Wednesday, October 30, 2013

BLOG TOUR - REVIEW, EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Curve by Nicola Hudson


Title: Curve
Published Date: 25th October 2013
Genre : New Adult Contemporary Romance – with a British sensibility

Appropriate for readers over 15 due to sensitive themes (sexual violence), language and sexual content.

Synopsis:
Cass is seventeen and never been kissed, let alone touched.  On one humiliating night, that changes when two boys become interested in her.  Flynn is the older brother of her best friend, yet Cass has never considered him as anything other than that.  Rob is the school sports star and becomes obsessed with Cass when he loses a bet because of her.  

As the relationship between Cass and Flynn develops, Rob's interest becomes increasingly malevolent.  One terrible night changes Cass's life and threatens to destroy her relationship with Flynn, as well as her future.




Excerpt 
I had never been so aware of the power of touch.
His hand was exerting almost no pressure at all, barely even the pads of his fingertips were in contact with my skin, but my heart-rate suggested otherwise.  As much as I tried to stay focussed on the TV, my brain was not registering anything other than the square of flesh directly under Flynn’s hand.  Oh my god.  For no apparent reason, his fingers started slowly tracing small circles on the bone of my ankle and, honestly, his hand could have been in my knickers for the effect it was having on me.
My face was flushed and the rise and fall of my chest with each breath was probably as visible to him as it was to me.  I didn’t have the guts to look at him.  So the pretence of film watching continued.  The circles gradually moved upwards from my ankle, millimetre by millimetre.  I didn’t know how to handle it.  OK, I really didn’t want it to stop, but, with every circle he created, the ability to pretend it wasn’t happening diminished.
“Do you want me to stop, Cass?” Flynn whispered as though he could read my mind.  With a brief shake of my head, I turned towards him.  But his hand stopped and the delicious pressure disappeared.  There was a moment when I worried that he had misinterpreted my response before I realised that he was moving closer to me.
Flynn picked up one of my hands and kissed each fingertip before placing it back on my thigh.  As he leant in to me, entangling one hand in my hair, I realised that he was going to kiss me but, before I could even contemplate what state my breath was in, his lips touched mine. I involuntarily closed my eyes as he started to move his mouth.  Warmth started flooding every pore and, with just the slightest pressure exerted by his tongue, my lips opened to let him in.   As the kiss progressed, I tried changing the angle of my mouth slightly and moving my tongue in response to his.  His groan filled my mouth and that moment became the most wonderful experience of my life so far.  When his tongue licked the inside of my lower lip, I couldn’t stop my own moan escaping.  Wow. 
In a brief moment of more rational thinking, I broke away from Flynn and looked over to where Neve was thankfully still sleeping.
When I looked back at him, I was caught off-guard by the huge, sexy grin plastered across Flynn’s face.  There was an unspoken question in the brief raise of his eyebrows and, within a millisecond of me smiling my consent, his head dipped back down to mine.  This time the kiss was firmer, more confident.  Allowing my tongue to investigate Flynn’s mouth, I relished every new sensation: his light stubble scraping softly at the skin around my mouth; the gentle bumping of noses; the warm whispers of air that escaped when our mouths moved.
His hand pulled itself through the length of my hair, coming to rest briefly at the top of my back.   The fingertips lazily followed the neckline of my vest top, backwards and forwards, whilst his tongue mimicked the same movement across my lips.  The sensation cursing through me bordered on the unbearable. 
I was undone. 
Nothing would ever be the same again. 


***** 

My Thoughts: 

curve
          noun [kurv]

         1. A line or surface that deviates from straightness without angles.
         2. A rounded line or contour of the human body.
         3. A bend in a road or other path.
         4. Slang Something that is unexpected or designed to trick or deceive.

Seventeen year old Cass can't believe her luck when the gorgeous Rob shows interest in her at the school dance. She is so happy and excited to be dancing in the arms of such a popular boy. But then her best friends brother Flynn cuts in and whisks Cass away. Cass is angry and confused. No boy has ever shown interest in her before. Why is Flynn acting this way? But much to Cass's dismay, Flynn's reasons are very honourable. And around this time Cass starts to see Flynn in a completely new way. He is no longer just her best friends brother. 

I couldn't stop thinking about the way he felt, tasted even, the night before. Yes, he made me laugh, and yes, he was thoughtful, but for me he was so much more than that. I wanted to touch him everywhere. I wanted to be a part of him. I wanted him.

For the first portion of the book the focus is mainly on the development of the relationship between Flynn and Cass. A new relationship is exciting and filled with moments of getting to know each other better, the make out sessions, dates and deciding if and when to take things to the next level. I enjoyed taking that journey with them. Things were going along smoothly for them. And then BAM!! There is a big change in the tone of the story. While there was a big chunk that dealt with the relationship of Flynn and Cass, they were dealing with much bigger issues then either of them could have ever expected. And it was through this period that my love for Flynn really grew. The type of man he was became so apparent. He was loyal, loving understanding, patient and caring. His love for Cass was so clear.

The last few years of my life can be measured in moments spent with you. Yet you were completely unaware. Oblivious.

I really loved the way the issues that Cass was dealing with were handled. Her pain and the effect of everything on those closest to her could really be felt. Whilst this book is New Adult and deals with some really heavy issues, for the most part those scenes aren't overly descriptive. You most certainly know what is occurring and the author did a fantastic job of setting the scenes without being overly wordy. I think it was the absolute perfect way to portray things.

The only real downside I could find with the story was that I personally found an overuse of the characters names in some scenes which I didn't think was really needed. Although it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the story, but did stand out to me at times.

Overall, Curve is an emotional story that has your heart really feeling for Cass and Flynn. A beautiful story of love, trust and strength. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next for Cass and Flynn.

4/5 Wonderful Flynn Stars.


Deleted Scene:

1   Deleted because it didn’t contribute enough to the plot!
Oh, yes, life was great and here I was, about to officially become an adult.  I was feeling sorry for myself, convinced that this was what the rest of my life was going to be like.
However, there had been one funny moment.  Neve and I had managed to go to the family planning clinic held at the health centre.  Although I was only supposed to be going to support her, it made sense to get sorted at the same time, now that Flynn and I were back on.  When the nurse called Neve’s name, we both went to the consulting room.
“Can Cass come in as well?  We’re together,” Neve asked the nurse.
“Of course.  Now what are you here for?”  The nurse asked in her well-practiced, non-judgemental voice.
“Umm, we both want to go on the pill,” Neve explained.
“Oh, are you sure?” The nurse asked, with a slightly quizzical look.
“Yes, we know that we will soon be having sex so think it’s best to get sorted as soon as possible,” I said, trying to sound like this was the type of conversation I was used to having.
“Right.  OK.”  The nurse paused as though unsure about how to proceed. “You do know that you can’t get pregnant with another girl, don’t you?  I mean, you still need to practise safe sex and we can sort you out with dental dams etc. to help you.  But you don’t need the pill in a gay relationship.” 
“Oh, you’ve got it wrong-”  I started to say.
“We’re not together in that way!” Neve interrupted.
“Oh, I am so sorry,” the nurse said but with a hint of a smile.  “We get all types in here and I just thought that was what you meant!”
“That’s OK,” I said, laughing.  “Just to clarify, we are both in a relationship, different ones, with boys.”  I winked at Neve.

“Right then, the pill would work for you then.  Have you thought about protection from STIs?”  The rest of the appointment went as expected.  Neve and I left with packets of pills and handfuls of condoms.  However, with the tension that seemed to keep rearing its head between me and Flynn, I wondered if I would ever need them.

Author Bio:

I’ve always been an avid reader and occasional writer, but only ever for my own eyes!  Then, last year, I read my first New Adult novel - and I was hooked.  After consuming a vast e-pile of NA, the burning need to write my own was overwhelming.  And so I started…

Fitting in writing around a demanding job and a wonderfully supportive husband has been, umm, interesting at times but the whole process has been a fantastic experience.  I have been blown away by the friendliness and support shown by the readers, writers and bloggers who make up the NA and Indie communities; online with them is one of my favourite places to hang out!

I have already started the follow-up novel to Curve, Heart, which follows Neve as she starts at university.

Author Links:


Playlist 

Tom Odell - Can’t Pretend
Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
Christina Perri – Arms
Snow Patrol – Open Your Eyes
Two Door Cinema Club – Next Year
Biffy Clyro – Mountains
Lana Del Ray – Dark Paradise
Bastille - Flaws
Alanis Morrissette – Simple Together
Muse – Undisclosed Desires
Imagine Dragons – Hear Me
Adele – Lovesong

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for visiting YA Book Addict. Your comments are very much appreciated.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...