Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Chasing Serenity – Eden Butler

Graduate student Autumn McShane has had her share of heartbreak. She’s been abandoned and betrayed and she lost her beloved mother in a tragic car accident five months ago. That loss damaged her body and fractured her spirit but she’s learning to recover, until her ex-boyfriend returns to town, intent on making her life miserable.

Declan Fraser hates her ex as much as Autumn does, but the last thing she needs is to put her trust in the hands of another man, especially one like Declan: his hard body and lulling Irish accent makes more than a few girls weak-kneed. The talented rugby player is rude and sarcastic, with tattooed, muscular arms and a cocky attitude, but he’s the only one who can help Autumn win an ill-advised bet that, if lost, could cost her more than she’s willing to pay. The reluctant alliance between Declan and Autumn stirs up cravings she doesn’t want to admit, but Declan is a hard man to resist.

Just when Autumn starts letting down her carefully constructed walls to the sexy bad boy, he betrays her when she needs him most. Autumn suspects Declan has secrets, and she is determined to uncover what drove him away from her, even if that means fraternizing with the enemy. But will the truth return Declan to her arms or add to the scars on her heart?

Series: Seeking Serenity #1
Release Date: October 15th 2013
Publisher: Self Published
Source: Inkslinger PR
Reviewer: Shannon
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

I ♥ Declan Fraser!  There, I’ve said it.  There are so many things to love about this book, but for me, it was this broken Irishman who captured my attention.

CHASING SERENITY is about Autumn McShane, a college graduate student trying to come to terms with the loss of her mother living in a small town Irish enclave.  Autumn’s world turns upside down when she meets the newest member of the college’s rugby team, Declan Fraser, when he drunkenly kisses her.  Autumn is not at all prepared for just what kind of an effect Declan will have on her.

I will admit, Declan could be an irritating ass, but you could tell there was more to him.  Despite his tattoos and boorish behavior,  we discover Declan and Autumn share experiences and loves that bond them.  Their mutual love of rugby, literature and television shows brings them closer together and help their “spark” grow into something much more.  Autumn fights her attraction to Declan, worried she’s going to fall into the same kind of relationship she had with her ex, but Declan is persistent and proves to her they were different.

Autumn is a hard character to like.  She’s been through something incredibly tragic, which will change anyone, but there are times where I wondered why her friends or Declan even bothered with her because she would come off as such a bitch.  I can understand wanting to protect yourself, but at some point you have to realize the ice needs to thaw a bit or else you risk pushing everyone away.  Despite being turned off at times by Autumn, I was invested in her character and needed to make sure she didn’t destroy Declan (because she definitely had the power to do that).  Luckily, Autumn figures things out before she got to that point.

I really enjoyed this book.  Even with my difficulties with Autumn, Declan and the secondary characters had me turning pages to keep up with the story.  I hope we get more from the group because I can definitely see stories for Sayo, Mollie, Layla and probably Tucker (although I would like to see him get the Autumn treatment to the junk like she did Declan).

There is a companion novel to CHASING SERENITY, called BEHIND THE PITCH.  It’s told from Declan’s POV and takes place during Chasing Serenity.  It’s a definite must read, if you want to have more of Declan.

Expat Irish rugby player Declan Fraser only wanted to play the sport he loves. He didn’t want to be stuck in this middle-of-nowhere town at this all too quaint university. He didn’t want his team captain to be an entitled jackass who switched Declan’s position on the squad just to make himself look good. And he sure as hell didn’t want to fall in love with graduate student Autumn McShane.

Autumn is stubborn, but gorgeous; she bristles at any hint of dependency on anyone or anything, but she’s also a survivor. She’s everything Declan didn’t know he wanted. When Autumn finds herself in the middle of a challenging bet with her ex-boyfriend – who just happens to be the arrogant team captain that Declan hates – he feels honor bound to help her out. But he didn’t expect to fall for her in the process.

“Behind the Pitch” reveals the most twisted and erotic thoughts in Declan’s head as he navigates through his on again/off again, frustrating and deeply erotic relationship with Autumn McShane.

And lordy, does he have a filthy mind.

Chasing Serenity Amazon

Chasing Serenity Barnes and Noble

Behind the Pitch Amazon

Behind the Pitch Barnes and Noble

Eden Butler is an editor and writer of New Adult Romance and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary (no cliffie) Romance, “Chasing Serenity” will launch October 2013.

When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football.

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