Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: No Apologies – Sybil Bartel

Never apologize

Hard-edged rocker Graham Allen has it all. He’s flush with cash from playing bass in a band by night and restoring classic cars by day. And there are plenty of women willing to share his bed for a night, complication-free. Perfect, because if there’s anything he learned from his past, it was to never get attached—to anything. So when bartender Carly Sullivan flashes her innocent smile, Graham isn’t prepared for what happens next.

Never fall in love

Two rules, that’s all Graham has—never apologize and never fall in love. He knows Carly is everything he should avoid. Cheerful and sweet, she has “relationship” written all over her. But Graham can’t stay away from her probing questions and concerned blue eyes.

When Graham discovers Carly is hiding a crushing secret, he’s prepared to risk it all. Until in one single moment, everything changes and Graham’s past threatens to collide with his future. His life is crumbling down around him, and soon no apology in the world can save him.

He should’ve known to walk away.

Series:
Release Date: June 23rd 2014
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Shannon
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

3.5 Cocktails

This was an interested story with a male character that made it really, really hard to like him.

Graham Allen was somewhat of a loner, who used sex as a way to deal with his anger and other emotional issues.  He could be a mean ass SOB when he wanted to be (which was most of the time) but only had a bond with one person, his best friend Myles.  Even that relationship was somewhat strained at times because Graham’s assholery was an equal opportunity offender.  But when Graham meets bartender Carly, we starts to see cracks in his defensive walls.  He breaks his somewhat golden rule about women when it comes to Carly, because he doesn’t use her for sex.  Instead, they form a weird friendship (even though Graham claims they don’t have one) where we start to see that beyond the rough exterior and attitude is a boy who wants to believe someone he loves will be loyal to him and protect him when needed.  Graham doesn’t make it easy on anyone, but when you start to see what’s beneath and his struggles, you start to warm up to Graham.

Carly was a special girl.  She had her own trauma and was dealing with it the best way she could, but she was the polar opposite of Graham.  She embraced people.  Made friends.  Smiled.  She felt broken, but didn’t let those feelings drag her down or those that were around her.  And even when Graham continued to hurt her, she was always quick to forgive him and give him that smile again.  It was remarkable and I felt myself a little bit in awe of her, because there were times when I was ready to kick Graham to the curb, but she kept going back for more.  She saw in him what everyone else missed and was determined to help him get passed his fears.

There was a bit of a twist towards the end of the story.  One I didn’t see coming, but a twist that helped Graham get past everything.  It proved just what kind of man Graham was and why Carly fought so hard for him.  And really, it’s at that point where I was willing to forgive Graham for everything else he’d done, because you saw what he was made of.

This is an angsty story, because neither Graham or Carly’s history is pretty.  But it’s a story of overcoming the horrible and living again.  It was well done and had me stuck to my sofa from start to finish.

I grew up in Northern California with my head in a book and my feet in the sand. I dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew me into the world of storytelling. I love the New Adult genre, but really, any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes me swoon.

I now live in Southern Florida and while I don’t get to read as much as I like, I still bury my toes in the sand. If I’m not writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in my backyard, you can find me spending time with my handsomely tattooed husband, my brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…

But Seriously?

Here are ten things you really want to know about me.

I grew up a faculty brat. I can swear like a sailor. I love men in uniform. I hate being told what to do. I can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks me out. My favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—I can’t decide. I have a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on me for driving directions, ever. And I have a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell my husband

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