Title: Give Me Grace Author: Kate McCarthy
Series: Give Me #3
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: July 10, 2014
Genre: Mystery, New Adult
More Info: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon US
Purchase: Amazon UK
Casey Daniels has a past forged in Hell. Despite the friends, the endless supply of women, and the muscle car he spent years restoring, it still eats away at him.
Grace Paterson is in Sydney as a temporary bassist for Jamieson, the band Casey handles security for. She’s also infuriating, off-limits, and completely irresistible.
A deal is struck, and despite their intense and powerful connection, both think it will be easy to walk away. But life can be more ruthless than either of them ever imagined. Not only does Grace have a secret she’s desperate to keep, Casey has questions from his past that he’s willing to do anything to get answers for.
It’s not until someone wants one of them dead that Casey realises his love for Grace is the one thing he could never walk away from.
In a story of revenge, betrayal, secrets, and love, Casey will need to reconcile his past with his present, before the future he never knew he wanted is snatched away.
Excerpt
I slipped out the front door, letting it softly click shut behind me. Casey was sitting in his car, staring straight ahead as I walked down the drive. Opening the car door, I slid inside and shut it. He didn’t acknowledge my presence, or even look at me at all. He simply shifted gears, and with a quick glance in his rearview mirror, pulled out onto the road.
I clicked my seat belt into place. “Casey?”
With a hard swallow, he shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road as we drove. Despite his controlled composure, his face was pale and tension surrounded him like an aura.
“Casey, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry.” Our eyes met for a brief moment, the connection intense. Raw pain flickered in his eyes before it was quickly banked. “That’s the last thing I want to do.”
His palm slid over my bare thigh, riding upwards as he continued to drive. The touch sent arousal spiking through me, but not enough to override the concern.
“Where are we going?”
He shook his head as if he had no clue. After a moment, he replied, “I want to drive, but I don’t want to be alone. I want to be with you.”
My eyes fixed on his profile as he drove. The knuckles of his right hand were white on the steering wheel and his jaw tight. Something wasn’t right. In fact, something was very wrong. I slid my hand over his, my pulse racing when he flipped his palm over and grabbed hold.
“Casey?”
He glanced over at me.
“I want to be with you too.”
His answer was a squeeze of my hand before letting go.
We sat in silence as he drove. I stared at the dashboard, having no idea what to do or say or how to fix what was wrong.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Sure.” A smile came to his lips. It was forced because it never reached his eyes. “Just a bad day at work, you know?”
“No, I don’t know. Maybe you should tell me.”
The roads were eerily quiet when he pulled to a stop at a red light. “I don’t want to talk right now.” His hand fell on my thigh again, the calloused palm scraping my skin as it slipped upwards. Reaching between my thighs, he dragged my panties to the side and slipped his fingers inside, gently massaging my clit and dragging a moan from my throat. He leaned over, putting his mouth on my ear, his breathing coming harder and heavier.
“I want to fuck you, Grace. Not just tonight, but every night,” he professed, his fingers working me expertly. The red light turned green, but with no cars around, Casey ignored it. “Hard enough for it to hurt, so that when you leave, me fucking you is the only thing you can think about.”
I closed my eyes, my head falling back against the headrest. I wanted him to fuck me that hard. I wanted to feel him inside me even when he wasn’t there, but not like this. Not when he was using sex to mask a hurt so painful and deep I could feel the ache of it surrounding me until I felt suffocated.
“No,” I gasped.
He froze at the single word, his hand stilling instantly.
“There’s something wrong, Casey. I can feel it.”
His hand slipped out of my panties and I mourned the loss. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he snapped.
Tension bled into the car as he put it in gear and accelerated swiftly. My eyes burned. When we were good, it was wild and intense and consuming, but we always spiralled into such a hot mess. I wasn’t sure if Casey and I would ever find a happy medium.
Drawing a deep breath, I forced calm. “Maybe you should take me home.”
“No.”
My brows flew up. “No?”
“No.” He shook his head, his tone cold and harsh. “This was your deal, and now you want to turn it into some kind of relationship? That’s not what this is. This is about you and me and sex. So maybe you should spread your legs so we can both get what we want.”
My Review:
I’m not quite sure why it took me so long to read this series, but when I set my mind to something, I give it 100%. Needless to say, about two weeks ago I devoted the entire weekend to this deliciously intriguing world. You heard that right. I read all THREE books back to back. The plus side to that is I got to live in their minds for longer than if I would have read them on release dates. The con? I was left with a major book hangover, of epic proportions, and now I have to wait with everyone else for the next one.
I wasn’t the person I wanted to be, and this wasn’t the life I wanted, so why was I still living it?
Let me just put it out there; Kate does an excellent job of creating characters that you can not only relate to, but genuinely care about. Even from the first few pages of book one I was completely entrenched in their lives and full invested in each and every one of them. We started with Jared and Evie, then moved on to Jared’s brother Travis and assistant Grace, and now it was best friend Casey and Henry’s sister Grace’s turn. Believe it or not, I’ve not even named half of the characters that appear in the book. I’m not sure how far Kate is going to go, but there is potential for at least another 4-5 books. And like I said, you care about these characters. Each and every one of them is completely unique and there’s no overlapping.
Whatever I’d felt for any other man in my past faded because I knew then that I was looking at the man who was going to break my heart.
Though Grace was a new character to us, Casey was someone we had short glimpses of and got to know better in Give Me Strength. He had a darkness in him that bled through his pores. The inevitable explosion was imminent, and all you could do was hold on for the ride. Kate takes you on so many twists and turns you don’t know which end is up. She writes a beautifully crafted story with a ton of romance and suspense thrown in, and she does it gracefully. There was never a dull moment and just when you thought you felt a lull in the water, a wave comes crashing back down. I love Casey’s heart, even when he tried desperately to hide it. I loved his misplaced guilt, because it made him that much more human. And I loved his protectiveness of those he cared for. Because when Casey cares for you, you need not worry about anything else.
“When I’m with you, touching you, breathing you in, I forget who I have to be and I’m just me. When you leave, you’ll take that with you.”
I loved the slow progression of their relationship. I loved how it took time for Casey to break down Grace’s walls. I also loved how Grace fought for herself. There was a strength in her that was rare and it was utterly beautiful. You may have an inkling of what her secret it, but in true Kate fashion, you won’t see this one coming! Those final scenes? Oh gee, my heart just broke. It was so raw and gritty and real; three words that best describe this book in my opinion. One of my favorite things about this series were the epilogues at the end. I look forward to a well written epilogue and Kate never disappoints!
My heart was lost, and even if she didn’t want it, I wouldn’t take it back.
I fall head over heels for broken characters. The fight and struggle to get to the love and the buildup makes the journey much more delicious. I’m a self professed angst whore and I seek it out in every book I read. Kate feeds my monster well! While this book can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend immersing yourself as I did and start from book one. You won’t be sorry!
“You’re fast becoming my world, Grace, and that world is a place I never want to leave.”
Giveaway
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Give Me Love (Give Me, #1)
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Evie Jamieson, a former wild child, is not only a headstrong, smart-mouthed trouble magnet, she is also a lead singer with a plan. That plan involves relocating her band, including her two best friends guitarist Henry and band manager Mac, to Sydney to kick off their dreams of hitting the big time.
Jared Valentine is the older brother of Evie’s best friend Mac and also the man determined to make Evie his. They strike up a long distance friendship which suits Evie because she’s determined to avoid the distraction of love, not only because it doesn’t fit in with her plan but because twice in the past it has left her for dead. Moving to Sydney however, has put her directly in Jared’s path and he has decided it’s the perfect opportunity to make his play.
Unfortunately Jared, co-owner in a business that ‘consults’ in dangerous hostage and kidnapping situations, makes an enemy who’s determined to enact revenge. When this enemy puts Evie in his sights, Jared not only has a fight on his hands to make her his own, but also to keep her alive.
Is accepting the love he’s so desperate to give worth the risk to both her heart…and her life?
Give Me Strength (Give Me, #2)
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Quinn Salisbury doesn’t think she’s cut out for this whole living thing. Even as a young girl she struggled. Just when she thinks she’s found a way to leave her violent past behind her, the only thing that’s kept her going is ripped away, leaving her damaged and heartbroken.
Four years later, she is slowly rebuilding her life and lands a job as an assistant band manager to Jamieson, the hot new Australian act climbing their way to the top of the charts. There she meets Travis Valentine, the charismatic older brother of her boss, Mac.
From his commanding charm to his confidence and passion, Travis is everything Quinn believes is too good for her, and despite her apprehension, she finds their attraction undeniable and intense.
When her past resurfaces, it complicates their relationship. Instead of reaching out for help, Quinn pushes Travis away, until a staggering secret is revealed that leaves her fighting for her very life.
Torn between running and opening her heart to the man determined to have her, can Quinn find the strength within herself to fight for her future?
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