Francis Heller lives with two truths. Love hurts and beauty is only skin deep.
With midnight black hair, moss-colored eyes, and traceable curves, Fran is the picture of beauty and confidence…on the outside. But deep down she is tormented. Not just by the jagged scars that line her body, but by the horrible memories that cloud her mind and haunt her dreams. The ones that make her want to flee from herself and from the devastating pain. The ones that cause her to placate herself with sex. Anything to make her forget. But for Fran, there’s nowhere to hide from the darkness that swallows her whole.
Matt Dixon is the gorgeous brother of her best friend’s fiancée. He’s suffered losses of his own and isn’t willing to let anyone in until his unexpected encounter with Fran Heller, the girl who challenges him and causes him to take a second look, not only at her, but at his own life.
But Matt has scars of his own.
Together can they help each other discover that second chances really do exist? That love doesn’t have to hurt? Or has the damage they’ve both suffered cut too deep to ever heal?
**NA/Contemporary Romance with language and mature sexual content.**
I am a wife, a mom, an author, and a lover of all things chocolate, well, anything sweet really. While stuffing chocolate in my face, I enjoy reading young adult and new adult novels furiously, and spending time with my husband and two adorable children who keep me on my peppermint pink painted toes. Those same children who inspire me to tell silly stories that cause hysterical giggles to tumble from their bellies.
I love to laugh and love to have a good cry, especially after reading a novel that stretches my soul, one that makes me feel, and lingers in the corner of my heart.
I’m a hopeless romantic and a happily ever after fanatic, and I love to write about LOVE.
I began writing when I was in middle school, penning anything from short stories, to poetry, and then later moved on to write children’s books. I have now endeavored into New Adult and Contemporary Romance novels and am loving every minute of it. My first novel, Love Love, was released in May, 2013.
I know who I am. I’m Cyrus Steel, son, brother, uncle, friend to people I choose to bring into my life.
Truth
I could fuck up anyone I want.
Truth
I know the devastation I can and have caused.
Truth
I can’t change the past, but I have chosen how to live now.
Truth
I like to fuck, and I will do a chick better than she’s ever been done. Hard and wild. No more than three hook ups. No expectations, no one gets hurt. As long as she agrees …it’s on.
One of my favorite tattoo’s bridges the V, and it says Truth.
A constant reminder of who I was and who I am now.
~Tara~
I wasn’t sure I knew how or even if I should tell him there was no one who loved me. Tony was the last person to say those words to me and he hadn’t meant it. He just wanted to use me.
That’s what this beautiful man underneath me, showed me today. He hadn’t used me, he didn’t even know me. But he thought I was beautiful, and he was nice to me. Tony was wrong about him, and even though I never want to see him again, I wish I could tell him just how wrong he was.
Can truth be altered? Can truth be seen when walls are built for protection, for self preservation? Will self doubt and years of pain cloud two hearts from finding their truth?
I never liked it when the tourist season slowed down on the shore. It meant less business at the shop and more free time on my hands. “Idle minds are the devils play yard”… that’s what Momma Joe always says. I suppose that’s why we started Forever Steel to begin with. Sure, it brought in more money than the restaurant did, especially this time of year. I buy that– but with four boys I’m pretty damn sure it also had a hell of a lot more to do with our idol hands than our minds. Pretty sure the idea came about when she caught Zandor with our neighbor’s wife. Funny as shit watching her chase them both out of the garage with that broom.
Zandor’s pants were around his ankles as he ran out and Miss Betty’s tits were flying in the air. She still had her pants on, so I was confused… nah– more like curious at first to what REALLY went on in our garage that night. That was until Jase and I overheard her going off about how wrong it was to have sex with a married woman. She was sputtering in half Italian and half English her hands flying everywhere. I remember it like yesterday.
“Momma, I didn’t have sex with her. She was performing fellatio.”
“Where do you learn words like that, Aleszandor?!”
“In your books, Momma. It’s beautiful– adoring one’s body, and your body being adored. Miss Betty was showing me the art work she had just gotten done, and …”
“ZANDOR STEEL! Miss Betty has the leprechaun from that cereal tattooed on her fake breasts! It’s not art! Now is there something on your penis that she needed to adore?”
“Momma, not to brag but my penis IS a work of art….”
Jase and I were rolling when she pushed through the door and grabbed our ears, mind you we were a bit old for that shit but when your Momma is Josephina Steel– that don’t matter at all. She dragged us out to the table and sat us down for one of those ‘chats’. Xavier was due home anytime, he was actually late but we convinced her that he had said after nine, not nine.
I rocked back in my chair and looked out the window as Xavier was running through the back yard zipping up his pants saying goodbye to Miss Betty’s oldest daughter. I laughed out loud and Momma tossed me a nasty look. Jase saw him too and he was dying. No doubt he was high, back then then… Jase was a fucking wreck with losing Charlee and then Little Bell. Xavier winked when he came and Zandor gave him a high five.
I knew right away that those fuckers planned it. He diverted the mom while Xavier finally tapped that ass next door. Betty’s daughter Sally, yeah Sally, was the neighborhood tease. You know the type, hot as fuck, but too good for anyone around here. Xavier sat down and Momma walked around the kitchen yelling, pleading…. she even cried. Well, fake tears but she gave it her all. Not quite Oscar worthy–maybe a daytime Emmy.
Zandor gave him a look that asked how it went and Xavier winked. Momma’s back was turned when Xavier reached across and swiped his finger under Zandor’s nose. Fucking pig! Zandor gave him the attaboy look and Xavier continued the game of sexual charades telling us what had happened. He sucked his fingers and Zandor mouthed ‘Good?’ He shook his head yes and sat back. Zandor made a circle with one hand and pointed one finger and mimicked intercourse. Xavier mouthed ‘Tomorrow’. Jase smirked and made a gesture mimicking a blow job and he shook his head no. Jase whispered, ‘She gave me one.’
Both Zandor and Xavier gasped and Momma turned around and continued her rant.
By the end of it, they all placed bets on who would get it first and I threw my chips all on the table. I was going to have them both…at the same time.
Momma was at the restaurant the next night helping Dad close up. I had one day left of leave before I deployed again so I took over a bottle of scotch, along with an apology to Miss Betty for my mother’s behavior. Sally came home and we did a few shots. One thing led to another and well let’s just say I won that fucking bet.
Later that night I shared the information with my brothers. Sally wasn’t as pure as she would have you believe. Betty wasn’t either. Xavier was pissed at me, honest to God I didn’t see that coming, or I swear I wouldn’t have bothered. I had plenty of two on one action. I got my heart broke too, once, and never fucking again so that was it. Why the fuck would I want a relationship that I had to worry about feelings, and dates, and hearts, and flower shit so that I could make love to a chick? Fuck the pleasantries! New rule for me since then, three times that’s it. I don’t miss guide anyone– they know the drill. I’ll fuck you hard and wild, probably ruin you for anyone else but that’s all you get. You wanna ride this train? You bring the condoms and it’s on, if not, get to step-in. Let’s be honest here– sweaty, dirty talk, ball slapping that ass, sloppy wet blow jobs ending in my cum all fucking over your face fucking, was better than hearts and flower’s bullshit… any day.
I am a very new self published writer. I will tell you I have always had a very vivid imagination. Starting at age 3 (as it states in my Baby Book).
Sigma was my very first love (imaginary boyfriend). He lived about fifteen miles from my childhood home, (a farm). I took him chicken noodle soup every night on one of our families snowmobiles, (Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring). Apparently he was very ill and “Thank God” I was able to take care of him.
Next was my very first self publishing gig. At eight my cousins and I (and yes I was the president) wrote a newsletter and sold it to our family members.
Years later I decided to put it back into print to entertain my cousin as she was on an aircraft carrier on 9/11 (Kick ass cousin BTW) and very far away from home during a very scary time for our country, (protecting our butts).
Fast forward to 2012. I read 50 shades and thought, I can do that, (meaning writing). I have two complete series The Love Series, and Wrapped. I have two new series Burning Souls and Men of Steel. Ten books in 13 months. CrAzY and wonderful.
I love love! ( I would love to reference Pinks new song here, however I am not sure if that would cause copyright issues.)I also tend to enjoy watching people grow and change with self realization and moments of clarity that just sneak up behind you and smack you in the head. I love people and have always been able to see both sides of a story. Each person that comes into our life leaves us with something it is what we choose to do with it that helps us grow.
I live in central New York in the middle of nowhere and am surrounded by family and friend most the time. I run a small business out of my home and spend time reading and doing the typical Mommy things. Our house is full of pets and friends and noise ninety percent of the time, and I would have it no other way.
C. Quinn and E. Lee’s amazing new novel in their Broken Heartland Series, STORM WARNING, is out today and we are excited to join in the release day launch for it. STORM WARNING is a thrilling Young Adult Contemporary you are not going to want to miss! Check out what we have for you today and then enter to win in the release day launch giveaway! There’s also a fantastic excerpt for you. But be aware!
Sometimes you don’t see the storm coming until it’s too late…
Severe Storm Warning Tip #1:
Be alert to changing weather conditions. Look for approaching storms.
Severe Storm Warning Tip #2:
If you see approaching storms or any of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.
Severe Storm Warning Tip #3:
They may strike quickly, with little or no warning.
Situated just outside of Oklahoma City, Calumet County is divided into two drastically different communities: Hope’s Grove and Summit Bluffs. One is the small backward town where dirt roads lead the way to field parties and railroad tracks. And the other, a sprawling suburb where paved drives lead to the landscaped lawns of the wealthy and privileged.
For five teenagers smack in the middle of Tornado Alley, summer is heating up fast. The winds of change are blurring the invisible line that divides the rich and the rural.
One has a secret.
One has a crush.
One has been lying.
One will get caught.
And one might not make it out alive.
They’re from two different worlds…but one summer is about to change everything.
Excerpt
Hope’s Grove was small. Everyone knew about her parents, and she was already dreading facing them since the news of her dad’s affair had hit. But facing them without her brother and her best friend would be her worst nightmare.
After the girls had said their goodbyes and she’d watched her friend’s taillights fade down the drive, Ella Jane scuffed her boots along the winding dirt road that led her home.
She was about halfway there, watching the sun sink low in the evening sky, when the unmistakable rumble of a pickup truck came barreling down the road behind her. She stepped aside to let it pass without looking back. But it didn’t pass. It slowed practically to a stop right next her.
She turned, wondering what the heck the driver’s deal was. There was more than enough room for him to go around. But the smiling face beneath the backwards trucker hat sent the words on the tip of her tongue swirling away with the dust the truck had riled up.
She bit her lip and grinned. Warm brown eyes gleamed in her direction. “Hey there, Ellie May. Need a ride?”
She rolled her eyes. Why Brantley Cooper couldn’t call her by her actual name was beyond her. But as long as he was talking to her, she really didn’t care much what he called her. He can call me ‘flower’ if he wants to.
He was a year older than her and a year younger than her older brother, Kyle. Smack in the middle of their ages and grades in school and usually smack in the middle of their arguments. Coop kept the peace. Balanced them out perfectly.
The three of them had met at the same time as kids but Coop and Kyle had become like brothers instantly. She’d always tagged along wherever they went. Kyle had whined about it when they were younger but Coop always made her feel welcome. He held doors open for her so she didn’t get left behind, made sure to invite her despite her brother’s protests, and lately he’d even stopped by and hung out even when Kyle wasn’t home. And this year, she’d be a junior and Coop would be a senior. With her big brother away at college, she couldn’t help but fantasize about what might happen if she and Coop spent time together alone.
“Hey, Coop. Lynlee just left so I was just…” She glanced toward home. Kyle wasn’t back from football camp yet, and her mom was baking herself to death, trying to keep her mind off of everything.
“Yeah, I heard the Wicked Witch was moving west. You up for some fishing? I have to drop my bike off at the house but we could swing by the lake after.”
She should get home. She knew she should. Should order a pizza and convince her mom to take it easy for a night. Except…it was Coop. And in all her sixteen years, he was the one boy she’d never been able to say no to.
“Yeah. Yeah I’m up for it.”
Book Trailer:
Whether you believe in destiny, divine intervention, or just plain ol’ dumb luck, several things happened in 2013 that caused E. Lee and C. Quinn’s paths to cross. It may have been that the stars aligned perfectly, or the fact anytime Luke Bryan was mentioned on a social media site both of them were tagged, or maybe it was just that their small town roots and country girl attitudes were magnetically drawn together—calling out to one another, “Y’all should write a book!” Despite geography keeping them apart—Lee in Illinois and Quinn in Alabama—they did. Thanks to three-hour phone calls, ridiculous amounts of online chats, and umpteen Google Docs—Storm Warning is the first book in their edgy new Young Adult series, Broken Heartland.
Never Say Never by C. Marie Mosley
Publication date: December 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
All he wanted was a distraction…
All she wanted was to conquer him…
Instead, they both got a reason to change their minds…
Forever was never an option…
… Never Say Never.
Never Say Never follows two friends, Kasey and Jonah, that have known each other just short of forever. In a single moment, they decide to take their friendship to a different level…with no strings attached. Neither of them intended for things to go so far. Kasey and Jonah fall, fight, and re-fall for each other in only ways that the two of them can. Knowing each other’s past can be a double-edged sword. But in Harden Fields, there are always skeletons left hanging in the closet…they just don’t hang around for long.
Purchase:
Excerpt
The indistinctly, barely warm end of summer air around us was a telltale sign that fall was well on its way. but the sweltering heat had all but completely vanished. I could still feel the faintness of heat lingering on [her] skin from the sun’s rays.
Her beautiful, delicious, flawless tanned skin. The two of us lay tangled in each other’s arms in the barn loft at my grandparent’s horse farm and Harden Fields. This has quickly become my favorite place to get lost with her.
The fragrance sent a vanilla and jasmine surrounded me, as I continued to trail kisses down her neck. I loved to feel the softness of herur skin beneath my lips. The warmth of her body and the way her eyes looked into mine made me want to hold onto her, keeping her with me forever.
C. Marie grew up in a small town outside of Birmingham, Alabama. When she’s not making up her own stories, she’s extremely busy getting lost in someone else’s. C. Marie enjoys penning stories in new adult and young adult contemporary romance. She also has a young adult fantasy fiction series, entitled Empyreal.
Writing is her passion, but she enjoys other things, too. She is an avid-reader, and she loves to dance & practically lives through music. She loves to make people laugh, and is extremely creative in every genre. But most of all, she loves to spend time with her wonderful family. She currently lives in Alabama with her amazing family, and continues to create imaginary worlds for all to enjoy.
You can contact C. Marie through email at cmmosleybooks@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @CMarieMosley, and visit her author page on Facebook. Other social media networks where you can find her include Pinterest, Tumblr, & Google+.
Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Left Drowning by Jessica Park!
Left Drowning by Jessica Park
Series: Left Drowning #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 16th 2013
What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe?
Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.
*This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content, and is recommended for Ages 17+
I’ve just finished reading Left Drowning, and I… I can’t even form coherent thoughts right now! What. a. book! It was a thrill to read Left Drowning. It was beautiful, heart-wrenching, gutting, and every other feelsword that exists. Because truly, you feel everything as you’re reading this book. As soon as I read the first page, I was hooked. And I couldn’t put the book down–I finished in a freaking day!
Bless this book. Left Drowning is beyond words! It’s gorgeously written, and its got the best, snarkiest heroine ever. And I love snarky heroines. They make everything better, more fun, and more hilarious. Blythe (which is such a pretty name!) is a senior at Matthews College, and she is not a happy person at the beginning of the book. At first, I thought, Oh god, it’s another broken heroine with a tragic past, but then as I kept reading, Left Drowning gets to be so much more than that. It becomes a story of family and love and healing and acceptance. And I truly loved reading this beautiful, captivating story.
“What’s a little risk now and then, huh?” … “It makes you feel alive. It brings you crashing into the here and now. Keeps you alert and grounded.”
Blythe has no social life, and nor does she want one. She’s been stuck in depression for years after her parents died, and the only family member she has is a little brother who resents her. She can’t get out of this never-ending cycle of drinking and feeling like crap in the morning, until she meets one of the Shepherd siblings, Sabin. He’s hilarious, sweet, obnoxious, and goofy, the perfect counterpart to Blythe’s dark, depressing humor. And with the lovable Sabin comes his three other siblings: Christopher, and the twins Estelle and Eric.
When Blythe meets Chris, they have this visceral connection with each other. It could be lust, which is definitely there, or it could be something deeper, but Blythe knows that it’s real and it’s there. But Blythe and Chris don’t act on their lust, and instead, become friends. Jessica Park does an incredible job writing this all-encompassing, heartfelt friendship Chris and Blythe form. They grow to lean on each other, when neither of them has ever relied on another person, and they love each other… but only as friends. Right?
Well, yeah there’s that awesome, tingling sexual tension between the two, but the friendship is where they start. And Blythe becomes friends with all the Shepherd siblings, becoming part of their family. I absolutely adored the Shepherd family dynamic. They all love each other so, so much, and they’d do anything for each other. And they are so freaking hilarious! I don’t know how many times I laughed, mostly because of Sabin, but it was a lot.
The romance in Left Drowning is just as important as the family and love the Shepherds and Blythe have for each other, which I love. But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean the romance is any less. Chris is so, so incredible and sweet. He’s the perfect guy, except for the fact that Blythe knows that he has a past that scarred him. But still, as Chris and Blythe spend more time together, they can’t not be together, and when they do–wow, it’s explosive.
“Stop looking at me. It’s annoying.”
“I can’t.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Chris takes an eternity to respond. “I can’t stop thinking about you, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Eep, Chris makes me swoon so hard!
But Chris and Blythe both have their own problems they haven’t faced yet, pasts that continue to haunt them everyday. And because of this, they can’t form a relationship. They know that it’ll be a dysfunctional one, and they remain friends, or at least try to. And here is where the heartbreak begins. AH! My heart was hurting so much for Blythe and Chris, because they belong together! They fit each other so well, and Blythe has such a wonderful relationship with the entire family. But as truths come out, things also start taking a more devastating, darker tone. Because Chris’s past is so incredibly painful and heart-wrenching, and my heart went out to him.
Left Drowning will make you feel sad, depressed, and horrified. But it also will make you laugh and giggle and smile. So read this book. It will leave you gutted, in the best way possible. If you want a book that makes you feel, Left Drowning is perfect. And can I just say, it’s got one of the best endings I’ve ever read. I loved everything about this book!
And, the quote that I think perfectly embodies this beautiful book:
“This is all sorts of fucked up.”
“I know, baby. I know. But the best kind of fucked up.”
Jessica is the author of New York Times bestselling FLAT-OUT LOVE, RELATIVELY FAMOUS, and the NA novel, LEFT DROWNING. She lives in New Hampshire where she spends an obscene amount time thinking about rocker boys and their guitars, complex caffeinated beverages, and tropical vacations. On the rare occasions that she is able to focus on other things, she writes.
I am a wife, a mom, an author, and a lover of all things chocolate, well, anything sweet really. While stuffing chocolate in my face, I enjoy reading young adult and new adult novels furiously, and spending time with my husband and two adorable children who keep me on my peppermint pink painted toes. Those same children who inspire me to tell silly stories that cause hysterical giggles to tumble from their bellies.
Booklovers For Life 