Blog Tour: Tragic by J. A. Huss ~ Review & Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Tragic blog tour, hosted by the wonderful Giselle at Xpresso Book Tours!  I'm totally infatuated with this cover for some reason.  Though I read this on my Kindle, I just may need to purchase myself a copy to put on my shelf.   :)

Okay, let's get back to business.  ;)

Today on my stop you will find my review and a tour-wide giveaway!  Three amazing prizes, including a gift card, necklace and signed swag!  Awesome, right?!  Enjoy!

Title: Tragic
Author: J.A. Huss
Series: Rook and Ronin #1
Published: May 20, 2013
Publisher: Science Future Press
Source: Author via blog tour

Rook Walsh is TRAGIC

Because life so far – just sucks. Some girls get parents. Rook got the foster care system. Some girls get Prince Charming. Rook got an abusive frog. Some girls get lucky…

Rook got a second chance.

And she took it. Because when fate throws you a bone – you grab it with both hands and run.

Antoine Chaput knows the minute he spies Rook in his photography studio that she’s got The Look. The dark and desperate look he must have to land the exclusive TRAGIC media contract.

Rook is paired up with top model, Ronin, and he’s everything her abusive ex-boyfriend wasn’t. Patient, gentle, happy, attentive, and sexy! He knows exactly what to do to make Rook blush for Antoine’s camera.

Rook’s luck changes in an instant and suddenly she’s the darling of the modeling world. It’s a dream job to go with a dream guy and all she has to do is look pretty and follow directions. But there’s always a price to pay – and Rook is about to get the bill.

Tragic starts off good and never slips.  This story is just that... tragic.  Rook has a past full of devastation and pain.  From a drug-addicted mother that couldn't care for her, going from one foster home to another, on to an abusive boyfriend, she's had nothing but a difficult life thus far.  Living in the homeless shelter for weeks, barely able to shower, spending most of her time fending off the horrible men there, she feels her life is hopeless.  She's doesn't have a penny, she's alone, and she's completely broken.

By pure chance, Rook falls upon a modeling job where she has the potential to make some good money.  She can finally afford to start her life over again and make something better of herself.  With high hopes for her future, she puts everything she has into this modeling gig... including her clothes.  Nude modeling wasn't what she was hoping for, but you do what you have to do to make some money to survive... right?

Rook is rough around the edges.  She's tough, and rightfully so.  She has to be in order to deal with the past she's carrying around with her.  She's scarred and terrified.  *In walks cute guy.*  Ronin.  Rook can't seem to look away.  He's gorgeous.  But she soon learns he's also controlling and possessive.  The chemistry is undeniable and the feelings she's consumed with are overbearing.  She's falling for him, no matter how hard she fights it.

Rook and Ronin are very different, yet carry with them several of the same inner struggles.  The dynamic between the two was excellent and I really enjoyed the way their inner demons caused them to act the way they did.  There were twists and turns throughout this book, and I loved how it ended up making me beg for more.  The good news... book two, Manic, will be released August 2013.  Yay!

Tragic isn't your sweet love story.  It's powerful and gritty.  I'm not a sappy girl, and I don't care much for sappy stories that are too good to be true.  This story is filled with angst, lust, tragedy and heartache.  It's harsh.  It's intense.  It's real. 

And then I stand there. Alone. Feeling very much like Cinder-freaking-ella.

-loc. 454

"We're going to shampoo each other's hair? Like a Gidget sleepover from the Sixties?"

- loc. 1043

"What're you thinking about, if you don't mind me asking?"
I sigh. "Just how funny life can be. How things can change in a moment and how you never know when that moment will come."

-loc. 1226

J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label). 
She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers. 

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