Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Book Blitz & Review : Losing Track (Living Heartwood, #2) by Trisha Wolfe


Losing Track
(Living Heartwood #2)

Release Date: 10/15/14

Summary from Goodreads:

Sometimes you have to lose your way before finding the right track.

The roar of a bike engine. The vibration between her thighs. The feel of cool darkness kissing her skin as she coasts along twisty back roads at night—Melody Lachlan lives for these things. Ever since Mel and her best friend Darla escaped their small, backwoods town, they’ve traveled the countryside in search of fast rides, tatted bikers, and good times.


A self-proclaimed poet and lover of all things free, Mel views her life as one long bike ride—with pit stops along the way to numb the pain. But she never saw herself as a junkie. Party as hard as you ride. That’s her motto…until a tragic night steals her soul. Then she’s forced to delve below the surface, to where her demons rage.


When she meets recovered drug addict Boone Randall, she’s more likely to deck him than kiss his dimple-adorable face. She doesn’t want his help; doesn’t want to own up to her part in that night. She just wants to do her time and keep her promise to her friend. Yet Boone challenges Mel, and soon she doesn’t mind sharing the road. Only when Boone’s own secret demons threaten their newfound, fragile security, Mel’s course becomes rocky, and she must decide if letting her well-worn track marks fade is worth finding a new path. 


Told from Dual point of view from Melody and Boone, this is a New Adult Contemporary Romance intended for readers seventeen years of age and older.



 


Only $.99 for a limited time only!



Companion to:

The Darkest Part 
(Living Heartwood )
by Trisha Wolfe

Release Date: 
08/06/13

Summary from Goodreads:

Pressing the boundaries of both the psyche and the heart, Sam and Holden embark on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of love.

Sam Wintry’s life used to be almost perfect. She was engaged to her childhood best friend and high school sweetheart, Tyler Marks, planning an amazing cross-country honeymoon during her college break. But after a hit-and-run leaves her in ruin, she begins seeing Tyler’s fractured, ghostly presence, and her family believes she’s losing her mind. Not until she completes their journey, stopping along the way to scatter Tyler's remains, will Tyler be able cross over. Only...is Sam ready for him to leave her?

When the black sheep of the Marks' family, Holden Marks, returns to check on Tyler's case, Sam convinces him to give her his brother's ashes. Despite their shaky history, she needs him...plus, he owes it to Sam and his brother. What she doesn’t count on is Holden’s relentlessness to go on the trip.

On the road, Holden realizes just how unhinged Sam has become. Dealing with her psychosis forces him to confront his dark past, making it harder to keep secrets hidden that should remain buried. Especially from Sam, the only woman he’s ever loved. And as Sam starts to unravel the truth, she begins to question if the brother she's unwillingly falling for again is in an even darker place than her.

** Our review for The Darkest Part HERE **


Only $.99 for a limited time only!



Book Blitz Organized by:



Lindy's Thoughts:

The Living Heartwood Series focuses on heartbreak, deep emotional pain, and the scars that living life can give us.  Yet, it also focuses on resiliency, and the ability to use inner strength to create a beautiful life out of the ashes and darkness of that pain.  In Losing Track, the sequel in the living heartwood series, we get Melody (Mel) and Boone's story.  Mel lives a life of addiction and excess.  She frequently does blow and gets drunk to the point where she can't function.  She grew up seeing her dad do it, and all of her close friends also have the same lifestyle.  Her dad was in a Motorcycle Club, and even though she is not an official part of the club, they are still her family.  Her best friend Darla is like a sister to her.  The two of them do everything together, and Mel is use to guiding and protecting Darla.  One horrible night leads Mel to be put in to an addiction rehabilitation facility where she will go through withdrawals, counseling, and be forced to deal with the ghosts in her past.  She's counting down the days till she gets released, but what will happen when she's out in the real world? 

Boone use to have a serious drug addiction, which lead to a painful tragedy that turned his whole life around.  Now, he abstains from alcohol, drugs, and even sex.  However, to deal with his heavy burdens of guilt and pain, he participates in backyard fights, where people illegally gamble on who will win.  This is the only relief that he gets from the pain that he carries inside of himself.  As part of his probation, Boone speaks at the Stoney Rehabilitation Facility, and tells the story of how he hit rock bottom.  However, he doesn't tell the real story, because it is too painful for him.  While speaking, he catches sight of Mel, and is instantly attracted to the pain that he see's in her eyes.  He can relate, and even though he has steered clear of the opposite sex for quite a while; he can't resist her.

Mel and Boone share an attraction, but it's way more than that.  They see themselves in each other.  As they begin spending more time together, a friendship blossoms from their mutual pain.  Little by little, they begin to share their secrets with one another, and rely on each other for strength and friendship.  As romance and love begins to develop, they both question if two addicts with such painful pasts can live happily ever after.

Losing Track was a dark, gritty, and painful, but very truthful story.  Ms. Wolfe took me in to the minds of Mel and Boone.  I experienced both of their deep-rooted pain, guilt, and daily emotional battles.  These characters were authentic.  It felt like I was reading a true account on both of their lives.  Losing Track took me to a very dark place; one where you realize that every action we take will put us on a certain path, and give us a certain consequence.  This story also gave me a sense of hope, that no matter what happens in life, we are resilient, and can live a life with meaning.


My Rating:


I give Losing Track, by Trisha Wolfe 4.5 Deep-Rooted Pain, Resilient, Intimate, and Emotional Stars!  If you love Jessica Sorensen, you should read the Living Heartwood Series.  You will be able to relate to the fact that we all have major life challenges, and emotional scars, but it's important to not give up.  The human spirit is resilient!





My Favorite Quote:

"Actions have consequence.  Even if in your darkest dreams you could've never predicted the pain, the hurt, the loss--every action has an equal and opposite counter reaction.  That's the law of physics, but it's also the words that thrum through me daily."  (eARC, Loc. 2925)

~Boone




Love Can Be Found in the Darkest of Places and Darkest of Times

I am a humongous ginormus fan of Ms. Wolfe this lady has talent! Losing Track was a sad and dark read Mel and Boone are two very broken very lost souls. One is straight laced(not so much but trying) and the other has no plans of ever changing. The last thing these two need is to fall for each other but that seems to be exactly what happens. How can this be you say? Sometimes two negatives make a positive? Love conquers all? Yes to all of the above! I’m happy to report that though things are terribly bleak throughout most of the book there is an HEA!! I’m not a fan of spoilers so I won’t say how or when but yay! 


L-ost, the only thing Mel knows for certain is the road is her home she lives by the moment and she will do anything to protect her best friend. 
O-bliterated, Darla and Mel lead dangerous lives but the choice is theirs and partying hard is what makes them happy. 
S-earching, life has never held anything good for Mel the person she loved most(her father) let her down in the most fundamental way and she lost him. Darla is the last bit of love she has living without her and losing her is just another hurdle Mel will have to overcome. 
I-ncriminated, the lifestyle Mel was leading held no positive end one night all of her bad decisions come crashing down with a heavy dose of reality. 
Narcotics, Mel can’t accept her addiction being sober is more difficult than she could ever imagine. Biding her time Mel longs to get on the road away from the demons of reality that haunt her existence. 
G-ames, Boone punishes himself for mistakes of the past he knows he should stay away from Mel but something about her draws him in. 


T-rust, through conversations and proximity Mel and Boone share parts of themselves they never thought possible. Something about their connection makes them feel safe with each other. 
R-aces, given the first opportunity Mel plans on lining up her ducks and getting the heck out of dodge. 
A-lone, Boone’s secret is out and Mel has reacted the way he knew she would all he can do now is try to make sure she is safe from her destructive ways. 
C-razy, rushing towards her friend Mel tells Sam everything. Coming to a shocking conclusion of how Mel left Boone they will do what it takes to define Mel’s true intensions. 
K-indred, something special lay beneath the surface for both Mel and Boone it took a lot of heartache but through it these two came out stronger than before. 


Like I said super duper dark read but don’t give up these two figure it out. I really wanted a change for Mel the people who said they loved her were keeping her down. The relationship she had with Darla was one born of innocence that thanks to awful awful influences lead to mistake after mistake. This one broke my heart quite a bit but it definitely was real. The circumstances ended well enough but it didn’t happen magically. Ms. Wolfe conveys the daily struggles and was able to portray these characters in a very honest and realistic way. No fairy tale here y’all, the ending is happy but the characters made plenty of mistakes. Through understanding and commitment they worked toward achieving the desire to be better. 

My Rating 
4.0 Party, Birthday, MC, Prospect, IV, Slick Road, Counseling, Penance, Lake, Ride, Celibacy, The Hunter, Bets, Bobber, Bathroom, Picture, New York, Re-admitted, Epiphany, Honoring Memories, New Love filled stars. I recommend this for those looking for a dark and gritty read that ends with finding a better place and sense of peace out of life.





Excerpt & Teaser Pic:

-Boone

She sniffs hard and clears her voice. But doesn’t say anything. 

 I do.

“What’s wrong?” 

There. Two simple words. Could be any two people meeting in a hallway, asking the same thing, and it’d mean absolutely nothing. But for us, those words break through every barrier we’ve assembled. 

Her choice: answer something noncommittal, like “nothing,” and give me the brush off. Securing our casual friendship remains the same. Or, answer honestly…changing everything. 

I’m not sure which I’m rooting for. Just as I wasn’t sure yesterday if I wanted her to accept my rejection—or push past all my barriers and tell me to f*ck off, she was taking control. I lied when I told myself I was relieved; I wanted this girl to scare the shit out of me, to make me react. 

Her throaty voice cuts through the suffocating fear creeping over me. “I got a letter. From a friend. He’s just been released from jail.” 

I notice the folded paper in her hand. Her fingertips pinching the paper, holding it away from herself. “That’s good news.” It’s not a statement; it’s a question. 

She nods. “Yeah.” 

Silence thickens between us. 

“Walk?” I offer, hoping I can get her out of whatever funk this friend has caused. 

Nodding again, she picks herself off the floor and folds the letter to make it smaller. She stuffs it into the back pocket of her jean skirt before saying, “So how did you fair with the blue balls yesterday? You seem to be walking all right.” 

A chuckle slips out. I know she’s avoiding. Doesn’t want to talk about the letter or her friend, so I can roll with her punches. “Worst case I ever had.” And that’s no lie. I thought long and hard about jerking my dick to kingdom come, but I settled for blue balls. An extra little dose of punishment for almost f*cking up. 

“And that’s the best compliment I’ve ever had. Thanks, Boone.” She nudges me with her shoulder as I shake my head. 

As soon as we step outside, I drop my shades over my eyes and instantly regret my idea. For the seconds I was entranced with Mel’s pain, with her, I forgot about the sky-high heat index. “Sh*t. If there was ever a month to get the f*ck out of Florida,” I say. 

“No sh*t,” she agrees. Turning to face me, she adds, “You do have a bike. Well, sort of. Not sure I classify your Bonnie bobber as one, really…” she trails off, and I let the slight against my bike slide. I figured her for an all American girl. “But we could Bonnie and Clyde our way to Sturgis. Pun totally intended.” She winks. “There’s always, like, a crazy aftermath of drag races and parties following the rally.” 

I want to think she’s joking. But I have a sure feeling in the pit of my stomach that if I offered her to leave right now, she’d hop on the back of my bike. No questions. And suddenly, there’s a sickness gripping my gut to match that feeling—I want that. 

At some point, whether it was the moment she touched me, the heated look in her eyes, or the second I saw the hopelessness forming around her in the hall…a line was crossed. There’s no walking away now. 

This girl will break me. 

And I’ll beg her to do it. 

We reach the benches near the basketball court and she slides onto the top seatback. I lick my lips, thankful for my shades as my gaze travels up her creamy legs to her thighs. I imagine running my hand up that same course. Under her skirt… 

F*cking hell. At some point, I’m going to have to wear my dick out. I should beat the hell out of it each time before I see her. I’m like a horny teen getting a taste of porn for the first time. It’s embarrassing. 

I’ve gone almost a year with no real temptations. Where the hell did this girl come from? She blindsided me.





About the Author



I’m the author of the YA Steampunk DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing), ASTARTE'S WRATH NA Historical/Supernatural, and the upcoming YA Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, October 2013. My NA Dark Fantasy OF SILVER AND BEASTS available May 2013.
I’m the creator of YA Bound, a promotional site for the Young Adult genre. Also a member of SCWW and The Apocalypsies.

A proud business owner, I'm partnered with my partner, my husband. When I’m not busy doing all of the above, I’m a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for my male characters.



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