Natalina Reis's Blog, page 58

Cover Reveal-Lives We Forget

 
°°° COVER REVEAL °°°
LINES WE FORGET by J.E. Warren 
Cover Designer: J.E. Warren
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 8, 2016
°° SYNOPSIS °°
Love almost never comes easy, especially to

those who aren’t prepared for it…

Twenty-four-year-old

musician and part-time busker Charlie Stone has always played the

classics. 

It’s

just another day of playing the same old songs from his well-worn repertoire

when he notices her—Anna Garrett, a beauty with cold-bitten, rosy cheeks, and a

coffee cup clutched in her hands.

Five

songs later, and she’s still standing there. He vows to steal her attention,

and her heart, the only way he knows how—through the power of music.

In the heart of London’s cold, rain-soaked

streets, chance encounters are far and few between, but a warm melody can bring

people together…

New day. Same

old disappointments. Mark didn’t show up to their second date, and twenty-two-year-old

Anna Garrett believes her luck at finding love has stalled before it’s even

started.

But when she

sees a handsome busker, playing his heart out to a captivating classic,

everything changes. Memories come flooding back.  And as she listens, Anna soon realises that she

must take matters of love and luck into her own hands.

When opposites attract, sparks fly…

After a series

of wonderful, unconventional dates, feisty Anna and hopeless romantic Charlie

soon declare their love for each other. But their newfound romance is rocked to

its core by a New Year’s Eve party gone awry that threatens to throw them off

course.

But love was never meant to be easy…

With a reinforced

bond that seems too strong to break, both continue to fall deeper in love. But

when Anna loses her job, and distance comes between them, the real work begins.


Will their love be a one-hit wonder, or a timeless

classic?




°° J.E. WARREN °°
J.E.Warren currently resides in a somewhat sleepy seaside town, and is a British Romance/YA writer who has a long standing love for milky tea, travel, shaggy haired 90’s band Hanson, and small dogs.

Always observing, she enjoys writing and bringing to life realistic and relatable characters, especially strong, sharp and savvy females who aren’t afraid to speak their mind.

Music has always played a big part in her life – from noisy rock to reggae, folk to pop punk and everything in else between. And is a constant source of inspiration when writing, especially when plotting new ways to steal reader’s hearts, or make them swoon (usually with the help of guitar playing heartthrobs.)

When she’s not writing, J.E likes to curate perfect play lists – of which she has many, and catch up on her favourite shows (again too many), though you can be certain to find Buffy The Vampire Slayer on heavy rotation.

Website: http://www.misswarrenwrites.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jpysofinewrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/misswarrenwrites

Say Anything and Don’t Call Me Duff

 

Please, don’t judge me. I am a mature (wink, wink) woman who absolutely loves a lot of things that by their own definition she should not. I love a lot of young adult novels, for example. One of my favorite series ever is Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I have read it a few times (all six books and all) and I still can’t get enough. Does it bother me that the main characters are barely out of their puberty? No, because I don’t think of them that way. For me, the characters in a good book are ageless. Once in a while it strikes me; oh yeah, she’s only sixteen or no wonder, he’s only eighteen. But those are isolated moments. For the most part I see the characters as timeless and overarching.

Young adult novels take you back to a time when you were that age. In a way, it’s a walk down memory lane, often a materialization of dreams or hopes you once had, a little bit like a parent living through her child. So, no I am not (too) embarrassed to admit to the fact that I so love the young adult literature out there right now.

Just like books, I also love many movies made with the young adult population in mind. Some, I actually watched as a young woman, but others are more recent. I would like to analyze a couple of these movies and the reasons why they are so dear to me even now.

I love romance. I not only love reading and watching romantic works, but I also write them. Even though I write across genres, the element of romance binds them all together. So it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that a lot of my favorite movies are romances. If I had to pick one to be my favorite (and that’s a tall order) I think it would be hands-down “Say Anything” with John Cusack in the main role. I watched that movie for the first time a long time ago, but I have watched it many more times ever since. Let me elaborate.

**Spoiler Alert (mind you, if you have never seen this movie I have to ask, have you been living under a rock?)**

The story revolves around a young man whose only ambition is to be happy (and later to be happy making his girl happy–swoon). He is sweet, seemingly oblivious of his “status” as a nobody, loyal and supportive of everyone he loves, family and friends alike, and not afraid to be vulnerable. There are true poetic moments in this movie, from the speech he gives his love interest’s dad to his physical reaction of happiness when they first make love. This kid is every young woman’s dream and yet, he also represents the many truly great young men out there that go ignored by most girls because of their non-popular status. He is not a nerd, but he is not popular either; he is just a young man who somehow manages to be liked by pretty much everybody. He is easy going, non-judgmental, able to find silver-linings in most everything and see the good in everybody even through layers of “badness”. I would so have liked to meet him when I was in my later teens (or my twenties). To be loved the way he was capable of loving has to be—like kids say today—epic!

Much more recently I watched “The Duff”, which I also loved. Yes, there were some truly over-the-top scenes that I would have cut out of the movie if I was the director (but again that may be the adult in me), but the story was sweet and it reflected the same yearning that any girl who was not exactly in with the popular crowd has felt sometime during their teens. The main character is a smart, funny young woman who does not fit the modern standard of “hot”. Bianca is short and has curves. She does not follow the fashion fads and enjoys wearing whatever she feels comfortable with. However this movie is not just about the non-popular girl getting the popular guy in the end. It is more complex than that. It’s about the preconceptions we have about each other and about ourselves.

The young man in the movie, Wesley, is a star athlete who is in an off-and-on relationship with the most popular girl in school. He is a prisoner of his own image. People assume that because he is a jock he is also stupid. He feels the pressure to do what everyone thinks he should be doing and being friends with whomever others think he should. But deep inside he is just a young man who is struggling through his parents’ imminent separation, who does not believe he can amount to much in life, and who is scared to death of messing up his only chance at success by breaking the unspoken rules of high school social life.  There is also Bianca’s own assumptions toward her two best friends. She is so certain that the two have been using her all these years as a DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) that she can’t see past the fact that they are pretty and popular. Formulaic? Probably, but a good story nevertheless with likable characters and a likable cast. And a happy ending. Never underestimate the powers of a happy ending.

So, in summary I am a sucker for this kind of movies and not ashamed of it. Who else out there enjoys this? Tell us about your favorite “teen” movie and why it is your favorite. I would love to hear from you guys. Until next time… CUT!!!!

 

Cover Reveal- Chameleon Soul

 

⇉ ⇉ ⇉ NEW RELEASE ⇇ ⇇ ⇇

CHAMELEON SOUL by Mia Hoddell is the first book in the Chequered Flag series and is NOW AVAILABLE from Limitless Publishing. Purchase your copy of this New Adult Contemporary Romance (with elements of Sports and Suspense!) today!
 



















⇉ ⇉ SYNOPSIS ⇇ ⇇

After one fateful night, Raine Wilkins’ life has never been the

same… 
 
Two years into a

relationship with Formula 1 driver Teo Coates, Raine walks out of his life

without offering an explanation. To shield him from horrifying events that are

best kept secret, Raine breaks her own heart and the heart of the man she

loves. And left with no choice, Teo is forced to abandon Raine to finish his

race season. 

However, Teo always wins,

and losing Raine’s heart has only made him more determined to reclaim it… 

Now, a year later, he’s

back, and she’s his only goal. But Raine is no longer the same girl he left

behind; she’s broken by the past and struggling to cope with each day.

Unbearable memories have her nights plagued with fear, while her days are spent

deliberately hiding away to avoid triggering full-blown panic attacks.

Therefore, when Teo returns as England’s favourite driver, and demands answers,

all of Raine’s careful planning is destroyed. 

She is thrown into the

one place she never wants to be—the spotlight. 

Her newfound fame as

Teo’s public girlfriend raises old dangers, and exposes her to a group who will

stop at nothing to tear them apart. If Raine and Teo are to be together, they

must confront their past. However, only Raine knows the truth behind what

happened during that sinister night, and revealing her secrets may cause Teo to

leave for good.

 

⇉ ADD TO GOODREADS ⇇

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28454366-chameleon-soul⇉ ⇉ PURCHASE ⇇ ⇇

Available on #KindleUnlimited!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Sz6Cku

Paperback: http://amzn.to/1SoFruo

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/20Cw8rL

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1Q8PRrN

Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1nJhb9r

 

⇉ ⇉ EXCERPT ⇇ ⇇

“Raine, wait!”
Footsteps thundered behind me, forcing me to run faster as my vision began tunneling.

Bouncing off the walls as I rounded corners, I attempted to trace my steps back

to the exit through the labyrinth of hallways.
I could hear the footsteps growing louder, as if Nadine was right on my heels, but I

couldn’t look without losing my rhythm.
Abruptly, I was jerked to a stop by a hand on my wrist. I spun at the touch, flinging my

back against the wall with a scream. My movements were too fast to take anything in.
“What the f*** are you doing here?” The voice that snarled the words was not

Nadine’s. Even full of malice I could never forget his tone. Despite that, my  brain was no longer thinking logically.
I raised my hands instinctively to shield my face, the line between reality and

my memories blurring. The brightly lit corridor was too tight and darkness

encroached from every corner.
I was back in the alley. The rough bricks bit into my spine as I cowered into the

building praying I could make myself invisible.
“No, not again,” I whimpered, my hands shaking. “Please, not again.”
In my mind they were coming at me, closing the distance.No matter how tiny I made myself they could still see me.
“Don’t hurt me. Let me go!” White-hot panic rose in my chest, consuming me and

fueling the memory. Everything felt so similar, I wasn’t even seeing what was

really in front of me.




⇉ ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MIA HODDELL ⇇

#1 Amazon bestselling author Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything romantic, and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.

Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder and Not Enough.

Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers on her website M Designs.

Limitless Publishing: http://bit.ly/1LmthNo
Blog: http://miahoddell.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/miahoddell
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mia-Hoddell-Author/421368247889610?ref=hl
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/miahoddell
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113175199547008833705
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Mia-Hoddell/e/B0093M18QQ/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/GFF_1

⇉  GIVEAWAY  ⇇

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New Release – Sweet on You

Sweet on You by Marianne Rice
Series: The Wilde Sisters #1
Release Date: January 26, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
|| SYNOPSIS || 
An extravagant cake design brings small town baker Trent Kipson to fame…

After gaining social media exposure of his culinary art, Trent’s cake design goes viral. Soon he’s contacted by the Cooking Network to host a new show in California. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for the owner of a modest shop in Portland, Maine, and the financial freedom the network offers could be the answer to all of his monetary problems.

Fitness instructor Rayne Wilde wants the life every small-town girl dreams of…

Rayne wishes for a future full of romance and the pitter-patter of little feet. She wants it all, including a white picket fence and a dog named Spot—which is exactly why she refuses to sleep with Trent, the sexy man who attends her Zumba classes. After a series of dead-end relationships, this time she really is in love. Trent is special, and the fear of letting him slip through her fingers keeps her advances at bay.

Life is waiting—all it takes is a leap of faith…

As their friendship grows and skeletons creep out of their closets, their relationship is put to the test. Stakes get higher, and the spark between them burns hotter than ever before.

Can they handle the heat when life-changing secrets are exposed, or will the fear of being burned send them on two different paths?

||| PURCHASE |||
Available on Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1WnPCxT
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1WnR6bA




|| ABOUT THE AUTHOR ||



Marianne Rice writes contemporary romances set in small New England towns. Her heroes are big and strong, yet value family and humor, while her heroines are smart, sexy, sometimes a little bit sassy, and are often battling a strong internal conflict. Together, they deal with real life issues and always, always, find everlasting love. When she’s not writing, Marianne spends her time buying shoes, eating chocolate, chauffeuring her herd of children to their varying sporting events, and when there’s time, cuddling with her husband, a drink in one hand, a romance book in the other.

Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/marianne-rice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarianneRiceaut
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariannericeaut
Website: http://www.mariannerice.com/

A Song for Cape Verde

If you follow my blog (and I know I’ve been very neglectful of it in recent weeks) you know I have been a traveler all my life. Not by choice, mind you. Life just always took me on journeys I probably would never go on should it be left up to me. I’m not very adventurous and as an introvert as much as I love visiting new places and seeing new things I need something or someone to push me in that direction.

When I was about seven years old I lived in a small Atlantic African island called Sal in the Cape Verdean archipelago. Literally translated Sal means salt and there is a very good reason why that island bears this name. It’s been a long time so I cannot speak for the island as it is today. However, back then Sal was a small arid island that survived off the sea salt mines and lobsters. It never rained, there was not much to eat besides lobster and goats were about the only livestock that could survive the harsh environment.

I was not too happy there at first because I was a minority of epic proportions. I was a white skinny girl in an island of dark-skinned people but, even worse, I was a poor white girl in a place where the only other two white girls my age were the daughters of officers. I was stuck between two worlds. The black girls hated me because I was white and the white girls hated me because I was poor. I won over the local girls by showing them I was almost as poor as they were, lived among them in a house with no electricity (eventually we were upgraded to a house with electricity, but not much more) and no running water and—brace yourselves—by telling jokes. Yes, I became a regular comedian as a survival strategy. I stole my “material” from my father’s old comedy records (by the great late Portuguese comedian Raul Solnado) and put on a daily show every day during recess. I can’t say I made a lot of friends, but at least I was able to get along with the other girls in school (not the white girls though. They truly hated my guts).

Raul Solnado

Like most places where I lived in the great continent of Africa, Cape Verde holds a special place in my heart. There is something magical about Africa. We, the expatriates that lived there, used to say it was something in the water; once you drank it you could never remove Africa from your heart. For me one of the most magical things about Cape Verde (besides the wealth of lobster, which I ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner) was the music. Cape Verde were originally uninhabited islands discovered by Portuguese explorers and later populated with a mixture of Portuguese settlers and African slaves. Because of its geographic location and history, the islands developed a very unique culture and language. Creole (which I spoke once), a mix of Portuguese and African dialects, is the language spoken on the islands. Just like the language, the music also reflects the influence of both Portuguese and African traditional music. The coladeira is a fast dancing tune that sounds a little like a merengue; the morna is a slow, poignant, warm and sensual dance .

Coladeira                                                                             Morna

Thanks to my parents who loved music and dancing, I was exposed to all of Cape Verdean dances and by the time I left the island I was moving my hips just as well as the other local girls and their music was forever enshrined in my soul. I went back years later as a young adult to enjoy their beautiful isolated beaches for a few days. But nothing can describe the plight and harsh beauty of the islands better than the song Regresso by the great Cape Verdean singer Cesária Evora and later sang by the equally great Brasilian singer Alcione. I hope you have the chance to listen to it and enjoy it. Even if you don’t understand the words, the music says everything. Here’s a song for Cape Verde.

Regresso as sang by Alcione

The Queen of the Kings-A Memoir

When I think of my childhood the image of my aunt and her house are always the first thing that pop in my memory. I was named after her, Natalina, and I grew up both fearing and looking for becoming somebody just like her. She was the Queen of the Kings, a play on our family name which literally means kings in Portuguese (Reis).

My aunt was a formidable woman especially for her times. When I think about it, I get annoyed with myself for never having thought of asking more questions to those that knew her better. Most of those people are gone now and I am left with the little I know and a lot of guess work. She was fiercely private. Even those that lived under her roof didn’t know half of what was going on in her life and in her heart. She married late (I believe in her early thirties, which was unheard of back then), she looked like a movie star (and she dressed like one, too) and she broke more than one preconceived ideas about females back then.

Unlike most of the women back in the day, my aunt was the so-called bread winner. Working as a bookkeeper for a city papelaria (stationary/bookstore)—and even though my uncle worked for a newspaper—she was definitely the “boss” in that household. Unable (or unwilling, not quite sure which) of having children of her own, she brought up four nephews and one niece and took my young widowed grandma and her two sons under her wing. She was often featured in the local newspaper because of her social and community involvement. Sports were one of her major interests. Very active in her sports club, Sporting, at one point she was the champion of ping-pong. It may not be a sport we usually think of as very athletic, but for a female at the time this was huge. She was so much into her sports that she enrolled each of her grandnieces (me included) as club paid members from birth.

I’m not sure if she ever learned how to drive, but she did indeed have a car, a Mercedes Benz that her husband drove to and back from both their jobs in the city and every other weekend to the little town of Caldas da Rainha where they rented a single family vacation home.  If she ever learned how to cook, she never used that skill. My grandmother had taken on the role of housekeeper who ran the busy home and watched over the young live-in maids—a job that could not have been easy considering it was a house with six young males.

I am often compared to her, something that fills me with equal pride and dread. Not only was I named after her, but people in my family always liked me to her personality; quiet, calm, cold and determined (or is it stubborn?). She passed onto me her great love for reading and writing. From her I learned to love the arts; opera, ballet, theater, and classical music. We spent almost every weekend at her house, sitting around a huge old-fashioned table, eating my grandma’s great cooking and enjoying each other’s company. I remember one time (or maybe it was more than once) when we all squeezed into her library, a small room lined with ceiling-high bookshelves, a couch and a piano. My uncle Eugénio was the only one that could play it, so he sat at the piano and we all sang along with him. Funny how you remember certain things and forget others. I loved that library and everything in it.

However she also had the reputation of being “cold”, unemotional, and rigid. That’s the part I’ve dreaded all my life. I’m not cold, not inside anyway, and I’m sure she wasn’t either, but people seem to perceive me that way just like they perceived her. Her relationship with my uncle is still a mystery. They got along famously in spite of the many rumors of his womanizing. I have my own theories about it, but whatever the truth was it died with them. My uncle suffered from gout. He often had to be admitted in the hospital overnight because of it. We got so used to it that when he went in that time, we didn’t think much about it. He never came home though; he died of renal failure that same night. My aunt, the cold woman, was never the same again. Within days of his death, she stopped talking and functioning altogether. A few weeks later, she died. I think she died of a broken heart. Because in spite of what everybody seems to think about quiet, non-demonstrative women like her or me, we are a turmoil of feelings inside; they are our lifeline, what keeps us going and we hold on to those we love for dear life. When my uncle died, I think my aunt just lost that lifeline and found no reason to keep living.

I’m proud to carry on her name in spite of the cons. She was an amazing woman who may not have made a mark in history, but certainly left a mark in the life of seven nephews, niece and their children. I will never forget her. Long live the Queen!

New Release – Sweet On You

Sweet on You by Marianne Rice

Series: The Wilde Sisters #1
Release Date: January 26, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
|| SYNOPSIS || 
An extravagant cake design brings small town baker Trent Kipson to fame…

After gaining social media exposure of his culinary art, Trent’s cake design goes viral. Soon he’s contacted by the Cooking Network to host a new show in California. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for the owner of a modest shop in Portland, Maine, and the financial freedom the network offers could be the answer to all of his monetary problems.

Fitness instructor Rayne Wilde wants the life every small-town girl dreams of…

Rayne wishes for a future full of romance and the pitter-patter of little feet. She wants it all, including a white picket fence and a dog named Spot—which is exactly why she refuses to sleep with Trent, the sexy man who attends her Zumba classes. After a series of dead-end relationships, this time she really is in love. Trent is special, and the fear of letting him slip through her fingers keeps her advances at bay.

Life is waiting—all it takes is a leap of faith…

As their friendship grows and skeletons creep out of their closets, their relationship is put to the test. Stakes get higher, and the spark between them burns hotter than ever before.

Can they handle the heat when life-changing secrets are exposed, or will the fear of being burned send them on two different paths?

||| PURCHASE |||
Available on Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1WnPCxT
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1WnR6bA




|| ABOUT THE AUTHOR ||



Marianne Rice writes contemporary romances set in small New England towns. Her heroes are big and strong, yet value family and humor, while her heroines are smart, sexy, sometimes a little bit sassy, and are often battling a strong internal conflict. Together, they deal with real life issues and always, always, find everlasting love. When she’s not writing, Marianne spends her time buying shoes, eating chocolate, chauffeuring her herd of children to their varying sporting events, and when there’s time, cuddling with her husband, a drink in one hand, a romance book in the other.

Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/marianne-rice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarianneRiceaut
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariannericeaut
Website: http://www.mariannerice.com/

My Writing Process

I wanted to talk to you about the process of writing. I have read so many great advice articles about it and I thought to myself, “I’m a writer. I have advice to give, right?” Well, apparently if it’s there, it’s buried deeper inside of me than my little ceramic angel on my front yard today (Snowmagedon 2.0).

I seem to do things out of intuition rather than following any perceived and/or planned process. This is not just with writing. My teaching is the same way (try to explain that one to your principal) and so is anything in the creative realm of my brain. I am a pantser, but I do some planning. The problem is, I often change my plans as I go along or forget them altogether.

Normally when I start a piece, be it a long novel or just flash fiction, I start with a kernel of an idea and I just let my imagination take me wherever it wants to take me. Don’t get me wrong; this “system” has a lot of flaws. For instances, I often forget what my characters look like and then I find myself searching the whole finished manuscript for inconsistencies. It is not unusual for one of my main characters to start with brown and end up with green eyes. I’ve been training myself to write these things down as I go along so I avoid these time-consuming mistakes. I have tried character questionnaires and interviews. They are fun, but just like with real people I find it very difficult to describe the entirety of my characters’ personalities, likes and dislikes off-hand. They are a work-in-progress, they grow as the story grows and like most of us they change and adapt to whatever situation I throw at them. The same goes for the plot. It grows and stretches and demands certain things that I could not possibly have planned ahead.

My so-called process probably does not deserve the name since I, myself, can’t really explain it. It is something that comes from inside of me as a seed and grows to a story. But, of course, I need the tools to do so. If I hadn’t learn to write properly or been a reader and a student of other authors’ art, no matter how creative I may be I would have never been able to write them. A solid piece of advice I can give any aspiring writer is to read. A lot! And not just read, but to pay close attention to the way the author writes, the words he/she uses and how he/she uses them. Writing is part creativity, part structure. For any writing to be good both parts have to be present.

Writing is sometimes a lot like weaving or knitting. Instead of yarn you are weaving all your experiences, your dreams, your fantasies into one story. Conversations you’ve overheard, a character you once met at a party or in the supermarket, a place you visited when you were twelve or a language you heard someone speak once. That’s the magic of writing; turning what could have been the most banal thing into something special.

Whatever your “process” is, the most important thing you can do is pay attention to your surroundings and let the ideas flow. And of course, your heart out.

 

Shades of Sydney- Blog Tour

Sydney West enjoys sampling summer boys, but this year, one refuses to be a one-night stand…

Twenty-one-year-old Sydney doesn’t believe in relationships. Her parents’ toxic divorce has taught her love is nothing but a sinister fairytale. So every summer she parties, hooks up, abandons her lover before dawn, and repeats.
 
That is until she meets gorgeous local surfer Jason King at the beach…
 
When Jason fails to flirt—or even give her a second glance—she decides something must be wrong with him, and it’s safer to stay away. But when Sydney and Jason’s best friends hook up and become Malibu’s hottest couple, they are forced to spend more time together than either of them cares for.

Armed with a sharp tongue, Sydney works to keep Jason at bay…
 
In a moment of weakness, Sydney lets her guard down and confides in Jason, realizing he’s more than just a hot guy—he’s also a friend. And when Sydney’s need for a summer boy results in her falling into bed with Jason, despite her better judgment, she runs away from him by morning.
 
The problem is, he won’t accept being another one-night stand, and will do anything to prove…


Love really does exist.

Amazon US ~ FREE on Kindle Unlimited



Excerpt One:
 

The thrill of the game winded down. People broke away in groups of two and three. I wanted to call it a night and see if any beer was left.
“I challenge you, Sydney, to a game of Truth or Dare,” Jason declared.
I sunk into the sofa and glared at him with my mouth agape. “Are you serious?”
Of course now is when he decides to say my name correctly.
He nodded, flashing a wicked grin.
I swallowed. My throat was too dry. I didn’t want to play. I didn’t want to admit truths to a bunch of weirdos. I guess most were drunk, so they wouldn’t remember, but it was the principle of the thing.
“Do you accept?” a boy wearing black jeans and no shirt asked.
The pressure of everyone’s eyes on me was too much. I sighed. “I guess.”

“Good. We got another game, people!” the boy shouted with excitement.

Excerpt Two:

“I can show you some tips. Been surfing all my life,” he said proudly.

“Yes,” Amelia said excitedly, dragging the poor boy to the ocean.
Rolling my eyes, I turned toward the other boy. He was tall, but not über tall, like the other guy. His muscles moved like liquid as he approached me. I had the urge to touch his abs and see if they were as firm as they appeared. His hair was tussled and golden brown, as if sun kissed. His board was a light blue with black stripes. It was a good brand, but a basic print.
“Do you need surfing lessons too or are you here in support?” the boy asked me. His silver eyes mirrored the moon, sending shivers down my shine.
“Umm…I was wanting to be surfing…”
What the hell did I just say?
His eyes sparkled with laughter, but he didn’t mock me. “I can teach you some tricks if you want.”
I looked at him closer. My stomach fell to the sand. He was the guy I bumped into at that club and he didn’t bother giving me a second look. He kept walking as if I was just another body in the crowd, no one worthy of his attention.
“Were you at Club Purple last night?” I asked.
He tilted his head. “Yes, how did you know?”
“I ran into you and we kept going the same way and then—”
“Oh, right,” he said, nodding as if it all made sense.

Excerpt Three:
 
“Wait,” he pulled away from me so he could look me square in the eye, “Who said anything about having sex?”
“It’s fine. I know the unspoken rule. The guy is all sweet and cooks for the girl and she gives him entry into her.”
He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. His words were jumbled together as he muttered to himself. I stared at him, wondering why he was upset.
“Damn it, Sydney! Why do you chalk every damn thing up to sex? Life isn’t all about fucking. Sometimes people are just being nice. I didn’t expect anything from you tonight.”
“I assumed…” I mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Don’t…at least not with me. Last time was a mistake—”
I fought back my tears. “I didn’t know…I mean I’m sorry I didn’t please you.”
“No, you did.” He leaned in close, brushing the back of his hand down my cheek. “Listen to me. It was too fast. I got caught up in the heat of the moment. You’re a sexy woman and I loved what we did, but usually I wait until the third date before sleeping with a girl.”
Out of habit, I put space between us, enough room for another person to sit in-between. “Why wait?” It was a foreign concept to me.
He stood and paced the length of the couch. “I wait to see if I like the person. Get to know her, see if I can imagine her in my future. Not as a wife or anything, just as someone that would last a lot longer than a one-night stand. I see if I could fall in love with her. If I had sex with every woman, then it would become mundane and meaningless.”
“But I don’t believe in love. That’s why I—”
 


Brittney Coon graduated Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and a minor in Film and Media Production. Brittney has always been creative and turned to writing to share the stories playing through her head. In her spare time she reads, watches Friends, and hangs out with her cats. She currently lives in Arizona.
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