Book Tour: Giving It Up by Amber Lin

Hello, My Sweets! The next stop on Amber Lin's book tour is on My Secret Romance- and she's giving you an exclusive excerpt today. How exciting! So please welcome Amber and check out this sexy excerpt and photo she has given us.

The Dark Side of Romance

Giving It Up is a dark book. It’s edgy, it’s gritty. At times, it’s even violent. And yet, it’s most definitely a romance. The core thread throughout the entire book is a love story between two very messed up people.

 

So I think it’s fair to ask what romance means to me. It’s not sweet nothings spoken over candlelight. It’s not rose petals on the pillowcase. It’s not even fluffy handcuffs so we can play kinky games, no.

If we’re talking about romance, then we’re talking about love. And love is so much more than that – it’s sharper, deeper and yes, even darker.

Allie, the heroine of my book, is a wounded soul. She has been hurt in her past and knows better than to trust a man. Her shame drives her to hurt herself. What she needs is a man who is solid and who would never hurt her. But more than that, she needs one that doesn’t look that way, one who looks a little mean, otherwise she couldn’t believe in him.

Colin, the hero of my book, has his own wounds to fortify. He grew up in a bad home, unable to protect his older brother and sister as they bore the brunt of the abuse. His guilt has kept him tethered to his brother, even through adulthood and at his own risk. What he needs is a woman who will accept his help while providing strength back to him. More than that, she needs one who won’t flinch at the dark parts of his past, who will stand by him and even protect him.

Allie needs someone who she can hand over control to in the bedroom, but who would never abuse that power. Colin needs to be in control, needs to give pleasure and take care of her.

Allie needs to trust, and Colin needs to be trusted. This is what romance is all about: two perfect puzzle pieces fitting together.

Here’s where I show you an excerpt from Giving It Up where Allie and Colin get along perfectly, right? Hah! Sorry but that doesn’t make for a very interesting story – or a realistic one. Just because they are made for each other doesn’t mean they don’t have to work for it.

Just like my book, this excerpt is dark, edgy, and erotic, so readers be forewarned…

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

I still felt the anger, the hurt, but those things were impotent. At least when you were small like me. So tired. And hell, I didn’t want to be mad at him. It probably made me weak, but that was nothing new.

I fought past the lump in my throat. “Give it to me.”

He paused. “What?”

“The way I want it. You know.”

I felt his indecision as my breath caught. He didn’t want to hurt me, I knew, but he’d want to do as I asked, because he’d fucked up. I didn’t even know if I wanted him to say yes or no.

“Okay,” he finally said, resigned.

Relief and panic warred within me, but both emotions were muted by the sharp pain on my wrist. Why did men always go for the wrist? They wanted to immobilize women, I supposed. Immobilize our hands, at least—were hands really so powerful? Then he tightened his other hand in my hair and yanked. Fuck. Yes, they were.

I slid down the side of the bed, where the hardwood floor slapped my face. My knees jolted as they hit the floor, and then again with the impact of Colin’s weight from behind.

All over, my body was twisted or crushed. It was perfect.

I surrendered. There’s a freedom in not having to move, not having to think, but knowing it would happen anyway. My clothes were yanked out of the way, and then he was fucking me.

Each thrust slammed my head into the ground and my shoulders from their sockets. Ah, bliss.

My mind took up a chant. Hurt me, hurt me, hurt me. Make me hurt, cry, bleed. Make my outside match my inside. Help me get it out, because I can’t cry on my own.

And then my plea escaped my mind. “Hurt me, hurt me.”

“Oh, God,” Colin groaned.

“Hurt me.”

He reached around and pinched my nipple. I gasped. He pressed harder. Yes.

“Allie,” he said. It sounded like a warning. I couldn’t think.

The initial pain of his cock stretching me had passed. I wanted more. I tilted my hips back to meet him. He took the cue and grasped my bare hips with both hands. His fingers dug into me as he rammed my body onto his cock. Fuck, it hurt. Yes, more.

My mouth formed the words, but no sound came out. “Hurt me.”

“Fuck!” With a final, erratic surge and a long, almost painful moan, he climaxed. He slumped over me, crushing me.

He was right. Fuck.

What had I done? I couldn’t face him.

A tear slid down my face. That wasn’t strange. My face was wet—I’d been crying before we even started. But this one came from near my ear and slid down to my nose.

It wasn’t mine.

Giving It Up isn’t a story of the rich, the beautiful—the perfect. But it’s their imperfections that make it meaningful. It’s their jagged edges, cutting into each other, that make it hurt. 

And it’s the peace, when they finally fit together, that make it a romance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Blurb: 

Allie prowls the club for a man who will use her hard and then ditch her. Hey, it's not rape if she wants it. Instead she finds Colin, who looks tough but treats her tenderly, despite her protests.

He tempts her, but kindness and a few mindblowing orgasms aren't enough to put her back together again. Allie has no hope for a real relationship. Two years ago her best friend betrayed her in the worst possible way – she’d be stupid to trust a man again. Besides, she has her daughter to think of, the only good thing to have come from that dark night.

But when her rapist returns, threatening her sanity and custody of her daughter, Allie turns to Colin. Under his protection and patient touch, Allie begins to heal and learns to hope. Colin’s no saint, though, and his criminal past draws danger of its own. Allie must fight to protect her child and the man she loves, hoping her newfound power will be enough to save them all.

"A ballsy departure from romantic conventions. At once gritty and tender, stark and hopeful."
—Cara McKenna, author of Willing Victim

"Giving It Up is an erotic, compelling story that takes us to the shadowy, lonely places but doesn't leave us there. Amber Lin shows us that romance isn't just for the rich and shiny. Love can find its way even into the dark corners of the most damaged hearts."
—Tiffany Reisz, author of The Siren

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Amber Lin loves to read angsty romance with plenty of sex, so it was no surprise that her debut book turned out to be erotic romance set against a dark urban landscape. She writes with one rule in mind: it has to get worse before it can get better. She lives with her husband, son and passel of puppy dogs in the great state of Texas.

Website: http://authoramberlin.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/authoramberlin

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5827158.Amber_Lin

Book Video link:  http://youtu.be/5NQ7NTuzFFI

Book Video Embed Code:  <iframe width="350" height="197" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5NQ7NTuzFFI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Amber is giving away an awesome prize pack for each stop. Lucky you! All you need to do is leave a comment and LIKE MY FACEBOOK PAGE. Please remember to leave your email address. It will be the only way to contact the winner. Thanks and good luck!!