Giving It Up (The Lost Girls 1) [Kindle Edition]

Amber Lin (Author)

Book Description

Allie prowls the club for a man who will use her hard and then ditch her. Hey, it's not rape if she wants it. Instead she finds Colin, who looks tough but treats her tenderly, despite her protests.

He tempts her, but kindness and a few mindblowing orgasms aren't enough to put her back together again. Allie has no hope for a real relationship. Two years ago her best friend betrayed her in the worst possible way--she'd be stupid to trust a man again. Besides, she has her daughter to think of, the only good thing to have come from that dark night.

But when her rapist returns, threatening her sanity and custody of her daughter, Allie turns to Colin. Under his protection and patient touch, Allie begins to heal and learns to hope. Colin's no saint, though, and his criminal past draws danger of its own. Allie must fight to protect her child and the man she loves, hoping her newfound power will be enough to save them all.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: dubious consent.

RT Book Reviews gives Giving It Up 4.5 stars and says it's "at once
sad, scary and sexy in all the best ways" and "truly extraordinary."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Giving It Up is original, affecting, emotionally draining, but well worth reading if you are brave enough to go along for the ride."--Annabel Joseph, author of Comfort Object

"Amber Lin shows us that romance isn't just for the rich and shiny. Love can find its way even into the dark corners of the most damaged hearts."--Tiffany Reisz, author of The Siren

"This is a book you MUST read if you like gritty, edgier romance that makes you think as well as turns you on."--Cari Quinn, USA Today Bestselling Author

"Sharp, intense writing, sexy as hell..."--Charlotte Stein, author of Sheltered

"Every page is chock full of sexy, angsty must-read-moreness."--Karla Doyle, author of Game Plan

"Giving It Up is a gritty, real romance that deals in an honest way with what happens to sexuality in the aftermath of rape."--Ruthie Knox, author of About Last Night

"At once gritty and tender, stark and hopeful."--Cara McKenna, author of Willing Victim

"Amber Lin is an incredible writer and there is so much more to this book."--The Romance Man

5 Blue Ribbons! "Dark, gutsy and deeply emotional; this is a story of two wounded souls finding solace with one another."--Romance Junkies

Night Owl Top Pick! "Giving It Up by Amber Lin is the mesmerizing dark and erotic tale of a troubled woman..." --Night Owl Reviews

Romance Reviews Top Pick! "GIVING IT UP is intensely sensuous, wrought with emotion, and so well written that I absolutely could not put it down!"--The Romance Reviews

"At once sad, scary and sexy in all the best ways... truly extraordinary."--RT Book Reviews (4.5 star review)

Product Details

• File Size: 430 KB
• Print Length: 268 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Loose Id LLC (June 19, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008H4W2ES
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,648 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Very Dark and Intense August 14, 2012

By Andrea Thompson

Format:Kindle Edition

Oh boy. I am TORN over this review. Honestly, I had issues with Giving It Up. Maybe it's my fault. I thought this was an erotic romance, but it read to me as a psychological crime drama with a little romance thrown in.

So...Allie is a rape survivor. And two years later, she seems to be almost punishing herself for that. Once a month she goes to a club and picks up a man, with whom she has sex. Rough sex. Now, I don't want to get all psychoanalytical here, that's not really what I'm about with these Sexy Saturday reads, but what I think is going on is this: Allie is, in a way, reenacting rape. On her own terms. And this makes my brain hurt. I get it (kind of), I really do. But knowing there is a valid psychological reason for her actions doesn't necessarily mean I want to read about it.

Like I said earlier, Giving It Up felt more like a crime drama than a romance to me. There's a whole "mob-ish" subplot. Colin, the guy Allie hooks up with, is shady. There's a lot of behind the scenes deals that he makes, some really nasty business he's involved in that didn't sit well with me. But Allie's fine with it, really, as long as Colin provides and protects her and her baby.

The smexy scenes were okay. I'm all for a steamy scene. But the psychoses behind the acts disturbed me. The things Allie was saying in her head kept me detached and kind of weirded out.

I'm not saying Giving It Up is not a good book. The writing was fairly good and the story had a decent pace. It's simply that it came with so much baggage that I couldn't get into it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Giving It Up July 3, 2012

By Vanessa

Format:Kindle Edition

Reviewed by Mustang Sally
I recieved a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a Knight on a White Horse to save the damsel in distress...you are looking in the wrong neighborhood, however, there is a lot of saving going on in this book. Amber Lin's first foray into the erotic world is a definite good first effort and I look forward to reading more of her work. I would like to see her expand on some of the characters of this book to fill out the rest of the world she has opened up for us. There is definitely more to the story of Colin, Philip and Rose and it's a story I think I'd love.

There are many things I liked about this book and several things I didn't, but the good definitely outweighed the bad. First thing is that Allie is a rape victim and yes, that brings about bad mojo for a person, but not every rape victim basically becomes a slut looking for every man to debase her - Allie does. This is how she meets Colin and he rocks her world by giving her what she NEEDS not what she WANTS. Then when the rapist returns and threatens Allie she runs to Colin for protection. OK, you can have your rapist's child, stand on your own two feet and provide a decent life given your circumstances, but you just run and move in with a man that you slept with one time and let him take over your life for protection? Give me a break. These are the type of women that in real life would annoy me. With that said, Allie does eventually stand up for herself and starts to be the type of women I wanted her to be - self-sufficient and independent and able to defend what is hers. She was that way from the start, so to make her be whiney and fearful didn't fly too well for me.

Colin was dark and gritty from the start. He's real. Not some buffed up invincible body builder, but a real, good-looking, hard-working, rough hands and all man - thank goodness they really do exist in the literary world. Anyway, Colin picks Allie up in a bar and gives her what she needs and is opened up to the possibilities. Regardless of her past or present situation, he creates a safe home for her and her child - almost the perfect little family. He isn't very talkative and doesn't share a lot of himself. He stays true to himself from start to finish - a man that pulled himself up from his bootstraps in hell as a child to a successful business man with a dark side that if you hear his name you shake in your shoes...I liked him immediately. He isn't very trusting, and with good reason, but he listens to his gut and decides for himself - he doesn't have to be convinced. He wants that happily ever after, but his past has taught him that it's not for him, but he knows that if you change your circumstances you can get what you want...and he does.

There are many twists and turns...sex in an alley, an evening at the ballet, the brother living with a hooker, a dirty cop and an arms deal gone wrong which all made this book hard to put down. It's not for the squeamish to say the least. It isn't your typical erotic romance and if you don't like the dark stuff, the happily ever after may leave you empty but the writing and the story line were both excellent. I'll be honest, it could have used more smut...it had good smut...but I wanted more smut. The descriptions of Colin having both the vanilla sex and the hardcore sex...I wanted more of it...most eroticas they can't have a life because they can't get their clothes on...not so in this book. So, if you aren't a sex every page girl - you'll definitely appreciate the story and if you are a girl that likes sex every page, you'll still enjoy the path of Colin and Allie. The ending was believable and definitely makes me want the story to continue and I hope Amber Lin keeps going in this direction.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Intense, moving love story July 3, 2012

By WiLoveBooks

Format:Kindle Edition

I was a little nervous when I started reading. This is a bit darker than what I normally read. Allie is a character with a lot of issues and deals with them in ways that are pretty self-destructive. She is a damaged individual who is trying to cope with her past the best way she knows how. Then Colin comes along, who is an enigma but wants to take care of her. The story has explicit sex and language and deals with rape. If you are not offended by those things, I recommend it. I really liked the story and how it deals with the issues. Overall, it is a story about healing and how damaged people can find happiness and love.

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

More About the Author

Amber Lin is an author of edgy and emotional erotic romance. RT Book Reviews gave her debut, Giving It Up, 4.5 stars and called it "truly extraordinary."

Website: http://authoramberlin.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoramberlin
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authoramberlin