Sawyer Bennett

In the steamy and suspenseful sequel to Sugar Daddy (“A totally gripping take on romance and revenge!”—Lauren Blakely), a heartbreaking rift threatens to unravel a dangerous alliance . . . and a fragile new love. After posing as an escort for the Sugar Bowl online dating service, Sela Halstead is looking for one thing: payback. She’s closing in on the site’s heartless founder, Jonathon Townsend, and she needs Beckett North, Townsend’s business partner and her lover, by her side. She’d thought that their intimate nights together had forged an unbreakable bond, but after a shocking betrayal, Sela begins to doubt the brilliant bad boy. When push comes to shove, can she trust Beck to do the right thing? Now that he understands the truth, Beck will stop at nothing to secure the reckoning Sela deserves. But between his desire for her and his disgust for JT, Beck doesn’t exactly have a lot of control over his emotional state. Left with no other choice, he must summon all his discipline to maintain JT’s trust and pretend that they’re still friends. But how far will Beck go to prove his loyalty to Sela? He nearly lost her once. To keep her, Beck might have to kill for her. The Arizona Vengeance series from New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett can be read together or separately: BISHOP ERIK LEGEND And don’t miss her Carolina Cold Fury novels: ALEX GARRETT ZACK RYKER HAWKE MAX ROMAN LUCAS VAN REED MAREK The Love Hurts series features sexy standalone novels: SEX IN THE STICKS JILTED And the Sugar Bowl series is one treat you’ll want to read in order: SUGAR DADDY SUGAR RUSH SUGAR FREE “One of the best voices in contemporary romance.”—New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne Praise for Sugar Rush “Brilliant and heart-wrenching, with more twists and turns than a hedge maze,Sugar Rush will keep you up until the wee hours of the night.”—New York Times bestselling author Melanie Moreland “Sugar Daddy hooked me. Sugar Rush left me hungry for more. And Sugar Free can’t get into my hands soon enough! Raw, real, and deliciously sexy, the Sugar Bowl series is a must-read!”—Stacey Kennedy, USA Today bestselling author of the Club Sin series Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

A Sugar Bowl Novel

Sugar Rush

Bethany Lacey

ARC exchanged for an honest review.

Link to Blog:  http://laceysloveofliterature.blogspo...

I can't believe I was chosen to receive an ARC days after only reading the first book in this outstanding series. I was so stoked! Literally bouncing about and squealing in happiness ensued. 

So, this book picks straight up from where the last book left us (thank god!) It begins seconds after that horrible cliff-hanger in the first book. What I love about this book is that there's no long drawn-out unnecessary drama between Beck and Sela. The whole mess is resolved quite quickly, and then we're right back into the thick of things; this time with Beck helping Sela to bring JT down.

This is another book in this series with more unexpected twists. Half the stuff I didn't see coming and was left completely gobsmacked for a while (no joke). Like that familial twist. Or the door. And you know what door I'm talking about. I was so shocked and confused. I didn't any of the twists and because of how juicy this book/series is it wasn't long before I was flicking through pages to get it finished.

On a separate side note I'd like to address Sawyer Bennett's realistic take on the severity of rape and the long consequences and effects due to this. I'm not a radical feminist. Hell, I wouldn't even call myself a feminist. I believe in equality for all, but it has to be said that the way Sawyer Bennett addresses the issue of rape towards women, and the way the blame is left at the woman's feet, in this series is outstanding. I love how in this series Sawyer Bennett deals with the emotional repercussions of rape years down the line. In today's society, women are taught to expect to be raped if they act and look a certain way. For instance, being drunk and dressing provocatively is apparently a girl's way of "asking to be raped!" which is total crap! Women get drunk and dress provocatively to have fun, because it makes them feel good. They do it for themselves, not for people to take advantage of, then lay the blame at the victim's feet. Through Sela's self-blame and hatred of that, Sawyer Bennett deals with this very public issue. Sela was 16 at the time of her rape, and just because she flirted with a guy at a party and was slightly intoxicated does not mean she was asking to be brutally gang-raped. She lay the blame at her own feet because she decided to get high and flirt with a boy. That does not make it her, the victim's, fault. This is a very serious issue in our society today, and the way Sawyer Bennett addresses it is amazing. She deserves much commendation for it!

Lastly, I need to warn you guys that this book ends in another cliff-hanger. So, if you hate cliff-hangers like me you are sufficiently warned.

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If you read my review of Sugar Daddy, you know how much I enjoyed this darker, grittier side of Sawyer Bennett and just how desperate I was to get my hands on this book, the second in the series. It took me a little longer to get around to reading it than I suspected it would, but holy hell... it was worth the wait. 

Sugar Rush picks immediately after the end of Sugar Daddy and I was grateful for that. There was a fairly brutal cliffhanger at the end of that one and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I was disappointed, ever so briefly, in Beck's actions but it didn't take all that long for him to win me back over. Despite what I find to be a pretty creepy occupation, he is a damn good guy. He's good for Sela, too. And after all she's been through — which we learn even more about during this book — she deserves a good guy. 

Once I got through the initial hiccups with this book, I can honestly say I couldn't put it down. I simultaneously couldn't get through it fast enough and didn't want it to end because I knew I'd be looking at another crazy cliffy when I got there. There were plenty of hot — and even sweet — moments among the action and twists. I wasn't ever 100% sure how things would turn out ... and I'm still not. Sawyer's kept me guessing with this series through the first two books and the set up for the third is proving to be seriously intense. I think wine will definitely be required. I've grown to really love Sela and Beck and I'm champing at the bit to get the rest of their story. 

The cliffhanger at the end of Sugar Daddy was NOTHING compared to the one at the end of this book. Holy crap. I definitely had one of those "Oh shit! You HAVE to be kidding me!" moments when I realized I'd run out of pages in Sugar Rush. I'm about 98% sure I'll be diving right into Sugar Free as soon as I get my hands on it. Which, you know, can't come nearly soon enough... because I need answers! 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

  "It took only moments after I slammed that door in your face for it to sink in. Penetrate the truth of what you were saying. For me to believe you unequivocally. But you were already gone." 

"You can whisper sweet, precious words to me, but you better be fucking me hard while you do it."

"All I ever wanted was a quiet life. I always thought I'd be alone because of what happened to me. I never thought there was room in my life for anything other than my anger and misery. But now that's all changed. You've already given me the world."

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

Sugar Rush is a fantastic follow-up to Sugar Daddy! To say I had high expectations would be an understatement – the cliffhanger ending in Sugar Daddy nearly killed me, so Sugar Rush became one of my top anticipated reads, and thankfully Sawyer Bennett didn’t disappoint. I’m so happy with the way things were handled in this book. If you enjoyed the first Sugar Bowl book, make sure to get your hands on this sequel – you need to continue on with Sela and Beck’s story!

I’m not going to spoil anything from the first book in case you haven’t read it yet, but at the end of Sugar Daddy, Beck knows he’s effed up. He’s got a ton to make up for – and while I would’ve loved a little more groveling than we got, I liked the way the author resolved this conflict. It’s not gratuitously dramatic and it’s handled with maturity and of course, love.

“I intend to spoil you, Sela,” he murmurs. “I want to give you the world.”

Sela continues to want revenge against the man who raped her, but her love for Beck is making her reconsider her plans by leaving her past in the past and moving on with the man of her dreams. JT is as vile and disgusting as ever though – Sawyer Bennett has really written a great antagonist in him.

The pacing is pretty slow, but I was still hooked on the pages and dying to see what would happen at the end. And of course, there’s another cliffhanger that has you salivating for the third and final book (which I’ve actually already read… ;) ) I have to admit, I liked this sequel even more than I did the first – Sugar Rush is an intense, emotional, and suspenseful follow-up to Sela and Beck’s addicting story. If you love Sawyer Bennett, this is definitely a series you need to try out!

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1YOOgkP
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1TUnzal

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Sugar Rush A Sugar Bowl Novel

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