October 4, 2014

Blog Tour Book Review: Beneath This Mask by Meghan March

at 10/04/2014 06:53:00 PM

Synopsis

My name is Charlotte Agoston, and I’m a runner. Not the ‘let’s go for a jog and slap a 26.2 sticker on your bumper’ kind of runner; I’m the kind of runner who takes off when her father is staring down the barrel of a guilty verdict that carries a 175-year sentence for perpetrating the largest fraud in the history of the world. That’s right. Bernie Madoff was an amateur compared to Alistair Agoston.

Faced with living under a cloud of suspicion and constant questioning by the FBI, I ran. I’m making a new life in New Orleans as Charlie Stone. I traded my future in New York high finance for tattoos, booze, a few friends who don’t ask questions, and one giant mutt named Huckleberry Finn. Everything is simple and uncomplicated until Simon Duchesne—former hotshot Navy fighter pilot, NOLA’s favorite son, city councilman, and rumored congressional hopeful—walks into my life.

The flashing cameras he attracts threaten to expose everything I’m hiding, but I can’t seem to stay away. Why are the most dangerous ideas always the most seductive?

In trying to get lost, I found myself. And then I found Simon. He loves me, and he doesn’t even know my real name. I’m going to break his heart, but mine will shatter right along with it. This is our story.

Will we be strong enough to face the consequences of revealing what’s beneath this mask?

 Goodreads

Excerpt

He reached a hand back and tugged his shirt over his head. I drank in his tanned skin and rippling muscles. He truly was a beautiful man. He kicked off his shoes and knelt at my feet to pull off my Chucks without untying the laces. It was a staggering realization to my champagne-soaked brain that he might have noticed I never untied them. What other details about me had he noticed that no one else would? I was crazy to think he’d never find out the truth. I never shouldve let it get this far. But how could I stop myself? He was so ... perfectly imperfect, and I wanted all of him. For every second I could steal.
He reached for his belt and paused. “I’m staying tonight.” It wasn’t a question.
“Okay.” I reached for the hem of my shirt and started to drag it upward. He reached out, covering my hand with his to stop me.
“But if you take that off, I’m not going to be able to stop myself from having you.”
“Good.” I yanked at his grip, trying to get the shirt off.
He squeezed my hand. “No. Not tonight. The first time we’re together, you’re going to be stone cold sober, because I want you to remember every single thing I do to you.”
My insides turned hot and liquid. A pulse thrummed between my legs. “You already told me you’d put out. No take backs. It’s not fair.”
He leaned down and brushed his five o’clock shadow against my cheek before saying into my ear, “Tough shit.”
He pulled back, and I stuck out my lip and pouted. Simon caught it between his teeth and tugged before releasing it. “So fucking tempting. You have no idea.” He spun and looked at my bureau. “Pajama pants? And I know you own them. I distinctly recall a striptease that involved a pair.”
I huffed. “Second drawer from the bottom.” He opened the drawer, pulled out a silky pink pair, and tossed them at me.
“I’ll be right back. You better not be naked.”
“You’re such a hardass prude, Mr. Duchesne.” He took a step toward the doorway and gripped the top of the frame. His tongue swiped across his bottom lip, and his hazel eyes shifted from playful to serious.
“You’re worth the wait.”
He walked out of the room, and I heard the bathroom door shut.
I clutched the pajama pants in my fist as my heart tumbled further down the path of no return. A single thought crystallized in my head: Fuck. I could fall in love with this man.

My Review

This book was certainly a good read. We start with the MFC (Main Female Character) Charlotte, aka Charlie, who's the daughter of a Bernie Murdoch-esque type criminal. At the beginning of the book, shit has hit the fan as Charlie's father is on trial for fraud. The rose-colored glasses are off and she sees him for the first time. After her testimony at his trial, she makes a break for a new life. This part was iffy for me. As a fan of cop dramas, it doesn't matter if you're not the only on trial. If you run away from your old life, you look guilty. Granted, Charlie didn't want to be associated with her family anymore, but this will definitely make things harder later on in the book. As her new identity, Charlie Stone, she works as in a tattoo parlor and a doggie daycare. All tattooed arms and multi-dyed hair, she fits into the New Orleans scene just fine. Along with her dog Huck, Charlie stays on the down low and does just fine, until...

BOOM! Simon, the MMC (Main Male Character), shows up to the parlor with his two other buddies, drunk of their asses. It was a mini bar-hopping bachelor party. From the moment they meet, a spark and pull was obvious. Charlie is a smart cookie and her sense of self-preservation is screaming at her that Simon is bad for her, but attraction wins. Their relationship starts out rockier than the best rocky road ice cream. Simon, despite the well-to-do way be was brought up, is a genuinely good guy who on occasions has sex with random women, but with Charlie he feels something different. Not to mention he's a total hottie. His profile would be right for Charlie's former life, but in her new one, all she sees is a probable one night stand. But Simon will have none of that. There are major roadblocks in their continuing relationship. 

First there's Con. Super hot, tattooed, stallion in the sack and Charlie's boss at the tattoo parlor. He and Charlie have previously had no strings attached sex before Simon came along, but it was more than just sex. Con might look mean and scary, but he's supportive and protective of Charlie. I was already half in love with him by the end of the book. I'm super happy he's getting his own book. ekkkkkk I can't wait. Other minor characters were Yve, Charlie's boss at the doggie day care, Delilah, a tattoo artist, Simon's parents and Charlie's landlady. Each character has their own distinct personality and each on every quirky. The last third of the book took a sudden and horrifying turn, but I'm glad everything worked out. You have to read this book to find out what happened. 

Buy Links





Trailer


Author Bio and Links


Meghan March is a Michigan native who has spent a good portion of her life buried in a book. Case in point: she read the entire romance section of her small town public library by age fourteen. Even after growing up (sort of) and getting a law degree, she never lost her passion for a great story, twisty plot, epic romance, and amazing characters. When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading, target shooting, drooling over fast cars, playing with her crazy mutt, or hanging with her very own sexy bad boy.

Giveaway

The author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a signed paperback of BTM

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