Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Hidden Scars a Contemporary Romance by Amanda K. Byrne (22 September 2015, Radiodemon Publishing, 247 pages). This is the first book in the Hidden Scars series.
PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below, as well as several other teasers including Amanda's Fave Romantic Movies and the theme song for Hidden Scars. Read the first three chapters with Amazon Look Inside.
Author Amanda K. Byrne will be awarding a $20 Amazon gift card to three randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part and comment on our post.
Synopsis | Teasers | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway
Synopsis
Sometimes the past won’t stay where it belongs.Sara’s number one rule of dating: closed off, secretive men need not apply. Years of therapy helped her move past the damage done by her emotionally abusive boyfriend, and she’s ready to date again. Someone funny, laid back, and easy to talk to. All things her coworker Taylor isn’t.
Taylor’s quiet. Too quiet. He operates in permanent stealth mode, and he hides his secrets as well as Sara does. She doesn’t want to be attracted to him, but after a night spent in a hotel room together, trapped by a blizzard, she can’t deny there’s a fire-hot connection between them, waiting to ignite. Their working relationship inches closer and closer to friendship, until one day she gathers her courage and kisses him.
It’s the match Taylor was waiting for.
What starts as a sweet, fumbling friendship quickly becomes a passionate and intense affair. Just when Sara’s starting to feel safe in Taylor’s arms, his secrets come out, and she wonders if she’ll ever be able to stop looking over her shoulder.
Teasers
Excerpt | GP: Hidden Scars Theme Song | GP: Amanda's Fave Romantic Movies |Teaser: Excerpt
She took in the living room as she shrugged out of her coat, then faced him, her nerves still evident, but mixed with something else. A couple of something elses. Desire. Determination. She stepped into him and slid her hands up his chest, tipping her head back. “Taylor?”
He splayed his hands across her back, the warm silk of her hair tickling his skin. “Yeah?”
She dropped her gaze to his mouth, flicked it back up to his eyes. “I don’t want to go slow.”
Jesus. He’d known it would happen. He honestly didn’t believe it would be tonight, not even after the kisses they’d shared in her office. He glided a hand up to cup the back of her head. “Sara—”
She rose on her toes and cut off his protest with her mouth. “I want this,” she whispered against his lips. “I don’t want to go slow. Not anymore.”
It’d be easy to take her at her word. But she’d been cautious for so long, he had to be certain. “We can wait. Just dinner, remember?”
She kissed him again, harder, hotter, her tongue darting out to probe at the seam of his lips. Before he could respond, she broke the kiss on a pant. “Now. I want you now. I’m not going to break, so don’t you dare hold back on me.”
The way she was vibrating against him, her mouth teasing and seeking, stretched his control to the limits. If she wanted this, he’d give it to her. He crushed his mouth to hers, her taste ripping through him as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. Hot and tart and quintessentially Sara. He traced her curves with his hands as she met him kiss for kiss, the sinful heat of them clouding his brain. Her body was fantastic. Full, high breasts he wanted to see uncovered. A slightly rounded belly, the curve of her waist flaring out. His hands continued their journey, skimming down to her hips, cupping her ass. She needed to get out of the skirt. He vaguely remembered it hampering her movements earlier, sitting on the edge of her desk. Sliding his hands over the thin material, he found the zipper and drew it down, groaning as her tongue completed a particularly clever maneuver. He was going to take his time. He was greedy, wanting to know what would make her sigh. What would make her scream.
The skirt slipped down her legs, and as soon as she’d stepped out of it, he grabbed her hips and picked her up, bracing her against the wall. She met heat with heat, need with a towering one of her own, her mouth working over his jaw and up to his ear as her fingers plucked at the buttons on his shirt. She lifted her head, lips swollen from his, and smiled darkly. Her hands slid over his shoulders and pushed the shirt down his arms.
He had to touch her. Had to have her skin heating under his hands. Capturing her mouth, feeding off her moans, he stumbled down the hall and into the bedroom, lowering her to the bed. Then he yanked her up, whipped her sweater off, and urged her down again, pinning her to the bed.
She felt so damn good under him. Soft and curvy and warm, the spicy scent of her perfume surrounding him, her body fitting to his in all the right places. Her arms and legs locked around him as her hips tilted up. It shoved him onto the edge, his dick aching, and he had to drop his head to her shoulder to keep from tearing the rest of his clothes off and plunging into her right then.
He splayed his hands across her back, the warm silk of her hair tickling his skin. “Yeah?”
She dropped her gaze to his mouth, flicked it back up to his eyes. “I don’t want to go slow.”
Jesus. He’d known it would happen. He honestly didn’t believe it would be tonight, not even after the kisses they’d shared in her office. He glided a hand up to cup the back of her head. “Sara—”
She rose on her toes and cut off his protest with her mouth. “I want this,” she whispered against his lips. “I don’t want to go slow. Not anymore.”
It’d be easy to take her at her word. But she’d been cautious for so long, he had to be certain. “We can wait. Just dinner, remember?”
She kissed him again, harder, hotter, her tongue darting out to probe at the seam of his lips. Before he could respond, she broke the kiss on a pant. “Now. I want you now. I’m not going to break, so don’t you dare hold back on me.”
The way she was vibrating against him, her mouth teasing and seeking, stretched his control to the limits. If she wanted this, he’d give it to her. He crushed his mouth to hers, her taste ripping through him as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. Hot and tart and quintessentially Sara. He traced her curves with his hands as she met him kiss for kiss, the sinful heat of them clouding his brain. Her body was fantastic. Full, high breasts he wanted to see uncovered. A slightly rounded belly, the curve of her waist flaring out. His hands continued their journey, skimming down to her hips, cupping her ass. She needed to get out of the skirt. He vaguely remembered it hampering her movements earlier, sitting on the edge of her desk. Sliding his hands over the thin material, he found the zipper and drew it down, groaning as her tongue completed a particularly clever maneuver. He was going to take his time. He was greedy, wanting to know what would make her sigh. What would make her scream.
The skirt slipped down her legs, and as soon as she’d stepped out of it, he grabbed her hips and picked her up, bracing her against the wall. She met heat with heat, need with a towering one of her own, her mouth working over his jaw and up to his ear as her fingers plucked at the buttons on his shirt. She lifted her head, lips swollen from his, and smiled darkly. Her hands slid over his shoulders and pushed the shirt down his arms.
He had to touch her. Had to have her skin heating under his hands. Capturing her mouth, feeding off her moans, he stumbled down the hall and into the bedroom, lowering her to the bed. Then he yanked her up, whipped her sweater off, and urged her down again, pinning her to the bed.
She felt so damn good under him. Soft and curvy and warm, the spicy scent of her perfume surrounding him, her body fitting to his in all the right places. Her arms and legs locked around him as her hips tilted up. It shoved him onto the edge, his dick aching, and he had to drop his head to her shoulder to keep from tearing the rest of his clothes off and plunging into her right then.
Hidden Scars Theme Song
Music plays a big part in my writing process. I love creating playlists for my stories, and while I can’t actually listen to them while I’m writing (I have a tendency to sing along whenever I’m listening to, well, anything), I’ll play one when I’m gearing up to dive back into my latest work in progress.
So it’s a little strange that I didn’t create one for Hidden Scars. It happens; sometimes I don’t need the musical inspiration, and that’s what happened with Hidden Scars. The story just poured out, and by the time I even thought of putting together a playlist, I was more than halfway through and barreling toward The End.
So it’s a little strange that I didn’t create one for Hidden Scars. It happens; sometimes I don’t need the musical inspiration, and that’s what happened with Hidden Scars. The story just poured out, and by the time I even thought of putting together a playlist, I was more than halfway through and barreling toward The End.
I’ve been thinking about theme songs lately, though. Books deserve theme songs, yeah? A song that whenever you hear it, you automatically think of a particular book. Like Walk The Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance.” Whenever I hear that song, I think of Leisa Rayven’s Bad Romeo. Or my début, One Night in Buenos Aires. I hear Neon Trees’ “Sleeping With A Friend” and I automatically think of Drea and Joe.
Finding a suitable song for Hidden Scars was a bit of a challenge. There’s plenty of musical references in the book itself – Sara listens to metal and “angry music” to help calm her down. Think Rage Against the Machine, Lostprophets, Sevendust, Royal Blood. But anger didn’t fit the tone of the story. I needed something a little angsty (because ANGST) and a little sad.
You might have heard X Ambassador’s lead single, “Renegades”, but it was another song from their début that struck the right note, so to speak. “Unsteady” might be about about family and the struggle to keep it together, but it resonates just as deeply with Sara and Taylor’s story. They’re both a little unsteady, but as long as they’ve got each other, they can face anything thrown at them.
Finding a suitable song for Hidden Scars was a bit of a challenge. There’s plenty of musical references in the book itself – Sara listens to metal and “angry music” to help calm her down. Think Rage Against the Machine, Lostprophets, Sevendust, Royal Blood. But anger didn’t fit the tone of the story. I needed something a little angsty (because ANGST) and a little sad.
You might have heard X Ambassador’s lead single, “Renegades”, but it was another song from their début that struck the right note, so to speak. “Unsteady” might be about about family and the struggle to keep it together, but it resonates just as deeply with Sara and Taylor’s story. They’re both a little unsteady, but as long as they’ve got each other, they can face anything thrown at them.
Fave Romantic Movies
There’s something about seeing romance on the big screen that just makes you feel all mooshy inside (in a good way!) In Hidden Scars, Sara’s a bit of a movie snob, and, well, so am I. It takes a lot for a romantic movie to land on my favorites list. These ones all hit the mark and then some.
Before Sunrise/Before Sunset - Jesse and Celine meet on a train to Venice in Before Sunrise and, unable to afford a hotel room for the night, spend the hours walking around the darkened city, talking about everything under the sun. Before they go their separate ways the next day, they make a desperate and heart wrenching promise to meet again in six months – without exchanging contact information. In Before Sunset, they meet again years later completely by chance, and find what drew them together all those years ago is still there, and still strong. Before Sunset has one of my favorite endings ever: Jesse’s only in town for a day, and as they’re sitting in Celine’s apartment, she says, “Baby, you’re gonna miss that plane.” And Jesse just smiles and says, “I know.” Swoon. I love these movies. This is love at first sight done right, in my opinion.
(500) Days of Summer - Confession time: I have a bit of a thing for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Tom falls for Summer, a girl who doesn’t believe true love exists. This movie was all the things: cute, smart, genuinely funny (I particularly like the scene where Tom is breaking all the plates he owns by throwing them on the floor), sexy. Tom’s both a goof and a serious dude, and the way their relationship plays out made me sigh. Plus, it’s got a great tagline – This is not a love story. This is a story about love.
Anne of Green Gables - So it’s not actually a movie. But this miniseries (and its sequel) would stop me and my girlfriends from changing the channel every time PBS reran. You might think Anne of Green Gables is the story of how Anne works her way into the hearts and minds of the town of Avonlea, but there’s an epic romance at its heart: Gilbert and Anne. From the moment he calls her Carrots to the day she agrees to marry him, theirs is one that will burn itself into your brain, and I promise, if he’s not already, Gil will be your new movie boyfriend.
North and South - Two words: Richard Armitage. Wait, you need more? Seriously? Again, a miniseries, not a movie, but the way that Thornton looks at Margaret is just…no words. I have no words. And the ending. OMG that ending! Go. Go watch this now. You can thank me later.
Simply Irresistible - Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Amanda, a chef saddled with a failing restaurant when she meets a Tom, adepartment store executive (Sean Patrick Flannery). It’s not the greatest movie in the world, but it’s fun, and it’s really fun watching Tom fall for Amanda despite everything he does to prevent it. Also? Sara Michelle Gellar’s wardrobe in this movie was pretty awesome.
What are some of your favorite romantic movies?
(500) Days of Summer - Confession time: I have a bit of a thing for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Tom falls for Summer, a girl who doesn’t believe true love exists. This movie was all the things: cute, smart, genuinely funny (I particularly like the scene where Tom is breaking all the plates he owns by throwing them on the floor), sexy. Tom’s both a goof and a serious dude, and the way their relationship plays out made me sigh. Plus, it’s got a great tagline – This is not a love story. This is a story about love.
Anne of Green Gables - So it’s not actually a movie. But this miniseries (and its sequel) would stop me and my girlfriends from changing the channel every time PBS reran. You might think Anne of Green Gables is the story of how Anne works her way into the hearts and minds of the town of Avonlea, but there’s an epic romance at its heart: Gilbert and Anne. From the moment he calls her Carrots to the day she agrees to marry him, theirs is one that will burn itself into your brain, and I promise, if he’s not already, Gil will be your new movie boyfriend.
North and South - Two words: Richard Armitage. Wait, you need more? Seriously? Again, a miniseries, not a movie, but the way that Thornton looks at Margaret is just…no words. I have no words. And the ending. OMG that ending! Go. Go watch this now. You can thank me later.
Simply Irresistible - Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Amanda, a chef saddled with a failing restaurant when she meets a Tom, adepartment store executive (Sean Patrick Flannery). It’s not the greatest movie in the world, but it’s fun, and it’s really fun watching Tom fall for Amanda despite everything he does to prevent it. Also? Sara Michelle Gellar’s wardrobe in this movie was pretty awesome.
Hidden Scars - available NOW!
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The Series: Hidden Scars
Broken Down [2]
The one thing he could do for her was let her go. Until he couldn’t.
Thieves’ guitarist Shane Jones thought the worst was over. Losing a close friend to a freak accident was difficult, but it brought Krista Conner into his life. Her sweetness and generosity help soothe some of the grief, and nights with her gave him something to look forward to.
Then she told him to leave. So he did, and it was the worst mistake he’s ever made.
When his life takes another horrible turn and he loses his younger brother to an overdose, he turns to Krista once more. While she doesn’t exactly welcome him with open arms, she doesn’t turn him away, either. As the fog of grief ebbs around him, Shane realizes Krista’s it for him. She’s the answer he didn’t know he was searching for, and this time, he’s not walking away.
Krista thought she’d never see Shane again. Now he’s here, and he insists he’s not leaving her.
But something happened while they were separated. She made a choice, a hard one, one she’d make again. If she wants a chance at what he’s offering, she’ll have to tell him – even though it might mean losing him for good. [Published 12 April 2016, ### pages]
About the Author
When she’s not plotting ways to sneak her latest shoe purchase past her partner, Amanda writes sexy, snarky romance and urban fantasy. She likes her heroines smart and unafraid to make mistakes, and her heroes strong enough to take them on.If she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking hot chocolate, and trying not to destroy her house with her newest DIY project.
She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and no, it really doesn’t rain that much.
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