Sunday, November 22, 2015

Poughkeepsie Begins by Debra Anastasia Is Now Available


It ends with the beginning. This legendary, indie, cult-favorite series ends its tale with the story of the Poughkeepsie brotherhood before the tattoo. Before the train station, before the church, before a criminal empire there was a foster home and three teen boys who chose each other as family, because the ones they were born into didn’t exist

Still in high school, Beckett is already laying the groundwork for a grander life ahead, one where his brothers want for nothing and get some respect for once. But even as he plans, Beckett must decide if he’s ready to make that choice—diving in to a life that trades his chance at a future, his chance at something as simple as first love with a girl named Candy Cox, for their chance to find happiness.

Blake, Beckett, and Cole’s devotion to each other is forged by fists and the driving need to belong somewhere, to do more than just survive this life. Readers of the series know they each get there in the end, but before we count smiles, we must first shed tears. These early days of the Poughkeepsie brotherhood will play on your heartstrings before serrating them with a knife; they’ll lift your soul with music, only to leave you with nothing but a desperate prayer for hope.

And when you reach the end of the beginning, you’ll be ready to start the series all over again.

Add to Goodreads


Book 0.5
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo  ~  Simon & Schuster




When she ducked under the bleachers, he was a dick, right off the bat. His buzz was wearing off, but he was still high and broken at the closeness of her. “You’re missing your boyfriend during his lawn ballet.” He assumed a stance—douche mixed with confrontational—that he knew stopped people. It set up his walls real nice. With everyone.

Everyone but her. She walked right up to him. She pushed him hard once, twice, until his back hit one of the supports. And then she slapped him.

He took the slap and rolled his eyes. “That all you got for me, pink princess?”

And then she was kissing him. Oh, God. Kissing him and palming him with the same ferociousness he felt. He grabbed the metal behind him to keep from attacking her and nailing her right on the concrete floor littered with cigarettes and chip bags.

She pulled away and slapped him again, growling, “Fuck you, Beckett Taylor. Don’t you ever do that to me again. I’m worth more than that, and you know it.” She stepped back, leaving cold space and his heated erection between them.

He swallowed, his pounding heart trying to beat some common sense into his brain again. It wasn’t working. He let go of the bleachers and advanced. “You have some fucking nerve. You’re the one up there prom-queening it with goddamn Ryler.”

She stood her ground as he came at her. And he knew he was intimidating. Shit, full-grown men stepped aside when he was coming. But Candy raised her chin. He was amazed at the fight in her, right there. He pulled her into a dip, just like fucking Pyler had, except he did it like a man who wanted a woman and knew what to do with her body. Candy needed to push him away; she needed to turn her head.

Instead she groaned and bit his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. He put his hand between her legs and dragged it up to her breast, squeezing hard so she would feel it through her coat. She sunk her nails into the skin at his neck. She was a buried treasure. He was sure as fuck no one knew about this side of her. Only he could get her panting like she was. He spanked her bottom once.

“Ow.” She was shocked.

He stopped kissing and looked her in the face as he spanked her again, more forcefully this time.

Her “Ow” was quieter, and the hunger in her eyes far deeper than her years.

Again he spanked her. And this time she purred. Fucking purred. He began slow, circular caresses over the denim that covered her ass. He was desperate to see the red imprints from his hand.

“Fuck it.” Beckett picked her up and set her back against the metal support he’d tried to cling to before.

They weren’t alone. Red tips of cigarettes glowed, gentle murmurs of illicit behavior could be heard if you knew how to listen for trouble. Still, he held her against the pole and mimicked the motions he was desperate to do with her. He dropped his mouth to the zipper on her coat, which kept her safe from all his intentions. He used his teeth to pull it down to her cleavage. He buried his face, licking and nuzzling her sweet-smelling neck. He used his chin to move material so he could access more of her chest. She smelled like goddamn candy. His dick could pack gunpowder in a cannon it was so fucking hard.

After a moment, the murmurs added up. Too many. He glanced around and noticed the cigarettes being stubbed out. He let his prize slide down the metal gently. He leaned down to kiss her lips, then her forehead, right under the edge of her fuzzy hat before whispering, “Go. Cops are here. Go.”

And then Candy, sweet-smelling, homework-doing Candy, stuck her hand in his jacket’s hidden pocket and took the gun out. He pulled her hands and his gun close to make sure the safety was on before letting her tuck it into her bra.

“Anything else?” she asked.

And then he slipped the rest of the merchandise in his left pocket into her right one. She turned and left.

“And don’t you ever talk to me again, Taylor. I have a boyfriend!” She stormed away as the resource officer stepped up next to him.

“You have a way with the ladies, son.”

“I’m not your son.”

“That’s the truth right there. ’Cause if you were, you’d be on that field kicking footballs instead of selling at my school.”

When Beckett was let off with a warning due to lack of evidence, his one thought was of her. Candy was so perfect for him it hurt.






Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shelby☆☆☆☆☆
I couldn't wait to revisit the beloved Poughkeepsie brothers, and better yet – their “beginning!”
We get a glimpse into their teenage lives, in the foster home. We see how they complement one another, and become the brothers that we've all fallen in love with.
This is a complete, young-adult story and can be read separate from the series.
The setting is high school, and believe it or not Beckett is the main focus and his first “Love.” This story is about figuring out who he wants to be. As we all know, he isn't a bad guy – he's just made choices based on the hand that life dealt him. He's an inspiration – self-less and kind, yet cruel and cold. Somehow he's able to turn it on and off.

I love Beckett, always have and always will. I loved seeing his internal struggle with his situation and place in life, I loved to see the interactions between the young brothers, I LOVED watching Beckett fall in love, and I just loved this series. It will always be a favorite of mine.


Ruthie☆☆☆☆
I am always a little nervous of reading books which take us back – but this is a very beautiful story, and deserves to be told. Now of course I want to go and read them all again so that they are chronologically correct – maybe over the Christmas holidays, when I can go and hide somewhere quiet!

All the books have revealed much as we needed to understand some of their motivations – but this does an amazing job of revealing how and why courses of action unfolded as they did. I loved that we even had an introduction to Mouse, and that he was there at some seminal moments.

Ms. Anastasia has once again written with consummate skill and draws the reader straight into the world of Beckett, Blake and Cole ... many thanks!


Shannan☆☆☆☆☆
Ms. Anastasia goes back to the beginning to understand the end. The beginning was always alluded to. We got to see snippets throughout the series, but to see it play out is heartbreaking. To understand what makes Beckett tick, to see the love he has for his brothers, the crappy hand he was dealt, and the protection he's provided over the years makes me love Beckett all the more.

If you've read the series you know what happens – you know the battles – but I loved the journey getting there. Poughkeepsie Begins is the perfect tie-in for this series. It's such an emotional ride, my heart breaks for Cole and his anger, Blake and his panic attacks, Beckett and his need to protect what's his.

It's an emotional ending (at the beginning), knowing that this is it. The series is over, the boys are finished. I always get so jealous of those people who haven't met fantastic characters yet. They get to experience it for the first time. This is definitely one of those books I would love to forget so I could experience Poughkeepsie all over again.


Angela☆☆☆☆☆
And so the end takes us to the beginning. Poughkeepsie Begins will be a delightfully heart wrenching treat for series fans. Getting to see the boys during their final year in foster care and high school and only some of what they endured to become the men we fell in love with as the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood was forged in blood and pain made me fall in love with them all over again. After Anastasia made me cry, more than once, while reading Saving Poughkeepsie, I shouldn’t have been surprised that I finished this book with a stuffy nose, puffy eyes, and a book hangover that shouldn’t have been possible after only 200 pages – and yet here I sit, sniveling as I try to convey just how moving this book was for me.

I am all about the journey in a book – how the characters get from point A to point B. Knowing that a couple will end up together at the end doesn’t ruin the story for me – heck, it’s why I read mostly romance. And Poughkeepsie Begins was all about the journey for me and I expect it will be the same for a lot of readers. It didn’t matter that I was already aware of some of the events within or where the events would eventually lead the guys. What mattered was seeing the events play out. Anastasia proved that knowing that something happened is entirely different than seeing it actually play out – hence the tears.

Although much of the book seemed to focus on Beckett and his final taste of the light before embracing the dark side of Poughkeepsie, Cole was the dark horse for me. I’m not sure if I was so enamored by Blake and charmed by Beckett that I missed it or if I’m just failing to remember the man’s secrets as they were learned in the rest of the series, but I was shocked by the secrets that were revealed about Cole and the depths to which he could sink and what he was capable of when he “turned off” in a situation. But as it’s said, it’s always the quiet ones and perhaps I was so dazzled by Blake and Beckett that I overlooked the faithful Cole. After reading this book, I understood fully why Cole turned to God the way he did and am utterly astounded that he was able to do so after his rescue. Regardless of why I missed him before, I cannot wait to read the series in a full run as I know that I will be seeing Cole in a whole new light.

For those readers who are new to the series, I can’t even imagine what your emotions will be like as you read Poughkeepsie Begins. I may have forgotten bits and pieces of the individual books, but the series as a whole has stuck with me and there is so much that I can’t un-know that makes it impossible for me to put myself in your shoes as you meet Beckett, Blake, and Cole for the first time as young men. I would suggest that once you’ve read the series in its entirety that you reread this installment because I expect that you will have an entirely different experience reading it the second time. Anastasia’s talent simply amazes me as she can write some seriously raunchy comedy (her Gynazule series) as well as a series that has ripped my heart out time and time again with each book of the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood as I fell in love with the brothers and the family they created. As sad as I am that this marks the end of the series, I am glad that the author gave us this final opportunity to visit Poughkeepsie again and I cannot wait until I get a chance to reread the series as a whole – even if I’ll need a fresh box of tissues when I do.

Thank you Debra Anastasia, for telling me a story.





Also Available in the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood Series

http://amzn.to/152Ut2A
Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo  ~  Simon & Schuster

For a LIMITED TIME, read Poughkeepsie for FREE.
Click HERE to read Debra’s blog post for details.


http://amzn.to/11GJf1l
Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo  ~  Simon & Schuster


http://amzn.to/1xCHnDA
Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo  ~  Simon & Schuster

For reviews & more info, check out our stops on the Saving Poughkeepsie Release Day Blitz and the Saving Poughkeepsie Review Tour.




There are a lot of eyes in Debra Anastasia’s house in Maryland. First, her own creepy peepers are there, staring at her computer screen. She’s made two more sets of eyes with her body, and the kids they belong to are amazing. The poor husband is still looking at her after 17 years of marriage. At least he likes to laugh. Then the freaking dogs are looking at her—six eyeballs altogether, though the old dog is blind. And the cat watches her too, mostly while knocking stuff off the counter and doing that internal kitty laugh when Deb can’t catch the items fast enough.

In between taking care of everything those eyes involve, Debra creates pretend people in her head and paints them on the giant, beautiful canvas of your imagination. What an amazing job that is. The stories hit her hard while driving the minivan or shaving her legs, especially when there’s no paper and pen around. Within all of the lies she writes hides her heart, so thank you for letting it play in your mind.

Debra has written a smattering of books in a few genres. There are two paranormal romances in the Seraphim Series and now four contemporary romances in the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood Series, Fire Down Below is the first in the comedic Gynazule series, with the second, Fire in the Hole, currently for sale as well. The Revenger, a dark paranormal romance, is lurking in the wings, waiting for its upcoming debut, and the last, a novella called Late Night with Andres, is special because 100% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. (So go get it right now, please!)

You can find her at DebraAnastasia.com and on Twitter. But be prepared...

Connect with Debra

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instragram  ~  Pinterest  ~  Tumblr




Want to win the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood Series?

Tell us who your favorite character in the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood series is.

If you haven’t read the series, tell us what your favorite breakfast is.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post
answering the appropriate question, along with your email address,
(type out at and dot com to prevent spammers from grabbing it)
and we’ll pick the winner on Monday, November 23rd at 8pm EST.

Prize will be distributed by Debra Anastasia.




Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Poughkeepsie Begins (Poughkeepsie Brotherhood #0.5) by Debra Anastasia to read and review for this tour.

13 comments:

  1. Great reviews, can't wait to read this one. Debra is a MUST BUY author for me!

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  2. A MUST READ! Poughkeepsie is a beautiful story!

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  3. I love this series, and the author!

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  4. Thank you so, so much for these beautiful reviews and gorgeous post. <3

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  5. The most amazing series and author ever! <3

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  6. So excited about this release!!! <3

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  7. I've not read any of this series... Yet. My fav breakfast is Cinnamon Graham cereal:)
    cheekypee27 at gmail dot com
    Thank you for the chance:)

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    Replies
    1. Congratulations Philomena!!! Your info has been sent to Debra Anastasia. Thanks for playing. :)

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  8. the book covers are delicious! my favorite breakfast is pancakes and sausage.

    maryjo691 at gmail dot come

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  9. Love, these characters and their story. A must read!!!

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