Thursday, April 30, 2015

COVER REVEAL!!! ROCKING DANNI...BY KACEY HAMFORD



Title: Rocking Danni
Author: Kacey Hamford
Genre: Romance
Cover reveal: 28 April 2015
Release Date: 27 May 2015
Tour Organiser: Book-Lover book blog


Goodreads:



Synopsis:

Danni has spent the last three years raising her daughter and living with a possessive boyfriend, she thought she was happy until ‘Flix’ arrived back in town.

Will, the strong, tattooed drummer for the band ‘Flix’ spent the last few years sleeping around trying to forget a certain blonde that had invaded his head and heart.

When Will and Danni meet again after three years apart she finds herself mesmerised by his chocolate brown eyes and re living intimate memories. Did she make the right decision walking away from him?

Will old feelings come back to life, will their hearts be drumming to the same beat or have they both moved on? A tragedy brings them closer together and Will discovers a secret. Will it make or break them? Only time will tell





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Author Bio:
We are two thirty-something females, living in Cornwall, England.
We both have full time jobs and manage to squeeze writing in around very busy lives.
Last year we joked about writing a book, and in December we actually started writing! On 12th March 2014 we pressed the ‘publish’ button and didn’t breathe for a whole several minutes!
We have now written four books, ‘Rocking Esme’, ‘Rocking Scarlett’, ‘Rocking Marcy’ and ‘Rocking Ashton’ and we also have a million other book ideas which we are dying to write!
When we first started writing, we didn’t tell anyone- not even our other halves! We decided to tell them about a month before publishing, then about a week before publishing we told our friends and family.

We both love reading, and since buying Kindles, reading has become much more of an obsession and we have both discovered authors we had never heard of. Some favourites are… Jennifer Foor, Aurora Rose Reynolds, Kirsty Moseley, Kelly Elliot, Terri Anne Browning, Diane Chamberlain… the list is endless!


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RELEASE BOOST!!! NEVER TOO LATE...BY MICALEA SMELTZER





Title: Never Too Late
Series: Willow Creek #2
Author: Micalea Smeltzer
 Release Date: April 21, 2015


Synopsis


I’d never met anyone quite like Mathias Wade.
 

He was brooding and arrogant, but I loved him anyway.

Together we were wild and uncontained—a hurricane raging.

Then I had to leave, and words were exchanged that could never be undone.

But now I was back, and Mathias better watch out, because this bitch wasn’t finished with him.


Game. Set. Match.

All is fair in love and war, right?



Mathias Wade, the lead singer of Willow Creek, is used to getting everything he wants. Except for Remy Parker—the one that got away. Childhood friends that grew into more, Remy was the one constant in his life until she moved away. In anger, he lashed out and broke the only girl he ever loved. With temptation around every corner Mathias drowns his sorrow in women and alcohol. When the band returns to their hometown for the holidays the last thing Mathias expects is to run into Remy—but she’s back, and she’s not done with him.

Remy never forgot Mathias or the pain he caused her. When she moves back to the place she grew up to take care of her ailing grandma her heart is set on revenge. She’s determined to make Mathias fall in love with her all over again—only this time she’s going to break his heart.

But Mathias never stopped loving Remy—and she soon discovers that her feelings haven’t disappeared either.

Can two people too stubborn for their own good overcome their own demons and find the love they always deserved?






Links to Buy

AMAZON US / UK



Also Available


Free

AMAZON US / UK




Excerpt

I jumped up on the counter and he moved to stand in front of me, bracing his hands beside my hips. I kicked my legs against the cabinets like a little kid as he stared down at me intensely. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for in my eyes, but he must have found it, because he cupped my cheek and leaned in.
“This feels like when we were younger,” he whispered. “Like no time at all has passed.” His words echoed my previous thoughts.
I closed my eyes, feeling his breath fan across my lips.
God, I’d missed him.
It didn’t seem possible to miss someone I’d grown to hate, but I did.
I was pretty sure that when someone like Mathias came into your life they were impossible to forget.
He was like the sun, burning so bright that even once he was gone I was still blinded.
“Did you ever miss me?” I asked. “Even once?” I held my breath, waiting for him to explode—because that was Mathias. He could be nice one minute and an asshole the next. I wouldn’t put it past him to kick me out for my question.
Instead he surprised me by leaning in impossibly closer and nuzzling my neck. “Always.”







Author Bio


Micalea Smeltzer is a bestselling Young and New Adult author from Winchester, Virginia. She’s always working on her next book, and when she has spare time she loves to read and spend time with her family.




Author Links

RILEY'S REVIEW NEVER TOO LATE...BY MICALEA SMELTZER

 "I'm done caring about them and the media. This is my life and they can fuck off." He took a shaky breath. "I know I told you a while ago that I couldn't promise  you forever but I was wrong to say that. I can't live my life without you," he whispered, his fingers gliding down my neck and lower where I was sure he felt how fast my heart was beating. "Those seven  years without you were some of the worst of my life, and that's saying a lot considering all the shit I went through with my real parent's but it's the truth."

I've come to realize that books like Never Too Late are my favorite kind of romance. Never Too Late is about soul mates and second chances and that just does something to my heart. I always swoon when the boy tells the girl, I've only ever loved you. Ah...I just melted a little right now.

Mathias Wade is used to getting everything he wants. Everything that is except for Remy Parker, the one that got away. As the lead singer of Willow Creek Mathias has spent the last seven years of his life drowning his sorrows in women and alcohol. Only none of those women could compare to Remy.

The two met in high school when they were sixteen years old. They were kind of misfits and broken in their own way. Remy was just a different kind of girl. She didn't have many friends. She couldn't even figure out why Mathias (I love that name) was interested in her.

Mathias is a whole other story. He's had a very tough life. Abusive, alcoholic parents, in and out of foster care, he's had it rough. He definitely has a badass personality and it shows in everything he does.

When they were together in high school they were always together. They weren't only boyfriend and girlfriend, they were best friends. Well, they were best friends until Remy told Mathias she was moving away to Arizona with her family. That night, Mathias said horrible things to Remy and Remy walked away with a secret she never got to tell Mathias.

Fast forward seven years. Remy's back in town and Mathias is there as well. Remy hopes to bump into Mathias for one reason and one reason only...revenge. Her hope is to make Mathias fall in love with her and then break him the way he broke her all those years ago.

When they finally run into each other anger oozes off the both of them. But even through the anger, you can tell there are still feelings between the two of them. Remy and Mathias aren't a typical couple. Everything about them is extreme. They bicker, they're always snarky to each other and truthfully, they're perfect for each other.

Of course I'm not going to tell you if Remy's plan works. And I'm certainly not going to spill any secrets like the one Remy's been keeping forever and can't bring herself to tell Mathias. You're going to have to one-click and find out. I promise this book is so worth it. I couldn't put it down.

Mathias as a book boyfriend? Oh hell yea! He's incredibly good looking. Stormy gray eyes, dark hair and a very toned body with some nice ink on it. Remy says Mathias is brooding and arrogant and he absolutely is. He's a complete bad boy through and through. Only sometimes you get a glimpse of this sweet, protective, charming man and you can't help but love him. 

How could I forget the hottest part about Mathias? In bed, the man is a god. Whether he's telling Remy the sweetest things or the naughtiest, he is always uber passionate and well damn, who doesn't want that?

Oh, I can't forget, the reason Remy goes back home is to take care of her granny. Granny's had a heart attack and Remy's parents send her to do the job. Believe me, granny doesn't need a babysitter. She is one of the coolest grannies out there. Her references to pop culture and cute boys are hilarious. 

I loved this book and I mean every part of this book. I laughed out loud and I teared up at times. And truthfully up until the end of the book it could go either way. So read it and find out!!

I'm definitely on a five lip smack roll recently. I must always pick awesome books because Never Too Late is totally getting five lip smacks. I can't wait for the next book In Your Heart can't come out fast enough.














RELEASE LAUNCH!!! FALL FOR ME...BY J.C. EMERY

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Melanie Kincaid is a trust-fund baby with a knack for sassy comebacks and unnecessarily complicating her privileged life. So, of course she would have to fall in love with a man she can't have. 

Jameson Hayes is a NYC firefighter for Manhattan’s oldest ladder company with big shoes to fill and a city to protect. He’s strong, sexy, and not looking for the complications Melanie brings. But he can't stay away from her either. The attraction between them is immediate and the pull between them is crazy powerful. But she's only home for the summer and long-distance relationships never work. 

Unfortunately, Melanie’s beauty and smart mouth are a lethal combination and Jameson isn't the only Hayes who's interested. As if his brother isn't enough to compete with, now the city's most famous arsonist wants to claim her as his next prize. Jameson can't stand to watch Melanie get hurt and she can't seem to keep herself out of trouble.   

Fall for Me is the first Ladder Company novel, a stand-alone companion series about New York's most elite firefighting family with hot alpha heroes, snarky heroines, and an arsonist hell-bent on destruction.








“Mom!” I move through the foyer and into the open great room— a large, open living/kitchen combo— where I leave my suitcase and kick off my flats before I hit the carpet. What the hell is she doing with gas? That stuff is toxic.

“Well?” Mom says, appearing at the edge of the hall on the other side of the kitchen. She has a hand towel around her neck and one of her many yoga-specific exercise outfits on. This one is a light blue and she’s barefoot. Monica Kincaid is dedicated to many things in life— her husband Christian, her daughters (the youngest, especially), and her charity projects— but yoga is the one out of all of it that I don’t understand. It puts her at peace, she says.

“Well?” I ask and drape the dress bag over the island counter top in the kitchen and move around to prop myself up on one of the bar stools. God, that gasoline smell is driving me mad.

“Are we planning a spring wedding yet or what?” Mom says with a grin. Her nose wrinkles, catching the scent of the gasoline, I’m sure. “Janet and I have been taking bets.”

“God, Mom,” I say and place my head in my hands.

“No really,” she says, “Tell me.”

“Nothing happened,” I say. Verbalizing it is even more disappointing than it probably should be. Apparently, Mom and Dad were also in on Jameson and Royal’s surprise trip. It took all of an hour after they landed for Janet Hayes to text me telling me she wishes she could have been there. It was sweet, but then she suggested she needed to leave me alone so I could spend as much time as possible with Jameson. And that we shouldn’t be disturbed. While the level of investment our mothers have in our has-yet-to-happen relationship is borderline creepy, the support is pretty awesome. It’s a rarity to find a woman as kind and loving as Janet Hayes is. Even if she doesn’t really know appropriate boundaries and likes to talk about when her sons were starting puberty… in all the gory details. I know more about Jameson’s solo activities when he was a kid more than I care to.

“You must be joking,” she says and heads to the fridge where she pulls out a single-serve cup of yogurt. “That man flew down to that god-awful place—,”







As a child, JC was fascinated by things that went bump in the night. As they say, some things never change. Now, as an adult, she divides her time between the sexy law men, mythical creatures, and kick-ass heroines that live inside her head and pursuing her bachelor's degree in English. JC is a San Francisco Bay Area native, but has also called both Texas and Louisiana home. These days she rocks her flip flops year round in Northern California and can't imagine a climate more beautiful. JC writes adult, new adult, and young adult fiction. She dabbles in many different genres including science fiction, horror, chick lit, and murder mysteries, yet she is most enthralled by supernatural stories-- and everything has at least a splash of romance.

 
 
 

BLOG TOUR!!! THEM...BY CAREY HEYWOOD

ThemTour


Them 
Publication Date: April 22, 2015 


them cover

Add to Goodreads




First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…

As Will and Sarah Price settle into being Mr & Mrs, they meet a stumbling block neither of them anticipated. All of their friends are starting families of their own, but not them, and not for lack of trying.

For them, their dreams of a happily ever after always included a baby. While Sarah struggles with the fear that her love isn’t enough, Will worries that she gave up too much for him. Neither know what to expect when they’re not expecting.

Together, they’ll learn that there is more than one way to build a family.


About Carey Heywood

Author Carey Heywood


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with six books out and many more to come. She was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. Ever the mild-mannered citizen, Carey spends her days working in the world of finance, and at night, she retreats into the lives of her fictional characters. Supporting her all the way are her husband, three sometimes-adorable children, and their nine-pound attack Yorkie.



COVER REVEAL!!! SHADOWS OF WHITESTONE MANOR...BY BRITTANY JO JAMES

COVER REVEAL

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SHADOWS OF WHITESTONE MANOR
Author: Brittany Jo James
Series: The Winters Family Series, Book Two 
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance


~ SYNOPSIS ~

Some shadows are as dark as night.

At least mine are.

My name is Grayson Winters and you’ve already been introduced to my family’s story.

Four months have passed since Lilith moved into Whitestone Manor to be with my brother, Orson. Now they’re getting married and it’s all I can do not to gag when they giggle at each other. Whitestone Manor represents nothing but secrets and darkness to me. Then, light begins to pour into my bleak world.

Prater Hahn has disappeared without a trace. Not that I blamed him or his brethren. I still wasn’t entirely sure Whitestone Manor was where I belonged either. All I knew for certain was that sweet, precious Ava Prescott seduced me with every bat of her eyelashes. Too bad for me, dating her was against the rules.

When a new danger arises to test the residents of Whitestone Manor, it falls on me to eliminate the problem. I thought I didn’t need my family’s help. I thought I could protect the ones I loved. Until I realized, not all who seem harmless truly are.

Loving the seemingly angelic girl I was forbidden to date certainly isn’t innocent.

But perhaps, neither is she?

If you aren’t afraid of what lurks in the shadows, I’ll tell you my story.



~ COVER DESIGNER ~
Kari Ayasha from Cover to Cover Designs
https://www.facebook.com/CoverToCoverDesigns



~ TEASERS ~







~ THE WINTERS FAMILY SERIES ~


SECRETS OF WHITESTONE MANOR
Author: Brittany Jo James
Series: The Winters Family Series, Book #1
Genre: Young Adult Romance | Paranormal Romance

~ SYNOPSIS ~
Some secrets are too dark to ever be brought into the light. 

At least mine are.

My name is Orson Winters, and you already know too much for me to let you walk away.

A decade has passed since my parents were killed, forcing my younger siblings and me to move in with our estranged uncle. Whitestone Manor in all its grandeur was overwhelming enough. Then, we learned the family secret. 

There’s darkness in the world no one, besides a handful of fighting families, even knows exists. The Winters family is the most acclaimed of them all. However, power isn’t always pleasurable, especially considering that it’s my responsibility to keep my reckless brothers and sister from jeopardizing us all.

When an old enemy emerges from the shadows, Uncle Sebastian calls in another fighting family to assist. I didn’t need their help. I could independently protect my siblings and the rest of the world from danger. That was, until I met Lilith Shaw. Now I’m not even sure that I can protect myself.

I can’t focus on that, though. 

I’m the last one standing between you and those who wait in the darkness.

If you can keep a secret, I’ll tell you my story.


~ PURCHASE ~ 
AMAZON


~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~
Brittany Jo James

Brittany Jo James was born and raised in the small town of Idabel, Oklahoma. She is happily married to her high school sweetheart, Conlee, who is currently serving as an airman in the United States Air Force. They share two rowdy sons, Jagger and Jett. Her life revolves around living for God, caring for her family and writing, writing, writing. The James family is currently residing near Anchorage, Alaska until the USAF decides otherwise.

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RELEASE BLITZ!!! BINGE...BY JENNIFER FOOR





Flynn & Aria Roberts have had plenty of ups and downs during their seven year marriage. Everyone warned them not to wed so young - that they'd be missing out on the key years when people grow from young adults to mature individuals.

The only thing holding them
together now is their
love for each other,
and even that is becoming questionable.
To save the marriage, and the family they've already started, Flynn and Aria come up with an unconventional solution to help them find what's missing in their relationship.

The only problem is doing so involves rediscovering themselves completely, even if it requires them to be unfaithful.
Can a marriage survive
when vows are broken, or will chance encounters prove they've been missing out all-along?

Fulfill your
deepest Desires
Give in to
Temptation




I hated the idea of spending the next hour with a therapist, bearing all of my concerns as if she could somehow relate enough to help me. What I loathed more was knowing that it was the first sunny day in two weeks, and the woman was relentless about closing the blinds during her sessions.  It was as if she wanted her patients to be depressed so that they’d keep coming.
I’d gotten into a habit of nitpicking lately. I suppose it came from being so miserable. They say it loves company, misery that is, not that I was asking for friends to hang out with and compare notes on our failed experiences.
I peered down at my jeans and Chucks, feeling as if I should have cared more about my appearance, especially since this woman clearly went all out. It didn’t matter what the temperature was,  Dr. Ellis was always in a skirt-suit. With her auburn hair full of curls, she sat with crossed legs and my file strewn over her lap. While the friendly doctor flicked her pen, pretending to listen to me, I stared effortlessly at the rapid speed it repelled. I wondered if it made little dots on the paper each time. Then I imagined it falling apart from being handled so roughly. I imagined the tiny spring shooting into her hair and becoming tangled the instant it made contact. Anything was better than admitting where I was and why I was there.
“How would you say your relationship with your husband has been in the past week?”
I rubbed my hands on the thighs of my jeans while proceeding to come up with a lie to make it seem as if we were making progress. “Fine, I guess. We haven’t killed each other.” I found my answer to be amusing, while she kept the same resting-bitch face.
“Since last week, how many times have you had intercourse?” She would ask me this. It was the reason I hated coming to these meetings. Every week she asked the same questions. I guess she assumed that one time I’d provide her with a different answer. This wasn’t going to be the epic appointment where I made progress, not after the week I’d had. Besides, who would want to know that I had frequent sex in bed alone, while imagining being tied up by a stranger, or blindfolded and seduced by someone who only set out to please me. Flynn was always there in my dreams, watching and envying what I wouldn’t let him have. It was like I was punishing him in my mind, while getting off to my little bullet vibrator in the bed we should be sharing together.
Flynn and I were supposed to be working on things. Instead, we were still in the same place as when we started this – headed for divorce.
“That would be a big fat zero.”
“I see,” she said while jotting down something. “Have either of you put forth an effort?”
I leaned forward, putting my elbows on my knees while rubbing my hands together. I suppose I should have held my posture like a proper lady, but my give-a-damn had been busted for years. “It’s kind of hard to try something when being in the same room together makes me want to strangle him, hypothetically of course. It’s also impossible when your husband sleeps on the couch, and trust me, you’d be the first to know if I was getting it from someone else, because I wouldn’t need to keep up this charade.”
“Charade? I would hardly call these sessions that. I’m here to get to the bottom of your problems and help you overcome them. You came to me for help. I know at times it seems worthless, but in order to change you’ll have to put forth an effort, which I’m not seeing from either of you. I’d hate for you to waste your time if this isn’t what you want, Aria.”
I hated the way this woman looked at me. She wasn’t fooling me with her professionalism. I knew she found Flynn attractive. She probably went home at night and turned on her vibrator to get off on pretending to fuck my husband, and apparently she wasn’t the only one. The older we got, the better looking he became. I wondered if she was waiting for me to admit we were through so she could make her move.
I grinded my teeth together to keep from spatting out something I’d regret later. Had we not promised each other that we’d try, I didn’t know where I’d be. With a daughter, it wasn’t feasible to go out and prey on single men for attention. Sure, I missed being touched. I longed to feel desired again, but I didn’t see it happening, so I kept my deepest thoughts buried where not even this doctor would be able to pry them out of me. If she only knew what I fantasized about when I was all alone she’d think I was a crazy voyeur nymphomaniac who didn’t deserve to be in a loving commitment to just one person. In my defense it wasn’t like I’d always dreamed of being with multiple partners, but when I had little experience aside from my husband, my curiosity got the best of me. Maybe if I didn’t feel like my body was scarred from stretch marks, I would be open to exploring different things with Flynn. I just felt ugly – ALL. THE. TIME. It was as if he was becoming more attractive while I was constantly aging. Why would he ever want to try to be turned on by me after seeing my vagina doubled in size during labor? I think he referred to it as the Cumberland Gap. And yes, that is exactly how he described it. “I want to feel beautiful about myself. I want to be appreciated. I want to know without a doubt that Flynn is making love to me and not imagining someone else. I want HIM to be the person who can fulfill my needs, leaving me feeling completely and utterly satisfied.” The last part wasn’t supposed to come out, but now I was becoming overemotional, letting my fears and frustrations dictate what flew out of my mouth.
“I think you’re not giving Flynn enough credit. It’s obvious your husband desires you. He’s said as much during our sessions. Perhaps your self-esteem struggles are keeping you from seeing that.”
Of course she’d blame me. If she only knew what it was like to see Flynn looking at other women, or to talk until I was blue in the face with no response from him. If she could prepare all of his meals only to have him refuse to come to the table to eat because he was watching something on television. If she could be on the end of the phone call when he was out with his friends instead of being at home with his daughter. Flynn was terrible with priorities. He came first in his mind, and we were just leftovers, hoping to have a millisecond of his precious time. They say marriage is a two-way commitment. What is it called when only one person gives one-hundred percent of their time and energy? That was my marriage. I gave, and he took. That was the gist of it. Flynn could construe his stories to this doctor as many times as he wanted, but the truth would never change.
The moment he left her office he went back to being a douche, a part time father, and a shitty excuse for a husband. “I agree that my body issues prevent me from feeling sexy enough to want to be intimate, but that’s not our only problem. Just because I’m not willing to seduce my husband, doesn’t mean I’m ready to throw in the towel.”
“Intimacy is an important factor in any marriage. I’m afraid if you’re unwilling to be physical with each other there’s nothing more I can do for you. It may sound absurd to someone in your situation, but you have to be willing to at least try to be with your husband. Part of being a marriage counselor is to help you get through this. I’ve met with both of you together, and now separately. While your husband shows empathy for your marriage, I get the sense that you no longer feel the same.”
If she only knew that he was full of shit when he met with her. Of course he’d lead her to believe he was this great guy who was suffering because his wife wouldn’t screw him. It only made me want to choke him more.
I played with my hands. This was our eighth session. Once a month we met with her separately. I was supposed to be making an effort, but it’s impossible when you don’t feel good enough about yourself. “It’s not that I don’t love Flynn. I do – that’s the only thing I’m sure of right now. We just can’t find a common ground. It’s hopeless. He doesn’t make me feel wanted, even when he’s trying to get laid. Why should I give in when I know it’s all an act. I want to feel needed. I want to see his eyes light up when I walk in the room. It’s the little things that are missing in our relationship. It’s like he’s gotten comfortable and forgotten that I also have desires. We’re not in this together anymore. I feel alone even when he’s near.”
She started aggressively writing something down on a separate pad of paper then ripped it, and reached across the wooden coffee table to hand it to me.
I looked down at it. “What’s this?” I half expected it to be the number of a furniture company where Flynn could purchase a new comfortable couch for his lazy ass to sleep better on. It was obvious she enjoyed his private sessions more than mine. All I did was complain about Flynn. It wasn’t getting me anywhere. My sessions were a joke. Flynn’s last two private appointments he’d come out acting all happy, as if he’d gotten head or possibly more. Ever since then, I’d been reluctant to even continue my sessions. At this point I couldn’t figure out what were misconceptions in my head, or actual reality. I was so messed up and didn’t know where to turn. Behind closed doors my husband was someone who never tried, yet when he spoke to other people everything was honky-dory. It made me resent him all the more.
Dr. Ellis’ reply wasn’t what I’d expected. It actually made me question if she’d been listening to me at all. “That is the address of a bed and breakfast near the beach. It’s run by a young couple. This time of year is pretty slow. If any part of you wants to save your marriage, I suggest you spend some one-on-one time together, out of your normal routine. You don’t have to go there, but go somewhere. Spend time communicating. The two of you need to get know one another again. You need to remember why you fell in love, and how to figure out how get it back. I can’t make the decision for you, or tell you what you should be feeling. I can only suggest a solution I think you’d both benefit from.”
“I’ve known him for years. In fact, I know him better than anyone,” I corrected her. I didn’t need a life lesson on Flynn. I also didn’t need to take a trip with him to get to know him better. What I needed was to go away alone and get my head on straight. What I wanted was to be desired by someone who didn’t ignore me on a daily basis.
She shook her head with a smirk across her face. It made me feel as if she were questioning my statement. The jealous side of me wanted to slap it right off. Then I had to rationalize about how I could be assuming things that weren’t even happening.
“That’s not what I’m referring to. Couples change. You can grow together, or in your case, because you were so young, apart. The only way to fix things is to start over, as if it were your first date.”
“What if I don’t want to date my husband?” I began to count how many times, while during a heated argument, I’d told Flynn if I had to do it all over again I’d never look in his direction.
“Just give my advice some thought. We’ll meet again next week, if you’re still interested in making this work. I have hopes that some quality time together could start repairing what’s been lost. You both need to relearn how to communicate with one another again. I know it seems tedious, but I can promise it’s not. You can never know too much about the person you’re married to. An open line of communication could do wonders for your self esteem issues as well.”
So what if I had problems with feeling beautiful. Didn’t every woman stand in the check-out line at the grocery and wish she could look like the model on the magazines? I was envious they could keep their figures after having children.

It wasn’t until I reached my car that I took in what Dr. Ellis suggested, and then I wondered if I was even willing to give it a go. If I had a choice, would I do it all over again? This question was something I thought I’d known the answer to, yet the idea of giving up on Flynn was painful. As much as I couldn’t stand how he was, a part of me assumed that without him I’d have nothing. Then there was the lingering fact that I still loved the man, even with all his flaws.
My drive home brought everything back into perspective. I started imagining our failures. Yes, we’d made a beautiful little girl, but was it worth it to stay together for her? I knew some couples did, though I couldn’t fathom it myself. I was at a point where I hated Flynn. My love for him still existed, but I despised the person he’d become; the one that popped open a beer after work every night leaving his dirty boots on and track mud all over the floor I’d just vacuumed. The same man who didn’t care about his actions or how they affected other people.  The person who stopped caring about me and everything else that mattered, because he was too consumed in himself to notice.
Everyone told us we were fools. They said no two people should marry as young as we were; that it was doomed to fail, because we were kids ourselves. In so many ways I wished we would have listened. Had I known then what an up road battle into a clusterfuck of a life it would turn out to be, perhaps we could have saved a lot of people grief, and probably money.
It’s amazing how as little girls we dream of finding our Prince Charming and to live happily ever after.
It doesn’t take a genius to see the disappointment in my parent’s eyes when I call them upset, or even in some cases show up at their door with bags full of my things, swearing I’m done playing Flynn’s head games.
I suppose they’re used to the fighting since we’ve been doing it from day one. At seventeen I thought I was lucky. He wasn’t only handsome, but smart, and brave as well. Flynn Roberts was the good boy with the bad reputation. He was able to have any girl he wanted back then, and probably still could to this day. For all I know he could have been screwing around on me this whole time. Maybe that’s why we’ve never been able to really communicate. Maybe he hides behind a wall of secrets.
It’s easy to sit back and point fingers at someone else, rather than admit I’m the one at fault. I can’t help it. When that alarm goes off in the morning I cringe, not because he’s going to try and touch me, God forbid that happen, but rather that I know I’m going to have a repeat of the day before it.
He’ll expect me to help him out the door. If he’s sick I’ll have to call into his job, and nurse him back to health, because let’s face it, he’s a freaking child when he doesn’t feel good. Give him a runny nose and he can’t get out of bed. How pathetic is that? Is it all men, or just the one I’m married to?
I’ve asked my therapist- she claims that I’m nitpicking. To be honest I don’t even know if I care anymore. I look forward to the moment he leaves, and try to avoid him when he steps back in the door.
You’re probably wondering why we married, or how we got this way. I asked the same question each time he turns to walk away from me. I question what I saw in him back then. Apparently love is blind. I married a man who’s only ever put himself first. If he doesn’t get his way I’m a bitch, or a terrible wife. For seven years I’ve listened to this, and for those seven years, I’ve let it happen.
I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve cried myself to sleep at night, praying, pleading for God to help me. I asked why I couldn’t be a better person. Why couldn’t he love me more?
I honestly let him brainwash me into thinking I was the whole problem in our marriage. I felt as if I wasn’t what he wanted in a woman, and eventually a mother.
We had our first child when I turned nineteen. At the time he’d gone off to college, leaving me behind to live with his parents. He’d come home on weekends to his knocked up wife, which I honestly believed he’d hid from most all of his classmates.
At first his parents were in charge of our relationship. Since he’d gotten a scholarship, they weren’t going to allow him to give it up for me or a new baby. Yes, I’m dead serious. This really happened. My mom and dad wanted me to have an abortion, but I refused. They begged me to reconsider being with Flynn. They told me it would never work.
I ran away, well just to his parent’s home. When they found out about the pregnancy they questioned our relationship, and then pretty much forced us to marry. God forbid they have an illegitimate grandchild.
From the get-go, their animosity toward me was pretty well-known. Nothing I did was good enough for Flynn’s mother. She’d pick at the littlest of things, making sure to put me down until I felt incapable. She caused so many fights between us, especially when Flynn wasn’t home. I couldn’t even begin to count how many nights I called him at school, bawling my eyes and begging for some sort of resolution.
During my pregnancy I focused on our future, promising my unborn child a good life. It was evident how important it was to provide our child with a stable home. In order to do that, I needed to respect how a college education could give us that opportunity.
I’d like to say I tried my best to be patient and understanding, but as the months passed I saw Flynn less and less. He started staying on campus, attending parties, and doing other activities that didn’t involve me.
Not only was I jealous, but over-emotional as well. Combine the two of those together and I was a mess.
I’d call his phone until he either picked up or turned it off. He’d call me every name in the book, and I’d return the same language right back. Then, when I felt as if nothing could repair the damage, he’d show up. The makeup sex was always the best, and for a while I was content.
One night, on a Friday he wasn’t due to come home, I awoke from a terrible nightmare. It upset me so much that I knew I wouldn’t calm down unless I spoke to him to be sure he was okay.
When a female voice answered the phone, I felt like my whole future had ended. Being sick wasn’t even the half of it. In the background I could hear him talking, calling her baby, and asking who she was talking to. At the time I didn’t know he’d been drinking, though I also didn’t give him a chance to explain.
In a pair of pajamas, with a huge belly, I took his mother’s keys to her vehicle and drove to the college, determined to look him in the eyes and let him know we were over.
To this day I still don’t know what happened in that dorm room. After someone let me inside, I climbed the stairs and knocked on the door until he opened it. Sitting in a chair off to the side was a blonde female. She was in a bra and a pair of jeans. At first she looked at me like I was in the wrong place, but when Flynn acknowledged me she quickly exited the room.
That was the night that could have changed our future. Maybe I was wrong to give him an ultimatum. Perhaps I didn’t have a right to control his life, but I did it anyway. I made Flynn choose me over going to the university, because I knew I’d never trust him if he stayed. At the time I didn’t see it as being selfish. Now, seven years later, I feel as if it was the biggest mistake of my life. I almost wish he would have found the love of his life at that school, because it was quite clear it wasn’t me.
While sitting in front of our small ranch style home, I peered down at the address of the bed and breakfast the therapist had given me. Did I want to even bring it up to Flynn? Could the two of us be alone for a whole weekend without wanting to strangle one another? Did I want to know what it felt like to have him touch me without cringing? Was there any kind of sexual chemistry even left between us? Could Flynn ever learn how to please a woman first instead of being so damn selfish?
I hated even considering how bad it could turn out, but I was tired of living like this. I knew there was so much neither of us had ever experienced. We were naïve and curious, so much that we couldn’t find a happy medium. Was it so wrong to want to experience hot, unadulterated sex with someone who could appreciate me the way I was? I hated the idea of being with someone else. I didn’t want my family to break up, but this wasn’t healthy.
Before exiting my vehicle, I crumpled the small note and shoved it in my pocket. My marriage was over, and the sooner I came to grips with it the faster I could plan the divorce.







Jennifer Foor is an award winning Contemporary Romance Author. She's best known for the Mitchell Family Series, which includes ten books.
She is married with two children and spends most of her time behind a keyboard, writing stories that come from her heart. 





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