{"id":33446,"date":"2018-05-22T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=33446"},"modified":"2018-10-13T05:59:03","modified_gmt":"2018-10-13T09:59:03","slug":"blog-tour-excerpt-arc-review-marked-sailors-grave-1-by-drew-elyse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=33446","title":{"rendered":"Blog Tour, Excerpt & ARC Review: Marked (Sailor’s Grave, #1) by Drew Elyse"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0\"\"<\/div>\n

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Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div>\n
\n

Synopsis<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cMOVING ON\u201d IS JUST ABOUT ACTING THE PART.<\/p>\n

I would never say as much to the people I love, but it\u2019s the truth.
\nThey want to see me doing better.
\nThey want to see me living for more than just my son.<\/p>\n

So I let them.
\nEveryday is about putting on a face,
\npretending to get over the loss of my husband.
\nAnd every day is a lie.<\/p>\n

UNTIL MOVING ON IS A TEMPTATION THAT CAN\u2019T BE DENIED.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not about to claim I\u2019m a genius,
\nunless we\u2019re talking with a tattoo gun or woman in my hands,
\nbut I\u2019m smart enough to know the beauty serving up my cupcake fix is off limits.<\/p>\n

Really, I know.
\nToo bad the lure of putting a real smile on Kate\u2019s face is so strong.
\nWhen she visits Sailor\u2019s Grave Tattoo Parlor,
\nI can\u2019t help but want to leave my mark.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Add to Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I really enjoyed this book.\u00a0 A beautifully written story of love after loss, a young mother and widow struggling to move on, and the sexy tattoo artist who brings her back to life.\u00a0 It\u2019s sweet and sexy with lots of gorgeously swoony moments, and a whole lot of feels, and I loved it.<\/p>\n

This book is the first in the Sailor\u2019s Grave<\/em> series, which is a spin off from the Savage Disciples<\/em> series.\u00a0 A lot of the characters in this book have already been introduced, but this book can easily standalone.\u00a0 This is my first book by this author, and I certainly never felt lost or like I was missing huge chunks of information.\u00a0 She does a good job at providing appropriate backstory, and I\u2019m actually now really intrigued to read more about these characters and how they all came together.<\/p>\n

Kate\u2019s world came crashing down around her when she lost her husband in a tragic accident, leaving her alone to raise their then-three-year-old son, Owen.\u00a0 For three years she has battled to keep on going.\u00a0 She puts on a brave face to the outside world, fake smiling and doing what she needs to in order to get by, and to raise her son, but on the inside she feels like she died along with her husband, and she has no idea how to pull herself out of her grief and depression.\u00a0 She has support from her late husband\u2019s younger brother, and the MC that he is a part of have adopted her into their family, so she\u2019s not alone, but she\u2019s definitely not living.<\/p>\n

Sailor\u2019s Grave is a tattoo studio owned by the Savage Disciples MC.\u00a0 Liam is one of the artists working there, and though he isn\u2019t a member of the MC, he is included in their extended family, so he knows Kate, he knows her story, and though he is attracted to her, he knows he has to keep his distance.\u00a0 But his frequent trips to the bakery where Kate works remain the highlight of his day, and when she comes in to the studio looking for a significant, multi-session piece, she is put into Liam\u2019s hands – literally.<\/p>\n

Kate is attracted to Liam, but she has no idea what to do with it.\u00a0 She still misses her husband, and is in no way ready to move forward, but there\u2019s something about the gentle man that draws her in.\u00a0 And when he proves over and over what a great guy he is, helping her and her son, and working hard to put a smile on her face, their feelings are strengthened and a tentative friendship develops\u2026 with the door open for more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I can\u2019t do anything to reassure you that this is okay, but I\u2019m going to be honest with you.\u00a0 I want you.\u00a0 I have for a while, and spending time around you only makes that stronger.\u00a0 I fucking loved what just happened.\u00a0 But if you aren\u2019t ready, I\u2019m not going to push.\u00a0 Whate4ver you decide, I\u2019ll honor that. I can still be here to talk to.\u00a0 We can go on like that didn\u2019t just happen.\u00a0 I won\u2019t forget it, because I\u2019d never want to, but it doesn\u2019t have to change anything.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a difficult road for Liam and Kate.\u00a0 They want each other, their feelings about that are clear, and they certainly act on it.\u00a0 But Kate\u2019s grief is very much the third and unwelcome member of the relationship that they are trying to build together.\u00a0 Liam is absolutely incredible \u2013 supportive, understanding and patient, doing whatever he can to help his girl (and his time with little Owen is just gorgeous) – but it\u2019s very much something that she needs to deal with, and her doing just that is an important part of her journey as she has to learn how to say goodbye and claim the future that she wants.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want this.\u00a0 I want to start living again, and I want you there with me.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This book is well-paced, heartfelt and written with lots of emotion.\u00a0 It’s a wonderfully realistic story about the all-consuming nature of grief and the battle to overcome it, but it’s written with understanding and a feeling of hope.\u00a0 There\u2019s a heavy emphasis on the emotional drama, but the story never gets angsty or overwhelming with it.\u00a0 There are sweet and funny moments, cute times with little Owen, fun flirting from Liam and of course there\u2019s a whole lot of sexy time as well as a beautifully swoony love story.\u00a0 I enjoyed the cast of side characters, the relationships with the MC were gorgeous to read about, and I loved Liam\u2019s family and the dynamics there.<\/p>\n

I enjoyed my first read by this author, and I\u2019m definitely looking forward to checking out more of her work.<\/p>\n

4 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sailor’s Grave<\/strong><\/h4>\n

(A spin off from the Savage Disciples<\/em> series.)<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Marked (#1)<\/strong> (Liam & Kate)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU<\/a><\/p>\n

Inked (#2)<\/strong> (Jess & Braden)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0 Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0 Amazon AU<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Liam<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Christ, I really needed to stop doing this to myself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not give up the desserts, because fuck that, but stop torturing
\nmyself with the gorgeous woman that served them.<\/span><\/p>\n

I knew the deal. She was a single mom, widowed a couple years
\nback. She was under the protection of the club because Daz was her late
\nhusband\u2019s brother. I also knew that despite conversations I\u2019d overheard about
\nher doing better, about her starting to move on, that she was nowhere near that
\nplace.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe it was because I\u2019d been old enough to understand
\neverything as it happened when we’d lost Dad and after. I recognized what the
\npeople in her life couldn\u2019t: that she wasn\u2019t moving past a goddamn
\nthing.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was achingly familiar, seeing that fake smile. It was even more
\nso to see the one she gave her son, knowing that if I were seeing it closer, there
\nwould be that lingering sadness behind her eyes that I saw in my mom\u2019s for too
\nlong.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that whole thought process made it sound like I had some
\nfucked Oedipus complex.<\/span><\/p>\n

Desserts, asshole.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

There was a cinnamon braid left. That never happened. Sugar\u2019s
\nDream was more of a dessert place than full-service bakery. The few things<\/span><\/p>\n

Avery made that worked for breakfast were usually snatched up before I ever got
\nthere in the afternoons. The cinnamon braid specifically was a favorite at Sailor\u2019s
\nGrave\u2014it was the reason we had an actual kitchen knife in the back after we\u2019d all
\nfallen on one and had to rip off pieces by hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cGotta take that back to the shop,\u201d I told her, pointing to
\nit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unable to hide the fact that she was relieved to have a task that
\ninvolved moving farther away from me to prep a box for it, she jumped right to it. I
\nwasn\u2019t enough of a gentleman to not glance up from considering what else to get
\nin order to take a look while she had her back to me. Kate looked fucking
\nincredible coming and going. I liked a woman with curves, and she was far from
\nlacking in that department. She had light brown hair that danced around her
\nshoulders when she wore it down, porcelain skin that looked like silk, and amber
\neyes that usually looked brown, but stood out when there was enough light to
\nsee them properly.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was easily the most delicious thing in this goddamn
\nbakery.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was also the only thing in the place I was sure I wasn\u2019t
\ngetting a taste of.<\/span><\/p>\n

A minute later, she came back with the tied up box, setting it on
\nthe counter by the register.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnything else?\u201d She tried to avoid my eyes but ended up looking
\nright at my mouth. My cock took notice, fixing to fight for attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was so fucking tempted to answer with something like \u201ca taste
\ntest\u201d just to get a rise out of her, but I bit my tongue.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTwo of the lemon cupcakes, one raspberry chocolate, and\u201d \u2014I
\npeeked around her\u2014 \u201care those the mocha ones you\u2019re working
\non?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She glanced over her shoulder like she wasn\u2019t sure what she\u2019d
\nbeen doing when I walked in. \u201cUm\u2026yes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan I get one of those?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Again, it was full hustle to get away from me. I got it. If I were a
\nbetter man, I might stop coming in. Of course, I\u2019d probably lose it if I tried going<\/span><\/p>\n

cold turkey from my preferred sugar fix, but I could at least talk someone else
\ninto coming for me. Jess would probably do it if I bankrolled her own cupcake
\nhabit.<\/p>\n

Turns out, I wasn\u2019t that good of a person. I wouldn\u2019t push her, but
\nI couldn\u2019t deny myself at least getting to see her beyond just the Disciples\u2019
\nparties. These little visits were like a fucking drug.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s your boy?\u201d I asked, grasping at anything to get her to talk
\nto me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s good. He\u2019s telling everyone at his daycare that he\u2019s going to
\nbe a biker when he grows up.\u201d It was impossible to miss the love and pride in her
\nvoice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cProbably not a stretch. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if the brothers had
\nhim on his own bike the minute he\u2019s old enough.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHis dad had a bike, too. Owen\u2019s been around them since he was
\nborn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I watched as what she\u2019d said registered. I saw her freeze, every
\ninch of her tightening up. She was still facing away, keeping her expression
\nhidden, but I didn\u2019t doubt it was a mix of shock and devastation. I hadn\u2019t known
\nwhat a minefield the topic was, though I couldn\u2019t be sure I\u2019d have avoided it if it
\nwas. Mom told me time and again as she got better that talking about Dad
\nhelped, even as much as it hurt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I know that doesn\u2019t help at all. I know it still hurts and
\nall the sympathy in the world doesn\u2019t touch that, but it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For a long moment, she didn\u2019t move. I didn\u2019t even see her
\nbreathing from my vantage point. Then, she turned around with the box of
\ncupcakes in her hands. She didn\u2019t adopt that benign smile she always had at
\nwork, but that didn\u2019t mean she was giving me any glimpse of the real
\ngrief.<\/span><\/p>\n

No, Kate\u2019s face was fucking blank.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shit.<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t my fucking place to try to \u201chelp,\u201d especially not while she
\nwas at work. Suddenly, if I could take the words back, if I could undo even the
\nreminder of her husband, I\u2019d do it in a heartbeat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before I could dig my foot out of my mouth and figure something<\/span><\/p>\n

out to say, she went over to the register and started ringing up my order. \u201cThat\u2019ll
\nbe $17.56.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even her voice was flat, lifeless.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than push and make a bigger ass of myself, I pulled out
\nmy card and paid without a word. I kept my mouth shut as she wordlessly
\nhanded it back with my receipt, and then slid the boxes toward me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only when I had them in hand did she say, again in that dead
\nvoice, \u201cHave a nice day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d fucked up. Royally.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"Drew Elyse spends her days trying to convince the world that she is, in fact, a Disney Princess, and her nights writing tear-jerking and sexy romance novels.<\/p>\n

When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found analyzing every line of a book, binge watching shows on Netflix, doing strange vocal warm ups before singing in a variety of musical styles, or screaming at the TV during Chicago Blackhawks games.<\/p>\n

A graduate of Loyola University Chicago, she still lives outside Chicago, IL, where she was born and raised, with her boyfriend and her fur babies Lola and Duncan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Website\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Facebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Twitter\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Instagram\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 <\/strong>Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0   Amazon US\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon CA\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU   Synopsis \u201cMOVING ON\u201d IS JUST ABOUT ACTING THE PART. I would never say as much to the people I love, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,52,25,9,29],"tags":[59,850,48,851],"class_list":["post-33446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bikers","category-drama","category-friends-to-lovers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-drew-elyse","tag-review","tag-sailors-grave"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Marked.jpg?fit=150%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-8Hs","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}