Vacant (Adult Version) by Evelyn R. Baldwin - Blog tour review.

• Title: Vacant

• Author: Evelyn R. Baldwin

• Source; CBL Book Tours

• Format; Kindle

• Publisher; Mayhem Erotica

• Released:  Young Adult Version - December 23, 2012
Adult Erotica Version - February 23, 2013

 • Genre: {There are two versions of this book} Adult Erotica & YA Romance


• Synopsis:

Ethan Parker gets up every day, surviving the only way he knows how—alone.

Orphaned as a child and forced into the child welfare system, he knows better than to depend on anyone but himself. He’s learned trust is a word used all too often, but rarely earned.

Ethan believes that his best chance for maintaining a simple and solitary existence is to live by a simple mantra: Don’t get involved. Keep things simple.

Take care of yourself!

When a young woman moves in next door, Ethan is forced to reevaluate his beliefs. He tries to keep his distance, but his new neighbor’s infectious smile and outlook on life leave him struggling with the decision of living the life he knows, or taking a chance on the unexpected.

As Ethan develops a relationship with his new neighbor, Emily, he realizes nothing is simple and learns that life is about more than just surviving… it’s about living.

Goodreads (YA): http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17342293-vacant
Goodreads (Adult): http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17409269-vacant-adult-version

Goodreads Average Rating; 3.72*s
My Rating; 5*s
Would I recommend this book? Yes
Who would I recommend it to? Everyone
Would I read anything else by this author? Yes, I would.

My Review; This book may be short but it is emotionally heavy.

Altogether this book took me about an hour or two to read, if that, but it still made me cry so much. I got so attached to Emily and Ethan in that short amount of time that became 14 years of their life.

I recommend this book to everyone. Whether you read the adult or YA version of this book, I don't care, you should read it.

There are problems with this book, sure, just as there are with more (all) books. Some people might find Emily annoying on occasion. Or they'll find something else to flaw. And that's okay. But I loved this book in spite of its flaws.

The book is worth the read despite its flaws in my opinion.

I'd tell you that I wish this was a full length novel, because I wish to know more of their story, see more of their moments, but I can't. Because as much as I do wish there was more to this story, I can't help but feel that the way it was written was perfect for the story.
It gets the story and message across.

I'll admit, when I first started this novella, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. Ethan seemed, I don't know, I just felt I couldn't really connect with him at first, but, as I read more and more of the story I just couldn't help but fall in love with these two unfortunate characters.

Definitely a book I'd recommend. I think it deserves the five stars I am giving it. Flaws or no.

Excerpt:

As my arm swings with the rhythm of my feet, I brush Emily's fingers with my own. It’s an innocent accident, though the sudden warmth in my chest is anything but. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep up this ruse, playing her brotherly protector. While Emily has never spoken about boys in her class or voiced interests of the romantic sort, I know it’s inevitable. She has blossomed into a beautiful creature who has no idea of the devastation her beauty wreaks upon me and, surely, the boys around her. Her smile is infectious, and it’s only a matter of time before a suitor comes knocking at our door. I kind of feel sorry for the poor boy, as my first time meeting him will most likely be ugly. I’m a fierce guardian where Emily is concerned, not just because it’s my duty to protect her but because seeing Emily with another guy will end me.

I want to reach out and take her hand in mine as we walk, but I don’t. I have calculated the difference in our ages. Five years doesn’t seem all that much when she is twenty and I’m twenty-five. However, she is seventeen and still a minor, which is the only important difference, no matter how hard my libido begs to differ. I have to prepare for her to have romantic feelings for someone her own age, not a twenty-two year-old guy who has to act like her older brother.

Sisters rarely hold hands with their brothers.

Guest Post Short Q&A:

Q: What made you become a writer?

A: There was a creative writing course with the final class project being an autobiography. I had kept a journal since I was about 10 and figured “final Project complete!” Easy A. Through the semester, my teacher encouraged me to enter some contests, and I won one a small monetary prize. Having reached literary greatness at 18, I hung up my pen and moved on to the Behavioral Sciences. Realistically, the seed was planted to pursue writing in college, but my conservative family felt that majoring in the “arts” was silly. To quote my father, “that’s what hippies do.”
After Twilight was done and I’d read them all 2-3 times, I wanted more and googled “twilight addiction.” It led me to someone’s blog who then spoke about twi fanfic. I started reading all the stories and said, “Hey, I can do this!”

So yeah, I wrote a story. It was popular. It validated my writing prowess, AGAIN . That was 4 years ago. I began to read other stories that were popular, and I didn’t think they were that well written and it really made me second guess myself as a writer, so I drifted away. It wasn’t until recently (last 6 mo) that I felt like this was something I could do without “Edward & Bella.

Author Bio:

Evelyn R. Baldwin was born in the Midwest and spent her childhood on a horse ranch. As an only child, Evelyn was often forced to entertain herself with the family's horses as companions, and her imagination the only limitation.

After moving to St. Louis to attend college, she earned a degree in Education. During her Master’s program, Evelyn discovered her fascination with behavior and psychology.

Her first professional job experience was as a juvenile counselor, which led her to venture into other human sciences, eventually making a career with Behavior Analysis. While writing is a hobby for Evelyn, she often uses her experiences with human behavior to guide her characters.

She’s written short stories since childhood but only recently began exercising her real writing muscles. While she does not consider herself a professional writer in any sense of the word, she continues to polish her craft and hopes for success in her writing ventures, even if they are just as a hobby.

Author Contact Links:

Website: evelynrbaldwin.com

Twitter: EvelynRBaldwin

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6871363.Evelyn_R_Baldwin

Free Anthology: (**ADULT) https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/288657

Buy Links: 

YA Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Vacant-ebook/dp/B00BJXRXJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362872530&sr=8-1&keywords=Vacant

YA Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Vacant-Evelyn-R-Baldwin/dp/1475155875/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362872530&sr=8-2&keywords=Vacant

Adult Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Vacant-Adult-Version-ebook/dp/B00BK6M0J2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1362872530&sr=8-3&keywords=Vacant