Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for J.A. Huss' TAUT: The Ford Book. My stop includes all the pertinent details for the book, my review, a teaser, the trailer, and a giveaway.
This tour is presented by Xpresso Book Tours. To check out all the stops along the tour, click here.
***
TAUT: The Ford Book by JA Huss
(Rook and Ronin Spin-off)
Published January 20, 2014
Contemporary, Erotic Romance, New-ish Adult
Source: I did receive an eARC, but I also purchased my own copy
Synopsis:
TAUT IS A STANDALONE NOVEL - you do NOT have to read any of the Rook and Ronin books first.
Ford Aston is known for many things. Being an emotionless, messed up bastard, a freakishly smart social outcast, and a cold, domineering master who keeps "pets" instead of girlfriends.
And after Rook broke his heart, he plans to keep it that way.
Ashleigh is known for nothing, and that's exactly what she's got going for her. She's broke, stranded in the mountains with a three month old baby, and Ford Aston is screwing with her head.
Big. Time.
And she plans to mess with his right back.
It's a coy game at first, filled with flirting, and innuendo--but Ford soon realizes something is not quite right with Ashleigh. In fact, something is seriously, seriously wrong and the closer they get to their final destination, the closer Ford gets to the truth.
One night of devastation, self-loathing, and emptiness turns into the best thing that ever happened to Ford Aston. But one day of in-your-face reality threatens Ashleigh's whole existence.
******
Since A LOT of people have been asking here is the scoop on how this book fits in with my Rook & Ronin series:
Ford first appears in Rook and Ronin #2, Manic. He has a bigger role in Panic, R&R #3, and then he has a novella, called SLACK. This TAUT book is only FORD. It's not really part of the R&R series, as that plot has all been sidelined for this one romance book.
**Trailer**
**TEASER**
**Thanks to Amber Jacobsen for the graphic.**
**Please note that you do not have to have read the Rook & Ronin series prior to reading Taut. Taut is a standalone novel. But honestly, reading Rook & Ronin really does increase the reading pleasure of Taut.**
Y'all know I love, adore, worship J.A. Huss. With Taut, I think she's kinda outdone herself. I don't know what it is about this book - maybe it's simply that I know Ford so well at this point that seeing this deeply into his psyche is that much more pleasurable. Whatever is is, I love, love Taut and I love Ford and all his many peculiarities.
Ford, for those of you who haven't read the Rook & Ronin series, is a genius. He's a genius with few social skills. He's a genius who puts his talents to use in hacking into powerful peoples' business for purely philanthropic reasons. He's also a film director. And he doesn't do relationships, although he would have made an exception for Rook, if she hadn't been Ronin's.
Ashleigh is dealing with some major life tumult. She's traveling alone with her baby, trying to make her way to see the father of her child one last time. She meets Ford when her car dies and leaves her stranded in Vail. Is it fate?
Taut has so many shocking revelations. There were many 'oh my's and 'what the?'s and *gasp* 'Oh no!'s. I'm not going to dwell on the plot though. You can read the synopsis above. I'd rather tell you about how Taut made me feel.
One thing I realized about Ford in Taut? Ford is really looking for someone who needs him and who he can help to be strong and fulfill their potential...and I realized that's exactly what he needs as well.
Another thing I realized is how others' perceptions of us can affect our perception of ourselves. Ford perceives himself as weird, off-putting...a freak. But he's really none of those things. Others have formed that impression of him, and because they see him in those ways, he's decided he is that way.
Ashleigh...well I'm going to love any girl who can steal Ford's heart. She's obviously going through a lot of stuff - I mean she's on a road trip, alone, with a baby. But this girls seems to have some pluck. She definitely keeps Ford on his toes. I really liked that she was genuine. She generally told Ford - straight-up - how things were. And with him, she usually gave as good as she got.
Ashleigh is intuitive - she seems to really get Ford. She's crumbling his walls - over-stepping his boundaries and he doesn't even know it. It was so much fun watching Ford try to put Ashleigh into one of his categories, especially since she doesn't fall neatly into any one.
I love the symbolism in the titles of Ford's books ~ Slack and Taut. It didn't occur to me that they were opposite in meaning until I was already reading Taut. But Ford's life was slack, as was Ashleigh's. Together, they brought each other taut - made each other stronger.
Taut is an incredible read. I adored watching Ford grow and learn about himself a bit. And I loved seeing Ashleigh be able to begin to heal with a little help from Ford. I think this may be my favorite book in the Rook & Ronin world, and it's all because of Ford. The emotion evoked in this book off the charts. And I'm forever a Ford girl...pet...er, lover. :)
If y'all haven't had the pleasure of reading the Rook & Ronin Trilogy, where you meet the incredible Ford Aston, there's no better time than the present. During the TAUT tour, Tragic, Manic, and Panic are all **ON SALE** for 99 cents each!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).
She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.
