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Shakedown #0.5

Tough Road

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Rachel's lying, embezzling ex-fiancé has some nerve showing up now—full of accusations and looking so hot.

Rachel Grant worked her fingers to the bone after her fall from society's grace, thanks to her sudden poverty and connection to ex-fiancé Trick Masters who was convicted of embezzlement. How dare he show up after being released and accuse her of framing him. How dare he look so good, so put-together, so infuriatingly handsome.

For the last three years Trick has been consumed with revenge--for whoever set him up, for losing his investment banking career, for almost losing his mind in prison. Now free, he's getting his life back on track, first by finding Rachel and second, by discovering the truth—which turns out neither of them has or ever did.

Tough Road is an expanded version of the previously-published novella, Shakedown.

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Published June 9, 2020

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About the author

Elizabeth SaFleur

35 books516 followers
Award-winning author of steamy romcom, erotic romance and steamy contemporary, Elizabeth SaFleur promises all the "feels" in her stories. And, hot heroes, HEAs and (many) spicy, sexy times.

~~Laugh out loud in her Meet Cute Series.
~~Experience luxurious, glamorous escapes in her Elite Doms of Washington series
~~Join her burlesque & gangster book world in the Shakedown series
~~Meet the heroines who take charge in the Justice Series, her Femme Domme romance books

News From Elizabeth (newsletter: http://eepurl.com/WK5EH
Elizabeth’s Playroom: http://tinyurl.com/ElizabethPlayroom
TikTok: https://bit.ly/ESaFleurTikTok
Bookbub: http://tinyurl.com/ElizabethBookBub
Facebook page: http://bit.ly/30pJVI2
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2KLWSX5

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5 stars
45 (52%)
4 stars
29 (33%)
3 stars
9 (10%)
2 stars
1 (1%)
1 star
2 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Donna.
3,843 reviews49 followers
July 24, 2020
Tough Road is a well written tale of a love that started hot and got burned by a lack of communication and maturity but is finding a second chance. This is a sexy, dirty tale of love and redemption.
Profile Image for Red Hot Romance Blog.
496 reviews31 followers
July 5, 2020
Tough Road is a prequel in the Shakedown series. This novella was previously published but was expanded. After reading this I am glad that I did not get to read previously published version because I cannot imagine any parts of that left out.

I could feel the hatred between the Rachel and Trick from the first moment they saw each other. One of my favorite tropes is second chance romances and this was a good one. I totally understand how they both felt about each other. They were so in love the last time they saw each other and to think that either one had betrayed the other would be devastating. Their attraction never went away because the first time they were alone they could not keep their hands to themselves.

While I would not have minded this being longer, I really enjoyed this book. I am anxious now to read Nathan and Declan’s stories. Great job Elizabeth Safleur!
Profile Image for Tanja OMGReads.
2,026 reviews47 followers
July 17, 2020
It's really funny how sometimes no matter how much time has passed or what someone had done to hurt you, you can't seem to forget them. That's what this story was about with Rachel and Trick. They shared a connection that even a 3 year absence couldn't brake.

As a introduction to the series it was a great way to meet people that will be the MC in the next book.

***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
Profile Image for Rhonda.
3,280 reviews65 followers
May 21, 2020
Elizabeth SaFleur is one of my go to authors when I want a great story. This expanded story was one I read several years ago but Ms. SaFleur has added and revised it and it's so much better. Rachel and Trick have a past and after 3 years in prison, Trick has come to seek revenge. But all is not what it seems. This is a beautifully written second chance at love and I fell in love all over again! Do yourself a favor and pick this little gem up. Even if you've read it before, you'll love this story with more added on.
Profile Image for Sissy's Romance Book Review .
8,763 reviews16 followers
July 16, 2020
Tough Road by Elizabeth SaFleur is book 0.5 in the Shakedown Series. This is the story of Trick Masters and Rachel Grant. This was a second chance at love story with Trick going to prison and is out looking for revenge. Trick thinks Rachel was the one that put things in motion for him to go there. Now they are back together finding out things were not as they seemed. Enjoyed this story.
Profile Image for Breen.
1,393 reviews
July 26, 2020
“Is this seriously the prequel of a series? Wow! If this is just the beginning I cant imagine how good the series is going to be. There are so many aspect of this plot that I want remark but praising them without giving details is so complicated. Trick and Rachel are the kind of characters that you can’t help but fall in love with every aspect of them. When Trick hurt her and then left there were secrets hide that no one really know but they made me remember the phrase that says ‘Don’t believe everything you see and only half of what you see.’ Now Nathan is back and he's willing to protect and win back Rachel. Their story was a total page-turner with lots of hot chemistry and undeniable attraction. Highly recommended!”
Profile Image for Kelly Kemmerly.
618 reviews9 followers
June 30, 2020
This novella is a small taste of how the Shakedown books will rock your world and bring you down with amazing characters. Trick and Rachel are reunited to face a deceitful past that demands more than forgiveness.
Will Rachel be able to rebuild her trust in Trick?
Can Trick recover from the three years he paid the ultimate price for her?
I couldn't put this one down!! The perfect read for a hot summer day.
1,477 reviews25 followers
June 9, 2020
What an incredible start to this new series! I can’t even express how much I loved this story. Trick and Rachel are two characters you will completely fall in love with. Years prior these two were in a relationship until one day Rachel couldn’t be with Trick anymore. He did something to her and her brother she could never forgive. But does she know the real truth? Years later they meet up again. By chance? Accidentally? One will never know, but while the attraction is still there, so is the hurt and anger, on both parts. As these two navigate around each other, will the truth come out? There is no denying the chemistry between these two. It’s so sizzling, the pages burn your finders as you turn the pages!

There is just so much about this story that I loved, it’s hard to put it all into words! What I can say is you need this book in your life. You will find yourself emotional as you read about the hurt, the betrayal, the anger and still possibly the love between these two. Please, don’t hesitate, go ahead and read this book and beginning to a brand new series!
Profile Image for Salima Queen.
174 reviews
June 18, 2020
This story starts of steamy.... and then tragedy strikes in the lives of Trick Masters and Rachel Grant! The main story takes place in Shakedown .... a Burlesque night club. When Rachel sees Trick again after so many years, could there love make it back to them. Could they be that hot item they once were. There are a few twists and turns that may shock you but I really enjoyed reading Elizabeth SaFleur story ...
July 19, 2020
Tough Road is 0.5 is a novella and I read it in at the most a couple of hours.

Things were going so well for Rachel Grant and Trick Masters. Rachel is heading to Hospitality School and Trick is an Investment attorney. All was looking up for the two of them. Until Trick was convicted for embezzlement and went to prison now Trick is back. All he can think about is revenge on the person or persons that framed him. Did he do it? He blames Rachel and Rachel blames Trick.

There is nothing like passionate angry sex and they stay in melt down mode throughout the story!

I enjoyed this novella and I am anxious to start reading Tough Luck. It's the first full book in the Shakedown series. 4.5 stars
10 reviews
June 9, 2020
Rachel Grant leaves on a business trip overseas for a month happily engaged to Trick Masters. When she gets back home she finds out the love of her life is not what he seems, he is jail for embezzlement of her and her step-brothers inheritance money. She is heart broken and furious as she sees that he is punished.
Trick Masters wants to know where the money went that he got accused of stealing. He is out of prison and he has found his former fiancée Rachel, but he can't understand if she duped him why is she working as a waitress at a night club. He needs to find her step-brother and keep and eye on her so he comes up with a plan for her to loose her job, so she can work for him at Shakedown.
Elizabeth SaFleur has done it again. She is one of my favorite authors, she never disappoints. I have volunteered as a ARC Reader for this book.
Profile Image for Anne Baker.
756 reviews4 followers
June 9, 2020
Life’s Curve Balls


A magnificent read from my favourite author, Elizabeth SaFleur! Tough Road was an amazing ride! Full of secrets and lies, betrayal and embezzlement, just my type of book that I couldn’t put down. I simply had to read it in one go, such a page turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat!! A hot sexy read for Trick and Rachel’s storyline. All characters in Shakedown are rough and ready, but so lovable with tragic pasts! Who had embezzled the 3 million dollars? You will have to read it to find out, with all the twists and turns?
Will Elizabeth’s next book be about Nathan, I do hope so, it would certainly be an intriguing suspenseful read?
A well deserved 5 stars given! That I can highly recommend!
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy
Profile Image for Arriesta.
63 reviews19 followers
June 11, 2020
My love affair with everything written by Elizabeth SaFleur continues with the first installment of the NEW Shakedown series, in Tough Road

🌸 Fans of The Elite Doms of Washington series will love Rachel Grant and Trick Masters as they reunite in some very hot scenes... Rachel is totally my kind of smart, contemporary woman complete with a love of Louboutins and Tiffany’s 💕💕💕

I cant wait till July 14th for the next installment, Tough Luck featuring Nathan and dancer, Midnight Starr...
Profile Image for Hanh.
296 reviews
July 17, 2020
I love second chance romances and this was no exception.
I was rooting for the H and h so hard, wow.
Profile Image for Melanie Marnell.
3,643 reviews28 followers
June 9, 2020
I always, always enjoy an Elizabeth Safleur romance. She creates such marvelous characters. They're intelligent, driven and sexy. The cast of characters that she introduced in Tough Road are an iintriguing lot and I look forward to reading their stories in subsequent Shakedown series books.

How do you feel when you lose everything and your fiancé is the suspect? Betrayed. How do you feel when you spend three years of your life behind bars for a crime you didn't commit and you fiancée set you up? Betrayed. Trick Masters and Rachel Grant both believe the worst of each other. Yet, the chemistry between them is still electric. Accusations fly before they start putting together the truth. A truth that is devastating for one of them. It poses the question, just how sweet is revenge?
Profile Image for Dawn.
815 reviews
October 29, 2020
When Rachel’s fiancé, Trick, ran off with her inheritance her life changed. She was forced to quit school and get any job she could. Three years later, when he is released from jail, her anger is at a boiling point. After they run into each other and Trick gets her fired and offers her a job, Rachel begins to see that what she thought had happened really hadn’t. They set out to put the correct person behind bars and begin to feel things for each other again.
Opinion
One word, Smoking! This book is phenomenal and I highly recommend it. I also recommend that you read this before Tough Luck as it will set the stage for the dance club and its workers.
Absolutely loved it!
Thanks to Bare Naked Words for providing me a copy of this book along with Tough Luck.
July 18, 2020
Tough Road is 0.5 is a novella and I read it in at the most a couple of hours.

Things were going so well for Rachel Grant and Trick Masters. Rachel is heading to Hospitality School and Trick is an Investment attorney. All was looking up for the two of them. Until Trick was convicted for embezzlement and went to prison now Trick is back. All he can think about is revenge on the person or persons that framed him. Did he do it? He blames Rachel and Rachel blames Trick.

There is nothing like passionate angry sex and they stay in melt down mode throughout the story!

I enjoyed this novella and I am anxious to start reading Tough Luck. It's the first full book in the Shakedown series. 4.5 stars
Profile Image for Book Buddies.
692 reviews14 followers
May 16, 2020
Trick Masters and Rachel Grant have been through the ringer
...and jail
...and heartbreak, oh yeah, and betrayal, but not in the way they both think.
This is their second chance story.

Welcome to Shakedown, the place where second chances are given freely and everyone there has a story to tell.

I love this place, I love these characters and Elizabeth SaFleur is the queen when it comes to novellas. I've never read an author that can put so much story into shorts like she can!

This is a fabulous start to a new series and seriously, not to be missed.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
920 reviews
May 21, 2020
What a great first book in a new series by Elizabeth SaFleur. Tough Road is a second chance love story between Trick and Rachel that brings this chemistry and attraction that neither of them can ignore despite their feelings towards the other. The author has given us a book that draws you in with the story, the suspense, the attraction and denial, and the club. I loved reading this story and can't wait to see where this series will go.
1,523 reviews
May 14, 2020
This was a sweet second chance story to establish a new series by Elizabeth Safleur. The burlesque club Shakedown is the setting for the series and it is full of interesting characters. Alexander Rockingham is mentioned so maybe there will be a connection? There are a lot of intriguing suggestions and I am really looking forward to the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Elaine.
719 reviews4 followers
June 9, 2020
Elizabeth Safleur you have out done yourself again!! What a wild ride, Trick's out of jail looking for Rachel and her brother Jay, he finds her but not Jay, what comes next for Trick and Rachel will she believe what Trick says about her brother or will the two of them but heads over it? Do you believe Trick embezzled money from Rachel and Jay or will Rachel finally know the truth?
Profile Image for Deidre.
87 reviews
November 9, 2020
Once again Elizabeth SaFleur has brought us another great story. Non stop from the beginning and I can't wait for more from the rest of the characters. Trick and Rachel are fantastic. Their trials bring a great tale that is woven spectacularly by Miss Elizabeth SaFleur and I feel she brings some of herself to this story.
Profile Image for Phyllis Lopez.
962 reviews5 followers
June 10, 2020
Exciting!

The story of Trick and Rachel is exciting, sad and heartbreaking. Rachel was so in love with Trick how could he betray her? But did he?? It takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Each character in this story plays a pivotal part in how this story ends. You will love it. I could not put it down.
2,963 reviews24 followers
May 15, 2020
OMG, so good!! Loved all the drama and suspense in the storyline. Great banter between the characters. Grabbed my interest from the first chapter and never lost it. Awesome story that I highly recommend.
Profile Image for Bonnie Natola.
111 reviews6 followers
May 16, 2020
Tough Road was like going to a speakeasy and getting the VIP treatment. It’s sexy, fun, full of sass, and had all the right moments to really indulge in the characters. For the start to a new series it’s pure magic, and one ride I will happily stay on!
Profile Image for Latifa Morrisette.
2,466 reviews61 followers
June 9, 2020
Tough Road in book one in the new Shakedown series. This is Trick and Rachel's book. I was hooked on this book from the first page. I loved the chemistry between Trick and Rachel. I'm excited for what's in store from this series.
June 9, 2020
Rachel and Trick kick off another rollercoaster series from Elizabeth SaFleur. The conflict is real as they try to reconcile their past while creating a future.
1 review
Want to read
June 5, 2020
Rachel Grant leaves on a business trip overseas for a month happily engaged to Trick Masters. Ehen she gets back home she finds out the love of her life is not what he seems, he is jail for embezzlement of her and her step-brothers inheritance money. She is heart broken and furious as she sees that he is punished.
Trick Masters wants to know where the money went that he got accused of stealing. He is out of prison and he has found his former fiancée Rachel, but he can't understand if she duped him why is she working as a waitress at a night club. He needs to find her step-brother and keep and eye on her so he comes up with a plan for her to loose her job, so she can work for him at Shakedown.
Elizabeth SaFleur has done it again. She is one of my favorite authors, she never disappoints. I have volunteered as a ARC Reader for this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

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