Below I'm participating in a spotlight/promotion for an amazing book! I read this book just recently and fell in love with the story and characters. If you'd like you can find my review here to see exactly why I loved it so much. Today because of the awesome AToMR Tours and Charles I'm providing you with an excerpt and a giveaway for an ecopy of this book!
Everyone should have something to rebel against.
Crank Wilson left his South Boston home at sixteen to start a punk band and burn out his rage at the world. Six years later, he’s still at odds with his father, a Boston cop, and doesn’t ever speak to his mother. The only relationship that really matters is with his younger brother, but watching out for Sean can be a full-time job. The one thing Crank wants in life is to be left the hell alone to write his music and drive his band to success.
Julia Thompson left a secret behind in Beijing that exploded into scandal in Washington, DC, threatening her father's career and dominating her family's life. Now, in her senior year at Harvard, she's haunted by a voice from her past and refuses to ever lose control of her emotions again, especially when it comes to a guy.
The cab came to a halt, and the driver muttered something. I leaned forward. Nothing but red
taillights ahead of us for blocks.
“What’s going on?” Crank asked.
“Construction,” the driver said. “Bad. You want me to let you out here?” He looked anxious
to dump us out of the cab as soon as possible, to avoid being stuck in the westbound traffic.
I took a breath. My chest was tight, my whole body tense. I rubbed my hands on my skirt,
closed my eyes and thought, Screw it. I can do this. It’s just one night, anyway.
“Do you want to…” he asked, just as I started to say, “Let’s …”
We both stopped, and he laughed.
“You go first,” he said.
I bit my lip, and I could feel my cheeks heating up again. “I was going to say …” and my
voice trailed off.
“You were going to say?”
He grinned. It was a crooked grin, the left side of his mouth slightly higher than the right, and
it made me want to melt into my seat and pull him right after me.
I took a breath and closed my eyes. “I was going to say, where are you staying?”
I kept my eyes closed another fifteen seconds or more. And, let me tell you, fifteen seconds is
a long, long time. Finally I opened them, and he was looking at me with an expression I couldn’t
interpret. For someone who was always joking, always making snide remarks, he looked serious.
Too serious. More serious than I was comfortable with. I didn’t need serious in my life.
I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, then he said, “I’m at some dump in Arlington.
Sharing a room with Mark.”
“Oh,” I said, my voice unnaturally tense.
“What about you?” he asked. He spoke very slowly, carefully.
“Um … my parents have a condo in Bethesda. I was planning on heading back there
tonight.”
“I don’t want to say goodbye,” he said.
I couldn’t get control of my breathing. I felt lightheaded. Out of control. “Come back to my
place.”
He titled his head, leaned close and whispered, “Are you sure?”
I found myself chewing on my lower lip again. “Yes.”
I dropped my eyes and leaned forward, putting my hand on the back of the taxi driver’s seat.
“Can you take us to Bethesda instead? Wisconsin Avenue and Montgomery.”
Suddenly it was quiet in the cab. Tense, awkward. I couldn’t believe I’d done this. I did not
do one-night stands. But here I was, half-hyperventilating, with this guy I’d only known for eight
hours sitting beside me in the cab. And I guess if it was just for now that was fine, but what if he
wanted to see me again? What if he wanted to date? What if?
I didn’t think I could handle that.
This was so stupid. Things were so much easier with Willard, before I broke up with him. I
was always in control. There was no passion there, true. There wasn’t anything there. But it was
comfortable. Easy. I wasn’t afraid.
Crank, though: he made me afraid.
The cab cleared the traffic and turned up at Massachusetts Avenue, and we were speeding out
of downtown DC.
“You’re awfully quiet now,” Crank said.
I looked at him, and his eyes were boring into mine, intense, probing.
“Having second thoughts?” he asked. “It’s okay.”
I leaned a little closer. “No. Just … it’s just tonight. We don’t see each other again. We don’t
call each other in Boston. We don’t … anything. Okay? We enjoy each other’s company tonight,
and then we’re done.”
He stared at me, surprised. And … his face looked disappointed. He swallowed, his Adam’s
apple bobbing once in his throat. “I don’t know why, but that’s … not what I expected.”
“Don’t get expectations. Not with me.”
He shook his head. “Usually I’m the one who says things like that.”
The cab came to a halt, and he paid it, and we were out on the street. A cool wind blew
through the streets of downtown Bethesda, and traffic rolled by us. I took his hand and walked to
the entrance of the high rise, swiped my access card to unlock the front door, and we walked into
the lobby.
Purchase this book on
Charles Sheehan-Miles has been a soldier, computer programmer, short-order cook and non-
profit executive. He is the author of several books, including the indie bestsellers Just Rememberto Breathe and Republic: A Novel of America's Future.
Okay so that was an excerpt from one of my favorite parts in the book. I hope you enjoyed! Below is the giveaway, everything you're required to do is explained in the rafflecopter. Good luck! (:
This one's on my TBR list already. Great excerpt!
ReplyDelete: )
You should enter the giveaway then and see if you win it! (:
DeleteThe Secret of Ella and Micha:)
ReplyDeleteOhhh, I've been wanting to read that one so bad!
DeleteI really liked Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) by Jamie McGuire
ReplyDeleteLoved the excerpt you added. This is definitely going on my TBR list. I'm following your blog btw. Here's mine.
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