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Blog Tour with Review & Giveaway

Getting Back Annie

S.L. Siwik

~ Synopsis ~

Annie Watson and her friends return in Winning Back Ryan’s sequel, Getting Back Annie. The book starts off a month after the end of the first book. Annie and Brian are getting ready to go to the Aschcroft’s for the Fourth of July weekend. Once there, we meet Annie’s family, including her brother, Jordan. But, surprises are in store for Annie on this vacation. It’s not a coincidence that Brian just wants Annie and her family over for the trip. When they return to NYC, Annie finds herself needing a second job and a way to deal with her constant nightmares from her attack. She finds herself leaning on Ben more and more, who is helping her deal and cope, much to Brian’s dismay. But, Ben isn’t pleased with how little Brian is helping Annie and decides to take a more active role in her recovery…and in her bedroom.

Is Annie’s romance with Ben merely situational? Is he simply the right man to help her move on? Or is something else evolving from their five year friendship? What happens to Brian and Annie’s relationship? Is it over because of a mistake on his part? Will their love endure? What is Ryan’s final fate? Find out in Getting Back Annie, as our heroine continues her path to self-discovery.

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~ Excerpt ~

Twenty minutes later, the limo was parked outside my apartment building. “Are you going to be okay?” I asked Kat. She nodded. Then I glanced at Ben, my eyes asking the same question.

“You should go now before I convince you to stay,” he replied, his hands clasped together.

I shivered at his words knowing just how easily he’d be able to keep me there if he wanted to. “You didn’t answer my question, though. Are you going to be okay?”

His jaw clenched as he looked at me with the wildest eyes I had ever seen. “Annie, if you don’t go right now, I will convince you to stay. And if you come with me, I will do unspeakably dirty things to you. I’ll do things to your body that I’m sure no man has. And when I’m done, there will be nothingvirginal about you anymore. You’ll be in the confessional a month straight after I’m finished.”

I shivered violently, because I knew he meant every word of what he said. “Bye.” I said to Kat. “It was so nice meeting you.” She nodded, frowning. I glanced at Ben. “Goodbye. For good.” I was honest enough to know that I needed to run from Ben to keep myself from making a mistake. A strong hand grabbed my arm, furious eyes staring at me. I yanked my arm out of Ben’s grasp. “What do you want? I said, ‘Goodbye.’”

“I’m not leaving,” he replied.

Furious, I pointed to the car. “Get in and go.”

He shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. “Not until you tell me why him and why not me.”

“Hmm. Let’s see. He can commit to a relationship…not run away for three weeks after making love to someone!” I shouted.

Ben grabbed his hair, yanking it. “That wasn’t my fault! I had to stay away!” I rolled my eyes dramatically, making sure he saw before I turned. “Get back here!” he shouted. I glanced over my shoulder. “What else? That can’t be the only reason.”

“You need another reason? You and I together are a powder keg, one match away from exploding,” I said, “We’re either screaming at each other, punching each other, or trying to tear each other’s clothes off.”

“So. Fucking. What?” He shouted.

“And I don’t want that kind of chaos in my love life. Loving Brian is easy. It doesn’t wreck me like you do,” I admitted, “Those three weeks that you were gone…those were the three worst weeks of my life. Going into your apartment that night after George called me…I felt physically ill.”

“They were the worst three weeks for me, too. It’ll never happen again. I swear it,” he replied adamantly.

I shook my head. “I don’t want this craziness.” I turned to walk into the apartment.

“What if I need you to save me?” he asked. His words stopped me in my tracks. I glanced back, and my breath caught in my throat at the vulnerability in his expression. “Your love is changing me, princess. You give me purpose, something else other than fighting, and fucking, and just coasting through life. You make me work for it every Goddamn second. I need that.”

I was so turned on that I was in physical pain. “I think you’ll be fine without me.”

He clenched his jaw, furious eyes glaring at me. “Fine. You want him? You want to go back to the old, boring story just because you know how it’s going to end? Go on ahead. But, before you go, fix me.”

I blinked. “What are you talking about?”

He pointed at me. “You broke me! After I left the hospital that night, I tried to lose myself in someone. I wanted to forget all the memories and pain. You were with Brian. Nothing was going to happen between us.” He pointed at his crotch. “He wouldn’t get hard! I couldn’t do it! So, after I left embarrassed as shit, I tried again another night. Nothing. I saw you a week later, and it worked perfectly fine. Raging fuckin’ hard on all night long.” I had never been more turned on that I was at that moment. “So, undo whatever you did to me right now!”

“You want to be turned off by me?” I asked. He nodded as I walked towards him. Stopping right in front of him, I placed my hand over his heart, looking into his eyes. “I love you…madly, passionately, irrevocably. It’s becoming difficult for me to see a future that doesn’t include you. I want your heart, your touch, your fidelity. I want you to look at no other woman the way you look at me. I want your body to only respond that way for me. I want a ring on my finger, a huge wedding, and to be the mother of your children. I want to go to sleep with you inside me and wake up the same way in your bed. I want to fight with you when you’re being an insufferable asshole, which is at least once a day. And then I want you to show me how you’ll make it up to me. I will be jealous of any woman who licks her lips at you, which is about ten times a day, and I give no promises that I won’t go bat-shit crazy on them.”

I smirked, waiting for him to turn and run into the car. Those words would send any commitmentphobe running. His eyes still watched me like he wanted to rip my dress right off me and take me against the car door. “I thought you said you were trying to turn me off, not on.”

I blinked, thrown completely off guard. “What are you talking about?”

I felt his heart beneath my hand pick up in tempo. For the first time, I felt it beating wildly.

He glanced down at his chest. “Look at that,” he murmured, placing his hand over mine. “You have my heart in the palm of your hand.”

Anger coursed through my veins. “Say it. I want to hear you say those three little words.” This would make him run for sure.

He smirked. “I am hungry.”

I growled. “The other three words.”

His smirk remained. “I want you.”

If he was going to play games, so be it. “No, I want to hear you say that you love me.”

His eyes narrowed, his lips in a tight line. “Why? So you can break me? So, you can hear me tell you how I feel and then watch you walk back to him? Tell me you’ll get back in that car with me now, and I’ll say it.”

I knew it was a dirty trick, but it was all I had left. Besides, Ben never played fair anyways. I shrugged nonchalantly. “Just as I thought. You’re incapable of the words, because you don’t know what it is.”

Ben grabbed my arm and yanked me back to him so hard that I smacked into his chest. I stared up at him in shock, anger, and arousal. “You forget that I first watched, then listened to you fuck him in my apartment, in my bed. I listened to your moans of pleasure, your ‘Oh, yes, Brian,’ for hours on end all the while knowing that it should have been me in bed with you. Yet, I didn’t stop you from doing what you wanted. I didn’t try to rip you away from him while you tortured me every time you cried out his name.” He grabbed my face roughly. “So, don’t you dare fucking tell me that I don’t know what love is. Love is pain. It’s no coincidence that they’re both four letter words. And so is Anne.”

A tear rolled down my eye, and his grip softened on my face. “I never meant to hurt you,” I whispered. “I don’t even remember that night. Everything after tossing the noodle onto your shirt is a complete blank to me.”

“You might not remember it, princess, but I sure as hell can’t forget it.”

I bristled at his words. “You want me to feel guilty for sleeping with Brian? How about the countless women over the last five years that you’ve slept with. Half of them you made out with in front of me! You’re upset that you’re the third man I slept with, but I’m your what? Five hundredth? Tell me how I should feel about that?!” I shouted.

He shrugged, his lips still pulled in a tight line. “You shouldn’t give a fuck.”

“Oh no? And why is that?” I asked while my blood temperature rose.

“Because I would trade it all- every memory, every other woman for just one more night with you. That’s why you shouldn’t give a fuck. Because they never held a candle to you,” Ben replied matter-of-factly. My knees shook for a second, and I did not think that I was capable of being more turned on at that moment. How the hell did he always do this? “So, like I said before, if you’re going to run back to him, you need to fix my cock first and make it work again.”

I smacked his chest hard. “No! I think I like it this way!”

His eyes seared with pain. “You want to torture me? If you’re with him, you won’t give me a chance at some peace, some solace? If you’re happy with him, why do I have to be alone forever?”

Tears streamed down my eyes as I felt my heart shutter at the unbearable weight pressed against it. “I will not cheat,” I whispered over and over, while I shook my head wildly.

His hand released my jaw, and it slid down my back, caressing me. It made me sob harder by just how incredible it felt. “I may not give you flowers all the time, or tell you that you’re beautiful a thousand times a day, or slow dance with you all the time like he does, but I know what I feel. And I know you feel it, too.”

I yanked my body away from him. “Bye, Ben.”

I didn’t wait for his response as I ran into the apartment building. Once in the elevator I pressed the button for my floor. I leaned back against the wall, barely able to breathe as tears streamed down my face. I hated saying goodbye to him, I hated that he kept chasing after me, I hated that I wanted him to, but most of all I hated how much of a bitch I felt saying goodbye to him. That feeling was becoming unbearable lately.

I glanced at the stainless steel paneled wall, seeing the reflection of my teary self. “You’re better than this. Figure yourself out.” I wiped away the tears before stepping off the elevator, trying to pull myself together.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to my apartment and found a tired Brian on the couch, flipping through TV channels. He glanced up at me, smiling. “You look breathtaking,” he greeted.

I smiled at him before jumping into his arms. Wrapping his arms around me tightly, he kissed my forehead. “Is everything alright?”

I nodded, hugging him tightly. “Now it is.”

“I missed you,” he whispered in my ear.

I hugged him tighter. “I missed you, too.”

Brian pulled my body away from his, tilting my head back. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.

I nodded wearing a tight lipped smile. “I was just crying. It was a wedding and all.”

“It seems like something else is bothering you, though,” he commented.

My body was filled with aching raw need from Ben. I needed to suppress these feelings for him. Brian was my fiancé. If I just held on to Brian tighter, we’d be fine. That’s what I needed to do, hold on tighter to our love. The guilt I felt sat heavy on me. I should completely Brian’s; that’s what he deserved. But, I wasn’t.

I lifted the hem of my dress and straddled him. I ran my hand over his body and felt his physical reaction towards me. Wordlessly, I slipped down his shorts and boxers and he raised his hips to aid me. Slipping him out, I pulled my underwear to the side and stopped momentarily. “Should I go get a condom?”

His eyes burned brightly, filled with lust and love. “You’re going to be my wife. There’s no need.”

With my hand firmly gripping his erection, I slid him inside me, watching his eyes roll back in pleasure. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed him deeply as I rolled my hips slowly. His fingers threaded through my hair, his other hand rested on my hip. We stay, deep, slow, connected as Brian’s love takes me to the height of ecstasy. We come undone together, and he holds me to his chest tightly. Tears spill down my cheeks at the bitter sweetness of the moment. There was no way out of this without hurting one of them and myself in the process. But, Brian’s love was gentle, calm, enduring. It was the type of love futures were made from.

When I lifted my head he kissed me deeply, and I sighed in contentment.

I pressed my forehead to his. “Help me out of this dress. I want to make you a nice, romantic dinner tonight.”

“Oh, yeah?” he asked before kissing me again.

I nodded. “You’ve been so wonderful lately. I just wanted to do something to show my appreciation.”

I stood up and walked into the bedroom. He wasn’t far behind. Adoring fingers trailed down my arm as his lips pressed against my neck.

“I have another idea.” He unzipped my dress. “Why don’t we order take out and spend the rest of the night in bed?” He slipped the straps of my gown down over my shoulders. The dress pooled at my feet. Brian kissed down my shoulder as his arm wrapped around my body, pulling me tightly against him. I could already feel his need against my lower back.

Letting out a shaky breath, I nodded. “That’s one hell of a plan.”

~ Links to Buy ~
to follow upon release on 11/15

~ Review ~

I was given an ARC by the Author in exchange for an honest review

This is the second book in this series and must be read in order to appreciate the AWESOMENESS that is Getting Back Annie! I devoured this book for more than one reason but mainly for Ben Hurley. Yes, he is not who Annie ends up with in Winning Back Ryan but Ben steals the show and my heart in the process.

The story begins the 4^th of July weekend. A weekend that Annie usually

spends out in the Hamptons with Ben, Max, George and Brian. But this

year Annie and Brian will be spending it as a couple with their families.

And so it begins, Brian’s jealousy and insecurity. He subtly insinuates

that Annie should distance herself from the men in her life…..more

importantly Ben.

I was a fan of Brian and Annie getting together in Winning Back Ryan

but in this book I was Team Ben all the way. He is everything that Annie

needs and wants but she is too scared to admit it. What she and Brian

have is easy and comfortable. What Annie has with Ben is explosive and

it rocks her to her core.

Annie is still suffering from the after effects from her encounter with

Ryan. She is having bad dreams almost nightly and Brian is unable to

help her since she had not shared the details of the attack with

him….just Ben. They speak regularly and he seems to be the only

person who can help Annie find her way through the darkness.

I loved Ben! Yep, no sugar coating it! Almost everything that came out

of his mouth was laced with sexual innuendo or a raw honesty. He was

determined to protect Annie and help her heal. Ben accepts Annie and

all of her imperfections, so she when she is with him she can just be.

“Just when I think that there’s no hope, when I think that I need to give

up on you, somehow you do something brilliant. Every. Fucking. Time.

And all this…….chaos around me makes some sense again. So, thank

you for being you.” ~ Ben

I was glad to see that Brian’s meddling and control issues over Annie
and her relationships was thrust into her view. It reinforced that she had

options. That he wasn’t the only one for her.

Although Annie is conflicted, she can’t get Ben out of her mind or her

dreams. Cigarette anyone? Then just when I think Ben and Annie may

have their moment….I get the moment and then its gone and there is

another twist and turn that keeps them apart.

“Calling you before walking into that apartment with Ryan is the best

decision I’ve ever made”, I whispered. His eyes shot with pain, so I tried

to explain. “Ever since that day, I feel safe and secure with you. More

than I have ever felt in my entire life with anyone else. Ever. I don’t

know why exactly but I trust you implicitly.” He opened his mouth to

speak but closed it. “I sleep with the turtle you gave me every night.

Did you know that? You just make everything better.” ~ Annie

There were several times in the story that I wanted to shake Annie and

tell her to pick Ben! Stop running between them and pick the one that

not only makes you feel but makes you feel alive. I get that you can

“love” more than one person but you can only truly be “in love” with

one. Don’t get me wrong, Ben was not an angel in all of this either. But

I appreciated his determination to get what he wanted and his

willingness to let Annie figure things out for herself.

Now I won’t say that I was thrilled with the ending of this book, cause I

wasn’t. But the author was being true to her characters and a HEA just

wouldn’t have fit at this time. So I will be hanging on to the edge of my

seat waiting to see what is next for Annie, Brian and Ben…..hoping all

the while that someday soon Ben will get his HEA too. I cannot

recommend this series enough….so if you haven’t had a chance to read

it…go grab it, its AMAZING!

~ Rating ~

See where it all began……

Synopsis

After a horrible day at work, I came home to find my boyfriend...in a curious position. After determining why he was unhappy, I, Anne Watson, decided to try and fix our broken relationship. My four closest male friends, however, had another idea. Revenge.

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~ Link to Buy ~

Amazon

~ About the Author ~

She loves going to NJ diners on the weekend for inspiration, drinks a pot of coffee a day, and loves finding new

music to add to her playlist. 

Author to Just Good Friends and Winning Back Ryan.

Office Perks, and Sirens and Sweethearts are soon to be released.