Carver's Book Cravings: Blog Tour and Giveaway: Stubborn Love by Wendy Owens

~ Synopsis ~

Even a broken heart has trouble resisting a Stubborn Love.

Emmie Hayes loved the beautiful Ashton Stirling deeply; nobody could deny that. She had given him her youth, and all he gave in return was misery and pain. She was ready for a new beginning, but Ashton wasn’t about to let her go so easily, even if it meant destroying both their lives in the process.

Three years later Emmie convinces herself she is ready to leave all of that heartbreak in the past and find a little piece of normal for herself. She heads to New York City to pick up where she left off, determined to finish art school. Emmie is determined to focus on school and not let anything distract her, but life has a way of throwing curveballs.

Paige, Emmie’s new roommate, brings Colin Bennett into her life. His smoldering eyes and lean muscular body are difficult for any girl to ignore. Only thing is, Emmie isn’t any girl. Her past makes her resistant to his charms. Colin isn’t one to give up easily, and just when he thinks he may have found a way to her stubborn heart, her tragic history may have found a way to tear them apart.

Goodreads | Amazon

~ Our Review ~

4 Star Review by Annie

Wow. From page one this book held my attention. This story was about letting go of the past and learning to move on to the future. Stubborn Love started off with heartache, but ended with love!

Emmie has been in love with Ashton for as long as she can remember. She thought he was her one and only love, but things change. A selfish decision he makes one fateful afternoon not only ruins his life, but Emmie’s life too.

Trying to pick up the pieces Emmie decides to start fresh and moves to New York City to finish up her college. In the search of finding a place to live she ends up meeting Paige. Paige not only becomes her roommate, but quickly becomes her friend. What Emmie didn’t expect is for their landlord to be a walking sex pot. Can Emmie overcome the past or does it finally catch up to her and bring her down with it?

Colin has spent his whole life taking care of everyone else and not taking care of himself. He has never had time to invest in a relationship and basically is just going through the motions of life. He was all work and no play, basically owning the whole entire block. That is until his baby brothers girlfriend brings Emmie, her new roommate over. He couldn’t seem to escape Emmie, because not only was she hanging around with his brother she was also his new tenant. Emmie was a bit of a challenge. Not only was she hot but she was spunky as well. Is Colin finally ready for a relationship or does he go back into his old ways?

Wendy Owens did an amazing job. The characters in this book were realistic and likable. I felt as if I knew them on a personal level. This book moved at a fast pace, but did not miss any key points.

The only negative is that I wish we could have explored the relationship between the two leads more. I felt like we needed more passion and a little bit more romance. I would give this book 4 stars.

~ Top 3 Steamiest Moments ~

1. The first meeting:

With that, the faceless voice came into view. As he stood, my breath caught in my throat. He stared at me for a moment, not saying a word. I was fine with this because I found myself staring right back.

He stood there, just looking at me, one dark, sinister, and oh so sexy eyebrow raised. He was a shirtless Adonis, there in the flesh, and I was helpless, unable to look away. For a moment, my eyes shifted down, drinking in his firm chest, chiseled abs, and the tease of the cut just above where his distressed jeans rested. His muscles were hard, though his body still lean.

Quickly, when I realized I was ogling this stranger’s body, I forced my eyes to shift back to his face, but there was no relief there from the exquisiteness. His straight, thick, dark black hair looked like he had just gotten out of bed, absolute perfection. I could even tell from the distance I stood, his eyes were a breathtaking icy gray. His complexion was flawless, accentuating the stubble of his three-day beard.

2. The art studio:

“I was fine with the way my life was. Now you’re all I can think about.” He sighed, “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

I couldn’t tell if the ache in my chest was from joy or from my heart breaking. I swore I wasn’t ever going to fall in love again. It hurt too much. Don’t think about it, I told myself, just kiss him.

Pressing up onto my tiptoes again, I met his lips with mine, our tongues quickly finding one another, entwining into a graceful dance.

He pressed his erection against my hip, slipping his hands behind my back to unclasp my bra. I tried not to think about what an expert he was with his technique. It would only serve to aggravate me.

Our bodies separated for a moment, but keeping our necks arched, we managed to continue kissing as he relieved me of my bra. My D-cup breasts falling into their natural position, he once again pressed against me, lifting a finger to one of my breasts and tracing my exposed nipple.

I moaned into his mouth, unable to contain my ecstasy any longer. He slid his other hand to my underwear, grinding his fingers against me through the fabric. I sank my nails into the skin of his back

He kissed his way down my throat, taking the hand away from my breasts and slipping it behind my neck, allowing my head to fall back, enjoying the exploration of his lips.

3. The bathtub scene:

I didn’t need to give it another moment’s thought; I knew I was ready for this pampering. I quickly unbuttoned my pants, using my feet and legs to shimmy them down, flicking them off violently from the final foot they clung to. Colin was now directly in front of me, barely any space between us, and his eyes told me he was pleased with my sudden enthusiasm. Before I could lift my shirt, he had his hands grasped tightly around it, pulling it over my head.

“Holy shit,” he growled, as my black lacy bra and panty set came into complete view. My stomach fluttered, and an ache grew inside me as I saw his response. “You’ll have to wear these for me again.”

Grabbing my hips, he spun me around, pulling my backside against his pelvis. Based on the hardness grinding against my hip, I could tell he was more pleased with my outfit than I originally assumed. Slipping his hands beneath my underwear, at my hips, he guided them along my legs, creating a trail of kisses down my back as he went, nibbling softly on my bare ass cheek for a brief second.

Standing back up, he swept my hair over one shoulder and unclasped my bra. I allowed it to fall to the floor, turning to face him. Taking one hand, he led me to the bath, guiding me into the awaiting suds. The warm water swallowed me, finding its way into all of my crevices. Twisting the handles, stopping the flow of water, he stared.

~ About The Author ~

Wendy Owens was raised in the small college town of Oxford, Ohio. After attending Miami University, Wendy went on to a career in the visual arts. After several years of creating and selling her own artwork, she gave her first love, writing, a try.

Since 2011, she has published a young adult paranormal series, The Guardians, which will contain five books total, as well as a novella.

Wendy now happily spends her days writing—her loving dachshund, Piper, curled up at her feet. When she's not writing, she can be found spending time with her tech geek husband and their three amazing kids, exploring the city she loves to call home: Cincinnati, OH.

Stubborn Love is her debut New Adult novel.

Only In Dreams, the second book in this series, is set to be released December 2013.