’t so turned on by each other they would probably kill one another. I bet it makes for some awesome angry sex…but I digress. I mean…on paper…they are complete opposites…which is another reason why I was even more drawn to them. I love that he can’t get enough of her sassy mouth and I love even more how much her heart melts when she sees Austin interact with Emma…and the thing I loved the most was watching his heart open up to accept the fact that he could love someone and have a family. While I’m on the topic of family can I just state for the record that Emma stole my heart. I mean…she’s a loveable little girl, so of course she was going to win me over, but her interactions with Austin, especially at the very end…omg…it’s impossible not to fall in love with their relationship and the bond that she and Austin form.

‘Gwen turns her face towards me and our noses are practically touching. I can feel her breath on my face and I know if I don’t move away, I’m going to be hard as a rock in two seconds. This woman drives me fucking insane, but she’s also hot as hell and the strongest person I’ve ever been around considering what her life has been like. Even though I don’t like the direction of my thoughts lately where Gwen’s concerned, there’s nothing this woman does that can’t turn me one.’

Holy banana’s…I never ever in a million years thought I would like action and suspense to level that is in this books mixed with my romance…but I really do. The fact that this series broke the mold for me is kind of monumental. It excites me! I could not get enough of Worn Me Down…I finished it in less than 24 hours and every second that I couldn’t read it, it was pure torture! Completely addictive…but that’s what this series is. It sucks you in, you’re compelled by the story line but it’s also relatable and natural. There is so much angst and drama but mixed in with just the right amount of sweet and swoony moments and good lord have mercy don’t even get me started on the sex…it’s just fabulous. Like hot damn…apparently I need to go find me a SEAL because I am sorely missing out. 😉 If I had anything to complain about it would be that I wished Gwen and Austin had more time to connect. I loved seeing them together…whether it involved Emma or just the two of them but with everything that was going on, it’s obviously really hard for them to focus on just them. I saw and felt their connection even with what we did get…which is why I craved more – so that’s just me being a hopeless romantic and always wanting more.

‘“Jesus, you’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispers.
There’s conviction and awe in his voice as he looks at every inch of my body. For the first time in years, I don’t feel the need to cover myself, to hid my scars to look away in embarrassment – I feel beautiful with Austin.’

So…let’s just talk about the writing real quick. I love Tara’s writing – whether it’s as Tara Sivec or T.E. Sivec…the fact that all that brilliance is packed into one brain just flaws me and makes me feel like an insufficient human. Like maybe if I rub up on her, some of the genius will brush off onto me. Maybe? It could happen, right? Her style is one of a kind…because even with the Playing With Fire series, it’s obviously a more serious/dramatic series, but it’s still got that little edge of humor and sarcasm blended in there…which when dealing with high anxiety situations is completely necessary, needed and appropriate. I really enjoyed the pacing, it was never rushed and the transitions were smooth and something I really appreciate in Worn Me Down, as well as in the other two books, is how complete they all feel. The plot is not simple and the end result cannot just be wrapped up in a nice neat bow where everything is hunky-dory and wonderful. No…the characters go thru some heavy shit and it’s not easy or fun but we go through it with them to the very end. Even if that means we don’t get an HEA till the very last page, I at least know that that HEA is complete and logical and flows with the rest of the story.

‘I didn’t know until I was gone that everything I’d ever wanted was right here in front of me. I was afraid. I was afraid to tell you how much I wanted you only to have you tell me that you couldn’t handle a life with me because of the job I have. You and Emma are important to me, I love you both, but my job is also important. I don’t want to let you and Emma down, but I also can’t let my men down and I don’t know how the fuck to have both. I don’t know how to do this, but I want to try. I want to wake up to you every day when I’m home and I want to play fucking Barbies with Emma every night before bed. I want to take away every one of your bad memories and replace them with good ones. I can’t promise you when I’ll be here or when I’ll have to go away on a mission, but I can promise you that every second I spend with you, I will never let you forget how much you mean to me.”

So the fifth thing I didn’t mention that I can guarantee with this series is that I need the next book in the series, in my hands, ready to read…like right now. I was able to go from A Beautiful Lie to Because of You to Worn Me Down…and now I’m stuck. Because I’m craving another sexy SEAL and…I have to wait. This is a problem. So I will impatiently tap my foot until Closer to the Edge arrives…because I need it desperately. These books are the perfection when it comes to romance blended with action – absolutely gripping and completely heartwarming.

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Tara Sivec is a USA Today best-selling author, wife, mother, chauffeur, maid, short-order cook, baby-sitter, and sarcasm expert. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two children and looks forward to the day when they all three of them become adults and move out.

After working in the brokerage business for fourteen years, Tara decided to pick up a pen and write instead of shoving it in her eye out of boredom. She is the author of the Playing with Fire series and the Chocolate Lovers series. Her novel Seduction and Snacks won first place in the Indie Romance Convention Reader’s Choice Awards 2013 for Best Indie First Book.

In her spare time, Tara loves to dream about all of the baking she’ll do and naps she’ll take when she ever gets spare time.

Tara also writes under the pen name T.E. Sivec.