Saturday, September 21, 2013

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Back to Life by Danielle Allen

~ Synopsis ~
 
Sahara Lee has spent the last ten years living with the guilt of a tragic accident and its aftermath. That night irrevocably changed the outgoing, fun-loving college freshman into an introverted, workaholic with no social life. Sahara isolates herself from everyone and everything that reminds her of home in an effort to forget what happened. Using art as a substitute for love, Sahara throws herself into music and art as a way to feel something other than the guilt that haunts her. She accepts her lonely existence as penance for the role she played in the accident. That is, until she meets Tyree Barker, the good looking entrepreneur with baggage of his own.

Blindsided by a legal loophole, Sahara is suddenly forced to confront the past she’s been running from. Juggling the guilty feelings of her past and the unexpected feelings of her present, Sahara’s future becomes complicated as she heads down a path of forgiveness, love, and heartbreak…and not in that particular order.

Back to Life reminds you that living and existing are two completely different ways to go through life. Grief will break you but guilt, guilt will destroy you. And once that happens, what can bring you back to life?

 
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1fxmYn0

 
~ Our Review ~
5 Star Review by Natalie
 
Sahara is trying to get her life back together. Sahara  Lee and Emily Mills are best friends. Their parents have been friends since college. So they grew up together and were like sisters. Sahara and Emily even went off to college together.

Emily was in college to be a teacher and Sahara was a pre-med student. After Sahara finished one of the hardest tests of the semester she needed to unwind and have fun. Emily on the other hand was ready to rest without the fun.

Sahara finally convinced Emily to go to the Spring Social that everyone was going to. Knowing Emanuel, Emily’s brother, would be their DD if needed they had fun and let loose. She always looked forward to seeing Emanuel because they flirted with each other all the time. Everything was going good, until an accident changes their lives forever.

Ten years later, and Sahara is still hating herself and taking blame for what happened that night after the Spring Social. That one night at 19 years old reshaped everything she thought of herself and everything around her. Sahara moved away from all of her family and friends. She was freeing everyone from seeing her and being reminded of what she had done.

Sahara never made any connections with anyone she came in contact with. For her it was easier that way so she never had to talk about her past. Will she ever make a future for herself? Will she find love?

I absolutely LOVED this book. It reminded me of Taking Chances. This book made me feel every emotion I have. I would be laughing one moment and crying the next. Danielle did a great job writing this book and putting all the characters together. There is so much more to this book than my mini synopsis that is amazing. For an amateur writer I can only imagine the absolute genius she will bring to paper once again. For me I think she will be up there with Molly Adams and Colleen Hoover. This book is definitely on my top five of fave books for sure!! If I could I'd give this book ten stars but I guess we'll have to settle for five ;)

~ Top 3 Sexiest Kisses in Back to Life ~
 
1) He inched his face closer to mine and asked, “Does that mean what I think it means?”
I cocked my head to the side coyly, “I don’t know what you think it means.”

He inched in a little more, our noses touching, “I think it means you feel this. You feel as drawn to me as I am to you. I felt it from the moment I saw you, heard your voice,” His voice had dropped to a hushed whisper.
“I’ve never felt anything like it,” I admitted. It scares me. I wanted to admit that too but opted not to.
We were so close, I could just barely feel his lips on mine. He eyed me hungrily but didn’t make a move to kiss me. Kiss me, kiss me, I willed him to put me out of my misery and kiss me. The waiting was unbearably sexy. My nerve endings were on fire. Finally, his lips gently found mine and as the level of intensity increased, so did my level of desire.  Our mouths and tongues moved together in reverent kisses causing soft moans to escape me. My heart hammered in my chest as we pulled apart. Mind. Blown, I thought as my body sagged against the door, trying to catch my breath. He tasted like mint and chocolate—clean and sweet.

 
2) As he pulled off his tie, he licked his lips seductively.  Putting on ‘Whenever Wherever Whatever,’ he quickly undressed, uncrossed my legs, and crawled between them.  His naked body felt so hot against mine. He kissed me before he moaned against my mouth, “I was trying to wait for your birthday baby girl. You made it so hard for me. All of those nights with you lying next to me braless, wearing those short shorts.” His eyes dropped to my lips and then my breasts and then back to my eyes.  He kissed me again, sliding his hand down the side of my body.

 
3) I put my ear to the door and strained to hear the front door close.  Not able to hear anything, I waited a few more minutes.  I splashed water on my face and willed myself to calm down.  I opened the door and peeked down the hall. I didn’t see or hear anyone so I looked for the room with my stuff in it. 
Closing the door behind me, I flipped on the light switch and looked around the guest bedroom.  A wooden four poster full size bed with a pretty floral comforter complimented the wooden dresser and TV stand.  I lifted my luggage onto the brown ottoman beside the bed so I could put away my clothing.  The room was small, but clean. I searched for my pink sweatpants that I packed to lounge in. Finding them, I threw them on the bed.  I was in the midst of finding my white T-shirt when the door flew open unexpectedly, banging against the wall.
I screamed and spun around. He charged toward me and grabbed my face. Crashing his lips against mine, he kissed me with enough passion to take my breath away.  Butterflies spread across my belly as his full lips overpowered my own.  Impulsively, I moaned and when my mouth opened, his tongue grazed mine sending shivers up and down my spine.  Before I registered what was happening, it was over.  He took a step back and his eyes flashed with the same intensity as that fleeting kiss.  We stood staring at one another for a moment. 
Oh my God, I thought with wide eyed shock.  I was winded and my skin tingled with desire.  I felt flushed and I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but the buzz of my phone shattered the moment before I could formulate an intelligent thought.  As if awakening from a dream, we both started talking at the same time.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he announced as he started to back out of the room.
“Where did that come from?” I inquired as I picked up my phone without looking at it.
We both stopped, contemplating the other’s remark. Our eyes never left one another.
  
~ About Author~
 
I am a married event planner and life coach. My awesome friends and family and my amazing husband make my life sweet. I love to have fun and enjoy the life I’ve been blessed with. I love shopping and football with equal fervor. I’m an amateur movie critic (i.e. my husband and I watch and critique a lot of movies for fun). I love to read and I enjoy sharing my love of books with anyone who will listen. I love music. A good lyric with a good melody can paint a vivid picture and invoke such a range of emotions. I have a soft spot for most mediums of creative, artistic expression.

With degrees in psychology, human services, and marriage and family counseling, I have a unique perspective on life, love and the pursuit of happiness. As an author, I combine an active imagination and life experiences to create stories that are easily relatable and intentionally intriguing. I want to offer you a peek into someone else’s life and for you to get lost in their story, their trials, their triumphs. My ultimate goal is to create a character or a story that stays with you long after you’ve put the book down.

So in a nutshell: I plan. I teach. I read. I write. I watch. I critique. I shop. I play. I love.
  To know me is to love me.
 
XOXO
Danielle
 
Webpage: http://www.authordanielleallen.com/
Back to Life Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/BacktoLifeSeries
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/XOXO_DAllen

 
 
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1 comment:

  1. *facepalm* I completely forgot to list my Top Ten. *sigh*

    ReplyDelete