In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.
On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.
Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.
That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.
Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?
Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.
Taylor Jenkins Reid is an essayist and novelist living in Los Angeles and the acclaimed author of Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Before becoming a writer, she worked in entertainment and education.
From International Best Selling Romance Novelist, Hope Hughes, comes a gripping, heartfelt tale of two lovers, fighting for the freedom to…
No. Scratch that. Too cheesy.
…two people, torn apart by the tumultuous tides of life, only to discover refuge in…
WTF? What does that even mean? DELETE.
…two people, confused as shit as to where they should be and who they should love and none of this means a damn thing because it’s all lies!
Lies.
I’m not Hope Hughes. I’m not some fierce woman romance machine. Hell, I’m not even a woman.
I’m a liar.
And while I refuse to believe my own BS, deceit masked in heartfelt phrases of love and devotion, I want to make her believe them. Because maybe—just maybe—if she can find the soul within my words, she’ll also be able to find the truth scribbled on my heart.
You see, I once lived for the perfect plot twist.
I just never expected to actually live it.
This is my story. Well, maybe her story. I just wish I could make it our story.
Most known for her starring role in a popular sitcom as a child, S.L. Jennings went on to earn her law degree from Harvard at the young age of 16. While studying for the bar exam and recording her debut hit album, she also won the Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking invention of calorie-free wine. When she isn’t conquering the seas in her yacht or flying her Gulfstream, she likes to spin elaborate webs of lies and has even documented a few of these said falsehoods.
I still cringe when I hear that line. A fairy tale that had girls pretending they were the fairest, the most beautiful, and the most entitled. A fairy tale most couldn’t grow out of turned my haunted childhood memories into a living nightmare. Girls who grew up believing that pile of garbage became the meanest of all ‘mean girls.’
And those mean girls were right – it was a line meant for all the beautiful people in the world – and I knew the answer would never be me.
The women with long legs, flat stomachs, and perfect chests.
The type of women Kane Masters gravitated toward.
Well, that’s definitely not Willow Tate.
No. That will never be me.
Because I’m completely imperfect.
And … I hate myself.
I have no idea what Kane could possibly see in someone like me when he could have them.
Book Review
*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
All thoughts and comments are my own.*
Perfectly Imperfect is absolute perfection. It is a deeply personal account of struggles with body image and self-worth. It is bold, raw and entirely unapologetic. I loved it, I devoured it and I could not get enough. The story follows Willow, a woman who’s self-loathing, upbringing and experiences have only sunk her deeper into the rabbit hole. As she fights to claw her way out and make peace with who she’s becoming, she struggles, continuously struggles to find and own the person she truly wants to be. It is a bumpy, painful sometimes heartbreaking ride, but every step she takes towards healing and growing is entirely worth it. Willow’s endurance, strength and the love and support she receives from those closest to her help transform her into someone who is fiercely beautiful in every way. She overcomes many adversities, learns to love the woman she is becoming and begins to realize just how perfect imperfect can be.
Kane — oh goodness what can I say about Kane other than I AM IN LOVE! Can I get a Kane? Please??? Just send him my way and all will be right in the my world hehe. From the moment we meet Kane he is a man on a mission. His intentions are clear, but he takes his time and is exactly what Willow needs at a time where her world seems to be crumbling apart. He takes a piece of your heart and begins to weave his way around it making you fall in love just a bit deeper with every encounter. He is the embodiment of what a loving support system should be and although Willow has her reservations every moment between these two is electric. He is kind, loving and patient. Their connection, their trust, their attraction and their ability to support each other in all the simplest ways is absolutely incredible. Willow begins to learn what it feels like to receive unconditional love and support, something she lacked for many years that only contributed to her self-contempt. What Kane offers Willow isn’t a cure or a patch to fix her, no, he offers her so much more. Although Willow is as big of a Kane supporter as he is to her, what I loved the most about these two is the trust between these two is one of the things that allowed them to grow together.
Through it all Willow’s journey to self discovery is one that will inspire you. Perfectly Imperfect will walk you through the good, the bad and the awful, but in the end you will see just how far she’s come. This is a wonderful book that is clearly written through the eyes of someone who has experienced what it feels like to struggle with loving the person you are and accepting all those imperfections that make you…YOU. Harper Sloan has written another wonderful story, a bit more personal, albeit phenomenal and very necessary. Books like this inspire and give hope to people, like Willow, who may not realize just how much their so called flaws might be the exact thing that makes them perfect in not only their eyes, but the eyes of someone who can truly offer selfless, unconditional love.
This is a must read! It is a multi-layered story told from dual POV. I hope you love it as much as I did.
~ Happy Reading Lovelies ~
Excerpt
“Are you nervous right now?”
I nod.
“Tell me why.” His demand, steady and calm, gives me the courage I need to tell him. To open a vein and bleed my insecurities.
“I’m not perfect,” I whisper.
“And neither am I, Willow. I don’t want perfect. What so many see as perfect, to me, is fake. Perfect isn’t achievable naturally. No one, and I mean no one, is perfect.”
I’m shaking my head before he’s even done speaking, but one long finger comes up and presses against my lips before I can speak.
“No, let me finish. There isn’t beauty in perfection. It’s as fake as the image the word projects. Beauty is found in imperfection, Willow, because to admit you’re not perfect means you’re admitting you’re not whole and absolute. When I think of myself, I see someone willing to admit he’s as far from complete as it gets because, in order to get to that perfection, I need to find the other part of me who will make my life better. To take all the faults I have and fill them, and only then will I be there. You see, the way I see it, the only way to become perfect is to find that perfectly imperfect person who brings it out of you.”
When he stops, I swear I might have stopped breathing. How am I supposed to respond to that?
“Do you trust me?” he asks, his voice strong and sure.
“Yes, Kane. Nerves or not, I do.”
“Then let me show you what I see when I look at you.”
Harper lives in small town Georgia just a short drive from her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3 daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed ‘Estrogen Ocean’, much to her husband’s chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you can almost ALWAYS find her with her eReader attached. She enjoys bad reality TV and cheesy romantic flicks. Her favorite kind of hero–the super alpha kind!
Harper started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of crazy it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn’t take long before a head full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.
I still cringe when I hear that line. A fairy tale that had girls pretending they were the fairest, the most beautiful, and the most entitled. A fairy tale most couldn’t grow out of turned my haunted childhood memories into a living nightmare. Girls who grew up believing that pile of garbage became the meanest of all ‘mean girls.’
And those mean girls were right – it was a line meant for all the beautiful people in the world – and I knew the answer would never be me.
The women with long legs, flat stomachs, and perfect chests.
The type of women Kane Masters gravitated toward.
Well, that’s definitely not Willow Tate.
No. That will never be me.
Because I’m completely imperfect.
And … I hate myself.
I have no idea what Kane could possibly see in someone like me when he could have them.
About the Author
Harper lives in small town Georgia just a short drive from her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3 daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed ‘Estrogen Ocean’, much to her husband’s chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you can almost ALWAYS find her with her eReader attached. She enjoys bad reality TV and cheesy romantic flicks. Her favorite kind of hero–the super alpha kind!
Harper started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of crazy it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn’t take long before a head full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.
“November 9 is yet another breathtaking novel by Colleen Hoover that’s full of blushing, gushing, and heartache. I loved every page and breathed in every beautiful word.” —Anna Todd, Author of the After series
Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day of her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.
Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, This Girl, Point of Retreat,Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella,Maybe Someday, Ugly Love, Maybe Not, and Confess. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys.
*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
All thoughts and comments are my own.*
To rate this book 5 stars would be an understatement. It is by far the best book I’ve read this entire year and may very well be the best book Colleen Hoover has ever written. She outdid herself and with every book release she continues to remind me why I love her writing so much. She’s brilliant. She makes you feel, makes you cry, makes you angry, makes your heart break – practically guts you before there can even be a HEA. For some, the end of a book is usually the most dreaded part, because you’ve become a part of this world you can’t describe yet you connect with these characters so well, you hurt with them, you love with them, you feel with them and when it comes to an end you just want more. When I read a Colleen Hoover book that expectation goes out the door. For me, the endings have become my favorite part because the journey her characters take to get there are some of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful I’ve ever experienced. You learn some valuable life lessons and by the end it’s a bittersweet goodbye that leaves you completely satiated. A Colleen Hoover book is an experience you will truly never ever forget.
There’s this process I go through on an annual basis where I try to pick the best book I’ve read all year. I read, love and repeat this process over and over again often citing how this one is a favorite or that one is absolute poetry, but with every Colleen Hoover release this process becomes a battle because it’s like her books continuously try to outshine the previous release. They often do, but my thoughts range from OMG I love it, I have a new book boyfriend to what the heck does Colleen have in store for us next? In the past I’ve said it’s too difficult to rank her books in order of my favorite to my least favorite because they’ve all been favorites. Her books are truly gems, but November 9 just changed the game for me. I know without a doubt (and I mean no disrespect to any authors I’ve read or will read from here on out, but) this will be the best book I’ve read for all of 2015. The wait was grueling, but it was definitely worth it. Secondly, this is likely the best book I’ve EVER read and I have only said that about a handful of books (which I’ll sort through and list at a later date). Colleen Hoover deserves awards for this release. It is brilliant, chilling and poignant. I fell in love and was devastated with equal measure. I was in tears and on edge for about 30-40% of this book. She threw unexpected curves and shattered my heart and I swore she’d never render it whole again.
I’m not going to summarize the plot, the synopsis is wicked enough for that. Instead I’ll tell you that November 9 is easily the best book you will ever read. It is a book that you will want to own and read over and over again. It will draw you in and make you wish you could find a love as epic as Fallon and Ben’s. This is a must read, must own, must be made into a film…. fingers crossed on the last one there. It was the most beautiful story I’ve ever read. Colleen Hoover never disappoints and with all the release dates and published books that alone speaks volumes. She’s opened a book store, started a monthly book subscription service with all proceeds going to charity, has a family and makes time to deliver us masterpiece after masterpiece. She is truly amazing and when you read a work like this, her brilliance and creativity shine through. I hope she continues to bring more great releases like this one. It is outstanding.
Enter the Rafflecopter to win a prize bundle of one signed copy of NOVEMBER 9 and a pair of #November9 sunglasses! (5 prize bundles in total) Contest is open until November 30th.
EVERYTHING CHANGED IN AN INSTANT. I thought I knew what was important, but one phone call sent my life into a tailspin. Alone and afraid, I clung to the one man I shouldn’t. I was warned about him and told to stay away. “He’s dangerous,” they said. But the man who could hurt me the most, gave me the greatest comfort. “He’s not who they think,” I told myself. But just like an illusion, things are never what they seem.
Chelle Bliss, USA Today Bestselling author, currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. Currently she’s written a dozen books in three different series. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, 2 cats, and hamster.
Before becoming a writer, Chelle taught high school history for over ten years. She holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor’s in history. Although history is her first love, writing has become her dream job and she can’t imagine doing anything else.
Vada Bergen is broke, the black sheep of her family, and moving a thousand miles away from home for grad school, but she’s got the two things she loves most: her art and her best friend—and sometimes more—Ellis Carraway. Ellis and Vada have a friendship so consuming it’s hard to tell where one girl ends and the other begins. It’s intense. It’s a little codependent. And nothing can tear them apart.
Until an accident on an icy winter road changes everything.
Vada is left deeply scarred, both emotionally and physically. Her once-promising art career is cut short. And Ellis pulls away, unwilling to talk about that night. Everything Vada loved is gone.
She’s got nothing left to lose.
So when she meets some smooth-talking entrepreneurs who offer to set her up as a cam girl, she can’t say no. All Vada has to do is spend a couple hours each night stripping on webcam, and the “tips” come pouring in.
It’s just a kinky escape from reality until a client gets serious. “Blue” is mysterious, alluring, and more interested in Vada’s life than her body. Online, they chat intimately. Blue helps her heal. And he pays well, but he wants her all to himself. No more cam shows. It’s an easy decision: she’s starting to fall for him. But the steamier it gets, the more she craves the real man behind the keyboard. So Vada pops the question:
Can we meet IRL?
Blue agrees, on one condition. A condition that will bring back a ghost from her past.
Now Vada must confront what she’s been running from. A past full of devastating secrets—those of others and those she’s been keeping from herself…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Leah Raeder is a writer and unabashed nerd. She is also the USA Today bestselling author ofUnteachable and Black Iris. Aside from reading her brains out, she enjoys graphic design, video games, fine whiskey, and the art of self-deprecation. She lives with her very own manic pixie dream boy in Chicago. Visit her at www.leahraeder.com.
*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
All thoughts and comments are my own.*
Wow. Just wow. Leah Raeder’s third release Cam Girl is powerful and hauntingly beautiful. “Love is love.” A friend of mine has those words etched on her skin. She’s an incredible mother and likely one of the biggest LGBTQ supporters I know. When I read this book, I didn’t really know what to expect. As I read Cam Girl, that message reverberated in my mind. I knew Leah Raeders books are usually deep and likely strike a chord for some. The writing is powerful and I found myself highlighting lines from nearly every page. My only suggestion to readers is to go into this with an open heart and mind. Try not to open the book with preconceived notions and you’ll likely appreciate what a masterpiece it is.
As with all of Raeder’s books, Cam Girl offers an insightful perspective that resonates deeply. Leah’s evocative and poetic prose draws you in and leaves you utterly spellbound. One of the reasons I’ve never been disappointed with Raeder is the writing although dark at times, it’s an honest account of powerful emotions that many people experience, yet few are brave enough to acknowledge. For some, Raeder’s books may be seen as controversial, but they are nonetheless captivating. I’m glad there is a writer out here that can connect not only with the LGBTQ community, but she is an author whose voice can transcend gender and sexuality and force people to take a hard look at themselves as well as their perception of others.
There is a raw and painful undercurrent that forces you to think, forces you to feel, forces you to connect with these characters. Leah Raeder’s writing often gives you a bit of a harsh yet plausible reality check and you’re usually left stunned. I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. I knew from Black Iris and Leah’s hilarious tweets that Cam Girl would be different and it definitely was. I stopped thinking in terms of gender and just read about these characters who loved, hurt, and clung to each other for support and hope. It was a poignant reminder of how far we still have to go. I don’t make a habit of reading reviews about books I read, but I came across a few that made me wonder if these characters were heterosexual would the ratings have been a bit higher? I’ll leave that to you to decide. For me this was a wonderful book. Every character was connected to some piece of Leah’s puzzle and by the end you may figure it out as I did, but the way things unravel is always the prize. I implore you to also read the acknowledgments. They always give you bit more of who Leah is and what struggles helped created this amazing author. As with all of Raeder’s books, if you really pay attention, you’ll learn something. Highly recommend this to all my readers.
Happy Reading lovelies xo
ORDER CAM GIRL by Leah Raeder
Atria Books Paperback | ISBN: 9781501114991 | On sale: November 3, 2015 | 432 pages | US $16.00 |
eBook: Atria Books | ISBN: 9781501115004 | On sale: November 3, 2015 | 432 pages | US $5.99
The last thing Vaughan Hewson expects to find when he returns to his childhood home is a broken hearted bride in his shower, let alone the drama and chaos that comes with her.
Lydia Green doesn’t know whether to burn down the church or sit andcry in a corner. Discovering the love of your life is having an affair on your wedding day is bad enough. Finding out it’s with his best man is another thing all together. She narrowly escapes tying the knot and meets Vaughan only hours later.
Vaughan is the exact opposite of the picture perfect, respected businessman she thought she’d marry. This former musician-turned-bartender is rough around the edges and unsettled. But she already tried Mr. Right and discovered he’s all wrong-maybe it’s time to give Mr. Right Now a chance.
After all, what’s wrong with getting dirty?
About the Author: Kylie Scott
Kylie is a long time fan of erotic love stories and B-grade horror films. She demands a happy ending and if blood and carnage occur along the way then all the better. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and one delightful husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.
Kylie is represented by Amy Tannenbaum at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, New York.
No matter how hard I tried to push her away, fate thrust us together again.
Screw relationships. My motto: Hit it and quit it. Simple worked. Feelings weren’t on the line, hearts weren’t able to be broken,
and I could keep my life simple. My friends told me to move on and find the “one,” but I wasn’t ready to love again. Until I met her. A dirty-mouthed temptress with a killer body that had me questioning everything. I knew I could ruin her forever, but not without losing myself. I wouldn’t do it. But Georgia Phillips was innocent, pure, and total perfection. I wouldn’t be the one to strip her bare and break her heart. I swore I’d never call another woman mine, but that was before I almost lost her.
Warning: If you can’t handle a cocky bad boy or a badass chick with a dirty mouth,
this might not be the book for you.
*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.
All thoughts and comments are my own.*
Holy F&#%, Unlawful Desire is hands down my favorite Chelle Bliss book to date! Ok, I seriously love all her books, but this one lived up to every imaginable expectation and then some. I was impatiently awaiting the release for this one and I loooooooved it! I could not put it down. It was definitely a one sitting read. I sat in a café and lost hours not even realizing I had been there so long until it was nearly closing time (hangs head in shame). Sigh, I knew I would fall hard for Frisco and I 1000000% did. He is the epitome of the dream alpha male book boyfriend.
Frisco swore off relationship, but the day he meets Georgia he knows he’s in for trouble. He does everything in his power to fight his feelings, but Georgia isn’t like the rest. She’s smart, sassy and pretty freaking bada$$. There’s something about her that Frisco can’t escape and try as they may, fate keeps intervening pushing these two closer together. I loved the banter between Georgia and Frisco. They were playful and snarky in a way that only Chelle could perfect. I fell hard for Frisco and Georgia, unsure of their fate, I devoured every page and rooted for them along the way. I hoped these two would find a way to open up and trust one another. Georgia and Frisco’s lives intersect at a time when they both need to drown out past hurt. What they never imagined is that they’d find solace in one another. Will they take a leap together or will Frisco’s reservations and Georgia’s innocence be the thing that tears them apart?
As with all Chelle Bliss books this one felt familiar, as though they could be your own friends, it was witty, and I laughed a lot at certain points (when you get there you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about). Let’s just say that extended family and friends are always an important factor in Chelle’s books and they certainly make the stories interesting and utterly hilarious. As always, the steam factor was off the charts, but I do believe Unlawful Desire may have had some of the steamiest, blush worthy moments I’ve ever read. This book is everything! 5 stars hands down for Unlawful Desire. It is erotic and steamy, but the second chance romance aspect will sucker punch you at times leaving you breathless and longing for more. I am a huge fan of this book and the ALFA PI series. This is a must read for all Erotic (Adult) Romance/Second-Chance Romance/Contemporary Romance fans! You will not be disappointed.
Happy Reading Lovelies xo
Unlawful Desire Excerpt
She leaned back against the bar with her tits jutting out and her arms crossed underneath. “What’s your problem with me? Did I do something to you, Frisco?”
Caught off guard by her question, my body jerked backward. “N-no,” I stuttered.
She tapped her foot. “You ditched me, marched off when you heard my age, and tonight, you seem less than happy that I’m here. What the fuck gives?”
I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice and a reasonable explanation. “I don’t have anything against you.” I was in so much trouble.
“Let’s cut the shit, Frisco. I’m a big girl. What’s the problem? Would you rather I leave?” Her body oozed attitude.
I cringed. I never wanted to hurt anyone, but I knew that I had hurt her feelings. “No. Don’t go. I’m sorry. It’s just that Sunshine…” My chest tightened. “She’s trying to fix us up.”
Georgia filled her cheeks with air before slowly exhaling. “Is that so bad?” She narrowed her eyes. “If I’m not your type, it’s cool. But otherwise, what’s the issue? I thought we had a nice time up until you left the party. I’m a big girl. Just be honest with me. I’m not into playing games.”
I wanted to play games. Naked games that ended with us against a wall, tangled together like we’d played the sexiest game of Twister.
Chelle Bliss, USA Today Bestselling author, currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. She’s written over thirteen books and has three series available. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, 2 cats, and her hamster.
Before becoming a writer, Chelle taught high school history for over ten years. She holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor’s in history. Although history is her first love, writing has become her dream job and she can’t imagine doing anything else.
Samantha, Mason, and Logan are all together and united with one common enemy: Park Sebastian, the king of fraternity douchebags.
With professional football scouts eyeing his every move, Mason Kade has to walk the line for the first time in his life. Any move he makes against Sebastian has to be perfect and under the radar. One mistake, and his career is over.
Sebastian has other plans. Mason’s career isn’t his target—not even close. Wanting to destroy Mason completely, Sebastian knows he must hit him where it hurts the most: Samantha, who doesn’t give a rat’s ass that she’s the target.
Sam is bound and determined to protect Mason herself, no matter the cost, but what if the cost is beyond her imagination? What if this time, the villain wins?
EXCERPT
She was confident. She moved with purpose.
It hit me how much she changed from when she’d moved in with Analise. She’d lost everything. She hadn’t cared about anything, and she had been a badass because of it—striking out, not giving a shit. Logan and I took her in, and then she had something to lose—me. She got scared. She was pushed around by the girls and bullied by her own mother, and through all that crap, she’d still fought. She’d clawed her way back up, protecting and loving Logan and me at the same time.
Good god. I wanted to pull her on top of me. I wanted to lose myself in her.
When I sat on the couch, Sam had a knowing grin, and she sat right where I wanted her, right where maybe she shouldn’t have. My hands held her hips as she straddled me. She looped her arms around my neck and rested her forehead to mine.
Her grin never dimmed, not even as she teased, “Why do I feel like we’re in high school, and I don’t want my mom to catch us making out in the basement?”
Shit, I love this woman.
A smooth and lazy low laugh flitted from her lips. I waited for her to find my mouth with hers, but she didn’t.
She held back and her eyes traced over my face. “What happened today?”
I wasn’t going to tell her. More time. I needed more time.
I didn’t begin writing until after undergraduate college. There’d been storylines and characters in my head all my life, but it came to a boiling point one day and I HAD to get them out of me. So the computer was booted up and I FINALLY felt it click. Writing is what I needed to do. After that, I had to teach myself how to write. I can’t blame my teachers for not teaching me all those years in school. It was my fault. I was one of the students that was wishing I was anywhere but at school! So after that day, it took me lots of work until I was able to put together something that resembled a novel. I’m hoping I got it right since someone must be reading this profile! And I hope you keep enjoying my future stories.
He was someone who belonged in my wildest fantasies instead of a rest stop in the middle of Nebraska.
A sexy, cocky, Australian named Chance was the last person I expected to run into on my cross-country drive.
When my car broke down, we made a deal. Next thing I knew, we were traveling together, spending sexually-tense nights in hotels and taking unplanned detours.
My ordinary road trip turned into the adventure of a lifetime. It was all fun and games until things got intense.
I wanted him, but Chance wouldn’t make a move. I thought he wanted me too, but something was holding him back.
I wasn’t supposed to fall for the cocky bastard, especially when I knew we’d be going our separate ways.
With a huff, I got out of bed and stood on my tiptoes to look out the peephole. Why were those things always so high on the door anyway? I was surprised to find no one standing on the other side. Maybe I’d imagined it.
Another knock.
I flicked on the lights. The sound wasn’t coming from the entrance door. It was coming from an interior door I hadn’t even noticed before.
Chance’s door.
I unfastened the top lock and cracked it open just enough so I could see what he wanted. And there he stood.
Shirtless.
Wearing only dark gray boxer briefs that hugged him like a second skin.
It took a minute to understand what he was doing there, even though he was holding up a toothbrush in question.
“I thought we had established I wasn’t a serial killer already.”
I opened the door wider.
He smiled.
Oh lord. Stop that. Right now.
“I must have left my toothpaste in my saddlebag in the car.”
I swallowed hard. “Uh huh.”
He cocked his head to the side, and his brows dipped in. “Can I borrow yours?”
“Oh. Yeah, sure.”
He walked past me and let himself into my bathroom. I waited at the door.
“You got an awful lot of girly crap in here for one night,” he said with a jumbled mouth full of toothpaste from the bathroom. “Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia.”
He was reading my Estee Lauder perfume bottle.
I heard him rinse and spit. Then there was a gargling sound. He used my mouthwash, too. Sure, help yourself.
He walked out and flicked off the bathroom light. “Is tuberose a rose?”
I shook my head, still confused by the whole situation going on.
“That’s why,” he murmured.
“Why what?”
“I couldn’t figure out what you smelled like all day. Not sure I ever smelled a Tuberose before.” He shrugged and walked back into his room but not before turning back. “Even those little black lacy underwear smell like tuberose.”
My eyes bulged. I’d taken off my bra and panties and left them on the bathroom counter.
“You…you—”
“Relax. I’m teasing. Do I look like an underwear sniffer to you?”
Yes.
No.
Maybe?
“Night, Aubrey.” He graced me with a dimple and disappeared.
AH-BREE. Damn him.
I locked the door and checked it twice, unclear if it was for my safety or his. His voice saying my name was on audio replay inside my head, getting softer and softer like a soothing lullaby with each breath as I drifted off to dreamland.
Until the knock came again.
About the Authors:
Vi Keeland
Vi Keeland is a native New Yorker with three children that occupy most of her free time, which she complains about often, but wouldn’t change for the world. She is a bookworm and has been known to read her kindle at stop lights, while styling her hair, cleaning, walking, during sporting events, and frequently while pretending to work. She is a boring attorney by day, and an exciting smut author by night!
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 10-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.
From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City.
We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House.
You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more.
We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other.
Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding…
I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello.
After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half?
Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of romantic women’s novels. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going toconcerts, and eating dark chocolate.
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