I'm super excited to be a part of the blog tour for Blackbird! I LOVED this book so much!! Scroll on down to check out all the details, read an excerpt, listen to the playlist, check out my review and enter the giveaway. :)
From New York Times bestselling author Molly McAdams comes a powerhouse romantic suspense that will have you questioning your morals and second guessing your view on love.
I live in a world few know exist. I’ve trained for this. I know what to say, what to do, and how to act. I’ve perfected the lethal calm required for this life.
Now it’s time to buy my first girl. But all it takes is one look at the brave girl who starts singing mid-auction for that calm to slip.
Briar Chapman is going to be the death of me, and I don’t care. I’ll take every day with her until that death comes, and I’ll welcome it when it does.
On the outside, Lucas Holt is what nightmares are made of. A man cloaked in darkness, with sin-filled eyes and an enticing grin. A devil so devastatingly beautiful and cruel that his very presence instills fear.
But beneath his terrifying, ever-calm exterior is an affectionate man haunted by a past that refuses to stay buried. And Lucas looks at me as though he’s finally found the only person who can make it all go away.
We’re a battle of the brightest day and the darkest night—and I want to lie in the wake of our war.
She closed
the distance between us, each step slow and calculated. Once she was close
enough, I slid one hand around her waist and the other around the back of her
neck, using her hair to tilt her head back so I could study those eyes that
captivated me.
“I hate that
you have so much money that you buy women. I hate that you bought me at all, but mostly that you bought me because I started singing. I hate the
circumstances that brought me to you, but I love you and am thankful I’m here
with you all the same.”
My chest
ached and filled with warmth. I wanted to kiss her and thank her for trusting
me with her past. I wanted to erase every bad memory and replace them with ones
of us now, but she didn’t realize what she’d just said . . .
As much as I
wanted what she was saying to be true, it wasn’t, and it never would be. It
couldn’t.
“You don’t,”
I said thickly, forcing the words out through the tightness in my throat.
Confusion
covered her face and her brows drew together. “I don’t what?”
“You don’t
love me.”
I felt the
shock that went through her body, but she didn’t try to pull away from me.
Instead, she gripped my shirt in her hands like she was pleading with me in her
touch alone.
“Lucas . . .”
My eyes slid
shut, and I released a slow, weighted breath. “You don’t, Briar.”
“I know you
think you don’t know how to love someone, but you do, you have been. You
know what love is, and I have never been more aware of how loved I am by
someone than I am by you.”
I ground my
jaw and finally looked at her again. Instead of disagreeing with her, I said,
“You can’t love me, because you don’t know me.”
I hated the
hurt in her eyes. I hated that I was putting it there. I hated everything I
was, hated that I would never be enough for the girl I didn’t know how to let
go of. Couldn’t let go of.
“Yes, I do,”
she choked out. “I’ve seen it, I’ve felt it, I’ve experienced your darkness and
your monsters, and I’m still here. Haven’t I proven myself yet? Haven’t I proven
I am not going anywhere? That you can’t make me run?” Her gripping hands
flattened and moved up to curve around my neck. “I knew to fall in love with
you I had to fall in love with the devil, too. I am not as naïve as you think I
am.”
“But you have
no idea exactly how heartless your devil is,” I said darkly.
“Then let me
see—”
“I won’t let
you into that part of my world,” I said on a growl. Just the thought of her
being in a situation to see me like that—to see that part of my world—chilled
me in a way that made me feel sick. “All of thiswill
change the minute you see it. Trust me when I say you’ll never be able to look
at me the same, and I won’t be able to live with myself if that day ever
comes.”
“You can’t
know that,” she argued, her words still sounding like a plea.
“Think of
your worst memories with me, Blackbird,” I ordered gently. “Think of what I
told you about the shootout with my brothers. Think about what William did to
you. Now try to grasp that all of that is nothing
compared to what I have done, and what I do, without feeling a thing.”
I waited for
it to sink in, and after a few moments, it did. And there was that look in her
eyes I’d come to dread and hate—fear and uncertainty. But I could still see her
love for me.
Unfailing and
undeserving.
“Didn’t you
hear me the first time?” she finally asked as tears filled her eyes. “The
darkest part of your soul terrifies me, but, Lucas, I’m not going anywhere.”
I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out how to write
this review. Lots of staring at the screen because my thoughts are still all
over the place since finishing and I know I’m not going to do this book justice
with my review. Whether you’ve read one Molly McAdams book, or all of them,
just forget everything you know about her writing and go in to Blackbird with a
completely fresh and open mind. You won’t regret it. Lucas is dark, mysterious, and has so much
going on that you’ll be intrigued from the beginning. Briar’s strength and
determination surprised me, given the way they met. I honestly wasn’t sure what
to expect from Blackbird. All I knew was that it was going to be different from
Molly’s previous books. She did not disappoint! Lucas and Briar’s story is full
of twists, turns and shocking moments that left me reeling. It’s definitely a
must read!
Molly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband, daughter, and fur babies. When she’s not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach … which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes. She has a weakness for crude-humored movies and fried pickles, and loves curling up in a fluffy comforter during a thunderstorm … or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren’t really happening.
