Welcome to my stop on the Pieces blog tour! Today, I have an excerpt to share with y'all. :)
There were always dragons, but never as dark as the ones
before her now. She stood in a burning valley so hot that ash fell from the sky
like slow-drifting snow. The dragons had started the fire, their scales
blackened, skin peeling, their eyes hard as diamonds. She watched four of them
land in front of her. Thick smoke curled to the darkening sky.
“I want to leave!” she screamed, but their only response was
to open their mouths and breathe flames at her. She didn’t feel the pain, but
when the fire cleared and she held out her arms to see the damage, she saw her
skin was like dragon skin—black and peeling in jagged pieces. Falling to her
knees, she grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at the dragons. Their mouths
turned up in sneers, showing their pointed, blood-stained teeth.
You
read too many fantasy novels, she could hear Jesse’s voice in the
back of her head.
They
don’t love you, her mother said.
Remember
why you fell in love with him.
She stopped at the memory of that last set of words, trying
to remember who had said them to her. The dragons moved closer, and then she
remembered it was Finn who had said the words. She saw the saltshaker on the
table as he pushed it around in circles.
With a start, she sat up in bed, realizing all the journal
entries were still fresh in her mind. She had finished reading them hours ago
and then stumbled into the bedroom to find Jesse already asleep. She had
crawled in with him and drifted off, but the nightmares made her toss and turn.
Jesse stirred beside her now, his toned arms reaching out for her. Morning
sunlight fell across the bed.
“You alright?” he asked, pulling her close.
“I think so.” Lying back down, she snuggled into him. He
smelled like spicy soap from his shower earlier. She took in a deep breath, savoring
the feel of him holding her.
Remember
why you fell in love with him.
Shut
up, Finn!
She wanted to scream the words into the silent bedroom, but
couldn’t. She loved Jesse because he loved her. It was that simple. He
sacrificed things for her. He wanted to make her happy, and she wanted the same
for him. She had left everything to be with him.
A knock on the front door made Naomi jump. It frightened her
to think of who might knock on their door so early in the morning. Jesse
stirred again, mumbling something she couldn’t understand.
“You want me to get it?” she asked, almost afraid to wake
him.
Groaning, he sat up and blinked. His hair had dried in
spikes. “Where the hell is my phone?” he asked. “Why are the curtains wide
open?”
He was always cranky when he was woken up too early. “I
wanted to look at the stars as I fell asleep.”
Turning to her, he blinked again. The sun made his green
eyes pale. “How did that go, then? Last night? Did you read it all?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
She looked away. “I was so tired I’m not sure how much of it
stuck.”
“It’s all in your head now. You can start sorting through it
and face it all.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Another series of knocks. Jesse cursed and got out of bed.
He was in his boxer shorts, and pulled on a pair of sweats before grabbing his
phone off the dresser. He walked out of the bedroom. Curious, Naomi slipped out
of bed and peeked down the hallway as Jesse looked through the peephole. She
asked herself if she cared that he had lied to her about his parole, that he
was a fugitive. Did it matter? Her stomach clenched.
“What is it?” Jesse asked, opening the door a crack. His
body blocked her view of whoever was on the other side. There was an answer. A
man’s voice. A shudder went down Naomi’s spine.
“No,” Jesse said, “she’s here.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
And that was the excerpt! I kinda sorta really can't wait until I get to read this book.
Pieces by Michelle Davidson Argyle
Release Date: February 14, 2013
Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing
Series: The Breakaway #2
Description from Goodreads:
Staying in love can mean running away...Two years after watching her kidnappers go to prison, Naomi Jensen is still in love with one of them. Jesse will be released in a few years, and Naomi knows college is the perfect distraction while she waits. But when her new friend Finn makes her question what is right and what is wrong, she begins to wonder if Jesse is the one for her...until she discovers he's out on parole. Naomi must sort through her confusion to figure out where love and freedom truly lie-in Finn, who has no connections to her past, or Jesse, who has just asked her to run away with him.
The Breakway by Michelle Davidson Argyle
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Rhemalda Pulishing
Series: The Breakaway #1
Description from Goodreads:
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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She loves the seasons, but late summer and early fall are her favorites. She adores chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in whatever time she can grab between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life.Author Links:
-Website: http://www.
-Twitter: https://twitter.
-Facebook: https://www.
♥Jessica(:
*Waves* Thanks for being part of the Pieces blog tour. I can't wait to hear what you think when you get a chance to read the book.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds good! Thanks for the excerpt too :)
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