A Blessing and a Curse by Anna Campbell [BLITZ]

Blessing Savage barely remembers who she was before the unexpected death of her father, Pastor Savage. These days she clings desperately to the party girl persona she’s created for her second year of college, living with a new group of friends, joining their sorority, and partying non-stop. There’s only one thing that can kill her perpetual buzz, and his name is Camden Holbrook, the boy she’s pined for for nearly a decade.

Camden credits Blessing’s father for saving him when he was a child, giving him a place to stay when his mother abandoned him and setting him back on the right track. So when Pastor Savage asked a promise of Camden before dying – to look out for Blessing – he made a vow and meant it. Protecting Blessing has always come easily. Loving her has not. Not for someone who’s learned time and time again that love and loss are intricately interwoven.

After years of Camden keeping her at arm’s length, the last thing Blessing wants is him barging into her life. But new Blessing refuses to let Cam play knight-in-shining-armor, not when she knows – from one starry summer’s night slip-up – how he really feels about her. This time around, Blessing’s intent on pushing Camden’s limits, and she’s got some sexy new tricks up her sleeve to take him past them. Then maybe he’ll admit the truth of his feelings. Maybe the person who’s always known her best can help her find a way back to herself. Maybe she can prove to Camden that love doesn’t always destroy a person. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that can start putting them back together.

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College Romance | Contemporary | New Adult | Romance

Published: October 31, 2023

Length: 365

Tour Provided by Xpresso Book Tours

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⇛The Guest Post⇚

Anna Campbell's Favorite TV Show and Why She Loves Outlander

When it comes to popular TV shows, more often than not, I’m late to the party. And while being late to the party means missing out on the heady anticipation of what will come next as a show unfolds in real time and participating in online chatter and wonder, there’s certainly something to be said for being able to binge watch and having a substantial backlog on hand during trying times like the industry strike/shutdown of late. During that time, I had the pleasure of watching all seven available seasons of Outlander, which over time became a new favorite.

Oh, Outlander! How I had resisted! All that came to mind when I heard the title were those sweeping romance novel covers, strapping men on horseback, the torn fabric of their kilts barely containing their muscles. And the way I’d heard the sex scenes referenced… again cue the image of the trashy romance novel. I pitched the idea of trying the show with extreme hesitation to my husband – “So, I think you’ll like the time travel aspect, but they’re based on these women’s romance novels, so it might be super cheesy.”

But we were desperate. We had nothing left to watch, and there were seven seasons in the queue. At least worth giving it a try?

Seven seasons later, we eagerly anticipate the eighth and final season. Yes, there are strapping men on horseback, fabric strategically torn. Yes, there are steamy sex scenes, and at one point we may have been keeping Nipple Count (“It has been 0 episodes since we last saw Claire’s nipples”). But here’s what actually won us over on Outlander and why I’d encourage anyone with a raised eyebrow to sit down and give it a watch.

It gets better over time. Truth – we almost bounced during/after Season 2. But rather than staying past its prime, Outlander has gotten stronger through the seasons, and we’re anticipating a strong finish.
Jamie Fraser is just a little too good to be true. Okay, a lot too good to be true. Intelligent and earnest. Righteous and principled. Fearless and defiant. Protective and domineering, sometimes to a fault. (Jamie makes it okay to buy into that image of the guy who is domineering to a fault at times, okay?) Yet he’s tender and humorous and gentle and devoted, moved to tears by his children and grandchildren. Big whoop that it’s entirely unrealistic. What are we here for, if not to imagine leading men who don’t exist in the real world?
There is angst. Oh, there is so much angst! The pain and struggle of these individuals trying to recover from traumas experienced in the early seasons hurts so good!
Jamie and Claire make you believe in soul mates, in lifelong love, the kind that makes them hot for each other right in the middle of a stable even after they’ve become grandparents. We all want to believe love like that exists and will persist despite the odds. We need to!
There are grand, sweeping speeches. About freedom, and community, and principles, and love, and devotion, and sacrifice, and life. Grand sweeping speeches delivered over just the right musical score in lyrically accented voices. I’m also here for the grand, sweeping speeches.
Ultimately, it’s deeper than it lets on – deeper than any graphic depictions from the pages, deeper than the played-out images from the covers of romance books. It’s surprisingly deep, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed exploring the characters and plot lines hidden below its premise.

Now, I’ll shamelessly segue… have you watched Outlander and enjoyed it? Had you written it off but I’ve enticed you with the bullet points above?

Might I recommend A Blessing and a Curse for your reading pleasure? Because I will attest that it is also deeper than your average New Adult romance, boasts a leading man who might just be a little too good to be true, who can be maddeningly protective but is ultimately utterly weak for the ones he loves, and enough angst to engage your heart and not just your hormones. Because oh yeah… that it will also do.

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Anna Campbell has traditionally published several stories for teens over the years under a different pen name. Anna Campbell stories are mature YA/NA angsty stories about beatiful broken people who love hard and still believe in happy endings.