ACCUSED by Yasmin Shiraz Blog Tour
Title: Accused – A
Retaliation Novel #2
Publication
Date:
January 9, 2014
Publisher: Rolling Hills
Press/ Still Eye Rise Media
Author: Yasmin Shiraz
An easier and more peaceful life seemed to be
destined for Ahmed and Tashera when they left Washington, DC and entered
Georgia Atlantic University. But when
Ahmed is accused of a crime that he didn’t commit and begins to be tried in the
media, his popularity plummets, his self-esteem suffers, and his dreams of
playing college basketball disappear.
Meanwhile, there is a serial rapist on campus who
has been attacking freshman girls at record numbers and forcing them to keep
silent. As Tashera learns about the girls, she begins to close in on the
rapist. But is the attacker too crafty to be caught? Will the state prosecutor
ignore key evidence to instead focus on the fame that comes with convicting a
high profile basketball star?
Tashera is beyond stressed as she divides her time
between trying to find enough evidence to clear Ahmed while at the same time
stopping the rapist who roams the campus of Georgia Atlantic. Ahmed and Tashera’s journey into a new life
away from home is more challenging than they ever thought that it would be.
Link to
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-------------------------------------------
About the Author
Yasmin
Shiraz is the author of The Blueprint for My Girls as well as The Blueprint for
My Girls in Love. She is an empowerment speaker and program developer who has
delivered programs and keynotes based on her books.
She
is the author of the ALA's Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers selection,
Retaliation. She has spoken at over 100 colleges nationwide on topics such as
empowerment, black history and hip hop culture.
She
is an award winning film director as her film, Can She Be Saved? won 4 film awards
including Best New film.
When
not writing books, she produces documentaries for her company, Still Eye Rise
Films.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
****My Personal Review of Accused****
I will start by saying that I have never known anyone who was sexually assaulted, raped or accused of it. So for me I thought when I started reading this book that would make it harder for me to understand. But I never felt that way reading it - the author took me on a journey that I did not expect - through the mind of a serial rapist/sociopath while at the same time showing me the heartbreak and despair that he wrought on his victims. Brandons utter lack of compassion, empathy or anything even closely resembling humanity is astounding and is what makes this book so great! He thinks he is invincible. Ahmed and Tashera are an awesome couple and you can feel the love between them even after Ahmed is accused of rape. The way that Zia's family responds to her situation is unbelievable but is something that could actually happen in todays society. The entire book is so realistic no matter how much you don't want to believe it could happen. All in all I would give this book 5 stars without a doubt - I couldn't put it down, I read it in 2 sittings because it was so superb!
** I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review **
----------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCERPT
Accused: A Retaliation Novel #2
by Yasmin Shiraz
Excerpt
PrologueBrandon gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove through the Atlanta suburb.
Jacinda, a fellow Harris High School student and nerdy 11th grader, rode shotgun. She
talked the entire way to his house.
Thank God it's only a 20-minute ride, Brandon thought.
"I can't believe you like me, too. I was really nervous about approaching you," she
spoke quickly, her words ran into each other.
Brandon, a popular senior athlete, convinced the school counselor to give him early
work release even though he didn't have a job. He persuaded the basketball coach to
allow for his early release as well. The star of the basketball team received many perks.
Brandon gazed into the mirror and smoothed his eyebrows. His gray eyes were as icy
as ever. With a stare, he looked through people.
He forced himself to not laugh in the girl's face as she rambled on about the
possibility of them being in a relationship.
He glanced at her. Plain. No makeup. Excited. Gullible. Unsuspecting. Perfect.
Their eyes connected, and he smiled that smile. His smile said, "You'll do what I
want you to do." His smile said, "I care about you," but on the inside he didn't. Brandon
never cared. It was his same smile that convinced Jacinda to cut class and come home
with him.
In the early afternoon, the neighborhood was quiet. Brandon's mother, a wealthy
widow, was not home, and the cook wasn't scheduled for another three hours.
He parked his two-seater sports car in the driveway and stepped out. Jacinda
followed clumsily, tripping twice as they approached the front door. She rubbed on her
gold butterfly chain as if it would free her from her awkwardness.
"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked. He stifled a chuckle at the thought of caring
about her well-being.
"Yeah," Jacinda said and shook her head. "I'm nervous. This is sorta our first date."
Jacinda reached out and grabbed Brandon's hand. In the moment, Brandon's skin
crawled.
"I gotta open the door," Brandon said with a tone of regret. He pulled away his hand.
He opened the double front doors. The beautiful marble floor reflected the light from
the huge window that was almost as high as the roof itself.
"We're going to stop in the kitchen on the way to my room."
"Your parents let you have girls in your room?" Jacinda asked.
"Well, my dad is dead. But, if my mother was here, she would. I have a TV in my
room. We'll just watch TV," Brandon said, and he knew he lied through those perfectly
straight white teeth.
****
Jacinda followed Brandon up to his bedroom. He carried two glasses and a bottle of
soda.
"I hope you like grape soda," Brandon said. Jacinda gasped when they entered his
bedroom.
"Your room is massive," she said.
"I know," Brandon said and pointed to a couch for Jacinda to sit.
Brandon remembered convincing his mom to give him the master bedroom after his
father died.
"I'm the man of the house, so I should get the biggest room," he told her. "Dad
encouraged me to think big, to be commanding. I'm moving in to the master bedroom.
You can take my room. If Dad were watching you deny me the big room, he'd be
disappointed in you." He intimidated his mother with his cold stares and his hulking sixfoot-
four frame. And, his willingness to guilt-trip her over the untimely death of his
father always devastated her.
****
Brandon carried the two glasses and the soda into his bathroom and opened the
medicine cabinet. He had an assortment of illegal pills. There were pills that made a
person unable to fight him off, pills that rendered a person unconscious, and pills that
made a person unable to remember what had happened to them. As he thought about
what he would do with Jacinda, he dropped two pills in her drink. She would not be able
to fight him off and he'd be able to take pictures of her completely naked without her
even knowing.
He walked into the room, smiling as broadly as ever. He took a sip from his soda.
"Let the fun begin."
Chapter 1
Six months later, October
Georgia Atlantic University campus
Tashera sat in the large auditorium and remembered making the decision to break
away from Washington, DC. It wasn't easy leaving her mother behind.
There were too many memories in the small DC apartment she shared with her
mother. There were too many memories of her brother being killed and even reminders of
everything leading up to the day Khalil was put in the ground.
The girls who jumped me, the girl who committed suicide, my mom's constant need
to retaliate and seek revenge... Everything about staying in DC made me sad, she
thought.
When Georgia Atlantic offered Ahmed a scholarship, he requested Tashera be
allowed to join him as a sort of buddy scholarship program. Tashera had excellent grades,
but it was a favor the athletic department did for Ahmed. Georgia Atlantic wanted to do
anything to make Ahmed happy. Tashera was in love with Ahmed as Georgia Atlantic
appeared to be.
Now, Tashera had to adjust to the big campus with over 25,000 students. She had to
get comfortable being on a campus with so many different kinds of people. The campus
was totally different from life in DC. And, she decided she'd learn how to protect herself
from any and every kind of attack. She never again wanted to be anyone's victim.
****
Ahmed texted as he entered the building.
WHERE ARE YOU?
He glanced down the hallway hoping to see Tashera. A group of girls walked toward
him.
"Hiiiii, Ahmed," they said in unison. Ahmed didn't respond. Droves of girls always
spoke to him, flirted with him, and tried to get his attention. The Georgia Atlantic
basketball gear, regular photos on the university website, photos in the school newspaper,
and the television interviews gave Ahmed absolutely no anonymity.
"Do you need someone to sit next to you in the auditorium?" one girl asked.
"Nah, I'm good," Ahmed said as he read the text from Tashera and headed in the
opposite direction.
COMING TO GET YOU, she texted.
Tashera walked up to Ahmed as another couple of girls readied to approach him. She
reached for his hand and gave the hovering hoochies a dirty look. He kissed her on the
forehead.
"What's with all the groupies? Every day the list grows," Tashera said and elbowed
Ahmed.
"They're here to remind YOU not to step out of line," Ahmed said with a chuckle.
"'Cause the harem awaits."
Ahmed took off running, and Tashera was fast on his heels.
They left the auditorium and blew past groups of students who watched them as they
ran. Ahmed slowed when he reached an open patch of grass, and Tashera tackled him and
giggled. She sat on top of him and rained playful blows to his torso.
"Take it back. You better, Ahmed," Tashera said.
Ahmed laughed so hard tears fell from his eyes. He shifted his weight left and right
as he tried to get Tashera off of him. The Georgia weather agreed with him. It was
beginning to get cooler but still not cold like DC would already be around this time of
year.
"Tashera, I was playing. I don't want those girls."
Tashera rolled off of Ahmed and sat next to him. He put his arm around her
shoulders.
"Nobody is coming between me and you," he whispered in her ear.
"Do you know him?" Tashera asked and pointed to a light-skinned guy with gray
eyes. He wore a baseball cap over a somewhat large head. "He has on some basketball
gear, and he's been staring at us."
"Oh, that's Brandon. He's a freshman like us," Ahmed said.
"Why is he staring? Why doesn't he come over here?"
"Dude is weird. Some guys on the team already call him the creep."
Tashera stood and tried— without success— to pull Ahmed to a standing position.
"We need to go back to the auditorium," Tashera said.
"What for?" Ahmed asked. "I have all the information I need on Georgia Atlantic."
"Yeah, well, I'm lucky to be here, so I gotta go to everything asked of me. Come on.
Show some boyfriend support."
"Only if you go to the basketball party with me tonight."
Tashera nodded.
Ahmed rose and followed Tashera toward the building. As Ahmed glanced back over
his shoulder, Brandon was still staring underneath his baseball cap, and he had not
cracked a smile.
by Yasmin Shiraz
Excerpt
PrologueBrandon gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove through the Atlanta suburb.
Jacinda, a fellow Harris High School student and nerdy 11th grader, rode shotgun. She
talked the entire way to his house.
Thank God it's only a 20-minute ride, Brandon thought.
"I can't believe you like me, too. I was really nervous about approaching you," she
spoke quickly, her words ran into each other.
Brandon, a popular senior athlete, convinced the school counselor to give him early
work release even though he didn't have a job. He persuaded the basketball coach to
allow for his early release as well. The star of the basketball team received many perks.
Brandon gazed into the mirror and smoothed his eyebrows. His gray eyes were as icy
as ever. With a stare, he looked through people.
He forced himself to not laugh in the girl's face as she rambled on about the
possibility of them being in a relationship.
He glanced at her. Plain. No makeup. Excited. Gullible. Unsuspecting. Perfect.
Their eyes connected, and he smiled that smile. His smile said, "You'll do what I
want you to do." His smile said, "I care about you," but on the inside he didn't. Brandon
never cared. It was his same smile that convinced Jacinda to cut class and come home
with him.
In the early afternoon, the neighborhood was quiet. Brandon's mother, a wealthy
widow, was not home, and the cook wasn't scheduled for another three hours.
He parked his two-seater sports car in the driveway and stepped out. Jacinda
followed clumsily, tripping twice as they approached the front door. She rubbed on her
gold butterfly chain as if it would free her from her awkwardness.
"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked. He stifled a chuckle at the thought of caring
about her well-being.
"Yeah," Jacinda said and shook her head. "I'm nervous. This is sorta our first date."
Jacinda reached out and grabbed Brandon's hand. In the moment, Brandon's skin
crawled.
"I gotta open the door," Brandon said with a tone of regret. He pulled away his hand.
He opened the double front doors. The beautiful marble floor reflected the light from
the huge window that was almost as high as the roof itself.
"We're going to stop in the kitchen on the way to my room."
"Your parents let you have girls in your room?" Jacinda asked.
"Well, my dad is dead. But, if my mother was here, she would. I have a TV in my
room. We'll just watch TV," Brandon said, and he knew he lied through those perfectly
straight white teeth.
****
Jacinda followed Brandon up to his bedroom. He carried two glasses and a bottle of
soda.
"I hope you like grape soda," Brandon said. Jacinda gasped when they entered his
bedroom.
"Your room is massive," she said.
"I know," Brandon said and pointed to a couch for Jacinda to sit.
Brandon remembered convincing his mom to give him the master bedroom after his
father died.
"I'm the man of the house, so I should get the biggest room," he told her. "Dad
encouraged me to think big, to be commanding. I'm moving in to the master bedroom.
You can take my room. If Dad were watching you deny me the big room, he'd be
disappointed in you." He intimidated his mother with his cold stares and his hulking sixfoot-
four frame. And, his willingness to guilt-trip her over the untimely death of his
father always devastated her.
****
Brandon carried the two glasses and the soda into his bathroom and opened the
medicine cabinet. He had an assortment of illegal pills. There were pills that made a
person unable to fight him off, pills that rendered a person unconscious, and pills that
made a person unable to remember what had happened to them. As he thought about
what he would do with Jacinda, he dropped two pills in her drink. She would not be able
to fight him off and he'd be able to take pictures of her completely naked without her
even knowing.
He walked into the room, smiling as broadly as ever. He took a sip from his soda.
"Let the fun begin."
Chapter 1
Six months later, October
Georgia Atlantic University campus
Tashera sat in the large auditorium and remembered making the decision to break
away from Washington, DC. It wasn't easy leaving her mother behind.
There were too many memories in the small DC apartment she shared with her
mother. There were too many memories of her brother being killed and even reminders of
everything leading up to the day Khalil was put in the ground.
The girls who jumped me, the girl who committed suicide, my mom's constant need
to retaliate and seek revenge... Everything about staying in DC made me sad, she
thought.
When Georgia Atlantic offered Ahmed a scholarship, he requested Tashera be
allowed to join him as a sort of buddy scholarship program. Tashera had excellent grades,
but it was a favor the athletic department did for Ahmed. Georgia Atlantic wanted to do
anything to make Ahmed happy. Tashera was in love with Ahmed as Georgia Atlantic
appeared to be.
Now, Tashera had to adjust to the big campus with over 25,000 students. She had to
get comfortable being on a campus with so many different kinds of people. The campus
was totally different from life in DC. And, she decided she'd learn how to protect herself
from any and every kind of attack. She never again wanted to be anyone's victim.
****
Ahmed texted as he entered the building.
WHERE ARE YOU?
He glanced down the hallway hoping to see Tashera. A group of girls walked toward
him.
"Hiiiii, Ahmed," they said in unison. Ahmed didn't respond. Droves of girls always
spoke to him, flirted with him, and tried to get his attention. The Georgia Atlantic
basketball gear, regular photos on the university website, photos in the school newspaper,
and the television interviews gave Ahmed absolutely no anonymity.
"Do you need someone to sit next to you in the auditorium?" one girl asked.
"Nah, I'm good," Ahmed said as he read the text from Tashera and headed in the
opposite direction.
COMING TO GET YOU, she texted.
Tashera walked up to Ahmed as another couple of girls readied to approach him. She
reached for his hand and gave the hovering hoochies a dirty look. He kissed her on the
forehead.
"What's with all the groupies? Every day the list grows," Tashera said and elbowed
Ahmed.
"They're here to remind YOU not to step out of line," Ahmed said with a chuckle.
"'Cause the harem awaits."
Ahmed took off running, and Tashera was fast on his heels.
They left the auditorium and blew past groups of students who watched them as they
ran. Ahmed slowed when he reached an open patch of grass, and Tashera tackled him and
giggled. She sat on top of him and rained playful blows to his torso.
"Take it back. You better, Ahmed," Tashera said.
Ahmed laughed so hard tears fell from his eyes. He shifted his weight left and right
as he tried to get Tashera off of him. The Georgia weather agreed with him. It was
beginning to get cooler but still not cold like DC would already be around this time of
year.
"Tashera, I was playing. I don't want those girls."
Tashera rolled off of Ahmed and sat next to him. He put his arm around her
shoulders.
"Nobody is coming between me and you," he whispered in her ear.
"Do you know him?" Tashera asked and pointed to a light-skinned guy with gray
eyes. He wore a baseball cap over a somewhat large head. "He has on some basketball
gear, and he's been staring at us."
"Oh, that's Brandon. He's a freshman like us," Ahmed said.
"Why is he staring? Why doesn't he come over here?"
"Dude is weird. Some guys on the team already call him the creep."
Tashera stood and tried— without success— to pull Ahmed to a standing position.
"We need to go back to the auditorium," Tashera said.
"What for?" Ahmed asked. "I have all the information I need on Georgia Atlantic."
"Yeah, well, I'm lucky to be here, so I gotta go to everything asked of me. Come on.
Show some boyfriend support."
"Only if you go to the basketball party with me tonight."
Tashera nodded.
Ahmed rose and followed Tashera toward the building. As Ahmed glanced back over
his shoulder, Brandon was still staring underneath his baseball cap, and he had not
cracked a smile.
Other Books in the Series
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-- One (1) winner will receive a paperback copy of Retaliation by Yasmin Shiraz and an ebook copy of Accused by Yasmin Shiraza (US/Canada)
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Comment on the post and leave your information for the above entries in that comment :)
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