Selena Laurence

These books are killing me! The angst, oh...the lovely angst.

I loved A Lush Betrayal. Loved it. I didn't see how it could be topped.

It was.

Here's the thing. Yes, it was a lovely story. Yes, it had great characters. Yes, it was well written.

But what made it great? The challenge that Selena Laurence took on by addressing alcoholism and what it does not just to the person suffering from it, but to all of those around that person. She didn't gloss over it and you could tell she had done her show more homework on it. It was handled so well and so powerfully. I applaud her for her ability to write so intelligently about it.

I knew I was going to struggle with parts of this book. On one hand, I wanted Walsh and Tammy to find their HEA. They are obviously those rare people that are meant to be together even though they never spread their wings. That's tricky for me. Maybe the skeptic in me just needs to believe that people need to live for themselves before they can live for another. But, Selena made me believe in them. They really are meant to be, they just need to each find their way.

Here's the thing, even through the first book I understood why Tammy did what she did. It wasn't malicious, it was born out of fear and desperation. She was terrified, her whole world was falling out from under her and she reached for the comfort that was in front of her. It wasn't planned, it wasn't meant to harm, it was a coping mechanism. Was it wrong, sure. However, I didn't find it unforgivable.

The question is... can Walsh understand that?

Delve into these lives. They will suck you in and make you feel like you are walking along the road with them. Absolutely, it's a world worth being immersed in! show less

Cian MacFarlane is head of one of the most powerful crime families in Chicago. It is a job he never really wanted or asked for, but being the oldest MacFarlane brother comes with a price. Now, that his father, Robbie, is no longer able to run the family business due to health reasons, it is up to Cain to take over the reins. Cain and his brothers, the Dublin Devils, have never lived up to their father’s expectations. While Robbie still tries to rule with an iron fist, Cain has other ideas. show more Cain is working with the feds to ensure his brothers safety while trying to dismantle the empire his father has built.

In order to keep up appearances, Cain is brokering a deal with one of the top hackers in the dark web to move product all across the country. This, in turn opens up a host of other problems for Cain. One being Lila Rodriguez. Lila has not had an easy life growing up. Like Cain, she is on the wrong side of the law working as a computer hacker, but it is the only life she knows. She can’t help feeling an attraction to Cain, one he seems to reciprocate as well. What happens though when she stumbles on information that directly relates to Cain and his organization? Does it have the potential to put all of their lives in danger?

Breath of Deceit gives us a wonderful start into the Dublin Devils series. Here we learn the inner workings of the MacFarlane crime family. Not only are we introduced to Cian, eldest brother and in charge of the business, but we also meet his three younger brothers as well. They each play an integral part to the story and set things up to come.

I really connected to Cian as he has a love for his family, his brothers especially, and he will do all he can to make sure they stay safe and out of the game. There is no love lost when it comes to his father, though. When Cain was eighteen his father, determined to make a man out of him, led Cian to do something that he never fully recovered from. Even through his father’s cruelty, Cian is a good man deep down and you can see that as he interacts with his brothers and with Lila as well.

The plot moves along at a steady pace and really held my interest the entire way through. There is some action and it falls in line with the story taking place. I wouldn’t say that Cian is the main character as there are a lot of scenes with his brother, Connor and his ex-girlfriend, Jessica, but it worked well for me. I loved getting to know them all and it really has me wondering what their stories will be in the series.

All in all, if you love crime families with to die for sexy brothers, an intriguing story line, action, and romance that will suck you right in from the very first page, then you can not go wrong with Breath of Deceit. Be warned, the story does end in a cliffhanger, so if you are anything like me, you will be stalking Selena Laurence’s page waiting desperately for the next installment to hit the shelves. show less

4.5 Stars

What an emotional read this was! Watching Walsh and Tammy try to recover from the events in “A Lush Betrayal” tugged at my heartstrings and made me question my belief in HEAs and whether or not it’s possible for everyone to have one. Hearing the story from both Walsh and Tammy’s perspective gave an added depth to the story and really had my emotions all over the place. They were both broken and scarred, and working hard to put their lives back together. Walsh was dark, sexy, show more and volatile, trying to find his new normal, living with his alcoholism. Tammy was driven, smart, and relentless, not willing to give up on what she knew in her heart was right, while trying to keep her need for control in check.

Walsh has convinced himself that much like the alcohol he craves, Tammy is an addiction that he can’t have in his life.
“As much as I hate it, Tammy, as much as I hate what you did, what I did, what I feel when I’m near you – I’ll always love you.” I open the door and walk away.

He knows he must follow the steps of his recovery program and make amends, and take responsibility for the pain he has caused those in his life, but he feels that the best path for his recovery is one without Tammy by his side – that being together is not good for either of them, and that his drinking is where their problems began.
“None of us knew what it meant, Tam. You were twenty-six years old and had lived a perfect life. You weren’t supposed to know what it meant. I wasn’t supposed to show you either.”

Tammy is still recovering from her breakdown, and is trying to learn to manage her desire to control everything and find a way to channel her emotions. But she also knows that without Walsh in her life she will never be complete.
“I crave him, it’s as simple as that, and like an alcoholic craves a drink, I’m not sure my craving for Walsh will ever subside. Also like an alcoholic I’m not sure if the craving is very healthy for me. Sometimes I think loving Walsh Clark might have ruined me forever.”

When Tammy turns up at the Double A Ranch to try and fight for their relationship, she doesn't know what to expect, just that she wants him back.

This book was an emotional ride filled with angst and drama, highs and lows, and some sensitive subject matter, which in my opinion, Selena Laurence handled perfectly. I loved the use of the flashback scenes to give further insight into the characters and show just how imprinted on one another Walsh and Tammy were. I also loved the fact that this book also addressed some of the issues within the band, something that was left in pieces at the end of the first book.

Although this book can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading “A Lush Betrayal” first to get the full impact of the issues between not only Walsh and Tammy, but between the band and Mel, Tammy’s sister, as well. This was a very well-written book, with smooth transitions between POVs and enough emotional depth to feel connected to the characters. I am definitely a fan of this series and can’t wait until the next book!

I was given a copy of this book by the author for an honest review. show less

This will be my first written review on GoodReads and if you had told me I'd give a free Amazon Kindle book 5 stars, I probably would have laughed at you, but this really was a great book. One that really called out to me to review and share. I don't read rock star books, I certainly don't read a ton of books with a lot of sexual scenes, but when a good one comes around, I can't walk away.

A Lush Betrayal centers around Mel, a photojournalism grad, and Joss, a rockstar. As well as the other show more major players in the story, Mel's sister Tammy, Tammy's fiance and Joss's bandmate Walsh, and the rest of the touring band and their crew. Betrayal, guilt, and a lot of emotion build up to the sharing of mistakes and the intense explosion that followed.

The book is written from Mel and Joss's POV, alternating chapters. Selena Laurence did an excellent job hooking you into Mel's background and making you so attached to Joss with his brooding and angst. The book is less about rock star life and more about the glue that holds a band together. Selena takes you on a tour bus ride of music, fear, sadness, loss, and finally closure. The characters are easy to relate to and understand and the story isn't so far fetched that you can't believe it.

I sat down and read this in one sitting, completely ignoring the rest of my plans for the evening. I highly recommend, as it was so much more than I was expecting.I particularly loved that Selena gave us closure to the chapter that is Mel and Joss, but leaves an open ending for Tammy and Walsh. Book two in the Lush series is already on my to-read shelf and I can't wait to see the story continue to develop. show less