Blog Tour: Joint Review & GIVEAWAY - DEEPER by Robin York

In this New Adult debut by Robin York, a college student is attacked online and must restore her name—and stay clear of a guy who’s wrong for her, but feels so right.

When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground.

West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works.

They hang out, they talk, they listen. Though Caroline and West tell each other they’re “just friends,” their feelings intensify until it becomes impossible to pretend. The more complicated her relationship with West gets, the harder Caroline has to struggle to discover what she wants for herself—and the easier it becomes to find the courage she needs to fight back against the people who would judge her.

When all seems lost, sometimes the only place to go is deeper.

Advance praise for DEEPER:

“The perfect new adult story . . . West will make you swoon!”—New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy

“Beautifully written and full of swoony tender moments, toe-curling chemistry, and delicious, twisty angst . . . Stop whatever you’re doing and read this book.”—Christina Lauren, author of the Beautiful Bastard series

PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON / B&N

PEPPER & MICHELLE’S JOINT REVIEW

PEPPER: So I loved this book so much that I feel like a crazy person. I’m pretty sure this is how I looked the whole time I was reading:

MICHELLE: Oh my God. I know. I KNOW.

PEPPER: Thank you for making me read it. I owe you my life.

MICHELLE: You’re so welcome. I knew you would love it. It would be impossible not to.

I sent RYork a message IMMEDIATELY after finishing this book. I’m obsessed.

This book to me was personally fascinating because it dealt with the issue of revenge porn.

For those of you that don’t know- there has been this long battle with an ASSHOLE of epic proportions who dubs himself the Revenge Porn King and I have been sort of obsessed with the story.

Well right after I finished this book- he got arrested by the FBI who had been building a case against him.

You can read more about the case HERE.

But anyways- I find this whole topic both fascinating and sickening because it is a real one that real people have to deal with, so to have a book focus on it and do it so well was amazing.

Caroline is my new hero.

PEPPER: Oh, I didn’t know about the “Revenge Porn King”. So disgusting.

I was also intrigued by this topic. This is one of the reasons I loved this book so much. Because not only was it mother hugging hot as shit, but it had such a good story line that I actually felt smarter after I read it. I mean I love books that get me aroused and Caroline and West definitely did that. But I also love that I feel like I got educated on a topic I didn’t know a lot about. Best of both worlds.

MICHELLE: Yea it really was an interesting topic and so well written.

But. We NEED to talk about Caroline and West- the couple.

HOLY. SEXUAL. TENSION.
I swear, I was sexually frustrated on their behalf for a while there.

PEPPER: INSANE!
It was so god damn hot that by the time things finally happened I almost had an orgasm myself.

MICHELLE: I’m pretty sure I did orgasm just reading it.

PEPPER: BUT, don’t get us wrong. Sometimes sexual tension can get annoying, but not with these two. RYork did things so perfectly that she gives you just enough to get by and then pulls back. It was so so so good.

MICHELLE: Oh yes. RYork did an amazing job of making the sexual tension both believable and tolerable. I mean yes- I was screaming “JUST DO IT” a few times but I also felt like when it happened and the way it happened was perfect.

Honestly I loved these two every step of the way. When they were friends but not friends, when they were more and finally when they were just everything. I loved everything about their journey.

PEPPER: God yes. Top couple for sure. So damn good.

MICHELLE: I think what I loved most about this book is really just the way RYork writes. She takes ideas that we have seen done in other books but managed to make them fresh and made it so that I never wanted to put this book down. For example, we find out early that West has got a ton of baggage. That’s nothing new with our book boyfriends, right? But somehow RYork made it so interesting and heartbreaking. There was NEVER moment where I thought- omg West get over it!

PEPPER: YES! I was actually thinking about this exact thing today (note that I finished this book 2 days ago and can’t stop thinking about it). I think what got me with West was early on when he’s being so candid about his feelings for his baby sister. He says:

“I didn’t want to love (my baby sister). I just wanted to fix her. But the thing about babies is, you mix up formula for them in the middle of the night - unwrap their blankets, change their diapers, run your fingernail across the bottom of their tiny bare feel until they’re awake enough to eat - and the next thing you know they’ve got heir little fingers wrapped around your soul, and they don’t ever let go. I had to do things for (her). Whatever needed to be done. I just had to.”

I felt that West was so multi-dimensional. Because he was a traditional bad boy in the sense that he was so god damn angry and used his fists and had an attitude. And although he was angry at outside sources, the main source of his anger was himself. He was so pissed that he cared (about anything) because then he had to do the right thing. I know we all have our favorite “book boyfriends”, and I’m going to say it.. I really think West has won this category for me. Forever. For real. As in I texted the hubs in the middle of reading this book and told him that the next baby we have will be named West. I mean, yes he is hot and sexy, but because of the emotional layers, that’s what got me. And he loved Caroline insanely, so that helped.

MICHELLE: Exactly! West is just such a likeable character- even when he’s being a angsty and angry. And the more you get to know him, the more you fall in love with him.

Ok so another thing I loved was basically everything about Caroline. You know we love our strong females here at All Romance Reviews. But Caroline really wasn’t that strong when we met her. And no one could blame her. And while West was an alpha in the bedroom (so hot), he was perfect at bringing out the best in Caroline and building up her strength again. But it was the way he did it- it’s like he gave her the tools and the courage to be stronger. I just wish he could have done that for himself. Maybe in book 2 we will see a role reversal?

PEPPER: I think the problem we have with weak female leads is the “OMG I’m so weak but surprisingly, every guy loves me because I have a golden vagina” aspect. But with Caro, she was like, I want to be strong. I suck at life. I’m gonna make changes.

She was weak, and she fucking admitted it. She wasn’t necessarily whiney about it, she was like this is me, I’m a dumb ass, everyone hates me, I’m sad about it and I know I am. I just don’t know how to fix it. Enter West!!!

I loved her so much.

MICHELLE: Same here. And unlike other characters we’ve all read at some point, West doesn’t try to fix her- he just supports and helps her. It’s perfect. And it’s real. The last few really good books we have read have the element of reality that I am really loving. Deeper is realistic. In fact- given the subject- this might very be someone’s true life story.

PEPPER: Yes, I could really feel that. I know I read somewhere that RYork talked to a lot of women that have been involved in revenge porn, so I think there is some concrete truth to the things in this book.

MICHELLE: God I almost feel like this is another book that we love so much we just end up spewing word vomit. But it’s so damn good and it’s one of those books where it’s hard to really say why because EVERYTHING about it is so good!!

PEPPER: Agreed! This book is everything.

One thing I have to say before we end is that although YOU say this is not a cliff hanger. Sorry lover, I am fucking HUUNG. Hard. this was my tear ducts were doing the last few pages of the book:

And I know that I say that I don’t cry a lot in books, and I really don’t! But we have been reading a lot of amazing books lately.

Anyways- back to Deeper. Seriously- that ending? Mother eff me sideways.

The noises I was making while I was crying were obscene. It was embarrassing. I actually looked at my window and was wondering if it was open because I was crying so loud.

MICHELLE: I know. We do disagree on this. I felt that the end was more- the end for now. But there’s just a part of me that felt very hopeful. It was like- Caroline was stronger and now she could go be there for West and help him with his demons. And I guess I didn’t count it as a cliffy because it wasn’t really a huge surprise. I think I personally saw it coming. I almost felt like RYork prepped us for the end.

PEPPER: I did not. At all. I mean we definitely have some closure to the first chapter of their story. But, it was heart wrenching in any case.

MICHELLE: I agree with you there . It was definitely tough to read and I was a wreck. But hey- the good news- we get more Caroline and West. And that makes me really, really, REALLY happy.

PEPPER: I know. I want 87 books about them. I am definitely NOT complaining about the ending. On any level. I LOVED it. Where it ended- it was just really emotional for me. I don’t want that to deter anyone away from wanting to read the book. Just know your heart will break. And you might feel like this for a few minutes:

MICHELLE: It’s true. Honestly this book is really emotional throughout the entire thing. but it is so damn good. There were quite a few moments where I either cried outright or at least got a bit weepy.

PEPPER: YES, for sure. GOD - so, so good. I want to read again. The writing was just so good. The inner thoughts of both Caro and West were so witty and quick like this:

“It is my new least-favorite thing: being looked at at by West. Like he’s trying to sex me to death.” - Caroline

And then death ensuing like this:

“I want you, and I don’t know how to stop wanting you. I want to get deep inside you, and then deeper, until I’m so deep I don’t even know what’s me anymore and what’s you.” - West

And their dialogue. just so good. I am a huge fan of RYork now. I already bought one of her Contemporary Romance novels because I loved this so much.

MICHELLE: I know. She’s truly a talented writer and if you have not read her books I think this is a great place to start. RYork- if you’re reading- it’s only fair to warn you that you are officially inaugurated into our “authors we are obsessed with and will probably stalk” club.

Ok if we don’t stop we’ll just ramble forever.

So go. Buy. Now.

PEPPER: NOW

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