Synopsis:
What would happen if you lost everything? If the people who were supposed to love you
unconditionally were no longer there for you, how would your world change?
That’s exactly what happened to Madeleine Becker
when her parents died when she was ten years old. Ripped from her home and everything that she
has ever loved, she is forced to start all over again. The only way for her to move on is to build
walls around her heart and keep everyone at a safe distance. Her logic: she
can't get hurt if she doesn't fall in love.
That theory is blown to pieces when she meets Reid
Connely during her freshman year at college. He is gorgeous and darkly
mysterious. He understands Maddy's pain all too well, but sharing his pain
would mean breaking down the walls he put up around his own heart. Conflicted
between loving Maddy and hiding his dark past, Reid starts to reevaluate his
world. Maddy's inner strength, snarky
personality and breath taking beauty help Reid to make peace with his past.
Together they find out what happens when they let
love in.
Excerpt:
I get out of the truck and walk over
towards the two of them. Maddy’s back is
to me as I approach her and her date, so she doesn’t see me right away. But once the guy sees me, she spins around to
look at what has caught his eye.
Her face is shocked and when our eyes
lock, my heart skips a beat. There’s a
pull between us. As much as I hate to
admit it, she owns me. Her eyes are
magical. They dance with light and
passion and when she looks at me, they are filled with love.
The love and
passion that are sparkling in her emerald green eyes evaporate when she
realizes the scene that I’ve just stumbled upon. I can only imagine what’s going through her
mind, but I’m sure the images of me kicking Logan’s ass are flashing vividly
through her mind.
I’m no more than a few feet from them
when the guy pushes Maddy behind him to protect her from what he perceives as a
threat. He’s not very far from the
truth, but she’s not the one who needs protecting.
Menacingly close now, he pipes up. “Who the fuck are you? What do you want?” Okay, I’ll give the prick a little bit of
credit for trying to stand up to me, but he has no clue what he’s competing
against here.
The caveman in me wants to deck this guy
and drag Maddy into a bed – any bed – and claim her, repeatedly, until she
understands that she’s mine and no one else’s.
I’m going to do that anyway, but hopefully I can refrain from knocking
this guy on his ass. I’d like to have the
use of my hands tonight.
My eyes never leave Maddy’s, but my
words are directed at him. “Me? I’m the boyfriend, asshole.” Maddy’s eyes widen slightly as I say
“boyfriend.” Did she really think we
ever broke up?
I avert my gaze from Maddy for a minute
to stare this douchebag down. “And who
the fuck do you think you are?” He
falters, not enough that most people would notice, but I’m in predator
mode. I see his throat work hard to
swallow past the newly formed fear. His
pupils dilate slightly and the pulse beating in his neck picks up as adrenaline
surges through him. If he thinks he’s
going to win this battle, he is wrong – so fucking wrong.
He puffs out his chest as he says, “I’m
Maddy’s date for tonight.” He snickers
lightly as he says, “You know? She never
mentioned a boyfriend when I asked her out.
Must not be much of a boyfriend if she doesn’t even mention you.” He swells with pride at his snarky little
quip. In the split second he looks away
from me to gauge Maddy’s approval, I lay him flat on the ground as I drop my
shoulder into his gut and take his legs out from underneath him with one of my
own. I freaking love my takedown skills. I didn’t even have to bust up my hands. I’m definitely going to need them in a little
bit.
I straddle over him and pull him up by
the collar. “Whether she mentioned me or
not, she’s mine, so lay the fuck off.
Got it?”
Maddy still hasn’t said a word and I
haven’t actually spoken directly to her.
I’m pretty sure she understands my actions though. Wordlessly, I reach my hand out to her. This is her chance. If she still wants me, then she’ll come with
me. This is who I am, who I’ve always
been. If she can’t understand that I
love her, that I want her more than anything, then it’s not because I haven’t
tried as hard as I possibly could to prove it to her.
Hand still outstretched, I look her
directly in the eyes, as I try to convey everything that I’m thinking, that I’m
feeling. In what feels like an act of
God, she understands me and laces her hand in mine.
3.5 Star Review:
Loss comes in different ways and how you deal with it determines who you are at that moment. For Maddy and Reid, life dealt them a lot of curves and neither of them dealt with it until meeting each other.
Maddy was met with her struggles at a young age. In order for her to deal with the things in her life, she never got close to anything or anyone because of the fear that they would be taken away. She allowed her best friend, Mel, in her life but only so far.
Reid was a loner and never let anyone in. His family life wasn’t the same as everyone and his struggles were heartbreaking so it was it in best interest to leave those behind who hurt him and not look back. Was that the best thing to do for him?
I found the book very well written and the characters sometimes aggravating and I wanted to scream, look at yourself and get it together but I realized that they are young adults and the struggles that each of the struggled with would have put someone on their butt but it made them stronger. They are finding themselves and finding their way in life but will it last?
I am anticipating the next book to see how everything plays out and really get to know the characters are they face something that could break them or make them stronger than they have ever been.
Meet the Author:
I’ve always been an avid reader. Majoring in English Literature was a no
brainer. Becoming a teacher and
instilling my love for reading into my students was also a no brainer. I’ve spent the last ten years teaching and
I’ve loved (mostly) every minute of it.
When I was home on maternity leave for my third son, I discovered a new
genre that sparked my creativity. My
passion for writing sprang from my love of reading and once I knew I had a
story to tell, I couldn’t wait to get it out there. I only hope that my readers enjoy reading my
story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Twitter - @mcollinsauthor
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