Title-Relinquishing Liberty
Series-Second Chances Book #1
By-Maureen Mayer
Genre-New Adult
Publication Date- August 26th, 2013
On the outside, Liberty Davis appeared to have it all…a loving family, a tight knit circle of friends, and a bright future ahead of her. Everything was perfect. That is until her brother tragically took his own life, turning her whole world upside down.
Left to pick up the pieces of her broken family, Liberty is faced with focusing all of her attention on helping her parents cope with the loss of their son, while putting her own life on the back burner. But what no one seems to realize is that she is just as broken inside.
Now, four years later, twenty year old Liberty is taking back the reins of her life. She leaves behind everything she’s ever known, hoping to make a fresh start…one where she isn’t faced with the constant reminder that her brother is nothing more than faded memory. What she didn’t expect to find along the way was Shayne.
Tall, dark and tattooed, Shayne Thompson has developed quite a reputation for being a player. Despite everyone’s negative perception, Liberty still finds herself drawn to him. When she learns that Shayne knows all too well what it feels like to lose someone you love, she finds that they have a lot more in common than just a physical attraction.
When Liberty discovers a secret from Shayne’s past that threatens to tear them apart, she begins to question everything she’s ever felt for him. Will Liberty choose to follow her heart or will she give up the one person who finally made her feel whole again?
**This story contains language and sexual scenes, some of which may be unsuitable for younger readers.**
Liberty Davis almost had a perfect life – she had adoring family, great friends and was just accepted into a program she applied. Life was good to her, until her brother, out of nowhere took his own life, leaving her lost, and in despair.
She was forced to be a grown up when her parents couldn’t face the loss of their son. Her life stopped and her dreams were put on hold until she finally made a decision to run from home and start again.
Four years after her brother’s death, she was finally starting to live. She still had some nightmares, but it wasn’t that bad anymore. She found herself some new friends, a new place to live and a part time job. What she didn’t expect was Shayne.
She was warned against the former ‘player’ Shayne Thompson – he was bad news, shagged a lot of girls and left them hanging, he broke a lot of hearts. Despite these accusations, Liberty still gravitated towards him. He was sweet, gentle, thoughtful – anything but what he was warned her of. Not to mention, that Shayne also suffered from the same kind of loss as she did. He understood what she has been through because he had been there. He was the perfect one for Liberty!
Just when everything is perfect, and just when she thought she found her prince charming, she discovered a secret from his past that may drove them apart – she doubt her feelings for him. Will they ever surpass this obstacle in their relationship or will she just turn her back on one of the best thing that has ever happened to her?
I adore Liberty’s character. It takes a lot of courage to finally move on and try to live your life the way you wanted to - leave the comforts of home, start from scratch and just be you. She was broken, yet strong.
I’m torn between loving and hating Brett – I thought at first he was the guy she was supposed to be with. I need to reread the blurb one more time just to be sure. There are guys who you are meant to be with, and there are guys who are most likely to become your best friend – no matter how yummy they might be. Brett was perfect, at first. Although they met in the most unfavorable circumstances, there was an instant attraction between them, but it didn’t last long for Liberty. I mean who won’t drool over this hot guy?! He was funny, hot, thoughtful, kind and a loving brother to his sister. He arranged a job for her. But somewhere in between, when he’s trying to mess things up between the two, I wasn’t that fond of him anymore. There are really some guys who couldn’t get a hint. There was one instant where I would like to crash his head over the shower walls for him to wake up because he almost agreed to do something stupid.
THE TWIST: I knew it! I just knew it! What they had was just too perfect for no one to spoil. There has to be a bomb along the way that is threatening to blow. And it did. I knew there was something between the characters – something that didn’t add up. I expected it to happen, although I was praying it wasn’t the case.
BUT: I wished there was more to AJ’s death than a mere mention of it. I wanted to know why he killed himself. He was living a pretty perfect life, had some friends, is in for a bright future – now why did he take his own life?
Relinquishing Liberty is filled with complicated but characters who are nursing their past personal demons. They have been through a lot, and are ready to start a new life, only to have their past once again haunting them. I enjoyed reading Relinquishing Liberty: it was sweet, steamy and dealt with sensitive issues surrounding teens and young adults. The pacing was perfect, the emotional roller coaster was one heck of a ride – it will make you smile, swoon, laugh, and tear up a bit. For a debut novel, Maureen Mayers knows how to rock your world.
RATING:
*ARC Copy was given in exchange for an honest review.
After stripping down and loading the tub up with a hefty amount of vanilla scented bubble bath, I sank down into the steamy pool of bubbles and let out a heavy sigh, releasing all of the tension I had pent up inside. It felt good to finally be able to relax after such a physically and mentally exhausting day.
Lying there, my thoughts drifted to my upcoming date with Shayne. I hated the fact that we couldn’t see each other day, but I completely understood; he had a real job and that came first. Still, I found myself missing him something fierce. It was strange to develop such a strong connection with someone in just mere weeks. I wasn’t used to wanting…no…needing to be around someone so much. In fact, I had become a borderline hermit after AJ died, so this was a completely new feeling for me.
I closed my eyes and thought back to the night of our first date. I pictured myself there again, lying on the beach, straddling his hips and listening to the crashing waves swallow my cries of ecstasy as I brought myself to climax. That delectable warmth began to pool deep in belly again, causing a pulsing sensation to build between my legs. I knew there was no chance of it going away without relieving it myself. What I wouldn’t give for Shayne to be right here, right now to take care of it for me…and then he was. Was I hallucinating?
He knelt down beside the tub and took in the view before him. His tongue dipped out, slowly licking his bottom lip, while his eyes ran over my wet, naked body. The bubbles had begun to dissipate, and I felt entirely exposed. Shayne had never seen me completely bare before him, and I became anxious and aroused just thinking about it.
“Tell me what you want, Liberty. I need to hear you say the words, sweetheart.” His hand reached out to brush away the damp strands of hair shielding my face.
“You, Shayne. I want you…I need you. Please.” My body was on the verge of violently combusting. I was desperate to feel his touch. Begging and pleading for him to bring on my release.
“Where do you want me, sweetheart? Where do you ache?”
“You know where, Shayne. Please…touch me.” I seriously felt like I was going to die if he didn’t touch me this very instant!
Shayne’s smile was drenched with desire as he gave me a knowing look. His hand dipped below the water, beginning at my throat and trailing down the valley between my breasts. He cupped one of my firm globes, caressing and encompassing it with his large, rough, calloused hand. Pinching my already diamond-hard nipple between his thumb and finger, he applied just enough pressure to cause a shockwave of pleasure to flood straight down to my swollen nub. He made sure to give my remaining breast just as much attention, and I felt like putty beneath his skilled hands.
His hand continued along its tantalizing journey, moving further south to sweep over my fluttering stomach. When he finally reached his destination, he was in no hurry to get the job over with. His fingertips gently grazed over the surface of my smooth mound, and I was panting in anticipation. The second his fingers disappeared between my slick folds I almost completely lost it. His fingers ran up and down, collecting my juices until they coated my throbbing clit. His fingers danced in slow, steady circles, gradually picking up the pace until I was biting my lip so hard I thought I drew blood. The sensation was out of this world, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold back much longer.
When I was just about ready to let go, he dipped two fingers inside me, continuing to draw circles over my hypersensitive clit with his thumb. He moved in and out of me, over and over, until I could feel my insides begin to quiver and tighten up around his fingers. He took that as a signal to curl his long digits against my inner walls, causing my back to arch out of the water and scream out his name. I continued to ride out the wave of pleasure until my breathing steadied and my body relaxed into the now tepid bath water.
A knock at the door caused my eyes to shoot open, and I bolted up, splashing water all over the floor. What the—
“You okay in there, Liberty? You’ve been in there for almost an hour, and the pizza’s getting cold.” Shit! I couldn’t let Maddie catch me with Shayne in here.
“Oh, um, yeah. Sorry about that. I’ll be out in a sec.” I looked around the bathroom, and Shayne was nowhere in sight. Where the hell did he go? Had I seriously imagined the entire thing? I guess it was possible that I had fallen asleep… But there’s no way I could have felt that if I wasn’t awake. I stood up from the tub, and as I reached for a towel, I noticed that my fingers were drenched…and not with water. Holy shit, I actually masturbated in my sleep! What the fuck! And I imagined it was Shayne the whole time!
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Thanks to authors like J. K. Rawling, Stephanie Meyer and E. L. James, Maureen has rediscovered her love for reading. When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in bed with her kindle, diving into a steamy romance novel. She is currently working on her first new adult novel and hopes to self-publish it late this summer.
The cover of Relinquishing Liberty is HOT! I definitely want to read it. Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy :)
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