It’s the release day of A Lover’s Lament by KL Grayson & BT Urruela! The world had better prepare for this incredible book! I love this contemporary romance so much. Check out more about the book and two fabulous authors, read Tina’s Thoughts and an excerpt, and enter the giveaway for a chance to win something awesome!

A Lover’s Lament
KL Grayson & BT Urruela
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 6, 2015

In a matter of seconds my entire world changed, and it was in that moment that I stopped living and simply began to exist.

In my grief, I sent a letter to the first boy I ever loved. I hoped in writing it I’d find some peace from the nightmare I was living, some solace in my anger.

I didn’t expect him to write back. I wasn’t prepared for his words, and I certainly wasn’t ready for the impact this soldier would have on my life. A deep-rooted hate transformed into friendship, and then molded into a love like I’d never known before.

Sergeant Devin Ulysses Clay did what I couldn’t: he put the shattered pieces of my heart back together, restoring my faith in humanity and teaching me how to live again.

But now that I’m whole, I have a decision to make. Do I return to my life as I knew it and the fiancé I left behind, or do I walk away from it all for the only man to ever break my heart?

*******

I’ve been living in hell, but you won’t hear me complain.

These men depend on me, as I do them, and this brotherhood is the only family I’ve ever known.

The Army saved me from a callous mother and a life on the wrong side of the tracks that was quickly spiraling out of control. So unlike most of the men in my platoon, going home wasn’t something I longed for.

I was content overseas, spending my days defending this country that gave me my life back. Fighting became my new normal … until her.

A letter from Katie Devora—a letter that I almost didn’t open. Her words put a fire back inside of me that I didn’t know I’d lost. She gave me hope during a time when I was fighting every day just to stay alive, and now it’s time I fight for her.

You can purchase your copy today at the retailers listed below!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Every once in a while a book comes along that changes the way the world views a genre. It takes the preconceived notions of themes and ideas found in the genre and creates something beautiful and life changing that will grab your heart and live there for all your life. That book is A Lover’s Lament. This collaboration is blowing up the book world and giving us all a book that is raw, gritty, despondent, hopeful, and passionate. This book evokes a visceral response from the reader. There were tears streaming down my face and a crack in my heart the size of the Grand Canyon. There was hope so overwhelming that you are scared to take hold. I don’t know how to convince you to read this book, but if you give any book a chance, it needs to be this one.

This collaboration makes this story into something that is living and breathing. Grayson is a wonderful author, one who understand human emotion and is able to capture that emotion into the pages of a book. Urruela has a unique perspective that makes this book possible. He is a man that has served his country and takes pride in what he loves and who he is. When these two get together and write a book, it is worth its weight in gold. The emotion in this story is spot on, creating a response from the reader. There are books where you get emotional. And then there are books that have the power to break you and leave you a puddle or tears.  A Lover’s Lament is the latter. I cried. I hurt. I hoped. You cannot read this book and not feel a fraction of the emotion these characters are steeped in.

One of my absolute favorite parts of this story is the raw and gritty reality that it addresses. This book is hard, just like war. It is not pretty. There is pain, anger, and devastation. I have read books about war and those who serve but none compare to this. Urruela takes his life experiences and translates them into a story that will change your perspective. You see the reality of the situations faced, both the big things and the day to day routine, and you understand the consequences and repercussions. This book takes the genre of romance and adds a healthy dose of reality and grit to create a beautiful story. The fate of these characters, both primary and secondary, are constantly in flux. You have no idea what to expect or what will happen but your heart bleeds into the pages of this book, leaving you changed and respectful of what has transpired.

Katie and Devin are such stunning, well rounded characters. Their lives have not been easy and their story is powerful. These two have been hit by life in numerous ways and somehow, by fate, have found their way back to one another. The story elicits a response. You respond to the joy, the hope, the pain, and the chaos. Everything in this story has a purpose and every secondary character is vital to Katie and Devin’s story. Devin’s unit is a band of brothers that cannot be broken. They are vital to who Devin is and how he functions in his life. Katie’s family and friends are a support system and the ones who speak truth and life into her world. The human interaction in this story is beautiful.

This romance is a bit different. It is set in different locations geographically and shares both past and present. The two main characters are separated by their life’s pursuit and it allows the reader to develop a connection to their growing relationship. I loved how the pace was realistic. They reconnected but their distance allowed them to get to know each other again in a way that was heartwarming and tangible. There was a natural progression that is lost in many books today and a story that grows from childhood feelings to something deeper.

I want to thank Grayson and Urruela for writing this. It is a story that was desperately needed. A Lover’s Lament has the power to break you in the most beautifully painful yet fulfilling way. It is the most realistic story of romance and war that you could find in the genre today. It is harsh, eye opening, and beautifully done. Urruela, first off, thank you for serving our country. Thank you for taking your experiences and honoring the men you have met in this book. Thank you for showing the world what the reality it: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Grayson, thank you for sharing a story that has been on your heart, that will transform the way the genre sees romance. This book needs to be read by you. I don’t care who you are or what your reasoning is. This one, in my opinion, is a spark that will transform the romantic genre.

I wake before the sun has checked in for the day and scan the tent, noting my men still sleeping heavily. My morning ritual, at least the days I have time to do it, requires a bit of privacy, and I make certain I have it before I begin. Most of these clowns will just jerk it from their cots in the middle of the night with the rest of us passed out around them. There’s always been something odd about that to me. On a regular basis, I’ve woken up to the sounds of heavy breathing and skin slapping skin, and it pisses me the fuck off. If I’m not dog-tired, they’ll get a boot heaved in their direction, aimed straight for the dick and with the express purpose of putting them out of business for a while.

No, jackin’ the beanstalk in public isn’t for me. Unfortunately, that leaves only one other place to do it—the Drop Zone. Porta-shitters, as we like to call them, sit for weeks without being emptied and capture every bit of the sun’s heat. It’s like a fucking greenhouse in there, and one breath in that motherfucker while beating off and your dick is in full retreat.

So there’s a trick to doing this just right; you have to prep him first. You get him up and going, and then you quickly finish in the shitter. For most of these guys, the bikini-clad chicks above their cots or the porno mags stashed in their bags are a necessity for a proper jerk-off, but I’m an imaginative guy. I close my eyes and my mind becomes like a time machine of fuck. Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot … bam! … cum everywhere. Farrah Fawcett in her iconic red swimsuit bent over the counter … set the time machine and go.

This time my mind goes for none other than Jackie O. She’s spread-eagle, with my tongue lightly flicking her throbbing clit while she’s begging for my dick. And, of course, I’m making her call me Mr. President. I laugh at the last thought but notice it’s at least gotten the job started. Since my dick is half-mast and ticking its way to full form, I slink my way to the tent’s entrance.

Stepping out, I’m met by the sun creeping softly over the tops of the barriers, and I hurry toward the porta-shitters, positioned just past the Humvees in front of the eastern wall. This two-hundred-yard walk is the most important part of the process. You have to walk with speed but not urgency, in hopes that you don’t attract attention from the few others also awake—all while the imagined porn still reels in your head.

I manage to make it into the shitter undetected and quickly go to work on my shaft while my left hand pinches my nose like a vise and my eyes squeeze tightly shut. Only this time it isn’t someone famous that I picture. It’s Katie.

Even as early as it is, the Drop Zone is like a sauna, and beads of sweat collect on my forehead. I try desperately to hold in my breath as the seconds tick down. Just as my lungs begin to demand air and my body stiffens, I toss my head back with a stifled groan. My body recovers from its high much quicker in this setting, but at least the job is done. Two weeks of combat stress gone, just like that.

To celebrate this incredible new book, the authors are hosting an awesome giveaway! Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win a $15 Giftcard & a signed copy of A Lover’s Lament. Just follow the instructions listed and you will be entered for your chance to win! Don’t miss out on this awesome chance. Good luck!

K.L. Grayson resides in a small town outside of St. Louis, MO. She is entertained daily by her extraordinary husband, who will forever inspire every good quality she writes in a man. Her entire life rests in the palms of six dirty little hands, and when the day is over and those pint-sized cherubs have been washed and tucked into bed, you can find her typing away furiously on her computer. She has a love for alpha-males, brownies, reading, tattoos, sunglasses, and happy endings…and not particularly in that order.

Facebook |  Twitter  | IG: @booksbyklgrayson

B.T. Urruela was an infantryman in the US Army from August 2004 until February 2011. At the end of a year long tour in Baghdad, IQ, his vehicle was hit by two roadside bombs, which took his right leg below the knee and the life of his commander. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his wounds, an Army Commendation Medal and Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He medically retired from the Army in 2011 and moved to Tampa, FL where he currently works as a Director and Brand Ambassador of VETSports, a veteran community sports nonprofit he co-founded in 2012. He also conducts speaking engagements and he’s a personal trainer for Tampa Sports Academy.

Facebook  |  Twitter  |IG: @BTUrruela