TOXIC by Kim Karr-Review ,Book Tour and Giveaway
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 7, 2015
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not…
In Toxic, Jeremy McQueen, a sexy, intense, sometimes brooding entrepreneur goes after what he wants—the woman he left behind years ago. Phoebe St. Claire, a put together, in control socialite-turned-CEO has been drifting through life searching for something she thought she’d never find again—the right man to share her future.
Our passion was boundless. Our lust untamed. And our desire endless. He was the only man who ever made me feel alive. Then, I betrayed him.
When he reappeared, I didn’t question it. Trust rarely survives the wrecking ball, so when he let me in back in—I didn’t hesitate.
Maybe I should have.
What began as a bid to save my family business, turned into a second chance at love. It felt so romantic. Working together, side by side, with the man I loved. My dream come true.
Nothing is as good as it seems.
We had our issues, but then again, every couple does. It wasn’t jealousy, or our too-hot sex life that I should have been worried about.
It was his darkside.
I never saw the end coming, until it slammed me in the face. The question is—did he?
Was revenge his plan all along?
••••••••••••••
REVIEW: TOXIC is the latest stand alone contemporary, adult, erotic romance storyline from Kim Karr. This is billionaire business owner Jeremy McQueen and CEO of TSC (The Saint Corporation) Phoebe St. Claire’s storyline-a second chance at love for two people torn apart by lies and deceit. There is a slight cross over with Kim’s The 27 Club when the exclusive Miami ‘The Estate’ –a private BDSM club-is mentioned as a business investment and potential source of betrayal.
Told from first person point of view (Phoebe) with an epilogue from Jeremy’s POV, TOXIC follows the rebuilding of a relationship between Phoebe and Jeremy. At twenty-one years of age, Phoebe and Jeremy had a summer fling, fell in love, and all but destroyed one another’s lives. Fast forward five years where Phoebe’s controlled life begins to spiral out of control: the TSC is weeks from filing bankruptcy; she dumped her fiancé days before the wedding; and the man who stole her heart five years earlier, has returned with a dark and dangerous plan. Jeremy is a man on a mission, and Phoebe is ripe for the picking. The $ex scenes are erotic, passionate and emotional. Jeremy and Phoebe will consume one another with their wants and needs.
TOXIC focuses on a second chance at love for Jeremy and Phoebe but their relationship is mired in lies, deceit, secrets and betrayal. Families have been destroyed by the sins of the past; and the future is an unknown entity when the truth is finally revealed. Jealousy, miscommunication and the need to run play a major role in our couple’s inability to move forward. There is always someone waiting to destroy what little hold Jeremy and Phoebe have on their relationship, and it only takes a few words to push Phoebe over the edge-time and time again. Destroyed by her parent’s unfaithful marriage, and the memories of the summer she fell in love, Phoebe is unable to let go of the pain and heartbreak, and in this, she questions every action and movement as another potential source of deceit and lies.
TOXIC is a bit of a slow read, or perhaps more of a slow build, with a large ensemble cast of characters whose actions play a significant role in our couple’s toxic and volatile relationship. I am hoping Kim Karr has future plans for a number of the supporting characters. Jeremy and Phoebe have a history of lies and betrayal that are fueled by innuendo, mistaken beliefs, and threats from outside sources including a series of ex lovers who are determined to win back or destroy Phoebe and Jeremy respectively.
Kim Karr invites the reader into an intense storyline awash in an emotional roller coaster of lies, manipulation and deception. The twists and turns reveal a backstory befitting the rich and infamous where the pretense of the public face masks a multitude of sins and betrayals behind the scenes. The heroine’s emotional fall out is angst ridden and not without some cringe-worthy moments of concern: there were times I wanted to smack her upside the head for her Oscar worthy, drama queen tirades.
TOXIC is a story about two people whose lives are interconnected far deeper than they could have ever imagined. The premise is intriguing and dramatic; the characters colorful and charismatic; the love story intense, heartbreaking and profound. Kim Karr is a story teller with a vivid imagination and a passionate grasp of what her readers want to see.
Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.
Reviewed by Sandy
I ran toward the ocean and twirled in the sand as the wind blew around me. Once I started to feel dizzy from twirling, I still wasn’t ready to head back to the party, so I took the path that would lead me to the large Olympic-sized pool. I tugged my sandals off with thoughts of putting my feet in the water to rinse the mud and sand away. As I approached the pool, I noticed how it glowed like it was lit by small pale fires. Lost in the enchantment of it, the sudden movement beneath the surface startled me.
A fair-haired boy emerged from the water. He pulled himself up and out so quickly that I was momentarily stunned. And then when he drank me in with his eyes, I shuddered.
I couldn’t help it, the way he looked at me just made me shiver. No one had ever looked at me like that before and I found myself gazing back into his intense eyes.
He was utterly beautiful. His bare chest was sculpted but not overly bulky like Danny or Jamie. They worked out every day pumping obnoxious amounts of iron to look the way they did. In contrast, the boy standing before me had a swimmer’s build.
He stood stoic and a cautious look crossed his face. He was long and lean in a pair of bright green neon swim trunks.
Right away I could tell he didn’t care what anyone thought about him.
I loved the idea of that.
So I smiled at him.
He shook his head and his hair fell into his eyes.
I wanted to reach out and push it away. It wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short. It was perfect.
“Hey,” he said, grabbing a towel off the ground.
It didn’t belong to the club. It was small, beige, and a bit worn—not the large hunter-green fluffy ones monogrammed in white I’d always gotten when I used to come here to swim as a kid.
“Hey,” I said back, swinging my sandals nervously.
He grabbed a pair of jeans that lay next to where the towel had been and walked right by me.
I turned to watch him as he strode into one of the cabanas and dropped his trunks. I froze and squeezed my eyes shut, thinking I shouldn’t be watching him but then opened them quickly when I couldn’t resist maybe catching a glimpse.
“Didn’t your parents ever tell you it isn’t polite to stare?” His voice was low and sexy, and it tugged me out of my own head.
I put my hands on my hips. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to undress in mixed company?”
He pulled his jeans on and laughed. “My mother might have mentioned that once or twice but I’ve never been good at following the rules.”
And it didn’t escape my notice that he didn’t put any underwear on first.
Hot. Totally and completely hot.
I didn’t see anything I shouldn’t have seen, it was too dark, but something inside me electrified at the thought of seeing him naked and I stepped closer. That’s when I noticed the scuffed-up black work boots on one of the lounges with a T-shirt thrown next to them.
I raised a brow. “Is this your changing room?”
He laughed again but this time added a smile and put his hands up. “Okay you caught me. I better get out of here before anyone else does.”
He was adorable and charming and my heart skipped a beat or two.
Then I stepped even closer and entered the cabana entrance, effectively blocking his way. “Why? You’re not doing anything wrong.”
He shrugged but he didn’t try to move around me. “I usually swim in the ocean but when the water is too rough, like tonight, I come here.”
I bit my lip in contemplation before speaking. “Does it really matter if you get caught?”
He crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Let’s just say it’s not just the swimming. It’s more that I’ve been caught doing a few too many things that I shouldn’t have been doing in the past.”
A bad boy.
The thought made my pulse thunder. “So you’re not a member at this club?”
He cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot. “No,” he laughed but his laugh was anything but genuine. “Are you?”
I hesitated as I considered my answer. “No, I was just walking the beach and wanted to rinse my feet. I’m Phoebe,” I said extending my hand. Technically, I wasn’t lying. I wasn’t a member, my parents were. I hadn’t even been here in years. And I was out for a walk.
Amusement danced in his blue eyes. “Jeremy,” he said back.
When I chewed on my lower lip, I noticed how his eyes focused on it.
Mine focused on the entirety of his mouth—his strong, firm jaw, his sensuous lips, and his tongue that had snuck out to lick his lips.
That mouth.
It was almost too much.
I live in Florida with my husband and four kids. I’ve always had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, I wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. I went on to receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise my family. I currently work part-time with my husband and full-time embracing one of my biggest passions—writing.
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9. Giveaway runs from July 10-14, 2015
Bound
Unwound
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