Surviving Us by Erin Noelle ~ Release Day Blitz & Giveaway

Two survivors.

Two weeks.

One awakening.

When Bristol Criswell travels to St. Lucia for an Enduring Life retreat, she hopes to discover encouragement and support from like souls. A vacation fling is the furthest thing from her mind, especially not with a cocky-mouthed, arrogant jerk like Davis McKay.

But when it becomes evident she can’t deny the magnetic attraction between the two, she gives in to her desires, and for the first time in her life, learns the difference between simply living and truly feeling alive.

As their time in paradise quickly comes to an end, will her heart be able to withstand another devastating loss when it’s time to say goodbye, or will their connection be strong enough to survive the real world?

Death brought them together, but love will give them a reason to live.

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SURVIVING US EXCERPT

A loud rapping on my door startles me and I rush across the room to see who’s there, thinking maybe Lena forgot to tell me something. Swinging open the door, I’m surprised to see D standing there with my two suitcases.

“You have my stuff,” he declares with obvious annoyance.

I crinkle my forehead with confusion. “Excuse me?”

“They mixed up the bags, put yours in my room,” he sets my two bags directly inside the doorway, “so I’m assuming mine are here. I kinda need them to take a shower.”

My face lights up at the mention of my newfound discovery, forgetting about his moodiness. “Did you see the shower?” I ask excitedly. “It’s the most heavenly thing ever.”

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “No, I haven’t. It’s a shower—a place to get clean.”

“I know you told me you usually act like one, but does D really stand for Dick?” I spout off, unable to understand how anyone could be in a bad mood in this tropical paradise. “’Cause it sure the hell would fit perfectly.”

Spinning around waiting for him to answer, I eye his bags in the corner and stomp over to retrieve them. When I whirl around to throw the smaller one at him, he’s resting against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, his t-shirt stretched tightly over his muscular biceps, hat still low on his face, and a playful grin plastered on his face. Yet another mood change.

“You’re not going to make this easy, are you, Trouble?” he drawls huskily.

“Make what easy? And why am I trouble?” My voice rises along with my annoyance. “I haven’t done anything to you!”

Slowly, he stands up straight, twists his cap around backwards, and begins stalking over to me, causing me to back up slowly. Holy shit, he’s gorgeous. “You’re trouble, because you show up on my plane, all naïve and innocent, completely unaware of the effect your sexy-ass legs and beautiful brown eyes have on me and every other fucking guy around.” My back hits the wall as he closes in. I hold his bag up to my chest as a shield.

“Then, you announce you’re going to be here, at this damn retreat I didn’t want to come to in the first place, forcing me to be around you for twelve straight days,” he grabs the duffel from my hands and tosses it to the ground, his eyes never leaving mine, “knowing I don’t need to get anywhere near you, because if you’re half as messed up as I am in the head, the only thing we can cause each other,” he lowers his face to mine, so close I can almost taste his warm, minty breath, and whispers, “ is trouble.”

Right now, in this moment, I want him to kiss me more than I’ve ever wanted to be kissed in my life. Despite the fact he’s a temperamental ass and I know what he just said is true, my brain has forgotten about the underlying reason we’re both here, the reason we’re both permanently emotionally damaged, and all I can think about is how those sexy full lips will feel pressed against mine.

I close my eyes instinctively, either waiting for the contact or for him to walk away, but he does neither. He hovers in front of my face for seconds, minutes, hours—I have no idea how long—before he rests his forehead against mine and sighs.

“It’s been an overwhelming, whirlwind of day for you, Bristol,” he says softly, drawing my eyes open. “Think about what you want long and hard before you make any decisions, ‘cause once I take this pretty little mouth, I’m taking the rest of you too. But remember, no matter what happens while we’re here, when it’s time to leave, we return to two different cities and two separate lives.”

He pushes off the wall, turning on his heel and scooping his suitcases up on his way to the door. “My real name is Davis, and the ball’s now in your court, Trouble.”

Jill’s Review

Surviving Us by Erin Noelle was such a fresh and different look at falling in love. I absolutely LOVED this book!

Davis and Bristol — two lost and damaged people who travel to the same island and the same retreat for very different reasons. They are both survivors in the very truest sense of the word. However they have not yet come to grips with their survivor status. They are not comfortable in their own skin. Bristol has come here to start to come to terms with this and gain support from others like her. Davis came at the prodding of his mother and thought, hey maybe I’ll find a Hottie!

Well, Davis did find a Hottie — Bristol! And she was so much more than he bargained for! Their chemistry is off the charts! And it goes so much deeper than the physical. The connection they share because of the shared understanding due to their tragic pasts is undeniable – even when they don’t discuss it. But can this vacation fling last in the real world? What happens when they leave this secluded paradise?

I had no idea what to expect when I first got my hands on this gem from Erin. But she blew me out of the water with this one! In true Erin Noelle fashion, she had my emotions ALL OVER the place! Tears, laughs, smirks, snorts, sexy time, swooning she packs it all in there. It is one of the many things that I adore about her and her writing. It makes her characters so much more believable. I don’t know about you, but I like it when people get to experience some of everything — makes them feel a lot more real to me. Her characters here were so endearing – they weren’t too perfect, they messed up, apologized – in other words THEY WERE REAL! I want to be friends with them!

I got so lost in this book! A book full of healing, forgiveness, growth, romance and love. I HIGHLY recommend it. Go, run one-click NOW! I promise you will NOT be disappointed! (I may have already read this a couple of times 😉 )

Jennifer’s Review

Admittedly I was a little late to the Erin Noelle game. Why it took me so long to read her work is beyond me. I first read When The Sun Goes down a few months ago and I immediately picked up everything she wrote and devoured it. I didn’t think it was possible to love her more. Until now. WOW. I am absolutely floored by the powerful emotions she created in me when reading Surviving Us!

Bristol and Davis (SWOON) are survivors. They have both survived a tragedy and now they are just trying to be through their days dealing with the guilt of being the sole survivor of the tragic circumstances that is their past. Bristol travels to St. Lucia for an Enduring Life retreat, just planning on connecting face to face with fellow survivors she’s been fortunate enough to meet through their online connection. She wasn’t expecting Davis McKay. Davis attends the retreat only to please his mother. He has no intentions of connecting with anyone, at least not in any way more than physical.

Bristol and Davis’ immediate attraction is undeniable and they each allow themselves to give in to those intense feelings towards one another. Bristol knows she can’t trust Davis but can’t deny herself him – I don’t blame her. He is oh so swoon-worthy! Davis is the best kind of book boyfriend there is. He’s real but damaged – yet he somehow knows he can open himself up to Bristol. Bristol is a heroine I can totally relate to – not a princess at all. She’s just one of the guys but is all things feminine too. She’s fun, kind, and sassy.

As the two embark on a relationship they know has a two week expiration date, they discover things about themselves they never thought possible. Can they walk away from the intense feelings they have for one another after just two weeks?

I can’t even explain how much I loved this book. You won’t be sorry you pick this one up – I cried, I laughed, and I totally swooned. Thanks, Erin, for allowing me to read early for an honest review! Loved. It.

Kelly’s Review

5 Stars for my favorite book of Erin Noelle’s yet!

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Erin Noelle fan. So going into this book, there wasn’t any doubt that I was going to love it. But I truly didn’t expect it to become my new favorite book of hers.

In Surviving Us, we meet Bristol Criswell- a 19 year old college student from Oklahoma (go OU!) who is struggling to find peace after surviving a terrible loss at a young age. She’s felt so alone for so long and can’t wait to go to an Enduring Life retreat in St. Lucia to meet the friends she’s been talking to online in a survivor’s group for years. But she didn’t expect to meet Davis McKay.

Davis is a survivor, too- although he’s less than excited to be attending the retreat, only going to please his mother. At the age of 20, he’s struggling to get his life back on track after his own tragedy changed his life forever only 2 years ago. He doesn’t see how talking to other people about his problems is going to help anything and is dreading the 12 day retreat. Until he meets Bristol.

The two immediately have an insane attraction to each other and what starts out as a summer/vacation fling, soon turns into much more. As the day to leave comes closer, the two realize just how much the other has changed their life, unknowingly starting the healing process they both so desperately needed. But when it’s time to go home, they’re faced with a new problem- how to move on without each other.

After everything they’ve been through, can they be strong enough to fight for each other when their 12 days in paradise is over?

Surviving Us is a beautiful, funny, HOT story that had me captivated from start to finish. If my kids would have allowed it, I would have read this book in one sitting. Erin Noelle’s books just keep getting better and better and I can’t wait to see what she’ll bring us next!

“I don’t want to go home. I’m afraid I’ll feel dead inside again, and I like feeling alive.”

“She serves not only as my inspiration, but as my end goal.”

“You’re the bikini-lovin’, music-snobbin’, snake-wrangling trouble I need to keep my shoe-buyin’, wall-kissin’, star-making ass in line.”

Teaser

Erin Noelle is a Texas native, where she lives with her husband and two young daughters. While earning her degree in History at the University of Houston, she rediscovered her love for reading that was first instilled by her grandmother when she was a young child. A lover of happily-ever-afters, both historical and current, Erin is an avid reader of all romance novels. In 2013, she published the Book Boyfriend Series, which included books Metamorphosis, Ambrosia, Euphoria, and Timeless, and recently published When the Sun Goes Down, a contemporary romance novel. Her books have been a part of the USA Today Bestselling list and the Amazon and Barnes & Noble overall Top 100.