Stripped Without You Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt & Giveaway
Author: Brooklyn Skye
Release date: November 30th 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Series: Stripped 1-1.5
Age Group: New Adult
Purchase: Amazon
Add to your library: Goodreads
STRIPPED (a novel)
College freshman Quinn Montgomery will do anything to avoid the mistake her sister made—killing herself over a boy. But when she is forced into nude modeling at a local college to support her family after a bankruptcy, she begins to crack, just enough to let Torrin, the university’s top varsity oarsman, see that the real Quinn is not as feisty and unapproachable as she wants everyone to think. But letting someone in comes at a steep cost and, it turns out, Torrin is connected to Quinn’s family in more ways than she could ever imagine.
WITHOUT YOU (a novella)
She was broken when I met her, shattered from the death of her sister and running from love. Not to sound like an egotistical douche or anything, but I fixed her. Put her back together, filled in the cracks, and made her whole. A true fairytale in her eyes.
But now real life is getting in the way: school, jobs, and the unexpected opportunity to travel the world under a legendary photographer. This internship will open doors not even my father’s influence could. It’s something I’ve been waiting all my life for. But so is Quinn, and accepting this internship will mean leaving her.
And breaking her all over again. (via Goodreads)
I was wondering why my copy started with Stripped. I only realized now that Stripped Without You is Stripped plus Without You. I know, stupid. So I'm only writing my review here for Without You then I'm posting a link to my Stripped review down below.
I wished Without You was longer. I know it is just a novella but it really is too short for me. Or am I just really craving for more? Still, I enjoyed and liked it.
The story started out a few months after Quinn and Torrin started going out as a couple. It was so nice reading about them again. We all know that Torrin is a photography enthusiast so it's no wonder why he applied for that internship. The problem was he didn't tell Quinn about it. When he was accepted, it was a big decision for him whether to go even if it means leaving Quinn or stay to be with her and give up his dreams.
Of course, they had their battles. But that's the reason I felt that it was too short. I needed more. More of their encounters even after Torrin accepted the internship. Or maybe more days before Torrin went away. Somehow, I felt like it can already just be added to Stripped. Or that it was fast forward.
But hey, it made me feel that the two of them have somehow changed over a few months. Some scars have already healed and some were still healing. It's a process and they were both there for each other so it's really cool. And honestly, Torrin is really such a guy. Damn, where can we see Torrin here? What he did for Quinn was really sweet and utterly selfless. Sure, Quinn too was selfless by letting Torrin realize his own dreams. They both wanted the best for each other! In the end, Quinn and Torrin were able to sort things out together. And I'm glad they'll live happily together.
Oh and read my review for Stripped.
Stripped Without You is a nice novel about two people finding love despite the unusual circumstances they were given.
Excerpt
I close my eyes against the feeling that the whole building is pressing down on my chest, at the same time remembering something Quinn said to me when we first met.
Only those who avoid love and can avoid grief.
Her reasons for avoiding love were different back then; she thought her sister killed herself over a guy, but... I don't know, maybe Quinn was on to something; staying miles away fro, the one thing that's capable of making her feel like she's actually dying. Make me feel like dying. Like my heart's being ripped from my chest. Hollowing me out, emptying my veins until nothing but a fragile shell is left behind.
I rest my forehead against the locker, my hot breath mingling with cold metal. Water drips down my back, the ghost of a touch like one of Quinn's fingertips. The whisper of her breath I may never feel again.
The heel of my palm slams numbly into the locker, echoing an angry blow throughout the small, stuffy room. No one's around so I do it again. And again. I don't know who to hate more; I don't know who to blame for this ugliness inside me.
My hand balls into a fist, ready to strike again when, suddenly, Quinn's tiny hands grab my wrists. I flinch at her touch, the way her soft fingers squeeze and restrain against the last bit of will that courses through my body. Dressed now, she looks up at me, eyes and lips flat and unsmiling.
"Torrin," she whispers, stepping closer. Her leg brushes mine and if it were anyone else, I'd fight. Push away. Leave.
But not with her.
Never her.
"Please don't say anything," I say. More words linger under my breath, jagged and raw.
I love you.
You are my everything.
Don't walk away.
I look into her eyes, try to memorize them without the glisten of tears and etch of lines crawling out from the corners...blurring through my own tears. She blinks, and a tiny teardrop slides onto her cheek.
"Torrin," she says, louder and with more strength. Taking a deep breath she squares her shoulders, letting her arms fall to her sides and looks me dead-on--cold and hard just like the first time I met her. "You can't say."
"Goddamit, Quinn. I'm not leaving you."
Eyes wide, she eases a step back.
I inhale a measured breath, focus on lowering my voice and continue. "Don't you see? You are far more important than any job--any photography or not." I slide my fingers between hers and gesture to the opening between us. "This, right here...us...I'm not willing to give up. I don't want to go."
A short, soundless moment pulses--long enough that I think she might be accepting my words--until she blinks and says, "Have you ever heard yourself talk about photography? The passion in your voice, Torrin, it's unmistakable. It's the type of passion tht drives people like you to go on and do amazing things with their talent." A look of finality washes over her face, erasing every bit of feeling from her features. "Not something to be wasted on me."
She heads for the door to the hallway, the edges of her skirt clinging to her still-damp skin. The door swishes closed behind her, and I let my eyes drift to the moisture-stained ceiling.
My head against the wall, I close my eyes. Is what she said true? I'm trying to stay because I don't want to leave her here alone? Instead of wanting to stay to be with her?
But she's not alone. She's got her family a few miles away, her roommate, Nikki, who should be back from Vermont any day now, other friends in her dorm....
Quietly, I pad into the pool room, get dressed, and retrieve my phone. I hit redial on the New York number from yesterday. The line rings twice, and then a squeaky voice answers.
"Ms. Mann?"
"This is she."
"This is Torrin Kingsley. I've made my decision."
About the Author
Brooklyn Skye grew up in a small town where she quickly realized writing was an escape from small town life. Really, she’s just your average awkward girl who’s obsessed with words. Her Best Selling New Adult debut, STRIPPED, is out NOW! Represented by Bree Ogden of D4EO Literary Agency.
