Excerpt ☆ Lexi Blake ☆ Perfectly Paired

Perfectly Paired

Masters and Mercenaries: Topped Book 3

by Lexi Blake

Coming November 29, 2016

  

A table for two

Waitress Tiffany Hayes knows what she wants and she wants Sebastian. Top’s grumpy sommelier calls to her in a way no man has before. She simply needs to show him that they belong together. Finding an opportunity to spend some quality time with him turns out to be the easy part. Convincing Sebastian to look beyond his damaged heart and soul is far more difficult. 

A thirst he can’t deny

After losing everything he held dear, Sebastian Lowe has finally rebuilt his life and the walls around his heart. Tiffany is a sweet temptation he struggles to resist. She’s bright and complex, but he’s sure she can’t handle his dark desires. When they’re thrown together on an assignment, he can’t help himself. 

A perfect pairing

As passion builds, the new lovers are both forced to face their pasts. To have a future, they must find a way to heal the wounds they thought would haunt them forever.

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Damn but she was a beautiful woman. She was also something he needed to keep his hands off of. No matter what Big Tag said, he did not date women he worked with.

He didn’t really date anyone. He played with subs. When the need got too great, he found a partner for a brief time. He didn’t sleep with anyone. He fucked, and that was starting to get very old. Empty.

“So you said something about house rules?” Tiffany leaned forward, her elbows on the bar. “Are these housekeeping rules or like big bad Dom rules?”

“I don’t suppose I differentiate.” He couldn’t let those big eyes of hers soften him up. It had almost happened at her apartment. When she’d stood up after he’d spanked her and there had been tears running down her face, his impulse had been to reach for her. He’d wanted to draw her in the way he had that night when she was drunk and she’d cried on his shoulder. He’d wanted to smooth back her hair and promise her everything was going to be all right, that he could fix things for her. It was a path that was sure to lead to discomfort for her and humiliation for him. “I prefer a clean living space. I don’t like for things to be messy. I expect that you will keep your things in their proper place.”

Because no matter how hard he tried, he could still trip. The legs he now walked on were only a year old. He’d spent the first two years in a wheelchair.

The Garden’s Wheelchair Dom.

He still wasn’t completely comfortable in the prosthetics.

“I can try,” she said with a frown. “I’ll be honest, I’m not the world’s biggest neat freak.”

He’d been able to tell that from the state of her apartment. It had been cluttered, a bit dusty. With the exception of her easel. That had been perfectly taken care of. He rather wished he’d taken the time to ask to see her art.

He’d seen one painting that night he’d taken her home. It had been a painting of three laughing girls, the swirling colors so vibrant he could hear them giggling as they splashed in a puddle on a rainy day. The figures had been more impressions than photographic reality, but he’d known what she was trying to convey.

“If you cook I’ll clean, and the other way around.” He’d started a list in his head on the long drive. The drive that would have been considerably shorter had they left at the proper time. As she’d sung along to sugary pop songs after she’d changed his radio, he’d sat and considered how to proceed.

With caution. Lots and lots of caution.

“I’m not the best cook in the world,” he continued, “but I can manage. Most nights, of course, we’ll be eating at Top as our training sessions for the new restaurant will last long hours, but I would prefer to eat breakfast here rather than skipping the meal or picking up fast food. Eric made sure the fridge was stocked with a few items I requested.”

“Breakfast.” She gave him a little salute with her free hand. “I can manage that.”

“In addition to our duties at Top, we will now be taking on the additional task of appearing to be a long-term D/s couple, and we need to talk about what that should look like.” Another thing he’d been thinking about ever since that moment the trap had closed around him. “You know you probably could have gotten us out of this assignment. It’s much more difficult for the Dom to say no. The sub always holds the power. Is there a reason you didn’t use yours today?”

“I didn’t want to,” she replied simply. “I don’t have a full-time Dom and I thought it would be interesting to see what that’s like.”

Was she thinking at all? “You know nothing about how I function as a dominant partner.”

“And now I do,” she replied. “You like rules and schedules and you tend to be very fair.”

“I can be quite exacting in my standards.”

“I can be quite flexible,” she shot back as the sexiest smile crossed her face. “I’m serious about that. I can still do the splits and everything.”

“You’re far too reckless, Tiffany.” He didn’t appreciate recklessness so why was she like a siren calling to him? If he listened, he would end up wrecked.

“You’re far too uptight, Sebastian.”

    

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

Facebook ☆ Twitter ☆ Website ☆ Amazon Author Page

Release Blitz ☆ Tillie Cole ☆ A Veil Of Vines

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To most people, princes, princesses, counts and dukes are found only in the pages of the most famous of fairytales. Crowns, priceless jewels and gilded thrones belong only in childhood dreams.
But for some, these frivolous fancies are truth.
For some, they are real life.
On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, people have always treated me as someone special. All because of my ancestral name and legacy. All because of a connection I share to our home country’s most important family of all.
I am Caresa Acardi, the Duchessa di Parma. A blue blood of Italy. I was born to marry well. And now the marriage date is set.
I am to marry into House Savona. The family that would have been the royals had Italy not abolished the monarchy in 1946. But to the aristocrats of my home, the abolition means nothing at all.
The Savonas still hold power where it counts most.
In our tight-knit world of money, status and masked balls, they are everything and more.
And I am soon to become one of them.
I am soon to become Prince Zeno Savona’s wife…
… or at least I was, until I met Achille.
And everything changed.

I opened the window beside me and stared at the illuminated entrance. I swallowed hard and placed my empty glass on the bar. Metal groaned, breaking through the twilight, as the massive black wrought-iron gates began to open. The limo slowly pulled onto the property’s lane, and I drank in the thick forest that shielded the estate. I inhaled the freshness of the lush green trees. The unpolluted sky was thick with stars—not a single cloud in sight.
A few minutes later, the thick woods cleared, and I gasped. Acres and acres of gold and green vineyards covered the landscape. The scents of plump grapes and damp soil permeated the warm air. I closed my eyes. It reminded me of being a child. It brought me back to the days before I was taken to New York. I could still feel the heat of the Emilia-Romagna sun on my face, the deep smell of olives, grapes and flowers drifting in the breeze as I ran around our Parma estate.
I smiled a nostalgic smile and allowed my eyes to drift open again. I rested my arms on the window and leaned my chin on them as the limo drove on. There were several small villas peppered over the landscape, their lights twinkling in the distance. They must have been the winemakers’ residences. It was not only the Bella Collina merlot that was made on this land; other reds were too—particularly the Chianti from the region’s finest Sangiovese grapes. The Bella Collina olive oil was also up there with the best. But nothing compared to the famed merlot.
The limo turned right, and my breath caught in my throat. I lifted my head and stared disbelievingly at the property ahead. Bella Collina was a veritable Palace of Versailles tucked away in the Umbrian wilderness.
“Mio Dio,” I whispered as I took in the imposing stone structure, the sweeping steps and the vast number of windows set in the building’s walls. Large pillars of red-veined marble flanked the entrance. Cypress trees framed the estate as if it were the shining star of a fine Renaissance painting. Sculptures of famed Savona monarchs of old stood proudly on the manicured lawns, and strategically placed lighting illuminated the sheer perfection of every piece of topiary.
As a child, I had been to the Palazzo Savona in Florence. It was widely regarded to be one of the finest estates in all of Italy, if not western Europe. But this . . . this . . . there were no words. It was perfectly placed, as if it had always been there. As if it had grown naturally from the Umbrian earth just as sure as the vines and woods that kept this architectural treasure hidden from view.

Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.

After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.

Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.

Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.

When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.

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Promo Tour ✩ Ginger Scott ✩ Hold My Breath

We're celebrating the release of 

HOLD MY BREATH 

by 

Ginger Scott

Check out the review, teasers, and giveaway below!

HOLD MY BREATH

NA Contemporary Romance-Stand Alone

Scheduled to release: November 18, 2016

Amazon ✩ iBooks ✩  Kobo ✩  BN ✩  Google 

Fractions of seconds can do lots of damage. One decision can ruin lives. A blink can be tragic. And loving a Hollister…can hurt like hell.

I would know.

They say the average person can hold their breath under water for two full minutes when pushed to the extremes. Will Hollister has been holding his for years. The oldest of two elite swimming brothers, Will was always a dominant force in the water. But in life, he preferred to let his younger
brother Evan be the one to shine.

Evan got the girl, and Will…he got to bury all of the secrets. A brother’s burden, the weight of it all nearly left him to drown.

The daughter of two Olympians, my path was set the day my fingertips first touched water. My future was as crystal clear as the lane I dominated in the pool—swim hard, win big, love a Hollister.

My life with Evan burned bright. He gave me arms to come home to, and a smile that fooled the world into believing everything was perfect. But it was Will who pushed me. Will…who really knew me.

And when all of the pieces fell, it was Will who started to pick them up.

In the end, the only thing that matters are those few precious seconds—and what we decide to do while we still have them in our grasp.

I wait while he types, bringing my knees up and cupping my phone in my
hands, like I want to keep his messages a secret for only me. When my
phone buzzes with his call instead, I feel my cheeks grow warm, and I
scrunch my legs in tighter as I bring the phone to my ear.
“Hey,” I say.
“How’d you know it was me?” he chuckles.
“I already gave you a special ring,” I lie. “A Fat Elvis song.”
“Wow, Fat Elvis. I don’t even warrant skinny, movie-star Elvis,” he says.
“Fat Elvis is better,” I say, stretching my legs out and crossing my
ankles as he laughs.
“I think we need to explore this more,” he says.
“There really is no debate. His music meant more when he was older. More
emotion,” I reply.
“You mean more drugs,” he fires back.
“Better clothes.” That response makes him laugh hard, and I love the way I
hear it coming from his chest, like it’s deep—genuine.
“I liken myself to more of a Jail House Rock kinda guy, is all,” he says,
finally.
“Hmmm,” I hum, lowering myself so my head is propped against the door, and
I’m now lying on the floor, as close to him as I can be without leaving my
room.
“What, you don’t think I have moves? These hips—they swivel, darlin’,” he
says with a slight twang.
“That they do,” I respond, pulling a few strands of my hair in front of my
face, hiding from the flirtatious words I just said. Will chuckles more,
but after a second or two, it’s nothing but the sound of his room on one
end meeting the sounds in mine.
“Your lip ticks up, like Elvis,” he says, breaking the silence just as I
feel my blush crawling down my neck and onto my chest.
I punch out a laugh and roll to my side.
“Does not!” I say, feeling my face, my mouth higher on one side. Son of a
bitch!
“It does,” he laughs lightly. “Always has.”
I wait for the quiet to settle in again. I wait to be braver with him.
“Just how many things have you noticed about me, Will Hollister?” The
second my question is done, my words are replaced by the rapid pounding of
my pulse, but my face—it’s still smiling. So hard it hurts.
“Let’s see,” he says, and I hear him settling into his bed, his voice
muffling as his phone presses against his face. “I noticed that you can’t
stand having your hair pulled up in anything. When we swim, you pull your
cap off the second we’re done.”
“Well that’s sexy,” I say, covering my face and mentally kicking myself
for letting that one slip out.
“Oh, you wanted sexy things…” he says, and I open my mouth to say no, but
shut it quickly, curious over exactly what he’ll say next. “I have lots of
those, too, besides the Elvis-lip thing, which yes, Maddy, is so fuckin’
sexy.”
“Oh,” I blush, my thumbnail quickly moving between my teeth.
“Let’s see, first, there’s the way your legs curve along your quads, the
muscle that’s there giving them this edge. The athlete part of me likes
how hard you had to train to make it that way,” he says.
“What does the…” I pause, taking a quick breath, “man side of you think?”
I ask, now so red that even my arms look flushed.
“Oh, the man side…” he growls low, a rumble from his chest. “That part of
me likes the ride my hand takes when it starts just above your knee, then
glides slowly up your leg to your panties, my fingertips tracing that
lacey band that runs along the inside of your thigh and up over your hip.”
Holy hell.
“And then there’s the way your neck curves into your shoulder, the way
your hair tickles your skin and makes you get goosebumps—just like it does
when I kiss you there,” he says, and my body shivers at the memory of his
mouth against me.
“Your eyes do this thing, just before you race, where they haze and close
in on their prey. I always imagined what it would be like for you to look
at me like that,” he says.
“Haven’t I?” I ask, waiting a breath while he considers what I’m asking.
“Looked at you that way,” I fill in. “When we…”
“Maddy, I was so focused on every other part of your body that day, I
don’t remember what your eyes looked like,” he laughs.
“Well maybe next time you will,” I say.
“Next time.” I can hear his grin in his words.
“Yeah,” I breathe. “Next time.”
This time.
The quiet comes again, filled only by the sound of his breathing, his
breath a long draw that sounds as a warning in my ear. I chew at my nail,
waiting…hoping.
“Maddy,” he says, finally.
“Yes?” I sit up and crawl to my knees.
I hear his door open across the hall, and I stand, pressing my palm and
forehead against mine.
“Let me in."

☆¨* GIVEAWAY *¨☆

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4a501259577/?

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams and The Hard Count.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

☆¨* Social Media Links *¨☆

Facebook Page ✩ Twitter ✩ Pinterest ✩ YouTube  

Google ✩ Goodreads ✩ Website

4.5 STARS ✮ MELANIE HARLOW ✮ AFTER WE FALL

After We Fall

by

Melanie Harlow

✮✮✮ 4.5 STARS ✮✮✮ 

A hot tortured farmer? A city girl teaching him how to love again? Sign me up! 

Margot has a late visitor. Her ex wants to get back together and proposes to her. If that doesn't smell fishy...yet she considers it. The next day at a fundraiser he presents his "new fiancé". Only...it isn't her. She's had enough, something's gotta give. After throwing a tray of scones at her ex-jerk she decided to go out of town to get away from the gossip. She takes on a new client on behalf of her and her best friend's PR agency, a small family farm whose owners focus on sustainable agriculture. 

Jack's and his brothers' farm is struggling a little bit. They need to grow brand awareness, stand out from the multitude of farms but Jack doesn't like change. And the barbie doll who is supposed to show him his own business? No way is he on board with the plans she has for the Valentini Brothers Farm. Add to that the feelings this woman awakes in him, feelings he doesn't want and deserve...he needs to get rid of her and fast. 

Jack and Margot couldn't be any different. He is an ex soldier now farmer with a traumatic past who lost his anchor when his wife died. Grouchy, ill-mannered, downright rude. Margot is a city girl, used to luxury and abundance. Yet something ties them together. They have an insane chemistry and although Jack is volatile and puts up walls within seconds, her big heart and easy smile makes them weaker and wears him down, little by little. She knows how to treat him, to push and prod when he needs it and to leave him be when he doesn't. 

Careful, city girl. I'll want to keep you." She laughed as I let her go. But the scary thing was, I was only half joking.

Soon he finds himself seeing more in her than the spoiled city girl he thought her to be. She is strong-willed and doesn't let him roll over her like a bulldozer which I loved. Jack needed somebody who stood up for herself. But she is also incredibly forgiving, because she knows that behind all those walls is a good man and while she didn't leave him hanging for too long his grovelling was delicious and sweet. 

Jack's heart is so broken and shattered that it feels like it will never heal. The way he holds on to the past and thinks that he doesn't deserve anything good in his life is painful and so misguided. He lashes out when he feels cornered and hurts Margot almost to a point where you can't fix what's broken. But there is also a sweet side to him and one that can see what he is doing despite his inability to actually DO something about it. Both of them reflect a lot about themselves, Margot probably even more so than Jack. 

How could I compare my situation, which was probably just boredom, to his tragic loss? What a spoiled brat I was, complaining about "something missing" from my life. I'd never wanted for anything.

Their whirlwind romance develops fast but even though they give in to their building desire for one another quickly it doesn't feel insta because Jack keeps pushing her away. And anyway was the push and pull in this story an emotional roller coaster. 

But forgiving myself would mean giving myself permission to move on, to be happy when I didn't deserve it. I'd never make that mistake again. 

My heart broke for these two a thousand times over and when the story came to a conclusion the epilogue was well deserved and beautiful. I left them in a place I felt comfortable with and confident that their future would be bright. It's a story about healing and filling a void they both feel with love. 

One more thing I want to mention is their chemistry. God were they hot together. Jack was quite the dirty talker and if he doesn't make your girly parts tingle then I don't know what will!

She wrapped her fingers around my shaft again and looked up at me expectantly.
"Good Girl. Now listen to me. I want you to stop being so fucking polite. Use your hands. Get messy. Make noise. Forget about being queen of the prom and suck me off like the greedy little slut under the bleachers. Got it?" 

I have had a lot of firsts this year. This is another new to me author and I know it won't be the last. Melanie Harlow's combination of humor and heartbreak has made me an instant fan. I can't wait to read more of her!

I'd never been so aware of my body or felt so driven by its need. Never experienced hunger or thirst or exhaustion to the point where my body craved food, water or sleep the way it craved to be filled by this man. Connected to him. Anchored to him. 

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Review Tour ☆ Ginger Scott ☆Hold My Breath

We're celebrating the release of 

HOLD MY BREATH 

by 

Ginger Scott

Check out the review, teasers, and giveaway below!

HOLD MY BREATH

NA Contemporary Romance-Stand Alone

Scheduled to release: November 18, 2016

Amazon ✩ iBooks ✩  Kobo ✩  BN ✩  Google 

Fractions of seconds can do lots of damage. One decision can ruin lives. A blink can be tragic. And loving a Hollister…can hurt like hell.

I would know.

They say the average person can hold their breath under water for two full minutes when pushed to the extremes. Will Hollister has been holding his for years. The oldest of two elite swimming brothers, Will was always a dominant force in the water. But in life, he preferred to let his younger
brother Evan be the one to shine.

Evan got the girl, and Will…he got to bury all of the secrets. A brother’s burden, the weight of it all nearly left him to drown.

The daughter of two Olympians, my path was set the day my fingertips first touched water. My future was as crystal clear as the lane I dominated in the pool—swim hard, win big, love a Hollister.

My life with Evan burned bright. He gave me arms to come home to, and a smile that fooled the world into believing everything was perfect. But it was Will who pushed me. Will…who really knew me.

And when all of the pieces fell, it was Will who started to pick them up.

In the end, the only thing that matters are those few precious seconds—and what we decide to do while we still have them in our grasp.

☆¨* GIVEAWAY *¨☆

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams and The Hard Count.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

☆¨* Social Media Links *¨☆

Facebook Page ✩ Twitter ✩ Pinterest ✩ YouTube  

Google ✩ Goodreads ✩ Website

Hold My Breath

by

Ginger Scott

5 "EIGHTEEN" STARS

☆☆☆☆☆

Will Hollister is drowning, despite him being one of the best swimmers in the US. The responsibilities he is buried under would be too much for everybody yet he tries to shoulder them. Alone, with a mountain of lies and duties.

Avoiding conflict is half the reason I’m as miserable as I am. If I’d embraced it, once— the important time— I wouldn’t be carrying half of the misery that I walk around with every minute of the day. But I can’t change who I am, and I’m a lying chicken shit.

Maddy's future took a completely unexpected path when tragedy struck. She hasn't been living ever since. Not really. Existed. Yes. Survived. When her childhood friend and Evan's brother Will announces that he wants to attempt trials for the Olympic games she has more than mixed feelings about it. Maddy is the daughter of two Olympic swimmers, there is no question that she wants to swim during the summer games. Her training happens at the same place she spent every summer with the Hollister boys. The same place Will is going to train at for his own trials, her father's swim club. For her own peace of mind she needs to stay away.

The competitor in me is back, with the hunger of a thousand dragons. And Will Hollister is just going to have to be okay with the line I need to draw between us. I can’t get close to him. We can’t be friends. There’s too much Evan there. It will only slow me down.

Maddy was hard to read in the beginning. I think her own confusion with her feelings made it so. She has to wade through a lot of conflicting emotions. The farther I got into the story the more my admiration grew. Maddy takes care of Will when she realizes that he shoulders more than she was aware of. She is there for him, taking some of his weight and making life easier for him. And when she finally learns the truth she goes all in. She has come a long way and I loved the new Maddy she grew into. I adored her for being a worthy heroine for an amazing hero. Speaking of...

Will...the things he has gone through? The person he has become? OMG. Besides juggling his life he feels he has to hold in all the lies and secrets he is left with. And those aren't small untruths, they are life changing ones and I think everybody would buckle under them.

“You’re the only thing that doesn’t make me want to drown,” Will says, and my hands fall softly into his hair. My lungs fill at the touch. “I think I came here knowing that you were my only shot at peace.”

He is amazingly strong but you can feel how he starts to crumble. Beside all that there is his love for Maddy which began when he was a teenager. He is very perceptive and in tune with her feelings and reservations. Will's character is sweet and kind and caring, yet hot and funny and this mix makes him irresistible.

I loved how natural they are together. How there are no insecurities or lies. Not even the little white lies. They "get" each other, there is no room for pretense. Of course, that they were childhood friends helps. When you read an emotional book it can be heavy on the angst. While there was some angst and heartbreak it never got too hard. There was humor and hope peppered in between.

“And you better not cheat. If I find out, I’ll do something really shitty to your shampoo bottles when you’re not home. And you know Duncan would help me.” I pull in my brow and laugh out a breath.

The competitive nature of the two main characters made for some funny moments. The description of Will competing and giving his all to crack the elusive eighteen had my heart pounding. The side cast is fabulous and Will's uncle is a cunning man with Will's and Maddy's best interest at heart. The steam factor was higher than I expected and some of the scenes were seriously hot. Like, really hot.

This was my first book by Ginger Scott and I'm happy I followed my friend's advice to read this one. This is definitely one of those stories that stay with you and keeps you thinking about the characters and their decisions.
I'm still wondering why I haven't read The Hard Count yet. It has been waiting on my Kindle forever. I'll remedy this oversight as soon as possible.

“Why did you leave Indiana?” My voice breaks the silence, but nothing follows.
I breathe. My chest in and out. My pulse quickens.
“You transferred to Michigan with one year left. You never came back here. You were… gone.”
Will’s body rises with a long slow breath, and his head rolls to the side, his cheek flat against the back of his hands, his blue eyes opening on mine. Crystal. Honest.
“I couldn’t be here… because you were here,” he says.

 Graphics courtesy of Ginger Scott