Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Blog Tour Stop/Review - Before Ryan Was Mine by Kahlen Aymes


The Mad, Mad Love Begins….

The highly anticipated prequel to The Remembrance Trilogy is NOW AVAILABLE!

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/POPrequelBN
RELEASE DATE: December 16th, 2014

Blurb
When Ryan Matthews meets Julia Abbott for the first time at Stanford University, he immediately knows she will change his life.  They have an instant, unbreakable connection that goes beyond partying and palpable attraction.  Although his intelligence and good looks land him any girl he wants, Ryan hesitates to cross that line with Julia because she quickly becomes the best friend he’s ever had.

Both secretly in love, Ryan and Julia are terrified to take the chance that could mean the loss of the very person they don’t want to lose.  As the bond between them grows stronger, they are both miserable as they are forced to watch as they each date other people.  But will Ryan’s all-consuming jealousy and Julia’s deeply broken heart torment them enough to make one or both walk away?

Join Ryan and Julia on the beginning of the journey that has made Kahlen Aymes’ Remembrance Trilogy an international bestselling favorite among her readers.  This book was written after The Trilogy was finished due to an abundance of reader requests for more of Ryan and Julia’s story.

And so…
The Mad, Mad Love Begins…


Excerpt #1
Excerpt from Before Ryan Was Mine, The Remembrance Trilogy, Prequel, Copyright 2014, Kahlen Aymes, All Rights Reserved.

My beer slipped from my fingers, and I scrambled to catch it but it was being lifted by another set of slender fingers without the blazing red nails.  By the time my eyes shifted up and focused, Julia was leisurely taking a drink from my bottle.   Her hooded green eyes appraised me, with my date almost on my lap.  I barely noticed Leah because my attention was on Julia, and then her eyes shifted twelve inches right, landing on Leah.  Julia hated beer, but still here she was, stamping her ownership with something as simple as a pull on my beer bottle.   She probably didn’t even know the effect it had on me at such a base level, but I fucking loved it.  Something tightened deep inside my chest, and my dick twitched inside my jeans.
“Ryan!  Are you gonna let her do that?”  Leah demanded indignantly, her eyes flashing haughtily up at Julia.
My lips raised in the slightest smirk.  Julia echoed it when her eyes locked with mine.
“Yeah, she… uh, she can do that,” I confirmed without emphasis.  Amusement at Julia’s confidence made me want to laugh out loud.  I felt fucking elated.
Leah huffed beside me and angrily flung herself back against the cushions of the couch, removing her leg from mine.  “Well, do you know her?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know her.”  Boy, do I know her.
Julia wobbled a little, and I could see she’d had more to drink than she needed.  Still, she grinned at me, her arm bent at the elbow as she curled my beer close to her chest, not drinking, just holding it in place.  My instinct was to reach out or stand up to steady her.
Angrily, Leah pushed on my shoulder and spewed venom in Julia’s direction.  “Are you going to introduce us?  Is she your sister?”
Julia started to giggle.  “Pffft!  Do I look like his sister?”
“Then who are you?” my date demanded, her expression hard.  I watched the exchange, anxious to see what Julia would say.
“Oh, we’re ….”  She handed back my beer and walked behind me to sit on the top edge of the back of the couch and slid her hand over the shoulder Leah had shoved.  “Well, let’s see… we’re…  mmmm...”  Her words were nonchalant but her eyes widened, waiting for me to finish the sentence.  “What exactly are we, Ryan?”
“This is my best friend Julia.  Jules, this is Leah.”  I said the words carefully, but couldn’t tear my eyes from Julia’s face.  Her features were filled with laughter and devilry.
“His date,” Leah spat.
“Congratulations.”  Julia focused on Leah and wagged a finger in her direction.  She was clearly tipsy.  “You need a donut.”
A laugh burst from my chest because I couldn’t help myself.  You need a donut. I thought it was fucking hilarious, but Leah was clearly pissed.
“What did you say?”
“You seriously need a donut.”
Leah looked indignant and furious, but my shoulders were visibly shaking with laughter when Julia turned her attention to me. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Excuse me,” I murmured to Leah then immediately rose to follow Julia a few feet away.  “Are you being careful?”
“Is it just a coincidence that you and Twiggy are here tonight?”
I swallowed at the accusation in her tone.  She was tipsy, but her eyes still burned into mine.  “Yeah.  I had no idea you were even going out, but I’m glad I’m here.  Who is that guy?”  I wanted to ask why she let him touch her in such a familiar way but clamped my jaw shut.
“He’s a guy.  Collin, I think?  No big deal.”  She shrugged nonchalantly, and her hand came to rest on the front of my shirt.  I should have been reassured as her deep green eyes looked up imploringly.  “Don’t worry, Ryan.”
It was all I could do not to cover her fingers with my own.  “I worry.”
“I know.”  She leaned in and wrapped her arms around my waist in a brief hug and the scent of her perfume engulfed me.  “I’m glad to see you.  I’ll call you tomorrow.”


Excerpt #2
~Ryan
The biggest moment of my life found me unexpectedly.  It crept up softly, and settled around me like a fuzzy blanket.  A mere whisper; it hit me like a sledgehammer.  At the time, I knew it was significant, but I didn’t realize just how those few seconds would change absolutely everything: how one brief glance could leave such an indelible stamp on the remainder of my life.  It would become a contradiction; an unstoppable force that would send me reeling out of my control, churning and shredding my emotions, but create the most incredible contentment I’d ever feel.  Contentment that could wrap me up in a warm, safe place or devastate me to the core and leave my heart in shambles.  It would become years of want and pain, lust and love… It would hurt like the deepest hell, but become the most euphoric and precious ecstasy I’d ever know.  I’d never forget that day, that moment; that glance.
It would wreck me.  It would make me.


Blogger's Thoughts:

We're going back to where it all began.

Ryan and Julia are so beautifully written, I couldn't help but fall in love with these characters. This story has resonated down to my very soul.

It's so amazing to read about this young couple, and how neither one of them wanted to jeopardize their friendship.

They kept questioning themselves if they should risk their friendship to be with their true love, or should they just stay best friends. It was a troubling decision for both Ryan and Julia throughout the story.

I felt their struggles, their frustrations, and their blooming love.

And what a mad, mad, love it was.

This was such a beautiful love story and Ryan will be mine forever!


Oh, and in case you didn't know...

I give Before Ryan Was Mine by Kahlen Aymes my 6-star rating!



= For those books that were extra special for me. Sometimes they moved me emotionally or made me think deeply about a topic. Sometimes they were beautiful stories. Most of the time they were the books that I need to own and will reread over and over again because I love the characters and story.
The Remembrance Trilogy Reading Order
Before Ryan Was Mine (Book 0.5)

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/POPrequelBN

Haven’t read this series yet?  Now is your chance, Grab the box set!
The Remembrance Trilogy: Books 1-3
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1HixD5I
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1F1BCl4

About the Author:
Kahlen Aymes

I'm a single mother of one daughter, Olivia. She's amazing in every way.

I was born in the Midwestern United States and educated at a private university where I received a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and Business Administration.

I've always been creative with art, music, theater and writing. I decided to write a story as a way to build a network for a business venture. The reader support of my stories and my overwhelming desire to find out where my characters would take me, soon had the writing morphing the business. No one was more shocked than I. When readers began nominating my work for online awards, it took my breath away and only made me love it more. It soon became clear that writing was, and should be, my focus.

Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY
5 Signed Paperbacks w/$10 Gift Cards (Open Internationally)

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