Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Stripped From You Cover Reveal!
Releasing June 1, 2014
You know how it ends, now see how it all began…
"It doesn't matter how many women have touched this body, only one woman has ever touched this soul."
Ryan Pierce doesn’t come from much, doesn’t ask for much, and doesn’t expect much. And he's come to accept that, until, Alana Remington. Alana is the girl who struck the match that lit his world on fire. She's the girl who opened his eyes to more. Who made him believe that just because you have nothing, doesn't mean you are nothing. And he loves her fiercely for it. But, just because you come together, doesn’t mean you stay together. One fateful decision rips Ryan and Alana apart and neither of them are ever the same again.
For five years he's regretted that decision, but the deep seeded anger, shame and resentment has kept him from reaching out. And over those five years, a series of moments have spun Ryan's world in a direction he never saw coming. A world ruled by endless nights, infinite women and the name Jack the Stripper. A world, unbeknownst to him, that may just let two severed hearts collide.
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course not, I just met you.”
“Then how about giving me the benefit of the doubt?”
She raises an eyebrow at me, and before I give her a chance to respond I slam the shot then pull her face to mine. And as my mouth covers hers, heat rapidly spreads through my body. She’s momentarily stunned. Her body is rigid against me, but then she relaxes, parts her lips and lets the tart liquid slide into her mouth.
I can’t believe I just did that.
I can’t believe she just let me.
After she swallows, she lets her lips linger, sucking up the taste of the sweet shot, causing my nervous system to shift into hyper-drive. We break apart slowly, but I refuse to let go of the nape of her neck. She just stares up at me with these enthralling eyes I know I’ll never be able to resist.
“Do you always break the rules?” she asks.
“No, not usually, but you seem to make me want to do crazy things.”
“Was that crazy?”
“Let’s do it again and find out.”
I lick my lower lip, tasting the sweet remnants of her lip gloss before I drop another shot. I pause for just a beat before lean down and press my mouth back to hers and let the alcohol flow between us. I flick my tongue against her teeth right before I pull away. I shouldn’t like this so much, but I do. I like the way she looks, the way she feels, they way she smells. There’s something about her, something ventilating; like she oxygenates the atmosphere.
I catch the cool beats to a song I recognize pumping though the air. “Do you want to dance?” I ask her.
“You can dance?”
“There’s only one thing I can do better.” I smirk.
Alana cocks her eye brow suggestively.
“Draw.” I fire back. “The only thing I can do better is draw. Dirty girl.” I tease as I grab her hand and lead her out to the dance floor knowing Mac will look after our drinks.
Once we find a comfortable spot, I start to move to the smooth rhythm, leaving a little room between us so it doesn’t feel like I’m forcing myself on her. Drake sings coolly about hot love and affection as we move in sync to the beat, our bodies brushing and grazing as the music plays on, then finally coming together in a comfortable unison. I wrap one hand around her waist as I roll my hips into hers, pressing our bodies as close as they can possibly get. Alana runs her hands up my chest and hooks her arms lightly around my neck keeping tempo with the music. She moves lithely against me, inducing my heart, thoughts, and pulse to race. Fuck, I’m drowning in want for this girl. I slide my hands up under her shirt and caress the smooth, soft skin of her lower back as she nuzzles her face into my neck, her warm breath skating across my collarbone, making me instantly hard.
Damn.
She lifts her head and meets my stare, which I know is filled with lust and unrepentantly wanton. She bites her lower lip, our bodies still jiving to the slow seductive music. In a brazen move, I slip my hand up the back of her bare thigh and cup her ass cheek under the hem of her short shorts. She gasps as I work my fingers against her, massaging the fleshy part of her bottom. I’m absolutely aching being this close to her, touching her, stroking her, grinding against her.
“Are you sure drawing is the only thing you can do better?” she pants in my ear.
Marissa Carmel has loved writing ever since a young age. She has a duel degree in History and Political Science, but took as many creative writing classes in college as she could. She spent most of her twenties bartending, which is where she met her husband and a multitude of interesting people. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s hanging out with her family, experimenting in her kitchen or doing yoga on the living room floor.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
C.R. Everett Release Day!
I LOVED THAT ABOUT HER by C.R. Everett – SYNOPSIS
In Love, Carry My Bags, we felt Camryn Johnson’s joy and pain during her heartwrenching and heartwarming journey through life’s circumstances, poor choices, and difficult lessons. Through her relationships with both Glenn and Reese, she became the person she wanted and needed to be.
Now it’s Glenn’s turn.
Glenn, who feels chronically misunderstood, shares his side of the story in the stand-alone novelI Loved That About Her, revealing his own inner struggles and showing what it’s like to live at the mercy of forces beyond conscious control. These forces take him and his family to the edge when college arch nemesis, Raine Babcock, wreaks havoc on their lives. Glenn shows us that all is not necessarily what it seems, even to himself.
Walking a mile in his shoes, may change hearts and minds about the bad boy from Love, Carry My Bags that readers loved to hate.
Recommended for mature audiences 17+ for language and sexual situations.
EXCERPT
My job ticked along way better than expected. Once I was on the inside, had my clearance, and put my naturally excessive curiosity to work, doors opened. And I opened them.
I popped my head into the lab walking back to my desk after an aircraft inspection. “Any little green men in here?” I asked.
“Glenn,” my boss, who happened to be in the room, said. “I was just talking about you.”
“Yep, my ears were burning. That’s why I stopped by. Whatcha need?” I asked.
My boss looked like he didn’t know quite what to make of me, but overlooked any reservations he may have had, just like anyone else who saw my potential and took a chance on me had. For those folks, I was grateful. A flashback to my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Emerson, came to mind. She was the only one who took the time after class to sit down with me and re-explain each day’s lesson, because sitting there in a room full of quiet kids, listening, drove me ape shit. Instead of listening, I fidgeted in my chair wondering what was for lunch, sometimes getting out of my chair for a better view out the window, especially when a plane flew overhead. Mrs. Emerson was nice. “I have one just like you at home,” she said. I’m not sure what she meant, but at the time, I was thinking “nice little boy.” During our one-on-one’s, she’d speak to me like I mattered and never criticized me for not being like all the other kids who could sit in their chairs, listen, and understand, going off to do their homework by themselves after class. We did my homework together, and she gave me M&Ms after each problem I did right. Once I figured that out, I aced almost everything because there was a good reason to do the work. M&Ms right away, not some dumb letter grade handed back on a page three days later. When she explained to my folks that I knew the material, they laid into me about why I couldn’t do it at home in my room, but they clearly didn’t understand the power of M&Ms . . . or one-on-one.
“Conroy,” my boss said, “we need you in Seattle. You’re the first guy I thought of when this assignment came up—right up your alley.”
I was intrigued. My ears perked up when the words “need you” hit the air. Plus the fact that he thought of me, and “right up your alley” sounded phenom. Having gotten my attention, I listened intently as boss man outlined the particulars of the job, throwing in words like “top secret” and “special clearances” and “national security.” I was all over it and would have accepted right then and there if I didn’t need to consider Camryn.
“We need you ASAP,” he said.
“Let me talk it over with my wife,” I said, somehow managing to stifle my excitement. I hoped she’d like the idea too.
Purchase Links
Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk./dp/B00JL4P38U
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-loved-that-about-her-c-r-everett/1119059229?ean=2940045799638
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.R. Everett was born in Northern Illinois and has lived in various places over the years, currently residing in Utah. For twenty years she worked in finance, but today devotes her time to writing. She lives with her husband, two kids, Shiba Inu, and cat. When not writing, she updates her website, connects with her readers, does the mom thing, or cleans up after unruly pets. In her free time she enjoys reading, usually at the gym while on a treadmill, baking, taking walks, enjoying nature, and going to Starbucks. Mocha is her favorite.
Website -www.creverett.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/creverettbooks
Twitter - https://twitter.com/authorcreverett
Love, Carry My Bags Amazon Link UShttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B009SZYJ3W
Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009SZYJ3W
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-carry-my-bags-c-r-everett/1114473132?ean=2940044288553
LOVE, CARRY MY BAGS – SYNOPSIS
Camryn Johnson’s world is turned upside down when long lost love, Reese Dahlgren, re-enters her life at a pivotal point in her already challenging marriage. She faces an excruciating predicament: choose between a broken home for her daughter or a broken life for herself.
After her parents' divorce, Camryn first meets high school basketball star, Reese, at the Harvard Milk Day Festival bed races. Reese hides baggage of his own…until Camryn melts his heart and learns secrets entrusted only to her. Still, the weight is too much to bear. Unable to cope, Reese unwittingly backs Camryn into a corner during his air force enlistment—love him from afar, or leave him.
Enter aerospace engineering student, Glenn Conroy. Persistent and savvy, he woos Camryn during her junior year of college and wins her heart. Or does he? When Reese re-enters her life, further disrupting her tenuous marriage, Camryn turns to best friend, Megan, for advice, but refuses to believe Megan’s suggestion that she’s caught in a “simple” love triangle.
Camryn unveils hidden mysteries and secrets as she embarks on a life-changing journey of revelation and forgiveness, transcending doormat qualities inherited from her mother, and in the process finds what life's struggles are really all about.
C.R. Everett's heart-wrenching debut novel takes the reader on an emotion-packed journey that lingers long after the last page is turned.
LOVE, CARRY MY BAGS – EXCERPT
Reese’s dad was putzing around the kitchen when we walked in. “Oh, you’re staying too,” he said, my duffel prodding his memory. “You can put your stuff in Helen’s room. Since she’s not using it anymore, you may as well.”
“Hey.” Reese greeted his father.
“If you want something to eat, you’ll have to fix it the old fashioned way.” Mr. Dahlgren stirred leftover spaghetti heating on the stove. “Your mother made sure I’d be living in the dark ages when she absconded with the microwave . . . . At least she left the television.” Reese and I exchanged uneasy glances.
“Well, that’s a good thing because you and Reese would be bored watching the microwave together while I do my homework,” I said, grasping for the bright side. “Reese, would you show me upstairs?” I asked, conveniently escaping the awkward moment.
He carried our bags up the stairs and placed mine on a low-set king-sized bed in the first room on the left. The room reminded me of my grandmother’s house with dimly lit gabled walls and a faint odor of must, the vintage green bedspread, a ‘50s remnant. “Your parents didn’t sleep together?” I asked, surprised. It hadn’t occurred to me that married people might not sleep together. Well, there were the Samuelson’s I’d heard of, but they were in their nineties and had health issues which made a shared bed logistically impractical.
“They haven’t shared a room for years,” Reese said, like this was normal—at least in his parents’ household. I stood, focusing through the bed, my head, lost.
“Look,” I said with reluctance, “I’ve got some homework that’s due tomorrow. Why don’t you go downstairs and spend some time with your dad?” Reese’s eyes told me he knew it was the right thing to do even though he’d rather not.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he reiterated, giving me a parting kiss then closed the door behind him. I flopped on the bed, opened Accounting II.
Twenty T-squares later, Reese knocked on the door.
“I brought you some water.” He set the glass on the bedside table then sat down next to me. “How’s it going?”
“I’m almost done.” I took a sip of water. “Thanks.”
“Good, I could use some company down there. Dad keeps bringing up sore subjects, between channel surfing. ‘Have you spoke to your mother?’ ‘Why did she leave?’ ‘The grass isn’t greener . . . it’s damn brown for me.’ ‘Why don’t you do something worthwhile with your life?’ Stuff like that.” I put my accounting text down and climbed onto Reese’s lap. I wanted to make all his bad disappear.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Scarlett Metal Bliz Tour! Naughty Girl & Mine
Book: Naughty Girl
Author: Scarlett Metal
Genre: BDSM Erotica
Series: Naughty Girl Series, #1
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
SYNOPSIS:
This is novella one of the Naughty Girl series:
Book #1 Naughty Girl
Book #2 Mine (just released)
**Mature Content Warning** Recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual content.
Alexandra loved the hot sex she experienced as a submissive in the bedroom, but would never give her heart to any man.
After getting hurt by his sub and wife, Paul swore he would never make that kind of commitment to a woman again.
They meet at the club that Alex frequents and quickly become play partners. The sex is amazing, but despite their reservations, they begin to fall for each other.
Will they be willing to admit their feelings for each other?
PURCHASE LINKS:
EXCERPT:
I hated to admit it to myself, but I was looking forward to going to the engagement party with Alex. We hadn’t hung out anywhere except the club, so I couldn’t wait spend time with her in another social setting. In a way, this was a big step for us, almost like our first date.
Alex had been busy all week, helping Stephanie get ready for the party since she was the maid of honor and her best friend. We didn’t get a chance to see much of each other and it surprised me how much I missed her.
The party was being held at a bar down the street from the club and we decided I would meet her at the party since she had to be there early to help set up. I would then take her home after.
I was a little nervous about tonight. I had no problem being with Alex at the club, but for some reason being out in public with her had my stomach tied in knots. The last time I was this scared to be out with a girl, I was in high school. I wasn’t sure if I liked what she was doing to me.
I arrived at the party and quickly scanned the crowd for Alex. I heard laughter coming from the corner and I smiled. I knew that sound anywhere. I headed in the direction of her voice and finally spotted her. I stopped for a minute and to look at her. She looked amazing in
her green knee length sundress that brought out the gold flecks in her eyes and white strappy sandals. Her was hair down just the way I liked it with a couple pieces pinned back. It was in that moment I realized I was in love with her.
She caught me looking at her and she smiled questioningly at me as she walked over. She hooked her arm in mine. “Hey you.” I took a deep breath. I had to get myself together.
“Hi yourself. You look gorgeous tonight.” I finally managed to say.
She blushed. Could she be just as nervous as I was? “Thank you.”
She turned her face and kissed me softly on the cheek. I knew for certain in that moment our relationship had changed. I didn’t want her just as a play partner at the club, I wanted to make her mine.
“Let’s get you a drink,” she said with a smile.
The rest of the night was better than I ever imagined it would be. We laughed and danced all night, just like a real couple. The later it got, the more I realized that I had fallen for this blond-haired beauty. . This wasn't just about collaring her, I wanted her to be mine in every
sense of the word. I thought about bringing it up after the party, but I wasn’t sure how she felt about me and I didn’t want to ruin the night.
Around midnight, as she was sitting on my lap, she whispered in my ear, “Let’s go.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Where? Are you tired? Do you want to go home?”
She bit her lip and shook her head. “Not home...not my home anyway. And no, I’m not tired.”
“Want to come back to my place?” We’d never been to each other’s homes, so I wasn’t sure how she would react to my invitation.
She nodded and looked at me with her hazel eyes. “Yes, please.” I loved her eyes. They were so expressive. They gave her every emotion away. And right now they were saying ‘fuck me, please’.
I ran my hand down her back. “So polite...Good girl.” I helped her off my lap and stood up, offering my hand. “Ok, let’s go.”
PLAYLIST:
"Beautiful With You" - Halestorm
"I Will Follow" - Art of Dying
"Believe" - Staind
"Hymn for the Missing" - Red
"Crazy Bitch" - Buckcherry
"Hesitate" - Stone Sour
"Here Without You" - 3 Doors Down
"We are Broken" - Paramore
"S&M" - Rihanna
"Undisclosed Desires" - Muse
"The Scientist" - Coldplay
"Whore" - In This Moment
"Afraid of Love" - J Rice
"Pain" - Three Days Grace
"Permanent" - David Cook
"Set it On Fire" - My Darkest Days
"In My Blood" - Black Stone Cherry
"Run" - Matt Nathanson featuring Sugarland
"Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum
"Out of My Head" - Theory of a Deadman
"Lost In You" - Three Days Grace
"Break In" - Halestorm
"My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark - Fall Out Boy
Author: Scarlett Metal
Genre: BDSM Erotica
Series: Naughty Girl Series. #2
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
SYNOPSIS:
This is novella two of the Naughty Girl series:
Book #1 Naughty Girl
Book #2 Mine (just released)
**Due to language and sexual situations, this book is intended for ages 18+**
Alexandra opened her heart and let herself be vulnerable to Paul. The walls around Paul's heart were torn down by the feisty Alex. Both of them are happier than they've been in a long time.
Paul's ex-wife comes to town and turns their life upside down and shakes Paul to the core. Will Alex be collateral damage of his past?
Can Paul show Alex that she's the only one for him before it's too late? Or will someone else from their past destroy them beyond repair?
PURCHASE LINKS:
TEASERS:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Scarlett Metal
Scarlett lives in the Midwest with her sexy husband, two girls, and three furbabies. She dabbled in writing right after college but it wasn't until she took up blogging about eight years ago that she started writing seriously. After writing a few boring service pieces for some online publications, she went back to her true passion, fiction. When she's not busy writing steamy stories, she can be found with her nose in a book, camping, or geocaching with her family. She loves Diet Coke, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and 80's hair bands.
Social media links:
Tour organized by:
HEA Book
Tours, PR & More: http://heabooktours.blogspot.com/
Friday, April 4, 2014
Cover Reveal : One to Protect
Title: One to Protect (One to Hold)
Author: Tia Louise
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 21, 2014
Hosted by: The Book Nuts Author
Promotions
WARNING: Recommended for adult readers (18+) only. Mature themes, strong language,
and sexual content.
One
scar.
One
betrayal.
No
escape.
When
Melissa's ex-husband Sloan beats criminal charges, she stops believing he will
ever pay for what he did to her. Derek Alexander can’t accept that--a tiny
silver scar won't let him forget, and he is determined to get the man who hurt
his fiancee.
Then
a face from the past turns up dead.
After exhausting all legal
options, Derek is ready to do whatever it takes to protect his family... until
his partner Patrick devises a trap that changes everything.
Add to Goodreads:
Meet The Author
Tia Louise is a
former journalist, world-traveler, and collector of beautiful men (who inspire
all of her stories... *wink*)--turned wife, mommy, and novelist.
She lives in
the center of the U.S.A. with her lovely family and one grumpy cat. There, she
dreams up stories she hopes are engaging, hot, and sexy, and that cause readers
rethink common public locations...It's possible she has a slight truffle
addiction.
Books by Tia
Louise:
ONE TO HOLD (Derek & Melissa), 2013
ONE TO KEEP (Patrick & Elaine), 2014
ONE TO HOLD (Derek & Melissa), 2013
ONE TO KEEP (Patrick & Elaine), 2014
Stalk The Author:
Amazon Author
Page: http://amzn.to/1jm2F2b
On Twitter: @ AuthorTLouise
On Instagram:
@AuthorTLouise
Newsletter:
Hosted By:
The Book Nuts
New Cover! The Billionaire & The Barfly (+ my review)
AVAILABLE NOW!
Henry Maximus is a super-hero-loving geek and proud of it. He’s also a genius when it comes to business. It’s how he earned the title of CEO of Maximus Gaming … not to mention the billions of dollars in his bank account. Henry’s tried living the life of a bachelor, but a different girl every night has left him wanting more. Needing more.
Aubrey Vincent is in love with her job. She’ll love it even more if she lands the promotion that gets her out of her parent’s attic. She loves it so much that she has no time for relationships, not that she was ever very good at them to begin with. Aubrey is perfectly happy with the random, nameless men she picks up at the bar.
After a brief encounter with Aubrey on a business trip, Henry packs his bags and moves back to the small town where he grew up. Aubrey’s town. Aubrey attempts to find her way into Henry’s bed, while he tries everything to get into her heart. Will Henry’s plan to break down the walls Aubrey has built around her heart work or will his unbelievable million dollar offer scare her away?
BUY LINKS
My Review!
A wonderful read for anyone who is looking for a different twist on the billionaire/millionaire sub-genre in contemporary romance. Henry is not your average money-man. He's sweet and geek-chic and his persistence with the stubborn Aubrey makes him likable without a typical Alpha's control issues. I'm hoping for a potential sequel or follow-up short with a bit of Henry's POV because I really enjoyed him as a character. The romance between Henry and Aubrey flows nicely and there is some serious steam to enjoy between these two!!
A great quick read! Looking forward to more contemporary from Ms. James!
A great quick read! Looking forward to more contemporary from Ms. James!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Spelled by Sonya Loveday
Spelled
Book 2 of the Casted Series
Now Available!
Confused by the turn of events, Jade is only sure of four things:
My name is Jade Kinsley.
I’m 20 years old.
I’m an Enforcer for the Triad.
And I have a debt to settle with Original Coven.
Will Jade be able to break through the spell her Grandfather put on her and remember who she is, or will she become just another piece in Lorenzo’s game?
It dawned on me, at that moment, that Elliot would do whatever he could to bring Edge back around. It was possible Elliot thought Edge would come around the more he had contact with me. The thought of being close to him made my heart quicken, and heat crawled up my neck. “You ready to take one for the team?” Elliot asked. His face was stoic, but his eyes were pleading. “Let’s do this.” I growled. I’d fight day and night to bring Edge back. I’d fight until I could no longer stand, and then I’d get back up and keep fighting. “Now here’s what I want you both to do.” Elliot laid out the rules, “No kicking, biting, or hitting below the belt. Today we’re going to work on evasive maneuvering. Once Jade has that down, then we’ll move on to sparring.” Edge nodded once in agreement. How would I ever break through whatever they’d done to Edge? “Jade, you ready?” Elliot asked. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Elliot,” I murmured as I made my way to the mat and stood in front of Edge. Warmth radiated through me. He was my preordained, my other half, and it killed me not to be able to fall into his arms. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to start off with. Edge will throw a punch…” Stars bloomed behind my eyelids. I staggered across the mat and fell. “What the hell, Elliot?”
Sonya Loveday, first and foremost, is a reader, an avid one. It is of that love that brought her to the realization that this was the answer to the nagging persistant feeling that 'there has to be something more'.
The dream came alive in 2009 when she purchased her lapton and began the tedious step of becoming a pubished author.
When she's not reading, she's writing. When she's not writing she's reading. And when she's not doing either of those things she's sleeping, shuttling her children back and forth to school, letting the dogs and cats in and out of the house for the upteenth time in the last hour and dreaming of a clean house.
You can find Sonya on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Wordpress
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Cover Reveal : Fifteen Minutes of Fame by Julie Young
I am so thrilled to share this cover reveal with my readers! Author Julie Young has been a mentor and friend of mine since long before I was published. In fact, I walked into her classroom with a half-written version of Reckless Radiance and I left inspired to once again start my teacher/student romance that eventually became The Low Notes. Julie is now breaking into the world of YA fiction and having read her novel I can tell she's going to do amazing things! Check out the brand new cover for her upcoming novel, Fifteen Minutes of Fame! Congrats, Julie!!
Press Release:
After six books on local history including The Famous Faces of WTTV-4, Eastside Indianapolis: A Brief History, Historic Irvington and A Belief in Providence, local author
Julie Young has branched into fiction teaming up with St. Louis-based Rocking
Horse Publishing to release an exciting YA title Fifteen Minutes of Fame on April 11.
Written as
a first-person memoir, Fifteen Minutes of
Fame is the story of Megan Taylor, a young girl who was plucked from
obscurity at the age of 15 and transformed into the mysterious rock icon
MonAmi. At the height of her fame and on the final night of her farewell tour,
the singer runs from the career that made her a superstar and back to her
hometown where she sorts through the complexity of living a double life that the
rocker says “was hardly the best of both worlds.”
Part Hannah
Montana; part Roman Holiday, Fifteen Minutes of Fame is a madcap
behind-the-music fantasy that will thrill fans of Meg Cabot and Jen Calonita.
Much of the
story is set in the fictional Indianapolis suburb of Kentwood (which Young said
was loosely based on Irvington) and local authors who have read review copies
are excited about the release.
Even I was quoted! "A fun YA read that puts a realistic spin on being careful what you wish for," -Kate Roth, author of The Low Notes.
Fifteen Minutes of Fame will be released April 11th!
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
I Loved That About Her : Cover Reveal
Coming April 15th!
I LOVED THAT ABOUT HER by C.R. Everett – SYNOPSIS
In Love, Carry My Bags, we felt Camryn Johnson’s joy and pain during her heartwrenching and heartwarming journey through life’s circumstances, poor choices, and difficult lessons. Through her relationships with both Glenn and Reese, she became the person she wanted and needed to be.
Now it’s Glenn’s turn.
Glenn, who feels chronically misunderstood, shares his side of the story in the stand-alone novelI Loved That About Her, revealing his own inner struggles and showing what it’s like to live at the mercy of forces beyond conscious control. These forces take him and his family to the edge when college arch nemesis, Raine Babcock, wreaks havoc on their lives. Glenn shows us that all is not necessarily what it seems, even to himself.
Walking a mile in his shoes, may change hearts and minds about the bad boy from Love, Carry My Bags that readers loved to hate.
Recommended for mature audiences 17+ for language and sexual situations.
EXCERPT
My job ticked along way better than expected. Once I was on the inside, had my clearance, and put my naturally excessive curiosity to work, doors opened. And I opened them.
I popped my head into the lab walking back to my desk after an aircraft inspection. “Any little green men in here?” I asked.
“Glenn,” my boss, who happened to be in the room, said. “I was just talking about you.”
“Yep, my ears were burning. That’s why I stopped by. Whatcha need?” I asked.
My boss looked like he didn’t know quite what to make of me, but overlooked any reservations he may have had, just like anyone else who saw my potential and took a chance on me had. For those folks, I was grateful. A flashback to my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Emerson, came to mind. She was the only one who took the time after class to sit down with me and re-explain each day’s lesson, because sitting there in a room full of quiet kids, listening, drove me ape shit. Instead of listening, I fidgeted in my chair wondering what was for lunch, sometimes getting out of my chair for a better view out the window, especially when a plane flew overhead. Mrs. Emerson was nice. “I have one just like you at home,” she said. I’m not sure what she meant, but at the time, I was thinking “nice little boy.” During our one-on-one’s, she’d speak to me like I mattered and never criticized me for not being like all the other kids who could sit in their chairs, listen, and understand, going off to do their homework by themselves after class. We did my homework together, and she gave me M&Ms after each problem I did right. Once I figured that out, I aced almost everything because there was a good reason to do the work. M&Ms right away, not some dumb letter grade handed back on a page three days later. When she explained to my folks that I knew the material, they laid into me about why I couldn’t do it at home in my room, but they clearly didn’t understand the power of M&Ms . . . or one-on-one.
“Conroy,” my boss said, “we need you in Seattle. You’re the first guy I thought of when this assignment came up—right up your alley.”
I was intrigued. My ears perked up when the words “need you” hit the air. Plus the fact that he thought of me, and “right up your alley” sounded phenom. Having gotten my attention, I listened intently as boss man outlined the particulars of the job, throwing in words like “top secret” and “special clearances” and “national security.” I was all over it and would have accepted right then and there if I didn’t need to consider Camryn.
“We need you ASAP,” he said.
“Let me talk it over with my wife,” I said, somehow managing to stifle my excitement. I hoped she’d like the idea too.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.R. Everett was born in Northern Illinois and has lived in various places over the years, currently residing in Utah. For twenty years she worked in finance, but today devotes her time to writing. She lives with her husband, two kids, Shiba Inu, and cat. When not writing, she updates her website, connects with her readers, does the mom thing, or cleans up after unruly pets. In her free time she enjoys reading, usually at the gym while on a treadmill, baking, taking walks, enjoying nature, and going to Starbucks. Mocha is her favorite.
Website -www.creverett.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/creverettbooks
Twitter - https://twitter.com/authorcreverett
Love, Carry My Bags Amazon Link UShttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B009SZYJ3W
Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009SZYJ3W
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-carry-my-bags-c-r-everett/1114473132?ean=2940044288553
LOVE, CARRY MY BAGS – SYNOPSIS
Camryn Johnson’s world is turned upside down when long lost love, Reese Dahlgren, re-enters her life at a pivotal point in her already challenging marriage. She faces an excruciating predicament: choose between a broken home for her daughter or a broken life for herself.
After her parents' divorce, Camryn first meets high school basketball star, Reese, at the Harvard Milk Day Festival bed races. Reese hides baggage of his own…until Camryn melts his heart and learns secrets entrusted only to her. Still, the weight is too much to bear. Unable to cope, Reese unwittingly backs Camryn into a corner during his air force enlistment—love him from afar, or leave him.
Enter aerospace engineering student, Glenn Conroy. Persistent and savvy, he woos Camryn during her junior year of college and wins her heart. Or does he? When Reese re-enters her life, further disrupting her tenuous marriage, Camryn turns to best friend, Megan, for advice, but refuses to believe Megan’s suggestion that she’s caught in a “simple” love triangle.
Camryn unveils hidden mysteries and secrets as she embarks on a life-changing journey of revelation and forgiveness, transcending doormat qualities inherited from her mother, and in the process finds what life's struggles are really all about.
C.R. Everett's heart-wrenching debut novel takes the reader on an emotion-packed journey that lingers long after the last page is turned.
LOVE, CARRY MY BAGS – EXCERPT
Reese’s dad was putzing around the kitchen when we walked in. “Oh, you’re staying too,” he said, my duffel prodding his memory. “You can put your stuff in Helen’s room. Since she’s not using it anymore, you may as well.”
“Hey.” Reese greeted his father.
“If you want something to eat, you’ll have to fix it the old fashioned way.” Mr. Dahlgren stirred leftover spaghetti heating on the stove. “Your mother made sure I’d be living in the dark ages when she absconded with the microwave . . . . At least she left the television.” Reese and I exchanged uneasy glances.
“Well, that’s a good thing because you and Reese would be bored watching the microwave together while I do my homework,” I said, grasping for the bright side. “Reese, would you show me upstairs?” I asked, conveniently escaping the awkward moment.
He carried our bags up the stairs and placed mine on a low-set king-sized bed in the first room on the left. The room reminded me of my grandmother’s house with dimly lit gabled walls and a faint odor of must, the vintage green bedspread, a ‘50s remnant. “Your parents didn’t sleep together?” I asked, surprised. It hadn’t occurred to me that married people might not sleep together. Well, there were the Samuelson’s I’d heard of, but they were in their nineties and had health issues which made a shared bed logistically impractical.
“They haven’t shared a room for years,” Reese said, like this was normal—at least in his parents’ household. I stood, focusing through the bed, my head, lost.
“Look,” I said with reluctance, “I’ve got some homework that’s due tomorrow. Why don’t you go downstairs and spend some time with your dad?” Reese’s eyes told me he knew it was the right thing to do even though he’d rather not.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he reiterated, giving me a parting kiss then closed the door behind him. I flopped on the bed, opened Accounting II.
Twenty T-squares later, Reese knocked on the door.
“I brought you some water.” He set the glass on the bedside table then sat down next to me. “How’s it going?”
“I’m almost done.” I took a sip of water. “Thanks.”
“Good, I could use some company down there. Dad keeps bringing up sore subjects, between channel surfing. ‘Have you spoke to your mother?’ ‘Why did she leave?’ ‘The grass isn’t greener . . . it’s damn brown for me.’ ‘Why don’t you do something worthwhile with your life?’ Stuff like that.” I put my accounting text down and climbed onto Reese’s lap. I wanted to make all his bad disappear.
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