Selling Out by Amber Lin ~ Blog Tour and Giveaway

Blurb

Shelly Laurent escapes her life as a high-class escort, but against her better judgment she takes the scared young Ella with her. Framed for murder by her pimp and his dirty cops in retaliation, Shelly turns to the one man who could be her salvation: Detective Luke Cameron. She doesn’t know if she can trust him or if he’s just a mirage, but it's time for her to take a stand. Just one shot, make it count, she’ll fight Ella’s demons—and face her own.

Shelly throws light on the shadows of Chicago’s underworld, challenging everything she knew and the man she’s come to love. Together, a prostitute and a cop fight for truth stronger than secrets, hope deeper than deception, and a bond more enduring than betrayal.



SELLING OUT EXCERPT

“Shh,” I murmured, stroking his back.

“Shelly, goddammit.”

But his protests fell away as I pressed my breasts to his arm and my tongue to his ear. His harsh inhalation sounded broken, shattered, or maybe that was me.

I tasted salt and man, earth and spring. Slow licks alongside his lobe and upward, more suggestive than sensation, but for a man like this, anticipation would be everything. Or so I had imagined, all the times I had dreamed of it.

A small sound escaped him, somewhere between a grunt and groan. I took it as encouragement and smoothed my hands along the hard planes of his shoulders, his chest. Not anywhere near the bulge in his jeans, because this wasn’t about pleasure—it was about wanting.

Anything to get closer, I let my knees slide apart around his side, the faint heat of his body a shock to my core. His hands clenched and opened on his knees, and again, the muscles rippled beneath his darkly tanned skin. Was he restraining himself from touching me or pushing me off?

“Baby, no,” he groaned, letting his head fall back onto my shoulder.

No, I would never deserve to have him as more than a sex partner. And he had never fucked me, though I knew he wanted to. Every time he saw me, his eyes would darken and my stomach would bottom out, but we’d never touch. But maybe for one brief inconvenient moment, while the door was open and the young woman beyond it needed help, we could pretend. Maybe it could be enough.
I shut my eyes tightly and pressed a kiss to his temple. Pretend, just pretend. I would give him the sex he had craved, and in return, he’d give me memories. It would be a payment, just the same.

“You want this,” I whispered.

He shuddered in my arms; it was like hugging a wild animal, one who could just as easily maul me as cuddle.

“Can I touch you?” he whispered. “Please.”

It unraveled me, that plea. As if he understood that a little bit of my soul slipped away every time someone touched me. As if he would cherish the part I gave him.

I scrambled away from him as if burned, breathing hard. No.

No one understood, which was exactly the way I liked it. I ran a shaking hand over my face to smooth away the panic.

Sure, he knew the score better than most people. He had worked the beat as a patrol cop and then as a detective. Life as a high-priced escort wasn’t glamorous; it was sweat and blood sprinkled with glitter. But he didn’t know the full extent, and I prayed he never would. Henri didn’t sell bodies; he gutted them.

I panted against the headboard, unable to walk away but unwilling to beg. Luke remained carved in stone where I’d left him sitting on the edge of the bed. The air pulsed with doubt and longing—with sex.

“I want it to be real between us.” He spoke low and hoarse.

A quiet sound escaped me. Every caress, every pinch. Every slur ever spoken. “It’s always real. That’s the problem, Luke. It’s always too damn real.”

He hung his head, and I thought for a moment I heard him say I know, but the moment slipped away, the sweet intimacy sailed away like clouds on the horizon—never really mine.


Review

*This review was done by Jessie, one of our lovely guest reviewers*

This was a story that I didn’t expect at all. I enjoyed reading every page. 4 stars

Shelly is a prostitute that wants to get out & change her life. I admired her strength, determination & her wanting what is normal. I loved her spunky side, too. The things that come out of her mouth. Is this a protective measure on her part? She’s in this business because of her father & I felt an immediate dislike for this monster while not actually having to meet him in this book. Or does he make an appearance? Shelly is a fighter & doesn’t back down in any situation. She wants things to be better & going against her pimp, Henri, is dangerous & possibly deadly. Does that stop her? No, it doesn’t.

Luke is a Chicago PD detective that she meets & has an attraction to. But doesn’t quite understand why. She also was an informant for him during a sting op. Shelly tries her hardest to have him want her the way every other man does, but he fights it. This makes her feel unworthy, dirty & her self esteem is low. Like I said, she’s determined & doesn’t give up. This book gave me a little insight into what life is like “on the streets” for these women in this profession. It is suspenseful, full of twists & turns & the characters bearing their souls like an open wound. I wasn’t sure how this book was going to end, but I was very satisfied.

Amber Lin's Bio:

Amber Lin writes erotic romance with damaged souls and deep emotion.

Her debut novel Giving It Up (Loose Id, 9781611188431) received The Romance Review’s Top Pick, Night Owl Top Pick, and 5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies. RT Book Reviews gave it 4.5 stars, calling it “truly extraordinary.” The sequel is slated for release in early 2013. Her small town romance will be published by Carina Press in Fall 2013. She is represented by Jewelann Cone of the Cascade Literary Agency.

Amber married her high school sweetheart, birthed a kid who’s smarter than she is, and spends her nights writing down her dirty thoughts. In other words, life is good.

Tour Schedule

3/20/13 Ravishing Romances Tattooed Book Review Talk Supe 
3/21/13 Scorching Book Reviews Lori's Book Blog Romantic Reading Escapes Book Blog Flirty and Dirty Book Blog
3/22/13 Hesperia Loves Books Reality Bites! Let's Get Lost!! What's On the Bookshelf 
3/25/13 Blackraven's Erotic Cafe Sugar and Spice Book Reviews My Life With Boys and Books
3/26/13 Cocktails and Books My Fiction Nook Read Your Writes Book Reviews 
3/27/13 Way Too Hot Books Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews 
3/28/13 Sunset Reader Reviews StoreyBook Reviews 
4/1/13 Smardy Pants Book Blog Erzabet's Enchantnents 
4/2/13 A Little Fiction of Every Flavour Zee Monodee's Author Corner
 

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