A GRAVE INHERITANCE - Kari Edgren

I'm so excited to bring you the release day launch of Kari Edgren's A Grave Inheritance!! This sexy NA historical is the sequel to Goddess Born and I love it!! Make sure to check out all the info about the book and Kari, and be sure to enter Kari's giveaway!

Selah Kilbrid may descend from the goddess Brigid, but her heart beats—and breaks—the same as any human. Yet enduring the scorn of London's most noble lords and ladies is a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness. Selah would endure much more for love, and her betrothed, Lord Henry Fitzalan, is prepared to challenge anyone foolish enough to stand in their way—even another goddess born.

But when a captivating young gentleman draws Selah into a world shadowed by secrets, she is forced to confront her darkest fears. What if some differences are too great to overcome and a future with Henry is doomed from the start?

With these doubts threatening her impending marriage and the very last of Brigid's fire draining from her soul, a violent attack on an innocent child pushes Selah to the very edge of her power. She must find a way to cross into the Otherworld and regain her strength—or forfeit the streets of London to death and disease.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | A Grave Inheritance Goodreads

Goddess Born:

Amazon | Barnes and Nobles

Kari Edgren did not dream of becoming a writer. Instead, she dreamed of everything else and was often made to stay inside during kindergarten recess to practice her letters. Despite doting parents and a decent school system, Ms. Edgren managed to make it through elementary school having completed only one book cover to cover – The Box Car Children, which she read approximately forty-seven times. Things improved during high school, but not until she read Gabrielle Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude in college, did she truly understand the power of a book.

Ms. Edgren aspires to be a Vulcan, a world-acclaimed opera singer, and two inches taller. She resides in the Pacific NW where she spends a great deal of time torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical facts. Ms. Edgren hasn’t stopped dreaming, but has finally mastered her letters enough to put the stories on paper.

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Inside Out - Off the Map # 3 - Lia Riley

OFF THE MAP #1

If You Never Get Lost, You’ll Never Be Found

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying good-bye to the past-and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she'll act like a carefree exchange student, not a girl sinking under the weight of painful memories. Everything is going according to plan until she meets a brooding surfer with hypnotic green eyes and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he moved back home to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He's never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once in a lifetime . . . or if they were meant to live a world apart.

OFF THE MAP # 2

It was only meant to last the summer . . .

Talia Stolfi has seen more than her share of loss in her twenty-one years. But then fate brought her Bran Lockhart, and her dark world was suddenly and spectacularly illuminated. So if being with Bran means leaving her colorless NorCal life for rugged and wild Australia, then that’s what she’ll do. But as much as Talia longs to give herself over completely to a new beginning, the fears of her past are still lurking in the shadows.

Bran Lockhart knows that living without the beautiful girl who stole his heart will be torment, so he’ll take whatever time with her he can. But even though she has packed up her life in California and is back in his arms for the time being, she can’t stay forever. And the remaining time they have together is ticking by way too fast. Though fate seems determined to tear them apart, they won’t give up without a fight—because while time may have limits, their love is infinite . . . 

OFF THE MAP # 3

When Talia first moved from California to Australia to study abroad, she never dreamed she'd find the love of her life. Bran understands her like no one ever has before. And despite the numerous challenges they've faced, they've always managed to figure out how to stay together. But this time they'll face their toughest hurdle yet. Is their love strong enough to keep them together?

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Inside Out è l'ultimo capitolo della serie Off the Map di Lia Riley.

Confesso di non aver letto i primi due romanzi, ma non è stato difficile capire dove erano rimasti i due personaggi principali, Natalia e Bran al termine del secondo libro, o come era nata la loro storia raccontata nel primo.

Prima di iniziare con la recensione, è importate avvisarvi della presenza di SPOILERS, per questo ho pensato fosse saggio inserire all'inizio di questo post le trame dei romanzi precedenti.

Quando tutto sembra essere deciso e prevedibile, può essere divertente e coraggioso provare a cambiare strada, invece che percorrere quella che ci troviamo davanti a noi. Si possono fare delle interessanti avventure, conoscere persone nuove e, perché no, cambiare per sempre il corso della nostra vita! 

Natalia ha deciso di entrare a far parte dei Peace Corps in Africa, come insegnante di inglese in scuole disagiate per bambini con scarse possibilità di un futuro. E' per questa ragione che ha deciso di fare il grande passo, fare qualcosa per cambiare la situazione attuale. Mettersi in prima linea per portare a termine un cambiamento sostanziale che potesse confermarle le sue capacità. Levare per sempre l'etichetta d'inetta che si era appiccicata da sola sulla fronte.

I think deep down inside I believed something would shift in me, in my life, like I'd wake one moring and it would be a whole new world. Instead, I'm still me. Just here, in Africa, teaching English as a second language in a rural school.

Durante il suo soggiorno però qualcosa di brutto accade, contrae la malaria ed è costretta a tornare a casa, non dopo aver rischiato seriamente di perdere la vita. Una volta scampato pericolo e ricevuto il nulla osta a partire da parte dei medici, torna in California. Ma non ci torna da sola. Bran, che si trovava in in mezzo all'oceano a salvare le balene, ha lasciato tutto e tutti per starle accanto. C'è stato un momento in cui la paura per i sentimenti che prova per Natalia l'avevano convinto che fosse stato meglio separarsi, ripensandoci poco dopo e chiedendole una seconda opportunità. La ragazza, innamorata di Bran alla follia, non ha potuto negargliela anche se consapevole che servirà del tempo per sistemare le cose tra loro. 

I've seen Bran at his worst, know his best, and somehow reconcile the two.He's brody, unpredicable, and twists my brain like a preztel, but my love for him isn't a word, it's an involuntary, instinctive act, like breathing. Our connection is the one thing I trust in this far-too-fragile world.

Questa volta Bran prova un diverso tipo di paura, che gli aprirà gli occhi sulla vera forza dei suoi sentimenti.

I remember the sucker punch in my solar plexus when I learned a mosquito infected Talia with malaria's worst strain, plasmodium falciparum.

I love Talia more than my next breath, and I hurt her worse than any enemy. I can't do that again. Her place is in the sun.

My lips cover hers, and then she's returning my kiss with such fierceness my breath stops and I hear colors. Our bodies entwine and I inhale deep like she's a wildflower that blooms only for me as my fingers trace the delicate skin beneath her jaw. Each touch is an ode, a secret sonnet, composed just for her. I caress in lieu of words, want to give her myself at my most basic-my body-blood and bones. Everything, every damn thing I am, or ever will be, is hers now and forever.  

Tornati in California insieme, devono affrontare non pochi problemi. Innanzitutto, non avendo altro posto dove stare, si ritrovano a condividere la casa del padre di Natalia e della nuova compagnia incinta di 8 mesi, sono entrambi senza lavoro e confusi su come fare a trovare una soluzione.

Natalia affronta un periodo di forte depressione in quanto si sente sconfitta per non essere riuscita a portare a termine il suo impegno in Africa. Insicura di natura, ha cercato di affrontare ogni sua paura ed insicurezza mettendosi alla prova imbarcandosi in questa enorme avventura. contrarre la malaria non era ovviamente  nei piani. Trovare la forza per rialzarsi, capire cosa fare della sua vita, non sarà semplice. Tra alti e bassi, momenti di sconforto e di entusiasmo, troverà anche lei la sua strada anche se questo significherà andare fuori dal percorso prestabilito dalla Mappa.

Bran, è di Melbourne quindi molto lontano da casa, ma non ha nessuna intenzione di abbandonare Natalia da sola. L'errore di averla lasciata andare è stato già fatto una volta e non vuole, e deve, ripetersi. E' faticoso starle acconto, sopratutto le prime settimane di rientro dall'Africa, quando per Natalia niente si sarebbe sistemato, e il suo fallimento non poteva essere dimenticato. Ma questo non lo demoralizza, le sarebbe stato accanto e dimostrato che persona magnifica, stupenda e in gamba fosse. 

After all she's been through , I want her feeling safe, adored, to understand no matter how bad her darkness gets, I will always believe in her light. I don't speak these words though. Sometimes, touch makes for better communication. Words only go so far.

In questo periodo, Bran si rende conto di quanto sia giusta per lui questa ragazza. La paura degli errori del passato non devono impedirgli di vivere accanto a Natalia e apprezzare quotidianamente la sua bellezza. Anche per lui ci sarà un percorso interiore da intraprendere, verso la consapevolezza e accettazione dell'amore e dei sacrifici che esso comporta.

No matter how much stupid shit I've done in my life, I've done something right to earn this girl. She makes me feel thinks I never knew I was capable of. My heart was a geode. Plain. Gray. Cold. Hard. She drove her sweet blade into my center until I craked and discovered a hidden beauty. 

Per quanto si tratti di una serie di romanzi New Adult, si potrebbero anche classificare come romanzi romance di formazione. Leggiamo in modo accurato e a tratti poetico di come crescono i nostri protagonisti, ognuno con le loro insicurezze e demoni da affrontare. Con la perfetta dose di passione e numerosi, forse anche troppi secondo la mia opinione, capitoli di aiuto analisi, giungiamo infine alla più perfetta delle conclusioni.

Lo stile della scrittrice è a dir poco strepitoso, spesso utilizza similitudini che sfiorano la poesia, mai letto niente di simile. 

E' con piacere che ho scoperto, solo recentemente, che i diritti del primo romanzo sono stati acquistati dalla Newton Compton Editori, non ci sono ancora informazioni dettagliate sull'uscita prevista in Italia, si sa solo che il titolo sarà " ho imparato ad amare", vedremo che cosa ne sarà della bella copertina della versione originale. Ringrazio il blog Insaziabili letture per questa informazione.

Sono davvero lieta di questa notizia, perché è una serie molto valida e il pubblico italiano merita di poterne godere, tanto quanto quello straniero.

You'll never believe such beauty exists-not really-not unless you have the guts to brave life, go off the map, and find your own way there.

SNEAK PEEKS - Jennifer Probst

Today is the release day blitz for SNEAK PEEKS by Jennifer Probst. This is NOT a book, but a compilation of covers, author’s notes and sample chapters taken from the incredible career of NY Times Bestselling Author of The Marriage to a Billionaire Series, Jennifer Probst and it's FREE!

This is NOT a book, but a compilation of covers, author’s notes and sample chapters taken from the incredible career of NY Times Bestselling Author of The Marriage to a Billionaire Series, Jennifer Probst.

I’ve believed in love and happy endings since I was young.

It never came easy. It took me twenty years of nonstop work and dreams before I became a full time writer. I had to defend not only my love for the written word, and my non-practical career choice, but also my fierce respect and passion for the romance genre.

No matter. I let no one sway me from my path. Is it so wrong to believe in hope? To understand it’s not about these stories all containing what critics deem a formulaic ending, but the unique journey of each book and characters we create and meet to push us, change us, and allow us to reach for something more?

That’s the type of writer I wanted to be. That’s the type of books I wanted to write.

There’s humor in everything I write. Sometimes a bit zany, sometimes laugh out loud, and sometimes so subtle it’s like a brush of a kiss across a cheek. Barely there. But I believe humor is one important aspect I use to make sense out of events and shine a flicker of light into a dark corner.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1tsgaxr
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Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.
She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon's Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.

Website: www.jenniferprobst.com

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferprobst.authorpage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferprobst

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2965489.Jennifer_Probst

Darker Water - Once and Forever #1 - Lauren Stewart

Once and Forever will be a series of at least seven standalone contemporary romances. Each story uses a theme or symbol from a fairytale, but only as a starting point. Because while fairytales aren't real, love is.

*** Darker Water is a stand-alone contemporary romance that does not end in a cliffhanger.

Baby, It's Cold Outside - Jennifer Probst / Emma Chase / Kristen Proby / Melody Anne / Kate Meader

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling indie authors Jennifer Probst, Emma Chase, Kristen Proby, Melody Anne, and debut author Kate Meader come together to write a sizzling romance anthology.

Outside it may be frosty, so turn the heat way up with these stories of desire!

Can a determined woman executive and a playboy billionaire survive being stranded together in a snowstorm? Jennifer Probst depicts an encounter almost too hot to handle... 

Drew and Kate play an encore to Tangled in this sexy take on a "Christmas Carol" by Emma Chase. When a Christmas Eve argument condemns Drew to a troubled night, three dream women teach him that no gift could be more tantalizing than Kate... 

With Kristen Proby, ski slopes are quite delightful. Grace Douglas is sure she'll never learn to ski, but instructor Jacob Baxter could teach her lessons of a different kind... 

Can a southern California transplant survive Montana's deep snows?Melody Anne, author of the bestselling Andersons series, melts the icy drifts completely away with the heat between sexy Hawk Winchester and brand-new teacher Natalie Duncan... 

What could be hotter than a firefighter? Kate Meader shows how, as Beck Rivera and heiress-turned-tattoo-artist Lucy Cochrane discover, nothing ignites holiday flames like rekindling a lost love...

“Rock Chick” - Rock Chick Series #1 - Kristen Ashley

Based in Denver, the Rock Chick Series is eight books that take you on the wild ride of the courtships of the Rock Chicks and the Hot Bunch

“Indy Savage, cop's daughter, rock chick and used bookstore owner, has been in love with Lee Nightingale, once bad boy, now the man behind Nightingale Investigations, since she was five years old. No matter what ingenious schemes Indy used to capture his attention, Lee never showed an interest and Indy finally gave up. Now Indy's employee, Rosie, has lost a bag of diamonds and bad guys are shooting at him. When Indy gets involved, Lee is forced to help. Complicating matters, Lee has decided he's interested, Indy's decided she's not. But she can't seem to keep Lee out of her life when she's repeatedly stun gunned, kidnapped and there are car bombs exploding (not to mention she's finding dead bodies).

Indy's best bet is to solve the mystery of the diamonds before Lee. Lee's challenge is to keep Indy alive and, at the same time, win back her heart.”

REPARATION - Stylo Fantome

We are so pleased to reveal the cover for Reparation, the final book in The Kane Trilogy releasing on December 8th. Has the Devil met his match? Check out the giveaway below. Good luck!!!

The Devil has met his match

When Tatum O'Shea decides it's time for some payback, no one is safe from her new game - not even the devil himself. Tate is going to get her happily ever after, even if it means making everyone else unhappy in the process.

But a persistent Jameson, a meddling Sanders, and an amorous baseball player make it very hard for a girl to keep her focus, and suddenly it seems Tate has a few too many suitors for her fairy tale ending.

Sometimes, it's very difficult to tell who Prince Charming really is ...

WARNING: may induce Kindle throwing, screaming at fictional characters, and possibly a few tears. Also graphic sexual situations and sadomasochistic themes.

Jameson watched the Bentley pull up the driveway. Sanders got out of it, alone. They hadn't spoken the entire time. Jameson hadn't called – if he had, he probably would've lost his shit. And he didn't want to do that. Sanders probably hadn't called for the very same reason.

“Nice little vacation you had there,” Jameson commented, taking in Sanders' rumpled suit.

“I wouldn't say that,” the younger man replied, heading into the house and straight into the kitchen. Jameson followed him.

“I almost thought you had left with her,” he voiced his fear. Sanders stopped in front of a cupboard.

“I would never do that. I simply tried to reason with her,” he said.

“Oh really. And how did that go?” Jameson snorted. Sanders snorted as well and pulled open the cupboard.

“Not well. She is severely unbalanced.”

Jameson was a little shocked as he watched Sanders pull a bottle Jack Daniel's out of the cupboard. He walked up next to him, watched as Sanders got a tumbler out of another cupboard and then poured about three-fingers worth of the amber liquid into the glass.

“She's also a bad influence. What are you doing?” Jameson demanded. Sanders handed the glass to him.

“This is for you,” he replied. Jameson took the glass.

“Oh god, why?” he groaned, then knocked back the liquid.

“She offered to sleep with me.”

Jameson started choking on the whiskey. Sanders pounded on his back, but Jameson waved him away. Stumbled over to the sink and turned on the faucet, stuck his mouth underneath it. He must have heard wrong. He couldn't believe it.

“I'm sorry,” he gasped for air, leaning against the counter. “You'll have to repeat that. What happened?”

“Sex. She offered to have sex with me.”

“I see. Did you take her up on this offer?”

Pause.

Oh my god. I have to kill Sanders. How am I going to do this? That stupid bitch ...

Crazy woman living in an undisclosed location in Alaska (where the need for a creative mind is a necessity!), I have been writing since ..., forever? Yeah, that sounds about right. I have been told that I remind people of Lucille Ball - I also see shades of Jennifer Saunders, and Denis Leary. So basically, I laugh a lot, I'm clumsy a lot, and I say the F-word A LOT. I like dogs more than I like most people, and I don't trust anyone who doesn't drink. No, I do not live in an igloo, and no, the sun does not set for six months out of the year, there's your Alaska lesson for the day. I have mermaid hair - both a curse and a blessing - and most of the time I talk so fast, even I can't understand me. Yeah. I think that about sums me up.

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Book 1 - Degradation - AMAZON | B&N

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BEHIND YOUR BACK - Chelsea M. Cameron

Today is the cover reveal for Chelsea M. Cameron's upcoming title, BEHIND YOUR BACK. This book will be released in February 2015 but be sure to check out the author's note below for some special news about the release!

BLURB COMING SOON!

Add the book to GOODREADS.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This past summer I traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland for a book signing. It was my first trip outside of the US and I was nervous as hell. While I was on the plane and begging for my motion sickness medication to kick in, I started thinking about a character I didn’t “know” yet. Every now and then I will get a character’s voice in my head and not have a story for them. More often than not, my books start with just one character. I don’t know where the story is going, or what they’re going to do. I only have their voice guiding me. I told myself I wasn’t going to work on anything new on my trip, since I already had existing deadlines. But of course the voice ignored me. He kept talking to me. I couldn’t resist, so I started working on his story in my gorgeous hotel room with its view of Edinburgh castle. I wrote some more words at the Elephant House, which is where J. K. Rowling started writing the first Harry Potter book. Over vegetable lasagna and jasmine tea, a story started to develop. It was different than anything I’d ever written. Told completely from a male point of view. It was also a romantic suspense, something I’d been dying to try writing, but didn’t think I had the ability to do. I called my mother in my excitement and her words were “that’s completely different than anything you’ve ever written.” This is that story. And since this story is so completely different, I’m doing something different when I release it. In February (date to be determined), you will not only get the first book on that day, Behind Your Back, you will also be able to buy the sequel, Back To Back! No weeks or months of waiting to find out what happens. You can read the two books in one day if you want. Instant gratification. I hope you fall in love with these books as much as I have while writing them.

TEASER:

She wears a wig and colored contacts the first time I see her in person. Her electric green eyes are too memorable, even in a crowd. But underneath the plain brown wig and the brown contacts and the bored expression she wears, something shines through that she can’t cover up.

I recognize it right away, even if I wouldn’t have been searching for her. Raising myself from my chair, I cross the coffee shop. She watches her phone, pretending to be the kind of girl who can’t abandon her Facebook page for longer than three seconds. But I know. I know her.

Her finger hovers over the screen of the phone, her shoulders slump, but her foot jiggles just a little bit. Not enough for anyone but me to notice. But I see it. I see her.

I pass by her table on my way out the door. I give her one glance. A visual brush over her body. I know she sees me, but pretends not to. She pushes the wig back and I can just barely see the flash of red hair at the nape of her neck, along with a tattoo. I can’t see all of it, but I don’t need to. I know that, too.

A Celtic knot.

I pass through the door and don’t look back. Her eyes follow me down the street to the crosswalk and until I’m out of view.

She sees me.

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Website: http://www.chelseamcameron.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chel_c_cam

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chelsea-M-Cameron-Official-Author-Page/304422529610919

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752359.Chelsea_M_Cameron

FOREVER FOUND - Nazarea Andrews

Today we are revealing the cover for FOREVER FOUND by Nazarea Andrews. This is a novella that will be released on December 30th and it is the stunning conclusion to the story begun in Girl Lost.

Losing Gwen was one of the hardest things I've ever had to survive. I've never loved anyone the way I love her.

But finding her was never about that. And now that I have found her--now that she knows the truth about me and the Island, I have to trust her to believe. Because her leaving me didn't just destroy me--its killing Neverland.

I need her to love me. But we all need her to believe again.

Peter Pan has grown up and found the girl who left--but the stakes are higher than ever in this romantic conclusion to the story begun in Girl Lost.

 CLICK HERE TO ADD FOREVER FOUND TO GOODREADS.

 BOOK INFORMATION: 

FOREVER FOUND by Nazarea Andrews

Coming December 30th, 2014

Contemporary Romance Novella

Neverland Lost, #2

NOAH and ME - BECKIE STEVENSON

RELEASE DATE:  15^th December 2014

“So you fix broken hearts, do you?” I ask. “Seems a little
ironic.”

Noah Carter is

one of the best cardiothoracic doctors in the country. He’s incredibly

intelligent, funny, kind and he’s a beast in the bedroom. He has scars that

drizzle down his chest and painful memories of an unforgettable night that

plague his every waking hour. 

Seven years

ago, Noah stumbled upon me at the side of a grave and saved me in one of the

most compassionate ways another human being can save another.  I will

always love him for that. Always.

He loved me in

a way that no man has ever loved me since, and I gave him everything. I gave

him it all until my secrets and lies tore us apart, forcing me to shatter his

heart into a thousand little pieces.

Seven years ago

he loved me, but now he hates me. And I hate that he hates me. Leaving Noah is

my biggest regret in life - and I have a lot of things that I regret. A lot.

I’m Ariel

Miller and this is the story of Noah and Me.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23384124-noah-and-me

I glance around the corner of
the small building and spot a woman who isn’t dressed like a smart teacher.
She’s wearing white stilettoes and a tiny little black dress that just about
covers her backside. Her breasts, which are definitely fake, protrude out from
the scoop neckline of the dress. Her chocolate-coloured hair is poker straight
and falls to her shoulder blades. I hear her giggling. I see her hand shoot out
to touch a glistening, tanned and extremely toned forearm.

“That’s Candy,” whispers Ben.

“What does she do?” I ask. She
arches her back and pushes her breasts out even further than they were before.

“She’s a Lawyer,” he tells me.
“They call her the black widow.”

I glance at Ben and realise he’s
not joking. I look back at Candy and hear her giggle again, watching as she
flicks her hair over her shoulder. “Does she eat men after she’s slept with
them?”

“No,” he says, shaking his head.
“She eats them after she’s done with them in court instead.”

More
like she hypnotises them with her breasts and hair flicking, I think. “I see,” I say.

“Her tongue is evil,” he says
before adding, “and not in a good way.”

I grin at him.

“Anyway,” he says, pulling on my
elbow, “we should go and say hello to the birthday boy.”

I take a step forward and then
the earth stops moving as all of the blood in my body rushes to my ears. I can
hear the beat of my own heart as it bangs against my chest. The birthday boy’s
blue eyes collide with mine and they’re slowly turning to hard stone in front
of me. He steps away from the wall, roughly pushing Candy off him, and marches
towards me.

I can’t take my eyes off him.
How can someone who is beyond beautiful look so ugly at the same time? His
light brown hair is styled perfectly on his head as if he’s just got out of
bed. Or maybe he has, if Candy’s performance was anything to go by. His pale,
crystal-blue eyes display nothing of the thoughts that I have no doubt are
obviously running through his mind. He’s wearing a dark grey shirt and black
trousers. Even with his clothes on, I can tell that there’s a wall of pure
muscle hiding underneath them. I see a faint smattering of chest hair poking
out from the top of his shirt where his top button is undone. His face is
tanned and freshly shaven.

“You!” he says, his deep voice
wrapping around me like a warm blanket. His gaze shifts to my neck like lightning.
His eyes linger for a fraction of a second on my necklace and I see a hint of
astonishment flash across his face. Then it’s gone, replaced by the cold,
screwed-up face that he had before.

I open my mouth but nothing
comes out. Every single hair on my skin stands on end as his angry breath
washes over my face. Air leaves my lungs and doesn’t come back in. How the fuck
is he here? Of all the places in the entire world, how is he here?

I finally realise he’s still
towering over me, looking as if he wants to strangle me. I take a deep breath.
I can’t do this.

“Erm, do you two know each
other?” asks Ben.

Ignoring Ben, I continue to
stare at him. He stares at me. What could we possibly say to each other that
would make any of it okay? I can’t be here. I can’t be near him. I need to
leave.

“No,” he hisses, as his eyes
trail all over me.

Liar.

“I don’t know who this girl is,”
he says.

I know it’s wrong to feel hurt
that he called me a girl, but I do. I don’t want him looking at me like that
either. Not when I feel so shitty about what I’m wearing. I wish I could cover
myself up, but I don’t have enough clothes on to even start.

Ben blinks, looking confused.
“Noah, this is Ariel. Ariel, this is the birthday boy, Noah.”

This isn’t Noah. This is a
stranger that doesn’t know me anymore.

“I’m going,” I announce, tearing
my gaze away from Noah. I look at Ben and feel myself beginning to panic. “Erm,
I have to go.”

“You have to?” Ben questions.

I nod quickly and start to back
away from them. “I have to go. Right now. I have a horrible headache. Here,” I
say, pushing my glass into Ben’s hand, “take this. And I’m sorry.”

“Ariel,” Ben calls as I turn to
leave.

“Let her go,” Noah says. “She
wasn’t invited and she’s not welcome.”

Beckie's real name is Rebecca, but she get’s called (and
answers to) any of the following…Beckie, Bek, Becca, Rebecca, Pip, Pippy or
Stevo.

Beckie is the author of 'Sorrow Woods,' the 'Existing'
series and 'Noah and Me.'

She is due to publish more YA and NA novels in 2015/16.

She lives in Staffordshire, England, with her partner
and two children.

Beckie likes putting music
on in the house and dancing around like a mad woman.

When she isn’t playing with
her children, doing housework, dancing around the house like a mad woman,
walking, cycling reading or writing, then she can be found working in an
investment bank. Or sleeping.

You can find Beckie here…

You can find Beckie here…

Twitter:
@BeckieStevenson

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/BeckieStevensonAuthor

Instagram:
BeckieStevo

Blog:
http://beckiestevenson.blogspot.co.uk

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