Twinsie Talk Book Reviews: GIVEAWAY, Guest posting and Review of Hyde (book 1) and Jekyll (book 2) by Lauren Stewart

Good Reads and Good Deeds

" Five Percent of the author proceeds for this book will be donated to a children's charity. First on the list is the Diabetes Youth Foundation. So by purchasing and enjoying Hyde, you are also doing good for others. Thank You"

So to help the author with proceeds to her charity, Twinsie Talk is going to GIVEAWAY a copy of either book . How do you win you ask? WELLLLLL, you have to leave a blog comment and your email address. We will use Random.org to pick a winner to make it fair. The giveaway is open to US residents only because we can't gift books internationally :( sorry folks.....We have tried and it was an epic fail. The giveaway will be over 2-10.

Thanks and goooood luck

Book Blurb:

To survive, they must embrace what they most despise . . . in themselves and each other.

Mitch Turner is everything women want most in a man—charismatic, successful, drop-dead gorgeous. Except he’s not a man—he’s a monster.

The only way Mitch can protect others from his monstrous side is to stop them from getting too close…that and a 7x7 foot cage. Isolated by his genetic curse, he spends his life hurting people emotionally, driving them away before Hyde can harm them physically. But, after a night of the best sex Mitch has ever had, he realizes that might be impossible. Except the woman he was with claims she doesn’t remember any of it.

Eden Colfax is everything men want most, men other than Mitch, that is. She’s kind, honest to a fault and sickeningly sweet. To rid herself of the monsters that haunted her broken childhood, Eden doesn’t lie, doesn’t curse, and definitely never wakes up naked in strangers’ beds…until the day she does.

Then the flashbacks start—places she’s never been, people she’s never met, blood she’s never spilled. She discovers she’s split into two parts—the woman she thought she knew and another who is capable of anything. And the only person with any answers is the one man she never wants to see again.

What neither of them know is that someone is watching them both, manipulating them, determined to see just how evil the two of them really are. And when the truth begins to seep through the cracks, leaving them nowhere to turn but each other, they will be forced into a partnership neither had expected.

Because in life, who you trust is as important as who you are. And when you can’t even trust yourself, sometimes the only person you can rely on is the last person on Earth you should be falling for.

*** An Urban Fantasy novel intended for adults only, as it includes lots of cursing, descriptive sex, biting sarcasm, and themes similar to those in Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, from which this story was inspired.

Angie J's Review:

I received this book from the author for a truthful review.

HOLY HELL PEOPLE!!! This book is AMAZING!! Ok so you prolly want more of an explanation right? You shall get one. First of all, I approached this author because in college I was loved my British Lit classes....yup I was an English Lit Concentration. The fact someone wrote a contemporary version of Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde made me want to read. I saw she wanted reviews and this book SCREAMED to my inner school nerd to read. I was thrilled she said yes and juggled my reading schedule to devour this book. You don't have to know or have read the original book at all because you will love this story.

Ok so the story and characters, ready and GO. Mitch (you better hope he likes you cuz only those he likes can call him that) is the biggest smartass, jackass, POS male around!!! His secretary Jolie is an total and utter bitch (GROWLING and when you read you will understand). Eden is a SAINT!! She wont cuss, swear, or LIE...ever!!! Carter is Eden's "boyfriend" without the benefits who is sweet and kind but...something ain't right there. How do you hang around for 6 years without getting SOMETHING from the woman you love. Hell they sleep in separate rooms!!!

The book begins with Eden waking up buck naked and VERY SORE all over *wink wink* and not with her boyfriend but a complete stranger!! (Did I mention Eden is a VIRGIN!!!) Needless to say FREAK OUT!!! Well things keep happening and she stumbles in to Mitch's office who just happens to be the man who gave her the great "workout". Well they have a lot of great hateful banter back and forth which I completely enjoyed!!! Mitch has a big secret. His "Hyde" is a cold murdering man where Eden's "Hyde" is a total sex crazed woman!! The two begin to work together to help Eden control her "Hyde" and end up falling into bed for like 4 friggin days...uhm yes please can I try that kind of therapy please!!!

Throughout the story there is a mystery of "The Clinic" and you know they are involved with dosing and controlling Eden and Mitch without their knowing. Throughout the book there is also an investigation about who killed Mitch's sister, a chick at a bar and a drug dealer which allll is very important to the story.

I have to say, when I find a book I enjoy I scream it from the rooftops. This book is definitely one of those books. I cannot say enough about the book. When I am done with this review, I will be opening my nook to read Jekyll (Book 2) further messing up my book blog reading schedule but IT IS WORTH IT!!!!!!!

Book Blurb:

“When the devil tells you to stop struggling, do you?”

From the moment Eden wakes up, she knows she’s not in Kansas anymore. She isn’t even on Mitch’s doorstep, her dark-side’s favorite place to dump her. No, she’s somewhere far worse. And far more sterile. Sometimes a girl needs to adapt, be flexible, change. And that’s exactly what Eden will do, all the way back to Mitch. No matter what she has to do to get there. Because his life depends on it.

Mitch has lost something he’d never thought he’d find to begin with. And “It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” is a lie. A lie people tell themselves to make the pain go away. But the pain doesn’t go away, not in someone like Mitch. It festers. It grows. Until it can’t be held back anymore, even by the bars of a cage.

*** Jekyll is a continuation of Mitch and Eden’s story and may prove confusing to those who haven’t read Book I. So why not go check it out? Heck, the first book is cheaper.
*** This novel is also intended for adults, as it includes lots of cursing, biting sarcasm, and some truly evil people.

Angie J's Review:

I finished Hyde and literally went and downloaded Jekyll because I couldn't WAIT!!! I HAD TO START THIS BOOK! I fell in love with the story, the characters and the idea of this series. Again YES I am a Literature nerd so this book screamed to me, but you don't need to be one to enjoy this series.

Oh so I don't wanna spoil anything but yes a main character does die in Book 1 from Hyde...whose Hyde you ask??? Hahah gotta read it. We then learn that females have a "Jekyll" where the males have a "Hyde" per the director of The Clinic. Yes my friends we get a glimpse of The Clinic. Are they good? Are they bad? HRMMM that is for you to decide. I have my thoughts but again...don't wanna spoil any. We also get to know the detective from the first book a lot better this novel. He is very intriguing to me. I like that he also has a grudge against The Clinic.....*wiggles eyebrows*...hrmmmmmmmm interesting I know. Have I peeked your interest???? I know I have!!!

Ok so Chastity/Eden come to "merge" and can live together. The Clinic has never seen a person do this so they feel Eden is "special". They want her to help get Mitch (yeah we are friends so I can call him that) under control and agree on doping. She is desperate to be with him and so she agrees because she needs to see him. We also find out about Eden's parents and boy was it a shocker!!!

Mitch is what I like to call "A Hot Ass Mess". He can't live or function without Eden. He has never been so out of control and his Hyde is running him. He is doing all her can to survive while trying to find her. Well when they do BOOM go the sparks and *grins* the pants. Unfortunately Mitch is unaware of Eden/Chastity's merging and so he thinks he was duped by Eden's Jekyll AGAIN!!! Mitch is an ANGRY boy....I giggle because he reminds me of the Hulk at times and I was yelling 'No Smash Hulk!!" as he trashes his house.

Holy Hell people this book is a slow start but it packs one hell of a finish. The secrets you learn about in this book make me insane. I need book 3 like right this second. The book ends with a major cliffhanger. All I can say is the tears were freely flowing the last 75 ebook pages. I kept messaging the author because my stomach was in knots. I cannot saw enough! This book is absolutely amazing and 5 stars isn't enough!!!

Author Guest Posting:

Authors and Readers: A Mutually Satisfying Relationship

Hey, all! When Angie asked me to write a guest blog, I scoured this site to find something fun to use as my topic. It took about 1.4 seconds to notice that the Twinsies seem to enjoy a little (or a lot of) naughtiness. J And because theme and symbolism are such large components of my work, I decided to use BDSM as a metaphor to talk about writing, reading, and control.

While doing research for my yet-to-be-released erotica novella, I spoke to a number of people involved in the BDSM lifestyle. One thing everyone kept telling me was that, while the Dom controls the situations and sensations of their partner, it’s actually the sub who is in control. The relationship you and I share is the same. The author writes the book the way they want to, but it’s actually the reader who has ultimate control. Let me explain.

Similar to the Dom, as a writer, I can manipulate your body. With a dramatic scene, I can speed up your heart beat. With different sentence length or punctuation, I can change your breathing pattern. I can alter your sleep patterns by writing a book that you can’t put down until the wee hours of the morning. With a great book, an author decides when you get breaks, when you’ve had enough, or when you you’re allowed to…um…when the climax comes (story or otherwise- lol).

But when it comes down to it, the reader controls the kinds of work we put out. If a particular story or character resonates with readers, we pay attention. If you think we don’t listen, if you think we don’t learn, you’re wrong. You teach us what we can and cannot do. As readers, you also determine which books go viral by your purchase habits and Amazon’s ‘also bought’ system, the reviews you leave, and the books you tell all your friends about. You have the power to make our novel a bestseller or to have it be lost at the back of the virtual shelf.

Authors may hold the metaphorical flogger and provide a cuffed-to-your-chair novel for you to read, but you are in control. So who has the ultimate power—author or reader? Who has more control? Is our relationship equitable? I like to think so. A mutually enjoyable match-up in which we both have our needs met.

In case you’re interested: In life, I think of myself more as a Dom. But in fiction, I guess I swing both ways. ;)

Thanks so much for having me, Twinsies! And for reading Hyde and Jekyll. And, yes, Book III is on its way. Happy reading!

About the Author:

website

http://www.ReadLaurenS.com

Facebook

www.facebook.com/readlaurens

twitter username

ReadLaurenS

genre

Romance, Mystery & Thrillers, Literature & Fiction

influences

In no particular order: JR Ward, Karen Marie Moning, Stephen King,

After earning degrees in Fine Arts and English, Lauren Stewart wanted to see the world. A lack of funds meant that she didn’t get far. She spent two years traveling around Mexico, the Caribbean, and Canada—first as a choreographer and then an English teacher—meeting folks from all the places she couldn’t afford to go to. But that time was highly useful—she learned about herself, other people, and how insane life actually is.

Lauren reads in almost every genre. So naturally, her writing reflects that. With every book, every story, you'll find elements of other genres--fantasy, mystery, romance, paranormal, suspense, YA, women's literature, all with a touch of humor because what doesn’t kill us, should make us laugh.

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