VBT: SPOTLIGHT/REVIEW/GIVEAWAY- BULLY BY PENELOPE DOUGLAS

BULLY

BY

PENELOPE DOUGLAS

Title: Bully

Series: A Fall Away Novel, Book #1

Author: Penelope Douglas

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date: June 17, 2013

Tour Organized by: As the Pages Turn

Purchase Link: Amazon eBook I Amazon paperback

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18090508-bully

BULLY SYNOPSIS:

My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all. No, he'll barely even speak to me.

But he still won't leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went to France for a year, just to avoid him.

But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way in hell I'll allow him to ruin my senior year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back. 

*This novel contains adult/mature young adult situations. It is only suitable for ages 18+ due to language, violence, and sexual situations.

**This book is the first in a series but can be read as a STAND ALONE. The next books will focus on side characters from this story.

 

REVIEW

Bully took me through a long, and varied range of emotions while reading it. That being said, I liked it. I thought the author really showed her talent in writing this story. She has a way with words that made this book totally believable.

The authenticity of the bullying in this story was very realistic. I liked the two main characters, Jared and Tate. The author did an excellent job developing these two people. The love/hate between them was palpable, you could feel the emotions swirling off the pages.

Jared had me wanting to choke him, and do violence against him at times. I really didn't know if I was ever going to be able to get into him. But, once you start understanding what happened to him, you start falling for him. He is redeemable.

Tate is a good girl that has had a hard time, but she's resilient. She's beautiful, smart, and a good person. She finds her inner strength though. Jared has put her through hell for years, but she still holds on to some of her feelings from when they were younger.

The sexual angst, and scenes were pretty steamy for a YA/ NA book, but to be honest I don't read that many of them. I could be wrong. The author did write these scenes well. They were heartfelt, and emotional.

I do wish that we could have read some of Jared's POV. I would have liked to see his reasoning, and thought processes for some of his actions. I loved and hated this book. I will be reading the next book in this series tho, so I guess I loved it more then hated it... Ok. I loved it!

4.5 STARS/5

EXCERPT

After coming out wrapped in my towel, I joined the other girls at the lockers, who were mostly dressed and going to dry their hair.

“Get out. Tatum stays.”

I jerked my head up at the masculine voice and audible gasps. I zoned in on Jared….who was in the girls locker room! I clutched my towel, which was still wrapped around my body, and pulled it tighter as I frantically looked around for Coach.

A chill ran over my body. His eyes were on me as he spoke to everyone else, and it made me disgusted with my sex to see how everyone scurried away, leaving me alone with a boy who had no right to be in here.

“Are you kidding me?!” I heaved at him as his advancing steps matched my retreating ones.

“Tatum”–he hadn’t used my nickname Tate since we were kids–“I wanted to make sure I had your attention. Do I have it?” He looked relaxed, his beautiful eyes bore into mine making me feel like there was no one else in the entire world but us.

“Say what you have to say. I’m naked here, and I’m about to scream. This is going too far, even for you!” I stopped retreating, but my frustration was evident as my voice raised and my breathing quickened. Score one for Jared. He’d surprised me, and now I was completely vulnerable. No lifelines and…no clothes.

I clutched the towel at the top of my breasts with one hand and hugged myself with the other. All of my important parts were covered, but the towel rode up just under my butt, leaving most of my legs exposed. Jared narrowed his eyes at me before they began to fall downward….and kept going. My mind swirled and my face flushed with heat as he continued checking me out. His intimidation tactics were stellar.

No smirk accompanied his violation. He didn’t eye-fuck me like Madoc did. His roaming gaze was reluctant, as if it was involuntary. His chest heaved slightly, and his breathing got heavier. Tingles covered my body, and another sensation I was a little pissed off about settled between my legs.

After a few moments, his gaze met mine again. The corners of his mouth turned up.

“You sabotaged my party last week. And you assaulted my friend. Twice. Are you actually trying to assert some force in this school, Tatum?”

“I think it’s about time, don’t you?” Surprising myself, I didn’t blink.

“On the contrary,” he said, leaning his shoulder into the lockers and crossing his arms, “I’ve moved on to more interesting pastimes than punking you, believe it or not. It’s been a very peaceful year without your smug, I’m-too-good-for-everyone-else fucking face around these halls.”

His biting tone was old news, but the words cut me, and I clenched my teeth.

I mocked him with fake concern. “What–are you, big, bad Jared–feeling threatened?” What the hell was I doing? I had an out. He was confronting me. I should be trying to talk to him. Why wasn’t I trying to reason with him?

In an instant, he pushed off the lockers and invaded my space. Walking up to me, he placed his hands against the locker doors on both sides of my head with his eyes glaring down at me. I suddenly forgot how to breathe.

“Don’t touch me.” I’d meant to yell, but it came out as a whisper. Even with my eyes to the floor, I could feel the heat of his stare mauling me as he hovered. Every nerve in my body was on alert at his proximity, and every little hair on my skin stood on end.

Jared moved his head from side to side trying to catch my eyes, his lips inches from my face. “If I ever lay my hands on you,” he said low and husky, “you’ll want it.” He brought his lips in even closer. The heat of his breath covered my face. “Do you? Want it, I mean?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Penelope Douglas is a writer and teacher in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to "just get the degree!" She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she hated Public Administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later they were married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, the show Sons of Anarchy, and she shops at Target almost daily.

AUTHOR CONTACT INFO

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PenelopeDouglasAuthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7139136.Penelope_Douglas

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PenDouglas

Tour wide giveaway:
(3) $25 Amazon gift cards (INTL) and (5) signed copies of BULLY (US/CA). Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST 09/01/2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Tour link schedule: http://tinyurl.com/lo6v769