Blog Tour + Interview: Revival by Rebecca Sherwin

  Title: Revival Author: Rebecca Sherwin Series: The Twisted Series, Book 2 Publication Date: January 16, 2015 Tour Sponsors: Rebecca Sherwin & Passionate Promotions Genre: Erotic Romance-Suspense; dark romance Audience: 18+ for strong language and sexual content  

Synopsis

With explosive suspense and dark sensuality, Revival, book #2 in the Twisted series, is a passionate, riveting tale of power, conflict and dangerous desire, told by Cut Throat Curtis

I was a failure. An orphan. A quitter. A heartbreaker. A screw-up. A criminal. A monster.

The life I was imprisoned in was the life I deserved.

Beep, beep, beep.

Ollie’s death shredded my tenacity, chipped away at my confidence and stole the will to fight out from under me. When the toxic worthlessness swimming through my veins made me reject the only girl I’d ever loved, she took the rest of my life with her.

Beep, beep, beep.

Alone, away from home and emotionally desolate, I was propelled into a life of greed, control and crime when fate played a hand and forced mine into the clutches of Charlie Alexander Tattersell. My vixen. My poison. My villainous addiction.

Beep, beep, beep.

I fought for and against the life that held me captive, but one painful reminder returned to haunt me.

I was the only one who knew the truth.

Skye’s truth. My love. My driving force. My life’s obsession.

Beep, beep, beep.

After enlisting the help of my protégé, Jesse ‘the Gentleman’ Kennedy, the mission began. I had to find answers, retribution and the spark that would release me from the claws of the abyss and bring me one step closer to the Skillet.

Beep, beep, beep.

With new secrets waiting around every corner, a vicious Charlie waiting to bury me and the haunting memories of every mistake I’d ever made hanging over me, I missed one vital clue.

The key to my revival…

Excerpts

I climbed in the shower and let the water hit my skin like hot bullets. I bowed my head and clenched my fists by my sides. It was my usual position; I was closed even to myself. I knew I was worthless, I knew I had nothing but my fists and the mask of who I pretended to be. Cocky Cut Throat. The one all the girls talked about, in one way or another. The one the men bowed to without me having to demand it. I hadn’t even really earned it. I didn’t want it. I did it all for those precious few moments in the cage that convinced me, for a while, that I meant something. Skye. I craved her. I knew nothing about her; nothing but the demons Ollie kept from her, but I wanted her. A consuming ache that replaced the venomous self-loathing as the water continued to pour. She threatened my control. She was a danger to my self-preservation. I knew that above everything else, but I was a selfish bastard and a glutton for punishment. I climbed out of the shower with a one-track mind; I didn’t bother wrapping a towel around me, there was no time for that. Each drip of the water that fell to the floor as I walked through the apartment, echoed around the empty space like the ominous beat of a drum. I shook the water off like a dog, pulled on some old clothes and scrubbed an old towel over my hair. I grabbed my keys and left the gym.

Charlie took me to a posh hotel, dripping with money and covered in gold. She handed me a keycard.

“You put it in the elevator,” she almost smiled. “Everything you need will be waiting when you step out. You need to be back in this car in thirty minutes. At thirty minutes and one second, I leave and you put everything back. Are we clear?” Her driver got out and opened my door but I kept my eyes on the stranger next to me. She kept her eyes on me. She had absolutely no intention of telling me anything more and I knew better than to ask questions. I just got the feeling it was better to not know the truth when it came to her. “Yes.” I could turn it off; the nerves, the worry. I could make it go away with the flick of a switch and that’s what I did. I shut down, took a deep breath and climbed out of the car. I headed straight through the lobby, ignoring the looks and the “excuse me” from the security guard. I was waiting to be thrown out, but the minute I inserted the card in the slot on the panel by the lift, he smiled in obedience and retreated back to his spot by the entrance. The lift climbed and climbed and climbed some more, which only gave me time to think. I had no idea what I was about to do, but I needed the money. I would have climbed in the car for a three-figure sum; I just hit the jackpot when Charlie offered me five. Who has that kind of money to throw at thug-looking scumbags? Charlie Alexander Tattersell, that’s who. I was too curious, too stupid, to desperate to back out and as the door opened, I stepped out of the lift and into a life I had no idea existed.

**********************

“You want out?” She caressed my tie and feigned concern. I knew better than to believe it. “So what if I do?” “We have a deal.” Her eyes darkened with a frown. Mine darkened in return. What happens when two stubborn, fucked up people enter into a world-dominating contract? The world stops, turns on its axis and spins out of control. The short answer? It’s explosive. “No, you have a deal. I can walk away whenever I feel like it.” I gripped her knees, pulled her forward, and shoved the dress higher, exposing her underwear. “That’s what you think?” “That’s what I know.” “I can take everything away,” she hissed. “You think you own this place?” She gestured around the room and pointed to the panoramic view of the city. “You think that view is yours to enjoy?” She reached forward and grabbed my tie again. “You these think these suits, your fancy cars, your expensive furniture is yours? That you earned it?” Slowly she reached for my belt and fluidly popped the buckle. “You think you own this city? You think you own me?” She crashed her lips to mine and I tangled my hand in her hair at the nape of her neck. Charlie’s mouth marked me, leaving a burning stain of toxic red lipstick on my lips when she pulled back. “You don’t. I can take it away. Just like-” she snapped her manicured fingers in front of my face “-that.” “That’s what you think?” I repeated her words from earlier. “That’s what I know.” She repeated mine and spat them back at me. I reared up, shoving her back on the table with my hand curled around her throat. “We’ll see who owns who when you’re begging me to let you come.” I pulled my trousers open and tore her underwear away; Charlie's eyes rolled back and she groaned in satisfaction when I slammed into her.

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5 Comments:

"As a HUGE fan of Survival, the first book in this series, I was beyond excited to begin reading this second book. I am so grateful I received an ARC copy. In Revival, we are told Curtis “Cut Throat” Mason’s story and it had me as gripped as the first!!! Curtis is such a multifaceted man and I loved how that plays out in the book. He is angry, hurt, confused, sensitive, determined…the list goes on. Add to this that he is hot and sexy as hell and you know you are onto something good. We meet interesting new characters…some you will love, some you will cry for and some you will hate! I cannot wait to read more of there stories in the third book "Thrive"! The authors descriptions of the fight scenes were so well written that it made me almost smell the sweat! This book is intense, dark, and full of sadness. And the ending had my mind blown!!!! I cannot wait to read more in this series and from Rebecca Sherwin!!! 5 MIND BLOWN STARS!"

"Cut Throat Curtis is a fighter, one who doesn't physically fight anymore - or does he? He fights for his right to live his life his way, he fights to overcome his demons, he fights to feel and he fights to get back the all consuming love he lost. We are introduced to Jessie The Gentleman Kennedy and together Jessie and Curtis embark on a mission to uncover a mystery, the mystery that is Oliver Jones (you'll have met Ollie in Survival). Introduce the despicable Charlie (the woman you will love to hate) and you have a group of characters sure to entertain."

About Rebecca Sherwin

Rebecca is a coffee drinking, music loving, working single mother and writing insomniac. When she’s not writing, she’s reading and when she’s not reading she’s squeezing her eyes shut and willing sleep to descend. She writes about serious issues, giving emotional turmoil a twist and adding a little humour and sarcasm. Her stories are real and relatable, yet unexpected and unpredictable. Every writer was a reader first and Rebecca owes her passion for creating and telling emotional tales to the stories she has read and the people, places and experiences that have, and continue to, inspire her. Rebecca wants her readers to escape to a world where fairy tales and true love exist, wrapping her stories up with angst, passion and curveballs you won't see coming. Her writing aims to bring problems and tragedies people face every day to light, make them relatable and leave her readers thinking long after they’ve read the last page. In 2015, you can find Rebecca signing her books at events in Peterborough, London, York, and Birmingham. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello.

Links

Amazon Author Page  Goodreads  Facebook  Ravishing Readers Fan Page  Twitter (@RRSherwin)  Website-Blog

Buying Links

$$$ Special Tour Offer!! $$$

During the tour, Books 1 and 2 of the Twisted Series, Survival and Revival, will be ON SALE (eBook versions)

Survival is $0.99 and Revival is $1.99 only on amazon.com!

Offer ends at midnight GMT (UK) on January 25th.

(Amazon.com LINK HERE)

Giveaway!

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Video Review by Brittany

Brittany’s Book Blog Interviews Rebecca Sherwin


Brittany: Howdy do, Rebecca. (That’s some southern slang for ya, ya Brit.)

Rebecca: ‘tis a pleasure to meet you, fair maiden (Love the southern slang...consider this Brit positively enchanted *winks*)



Brittany: Your first novel was Second Chance Hero. Why did you decide to start writing, and how did you come up with the story line for SCH?

Rebecca: I’ve always written - since before I can remember. It’s always just been my ‘thing’ and I decided to share it. SCH came to exist when I went on holiday to the tiny little harbour town I visit every year. I’d not long had my son, I needed and escape from baby sick and sleepless nights, and I’d been toying with the idea of writing something, and completing it, for a while. The entire town of Folquay is based on this place I go to with my family in May every year. I love the people, I love the surroundings - the cobbled streets and the Cornish locals (they’re an odd, but loveable bunch!) - and I wanted to write a story that was influenced purely by my love for this town. I’m already booked up and raring to go this year, and I’ll be taking a few paperbacks for them to keep...they went crazy last year when I’d told them where the story had been set. The actual storyline; the love triangle will they won’t they, was something my imagination came up with and the voices of Jenna and Deacon, and all the other people in Folquay told me where to take the story.



Brittany: Are any of your characters (from any of your books) based off of real people?

Rebecca: Yes, but I can’t go into too much detail about the who, but my heroes are always influence by one utterly adorable and mercurial man.
I don’t tend to use people I know and regurgitate them into my characters, but I am influenced by everyone in my life. I’m a people person; I like to study them, to figure them out and then use my assumptions and my knowledge of them to develop the characters in my books. It makes it more exciting for me as a writer because the characters are entirely new, but I find myself smiling when they take on a trait of someone I know.



Brittany: Tell me about Survival. I really loved that book. Where did you come up with the idea for that?

Rebecca: Thank you! I will remember your irate messages for as long as I live! Survival, and the Twisted series, is my absolute pride and joy. I really found my rhythm as a writer when I produced Skye’s story and I can honestly, for the first time since I put pen to paper, say I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
I give all the credit for its creation to my muse. I had a simple storyline, something quite different to what ended up as the first draft, but I wasn’t sure where to take it. He inspired the ending and then I went back and told the Skillet’s story from the beginning. My aim with the Twisted series, and all my works, is to explore the pain we feel, and to discover how people battle against the odds and create their own happiness. This story really is the epitome of never giving up, no matter how difficult and painful life gets. I simply put pen to paper; I didn’t even really have an outline and, as you know, the ending wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did. I’ve had some strong reactions to it and I say the same thing to everyone. Firsty, I’m sorry. And secondly, it wasn’t me. So where did the idea come from? The characters gave it to me.



Brittany: Revival is great too. You are writing in a different point of view from Survival. What’s it like having to switch gears like that?

Rebecca: Hey, you’re really pulling the punches, Britt! It was actually quite easy - at first. I wrote from the male POV, with Deacon, in SCH...but never an entire novel, and it took a few attempts to get the ‘femininity’ out of my writing. There were certain things I struggled with...do I know what being on the receiving end of a blowjob feels like? Uh, no...but I had to pretend I did and I’ve had huge compliments for it! (HA!) When I really got my head down and let Curtis tell his story, it began to flow and I really got into his headspace. I had the temper of a testosterone-filled man who was mad at the world for almost two months straight, but Curtis is an incredible character - I fell totally in love with him and began a new quest to find my own Cut Throat. I mean, would you turn him down? *winks*



Brittany: Are you happy where you are today as a writer?

Rebecca: Yes, and no. I am happy, like I said up there (^^) somewhere, I feel like I’ve found my rhythm. I know what I want to write and I’ve settled into my style and feel comfortable with my abilities, although that’s not to say I would shift gears further down the line (I totally will - it’s already in the works!). But I think, as a writer, you never stop growing. You can always improve and that’s exactly what I plan to do. I can pump stories out left right and centre and that’s exactly what I plan to do. Each one will require blood, sweat and tears and huge amounts of personal sacrifice, but there’s nothing I would rather do. Reading over manuscripts and seeing the difference from the first draft of SCH and the final draft of Revival gives me a huge sense of achievement and I’ll continue to push myself to become a better storyteller.



Brittany: What did you want to be when you grew up?

Rebecca: Oh wow...a lot! I went through a lot of phases as a kid. I wanted to be a mermaid once; I wanted to be in the army, I wanted to be a journalist, a doctor and a photographer. I have finally found an ambition that has stuck and, aside from writing, I’m heading in to study for my psychology degree.



Brittany: Do you have any advice for new authors? Maybe on how to act, how to promote themselves?

Rebecca: I don’t know - it’s tough. I’d say be prepared for knockbacks; you have to have a thick skin to be able to handle rejection. There will be people who won’t want to read your work, there will be people who don’t like it when they do and there will be  people who try (intentionally, unfortunately) to knock you down. You have to believe in yourself, pick yourself up and stay humble. The most important thing, I think, is to be professional. You’re not only judged for the way you write, but how you handle yourself online. Promotion is a kicker...be prepared to spend a lot of time out there promoting yourself and working on new marketing strategies. Writing the books is only half the story (See what I did there? *pokes tongue out*)



Brittany: What is one thing that annoys you most about the books you read?

Rebecca: Honestly? Being misled. There isn’t anything I won’t at least attempt to read, if the synopsis and word-of-mouth pulls me in (I look at a range of ratings for each book and it doesn’t necessarily swing me one way or another), but I hate picking up and book and diving in and then halfway through being smacked in the face with something that is completely out of place (Mindfucks - hell yes! Getting to chapter 18 and have to go back to chapter 1 to figure out if I’m going crazy or the story just took a weird u-turn? No, thank you.)



Brittany: What has been your biggest struggle, being a self-published author?

Rebecca: *laughs* the advice I gave earlier, actually. I just want to write...I came into the writing world thinking I could do that. I didn’t expect everyone to love everything I write, I’m not stupid, but I didn’t realise people could be so spiteful. I didn’t realise people could be so competitive that they’d throw others under the bus. Aren’t there enough readers in the world for everyone? I think so. Bad reviews hurt for a while, but now I look at them like a learning curve. A bad review that’s illiterate in itself and does nothing but slam me as a person for writing it? Water off a duck’s back. A 2-star review with constructive criticism and clear thoughtfulness about where I’ve gone wrong? I’ll work on it and be happy to admit that I could do better. We can always do better.



Brittany: Is there anything you’ve learned not to do?

Rebecca: Cry over reviews! Cry over people who appear to be your friend at face-value, but prove later down the line not to be. DO NOT make typos on photo-edits...it doesn’t go down well.



Brittany: You don’t have a street team, but you have a group of readers that love to discuss your books. Tell me about that.

Rebecca: Ah, I’m glad you’ve mentioned that one! We used to be a street team, but honestly? I’m not in competition with anyone but myself. Sure, I want to make the bestsellers lists and make a career for myself by being a writer, but I want people to recommend my books because they enjoyed them and they want to encourage others to read them, not because I’ve offered them an incentive to ‘pimp’ me.

So we’ve changed tack. I love every single member of my Ravishing Readers (squishy hugs to you, Britt!) and I don’t ever want them to feel under pressure to perform (we all know what happens the, don’t we men? *winks*). I just want people to have fun in a group with no drama, no expectations and no trickery. If people love my work, they can join the group and meet others who do, too. We talk freely, we share pictures and we support each other. That’s all I want - real relationships with my readers and a real connection with the women (and men) behind the screens.



Brittany: You have some signings coming up. Where are they? And when are you coming to the US?
Rebecca: AAAHHH!! I do! I have four coming up this year, in the UK. Peterborough, York, London and Birmingham. I’ve already got three lined up in the UK for 2016 and one for 2017. The US is on my list! I’m planning to hit it late next year if I can sign up in and time and get accepted. It will happen, and there are a couple of ‘maybe’s in the works, but nothing concrete as yet.


Brittany: Rebecca, I love you to death and I can’t wait to read more from you. Here’s to years of success!

Rebecca: Oh, woman, I love you right back! Thank you for your fantastic questions...when I fly to your side of the pond, we’re meeting up. It’s going to happen. Now, shall I put the kettle on and make us a spot of tea? *picks up teacup and raises pinkie*