Interview, Review & Giveaway of Consequences and Truth by Aleatha Romig

We are excited to have Aleatha Romig here at Reality Bites! 
 

 

Aleatha took the time to answer questions about her series!

 

She also threw in *signed* paperback copies of both Consequences and Truth!

 

Read Below!!

REVIEWS

                                                         Consequences (Consequences #1)
Spoiler Free Review -A MUST READ
4.5 STARS out of 5
Genre: Adult Fiction -Thriller/Suspense

If you're thinking of reading this book be prepared to have your mind f**ked over and over again until you can no longer take it.

If you have read this book then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. —Charles Darwin

The book starts with Claire waking up in a room/suite with no idea as to how she has gotten there. It does not take long for her to figure out that she is being held prisoner. Realization dawns on her as memories flood back of who she was with last.
Tall, dark, handsome and apparently filthy rich. Anthony Rawlings.

It all started with a signature
Ex-meteorologist Claire Nichols is a bartender working at a restaurant called Red Wing in Atlanta. She has no idea that tonight her life will forever be irrevocably changed. She is currently being watched from across the room, by billionaire Anthony Rawlings. After his business meeting wraps up Anthony takes a seat at the bar and engages in conversation with Claire.

Nothing new there as a matter of fact polite conversation is part of her job. However this encounter leads him to ask her to join him for drinks once her shift ends. She agrees. Sometime during the wine and talk of business, life in Atlanta and careers Anthony says to Claire
“You know, your destiny could be as simple as an offer and a signature away.”
He then takes a Red Wing napkin and tells her to pretend it's a contract, but not just any contract. No, this contract will be for her dream job as a meteorologist. Claire plays along not knowing she has just signed her name and made a deal with the devil.

Predestined
Anthony Rawlings is not just a billionaire businessman. Anthony is a man with an Agenda. And nothing can prepare Claire for what he has in store.

Consequences is a psychological thriller that will have you asking yourself 100 different questions with 100 different variations of WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY and HOW And NOTHING absolutely NOTHING can prepare you for the ending.

Thoughts
I will start with my dislikes.
I thought this book was a bit too long with a whole lot of narratives and inner monologues. Which in my humble opinion seemed to draw out the story. I personally prefer lots of character interactions in books that I read. Another thing I' am not a fan of is stories told from the third person which this was. Never the less the story flowed and kept my rapt attention.
My Likes
The story was violent yet Romig managed to hold back by not being very descriptive with the abuse scenes. Claire was abused and raped yet the reader did not experience it first hand except but on a few occasions. The author managed to give readers an abusive storyline, in an overtly yet none to graphic way. In other words, Romig let you know what was happening without being overly descriptive then she would 'fade to black.' Readers would catch the after math and feel all of Claire's pain. And believe me...there was a lot of pain and anguish in this book.

Anthony
Romig did a very good job with building a love/hate relationship for readers in regards to Anthony. And honestly, I could go on and on about Anthony being very malicious, cruel, manipulative, vindictive, controlling and so on and so forth. But in all reality one word could be used to describe him, EVIL. Every step he takes is evil even when he calls himself being nice.

Claire
A lot of questions are thrown around about WHY Claire stayed, why not run. I think the answer is simple and is given as the opening quote of the book. Which is a quote by Darwin that I used in this review. Her way of surviving was by adapting and to an extent it worked for her. Anthony very slowly started to bend on his rules and conform.
A man with no compassion started to feel compassion.
A man with no regrets started to regret.
A man who NEVER apologizes, apologized.
Claire's ability to ADAPT brought CHANGE.
Claire's decision to adapt allowed her to learn from the master....

Side Note: This book also has a host of secondary characters that I loved!

Fave Lines

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~Tony during the Vanity Fair interview


“Claire, you don’t need to be perfect all the time. You don’t need to say everything perfectly, look perfect, and be perfect. Life isn’t a test that you must continually pass.” ~Courtney

My Ratings
Characters- Most I loved, one I hated *coughs* Tony.
Writing Style- Good
Plot/Storyline- Cunning, Deceptive, Methodical and Intense
Steam Factor- Medium/Moderately Steamy
Overall- I loved it!! And I totally recommend it!!

Now go forth and read. Then come tell us about it!

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Spoiler Free Review -Quick review
4.5 STARS out of 5
Genre: Adult Fiction -Psychological Thriller 

Series: Book 2 in Consequences series by Aleatha Romig

ARE YOU READY FOR THE TRUTH??? I sure as hell wasn't....
NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING was what it appeared to be, yet EVERYTHING weaved together flawlessly with a JAW DROPPER ending.

In Consequences
A man with no compassion started to feel compassion.
A man with no regrets started to regret.
A man who NEVER apologizes, apologized.
Claire's ability to ADAPT produced CHANGE.
Claire's decision to adapt provided her with a wealth of knowledge. She has learned from the master and now she can use it to her advantage.


Freedom
In Truth Claire is released from prison after doing an eighteen month stint. Shocked yet grateful she seeks solace in sunny California with an unexpected friend. But happy day's of freedom don't last forever because when Tony get's word of her release....Well....Let's just say he is none to pleased. His unhappiness however does not stem from her newly found freedom but from his loss of control. AND the fact that he still wants her. Which is something he never anticipated.

A new game begins with a host of new players. Unbeknownst to him, puppet master Tony is no longer pulling the strings. Because there is someone more EVIL lurking around to take out both him and Claire. And the new puppet master is ten times colder, twenty times more calculated and very much determined to win.

Truth takes off with a BOOM and keeps up the momentum at high rate speed; with it's perfectly spun web of events that are mind consuming. Romig has crafted a well developed plot, strong characters and jaw dropping story lines. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time as the truth was slowly revealed piece by piece. I consider this series A MUST READ! You will not be disappointed!

My Thoughts

This series is a total MIND F#CK! IT is also a MUST READ!!!

My ratings
Characters- Cunning
Writing Style- Methodical, Leading and Skillful
Plot/Storyline- Clever, Deceptive, and Intense
Steam Factor- Medium/Moderately Steamy
Overall- I loved it!! A MUST READ!!

Now go forth and read. Then come tell us about it!

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Buy Consequences on Amazon       Buy Truth on Amazon
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Interview

First and foremost I want to say thank you for the interview! I appreciate this opportunity. I love your series!

You are very welcome! Thank you for having me on Reality Bites! Let’s Get Lost! This is a great blog.  I love your reviews and giveaways.  I’m honored to be a part of it!



1)  I would love to start off by finding out your creative process behind Tony and Claire's characters. The story is very dark, Tony is very dark. What was your inspiration for creating both Tony and Claire? And how did you get to that dark space in order to write Tony's character?

 

Tony and Claire both developed and grew over time.  I honestly didn’t create them and then put them in the story... the story developed and they did too.  In my original manuscript I had A LOT more background on Claire.  Too much!! Nevertheless, in writing that, I learned about her, her family, her habits, her childhood... it was very helpful to me, although it would have been incredibly boring for you! 

 

Tony... not so much.  When I started writing he was a mystery. I learned more about him in TRUTH, just as you did.  It’s so fun to write that way.  Each time I sit at the computer it is an adventure!

 

Tony is dark. And as we learn more about him, I believe we are learning why. Writing him from Claire’s POV wasn’t necessarily a dark place to be.  Recently, I re-wrote the “accident” scene from Tony’s POV.  I was scared to go there.  It was VERY dark --  in his mind at that time. However, I found it incredibly enlightening too.

 

2)  What was the very first scene you wrote in Consequences? Was it somewhere in the middle, the beginning or the end?

 

I first wrote the bedroom scene, with Claire waking.  The entire story evolved from there.  I actually “saw” it.  I’d always wanted to write, so I thought, “why not”. And I wrote it down.  Then I had to figure out -- how she got there, why she was there, and what she was going to do about it... fun stuff!!!

 

3)  Did you know this would be a trilogy when you started writing Consequences? And did you know how you wanted the trilogy to end while writing book 1?

 

No!!! If I ever -- ok, when -- I do this again, because I love it, I will plan accordingly.  Since CONSEQUENCES was my first attempt at writing, I didn’t plan on sharing it with anyone, publishing it, or writing more.  Therefore, I had no idea there would be a book 2.  Then I planned on the story ending with book 2.  However, when I got to the end of TRUTH the story wasn’t wrapped up, like I wanted.  After crying, pouting, and throwing my own temper tantrum, my daughter, a psychology major, talked me through it. She convinced me to make adaptations to my planned ending and continue the saga.  I believe she told me it would be fine, “trilogies are in”.  I hope she was right.

 

4)  I have to be honest. I hated Tony 99.9% of the time in Consequences. You did a superb job of making him in to the ultimate bad guy. The abuse was hard to read even though you used fade-to-black scenes instead of being overly descriptive. Book one kept a constant dark cloud over my head while I was reading it. Book two kept me more on the edge of my seat and guessing as to what would happen next. Out of all the scenes in both book 1 and 2 what was the hardest scene for you to write? And what was your favorite scene to write? The scene can be from either book, just please explain why you chose that particular scene.

 

The most difficult scene for me to write was the encounter with Simon at the Chicago Symposium and its after effects.  While writing CONSEQUENCES I “lived” Claire’s mood.  I spent my days stressed, when she was stressed, happy when she was happy – it monopolized my thoughts! I knew where the story needed to go. I knew her relationship with Tony had to turn back to darkness for the ending to occur.  I didn’t want to go there, and I wasn’t sure how.  My husband was the one to suggest the addition of another man.  Jealousy, he said, is a great motivator, to make a man (Tony) forget his promises.  Then I remembered Simon from Claire’s memories while unconscious.  I wrote the entire scene in one night... it took an entire bottle of wine.  In the morning, I couldn’t wait to read what I’d written!

 

I do like quotes – and I believe it was Ernest Hemingway who said: “Write drunk, edit sober.”  Not my usual plan, but it worked for that scene. 

 

My favorite:  The gala in TRUTH! I wrote the scene one way, having Claire surprise Tony.  I didn’t like it.  I pouted for a few days (yes, I do that from time to time) Then, the idea for the scene the way it is, hit me! I couldn’t type fast enough.  It was just so Tony! He never would have been surprised.  Truly, I LOVE Tony’s manipulating ways, his devilish grin, and domineering ways.  That said -- I love them even more when met with Claire’s wit and sassy retorts!

 

5)  At the end of book one I was completely convinced that Tony was not going to change. He let Claire go and stay in prison, and then he divorced her. As a reader I assumed he would keep his bad guy persona and love would not factor in for him. Then BAM, I read Truth and you changed the game. When did you realize that Tony would not only love Claire but do everything in his power to have her again? And was that always a part of your plan, for this to be a romance/love story in regards to these two characters? 

 

I belong to the Indiana Romance Writers Association, yet I never thought of CONSEQUENCES or TRUTH as romances.  My agent now tells me they are “Contemporary Dark Romance/ Thrillers” -- so, all right. 

 

Was that my plan? Ha, no, because I had no plan! I started TRUTH three different times.  I have a folder labeled “removed from Truth”.  It has over 60,000 words in it! The story didn’t feel “right” until I went this direction.  I believe part of what made it so fun, was that it was not at all what I expected or what I thought my readers were expecting. I enjoy doing that!  At the same time, I wanted the “suspense / thriller” feel of twists and turns and not knowing who to trust.  I hope I accomplished both.

 

6)  "Rawls-Nichols baby" that statement spoke volumes. It appears at the end of book 2 that there is a new villain. Who really is not new at all.  Really when you think about it, this person has been around since the beginning... This new villain seems to be taking the lead in route for book 3, and is under the impression that Tony and Claire are out of the picture. How much of Tony and Claire will we get in book 3? And I am not referring to them as a couple, I mean in general will we get a nice amount of story lines with each of them in book 3. And also in regards to the new villain, now that we now her true identity and paternity, how big of a role will Sophia have in book 3, Convicted?

 

Lots of questions there!  Yes, for those who haven’t read TRUTH, let’s keep that villain’s name in code... we’ll call that person “villain”.  LOL 

 

After I wrote Consequences, the most asked question I received was, “What about “Villain”?  What is her/his deal? Tony must be holding something over him/her!” This made me think... what was the deal?  Writing that backstory pulled it all together. 

 

How much Tony / Claire (couple not implied)?  Well, as much as Villain and Sophia/ Derek are important to the story, Tony and Claire are the Consequences Series.  I promise a lot of them!  That said, Sophia’s role will also grow.  Most people didn’t feel attached to her throughout TRUTH because they don’t know who she was or why she’s there.  I hope that in CONVICTED she will be more meaningful to my readers.  Perhaps even now there is a bit of concern for her, knowing what you know?

 

7)  I am anxiously awaiting Convicted. I am very curious as to whether or not Claire will find out about just how big of a role Tony has played as the bad guy in her life as well as the lives of others. In Truth we get to meet some new characters Amber, Harry and Phil each play big roles in Claire's life. In Convicted will we get more story lines with Amber, Harry and Phil? 

 

Good! I’m glad you’re anxious for CONVICTED! I’m shocked every time I log on to Goodreads and see the number of people who have added it to their “to read” list.  The last time I looked it was over 1100!  That is so cool!

 

In CONVICTED, we and Claire will learn about Tony’s past sins – what were his and what someone else’s was? **cough** cough** Villain.   I will say, perhaps I may have mislead you on a few things. 

 

This is where the writing gets incredibly complicated.  By not planning a trilogy, I spend a lot of time with timelines, notes, and reading CONSEQUENCES and TRUTH to be sure everything fits! I know, if I mess up, someone will be kind enough to point it out. I’m working diligently to be sure there are no inconsistencies. 

 

Amber, Harry, Phil, Emily, John, Eric, Catherine, Courtney, and Brent as well as others previously introduced will once again surface in CONVICTED! Damn, I think Harry is too hot to let fade away.  Please don’t take that as any kind of hint... Tony is an ass, but one seriously sizzling ass!  And, despite many readers thinking Phil is creepy... I see him as a handsome, concerned sexy man of mystery. 

 

My point... Claire’s “husband” will be revealed in CONVICTED and no sooner. 

 

Thank you for having me on “Reality Bites! Let’s Get Lost!”  These were fantastic questions.   I hope after reading this interview and your review, your readers will want to read the CONSEQUENCES Series.  If they like twists and turns as well as some seriously hot and heavy, not to mention twisted, relationships and characters, these are the books for them! Thank you, Aleatha

 

 

 

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 CONVICTED will be released late 2013, early 2014!  Mark it on your Goodreads!!!

 

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