IN RUINS by Danielle Pearl Release Blitz!
IN RUINS Release
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ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: IN RUINS
Author: Danielle Pearl
Series: Something More, #1
On Sale: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Forever
Trade Paperback: $14.99 USD
eBook: $4.99 USD
The first New Adult spin-off novel
in the bestselling YA Something More series by Danielle Pearl!
She wanted to start again. To be
someone—anyone—different. . .
Freedom. When Carleigh Stanger
thought of college, that was the word that came to mind. Freedom from her
unhappy home life. Freedom from high school mistakes. Freedom from the memory
of that terrible morning. Only instead of bringing a sweet escape, Carleigh's
first campus party traps her in the scornful gaze of the last person she wants
to see, Tucker Green.
It wasn't long ago that being
close to Carleigh was everything Tucker wanted. But that was before he realized
she was just another scheming girl who'd do whatever it took to get her way.
Even lie to the guy she claimed to love. Unfortunately while Tucker's brain
remembers the pain Carleigh caused, his body only remembers the pleasure . . .
BUY THE BOOK HERE
THE SOMETHING MORE SERIES
IN RUINS, #1
IN PIECES, #2
Excerpt:
I linger half in a
dream, wondering why I feel as if I'm waking up inside my past. My fingers
automatically reach to the base of my throat for the white gold crown charm
Tucker gave me before graduation last year, a reminder that I would always be
his princess. But always didn’t last, and my fingers come
up empty as I recall tearing off the necklace and stuffing it unceremoniously
into my bathroom drawer minutes after he broke my heart.
The
subtle scent of fresh spring soap, aftershave, and the faint musk of last
night's sweat ambushes my senses. My eyes flutter open to find dawn breaking in
through the window shades. It's still early enough that I doubt anyone else
will be awake for a while, but I know that whether it's minutes or an hour,
once Tucker's eyes open, it won't be long before I'm asked to leave.
It takes no more than another second or
two to register the pattern of his breathing, too lively to indicate sleep, and
I stiffen above him. I swallow anxiously and reluctantly look up.
He's watching me, gaze impassive, but his
arms don't move. His fingertips dance, feather-light along the small of my
back, and I wonder if it's what woke me. I clear my throat, though I have no
idea what to say in this moment. But Tucker speaks first.
"This can't happen again. You know
that, right?"
I nod. Because I do know. We'll never be
friends if we blur the lines with this. Not just the sex. Not even mostly the
sex. But this. This intimacy. This is
what could break us. Break me.
In an instant, the haze of last night's
lust begins to lift, and anxiety settles in its place. Because I doubt I could
survive his breaking my heart a second time, and that’s precisely what I’m
setting myself up for. I’ve laid my own trap, and I need to free myself before
it’s too late.
"We shouldn't be laying in bed like
this," I tell him.
His smile is wistful. "I know."
But he makes no move to disentangle
himself from me. Instead, he does the opposite, his hand leisurely roving up
the avenue of my spine, as if it’s going for a Sunday drive.
I shrug it from my body and sit up,
startling him. "Stop doing that," I snap.
"Touching you?" His brow
furrows.
"No! Yes. Touching me, and agreeing with me but continuing this... this affection anyway."
"Sorry," he murmurs
half-heartedly.
"No you're not."
He frowns as I yank the sheet out from
under the bedspread and drape it around myself.
"Maybe it was wrong of me," I
admit. "Coming here last night. Maybe I was stupid to believe we could
just hook up and walk away. Or that I could. But Tucker, if you wanted to fuck
me, then why couldn't you just fuck me?" My words drown in regret.
"You can't say these things—about my eyes, how you think about me... You
can't stare at me the way you do, or call me Princess. It isn't fair."
"Carl—"
"No,
Tuck. You know how I feel about you. And you said it yourself. When you love
someone more than your own life, you don't let them go for anything." I
stare at him meaningfully. "Anything."
Tucker shakes his head, eyes lined with
exasperation. "Carl, I tried to talk to you about that last night—"
"No, Tuck. I get it now," I
assure him. "And maybe I always should have known. But you must have, right? Or at least you do
now."
"Know what?" His brow furrows
deeply, vaguely bewildered.
I glare at him, trying to determine if
he's undermining my intelligence or if I'm somehow not making sense. But I know
him better than that, and as easy it would be to vilify him right now, I can't
lie to myself. "Maybe you really did believe it at the time," I
admit. "That you loved me back."
"Carl—"
"Or maybe you really did love me.
Just not enough, you know?" I don't bother fighting the tears. He's seen
them plenty of times now anyway, and if there's ever been a time to let them
flow, it's now.
And Tuck stops his attempts to explain.
He blinks at me, stunned silent, and I suspect he's finally grasping the weight
of his own words. And I realize that even though he’s the one who said them,
it’s only now that he’s really understanding their implications. The truth is
obvious and cruel, and with it I can stop wondering. I can stop analyzing his
words and guessing at their meaning. Because now I know.
Eventually Tucker sighs, raking his fingers
through his hair as he searches for words to placate me. But I don't want his
guilt, and I definitely don't want his pity.
I avert my gaze and it lands on his
overnight bag, three feet to my right. I force in a deep breath and shove my
hand inside it, pulling out the first piece of clothing I can grab, grateful to discover it's a t-shirt—fitted
for him, but oversized for me. I hastily slip it on.
I look back at him, feeling utterly
defeated. "You let me go."
We
both know now what that says about his love, but this isn’t about blame—this is
about acceptance. It’s about moving forward. "So let me go," I beg him, and then hurry out the door.
Review:
In Ruins by Danielle Pearl was an amazing read!
Carleigh and Tucker were two incredible characters to read about. They had an undeniable chemistry between them, that almost appeared to be electric.
The dynamics these two characters shared was explosive. They were hot one minute and cold the next. Yes, they had their ups and downs, they were not perfect. This made the series all the more entertaining to read!
I highly recommend this novel, and can't wait to read the second book in the series!
4/5 Stars!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Danielle Pearl is the bestselling
author of the Something More series. She lives in New Jersey with her three
delicious children and ever-supportive husband, who—luckily—doesn't mind
sharing her with an array of fictional men. She did a brief stint at Boston
University and worked in marketing before publishing her debut novel, Normal.
She writes mature Young Adult and New Adult contemporary romance. Danielle
enjoys coffee, wine, and cupcakes, and not in moderation.
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