Hold You Close by Melanie Harlow & Corinne Michaels….Promo Tour

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“Corinne Michaels and Melanie Harlow are a match made in heaven. Five-Sweet-Stars for this unforgettable collaboration!” –A.L. Jackson, New York Times bestselling author

Hold You Close, an all-new second chance standalone romance by New York Times bestselling author Corinne Michaels and USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow, is available now!

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Synopsis

From NYT Bestseller Corinne Michaels & USA Today Bestseller Melanie Harlow, comes a second chance standalone romance.

Ian Chase broke my heart at seventeen, and I’ve spent the last eighteen years hating him for it.

He makes it easy, with his smart mouth and playboy lifestyle—which I unfortunately have to observe since he lives behind me. Every time I see him climbing out of his pool, practically naked and unreasonably sexy, my blood boils.

I’ve always loved to loathe him.

I never planned to need him.

***

London Parish is my little sister’s best friend, not that it stopped me from falling for her.

Our history is complicated. The only thing we have in common is being godparents to my sister’s three adorable kids—until our lives are changed in one tragic moment.

Now we’re trying to raise the children we love, mourn an unthinkable loss, and fight an undeniable attraction.

My life is already upside-down, and the last thing I need is for old feelings to resurface.

Because I’ll never be able to keep her, no matter how hard I try to hold her close.

HoldYouClose-AN

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Excerpt:

“Ian,” my bartender, Toby, calls with his hand out.

“What’s up?”

“You have a call.” He pushes the phone toward me.

No one calls the club for me other than vendors, and it’s eleven-thirty at night, so whoever it is can wait.

“I have to deal with something now, send them to my voicemail.”

He shakes his head. “She’s called three times.” The annoyance in his voice is clear, even over the music.

She?

The only woman that would resort to calling the club is my ex-wife. God only knows what bullshit she wants now. For all I know she broke a nail, it’s my fault, and she thinks I should pay for her new manicure, or a hand replacement. She’s like the gift you’ve tried to return but can’t find the receipt for, so you’re stuck with it. I hate unwanted presents, and I hate Jolene.

“Send the devil to my voicemail,” I say and walk away.

I head out to the sidewalk. Drea wasn’t kidding, the line is nuts. “Hello, Officer,” I say to the pudgy cop standing next to the bouncer.

“Mr. Chase, we’re getting complaints,” he says, looking down the sidewalk at the line.

“I can’t help that we’re popular.” I shrug. “I’m at capacity, and can’t kick out the paying customers to take care of the line.”

“You’re obstructing the entrances of other businesses because of the way your overflow lines are set up.”

How the hell would they like me to handle it? We’re not inside the casino, there’s no way to control the line. I’m not about to turn away people when we hit the number ten. This is a business, and part of the free marketing I get is thanks to the line.

“All right, I’ll figure something out.” I grip the back of my neck.

I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. If this is Jolene, I swear to God, I might lose my fucking mind.

The name flashes across the screen, London Parish. For fuck’s sake. Like I need to deal with my sister’s uptight, irritating best friend right now. London would be incredibly hot if she wasn’t such a raging bitch. I look at my call log and see this is the third time she’s called.

I walk down the strip a little, and after a few deep breaths, I call her back.

“Ian, you need to come to my house.”

I smirk. “Well, this is a first. Did you have the stick removed from your ass?”

“Don’t. Not today, please. Just come here.” I hear her sniff and my protectiveness kicks in. Someone made her cry. We don’t get along at all—partly because we’re polar opposites and partly because of our history—but no one gets to make her cry.

“Are you hurt?” I ask.

“Not in the way you think.” Her voice hitches.

I’ve known London for twenty-five years. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen or heard her cry—I was the reason one of those times.

“What’s wrong? Is it an emergency? Because I’m at work and the club—”

“Now, Ian. You need to come here now.”

She also doesn’t play games.

Fuck.

I look at my watch and blow a deep breath through my nose. It’ll take me at least thirty minutes to get there. This is seriously a shitty night. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Just . . . hurry,” London says and hangs up.

Dread pulls at my stomach, telling me there’s something going on. I don’t know what, but I know I need to get there.

“Get rid of the line, no more get in,” I tell the bouncer, and then head inside.

Drea is at the bar, and my anxiety is starting to grow. London needs me there, why? What happened? Did someone break into her house? Mine? Maybe it has to do with an ex, if she even has one, or it could be nothing like that. Regardless, her voice was shaky and I can’t waste time wondering.

“I have to go,” I tell Drea.

Her eyes widen. “Go? Go where? It’s a packed house.”

“I’m aware of that, but something came up. I need you to handle things tonight.” I turn to Toby. “Stay until Drea is done closing and I want you to escort her to her car at the end of the night.”

He nods.

I never let her walk out of here alone. Even if I have someone coming home with me, Drea’s not going to be unescorted. Too many men get the wrong impression because she’s nice to them. Over my dead body will she be hurt as a result of working at my club.

After I get in the car, my mind is racing. I drive faster than I should, telling myself that London is just being dramatic.

And then I remember . . . she has my nephew and nieces at her house.

My foot pushes down on the pedal of my Jaguar, making the engine howl with each mile. I turn into the development where we both live, pass my house, and head to hers. I still hate that our backyards touch. Every damn day I see her sitting out on her deck, reading her books, looking down at me with her disapproving attitude.

When I get there, the flashing lights of a police car brighten the road. I don’t think. I don’t know if I even put the car in park before I’m out of the vehicle.

“London!” I yell as I rush through the door. “Christopher? Morgan? Ruby?” I call out for the kids, praying it’s not one of them.

When I get to the living room, I release a heavy sigh—they’re all there, not hurt.

Then I see the tears streaming down Morgan’s face. London gets to her feet. Her eyes are red, puffy, and black mascara runs down her cheeks. “Ian.” She chokes on my name.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

The girls start to cry again, and my nephew pulls them into his arms.

London moves toward me, placing her hand on my chest. “They’re gone.”

“Who?” I ask, confused.

“Sabrina and David,” she whispers.

Yeah, they went on a trip. Why the hell are they crying? “This is what you called me for? They’ll be home in a few days. Why are you crying too?” I ask.

Her green eyes meet mine and her lips part. “No.” She shakes her head. “They won’t.”

I look over at the kids again, and then to the muted television. My feet move closer, because I have to be sure the words flashing across the screen say what I think they say. “Flight 1184 crashes off the coast of Hawaii. Three hundred missing and presumed dead.”

My sister was going to Hawaii.

My sister is gone.

I sink to my knees in front of the kids, unsure what to say. They just lost their parents, and my heart is breaking. My sister was my best friend. She was the one who pushed me to open Veil and do what I wanted. I’ve always had her support, and now she’s gone.

Christopher lifts his head, his brown eyes filled with unshed tears. “They’ll find them,” he says with conviction.

“Okay,” I reply. We both know it’s a lie, but it’s one he has to tell himself. I remember being fifteen; there was no telling me I was wrong.

“Dad wouldn’t . . .” he starts, and then stops as his lip quivers.

My own tears start to fall, as Morgan grabs my hand. “What do we do now?”

I have no fucking clue. How do I tell these kids how to survive? I’m the last person in the world equipped to give this advice. I look to London. Her hand touches my shoulder and she wipes the tears that fall silently down her cheeks.

“We hold each other close,” she says.

About the authors:

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Corinne Michaels is the author of nine romance novels. She’s an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. Corinne is happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife.

After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness. She enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak and finding a way to heal them through their struggles. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love.

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USA Today Bestselling Author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like VEEP, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

Melanie is the author of the AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

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As Dust Dances by Samantha Young….Excerpt & Review

 

The New York Times Bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series and PLAY ON returns to the world of the arts in this intense and emotional standalone romance about love, sacrifice, and surviving both. AS DUST DANCES is now available on all retailers! Grab your copy today!

 

About AS DUST DANCES:

Once upon a time Skylar Finch was the lead singer of a hugely successful American pop-rock band. But fame made her miserable. When years of living a lie suddenly ended in tragedy, Skylar fell off the map.

Eighteen months later she’s sleeping in a tent in a cemetery in Glasgow, making just enough money to eat by busking on the streets. She manages to avoid recognition, but not the attention of one of Glasgow’s ambitious A&R executives.

Killian O’Dea works at Skyscraper Records, Scotland’s most successful record label. Raised by his uncle and owner of the label, Killian’s upbringing would have been devoid of affection entirely if it wasn’t for his loving sister. Killian is unflinchingly determined to bring the label more success than ever, and the young homeless woman who busks on Buchanan Street is going to help him do that. Her music speaks to him in a way he refuses to over-analyze. All he knows is that if it can touch his dark soul, it’ll set everyone else’s alight.

Skylar makes it clear that she doesn’t want to sign with him. But when she experiences the dangerous reality of a woman sleeping rough, Skylar has no one else but Killian to turn to. An undeniable connection forms between them. But Skylar doesn’t want the career Killian is trying to forge for her, and when her past comes back to haunt her Killian will be faced with a decision that could ruin him. He must either free Skylar from his selfish machinations and destroy everything he’s ever worked for, or lose a woman who has come to mean more to him than he ever thought possible…

 

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Can I just have my review say “EVERYONE MUST READ SAMANTHA YOUNG!!!!”, can I??

Samantha Young has magical fingers because her writing is captivating and her characters are so genuine and real – it’s impossible to not lose yourself in her stories.

As Dust Dances is another emotional read from Samantha. Skylar and Killian’s journey to their HEA is one wrought with many ups and downs due to so many things, including themselves. Skylar is a survivor through it and with Killian’s forwardness and no-holds bar attitude, these two cause of lots of sparks together. They both push and pull one another – slowly cracking down each other’s walls.

I won’t say anything else because watching these two together is just magic – there is no other word for it. There is a lot of fighting, jabs thrown at one another, just flat out hate to love. And to see it play out before your eyes (Samantha’s words come alive) – it’s the tension and emotion we all love to get caught up in.

I loved every emotion Samantha pulled out of me. I love when I get so involved in these characters, I want to smack them around, rattle their brains and then squeeze them when they finally get their shit together. LOL

Once again – Samantha has given us another amazing romance. This can be read as a standalone – so dive right on in!!

 

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My wrist protested as I pulled my sweater over my head. I was just reaching for Killian’s tee when his office door opened. “Are you read—”
We both froze.
Me in my bra and jeans.
His lips parted, not even hiding that he was taking in every inch of me. I flushed all over.
Killian cursed under his breath and then slammed his office door shut so no one would see me from the hall while finally turning his back to me. He sounded hoarse when he spoke. “Sorry. I thought you’d be dressed by now.”
“My wrist was hurting,” I lied. “I needed a minute.”
That was all it took to make him move. Suddenly he was in front of me, grabbing the tee out of my hands. “What are you doing?” I tried to cover myself.
Killian gave me an impatient look. “It’s not anything I haven’t seen before. Lift your arms.”
“I can put the tee on myself.”
“The longer you argue, the longer I see you half-naked. I’m a man who appreciates the female form, so I don’t mind. I can do this all day.”
Grunting, I lifted my arms, my annoyance with him lessening as he carefully pulled it down over my head and then gently placed my arms through the short sleeves. He shrugged it down slowly, as if savoring those moments of naked skin.
My breath caught as his fingers brushed the sides of my breasts and my eyes flew to his as he pulled the T-shirt down excruciatingly slowly, caressing my skin with it. Those dark eyes smoldered.
Then somehow, we were standing closer, our bodies almost touching. Excitement tingled between my legs and I felt my nipples peak against the fabric of my bra.
A flush crested Killian’s cheeks and his chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.
I forgot everything.
Where I was.
Who I was.
Who he was.
All I could think about was the way my skin prickled to electrified life under his touch. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted him to push me up against his desk, rip my jeans off, and thrust into me.
My breath shuddered at the thought and Killian’s eyes blazed even hotter, as if he’d been able to read my mind.
“Sir, Mr. Byrne would like to speak with you!” Eve’s voice called through the door and shattered the moment.
Killian stumbled back. His hands dropped from my waist, allowing the T-shirt to fall.
I tried to catch my breath as he whirled away from me. “Just … Just a second,” he called back.
“Killian …”
He glanced over his shoulder at me, his expression unreadable. “I’m Killian again?”
Confused, I blinked. “What?”
Exhaling heavily, he shook his head. “Nothing.” Then his nostrils flared as he stared at me. I glanced down at myself. His T-shirt drowned me. It also smelled of him, which was very bad because I really needed to stop thinking of Killian and sex in the same sentence, and wearing his scent was not helping. “I look ridiculous.” But I didn’t think Killian thought I looked ridiculous at all.

 

Samantha Young’s AS DUST DANCES – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

August 8th

A Literary Perusal – Review & Excerpt

Bellereadersthoughts – Review

Catty Jane Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt

iScream Books Blog – Review & Excerpt

Livelyreads – Review & Excerpt

Reading Under Street Lamps – Review

Shelf_Life – Review

Smut Book Junkie Reviews – Review & Excerpt

The Book Hammock – Review & Excerpt

August 9th

Avid Reads – Review

BJ’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Book Lady’s Reviews – Review

Daffodilsbooks – Review & Excerpt

K&M Sultry Reads – Review & Excerpt

Little Red Reading Hood – Review & Excerpt

Naturally Nerdy Books – Review & Excerpt

Simply Crystal – Review & Excerpt

Three chicks and their books – Review & Excerpt

White Hot Reads – Review & Excerpt

August 10th

Aaly and The Books – Review & Excerpt

Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt

Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic – Review

Garden of REden – Review

KsiążkowaPasja – Review

Lisa Loves Literature – Excerpt

Novel Addiction – Review

Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt

The Review Loft – Review

Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess – Review & Excerpt

August 11th

A Fortress of Books – Review & Excerpt

Book Bitches Blog – Excerpt

Fifty Shades of D and J – Excerpt

Greyland Reviews – Review & Excerpt

My Book Filled Life – Review & Excerpt

Nose Stuck in a Book – Review & Excerpt

SJ’s Book Blog – Excerpt

The Bookish Sisters – Review & Excerpt

The Escapist Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

We stole your book boyfriend – Review & Excerpt

August 12th

All Things Dark & Dirty – Excerpt

Bookishly Yours – Review & Excerpt

Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Ginreads – Review

KDRBCK – Review & Excerpt

Mustreadbooksordie – Review

Roxy’s Reviews – Review

The Reading Cafe – Review & Excerpt

Words are Life – Excerpt

August 13th

4TLOReading – Review

Buttercup’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Collector of book boyfriends – Excerpt

Kindle Friends Forever – Review & Excerpt

Literati Literature Lovers – Review & Excerpt

Movies, Shows, & Books – Excerpt

Ramblings From This Chick – Excerpt

Somewhere Lost in Books – Review & Excerpt

Two Books in a Shelf – Review & Excerpt

What Is That Book About – Excerpt

August 14th

Adventures of a Bookworm – Review

Bad boys and bedtime stories book blog – Review

BibliotekaMoniko – Review & Excerpt

Clare & Lou’s Mad About Books – Review

Jax’s Book Magic –Review & Excerpt

Marta Likes to Read – Review & Excerpt

Onceupon_a_bookdream – Review & Excerpt

Romance Readers Retreat – Review

The Curvy Savante – Review

TSK TSK What to Read – Review & Excerpt

August 15th

Ali’s Reviews and More – Review & Excerpt

Between The Lines – Review & Excerpt

Book Flame – Excerpt

Desperately Seeking HEA’s Book Blog – Excerpt

Margie’s Must Reads – Review & Excerpt

Novel Grounds – Review

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

Relentless Romance – Review & Excerpt

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book Boyfriends – Review

Total Book Geek – Review & Excerpt

August 16th

Always Falling for Book Guys – Review & Excerpt

Badass Bloggettes – Review & Excerpt

Bookaholic Confessions – Review & Excerpt

Dirty Girl Romance – Review & Excerpt

Read. Eat. Love. – Review & Excerpt

Romance Schmomance – Review & Excerpt

Stuck In Books – Excerpt

Witchy Richey’s Booktastic Reviews – Review & Excerpt

August 17th

Angie and Jessica’s Dreamy Reads – Review & Excerpt

Books 4 Girls – Review & Excerpt

GataLeitora – Review & Excerpt

Librarian Laura Great Reads – Review & Excerpt

Read Love Blog – Review & Excerpt

Reading and funny – Review

Smokin’ Hot Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

True Story Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Wrapped Up In Reading – Review & Excerpt

 

About Samantha Young:

Samantha Young is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows. Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us will be published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook& hardback June 2017

Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

 

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Blind Kiss by Renee Carlino…Review

 

 

 

From the national bestselling author of Before We Were Strangers, Swear on this Life, and Wish You Were Here comes a powerful story of two people who spend years denying their scientifically-proven chemistry.

Penny spends her afternoons sitting outside a sandwich shop, surrounded by ghosts. Fourteen years ago, this shop was her childhood dance studio—and she was a dancer on the rise. Now she’s a suburban housewife, dreading the moment her son departs for MIT, leaving her with an impeccably-decorated McMansion and a failing marriage. She had her chance at wild, stars-in-her-eyes happiness, but that was a lifetime ago. After The Kiss. Before The Decision.

The Kiss was soulful. Magical. Earth-shattering, And it was all for a free gift card. Asked to participate in a psych study that posed the question, “Can you have sexual chemistry without knowing what the other person looks like?” Penny agreed to be blindfolded, make polite conversation with a total stranger, and kiss him. She never expected The Kiss to change her life forever and introduce her to Gavin: tattooed, gorgeous, and spontaneous enough to ask her out seconds after the blindfolds came off.

For a year, they danced between friendship and romance—until Penny made The Decision that forced them to settle for friendship. Now, fourteen years later, both of their lives are about to radically change—and it’s his turn to decide what will become of their once-in-a-lifetime connection.

 

Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and the bestselling author of Sweet Thing, Nowhere But Here, After the Rain, Before We Were Strangers, Swear on This Life, and Wish You Were Here. She grew up in Southern California and lives in the San Diego area with her husband and two sons. To learn more, visit ReneeCarlino.

 

AVAILABLE NOW

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So I have been sitting here staring at my computer for what seems like hours trying to figure out what to say and how to rate this book.

I had a hard time really getting into this book but at the same time but I also found myself not being to walk away from it. I had to know how things panned out; how they went from meeting at a Blind Kiss study to where they are today. But at the same time, as I was reading, I found myself annoyed with their decisions and them at times. So yea.

Penny and Gavin’s story span fourteen years. They are complete opposites in almost every way. She is very dedicated, goal-focused and has things pretty much figured out where as Gavin is chaotic and almost like a free spirit – he just rolls with the punches in a way. But they had this explosive dynamic when they first met and neither can deny it. However Penny makes it clear that she needs to focus on her career and that anything outside of friendship is not feasible.

I think what kept me tethered to this story was Renee’s writing style. She has this way of sucking you into the story. Whether you love or hate the characters’ decisions, you still can’t walk away from the book – you have to know everything because you find yourself vested in their story.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. The characters are flawed but you begin to understand them too. If you have never read a book by Renee yet, you are definitely missing out on some great stories.

 

 

 

 

WE SAT AT the bar of the pub as I continued to stare at him, a mixture of curiosity and fear boiling in my gut. He ordered a beer, and I ordered Chardonnay with beer-cheese pretzels.

“That’s different for you.”

I usually stuck to salads, an old habit from my dancing days, but I had lost a lot of weight in the past few weeks. “Don’t think you can distract me so easily. Tell me what’s going on. Did you break up with Briel?”

He took a long pull from his beer and stared straight ahead. “Don’t be mad, okay?”

I stared at him, wordlessly, the fear fully boiling over. And then he dropped the bomb on me.

The next few minutes were hazy as Gavin, the bar, and my glass of Chardonnay swam together before my eyes. I tried to reach for the glass but found it suddenly empty. That’s weird. It was full a minute ago. I motioned to the bartender for another, then poured it down my throat in a steady stream.

I was breathing fast when I slammed the glass on the bar, shattering my fugue state—and bringing Gavin into sharp relief. I was reeling.

“Shit, Penny! Be careful. You almost shattered your glass!” He practically yelled.

“You’re moving to fucking France?!” I yelled back.

The bartender jerked his head toward the door, and within minutes Gavin was forcibly dragging me out of the bar by the arm. I slipped out of his grip and stood in the middle of the parking lot, seething, very much drunk, and fully freaking out. “So, do you love her?”

“Briel? What kind of question is that?”

“Just answer me.”

“Fuck, Penny. That’s not what this is about. I don’t really have a choice here, though, do I?”

“You always have a choice.”

He glared at me. “That’s fucking rich, coming from you.”

I shook my head vigorously. “Totally different situation.”

“Like hell it was.”

“When do you leave?”

“In two days.”

“WHAT?!”

He ran up and shook me by the shoulders. “Jesus, if I knew you were gonna take it like this, I wouldn’t have told you in public. Pull yourself together.”

I screamed at the top of my lungs and then made a guttural sound as I hunched over and held my stomach.

“First Milo, now you?”

“Don’t you put that on me. I’m not the reason why you’re about to be alone and unhappy.”

“Fuck you, Gavin!”

“Fuck you, Penny!”

He didn’t turn around—he just stormed off in typical Gavin fashion: petulant, recalcitrant, and a total shithead. People in the parking lot were gawking, appalled, covering their children’s ears. But no one made a move to leave. When Gavin and I got like this, we were like a car wreck by the side of the road, impossible to look away from.

Gavin slid into his ’67 Chevelle and fired up the engine. I hated that car because he loved it so much. It had a black leather interior, a flawless paint job, and tinted windows, like it belonged to some kind of celebrity—which Gavin definitely wasn’t. It was his only possession worth a dime, besides his garage, a few guitars, and a Zippo lighter he swore River Phoenix had given to him at the Viper Room the night of his death.

I ran to the exit and stood in the middle of the lane, daring him to run me over as he ripped out of his parking spot and raced around the corner toward the exit. “We’re not done talking, you coward!”

He slowed but let the car idle while he revved the engine. “I dare you!” I yelled.

He stuck his head out the window, leaned his tattooed arm against the door, and actually grinned at me.

So smug. What a dick.

“You look ridiculous standing there. Get out of the way!”

I walked toward his window and noticed that his demeanor had completely softened. There was even humor in his expression. He wanted me to block him, and he knew I would.

“Can’t you have a proper fight without running away?”

“You were lecturing me, yet again. I have a mother, thank you. You have a child you can order around . . . and a husband you can control. I don’t need your shit, okay? Don’t you realize that I’m freaking out, too? I’m going through the hardest time of my life, and you’re making this all about you.”

“You’ve been going through the hardest time of your life for the whole fourteen years I’ve known you.”

“And as my friend, do you think you’re helping my situation right now?” he spat back, his mood shifting once again. “Don’t even. Don’t you dare act like I haven’t been a good friend to you. You’ve put me in the most awkward situations, you’ve bolted on me, you’ve stopped speaking to me for weeks at a time, but still . . . I make myself available to you. I’ve been here for you, always. And now you’re moving thousands of miles away when I need you most?”

He shook his head slowly. “That’s right, Penny. You have been here. You’ve been right by my side, lecturing me, rolling your eyes at me, pressuring me to get serious about Briel, all so I could go and fuck up my life even more while you sit in your nice house, with your KitchenAid mixer, your Oracle espresso machine, and your fucking yellow Lab.”

“Don’t talk about Buckley that way! He’s a good dog. And you love our espresso machine.”

Gavin’s lips turned up at the corners. “You’re so messed up, Penny. You definitely have a chemical imbalance.”

I pointed to my chest, shocked. “Me? Look who’s talking? Please, pull into a parking space. I don’t want to stand here anymore, making a spectacle of myself. Some parent from Milo’s school is probably watching this whole thing. There’ll be whispers at the next PTA meeting. Is that what

you want for me?”

“Don’t pretend like you go to PTA meetings. And look around; everyone’s gone. It’s just us.”

He was right. The parking lot had cleared out. Gavin was sitting in his idling car while I was standing outside his window like a moron.

“I resent you for saying I pushed Briel on you. And yes, for your information, I do go to PTA meetings.”

You encouraged me to go out with her, then you needled me about it until I finally did.”

“You were horribly depressed! I thought you were gonna jump off a bridge. I told you to go out with her and to have some fun. She’s a nice girl. I didn’t say turn your life upside down, pack up, and run away with a foreigner! You’re thirty-six-years old, Gavin. I think it’s time you grew up.” I shook my head. “God, I can’t believe you.”

He jerked his head back and squinted. “Great band but not totally PC to call someone a foreigner, Penny.” His voice was low.

“Are you going to become a French citizen now, too? You better brush up on your French.”

“Everyone speaks English there.”

“No, they don’t! People always say that, but you’ll see. They might be able to communicate to a degree, but it’s not conversational English.”

Why am I still standing here, screaming about French people?

I needed to tie this conversation up in a pretty little bow. I needed closure. I couldn’t say good-bye to my best friend without it. He was leaving, going to France to chase a girlfriend

I knew he didn’t love. I was losing him. And it was my fault. We couldn’t leave each other angry.

“I’ll figure it out,” he said. “Try not to make me feel worse about my situation, though I know that’s hard for you.” “Your situation? It’s always your situation. What about my situation?” He just stared at me. He was hurting; I could tell. But I was hurting, too. “Listen—”

“What?”

“Don’t interrupt me.” I cleared my throat. “Gavin . . . it’s just . . . I’m going to fucking miss you, okay? I’m having a hard time right now, and life is about to get a whole lot harder the second you leave.” I started to cry.

He hated it when I cried, but he didn’t ask me, “Why are you crying?” He never had to ask. He took a deep breath in through his nose, then released it forcefully in a burst of frustration. A second later his car stalled. He put it in gear, got out, and swooped me up in a bear hug. “Penny, Penny, Penny . . . my crazy girl,” he said as he rubbed my back. I was wiping my snot-covered nose on his black T-shirt and he didn’t care one bit.

He held me for a long time. When he started to release me, I said, “It’s not enough.”

He picked me up again and squeezed me harder. Tucking his face into my neck, he said, “It’ll never be enough.”

“Why?” I said, fully bawling against his shoulder. He brushed a strand of my hair, damp with tears, behind my ear. “I have to go, and so do you. You need to be with your family now.”

I felt the lump in my throat growing. “You don’t have to constantly remind me that I have a family. I love my family. But you’re a part of it, too, and that’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m fucking crying in the parking lot in front of Bank of America.”

He pulled away and we stood there, two feet apart, staring at each other, as if we were committing each other to memory. Allowing one another to really look at and take the other person in, stripped down to our bones, without scrutiny.

“Is this it?” I asked.

“This is it, P.”

I shook my head, leaned up on my toes, and wrapped my arms around him. We hugged again for a long time before he got into his car. I tried to hold on to the feeling of having him in my arms, or maybe I was trying to hold on to the feeling of being held in his.

He started the engine as I stood there, waiting for him to leave.

“We’ll talk on the phone or email or something, okay?”

“Okay,” I told him.

He swallowed nervously. Looking up at me from the car window, he said, “I wish it were you, Penny.”

That was my bow. He knew I needed it, good or bad—no matter what feelings it shook loose from our long and complicated history together.

 

 

 

 

 

Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of contemporary women’s novels and new adult fiction. Her books have been featured in national publications, including USA TODAY, Huffington Post, Latina magazine, and Publisher’s Weekly. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate. Learn more at www.reneecarlino.com

 

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Red Ledger: Volume 1 by Meredith Wild….Review


Reborn: The Red Ledger Series (Vol 1)
by Meredith Wild 
Release Date: 7th August
Genre: Suspense/thriller
 

The Red Ledger, a binge-worthy suspense/thriller series with Wild’s
signature erotic twist


Synopsis

He’s death for hire…

Some people measure life in hours. Days. Weeks. I measure mine in kills. A covert military mission gone wrong robbed me of my memory and any link to my past. This is my existence now. I execute and survive. Nothing more, nothing less. I was ready to write Isabel Foster’s name in my ledger of unfortunate souls until she uttered the one word that could stop the bullet meant for her. My name.

She knows my face. She knows me. She’s the key to the memories I’m not sure I want back. Now nothing is simple. I still have a job to do, and my soul isn’t worth saving. I’m not the man she thinks I am. I can’t love her. And sparing her life puts us both in the crosshairs.
  Reborn: The Red Ledger (books 1-3 bundle) 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JiXjVJ
Amazon Print: https://amzn.to/2pDXJxi
Nook: http://bit.ly/2FdXmDx
iBooks: https://apple.co/2oEC4EN
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2F9aUAd
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2FboKlv

Book 1 – ebook
Amazon:  http://amzn.to/2CP2Q2a
B&N:  http://bit.ly/2FcNxWc
iBooks:  https://apple.co/2FcarNy
Google Play:  http://bit.ly/2FcXYJG
Kobo:  http://bit.ly/2oFQfcB

“Get ready for a sultry, suspenseful ride that you won’t soon forget. This book has it ALL.” 
~USA Today bestselling author Angel Payne

I read each installment/part separately before they came out in volumes.
Overall, this volume starts off this series with a fast, action-packed plot. I am really excited to see where Meredith takes this story and how everything ends.

Installment/Part #1 Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2401447642?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Installment/Part #2 Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2401448066?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Installment/Part #3 Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2401448073?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Meet The Author
 

Meredith Wild is a #1 New York TimesUSA Today, and international bestselling author. After publishing her debut novel Hardwired in September 2013, Wild used her ten years of experience as a tech entrepreneur to push the boundaries of her “self-published” status, becoming stocked in brick-and-mortar bookstore chains nationwide and forging relationships with the major retailers.
In 2014, Wild founded her own imprint, Waterhouse Press, under which she hit No. 1 on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists. She has been featured on CBS This Morning, The Today Show, the New York TimesThe Hollywood ReporterPublishers Weekly, and The Examiner. Her foreign rights have been sold in over 20 languages.
Living on Florida’s Gulf Coast with her husband and three children, she refers to herself as a techie, whiskey appreciator, and shameless sun worshipper. Find out more about what projects she’s working on next at www.meredithwild.com.
Social Media Links
 
 

Mixed Up Love by Natasha Madison….Excerpt & Review

 

 

 

Hunter

When my business partner asked me to do him a favor, I had no idea he was sending me on a blind date his mother arranged for him. I walked in the bar, saw the woman drinking her third martini, and knew I was in for an eventful night.

After the unexpected second date, she didn’t know my real name or who I really was. By that time, the lie was too far gone, and I wanted her too much to admit the truth.

Laney

It’s not every day you find out your ex-boyfriend is engaged.

I shouldn’t have agreed to the blind date. My mother insisted, and I wasn’t in any position to turn down a night out.

I will admit, I definitely shouldn’t have ordered that fourth martini before said blind date even arrived.

The man turned out to be swoon worthy, handsome, condescending—a perfect distraction. Then I found out he was a liar.

I’ve never been in over my head to this degree.

Then again, I’ve never been in love.

 

 

Barnes & Noble | iBooks

 

 

I pull up to the front door, and the valet meets me at my door once I stop. “Good evening, sir,” he says once I open my door.

“Yeah, I won’t be here long,” I tell him as I get out, not bothering to take off my sunglasses when I hand him the keys.

“No worries, sir. It will be here when you are ready,” he says, handing me the ticket for later. I put it in the inside pocket of my suit jacket. I walk inside to the hostess table, where a woman who looks like she is eighteen stands smiling.

“How may I help you?” she asks sweetly. I stop and look around to see if I might recognize the woman I’m here to meet, even though I’ve never met her. I spot a couple of women at the bar, but I instinctively know they aren’t her. I also check for exits. It’s not my fault; it’s just instilled in me.

Looking to the left, I don’t see anyone sitting alone, but then I look to the right, and I see her. I don’t know why I know it’s her, but I just do. With curly long blond hair, she downs a martini, then picks up another one and brings it to her mouth. I spot a waiter walking with two more martinis on his tray, and I’m not surprised when I see him approaching her table. “Great,” I say under my breath. “I found her,” I tell the hostess and start walking toward the table. She spots me and watches my every move. Luckily, the glasses I’m wearing stop her from seeing my eyes.

The closer I get to her, the more my pulse speeds up. What the fuck? This is weird. I look around maybe to see if something else is piquing my interest or maybe I spotted something to elevate my pulse, but no, it’s her. The fact that a gorgeous woman is sitting by herself and drinking like a fish is enough to get any man’s adrenaline pumping. Isn’t it?

“Are you Laney?” I ask, taking off my glasses, and my gray eyes finally meet her blue ones. She opens her mouth, expecting, I think, something to come out, but nothing does. I continue looking around to see if anyone is watching her, and it’s no surprise that I spot two guys at the bar sizing her up.

“Here are two more.” The waiter smiles at her, putting two more glasses down on the table and taking the two now empty ones away. She laughs nervously, and I want to reach out and trip him when he walks away.

“It isn’t what it looks like.” Her soft voice breaks me out of my plan, and I turn back to her as she smiles at me, causing my heartbeat to skyrocket. The collar of my shirt suddenly feels tight, but it’s not even buttoned.

“Really? I find it hard to believe,” I finally say. Looking around again, I spot the same two guys in suits sitting at the bar watching her. This time, one of them spots me and looks back down at his drink. “It looks like you’re sitting here waiting for something bad to happen.” I pull out the chair and sit in front of her.

“Um.” She still doesn’t say anything.

 

 

 

Mixed Up Love is a very quick romance – both with how fast I read it and how quickly everything happens.

I really am not sure exactly what to say as I enjoyed the book but I really wish it was longer and the story more developed.

Hunter and Laney meet on a blind date and everything after that happens within 2 weeks. Everything just seemed to move along too fast for my taste. While I could see the attraction between the two, the love part just seemed too far fetched.

I really enjoyed the banter and the witty comments with all the characters involved. The side characters definitely helped add to the enjoyment of the book. I’ll be honest and state that I wish the side characters could have had their own books instead of their stories tying into this one and everyone practically getting their HEA in this book. I know that was author’s decision and I’m not taking that into consideration on my rating, but I am just saying that would have been nice.

Overall, it was very quick romance that was cute and sweet. I wish there was more development on the plot and that things took place over a longer time period.

 

 

When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…
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Playboy by Katy Evans…Excerpt & Review

SBPR-BT-BANNER (3).jpg

Playboy by Katy Evans
Publication Date: July 29, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Playboy

Synopsis:

A brand new contemporary romance from New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Katy Evans.

It started as a game.

We flirted. We played. Most importantly—we won.

Then I discovered who he was: Gambler. Famous playboy. Silver-eyed player who never plays to lose…

And my best friend’s soon-to-be brother in law, Cullen Carmichael.

He needed a good luck charm, I needed a distraction.

So we made a gamble and set off for Vegas—but pretty soon—I was in too deep.

My heart, soul, and body weren’t supposed to be part of the deal.

But somewhere between big wins and long nights, my house of cards started to tumble.

What was this devil with those piercing eyes doing to me?

I’d given up on love, but the wicked, all-in Cullen Carmichael was upping the ante and wouldn’t stop until he’d won it all.

Playboy-AN

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Excerpt:

“So you just kissed me because you wanted to.” I speak on a breath.

“Very good. You’re perceptive. Intuitive.”

I realize he’s teasing me in that low, terribly rumbly voice and I wish he would smile at me.

He takes my hand and fingers my palm with his thumb as he leads me to our suite.

I’m sizzling where he touches me, nervously prying my hand free when he leads me into the biggest, most spectacular two-bedroom penthouse suite I’ve ever seen. Not that I’d seen one before in person, only movies.

There’s a kitchen area, and windows from floor to ceiling. A living room, a pool table, gold brass chandeliers, a brown-and-beige-patterned carpet, dark woods, Italian leathers. Gorgeous! I could move in here.

Now I see the appeal but won’t admit as much.

Thinking of our bet, I pay attention to the art on the walls. It’s expensive. I can tell by the numbered print and the signature. Painters with indecipherable and artistic signatures are often the artists to watch. It’s like they know from the moment they paint their first work that they’re on to something big, something that will distinguish their work from all others.

I wish Cullen loved art as much as I do. Maybe I could drag him away from the tables to a local gallery.

“Wow. I could just live he—” I spin around and bump into his big warm body, and he bends his head and kisses my words right out of me.

Kisses me stupid. Kisses my toes curled. Kisses my brain blank. Kisses my heart crazy.

7 win at any cost

This is the fifth book in the ManWhore Series it can be read as a standalone so feel free to jump right into this one and see why everyone loves Katy, this series and her writing style!!

Playboy is Cullen and Wynn’s story and wow does it start off perfectly. Cullen is known in the poker as the Playboy for various reasons but mostly the fact that he has never once been with the same women twice. He never wines and dine them – they are poker babes who are there for one thing – a piece of the man.

Wynn is coming off of a four year long relationship. She’s trying to move on and realizes that maybe she needs to have some fun before throwing herself into another long term relationship. But then she finds herself making a bet with Cullen – a bet she’s not sure she wants to win – cause Cullen! LOL

I won’t give you much more because the plot is how this bet plays out and who’s playing what game and who’s gambling with what. It is very entertaining, very enticing and let me tell you – HOT AS HELL!! I loved the banter between Cullen and Wynn – they both keep each other on their toes and definitely dish out what they can take.

While I have hard time finding that they fell in love so quickly – I enjoy how everything comes together in the end. The ending may have been too sweet for me but overall, the whole book as really good.

Katy – you have delivered another delicious book that I couldn’t stop once I started.

 

 

About the Author:

Katy Evans is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her debut REAL shot to the top of the bestselling lists in 2013 and since then 9 of her titles have been New York Times bestsellers. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages across the world.

Connect with the Author:

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2LXvxzk
Twitter: @authorkatyevan
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2mMgBsR
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2OoQl4H
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2AdFs2A
Amazon Author: https://amzn.to/2rdox8A

Break by Cassia Leo….Blog Tour

BREAK by New York Times Bestselling Author Cassia Leo is out now and #FREE in Kindle Unlimted! Read it now!

 

Synopsis

A humorous and heartbreaking second-chance stand-alone romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the Shattered Hearts Series.

For six years, she was the only one. My best friend. My kitten. My world. Then, I broke us by getting caught in a web of lies.

Hard to believe, after everything we’d been through, I could do what I did to her… in front of 600,000 people. I doubt she’ll ever believe I did it because I love her.

Three years later, my music career is booming. I have a movie deal in the next comic book reboot. And now the only parent I have left has been given a death sentence. I have to go home, but going home means facing what I did to her.

Read now on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon

 

BREAK PLAYLIST

 

 

I’m about to turn around and head back to the Uber, when Charley stands up from the chair and begins making her way toward the entrance. It’s like watching an angel coming at me, but from the stony expression on her face, I can’t decide if she looks more like a guardian angel or an angel of death. Either way, she’s gorgeous: tall and slender, with hips that would make a grown man cry; her dark hair cascades over her shoulders in luscious waves; round, hazel eyes and full lips framed by soft cheekbones and a perfect oval face.

She always complained about the tiny bump on her nose, or that her top lip wasn’t as full as her bottom lip. I used to tell her that complaining about those things is like looking at a gorgeous sunset and complaining that the sun is too bright.

Michelle glares at Charley and says something that looks like, “What are you doing?”

Charley says something to her that I can’t make out, but Michelle shakes her head adamantly. Charley glares at her, then says something that looks like, “Do it.”

Michelle rolls her eyes and they both continue toward me as Michelle pulls a ring of keys out of her apron. My heart soars as I realize Charley is forcing her friend to open the door. Maybe she’s not as angry with me as I anticipated.

The whole time Michelle is unlocking the door, I keep my gaze focused on Charley, willing her to look at me and give me some kind of smile or nod or something to let me know I’m right. But her eyes are trained on Michelle’s hands. Finally, the door pushes out toward me and Charley emerges with an expression on her face I’ve never seen before. I can’t explain it any other way except a stone-cold lack of emotion.

“Charley, I just want to talk to you. Just give me five minutes.”

Her expression doesn’t change. “I don’t want to talk to you, Ben. You should leave before Mason gets here.”

“It’s probably better that he’s here. I owe him an apology, too,” I say, taking a step toward her.

Michelle steps sideways, half her body shielding Charley now. “That’s close enough.”

Charley puts her hand on Michelle’s arm. “You can go inside. I can handle this.”

“Are you sure?”

Charley nods and we both watch in silence as Michelle shoots me one last burning glare before she heads back inside. “Look, Ben, I’m sure you’ve probably made up some kind of excuse that justifies what you did to me. But there’s nothing you could say that will make me understand or forgive what you did. So, once again, I’m asking you to leave. I really don’t want to see what Mason will do to you when he gets here.”

The cool expression on her face and the even tone in her voice chills my blood. What have I done to her?

“You know damn well Mason’s never been able to take me.”

“He’s been rage-lifting,” she replies coolly, using the phrase I made up for when I would take my aggression out at the gym. “I don’t want him to get in trouble with the cops when he kicks your ass.”

I suppress my laughter, so I don’t further piss her off. “Baby, I’m not here to get in fights or make excuses. And—”

“Don’t call me baby.”

I pause for a moment and take a deep breath. “Look, I don’t expect you to forgive me. Not tonight, anyway.”

She clenches her jaw and lets out a puff of laughter through her nose. “You really are just as cocky as always if you think I’d ever forgive you.”

I close my eyes for a second to collect myself as anger roars inside me. “You…have no fucking idea why I did what I did.”

“I don’t care why you did it!” she shouts, her stony expression crumbling. “You broke us! I don’t want to see you ever again. Go back to L.A., Ben.”

I step forward and grab her elbows. “This isn’t over, Char.”

“Don’t touch me!” she yells, wrestling her arms from my grip.

I’m close enough to smell her now, that sugared-strawberry scent I remember so fucking well it makes my arms ache to hold her. “You have no fucking idea how sorry I am.”

“Are you drunk? I can smell alcohol.”

I blink at her question, standing my ground as I see the headlights of a car approaching.

She glances toward the lights and her eyes widen with panic. “Go home, Ben. Please. As much as I hate you, I don’t want to see you hurt.”

I shake my head. “It’s too late for that.

Enter the Instagram Giveaway

About Cassia Leo

New York Times bestselling author Cassia Leo loves her coffee, chocolate, and margaritas with salt. When she’s not writing, she spends way too much time re-watching Game of Thrones and Sex and the City. When she’s not binge-watching, she’s usually enjoying the Oregon rain with a hot cup of coffee and a book.

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Moore Than A Feeling by Julie A. Richman…Excerpt & Review

 

Just when you thought there wasn’t any MOORE…

From USA Today bestselling author Julie A. Richman, comes a companion title to her Needing Moore series, MOORE THAN A FEELING. Order your copy of MOORE THAN A FEELING today!

 

About MOORE THAN A FEELING:

“Holly and Aiden broke up? Seriously? No way. Not those two.”

Dumped.
No, not only dumped.
Blindsided and dumped.

I thought that Aiden McManus was my forever, my soulmate,
That was until he told me he was still in love with his ex.

I didn’t want to believe him.
So, I convinced myself that our break-up was because of his upcoming deployment,
and not because he didn’t love me.
Believing that, helped me get through those first months.

But after a while, I realized I just might be lying to myself.
And it was time to move on…

So, I moved on. Or tried to move on, anyway.
But that didn’t work out so well for me, either.
And it practically got me disowned from my family.

After that, I finally started to get my life back together,
I had everything back under control…
…Or so I thought.

Until I found out Aiden was back

And now he’s everywhere I turn,
Still pushing me away,
telling me he doesn’t want me.

But every time he calls me Angel or reaches out to touch my cheek,
I know what he’s not admitting to himself –
He still loves me.

And I’m going to prove it to him.

 

Order your copy of MOORE THAN A FEELING today!

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble

 

 

 

Leaning down from behind the couch, it looked as if he were going to kiss the cool blonde’s cheek, but instead he whispered in her ear, “You are a guest in our home. I expect you to be civil.”
Craning her alabaster neck, she smiled, a close-mouthed smile, at her ex-husband. “Always a pleasure to see you, too, Schooner.”
Standing, she smoothed down her pencil skirt, and walked toward the kitchen, without a second glance at her ex.
“Mia, may I have a moment with you?”
“Sure, give me one sec.” She put down the slotted spoon and washed her hands. “Let’s go talk in Schooner’s office.” Mia led the way, closing the door behind them, not really knowing what to expect.
Being in a room alone with CJ had only happened once before in her life and the results had been disastrous for her as CJ convinced her that Schooner never loved her and only saw her as an obligation and charity case, causing Mia to flee before ever confronting Schooner. That conversation was the life-altering genesis of a twenty-four-year separation from the man she loved.
“I wanted to talk to you before Holly gets here,” CJ began.
“Her well-being is something you and I share.”
“Good, then will you please fill me in on the details. I need to know what I’m dealing with here.”
“We had no idea that she had met Tom. I had not seen the man in like twenty years, so we were really shocked.”
“What’s he like?”
“Intelligent, charming, talented, handsome. Female students love him. Male students want to be like him. He’s not very good at monogamy.” Mia strained to find the right words, not really knowing what they were.
“Is that why you broke up with him?”
“Yes. I caught him in our bed with one of his students. Keeping his dick in his pants was not his strong suit.” There. It was out.
“Once a cheater, always a cheater.” CJ nodded, as she stared at a spot on Schooner’s desk. Inhaling deeply, she looked back at Mia, pointing a finger at her. “I’m going to take one for the team. So, don’t you forget it.”
“What are you going to do, CJ?” Mia, of all people, knew the lengths this woman would go to in order to get her way.
“It’s best you’re not complicit.”
“Well, thanks for that.” Not knowing what she would pull, it was a relief to know that.
“Thank me later.” CJ brushed past Mia, exiting the office.

 

Add it to your Goodreads today!

 

 

 

Julie is back with my favorite family – the Moore’s!!! I was so excited when I learned she was writing another book involving this family and she did not disappoint.

This Needing Moore series is one of my all-time favorite series and these spin-off books are perfect to keep the family’s legacy moving along. Julie does a great job brining the family back together and making Moore Than a Feeling a great read.

Moore Than A Feeling is more than just about the two main characters. We actually get to see how this whole family interacts with one another now. It has this overall vibe of family togetherness. If you have not read any of the previous books in relation to this one, you may not feel that whole vibe, but you also won’t be too lost on what is going on. I am hoping that reading about the other family members and how they all came to be this huge family will make you go back and read the others.

Anyway – this book. This is Holly and Aiden’s story. It was very much a heart wrenching yet beautiful story. I don’t want to give away too many details but Julie really gives these characters depth and it helps relate to them and their decisions. They both have a lot of issues to overcome, both together and individually.

This book is about forgiveness, truth and hope. The value of family and the support system that you get from a strong family unit. There are a lot of tears, laughs and frustration throughout this book. You feel the emotions of these characters and I love that.

Julie delivers another great story with the Moore’s. She keeps us on our toes with a few surprises but I love the overall family vibe of this story. When this family gets together – there is no telling what could happen!!

 

 

Julie A. Richman’s MOORE THAN A FEELING – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

July 23rd

Adventures in Writing – Excerpt

Devilishly dirty book blog – Review & Excerpt

MSquaredBookBlog – Review & Excerpt

Sassy Moms Say Read Romance – Review & Excerpt

TMBA Corbett Tries To Write – Excerpt

July 24th

Book Boyfriend Blog – Review & Excerpt

Cinta Garcia de la Rosa – Excerpt

FMR Book Grind – Review

I Love Romance – Review & Excerpt

Nanasbookreviews – Excerpt

July 25th

A Book Nerd, a Bookseller and a Bibliophile – Review

Book Addict – Review & Excerpt

Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt

Snarky snarky reviews – Excerpt

July 26th

Blog of Books – Review

Brandy Paige Roberts Blogger page –Review & Excerpt

Read more sleep less – Review & Excerpt

Scandaliciousbookreviews – Review

July 27th

6 Feet Under Books – Excerpt

Book Loving Pixies – Excerpt

My Life Loves and Passion – Excerpt

Shameless Book Club – Review & Excerpt

The Wayfaring Bibliomaniac – Review & Excerpt

July 28th

Book Lovers Reviews and Recommendations – Review & Excerpt

Eye Candy Bookstore – Excerpt

Kari’s Book Reviews and Revelations – Review & Excerpt

Read Love Blog – Review & Excerpt

Smut Book Junkie Reviews – Review & Excerpt

July 29th

Booked All Night – Review & Excerpt

Lynn’s Romance Enthusiasm – Excerpt

Reviews by Tammy and Kim (Rachel and Jay) – Review & Excerpt

Sultry Sirens Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

July 30th

Becky on Books – Excerpt

For the love of romance – Review

Life Books & Loves – Review & Excerpt

Nerdy Dirty and Flirty – Excerpt

Wicked Reads – Review & Excerpt

July 31st

All Things Dark & Dirty – Excerpt

Bookgasms Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Michelle Parkerton – Review

Three chicks and their books – Review & Excerpt

We stole your book boyfriend – Excerpt

August 1st

Bobo’s Book Bank – Excerpt

Jax’s Book Magic – Excerpt

My Girlfriend’s Couch – Excerpt

Stressed Rach – Review & Excerpt

What Is That Book About – Excerpt

August 2nd

Becca the Bibliophile – Review & Excerpt

Books are love – Review & Excerpt

My Girlfriends Nook Korner – Review & Excerpt

Once upon a romance blog – Review

Simply Crystal – Review & Excerpt

August 3rd

As You Wish Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Hopelessly Addicted to romance book blog – Excerpt

Ramblings From This Chick – Excerpt

Romance Schmomance – Review & Excerpt

Sharing My Book Boyfriends – Excerpt

August 4th

3 Amigos Wicked Book Review – Review

Blushing babes are up all night – Review

KDRBCK – Review & Excerpt

One-Click Chocolate Chick – Review & Excerpt

Romance Book Explosion – Review & Excerpt

 

 

 

About Julie A. Richman:

USA TODAY Bestselling author Julie A. Richman is a native New Yorker living deep in the heart of Texas, home to great music, BBQ, and awesome Tex-Mex. An award-winning nature photographer plagued with insatiable wanderlust, Julie spent many years scratching the travel itch while helping non-profit organizations and corporations with their marketing and advertising programs.

Currently, Julie has published Searching for Moore, Moore to Lose, Moore than Forever, Bad Son Rising, Needing Moore:The Complete Series, Henry’s End, Slave to Love, The Do-Over and Love on the Edge of Time. She has works included in Pink Shades of Words 2014 & 2015, Tempting Fate Boxed Set, Intense Boxed Set, Intense 2 Boxed Set and the Cocktales Anthology.

 

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Envy by Rachel Van Dyken…Blog Tour

 

From New York Times Bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken, comes ENVY, a new novella in her Eagle Elite Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!

 

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes a new story in her Eagle Elite series…

Every family has rules, the mafia just has more….
Do not speak to the bosses unless spoken to.
Do not make eye contact unless you want to die.
And above all else, do not fall in love.
Renee Cassani’s future is set.
Her betrothal is set.
Her life, after nannying for the five families for the summer, is set
Somebody should have told Vic Colezan that.
He’s a man who doesn’t take no for an answer.
And he only wants one thing.
Her.
Somebody should have told Renee that her bodyguard needed as much discipline as the kids she was nannying.
Good thing Vic has a firm hand.

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon Canada

Download the Free Kindle App

 

 

 

 

Heat wrapped itself around my body. It soothed my soul. I think I took my first deep breath in those seconds, my first big exhale, followed by another deep breath. I pressed my hand against the heat, and came into contact with a hard chest. I didn’t even care that it was the chest of my father’s murderer.
I was sick.
Sick that my murderer made me well.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and breathed him in. We were walking. I didn’t want to spoil the moment by speaking, so I kept my eyes closed, my voice silent as he walked and walked some more.
A door opened and closed.
It smelled like cigars and Christmas spices.
Gently, I was being set down. My body came into contact with something deliciously soft, and it wrapped around me.
And then whatever I was on moved, dipped under the weight of the one carrying me. Maybe if I just kept my eyes closed I could imagine that it was Vic without the word murderer hanging over his head like a blazing red sign.
Maybe I could give in to the fantasy that he was just a guy, I was just a girl. Spending the night in each other’s arms, using each other’s heat for energy.
Blankets were piled over my body, pushing me into the mattress with their weight. And then bulky arms pulled me back against the rock-hard chest again.
“Sleep.” His voice carried like a gunshot in the dark; it was a harsh whisper, a command I wasn’t allowed to say no to. Sometimes, you just need to be forced into rest—and when he’d walked in, I’d been tossing and turning in that stupid chair trying to get comfortable for hours.
But now? Now my body was heavy. My mind was silent.
“Did you kill anyone tonight?” I asked the dreaded question. I wanted to know if the hands that were holding me were hands that had washed off blood. I’d tortured myself with ideas of what he was really going to do tonight. Tortured myself with visions of my dad’s face begging for death.
His body was rigid as he bit out, “No, Renee. I didn’t kill anyone tonight.”
“Are you going to kill anyone tomorrow?”
He sighed. “Well, it is a Friday, those are my favorite days to take a life. What do you think?”
I smiled even though it wasn’t funny. “Sorry, stupid question.”
“Which earned an equally stupid answer.”
“Hey, Vic?” I turned to face him. His eyes were so bright in the darkness that it startled me a bit before I could gather my thoughts. “Did he really beg you?”
“Don’t make me talk about it. Not now. Not when you’re tired and upset. Not when you look at me like you’re disappointed. I can handle a lot of things, Renee, your disappointment in me is not one of them.”
I nodded. “I don’t want to be.”

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel Van Dyken’s ENVY – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

July 25th

All about reading – Review

Booknerdingout – Review & Excerpt

Ceej’s Life Reads – Review & Excerpt

Chatterbooks Book Blog – Review

Fun Under the Covers – Review & Excerpt

Lost to Books – Review

Marta Likes do Read – Review & Excerpt

The Bookish Sisters – Review & Excerpt

July 26th

abibliophobia anonymous book reviews – Review

AMPed Up Books –Review & Excerpt

Beyond The Covers Blog – Review

Bobo’s Book Bank – Review & Excerpt

Bookworm Misfit – Review & Excerpt

iScream Books Blog – Review & Excerpt

Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt

S3OC – Review & Excerpt

July 27th

A Fortress of Books – Excerpt

Bloggin’ With M.Brennan – Review

BJ’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Book Freak – Review

East Coast Book Chicks – Review & Excerpt

Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt

Smut Book Junkie Reviews – Review & Excerpt

The Book Disciple – Review & Excerpt

Wicked Cool Flight – Review & Excerpt

July 28th

Ariella’s Bookshelf – Excerpt

Bookaholic Confessions – Review & Excerpt

Canadian Book Addict – Review

Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic – Review

Ginreads – Review

Melena’s Reviews –Review & Excerpt

Romance Book Review For You – Review

Two Book Pushers – Excerpt

July 29th

All Things Dark & Dirty – Review & Excerpt

Bad boys and bedtime stories book blog – Review

Kari’s Book Reviews and Revelations – Review & Excerpt

Life with Lesley – Review & Excerpt

My Book Filled Life – Review & Excerpt

Musings of the Modern Belle – Review & Excerpt

Novel Grounds – Review

Three chicks and their books – Review & Excerpt

July 30th

Blogging For The Love Of Authors And Their Books – Review & Excerpt

Brittany’s Book Blog – Excerpt

Heart and Soul Book Blog – Excerpt

Jenn Avery Romance Lover – Review & Excerpt

Joandisalovebooks – Review & Excerpt

Kick Back & Review – Review & Excerpt

Lover of Big Books Cannot Lie – Review & Excerpt

My Girlfriend’s Couch – Review & Excerpt

Thestarslisten – Excerpt

July 31st

Book Lovers Reviews and Recommendations – Review & Excerpt

Cup of Tea Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – Excerpt

Ebook Indulgence – Review

Friends Till The End Book Blog – Excerpt

Lisa Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

The Heathers Blog – Review & Excerpt

August 1st

3 degrees of fiction – Review & Excerpt

Between The Lines – Review & Excerpt

Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt

Desperately Seeking HEA’s Book Blog – Excerpt

Little Read Riding Hood – Review

Naughty and nice book blog – Review & Excerpt

Ramblings From This CHick – Review

The Book Boyfriend Addict – Review & Excerpt

August 2nd

Babbling Chatter Reads – Review & Excerpt

I’m A Sweet And Sassy Book Whore – Review

Jax’s Book Magic – Excerpt

Kiss and Tell Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

One-Click Chocolate Chick – Review & Excerpt

Reese’s Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Romance Schmomance – Review & Excerpt

Sentranced Jem – Review & Excerpt

August 3rd

Blushing babes are up all night – Review

Morning Books and Coffee – Review

Naughty Mom Story Time – Review & Excerpt

Nightbird Novels – Review

Romance Readers Retreat – Review

SA Clayton – Excerpt

Tales-of-a-bookworm23 – Review

The Divas Book Lounge – Review & Excerpt

 

 

About Rachel Van Dyken:

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

 

Everything Under the Sun by Jessica Redmerski….Review & Dream Cast

Everything Under the Sun Tour Graphic
EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN
New York Times Bestselling Author Jessica Redmerski
Everything Under the Sun
Genre: YA/NA Crossover, Dystopian
Publication Date: August 28, 2017
Atticus, struggling to conform to the cruel nature of men in a post-apocalyptic society. Thais, fighting to stay out of the hands of men like him. Forced together, they fall in love. But can love survive in such dark times, or is it fated to die with them?
Thais Fenwick was eleven-years-old when civilization fell, devastated by a virus that killed off the majority of the world’s population. For seven years, Thais and her family lived in a community of survivors deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. But when her town is attacked by raiders, she and her blind sister are taken away to the East-Central Territory where she is destined to live the cruel and unjust kind of life her late mother warned her about.
Atticus Hunt is a troubled soldier in Lexington City who has spent the past seven years trying to conform to the vicious nature of men in a post-apocalyptic society. He knows that in order to survive, he must abandon his morals and his conscience and become like those he is surrounded by. But when he meets Thais, morals and conscience win out over conformity, and he risks his rank and his life to help her. They escape the city and set out together on a long and perilous journey to find safety in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Struggling to survive in a world without electricity, food, shelter, and clean water, Atticus and Thais shed their fear of growing too close, and they fall hopelessly in love. But can love survive in such dark times, or is it fated to die with them?
This book will take you on a long, dangerous, exciting journey. These characters will stay with you and you will fall so in love with them! I want to read it again, and again, and again!
That was an epic read. Pure epic! … Jessica Redmerski… is an absolutely incredible writer. I fall in love with every book she writes, every character, everything.
– Louise Seraphim Reviews
Enter Praise3
– Enter Praise3Author

DREAM CAST

My dream cast for EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN would probably be:

Thais Fenwick: Emily Browning or Emmy Rossum
Sosie Fenwick: Sophie Kennedy Clark or Jane Levy (but with white-blond hair)
Atticus Hunt: Alexander Ludwig or Nicholas Hoult

 

It’s been over a day since I finished this book and I am still in awe of it. Everything Under the Sun is over 600 pages of brilliance. I am in awe of Jessica’s talent.

I have been desperately waiting to read this book and was so honored when I was given an arc in exchange for a review. Jessica’s writing is so amazing; it’s impossible to not fall into her stories head first.

We all have become so used to the roughly 300 page books that authors put out anymore, so when I saw that this was over 600 pages – I was even more excited for this book. I am not going to lie and say that every page was just as exciting as the next, but the development of these characters and their lives, each page felt like a new insight into them and what they were going through – it was like watching a movie play-out before my eyes.

Everything Under the Sun is a post-apocalyptic love story of two young people who are forced to live in the new world when the Sickness practically wiped out mankind. Left behind are all sorts and kinds of people living in this new world – savages, cracks and people making up factions in large cities where they are ruled by ruthless leaders. The world is no longer civilized and the world has returned to it’s earlier form of living but with a much crueler fate.

While this book is about surviving in the new world, there is a budding romance between Thais and Atticus. It is a hate to love romance, but it is one you can slowly see happening as the story moves forward day by day, week by week. And this is the part of the story that I feel that Jessica did her best in not making it feel so insta-love and shows how these two fell for one another during the dark times. Some will feel that this part is too drawn out and that certain scenes can be eliminated. But if she did that, then those same people would also turn around and say that things happened too quickly between them and their love isn’t as believable.  I felt the scenes, while not as exciting as others, are just as important to this plot and needed to show how this love develops.

I will state that this book is very dramatic and very suspenseful but it is need in order for this story to work out best. You need the descriptions, the character development, the deep plot in order to really find yourself immersed in this story. I truly don’t believe this story would work out completely if we did not see how these two lived day to day and how they came to be in the end.

And that ending – yea, after 600+ pages, I was not expecting that, at all.

Bravo, Jessica, BRAV-FUCKING-O!!!!

Book Tour Schedule

Follow the book tour from July 9 – 21, 2018.
Visit each tour stop daily and discover more features, excerpts, reviews, interviews, fun facts and more! To check the latest tour schedule, visit the Everything Under the Sun Book Page at Book Unleashed.

About Jessica Redmerski

Jessica Redmerski

Jessica Redmerski is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, international bestseller, and award winner, who juggles several different genres. She began self-publishing in 2012, and later with the success of THE EDGE OF NEVER, signed on with Grand Central Publishing/Forever Romance. Her works have been translated into more than twenty languages.
Jessica is a hybrid author who, in addition to working with a traditional publisher, also continues to self-publish. Her popular crime and suspense series, In the Company of Killers, has been optioned for television and film by actor and model William Levy.
Social Media Links: Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

WIN FREE BOOK AND MORE
Everything Under the Sun Giveaway Graphic
Prizes up for grabs:
Three Everything Under the Sun (signed paperback) with signed bookmarks and post cards (US and Canada only)
Contest runs from July 9 – 21, 2018.

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Broken Love Story by Natasha Madison…Blog Tour & Review

Title: Broken Love Story
Series: Love Series #3
Author: Natasha Madison
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 10, 2018
Kindle Unlimited

 

Samantha: 
 
I had the perfect life; a husband who loved me, and two kids who were my world. 
 
Until someone else answered his phone and my perfect life shattered. 
 
When he died, I was left with answers he couldn’t give me and a box full of lies. 
 
He left me broken. 
 
 
Blake: 
 
I fell in love when I was fifteen, knowing she was the one. 
 
For five years, she was my everything—my every breath, every heartbeat, every thought. 
 
She made me promise to move on, promise to find love again, but I broke those promises because I can’t move on. 
 
Two broken souls brought together by tragedy and heartbreak. 
Can a broken love story be fixed?

Oh this story broke me so much more than the first book in this trilogy and I loved it!! Sounds crazy but I love when an author is able to make me feel so much in books.

The title pretty much explains this book – your heart will get broken but Madison does mend it right back up. I was so very excited to read this story since the beginning because I wanted to see what Samantha had endured during this all this. Before I continue – let me clarify that you must read these books in order or you will be so lost and not understand everything.

As I was saying, this book is Samantha’s (and Blake’s) story. They are both broken souls who happen to drift one another when her husband is killed and she finds out that he has been cheating on her (this surprise is let out of the bag in the first book).

Not only does she have to mourn the death of her cheating husband, she has to live with unanswered questions and continue to do so while raising their two daughters. But that is not all that she has to deal with – her new start just gets worse (read the book to find out more). But through it all, she finds compassion and strength in Blake – a man who would not have entered her life had her husband not cheated on her with Blake’s sister. Oh yea – let the shit hit the fan!!

I won’t say anymore on this book. I feel like I have already given too much away, even though it’s pretty much what the synopsis gives you. LOL

Natasha writes a very enticing, heart-pounding romance where love is found in the most unexpected places. Some readers may feel that she did not grieve long enough and fell in love too fast (honestly, I am surprised that I don’t feel this way). But it’s Natasha’s writing that makes this all flow so smoothly and seamless that it feels natural.

This series is one I highly recommend to read. Just prepare for your heart to go through some beatings and need a few stiches in the end.

Samantha

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my room, I smooth down my black skirt. My blond hair is tied up in a ponytail, my cheeks are sunken in more than normal, and the blackness around my eyes indicates I haven’t slept well since this whole thing happened. Since I found out that not only did my husband die, but that he also married someone else. 

I sit on the made bed and look down at my wedding band. My thumb of my right hand touches it, and the lone tear that falls out of my eye lands straight on it. “Mommy.” I look back at Lizzie, who is standing in the doorway wearing a black one-piece dress similar to mine with ballerina flats. 
My mother-in-law went shopping yesterday and bought us all new outfits for today. “We need to put our best foot forward,” she said as I watched her walk in with the six bags. “We can’t let people talk.”

I turned around and walked out of the room, going upstairs. Shutting myself in my bathroom with my back against the door, I cried quietly, trying to hide my sobs. “We can’t let people talk,” I whispered to myself. The hatred I had begun feeling when I remembered my husband.

Lizzie walks to the side of my bed and sits next to me. “I hate this dress,” she says when I put my hand around her shoulder and bring her to me, kissing her head.
“I know, baby,” I whisper, “but after today, it’s going to be all over.”

“That’s what Grandpa A said.” She mentions the name she calls my father-in-law. Grandpa A because you can’t get better than an A. 

“Is everyone ready?” I hear Ethan yell from downstairs. “The limo is picking us up in twenty.”

“Let’s go, baby,” I tell her, getting up and holding her hand while we walk downstairs. My in-laws are both sitting in the kitchen. My mother-in-law in a black skirt and top while my father-in-law has on a black suit. “Where is Daisy?” I ask them.

“Elliot is upstairs changing her. She spilled milk on her dress,” Judy tells me, looking at Lizzie. “You look like such a big girl.” She blinks her tears away.

Elliot comes down the stairs with Daisy on his hip, smiling at me when he walks in. “Okay, you girls go sit in the living room while us grown-ups talk,” my father-in-law says, and the girls both know to leave the room. When he knows they are both out of earshot, he starts. “Today is going to be tough, tough for us all, but we have to stand together. We have to be the family that we are.” I lean against the counter while he talks. “The situation with the other one has been taken care of, and she has been served papers.” I look at him and then at Elliot and Ethan, both of them looking down when our eyes meet. It’s almost as if they feel guilty for meeting this woman. My father-in-law continues, “After all this is done today, we are meeting with the lawyers in person, so we can go over the will, start the paperwork for the insurance, and make sure she doesn’t touch a thing that belongs to him.” I stop listening at this point, turning to look out the window at the backyard.

The swing set that he built in one day to make sure the kids could use it when he left the next day. The patio set he had delivered to us, so I could have somewhere to sit while I watched the girls while he was living with another woman. I shake my head, walking out of the room. I sit on the couch, and the girls come to sit next to me, one on each side. “Today is going to be really hard,” I whisper to them, “but we have to be strong for Daddy.” They both look at me, their eyes exactly like their father’s. “But, if at any time, you need to leave or you need me… I don’t care who is talking to me or who is around; you come and get me.”
“Grandpa A said we had to sit and wait,” Daisy whispers just as Elliot comes into the room and kneels in front of us.

“What is this meeting about?” he asks, smiling at us. The circles around his eyes are just as black as ours. He hasn’t left our house since this happened. 

“Mommy said if we need her that we can go to her,” Daisy says, looking at him and then me, “even if Grandpa A said no.”

He leans in, whispering, “You can come to me too, and I’ll make sure that you get Mommy.” 

“Okay,” Lizzie and Daisy both whisper at the same time, and then the doorbell rings.
We get up, put our jackets on, and one by one file into the black limo that has come to take us to the funeral home. We arrive before everyone else. “We get an hour with him, and then they will open the door,” Adrian says as Judy grabs her tissue and dabs her eyes. 

I look around the funeral home. I’m not sure what I’m looking for, not sure where he is. I haven’t seen him since he kissed me goodbye four days earlier. His last words to me were, “Call you when I can.” That phone call never came.

I follow my in-laws to the big brown door that is closed. “I want to go in before the girls.” Everyone turns to look at me.

“We can keep them in the lobby,” says the lady who greeted us at the door. She told me her name, but I just didn’t listen. 

I nod at her as she turns to ask the girls if they want hot chocolate. Daisy’s eyes get big as Lizzie turns to look at me. I nod my head, giving her permission, so she can go with the woman.
The doors open, and I don’t even know what to expect. I’ve never been to a funeral. Never known anyone well enough to pay my last respects. Judy and Adrian walk in first, followed by Ethan, and Elliot waits with me. I step foot into the room, and it’s so cold that I shiver. The smell of flowers hits me right away, making me turn my head. The number of flowers and wreaths shocks me; the whole room is almost full. Some wreaths blocking others. Rows and rows of brown chairs line the room, all facing toward the front of the room. My eyes land on the brown wooden casket at the front of the room. The open half showing you the white satin inside. I walk down the aisle toward him, and then my eyes land on him. Eric. I can’t take another step forward because my knees give out, and I fall. Elliot isn’t fast enough to hold me up, and my knee lands with a thud. But the pain doesn’t matter because nothing could take the place of the pain in my heart. The sound of wailing fills the room as I look up at my dead husband. 

I feel arms around me; I feel myself lifted; I feel myself almost floating. He isn’t the Eric who kissed me goodbye; he isn’t the Eric who I made promises to; he isn’t the Eric who made all my dreams come true. This isn’t him.

The man with makeup caked on his face isn’t my Eric. My sobs overtake my body as I look at him, expecting him to open his eyes. Expecting something, anything but this. “I want the casket closed,” I say, my voice soft. “I want it closed.”

“Samantha,” my father-in-law starts, “it’s—”

I shake my head. “I don’t want the kids to see him like that,” I say softly. I know that for me they wouldn’t even consider it, but for the girls, they would move heaven and earth. “They need to remember him alive and smiling, not like that,” I say, pointing at the casket.

“Dad,” Ethan says after me, “I agree.” 

“Me too,” Elliot says from beside me. “Close it.”

He just nods at us, then walks to the man standing in the corner. The man looks at him as they have a hushed conversation and then just nods his head. “Do you need some water?” Ethan says to me, and I nod. I don’t bother listening to what else he says; instead, I get up and go to the casket. Standing before the brown box, I look at him, really look at him. You see some bruising under the makeup, and his nose is a little swollen. His hands are folded over his stomach, resting on his black suit. The suit he wore when we got married. Why? I ask him in my own head. Why did you do it? I ask him, hoping I can hear him whisper something to me, whisper anything back. To answer my questions, to give me something; anything to make me understand why he did what he did. Why he left me with so many fucking questions and not one answer. 

The man comes over to close the casket. Eric’s face disappears slowly, the shadow filling his face till the casket finally shuts. “I’m sorry for your loss,” the man says, nodding at me. “If at any time you want it open, we can open it back up.” I turn around now, looking at the chairs that will fill up as soon as the people start coming in. Ethan consoles my mother-in-law, and Elliot stands where we were just sitting, his hands in his pockets. 

“I’m getting the girls,” I tell them and then walk out with my head held high but my shoulders slumped. Defeated is a word that you use so many times not really understanding what can actually defeat you. I know now, my husband dying, him cheating on me, my kids without a father, my dreams of growing old with him gone. Beaten straight down to my core, straight down to my bones. 

I walk over to them as they look up. “Let’s go, girls,” I tell them as they both get up and walk to me. Lizzie takes one hand, Daisy takes the other, and we walk back into the room that holds a piece of our hearts. The room where their father lies, with no answers and no tomorrow.

We stand in that room for four hours while people come up to me and give me their condolences. I nod my head and play the part of the grieving wife. I am the grieving wife, but I’m also the wife whose husband didn’t love her enough to just be with her. The wife who knew her husband was slipping away but couldn’t catch it in time. The wife he said he would love and protect. The wife who stands here between his girls wishing that for one second he suffered horribly. The wife who has to pick up the fucking pieces and lie to her girls about what a great guy he was. The wife who, at the end of the day, just wasn’t good enough. 

We listen as people tell us how amazing he was, how much he loved his family, and how much he loved his girls. The whole time, I’m yelling on the inside, ready to stand in the middle of the room, throw my head back, and yell at the top of my lungs. But I don’t do what I want. I don’t tell them what a fraud my husband was. I don’t tell them that it was almost all lies. I don’t tell them that the day he died, they called his other wife and not me. I don’t tell them that I wasn’t the one with him when he died.

I stand here thinking about this other person—his other wife—and wonder how she would handle this. How she would be with my in-laws. Would she just let them control her and do everything for her? Would she want it to be open and weep for him beside the casket instead of standing next to it? 

I look around the room at all the people who came to pay their respects, and my eyes find someone I’ve never met before. Someone I’ve never seen before, and our eyes connect. His green eyes stare into mine as I watch him nod to me and turn to walk out. As he walks out of the crowded room, I strain my neck to watch his back. I don’t have long to think because Elliot comes up and whispers, “It’s time.”
When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…

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