Beautifully Cruel by J.T. Geissinger-Review & Excerpt tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 15, 2020

Alpha (noun):
1) Having the highest rank in a dominance hierarchy
2) The most powerful man in a group
3) Liam Black

He was a stranger to me, a dark and dangerous presence who materialized from the shadows one rainy night to save me from a vicious attack. I didn’t know his name or where he was from. All I knew was that the only place I’d ever felt safe was in his arms.

But safety is an illusion.
And not every savior is a hero.
And—as I’d soon find out—having an alpha save your life comes with a price.

Liam Black wanted something from me in return.

•••••••

REVIEW:BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL by J. T. Geissinger is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, erotic romance story line focusing on thirty-nine year old, billionaire/mystery man Liam Black, and twenty-four year old, café waitress/ law student Truvy ‘Tru’ Sullivan.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Liam and Tru) BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL focuses on the building relationship between thirty-nine year old, billionaire/mystery man Liam Black, and twenty-four year old, café waitress/ law student Truvy ‘Tru’ Sullivan. Tru Sullivan has served coffee to the perplexing man in black with the Irish brogue, for close to one year, with barely a word spoken between them but Tru had had enough of his late night visits and proceeds to introduce herself to the man with whom she will fall in love. The mysterious stranger will pull Tru into his dark and dangerous aura, an aura that hides a complicated past, a enigmatic present, and the potential for no future. An attack against Tru forces the man in black to reveal his presence igniting a fire between our couple that threatens to burn brighter than the sun. What ensues is the building but temporary relationship between Tru and Liam, and the potential fall-out as Liam refuses to go beyond the present.

Truvy ‘Tru’ Sullivan is no stranger to loss and heart break but meeting Liam Black forces Tru to see beyond the façade of a man who has lost much more than she could have ever imagined. Having been warned on numerous occasions to stay clear of the man that calls to her heart, Tru will be blindsided when Liam pushes our heroine, out of his life, and into the abyss of pain and sorrow.

Liam Black’s secrets are dangerous and dark; a man whose demeanor screams menace and death but a man who hides the suffering beneath an inscrutable veneer. Falling for Tru Sullivan placed our heroine in the direct line of fire, a fire Liam is willing to battle to spend forever with the woman he loves.

The relationship between Tru and Liam is one of immediate attraction but Liam refuses to act on their mutual attraction, a palpable sexual fascination that is barely contained. Tru, normally shy and withdrawn, yet strong and independent, refuses to back down when Liam warns Tru to walk away. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Tru’s friend and roommate Ellie and Ellie’s sometime boyfriend Tyler: Tru’s co-workers Diego, Carla, and their boss Buddy : Liam’s chauffeur and friend Declan, as well as Killian, another man with deep and darkening secrets. I am hoping the author has future plans for Killian, Declan, Diego, and Tru’s roommate Ellie. There are so many potential stories yet to be told.

BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL is a fascinating, energetic and intriguing story with a couple of twists and turns you will not see coming. A mesmerizing tale of one man’s need to defend and protect, and one woman’s desire to show said man that he is worthy of his own happily ever after. The character driven premise is dramatic and tragic ; the characters are dynamic, wounded, spirited and strong; the romance is intoxicating and provocative.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

NOTE: Excerpt intended for mature readers due to strong language and content

I stare at him, incredulous. “Are you telling me you think this is a good idea?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t know. Maybe nothing.”

His pause is loaded, and I know he’s carefully choosing his words.

“But she was about to get shot—or worse—and she fought back. You saw it yourself. On the ground, outnumbered, beat up, gun in her face, she throws a punch instead of all the other things she could’ve done. Begging for mercy. Giving up. Crying.”

He lets it hang there, knowing I have enough personal memories of men far stronger than she doing exactly that.

“So she’s a fighter,” I say, aggravated, yanking on the knot on my tie because it suddenly feels like a noose. “That doesn’t make it right.”

“Aye,” he agrees, nodding. “But maybe it makes it a little less wrong.”

I glare out the window, muttering a curse. I can’t believe he’s saying this. Him, of all people. I expected him to be silently seething with disapproval, not taking her side.

Not admiring her.

“You’ve been alone a long time, Liam. If you were careful—”

My temper breaks. I glare at him and thunder, “I won’t risk her life!”

Declan’s expression doesn’t change. His grip stays loose on the steering wheel, his gaze doesn’t dart away in panic. He simply meets my eyes in the mirror and tells me a devastating truth.

“You say that like you haven’t already.”

I grit my teeth and look out the window, hating that he’s right. Hating myself for letting it get this far.

I had a chance, when all I was doing was memorizing her profile while she poured me bad coffee. Before I knew the particular way she falls asleep. What her skin smells like after a shower. How her body feels pressed against mine.

How deeply satisfying it feels to protect her.

No, more than satisfying—fulfilling.

As if it were the thing I was born to do.

But I can’t undo what I’ve done. I can’t go back to that first day I saw her eleven months ago, helping an old woman cross a busy boulevard, stopping traffic by holding up her hand as the light turned from red to green. I can’t unfeel what I felt when she glanced up and our eyes met through the windshield for a moment before she turned her attention back to the old woman doddering by her side.

She was beautiful, but I’ve seen a thousand beautiful girls.

Never one who looked so fierce, though.

With her jaw set and her mouth pinched and her brows drawn together, she looked like she’d rip the head off anyone who dared to honk his horn at the painfully slow progress she and her elderly friend were making.

She was a lioness. Even without opening her mouth, I heard her roar.

So yes, it was simple curiosity that made me tell Declan to pull over. Yes, it was on a whim that I watched her wave goodbye to the old woman when they reached the other side of the street. Yes, I fully admit it was foolish of me to follow her into Buddy’s Diner, and to sit in her section that first time.

But it was sheer stupidity that I kept coming back.

As long as I was out of the country, I could tell myself I wouldn’t see her again. I thought I had the strength to stay away. But as soon as I returned, the wanting rushed back. The pull to see those clear green eyes. The need to hear that lilting voice and see that shy smile and be near her, if only for a moment.

Now, because I indulged myself, I’m well and truly fucked.

Because need and want have turned into something more powerful. Something darker and far more perilous, for us both.

So now I have two options.

Option one: claim her.

Option two: give her up.

I can’t bring myself to do either.

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A former headhunter, J.T. Geissinger is the author of more than a dozen novels in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.

She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America®. Her work has also finaled in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.

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