Book Highlight: Awaken by Skye Malone | Excerpt | Giveaway

Title: Awaken
Author: Skye Malone 
Series: Awakened Fate (Book One)
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Wildflower Isle
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Cover Designer: Karri Klawiter

Running away from home was never Chloe Kowalski’s plan. Neither was ending up the target of killers, or having her body change in unusual ways. She only wanted a vacation, someplace far from her crazy parents and their irrational fear of water. She only wanted to do something normal for once, and maybe get to know her best friend’s hot stepbrother a bit better at the same time.

But the first day she goes out on the ocean, strange things start to happen. Dangerous things that should be impossible. Things to which ‘normal’ doesn’t even begin to apply.

Now madmen are hunting her. A mysterious guy with glowing blue eyes is following her. And her best friend’s stepbrother seems to be hiding secrets all his own.

It was supposed to be a vacation. It’s turning out to be a whole lot more. 

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The Series:

  

  

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Maddox slowed the boat, killed the engine, and then lowered the anchor. At least a mile off, the shore was a mosaic of green mountains and white buildings below. Puffs of clouds drifted over Santa Lucina, but out here, only the barest wisps hovered in the brilliant blue sky. Baylie leaned back on her seat, a smile on her face, while her dog just eyed the water as though trying to figure out how the demented humans could possibly think this was a good idea. 

“So…” Noah started. “Anyone want to go for a swim?” 

I smiled. My parents being so psychotic and all, we didn’t even have a bathtub in the house, just a stand-up shower the size of a broom closet. I’d never been able to teach myself how to hold my breath underwater, let alone swim. 

But that was going to change, starting now. 

“Well, um,” I began, feeling a bit reckless with excitement. “If you wouldn’t mind teaching me?” 

His eyebrows climbed. “Uh, no. I mean, sure. I–” The boat jumped. 

“What the hell?” Maddox cried as the rest of us grabbed at the guardrails. 

“Did we hit something?” Noah asked, scanning the water. 

Maddox shook his head. “I don’t–” 

The ocean around the boat began to bubble and roil. 

Noah swore. “Get us out of here!” he called to Maddox. 

His brother didn’t need the encouragement. Quickly, he scrambled back toward the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition.

The engine wouldn’t respond. 

Shudders shook the boat, while all around, the ocean’s surface began to foam like the calm sea had suddenly become a boiling pot on a stove. Waves surged from every direction at once, growing more violent by the second, and on all sides the water darkened, as though a shadow was spreading below us. 

“What’s happening?” Baylie cried. 

No one could answer. As if shoved from beneath, the deck tipped up at a sharp angle and then just as quickly rocked back, wrenching us hard as we fought to hang onto the guardrails. The lurching came again, throwing us forward and back. 

My grip broke. The metal rail hit me, knocking the air from my lungs. 

And then came the water. 

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Skye Malone is a fantasy and paranormal romance author, which means she spends most of her time not-quite-convinced that the magical things she imagines couldn't actually exist. A Midwestern girl who migrated to the Pacific Northwest, she dreams someday of travelling the world – though in the meantime she’ll take any story that whisks her off to a place where the fantastic lives inside the everyday. She loves strong and passionate characters, complex villains, and satisfying endings that stay with you long after the book is done. An inveterate writer, she can’t go a day without getting her hands on a keyboard, and can usually be found typing away while she listens to all the adventures unfolding in her head.

Skye also writes YA urban fantasy as Megan Joel Peterson and is the author of The Children and the Blood series. 

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Book Highlight: Pieces of Revenge + Scarred by Valia Lind | Excerpt | Giveaway

Pieces of Revenge by Valia Lind
Book #1 in the Titanium Series

A weapon. A broken life. A humanity lost.

That is all Anastasia knows, that is all that she is. As an eleven-year-old, she witnessed her family's brutal murder and she's been on the run ever since. She's spent her life training and planning for the day when she can take her revenge.

Kallos Enterprises is a well respected corporation, set on improving the genetic structure of an individual. Or so they say. Anastasia knows, first hand, what kind of monsters lurk behind the pretty walls of those skyscrapers. Armed with combat skills and a beyond perfect memory, she heads to Chicago to uncover the answers to questions that plagued her for years.

After arriving in the city, she meets Logan, a boy from her past who changes all the rules. She doesn't remember him, but he remembers her. His position at Kallos Enterprises is useful, his presence is unnerving, and he makes her question everything she knows about herself to be true. If her perfect memory can't remember Logan, what else about her past is wrong?

Time is running out. Anastasia has nowhere to turn, but to trust the one person who's a memory she should have, but doesn't. With a madman threatening their every step, Anastasia and Logan must uncover the truths behind Kallos experiments and hope that the answers they find won't destroy the world forever. 

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Blood splatters against my cheek, dripping down my neck.

       I don't bother to wipe at it, swinging my arm as my elbow connects with the other side of his face. My mind is always calculating, like a computer, spitting out information as I duck another punch. The man in front of me is large, almost twice as wide as me, and just as deadly.

       Height: 6’3.

       Weight: 215 pounds.

       Arms like steel.   

      He grabs my hair, yanking my head back as his other arm connects with my left side. I grunt in pain, swallowing the scream that’s about to burst free. I slam my elbow into his stomach, twisting under his arm in the same motion. My knee connects with his manhood, before my fist connects with his jaw once more.

       My moves are precise.

       Practiced.

       Lethal.

      "Son of a—" I round kick him in the face before he can finish. He drops to the ground with a thud, and before he could stumble to his knees, my foot slams into his face, dropping him for good.

      "That's no language to use around a lady." I say, looking down at him, making sure he stays down. When I'm satisfied he's out, I grab my bag and run.

      I should've been more careful sneaking in, but I memorized the schedule and there shouldn't have been anyone here. The warehouse sits against the backdrop of an abandoned neighborhood, so when my feet hit the payment, there is no one to see me escape. I almost stop and go back to finish the job, but I don't. He's not worth the guilt I would carry if I kill him. He's not the one I'm saving the guilt for.

      I got what I came for, even though it took me a few more minutes than I planned on. He didn't see my face, but he sure will have himself a headache tomorrow. Strangely, I feel rejuvenated after the fight, and I grin as I run down the side alley.

      Finally. It’s finally time to make them pay.

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Scarred by Vengeance
Book #2 in the Titanium Series

This is the mission: Save. Protect. Destroy.

Everything in Anastasia’s world came crashing down when the one person she decided to trust failed her. On the run, now more than ever, she’s trying to piece together the life she doesn’t remember. With Blake still missing, she sends the rest of the family away, hoping to keep them out of danger. But being alone is a lot harder than it used to be and she blames herself for allowing Logan into her heart. He’s gone now and she must let him go. Even though her perfect memory continues to play out the time they’ve spent together, much like a broken record.

But Anastasia has no time to dwell on the mistakes of yesterday; her mission isn’t over. Kallos Enterprises continue their experiments, as the death rate goes up, and Anastasia has no choice but to fight. However, she’s not as cold blooded as she used to be and that proves to be a problem when the people she cares about are once again put in danger. With her strength—and memory—failing and Blake’s time running out, Anastasia must tap into parts of herself she never knew existed, hoping that in the end, it will be enough to save them all.

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About Valia

Author. Photographer. Artist. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, Valia Lind always had a love for the written word. She wrote her first full book on the bathroom floor of her dormitory, while procrastinating to study for her college classes. Upon graduation, she has moved her writing to more respectable places, and have found her voice in Young Adult fiction. Falling by Design is her debut young adult novel. You can visit her online at www.valialind.blogspot.com or follow her on twitter, where she spends way too much time, @ValiaLind.

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Series Highlight: The Aspen Valley Series By Colette Auclair + Derb-E Treat Giveaway

  

The Kentucky Derby is just one week away and we are giving away promo codes for the eBooks Thrown, Jumped, and Branded in Colette Auclair’s award-winning Aspen Valley series!

THROWN (December 2013; $5.99) is the first book in The Aspen Valley Series.  Professional horse trainer Amanda Vogel dreams of riding jumpers in the Olympics, but after seeing her best friend die in a riding accident, she’s so traumatized she can’t compete. Broke and desperate, she takes a summer job in Aspen teaching some big-shot widowed movie star’s spoiled daughters to ride—and braces herself for three miserable months. But the movie star is funny, down-to-earth, and gorgeous—and his spoiled daughters are just desperate for a mother figure. By Labor Day, she has to choose between capturing a gold medal…and the man who has captured her heart.

JUMPED (August 2014; $5.99), the second book in The Aspen Valley Series, is Colette Auclair’s steamy sequel to her “page-turning debut” (Library Journal), Thrown. A young woman in the equestrian fashion business finds herself head over heels for her ex-husband.  Thoroughly enjoying herself at her best friend Amanda’s wedding, Beth is shocked when she is seated next to her ex-husband, Finn, at the reception. Determined to not let this fluster her, Beth strikes up a conversation only to learn Finn isn’t the same man she walked away from. 

Relieved the reception is over, Beth is looking forward to a relaxing weekend against the beautiful backdrop of sunny Aspen at Amanda and Grady’s estate.  Little does she know Finn will be partaking in the weekend activities.  But just as Beth decides to keep as much distance between her and Finn as possible, Finn has a terrible accident and Beth is stuck being his bedside nurse.  Over the course of the weekend, Beth and Finn discover that the wounds of their failed marriage are not all that’s left. There are sparks…and hope. But just as they decide to give it another try, Finn confesses a huge secret that could destroy everything he’s fought to get back—Beth, their relationship, and another chance at love.  Will Beth turn away, or will she take a leap of faith and say “I do” once (again) and for all? 

BRANDED (December 2014; $5.99), the third book in The Aspen Valley Series, will take readers on a wild and dreamy ride through the beautiful valleys and mountains of Colorado.  Professional, polite, and pearl-wearing, dressage rider and resort consultant Cordy Sims is the last person anyone would expect to initiate a weekend of debauchery. And yet, that’s exactly what she does after meeting a handsome stranger at an Aspen resort. Agreeing that they’ll leave personal details at the door, they indulge in a memorable weekend of carnal recreation. On Sunday night, Cordy doesn’t want to leave this charming, seductive man, but she must play by her own rules.

On Monday, Cordy sits in a meeting at the ad agency that’s hired her as a freelancer, and her professional and personal worlds collide. Turns out agency owner Jack Cormier looks just as good in the boardroom as he did in the bedroom. Forced to work together, Cordy and Jack can’t ignore the chemistry that crackles between them, or the deeper feelings that have developed. But secrets and scars from their pasts may prove too formidable, even for a love that’s as powerful as it is unexpected.  

Praise for The Aspen Valley Series:

“The story portrays two convincingly flawed but likeable characters who find each other’s aults both provocative and exciting, as they try to decide whether a second chance at marriage is worth the risk.”

—Publishers Weekly on Jumped

“There is enough tension among all the forces at play to keep the pages turning. Debut novelist Auclair is a 2012 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Finalist, winner of the 2011 Winter Rose Contest, and a finalist in the 2011 Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest.  Recommended for most romance fans.”

—Library Journal on Thrown

Colette Auclair has been a copywriter for more than twenty years.  She’s ridden and shown horses since she was ten and owns a lovely twenty-year-old Thoroughbred mare.  Thrown, her first novel, was a 2012 Golden Heart finalist in the single-title contemporary romance category.  It also won the 2011 Winter Rose Contest (Yellow Rose Romance Writers) and finaled in the 2011 Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest (NE Ohio Romance Writers Assoc.)  Jumped is second and Branded is third in the Aspen Valley series.  Please visit coletteauclair.com.

 

A Pocket Star EBook Kentucky Derb-E Treat! The Aspen Valley Series

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Book Highlight: Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda + Excerpt

Hollywood Witch Hunter
Author: Valerie Tejeda
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Release Date: July 20th 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury Spark

From the moment she first learned the truth about witches…she knew she was born to fight them.

Now, at sixteen, Iris is the lone girl on the Witch Hunters Special Ops Team.

But when Iris meets a boy named Arlo, he might just be the key to preventing an evil uprising in Southern California.

Together they're ready to protect the human race at all costs. Because that's what witch hunters do.

Welcome to Hollywood

USA Today EXCERPT (PROLOGUE) 

Witch Hunting Book of Stories

Once upon a time, in a land not too far away, a beautiful witch named Belinda arrived in Hollywood in search of fame and fortune. Although Belinda was considered royalty among her kind, this witch longed for greater renown. She wanted to be an actress on the silver screen. But on one gloomy night at a glamorous after-party full of stars and starlets, Belinda lost her dream role to a younger woman. Humiliated and hurt, Belinda's once-tender heart turned to icy stone.

Consumed by bitterness and rage, she cast a curse upon her species, requiring each and every witch to steal the youth and beauty of mortal women through ritual sacrifice. She remained in Tinseltown to become the ruler of the Hollywood Coven, recruiting ever more witches from the far corners of the world to join her sinister plan. But these witches didn't fly on broomsticks or wear pointed hats. No, these witches used their powerful spells to control minds, time, and even the weather. And although the mortals continued their day-to-day lives, Belinda's incessant demand for sacrifice had placed the entire town in danger.

But one day, everything changed. An army of men who called themselves "hunters" came to The City of Angels determined to protect mankind from the witches' wrath. And with that, the rivalry between the witches and the hunters began — a secret war that would cost many innocents their lives and continue for decades.

Through the years, Belinda's struggle for youth, power, and beauty has been repeatedly foiled by the ever-persistent Witch Hunters. But the evil witch remains as clever as she is beautiful.

While some things change, one truth will endure: Never trust a witch…especially in Hollywood.

Book Highlight: Final Life by Rose Garcia | Excerpt | Giveaway

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Final Life 
Book #1 in the Transhuman Chronicles
Rose Garcia

Nothing sucks more than being forced to move cross country during senior year. And Dominique Wells doesn't think things can get any worse until she's invited to a quirky neighbor's party. When pressured into playing a magical card game, Dominique's world goes from sucky to terrifying. She begins having visions of a red desert and an evil presence--a presence who hints at past lives and promises to kill her.

Plagued by fear and suspicion, and unaware of a family secret kept hidden from her, Dominique is determined to live. Together with a mysterious and gorgeous guy who's moved in while his parents are away, and a hot, popular guy from school, Dominique must seek clues to her past if she's to survive. That, and keep her emotions in check for the two guys she suddenly can't stop thinking about because if she doesn't, she'll be dead. For real.

EXCERPT

The image of blue sky, white sand, and calm waters popped into my mind, edging out the fear and panic that had taken over me.

            My body slipped to the ground. My knees sank into the cool, pebbly sand. A soft breeze flowed through my hair. Farrell stood beside me at the water’s edge, staring out at the still water. He extended his arm and helped me to my feet. I brushed myself off, recalling the terror and pain I had just left behind in the red desert. I patted my chest.

            “Am I really here?”

            “No,” Farrell said sadly. “Only your mind is here.”

            “Farrell, am I—?” I paused, not wanting to say the words, as if keeping them to myself would change my fate. “Am I dying?”

            “Yes.” He took my hand. “There’s nothing I can do.” His calmness filtered into me. And for a minute there, death didn’t seem so bad.

            My attention turned to a bird in the distance that soared through the cloudless sky. For eight lifetimes now I had died, and this was my last time. The world would never be the same, and it was my fault.

            Farrell squeezed my hand. “Remember what I said? The last time we were here?”

            Of course I remembered. “You told me the end is not yet written, and to trust myself.”

            The bird, a white Egret, flew closer and glided right over us, wings outstretched. A lone, feather escaped its plumage. The delicate quill drifted back and forth in the sky. Just like the feather from my dreams and the feather Ms. Ryken had given me that I had later seen at Jan’s. And then it dawned on me that it was the same color as Farrell’s aura. I extended my hand, reaching out for it. When it touched my palm, it disappeared.

            Like flipping a switch, I was back in the desert. Heat exploded inside me. The air in my lungs had almost emptied. Warm, thick blood dripped from my fingers. Farrell and Trent were on the other side of Tavion’s dark energy force, and I was still inside, barely alive. Tavion continued to lift me at my throat, squeezing the life out of me.

            “Dominique! Fight!” Trent yelled.

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Rose Garcia is a lawyer turned writer who's always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy. From a very young age, she often had her nose buried in books about other-worlds, fantastical creatures, and life and death situations. More recently she's been intrigued by a blend of science fiction and reality, and the idea that some supernatural events are, indeed, very real. Fueled by her imagination, she created The Transhuman Chronicles--a series of books about people who have overcome human limitations.  Rose lives in Houston with her husband and two kids. You can visit Rose at www.rosegarciabooks.com

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Book Highlight: Save Me by Jenny Elliott + Excerpt

 

Save Me
Author: Jenny Elliott
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: January 6th 2015
Publisher: Swoon Reads

Debut-novelist Jenny Elliott’s thrilling romance, chosen by readers, writers, and publishers for the first list in the new Swoon Reads imprint, pours on the tension and danger in an addictive combination that will keep you turning pages!

Something strange is going on in the tiny coastal town of Liberty, Oregon. Cara has never seen a whale swim close enough for her to touch it—let alone knock her into the freezing water. Fortunately, cute newcomer David is there to save her, and the rescue leads to a bond deeper than Cara ever imagined.

But then she learns something about David that changes everything, and Cara is devastated. She turns to her best friend for support, but Rachel has changed. She’s suddenly into witchcraft, and is becoming dangerously obsessed with her new boyfriend….

Cara has lost her best friend, discovered that her soul mate is off limits, and has attracted the attention of a stalker. But she’s not completely alone. Her mysterious, gorgeous new friend Garren is there to support her. But is Garren possibly too perfect?

Excerpt

Cara pulled out of her parking spot and felt a sickening thud against her car’s rear bumper. She yelped and slammed on the brakes. Her head flew forward, then whipped back. Her fingernails dug into the vinyl on the steering wheel and a heavy weight sank to the bottom of her stomach. Her heart stopped, then took off at a gallop.

In the rearview mirror, she saw the face of a teenage boy, about her age. She had no idea where he’d come from. Twisting around, she got a better view of the guy through the back window. Sky-blue eyes stared back at her.

She thanked God he was standing. Her trembling hand fumbled with the gearshift until she managed to put the car in park. She left the motor running, stepped out, and drew in a strained breath of seaweed-scented air.

Inching over to the stranger, she saw that—by some miracle—he stood straight, apparently unaffected by the impact of her Honda Civic.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, shaking inside and out. “Should I call 9-1-1? Are you hurt?” Her cheeks flamed.

“No, you just tapped me,” he said, his voice deep and melodic. “I’m fine.”

Via: SwoonReads.com

Book Highlight: Who We Were by Christy Sloat + Giveaway

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Title: Who We Were

Author: Christy Sloat
Genre: YA, Contemporary Romance
Publication: September 15th, 2014

“Who we were had washed away with the summer. Who we are was yet to be seen.”

Summer school at Alcott High was only supposed to gain Sadie Peters extra credit, nothing more. Her goal wasn’t to make friends, or gain the attention of the most popular football player, yet she managed both. Her life was cruising along on course … until that summer.

Could a simple stint in a different school change her identity completely and introduce her to love for the first time? How would that affect her relationship with Lily, her best friend?

Hopefully their friendship was strong enough to make it through the tumultuous summer. Sadie learns that great things come with change, but sometimes memories of the past are hardest to part with.

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Excerpt

I entered the lunchroom and met Nash at the same table as yesterday. He gave me a huge smile, but that was all. No hug or kiss on the cheek. Okay, fine.

I set down my lunch tray that held pizza, an apple and an orange juice. Not exactly healthy, but I tried. Nash sat with me and ate his pizza, but he didn’t engage in conversation with me. Instead he sat and talked to Oliver and some other kid named Henry, who I learned played ball with them. I was secure enough to realize that Nash and I weren’t a couple; we were just getting to know each other. So, I would just need to cool it and not get upset by his ignoring me. I mean really, was he ignoring me on purpose or perhaps just busy with his guy friends? I chose the latter.

“Oh, you sit here too?” I looked up to see the shaggy haired boy sit across from me. I scowled at him and said, “I was invited to sit here. Why are you here?”

I dropped my pizza on my plate and realized I had an audience. All the boys at my table were now watching me engage in a fight with this rude ass across from me.

“Last I checked this was my team’s table. Is that okay with you or should I ask Nash for permission?” What a complete jerk-face!

“So I see you’ve met Nolan, my brother.” Nash laughed.

“Wait! What? This kid is your brother?” I asked confused.

Nolan laughed and said, “The one and only Nolan Rylan at your service. Twin brother of the oh-so-fabulous Nash Rylan. And before you say, ‘But you don’t look like him,’ it’s because we’re not identical twins.”

I found myself with my mouth hanging open and closed it quickly. I couldn’t believe it. Nash had a twin brother. The more I stared at Nolan, the more I noticed slight similarities in their appearance. Nash had dark hair and so did Nolan. Their smiles were the same, big white teeth grins.

Their eye color wasn’t the same though. Nash’s were crystal blue and Nolan’s were honey brown. Nash dressed casual like his personality, easy going. Nolan was crisp and clean. And from his personality, it didn’t seem to match. He really threw me when he put on his glasses and pulled out our homework assignment right there at the table. He leaned back, ignoring me with ease, and read. I couldn’t help but stare at him. He wasn’t a football player. No way.

“You play football?” I inquired. He looked up from his book, and I felt a strange sensation. The other guys went back to talking and ignoring me.

“Why is that hard to believe? Do I look like a nerd to you?”

I looked at his body. No, not really. He was fit enough, but he was slightly nerdy. Between his well-manicured nails to his brown high end shoes, it was hard to picture him in a football uniform.

“You just dress so … so,” I struggled.

“So, nicely perhaps? Not like a jock, I know. But thanks for noticing.” He pulled his book higher and did as the other boys did, ignored me.

   

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About the Author

Christy Sloat is a SoCal born girl who resides in New Jersey currently with her husband, two daughters and Sophie her Chihuahua. Christy has embraced the love of reading and writing since her youth and was inspired by her grandmother's loving support. Christy passes that love of reading, writing, and creativity to her daughters, family, and friends. When you do not find Christy within the pages of a book you can find her being mommy, wife, crafter, and dear friend. She loves adventurous journeys with her friends and can be known to get lost inside a bookstore. Be sure to venture into her Past Lives Series, The Visitor's Series, and watch for many more exciting things to come.

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Book Highlight: Gone by Anna Bloom

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Title: Gone
Author: Anna Bloom
Genre: Mature YA (intended for readers ages 16-19)
Publication: July 28th, 2014

Rebecca Walters harbours a dark secret, and as the fifty-three bangles she wears on her wrists as a self-imposed sentence of guilt remind her, she can’t even begin to consider moving on. Not after what happened on that night six months ago… a night which she can’t remember and yet managed to change her life forever.

When Rebecca comes across Joshua Adams, man equally haunted by past tragedies, on a moonlit beach, both of their lives are destined to change forever, and when the girl made out of the sun meets the boy made out of the moon and sea, anything can happen… but will the knowledge of their murky pasts bring them together or drive them apart?

Will Rebecca finally be able to claim her freedom? Will she stay and fight to be the girl she found on the sandy beaches of Cornwall or is she destined to keep running and hiding from a past that won’t stay Gone? One thing’s for certain: either way, nothing will ever be the same again.

Keep your eye out for the official COVER REVEAL on June 27th! If you would like to take part in the reveal, you can sign up HERE!

Walking down the lane from the pub I decide to take a detour to the beach. The light is fading but the glimmer of light from the sun setting on the horizon is just enough that I can make my way down the path without landing on my face.

I spend a lot of time on the beach at night. This isn’t like the beach in Newquay which is filled with drunks attempting to get it on under the cover of darkness. Our quiet beach in St Agnes is perfect for a solitary ten minutes. If I go home now I know Aunt May will be twitching around me like she has the last half a year, ever since my life ended at the end of one drunken night. She doesn’t know what to say to help my get out of the ‘phase’ I’m going through. Six months in, I think we can rule out the chance of it being a phase. This is just me. I’m a guy without a plan. Aunt May tries, but having her wandering around wringing her hands, asking me every three minutes if I’m hungry and need some food is not a relaxing way to spend an evening.

I don’t know what people want. Do they expect that one day I will wake up and suddenly be over the fact that I carelessly lost my girlfriend one night?

As I walk down onto the beach I keep thinking of Faye’s words. “Bridge Cottage.” “Painting.” “Mum and Dad.” They hammer inside my head.

I know everyone is waiting for me, for some resolution. They want to know that I’ve let go of the past, and that if I can do it, they all can too. But I can’t. I want them to, but I can’t do it myself. I can’t even acknowledge to myself what happened. I can’t even think about it or let the thought enter my mind.

 Small steps, that’s what a counselor told me a few months ago. “Just take small steps, Josh, and everything will work out.” Today I have picked up a paint brush and drunk a pint of cider. That’s got to be two small steps in the right direction. I’m not sure what direction those things are taking me in, but it’s heading somewhere at least.

As I tread over the dark sand I can see someone sitting on my rock. That’s just plain rude. Everyone knows it’s mine.

Edging myself closer, I slip off my flip flops and sink my toes into the cool sand as I walk down the beach and try to get close enough to investigate without being seen.

It’s her.

My feet come to a grinding halt.

I want to move in the opposite direction but my damn legs won’t listen. Instead I stand there, looming behind her on the sand, like an axe murderer.

“I can see your silhouette in the sand.”

Busted.

“What are you doing?” On my rock?

“Thinking. What are you doing?”

“Thinking too.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yes it is.”

I stand there like an idiot working out what to say next. “Nice bangles.”

“Thanks. They make me walk like a percusssion instrument.”

“Why so many?”

“None of your business, dreadlock boy.”

“Well you’re a charmer aren’t you?”

“I was sitting here first. You’re the one with the stalking, stealth-like sand walk.”

“It’s my rock.” It’s my rock? It’s my rock? Really. . .?

She does not say anything. Let’s be realistic there is not much to say to that comment. She just sits there looking out to the sea, and I stand there my feet sunk into the cool sand.

“I like your dreadlocks," she says after an age has passed.

“Thanks. They're a lifestyle choice.”

She turns to look at me and for a moment, just one brief moment my mind swirls with colours. The make-up is gone and the waning sun illuminates her skin. She look different. So different. A better different.

I should walk away. I don’t talk to holiday makers unless I’m taking their money in the shop.

I don’t.

Instead I fold my legs and sit on the sand, my fingers automatically picking up a splinter of driftwood as I cast my eyes up at the sun and then I start to draw.

“So do you have a name girl with the bangles?” I’m trying to remember what the young girl who was with her in the shop called her yesterday. Becca? Something like that?”

Turning to me with a frown on her face she bites her lower lip. Jeez, I only asked her name.

The frown and the angry glare instantly make me recall her name. “Bex.” I answer for her. The frown deepens.

“No one calls me that, only my sister.”

“Well I don’t know what else to call you?” I prompt. Her feistiness is rather amusing, it’s actually doing a good job of distracting me from the usual shit I try to keep out of my head.

Her top lip curls a little in distaste at my goading. She really doesn’t want to tell me her name. Who doesn’t want people to know their name? My eyes flick over her with a little more interest. She is rather pretty. Hot, Dan would call it. But I would go with pretty. Pretty is a more delicate sounding word, easy to pair with the freckles and flame hair.

Oh good god. I’ve realized what I am doing? I’m looking at another girl. I try and turn myself away from her a little. She must register the motion because she speaks, her voice low like she is sharing a secret.

“Rebecca.” She clears her throat. “My name is Rebecca.”

Something about her low tone makes me cast my eyes back over her. Well not exactly willingly, my eyes just won’t damn behave themselves and head straight back to the smooth sunlit skin.

She looks nervous, her fingers brushing over her overload of bangles.

“Does Rebecca have a second name?” My feet do this bizarre thing where they scoot over the sand towards her toes.

“No.”

“What no surname? So you are Rebecca No Name?”

She scowls further. “Yes. I am Rebecca No Name.”

Her tone and the death stare she lays on me make me do something I am not expecting in the least. I laugh. Fucking loud. I laugh like I never stopped.

“Well Rebecca No Name. I am Joshua Adams, it’s a pleasure to meet you and your bangles.”

I lean forward and shake her hand my fingers grazing against hers, sand rolls between our connected skin.

Rebecca No Name digs her toes into the sand, burying them deep. “Walters. It’s Rebecca Walters.”

“Bex Walters, now that has a nice ring to it.”

“It’s Rebecca Walters.” She spits her name out like it burns her lips to say it.

“Okay, okay.”

“So Rebecca Walters where are you on holiday from?”

“Nowhere.”

Seriously. It’s like talking to a wall. I don’t even know why I am still sitting here. This makes an evening with Aunt May look like a social highlight.

I get up and start to brush the sand from my legs.

The girl with attitude stares up at me from the ground and I hesitate. “London. I come from London, and I’m not on holiday. My family have moved into Bridge Cottage.”

Just like that the air gushes out of my lungs. The girl with the attitude and the wrong clothes and the frown lives in the house that I was fully expecting to move into one day. The cottage I expected to grow old in.

I sit back on the sand with a bump.

“I am leaving though, in two weeks.” Her gaze is on the sea as she speaks. “Two weeks. I’ve just got to get through two weeks.” She repeats almost to herself.

Two weeks of what?

“Who are you running from?”

Rebecca, Bex, the girl with the attitude turns to me, her eyes hidden in the shadows of the dipping sun. “Myself.”
       And that I just don’t know how to answer, so I don’t. I pick my stick back up and start to draw some more.

Anna Bloom is a contemporary romance writer who writes about life as it happens. Combining a busy schedule of looking after two small children whilst working in a local school and completing The Uni Files series she also spends a lot of time imagining kissing hot guys – all in the name of her art.

                  

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