• Home
  • Reviews
  • Ratings
    • 3 Stars
    • 3.5 Stars
    • 4 Stars
    • 4.5 Stars
    • 5 Stars
  • About Us
  • REVIEW POLICIES AND DISCLAIMER
  • Our Rating System
  • Contact
  • New Releases

TheBookBellas

  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Ratings
    • 3 Stars
    • 3.5 Stars
    • 4 Stars
    • 4.5 Stars
    • 5 Stars
  • About Us
  • REVIEW POLICIES AND DISCLAIMER
  • Our Rating System
  • Contact
  • New Releases

*SPECIAL* DELETED SCENE: THE EXCEPTION by Adriana Locke

November 8, 2014

Cane's Birthday Banner

We’re celebrating Cane Alexander’s birthday with a special DELETED scene from The Exception!! Enjoy

ecover-200x300


Synopsis:

They say there is an exception to every rule…
Jada Stanley is starting over, refusing to repeat her past mistakes. Everything is going great until she meets Cane Alexander. He is gorgeous, cocky, and everything she needs to avoid.
Cane lives within a set of carefully constructed guidelines to ensure his life remains uncomplicated. When he sets his eyes on Jada, all of his rules are called into question.
As their worlds become intertwined, they find it impossible to stay away from each other. Will they be able to maintain the rules they’ve created to protect their hearts? Or will they make an exception?

ADD TO GOODREADS

Buy Links:

iTunes
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Amazon

Deleted Scene: Cane at the hospital

Can they hurry up a little? For fuck’s sake! They said I would be back there in a little bit. Can they not tell fucking time?
I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling at it and letting the frustration of the past few hours get the best of me.
I need to see her. She’s probably scared out of her mind. And I know she’s in pain.
She needs me. I promised her I’d always be there.
Damn it!
I stood up but sat back down again, not really knowing what to do with myself. I wiped my hands down the length of my jeans. I noticed the blood splatters on the denim and it sent the rage I had felt earlier back to the surface.
I took a deep breath. I needed to keep my shit in check.
The last thing Jada needs is me going off like a fucking explosion in the middle of this godforsaken waiting room.
I inhaled again and closed my eyes, trying to stop the panic from rising.
Why does it smell like chemistry class in here? I need fresh air. I need to get out of here …
The feel of a strong hand on my shoulder jerked my attention back to the present. I twisted quickly in my seat, my fists clenching at my sides. My nerves were still frayed, despite what felt like fucking hours since the medics arrived at my house.
“Hey, man. How is she?” Max asked, his voice calm and steady.
“Where’s my sister, Cane?” Kari looked at me, her eyes wild as hell. Tears were clouding them and I knew she was fighting to stay composed.
It was like looking in a mirror.
I stood and instinctively grabbed her, pulling her into my chest. As soon as I wrapped my arms around her, she began to cry and I fought like hell to keep my tears back.
Max and I made eye contact. His face was solemn and full of understanding. Of course, out of all of the people in the world, he would understand. After the accident with his sister, I knew he could put himself in my shoes. He understood how painful it was to wait for the doctor to either elate you or destroy you with the verdict on someone you loved. That and the helpless feeling of not being able to control the outcome.
But maybe if I would’ve controlled things earlier …
Max placed one hand on each of us and cleared his throat. “I’m going to find someone to let us know what’s going on. I’ll be right back.”
I watched him walk away as Kari composed herself, pulling away from me and wiping her eyes. “Is she alright? Have they said anything? I called the ER on our way in but they just said she was having a scan.”
I shook my head. “She’s going to be fine. I carried her to the ambulance and didn’t leave her side until they took her back for this test. She was talking and …” My voice broke and my words drifted off. I choked back the tears that were building. The memory of her laying on the gurney, her beautiful face bruised and bloody, her voice trying to stay strong but wavering when the pain would cut through the medicine—it fucking broke me.
I would never be the same.
My life had just been whittled down in front of me and I knew more than I knew anything that all I needed in my life was Jada.
I had few moments in my life where I felt the loss of something important. The loss of my grandfather, the death of my father. The loss of my first puppy. And when those things happened, I kind of looked around and wondered how I’d go on. I thought about how my life will be different, how my routine would change.
When I thought that I could lose Jada, I didn’t have that. Because I knew the answer.
My life wouldn’t go on. There was no life without her.
And now my life was laying on some fucking hospital bed having tests ran because something had hurt her that stemmed from me.
There was no way I would let anything like this happen again. I would fucking move mountains first.
She’s everything to me.
Kari reached out and touched my arm, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“You did everything you could do, Cane. You saved her.”
“Saved her? I got her in this fucking mess.”
“You saved her from more than this fucking mess.” She smiled through her tears. “I need to go find a doctor. God love Max, but he’ll never understand the medical jargon.”
“Go. But as soon as we are allowed to see her, I’m going in. Hear me?”
She smiled and patted me on the shoulder. She and Max met in the doorway and exchanged a few quiet words before he made his way back to me again.
“Well?”
He sat in one of the hard blue plastic chairs. “She’s still in testing. They wouldn’t tell me anything else because I’m not family. That HIPPA thing.”
“They pulled that bullshit on me, too.”
“How’d that work for them?” Max half smiled.
“We compromised. Did you get ahold of their dad?”
“He’s on his way. Alice is driving him over.”
We sat quietly for a while, waiting on Kari to return, lost in our own thoughts.
“I think we sat in this same waiting room with Brielle.”
“They must’ve patched that hole in the wall pretty good then,” I said, raising my eyebrows at him. “You can’t even tell someone put their fist through it.”
“My dad made me pay to have that fixed.”
I shrugged. “I guess we all have to pay for our mistakes, right?”
He shot me a look. “This isn’t your fault, Cane.”
“Maybe it is.”
“I’m not about to sit here and listen to you blame yourself for this. This wasn’t your fault by any means. Don’t try to blow smoke up my ass.”
“Because blaming yourself after something is such a crazy thing, right? What’s that thing you say – pot calling the kettle black or something?”
Max’s eyes blazed, knowing good and well what I was getting at. He opened his mouth to respond but Kari walked in. We both stood.
“Anything?” I asked.
“Yeah. I talked to a doctor that had looked at her chart and he said off the record that he thinks she’s going to be fine. The scan should be done in a few minutes.”
“When can I see her?” My patience was wearing thin. I wanted to burst through the doorway and grab someone and force them to take me to her. But that wasn’t going to get any of us anywhere.
“It should be soon. They’ll come and get us.”
“I don’t want her to be alone. I promised her she’d never be alone again.”
Kari’s lips curved into a smile. “She won’t be.”
“Damn right she won’t be.”
“Are you insinuating something, Mr. Alexander?”
“I’m not insinuating it, Miss Stanley. I’m guaran-fucking-teeing it.”

Cane Quote Pic-2

About the Author:

10417535_410952569047862_7436604482570084096_n

Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own. The Exception is Adriana’s debut novel and will be released on September 18th.
Adriana lives in the Midwest with her family. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. Her favorite things include sunshine, candy, and random quotes. Please contact Adriana at www.adrianalocke.com. She loves to hear from readers.

Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter
Instagram

Categories : Contemporary Romance, Events Tagged : Adriana Locke, Cane Alexander, Deleted Scene, Excerpt, The Exception

Blog Tour with Review, Deleted Scene & Giveaway: RIVAL (FALL AWAY #2) by Penelope Douglas

September 9, 2014

Title: Rival (Fall Away, #2)
Author: Penelope Douglas
Genre: NA | Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 26, 2014
Tour Hosted by: As the Pages Turn
Synopsis

From the New Adult sensation and New York Times bestselling author of Until You

Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war…

She’s back.

For the three years she’s been away at boarding school, there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night.

I was stupid then, but now I’m ready to beat her at her own game…

I’m back.

Three years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he’s better than me.

But I won’t be scared away. Or pushed down. I’ll call his bluff and fight back. That’s what he wants, right? As long as I keep my guard up, he’ll never know how much he affects me….

Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

RivalTease #7

~ My Review ~ 

I am a huge fan of Penelope Douglas and her books are perfection to me. I was absolutely enthralled by Madoc and Fallon, I had always LOVED Madoc and was thrilled he was getting his own story. In Rival, the author deals with lots of emotion, heavy subjects and the pain of tragedy but she always throws in a little humor to lighten things up a bit. Madoc and Fallon have a forbidden love but the way the author tells their story, you fell nothing but empathy and love for them.

I absolutely love these characters, and how the author never disappoints with the steam and chemistry factor. Her writing is honest, elegant and blunt, and never filters out the harsh reality of life with hearts-and-butterflies. Madoc and Fallon have had some terrible things happen in their lives but they still turn out to be honest and good young adults. This series is one of my favorites and I highly recommend that you start with Bully, which is one of my all-time favorite books.

Tate and Jared do get an appearance here, as well as Jax, who is getting his own book soon (yay!). But Madoc and Fallon are the focus and they are fantastic characters. I love Madoc’s hot, tough-guy exterior and Fallon’s off-beat personality. Of course, they are are hiding their pain and they must work through lots of miscommunication before we get to their very satisfying conclusion.

I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for Jax’s story!

(*ARC provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.)

~ Rival – Excerpt ~ 

Reaching around, he twisted my chin towards the mirror, and I sucked in a breath. “What do you see?!” he shouted.

“You and me!” I blurted out. “Madoc and Fallon!”

My heart was racing.

I looked at him through the mirror. I sat on one side of his lap, so he could see from the other side, and we stared at each other, my chest rising and falling more urgently.

“That’s not what I see,” he said in a low voice. “Those names mean nothing to me. They’re simple and empty. When I’m with you, I don’t see the daughter of a gold digging bitch and an Irish drug lord or the son of a crooked lawyer and a vegan Barbie.”

I almost wanted to laugh. Madoc had an ironic way of looking at the world.

But he wasn’t smiling. He was scowling. He was dead serious, and I knew from experience that his genuine moments were few and far between.

He reached up, threading one hand into my hair while the other hand rested on the chair.

“I see everything I want for as long as I can have it,” he continued. “I see a woman that wears the cutest little scowl like she’s two years old and was just told she couldn’t have candy. I see a guy that went and got an apadravya piercing, because he wanted to live in her world for even a little while.”

I closed my eyes. Don’t do this to me, Madoc. Please.
~ DELETED SCENE – MADOC’S FLASHBACK ~ 

“Fallon” I call quietly, inching into her room.
She’s sitting on her bed, leaning back against the headboard and knees pulled up. The room is dark, except for the small light that glows from the nightstand. I can see her eyes pop up from the book she’s reading.
“I…I um…” I stutter, feeling like a complete idiot Why the hell did I come here? She’s ignored me completely since we had sex last week. I haven’t stopped thinking about it, though.
“What do you want, Madoc?” Her sharp tone cuts my confidence, and I almost turn and dive out of the room.
But I can’t. I’ve been driving myself nuts all week trying to not stare at her, trying not to look for her in the halls at school, trying not to think about how much I want her.
I need to know.
“You.” I swallow and hold my head up. “I want you.”
She drops her knees and folds her legs cross-legged. “So you think I’m a slut, then? Just like my mother, Madoc?” She reminds me of my horrible words to her.
“Jesus, no.” I walk towards the end of the bed. “I didn’t mean that. I know you were a virgin…like me.”
I see her eyebrows rise in surprise.
“I just…,” I continue. “I just can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
She looks down and slowly slides the book off of her lap and onto the bed.
She’s thinking. With Fallon, that can be bad. But she hasn’t kicked me out, either. I round the end of her bed to stand at her side.
“Did you like it?” I ask.
She peers up at me, her voice softer. “I thought you were just drunk or pissed off. I didn’t think you meant to…” she trails off, shaking her head.
Whipping off the covers, she swings her legs over the edge of the bed and looks up at me. “You’ve always insulted me, Madoc,” she accuses.
I kneel down, my jeans rubbing between her legs.
“I’m an idiot. You’re beautiful, and I don’t know how I didn’t see it.”
Her pursed lips are angry. “You just want me, because I’m here. You think because we did it once, I won’t say no.”
“You can say no.” I plant both of my hands on the bed on either side of her, and she stared at my bare chest. “You can lock the door, and I’ll never come in again. I just can’t stop thinking about you. I love the piercings. They turn me on. I love that you don’t dress like a girlie girl. I like that no one else gets to see what I saw. Tell me you liked it, Fallon.” I search her eyes.
Please don’t say no. Please tell me I can touch you, I want to scream. The room is quiet except for the light hum of the AC coming through the vents. She breathes and searches her lap for answers she already has. She wants me, too.
If she didn’t, she’d have kicked me out already.
Her tight green tank top and sleep shorts are within my touch. I can barely breath, knowing that in a moment she’ll either tell me to get out or she’ll let me feel her again.
After a moment, she tugs at the hem of my gray T-shirt. “This doesn’t mean we have to hang out, does it? Because I still hate your music and your friends.”
Joy grips my chest, spreading like a forest fire throughout my body. I lean into her neck and kiss.
“Just at night,” I whisper.

~ Buy books 1 & 2 of the Fall Away series ~ 
Bully (Fall Away, #1) – Buy Links:
Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Until You (Fall Away, #1.5) – Buy Links:
Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes | Kobo
~ About Penelope ~

Penelope Douglas is a writer in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to “just get the degree!” She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she hated Public Administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later they were married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, The Originals, and she shops at Target almost daily.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads
Follow the tour for more reviews, excerpts, character QA, author QA, guest post…etc! You can find the schedule HERE.

~ Giveaway ~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Categories : 4.5 Stars, Blog Tour, Giveaway, New Adult Contemporary Tagged : 4.5 stars, Deleted Scene, Excerpt, Fallon, Madoc, Penelope Douglas, Reviews, Rival

BLOG TOUR, EXCERPT and DELETED SCENE: ROCK BOTTOM by JADE C. JAMISON

September 14, 2013

image

Goodreads

image

SYNOPSIS:

Ethan Richards has fought depression and a host of other demons all his adult life, and it’s caused him to lose everything—his wife, his son, his friends, and he almost loses the one thing that means the most to him—his band. He hits rock bottom and believes there is no way out.

Enter Jenna McCormick, a feisty drug and alcohol counselor, a woman with her own share of troubles. She finds Ethan intriguing but keeps him at a distance while trying to help him face life without crutches. She feels a spark but denies it, knowing that a relationship with unstable Ethan could be dangerous for both of them.

Ethan knows what he wants, though, and isn’t used to being told no. Jenna isn’t willing to risk Ethan losing his tenuous grip on sobriety, however, and is prepared to deny her deeper feelings to help Ethan climb out of his hole, but he learns how to let go of his pain when he finds that someone is prepared to walk with him through the shadows. Can he convince Jenna that they should take a chance on love or will they forever deny their feelings in an effort to keep Ethan on the straight and narrow?

AUTHOR BIO:

image

BEST SELLING AMAZON AUTHOR ~

Jade C. Jamison was born and raised in Colorado and has decided she likes it enough to stay forever. Jade’s day job is teaching Creative Writing, but teaching doesn’t stop her from doing a little writing herself.

Unfortunately, there’s no one genre that quite fits her writing. Her work has been labeled romance, erotica, suspense, and women’s fiction, and the latter is probably the safest and closest description. But you’ll see that her writing doesn’t quite fit any of those genres.

You’ll have to discover Jade’s writing for yourself to decide if you like it.

GOODREAD LINK FOR ROCK BOTTOM

GOODREAD AUTHOR LINK

LINK TO AUTHOR’S WEBSITE

LINK TO AUTHOR’S FACEBOOK

TWITTER

AMAZON AUTHOR LINK

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon:

Amazon Canada

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

GIVEAWAY:

1st ~ Signed paperback Rock Bottom
2nd ~ $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt from Rock Bottom
Jade C. Jamison

Jenna knew as soon as it started that she shouldn’t have told Ethan he could kiss her. That was it. She now wanted him desperately, and unless someone pulled the fire alarm, something serious was going to happen between them tonight.

It would probably be as hot as a fire and just as dangerous.

The second his lips touched hers, she let herself go. She kissed him back hard and wound her fingers through his hair.

She was going to break her own promise to herself, that impossible promise she’d made over a year ago. She’d known celibacy would be unlikely, but she knew she had to save herself. Now, though, she didn’t know if denying herself the pleasure of this man was salvation or torture. She knew, underneath it all, that Ethan was a good guy, but she also suspected, just from what he’d said, that he hadn’t been a nice person when he’d been under the influence. Still…he was trying now, and that meant something. It meant everything. So she wasn’t about to stop him, not now.

When he did come up for air, though, she tried not to make it obvious that he’d almost winded her. She took a deep breath and smiled. “Okay, so I guess I’ll invite you in for a while.” He smiled and cocked his head but didn’t say a word, and she turned around and opened the door.

She flipped the switch that turned on the light. One thing she didn’t like about her apartment but couldn’t change was that the kitchen was the first room when she opened the door. She didn’t like it because she felt like she had to keep it pristine at all times. She was glad the dishes were done. She would sometimes have one or two rinsed dishes in the sink, but tonight she’d made sure everything was clean before leaving. The living room was off to the left and she usually felt as though it had to constantly look nice as well. The couch created a bit of a break between the two spaces.

Unfortunately, she was thinking more about a room in the back of her apartment.

She walked toward the fridge as she heard Ethan close the front door. “Can I get you anything to drink? Should I make some coffee?”

She turned around to face him, her fingers still on the handle to the refrigerator. He had a bit of a devilish grin on his face, and she suspected she knew his thoughts. Damn, he was a good-looking guy. His longish hair framed his gorgeous face, and she knew from the videos that she’d seen that his hair often covered much of his face when he played; even if it hadn’t, he didn’t seem to notice or even care about the camera. Here and now, though, he was in the moment and looking straight at her with his intense green eyes. She felt as though he could see her every thought, her hidden intentions. Maybe that was okay, because she didn’t want to have to beat around the bush or act coy.

She could still feel his stubble burning her face from their kiss moments earlier. She wanted to feel that sensation all over her body. She felt a shiver begin crawling up her spine as she imagined it, and she almost blushed, believing he really knew what she was thinking.

Ethan took two steps closer to her. “Can I be honest with you?”

Jenna hoped her voice wouldn’t give her away. She had to be the cool, direct professional Ethan knew. “Haven’t we always been?”

His smile lost its little boy quality and looked ravenous as he took another step toward her. It was then that she realized, taking in a breath, that she couldn’t hit the bottom of her lungs. He’d taken away her ability to breathe. He said, “I told you a few weeks ago that I wanted to fuck you and now…I don’t.” She felt her breath catch in her throat again as her heart sank. She knew she wasn’t letting it show on her face and that was good, but he continued. “Well, okay, I guess that’s not entirely true. I do want to…but I’m not going to be satisfied with just a quick lay. I want to try you every way you’ll take me.”

Rock Bottom Alt POV scene
Jade C. Jamison

Brad had tried cheering up Val again earlier that afternoon, but there wasn’t much he could do about her mood. She felt dejected whenever Chris would spend the weekend with Ethan. By the same token, she would get angry when Ethan didn’t get Chris. He understood. They’d talked about it. Val didn’t much care if Ethan was going to have visitation or not, but she wanted consistency in Chris’s life. If Ethan was going to take Chris every other weekend, then she wanted him to do it faithfully. Otherwise, she felt like Ethan was jerking on his son’s heartstrings.

Based on what Ethan had hinted at the last time, though, he was having a pretty bad time. He’d explained that he didn’t think it would be good to have Chris around him. Val had agreed but ragged him out and then ranted about it after they hung up. She didn’t want her son to be heartbroken. But she and Brad made sure Chris never noticed. They baked cookies, watched movies, and read lots of books to him. He didn’t remember that his real daddy wasn’t there as planned. Truthfully, it bothered Val more than her son, so Brad tried to keep her mind off it too.

This afternoon, though…this was going to be the first time in over a month Ethan was going to see his son. Val had already made a comment that morning in bed, though, saying she wondered what excuse Ethan was going to conjure up this time.

Brad didn’t say a word. He knew Val had a lot of anger to work out when it came to her ex. She’d stood by his side faithfully until the time he’d hurt her and scared her out of her mind. She believed to this day that Ethan had almost killed her. It might have been true, but Brad had known Ethan a lot longer than Val had and couldn’t imagine his friend trying to kill the woman he loved. Ethan was good inside, but he didn’t know how to act like it. Brad kept wishing, hoping…but it had finally been time to just walk away, let his brother sink or swim.

He’d sunk at first, but Brad thought maybe now Ethan was floating and finding his way to the surface. Or at least he hoped. He and Val were expecting Ethan around five o’clock, and his arrival would be a good sign. Val had said, “I’m not even going to pack Chris’s stuff until I know he’s coming for sure.”

Brad had been sitting on the couch next to her. He squeezed her knee. “He’ll be here, Val. He promised. You’ll feel like an ass when he gets here and you’re not ready. Then who’ll be the bad guy?” Considering it was ten minutes to five, he hoped she’d decide to do it.

She sighed and gave him a dirty look which quickly melted into a smile. “I hate when you’re right.” She kissed him and then got up, walking out of the living room.

When the doorbell rang a few minutes later, Brad said, “Come here, kiddo,” and scooped Chris up off the floor where he was playing with plastic blocks. “I think that’s your dad.”

“Daddy?”

Brad nodded. “Uh-huh.” He walked to the door, Chris in his arms. When he opened it, Ethan and Jenna both stood outside.

Chris leaned forward. “Daddy!”

Ethan looked a little worn down, not as good as he had last time. He looked a lot like he had during certain periods in high school when he’d disappear for days at a time. Brad wasn’t sure what to make of it, but Ethan started smiling when Chris reached for his father. Ethan took him in his arms as his child held him close around the neck.

“Chris, my buddy.”

Brad stood back. “Come on in.” The cold air from outside was rushing in, and he wanted them to come inside where it was warm. He shut the door and turned around to see Ethan and Jenna standing side by side.

Ethan kissed Chris on the cheek and looked at Brad. “Can I talk to you about business sometime?”

Brad was silent for a moment. This had been a moment for which he’d been waiting for quite some time. The fate of Fully Automatic rested in Ethan’s hands, and it could go one of three ways: the band could stay together and continue making music; Ethan could leave and they could make do without him (or hire another second guitarist if they felt they needed to); or (the option Brad dreaded but also expected the most) they could disband. It told him, though, that Ethan had been able to find some clarity and knew now what he wanted. As much as Brad selfishly wanted Ethan to stay (clean and sober, of course), he would support his friend if he walked away. He didn’t want to give his thoughts away or put any undue pressure on Ethan, so he didn’t plan to give away what he was thinking. “Have you thought about it?”

“Yeah. I can’t walk away. I’m in.”

Brad nodded. He was grateful and happy to hear it. His friend—and his band—would be whole again, and that was huge news. Before he could say anything, though, Valerie walked in. Either she was done packing or had heard them talking. She said, “Ethan. Glad you could make it.”

“Yeah.”

Brad loved his wife, but her timing at this particular moment had been shitty. He needed to know for sure what Ethan had in mind. He wanted to clarify a few things. He needed to talk to his brother, man to man…and he needed his girlfriend to stop coiling up like a rattlesnake every damn time she got near her ex. So he said, “Hey, Jenna, would you mind helping Val get some drinks for all of us? Ethan has some business matters to discuss with me.”

Ethan looked surprised. “Now?”

“What better time than the present?” They hadn’t done anything as a band in over a year. He didn’t want to wait, so he motioned Ethan into the living room. He could tell Val wasn’t too happy about what he’d done, but he’d explain it later. She’d understand then.

Val smiled at Jenna and said, “Come with me to the kitchen.” Oh, yeah. He saw the look. She wasn’t happy with him at all. She’d understand, though.

The women left and Brad and Ethan went into the living room. Both sat on the couch and Chris said, “Daddy, frain?”

Ethan furrowed his brows. “What?”

“Frain.”

Brad smiled. “He’s talking about his train.”

“Oh, you have a train?”

“Choo-choo frain, daddy. See it?”

Ethan looked over at Brad but then said to his son, “Do you want to show it to me?”

Brad said, “Why don’t you bring it here so daddy can see it?” He just couldn’t bring himself to call Ethan Daddy Ethan, even though that’s what Val had taught the child. He had to admit he didn’t mind being called Daddy Brad, but Ethan was the kid’s real dad and deserved the original title. Chris nodded and toddled off in the direction of his bedroom.

“So what’s your decision?”

Ethan nodded. “I’m all in, man. I can’t…I can’t not do it. It’s just been hard…and I needed time.”

“I get that. I know you’ve had it rough.”

“Yeah, but no excuse. You guys have been carrying the load without me.”

“Not really. We’ve been thinking of it as an extended vacation. It’s all good. I’ve been writing some. You?”

“I just started.” Ethan ran his hand through his hair. “It feels pretty good.”

“Yeah…it does. So…are you ready now?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“So…why don’t we plan on getting together after Christmas? I’ll call up Nick and Zane, and we can start writing together, sharing what we’ve got, practicing…maybe record in the spring. Dean’ll be glad to hear that.” No way was Brad going to tell Ethan that their manager Dean had initially tried to talk the other band members into dropping Ethan like a fashion designer drops last season’s creations. His friend didn’t need to hear that.

“Yeah. Dean’s been chewing my ass a little too, but I haven’t heard too much from him in a while.”

“Well, there’s no pressure. We have a little bit of time. There’s no hurry. But…January sound good?”

“Sounds great.”

Chris came out of his room, a chunky-looking plastic train engine in his hands. It was mostly red, but it was trimmed in white and yellow. The smokestack was red and the wheels blue. Chris was grinning from ear to ear walking toward his dad. “Frain, daddy.”

“Very cool, buddy.” Chris stopped at the coffee table and started pushing the train around on its wheels, showing off his toy.

Brad said, “He’s a good kid.”

Ethan nodded. “I miss him.” Ethan tousled his hair and the men sat in silence watching Chris push the train around. The only sound in the living room was the noise of the plastic train’s wheels gliding across the wood of the coffee table.

That is, until they heard Valerie’s voice coming from the kitchen. “Look…I know you’re feeling some sympathy for Ethan. I get it. I’ve been there. But I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t warn you. He’s poison. He’s charming and irresistible. He makes you feel like you’re the only woman on the planet…until he makes you feel like shit because he’s off screwing someone else. Or he’ll tell you he’s clean but the next thing you know, he’s high as a kite. Ethan is good looking and he’s charming and he knows it. It took me years to realize that Ethan’s only concern is himself.”

Oh, shit. Brad couldn’t believe Val had actually said that. Okay, that wasn’t true. He could believe it. He knew how badly she’d been hurt. Her timing again sucked, though. He wanted to disappear but that wasn’t an option. He and Ethan looked at each other at the same time. He could hear Jenna saying something back to Val, but he couldn’t tell what she was saying. What the hell could he say? Not much. “Sorry, man.”

“No. It’s fine.”

Chris walked over to the other side of the coffee table and got up on Brad’s lap. He grabbed the plastic blocks on the table and started pushing them together. He looked at Ethan again and said, “Blocks, daddy.”

Brad was grateful for the distraction because he hadn’t felt this awkward in a long time. Ethan smiled again at his son and said, “We have some like that at my house too, remember?”

Chris held a yellow block out to Ethan. His father opened his hand and let Chris place the block on his palm. A few seconds later, Val and Jenna came in the room with lemonade and glasses. Val started pouring lemonade in a cup for Chris and Brad was trying to think of a way to break the ice. Before he could, though, Ethan leaned forward. “Val, I overheard part of your conversation in the kitchen with Jenna…purely by accident.” Brad nodded at Val to confirm, in case she had any doubts. Ethan continued. “I know you’re probably never gonna trust me, but I’d appreciate it if, from now on, you could keep that to yourself. I am better and I have changed. I know it’s not easy for you to understand that, but it’s true. You’re still clinging to your old beliefs about me, and if that works for you, great. But my son is getting old enough that he’ll start listening to you and believing every word you say. I start using again…you take him away from me. Get full custody. Get a restraining order. Move and don’t give me your forwarding address. I don’t give a rat’s ass. But for now—when I’ve actually made those changes—give me a chance, would you?”

Val didn’t miss a beat. “Why now, Ethan?”

Ethan was looking at his son but made eye contact with his ex before speaking again. “I guess it’s because I finally hit rock bottom. There was no hope, no future, and I was being swallowed by my addictions…and more. I have a lot of mental shit going on that fueled a lot of it, and I’m just now becoming aware of it.”

“Depression?”

He closed his eyes for a moment in confirmation before continuing. “Jenna’s helped me see how it feeds into the destructive behavior I tend to lean toward, and I’m learning new ways of coping with it.” Ethan made a gesture with his index finger and thumb to indicate a tiny space. “I’m this close to happiness, Val, something I’ve never been…ever. And, whether she wants to admit it or not, Jenna is a big part of it. I’m not a slave to the shit I took anymore. I’m free, and now I just want to try to live a normal life.” He smiled at Jenna. “I know that doesn’t mean I’m on easy street now, but it does mean that I want to live, and I want to live a good life.”

Val’s eyes filled with tears as she said, “Sorry.”

Ethan stood and stepped close to Val…and then he said something Brad had thought he would never hear from his best friend. “You don’t need to be sorry, Val. I’m sorry…I’m sorry for the hell I put you through. I know I don’t even know half of what you went through, but I know you did it because you believed in me, and I let you down. I don’t do all the twelve step stuff, but I do think it’s a good thing to apologize for what I did when I was consumed by all that shit.” He looked over at Brad for a moment. “That goes for you too, Brad. I don’t expect you guys to forgive me or trust me, but I hope I can prove myself over time. I just ask that you let me see my son. He’s the world to me.”

Val started crying in earnest as she closed the gap between herself and Ethan. She hugged him and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how hard it had been for you. I was just feeling my own pain.”

And now, finally, Brad thought, Val could begin healing as well, something she’d needed to do for a long time. He let out a slow breath and hugged the child in his arms. It might not have started out that way, but today was winding up to be the best day he’d had in a long time.

Categories : Blog Tour, Contemporary Romance, Giveaway, Rocker Tagged : Alternate POV, Blog Tour, contemporary romance, Deleted Scene, Excerpt, Giveaway, Jade C. Jamison, Rock Bottom, rocker

Categories

  • 2 Stars
  • 2.5 Stars
  • 3 Stars
  • 3.5 Stars
  • 4 Stars
  • 4.5 Stars
  • 5 Stars
  • Action Romance
  • Adult
  • Adult Coloring Book
  • Adult Romance
  • Adult Suspense
  • Alpha male
  • Alpha- hero
  • Angsty
  • Anthology
  • Audiobook
  • Author Interview
  • Author Signing
  • Autobiography
  • BDSM
  • BDSM – Dark and Angsty
  • Biker
  • Billionaire Romance
  • Biographical Fiction
  • Biography
  • Bisexual Romance
  • Blog Hop
  • Blog Tour
  • Book Blast
  • Book Blitz
  • Book Launch
  • Book Tour
  • Charity
  • College
  • College Romance
  • Coming of Age
  • Contemporary
  • Contemporary Erotic Romance
  • Contemporary Fiction
  • Contemporary Gay Romance
  • Contemporary Homoerotic Romance
  • Contemporary M/M Romance
  • Contemporary Queer Romance
  • Contemporary Romance
  • Contemporary Western Romance
  • Courtroom Drama
  • Cover Reveal
  • Cowboy Romance
  • Cozy Mystery
  • Crime
  • Crime Romance
  • Dark
  • Dark and Twisty
  • Dark Contemporary Romance
  • Dark Erotic Romance
  • Dark Erotica
  • Dark Humor
  • Dark Romance
  • Diverse
  • Domestic Fiction
  • Domestic Suspense
  • Domestic Thriller
  • Dominant
  • Dystopian
  • Enemies to Lovers
  • Erotic
  • Erotic Humor
  • Erotic Romance
  • Erotic Romantic Comedy
  • Erotic Suspense
  • Erotic Thriller
  • Erotica
  • Erotica/Sci-Fi
  • Events
  • Family Drama
  • Family Saga
  • Fantasy
  • Fashion
  • Feminism
  • Fiction
  • Fighter
  • Financial Thriller
  • Forbidden
  • Giveaway
  • Gothic
  • Gothic Romance
  • Guest Post
  • Hispanic American Literature
  • Historical Fiction
  • Historical Romance
  • Holiday Fiction
  • Holiday Romance
  • Horror
  • Horror Romance
  • Human Sexuality
  • Humor
  • Legal Thriller
  • Lesbian Romance
  • LGBQT Science Fiction
  • LGBT
  • LGBT Romance
  • LGBTQI
  • Literary Fiction
  • Literary Saga
  • M/m
  • M/M Contemporary Romance
  • Mafia Romance
  • Magical Realism
  • Mature YA/NA
  • MC Romance
  • Memoir
  • Ménage
  • Mental Health
  • Military Romance
  • MM Romance
  • MMA
  • Movie Star Romance
  • Multicultural Romance
  • Mystery
  • Mythology
  • Nature
  • New Adult
  • New Adult Contemporary
  • New Adult Contemporary Romance
  • New Adult Romance
  • New Adult Romantic Comedy
  • New Adult Romantic Suspense
  • New Release
  • Non-con
  • Non-Fiction
  • Novella
  • Office Romance
  • Organized Crime Thrillers
  • Own Voices
  • Paranormal
  • Paranormal Romance
  • Poetry
  • Political Romance
  • Post-Apocalyptic
  • Prequel
  • Psychological
  • Psychological Thriller
  • Release Blitz
  • Reviews
  • Rock Star
  • Rock Star Romance
  • Rocker
  • Romance
  • Romantic Comedy
  • Romantic Erotica
  • Romantic Suspence
  • Romantic Suspense
  • Romantic Thriller
  • Romantic Women's Fiction
  • Satire
  • Sci-Fi Romance
  • Science Fiction
  • Second Chance
  • Second Chance Romance
  • Self-Help
  • Serial
  • Series
  • Shifter
  • Short Story
  • Single Dad
  • Slow Burn Romance
  • Small-town Romance
  • Speculative Fiction
  • Sports
  • Sports Romance
  • Sports-Hockey
  • Spotlight
  • Spotlight Tour
  • Standalone
  • Student-Teacher
  • Suspense
  • Taboo
  • Tattooed hero
  • Teaser
  • Teaser Tuesday
  • Thriller
  • Time Travel Romance
  • Trailer Reveal
  • Uncategorized
  • Urban Erotica
  • Waiting on Wednesday
  • Western Romance
  • Women's Fiction
  • Women's Studies
  • Young Adult
  • Young Adult Contemporary Romance
  • Young Adult Fantasy
  • Young Adult Fiction
  • Young Adult Romance
  • Young Adult Thriller
  • Young Adult Time Travel
  • Young Adult-New Adult

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Favorites:

Search The Book Bellas

New Posts Delivered Straight To Your Inbox

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 37 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • THE EDEN TEST by ADAM STERNBERGH
  • DROWNING by T.J. NEWMAN
  • HORSE by GERALDINE BROOKS
  • THE GUEST by EMMA CLINE
  • CRYING IN H MART by MICHELLE ZAUNER
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Archives

Find us on GoodReads

Goodreads: Book reviews, recommendations, and discussion

Grab our Button


Tags

4 stars 4.5 stars 5 stars A.L. Jackson Aleatha Romig Alessandra Torre alpha male BDSM Bella Jewel Blog Tour Book Blitz Book Launch Cat Porter Chelle Bliss contemporary romance Cover Reveal Erotica Erotic romance Excerpt Giveaway Jane Harvey-Berrick K. Bromberg Karina Halle Katy Evans Kristen Ashley Laurelin Paige Mara White Nelle L'Amour New Adult New Releases Pam Godwin Penelope Douglas Penelope Ward Pepper Winters R.S. Grey Release Blitz Review Reviews S.L. Scott Skye Warren Tarryn Fisher Tessa Bailey Tia Louise Vi Keeland Young Adult

Copyright © 2023 · Annabelle Reloaded Theme