Title: Rouse Me
Author: Crystal Kaswell
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Release Day: August 4, 2014
Synopsis:
Alyssa Summers is not the kind of girl who cheats. Sure, she isn't in
love with her fiancé, Ryan Knight, but she has no use for silly ideas like love
or passion. She needs someone who can keep her from destroying herself. She
needs Ryan. She's sure of it.
Then she meets Luke Lawrence.
He's handsome. And he's bold—he thinks nothing of flirting with her in
front of Ryan. And he's smart, and articulate, and interested in what she has
to say.
But she should be able to stop thinking about him.
So what if his big, brown eyes light up when he smiles? So what if his
laugh completely disarms her? So what if his touch-- even his fingertips
grazing her back-- makes her body hum?
She shouldn't feel so tempted. She shouldn't feel so desperate to know
him. Luke is Ryan's business partner, for God's sake. She should be able to
resist him.
But she can't. She wants Luke more than she's ever
wanted anything.
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N
Rouse me is a remarkable read with even more outstanding characters!!
What I loved so much about this book is how real the story AND the characters are. It could have been easily a true story based on true facts.
It speaks about suffering from eating disorders hence self confidence issues, bullying and learning to stand up for yourself. The messages coming from this book are significant and very well written.
Alyssa is a strong woman who doesn’t realize it. She fell and she managed to stand on her own feet. Yes she had help, but help is just help. Whoever helps doesn’t do the work for you. Whoever helps is simply there to support you and tell you the truth when you need it. But she doesn’t always sees that. She is so afraid of herself that she convinces herself that she can’t survive on her own, which is tragic. She did all the work and she still doesn’t see herself clearly. Not just because of her issues, but because whoever helped took all the credit and afterwards waited for her failure. That’s not help or support and most definitely not love.
Ryan is that miserable know-it-all whose ambitions and needs are always the most important. He is the best and the smartest and what he says is law. Well, I don’t think so..
Luke is an intriguing man. He wants Alyssa so badly so he convinces both of them to take a leap of faith. But then he loves Alyssa so much that he cannot stay to watch her with Ryan and not with him. I found his change of heart so very intriguing! It was a delight to see!! We see this character moving on and evolving and changing. He let love in but he didn’t let love destroy him. That’s very admirable and I loved Luke for his decisions!
Luke must be one of the most admirable and intriguing characters I’ve read in a while.
Alyssa must be one of the truest characters I have ever read.
And well..umm..there isn’t another way to say this..Ryan is one of the biggest assholes I have ever read about…
Rouse Me is an amazing book about incredible characters facing remarkable issues and delicate life decisions!
So, 4.5 stars go to Rouse me!!
Excerpt:
A knock on the door interrupts us.
“That
must be Luke. Ignore him,” Ryan says.
Luke
steps inside. He's taller than I imagined. Younger too.In his late 20s
probably. He's built like a runner—tall with long, lean muscles. And he's
handsome. Very handsome. His coffee-colored eyes and messy black hair stand out
against his light skin.
Okay,
handsome was the wrong word. He's hot. Smoking hot.
“Sorry
to interrupt,” he says. “You must be Alyssa. I'm Luke. Luke Lawrence.”
His
eyes connect with mine. Jesus, his eyes are amazing—the darkest of browns, big
and full of life. He holds my gaze as he shakes my hand. I nod. He's Luke. Luke
Lawrence. Ryan's partner. Remember Ryan, your fiancé? He's standing behind you.
“Nice
to meet you,” I say.
Luke
brushes his fingers across my wrist, and I feel a rush of electricity flood my
body. I gulp. It's nice enough when Ryan touches me, but it's nothing like
this. Nothing so intense.
“What
do you want?” Ryan asks, barely able to hide his hostility.
“We've
been working together three years. Don't you think it's time I met your
girlfriend? Excuse me, your fiancée.”
“You've
had chances,” Ryan says.
“Aren't
you going to offer her something to drink?” Luke asks.
“I'm
fine,” I say.
“Are
you sure? We have a bunch of crap. Water.Tea.Coffee.”
“Maybe
a coffee.”
“Alyssa
was just leaving,” Ryan says.
“She
can leave after her coffee,” Luke turns to me and offers his hand. “I'll walk
you out.”
Ryan
frowns. Before I can make much of it, Luke leads me into the hallway, closing
the door behind him.
The
office kitchen is small, and the promised coffee is from one of those
single-cup machines. Luke loads the machine, adding exactly the right amount of
water. My heart beats faster and faster. I swear I start sweating. I shouldn't
be alone with him. It's not appropriate.
Especially
when he's so fucking handsome.
“You
were amazing in that film, Mahogany,”
he says. “You stole every scene you were in.”
“Thank
you.”
“You
must hear it all the time.”
“Only
occasionally,” I say. It's not like I go anywhere where I would hear it. It's
not like I go anywhere where anyone would recognize me.
“I
remember when it came out. I think Ryan had just started dating you. And he was
bragging about how gorgeous and talented you were. But he hadn't seen it. So I
told him, and—fuck, you probably got the short end of the stick on this one. I
told him that you do a strip tease in it.”
“Well,
aren't you a fucking instigator,” I say with a laugh.
“Did
he throw a fit?”
“He
wasn't pleased.” Ryan is never happy about any love scenes. God forbid a role
call for nudity.
“Sorry,
but the look on his face... God, he was so jealous. I thought he might punch
me.”
“Oh,
please. You did it just to annoy him. You would have worn a black eye like a
badge of honor.”
“Maybe.”
He laughs. “Probably.”
“That's
why you insisted on making me coffee, isn't it?” I ask.
“Well...”
“Well?”
“I've
been dying to meet you for a while.”
“Are
you saying that because he might overhear?”
Luke
shakes his head. “I was hoping you'd be a bit more...”
“Vacuous?”
“Show
off.” He brushes his hand against mine for no particular reason, his eyes
locked on mine, studying me for a reaction. I bite my tongue to keep from
blushing. He's touching me on purpose.
“It's
not because you're blonde,” he continues. “Or because you're gorgeous. And not
because you played that slutty cheerleader.”
My
heart beats faster. He thinks I'm gorgeous.
“And
not because all actors are idiots.” I offer.
He
nods. “I couldn't imagine Ryan being with someone smarter than him.”
“Than
he is,” I correct him. I brace for an eye roll, but he smiles, his big, brown
eyes lighting up.
“I'm
jealous. I've never been with someone who corrects my grammar.”
“Ryan
hates it.”
“Fuck
Ryan.”
He
hands me the cup of coffee and points me to the packets of cream and sugar. I dump
one packet of sugar into my cup—one can't hurt—and take a long sip. His eyes
are still on me, big and wide and full of enthusiasm.
I
feel breathless again. My heart beats faster and louder.
“I
should let you get back to work,” I say.
“You
can stop by anytime. If Ryan won't see you, I will.”
“You're
really after that black eye, aren't you?”
“Well,
it would be a badge of honor,” he says as he walks me to the door.
His hand
brushes against my back and, once again, my body surges with electricity. What
would his hands feel like on my bare skin? What would they feel like on my ass
or my chest or between my legs?
Character bios:
Alyssa
Summers
Alyssa
is an actor before she's anything else. Acting the only thing she's ever really
loved, and she feels much more comfortable assuming a role than being herself.
See, Alyssa isn't so great at dealing with her feelings. She used to binge and
purge her way through them, but she's been out of treatment for a while now.
She loves coffee and tequila, though she often drinks too much of the latter.
Her tastes in fiction lean towards the literary. She's read enough books to earn
several English degrees, but she never had a chance to go to college.
She
has a visceral reaction to Luke. She wants him, desperately. Hell, it's the
first time she's wanted something as much as she wants an acting career.
Ryan
Knight, Alyssa's fiance
Ryan
Knight has always looked after Alyssa, and he's never asked for anything in
return. He's a practical, ambitious, hard-working man. Too hard-working,
actually. He spends so many hours running a law firm, he has little time left
for Alyssa. But he does take care of her. He calls her every night at seven. He
makes sure she eats. He tries his best to keep her in control of her behavior.
It isn't entirely clear how Ryan feels about Alyssa. Is she the love of his
life? His future trophy wife? Or is she some pet he takes care of?
Luke
Lawrence, Ryan's business partner
Luke
is not all that passionate about work, instead devoting most of his energy to
watching films and TV, especially detective stories and court room dramas,
especially Law and Order. He's
confident to the point of being cocky. He's educated, well-read, and desperate
for an equally clever conversation partner. He's immediately drawn to Alyssa.
She calls him out on his bullshit. She corrects his grammar. And she blushes
like mad when he flirts with her.
About the
Author:
Crystal Kaswell is the author of Rouse Me, coming
August 2014. She is a voracious reader, typically consuming books in only two
or three days. When not reading or writing, she is typically playing board
games, drinking tea, or riding her beach cruiser around Los Angeles.
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