We are thrilled to participate in the blog tour for Return To Poughkeepsie by the amazing Debra Anastasia. These are unforgettable books! Make sure you scroll down and enter the amazing Rafflecopter giveaway. Happy reading!
-Ellen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Expected Publication Date: December 30, 2013
Age Group: Adult
Series: Poughkeepsie #2
Summary:
Beckett Taylor is a murderer. His calling, his craft are destruction and intimidation—whether he wants it that way now or not. He left Poughkeepsie to keep his brothers safe, to keep Eve safe. Set up with happy lives to live, they’re better off without him, right?
But all his willpower crumbles when he hears his brother Blake’s frantic voice on the phone. An unknown enemy has moved in on his old territory, and Livia’s been taken. In an instant, Beckett knows it will take an attack only he and Eve can execute to bring her back. All his self-imposed embargoes are torn to shreds, perhaps along with the new man he’s struggled to become.
“Brother, call Eve. I’ll be there soon.”
In this emotional and action-packed sequel to Poughkeepsie, Debra Anastasia conjures a tale of love at its most raw and ragged. With Beckett and Eve, how could we expect anything less? But even when it’s messy, not magical, true love perseveres. Real love finds a way—for better or for worse until death does part.
My Review:
Poughkeepsie is one of my favorite books, a beautiful, romantic and yes, sometimes violent story of true love, loyalty, goodness and family. It is a must-read, and the kind of book and characters that stay with you forever. So when I heard that Debra Anastasia planned to write a second book about Beckett Taylor, I could not wait to read it! Beckett is violent, damaged, loving, loyal and sexy — in short, my favorite kind of (anti) hero. Beckett is in love with the equally-damaged Eve and Return to Poughkeepsie is their story.
Beckett is admittedly “the scariest motherfucker in Poughkeespie.” He makes a decision early in this book that breaks the hearts of all those who love him. Eve is the love of his life, and um, they have some incredible chemistry:
“You’re mine now. You gave up. Know that you could have killed me. Now nothing will stop me.”
Despite their love for each other, Beckett feels that he must redeem himself as a person and become a man worthy of Eve and his family’s love. No real spoilers here but the author then takes us on a wild ride for the rest of the story, filled with incredibly memorable characters (hello, handsome cop!), very twisted criminals and tender and heartbreaking family scenes. My loves Blake and Livia are prominent in this book as are Cole and Kyle. But the focus of the story is on Beckett and his love, Eve.
Eve is one kick-ass heroine and she really holds her own throughout this story. Although I absolutely loved her scenes with Beckett, I also really loved Ryan, the very sexy Poughkeepsie cop who, in another lifetime, could have been someone Eve fell for. (Could there be a spin-off here? Hmmm, let’s hope so!) Eve becomes involved in a very complicated crime scheme that ultimately involves the entire clan and leads to some real nail-biting scenes. I was really rooting for Beckett and Eve and was thrilled at the conclusion to their story.
Although Beckett has changed somewhat in this book from Book #1, he is still the same loyal, tough, mean and sexy SOB as he was in Poughkeepsie. But it’s his scenes with Eve that I loved most.
“Eve was magnificent. Every damn time.”
Return to Poughkeepsie is a very substantial book, filled with sexy, funny, tender and dramatic moments. There are some heartbreaking story lines and some incredibly sexy and violent ones, too. I absolutely savored every single word of this story and was saddened to see it end. A fantastic sequel to one of my all-time favorite books.
(ARC provided by the author in return for an honest review.)
Author Bio:
Debra Anastasia is busy, just like every other mom. There’s dinner, the dogs, the two kids, the two kids, and her ongoing battle with…ahem… digestive issues, which combined with her adolescent boy sense of humor makes for colorful and sometimes cringe-worthy social media updates. Her first love and crowning achievement is her thriving career as the weirdest mom on the block.
Her writing started a decent handful of years ago when–along with the animals and humans in her house–the voices of characters started whispering stories in Debra’s ear. Insomnia was the gateway to plots that wouldn’t give up, wouldn’t let go. Now they stalk her everywhere. Halfway through making lunches, a twist takes hold and–fingers full of peanut butter–she finds somewhere, anywhere to write it down.
She’s eternally grateful to Omnific Publishing, which has now published four of her books: two in the Seraphim Series and two in the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood Series, as well as her novella, Late Night with Andres. That one is special because 100% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. (So go get it right now, please!) She also very much appreciates her open-minded readers, who embrace everything she has to offer, with a focus on anti-heroes and bathroom humor.
Debra lives in Maryland with her family. You can find her at DebraAnastasia.com and on Twitter @Debra_Anastasia. But be prepared.