Monday, July 28, 2014

Blog Tour for Little Things by Madison Street



 

Title: Little Things

Author: Madison Street

Release Date: June 2, 2014

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Synopsis:

Everything in Duke Grayson’s life was all he could ever ask for: A loving family, loyal friends, a beautiful girlfriend, and a scholarship to his top choice college. It’s his senior year of high school, and all he needs is to focus on his grades, lacrosse, and keeping his girlfriend happy. That is until Raya walks into his life.

From the moment they meet, Duke is drawn to her, not only for her natural beauty and her stunning crystal blue eyes, but because he’s aware there’s more to this girl than just his alluring pull to her. He senses secrecy and fear.

Throughout the year, their bond grows stronger, and his feelings for her become undeniable. Just when he is about to express his love, tragedy strikes and Raya disappears.

For six years, Duke is tortured by his struggles, as he’s unable to find her and blames himself for failing to protect her. Until the day, she’s found, and he’s given a second chance. Will Duke become her beacon of hope and make her see that it’s the little things that make life worthwhile? Can Raya overcome her fears and fight against the terrors that haunt her? Or will her dark and torturous past be too much for her to battle against?

*Warning: This book contains some disturbing situations, strong language and sexual content. Suited for 18 years and over.

Excerpt:

With a quick pace, I give Mrs. Robinson my test and race out of the class only to crash into Duke.

“Whoa!! Slow down!” He steadies me with his arms.

I chuckle, “Sorry, I’m just happy to get away from Jose. I’m happy this is the last class with him.”

“Me, too. He’s gotten in the way of a lot of things and I can’t fucking stand him. It’ll be alright, Raya. He won’t bother you anymore.” He caresses my arm for a few seconds and then pulls away, clearing his throat. “So, uhh, what did Taylor want?”

I glance away to avoid his eyes, “He asked me out on a date.”

“He finally did it, huh? Took him forever.”

My head snaps to look at him, “Wait. What do you mean?”

He laughs and shakes his head, “After the Halloween party, he asked me if he should ask you out and I told him to go for it. Honestly, I thought he would have asked you out weeks ago. I don’t know what took him so long.”

My heart drops and an unbearable sadness falls over me. “Oh, is that right?”

“You know he’s crazy about you. You should give him a chance. He’s a really good guy.”

I close my eyes and try to force back the tears that are threatening to escape. My heart aches at the loss of Duke’s affection. All I want is him and I know I won’t ever get it. “I’m not so sure. I like him, but not as much as he likes me. I don’t want to rush anything. Besides, I told him that I can’t make any promises. I’ll be very busy with work during the break and won’t have much free time.”

“Ehh, he’ll wait. He doesn’t have a lot going on anyway.” He glances at his phone and responds to a text message. “Okay, well I’m going to catch Melanie before she heads off to her next class. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay. Tell her I’ll see her in English.”

“I will.” He waves at me as he heads off to go get his girlfriend. At that moment, I realize that my feelings for Duke are purely one-sided and I need to get a grip on them. A single tear escapes and I quickly wipe it away. I promised myself that I wouldn’t stand in the way of Duke and Melanie. I’m not like that and I refuse to be the reason for a breakup. Their friendship means so much to me and I won’t ruin it.

Maybe I should go out with Taylor, but how can I with Craig being home? Hopefully, he has a conference coming up soon and will have to go out of town. I’m going to have to find a way to explain this to Taylor. I hope he’ll understand. I grab my cell phone and send a quick text to him.

Me: Meet me at work tomorrow.

I head down the hallway, making my way to endure the next final in line. A few minutes later, I hear my phone beep with an incoming text notification. I grab my cell to read the message sent from Taylor.

Taylor: So, is that a yes?

I laugh to myself. He always gets a head of himself.

Me: It’s a maybe. I’d like to take things slow so if you want come visit me at work.

Taylor: Of course! What time is your shift?

Me: From 11-7

Taylor: Okay, I’ll see you there. Maybe we can do lunch?

Me: Yeah, that sounds good. See ya tomorrow. 

Taylor: See ya then sweetie ;)

I smile at his text and think about seeing him tomorrow. He really is a nice guy and maybe I should listen to Duke and give him a chance. My hopes and wishes are slowly diminishing and I can use any bit of happiness I can get right now. Maybe Taylor is just what I need.





Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19370454-little-things

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Review by Gia:
OMG, this book was great.  Little Things has been one of the best books I read this month.   I love books that are written in dual POVs.  This one is told in the POVs of Raya and Duke. 
Raya has a tough home life.  Her stepfather, Craig, is not a very nice person and he likes to control everything.  After their latest move, Raya meets Duke at school.  There is instant attraction but Duke has a girlfriend, Melanie.  Melanie is a great friend to both Duke and Raya.  Before Duke and Raya can move forward in their relationship, something happens that sends Raya running. 
Then the book jumps to one year later.  Raya ran and hasn't looked back.  She finds yourself out to lunch with her kickboxing coach, Derrick.  Derrick tell her about a cousin of his that has a small business looking for a secretary.  I immediately thought that somehow Derrick's cousin was going to know Duke and that was how the were going to reconnect.  Boy was I wrong.  Derrick is a monster.  This is where to book took a real dark turn.  I definitely was not expecting the story to take a turn in the direction it did. 
Duke never gives up on finding Raya.  Little Things is a great rollercoaster of a read.  Buckle up and get ready for a great read. 
5 Amazeballs Stars!!!

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About the Author:



Madison Street was born in New York City and was raised in the Bronx, where she resided until she was 17 years old. After 9/11, Madison joined the United States Navy to serve her country.

During the deployments, Madison constantly wrote short stories and she discovered her passion for writing. You will find Madison always on the computer, whether she's on Facebook, designing websites, messing with Photoshop, or writing for her blog.

Besides writing, her second passion is music and dance. Even though she's a terrible singer, she’ll still belt it out in the shower, especially if the song is her jam! She currently resides in Virginia with her husband of 8 years, 2 children, a dog, and a cat. She is so excited to start this amazing journey and is honored to be part of such a compassionate and loving community.

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Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1oTxsTx

Twenty Fun Facts About Madison:
  1. Madison is my pen name. It is actually my daughter’s name.
  2. This story is loosely based on my own experiences; for instance, the interaction between Duke and Raya was inspired from events my husband and I share.
  3. I thought of the name Duke from Channing Tatum’s character in, “She’s the Man.” LOVE that movie!!!
  4. The location and setting of the story are places I used to live in. I grew up in The Bronx and lived in Chicago for 2 years.
  5. I have two children and a white and fluffy Pekachon (Pekinese and Bichon mix) named Chase, who I consider my 3rd child. He’s my baby!
  6. I once was kicked out of a Vegas casino (Treasure Island) for gambling underage.
  7. Growing up in NYC, I had the pleasure of meeting a few actors/directors on set of their movies. It was kickass awesome!! I’ve met Spike Lee, John Leguizamo, and I got to see James Franco film Spider-Man.
  8. I absolutely LOVE roller coasters and always sit in the front row. The higher the drop, the better!
  9. I like to race cars, especially when I’m driving long distance. A few of my co-workers refuse to let me drive for lunch as they stroke out! Ha-ha! My nickname is Tokyo Drift.
  10. When I was 9, I chipped my front tooth and have had a fake one, ever since.
  11. As a child, I used to write my own episodes of my favorite TV shows and still have them.
  12. My vice is soda; mainly Coke. If I don’t drink soda at least once a day, I’m a raging bitch.
  13. I have such a dirty mind, to the point where I honestly think like a man. My husband always tells me that he feels like he married a dude sometimes.
  14. I absolutely love music!! I listen to it all day, every day. Sometimes, I will bust a quick move out in public, even when there’s no music going. It’s constantly playing in my mind. My husband laughs at me all the time for it.
  15. I hate wearing clothes. I always strip naked when I’m home and just wear a robe.
  16. I love everything Jane Austen. She is my idol. And Mr. Darcy…yeah, he can get it. 
  17. I’ve traveled to many places around the world except Australia. Hopefully, one day.
  18. Last year, I went to see Rob Schneider do stand-up comedy. He really is so tiny! I shook his hand after the set, and he’s shorter than me and his hands were so baby soft and tiny! Mind you, I’m only 5’3”. I felt like a giant next to him.
  19. My husband has been my best friend, ever since high school. After being apart for 4 years, we found each other again and started dating. We eloped a month later, and have been together for 8 years.
  20. I am a movie buff, especially 80s movies. I love them so much and can spit out movie lines in every day conversation. Yup, it’s a gift.

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1 comment:

  1. UnknownJuly 28, 2014 at 11:54 AM

    thank you so much Gia for the great review! I'm happy you enjoyed it! <3

    ReplyDelete

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