Tuesday, April 2, 2013

VBT: Giveaway and Review ~ The Promise of Paradise by Allie Boniface




BLURB:

Harvard grad Ashton Kirk is headed for a promising law career when scandal breaks apart her family. To escape, she changes her name and rents an apartment in the small town of Paradise, New Hampshire, where no one knows who she is.

Ash hopes for solitude, but all bets are off when Eddie West, the town’s most eligible bachelor, moves in downstairs. The sexy auto mechanic loves his women and his cars shiny, sleek, and fast, and when he meets his new housemate, he wastes no time getting friendly. But Eddie is nursing his own recent loss, and the last thing he wants to do is let someone new into his life or his heart.

Can two people from different worlds find common ground and a place to fall in love? Or will Ashton’s past and Eddie’s scars keep them apart just as summer heat brings them together? Is it possible to find your soul mate in the place you least expect?





Excerpt:

Near the curb, engine still running and rock music bellowing from the speakers, idled a red pickup truck. White and yellow flames danced along both sides. Bending over the tailgate was a broad, bare, definitely male back. Yow. No wonder Jen looked like she was about to start drooling. Even one floor up, Ash could trace the outline of nearly every muscle in his arms and back. A bright red and yellow king cobra tattoo curled around his left triceps. Wavy brown hair fell across the sides of his face. His jeans, faded in all the right places, sat low on his hips. Ash squinted harder and ran one hand over her hair.


Oh God. They still make men who look like that?

“Turn around, please,” Jen commanded under her breath. As if he’d heard her, he straightened up, biceps flexing as he hauled two large boxes from the back of the truck and turned up into the sidewalk. Her sidewalk. He looked up, and Ash’s heart dove into her stomach. A neatly trimmed goatee underscored a crooked nose. He flashed a smile and winked.

“Hey,” he called up. “You live here?”

Jen nodded and jabbed a thumb in Ash’s direction. “She does.”

“I’m Eddie West. Movin’ in today.” It was hard to hear him over the noise of the truck’s humming engine and the music. Ash watched his mouth move instead.

“Need any help?” Jen asked.

Eddie shook his head. “Nah. I’ve just got a couple of boxes to bring in. The rest is coming tomorrow. But thanks.” He continued up the sidewalk.

Jen cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled down. “Come up later, if you want.”

Ash elbowed her. “What are you doing?”

Eddie backpedaled and nodded, grinning wider. As he disappeared from their view, the heavy front door creaked open and, after a few seconds, thudded shut behind him.

Jen straightened up. “See? I told you he’d be good-looking.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s beyond good-looking, Ash.” She fell back against the railing, hands to heart in a dramatic pantomime. “He’s perfect.”

About the Author: 

Allie Boniface is a small-town girl at heart who's traveled around the world and still finds that the magic and the mystery of small towns make them the best places to fall in love and find adventure. From the New England coast to Rocky Mountain hotels to tiny European bars, she's found more character and plot inspirations than she could ever count. Currently, she's lucky enough to live in New York's beautiful Hudson Valley with her own "Hometown Hero," a guy who can fix, build, drive, and grill anything and is the epitome of the strong and silent type.


When she isn't writing love stories, Allie is a full-time high school English teacher who gets a kick out of helping her teenagers negotiate the ups and downs of writing along with the ups and downs of life (because, really, she's still trying to do the same thing!). And while she'll continue to travel far and wide, Allie knows there's really nothing like coming back to the place where the people who have known you forever welcome you home with open arms.


Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook


**Allie will be awarding a $25 iTunes Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. **

The more you comment the better your chances of winning!

Here is the Tour Schedule.



My Thoughts:

This book had two main characters who were scarred and each had their fair share of secrets. It was a quick read and I enjoyed spending time with these characters.

Ash moved to Paradise to escape from heartbreak and scandal. She isn't looking for a boyfriend or a place to call home, she's just hiding out and taking a break from the drama of her real life.

Eddie is trying to get over his past and thought moving out of his parents house might be a step in the right direction.

Neither Ash nor Eddie expected to be sharing the house. But they got along well enough and became friends. Soon enough they are both entertaining thoughts about taking their friendship in another direction. The problem is they both have secrets and need to decide whether to trust each other with them or not.

This book had secrets, romance, great characters with issues, steam, a kitten, and a slew of emotional scenes  all wrapped up with a wonderfully fantastic ending. ;-)

I really liked Eddie! I mostly liked Ash except when she was wishy washy about how she felt about her ex.

I recommend this one to those of you looking for a romance with some complexity. No insta-love here.
I received a copy of The Promise of Paradise from Goddess Fish in exchange for my honest opinion. I honestly liked it a lot. I read it in one sitting!


*If someone you loved were involved in a scandel, would you run and hide or stand by them?*



Thank you for commenting! Don't forget to enter the Comment Incentive Giveaway. The link can be found at the top of the page!

25 comments:

  1. +JMJ+

    I also don't like it when someone is wishy-washy about an ex, but there can be a good side to it. It could mean that the person is open to giving others a second chance! =) Of course, the time to close certain doors will come eventually. That's when I'd like people to make that decision already!

    This post's question is one of those we can't really answer unless we've been tested, so I have to admit that I don't know! =( Of course, I'd love to think that I'd stand by a friend--and since my personal belief is that scandal is often just a bunch of people who can't mind their own business finding someone to be mean about, that should be easy, right?

    On the other hand, if it became known that a friend were doing something I could not condone, then I would strongly consider ending the friendship anyway. A few years ago, a very close friend of mind got mixed up in drugs. I believed her lies because I trusted her, but when I learned the truth, I made the decision to cut her out of my life. Thankfully, there's a happy ending. She was able to come clean after two years and reached out to me again, and today we are closer than we ever were! =)

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    1. i glad she managed to overcome her problem and that you could be friend once again, though you did her when you cut the friendship perhaps that's part of what made want to change^^ ( and a friend is also teh one who must say stop even if he is hurt by that)

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    2. Glad to hear it worked out well! :-)

      While I'd like to say that I'd stand beside my friends and family through a scandal, I know that I would consider the enormity of the situation first. If it would cause more complications for my other friends or family then I'd probably try to avoid the situation.

      Also you can only help those who want to be helped!

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  2. Hum i love when the characther learn about each other before falling in love, it's more realistic for me.
    As for your question it woulde depend on the kind of scandal i guess.

    I'm loyal so if it was something injust, unfair i do hope i would be able to stand by her/his side because i did suffer too much when it happened to me and that my "friends" suddenly threw stones at me ( literally)
    now like Enbrethiliel ( because we do share a lot^^;;) if it was because of a behaviour i don't accept, no i wouldn't stand with them. Because friendship is important for me but i do want to protect the valors etc in whivch i believe too.... now i do hope i will never have to find out

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    1. I really hope you got rid of those
      "friends" and found better ones!

      I hope you don't have to find out either Miki.

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  3. Such a great question and definitely one that this book makes you think about! Thank you so much for having me here today (I'm glad you loved Eddie - I do too! He's one of my fave heroes) - I'll be stopping in all day to chat and comment, so share those thoughts :)

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    1. Thanks for popping in and for the great story. :D

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  4. That's a tough question! I think it depends on the person and what they did. If it was my fiance and he was cheating on me, no freaking way. If it was a family member (or my fiance again) and they had committed a minor crime or said something wrong then I would definitely be by their side.

    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

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    1. I see your point. It is much easier to stand by someone when the offense is minor. :D

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  5. That is a tough question, I known I would stand by my children regardless if the scandal and regardless of their innocence.

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    1. I'd like to think I would as well but if the offense was too great, I'd expect them to make it right no matter the consequence.

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    2. That's an interesting, powerful thought. Love for a child vs. the possibility that they've committed something horrific and against social and legal acceptance (I mean, I'm just going worst-case scenario here). Is there ever a line where we'd say "too much"?

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  6. I would stand by a 'loved' one helping them set it right.

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  7. I would stand by them. If I really loved them then I would be there for them but I also believe that you should take responsibility for your actions. Sounds like an interesting read. Its believeable. Its not always love at first site usually just lust or like and then feelings grow from there so yea I'll prolly read it. :)
    -Amber
    goodblinknpark(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  8. I loved writing a story that wasn't love at first sight...that kind that sneaks up and you and grows when you aren't looking and then BAM! lol There it is :)

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    1. Sometimes the insta love gets old. Thank you for changing it up for us!

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  9. I would stand by them. I will always do what I can to help the people that I love...I think that if they've done something wrong then they need to face the consequences, but I would still stand by them along the way. :)
    oddball2003 at hotmail dot com

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  10. Great excerpt and review. I would stand by my loved ones and help them overcome the scandal.

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  11. Stand by them. I wouldn't say I've ever really dealt with true scandal, but my husband and I have had our share of issues that have lead to embarrassing situations. I big on the concept of not judging others, so I always stand by my friends whether I agree with them or not, I'm there for them. I'm honest about my feelings, but each of us have to make our own decisions. I won't loose a friend or loved one due to an opinion of right and wrong.

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  12. Depends on how much I love them, what the scandal was and who the person was.. I'd like to think I'll be strong enough to stay and fight with that person but it really just depends on the situation. Some things are too much to overcome no matter how much you love someone.
    The book sounds great and I'd love to read it. I'll add it on my to-read list and hopefully I'll get the chance to read it soon. I loved the excerpt too.

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  13. Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that the book is now featured as FREE for the next 5 days on Amazon :) Now's your chance to pick it up and treat yourself!

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    1. Thanks Allie. I'll be sure to spread the word for you. :D

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