Blog Tour + Review + Excerpt + Giveaway: PULLED UNDER (Kill Devil Hills #3) by Sarah Darlington

blog tour banner 1This series just keeps getting better and better! Check out more about Sarah Darlington’s newest book, Pulled Under, the third installment in the Kill Devil Hills series! Take a look at more about the book and the series, Tina’s Thoughts, read an excerpt from the story and don’t miss the giveaway!

Pulled Under
Kill Devil Hills #3
Sarah Darlington
Genre: New Adult
Release Date: September 1, 2015

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man-child. noun.

: a grown man who is very immature, therefor considered a man-child

manwhore. noun.

: a promiscuous man who has no regard for his sexual partners or the emotional value of his relationships

Rhett Morgan couldn’t have been more wrong for me. The guy drank beer in the shower, for crying out loud. He had no prospects for the future, had slept with half the women in our beach town of Kill Devil Hills, and had no desire to change his manwhore ways.

And when Ben Turner, the guy I had loved from afar for the past four years, died and I couldn’t get over his death, I desperately needed a distraction. A distraction like Rhett. So I used him for a one-night stand. Because, after all, that’s the only thing a guy like Rhett is good for…right?

***New Adult Romance. This novel is the third book in the Kill Devil Hills series, however it can be read as a standalone. Recommended for 18+

Untitled design (3)You can purchase your copy today at the retailers listed below!

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU Amazon CA

***FREE on Kindle Unlimited!***

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tina's thoughts doodlesackSarah Darlington is killing it with her Kill Devil Hills series. What started out as a good series has been growing into something great! Pulled Under is by far my favorite in the series by far. I have read every book Sarah has published and she has grown so much as an author. Her plot development is great and this book adds so much to the series, displaying how much her writing skills have grown!

Pulled Under was a surprise for me. I did not know exact what to expect from this story. In the other two previous stories, you see quite a bit about a specific recurring theme (one that is a spoiler if you haven’t read the books yet) and learn more about the characters that have grown into a cohesive group. In the last book, I was so curious about Rhett and Sydney. The timelines for the three books all overlap. That right there was something I found fascinating. Pulled Under spanned the course of the first two books, giving us another perspective into what has happened, particularly from Rhett and Sydney’s POVs. Watching the big picture story unfold was quite impressive. I loved seeing a different side of the story and this side was my favorite.

Rhett and Sydney are so great. Their chemistry is well written, a chemistry you can feel as you read. Watching them interact is so interesting. Sydney has held a huge part of her heart for someone else and it seems she may never get it back. When Rhett enters her life, she hopes that he can help her forget her heartache. When something between these two begins to develop, there is so much potential for a beautiful romance or an epic heartache. The dual POVs allow the reader to feel the emotion and the struggle that both of these characters are facing.  Sydney’s matures so much throughout the story and emotionally she comes into herself, choosing happiness and a chance of what could be.

If you have read the first two books in the Kill Devil Hills Series this book is a must read. It adds so much to what has been happening, making the series itself so interconnected and well done. I am excited to see who is next in the story (I have hopes for one character) and see where the series goes! The best part about it all is how the characters are so close that you will see them all living their HEAs as the series progresses!

Pulled Under TEaser

giveawayTo celebrate the new release and blog tour for Pulled Under, Sarah is hosting an awesome giveaway! Enter this  Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win one of 5 eBook copies of Pulled Under, a paperback copy of Kill Devil Hills and Changing Tides, or a $10 Amazon GiftCard! Follow the instructions listed on the giveaway and you will be entered for your chance to win. Don’t miss out on this awesome chance to win! Good luck!

excerpt alertSucking in a breath, I took him in. Rhett was good-looking in the completely opposite way of Ben. Ben had been handsome in a clean-cut, manicured way. Then there was Rhett…who looked like he could have been a construction worker or a firefighter…or maybe a male stripper dressed up as a construction worker or a firefighter. He was lean, muscular, tan, rugged, and the very sight of him, even from a distance, brought heat to my cheeks.

Not to mention, the man was like catnip. The bar area was packed with hungry felines on the prowl. He moved fast, making drinks, smiling at the women he served, and embodying every frat-boy (minus the frat) image I could conjure in my mind. The memory of him from when I was sixteen wasn’t something easily forgotten, and a tingle touched my lips as my mind replayed the kiss we’d once shared.

Still…he wasn’t Ben.

Sadness washed over me like a bucket of ice water. I shook off the feeling. Rhett had made me feel better once before, and I had no reason to doubt the same thing couldn’t work for me a second time. The only difference now was, I wanted to take it to the next level. I wanted to give up my virginity to him…tonight. No point in saving myself for someone who wasn’t alive anymore.

“Holy shit,” I said aloud. Breaking my eyes away from Rhett, I brought my attention back to the table and to my drink. Feeling like I was buried ten feet deep in teenage hormones, grief, and God knows what else, I removed the straw, as it was only slowing me down, and I finished the remainder of my drink in a giant swallow. The alcohol burned going down, and I grimaced. “That man is not for the faint of heart,” I mumbled to myself as I set down a now empty glass. “And neither is my plan for him tonight.”

Kimberly sighed. “The teacher in me probably should warn you that this is a bad idea,” she said, shaking her head. “But the girlfriend in me is going to do the opposite.” She leaned closer and her face turned very sincere. “You deserve this—to be young and stupid and go for something you want. All we have is the present moment. The past is gone, and the future isn’t guaranteed. So have a little fun. Knock that boy off his feet.”

For the first time in a long time, I laughed. “He’s not going to remember me.”

She shrugged. “So what. Make a new memory.”

Convinced, though I’d made up my mind hours before coming here tonight, I stood up ready to go talk to Rhett, ready for whatever to happen.

Kimberly’s eyes went wide. “Yes,” she whispered. “You can do this.”

“I need to know something,” I said, lingering by the table. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I kind of got the impression that you might have liked Rhett when you went to high school with him. I could find someone else—”

“No. Rhett is perfect for this. Sure, I had a crush on him like everyone else in high school, but that was ages ago. I’m with Cody now. I love Cody. I don’t need a man-child like Rhett, that’s for damn certain.” She smirked at me. “But you go get your man-child, honey. He should be fun for one night.”

“Fine.” Laughing, I left Kimberly. I’d lied to her a second ago. If she’d said no about Rhett than I wouldn’t be attempting this with someone random. Only Rhett would do.

Feeling surprisingly confident, I approached the bar. I wore a short beach dress that buttoned in the front and showed off my long legs. My platinum hair was curled in big waves, beauty pageant worthy, and it fell just past my shoulders. I’d even broken out the high heels for this. No matter who I was on the inside, outwardly I wasn’t the nerdy girl with glasses anymore.

There was exactly one open seat. Setting my purse on top of the bar, I sat down. I unbuttoned one more button on my cotton dress and waited to be noticed. Rhett’s back was to me so he wasn’t noticing anything.

Five minutes passed and nothing happened. I unbuttoned another button, but changed my mind and redid it when the older man sitting beside me started staring at my chest and winking at me between sips of his whiskey.

Oh God. My confidence began to falter.

The bar was chaos, with only two bartenders working, and they both struggled to keep up with their demand. Rhett moved more quickly than the girl working, but he worked the opposite end from where I sat and had yet to even glance in my direction. I realized I was crazy-pants for thinking I could just walk over here and he’d suddenly see me, remember me, and we’d have some magical repeat moment of the one we had shared years ago.

Yeah, not happening.

Another woman already had Rhett’s undivided attention. Brunette. Older than me. Ruby red lips with a leopard print bikini on under a sheer cover up. She was, without a doubt, a sure thing. Between every drink he poured, he’d return to her for a brief moment of flirting. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the chemistry between them was enough to let me know that I had a better chance at winning the lottery tonight than ending up in his bed.

“What can I get ya, babe? Piña Coladas are on special tonight—three dollars.”

It took me a moment to realize someone was speaking to me. I had Rhett blinders on and had completely missed the woman bartender who waited impatiently for me to acknowledge her. My eyes focused on her name tag—Luce. When I finally realized how incredibly rude I was being, she had already started walking away from me, shaking her head and huffing under her breath.

“Rhett,” she hollered, as she motioned towards me. “Your customer.”

Oh shit!

At her words, Rhett glanced over his shoulder in my direction. He looked right through me as he called out, “One moment,” before returning to his brunette.

I wanted to run from the bar. My stomach felt queasy, and that vodka tonic threatened to come back up. “This was a stupid idea,” I murmured to myself.

Rhett took his sweet-ass time finishing his conversation with the brunette before making his way toward me. It took him so damn long that by the time he came for my drink order, I no longer felt quite so nervous.

Hello there, princess. What can I get for you?” he asked, smiling and cocking an eyebrow at me, charm oozing out of him. “Piña Coladas are on special tonight,” he told me, rubbing a hand over his closely shaved head and speaking fast. It was clear, even if he did it with a smile on his face, he was trying to hurry me into making a decision. “You look like a Piña Colada kind of girl. How ‘bout I get you one of those?”

He had a very nice smile, which he clearly used to his advantage. He did, after all, work for tips. But whether his charm and that smile were real or fake, they pissed me off. I was too much of a cynic, something I knew I’d picked up by being raised by my very straight-forward, realist of a brother, to put up with his bullshit.

“What the hell?” I snapped, my frustrations pouring out of me. “Do you all have a giant premade batch of Piña Colada that you need to sell before the end of the night? Because I happen to hate coconut.” I didn’t actually hate coconut. “Fifty percent of people hate coconut.”I made up that statistic. “If you’re going to offer something that half the population hates, you should at least have a second drink option on special as an alternative, otherwise you’re discriminating. Besides, do I look twenty-one? I’m eighteen—learn how to card.”

“Shit. You’re a cop.”

“No, I’m not a cop. I don’t even want a drink.” I started rummaging around in my purse for nothing in particular because I needed something to do with my hands. I was beyond annoyed and, frankly, a little hurt. “Can we pretend this conversation never happened? I would much rather keep my glorified memories intact. And—”

I stopped talking and digging when his fingers gently touched the underside of my chin. Swallowing, I looked up from my bag. Why the hell was he touching me?

“I know you,” he whispered, the color draining from his face.

“No you don’t,” I said pulling away from his touch and standing from my seat.

“Yes, I do. You’ve changed, but those green eyes I haven’t forgotten.”

Everything slowed down. I stood there with my bag slung over my shoulder and my feet frozen to the floor. The noise of the chaotic bar faded into the background. He stared at me, and I stared at him. He recognized me, and with that recognition his whole demeanor changed. Sincerity, I suppose, was the difference I suddenly saw in him.

“You came back,” he said after a moment, smiling.

This smile, I could tell, was genuine.

KDH_FBCoverOther novels in the Kill Devil Hills Series…

KILL DEVIL HILLS (Kill Devil Hills #1)

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He’s twenty-four. She’s eighteen.

His life is exactly the way he’s always wanted it to be…stable.
She’s quite possibly the very definition of unstable.

Noah saved her.
Georgina never wanted to be saved.

Growing up, Noah Clark was passed from one relative to the next until he finally ended up living with his abusive, alcoholic uncle in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Thanks in part to the unwavering love and support of his best friend, Ellie Turner, Noah survived those years, escaped his uncle, and grew into the man he is today. Now he runs his own business and lives a pretty normal, no-nonsense life—one where he maintains a high level of control.

Georgina is Ellie’s younger sister. Four months ago, Noah saved Georgie’s life, but he thought that was where his involvement with his friend’s sister would end. Now Georgie has returned home from the recovery facility her parents sent her away to and Noah, still haunted by the night that connects them, can’t stop himself from continuously trying to protect this girl he barely knows. But is he willing to give up all of the control he’s worked so hard to build in his life and risk everything for her? Even more importantly, would she do the same for him?

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CHANGING TIDES (Kill Devil Hills #2)

Amazon | Amazon UK | FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!

“Nate West. Hollywood bad-boy. Television megastar. Womanizer. Basically everything I hate about the male species rolled into one handsome package. And yet…I want him.”

Ellie Turner is a lesbian. She has tattoos, short hair, and a ‘don’t-mess-with-me-attitude.’ She knows who she is, loves who she is, and couldn’t care less what the rest of the world thinks of her. And since she has the most kick-ass best friend on the planet, Noah Clark, even when family drama gets in the way, nothing can offset her happy-go-lucky demeanor.

Until television star Nate West comes along. All thick muscle and alpha-male testosterone. When Ellie meets him on an airplane the only thing Nate West should be good for is a brand new profile picture on Facebook. Right? Wrong. Turns out he’s good for so much more.

This man is going to flip everything Ellie thought she knew about herself upside down.

NA Romance. This novel is the second book in the Kill Devil Hills series, however it can be read as a standalone. Recommended for 18+ due to sexy scenes, explicit language, and adult themes.

about the author doodlesack

1468594_1382112238676051_1558259933_nSarah Darlington lives in the DC metro area, is married to her high school sweetheart, and currently spends her time chasing around a very active toddler. As a former flight attendant, she misses the days of pantyhose, galley gossip with good friends, and traveling to new places. In the future she’d like to return to that career, but, just as flying gets into your bones, so does writing. Whenever she gets a free moment these days, she writes.

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