Blog Tour & GIVEAWAY - WORN ME DOWN by Tara Sivec

“Worn me down like a road. I did everything you told. Worn me down to my knees.

I did everything to please.”

Austin Conrad has never taken his personal life seriously. As a Navy SEAL, he spends all of his time in dangerous, life-threatening situations. The only way to leave behind the horrors he’s seen throughout his career, is to turn it all off when he gets home. He’s too much of a playboy to settle down; even if he did find a woman he could stand to be around for more than one night, he would never taint her life with the demons of his past.

When his best friend and SEAL team member, Brady Marshall asks him to keep an eye on his baby sister, Gwen, Austin figures it will be a walk in the park. The only thing Austin likes more than flirting his way under a beautiful woman’s skin, is walking away with a smile on his face. Austin never expects that the single mom and her little girl will be the ones getting under his skin.

Gwen Stratford knows all too well about living in a nightmare. After taking her daughter and fleeing from her abusive husband in the middle of the night several months ago, she’s worked hard to get her life back on track and forget about the man who tried to break her. Growing up under the iron thumb of her parents and then moving right on with a man who ruled their marriage with his fists, Gwen is finally able to breathe and live her life the way she wants.

When scary, mysterious things begin to happen to Gwen and her daughter, she realizes you can never outrun your past; it always has a way of catching up with you. As she struggles with the desire to keep her newfound independence, she knows she won’t be able to protect herself and her child alone. She’ll need to lean on the one man who drives her crazy.

Can Gwen really put her trust in a man who thinks life is one big joke, or will he be just another man in her life who tries to wear her down?

PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON

MICHELLE’S REVIEW

Warning: While these books are standalone there may be things in here that could be considered a spoiler for book 2- Because of You since we meet Gwen in that story and find out a little about her back stroy.

Tara Sivec- I want to make out with your face so bad right now.

This. book. So I love the Playing With Fire series so so much. I mean- what’s not to love? Hot military guys running around saving women that are already strong?? The. best.

So in true series fashion- the book opens with a scene that will eventually come back towards the end when all the shit hits the fan. The difference is that this time- you already know Gwen and Austin so, at least for me, I was already invested in their characters before I even started. We meet Gwen in Because of You because she’s Brody’s sister.

We learn a little bit about Gwen when we meet her in Brody’s story. We know she’s left her husband who is a total abusive asshole. She has finally filed for divorce and is surprised to find that things are actually not crazy- meaning her crap ex hasn’t come after her.

This book is so well written but as a warning- the way Tara has written the abuse scenes are as flashbacks and while they are not overly graphic, they are powerful. They will move you but they can also be hard to read at times. Reading about Gwen’s abuse through her eyes is just…there are no words.

You can’t help yourself from cheering Gwen on throughout the book.

Gwen put her daughter and her own safety ahead of everything and while it’s risky- it only makes you see how strong she is. And her daughter. OMG. No way you can’t fall in love with this child.

Then you have Austin. First of all, he’s a hot Navy Seal. So basically you have this image in your head all over again:

Then you pair that visual with the fact that Austin falls in love with not just Gwen but also with Gwen’s daughter Emma and you. just. die.

Seriously- watching Austin with Emma will melt your heart and explode your ovaries.

And the sexual chemistry between these Gwen and Austin??? Sweet Lord.

This book has everything I look for- hot but sweet guy, strong woman, cute kid, HOT SEX, and the right touch of mystery

In the first two books it was easier to figure out who the mystery person causing all the problems was. There was still always that element of not knowing the motives until the bitter end but you had some suspicions of who the bad guy was.

In this book- I was totally shocked when we figured out who was causing trouble for Gwen.

I just was so sure I knew who it was and then right as shit hit the fan I was like:

Get this book. And if you haven’t read the series- get the first two. You can’t go wrong. Tara is truly a master. We know she can do funny and we’ve seen her do purely emotional. This is a really good blend of both of her writing styles. It is definitely more dramatic but she still manages to inject a lot of humor. The banter between Austin and Gwen is hilarious and Emma adds her own element of humor. Add in the hot sex and top it off with an interesting story and you have a winner!

AUTHOR INFO

Tara Sivec is a USA Today best-selling author, wife, mother, chauffeur, maid, short-order cook, baby-sitter, and sarcasm expert. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two children and looks forward to the day when they all three of them become adults and move out.

After working in the brokerage business for fourteen years, Tara decided to pick up a pen and write instead of shoving it in her eye out of boredom. She is the author of the Playing with Fire series and the Chocolate Lovers series. Her novel Seduction and Snacks won first place in the Indie Romance Convention Reader’s Choice Awards 2013 for Best Indie First Book.

In her spare time, Tara loves to dream about all of the baking she’ll do and naps she’ll take when she ever gets spare time.

Tara also writes under the pen name T.E. Sivec.

CONTACT TARA: GOODREADS / WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER