SON OF WAR, DAUGHTER OF CHAOS - BOOK BLAST

I cannot even tell you how excited I am for this tour!!!

Son of War, Daughter of Chaos Aislynn is accustomed to watching for the enemy. Her parents instructed her from the time she was young to look for the signs: people with greater than normal strength, eyes that can glow green, and have the ability to jump long distances. Over the years, Aislynn has come to view her parents’ fears as quirks—things that get in the way of having a normal high school life. When Aislynn’s mother dies under suspicious conditions, her father doubles his restrictions. But all his precautions can’t stop the boy with glowing green eyes from finding Aislynn. She realizes too late she’s been drafted into an ancient Egyptian war, whether she’s prepared or not.  

AMAZON

Blog Tour Schedule

Author Janette Rallison 

 Janette Rallison is old. Don’t ask how old, because it isn’t polite. Let’s just say she’s older than she’d like to be and leave it at that. Janette lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, five children and enough cats to classify her as “an eccentric cat lady.” She did not do this on purpose. (The cats, that is; she had the children on purpose.) Every single one of the felines showed up on its own and refuses to leave. Not even the family’s fearless little Westie dog can drive them off. Since Janette has five children and deadlines to write books, she doesn’t have much time left over for hobbies. But since this is the internet and you can’t actually check up to see if anything on this site is true, let’s just say she enjoys dancing, scuba diving, horse back riding and long talks with Orlando Bloom. (Well, I never said he answers back.)

Website * Facebook * Twitter

        

  Blast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 8/17/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway -- ~Inspired Kathy~ I Am A Reader Book Blasts & Blog Tours

THE BREAKAWAY BY MICHELLE D. ARGYLE - REVIEW

pic and description taken from Goodreads

Description:

When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, it takes her parents two days to realize she's missing. Escape isn't high on her list of priorities when all she has to return to is an abusive boyfriend and parents who never paid much attention to her. For the first time in her life she's part of a family-even if it is a family of criminals. But she's still a captive. In a desperate attempt to regain some control in her life, Naomi embarks on a dangerous plan to make one of her kidnappers think she's falling in love with him. The plan works too well, and when faced with the chance to escape, Naomi isn't sure she wants to take it.

My Review / Thoughts:

First off I am going to put a definition here : 

Stockholm syndrome

noun Psychiatry.

an emotional attachment to a captor formed by a hostage as a result of continuous stress, dependence,and a need to cooperate for survival.

Origin: 
 after an incident in Stockholm in 1973, during which a bank employee became romantically attached to arobber who held her hostage

(super creepy syndrome)!!!!

Holy cow....This book was so fantastic.  It kept me engaged from the beginning till the end, and I cannot finish the second one fast enough.  I bought this on iTunes, and my daughter, niece and started listening to this book while I was driving.  When we were on out way home we almost finished it, and I had to come home and listen to the rest right away.

I have heard of Stockholm Syndrome, but listening to a story about it creeped me out.  I was constantly yelling at the book saying "girl get your head on straight"!  hehe.  It was so dark and twisty I loved it.

Naomi is kidnapped one night while walking home from her boyfriends house.  When she wakes her captures try to find out what she saw that night when she knew when she was walking through the park.  

Naomi is a character that makes my heart brake.  She feels like her parents don't care about her.  She had a boyfriend that is my WORST nightmare as a mother.  I am telling you, if my daughters boyfriend ever hit her, I would literally have to be restrained from causing bodily harm back.  She just had a rough life.  

At first I thought it was all her bad attitude until she got captured.  Then you come to realize how alone she was in in her family.  She was an only child but felt as though her parents could care less about her.  It was so sad.

Naomi's captured treated her well, most of the time, and this is when it gets super creepy for me.  I cannot ever imagine falling in love with someone who took me.  I guess when you live that way for a while, you become familiar with your captures.  Still I scared me.....I am a mother, and this book scared me.  I really loved this book.

I have a love/hate relationship with the ending :).....heheheh  I CANNNNNNOT wait to read the second book.  

My ONLY complaint about this book was the narrator.  I feel that this book was a highly emotional book, with some seriously intense scenes, but the narrator never sounded like she was trying to make the kidnapping, and other things "real".  She was a little too nonchalant in her reading.  Very monotone.  Having said that, the story itself kept me listening.  It was such an interesting book!!!!  

Michelle D. Argyle is an amazing writer.  She pulled me in right away.  Argyles writing is beautiful.  How she came up with this idea is beyond me.  I have a daughter going to college soon, and now I REALLY don't want her to leave ;).  This was my first Michelle D. Argyle book, but I have already bought the second book, and then just purchased If I Forget You, and Cinders  by Argyle.  I cannot wait to read them all! FYI, as of this moment Cinders is free on Amazon.  You should pick it up!

Source:  I bought this book for myself on iTunes.  I am not affiliated with iTunes in any way, and was not compensated for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

My Rating:

It totally would have been 5, but I just couldn't stand the narrator. (p.s. I am probably going to feel really bad about this if it's someone she knows....if so sorry ;)

Where To Buy:

AMAZON & BARNES & NOBLE

About the Awesome Author:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She adores cheese, chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in the time she grabs between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life. Michelle writes contemporary Young Adult and New Adult fiction (and other genres when she feels up to it).

CELL BY ROBIN COOK - REVIEW

pic and description taken from 

Description:

The New York Times� bestselling author and master of the medical thriller returns with a top-notch fusion of groundbreaking medical science and edge-of-your-seat suspense. George Wilson, M.D., a radiology resident in Los Angeles, is about to enter a profession on the brink of an enormous paradigm shift, foreshadowing a vastly different role for doctors everywhere. The smartphone is poised to take on a new role in medicine, no longer as a mere medical app but rather as a fully customizable personal physician capable of diagnosing and treating even better than the real thing. It is called iDoc. George’s initial collision with this incredible innovation is devastating. He awakens one morning to find his fiancée dead in bed alongside him, not long after she participated in an iDoc beta test. Then several of his patients die after undergoing imaging procedures. All of them had been part of the same beta test. Is it possible that iDoc is being subverted by hackers—and that the U.S. government is involved in a cover-up? Despite threats to both his career and his freedom, George relentlessly seeks the truth, knowing that if he’s right, the consequences could be lethal.

My Thoughts / Review:

I enjoyed this book.  I cannot remember if I have read any of Robin Cook's book before, but after reading this one, I will definately try another book.  I listened to this book on iTunes.  The narrator was really good.  Sometimes that can make or break a book sometimes.

George Wilson woke up one day to see his fiancee lying dead next to him.  A few months later, George goes to a meeting about the iDoc app for phone.  While he was sitting through the announcement of a beta test, he sees an old college "friend" and realized that she took the idea of iDoc from a conversation they had in College.  

Something doesn't sit right with George while he is listening to the presentation.  He goes back to his home and looks though his fiance's things that he had packed away in a closet.  Sure enough he finds his fiance's iPhone and looks to see if she was part of the iDoc beta testing.  She was.  He doesn't quite know what to do with that information.

George was never a very outgoing man, but he had a neighbor that always asked him questions about his health.  Every one assumed George new everything about being a doctor.  They didn't realize he was in radiology, and if he was looking at the inside of you, he could tell you, but he didn't quite know too much about other sicknesses.  His neighbor was convinced he was his personal Dr.  One day George realized that his neighbor hadn't asked him questions for a couple of weeks, so he went to talk to him.  Georges asked why the neighbor why he hasn't been asking questions about his diabetes anymore.  His friend tells him he has his own personal doctor right on his phone.  Later that same day said neighbor ended up dead.

Two more deaths come along right after and George started suspecting that iDoc was the cause of all the death.  When he finally decides to go to someone about what information he has about iDoc being the cause of death.  He decided to get his hacker neighbor to be part of the discovery.  He offers him $10,000 to help him.

Things get very interesting very quickly after he goes to his hacker friend.  When George's hacker friend finally broke the code, he gave George his fiancees phone back and packs up to lease right away.  He knew that there would be some sever repercussions when he hacked it.  George goes home to put some things together to get out of town with his friend.

George decides to go to see his friend from college that he knows is part of the iDoc team.  She tells him she will help him.

George stepped on a time bomb when he decided to find out about iDoc and see if it was some how killing all these patients.  I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book.  I kept me engaged the whole time.  It's interesting, and so intense in other parts.  It just a good book to read (or listen to ;) ).  I feel like I have already given too much away, but I enjoyed it and could keep going on and on.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was that whole concept of the book seemed way too unrealistic.  It was definitely interesting, but really an iPhone as your personal Dr.  I don't think so.  I couldn't get over that part but it was still a great book.  Exciting.

Source:  I bought this for myself off iTunes.  I am not affiliated with iTunes in any way, and these are my own PERSONAL thought on the book.


My Rating:

Where to Buy:

AMAZON  @ BARNES & NOBLE

About the Author

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

Dr. Robin Cook (born May 4, 1940 in New York City, New York) is an American doctor / novelist who writes about medicine and topics affecting public health.

He is best known for being the author who combined medical writing with the thriller genre of writing. Several of his books have been bestsellers on the "New York Times" Bestseller List. Several of his books have also been featured in Reader's Digest.

Cook is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Columbia University School of Medicine. He finished his postgraduate medical training at Harvard. He divides his time between homes in Boston and Florida where he lives with his wife Barbara. He is currently on leave from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He has successfully combined medical fact with fantasy to produce a succession of bestselling books. Cook's medical thrillers are designed, in part, to keep the public aware of both the technological possibilities of modern medicine and the ensuing ethical problems.


Cook got a taste of the larger world when the Cousteau Society recruited him to run its blood - gas lab in the South of France. Intrigued by diving, he later called on a connection he made through Jacques Cousteau to become an aquanaut with the US Navy Sealab when he was drafted in 1969.[1]


Cook is a private member of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees, led by Chairman Joseph B. Gildenhorn, are appointed to six-year terms by the President of the United States.[2]


[edit] Doctor / Novelist
Dr. Cook's profession as a doctor has provided him with ideas for many of his novels. In each of his novels, he strives to write about the issues at the forefront of current medical practice.
To date, he has explored issues such as organ donation, genetic engineering,fertility treatment, in - vitro fertilization, research funding, managed care, drug research, and organ transplantation.[3]


Dr. Cook has been remarked to have an uncanny ability to anticipate national controversy. In an interview with Dr.Cook, Stephen McDonald talked to him about his novel Shock; Cook admits the timing of Shock was fortuitous. "I suppose that you could say that it's the most like Coma in that it deals with an issue that everybody seems to be concerned about," he says, "I wrote this book to address the stem cell issue, which the public really doesn't know anything about. Besides entertaining readers, my main goal is to get people interested in some of these issues, because it's the public that ultimately really should decide which way we ought to go in something as ethically questioning as stem cell research."[4]


Keeping his lab coat handy helps him turn our fear of doctors into bestsellers. "I joke that if my books stop selling, I can always fall back on brain surgery," he says. "But I am still very interested in it. If I had to do it over again, I would still study medicine. I think of myself more as a doctor who writes, rather than a writer who happens to be a doctor." After 23 books,he has come up with a diagnosis to explain why his medical thrillers remain so popular. "The main reason is, we all realize we are at risk. We're all going to be patients sometime," he says. "You can write about great white sharks or haunted houses, and you can say I'm not going into the ocean or I'm not going in haunted houses, but you can't say you're not going to go into a hospital."[4](less)

TIME OF RUIN BY SHAUNA GRANGER - BOOK BLITZ

Time of Ruin (Ash and Ruin #2)

by Shauna Granger

Release Date: 07/22/14

Summary from Goodreads:

The world has ended, and hope is the most dangerous thing left.

Battered and bruised after barely escaping San Francisco with their lives, Kat, Dylan, and Blue press north – desperate to reach the possibility of a new home.

But strange, monstrous ravens are tracking the remaining survivors, food is becoming scarce, gasoline is running short, and people are becoming suicidal, making survival almost impossible.

And the Pestas are growing bolder. Somehow, their numbers are growing.

The further north they go, the harder it becomes to ignore the signs that they’ve made a fatal mistake. Kat must face the impossible truth that there is no escape, there is no safe haven, and their worst nightmares don’t come close to their new reality.

Book One:
(linked to Goodreads)

About the Author

Like so many other writers, Shauna grew up as an avid reader, but it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer. Five years ago, Shauna started work on her Elemental Series. She released the first installment, Earth, on May 1, 2011 and has since released four sequels, with the series coming to an end with Spirit. She is currently hard at work on a new Urban Fantasy series, staring a spunky witch with a smush-faced cat named Artemis.

Author Links:

   

GIVEAWAY:

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Book Blitz Organized by:

2ND ANNUAL BEAT THE HEAT READATHON - HOSTED BY PHANTASMIC READS

I am stealing the rules from Reanna @ Phantasmic Reads - because I want to make sure I don't get any of the details wrong.  So in the words of Reanna @ Phantasmic Reads :)

Ze Rules!

• The Beat the Heat Readathon runs from August 11th to September 1st. What does this readathon entail, you ask? Well, read as much or as little as you want – the main point is to READ! You set your own goal, and for three weeks you read as many books as you can/want to reach your goal!
• There will be mini-challenges throughout the Readathon for participants, along with a grand prize giveaway at the end!
• Sign up here at Phantasmic Reads or Novel Heartbeat. You may join whenever you like, butto be eligible for our grand prize giveaway, you must sign up by August 24th.
• To join, all you have to do is make a sign-up post – even if it’s just a “Let’s do this!” thing – and add your post URL to the linky below! You can put your goals and progress (will be required for the final giveaway) in your sign-up post, or you can make it separate. Totally up to you! (You are welcome to use the template we provide as well.)
• In order to enter for the grand prize, you must have a post to keep track of your progress so we can see that you participated.

I don't know why it is so much easier for me to read when I have a goal to work towards.  Sometimes I need that extra push.  I love reading, but sometimes I feel like I am reading because I "have" to, and when I have a goal it's so much more fun.  It makes me feel like I am reading "for fun" again.  LOVE IT!  Thanks Reanna for this awesome readathon.

I don't quite know if I have a goal yet, as to how many I want to read.  I am hoping I will get way more done than I think I can in my head.  So I will try for 5 books.  I know that seems lame, but I am setting low so that if I surpass it will make me even happier :).  I am going to count my "reviews" as part of this also.  So I am hoping that isn't against the rules.  I don't see anything that says "no" so hopefully that will help.

KEEPER BY INGRID SEYMOUR - BLOG TOUR

Tour Page & Schedule

Keeper by Ingrid Seymour

400 pages

For them, free will is a luxury . . .

Greg Papilio both wants and dreads his impending metamorphosis. He's tired of being an ugly runt--always picked last on the basketball court--when he could be strong and what girls call "drop dead gorgeous." But as much as he looks forward to the transformation, he also fears the caste it will inevitably assign to him. He doesn't want a common caste. He wants a powerful one, a cool one.

Samantha Gibson is average. She's short and a little full around the hips--a terribly cute look for a future chef. She's two years away from culinary school, from her uncaring parents, and from carving a perfectly Human future. She wants independence, a career and a quiet life of her own.

Except fate couldn't care less about what Greg and Samantha want and gives them exactly the opposite. Greg's metamorphosis assigns him a caste that enslaves him, while Samantha's chance to attend Le Cordon Bleu is taken away. But things are never as interesting as when Ashby--an intriguing blonde with a hidden identity--enters her life with a splash.

Greg's fate is to be Samantha's Keeper, to protect her at a time when someone wants her dead. He will stop at nothing to ensure her safety, even if her secret past proves deadly, even if he's keeping her safe for someone else.

EXCERPT:

“Sam!”

He saw his car through roaring flames and thick smoke. A piece of metal flashing landed on the crumpled trunk of his car. He had to get to her. Running straight into the flames without a second thought, Greg found his body pulsing with cooling energy. He passed through the fire, a forearm in front of his eyes. Scorching flames reached for his exposed skin but didn’t burn him. They didn’t burn!

He reached his car. Sam had climbed inside. Greg pulled on the blistering handle and wrapped the fearful girl with his large arms. Carrying her like an infant, he ran into the store, just as fire trucks and police cars arrived at the scene.

 

Goodreads

Grab Keeper Vol. One (first part of the story) for .99 cents on Amazon.

     

AUTHOR BIO: Ingrid Seymour loves, loves, loves to write. She’s a young and new adult author. She writes in a variety of genres including romance, urban fantasy, paranormal and horror. She loves pizza and sushi, Sunkist and gum. She believes in vampires, witches, but not zombies (uh-uh, never!) She writes to loud music, daydreams constantly and spends too much time in twitter!! Find her there? Ingrid has incredible fun doing what she does, but more than anything she enjoys hearing from her readers. It’s a dream come true.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest |

Goodreads | G +

********************************************************

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

signed paperback of Keeper & Bracelet (US)

Prizing provided by the author

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TORTURED SOULS BY KIMBER LEIGH WHEATON - BOOK BLITZ - EXCERPT

Tortured Souls (Orion Circle #1)

by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Release Date: July 2014

Summary from Goodreads:
Sometimes Rest in Peace isn't an option.

Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it's ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.

When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie's longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.

But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he's never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.

Kacie can't ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.

Excerpt from Chapter Eleven ~ Romance on the River Walk

“Careful, the stone walkway is a bit uneven,” he says, taking my hand. “It’s easy to navigate during the day, but without light…” he trails off as we walk farther from the lights of the building.

The path ends, and we hike across a grassy expanse leading to the River Walk. Light from the nearby building filters through the leaves above us creating a speckled pattern on the shadowed grass. Roots from the large oak trees have broken through the ground, almost impossible to see in the darkness. When I trip over one my face flushes, and I mutter a curse at my clumsiness. Logan chuckles before righting me so we can continue. Within seconds he trips over another root from the same tree. We both stumble a few steps then break out in laughter.

“You don’t think the tree is out to get us do you?” he asks as he glares up at it.

I giggle when he kicks the root with his hiking boot. He moves closer until he’s inches from my face, close enough that I can see his eyes in the faint light under the tree.

“We’re almost to the retaining wall. I didn’t consider homicidal tree roots when I chose to walk this way. Sorry.”

“I love the trees,” I comment. He takes my hand leading me through the old tree’s maze of roots. “I’m glad these businesses didn’t just tear down the old oak trees. How old do you think this one is?” I ask, running my hand along the rough trunk.

“No idea,” he says, stopping to gaze up at the tree. “I bet it’s been witness to a lot through the years.”

As we continue the hike to the river, he puts his arm around my shoulders, and I snuggle against his side. At the bottom of the grassy hill a four foot retaining wall keeps the earth from slipping onto the path running along the river. Logan jumps down then holds his arms up to me, grabbing me around the waist to help me down the wall. My arms fly around his neck as I jump down, and I end up in his arms pressed against his firm chest. As he lowers my feet to the ground, I breathe in the scent of his leather jacket and spicy aftershave. Once I’m back on the ground, I expect him to release me, but his arms stay wrapped around my body holding me against him.

My face is still buried in his shoulder, and I lift my chin to glance at him. He grins at me, a cute half-smile, while his eyes sparkle in the golden light from a nearby lantern. I focus on his lips as he closes the distance between us.

His lips meet mine—soft and warm, the kiss achingly tender. My eyes flutter closed and my hand moves up to those curls I’ve been dying to touch. He releases a soft sigh as my fingers caress the nape of his neck and tips his head to deepen the kiss. My lips part under the gentle pressure of his tongue, granting him entrance.

His hand moves from my back to my neck, and he buries his fingers in my hair. I let out a breathy moan, completely lost to the sensations. He uses my hair to tip my head back then trails searing kisses down my chin to my neck.

Available from:

Praise

“Tortured Souls was a wonderful YA read. It was light and enjoyable all the way through. From the romance, to the thrills, this book was fantastic. YA lovers, this is definitely a book you'll want to check out.” ~ Farrah at Imagine a World

“Tortured souls by Kimber Wheaton........ omg!! Great book!!!! This is one you don't want to miss out on.” ~ Paranormal Romance & Authors That Rock

“The plot is wonderfully spooky with just the right amount of suspense and mystery to keep the pages turning.” ~ James Luby– Amazon Reviewer

About the Author

Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs, four cats, and lots of dragons. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. She is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!) She currently lives in San Antonio, TX but has been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states.

Author Links:

   

GIVEAWAY:

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THE HUSBAND MAKER BY KAREY WHITE - BOOK BLAST

The Husband Maker by Karey White

Charlotte’s a girl with nicknames. She may not love being called Charles or Chuck, but the hardest nickname to take is the one she was given in college, the one that’s followed her now for too many years. They call her “the husband maker” and sadly, it fits. Every guy she’s dated since high school has become his next girlfriend’s husband. Not hers. Not three girlfriends down the road. The next. Is she doing something wrong or is she just cursed? When Kyle Aldsworth enters the picture and sweeps her off her feet, Charlotte begins to hope that maybe she's not destined to be single forever. A senator’s son with political aspirations of his own, Kyle's wealthy, handsome, and in need of a wife. Will Charlotte be disappointed yet again, or will she finally be able to make a husband for herself?

Get your copy of The Husband Maker for just $3.99!

Amazon * Kobo * iTunes * Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

I’d always heard the view from Top of the Mark was exceptional. When San Francisco Life listed the top ten places to view the skyline at night, Top of the Mark was ranked number three, so when the invitation to Harrison’s wedding arrived, I finally had an excuse to take in the view for myself.

Stupid, stupid me. I should have taken a cab up the steep hills to 999 California Street, hopped on the elevator to the nineteenth floor, and looked out the windows. I could have come with or without makeup, and I could have worn jeans and a t-shirt. If I’d brought Mia or Aleena with me, we could have had a nice dinner or dessert. If I’d brought Angus, we could have had both. Since Top of the Mark was built at the crest of Nob Hill, I could have snapped a jaw-dropping photo or two with my iPhone and made the sparkling skyline my screen saver.

But no. I had to come see it on the night my old boyfriend was marrying a 49ers cheerleader named Nicki, who’d had more remodeling than an episode of Property Brothers. She looked like a Who’s Who of Hollywood parts—Scarlett’s nose, Angelina’s lips, and Kim’s cheekbones. Her bias-cut dress clung to her other (ahem) purchased body parts and made me feel very un-girly in comparison.

“Nicki, this is Charlotte.” Harrison looked me level in the eye, and for the first time all evening, I felt an inch of relief that things hadn’t worked out between us. Five-eleven is pretty average for a guy, and Harrison towered over Nicki, even in her stilettos. But the only way he’d ever have been able to look down at me the way he’d looked down at Nicki when they’d exchanged their vows was if he’d stood on a stool. I know it’s not important, and it makes me sound completely shallow, but I read a romance once where the leading man “gazed down at his true love with tender eyes.” Someday, I’d like a guy to gaze down at me with tender eyes. And I’d rather not have to be standing in a hole for that to happen.

“It’s fabulous to finally meet you.” Nicki’s voice was chirpy, and her lips didn’t move quite right. “I want to thank you for breaking his heart”—she puckered up and baby-talked—“so I could put it back together.” She pulled him down by his tuxedo lapel to kiss his cheek, then wiped the red smear away with her acrylic-nailed thumb.

Well, this was awkward. And I wasn’t the only one feeling it. Harrison’s eyes begged me not to set the record straight.

You see, Harrison had broken up with me. “I’m not ready for the whole settling down with one woman thing,” he’d said four short months ago. “You’re ready to get married, and I won’t be ready for that scene for years.”

Maybe he’d meant dog years.

“Congratulations, you two. You make a much better couple than we ever did,” I said, although it stung to admit it.

“Did Will come? I saw Angus a little while ago,” Harrison said. Will is my twin brother. No, his name is not Wilbur, although we’ve been asked if our parents had a thing for Charlotte’s Web more times than I can count. His name is William, and he’s the reason I ended up dating Harrison in the first place.

Our families lived on the same street in Fairfield, but I barely remembered Harrison, who was two years older than us. Nearly a year ago, Will and Harrison had been at the same concert, and Harrison had asked Will if his little sister was still available. Will wasn’t sure if he meant me or McKayla, but since McKayla was already married, he gave Harrison my number. On our first date, Harrison admitted he hadn’t been asking about me, but he was decent enough to say he was glad for the mix-up. And the rest is history.

A short and tragic history, but history nonetheless.

“Will and his wife are in D.C. right now interviewing.” I stepped on my tiptoes and scanned the room over the groom’s head. “I didn’t know Angus was here.”

“I talked to him earlier, but he might have left already,” Harrison said.

“Aaahhh!”

I nearly knocked over a waiter as I jumped away from Nicki’s scream. “Look, Kitten. It’s Baxter Kensington. I didn’t think he’d actually come.”

Kitten? Did she really call him that? Harrison’s red face confirmed that yes, she had. “He plays for the 49ers,” he explained, and I nodded.

“I’d better go and make room for the celebrities,” I said, and Harrison grinned. He’d always appreciated my sarcasm, and his cute grin jabbed at my not-quite-healed heart.

“Thanks for coming.” He pulled me into a hug while his bride arranged her dress to best flatter her cleavage and patted the sides of her platinum fauxhawk. “Are things good with us?” he said quietly in my ear.

I pulled away. “Oh sure.”

“I was worried—”

“Nothing to worry about. Go. Be happy.”

“Thanks, Charlotte.”

I turned away, my eyes stinging, and nearly barreled into one of the most stunning specimens of athleticism I’d ever seen. His pale yellow shirt and silvery gray suit contrasted beautifully with his dark skin. No wonder the bride was swooning about someone other than the groom. Poor Harrison looked like a little boy in comparison.

Ah, one of the hazards of marrying a cheerleader.

Through slightly blurred vision, I saw Harrison put his arm around Nicki. Not too long ago, I’d thought that would be me, though the venue and guest list would have been drastically different.

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The Husband Maker Blog Tour - July 21st to August 8th

Author Karey White 

Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist. She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.  

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