Born and raised in West Palm Beach, it’s time for Kate to move to Miami, spread her wings, and have the time of her life. Wings are easily broken. Deception masks itself as love while it slowly consumes every inch of her world. Lies spin into a web, trapping her in a nightmare she believes to be a fairy tale. Fairy tales only live in fables. Soon, her body will be painted in a truth she can’t deny but is too scared to face, so she runs. A person can only run so far.
New York Times, USA Today, and International bestselling author, E.K. Blair, takes her readers on an emotional roller coaster with her books. Blair tends to drift towards love stories that are deeply layered with emotional angst. Give her a character and she will dig into their core to find what lies beneath.
Aside from writing, E.K. Blair finds pleasure in music, drinking her Starbucks in peace and spending time with her friends and family. She’s a thinker, an artist, a wife, a mom, and everything in between.
The versatility of this author’s writing is in one word astonishing, the message e.k. blair is very clear and profound as the story flows from romantic to angst, to aggressive emotion, and real life in depth complications. The very real today problems both male and female relationships still endure regarding gaslighting and victims of narcissistic abuse.
BUT… it is not all an emotional storyline, this is turning out to be an exceptional surfer romance! A unique storyline that flows smoothly and immediately connect to these young, party characters as they live their lives freely.
First up is free-spirted Trent, he has charm, charisma, and sexy good looks, everything a native surfer would have or need. He also has issues with commitment, he is down for lots of fun, no drama and absolutely no relationships. I feel for this young dude for he grew up to soon and kinda evolved into a counselor for his mother, a lot of responsibility in his young life.
“People can’t disappoint you if you don’t let them in.” ~Trent
Kate is a water baby, an expert surfer and I think she might be a bit naive in the male gender, she wants to experience romance, dates, friends and all the good spirits that come along with lust, love and freedom. She is getting the lines blurred and her hopes and dreams are thrust into a tale spin.
‘I’m not a fuck and duck type of girl – I’m not a prude, but I’m also not that.’ ~Kate
This is turning into a nail biting angsty suspense and I cannot say anything further, it’s something all us readers need to read and experience the joyful moments and distinct tragedies. Trent is not the bad guy, Kate is a victim, and the third wheel will hopefully get his just desserts.
A rising pop star who can’t let go of her emotional baggage, and a cocky dance partner who doesn’t know what monogamy is. She’s inhibited. He’s free-spirited. She doesn’t want a relationship. He doesn’t believe in them. She can’t believe that anyone would love her. He can’t seem to stop himself from loving her. When their differences collide and sparks start to fly, he’s sure it’s the start of something amazing. And she’s sure it’s the end of her career. Who will be right?
Crazy woman from a remote 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.
Slow Dancing was such a beautiful simplistic slow roll right into a tight loving relationship with barley any drama involved. I love these two characters as the fell hard and fast into lust and then SLOW DANCED their way into a full blown love affair.
Wasn’t expecting such a different writing style STYLO FANTOME is known for yet at the same time had the sorta dirty talking Hero that usually steals the show. This author provided this and more because you will not forget the Heroine in this real life feelings sorta vibe.
“Good,” he hissed. “Fucking bad girl, doing all those naughty things before you even knew me. What the fuck were you thinking?” ~Woods Donahue”
The Heroine in this tale is a bit more reserved, a bit more guarded yet when this pair dances their chemistry is instantaneous, hot, sensual, messy and dirty. She grows a backbone, finds herself, and does not ever doubt her choices bad or good again.
‘Why does he always make such direct eye contact? I feel like he’s looking at me naked, or staring into my soul.’ ~Logan Cassidy
Finally in closing I would recommend this beautiful contemporary romance because the author puts a highlight on sterotypes, sexuality and how we all put labels on people.
a gripping enemies-to-lovers, secret admirer, high school romance.
The rich and popular Sharks rule at prestigious, ivy-covered Camden Prep. Once upon a time, I wanted to be part of their world–until they destroyed me. The last thing I expected was an anonymous love letter from one of them. Please. I hate every one of those rich jerks for what they did to me. The question is, which Shark is my secret admirer? Knox, the scarred quarterback. Dane, his twin brother. Or Chance, the ex who dumped me. . . Dear Ava, Your eyes are the color of the Caribbean Sea. Wait. That’s stupid. What I really mean is, you look at me and I feel something REAL. It’s been ten months since you were here, but I can’t forget you. I’ve missed seeing you walk down the hall. I’ve missed you cheering at my football games. I’ve missed the smell of your hair.
And then everything fell apart the night of the kegger. Don’t hate me because I’m a Shark. I just want to make you mine. Still.
Definitely was not expecting the amount of emotion the author delicately portrayed in this intensely rich drama about real life problems. This super charged poignant tale read like an auto biography, a thriller, a suspense, and an angsty romance. The connection between characters was instantaneous and unexpected, I felt like a friend to each one of these people, adults as well as young adults. The fact that the author had the versatility to write about this highly sensitive and taboo topic was epic to the extreme. Ilsa Madden-Mills put a sharp and immediate emphasis on spreading awareness of abuse on all genders.
The Heroine, and I do mean heroine, Ava is a literal survivor, a true slayer and the epitome of a fighter. I have never fell for a female character as I did for this beautiful soul and all I did throughout this thought-provoking tale was scream out loud, NO, DON’T HURT HER, NOT HER!
The charming hero, Knox was utterly divine in his alpha protective role but not just to females, no his course was for all friends and especially FAMILY.
The attention to detail the author pens about mental illness, physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual abuse is something that will stick with you for all times. AND I THANK YOU, Ilsa Madden-Mills FOR THIS!
L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post and Amazon #1 best-selling author of contemporary, New Adult and YA romance. Her books have been sold to nineteen different countries.
She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.
The author writes with such emotion it’s really a delight to all of your senses.
I love the gothic vibe of this super duper angsty bewitching tale.
Immediately all of your attention is on this spooky, drafty castle with
sharp, pointy pillars and of course GHOSTS!
MOTTO:
“Ars longa, vita brevis” – Art is long, life is short
LJ Shen takes you on a tale from past to present with such rhythm it simply flows through your perception acutely. When she weaves the tale of angsty high school drama, you instantly perceive this sorta Mean Girl aura and get the feel of rich kid or inner circle cliques.
“Don’t worry, Captain Save-a-Ho. I won’t fuck them.” ~Vaughn
The Hero, Vaughn Spencer is the epitome of a poignant, tempestuous,
and distraught character. So many traumatic memories slay
this beautiful soul your heart literally melts and bleeds out irrevocably.
“There are no bargains between gods and mortals. You will kneel, and as we’re both well aware, you’re also going to fucking enjoy it.” ~Vaughn
The Heroine, Lenora Astalis is no shrinking flower, she’s combative and
aggressive yet empathetic. She’s got daddy issues but most profoundly is
her grieving anguish that just devastates your psyche.
“I don’t believe in literal ghosts, but I believe our past unleashes dog-shaped demons upon us, and they chase us, and that’s what keeps us running. Moving. Living.” ~Lenny
I cannot say anymore but please pick this baby up and read how
these two devastating characters blend together and assimilate love, healing,
family and future.
“I am hell bound, and you are heaven sent” ~Vaughn
“He wasn’t a boy at all. He was a deity.” ~Lenny
Quotes by Lenora Astalis:
There is so much beauty in the darkness. It’s just harder to find. It was lovely we were going to kiss and fondle and maybe even shag each other.
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Greg Rodwell.
The myth, the man, the legend.
Yeah. I’m none of that crap.
Okay. I’m a man. There’s that much.
Almost everyone calls me Rod, whether I like it or not. I’m the guy others look to for a laugh, a dirty joke, a distraction—the office clown. Even my best friend, Hadley, laughs.
It’s just that, I’m not always laughing. Not even on the inside. Nobody knows the real Greg or the agony I hide with humor. My recently dead sister had a clue, but she’s in no position to blab. I screwed up big time—then and now—but it’s all my undoing. Through everything, Hadley’s been my cure and my curse. And I fell in love with my married best friend. But she wasn’t always married, and I wasn’t always broken.
I had a millisecond of a chance, but I blew it, siding with morality. What guy does that? And sailing that sinking ship all the way down, I sacrificed my wants for her needs. Doing that, I fathered a kid with the office trouser troll. Stupid? Hell to the yes. Because now, regardless of the grand total, I want something I can’t have. Integrity and my sanity be damned.
But nobody, especially Hadley, can know the real Greg Rodwell, my tortured soul, my unashamed love, or my darkest truth, because it wouldn’t just blow her mind.
It would rock our damn world.
Ren Alexander is the author of seven novels in contemporary romance, including The Wild Sparks Series, The Keys to Jericho, and UNSCREWED. She was born in Wheeling, West Virginia and graduated from West Liberty University, where she received a B.S. in criminal justice. Although interested in that field, her true passion was reading and writing. She currently lives in Detroit, Michigan with her husband, two daughters, and two cats.
Ren’s novel, The Keys to Jericho, was chosen as an “Official Selection” in the Romance category of Apple Literary’s 2017 Annual Book Awards.
Favorite Books
Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility,” S.C. Stephens’ “Thoughtless” series, Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta books, Kirsty Moseley books, and the list goes on.
Personal Interests
I love reading, writing, and playing The Sims. They’re all serious addictions. Send help.
REVIEW!
Finally Greg Rodwell!
Full of wit, charm, empathy, comical quips, loyalty, and unquenchable love. He is truly unforgettable,
his colorful vocabulary, his humorous fashion expertise, his downright outrageous and amusing
behavior abounds. Rod continuously has me in hysterical fits with his Hello Kitty Kite-flying abilities
to his Strom Trooper Ties, and his Sponge-Bob Coffee Cups. I just can’t, I can not.
I am just destroyed by this mans secrets and excessive need to be loved. Trust me you do not know Rod
at all, until you read his story. Then perhaps you will have to re-read his story to know just how many
demons ride his soul. They are extensive and they are corroding his psyche which eventually wear poor
Rod down until they affect his trust in just about everyone he holds dear.
Through all his strengths, his bad decisions somehow get the best of this man. Still he tackles them all, and tries to be a good buddy, best friend, co-worker, paralegal, and maybe a father, maybe a lover? There are still plenty of questions to be revealed and tons of mystery to wade through, and I guess that’s why this author has stated this is just Book One is this incredible journey of Greg Rodwell.
I cannot wait to get to it, bring it on Ren Alexander, you madam are a genius storyteller for I can practically smell Rod’s Chrome spray all up in my nostrils!
L.J. Shen comes a new, star-crossed lovers romance about loss, love, and meeting The One when you are too young to know how to keep them.
Sometimes you meet people who are out of this world, so you make them a part of yours.
A one-night stand born from vengeance in a foreign land.
An explosive chemistry neither of us could deny.
We signed a contract on the back of a Boar’s Head Pub napkin that said if we ever met again, we would drop everything and be together.
Eight years and thousands of miles later, he’s here.
In New York.
And he’s America’s music obsession.
The intangible Irish poet who brings record executives to their knees.
The blizzard in my perfect, unshaken snow globe.
Last time we spoke, he was a beggar with no intention of becoming a king.
But a king he became, and now I’m his servant.
I’m not the same broken princess Malachy Doherty put back together with his callused hands.
I have a career I love.
A boyfriend I adore.
An apartment, a roommate, a life.
I changed. He changed, too.
But Mal kept the napkin.
Question is, will I keep my word?
Influences:
John Fante, Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs, Zadie Smith, Jonathan Franzen, Jandy Nelson, Woody Allen, Stephen King, Bret Easton Ellis
L.J. Shen is USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author of contemporary romance books. She lives in California with her husband, son and lazy cat.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading a good book with a glass of wine and catching up on her favorite HBO and Netflix shows.
Yeah, she’s a badass like that.
stalker links!
Alright so right from the start I could tell this work here was completely different from anything LJ Shen has produced as of yet. A very refreshing new take, a unique blend of angst, and really an emotional yet addictive story from start to the end.
Malachy Doherty is charming, sweet, humorous, fun, charismatic, definitely swoon-worthy. He is exactly what Aurora a.k.a. Rory needs at this time in her life as she struggles with daddy issues and going through grief. Rory is young, sweet, feisty, and fun, when these to meet it’s an instant bond and enough chemistry to burn your eyes out of their sockets.
When the young lovers meet, Mal is a musician solo-ing it up on the streets and Rory is an up-and-coming photographer who takes her camera everywhere. It all begins with a promise-contract to wed in the unlikely event they meet in the future, it is wrote on a bar napkin that Mal keeps for years in his back pocket.
Fast forward into their future and you find the hero and heroine grew jaded, flawed, broken, jagged, and trying to fit their missing pieces together again. You know this is life in general, there are tons of accusations, assumptions, ups and downs, twists and turns, lies and deceit, we all make mistakes. But its time to solve all these riddles and they do in the most humorous of ways. Their story is quirky, cute, loving, heartbreaking and truthful to a fault. All their broken pieces seems to fit naturally back together. I cannot really say anything further without spoiling this epic love story except that no chocolate bars were harmed in the devouring of this novel.
Ryan Willis has spent years in the protection business, a job that requires constant vigilance and quick thinking. His only chance to truly relax is at his secluded cabin in a small town where there are never any surprises. So when Ryan returns after an assignment and encounters a beautiful stranger, he isn’t only surprised, he’s also instantly intrigued.
Hannah Bright is a breath of fresh air, and Ryan is soon completely consumed, unable to stop from falling for her. As the two grow closer, his instinct tells him something is amiss. Yet nothing could prepare him for what he discovers when he starts digging into her past.
Hannah spends her days painting, running her arts and crafts store…and hiding too many secrets. It’s why she won’t let the ruggedly handsome bodyguard get too close. But their chemistry is undeniable, and Hannah quickly finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance with Ryan. He is peace personified, a balm to her battered soul. Yet the gorgeous, captivating man who has swept Hannah off her feet doesn’t even know who she really is. And the moment he finds out, both their lives are at risk.
Biography
Jodi Ellen Malpas was born and raised in the Midlands town of Northampton, England, where she lives with her two boys. Working for her father’s construction business full time, she tried to ignore the lingering idea of writing until it became impossible. She wrote in secret for a long time before finally finding the courage to unleash her creative streak, and in October 2012 she released This Man. She took a chance on a story with some intense characters and sparked incredible reactions from women all over the world. Writing powerful love stories and creating addictive characters have become her passion – a passion she now shares with her devoted readers.
book review
First do not try to compare with This Man or One Night Series. This is sorta a spin off from The Protector in which you will meet the hero from one to another, “Jack and Ryan”, and yeah, yuumm! Protective Alpha Heros in Security ok, so yeah… yumm.
Now Ryan and Hannah meet in a freak unexpected way and there’s an instant insane chemistry and not just physically, they are both intelligent and do love the same things, art, outdoors, family and food. Ryan is extremly protective and not in the alpha male way, its in his blood and career.
Hannah has an old-fashioned innocence to her and is very artistic don’t get me wrong though, you could never push this woman around, she does have her own voice. She comes off a bit shy at first, reserved and maybe even skittish. There’s a bit of mystery surrounding her, she’s hiding secrets, hiding her background, she needs TRUST.
As the two draw closer, their spark is ever present and Ryan has a quiet intensity about him that pairs well with Hannah’s unique grit and insatiable need to please. I love how the author wrote about a small town and the characters within, Ryan’s cabin was unique, his daughter Alex was delighful and maybe even the star in this gem. You almost feel like your swimming in his lake or even flying high on Alex’s swing, it’s very endearing to all of your senses.
It’s a bit slow-paced but then builds into a crescendo in the end as secrets are revealed and monsters come out of hiding, the attacks are fierce and eventually the end is exactly what JEM always promises us. Sink you soul into this lovely find book lovers, you will not be disappointed.
Three of them, one of her, and a remote cabin in the woods. Let the hot, winter nights ensue…
Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. Shipped off to boarding schools from an early age, it was still impossible to escape the loneliness and carve out a life of her own. The shadow of her parents’ fame followed her everywhere.
And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she?
Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of eighteen. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan soon learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore.
As the three of them take her under their wing, teach her to work and survive in the remote woods far away from the rest of the world, she slowly finds her place among them.
And as a part of them.
She also realizes that lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching.
One of them has her.
The other one wants her.
But he…
He’s going to keep her.
Penelope Douglas is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages and include The Fall Away Series, The Devil’s Night Series, and the stand-alones, Misconduct, Punk 57, and Birthday Girl.
Influences:
Apocalyptica, Three Days Grace, Five Finger Death Punch, Breaking Benjamin, Black Veil Brides, Nonpoint…to name a few
She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and their daughter.
Tiernan de Haas is a strong female heroine, don't get me wrong, however she has been totally alone, secluded and immature especially to be making decisions about relations relating to her education, mental health and body. Following the deaths of both parents together, sorta like a suicide pact, she receives word to live with her father’s stepbrother and only living relative Jake Van der Berg and his two sons, Kaleb and Noah.
In the secluded mountains of Colorado away from any towns, people or civilization, Tiernan soon finds out what home, hope, feelings and love are all about. But lines and boundaries are being cris-crossed and blurred for the heroine was raised in a wealthy household lacking in parental dicipline, guidance and loving support.
Now Penelope Douglas is a master story teller because you feel being up in these snow capped mountains, when she writes she pulls you right into the setting she sets. You feel like you are right in front of the fireplace, you can see yourself feeding the animals, you can see yourself hunting, fishing and swimming in and around this homesteads rivers and lakes. Now that is a true artist.
It's not all love and games soon Tiernan will have to do battle with her feelings of home, health, love, education and life. Don't miss out on this erotic, forbidden, even taboo tale of hope, loss, love and life.
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Release Date: January 1, 2017 On Sale $0.99 through January 13, 2017
Emilia
They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true.
The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares.
He is a brilliant lawyer.
A skilled criminal.
A beautiful liar.
A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover.
Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.
Vicious
She is a starving artist.
Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom.
Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down.
She paid the price.
Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate.
That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t.
So she hates me. Big fucking deal.
She better get used to me.
“If you’re looking for a book that’s a little bit dark, a little bit twisted, with a character driven story that leaves you panting more than once, Vicious is it.” – 5 Obsessed Stars – Reader Review
“Absolutely amazing book! You will never find another guy like Vicious and you will never find another book like this ever.”– Tongan Book Lover 5 Stars
“Christ. Just Christ. The naughty bits are hot and steamy, the love story is unique for sure, and the writing is fucking epic because LJ Shen.” – Mells View 5 Stars
Private – Send LJ Shen a message on Facebook for your invite today
“You’re pissing me off,” she said quietly, her eyes still searching my face.
“And that’s turning me on,” I retorted, my voice flat. “So you might wanna tone down the hate glares if you don’t wanna find yourself being fucked on this desk with the blinds still open.”
I was still staring at my screen, working on the merger deal I was eager to get signed before Christmas, but I could see from my peripheral that she had paled. I liked how—once again—I’d gotten under her skin. Quickly.
“You’re disgusting,” she muttered, still staring at me—but not in a way that suggested she was appalled.
I cracked my neck, opening my browser and checking the stocks on the screen, skimming through the greens and the reds. “That may well be, but I’m balls deep in your fucking head, Help, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Her eyes glittered with rage, and fuck, I was so hard, and fuck, she was so beautiful. This was so on. I was going to fuck Dean’s ex-girlfriend, use her for my personal needs, and toss her away when I was done.
And after choosing the wrong guy, there was no doubt in my mind, she deserved it too.
“You just gave Floyd a lecture about the inter-office fraternization policy. No mixing business and pleasure.” She leaned forward. Her elbow touched my finger accidentally, and she jerked it away.
I met her halfway, erasing the space between us across the desk. “Correction—guys like Floyd won’t give you pleasure. Men like me would. Besides, the man likes Arrow,” I drawled, as if this alone was a reason to fire him.
To me, it was.
“You know what your problem is, Vicious? You still haven’t decided if you hate me or like me. That’s why you act like this every time I’m around other men.” There wasn’t a trace of embarrassment in her voice. She owned up to this.
What she didn’t know was that I knew exactly how I felt about her.
I hated her, but was attracted to her. It was really that simple.
“You know what I feel right now, Ms. LeBlanc? I feel like you need to pack a fucking bag and start making the necessary arrangements. You’re coming with me to California, whether you like it or not.”
L.J. Shen resides in sunny California with her husband, son, chubby cat and wild, wild dreams.
Her passion is to write badass stories, sushi, UFC and her awesome family and friends (not in this order, though. Obviously, sushi comes before writing. Oh, and also the family part.)
She spend the first half of her twenties traveling the world and is now paying all the fun with extra shifts in front of her MacBook. Feel free to contact her on her Facebook page. She loves to hear from her readers.
A love – hate romance on steroids! The bad boy tries to deny his feelings for the good girl and ends up bitter and unsatisfied. But oh when Vicious or Baron Spencer finally realizes you always want what you can’t have its a struggle to right the wrongs that’s been done.
I’m so pleased with Emilia, such a strong female character, I loved her, she never backed down, stood up for herself and others. She fought tooth and nail for her future, her family and continued to rise up above and beyond her atrocious bitter past.
L.J. Shen certainly can write her heros and heroines, but lets not forgot her secondary characters were just as quirky, mean, sexy, sleazy and flat out delicious!
It is the name I pulled from thin air over five hundred years ago. I don’t come from royalty—I come from the dregs of the ethereal. As the King’s assassin, I have more blood on my hands than most. I don’t deserve her. I don’t deserve anyone.
But I will keep her safe.
Even if I die trying.
Evangeline Black.
My name sounds like the heroine of a historical romance novel – not that I read those or anything. My life so far: Dead parents? Check. Broken heart? Check. Evil mistress of darkness, hell-bent on power and thirsty for my death? Big. Honking. Check. But this mess won’t get cleaned up by itself.
I’ve got a job to do.
As these two reluctant hearts fight their pull, they must decide if they want to fall apart in the midst of the chaos swarming around them or yield to their hearts…
The first time I met West Carmichael, I was singing at a speakeasy in Los Angeles. My parents didn’t know where I was, and for the first time in a long time, neither did Aurelia. Hiding from a Seer is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but a special cloaking amulet from a witch friend seemed to have worked wonders.
It was pretty. A sapphire the size of my thumbnail set in a silver filigree setting hanging from a thin chain that rests just below my collarbone. It wasn’t the nicest piece of jewelry I owned, but it was my favorite.
Maybe because it granted my freedom.
Or maybe because it matched my royal blue silk charmeuse gown to perfection. I used to hate dressing up, but this dress made me feel like a woman. It was an off the shoulder number with a daring sweetheart neckline – far ahead of its time. It fit like a second skin until it hit my thighs and then flared out like a calla lily into a delicate but short train. It may not have been the most comfortable dress I owned, but it made me feel like a sexy siren. Something that with my diminutive height, I rarely felt.
I was alone – finally alone even in this sea of people– after so much time with the ones I loved breathing down my neck. It was like a vacation. I needed something of my own. A secret, a life, something to break away from my family. Something that didn’t say princess or royalty.
Something that let me just be me. Singing was it for me.
I was ending my five-song set with a favorite of mine, an old Jane Greene song when I saw him. I’d seen him around town a few times, when I was shopping by myself or when I watched a boxing match at the Olympic Auditorium, a scandalous activity for an unchaperoned young lady.
But we’d never met.
He was handsome. I even daresay beautiful, if you can call a man like that beautiful. He was tall – taller than anyone in the room by nearly a whole head –and built so powerfully he made the other men look like pitiful adolescents dressed up in their daddy’s clothes. It was difficult to tell if his hair was as dark as it seemed in the low light of the secret club, but it appeared black in the dim. Dressed to the nines in a brilliant black suit, he moved with grace through the crowd until he found his seat at the only open table in the joint, folding his huge frame into the chair with the grace of a jaguar.
Papa had taken me to Brazil when I was just a little girl, and we saw the big cats roam the rainforests. He moved just like those jungle cats, scanning the room for prey and threats, watching everything with disinterest, as if he could take or leave the sights and sounds and people. As if he were bored in this raucous party that seemed to never end.
Annie Anderson is a military wife and United States Air Force veteran. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she is a southern girl at heart, but has lived all over the US and abroad.
As soon as the military stops moving her family around, she’ll settle on a state, but for now she enjoys being a nomad with her husband, two daughters, and old man of a dog.
4 out of 5 read-ologists recommend this WordPress.com site. ups and downs of writer's insanity and day to day life. I will write whatever makes the voices happy, for a writer that ignores her inner voices is merely a mental breakdown waiting to happen. Keeping the voices happy and creating new worlds for them to play in is my main goal.
Now Penelope Douglas is a master story teller because you feel being up in these snow capped mountains, when she writes she pulls you right into the setting she sets. You feel like you are right in front of the fireplace, you can see yourself feeding the animals, you can see yourself hunting, fishing and swimming in and around this homesteads rivers and lakes. Now that is a true artist.
It's not all love and games soon Tiernan will have to do battle with her feelings of home, health, love, education and life. Don't miss out on this erotic, forbidden, even taboo tale of hope, loss, love and life.
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