Blog Tour feat Excerpt, Review, and Giveaway:<br>Finding Serenity by Eden Butler!!

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Title: Finding Serenity Series: Seeking Serenity series, Book #2 Author: Eden Butler Genre: NA Contemporary Romance Release Date: April 7, 2014 Blitz Organized By: As The Pages Turn

Synopsis:

Mollie Malone's mom skipped out on her. Her biker dad, always loose and easy with the law, still was able to make her feel loved, and to keep her safe. But thirteen years ago, when his luck finally ran out and he landed in prison, Mollie found herself a new family - a group of friends in the sleepy little college town of Cavanagh, Tennessee, where now they all attend the local university. These girls know about the rotten roots of her family tree but accept her anyway, and the bond between them is so strong and supportive that Mollie is finally able to see past graduation to a future that is bright and secure.

But sometimes the past doesn't stay buried.

Suddenly, inexplicably, there's a shadow behind every step Mollie takes. Someone is lurking in that shadow, threatening not only Mollie, but also the new family she has claimed for herself.

And it isn’t just the past that has Mollie’s life in upheaval. Hunky former Marine Vaughn Winchester - who Mollie really would like to get to know much better - thinks Mollie is just a kid; he's made it clear she wouldn't ever be able to understand the demons haunting him. But if that's what he believes, then why does he keep sticking his nose in her business? And if he thinks she’s such a kid, why does he keep trying to kiss her?

Vaughn’s mind games are frustrating, especially since Mollie knows enough about secrets to be convinced that there's something he isn’t telling her, something he's so far been able to keep hidden. But when that secret is revealed, Mollie is forced into a situation that tests her loyalty and threatens even her closest friendships - just when the shadow of her past returns, and she's going to need them the most.

Excerpt:

“Does it surprise you that someone could want me, Vaughn? You called me a kid. You think I’m a kid. Even after you saw I wasn't, even after you said you were wrong, deep down, you still think that.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You do. No matter what you say, what you tell me, you still see me as not enough. Not near enough for you.” She turns around and he moves back, just a half step. She looks nothing like a kid now and reason begins to settle back in his mind. He needs to leave this room. He needs her to not move toward him the way she is. But he is paralyzed by the smell of her and the water dripping across her chest to disappear beneath the towel. “Even with all the times you told me how badass I was, you still think I’m untouchable, that I’m too young, too stupid for you.”

Is she crazy? Did she miss that part just seconds ago when he kissed her skin? “I never said that. If I did, I didn't mean it.” Brilliant, yes. Beautiful, yes, but she’s not too young and she sure as hell isn’t stupid. But the mission, it was the mission that had him pulling away from her, that had him restraining.

This was a mistake, being here, watching her without guarding his expression. He knows she can see what he wanted. He knows she felt what he wanted just seconds ago when that round, supple ass was leaning against him. But he has a job to do. He has to protect her, to keep her safe. Everything hinges on her safety. If he can't do that, then Mojo will pull out and all that Viv has worked for these past six months would be for nothing. “I don’t think that, but you’re right. You are untouchable.”

“Because I’m a kid?”

“Because you’re off limits.” That settles it. That should, he thinks, make her understand that no matter what he says or how badly he wants her, he can't touch her again. Vaughn turns, the door just feet from him. He is almost there, just in reach of the space he needs to force between them. She has to see reason. She has to understand that the mission is what matters, not what either of them wants.

“Vaughn?” There is something in her voice that is different. Determination maybe? Certainty? Whatever it is, Mollie has never used that tone with him and he knows it would be a mistake to turn around. His gut tells him that turning around would disintegrate any hope of resistance. But her feet drag on the carpet and he can feel the soft wisp of her breath against his neck and he is helpless. He manages a glance, tells himself that is all he will allow her, but when he sees her face, sees how calm she is, how confidently she sets her shoulders, he moves, comes to face her fully. “I’m not a kid.” And then, she drops the towel.

“Fuck.” It is the only word that Vaughn can manage to utter. It is the only thing to cross his mind as he watches that towel slip to the floor. Mollie stands before him completely naked, her skin still red from the hot shower. “What are you doing to me?” he asks her when he had better hold of his tongue.

“What you want.”

My Review:

Mollie Malone is fiercely independent. Having a biker dad taught her to face things head on - things that would send most people running for the hills. So when she starts finding herself in sticky situations, she doesn't think twice about going at it alone.

Then enters Vaughn Winchester; a former Marine that both infuriates her and makes her burn with desire. He has secrets of his own, and though he acts like she's nothing more than a kid, she sees the way that he looks at her.

With danger lurking around every corner, will this be the push that they need to finally open up to one another? Or will this be the thing that tears them apart completely?

I absolutely adored Finding Serenity. The beginning may have started off a little bit slow for me but it didn't take long for me to become invested in the story, turning page after page to see what happened next.

Mollie is stubborn, headstrong, and at times completely infuriating. But she's also loyal, kind, and caring. There were plenty of times where her decisions caused to me shake my head while calling her an idiot, but I loved her. She knows what she wants and she goes for it.

Vaughn was someone that I adored. His hot and cold games drove me absolutely batty, but I could understand where he was coming from. And the things that haunt him, well ... it's enough to give anyone a pass in my eyes. He had a few cases of foot-in-mouth syndrome, but what guy doesn't? And the way that he's protective of Mollie had me smiling all the way through.

This is the second book in the series so it was great to see more interactions with the characters that we came to love in Chasing Serenity. Declan's brotherly role that he's adapted to since dating Autumn; the friendship between the girls; and my personal favorite ... the prank wars between Layla and Donovan. Oh, how I love those two. They definitely bring the laughs with them wherever they go!

Overall I would give Finding Serenity 4 stars. Eden managed to blend together a fantastic mix of romance, thrills, and comedy that kept me invested in the story until the very end. I can't wait to get my hands on the next installment of this series as I thoroughly enjoy the world that she's created!

Buy Chasing Serenity, Book 1

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Buy Behind the Pitch, Book 1.5

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Buy Finsing Serenity, Book 2

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About The Author:

Eden Butler is an editor and writer of New Adult Romance and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary (no cliffie) Romance, “Chasing Serenity” will launch October 2013.

When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, thinking up impossible plots, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football.