Blog Tour Stop: Tainted by K.A. Robinson: Review, Excerpt, and Giveaway

Drake lost everything the day Chloe walked away from him. Feeling angry and hurt by her abandonment, he dives deeper into his cocaine use. Each day becomes a struggle for him. After his band is picked up by a recording studio in Los Angeles, things go from bad to worse. What happens to a man who has lost everything he ever truly cared about?

Part Two: Learning to Love Again
When Drake showed up on Chloe’s doorstep, begging for forgiveness, she couldn’t turn him away. To Chloe, loving Drake is like breathing and she couldn’t bring herself to let him go again.

But what happens next? Follow Chloe and Drake as they learn to forgive and heal together.

Will Drake’s fame get in the way of their happily ever after? Or is love enough to keep them together?

The epic conclusion to Drake and Chloe’s story.

**Arc was provided by author in exchange for an honest review**

When I first met Drake in Book One – Torn, I was pulled to him just like Chloe. He is the ultimate tattooed bad boy; the one everyone tells you to stay away from because he only wants one thing. Drake is exactly that man until he gets to know Chloe; then, it is all about her. With his addictive personality, Drake becomes obsessed with her; he knows he wants more with Chloe, but he doesn’t know if it can happen without him hurting her.

Fast forward a bit and in Twisted, Chloe and Drake’s solid relationship is short lived. For most of the book, they are not together because Drake is touring with his band, and Chloe is staying with her cousin. While they are apart, there are many half-truths and straight out lies that threaten to destroy what they have. Ultimately, it’s Drake’s addiction that tears them apart and leaves Chloe facing memories of her past with her mother. Chloe does what she has to by leaving Drake, and she spends many months trying to mend her broken heart. After Drake gets clean, he finds her and wins her back and readers get an epilogue of their life six years later.

But what happened after Chloe left Drake with her ultimatum? How did he ultimately get clean and make his way back to her? How did they work through the pain of their past? These were the questions I was left with after finishing Twisted…I wanted to hear Drake’s side and understand his choices.  Thankfully, K.A. Robinson offered me the chance with Tainted.

Tainted is divided into three sections. Each section offers readers new insight into the time Chloe and Drake spent apart as well as what happened after their reunion.

In Part One: Facing My Demons, readers get an up close look at what Drake’s drug abuse does to his friends and to his mind and body. After Chloe leaves, Drake’s drug use worsens. He tries to shut off his mind and his emotions by being in a constant high, which ends up almost costing him his life. As Drake works through his demons, we get insight into what caused his drug abuse in the first place.

I have to admit, I didn’t like Drake in Twisted. His jealousy and rage left me wondering why Chloe even tried to stay with him. After reading this section of Tainted, it became clearer as to why he made the choices he did – when Drake’s control is gone, he seeks comfort with things or people that allow him to shut down and not think for a while.  I still don’t understand why he wasn’t willing to give up cocaine for the girl he loved, but his decisions made more sense to me through this section.

 Part Two: Learning to Love Again: in part two, readers get Chloe’s point of view as she moves forward with Drake by moving to Los Angeles. This section is all about healing each other and recommitting themselves to a solid relationship. Their cross country adventure allows them to reconnect and accept their pasts. Their “healing in reverse” works for Chloe and Drake, and despite a few bumps in the road, they’re in it until the end.

In Part Three: New Beginnings, readers are fast forwarded seven years. Drake is closing out another tour, and Chloe is ready to give birth to their child, opening a new chapter in their lives.

I really enjoyed gaining further insight into Chloe and Drake’s relationship. Tainted allowed me to hear Drake’s side of the story about the drug use and witness the steps he took to get clean. It did seem a bit quick for Chloe to accept Drake’s marriage proposal without working through their problems first, but I guess they never took anything slowly. I would have liked to have seen more about how Drake’s band made it big and how Chloe handled it all – that was such a big concern for Chloe. I needed to witness them grow as a couple and make it work despite all of the outside distractions.  But, I did get my happily ever after, and for me, that was a must. I guess I just wanted to see how they got there a bit more.  Overall, the Torn series is a must read for those who love angst, steam, love triangles, and a hea for the hero and heroine. I can’t wait to see who else in the Torn cast of characters gets his/her own story.

4 poison apples

Goodreads link: http://bit.ly/19HjXln

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1dwYbzv

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/J80lwA

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1entvpo

Amazon & Nook – will email

                                                     

Torn: http://amzn.to/J6yzQp                                                        Twisted: http://amzn.to/1dPNZ5F