Sunday 15 March 2015

Blog Tour ~ Excerpt, Review & Giveaway ~ Famous (Famous #1) by Kahlen Aymes


Book Description:

Caden Carlisle is a world-renowned superstar with good looks, million dollar movie deals and women throwing themselves at him wherever he goes. He has it all… but wants nothing more than a normal life without the paparazzi and glitz.

Brooklyn Holloway is an up and coming starlet with a solid head on her shoulders and her eyes wide open. It’s all about art for her and she isn’t looking to star in blockbuster films. She’s perfectly happy keeping a low profile and doing indie projects with a message.

When fate throws the two of them together on set; both are unprepared for their undeniable connection. Cade is drawn to Brook’s down-to-earth wholesomeness and she can’t help the irresistible pull of his good looks, sense of humor and chivalrous ways... So, when he begins to think he’s in love with her, resisting is next to impossible, despite being committed to someone else.

Only when filming ends and the world's fascination with celebrity invades their bubble, can they decide if the emotions they felt on set were scripted, or forever.

Find it on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24703044-famous

Excerpt:

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Cade.

I’d risen, and he was trying to rush through the crowd toward me, but was having a hard time making his way around all of the people.  Part of me was thankful for that. I felt trapped, like I’d die an absolute death if I didn’t make an immediate escape.

I needed to get out of there fast, or soon, I was going to be a sobbing mess.  I could feel the misery welling up and threatening to overflow.

I pushed my way through the crowd toward the other end of the bar, toward the entrance and away from Cade.

"Brook!" he called. "Brook, wait, please!"

I kept going, my eyes on Nathan a few yards in front of me.  My vision blurred with tears, but I stumbled through the crowd, pushing my way toward him.

"Brook!  Bloody hell!  Stop!"  Cade was beside me, and grabbed my arm.  "Stop...  Just wait a second, please."  His voice lowered as he looked at the tears running down my face, his scent enveloped me.  Finally, I had the courage to meet his eyes but my face crumpled, and I cried hard.

"Cade, just please, let me go.  It's obvious that coming here tonight was a big mistake." My voice broke, and more tears slipped from my lashes.  I bowed my head when my shoulders began to shake. I couldn’t stop them from doing that, and it felt humiliating to be standing here, in the middle of a bar, in a place I’d never been, with a couple of hundred eyes boring into me… and worse, to witness what I’d just seen.

"Tell me why you're here," he commanded softly, his finger lifting my chin so I had to look him in the eyes.  He looked sad and anxious.  "When I saw you, I couldn't believe my eyes."  His eyes searched my face, trying to read my mind.  "I felt like the earth opened up to swallow me alive."

I tried to speak, but nothing came out.  I opened my mouth, closed it, and then shook my head.  "It just… It doesn't matter now."  I tried again to pull my arm free.

"Goddamn it, Brooklyn! Tell me why you're here!" he pleaded, and grabbed my other arm, which completely prevented me from looking away from his face.  We were both breathing hard; standing motionless; as if there was no one else in the room.

Finally, I looked away as I struggled for strength to control the tears in my voice.

Maybe if I tell him the truth, he'll let me go.

I turned back to him. "I came here to tell you that what you saw in those photos wasn't real, and that I was ending things with David.  That you are who I want to be with."  I started to shake, my face crumpled.  Cade took me by the shoulders, and pulled me tightly to his chest.

"But from the looks of things, you're doing just fine.  It didn't take you long, did it?"  A small sob escaped, as I resumed in earnest.  "I thought I was going to surprise you for your birthday, but it looks like I'm the one getting the big surprise."  I was angry and hurt; my heart shattered into a million shards that ripped through my flesh and left me bleeding.  I renewed my struggles to get free of him, but he was too strong.  He moved me away a little to look in my eyes, his brow low over his eyes and his mouth tense.

"Brook, what was I supposed to think?  You never said you were mine.  How was I to know?  Those pictures were like reliving the entire last year as I watched you with him when I wanted you for myself!"

"After the way it was between us... the way it felt!  You saw how my heart was breaking when you left.  After that, how could you doubt me?  You don't trust me at all."

Our Review:

**ARC Received for honest review**

Review by Donna ~ 4.5 Stars

“If I needed any more proof that I was in love with him; this unspeakable sadness at losing him, was enough.”

If there is one thing that Kahlen Aymes writes extremely well it is romance and this book has it in spades. Your heart will not be the same after reading this one, it will have that warm and fuzzy feeling, you will have swooned till you could swoon no more but most of all you will be left feeling extremely happy and have a grin from ear to ear. They say that romance is dead but this book brings it all back to life, makes you a believer if you were waning, to say I loved it was an understatement.

What I also loved about this book were the references to Ryan and Julia, I think it was a master stroke following the lives of the two leading actors/actresses that were entrusted to bring The Remembrance Trilogy to life on the big screen. I thought that Ryan Matthews was the most swoon worthy male to have ever graced a Kahlen Aymes book but Cade Carlisle, OMG Cade Carlisle, OMG Cade Carlisle, OMG Cade Carlisle…sorry I was remembering…Cade Carlisle is something else!!

Brook Holloway is an up and coming actress, she has starred in some indie films but for Brooke the fame and stardom is not important, she likes films that have a message, for her it is all about the art. She has her head firmly planted on her shoulders, she is not fame and money hungry and is a really strong and endearing character. The Remembrance films though may catapult her into the spot light, especially as Cade Carlisle has been cast as the leading man.

Cade Carlisle is the epitome of a Hollywood A List Actor, he has the films under his belt, he has the millions in the bank and he has a bevy of women throwing themselves at him. But underneath all the Hollywood glitz and glamour is a man that just wants a normal life, he just wants normalcy, he wants to settle down without all the paparazzi and just be Cade for a while. I also have to mention that Cade is British, his accent really came through his voice in this book and being British myself, I loved it. I could picture him, I could hear him but most of all, I loved him dearly.

The attraction between these two came to the forefront at castings, Cade instantly felt drawn to Brook and so it seemed the chemistry for Ryan and Julia was cast. Even though Brook was a relative unknown Cade championed her for the role, Cade’s opinions hold a lot of weight so Brook got the job.

“I’ve loved you from the minute our eyes met; and when we kissed…I was lost.”

These two had spent months together rehearsing lines and getting into character. Cade had fallen hard but had to keep it all to himself because Brook is already in a relationship. The friendship that these two forged though was impenetrable. They trusted each other implicitly, they totally “got” each other, they had similar interests, the same sense of humour, same musical taste, they were just perfect for each other, just like the two characters they were cast to play. It was like Ryan and Julia playing out before your eyes all over again. These two truly were soul mates but as usual life always gets in the way and Brook’s boyfriend was the biggest obstacle.

“…one word from him could take me to heaven, or plunge me to hell. It was a precarious, yet glorious place to be.”

Cade though was not that kind of guy, he wouldn’t make Brook choose, he kept his feelings to himself and had to suffer the agony of seeing Brook with someone that wasn’t him, however, does Brook feel the same?  I loved the way that Cade held back, no matter how intense his feelings were he waited for Brook to play catch up. I felt his emotional pain, it killed me at times but this only made their story more real.

“You’re everything that matters to me.”

This is not a love triangle, so please do not go into this book thinking it is. This is a book about a beautiful friendship that has the potential to be something bigger, something so much bigger. Brook and Cade need to work through a lot of things and if it was meant to be it was meant to be. As usual with any relationship but especially Hollywood ones there will be those that are determined to keep them apart but with “A Love Like This” I only see failure on the cards.

“I felt like my soul had left my body.”

Kahlen Aymes really delivered on character connection and emotion in this one. I loved these characters with a passion, their chemistry radiated off the page and you couldn’t help but be pulled into their little bubble. While sometimes I felt that there was a little too much “love” it didn’t detract one bit from their story and I was fully invested. I cannot wait to see where this story is going to go, but one thing is for sure, I will be coming along for the ride.

About The Author:

I’m a single mother of one daughter, Olivia. She’s amazing in every way.

I was born in the Midwestern United States and educated at a private university where I received a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Administration.

I’ve always been creative with art, music, theater and writing. I decided to write a story as a way to build a network for a business venture. The reader support of my stories and my overwhelming desire to find out where my characters would take me, soon had the writing morphing the business. No one was more shocked than I. When readers began nominating my work for online awards, it took my breath away and only made me love it more. It soon became clear that writing was, and should be, my focus.

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