i have been with my boyfriend for 8 months now.i was seperated for a year before we met and very happy.he moved in with me and my 3 children after 3 months of seeing each other. we always had fun and he made me feel very special always. now we have started a business together and for the last few months he seems to be distancing himself from me. he doesn't touch me that much and kisses are just short pecks.

This does tend to happen in a relationship, though it does seem to have happened a bit too soon in yours.  Take a look at this web page on Love Signals, stage 5 in a relationship.

i feel i'm always giving emotionally to him and getting nothing back.

Have you spoken with him about it, and asked him calmly how he feels about your relationship.  You have got to ask him at the right time, not when he is busy doing other things.  This conversation may make or break the relationship but at least it will give you an answer about where you stand.  If it breaks the relationship, then there was a good chance it was breaking anyway, it just means you are finding out sooner.

i am mad about him but i just feel that he's gone off me and i'm unhappy. i feel i was brave enough to walk away from an unhappy marriage to end up feeling the same way in a new relationship.

A relationship is a two way thing, you have both got to be happy, you are rightfully unhappy about the way he has been treating you, but he might not know there is an issue with you.  Men are not psychic, so you have got to discuss it with him, men don't particularly like discussions about relationships, so he probably won't like it, but at least you can clear the air, one way or the other.  As I said this could make or break the relationship.  The good thing that could come out of it, is he could reassure you that there is nothing wrong, and start to pay you more attention.  The bad thing is he might prove that he is not happy in the relationship anymore.  Certainly don't push him for an answer, give him time to think, men need time to think about things.

he had a bad time in the past not to do with women, but i feel he needs to let go of this and move on or our relationship will go nowhere. how can i make him the attentive loving man he was before or shall i give up.

Don't give up, you should try to discuss it with him.  There is no point in being unhappy or trying to guess that he isn't committed to your relationship anymore.  The discussion will decide whether you should give up or not.