Wrecked by J.B. Salsbury
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: July 18th 2017
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
When you can’t trust yourself, how can you ask anyone else to?
It’s been months since Aden Colt left the Army, and still the memories haunt him. When he moved into a tiny boat off the California coast, he thought he’d found the perfect place to escape life. Then Sawyer shows up and turns his simple life upside down. Beautiful and sophisticated, she seems out of place in this laid-back beach town. Something is pushing her to experience everything she can-including Aden. But as much as he wants her, starting a relationship with Sawyer puts them both at risk. For Aden, the past doesn’t stay there; it shows up unexpectedly, uncontrollably, and doesn’t care whose life it wrecks.
Tortured hero, anyone? If you’re looking for a book that will instantly hook you and has fantastically complex characters you can’t help but root for, you should definitely check out Wrecked. It’s intense, sexy, yet still has enough light-hearted moments to balance out the dark. I really enjoyed this read!
“I’m fucking wrecked without you.”
After being honorably discharged, Aden Colt arrived back on American soil wrecked from his time overseas. The loss of his men because of his mistake haunts him, and he can’t escape his nightmares. He secludes himself in a boat off the coast of San Diego, where he’s either drinking or fishing. It’s a quiet, simple, if lonely life – but everything changes when Sawyer Forrester enters his life.
Sawyer travels to San Diego to fulfill her dying twin sister’s wish – to pretend to be her while packing up all of Celia’s belongings so that the people who knew Celia would remember her as the adventurous, lively woman she was, rather than the sick, bed-ridden woman she is now. As the sister who was always overshadowed, Sawyer thinks she’ll have a tough time channeling her inner Celia. Sawyer has slight OCD, is terrified of germs, and never goes on adventures, so how can she possibly fool anyone? What Sawyer doesn’t expect is to come to love her time as Celia because of Aden. Aden, who she feels a draw, a connection with. He opens up a new world for her and makes her see that she is capable of so much more than she realized.
It’s the way he makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world. He responds to every word I say, every sound that slips unabashed from my lips, as if I’m giving him a secret he’s been desperate to discover. When we’re together it’s as if I’m the air and he’s begging for his next breath.
But even as the two are undeniably drawn towards one another and can’t help but fall for each other, Aden’s demon’s are never far away… and oh yeah, Aden thinks Sawyer is Celia. Aden and Sawyer have a lot going against them, but the chemistry and connection they have is unlike anything they’ve ever felt, so how can they not pursue it?
“I don’t want to forget you.”
“I’ll make sure you never will… I’ll mark your fucking soul.” His lips touch the shell of my ear and he whispers, “The way you’ve marked mine.”
I’ll admit, as much as I enjoyed the story, I had a hard time connecting with the characters, mainly because I just couldn’t relate to them. Despite that, I loved how clearly the author was able to convey all the emotions coursing through the pages. Sawyer and Aden go through a roller coaster of emotions, the highs and lows all perfectly balanced so that I was entertained the whole way through. If tortured souls and self-discovery is your jam, make sure to pick up Wrecked!
Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.
Happy release day to J.B. Salsbury – Wrecked is live!
Wrecked by J.B. Salsbury
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: July 18th 2017
When you can’t trust yourself, how can you ask anyone else to?
It’s been months since Aden Colt left the Army, and still the memories haunt him. When he moved into a tiny boat off the California coast, he thought he’d found the perfect place to escape life. Then Sawyer shows up and turns his simple life upside down. Beautiful and sophisticated, she seems out of place in this laid-back beach town. Something is pushing her to experience everything she can-including Aden. But as much as he wants her, starting a relationship with Sawyer puts them both at risk. For Aden, the past doesn’t stay there; it shows up unexpectedly, uncontrollably, and doesn’t care whose life it wrecks.
I thought he was kidding. I should’ve known better. Aden’s intentions with me since I stupidly boarded this boat have been my torment for his enjoyment. He loved watching me squirm over the bait tank and when I proved I wouldn’t shy away from a challenge, he pulled out the big guns. From his flirty smiles to his teasing touches, he’s discovered my weaknesses and is exploiting them for his own entertainment.
Now this? Raw fish probably still warm from fighting for its life.
And now I’m God knows how many feet above water sitting on a two-seater bench held up by rusty ladders and staring down a piece of glistening pink meat.
“You have to eat it, it’s a rite of passage.” He offers the meat to my lips and I quickly turn my face away.
“I’m really not hungry.” As if the idea isn’t enough to turn my stomach, watching him clean the fish before sectioning off enough for lunch wasn’t much of an appetite builder.
“Of course you are.” He brings the piece to his own mouth and takes a bite, closing his eyes with a moan as he chews.
I feel a rush of bile hit my throat, or maybe it’s beer, either way it’s warm and it burns. “That’s disgusting.”
“You’re telling me you don’t like sushi?”
My eyes widen. Sawyer would say she’s never had sushi. But Celia’s a different story. She ate a live cricket in the eighth grade on a dare. She didn’t even flinch. “I like sushi, just not directly from the…um…source.”
“Doesn’t get fresher than this.” He takes another bite and I can’t deny that his response to eating it does give it some appeal.
“I think I need soy sauce or that green stuff.” What’s it called?
“Just try it.”
“I really don’t want to.”
“Oh come on.” He smiles in that cute crooked way that makes my heart dip and dive. “Live a little.”
I chew the inside of my mouth debating the cost/benefit of taking a bite of this fresh-out-of-the-ocean fish. On one hand, I’ll impress Aden. That in and of itself is worth the ick factor. But what if I throw up all over his boat? Is the chance of impressing him worth totally humiliating myself? I groan when I realize what I’m doing, exactly what I swore I wouldn’t do. I’m making an internal pros and cons list. I close my eyes and steel my resolve and my spine. Don’t think, just decide. I pop open my eyes followed by my mouth.
“Yeah?” He stares at my parted lips.
I nod, hoping he’ll hurry before I change my mind.
Lifting the rose-colored flesh forward, he places it between my teeth. It’s a small bite so I close my lips around his fingers expecting him to pull away…but he doesn’t. For a moment I’m suspended in his gaze, totally stuck while his hot fingers rest between my lips. This should be grossing me out; after all, I watched him gut this fish with his bare hands and to wash off all the blood he merely dipped them into the ocean. But all the thoughts of raw fish and a stranger’s finger do nothing to stave off the warmth blooming in my belly. My tongue pulls the meat deeper into my mouth, brushing against the rough pad of his forefinger. He bites his lip but finally drops his hand.
He watches intently while I chew and swallow.
“How was it?” His voice is low and gruff.
Lost in the heated moment, I barely tasted it. “Good.”
His hand cups the back of my head and he pulls me toward him, stopping just short of our lips touching. “I can’t fucking take this anymore.” His breath is sawing in and out, bursting against my mouth with impatience. “Let me.” It’s a demand, not a question.
A kiss. I don’t need to channel Celia or flip a coin…I know what I want.
I lick my lips and close the slight distance between us.
New York Times bestselling author JB Salsbury spends her days lost in a world of budding romance and impossible obstacles. Her love of good storytelling led her to earn a degree in Media Communications. Since 2013 she has published six bestselling novels in The Fighting Series and won a RONE Award. JB Salsbury lives with her husband and two kids in Phoenix, Arizona.
City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: May 27th 2014
Preorder: Amazon
ΕRCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID.
I am coming.
Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance? Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world changed in the sixth and last installment of the Mortal Instruments series!
To Fix You by Samantha Towle
Release Date: Fall 2014
I’m a gigolo. Male escort. Hustler… whatever you like to call us. And in the past seven years, I’ve had sex with… well, I stopped counting after I hit five hundred… basically, I’ve screwed a lot of women.
I know what you’re thinking… I must have had a terrible childhood, something horrendous happened in my life that drove me to this career.
Wrong.
The best thing to ever happen to me is why I work this job.
My daughter.
I’m a single dad. And I have sex with women for money, to feed, clothe and put a roof over my eight year old daughters head.
Not ideal, I know, but now I need the money more than ever…
Four weeks ago my worst nightmare happened… my baby girl was diagnosed with Cancer. Now, I have to earn, and earn big, to pay the mounting medical bills.
I have never felt more terrified, and more alone, in my life.
My name is Lizzie Connelly.
Beautiful, twenty-two . . . I have it all, including a new internship most girls would rip out their own souls for. I work for Margaret Manning-Emerson, vice president at Emerson & Taylor—one of the biggest fashion powerhouses this country has ever seen.
I’m ambitious.
I want success.
Since we’re friends, maybe I should start from the beginning.
My real name is Elizabeth Emerson.
Alone, twenty-two . . . I have nothing but broken promises and a string of shit luck, and it’s all because of the woman who took it all ten years ago after my father died. My stepmother–Margaret Manning-Emerson, the woman who, before two months ago, had never laid eyes on me.
I’m ambitious.
I need the truth.
Things are complicated, though.
My plans are flawed from the beginning, and the biggest obstacle comes in the form of Landon. Sexy, too smart for his own damn good, and infuriating, he’s the one person who could blow my plans to uncover that bitch Margaret and expose her for what she really is. She’s his mother, and in another life, I guess that would have made him my stepbrother.
I’m ambitious.
I need to know what happened ten years ago.
But I want . . . him.
*This is a standalone title
**Release date to be announced closer to date
Ever since Lily died two years ago, Evie has been lost. She exists but doesn’t live. And she copes the only way she knows how: by wrecking things.
She exposes her dad’s affairs, ends things with her longtime boyfriend, and just last semester, she destroyed her music scholarship. Desperate to break away from all the destruction she’s caused and start over, Evie reinvents herself at her new university.
But then Rhys, her new voice instructor, happens. He’s gorgeous, insanely talented and apart of the dark past she’s trying to overcome. Rhys’s brother is the reason why Evie’s life is such a mess right now, the reason why Lily, Evie’s sister, is dead. And even though Rhys is the last person Evie should ever want, for the first time in two years, wrecking things seems…right.
Dark Skye (Immortals After Dark #14) by Kresley Cole
Release Date: August 5th 2014
Preorder: Amazon
Eternal Obsession
As a boy, Thronos, Lord of Skye Hall, loved Lanthe, a mischievous Sorceri girl who made him question everything about his Vrekener clan. But when the two got caught in the middle of their families’ war, tragedy struck, leaving Thronos and Lanthe bitter enemies. Though centuries have passed, nothing can cool his seething need for the beautiful enchantress who scarred his body—and left an even deeper impression on his soul.
Endless Yearning
Lanthe, a once-formidable sorceress struggling to reclaim her gifts, searches for love and acceptance with all the wrong immortal suitors. But she’s never forgotten Thronos, the magnificent silver-eyed boy who protected her until she was ripped from the shelter of his arms. One harrowing night changed everything between them. Now he’s a notorious warlord with a blood vendetta against Lanthe, hunting her relentlessly.
Can the heat of desire burn brighter than vengeance?
With their families locked in conflict and battles raging all around them, will Thronos and Lanthe succumb to the brutal chaos that threatens everything they cherish? Or will the fragile bond they formed so long ago spark a passion strong enough to withstand even the darkest doubts?
Tame Me (Stark International #1) by J. Kenner
Release Date: March 11th 2014
Preorder: Amazon
Aspiring actress Jamie Archer is on the run. From herself. From her wild child ways. From the screwed up life that she left behind in Los Angeles. And, most of all, from Ryan Hunter—the first man who has the potential to break through her defenses to see the dark fears and secrets she hides.
Stark International Security Chief Ryan Hunter knows only one thing for sure—he wants Jamie. Wants to hold her, make love to her, possess her, and claim her. Wants to do whatever it takes to make her his.
But after one night of bliss, Jamie bolts. And now it’s up to Ryan to not only bring her back, but to convince her that she’s running away from the best thing that ever happened to her–him.
He’s everything I admire plus things I can’t even put into words.
I crush on Jericho Barrons violently.
My brain almost shuts down every time I see him and that’s a lot of gray matter to stupefy.
Used to be, if I couldn’t fall asleep I’d fantasize all kinds of ways I’d impress Barrons by killing monsters or saying something really smart or saving the world, and he’d see me as a grown up woman and I’d glow just from the look on his face.
But then Ryodan began popping into my fantasies like he had some kind of business being there, and he’d look all, well…like…Ryodan and he’d laugh and do that husky groan thing he did on level four, so I terminated that happy little exercise in somnolence.
Now I count sheep.
Lately even those buggers look like Ryodan with clear, cold eyes and some weird kind of hypnotic hold on me.
Fecker.
I’m beginning to think I’m going to have to figure out a way to kill him, permanent-like just to get him out of my head.
My fists clench and teeth grind at the last words—words that feed off the worst of my fears—the urge to break something returning. To drown the pain that’s back with a vengeance. I know he’s pushed me to the breaking point. I can hear his quiet sigh through the screaming of every ounce of my being.
He stands slowly and I tell myself to look at him. To show him somehow I’ve heard him, but I can’t make myself do it. I feel his hand on the top of my head, like I’m a little boy again, and his uncertain voice whispers, “I love you Colton.”
The words fill my fucking head but I can get them past the fear lodged in my throat. Past the memories of the chant I used to say that was followed by the brutality and unspeakable pain. As much as I want to tell him—feel the need to tell him—I still can’t.
Series order:
★ (#1) Driven
★ (#2) Fueled
★ Preorder (#3) Crashed (out March 3rd 2014)
★ A teaser from Saving Quinton (Nova #2) by Jessica Sorensen!
I’m pretty sure I’m dreaming. Or maybe I’m dead. I’m hoping for the latter, but I don’t it’s the correct assumption because this feels different than the first time I died. If I’m dreaming, it’s a beautiful dream, one where I’m with Nova and we’re happy. I’m surprised I’m seeing myself with her and normally I’d stop my thoughts from going there, but I’m not awake enough to care. Plus I feel really good, better than I have in a while. Everything feels light. Breathless. Hazy and weightless. My memories of my past are fading. I can no longer feel the blood on my hands or the weight of guilt on my shoulders. Something wonderful is taking over. I’m not in the darkness, locked within myself. I’ve been swept up by light and I feel like I could do anything at the moment as I lie on my back, gazing up at the sky. Nova hovers over me, cupping my cheek, and her skin is so damn warm and she smells amazing. And her eyes… bright blue with specks of green, her skin dotted with freckles, and her full lips that look so delicious I want to taste them… and I’m going to, because nothing matters at the moment. It’s not real, which makes it easier to take what I want—admit what I want.
I lean up, not even thinking about what I’m doing, and press my lips to hers. It hurts my mouth but the pain is worth it—it’s worth everything just to taste her again. I could do it forever, and I want to, but when I slip my tongue deep inside her mouth, she pulls away, her eyes widening and swarming with confusion. I open my mouth to tell her to come back to me, because I want her—need to kiss her again—but then her lips start moving and the haze from my brain gradually starts to lift.
“Quinton, can you hear me?” she asks, her voice soft, distant. Or maybe I’m the one who’s distant.
“I…” It hurts to talk, my throat too dry, and the brightness of the sun is stinging at my eyes.
“Are you okay?” she says and the sunlight dims as the blue sky changes into my shitty bedroom ceiling stained with water and cracks. That stupid drip comes into focus, haunting me again.
I suddenly realize that I’m in my room. Awake. And Nova’s here. With me.
★ Teaser from Thoughtful (Kellan’s POV of Thoughtless) by S.C. Stephens:
When the coffee was done, I prepared our cups, and set Kiera’s down in front of her. I leaned back in my chair, perfectly content as I drank mine. Kiera hunched over her mug like she was freezing and it was the only source of warmth in the room. I knew her reaction wasn’t from the cold though, and knowing that made my smile even wider. Jealousy is a bitch, isn’t it, Kiera?
★ Special announcement and sneak peek from K.A. Linde!
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
I’ve been working on a super secret project for a little while now. I wasn’t sure if it was going to turn into anything, but I can’t seem to stop writing it. I’m madly in love with this book! Now that I’m at a comfortable distance, I can tell you about it!!!
Yeah, that might sound cocky or maybe a bit disgusting even, but I’ve never given two fucks. I wasn’t about to start now.
And whoever was lying beside me right now needed to get the fuck out before I started remembering her name. Did I remember her name? Lany. Lacy. Lucy? No. Fuck. I didn’t give a shit. She just needed to leave so that I could get back to sleep.
“Babe,” I grumbled, nudging the chick in the ribs. “Darlin’.”
“Mmm,” she groaned. “I love when you call me darlin’.”
I already knew she liked it. She had lost her clothes quickly enough to the sound of it last night. Now, I was pretty sure I’d never say it again if it meant that she would get out quicker.
“Time to go home.”
The girl turned on her side and tucked the comforter over her tits. Well, there went her best quality. She gave me a come-and-get-me look and pouted her lips as if that was going to change my mind.
“Oh come on, Grant,” she whispered throatily.
Her hand slid down my chest and then farther south. Yeah, not happening. I wasn’t interested in another mediocre performance on her part. Maybe a blowjob, but even then probably not.
She stroked my cock and I was reconsidering that blowjob. She had to be better at sucking dick then fucking. It was some unwritten rule. Either they sucked or they fucked.
“No, honey. It’s time for you to go home.” I rolled onto my back and reached for a joint on my nightstand.
“That’s not what you were saying last night.”
I flicked the zippo to life and took a drag on the joint. “That’s what I’m saying now. You knew how this was going to go when you came back with me. So save me the headache and just leave.”
“Whore,” she snapped. She hopped out of bed, snatched up her clothes, and then stormed toward the door. I waited until it slammed shut behind her before blowing out the smoke.
Wasn’t the first time I’d heard that either. I preferred the term man whore. I’d earned that title and I was fucking proud of it.
★ Toxic (Ruin #2) by Rachel Van Dyken has a blurb!
Everyone has a secret…
Gabe Hyde is on borrowed time. He’s been hiding his identity for over four years-hidden from the world that used to adore him–obsess over him–driven to the edge of insanity by one poor choice.
But that one choice, altered the course of his life forever.
Pretending isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially when pretending means hiding your real self from the people that care about you the most. But if anyone ever discovered the truth it wouldn’t just be his life at risk–but hers.
Saylor doesn’t hate men.
Just Gabe.
Only Gabe.
He’s a reckless, happy-go-lucky, silver spoon fed pain in her ass. Everything about him makes her more and more confused. Unfortunately they both donate time at the same Group Home. If she wasn’t afraid of flunking, she’d be long gone. She hates that she’s attracted to him almost as much as he hates that he’s attracted to her–and she can tell, especially since their first encounter ended up making her knees so weak she couldn’t form coherent sentences for weeks afterwards. But the closer she gets to him, the more confused she becomes. He isn’t who he says he is, and he’s hiding something big.
What happen when two worlds collide? Two worlds that never should have met in the first place? Some secrets are too big to be hidden forever–the only question? Will his destroy everyone he loves? Or finally bring about the redemption he’s been craving for the past four years?
★ This is Sylvia Day’s live Q&A! And she’s writing a new series called Blacklist!
★ The Swan & the Jackal (In the Company of Killers #3) by J.A. Redmerski has a blurb!
Fredrik Gustavsson never considered the possibility of love, or that anyone could ever understand or accept his dark and bloody lifestyle—until he met Seraphina, a woman as vicious and blood-thirsty as Fredrik himself. They spent two short but unforgettable years together, full of lust and killing and the darkest kind of love that two people can share.
And then Seraphina was gone.
It’s been six years since Fredrik’s lover and sadistic partner in crime turned his world upside-down. Seraphina went into hiding and has eluded him ever since. Now, he’s getting closer to finding her, and an innocent woman named Cassia is the key to drawing Seraphina from the shadows. But Cassia—after sustaining injuries from a fire that Seraphina ignited—suffers from amnesia and can’t give Fredrik the information he desperately seeks. Having no other choice, Fredrik has been keeping Cassia locked in his basement as he not only tries to get her to recall her past—because she and Seraphina share it—but also to protect her from Seraphina, who clearly wants her dead.
But Cassia is a light in the darkness that Fredrik never believed existed. After a year subjected to her kindness and compassion, he finds himself struggling with his love for Seraphina, and his growing feelings for Cassia—because he knows that to love one, the other must die.
Will light win out over darkness, or will something more powerful than either further destroy an already tortured soul?
(Note: THE SWAN & THE JACKAL is NOT a New Adult title. It, and all other books in the series are categorized as Suspense/Crime/Thriller/Romantic Suspense and Adult.)
The release date for Apolonia has been changed to November 2014. But the good news is that Trent’s book’s release date has been moved up, and you’ll be getting it sooner than fall 2014!
Title: Wrecked Author: Priscilla West Release date: Dec 16th, 2013 Age Group: New Adult Genre: Romance Tour organized by:AToMR Tours
A New Adult Romance Novel by USA Today Bestselling Author Priscilla West
Two years ago, Lorrie’s mother was murdered. But that wasn’t the end of it. Reeling from the tragedy, Lorrie’s father spiraled into alcohol, depression, and finally suicide.
The two most important people in Lorrie’s life are both gone but she’s still alive.
Trying to recover from the tragedy, Lorrie returns to campus, ready to pick up the pieces of her life. All Lorrie wants is to get back to “normal.”
Then she meets Hunter. The man, the legend, “The Hammer.”
Hunter is a cage fighter who takes on every fight like he’s got nothing to lose. His life is a tangled mess of girls, booze, and fist fights. And while it may seem like he’s got a devil-may-care attitude, he’s fighting a private cage-match with a monster he can’t defeat.
Lorrie knows that Hunter is exactly the type of guy she should stay away from, especially in her fragile state, but Hunter has other ideas.
As Hunter and Lorrie grow closer together, will they be able to overcome their pain and heal each other? Or will they both end up wrecked?
GENRE: Mature New Adult Romance (18+)
LENGTH: Novel, 350 pgs
RESCUED (WRECKED BOOK TWO: Coming Early 2014)
Wrecked pretty much is the quintessential NA book. If you’re looking for a book with believable, likable characters with tragic pasts, then Wrecked is for you! I really enjoyed reading this book, and even though the story moved a bit too slow for my taste, overall this was a sweet romance that had my attention from the start.
Lorrie is a girl who has basically lost all the important people in her life. I felt very sad for this girl, but I didn’t connect with her as much as I wanted to. Still, I liked her character, how she wants to be normal and overcome her past. And Hunter is… WOW! I found myself so intrigued with his character. He and Lorrie meet when he saves her from drowning, and there’s obviously some strong tension between them. He’s a bad boy MMA fighter, which I totally adored, because I LOVE fighter heroes! They make me swoon so much, and add that he’s a bad boy? Even more swoon. He’s slightly clichéd, but I really did like him, and found myself more curious about his character. I didn’t fall in love with him, but his character is portrayed really well, and I was so shocked at his secret! Usually I can end up guessing what sort of tragic past a character has, but this one blinded me, so props to the author for that!
I really liked how the characters formed a strong friendship first. Lorrie knows that there is some sexual tension between them, but she’s afraid of what will happen if she does form a relationship with bad boy Hunter. But slowly, she finds herself falling more and more in love with him everyday. You can tell that Hunter wants more, but this sweet boy goes along with this friendship Lorrie wants. But then finally the two come together, and a sweet romance forms.
Unfortunately, Lorrie and Hunter are not done with the heartbreak from their past, and they have even more obstacles to face, mainly Hunter’s secret. I was really hoping his secret would come out sooner than it did, but what can you do? The ending part of the book was crazy, was so emotional and intense and full of angst. But… cliffhanger!
I had a great time reading Wrecked. The writing style is easy to follow, the characters were believable, the romance was heartfelt. And the drama was so intense! Now I really need to read the second book because the cliffhanger is a major one!
3 hearts!
Priscilla West is the author of the popular Surrender series. Her next release titled: Wrecked will be available on December 16th. She likes to write stories with sassy heroines and strong but flawed heroes.
She enjoys: cuddles, men in suits, eskimo kisses, life-sized teddy bears, and eggs over medium.
Available December 16, 2013 New Adult Contemporary Romance
A New Adult Romance Novel by USA Today Bestselling Author Priscilla West
Two years ago, Lorrie’s mother was murdered. But that wasn’t the end of it. Reeling from the tragedy, Lorrie’s father spiraled into alcohol, depression, and finally suicide.
The two most important people in Lorrie’s life are both gone but she’s still alive.
Trying to recover from the tragedy, Lorrie returns to campus, ready to pick up the pieces of her life. All Lorrie wants is to get back to “normal.”
Then she meets Hunter. The man, the legend, “The Hammer.”
Hunter is a cage fighter who takes on every fight like he’s got nothing to lose. His life is a tangled mess of girls, booze, and fist fights. And while it may seem like he’s got a devil-may-care attitude, he’s fighting a private cage-match with a monster he can’t defeat.
Lorrie knows that Hunter is exactly the type of guy she should stay away from, especially in her fragile state, but Hunter has other ideas.
As Hunter and Lorrie grow closer together, will they be able to overcome their pain and heal each other? Or will they both end up wrecked?
GENRE: Mature New Adult Romance (18+)
LENGTH: Novel, 350 pgs
RESCUED (WRECKED BOOK TWO: Coming Early 2014)
When I stepped into the living room, my jaw dropped at the sight of him naked.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” I quickly turned away but not before the sight of him was seared into my memory. Images of carved muscles and exotic tattoos danced across my mind.
“Wow, that was quick. I thought you’d be in there longer.” I heard him laugh and the subsequent thud of his drenched sweats being thrown into a corner hamper. “You can turn around. I’m not naked, ya know. Unless you consider being shirtless as naked.”
I turned around and noticed he had a white towel around his waist. His torso was still fully bare though. Tattoos ran along the side of his chest and extended down his arm. They were mostly a mix of tribal designs but one tattoo stood out for me. A picture of a large hammer was boldly etched on his upper arm. An unwelcome desire flittered in my stomach as I imagined running my fingertips over the inked lines.
I wasn’t opposed to seeing him shirtless at all. Not. At. All.
I forced myself to make eye contact with him, but was surprised to find him not doing the same. His eyes were wide, and they were roaming down and up my freshly showered body.
When his eyes finally met mine, his lips curved wickedly. “You clean up well.”
My cheeks flushed. “Thanks,” I replied, slightly uncomfortable. “I feel a lot better without all that lake gunk on me. I really appreciate the clothes, although they might be a little big for me.” I gestured to the jeans that were threatening to fall down my hips.
He looked me over again, dark eyes subtly lingering at certain parts: thighs, chest, lips. “No, you look good—real good.” His hand gestured to the couch. “Have a seat. I’ll get you some warm tea and a belt. I can get you back to your place after I wash up.”
He grabbed my wet clothes from me and set them down on the kitchen counter while I took a seat on his couch. I thought it’d be a relief to sit down and relax but I found myself tense and restless, wondering who this guy was and what I’d gotten myself into by agreeing to come to his place.
He went into the kitchen and brought me a cup of tea. It smelled fragrant and spicy and the hot mug felt good in my hands, calming my nerves temporarily. I sipped slowly, enjoying the fluid warming up my chest as he went into his bedroom to search for a belt. Moments later, he returned.
“Thank you so much,” I said as he handed me the belt and sat down on the edge of the coffee table inches away from me.
He, in his shirtless glory, carefully watched me bring the cup of tea to my lips. I brought the edge to my mouth but didn’t drink, too distracted by the desire to touch my lips against the soft skin of those hard pecs right in front of me. I flicked my gaze to his to avoid staring at his chest. The concerned way he studied me with those dark irises matching the color of his damp hair was making me squirm in my seat. Not to mention the peripheral view of that towel around his waist was approaching scandalous. He didn’t cross his legs like I would if I were wearing a skirt and I fought the urge to snag a glance down at that distinctly male area. But it was hard to resist. Was this what it was like to be on the other end of someone trying to cop a peek up your skirt?
“How’s the tea?”
His voice interrupted my thoughts and I hurriedly swallowed a big gulp that burned my throat going down. “Very good, thanks,” I choked. “I feel bad you had to go to so much trouble to make it though. Sorry for being such a burden.”
“. . . Polite too.” He grinned. “Don’t worry about it. It was no trouble at all.” His demeanor was almost the opposite of what it had been at the lake—it was relaxed and warm now. But then again so was mine. The feeling of almost dying must be wearing off for both of us.
“Are you going to have some yourself?” I asked, uncomfortable with how he was just sitting there. Right there. Half naked in front of me with a ‘V’ shaped muscle around his pelvis tempting my eyes to look down to where the slanted lines met. Wasn’t he going to take his shower?
“Probably in a bit.”
Seeing him in no hurry to leave, I wracked my brain for a conversation topic. “So . . .” I looked down at the shirt I was wearing and pinched the lettering to try to end the silence. “Are you in the Air Force?”
He paused for a second longer than I was expecting. “No, I’m just a student. Senior, actually. You go to school here too?”
I nodded. “Yeah, sophomore.”
“Cool. So why did you come to campus so early?”
“I thought it’d be good to have some time by myself to prepare for the semester. You know, mentally prepare and all that.”
He nodded. “Alone time, yeah. Helps to work things out on your own sometimes. People can be stressful, especially at this school where people like to gossip. I swear it’s like every student’s minor here.”
I wondered if his comment was specifically directed toward me and my circumstances. Did he know who I was and my reputation? “Yeah, I’m not too interested in rumors. They’re often wrong anyway.” I shifted my legs and happened to briefly brush against his. I felt my nipples tighten from the unintentional intimate contact.
His eyes narrowed and he glanced at the offending leg. He looked at me for a while, apparently deep in thought. When his eyes glanced down at my chest, I saw an intense flicker in those dark irises—or was it a spark? “Haven’t met anyone here who doesn’t like gossip,” he said smoothly. “You do know you’re at Arrowhart right? Gossip is big here. It’s only normal that you’d be interested.”
“Yeah, I know,” I replied. And boy did I know. “But maybe I’m not normal.”
The smile he gave had an edge to it that made me uncomfortable and aroused at the same time. “I’d say so as well. Seeing imaginary cats and falling into frozen lakes isn’t exactly normal,” he teased, before his voice lowered intimately. “But then again, normal’s boring.”
A heated ache moved through me. Was it my imagination or was he flirting with me? It didn’t seem like he realized who I was. I noticed again how unusually neat the place was. Did he have a girlfriend that cleaned for him? Or his mom? “So do you live here by yourself?” My voice came out huskier than I intended and I cleared my throat, hoping he didn’t notice.
He smiled. “Yeah, I get plenty of alone time here.”
I found that difficult to believe given his devilish good-looks. It would be easier for me to believe if he’d said he had a ticket system for girls lining up outside his apartment door. Maybe even a BYOC policy—Bring Your Own Condom. That could explain the contents of his bathroom trash.
I forced another gulp down my throat, uncomfortable with how being so near him made me restless. “What do you like to do in your alone time?”
“In my alone time?” He cocked a brow and looked at me with curiosity.
I glanced at his sculpted chest because I couldn’t help myself. “Yeah, like when no one’s around, just in private.” I was thinking about how I liked to mope and draw in my alone time and was hoping to find common ground between us. He probably didn’t sit on icy bridges in his alone time but maybe he did something relatable so I could convince him I wasn’t just some depressed girl trying to kill herself.
A glint in his eye, his grin widened. “What do I like to do in my alone time?” he repeated, suggestively. “Oh, just the usual stuff guys do when they’re by themselves. You know, normal stuff.”
Oh no. Was I flirting with him? I’d unintentionally said something that could’ve been interpreted as a reference to his masturbation routine. God, how awkward. This was not my lucky day. I glanced at his towel and noticed a towering bulge that hadn’t been there before. My face flushed. Shit, did I do that?
Priscilla West is the author of the popular Surrender series. Her next release titled: Wrecked will be available on December 16th. She likes to write stories with sassy heroines and strong but flawed heroes.
She enjoys: cuddles, men in suits, eskimo kisses, life-sized teddy bears, and eggs over medium.
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