31 October 2014
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30 October 2014
Pre-Release Blitz & Giveaway | Nights with Him by Lauren Blakely
Lauren Blakely does it again and brings readers more smoldering, sexy nights in her Seductive Nights Series with her newest novel, NIGHTS WITH HIM.
In Lauren Blakely’s newest Seductive Nights novel, Jack Sullivan convinces Michelle Milo that he can “show her worlds of pleasure.” And judging from the number of Os he gives her, the man delivers on that promise! Lauren wants to deliver with worlds of pleasure for her readers too -- so she’s offering several extra special giveaways with this novel, and we’re thrilled to help announce them!
First, ANYONE who preorders NIGHTS WITH HIM will receive a Julia and Clay short story! That means EVERYONE who preorders is a winner! Readers will be thrilled to know that Julia and Clay, the hero and heroine from the first 3 Seductive Nights novels, have some more story left in them. Lauren has written an exclusive short story that takes place after ONE MORE NIGHT, and you are not going to want to miss what happens next! Anyone who preorders and ENTERS HERE will be emailed the short story. Already pre-ordered? That’s great! You can still enter by filling out the form and entering your order number! NIGHTS WITH HIM is available for preorder on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo and Google Play. Barnes & Noble users who buy NIGHTS WITH HIM on release day, and fill out THIS FORM on release day, can receive the short story during release week as well.
Second, have you ever wanted to spend the night at a Ritz Carlton Hotel? Then you’ll want to take the Be Seduced quiz to enter to win a night at a Ritz Carlton and discover worlds of pleasure on your own! To celebrate the launch of the book, Lauren is giving away a $500 gift card for a stay at the Ritz nearest you!* Readers can access the quiz in the eBook version of NIGHTS WITH HIM, and will have until November 15th to enter the quiz. To be clear, the back of the NIGHTS WITH HIM eBook is the ONLY location with the link to the quiz. The grand prize winner will also receive a $100 gift card for Lelo, makers of premium sex toys, just like the one Jack uses on Michelle in this scene.
Lastly, NIGHTS WITH HIM is a full-length, standalone erotic romance novel that follows the love affair of a new couple, Jack and Michelle, and does not have a cliffhanger. It’s ONLY $3.99 during the preorder period, but this price will go up to $4.99 during release week.
So pre-order your copy of Lauren Blakely’s NIGHTS WITH HIM today. Don’t miss this hot and sexy new novel or these amazing opportunities to enter to win! Then, delve into this amazing first excerpt from NIGHTS WITH HIM and enter to win your own paperback copy!
* If there is no Ritz Carlton near the winner, the winner may opt to receive a $500 gift card to any Marriott property, or Marriott-owned hotel. *
29 October 2014
Book Spotlight & Giveaway | Maybe This Christmas by Sarah Morgan
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Book: Maybe This Christmas
Author: Sarah Morgan
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Genre: Contemporary Romance
This winter, ex-skiing champion, reformed heartbreaker and single dad Tyler O'Neil has only one mission—making sure his daughter, Jess, has the best Christmas ever. The fact that his best friend, Brenna, is also temporarily moving into his chalet at the overbooked Snow Crystal resort is a delicious distraction he's simply going to have to ignore. Theirs is the one relationship he's never ruined, and he's not about to start now.
Ski pro Brenna Daniels knows all about the perils of unrequited love—she's been in love with Tyler for years. But living with him is absolute torture… How can she concentrate on being his friend when he's sleeping in the room next door? Then when Tyler kisses Brenna, suddenly the relationship she's always dreamed of feels so close she could almost touch it. Could this be the Christmas her dreams of a happy-ever-after finally come true?
Add to Goodreads
Purchase Links:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1DqFAkG
B&N - http://bit.ly/1zewyJG
iTunes - http://bit.ly/1waQDyh
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He was going to kiss her.
Finally, after waiting a lifetime, Tyler O’Neil was going to kiss her.
Bold, terrified he might change his mind, Brenna rose on tiptoe and closed the gap, bringing her mouth to his.
A second’s delay, a moment of heart-stopping hesitation, and then his mouth claimed hers, slowly at first and then with deep, sensual hunger. Raw, electrifying excitement rushed through her, and she moaned against his lips, opening her mouth as she felt the skilled slide of his tongue against hers.
Everything inside her melted, and she clung to his shoulders, grateful for the solid strength that kept them both upright.
She was impatient for more, and she’d thought he was, too, but he kept that side of him reined in as he kissed her slowly and thoroughly until sensation flooded every cell of her body. She closed her eyes, luxuriating in the skill of his mouth, knowing that nothing in her life before had felt as perfect and right as this.
His mouth slid over her jaw, down to her neck and fastened over a pulse beating at the base of her throat. The brush of his tongue brought a moan to her throat, and she tugged at his shirt, needing to touch him, needing to feel. He had the body of an athlete, supremely fit, honed from hours of hard physical exercise, and her seeking hands encountered hard male muscle and smooth skin.
He slid one hand behind her head and brought his mouth back to hers in a kiss that was hot and explicit. She felt him, hard and ready through the fabric of his jeans, and she could hardly breathe for wanting him.
Would it be here?
Now?
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USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes hot, happy contemporary romance. Her trademark humour and sensuality have gained her fans across the globe and two RITA® Awards from the Romance Writers of America. Sarah lives near London with her family. Visit her at www.sararahmorgan.com.
Cover Reveal & Giveaway | SEEK and SNARE by Clarissa Wild
DELIRIOUS is a dark romance series consisting of 4 volumes: SEEK, SNARE, SEIZE, and SCORCH. Each volume is intricately connected to the other, forming an elaborate scheme of lies, truth, and justice.
Dual Cover Reveal | Something Reckless and Something Real by Lexi Ryan
DUAL
COVER REVEAL
By
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Lexi
Ryan
Release Blitz & Giveaway | Conflagration by Tessa Teevan
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Day: October 29
Release Week Sale Price of $2.99. Will bump up to $3.99
Conflagration is the second in an Explosive spin-off series called The Wellingtons.
Can be read as a standalone
28 October 2014
Release Blitz & Giveaway | TRUE ALPHA by Alisa Woods
Title: True Alpha: Vol 1- 6 Box Set
Author: Alisa Woods
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance serial
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Shifters live in the shadows of Seattle, just under the skin of the alpha male, dot-com entrepreneurs who are building a new Silicon Valley in the Emerald City.Mia is just a college girl trying to earn her business degree and dig out of the poverty she was born into—being a shifter is something she hides, hoping her secret won’t sabotage her dreams.
Lucas is a broken alpha, a wolf who lost his mate, his pack, and almost himself—he wasn’t looking to rescue a girl or start a pack war. But now he has to keep her safe or it won’t just be her life, but his whole family at risk… only his inner wolf can’t seem to keep its paws off a girl who has secrets of her own.
True Alpha (Volume 1-6) is the full box set of the True Alpha serial. It is approximately 304 pages
Purchase the Box Set!
Desired (True Alpha 1)
"I thought this wasn't a good idea," she said, breathless, hoping he wasn't suddenly changing his mind. "I'm tired of trying to resist you."
Guarded (True Alpha 2)
”But no more sex?” she asked. His arms locked up again. “No.” “How about kissing?” she asked lightly. He cocked his head to one side. “This isn’t a negotiation.” “No kissing then,” she said. “What about fondling? Over or under clothes? How about straight-up groping?” He gritted his teeth. “Mia,” he growled through them. “I’m just saying…” She pushed in her chair. “If I accidentally brush up against you in the elevator, don’t be surprised if some part of your body gets squeezed.”
Hunted (True Alpha 3)
"I know your name, Mia." His voice was commanding, yet smooth, like smoke curling over a steel blade. "It means MINE, and that's exactly what I want to make you. Her entire body heated with those words. The snarling of her wolf reduced to a whimper. He'd barely spoken to her, but he was already claiming her with his words. Something Lucas had consistently refused to do, ever since he knew what she was. Colin, on the other hand, knew exactly what she was and wanted her badly enough to march in and demand it. It reached inside her and touched a deep need. One even her wolf couldn't muster a complaint against.”
Captured (True Alpha 4)
"From the moment she came into his life, she'd had that effect: making him feel things that had been long dead. Challenging him to be a better wolf. A better man. Maybe, with her by his side, he could reclaim the other things he'd lost. The other parts of himself. Maybe he could actually be a true alpha again."
Sacrificed (True Alpha 5)
“His heart was breaking, not only because Mace was claiming the girl he loved, but because of her incredible bravery in attempting to spare all their lives. He knew she was strong, but to selflessly try to save them… when by all rights, they should be saving her.”
Claimed (True Alpha 6)
"From the moment you came into my life, you challenged me to be better. A better man. A better wolf. A true alpha, not some broken excuse for…” He paused, his throat thick. She seemed distressed by what he was saying. “Lucas, you’re a good man.” “I’m a better man with you."
About the Author-
Alisa Woods lives in the Midwest with her husband and family, but her heart will always belong to the beaches and mountains where she grew up. She writes sexy paranormal romances about alpha men and the women who love them. She loves to explore the struggles we all have, where we resist - and succumb to - our vices as well as our greatest desires. She firmly believes that love triumphs over all. Her New Adult Paranormal Romance Author: my debut serial romance DESIRED (TRUE ALPHA #1) is here!
Release Day Launch & Giveaway | All Broke Down by Cora Carmack
Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.
Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians—you name it, she’s probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He’s in for a different kind of fighting. And though he’s arrogant and infuriating, she can’t help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.
Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it’s trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He’s met girls like her before—fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn’t think he’s broken, and he definitely doesn’t need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about, his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.
Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.
Book Review | More Than Exes by Elizabeth Briggs
Keyboardist Kyle Cross may look like a bad boy with his tattoos and piercings, but he’s really the good guy who’s always stuck fixing his band’s problems and never gets the girl. His band is competing in a college Battle of the Bands, but when their bassist doesn't show, Kyle must track her down with the help of the person he least expects: his ex-girlfriend Alexis Monroe. Kyle hasn’t seen Alexis since she dumped him in high school, and she’s dropped her preppy image for fiery red hair and a bold new attitude to match. With only hours before his band goes on stage, Kyle has to be a little bad if he wants to win both the Battle and the girl he's never gotten over. But when their old problems resurface, the good guy might just get his heart broken all over again.
Add to Goodreads
Purchase Link:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1v9dLsB
Don't Judge the Book by It's Cover:
Kyle Cross might look like a bad-boy with his tats and piercings, but he was really a good guy who always get to solve the band's problem and never gets the girl. It was always his brother, but I'm glad he never resents him. They have been through a lot since they were young, and have each other's back - and nothing changed.
I fell in love with their band reading More Than Music, this story happened before they entered the show - it was great to see Jared and Maddie pre-More Than Music. The band joined a contest, against one school, but they encountered a problem when their bassist didn't show up. He must find her, with the help of the person he least likely expect to meet again: Alexis.
She left him when she decided to go to Princeton and he decided to stay. But now, she's back- and he wanted him back again. It was a mistake letting him go back then, but first she needed to make him believe that she was in for the long haul.
But he needs to shed off a little good, and put on a little bad if he wants to get the girl and the first place. He was willing to finally give his past a chance, until old issues resurfaces and he might get his heart broken again.
It was SHORT, FAST-PACED, SEXY & SWEET. It reminds readers never to judge someone by their appearance because there is always more to a person than what meets the eye. I enjoyed reading this book and finished it with one sitting. I am not really a music fanatic, but I love the way Elizabeth described the scene, it was like hearing the noise, being in the midst of the crowd and cheering on your favorite band!
_____________________________
to summarize my rants...
great short-read!
Elizabeth Briggs is a Young Adult and New Adult author who lives in Los Angeles with her British husband and a bunch of fluffy white rescue dogs. She's a guitar-playing geek who loves books, rock music, and video games, goes to Comic Con every year, and is still hoping to be a Jedi when she grows up.
Elizabeth currently works with WriteGirl to mentor at-risk or pregnant teen girls in writing, to help them get through high school and into college. She also volunteers with Bichon FurKids to help rescued dogs find a new, loving home. She previously worked as an intern for literary agent Jill Corcoran of Jill Corcoran Literary Agency, an intern for Entangled Publishing, and an editor for Curiosity Quills Press.
Elizabeth is represented by Kate Schafer Testerman of KT Literary and is a member of SCBWI and RWA.
Website: http://www.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.
Pinterest: http://www.
____________________________________
More Than Music (#1)
★ My Review - http://bit.ly/1pEjdHd
★ Purchase Link - http://amzn.to/1mdwtAc
*Complimentary Copy in Exchange for an honest Review
27 October 2014
Cover Reveal & Giveaway | #1 Crush by Kaia Bennett
by Kaia Bennett
Loose Ends #1
Publication Date: December 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica, Romance
Nicole Langley’s #1 Crush has always been Gabriel Roberts, but settling for being a friendly acquaintance has had to be enough.
Gabriel has always seen Nicole as his good friend’s very pretty, but extremely off limits baby sister.
Then a hot summer day and an even hotter discovery pushes them over the lines of friendship, over the lines of unrequited desire, and into each other's arms.
Will they indulge and move on? Or will this crush turn into something more, something deeper? Something that leaves loose ends begging to be tied…
Blog Tour, Book Review & Giveaway | Various States of Undress: Virginia by Laura Simcox
CEO-to-be Dexter Cameron knows he's taking a risk by hiring a stylish party girl to jumpstart his family's legacy department store. But the president's gorgeous daughter has her thumb on the pulse of Manhattan, and the partnership seems like a win-win … until Dex discovers that his goals now include more than securing the corner office—they include Virginia herself. Dex must decide: does he make a move up the ladder? Or on the girl of his dreams?
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Release Blitz | Dirty Little Tricks by Clare James
Title: DIRTY LITTLE TRICKS (Quick and Dirty, #2)
Author: Clare James
Release Date: October 27, 2014
26 October 2014
Spotlight & IPad Mini Giveaway | All I Want For Christmas by Jessica Scott
Author: Jessica Scott
Release Date: October 24, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Novella (108 pages)
All Major Patrick MacLean wanted was Christmas with the woman and child who were his family in everything but name. But Captain Samantha Egan has come back from the war a different woman than the one who left - and she doesn't know if she can love him anymore.
But neither of them counted on the determination of a little girl they both call daughter and if Natalie has her wish, her parents may have no idea what's coming for them. It's going to take Christmas miracle to bring these two wounded warriors back from the edge of a broken heart.
Add to Goodreads
BUY LINKS:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1tzjWcL
Barnes and Noble - http://bit.ly/aiwbn
iBooks - http://bit.ly/aiwibooks
Kobo - http://bit.ly/aiwkobo
Google Play - http://bit.ly/aiwgplay
Excerpt
It was not a gentle kiss. It was not tame or timid or questioning.
It burned her down to the root of Sam's soul. It touched something deep and dark and hidden.
Something she'd thought was long since dead and buried and gone.
Patrick’s tongue slid against hers, stroking to life the very sensations she thought she'd never feel again.
It was electric, the feel of his mouth against hers. The scrape of stubble against her chin, the taste of him. The smell of his skin.
He nipped her. Pinched her bottom lip between his teeth and sucked it. And she sighed at the pleasure, at the raw ache his taste and touch aroused in her, pushing aside the darkness that haunted her.
Sam felt him. Felt everything. The heat of his skin. The warmth that drew her closer. That made her want to crawl into his lap and unzip his pants and push up that damned flannel shirt until they were skin to skin and there was nothing between them but sweat and heat.
One hand slid down her side. Tugged at her fleece and...
"Dear lord how many layers of clothing do you have on under this thing," he muttered against her lips.
She smiled. "You weren't wondering why I wasn't cold?"
"Well you'd be a champ at strip poker right about now," he murmured.
Then his fingers found her skin and she was no longer thinking.
About the Author -
Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.
She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View Regarding War, and IAVA. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of OIF/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas.
She's pursuing a PhD in Sociology in her spare time and most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.
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The novella ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU is also included inNovember 11th release HOME FOR CHRISTMAS with Joann Ross.
Buy Links
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1tVOkAf
iBooks: http://bit.ly/hcfibooks
Kobo: http://bit.ly/hfckobo
Google Play: http://bit.ly/hfcplay
Book Review | Beholden by Corrine Michaels
Catherine Pope got a second chance at love, only to have it ripped away—again. She should’ve known better.But she dared to hope.
She refuses to let fate take the reins this time. Catherine decides she’s going to fight.
Jackson Cole risked it all.
He thought this time would be different.
With his loyalties pulling him in two directions—it’s time to make a choice…his past or his future.
Will they be beholden to their fears or will they both fight against their demons and finally find the love they both long for?
Add to Goodreads.
25 October 2014
Book Review | Beloved by Corinne Michaels
Not enough.
Catherine Pope has never been enough.
She repeatedly let’s men in—only to be left broken.
Then Catherine met Jackson Cole.
Jackson makes her feel alive, desirable, and consumes her with a fierceness she’s never known.
But Jackson struggles with his own past. His training as a Navy SEAL never prepared him for the battle to win her heart. He’s different, honorable, and worth the chance…but he must prove it.
If she gives him what’s left of her heart—will he protect it? Will she get the one thing that has always evaded her – to finally be someone’s beloved?
Add to Goodreads
BUY LINKS:
✦ Amazon US ➙ http://amzn.to/1rA9mhc
✦ Amazon UK ➙ http://amzn.to/1kLWa8I
✦ Barnes & Nobles ➙ http://bit.ly/1zeUy0o
✦ iBooks ➙ http://bit.ly/1ntoHQT
✦ Kobo ➙ http://bit.ly/1qLrt3b
24 October 2014
Blog Tour, Book Review & Giveaway | Unethical by Jennifer Blackwood
Title: Unethical
Author: Jennifer Blackwood
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication: October 20th, 2014 by Entangled Embrace
Buy Links:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1wb32A1
B&N - http://bit.ly/1F3pC3x
iTunes - http://bit.ly/1F3pG3e
Kobo - http://bit.ly/1vzjxZL
22 October 2014
ARC TOUR, Book Review | A Week In New York by Louise Bay
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Anna Kirby is sick of dating. She's tired of heartbreak. Despite being smart, sexy, and funny, she's a magnet for men who don't deserve her.A week's vacation in New York is the ultimate distraction from her most recent break-up, as well as a great place to meet a stranger and have some summer fun. But to protect her still-bruised heart, fun comes with rules. There will be no sharing stories, no swapping numbers, and no real names. Just one night of uncomplicated fun.
Super-successful serial seducer Ethan Scott has some rules of his own. He doesn't date, he doesn't stay the night, and he doesn't make any promises.
It should be a match made in heaven. But rules are made to be broken.
A Week in New York is the first in a series of three novellas.
BUY LINK: http://amzn.to/1t9WnqR
21 October 2014
Release Blitz & Giveaway | Rowdy by Jay Crownover
Buy Links:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/11iwvOT
B&N - http://bit.ly/1sFExwS
iTunes - http://bit.ly/11iwJ8G
Kobo - http://bit.ly/1sBGZD7
IndieBound - http://bit.ly/ZC6ady
Other - http://bit.ly/1r11PH8
Blog Tour, Book Review, Giveaway | ALEX by Sawyer Bennett
Cold Fury Hockey Series
New Adult Contemporary
Releasing October 14, 2014
Published by LoveSwept (Random House)
Buy Links:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1sBUTFy
B&N - http://bit.ly/1rssI6E
iTunes - http://bit.ly/1r1nTkW
Kobo - http://bit.ly/1wz0eN5
Release Blitz & Giveaway | A Beautiful Purpose by Alicia Rae
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Title: A BEAUTIFUL PURPOSE
Author: Alicia Rae
Release Date: October 21st.
Genre: New Adult Romance
Cover Design: Sarah of Okay Creations
BUY LINKS:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1wmckt7
iTunes - http://bit.ly/1t407ue
BUY LINKS:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/1wmckt7
iTunes - http://bit.ly/1t407ue
20 October 2014
Book Review | Everly After by Rebecca Paula
All truths burn bright and clear. I’m still waiting in the dark.Everly Monteith has traded her life of glitter, parties, and self-destruction for waitressing at a Parisian café. She’s put the tragedy that sent her across the Atlantic in the past—until her toxic ex shows up and sends her reeling once more. Her fresh start begins slipping away until a smug British war correspondent crashes her party. But falling for Beckett means letting down her guard, something that might pull them both into the dark.
There are beautiful lies in this world, and it takes me being chased through a hallway at a rave to decide this girl is one of them. But even the most beautiful lies aren’t worth chasing.
Twenty-five-year-old Beckett Reid is forced into sabbatical after being kidnapped on assignment in Afghanistan. Back in Paris, he locks himself away to work on a novel, focused on saving his budding journalism career. But when he meets an enigmatic American heiress, his plans are quickly neglected. Everly is the perfect replacement for dangerous war zones, even if she does leave glitter on everything he owns. Reckless and wild, she runs through life making more mistakes than anyone he’s met, but Beckett is determined to fight for her, even if he must face the messy truth that he must fight for himself first.
*This New Adult romance is recommended for readers 18+ due to mature content.*
BUY LINK:
my review
excerpt
They were a train wreck waiting to happen. Separately, their
baggage is already overloaded and to include another person with the same
amount of baggage of more is a little bit crazy. To say that they are
complicated, most especially Everly would be a complete understatement. It took
some time to understand her, to warm up to her – she was spiraling down, and
you are there watching her ruining her life for reasons unknown to you and I don’t
even know why in the world is she doing it.
I was in the dark, I was half-confused, half-bored and
somewhat wondering when is she finally going to get her head out of her a**. I
wanted to ask her if she wants to die. Because what she’s doing is a sure way
of ending her life. And I can’t believe that after she’d met him, she has the
audacity to sleep with another man. ARGH. She knew he was trouble (her ex), and
him showing up had her drowning a little more.
Then there’s Beckett – the journalist who was forced into
a sabbatical after being kidnapped on the field. All he wanted to do was to get
back on his job, heal on his own, and pretend everything is normal. But his
plans were put on hold the moment he met the American heiress. They were in for
the ride of their lives. He might be broken, and has his own problems – but he
was determined to save her in any way he can. I was crossing my fingers for
them both, hoping they can survive this ordeal – hoping Beckett has enough
strength to get through for the both of them.
I would have liked it, seriously. But I found the
beginning of the story pretty much slow and didn’t pick up until I reached the
middle. There were a lot of WTF, and are-you-really-doing-that-moments that
almost had me stop reading. I should have finished this in one day, but every
now and then I had to stop.
Thank goodness this wasn’t one of those
love-at-first-sight kind of things, their relationship developed, went through
a whole lot of things, before the both of them had finally discovered healing
and love. There were so many emotions involve, and how I wished it didn’t take
that long for it to pick up. The journey was long, filled with a lot of bumps
but the ending was worth it. It was like I was finally able to breathe normally
the moment I found myself at the end of the book. For a debut novel, this one
is okay.
•Complimentary Copy was given in exchange for an honest review.•
“You want to get
out of here?” I’m not sure why I bother. She doesn’t trust me enough to even
share her name.
Her shoulders
shake in a small shiver, and her feet stop swinging. She breaks our staring
match to gaze back out over the city.
Around us, life
continues. Things move forward. But the two of us are suspended, waiting.
“I wonder what it
would be like to fly,” she whispers.
She doesn’t say
any more, doesn’t answer me. She just throws out a question like that and lets
it sink into the darkness between us. Her hands grip the ledge, and she bends forward
as if she might push off and test her question, like she believes for a minute
she has wings.
She nods toward
the street below. “What would your last thought be if you fell?”
Her face is a mask
of peacefulness, but I know the truth. I’ve spent too many years reading
people. Too many years deflecting other’s opinions of me and my circumstances—the
boy with the sad story.
“There wouldn’t be
time,” I say. “It’d be over before it even began.”
She faces me, the
corner of her mouth tipped up in a smug smile. “It wouldn’t have just begun.
There’s always more.” Her fingers run through her hair, tussling it until I
smell her perfume—pears and vanilla. “Sure, I’ll go for a walk.”
I don’t want to
leave with her anymore, but I don’t think I should leave her alone, either. Her
question still rings in my mind, and the damnedest thing is I can’t think of an
answer.
I pull out my
phone to text Ollie that I’m bailing, but she grabs it away.
“What are you doing?”
My hand flexes as
I push down my temper. “Texting a friend.”
As I soon as I
explain, she shakes her head, a dry laugh pushing over her lips. “Of course.”
She waves me off, then hands it back to me. “Sorry.”
Obviously she’s a
bit skittish. And untrusting. I should head out without her, but when she looks
at me again, I can’t. There’s too much about her I don’t know. She spins
around, crouching on her haunches, nothing behind her except a yawning distance
between this building and the next. And the street far below. I wait, stuffing
my hands into my pockets, fighting back the urge to hand her down from the
ledge. She’s not the type to want help. I’m not the type to offer. Usually.
When she swings
her legs out to step down, her knees graze the brick. The knobby curve of one
beads with blood, her skin scraped raw.
She’s quiet,
staring at her knee as if she can will it from bleeding. I’m not sure why I do
it or why I care, but I step forward and lift up the edge of my T-shirt and
press it against her knee, soaking up the blood. She keeps her head tucked down
and her hands at her side as I inch closer. My free hand settles by her hip,
her hair brushes against my arm.
“What’s your name,
pet?” My words are barely a whisper.
Her fingers hover
above my hands on her knee. I keep my eyes anchored there as she slowly
entwines them with mine. That spark people talk about when two people
touch—apparently it’s not a heap of shite because it happens right at that
moment and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know anything. Why I’m here with
her. Why we’re not kissing. My name.
“Everly.”
The author
It began with a boy who survived a plane crash in the wilderness.I discovered my love of writing during a fifth grade writing assignment for Hatchet. After that, I knew I wanted to be a writer.
Always the hopeless romantic, I write late Victorian and Edwardian historical romances as well as contemporary New Adult romances.
I am a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), as well as the New Hampshire chapter (NHRWA) and the New England chapter (NECRWA). I contribute regularly to the Modern Belles of History blog, a site dedicated to writing, reading, and researching 20th century women’s historical fiction.
When I’m not writing, I’m most likely reading or daydreaming about my next travel adventure. I live in New Hampshire with my husband and our cat, Bella.
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