Secretly dating Coach Parker’s daughter was never part of the plan. Neither was becoming her dealer…
Holding on to Forever, an all-new edgy, new adult romance from USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis and S.B. Alexander is available now!
ADAM
Returning to my drug-dealing past wasn’t on the agenda when I accepted the full ride to play ball at Cypress U. But Mom lost her job. And my sister’s medical bills are mounting. So, I’ve no choice but to change the playbook.
When Emily walks into my life, like a fallen goddess with the ultimate power to destroy me, I know I’m screwed. I should steer clear, but I’m the one supplying her poison of choice. Falling for her is a complication I don’t need, but the more she’s around, the harder it gets to walk away. She needs me, and I crave her more than the sport I love.
Now, it’s all on the line. Including the NFL career that’s tantalizingly close.
The stakes are high, but family means everything, so I’ll take my chances.
EMILY
It’s only a problem if it’s out of control. And I have it in hand.
Except a certain a-hole discovers I’m using again, and he threatens to rat me out to my folks. Mom’s president of Cypress U, and Dad’s the illustrious football coach. Appearances mean everything to them, and I’m a continuous disappointment.
They told me I’d be out on my ass if I fell off the wagon, so keeping it a secret is my number one priority.
Until the super-hot all-star QB takes more than a passing interest in me. Adam gets me, in a way no guy ever has, filling my head with ideas of forever—and now, I want more.
Dating my dealer is a recipe for disaster, especially when it’s forbidden, but I can’t help myself.
Because I’ve fallen too deep.
And the hole is too large to crawl out of.
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Excerpt:
I’m half-tempted to call Donnie to make sure he gave me the correct address when headlights brighten the narrow alleyway.
The SUV is crawling toward me, and my nerves are jacked. I shouldn’t be doing this. I should find a decent part-time job to pay for my sister’s medical expenses, but I see no other way. We have to get her vest fixed or buy a new one. Selling drugs is the only way to make some quick cash. Besides, I’m good at it. I sold dope and pills for years, and I’d never been arrested. I always had my pulse on the neighborhoods, and I knew where cops loitered at night.
You’ve been out too long. Things might have changed, and you’re in a new state.
I push my inner thoughts aside. None of that matters. I’m always alert. I always know what’s around me, and as Mom tells me, I’m perceptive as hell. I have to be. Taking care of Mom and Phoebe—especially Phoebe—I have to be alert to her sounds, her breathing, and her emotions.
Thinking of my sister sends pain slicing through my chest. I can’t let anything happen to her. She spent two days in the hospital, where the doctor pumped her with antibiotics, until she started feeling better.
The SUV pulls to a stop, and a short stocky guy gets out of the front passenger seat brandishing a gun. The driver, a taller man than his compadre, follows.
I lift my hands as if a cop is arresting me. “I’m unarmed.”
Aiming the gun at my head, he stalks toward me. His dark eyes are hard, his mission resolute. “Move and you’re dead.” His deep voice is lethal.
An all too familiar wave washes over me, and I’m tempted to back out of this stupid idea to sell drugs and run before he pulls the trigger. I’m not any good dead to Mom and Phoebe. But I know his words are just a scare tactic while he frisks me.
I stand statue-still while the second dude, sporting a thin beard and no mustache, pats my sides, my lower back, down my legs, and straight down to my ankles. He sticks one finger in the air. “All clear.”
The stocky dude lowers his gun, and, inwardly, I grin. The goon didn’t find the blade in my boot. I’m not about to use it though. But I don’t walk into situations like these unarmed. Still, I make a mental note of the type of men I’m dealing with.
A tall man climbs out of the back seat. He’s sporting baggy jeans and a New York Yankees ball cap, and the gold bling around his neck probably weighs ten pounds as it glints off the dim light on the side of the car repair shop.
It’s all I can do not to roll my eyes. Donnie doesn’t show off like this dude. Donnie’s motto is blend in with the crowd. Standing out only draws attention.
“You must be Wrangler. I’m Ray Diaz.” Ray struts over to the metal garage door. “You understand I have to be careful.” He punches a code in on the keypad tacked to the frame of the door. Within a second, it opens.
I tuck my hands in my jean pockets. “I’m well aware of the industry.”
A deep chuckle erupts from Ray. “I heard. Donnie told me you were a cocky punk too.”
It’s my turn to laugh. “When I need to be.”
It’s been a few days since I finished this book and I really wanted to wrap my head around it and get my thoughts together.
The synopsis of this book grabbed my attention and knowing that Siobhan Davis was one of the two authors, I had high expectations of this being executed very well.
This book hits on a few subjects that may be tough for some to handle (drug addiction, rape, abuse). Siobhan has always been able to handle tough subjects in her book by keeping it real but also doing it respectfully. However, in this book I felt that the drug aspect came across as a bit surreal or more on the lighter side of addiction/drug use. By no means will this hurt most people’s reading of the book but for me, what I anticipated and what I got, did hurt the story for me.
Emily has a drug problem. She turned to drugs when she didn’t get the support from her parents when a terrible incident happened when she was 15. She’s been to rehab but was never able to truly kick the drugs. Both her parents are fairly absent in her life, but her father does try more than her mother.
My issue with Emily and her drug “addiction” is this: Emily has no problems staying off the drugs during the week and only taking them on weekends. For me, that’s a user and not an addict (yet). You do see her dependence kick in when life starts to get tough for her and her demons start to haunt – that is when the addiction kicks in. I won’t go into details but there’s more to her story than just the drugs and it is quite an intense story.
Adam is the star quarterback at their university but has a sister with cystic fibrosis and his mom struggles to pay the bills with a mediocre job (father left leaving mom to find a job to support them). He’s helped out in the past with selling drugs to keep money coming in and comes to a point where he has to again.
Now here’s my issue I have with him selling: he’s the star quarterback!! Even though he’s not selling on campus, he’s selling at raves and places where college students attend – they’re going to know who he is and that news will travel fast in college. Again, there’s more to Adam than just that but I won’t give away the good stuff.
Outside of all that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt most of the actions and nuisances of these characters were true to life and handled certain situations well. Now there a few things that are slightly exaggerated or fabricated but that’s needed to make the story entertaining.
These book flowed well and it was very hard to tell that two people wrote this book. There were times that chapters moved a bit too far ahead in the timeline and sort of made you stop quickly and realize we’ve jumped to a new day or so many days ahead. I understand the need for this to keep the timeline of things realistic and also prevent from adding filler and elongating the book, but at times it hurt the flow.
Overall, it was a good read. It kept me captivated and the characters were likeable. It’s a nice intro into what you can get from these two authors and the subjects they delve into.
About Siobhan
USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis writes emotionally intense young adult and new adult romantic fiction with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She is the author of the international bestselling Kennedy Boys, Saven, and True Calling series’.
Siobhan’s family will tell you she’s a little bit obsessive when it comes to reading and writing, and they aren’t wrong. She can rarely be found without her trusty Kindle, a paperback book, or her laptop somewhere close at hand.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
Connect with Siobhan
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About S.B.
I’m Susan Alexander, and you’ll find my books under S.B. Alexander. I’m an independent author with close to 20 titles to date. I write young adult and new adult romances that span the sub-categories of coming of age, sports, paranormal, suspense, and military fiction. My stories are emotional, angsty, and character driven.
In between writing, I spend time with my soul mate of 21 years who got a bad deal in life. Four years ago he was diagnosed with ALS. It’s a horrible disease, but we both have been making the best of life, laughing, smiling, and doing what we can together.
But writing is a great outlet for me to take my mind to another place. Plus, I have a great network of family, friends, fans, and so much more. I truly have an angel on my shoulder. My mantra is make the best of life because it’s too darn short.
I love to hear from readers and fans. Drop me a line by filling out the contact form on my website or you can email me at susan@sbalexander.com or stalk me on social media.
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