Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ Fading Out ~ Trisha Wolfe

Fading Out releases TODAY! Happy Release Day, Trisha Wolfe!

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Fading Out. Below you'll find all the details about the book and Living Heartwood series, as well as my review, and a giveaway. To follow along the tour, you can find the schedule here.

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Fading Out
Living Heartwood #3
Release Date: February 18, 2015
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy, as part of the blog tour, in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Goodreads ~ Amazon

SynopsisLove means fading out so another shines brighter.

Right clothes. Right school. Right fiancé. As a Wyndemere, Arian’s expected to abide by the rules. The most important: be perfect. But Arian’s seemingly flawless life is far from it. An embarrassing expulsion from her parents’ alma mater spirals an already unhealthy obsession out of control, exposing a dark truth.

Faced with having to attend a small private college after a stint in rehab, Arian’s just ready to coast under the radar and repair some of the wreckage, but her father’s looming control is like a vise choking off her air supply.

When a run-in with Braxton’s beloved star quarterback, Ryder Nash, puts Arian squarely in the crosshairs of his devoted teammates, the last of her controlled, orderly world unhinges. As the pranks and paybacks escalate, Arian and Ryder’s rivalry takes a passionate turn. And once Arian glimpses beneath the all-star-athlete exterior Ryder projects, she realizes he’s far more than just a jock.

As their relationship intensifies, outside forces feel the threat. Outrunning their pasts doesn’t mean history won’t repeat itself, but Ryder can’t let that happen. He’s just one Championship game away from breaking the mold. Only one moment, one choice, might change everything.

Told from both Arian's and Ryder's POV. New Adult Contemporary Romance intended for readers 17 years of age and older.

Other Books in the Living Heartwood Series

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The Darkest Part
Living Heartwood #1

Can be read as stand-alone.

Synopsis
Pressing the boundaries of both the psyche and the heart, Sam and Holden embark on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of love.

Sam Wintry’s life used to be almost perfect. She was engaged to her childhood best friend and high school sweetheart, Tyler Marks, planning an amazing cross-country honeymoon during her college break. But after a hit-and-run leaves her in ruin, she begins seeing Tyler’s fractured, ghostly presence, and her family believes she’s losing her mind. Not until she completes their journey, stopping along the way to scatter Tyler's remains, will Tyler be able cross over. Only...is Sam ready for him to leave her?

When the black sheep of the Marks' family, Holden Marks, returns to check on Tyler's case, Sam convinces him to give her his brother's ashes. Despite their shaky history, she needs him...plus, he owes it to Sam and his brother. What she doesn’t count on is Holden’s relentlessness to go on the trip. 

On the road, Holden realizes just how unhinged Sam has become. Dealing with her psychosis forces him to confront his dark past, making it harder to keep secrets hidden that should remain buried. Especially from Sam, the only woman he’s ever loved. And as Sam starts to unravel the truth, she begins to question if the brother she's unwillingly falling for again is in an even darker place than her.

Add to your Goodreads list!



Losing Track
Living Heartwood #2

Can be read as stand-alone.

Synopsis
Sometimes you have to lose your way before finding the right track.

The roar of a bike engine. The vibration between her thighs. The feel of cool darkness kissing her skin as she coasts along twisty back roads at night—Melody Lachlan lives for these things. Ever since Mel and her best friend Darla escaped their small, backwoods town, they’ve traveled the countryside in search of fast rides, tatted bikers, and good times.

A self-proclaimed poet and lover of all things free, Mel views her life as one long bike ride—with pit stops along the way to numb the pain. But she never saw herself as a junkie. Party as hard as you ride. That’s her motto...until a tragic night steals her soul. Then she’s forced to delve below the surface, to where her demons rage.

When she meets recovered drug addict Boone Randall, she’s more likely to deck him than kiss his dimple-adorable face. She doesn’t want his help; doesn’t want to own up to her part in that night. She just wants to do her time and keep her promise to her friend. Yet Boone challenges Mel, and soon she doesn’t mind sharing the road. Only when Boone’s own secret demons threaten their newfound, fragile security, Mel’s course becomes rocky, and she must decide if letting her well-worn track marks fade is worth finding a new path.

Told from Dual point of view from Melody and Boone, this is a New Adult Contemporary Romance intended for readers seventeen years of age and older.

Add to your Goodreads list!

The Living Heartwood series 

The Darkest Part (Book 1) – Amazon / Goodreads

Losing Track (Book 2) – Amazon / Goodreads

Fading Out (Book 3) –Amazon / Goodreads

Bad Road (Book 4) – Goodreads (Coming 2015)

Fading Out is another incredible installment in the Living Heartwood series. Wolfe is adept at creating these layered, flawed characters that you can't help but root for. Fading Out is a story where 

"'Every protagonist has to make a choice, right?' He looks down at me, his lips spreading into a beautiful smile. 'As long as they can justify their motivation.'" -Ryder

and I was pulling for both Ari and Ryder.

We met Arian "Ari" Wyndemere in Losing Track where she was Mel's roomie in rehab. We don't learn much about her other than she's much deeper than she seems. And indeed she is. Ari is from a wealthy family. She has all sorts of pressure to fit a particular image, never show weakness, convey at least the image of perfection. This, naturally, causes Ari to be an anxious mess. She doesn't handle the anxiety well -- in fact, it's caused an "unhealthy obsession." Ari is actually strong -- feisty -- and very smart. She's just allowed her family so much control over her life that she feels out of control -- and therefore, exerts control in the only way she can. She's lost her sense of self -- until she meets Ryder.

Ryder Nash is a star quarterback, headed for the pros. He works tirelessly towards perfecting his game. He has a rather large chip on his shoulder over things from his past and he's out to prove...something. What he's trying to prove and to whom is open to debate. Meeting Ari makes him dream of more than football. Ryder is not your average jock -- he's smart and creative. He just needs to show Ari there's more to him than what he puts on the field.

Seeing Ari and Ryder spar in the early stages was fun. He really did ignite her fire when all she'd wanted to was remain invisible. He seemed to know the right thing to say to set her off. I wish we'd seen a little more of their bonding -- the things that happened off the page -- to make what they had more solid. At one point, Ryder said he should have known something, but I was left thinking "how?" We weren't privy to seeing why he'd feel that way.

Both Ari and Ryder have grown up dealing with lofty expectations of them -- expectations placed on them by their family, by society, and themselves. It doesn't matter that they are from different worlds. Wolfe illustrates that this is a universal reality. She again uses the metaphor of the heartwood of a tree in relation to people -- how we're flawed but 

"'it's the imperfection that makes you, you. Don't kill off your heartwood--the imperfect, flawed, dark part of you...because even a tree needs its heart to live, Ari. Without it, it would just be a hollow shell.'" - Mel

Ari and Ryder's journey towards finding themselves was one fraught with ugly revelations about themselves and those they love.

"'We do what we feel we must for those we love, even when those we love have no idea that what they're asking us to sacrifice is slowly killing us.'" -Ari

But ultimately, the journey was fulfilling - not to mention left me a puddle of emotion. Wolfe allowed me to travel along with Ari and Ryder and I'm grateful to have been there.

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From an early age, Trisha Wolfe dreamed up fantasy worlds and characters and was accused of talking to herself. Today, she lives in South Carolina with her family and writes full time, using her fantasy worlds as an excuse to continue talking to herself.

For more information on Trisha Wolfe and her works, please visit: www.trishawolfe.com.

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