THIS
HEART OF MINE
by
Brenda Novak
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
First
love. Second chance?
As the
daughter of a hoarder, Phoenix Fuller had a tough childhood. So when
the handsome, popular Riley Stinson became her boyfriend in high
school, she finally felt as though she had something to be proud of.
Phoenix was desperate not to lose him—especially once she found out
she was pregnant. Yes, she might have acted a bit obsessive when he
broke up with her. But she did not run down the girl he started
dating next.
Unfortunately,
there was no way to prove her innocence. Now, after serving her time
in prison, Phoenix has been released. All she wants to do is return
to Whiskey Creek and get to know her son. But Jacob’s father isn’t
exactly welcoming.
Riley
doesn’t trust Phoenix, doesn’t want her in Jacob’s life. He is,
however, ready to find someone to love. And he wants a good mother
for his son. He has no idea that he’s about to find both!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
Once
again, Phoenix’s eyes were riveted on her son. Only this time, she
felt such a surge of emotion she almost darted into the bathroom. She
could not break down.
Please,
God, don’t let me cry. He won’t come within ten feet of me if I
do.
But the
harder she tried to hold back her tears, the more overwhelmed she
became. In a panic, she slipped around the corner, into the small
alcove by the bathrooms, and leaned her head against the wall.
Breathe.
Don’t blow this.
The bell
over the door jingled, telling her that Riley and Jacob had stepped
inside. She imagined them looking around, maybe getting annoyed when
they didn’t find her. But she was frozen in place. She absolutely
could. Not. Move.
“Hey,”
she heard the hostess say with a familiarity that hadn’t been
present in her greeting to Phoenix. “We’re busy this morning,
like we are every Saturday. But if you can wait for a few minutes,
I’ll get you a table.”
“We’re
actually meeting someone who should be here.”
That had
to be Riley, but Phoenix couldn’t say she recognized his voice. Her
memories of him were vivid. But they’d both been so young, and he’d
changed a great deal. No longer the skinny teenager she’d known in
high school, he was a man with plenty of hard muscle on his solid
frame, a man in his prime, and that had been more than apparent as
she’d watched him walk, shoulder to shoulder, with their son a few
seconds earlier.
“Who
are you here to meet?” the hostess asked.
“Name’s
Phoenix Fuller,” came his response.
“What
does she look like?”
“I’m
not sure these days,” he said, and Phoenix winced. Her
shoulder-length dark hair wasn’t bad. It was thick, probably her
best asset. Her hazel eyes weren’t unattractive, either. She didn’t
feel she was ugly. But the scars on her face would be new to him. She
hadn’t had those when she went to prison.
“She
wasn’t very tall,” he added, as if that might be the only detail
still applicable.
“There
was a woman who said she was expecting two more to join her,” the
hostess said. “But I don’t know where she went…”
Determined
not to miss this opportunity after waiting so long for it, Phoenix
curved her fingernails into her palms, took a deep breath and stepped
around the corner. “Sorry I…I had to wash my hands.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
New York
Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author
of fifty books. A four-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards,
including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best,
the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Holt Medallion. She also
runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes
research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised
$2.4 million. For more about Brenda, please visit
www.brendanovak.com.
Barnes &
Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-heart-of-mine-brenda-novak/1120348728?ean=9780778316725
Barnes &
Noble Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-heart-of-mine-brenda-novak/1120348728?ean=9781460380536
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping Brenda celebrate the release of her latest Whiskey Creek novel.
ReplyDeleteThank you for holding this giveaway, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds crazy good. So much drama. I bet it'd be a great one to put on screen sometime!
ReplyDeleteThanks for holding the giveaway.
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