A is for Alpha B is for Books : Blog Tour, review and Giveaway; Everything Between Us by Mila Ferrera

Title: Everything Between Us
Author: Mila Ferrera
Genre: New Adult, Romance

Publication Date: November 5th 2013

Tour Hosted by: Xpresso Book Tours
Add to: Goodreads
Direct buy links will be found here come release day: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis

Daniel’s got everything figured out. He makes a good living as an artist … mostly through offering “private shows” to the wives of local wealthy businessmen. He never stops playing the game and never lets anyone touch his heart. But when his current fling offers him a few hundred an hour for art lessons for her reclusive, college-dropout daughter, Daniel finds himself forgetting his own rules. The girl is rude. Insulting. Incredible.

And she sees straight through him.

Stella is hiding from the world, not because she wants to, but because crippling panic attacks await her every time she tries to live a normal life. She’s determined to push everyone–including her handsome new art teacher—away. But Daniel makes it utterly impossible. The guy is irritating. Mocking. Magnetic.

And makes her want things she knows she can never have.

What starts as a battle of wills turns into passion, where giving in means facing the things that scare them most.

My Review

ag·o·ra·pho·bi·a - an abnormal fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas, sometimes accompanied by anxiety attacks.

~ No prince is going to show up and break this spell. ~

Weighed down by fear, Stella's life is slowly coming apart. Home from college, and no plans of going back, she slowly starts to withdraw from life. No one understands her, lonely and afraid. She doesn't even understand what's happening to her...

It feels like I'm dying. Every single time, I'm sure I'm either going to die or that I'm going utterly insane.

Her mother decides to take action, she hires her Boy Toy/Artist to help Stella through Art Therapy.

Daniel is a successful artist and a game player. His success rides mostly on his ability to woo the wives of successful business men. When Stella's mothers offers him some good money to give art lessons to Stella, he takes the job. What he wasn't counting on was the rude, and insulting girl to completely change his life.

This is where the story gets really interesting. We have all read stories with the tortured hero and messed up Heroine. And there are so many books out there with the ‘broken souls coming together’ premise, but with Everything Between Us it's so much different.
Stella isn't broken or tortured. She was just a prisoner in her own head.

Honestly? I think all of this would be easier if I could point to one thing, one moment, one person, and say this is why. I could explain it, then. Understand the why of it. Blame it on something other than myself. If I were a victim, maybe it would keep everyone from being so frustrated with me.

Daniel was much the same, trapped inside himself too. He puts on a show, controls what people see. Hiding behind his charming wall, his playful mask. Protecting himself.

Unworthy

Rejection

Failure

Afraid he will never never be good enough.

But the more time he spends with Stella the more bare and raw he feels, he begins to like it. The over powering urge to pull away, tugs at him, but Stella has a power over him.

I have no defences against her. I'm so fascinated by her, so wrapped up in who she is and what she's doing that I have no mental energy left to pretend.

She Sees him. He sees her. It's powerful and emotional and you're cheering for them both to be what each other needs to work through their issues.

"I can see right through you, Daniel," I breathe, stroking his hair. "I see you even when you hide."

It was so refreshing to not have the underlying problem of their issues, something so horrific that your heart is breaking and tearing apart for them. And trust me there are a few of those reads. But to read about such a life altering condition and have no understanding of how you came to be that way, made me feel as much and as strongly as I did with one of those dark reads that we seem to love so much.
There is a power to it. An understanding of helplessness for Stella.

It hits me hard and fast- I can see her. Not angry, not terrified, not insulting and mean, just Stella, desperately wanting to be free. If someone handed her the key to this cage she's in, would she accept it? Would she use it?

While they have this undeniable attraction, their relationship actually develops slowly and gradually. Both unsure of where it could go. Her with her issues and his with his. Plus the deal with him being her mother's "Mister" hahahahah.
But their pull is strong and while the issue of how they met isn't something that I would feel comfortable with, you kinda don't think about it in the moment. They have a hold over you. Drawing you into to them and their world. You just want them both to find what they both need.

I wait, wondering why it means so much to me, why I want her to surrender more than I've wanted anything for a long time. Is it just the idea of winning? Because it doesn't feel like a game.

Can they both face their fears and move forward with each other. Be what each of them need and be that for themselves... ? Or will it be too much, too soon. Can the one person who sees you, be enough to face your ultimate fears?

"I want you to join me out in the world, because I'd like it better if you were with me."

This was brilliant. I loved this book. It is absolutely beautifully written. So different and unique that it held my attention from the first page. The writing in this book is absolutely perfect. The words Mila chooses are just spot on. I have this really bad pet peeve when reading an emotional charged scene that I can sometimes find myself thinking, oh my god why did you say it like that??? With Everything Between Us there is never a feeling that more would have been better.

Mila has done an exemplary job in portraying the life altering damage of dealing with an illness such as Stella's. And how fear and panic can breakdown lives, relationships and ones self belief. But also the powerful journey of overcoming ones fears. Absolutely amazing !!!

~ Out of difficulties grow miracles. ~

I love you. Against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.

5 Amazing Stars

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About the Author

Mila Ferrera lives in New England, where she has a family and a job and does various normal, everyday things, all while plotting novels in her head. She has a passion for writing new adult/adult romance featuring psychological twists and tortured heroes. Her own psychology internship involved plenty of consultation, but alas, no sexy Swedish doctors, and her decision to make one up is what sparked her self-publishing adventures. She's the author of SPIRAL (available now), ONLY BETWEEN US (9/3/13), and EVERYTHING BETWEEN US (11/5/13).

Author Links:

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