Title: Sweet Ruin
Author: Nazarea Andrews
Series: University of Branton #3
Publisher: A&A Literary
Release Date: March 13, 2014
Genre: New Adult
More Info: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon US
Purchase: Barnes & Noble
Purchase: Amazon UK
Purchase: Amazon CA
Purchase: Amazon AU
Purchase: Amazon Print

It’s good to be on top… Asher Knox has it all. Girls, wealth, a career most would kill for. He’s just landed the biggest job of his career. And he’s miserable.

She’s fighting her way from the bottom… Megan Beauchamp has no illusions about why she was chosen to be Asher’s PA. She’s pretty, and down to earth, and everything the Hollywood star always falls for. Too bad Megan is just paying her dues and has no interest in anything but advancing at her PR firm.

He’ll throw it all away…Luca James knows what he wants. And he’s waited a long time for the window to open—when it does, he’ll walk away from the career he’s built for a chance at something real.

When Megan’s boss threatens to fire her, Luca and Asher convince her to leave town with them. Between bad hotels and pit stop confessionals, the three are drawn closer together. And the lines blur even more in Branton, where Megan is forced to look at everything she left behind. But when the boys want more, Megan will be forced to choose between the men she loves and the life she thought she wanted. And in a town like Branton, the secrets she keeps won’t be hidden for long.

*Warning: for mature audiences. Two sexy men + one sassy heroine = hot sex.*

 

 

Excerpt

Megan

I take a deep breath and open the door to the hotel room. Asher’s got the TV on, muted, and he sprawls across the bed. His eyes are closed, his chest rising in a steady rhythm. I pause in the doorway and smile, staring at him. Luca crowds against my back, carrying a few bags with clothes and some toiletries. Most of our purchases are still in the car downstairs.

“That’s a damn pretty picture,” Luca murmurs near my ear.

“Quit drooling,” I tease. “Get packed.”

He drops a kiss on the curve of my neck and steps away, pulling out the beat up duffle bag I’ve seen him carry everywhere since I moved in with him.

I tune him out as I crawl onto the bed, straddling Asher’s prone form. I lean down slightly, brushing a butterfly soft kiss over his lips. Ash stirs, a tiny bit, and I apply a hint of pressure against his lips. He groans, a low, deep noise that sets my blood on fire, and his hands come up, clenching on my hips, hard. I will have bruises, tomorrow. As he deepens the kiss, his tongue darting out and delving past my lips, I find I don’t care. I don’t care about anything but him kissing me.

Silence fills the room, the only sound the brush of cloth and lips and the soft sigh I can’t help but release, as his lips leave mine, traveling down, following the slope of my neck until he hits the top of my t-shirt. He growls and jerks at my shirt, his hands sliding under and up. I moan, arching into the caress, and Luca clears his throat.

Blinking slowly, I sit up. I know what I look like, my hair a mess, my lips full and pout, my nipples pressing against the thin shirt material.

“Don’t rip her clothes, dude. We need to get out of here today, and I’m not going shopping again.”

Despite the bracing words, he’s smiling. I stick my tongue out, and go up on my knees, swinging off Asher with a deliberate little wiggle. “He’s right, unfortunately. Get dressed, Knox. We need to hit the road.”

Asher props himself up on an elbow. “Where are we going?”

I smirk and lean back down to kiss him quickly. “Branton, babe.”

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My Review:

Until the cover was revealed and I read the synopsis, I had NO clue that was going to be a triad book. I am a lover of ALL things Branton and to find this out only excited me all the more! Warning: do NOT read this book on your lunch break at work as you will find it extremely hard to concentrate for the rest of the afternoon.

I am a big proponent of reading books in order in series, even when it is stated they CAN be read as standalones. That being said and this is the first, and maybe ONLY time you will hear me say this; I can safely state that you CAN read this as a standalone. Our connection to the rest of Branton comes from our feisty redhead Megan. She is the sister of Nicole, who is Atti’s ex-wife, from the first book. Since that is our connection to Branton and Nicole isn’t a huge player, you are safe. That being said, you SHOULD read the other books in the series because I LOVE them! Especially Dane. Oh Dane…..  I digress. Back to this story…

Megan is a PA for Asher, having moved out to Hollywood to escape the small town trappings of becoming just like her sister. Asher is a talented actor who just kind of fell into the profession. While he loves his job, he detests the social aspects that come with it; the notion that everyone is allowed a piece of him at will. Luca is our final player. He has been close friends with Megan since she moved to California, and has always harbored a deep affection for her, though she has never let him act on it. Through fate and circumstance, our players merge into one, and when it happens, it’s magic. The buildup was catamount for me. The sexual tension, the will they won’t they, it was all delicious to read, and as I stated earlier, don’t read it while at work 😉  Andrews weaves into words what the characters can’t always voice and the result is truth, honesty, and love. Raw sexual energy is on top of that, but at the core, those three fundamental emotions remain.

Yes, this book is hot, but beyond that it had heart. This wasn’t some kinky sex fest with a story line on the side. No, there was depth of emotions as these three navigated what they didn’t know at the beginning would become something so beautiful. I appreciated that this was approached as something that could last, and not just a quick sex party. This was an easy read, and one that I enjoyed EVERY second of. Forewarned: there will be a second part to the story but it does NOT end on a cliffhanger. For me, it ended on the possibility of hope. Andrews got me interested on the first book, I fell in LOVE with her on the second, and by the third, I was a goner; hook line and sinker. I eagerly (impatiently) await the next installment and cannot wait to see how their story ends!

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Giveaway

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This Love (University of Branton, #1) 

Amazon US – Amazon UK – B&N – Amazon CA – Amazon AU

She wants a summer job and a ride to a wedding.

He wants an assistant and a distraction from the mess his life had become. 

They didn’t know they needed each other.

Avery Emili needs two grand. Two grand and a plane ticket–her sister is counting on her to get to Jamaica for her wedding. But the semester is over, and tutoring college freshman and high school students has dried up until the fall.

Atticus Grimes needs help–the messy split with his wife left the twenty-eight year old professor scrambling to keep things together as the semester winds down. Now he’s got a research grant he has to actually do research for and all he wants to do is drown himself in a tall bottle of bourbon.

When Avery sees his ad for an assistant, all she’s thinking is a summer job. But as they spend time together, in the office and out, both of them begin to realize something is there. Something that can’t happen–he’s a professor and she’s a student. And both of them have histories, pasts that won’t let go. Can two broken people pulled apart by expectations find a way to be whole?

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Beautiful Broken (University of Branton, #2) 

Amazon US – Amazon UK – B&N – Amazon CA – Amazon AU

My Review

She’s been broken by her past. He’s been breaking for as long as he can remember.

Together, they can make each other whole–or destroy each other.

When his best friend asks for something, Dane rarely says no. But babysitting a newly sober Scout Grimes for three weeks isn’t exactly a normal request. And with their history, it’s a recipe for disaster. Not to mention, she’s drop dead gorgeous and he can’t touch her. 

There are few people Scout trusts as much as Dane Guillot. He’s always been her safe place, where nothing can hurt her. He’s also been the only man she’s never let herself want–screwing up their friendship isn’t worth one amazing night together. 

They have too much history, and too much personal baggage to ever work. But if they are willing to take a chance on love–it might be worth the risk.

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