Blog Tour/Giveaway - 'How Many Chances' by Beverley Hollowed

Today I'm thrilled be part of my friend Beverley Hollowed's blog tour for her new novel, How Many Chances, Part Two of the Chances Series (the sequel to No Second Chances). I tried like mad to finish the book in time for a review, but sometimes the Universe has other plans for my schedule! The good news is that you can read my review of No Second Chances to give you an idea and this much I can already tell you even though I haven't finished: Beverley's trademark, heart-wrenching angst is veritably oooooozing out of this one! I swear to God this poor couple will NEVER find happiness!  If that's your bag as a reader, then you need to be a Bev Babe like yesterday (I just totally made that name up - you're welcome, Bev!). So check out the teasers below, enter the giveaway and then download your copy. Or both, if you haven't read the first (you will be completely lost if you haven't, fyi). 

Thank you for stopping by and please be so kind as to subscribe to my blog so you know when I have new posts up and news about my own writing (over there →). ENJOY!

Synopsis 

Having fallen head over heels in love with the handsome and very charming Cole Thomas, Ally Brody had her heart broken and her world torn apart. 

She feels lost, but is determined to move on and start her life a fresh. 

However, Cole still fills her every thought and she is finding it harder and harder to stick to her rule of no second chances.

Cole is left a broken shell. He can’t think of anything but Ally and showing her just what she truly means to him.

Can Cole prove to Ally that she is meant to be with him? 

Can Ally ever learn to trust Cole again?

Can they start over and find happiness or will life keep throwing hurdles in their way…How Many Chances does true love get? 

Teasers

When he reached Ally’s door he stood for a moment and took a deep calming breath before he softly knocked on the door.  He listened for movement inside but there wasn’t a sound. He knocked once more but still there was no reply.

“Ally, please,” he begged pressing his head against the door. “Please open the door and talk to me. I love you.”

He listened for a sound but there was still none. Panic started to bubble up inside him. Why wasn’t she answering the door? What if Jason had come back? The sudden thought filled him with so much terror and he began banging on the door in panic.

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As she sat there, immersed in the hot water, she closed her eyes and once again her thoughts were consumed by Cole. She longed to see him. She longed to have him hold her in his arms and tell her this was all just a mistake. But she knew that was never going to happen. She could barely breathe, she needed him. But she knew she had to let him go. He lied to her and he broke her heart.

As the song that was playing on her iPod ended, the sounds of Kiki Dee’s ‘Amorouse’ filled the bathroom. The words of the song hit her like a steam roller. “Should have told him, I’d do anything if I could hold him, for just another day.”

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“Why is it stupid?” Cole asked looking her straight in the eyes, taking a step towards her. “You love me, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do,” she agreed.

“And you know I love you?” He continued as he walked towards her slowly.

“Yes,” she swallowed nervously as he stopped directly in front of her. He was so close she could feel his breath wash across her face. She knew she needed to stay strong but she also knew he knew exactly how to get under her skin. He reached up and traced his fingertips down her face and her stomach contracted.

“I want you Ally,” he said breathlessly, his lips barely and inch from hers. “I want to have you with me when I go to sleep at night and I want you next to me when I wake up. I need you. Please. Tell me you want me too.”

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“I know you have something on your mind, gorgeous girl,” he said finally. “And I know you will talk when you are ready. But I am begging you, please don’t shut me out. Let me help you.”

His words cut through her. He thought she was shutting him out because he had done something wrong. But truth was, she was about to destroy his world and she was afraid he would hate her for it.

“Promise me,” he continued looking down at her lying in his arms. “Tomorrow we will talk.”

“I promise,” she said in a quiet voice. And she knew she would have no choice. Tomorrow, whether she was ready or not, she was going to have to tell him everything.

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“I love you,” he breathed against her mouth. Suddenly he moved above her and pinned her to the bed, his mouth claiming hers. She could feel the need in his kiss. She knew he was hurting and he was trying to deal with it the only way he knew how.

She wanted to talk but she knew he wasn’t ready. So she returned his kiss. She wanted him to know they were still okay.

“I need you,” he said hungrily against her mouth. “Please.”

“I’m yours” she whispered breathlessly back to him.

She kissed him harder, pouring every bit of hurt and pain that she had felt that day into showing him what he meant to her.

He broke his lips from hers and stared down into her face and all Ally could see was love staring back at her.

He reached down and, taking hold of the end of her dress he slowly slid it up her body and pulled it over her head. Never taking his eyes from hers, he pulled back the straps from her bra, each one falling down on to her arms. Then he reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra, slipping it down her arms and dropping it to the floor.

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Meet The Author

I am Beverley, though my friends call me Bev. I am 38 years old and I live in Dublin with my Husband and two sons. I love to read and I love music. 

I have been writing as long as I can remember.

I released my first book in December 2012 called Forever and Always.

My second book, No Second Chances (the first book from The Chances Series) was released April 29th.

My third book A Stolen Heart was released July 12th.

Some random facts about me.... I am a middle child, I have a fear of mirrors, spiders and birds and I make custom jewelry.

I adore music and it is a big part of my writing. 

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Sexy Sunday and Blog Tour - 'No Second Chances' by Beverley Hollowed

This week's Sexy Sunday is my stop on Beverly Hollowed's No Second Chances tour! Scroll down for a sizzlin' little excerpt and my review!

*THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT AND STRONG LANGUAGE 

AND IS INTENDED FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY.*

Synopsis:

No nonsense mechanic Ally Brody is a "one chance only" kind of girl. When she catches her boyfriend of two years cheating with his assistant on a surprise visit to his office, there will be No Second Chances.

Determined not to fall for the wrong kind of man again, she comes face to face with Cole Thomas. He is gorgeous, charming, rich and everything Ally swore she should stay away from.

Cole wants Ally and he will stop at nothing until he gets what he desires. Bit by bit he breaks through her barriers and takes her on a journey of love and sexual awakenings. Will her obsessed ex, who refuses to accept it’s over, or a secret Cole himself is hiding, destroy their relationship before it even gets started?

Can Ally break her own rule and explore the possibility that Cole just might be the one worthy of a Second Chance?

Excerpt:

A little over an hour later, Cole climbed the stairs and approached his bedroom. He could hear soft music playing through the door. When he opened the door he stopped dead in his tracks.

The room was filled with flickering candles and there standing next to the wardrobe door, dressed in her black Louboutin, thigh high fish net stockings, and a black lace bra with  matching thong, was possible the most perfect creature he had ever seen. She was truly breath-taking.

“Wow!” was all he could say as Ally slowly approached him, her eyes locked firmly with his. He could feel himself harden and strain against his trousers as his breath quickened, desire coursed through his veins like a steamroller.

“Wow, yourself,” she said confidently as she pressed her hand against his crotch. “I see you approve.”

“I do indeed,” he gave her a wicked grin and reached out to touch but she swatted his hand away.

“No, no,” she purred as she slowly walked around him gently running her hand from his erection to his back side and softly gave it a squeeze. “No, we are going to do this slowly. And you will behave.”

Cole smiled to himself. He loved just how confident she sounded. He remembered the first time they were together in her apartment and just how reserved and self-conscious she was. She had come a long way in such a short time.

He dropped his hands back to his side, although the temptation to grab her and throw her down on his bed was so powerful inside him, he resisted. This was her game and he was happy to play.

She stood in front of him once again and reached up and undid his tie, slipping it slowly from his neck and letting it drop to the floor. Then, as she met his stare, she reached up and began to unbutton his shirt. He fisted his hands at his side to keep from touching her; the desire to do so was so strong it was almost killing him.

As she pushed the shirt opened she softly kissed his chest and she pushed the shirt over his shoulders before it slipped down his arms. Cole reached behind himself and pulled it over his hands and let it fall to the floor.

Ally stood for a moment, watching him from beneath her long lashes before she dropped her hands from his firm chest to the waist band of his trousers. She opened the button and slowly eased the zipper down. Slipping her hands inside his trousers she let her finger tips brush against himself briefly making him take in a sharp shot of breath. He was struggling harder and harder to control himself. He wanted her. NOW!

Without thinking, he raised a hand to touch her breast.

She put her hands up and backed away. "Are you going to behave? Or is this game over?" she said almost petulantly. She raised an eyebrow and gave him a smirk.

Cole clenched his jaw and lowered his hands dutifully to his sides. He tried some deep breaths to keep his raging desire in check. He had never been so turned on.

She returned to his trousers moving her hands inside to the back and pushed them along with his boxers down over his back side, sending them crashing to the floor. Dropping to her knees in front of him...

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My Review:

This is the second book by Beverley I've read and it's becoming apparent that she looooooooves to tell an angsty, heartbreaking story with men who fall in love fast, hard and forever and girls who think they don't need saving but really do. This is not my kind of story usually, because a) (like I mentioned in my review of her first book, Forever and Always), I prefer my romance with a big, fat side of realism and Bev demands a swift and committed suspension of disbelief from page one. That said -- I know this going in, so I will review it for what it is: nuttin' but straight up fantastical romance. And what's reading for, if not to escape reality, right? 

So it's like this: hot, rich man meets pretty tomboy (in this case, a mechanic, no less) and he immediately weasles his way into her bed and her heart. The good news is he falls into headlong gob-smackin' love himself, even before she does, and commences to begin acting a fool trying to convince her to love him back while effing it up spectacularly on more than one occasion due to a devastating secret he's keeping. Oh also...there's a wack job ex stalking Our Heroine, which conveniently forces her to practically move in with Hot Rich Whipped Guy (complete with mansion and live-in housekeeper, personal doctor and private detective) from minute one for her own protection. Lots of hot sex ensues, some serious mind-shattering drama with Crazy Ex in which you keep expecting Whipped to miraculously save the day (*SPOILER* when it matters most he doesn't - refreshing twist), then Whipped's secret comes out, breaking Our Heroine's heart and ending the book on a $%^&*$#@!!! cliffhanger. 

Damn you people and your cliffhangers.  (I hereby promise never to abruptly stop in the middle of a story...I may leave some loose ends, but there shall be no full on dangling! Unless I change my mind...I'm a girl and I reserve the right.   )

I digress.

What I like about Beverley's writing is that she manages to convince you that three days in bed with a hot man is a perfectly reasonable amount of time to fall in love (actually...what's so wrong with that, now that I think about it? What? ). I always believe her characters when they say those three game-changing little words. Somehow she makes it work. I also appreciated that while Whipped is filthy stinking rich, he isn't a selfish, controlling, self-entitled prick. Too much. I mean, he has his moments, he's still a dude. But his efforts to control situations didn't spring as much from primal chest-beating as from concern and love. Also, Our Heroine - while she did make me want to smack her one time in particular and scream "NOOOOOOOO, DUMBASS!" (and if she'd listened...THAT wouldn't have happened...just sayin') - overall she wasn't an idiot and she didn't fall to pieces over microscopic misunderstandings. She did miss a lot of work though, and I have to wonder how she keeps her job. Maybe we'll find out in the follow up...

All said, if you love a book that's unapologetically romantic and features a beautiful moneyed man who doesn't hide his feelings, this is a great book for you. It's an enjoyable read and I look forward to finding out how Whipped digs himself out of the hole he's in in the sequel. If he can...cuz after all, there are No Second Chances...

(See what I did there? Genius.  )

Rating: 4 smooches (out of 5)       

Meet the Author:

I am Beverley, though my friends call me Bev, I am 38 years old and I live in Dublin with my Husband and 2 sons. I love to read and I love music. 

I have been writing as long as I can remember.

I released my first book in December 2012 called 'Forever and Always.'

My new book, 'No Second Chances' (the first book from The Chances Series) was released on April 29th.

Some random facts about me.... I am a middle child, I have a fear of Mirrors and birds and I make custom jewelry.

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Review - "Forever and Always" by Beverley Hollowed

Well Lil Lovers, the time has come for me to jump into this book reviewing thing! I would like to preface my first one by saying that I hate to judge other peoples' art. It's uncomfortable, as a fellow author, knowing how much work, heart, emotion and time is poured into every word to then possibly have to tear it apart. 

Thank God I don't have to do that with my very first review, which happens to be Forever and Always by Beverley Hollowed! 

When 17 year old Melanie O’Leary agreed to spend the summer with her Aunt Maggie in Boston, she was less than thrilled. But after an argument with her father, the trip gives her just the space she needs. 

When she meets the handsome and very charming Sam Cooper, she loses her heart completely and utterly and then has it broken. Suddenly her life falls apart and is changed forever. Now she has to pick up the pieces and start again.

Seven years have passed and three weeks before her wedding to the dependable Simon Brennan, she comes face to face with the man who stole her heart and broke it. Now she must decide between her past and her future. But will a secret she is hiding find her having the choice made for her instead? Will she find the one who will love her.... Forever and Always?

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This is the first full length romance novel I've read in over a decade. No lie. When I was in college I read romance novels by the truckload...then I got a computer and I stopped reading that much altogether. Travesty. So I'm glad to be back in the swing of things. That said, I am now reminded both why I love romance novels and why they make me absolutely cray cray! This book pretty much goes as follows:

Reader meets girl.

Oh the drama! The teen angst! The overprotective parents! The arguments! The misunderstandings! The world travel!

Boy meets girl.

The States! The burgeoning emotions! The excitement! The elation! The nerves! The trembling! The deflowering! The innocence lost! The promises! The lurve! The beach!

Boy loses girl.

The heartbreak! The sobbing! The world travel! The Emerald Isle! The major health crisis! The adult angst! The weight loss! The grief! The panick attacks! 

Boy tries to get girl back.

The love triangle! The nosy friends! The yummysweatymonkeylovin'! The self-hatred! The lies! The meddling loved ones! The drinking! The further weight loss! The dresses! The promises! The broken promises! The misunderstandings! The flip-flopping! The misunderstandings! The flip-flopping! The misunderstandings! The flip-flopping! The last leg of world travel! The States!

Boy gets girl back.

Happily ever after. I think. Is there another shoe somewhere? Cuz my heart can't take anymore. Watch the sky! 

It's an absolute emotional roller coaster, my friends. A big ole sappy, gooey, angsty, heartbreaking emotional roller coaster.  If you love that sort of thing, THIS IS YOUR BOOK! Admittedly, I like a big dose of realism with my romance (i.e. - I don't believe for one second that *SPOILER ALERT* ANY man would be celibate for seven years while he pines away for his first love, Miss Beverley...boys just aren't wired that way...just sayin' ), but this book sucked me in and the author did it with the lovely relationship she set up at the front between Melanie, our 17 year old heroine (when we first meet her) and her father Alex, who is hopelessly, charmingly besotted with his daughter. 

Melanie in the first half of the book is a bit of a petulant brat. But she's a teenager, so of course she is. In the second half of the book, she is a 24 year old adult but severely broken, with more than one excellent reason. But she's managed to move on with her life and put it back together, albeit with not much more than Scotch tape at best. 

Sam Cooper, our hero, is of course uber-gorge and whipped from minute one. I kinda liked that, since everything on the market right now is all about men who treat women like shit and somehow get away with it (what the hell is wrong with us, ladies? Cheezandcrackers  ). He is also endlessly patient not just with teenage Melanie but with adult Melanie, long past the point where a good man actually should be. I had more than one "Moonstruck" moment while reading where I wanted to slap Melanie and scream "Snap out of it!" -- I can only imagine that if Sam was real he may have wanted to, also. But Mel's cootch must've had super powers! 

Two things saved Melanie for me:

1) Her dad finally calls her on her shit. Dear God, someone had to. (And then he meddles in her love life to a degree that is grossly inappropriate and absolutely aaaaaawwwww all at the same time, making me wish my dad would have cajones that size in regard to my happiness if ever I needed him to.) 

2) Beverley writes the blossoming love story between Melanie and Sam so sweetly and tenderly as well as Sam's conviction that there is no one else for him so unshakably that I couldn't help but root for them, no matter how star-crossed the pair was and how woe-is-me Melanie got (and again I feel compelled to mention that she does have good reason). Did I believe how desperately they loved each other? Abso-fuckin-lutely. And that's the most important thing to me.

Last note is that I was impressed with Beverley's through line with the story - many tiny little details seemed meticulously thought out, and no call back missed, which is no small feat when you have a seven year time jump in the middle of the book. I also offer kudos in how she wrote Sam and Melanie as a young couple and then how she wrote them seven years later...both were entirely believable at their given ages in both time frames of the story.

All in all, I really enjoyed Forever and Always and I highly recommend it to anyone who is all about the romance. The reason it gets a four out of five is because I know what she's got coming up the bend and I have a feeling I'm gonna need the wiggle room! 

Rating: 4 smooches (out of 5)       

And now, if you'll excuse me...I have to go call my daddy... 

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