The Muses' Circle: *BOOK REVIEW* Overwhelmed By You (Tear Asunder, #2) by: Nashoda Rose + Giveaway

Title: Overwhelmed By You (Tear Asunder, #2)
Author: Nashoda Rose
ASIN: B00KKVN5BK
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Theme(s): Rockstar, child abuse, sexual abuse, MS
Length: 321 pgs
Binding: E-book, Paperback
Published: 25 May 2014
Buy: Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

Synopsis:

Love is ugly and secrets will destroy you.

KAT

I don’t beg. I don’t cry. And I don’t give second chances.

Ream, the lead guitarist of the rock band Tear Asunder, deserves a gold medal for best dick move ever when he ran the moment he discovered my secret after two days of hot sex. Then he brings some chick to my coming home party from the hospital—after being shot. I hate him.

Until …

Ream’s six foot two frame unfolds out of the car after being gone on tour for eight months. I stared. And in my defense, any girl would stare. It would almost be rude not to because Ream was the type of guy who stood out. Not because he was loud and obnoxious. No, it was because he was the complete opposite. Subtle and dangerously quiet. If he spoke, you’d better hope he liked you because otherwise you’d be falling at his feet begging for mercy. Except me … I don’t beg—ever. But when our eyes locked, it was Ream’s steady confidence that had my nerves shooting off like jet sprinklers.

Then…

Ream told me he didn’t need a second chance because he was still working on his first.

REAM

Sex is ugly. It’s using someone for your own narcissistic pleasure. I did it and I hated it—until her. She was unfuckinexpected. Then I had to wreck our beginning with my screwed up past. I don’t deserve her, but I’m selfish and I’m taking her anyway. This is who I am and it’s too late to change me.

My Rating:

When a book proclaims to be dark and filled with angst, I sometimes become a little skeptical. Maybe that's because every author out there seems to be using that label now. The good news is, Overwhelmed By You truly is a dark and angsty novel. It was quite an intense read and the first book I've read by Nashoda Rose. Although Overwhelmed by You, book 2 in the Tear Asunder series is technically a standalone, I found the beginning of the story very confusing. It felt like the author just throws you in and you are expected to understand who these characters are and their troubled history together. Obviously the story does smooth out and things start to make sense, but I found myself wishing that I had read Torn From You first for an easier transition.

After two days of explosive sex, Ream is ready to explore things further with Kat. Sex has always been meaningless and completely on his terms because of his horrific past. But Kat makes him feel things, allows her to do things in the bedroom that he would never allow with another woman. But that all comes to a crashing halt when he sees a needle come flying out of Kat's bag and instantly flies into a rage thinking she is an addict. And Ream doesn't do addicts. Kat is hurt and pissed off that Ream won't give her the chance to explain, that not all is what it seems. Once he does find out what the needles are for, Kat is beyond forgiveness and Ream has no choice but to put their tumultuous relationship on hold as he goes on tour with his band Tear Asunder. Eight months later, he returns and while Kat has spent the time apart building up her defenses and preparing for verbal sparring, Ream completely does the unexpected. He confesses that there is definitely something between them and he refuses to ignore their magnetic pull. Kat is in for a rude awakening because once Ream puts his mind to something, there is no going back..

Without giving away a major spoiler, one of the things I really liked is how the author didn't shy away from giving one of her main characters-- in this case Kat-- a serious illness/disease. Many authors will try to build suspense by giving a character an illness or ailment but when it is finally revealed, you're left feeling disappointed. Oh, the character has an ingrown toe nail? That's it? Haha, okay maybe it is not that lame, but you get my point. In Overwhelmed By You, Kat's illness is serious and because of this element, it makes her more realistic and human, more relatable as a character.

Since I am on the topic of Kat, I really love her strength-- and her connection with horses. She's stubborn but not naive-- she actually reminds me a little of myself. I may not have a disease but I've had many medical conditions, surgeries at a young age. Kat never cries, she can't afford to break down and she is always used to being the strong one. That's exactly how I used to be. I never wanted anyone to treat me differently, just like Kat. Another interesting aspect about her character is when her face gets cut and plastic surgery never crosses her mind. After being attacked, she is rushed to the hospital and has several ugly cuts on her face. I thought to myself, well she can always go get plastic surgery. Why is she stressing over it? But strangely enough, it never pops up in the story. Kat carries the scars proudly, a survivor, to match the ones on Ream's back. I thought that sent a very powerful message.

Ream--where do I start? I'm not going to lie. At first I did think he was a d*ckhead, but as the story unfolded and the puzzle pieces started clicking into place, I realized Ream has many, many layers, that the wall he has built around himself as a form of protection is damn near impenetrable. This man has major baggage, skeletons in his closet that even I was scared to know about. Recently, I read a book with a similar hero (Rex from Fighting to Forget by JB Salsbury) and prayed Nashoda was going to be able to give a different twist to this type of character-- apparently I had nothing to worry about. Ream was quite swoon worthy even though you wanted to throat punch him a few times because of his attitude. When you find out that he spent every moment he could while he was on tour to learn about Kat's illness, visiting doctors from city to city-- that his disappearance acts after shows was not him running off to sleep with random girls--totally made my heart melt. Ream is very dominant and possessive, but it totally makes sense once you learn why. I also enjoyed how he tried to break down Kat's walls. He knows she is strong and independent, but he also knows what kind of burden it can be to try to carry it all on your own. He wants to prove to her that she isn't alone, that if she wants to cry, yell, scream, even feel sorry for herself, that it is okay and natural. However, I understood Kat's frustration-- how is it fair that Ream expects her to open up when he won't?

If you haven't guessed it already, the chemistry between Ream and Kat is explosive. Literally. They are both stubborn people. Kat isn't afraid or intimidated by Ream's dominant behavior and I love when she puts him in his place. There is no denial between them-- they have no doubt that they will argue and disagree frequently, but look forward to making up. They are a completely believable, realistic couple because they knew they have issues and that they are going to have to work on their relationship. Oh, and did I forget to mention the sex between them is out of this world hot?

I think what makes Overwhelmed By You stand out even more is Nashoda Rose's ability to create interesting secondary characters. They play a HUGE role in this book, which tells me they will do so in the next. Ream's bandmates are more like a family to him. Logan is almost like the patriarch--dominant, alpha, what he says is law--getting glimpses of Logan throughout Overwhelmed By You defnitely made me want to stop so I could go read Torn From You which is his and Emily's story. Then there is Ream's best friend Crisis who is the comedian/manwhore of the bunch. But I absolutely love him because of his loyalty. Okay, and because he is funny as hell! Kite is quite interesting as well, a little mysterious--I definitely can't wait to see who he gets paired up with. Then you have Deck. Oh my. My absolute favorite hands down. His book is next which I believe is a spinoff and let me tell you...Georgie is supposed to be his heroine. She is bubbly and sweet-- Deck is so serious, the ultimate alpha male. I can only imagine how hot their story is going to be. If you want a little taste of Deck, check out the excerpt I posted below.

Here is what I had problems with. Other than mentioning that Ream is over 6 feet tall, has some tattoos, and pink hair, there is no real description of what he actually looks like. Does he have long pink hair, short pink hair? What kind of tattoos? Authors need to remember that the characters are in their head. Their job is to create a vision for us.

I have a couple of pet peeves, one is consistency. Kat gets beat up really badly, kicked in the ribs, choked, face cut up. She is in the hospital, in and out of consciousness for a couple of days. Ream gets this idea to take her away so they have time to deal with their problems. But what drives me crazy is she was beat up so badly, yet there is no mention of her bruises or soreness (other then her face). It's one thing if they waited a couple of weeks to go on this little trip, but they go straight from the hospital. I guess what I am trying to say is, authors need to be more aware of timing and do the proper medical research. The scene where Kat is attacked was brutal to read, so for me, it made no sense that she was able to walk around, go swimming, etc. if she was hurt that bad.

Another pet peeve of mine is when an author makes a character vomit and they forget to have them brush their teeth. Then the next thing you know they are kissing another character and it kills me, because all I keep thinking about is ewww, she just threw up!!! Don't kiss her! I know this may be a strange thing to complain about but I have read so many romances where the heroine vomits and then her and the hero are making out. Most authors will remember, but unfortunately, there is a scene where Kat has emptied her stomach a few times, her and Ream are in the bathroom, and he kisses her...*shudders* I'll leave it at that.

The story starts out in Ream's POV. Then it switches to Kat's perspective and that is where it stays. I found this a little disappointing. Yes, at the beginning of each chapter are little snippets of Ream's dreams or past, but it's not the same. I think the story could have been more effective if we were able to see more through his eyes.

Overwhelmed By You was quite a roller coaster ride. I won't say that it was completely original, BUT there is a quality to Nashoda Rose's writing that is unique and refreshing. She writes interesting characters and she isn't afraid to push them to the brink of darkness. While there were a few things that were predictable, she also threw in a few shocker moments. I definitely will be going back to read Torn From You, book 1 and I absolutely cannot wait to read Deck and Georgie's story in Perfect Chaos.

best wishes,mia

Excerpt

"You love him?"

Now that was a surprising question coming from Deck. I did't think he would even know about the emotion love. "He cheated on me."

"Harsh for a girl who cheated her best friend the truth for seven years."

"What?" Clifford started shifting his feet and pulling on the crossties. "What the hell, Deck. This isn't my problem. I didn't promise to love someone, care for them, protect them, and then shit all over them. That wasn't me. He did this. Don't you dare turn this around on me." Screw his scariness and the way his jaw clenched. Screw all of this. I went to walk past him but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back around.

"I didn't tell you that fuckin' story for the hell of it. No one knows that fuckin' story. No one except you now. He didn't cheat on you." I jerked, but it only pissed him off more and tightened his grip as he repeated, "He didn't cheat on you."

"I saw--"

"I don't give a fuck what you saw. Ream would never cheat on you. It's not in his makeup."

"Well, maybe, Deck...you think a little too highly of yourself to really know what the truth is this time."

"Probably do, but even if we bet on that point one percent chance I'm wrong, you owe it to him. You know why? Because he gave you more than he has anyone, and after his fucked up past, that was damn hard for him to do. Now you're going to save him because I have no doubt he needs saving right now. He should've crumbled down a real bad path a long time ago, but he didn't. For some reason he came back from that shit and found you. I'm not wrong, he'd never ruin that."

"You don't know that."

"Damn right I do." His harsh voice hit me--hard. "Let's go."

"Now?"

"I have men in the fuckin' desert waiting on me to get back so we can go in and kill some motherfucker who tortures innocent women and children. So yeah. Now. Car in five minutes."

He strode out of the barn.

Shit...

about the author

Nashoda Rose lives in Toronto with her assortment of pets. She writes contemporary romance with a splash of darkness, or maybe it’s a tidal wave. Her novella "With You" is the first in the Tear Asunder series, followed by the novel "Torn from You" and "Overwhelmed by You". When she isn’t writing, she can be found sitting in a field reading with her dog at her side while her horses graze nearby. She loves interacting with her readers on Facebook and chatting about her addiction—books.

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