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Blog Tour with Review & Giveaway

Embracing Life

by

Nicky Jayne

~ Synopsis ~

Moving to San Diego was supposed to be a fresh start for Melanie. 3 years of sun and sand and she would be heading to college. 
No matter how far she went her nights were still tormented by his face. But her days were filled with another type of torment Josh! 
The eager young lacrosse player who wanted nothing more than to claim her heart as his.
Their friendship bloomed but as quickly as it started a traumatic event ended it. 
Friends have kept them apart. 
Thinking it would be the best for both of them.
Sadly there are just some things in life that you can not run away from. They always find you in the end.

Will they find each other? Will Josh be able to save Melanie from her past as well as herself?

 ~ Add to Goodreads ~

~ Excerpt ~ 

I left my past behind me, but it just violently slammed into my future, and I am all alone. He was put away. How can this be possible? How is he here? The man currently sharing the same air as me took my childhood from me. He almost took my mother’s life. For only one of those crimes was he imprisoned. Nevertheless, he was put away, locked up like the monster he is. I took all the precautions I could, moving to San Diego, changing my last name. Stealing a glance at my past, I see the heat from his eyes has not died. If anything, the flame has grown more furious. I can’t go back there. I will not survive it a second time. Pulling away my wandering eyes, I look straight ahead, watching the rain as it beats down on the windshield of the car. The air is muggy, and my head continues to thump after the blow. His hand has not left my knee, and his overly callused

fingers rub continuous circles into my thigh. Squeezing my eyes tight, I will myself to block his toxic words and mentally erase his touch. My cell phone continues to ring, and I go into panic mode trying to remember where I tossed my purse. I silently pray that it is Katie, and she will come looking for me.

Instantly, the flashbacks of my past that have plagued my dreams for so long are reality. The harshness of my existence is sitting here beside me, caressing my legs and leaning my head against his shoulder. His scent hasn’t changed. It made my stomach churn then, and it is doing the same now. I smell whiskey, smoke, and the strong odor of garlic on his breath.

I cannot stomach his smell. With each breath I take, the more and more I realize that I have

no way out. It is now, as it was then. My body begins to drift, and my mind begins to seek

the cold, dark unconscious where it feels the safest. I know I need to keep fighting. I need to

stay awake because if the blackness consumes me, I know I will be his forever…

~ Review ~

This was a quick read and an engaging one at that.   I could tell by the distance of the character that she had a troubled past but the journey with Melanie was one worth taking.

Melanie is the “new girl” at school and is taken under the wing of  Katie  and Mike.  They can see that she is “unsettled and scared” but they don’t push.   Baby steps.  Josh sees through Melanie.  He “affects” her in a way she didn’t think possible but keeps him at a distance to protect herself. 

There were sometimes in the story that I thought Mike and Katie were a little too controlling of Melanie and her interactions with others.  I felt like she was finally finding a little bit of strength within herself and should have been able to interact with others aside from Mike and Katie.  Josh had tried to be nothing but nice to Melanie and was kept at bay by their controlling ways.

As the story progresses, we learn that the “bubble” that Katie and Mike have kept Mel in may have done more bad than good.   Josh has admired Melanie from a distance only finally giving in to his feelings.  With only a short time to go before she leaves to start her life elsewhere, Melanie’s past comes slamming into her present leaving her scared and alone.

Will the one person she has kept at bay be her salvation?  Or will it be too late?

I will definitely be picking up Embracing Love to see where Melanie’s story leads.  This may have been my first read by Nicky Jayne but it will definitely not be my last. 

~ Rating ~

~ Link to Buy ~

Amazon 

See where the story goes in........

Embracing Love (#2) 

~ Synopsis ~

The storm clouds break above them, lightning illuminates the sky.

A kiss. Who knew one kiss could hold so much weight, could change a life so much.

Josh’s words play over and over in her mind, the sensation of his lips upon her.

New feelings, new sensations rock her. Warm feelings engulf her. As she dances in a sea of new beginnings.

He hides in the shadows as his prize is taken from him. His burning eyes follow her. Things haven’t gone according to plan, but he will bide his time. An unknown figure will help him achieve his goal. This time he will not fail, this time she will be his.

Josh’s body shields her from the unknown. Holding onto her for dear life as she slips away into her nightmares. Nightmares that have become reality.

Familiar faces, show themselves as strangers.

She wants him, he wants her but can they move on and make a life. Can he be honest with her? Can she bear her soul to him?

~ Add to Goodreads ~

~ Link to Buy ~
Amazon 
Link to Book Trailer 
(covers books 1 & 2)

~ About the Author ~

From her passion of reading, Nicky Jayne took the next step. Putting her thoughts to paper. She was born and raised in England, moving to the US what seems like decades ago. Nicky Jayne lives in Las Vegas with her husband and two boys. She stands by her husband as he serves in the U.S Air Force.

As a mother of boys, she is not afraid to get her hands dirty. Whether it be camping, building or standing on the side-lines, cheering for them as they play sports. She is right in the mix and loving it.

She never thought in her wildest dreams would she have the courage of the patience to sit and write but embracing all that she has before her. She took the plunge and began to write.

~ Connect with Nicky ~ 

** Facebook ** Twitter ** Goodreads **

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