BLOG TOUR - REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: LAST RESORT by AMBER MALLOY

Last Resort

By Amber Malloy

Releasing October 21st, 2017

Evernight Publishing

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African American socialite and bestselling crime writer Cayden Young returns to her high school stomping grounds to solve a cold case. Unfortunately, her hot business partner is in her way. In love since high school, they couldn’t work out their rich-girl, poor-boy differences. While she attempts to put the past to rest, she ends up unearthing a more than a decade-old secret that could get her killed.

Former Marine Levi Scott is ready to take over his family’s resort fulltime. The only problem is he needs to buy out his partner, who he happens to be in love with. Always on unsure footing with the wealthy beauty, he is determined to get her out of his life for once and all, and decides the best way to do so is offering to help her solve a thirteen-year-old cold case. Soon, they figure out the murderer may still reside in their posh resort town … and Cayden could be next on their list.

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In Last Resort by Amber Malloy, Cayden Young and Levi Scott have been in love since high school, but they've never been able to get past the differences they have in her being rich and him being the total opposite. However, they're going to have to put aside their differences if Cayden has any hope of solving the cold case she's come to investigate and finally put the past to rest. Yet, as the pair get closer to the truth, the stakes get higher. Will Levi be able to protect Cayden, or will they lose their chance at happy ever after?

I love reading romantic suspense, and this story was a very engaging and thrilling read. Not only because it bounces back and forward from the past to the present and gives readers a wonderful amount of back story on how Cayden came into Levi's life and how much of a whirlwind their relationship over the years has been, but because there was a fantastic combination of suspense and romance that gripped my undivided attention from the very beginning. Will Cayden and Levi be able to work through their differences to finally get their happy ever after? 

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main characters back stories, as their relationship has been a whirlwind of coming together and never being able to get over their differences; and the suspense, as someone does their best to scare Cayden and Levi off discovering the truth. Will the incidents on resort property be enough for Cayden to drop her investigation? Moreover, the heroine is strong and brave and I really liked her because she was so determined to crack the cold case because she feels justice should be served. I also liked how much of a challenge the heroine provided the hero and how she pushes him to the limits both in the past and the present since they have such strong chemistry. While the hero, he's been through a lot and I could understand why he wants to end their relationship for good because they can't keep fighting the fact that they are different in the heroine being a rich girl and him being a poor boy. Will either of them realize that love and happiness is important than money? Will they be able to overcome their differences to be together? I also liked how confident the hero was in his skills and how protective he was of the heroine. She couldn't go about solving the case without him, not when they both knew how dangerous things could get.

Overall, Ms. Malloy has delivered a really good read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was strong; the romance full of heat and passion; and the ending had me worried for the main characters, but had me liking how everything worked out for the best between them. They've been through so much together and no way can they continue to let the other get away. Yet, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up perfectly, as these two are finally happy together and I love how they teased the hero's mother, especially when they have such a good surprise. I would recommend Last Resort by Amber Malloy, if you enjoy romantic suspense, the opposites attract trope, or books by authors Tressie Lockwood, Kimberly Smith, Delaney Diamond and Dahlia Rose.

Since the third step always creaked under foot, he counted to ten before he flipped on the lamp and loosened his tie.

“Holy shit, Levi! What the hell?” She jumped while he bit back a chuckle.

“Isn’t that my line?” Beads of water from her shower gathered on her skin. She wore a pair of barely-there yoga shorts, and Levi could see straight through her tank top. Round, full breasts were easy to make out beneath her stretched-too-thin material.

“There’s no way that event ended this early,” she scolded him.

“Forgive me for ruining your heist … should I leave and come back to let you finish?” Everything about the woman turned him on, starting with her messy bun and black-framed glasses.

No rich-girl representative or spoiled brat came to steal time in his shower spa. Instead, the real girl next door stood in front of him. “My shower was one thing, Ms. Young, but my last bottle of wine?”

She held onto a bottle of Riesling, shipped from the Italian vineyard that wanted the resort to use them exclusively. “Do you not remember telling me to stop taking wine from the resort?”

“There’s this thing called inventory, and if a bottle is missing,” he spoke slowly as if talking with a child, “it is considered stolen. Much like what you’re doing right now.” He pointed to the contraband in her hand.

“I beg to differ. You don’t even like Riesling, Mr. Scott.” She smiled innocently. “So what happened? Did you forget something?”

“Now that you mention it…” Taking off his tux jacket, he threw it off to the side. “What do you think about this couch?”

Cayden shook her head, probably not following his line of questioning. “Heirloom? It doesn’t really go with the décor.”

“Exactly! I worked my ass off to make this place look … what’s the word?”

“Modern,” she offered.

“Manly. But we’ll go with your term. Look at this craftsmanship … dark, hardwood floors, straight lines, and that kitchen is a work of art. I made that farmhouse table by hand,” he bragged, glad she didn’t interrupt. “Then there’s this monstrosity … a red velvet Victorian. And let’s not forget the piano. No one plays that shit. Why the hell do we even have it? My mother claims it’s too valuable to put in storage, so she leaves this crap here.”

“I’m guessing you want to get rid of it?”

“Of course, but you know Lydia’s weapon of choice is guilt,” he complained while rolling up his sleeves. “I was thinking if I changed or altered it in some way, then maybe I could tolerate it.”

“Hmmm.” She tilted her head to the side while she relaxed her stance. “What do you have in mind?”

Amber Malloy dreamed of being a double agent but couldn't pass the psyche evaluation. Crushed by despair that she couldn't legally shoot things, Amber pursued her second career choice as pastry chef. When she's not writing or whipping up a mean Snickers Cheesecake, she occasionally spies on her sommelier. Amber is convinced he's faking his French accent.

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