Book Blast/ Review: Pieces For You by Genna Rulon

Title: Pieces For You
Series: For You #2
Published: December 17, 2013
ISBN: 9780615928
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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"The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” -Miguel de Cervantes

Samantha Whitney survived unimaginable tragedy only to discover she had been betrayed by a man who claimed to love her. Shattered, Sam spends months at a safe haven trying to piece herself back together. Ready or not, the time has come for her to return home.

As Sam struggles to resume a life that no longer feels familiar, she finds unwavering support in an unexpected, familiar face. Confronting Sam’s raw emotions and open wounds head-on, Griffin manages to take two steps forward for every step she retreats.

But when Sam is once again threatened, Griffin must decide how far he is willing to go to protect the woman he wants…knowing the cost of her safety is the risk of losing her.

Pieces For You is a captivating journey of survival, healing, and sacrifice—teeming with honesty, humor, unexpected twists, and love’s unsurpassed endurance.

• This story is appropriate for readers 18+
• Though Only For You is a part of the For You Series, the book can be read as a stand-alone.

He smelled so damn good, clean with a hint of masculine sweat, a temptation I couldn’t resist. Beyond my control, my tongue darted out of my mouth and covertly tasted the section of chest exposed above his tank. Oh God, he tasted even better than he smelled, like a chocolate-covered pretzel—sweet, salty, and addictive.

“Did you just…lick me?” he asked, sounding both shocked and amused.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You licked me. I felt it,” he accused, but I noticed he wasn’t complaining.

“Your imagination is running wild because of all the workout endorphins.”

“It wasn’t a complaint. In fact, you’re welcome to have another taste.”

“Fine…I licked you. But it was an involuntary reflex—hot guy, exposed chest…you know how it is.”

“Mmm,” he replied, his eyes darkening with lust. “I am familiar with the temptation, but it’s not a hot guy who’s testing my self-control…it’s a petite, auburn-haired vixen.”

I made my way to the kitchen where I spotted Everleigh perched on Hunter’s lap as he fed her an omelet. I grabbed a Greek yogurt from the fridge before joining them at the kitchen table.

“I think I liked you better when you were all reserved and aloof…this touchy-feely Hunter is kind of freaking me out,” I teased.

In reality, I was overjoyed to see my best friend finally receiving the affection and love she deserved. Ev and Hunter’s journey to couplehood had been fraught with secrecy and delayed gratification. At one point, I had debated drugging them both and throwing them into bed together to speed up the process. I was getting sexually frustrated just watching their self-denial…I’m not sure how Ev didn’t combust.

“You are just jealous you don’t have one of Hunter’s famous omelets. My man has many talents—big, impressive talents.”

“Are you offering me a sample of Hunter’s impressive talent?”

Ev nearly spit the coffee out of her mouth. “Paws off lady, I don’t share.”

“You always did monopolize all the good toys when we were kids, never sharing your Malibu Barbie.”

“For the hundredth time, you had the same freaking Malibu Barbie, along with her Malibu mansion, convertible, coordinating wardrobe, scooter, and whatever other accessories Mattel had marketed that year. There was no reason for you to want my Malibu Barbie,” Ev returned with exasperation. This was an ancient debate, which may pre-date the conflict in the Middle East.

“But your Malibu Barbie had a couture hand-sewn wardrobe and Meme painted Barbie’s nails with that little marker—so stylish…so me.”

“And then mom sewed a coordinating wardrobe for your Barbie and painted her nails. There was no difference.”

“But your Barbie was the first, the trendsetter. Mine was just a copycat wannabe.” Ev threw her hands in the air dramatically. “I give up! Fine, you want my Malibu Barbie? We can switch. Will that make you happy and finally end this ridiculous debate?”

“No need, I switched them during a sleepover one night. I’ve had the innovative fashionista for the last thirteen years.”

“Are you freaking kidding me? You stole my Barbie? What is wrong with you?” she asked, no longer pretending to be annoyed by our age-old dispute…oops, I probably shouldn’t have fessed up to that particular truth.

I shrugged. “Sorry, but you really didn’t appreciate her. You didn’t even notice when I made the swap—what kind of mother are you?”

Ev lunged across the table and would have caught me if Hunter’s arm hadn’t locked around her waist and hauled her back into his lap.

“Why you—“ Ev didn’t get the chance to finish what was sure to be a scathing reprimand because Hunter’s mouth was on hers in the blink of an eye, distracting her with what I can only say was impressive technique.

When he finally broke the kiss, Ev was glassy-eyed and breathless. “Would you like an omelet, Sam?” Hunter asked as if he had not just laid a scorching kiss on my best friend seconds before. Bravo, Hunter, bravo.

“You are not preparing breakfast for that…that…Barbie snatcher. Come on, Mr. FBI Man, can’t you drag her down to headquarters and charge her with something? She may have even departed the country with Barbie at some point. That’s a federal offense—do something useful with that badge of yours.”

Hunter rose, somehow managing to hoist Everleigh over his shoulder, and started down the hall.

“Excuse us, Sam. Your best friend evidently needs a reminder of how useful I can be.”

I could hear Ev’s half-hearted protests as Hunter shut her bedroom door. I laughed aloud at their antics. Ev was one of the most determined people I had ever met. She could easily steamroll over most adversaries. It was divine intervention that she fell head over heels for the one man who could best her. He challenged her and she loved every minute of it. They were a unit, stronger together than their individual halves.

Author Bio:

Genna Rulon is an up-and-coming contemporary romance author who loves nothing more than a good love story.

During her 15 years in the corporate world, Genna, inspired by her love of reading, fantasized about penning her own stories. Encouraged by her favorite authors, many of whom are indie writers and self-published, she committed to pursue her aspirations of writing her own novels.

Genna was raised on Long Island in New York, where she still resides, surrounded by the most amazing family and friends. Married to a wonderful man who patiently tolerates her ramblings about whichever book she is currently working on, even feigning interest relatively convincingly! Genna is blessed with two little boys who do their best to thwart mommy's writing time with their hilarious antics and charming extrapolations.

All of Genna’s reviews are brought to you courtesy of copious amounts of coffee and Disney Junior (something has to entertain the boys when mommy is writing).

This was an excellent sequel to the first book. I absolutely LOVE that the author picked right back up from the last book. I don't like time in between books. It aggravates me. So Pieces For You started of with Sam at the rehab center, where she was seeking therapy for a horrible rape that she endured. And during the rehab time in this book, you read it as her journal entries. I enjoyed getting in her head, but I was a bit afraid that the whole book would be that way. Lucky for me, it wasn't.

Because Sam is a rape victim, this book was really sad. You go through her healing process with her. And even though I knew Sam was a fictional character, I found myself rooting for her. I was mentally pushing her because I didn't want her to let her rape define her. But Sam will surely surprise you. Her healing process was hard but she was really strong. And I'm so happy the author didn't let her break down. 

As hard as her healing process was, Sam's old self kept peeking through every so often. That gave me lots of faith for her. And I liked those scenes. I especially loved and enjoyed the scenes between Sam and her best friend Everleigh. those scenes always made me laugh. Sam and Ever have been best friends since they were children, but they couldn't be more sisters even if they don't shared the same DNA. 

So much happens in this book. Sam goes through therapy and I really loved her therapist. She pushed Sam but she didn't treat her like she was fragile or broken. So their scenes were good too. And then there's Griff. Griff is described as big and sexy. And I absolutely loved the way he felt for Sam. He was her definite soulmate and I wanted them together. And at some point, I wanted to reach out to the author and tell her, if Sam and Griff don't get together, write me into the story and hook me up!! LOL. 

Overall, this book was safely paced. Nothing was rushed. Sam's attitude was positive. Though she was a victim, she was strong. I loved her spunky personality and her bluntness. She has made me literally laugh out of loud from all her TMI (Too Much Information) I hope there's a third book coming soon because Genna introduced us to a character called Meg and I'm really interested in her story.

Pieces For You deserves a 5 stars and a definite Good Choice for Reading!!