“He was captivating, scorching hot and wickedly
tempting. The epitome of power and strength encased in the body of an angel and
he had possessed me. Need for him coursed through my veins white hot and I had
been incomprehensively burned”
Our connection had been instant, intense and all
consuming, seriously unexplainable to most, but crystal clear to us.
Jonah Jacobson
was the summation of all my fears, nightmares and smouldering deep desire.
After living a life that knew only pain, violence and fear inflicted by
successful, power driven men, everything he signified should have repelled me
but it didn’t.
The driving force of our bodies needing to merge was
immediate from the day he walked into my life. I was beyond wealthy, heiress to
millions, but inside I was a numb, empty shell that he saw. He saw what lay
within, the poison that runs through my veins. He saw the real me. And still he
wanted me anyway.
But I also had secrets. Secrets I believed, if they
were to be released, would shatter both our lives and destroy the tangible
pulse of vibrant male sexuality the other half of my soul required to live.
Jonah had his own torment to bear, his own tragedies
and heartbreak to carry. Both tired of barely surviving, my biggest fear was if
our secrets were to be unleashed and truths were told, the lifeline he gave me
would break and so would my heart, Forever.
‘Barely Surviving’ is the first novel in a two part
series that follows the lives of a career driven, sexually virile alpha male
and a strong willed, sensual female. Their connection is instantaneous,
sexually charged and highly electric. Both characters are products of tragic
childhoods who struggle to shake the shackles of their past and begin to live
in the present. In each other they discover the other half of their soul, the
one person alive who calls to their bodies and minds like no other. Driven to
stop ‘barely surviving’ and begin living, they attempt to put their pasts where
they belong and merge into the world of the living with each other.
Excerpt:
“My
problem, are you shitting me?” Jonah’s voice was the opposite of mine, low
steady and intimidating. He stood slightly in front of the door, his suit
jacket opened, hands shoved in his pants pockets and his stare fixated on its
target………me. “Don’t for one second make out like this is all my doing Ava, you
know you were in the wrong too.”
“For
what? Having a life? You have no idea how hard just getting to this point today
as been for me and now you’ve destroyed it you asshole.”
“I
have no idea about anything where you’re concerned. You keep shutting me the
fuck out. You have to let me in if you expect me to understand.”
“The
hell I do,” my chin lifted, defiance blaring in my eyes, “I don’t owe you jack
shit and I certainly don’t have to do anything just because YOU say so.” He was
pushing my patience to the max and my tolerance of his behaviour to its limits.
His
mouth curled, luscious and dangerous, “You’re seriously turning me on right now
but that would be an unwise thing to do.”
Every
muscle within my groin clenched in fierce response to his threat. My heart beat
wildly, my body desperate for contact. Reaching behind me I backed up until I
felt the desk top and steadied myself against it. I held back the urge to lunge
at him, beg for the relief I only found when we connected, but I was too strung
out to trust myself. The last time that happened, the marks I left behind still
haunted me. Defiling him again was not going to happen.
“Stop.”
His warning brought me back to the present. His posture was tense as his hands
fisted restlessly at his sides. He was holding back, giving me space, but the
frown on his forehead and the harsh lines of his mouth showed it was hard for
him to do.
“Stop
what?” The answer I knew but I asked the question anyway.
“Stop
restraining yourself. I need you to lose control with me.”
I
was struggling to breathe, “I can’t. You can’t ask that of me Jonah.”
Stunning
sapphire eyes softened, his chest rising and falling with every breath. “I
don’t want your submission Ava just the knowledge that you need me as painfully
as I need you.”
My
eyes glistened with tears. The emotional rollercoaster I’d stepped onto since
first succumbing to the magnetic pull between us was beginning to bear heavily.
“Don’t make me need you, you’re already too much.”
“Too
much?”
“This,”
I motioned between us, “this is too much.”
“You’re
not ending things sweetheart, I won’t let you,” he breathed.
“Continue
as you have today and you’ll be the one ending things.” I blinked back the
tears, “Things are too heavy too fast. You’re smothering me Jonah.”
He
surged towards me, crushing me to him. My body melted, relaxing against his.
Pushing my butt onto the desk top my legs opened to accommodate him. An arm
wrapped around my waist the other cradling the back of my head. He was hard and
ready, his hotness scorching at the entrance to my sex. My greedy clit pulsated
against his thick length. I gasped at a roll of his hips, the motion stoking my
desire and hunger for him.
Pulling
back his hands cupped my cheeks. Staring intently into my eyes his desire and
hunger matched my own.
“God I need you so much,” he confessed with a
dark whisper.
“Show
me,” I pleaded, “And make it quick.”
My Review:
Ava is barely surviving through her life as she tries to
move on from that horrific night when things for her will never be the same
again. She survived physically but
emotionally she is shut down. She has no
need for emotions, especially love. Why
would she, no one has ever showed her what love should be. For her, it made her life a living hell. All
she has known is pain in one form or the other.
She can be a major bitch, her secrets have made her be this way. When she meets Jonah, the attraction between
them is instant. Too bad she can’t and
won’t act on it, he the type of man that can cause her so much more pain, but
can she really fight him for long?
Jonah is handsome, successful, dominating and the person who
is handling the matter that brought Ava to his office in the first place. Jonah wants Ava, he pursues her and is
relentless until she gives in. There is
something about Jonah, he has his own secrets.
He loves Ava, or is there more to his attraction? When Jonah’s secrets are revealed they have
the power to destroy everything he has with Ava.
The pain that Ava was going through I could never
imagine. She survived something so vile
that it is understandable why she is the way she is. She needed to have the hard walls up around
herself to protect her. When she finally
allows those walls to crumble with Jonah I was so happy, well that was until
Jonah’s secret came out and he royally screwed things up.
Jonah, holy hot damn.
This man is sex himself. He
craves Ava and can’t get enough of her.
He has his secrets but deep down he is a good guy. He in his own way is barely surviving, just
as Ava is. I wanted him to win Ava and
make her see that love can heal and that what he felt was true. I wanted a Jonah for myself, well that was
until his secrets are revealed and I swear I screamed out “you are an asshole how
could you” and threw my kindle, only to pick it right backup to see what was
going to happen next.
The ending, holy shit can you say cliffhanger? I want to know what happens right freaking
now! Now! Now! Now!
I felt so many emotions while reading Barely Surviving. I cried
one minute, was pissed off the next, my heart was breaking and my stomach was
in knots. I was enthralled from the
prologue and could not put my kindle down.
It is not easy to read at times, it’s painful and heartbreaking. It makes you want to start living your life
and not let the past break you.
I'm tired of
just surviving sweetheart, it's time to start living – Jonah
Courtney
Cross has made me an instant fan of hers.
I want the second book, Divinely
Living, to come out right this second so that I can continue on the
rollercoaster ride of emotions that Barely
Surviving has brought me on. Please
put this on your TBR lists as it will not disappoint, that I can promise you.
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/barely-surviving-courtney-cross/1116282149?ean=2940045176811
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/341017
Author
Bio:
Courtney Cross is a 36 year old mother of three wonderful boys who
earlier this year fulfilled a lifetime ambition by putting the workings of her
dirty mind into her first erotic romance novel. She is an avid reader of many
genres and when not reading or writing, she can be found hanging around
football pitches watching her three sons indulge in their passion. With a love
of all things erotic, thought provoking and emotionally charged as well as a
believer in pushing boundaries, she hopes to be able to continue sharing the
workings of her naughty mind with readers of her novels for a long time to
come!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CCourtneycross
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