Contemporary Authors

REVIEW: By Her Touch by Adriana Anders
by Kristie J | Aug 19, 2017 | Review |

Kristie J’s review of By Her Touch (Blank Canvass, Book 2) by Adriana Anders
Contemporary Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 4 April 17
Before I say anything else, go out and buy this book as well as the first in the series, Under Her Skin.  Both are on sale for $.99.  Go do it now!,  I’ll wait.

OK – did you get them?  Good, because you won’t be sorry.  This is the second book and it’s the story of George, who plays a large role in the first book, and Clay, a tortured hero if ever there was one.  George is a dermatologist and one of her specialties is removing unwanted tattoos.  That’s what she did to the heroine of the first book, an equally wonderful story.  She often does it pro bono, which she decided to do for Clay Navarro, an FBI agent who has been deeply undercover as the member of a notorious and vicious motorcycle gang.  He was made just before the gang was arrested and was “tattooed” by a sadist in the gang who wanted to mark Clay before they killed him.
Clay.  Oh my, Clay.  As I said, he’s been deeply undercover as a gang member and as such has had to do some real bad shit.  This haunts him.  He’s also hiding in the small town, partly to have his tattoos removed by George and partly because there is a traitor in the FBI and Clay wants to stay alive so he can testify against them.  Because he was only moments away from death, he suffers from PTSD and can only sleep after downing a good deal of alcohol.  But when he’s with George, she seems to have a very calming effect on him.
He is so wrecked it breaks the reader’s heart.  He has so much going against him.  A few members of the gang escaped and he knows they are trying to find him.  He has the PTSD and the hard-to-miss tats.  The reason he signed up for the assignment is this particular gang was responsible for the death of his sister.  And if all that isn’t heavy enough, in order to successfully infiltrate the gang, he had to really become a gang member, and although he hates them, there is also a bond that he hates.
George has sadness in her life too, though not as much or as heavy as Clay’s.  But because of those things, she has walled herself up and has very little social life and is quietly lonely.  These two wounded souls are perfect for each other.
As I said, you have to also get the first book in this series.  I reread it just before I started this one, even though it hadn’t been that long since I read it the first time, and it was just sweet and tender the second time.  It’s as sweet and tender as this one is.  So if you didn’t get both these books when I first told you too, well, hopefully this review gets you interested enough to get them now.  They are well worth the price.
Grade: A
Summary:
Clay left the Sultans biker gang a changed man. Its ringleaders may be awaiting trial, but he wears the memory of his time in that hell tattooed across his skin. He figures he doesn’t have space in his messed-up life for anything gentle?not now, maybe not ever.
Besides, what woman could possibly want the man he’s become?
Dr. Georgette Hadley is drawn to the damaged stranger’s pain, intimidated but intrigued by the warmth that lies beneath Clay’s frightening exterior. She thrills at the way he gentles at her touch…and under his rough hands, she burns with a passion she never thought she’d know.
But when the Sultans return looking for revenge, Georgette finds herself drawn into the dirty underbelly of a life forged in violence…that not even her touch may be able to heal.

First Look: Adriana Anders’ In His Hands (August 1, 2017)
Cerestheories

In His Hands by Adriana Anders
Adriana Anders
In His Hands (Blank Canvas #3)
Sourcebooks / August 1, 2017 / $7.99 print & digital 
In His Hands, the third in Adriana Anders’s Blank Canvas series, takes elements of her first two books, mixes in wine and a terrifying religious cult, and gives us something undefinable. It’s like a psychological coming-of-age dark romantic suspense. It’s hard to categorize, so this First Look is going to focus on a couple of elements that sets it apart from other books I’ve read.
First things first—all of the trigger warnings: sexual abuse, coercion, physical abuse and assault, children in peril, twisted religious cult.
This isn’t the sort of book I usually pick up, but I really loved Anders’s first two, so I decided to set aside my reservations and give it a shot. It’s the story of Abby, a young woman who is looking for a way to free herself and her friend Sammy, who has Down Syndrome, from a religious cult. The only contact she has with the outside world is occasional glimpses of Luc, a French immigrant who owns a vineyard next door. With the recent death of her church-selected husband (three times her age) and the worsening of Sammy’s seizures, she finds the courage to sneak through the massive fence and over to Luc’s house to ask him for a job. He’s a misanthrope with a squishy center, so things progress as you might expect there.
The entire time they were working together, I had this itchy feeling at the back of my neck. When would they get caught? What was going to happen? Bad things, as you might have predicted. Anders kept me guessing until about 40 pages from the end of the book. With every obstacle to Abby’s freedom (and to Sammy’s freedom), I was more worried that there was no possible good outcome. (Don’t worry, you’ll get an HEA.) Anyway, on to what defines this book.
Physical Pain as a Surrogate for Emotional Pain
Every book in this series so far has been defined in part by some sort of physical trauma. In the first two, characters were tattooed against their will and came to town for tattoo removal. In this one? It’s BRANDING. Have you ever been burned? It’s awful. It’s so so so much more painful than a tattoo. The pain lingers, the scars are permanent, it’s just awful. Abby has been through a lot. Luc lost a finger a few years ago, so he has his own permanent reminder of why he left France, but it’s nothing compared to what Abby’s survived.
Luc talks a lot about Abby’s strength in the book. He’s amazed that she manages to be so kind and honest, after all that she’s endured. While I do think that Abby is a strong character, I also think there’s a strong parallel to some behaviors exhibited by people who cut, pluck, or otherwise inflict physical pain on themselves to achieve distance or relief from their emotional pain. Abby has a constant physical reminder of her suffering, and the way she’s been conditioned to accept it feels like a way for both the cult leaders and for herself to manage her emotional and intellectual needs.
As with the others in this series, Abby’s character arc has to do with reclaiming her body:
“She answered in kind, her body making the decisions. This wasn’t really her.
But my body is me, she recognized. She took the idea and owned it, letting it light her up from the tips of her fingers to the depths of her soul.”
Female Agency that Isn’t Uncoupled from Religion
Abby’s strength doesn’t come from a full-scale throwing off of everything she’s ever known. Her story is unique within the cult because she and her mother didn’t join until she was seven. At that time, she and her mother were starving, living in the back of a car. The religious center was a place of food, community, and stability. It’s understandable why she continues to exhibit loyalty and gratitude.
But, having been accused of “defiling” a young man, forced to give her body to an old man, and then watching him slowly die… Abby has reasonable doubts. Why can’t they use medicine to help Sammy with his seizures? Why is it forbidden for her to speak to outsiders at the market?
Abby’s self-determination is not that of a woman who is denying everything she’s believed, but rather a woman who can see the truth of a thing, the good and the bad, and is choosing what parts to keep.
I won’t lie, this book was hard to read. Cults are real, abuse is real, the incredibly limited options for women who have to start over are real. I did, however, stay up until 2am reading. This book isn’t unlike Abby’s brands, the burn is hot and painful, and stays with you for days afterward. 

Under Her Skin
Adriana Anders

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Uma Crane is on the run from an abusive relationship.  Once upon a time she was a wedding photographer in Northern Virginia, in love with a blue-eyed prosecutor named Joey, who charmed her with his Frank Sinatra-like demeanor.  They were so into one another that each had the other’s name tattooed on their back.  Unfortunately, Uma soon discovered Joey’s possessiveness was poisonous and tried to leave him.  Joey used his city connections to find Uma, whom he then raped and held captive, tattooing her entire body with the word ‘mine’ and smashing her beloved cameras.
Uma broke free and fled back to safety of Blackwood on the other side of Virginia, hoping to take advantage of affordable therapy and medical benefits as well as put some distance between her and Joey. She refuses to be a victim or to tell her mother where she’s going, knowing that would lead Joey to her side; and in fact, a brief phone conversation with her mother leads to a lecture and Joey’s sudden appearance at a temporary shelter. With no way of supporting herself after Joey freezes her bank account, Uma has to take a job looking after a verbally abusive, paranoid and reclusive old woman named Ms. Lloyd.  Her only source of comfort is burly Ivan, the guy next door, a blacksmith with an intimidating look, a primitive house and a heart of gold who takes in stray abuse animals and wrestles at the gym to get rid of his excess anger.   While there are minor bumps in the relationship – she learns that he placed the insulting ad that got her the job and there is some confusion about Ivan’s marital status – Uma is considering a permanent life with Ivan, but Joey is always present in the shadows, lurking and waiting to claim his revenge.
This book could not have divided my emotions more thoroughly.  On one hand, Ms. Anders get a lot of things right about <>.  <> and the horrifying thoughts;, <>, when visiting a doctor to have her tattoos lasered off,  her pursuit of self-defense classes and her panic on seeing men who look like Joey; these all feel like real and true to life reactions. This part of the story would make a fine dramatic novel.  The author is also smart enough to state that Uma has to fix her own problems, rather than be ‘fixed’ by Ivan’s love.  I loved Uma, and I wanted to see her succeed in reclaiming control of her life.  Ms. Lloyd, too, develops into something much deeper as the novel progresses, though she gets an unnecessary eleventh hour abuse-related backstory.
Ive is a nice enough guy who – for some reason – speaks like a film noir detective while comparing Uma’s abusive relationship to the abuse of his favorite dog. Yikes.  I’ve seen many characters like Ive in romancelandia lately – the burly guy with a past whose soft heart is displayed by his love of abused animals and women, who eventually chops off his hair and beard as a show of domestication.  He has a past that I’ll leave up to the reader to discover, but it proves him to be honorable, if claimed by violent instincts.
But the relationship feels more like a problem than anything else, mostly because of how it plays out.  That Uma reclaims her sexuality by having Ive play the submissive is a bit of a pat plot turn.  The sex scenes that follow are loaded with a bizarre sense of self loathing, including Uma thinking to herself in a frenzy that she doesn’t deserve tenderness, only to be used – Ive’s submissiveness mirrors this.  The second time they have sex – non penetrative because he’s forgotten the condom  – she’s imagining him impregnating her.  Does this seem realistic given this is a woman who broke out of an extremely abusive relationship just six months earlier?  The third sex scene, where they explain their scars, works much better.  He doesn’t even know what her middle name is by the end of the book!
The romantic element of the novel feels almost unnecessary given the weight accorded Uma’s character development and the import of her recovery.  I definitely don’t mean to say that victims of abuse wouldn’t have erotic thoughts or vaguely explore their kinks or entertain relationships.  The book would have worked better as a straight-up dramatic novel with a romantic subplot rather than other way around, because the erotic element is so bungled – no more so than when Ive makes an end-of-book decision that leaves the audience slapping their own foreheads in dismay.  This is followed by Uma making an even more credulity straining decision (that it works out for her perfectly is obvious.)  It’s this ending that ultimately resulted in me downgrading the rating.
Under Her Skin is a complicated one for me to rate.  It’s hard to recommend it as a romance, yet it provides a compelling story with sympathetic characters.  In the end it’s both complex and frustrating, interesting and flawed, and annoying but beguiling.

REVIEW: In His Hands by Adriana Anders
Posted September 4th, 2017 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Contemporary Romance, Review / 3 comments
In In His Hands by Adriana Anders is book three in the Blank Canvas series and takes the main characters on an emotional journey filled with many angsty moments. Of course, that’s what to be expected with this author. If you’re familiar with this author than you know you’re going to get a complex read filled with many layers.
Abby Merkley is a member of a church, but it’s more of a cult. When someone disobeys the church, like Abby does, they beat them and brand them, like cattle. The whole reason why Abby leaves the church is to help a little boy who needs medical care, because of course, they don’t believe in medical care. Her own mother believes in the punishment that Abby receives. The majority of the members of the church are brainwashed or afraid to speak out. Abby knows she needs to leave and sets out to do just that.
Luc Stanek is a quiet man. A French man, who grows grapes, to be precise. When Abby arrives on his doorstep looking for a job, he’s baffled. He doesn’t do well with people, but that changes rather quickly with Abby. He doesn’t hesitate to take Abby in when she shows up practically broken. But one man isn’t enough to go up against this type of evil and he has to seek out reinforcements for her.
I could not get into this story, which makes me sad because I loved the previous two books in this series. It was a bit slow moving and took me longer than normal to finish reading it. I had hoped it would pick up and the story would move into a lighter pathway, but it didn’t really do that. Yes, there was a happy ending for Abby and Luc, but I wanted better. Of course, this is only my interpretation of the story and you should totally read it for yourself. The picture the author paints of what happens in this story is very vivid, to where I saw it play out in mind, and maybe that’s why I didn’t love it. Not the type of angst I’m used to reading about. For those who enjoy slow moving stories, that really focus on the characters and their journey, In His Hands might be a good read.
 
Book Info:
Publication: August 1st 2017 | Sourcebooks Casablanca | Blank Canvas #3
He is Her Salvation
Abby Merkley has been a member of the Church of the Apocalyptic Faith since she was a child, and there’s no way out―except death. She will fight the odds to survive, but there’s no one in the world she can trust, nowhere she can run that the cult can’t find her…until her handsome, brooding neighbor takes her into the safety of his arms.
Luc Stanek craves a quiet life. But he doesn’t hesitate when a desperate woman lands, bloodied and branded on his doorstep. Soon he finds himself drawn into her chaotic world, caught in the center of an apocalyptic war…and determined to save the fierce beauty no matter the cost.

REVIEW: By Her Touch by Adriana Anders
Posted April 25th, 2017 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Contemporary Romance, HJ Top Pick!, Review / 6 comments

By Her Touch by Adriana Anders is beautifully written, giving readers <>
Clay Navarro is an undercover cop whose job was to go deep into cover and join a dangerous biker gang. He barely made it out of there with his life. He ended up shot, more tattoos than he wanted, and a memory of all the things he had to endure and all the acts he was forced to perform. To say his life is complicated, is putting it lightly. He tracks down a doctor who will remove the more brutal tattoos from his skin, but he ends up getting more than that.
Dr. Georgette Hadley is a little overwhelmed when Clay shows up at her office. First, Clay is a big man who has tattoos all over his body. He doesn’t offer up any information and she is left guessing that he was in jail and later finds out on her own that he was in a gang. She knows she shouldn’t get too close to this man, but she can’t help herself. There is something about him that calls to her. George needs to remember that he came to her for a reason, but he is a beautiful distraction, that is making it hard for her to stay professional.
“Give me a kiss,” he demanded, and as she watched he softened, his gaze running a tender path from her lips to her eyes and back again.
“Please kiss me.”
Clay was a wonderful character who has so many aspects to him. He’s a good guy despite whatever he did undercover. He went undercover to revenge his sister, so I understand his reasoning for going that deep undercover. It wasn’t easy and it blurred the lines a bit for him, to where he doesn’t exactly know who he is anymore. Thankfully, being with the brilliant doctor shows him his true qualities and with her touch, he’s able to gain more of his life back.
As for George, I loved her. I loved her in the first book and adored her in this one. George knows tragedy all too well, and her ability to help others is admiring. She knows that scars run deep, but she helps others remove the easily visible ones. Of course, in this book we get a more in depth look in George’s life and why she is alone. George and Clay paired really well together and their journey was a happy one, despite everything they had to overcome.
This is book two in the Blank Canvas series and just as amazing as the first book was. For those who enjoy living in the emotions the characters are going through, I would highly recommend this author.
 
Book Info:
Publication: April 4th 2017 | Sourcebooks Casablanca | Blank Canvas #2
He Will Always Bear the Scars
Undercover cop Clay Navarro left the Sultans biker gang a changed man. Its ringleaders may be awaiting trial, but he wears the memory of every brutal act he was forced to commit tattooed across his skin. He doesn’t have space in his messed-up life for anything gentle–not now, maybe not ever.
Dr. Georgette Hadley is drawn to the damaged stranger’s pain, intimidated but intrigued by the warmth that lies beneath Clay’s frightening exterior. But when the Sultans return looking for revenge, she finds herself drawn into the dirty underbelly of a life forged in violence…that not even her touch may be able to heal.

In His Hands
Adriana Anders

Buy This Book
In this standalone novel from Adriana Anders, Abby craves the freedom she believes is just beyond the fence. Raised on a compound belonging to the Church of the Apocalyptic Faith, Abby has known no life outside the cult, but she is absolutely drawn to the strange man growing grapes right next door and has convinced herself he is the key to her future. Luc Stanek wants nothing more than to be left alone and certainly has no desire to tangle with his weird neighbors. But this girl keeps showing up demanding to help him with his grape harvest, and slowly becomes an intrinsic part of his world. In His Hands is the story of two people determined to craft their own futures, who soon find they cannot do that without each other.
This book is something else, reader. I picked it up because I’m fascinated with cults and those who escape from them. The moxie it takes to reject everything you’ve known, all the mind control elements, and say ‘no more’ and pursue freedom is astounding to me and I’m very drawn to narratives about that process. I was curious how it was going to work in a romance context, though, because could I trust a recent cult survivor to have enough mental agency to really make a conscious choice? Could I trust that the consent was real?
The way that Ms. Anders chooses to tell the story completely put my mind at ease regarding all those questions. Abby, we are told quickly and frequently, has been questioning the teachings of the ‘church’ for years before we meet her. Their treatment of marriage abhors her, the patriarchal system of leadership scares her, and she knows she must get out. However, it’s not just about her. There’s a boy that she feels she needs to save. She knows he needs medical attention and won’t get it in the cult – as they don’t believe in medicine – and is determined to get herself and the boy out into the modern world.
The cult knows she’s a threat. She used to be on farmer’s market duty, but Abby was removed from that when she got “too friendly” with the townspeople. She has now been assigned to perimeter control duty – which means walking the fence that separates the compound from the outside world. This shift in duties has only spurred Abby on towards more significant action. She knows she must leave. There is no longer an option.
Luc comes from a prestigious wine dynasty in France, but has eschewed it all to move to this small town, somewhere in the mountains, somewhere in America (I was never 100% clear on the state, if it was mentioned, it was so briefly that I missed it), where the soil is good for grape growing. He’s not interested in making wine, just in growing grapes, and most interested in being left alone.
Everything changes one day when Abby crawls through the fence once morning and demands to be hired to help with his harvest. He fobs her off at first, but she’s persistent. He can tell she’s running from something, but doesn’t want to think about what or why. He can use the help anyway, so he eventually gives in and allows her to come back day after day to complete the grape harvest. By the time the harvest is over, the two are absolutely in a committed relationship but they have no idea that they are.
What happens from there deserves to be left unspoiled, but angst and drama are the orders of the day. There is abuse in this story – because it’s an apocalyptic cult and that’s kind of what they do – but there’s also redemption and agency and love. It’s messy and painful, but lands alive was I rooting for Abby’s healing and Luc’s realization that he can’t do life alone.
In His Hands had a few too many moving parts for me to give it a DIK, but it was a squeaker call between the grades. If this scratches any of your trope itches, I’d pick it up for sure.