SOUL OF THE SINGLE LADY BOOK CLUB: KAYDEN: THE PAST (LOVE AT LAST SERIES) by Chelle Bliss (BLOG TOUR STOP/REVIEW/GIVEAWAY)

TITLE: KAYDEN: THE PAST (LOVE AT LAST SERIES)

AUTHOR: CHELLE BLISS

GENRE: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 01/02/2014

Kayden Michaels has a past filled with sex, addiction, and

heartache. A past that he’s avoided sharing with the love of his life, Sophia,

and held close to his core not risking rejection.

Needing to get his addictions in check and gain control of his

life for the sake of his family, Kayden is forced to confront his past and make

amends for the path he’s walked.

Kayden must recount every

carnal act and the betrayal from those he’s loved to identify the triggers that

spur his addictions and overcome it all to be worthy of Sophia’s love – his

sole reason to exist.

~Goodreads Link~

Extended Excerpt ~ Prologue

I was an addict.

Sophia didn’t know this about me when we met – when I stole her heart.

I struggle every day with my sobriety, and Sophia is my compass. She’s what keeps me grounded and always points me in the right direction. She doesn’t nag or yell but smothers me in her love and understanding.

Sophia asked to hear my story, my past. She wanted to know everything about me…what led me to her. I gave her a condensed version – one that is closer to PG-13 compared to the NC-17 reality that I lived. No matter how much the person you love the most, the one who is the center of your universe asks about your past, you never give the full truth. I never want Sophia to compare herself to any of the women or experiences that I’ve had before her. Sophia is perfection in my eyes. No one could ever compare to her.

I’d like to say my life began again when I met Sophia, that I was given a clean slate. Sophia met me at the point in my life where I had given up on love. My life consisted of work and pleasure – pleasure from the unattached sexual relationships and the booze that had filled my nights.

When my life spiraled out of control, Sophia caught me in her web of security and love. She is my savior, the only thing that is true in my life. She can’t know my entire story. Who would want to know the true story of the love of their life, the father of their child?

The thought of Sophia being with another man makes my skin crawl and pisses me off. She’s mine, and I’d like to think that I’ve been the only man in her life and the first one to taste her, but I know I’m lying to myself. Ignorance is bliss, and I’d rather stay in the dark.

After our child was born, I thought it was necessary to get help to control my drinking. I needed to make sure I never walked down the path of self-destruction again. I had too much to lose. For the first time in my life, there was something more important than myself or even Sophia. There’s a tiny little life that depends on me and needs my love and adoration.

I didn’t want to go to group counseling – I’ve done that before, and it sucked; it wasn’t more than a temporary fix. I needed something to get to the root of my addiction and allow me to find other ways to cope with the pressures in life besides at the bottom of a bottle. The counselor told me to write down the major events in my life – the ones that caused my drinking to go out of control or drove me to drink.

He said I needed to understand the cycle. What came first – the booze or the problems? He asked me to write a journal about my life. Everyone who I could remember that triggered my drinking, use of drugs, and events that were caused by my addiction that had an impact on my life. I didn’t see the use in writing it for someone else to read and analyze, but he said I would understand it in time.

Where do I start the tangled mess that was my life? Do I start with my first taste of booze, the first sniff of coke, or the crazy bitches I’ve experienced? There will be bits that I leave out; things I don’t want the world to know. I’ve included the ones that show what has molded me into the man I am today. The ones that will fill in the gaps on my troubled journey that Sophia and I overcame and show the depths of my depravity and addiction before Sophia walked into my life and turned my world upside down.

I’ll start at the beginning, what led me off the path of righteousness through my moment of self-destruction and finally salvation in the arms of a loving woman too good to be mine.

Short Excerpt ~ Explicit:

“Hey, where ya going?” she asked. “What about me?”

“I’m sure someone here would be happy to give you what you want. I got what I was looking for, babe.”

“You had me suck your cock and you’re just going to fucking leave me here?” she asked glaring at me with hatred so pure I could almost feel the fist she wanted to hit me with.

“I got what I came for. You were a total bitch to me for years; you don’t deserve what I’d give, how good I’d fuck you,” I said with my arms crossed against my chest.

“You’re a total cocksucker, Kayden,” she said poking me in the chest with each word to drive the point home.

“No, that would be you, babe,” I said with a smile, “Oh, and by the way, you have a little on your chin,” I said pointing at her face chuckling softly at the situation. I watched as she wiped her chin and I turned and walked away, leaving her there like she deserved.

Amazon/Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HMTHGZ4
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00HMTHGZ4
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HMTHGZ4
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00HMTHGZ4

Barnes and Noble/Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kayden-chelle-bliss/1117919930

Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/393666

5 stars

**I was given and ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**

First of all, this book, "Kayden: The Past", while being part of the "Love At Last Series", is like "Untangle Me", a standalone novel. But I must say that reading "Untangle Me" first, really further connects you to Kayden, the man, and gives you complete understanding of his struggles and addiction.

WOW! Kayden is a smart, strong, sexy man with two very big weaknesses: LIQUOR and LADIES. He has a salacious appetite for bad girls with dirty mouths and he love his liquor. They both seem to be his downfall. Kayden really just seems to be a man looking for love in the wrong places, and with the wrong sort. He turns to the alcohol when his relationships crumble. Then the addiction to the liquor and ladies consumes his life entirely.

"Kayden: The Past" is filled with HOT scenes. One thing for sure is Kayden is a "big" boy who can handle his own in the bedroom, strip club, bathroom, or any room for that matter. And he aims to please and also ruin. One of my favorite scenes is the last sexual experience Kayden has with his wife. He pleasures her and ruins her at the same time. Hell hath no fury like a scorn Kayden. You hurt him and he will fuck you over .....literally.

Chelle Bliss has written a captivating prequel to "Untangle Me" that's also a stand alone. Her words bring these characters to life. They are realistic, especially Kayden. Once again, you feel for the him and as trying as life he leads, you can't help but to LOVE everything about him.

Chelle Bliss has dedicated her life to education. She has been a teacher for over ten years and holds a Master of Education degree. Teaching has given her a creative outlet, but she yearned for something more. Writing has given her that, no longer about just creativity, it became a journey.
Chelle is an avid reader; consuming contemporary romance, dark reads, young adult, and all things erotica. Chelle wanted to create a book filled with characters that readers could relate to with real world problems and matching wallets.

Chelle loves to travel and her favorite cities are New Orleans and Paris. She currently lives in Florida with her amazing boyfriend. He’s showed her the love and passion that she has poured onto the page.