Blog Tour + ARC Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Destroyed by Pepper Winters

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Destroyed by Pepper Wintersa

Title: Destroyed
Series: Stand-alone
Author: Pepper Winters
Genre: Dark (Lighter) / Romance (Grey Romance)
Release Date: March 7, 2014
Tour Organized byAs the Pages Turn
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She has a secret.

I’m complicated. Not broken or ruined or running from a past I can’t face. Just complicated.

I thought my life couldn’t get any more tangled in deceit and confusion. But I hadn’t met him. I hadn’t realized how far I could fall or what I’d do to get free.

He has a secret.

I’ve never pretended to be good or deserving. I chase who I want, do what I want, act how I want.

I didn’t have time to lust after a woman I had no right to lust after. I told myself to shut up and stay hidden. But then she tried to run. I’d tasted what she could offer me and damned if I would let her go.

One secret destroys them.

Buy Links:
Amazon US • Amazon UK • Amazon CA • Amazon AU
Smashwords • Barnes and Noble

review

I thought I could save him.
Just like I could save my daughter.
I was wrong.

Destroyed is my very first Pepper Winters book, and it certainly won’t be my last! Destroyed is intense and crazy and heart-pounding, and had me engaged from start to finish. The main characters, Hazel and Roan, are two extremely flawed people who have so much baggage, and yet they’re perfect for each other. I highly enjoyed reading Hazel and Roan’s story so much–I didn’t LOVE it, but it’s a unique book that’s not easily forgotten.

No one had made me feel like Zel. No one held me hostage like Zel.
She’d successfully done in ten minutes what I’d tried to do in two years.
She brought me back to life.

I loved Hazel and Roan’s relationship… not that they have much of one in the beginning. They are very fierce about one another, but something they’re even more passionate about is keeping their pasts hidden. For Hazel, she keeps quiet about the love of her life–her precious daughter, who is unfortunately very, very sick. I had so much admiration for Hazel for being the most incredible single mother ever. Everything Hazel does, she does for her daughter, and their relationship is so beautiful and precious to read. Roan, on the other hand, is hiding a tragic, scarred past. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that Roan’s story broke my heart so much. I honestly couldn’t believe the horrors this poor man went through as a boy. Pepper Winters did a tremendous job painting the picture of Roan’s past. My heart ached so much for him.

I didn’t connect much with either Hazel or Roan, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy their story, because I did, very much! I was sucked into their story–there are so many secrets surrounding Roan that had me intrigued. It took me a while to warm up to Roan himself though–he’s every bit the alpha-male you can expect, but his past has such a profound effect on him that he can’t have a relationship with anyone, because he’d be dangerous to him. It’s only until Hazel comes in that the bleak future he always imagined starts to turn into something… better.

I really liked how much Hazel stood up to Roan. He’s not someone who is easily defied, but Hazel can match him and go head to head with him, despite the dangerous aura Roan has. Roan and Hazel don’t have an easy road ahead of them–in fact, their story is one of the most pain-ridden and heartbreaking to read. Destroyed will have you feeling every emotion–Pepper Winters has created such great characters with depth in Roan and Hazel. We get both of their POVs, which I enjoyed immensely.

Despite the amount of pain and ugliness that Roan and Hazel have to overcome to reach a HEA, there’s never a shortage of hope and redemption for them. I loved how much the characters had to work to overcome their pasts and find some semblance of a happily ever after with each other. Despite everything, Hazel and Roan were truly meant to be.

“No matter how you fight me, I will never stop. Every day, I’ll try again and again. Every hour, I’ll touch you, just to prove I’m willing to be everything you need and deserve. You’ll never be free of me because of I can’t live another day without you in my fucking life.”

I can’t say I loved every second of Destroyed, but it was certainly an unforgettable read! It’s dark and gut-wrenching, but there’s also so much hope for Hazel and Roan. I was very impressed with Destroyed, and can’t wait to read more from Pepper Winters!

3.5 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

excerpt

My eyes flared. “Why on my stomach? A vital part of my anatomy isn’t useable unless you intend to teach me how to dry hump a mattress.” I tried to joke, to dispel some of the tense anxiety between us, but Zel’s lips only twitched. I’d mistaken any sense of relief when she secured the padlock—she hadn’t relaxed at all, shaking with tension.

“I want to do something.”

Fuck. She wanted to touch my back. She wanted to look deeper at the tattoos, see beneath the ink to the lash marks and countless other scars hidden beneath the Ghost designs. –ROAN

about the author

Pepper Winters

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero the better and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby (who speaks French—hot!) who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends. She loves to hear from her readers so hit her up at pepperwinters@gmail.com

Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Pinterest

giveaway

Pepper is offering up the following goodies below. Giveaway is international and ends at 11:59 PM CST 03/24/2014.
1 x signed copy of Destroyed
2 x signed Destroyed swag packs
5 x eBook copies of Destroyed
2 x eBook copies of Tears of Tess
2 x eBook copies Quintessentially Q
1 x signed swag pack of Monsters in the Dark

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Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Out of Mind by Jen McLaughlin

Out of Mind by Jen McLaughlin

Out of Mind by Jen McLaughlin
Series: Out of Line #3
Release Date: April 29th 2014
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Reaching for sunlight…

Finn survived the ambush and came home to me, but in his head, the battle is still raging. He’s falling apart and I’m trying my best to pick up the pieces of him, to find the us we used to be. I love him as much as I ever did, but love isn’t enough to fix this. I thought telling my father about our relationship would be the hardest thing we’d ever have to face. I was wrong.

Lost in shadows…

All I wanted was to be worthy of Carrie. One mission, just one, and I’d be able to give her the future she deserved. Then everything went wrong, leaving me tainted and broken. Carrie wants me to be who I was, but all that’s left is what they made of me. I’m no good for her. No good for anyone like this. I have to figure out how to move forward. Alone.

Sometimes love isn’t enough…   

SPECIAL CONTEST: 
Jen McLaughlin (aka Diane Alberts) is also offering up a special contest. If OUT OF MIND hits 3,000 adds on Goodreads before it releases, she will post the first 2 chapters from the book!

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Out of Mind Teaser

Reading Order: Out of Lines series

Out of Line by Jen McLaughlin Out of Time by Jen McLaughlin Out of Mind by Jen McLaughlin

#1 ~ Out of Line: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Out of Time: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Out of Mind: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

about the author

Jen McLaughlinJen McLaughlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She writes steamy New Adult books for the young and young at heart. Her first release, Out of Line, came out September 2013. She also writes bestselling Contemporary Romance under the pen name Diane Alberts.Since receiving her first contract offer under the pen name Diane Alberts, she has yet to stop writing. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

giveaway

Jen McLaughlin is giving away a signed set of OUT OF LINE and OUT OF TIME for one lucky winner! US only!

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Book Blitz + Excerpt & Giveaway: Bound by Lies by Hanna Peach

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Bound by Lies by Hanna Peach

Bound by Lies by Hanna Peach
(Bound #1)
Publication date: January 21st 2014
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
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Our love is on his terms. He contacts me only through notes − unpredictable and untraceable. When we meet, he can touch me, but I’m not allowed to touch him. When we make love, it’s only after I have been bound and blindfolded. It’s the only time I truly feel alive. Which is why I play along with it. For now.

Caden Thaine is the most sinfully beautiful man I have ever seen. But more than that, his touch sets me on fire. And dear God, do I ache for him. I don’t know where he lives or even what he does. But this doesn’t scare me. My only fear is that one day his messages will stop. I know he’s hiding something. But that’s okay. I am hiding things, too. Like my real name and… who I really am. But the deeper I fall for him, the stronger my curiosity grows.

I could never have imagined just how much our lives are bound. And that pulling at his tangled web of secrets would cause my own dark past to come back to try and reclaim me. Will we survive? Will our love?

Adult romantic suspense. +18 years.

Bound by Lies sale

Purchase:
Amazon

Excerpt

“You… You’re not mad that I’m not wearing the dress?”

He laughs and the sound rolls over me, silk over gravel. “No. I wouldn’t get mad if you said you didn’t want to do something I asked you to.” He grins and leans closer. “I would instead make it so that you didn’t want to say no.”

His finger strokes along the back of my neck, a light touch that awakens my nerve endings all the way down my back. I have to fight not to visibly shudder. Stupid carnal needy body. I can’t deny that a part of me wants to say yes to him. But he can’t know this. I have to regain my control over this conversation and myself.

“Ha!” I scoff. “You’re so sure of yourself.”

“You think I’m being unnecessarily arrogant.”

“You are.”

“You just think that because you don’t know what’s coming.” He leans his face in close to mine. So close I can feel his breath rushing around my cheeks. His green eyes crackle with fire. “You’ll say yes to me, kitten. You’ll say yes to me and only me. You know how I know?”

I shake my head, trying to swallow but failing. The heat emanating off him is so intense it has caused my mouth to go dry. With his nose he nudges my cheek to the side so he can access my neck.

His voice, so low and hot, fucks my ear. “I’m going to make you feel so good that it’ll ruin you for all other men.”

Oh dear God.

about the author

Hanna PeachHanna began to write at the tender age of seven, starting with a daring and questionable autobiography entitled Go Suck a Lemon. Perhaps it was a little before its time.

After leaving school she agreed with everyone who said she needed to get a degree and a real job to become a proper adult. She kept writing as a hobby. After starting (and never finishing) several degrees and switching from multiple careers, she finally decided that being a real adult was overrated. In 2012, she sold everything, moved to Europe and began to write full-time.

Eternally restless, Hanna has lived in Indonesia, Australia, Germany and Scotland. She is currently residing in England.

She is addicted to coffee and chocolate and would one day like to own a dragon.

Hanna Peach is the author of the Dark Angel urban fantasy series and Bound romantic suspense series. Angelblood (Dark Angel #4) and Bound by Fear (Bound #2) are due for publication in 2014.

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Prizes – open to US and UK
–Signed copy of Bound by Lies

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Promo Tour + Author Interview & Giveaway: Hothouse Flower by Krista & Becca Ritchie

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First off, I want to say that I am so incredibly happy to be a part of the Hothouse Flower promo tour! Hothouse Flower is out in just NINE more days–can you believe it? It seems so soon and yet so far away… But seriously, in just NINE more days, we FINALLY get to have Ryke and Daisy’s story in our hands. God, I cannot wait!!

And if you don’t know who Ryke and Daisy are, they’re characters from the Addicted series by Krista & Becca Ritchie (you can see the recommended reading order below the interview). The Addicted series is seriously one of my all-time FAVORITES! If I could make everyone read it, I would. 🙂 But today, I get to have the amazing author duo here on the blog! Krista & Becca are twin authors and simply ah-mazing! So read on for my interview with K & B, and don’t forget to enter the fabulous giveaway from them!

Author Interview: Krista & Becca Ritchie

Hothouse Flower is COMING SOON!! Can you tell us if we have anything to look forward to like *cough* another lap dance *cough*?

Krista: Oh gosh, how do I answer this without spoilers? It’s so difficult, lol! There’s not another lap dance. I don’t think we would be able to write anything that tops Connor Cobalt’s epic lap dance. But there are some scenes that may make you gasp. It’s all very Ryke and Daisy. Obviously, I’m not very good at this, lol. *looks to Becca*

Becca: Flirtiness! There is flirting to be had. Maybe even flirting on motorcycles. Maybe even MORE!

One of my favorite, favorite Ryke quotes that just stuck out to me was one from Kiss the Sky– “For as much as I give Ryke a hard time, I can’t imagine another person with a kinder soul.” Because underneath all those ‘fucks’ and middle fingers, Ryke truly does have a beautiful heart. In the Bonus Material, we learn that he can also understand French. I love that Ryke has so much hidden depth to him–it makes him all the more amazing and attractive. Did you two always plan for Ryke to be ‘more than meets the eye’? And just how much do we learn about the Ryke underneath the harsh exterior?

Krista: I love that quote as well! It truly sums up Ryke’s character. He’s a nice guy but he doesn’t allow people to see that part of him. We usually don’t plan our character’s personalities out to that extent. They’re just something that develops when we start giving them backstories.

Becca: You will definitely get inside his head and see that his intentions are good ones, even if they come across harsh. Connor peeled back those layers in Kiss the Sky, and it’ll be nice for everyone to see all of Ryke Meadows in Hothouse Flower 😉

I looove the pictures you have on your Pinterest! And your Q&A’s on Tumblr… and your Twitter, Facebook, and everywhere else you two show up! But how on earth do you have time to do all that AND write the most incredible books ever?

Krista: Thank you! I’m pretty obsessed with pinning, so Pinterest is a dangerous place for me. I’d like to say that we’re magical and have found magic hours in the day that other people don’t have, but really we’re always working. Between social media and writing and promoting our books, we work 7 days a week, 12 hours a day. It’s not an exaggeration. But it’s what we love and it’s our dream to have this career, so we’ll happily put in the hours. We wouldn’t want to do anything else. And talking to everyone on social media sites is less like work and more like our fun time anyway 😉

Becca: We do love it, and we’ll eventually slow down, I’m sure. But not yet 🙂

One of the most heartbreaking scenes for me to read was when Ryke found out about what his mother did to Lily. What were the most heartbreaking scenes for you two to write? 

Krista: Oh yeah, that one was rough to write! I think the ending for Addicted to You was probably the most heartbreaking for me. Lo is such a tortured soul, so to see him break down and then have to leave Lily at the end of the book was really hard. But it was something that had to be done.

Becca: I agree with Krista. I think I was crying when it was my turn to work on the scene where Lo finds out the truth. But Ryke finding out about his mom was nearly as painful. I love that moment at the end where it’s a role reversal of sorts, and in that moment, Lo had to be strong for Ryke. There are also quite a few heartbreaking scenes in Hothouse Flower that had me all choked up.

What’s the weirdest/funniest thing you’ve ever had to look up for your books?

Krista: You know, when we wrote Addicted to You we were using our campus’ internet at our University and I was so paranoid that some IT student behind a desk was looking at everything I was searching. My history was littered with sites about sex addiction. But I don’t know if I really have a funny search.  Most of my searches are usually for places if they’re not about sex addiction. Like Acapulco, Mexico and stuff like that. I’m sure Becca has a better story.

Becca: Ummm, I remember when I was researching things for Kiss the Sky, I wanted Rose to say that she was so angry that she could kill a group of pandas, but she wouldn’t say a “group” she would say the actual term. You know like a “pride” of lions. Or a “litter” of kittens. So I searched for what a group of pandas would be called. I was so saddened by the answer that I Tweeted about it!

Krista & Becca funny

Apparently Pandas don’t group together. They’re loners!

I’ve always wondered–why make Ricochet and Thrive optional to read? Why make the series 3 books with 2 full-length companions and not 5 books total? I always tell everyone not to skip Ricochet, even though they can!

Krista: This a great question! And I think a lot of people are curious about it. We actually have two reasons.

1. Ricochet was always intended to be a novella (but it ended up being longer). We hate when the main male characters leave in second books. Edward left in New Moon. Kaidan left in Sweet Peril. There are plenty more examples, and we don’t like it. But Lo had to leave for rehab and we felt like we couldn’t skip over Lily’s journey during that time. So we wanted Ricochet to be optional for those who don’t like it when the male lead leaves.

2. We’re not that popular. Not everyone will read all of the books in our series. Not everyone will want to. Especially since we’re not Abbi Glines or Jennifer L. Armentrout. A 7 book series is a huge commitment for readers, and we knew that by making some of our books optional, it would be easier for some to jump into the series.

Becca: The second point Krista made is very important to us. We’re still new authors, and some people may be afraid to take a chance on our books. We never want this series to seem too overwhelming or daunting, and we’re definitely trying our hardest to show that you can jump in at certain points. For instance, you can JUST read Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower if you want. If you’re the type of reader who doesn’t like to commit to a new author, this may be a good place for you to start. Now, die-hard Addicted series fans will disagree and say to read the whole series from the beginning, but it really just depends on what type of reader you are.

I’ve heard that you two are working on other books not related to the Addicted series! (YES!! *pumps fist*) Do you have any news you could share about them? (I’m seriously a fan for life–I’ll read anything and everything you two write!)

Krista: Thanks, that means so much! And I wish we had some teaser or news, but it’s all hush-hush. We’re working on two new series right now. All I can say is that one of them is going to be called the “Like Us” series.

Becca: I’m really excited that we’re going to be able to work on books outside of the series (as well as continuing the Addicted series with Thrive and Addicted After All!) It’ll be fun to give all of you a whole new world *cue Aladdin music*

And lastly, 5 words to describe Hothouse Flower?

Krista: Illicit, fun, thrilling, sexy, surprises

Becca: Can I give 5 words too or is that cheating? Oh well, I’m doing it! WILD, HOT, DARING, FEAR, FORBIDDEN

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Krista and Becca!! You two are the best! 🙂

K&B: Aw, thank you for having us on your blog!! ❤ ❤

Hothouse Flower by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Title: Hothouse Flower
Author: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Series: Calloway Sisters #2 (Spin-Off of the Addicted series)
(full reading order below)
Pub Date: March 28th, 2014
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Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway … she’s all grown up.

Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole. But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption.

And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.

Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets.

As Daisy struggles to make sense of this new world and her freedom, she pushes the limits and fearlessly rides the edge. Ryke knows there’s deep hurt beneath every impulsive action. He must keep up with Daisy, and if he lets her go, her favorite motto—“live as if you’ll die today”—may just come true.

New Adult Romance: recommended for readers 18+ for mature content

***Authors’ Note***
Hothouse Flower is a spin-off of the Addicted series. Kiss the Sky is required before reading, and we strongly recommend reading the Addicted series before this spin-off.

Purchase:
EbookPaperback

Reading Order: Addicted series

Addicted to You by Krista & Becca Ritchie Ricochet by Krista & Becca Ritchie Addicted for Now by Krista & Becca Ritchie
Kiss the Sky by Krista & Becca Ritchie Hothouse Flower by Krista & Becca Ritchie Thrive by Krista & Becca Ritchie
Addicted After All by Krista & Becca Ritchie Fuel the Fire by Krista & Becca Ritchie Long Way Down by Krista & Becca Ritchie

#1 ~ Addicted to You: My ReviewEbookPaperbackGoodreads
#1.5 ~ Ricochet: My ReviewEbookPaperbackGoodreads
#2 ~ Addicted for Now: My ReviewEbookPaperbackGoodreads
Calloway Sisters #1 ~ Kiss the Sky: My ReviewEbookPaperbackGoodreads
Calloway Sisters #2 ~ Hothouse Flower: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
#2.5 ~ Thrive: My ReviewEbookPaperbackGoodreads
#3 ~ Addicted After All: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
Calloway Sisters #3 ~ Fuel the Fire: Goodreads (2015)
Calloway Sisters #4 ~ Long Way Down: Goodreads (2015)

about the authors

Krista & Becca Ritchie

Krista & Becca Ritchie write New Adult books that make you cringe, gasp, and go ooh-la-la. (If you do that sort of thing.) They are currently working on the spin-offs and final books in the Addicted series. Connect with them on twitter and their website: kbritchie.com

Twitter • Website • Facebook • Tumblr • Pinterest
Krista Goodreads • Becca Goodreads

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$15 Amazon Gift Card & 3 Kindle Ebooks of Hothouse Flower
**open internationally**

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Release Event + Excerpt & Giveaway: Frenched by Melanie Harlow

RELEASE EVENT
FRENCHED
By Melanie Harlow

Frenched by Melanie Harlow

Release: March 18, 2014
A  Sexy Adult Contemporary Romance
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Mia Devine plans over-the-top weddings for a living. So when it comes to her own nuptials, she spares no expense—hand engraved invitations, Vera Wang gown, luxury honeymoon in France. And since her fiancé is Tucker Branch, playboy heir and notorious flirt, local media is obsessed with every little detail.

Which is why it really sucks when he jilts her a week before the wedding.

Mortified, Mia wants nothing more than to crawl under her newly monogrammed sheets and plan a funeral for her dignity, right after blabbing to the world how fitting it is that Tucker will inherit a bolt and screw company, because that’s all he wants to do—screw, and bolt. And he doesn’t do either with much finesse.

When her friends convince her that bitter tastes better when it’s drowned in Bordeaux, she grits her teeth and packs her bags, determined to make the best of a week in Paris alone.

She never planned on meeting Lucas Fournier.

The free-spirited musician’s scruffy good looks and less-than-sympathetic ear annoy her at first, but when she takes him up on his offer to show her around the city, she discovers that the romance of Paris isn’t just a myth.

Nor is the simultaneous O.

The last thing Mia needs is another doomed love affair, but since she only has a week, she figures she might as well enjoy La Vie en O with Lucas while she can. But each day—and night—with him is better than the last, and suddenly her heart is telling her this is more than a rebound fling.

Is it just the seduction of Paris…or could this be the real thing?

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes and Noble

Frenched Teaser

Excerpt

Mia and Lucas Meet

“You hate flying, yet you want to get on another plane first thing in the morning?”

“I have to.”

“No, you don’t.”

Shaking my head, I insisted, “Yes, I do. You don’t understand.”

“Sure I do. Your fiancé called off the wedding and you’re angry and sad or whatever because you’re getting close to your marriage deadline or whatever, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time here. You came all this way, even though you hate to fly. There must have been a reason.”

Oh, yeah. That’s why I was annoyed with him.

Aggravated anew, I sat taller on my seat. “The reason was that I’ve always wanted to see Paris. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. I had every day planned out, I knew exactly what we would do, the things we would see. And I thought I could handle it on my own, but now that I’m here, I can’t, OK? I can’t handle all the love and romance and fucking happiness all around me when I was supposed to be here on my honeymoon! It isn’t fair!” My voice was rising and several people glanced my way, especially since I thumped my hand on the bar with my last word. But how dare he ruin my buzz and the tenuous peace I’d made with myself about going home!

He shrugged. “Lots of things in life aren’t fair. Doesn’t matter what city you’re in.”

I rolled my eyes as all the attitude progress I’d made during my second glass of wine came undone. “Spare me the platitudes. I’ve heard a boatload of them in the week since I was unceremoniously dumped—via text message, mind you—seven days before my goddamn wedding.”

Lucas regarded me carefully. “You’ve got a problem.”

Brilliant, this asshole. “Yes. My problem is that I’m on my honeymoon, alone.”

“That’s not your problem.”

My jaw fell open. Who the hell was he to tell me what my problem was? He went on before I could protest.

“Your problem is that you thought things were going to be one way and they’re not. You’re not even telling me you miss the guy who was supposed to be here with you. You just don’t want to be here alone because that wasn’t the plan.”

“That is not what I said!”

He laughed. “That’s exactly what you said.”

“Well…” I flapped my hands. “That’s not what I meant. I’m flustered. And drunk.”

“So you do miss him? Because I don’t see a heartbroken girl here in front of me. I see someone who’s angry that her relationship ended badly mostly because it ruined an idea she had about the perfect life. And she flew all the way here, but even Paris isn’t enough to distract her from the fact she didn’t get exactly what she wanted when she wanted it.”

“It was more than an idea! It was real. At least, it felt real…most of the time.” My spine curled as the fight left my body. Even my voice weakened. “But what do I know?”

He spoke softer too. “Want to know what I think?”

“No.”

He held up his hands. “Fair enough.”

I put my credit card on the bar. “I want to pay my bill and leave.”

“The wine is on the house.”

“Because you feel sorry for me?” I snapped. God, Mia, just shut up. Why I was letting this guy get to me, I had no idea. Wasn’t I in this bar because I felt sorry for myself?

He hesitated before answering. “Yes. Originally, I felt sorry for you because some asshole treated you wrong. But now that I know a little more, I think he did you a big favor. Now I feel sorry for you because you’re going to let one bad day ruin a dream that you’ve had for such a long time. You know, if you leave tomorrow, I bet you never come back. I bet you’ll always think of Paris as a miserable, lonely place.”

I opened my mouth to argue and then closed it. Was he right? Was I letting one bad day speak louder than a lifetime of dreaming about Paris?

“But I’d also bet you’re stronger than you think.”

I met his eyes, and they were serious. Was he right? I’d known coming here wouldn’t be easy, but I’d gotten on that plane. Cocking my head, I asked, “Were you a psych major or something?”

He grinned. “Double major—music and psychology. Graduate degree in psych. Look, I know we just met, and I do tend to analyze people and open my big mouth when I should probably just keep my opinion to myself. But when you walked in here alone and looked around, I thought, There is a woman who knows what she wants. That confidence is sexy.”

“But I’m not confident.” The words came out like a whimper as I stared down at my left hand, where my ring used to be. I wondered where it was now—I’d thrown it in the toilet, but Coco had rescued it.

“Yes, you are. You’re just a little scared right now.”

Exhaling, I looked up at him through my lashes. “You argue with everything I say. It’s really annoying.”

“Sorry. Let me make it up to you.”

“How?”

He thought for a moment. “Well, let’s make a deal. You agree to give Paris one more day, and I’ll agree to spend the day being your tour guide—no psycho-analysis, I promise. If you’re still miserable even when you have a friend by your side, you can grab a flight home the next day. I’ll even call the airline for you.”

“A friend, huh?”

“You think about it.” He moved down the bar to fill drink orders, and I checked out his ass again.

It really was cute.

about the author

Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her lipstick red, and her history with the naughty bits left in. I write New Adult historical and contemporary stories.

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