Are you ready for Blaire?
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Blurb
Love is selfish…
My name is Blaire.
I’m the bad girl.
The other woman.
The one who never gets the guy in the end.
I’m the gold digger.
The bitch.
The one no one roots for.
The one you love to hate.
I hate myself too…
Everyone has a story. Are you ready for mine?
Review
Blaire White ~ her last name definitely does not symbolize the type of woman she appears to be. She is far from pure, both by her own doing as well as her parents, and she is anything but the epitome of virtue. She is an attention seeking seductress who spreads her legs willingly to lure men in, in order to be lavished with material items and live the kind of life that she’s been accustomed to. Her beauty is a weapon she uses to get what she wants – to help ease her torturous heart. She’s beautiful. She’s shiny. She’s wanted and desired for the way that she looks and what she provides, but no one knows who she truly is…no one sees beneath the surface to the scared, chubby little girl who just wanted to feel loved and cherished by her parents but was left alone and unloved. I don’t think even Blaire knows who she really is because she’s been playing this role for so many years that it’s become her second skin, more her than anything she’ll ever recognize or admit to.
But there is another side to Blaire – one that is suppressed way beneath the mask that she wears. That Blaire is a person who craves to be loved and who wants to give back love. She’s someone who doesn’t really care for the power she can toil over men; she just wants a man who sees her for more than her body and pretty face. A man who sees her self worth and wants her to see it as well. Having someone like this fill her life with love and cherish her for the woman she is on the inside would undoubtedly set free some of the demons that haunt her and force her to be the person the world sees, but Blaire’s not strong enough to give in to that desire. She can imagine it, but there’s too great a risk to actually seek it, even when it’s right in front of her. The seducing power of money will always win out because her heart froze over long ago, and she will never allow her need for love to overpower her when the end result is not something she can handle.
Love is selfish. Love is unkind. Love hurts.
This is Blaire’s mantra after the upbringing she was forced to endure, and this allows her life to be lived without emotion because feelings can cause too much harm, and she refuses to allow that to happen, which may be her undoing no matter how much she thinks it won’t.
Mia Asher definitely weaves a unique tale in Easy Virtue, and it’s one that will have readers’ emotions all over the place. I want to hate Blaire for her actions and insensitive comments, but Mia provides such a complete perspective on Blaire’s past and the way that it has shaped her that I can’t, no matter how much I want to. Blaire’s story is incredibly addictive because as a reader, I need to understand why her views on life and love are so messed up and what that perception has caused her life to mold into. She’s definitely a frustrating heroine because readers can tell what she truly wants and needs, but she refuses to admit it and goes out of her way to destroy it, which is not easy to watch. Through Blaire’s back story and the internal comments she makes about her philosophy about how to live, it’s easy to see how scarring her past has been, but there also has to come a time when a person chooses a different route – one just for her that is shaped by her and allows her to free themselves from the chains of the past. Blaire’s not there yet, but I’m hoping she’ll get there in the conclusion of her story.
This is my first Mia Asher book, but it definitely won’t be my last. She’s a talented writer who is willing to go outside the box to craft a tale that will enthrall her readers. The storyline is engrossing and the way she’s built Blaire up as a character makes it easy to see why her life is lived on the terms that they are. Easy Virtue IS a love story, but it’s a love that isn’t realized yet…a love that in an abstract sense is slowly tearing Blaire apart and forcing her to recognize and feel things that she’s not quite ready or prepared for. It will be interesting to see how the Blaire’s story progresses with how it is left at the end of the book. I hope that the Blaire the world sees will begin to waiver like she does a bit in Easy Virtue and that she’ll realize the power that love can have in a positive sense – the type of love that is way more than what money can buy.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 poison apples
Excerpt
With champagne and caviar inundating my every sense, I slither through the light wooden floors of the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing in The Met. As I walk, I pretend to admire the expensive jewelry being showcased tonight by a famous designer whose name I can’t remember. A multicolored diamond butterfly sparkles to my left and a cobra made out of black stones glistens to my right. Rows upon rows of precious gems twinkle under the soft lights of the room, flooding the space between the walls with the glow of a thousand stars. Furtive glances. Secrets gossiped. Beauty criticized. Lofty music fills the atmosphere as the über rich mingle and pretend to like each other, yet you can almost taste their conceit and derision for one another in the air.
This is Walker’s world, and I love it.
Standing across the room, where the crowd is thinner and the music fainter, I spot Walker’s blond head in the corner of the room, talking to a group of his colleagues and their wives. He looks polished and worth every penny of his trust fund in his sleek black tuxedo, perfectly starched white shirt and black bowtie. His long golden hair parted to the side shines like the sun. He is truly flawless.
I smile because it’s hard to picture that this is the same guy who likes to snort coke off my tits as he fucks me while hardcore porn plays in the background. He looks untouchable and so cool, but his searching eyes, scanning the crowd for me give him up. He’s wondering where I am. He did tell me not to go too far, after all. Soon after we arrived at the party, I gave him some space to talk to his friends and do his thing while I did mine. I hate clingy people, so I avoid being one.
I grab a third flute of champagne from a passing waiter, and try to decide which of the different displays to check out first when my eyes land on a spectacular piece of jewelry. On a bed of black silk, similar to my hair color, lies an extravagant necklace made of diamonds and rubies—a small heaven within one’s reach as long as you can afford the price.
I bridge the space between the glass protecting the necklace and me until it’s within my reach, fighting the urge to touch the cool surface. As if under a spell, I observe how the rows of diamonds embedded in platinum form leaves and thorns. At its center is a rose made out of red diamonds almost as big as my palm.
I feel someone walk up and stand next to me, but I don’t give him or her a second thought as I continue to admire the way the light hits the gems, making them shine.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
His voice is smooth and commanding, dripping absolute power. I keep my eyes locked on the display. Call it sixth sense, but somehow I know that under no circumstance should I make eye contact with the stranger who speaks like the ruler of the world.
“Yes,” I say simply.
“I wonder how much it is?” the man asks.
“I don’t think it matters … I highly doubt anyone can afford it.”
He chuckles, and the sound is more delicious than his voice. Lusher. “Oh, but I can.”
I smile at his self-assurance. I love cocky assholes. “I still doubt it.”
“You shouldn’t. I only speak the truth,” he retorts coolly. His voice is nonchalant yet his words leave no room for disbelief—a demand and a statement all in one.
Suddenly, the noises of the room become distant. People talking and laughing amongst friends and the orchestra playing all fade away until all I hear is him speaking.
And at this moment, that is all that matters.
“The truth is very subjective, sir.”
“The truth may be subjective but money isn’t. Money can buy anything.”
His answer is like an electroshock, jumpstarting my brain from a champagne-induced haze. My pulse begins to accelerate, excitement making it hard to take a deep breath. Don’t look at him … don’t.
“Oh really,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. He’s right, though.
“Of course. I believe everything,” he pauses, “and everyone has a price.”
Curiosity winning the battle against curiosity, I turn to face him, and what a fucking big mistake that is. When our eyes meet, I feel incapacitated of all sense and movement. The sight of him takes my breath away. This man gives the term “lust at first sight” a whole new meaning.
In my short twenty-three years, I’ve been with extremely handsome men, perfect even, but to classify the man standing next to me in any kind of category would be a disservice to him, and not really fair to the others. Longish, light brown hair wildly framing his face, vacant eyes the color of dollar bills, a slightly crooked nose, and a mouth that begs to be buried deep within your thighs. His beauty is as harsh as it is stunningly perfect. Dressed in a simple black tuxedo and unbuttoned white shirt, the man exudes innate virility and grace, reminding me of a black panther stalking his prey. And just like a panther, it’s the pure raw and powerful energy emanating from within him that I find most attractive. Because just by standing next to him, I get the sense that his word is always the last spoken and his wishes the first ones to be fulfilled. He doesn’t ask, he demands. He doesn’t hope, he expects.
He’s quiet for a moment; his uncanny eyes hold me captive as though they are baring my soul to him and I hate it. I tighten my hold on the crystal flute. I want to look away, but I can’t. The way he’s staring at me makes me want to squirm.
“I wonder … do you have one?” he asks softly before turning to examine the piece of jewelry once more.
“A what?” I ask, momentarily stunned.
He smiles. “A price.”
“For the right amount … I just might,” I say quietly, my heart beating so fast it feels as though it wants out of my chest. As soon as the words leave my mouth, there’s no shock coursing down my body, no rolling waves of shame pulling me down for having said that to a complete stranger—nothing.
And why should there be? I am who I am.
I’m staring at his profile, waiting for him to acknowledge my answer, when a breeze of cool air floats past us, making me shiver. About to chase the goose bumps on my arm with my hand, I watch as he slowly turns to look at me, catching me staring at him. Time stands still as I watch him raise his large tanned hand and touch my bare shoulder, his fingertips lightly grazing the temporary small bumps covering it. Then he smiles as if he knows that my skin is tingling from his scalding touch, and looks away.
“I thought so.”
We remain standing next to each other for another minute or so, the distance between us almost nonexistent. It would be so easy to reach out and hold his hand. The sound of an incoming call breaks the silence, bringing us back to reality.
He takes his cell phone out of the inner pocket of his tuxedo jacket and ignores the call after noting the name of the caller. He lifts his gaze to meet my own.
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. I should go … I’m here with someone,” I reply, not really wanting to leave him just yet.
“Yes, that’s probably a good idea.”
I frown. He didn’t have to be quite so blunt. The stranger extends a hand toward me, holding something in his fingers.
“Here … ”
I open my hand as I feel the edges of what I assume is his business card poke the skin of my palm. “What’s this?” I ask stupidly.
“My business card, of course.”
“Obviously … but why?”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Let’s just say that I’m an interested buyer.”
And then he’s gone.
He turns and walks away from me, disappearing into a sea of colorful gowns and black suits. As the sounds of the party infiltrate my ears once more, I lower my gaze to stare at the simple cream-colored card in my hand. Its simplistic and elegant design draws attention to the name printed in bold black letters on the paper.
Lawrence Rothschild.
I smile and let my fingertips trail his name. It depends on what you’re willing to pay, Mr. Rothschild.
Published by Mia Asher
Copyright © 2013 by Mia Asher
About the Author
Mia Asher
My name is Mia Asher.
I’m a writer, a hopeless romantic, a wanderer, a dreamer, a cynic, and a believer. And, oh yes…I might be a bit crazy – but who isn’t?
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