Personal take on Broken Girl, by Gretchen de la O + a signed book giveaway!

Gretchen de la O just released a new book entitled Broken Girl and she’s having a signed book giveaway right here on the blog! This is an author I’ve been following since practically the start of my indie-beginnings (she was one of our original student-teacher forbidden romance authors!!) and I’m thrilled that she’s released another unconventional romance that sounds right up our alley (the heroine is a prostitute!!!).

I love the blurb (here’s the part that made my gut twist):

“When fate brings us face to face, an undeniable attraction blazes between us. He becomes the constant I’ve never had and the only man I’ll ever trust.

There is nothing simple about falling in love when you’re keeping a secret like mine.”

and I’m thrilled to already be hearing great things about it.

Anne: Finished Broken Girl and really liked it! It was gut-wrenching at times and not an easy story to read, but in the end its about redemption and the power of love.

The author is also one I follow personally on Facebook. Her inspirational daily posts are poignant and raw and REAL, and every day she reminds me… she inspires me, to be grateful, to do the best I can, and to enjoy life. And I’m honored that she wrote a little something about her latest book.

Ready?

Personal take on Broken Girl, by Gretchen de la O

Exclusively for Maryse’s Book Blog

On Writing, Broken Girl:

Broken Girl was a really tough book to write, taking me over a year to finish. Pulling from the scars of my own brokenness, writing this book became cathartic and ultimately one of the best ways to heal the buried and broken pieces I have been frightened of facing for most of my life. Granted, I didn’t personally experience a lot of what Rose endures, but small remnants of her life came from my own personal pain. And it was within those moments when I had to be honest. I had to tell my story through the eyes of Complicated Rose.

I dove into this story with everything I could give. I poured my heart and soul into it. I muscled, maneuvered, and meticulously placed each and every block of pain and heartbreak. And when I was close to finishing, when I was merely weeks away from writing The end, I realized that Broken Girl had become the healing moment I’ve been longing for for most of my life.

It was only after readers started messaging me, emailing me, and telling me their own stories that I realized Rose’s journey is so much bigger than my own healing. So. Much. Bigger.

Aren’t we all broken in one way or another? Whether we are broken by love, or pain, by the acts of others, or the blatant neglect of those we love, we are still broken. We wrap ourselves in the belief that we aren’t worthy. And within each moment, we define ourselves as broken, unworthy, unloveable—words that were never meant to define us.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the other characters who show up in Rose’s journey. Characters who have their own flaws and strengths. Beyond the broken pieces of what they represent in Rose’s life, Sybil, Mr. C, Kean, and of course Shane were created to reflect our own struggles with the darker sides of ourselves and each other until we ultimately find compassion and love.

I know some readers will fall in love with Rose and relate to her in a way that splays the depths of their souls open to her life and her emotions. And, yes, some readers will hate Rose with a passion. Maybe they will despise the pain that Rose conjures up, or the way she takes them to a place they hate to go.

Whether readers skim the surface of the story or dive in with every single ounce of who they are, I can only hope they discover that redemption is possible. No matter what is inked in the pages of someone’s past or what battle scars are etched in their psyche, I think people deserve compassion, peace, love, and a second chance.

Thank you, Maryse, for giving Broken Girl a place to be seen.

How to enter for a chance to win the signed copy of this book? Just leave a comment below, and by 10pm EST, Sunday May 8th 2016, I will randomly select one lucky commenter as the winner for the signed copy of “Broken Girl”

The winner will be contacted and will have 48hrs to respond with a mailing address, so if you are picked, do not delay or you will lose your chance. This book will be sent to the winner directly by the author.

OPEN TO U.S. AND CANADA

BROKEN GIRL

AMAZON & KindleUnlimited EXCLUSIVE: Broken Girl

Blurb:

My name is ROSE NEWTON, and I sell my body on the streets of San Francisco. I’m what you call society’s dirty little secret. On the outside, I’m in control, the woman who makes her own rules and gives nothing away for free. Inside, I’m broken and numb. Torn and shattered by my past, my life is nothing more than the lost fragments of what’s left of me.

SHANE WEST represents everything that’s foreign to me. He’s brave, kind, funny, gorgeous and persistent. When fate brings us face to face, an undeniable attraction blazes between us. He becomes the constant I’ve never had and the only man I’ll ever trust.

There is nothing simple about falling in love when you’re keeping a secret like mine.

*Reader’s discretion advised. Certain content might not be suitable for some readers.