A re-emergence of the past…
Natalie Clarke might be spiteful at best and vicious at worst, but was that reason enough for Phillip
Gise to leave her lonely and diseased? Fortunately, she has a set of devious plans that just might keep
her busy enough to forget her present situation.
Guy Lewis has played Best Friend Extraordinaire to Natalie since grade school, supporting her through
all of her daily drama. This time around, Guy runs into his own troubles when his fierce, wealthy
manager gives him the type of attention he never asked for…or expected.
Julia Clarke, Natalie’s younger sister, has arrived in Brooklyn to uncover their grandmother’s secret
life in Block 24, the site of Auschwitz’s little-known brothel. What Julia discovers proves more
relevant in the present age than ever before.
Both heady and sobering, Block 24 is a look at the ways evil from the past can so insidiously visit the
present.
“So,”said Philip, awaking Natalie with a whisper, “you dug the movie?”
She lifted her head from his shoulder and set her feet on top of the seat in front of her. “I dig
anything with Brad Pitt.”
“Yeah?” he responded, looking down at her, smirking. “Well, I dig anything with Angelina.”
Natalie bit her lip, meeting his eyes. Yes, she was momentarily jealous but not feeling combative.
In fact, she was in the mood for a flirt fest. She laughed. “You're not the only one. I'd make a scissor
sandwich with that broad any day of the week.”
Philip reached for her legs, laying them on top of his lap. “Nah. I don't see that happening. Brad's
obviously got that on lock.”
Natalie stared down at her cream leggings over his dark blue jeans. She had worn a tiny leather
skirt but included the leggings so that Philip would not see how pale her legs were. It was early spring,
and she hadn't spent any real time in the sun yet. Bare legs would have looked better beneath the skirt,
but she had turned the outfit into something Bohemian-like to redeem it, pairing the shorts and leggings
with a loose cream blouse, seven bangles, and a brown packer hat. She hoped now, with her legs on top of his lap, he could appraise the length of them. She wanted him to want her in the worst way. By then,
he hadn't made certain that he did.
“So, you don't think I can break up Brangelina?” Natalie asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I've got mad skills, Gise. Obviously you don't know me very well yet.”
“Did you just say Brangelina?” he asked, laughing and shaking his head. He caressed her lower
legs. “What are you—a Star! news reporter?”
“And if I was?” she asked, reaching forward, grabbing the center of his collared shirt, pretending
as though she would rough him up. She smiled. “Brangelina' is a very efficient term. Saves a lot of
syllables. It's genius, really.”
He grabbed the center of her blouse, drawing her even closer. She could feel his soft breath on her
lips. “So, what would that make us?” he whispered. “'Natlip?'”
She grinned, staring at his lips. “No. That would make us 'Phatalie.'”
He squeezed his eyes shut, laughing quietly. He let go of her shirt and clutched her lower back. “I
like that, baby. It's got potential.
Her stomach fluttered. It was the first time he had called her baby, and he said it with the Johnny
Depp deep, lazy voice that made her toes curl in her sneakers. Plus, if she wasn't mistaken, his use of
“potential” referred to more than a hybrid name.
“That's right,” said Natalie. “It's gonna be 'Phatalie. Because we're phat. P-H-A-T. Pretty Hot And
Tempting.”
He tickled her waist. “Did you just quote a movie?”
“Yep. Money Talks. It's the one with Charlie Sheen.” She rubbed her hands quickly up and down
his cheeks, as though she were warming his bare face. “My mom took Guy and I to see it when we
were younger.”
“Guy?” He circled her wrists loosely and clapped her hands together. “Who's that?”
“He's my best friend.”
Philip nodded, looking down at her legs. After a moment's silence, he looked back up. “So, you
quote movies with ease, eh?”
“I do a lot of things with ease,” she returned, moving his hands to her thighs.
He took a deep breath and ran his tongue over his lips. “I'm sure.” He slid his hands from her
thighs to her ankles, a safer region.
Natalie wondered what he was trying to do...or avoid doing. For the sake of her pride, she
retreated. “I would tell you what I do with ease,” she said before turning on a pitiful Jack Nicholson
impersonation,“but you can't handle the truth.”
He breathed out a short laugh, his hands creeping up her legs once more. “Well, show me the
money.”
She wrinkled her brows, laughing and setting her hands at the back of his head. She looked into
his eyes. They twinkled in amusement. “What the fuck?” she said. “You can't just quote a random
movie line. It has to at least make sense in the context of the conversation.”
“Where the hell did these rules come from?” he asked, reacting for her hat, taking it off her head,
and spinning it on his middle finger like a basketball.
“Gotta know the rules to play the game, Gise.”
“But you don't get to make up all the rules.”
“Actually, I do.” She held his face. “I get to do whatever I want.”
He buried his face into her neck, sniffing. “Do I smell a diva?”
“Diva? No need for sly terms, sir. Diva is a bitch in sequins, right? I'm dressed down today.” She
giggled as Philip rubbed his nose deeper into her neck. “Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman has to
hold on to.”
“Dolores Claiborne.” He kissed her jaw, then the apple of her cheek. “I saw that one.”
“It's my favorite movie quote of all time.”
“Real legit, N.C,” he whispered, employing the Johnny Depp lazy tone again. He rubbed her
cheek with his own. “Guess nobody puts Baby in a corner, huh?”
“Nice usage,” Natalie replied, rubbing his cheek back against his and closing her eyes. Had a
man ever felt this good? “Plus, I am actually a bitch, Gise.” She felt his lips with her finger. “There's
nothing good about me, see; suppose that's what makes me so great.”
He spun her hat on his finger once more before letting it fall. “Don't recognize that line. What
movie is it?”
“I made that one up myself. You like?” She separated her cheek from his, looking him in the eyes, grinning.
Philip smiled in response and reached for her waist, pulling her over to him and settling her on
his lap. Her feet dangled just above the ground as he pressed the nape of her neck with his fingertips
and brought her forward to his lips. He pressed his mouth over hers, holding her face in place with
one hand. He moved with finesse, easy but eager, his lips making fluent sweeps over hers, sometimes
gently tugging at her bottom lip and at other times, hungrily sucking on her top lip. Her legs swung
back in forth with his motion, intermittently bobbing against the seat like a hyper child. He pressed
his fingers lightly into her cheek, pushing her mouth open and slipping his tongue inside. His saliva
tasted like peppermint; Natalie realized then that he had bought the chocolate peppermint candies at the
popcorn stand for this moment. He knew exactly what he was doing, and she wondered what had taken
him so long to do it, to give her this full-fledged kiss. She was sure that this would be the defining
kiss—the one a woman waited for to prove that a kiss really had the power to awaken a sleeping
beauty. He deserved an award for his ability to warm her coolness.
She grew desperate for him, but for every attempt she made to speed up the kiss, he held her face
still, taking his time to savor her mouth. He bundled the back of her shirt with one hand, pulling her
backward slightly and moving forward to give himself an edge over her. She wrapped her arms around
his neck, wondering if after these two months together, their first time would be right there in the
empty movie theater. In that case, she wondered how she would disguise the paleness of her legs when
he pulled her leggings down.
While she thought on these things, he brought the kiss to an end, giving her one soft peck before
opening his eyes and mouthing,“I'm the king of the world.”
She smiled. “Titanic.”
He tucked her hair behind her ear “Nah. I made that one up on my own.”
***************************************REVIEW*********************************************
A re-emergence of the past…
Natalie Clarke might be spiteful at best and vicious at worst, but was that reason enough for Phillip Gise to leave her lonely and diseased? Fortunately, she has a set of devious plans that just might keep her busy enough to forget her present situation.
Guy Lewis has played Best Friend Extraordinaire to Natalie since grade school, supporting her through all of her daily drama. This time around, Guy runs into his own troubles when his fierce, wealthy manager gives him the type of attention he never asked for…or expected.
Julia Clarke, Natalie’s younger sister, has arrived in Brooklyn to uncover their grandmother’s secret life in Block 24, the site of Auschwitz’s little-known brothel. What Julia discovers proves more relevant in the present age than ever before.
Both heady and sobering, Block 24 is a look at the ways evil from the past can so insidiously visit the present.
~ So this is not a book I would have normally picked up to read, and had I not been asked to read it, I doubt that I would have ever known it existed.
This is not your typical love story by any means. However, it most definitely is a story of love.
I did NOT love Natalie. She's a conniving, superficial, jealous, bitch. She believes that she's entitled to things just because. She's a mean girl in my eyes. I don't think I would be able to look past the things she did like Philip was able to.
Philip I loved. He was caring, and sweet and so so so patient with Natalie. Even when no one else in their right mind would be. And when he made her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I loved him even more.
Their relationship wasn't dysfunctional. It was Natalie playing silly childish games that he tolerated. He's amazing for putting up with her as long as he did. I'm not sure any man would stick around long enough for her to have her final 'melt-down'.
Guy I loved! I felt for him throughout the whole story. He put up with Natalie's crap and because of Natalie, he put up Philips crap as well. But I completely agree with his decision about his best-friend, especially after the whole Jeremy situation.
Jeremy I hated. I hated him more than I didn't like Natalie. He's a user and a liar and pig. He wants his cake and to eat it to, but someone else is doing all the baking.
What Jeremy does to Guy is completely disgusting to me and I agree with Natalie that he is a jerk and not worthy of Guy.
All that being said, what Natalie did to Guy while trying to get another jab at Daya is beyond forgivable. Best friends don't do that. Guy's right, it wasn't a favor, it was betrayal. He's a good man for 'helping' Natalie one more time.
Julia has learned life lessons when she wasn't really expecting to. What started off as doing what she loved, filming, turned into an emotional story that even Julia didn't get the privilege of fully understanding.
Adina's story of her and her sister Avigail and their 'brother' Jakob, broke my heart. To live through that is simply, nothing short of amazing. And then to move to 'Block 24' and endure 'hell' there.
I fell completely in love with Hans. To risk everything for everyone involved for love... wow. What an incredible man. Even though he was 'The Enemy' and himself did horrible things, he was very easy to love. He proved that what he had done was out of necessity and not desire to be like 'them'.
I think I felt just as devastated for Adina as she did herself. I was very sucked into these parts of the book.
All in all I really liked 'Block 24'. Evan Tyler doesn't give you the typical HEA (Happily Ever After). The story you get is real, and raw, and honestly is going to sit with you for a while.
Book Bitch Ashleigh
Evan Tyler is an author by day, a lead guitarist by night. Her favorite authors are Toni Morrison and
John Steinbeck. Her favorite guitarists are Jimmy Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn. She aspires to be like
all of her favorites. Her debut novel, A Happy Accident, was the merging of her musical and literary
aspirations. Evan's second novel, Block 24, is a venture in a whole new direction.
Twitter: @epicevatyler
Website: www.eptyler.com
Goodreads Profile: http://www.goodreads.
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