Unwanted
Vows
By:
Beth Rhodes
Releasing
August 25th,
2014
Self-Published
Blurb
To
safely raise her daughter, Samantha Hollister must join wounded U.S.
Army veteran Morgan Lawrence in rediscovering an old love that never
truly disappeared.
WOUNDED
Samantha
Hollister is done relying on other people to take care of—or
abuse—her. Her ex-husband is out of the picture now…like her
family home, the haven she intended to seek. Her father just sold it
to her high-school sweetheart, the man who abandoned her many years
ago for the army. The man who still makes her heart flutter. But
Samantha has vowed to never be led astray again. She has a daughter.
WANTING
Despite
being injured in action, Morgan Lawrence lives life to the fullest.
Each day is a gift, and after five years he is finally one step away
from opening a resort for wounded veterans like himself.
Unfortunately, a woman stands in his way. And while she has changed,
Samantha remains everything he’s ever wanted. Now it’s a matter
of helping her see which promises are meant to be broken, and that
being strong doesn’t mean one has to fight alone.
Link
to Follow Tour:
http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/unwanted-vows-by-beth-rhodes.html
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | ARe | Smashwords
Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/470461
Author
Info
Beth
Rhodes is a woman, imperfect yet trying—a wife, mother, friend, and
lover.
She
lives with her army husband and their six children at the base of the
mountains in
Colorado.
She loves the cold, coffee, camping, and sunshine. Her stories are
full of life,
family,
and love. You can find her reading just about any genre of romance,
but her
favorite
books are fast-paced suspense, where life is on the line and love is
the only
saving
grace. She wants a story that makes her heart pound and her pulse
race.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Excerpt
#1
Her
little car bumped down the drive, almost got stuck in a muddy bog,
and skidded to a halt behind Morgan’s oversized Chevy truck.
Getting out of her car, she stepped onto the little bit of grass left
in the front yard and called out, “Morgan Lawrence.”
He
couldn’t be far. His engine was still clicking.
When
he didn’t appear, she slipped off her ridiculous high-heeled shoes
and headed for the back porch. “Morgan!”
The
silence was deafening and the farther she went, the more agitated she
became.
She
was sick and tired of making excuses. For her father when he was on a
drinking binge, and for herself with her controlling husband, who had
wanted everything just so—to the point of sociopathic OCD.
She
would not start her new life by apologizing and rationalizing her
actions. She pounded on the back door then opened it onto the porch
without an invitation.
They’d
been friends once, and he’d been her first love. Maybe she’d left
him hanging when she ran off and got married. But she’d been so
young and stupid… and scared.
“May
I help you?” Morgan asked, coming through the door from the
kitchen. There was an edge to his voice that hadn’t been there the
last time they’d stood in this very spot.
It
sent a shiver down her spine. “I won’t apologize.”
“Well,
good for you.”
“You
said I would regret it.” Now that she was standing in front of him,
she could feel her emotions taking over her attempt to remain calm,
and she worked to control her reaction. “Don’t count on it.”
A fire
blazed in his eyes. “You came all the way out here to challenge
me?”
He
drew close to her, the masculine scent of him overwhelming her. She
might have backed up if she wasn’t already at the door, but she
was…and she didn’t like encountering the mouse she’d become.
Drawing up to her full height, she blazed back, “I just want a
chance to make things right for my daughter. I will not have my
entire life ripped out from under me. For once, I am not giving up
something I love without a fight.”
Angry
tears pricked at the back of her eyes, and she stood up to him,
poking him in the chest. “I will fight for what is mine.”
“You’re
fighting the wrong person. I do not have what is yours.”
“You
have my home!”
Morgan
grabbed her shoulders, firm yet decidedly gentle. Her insides quaked,
remembering a different time, a different hold. His gaze dropped to
her mouth.
He
wanted to kiss her. She remembered his eyes. The look that shot
desire straight to her core. She hated the pounding in her chest, the
anticipation that flowed through her arteries with oxygen-rich
blood. Oh, lord, have I ever really gotten over this
man? “Please, I need—”
Morgan
cut her off, staking her mouth with bruising pressure. She met his
punishing embrace, tasted his lips, and tasted his frustration. His
hands went into her hair and held her.
Lord,
have mercy. Her hands went loose and the shoes she’d been clutching
fell to the hollow floor with a thud. Her mind shut down.
He
slowed his assault on her senses, scraping his teeth along her bottom
lip as he backed off.
She
licked at the trails of heated abrasion and sucked her lip into her
mouth. How had she forgotten his touch? Lips like honey and—
“Need
anything else?” Animosity rolled from him in waves.
“I—” I
can’t think. She cleared her throat, bringing a hand to her
mouth where she attempted to rub the memory away. “I—”
She
was at a loss for words.
“Honey,
if you’ve got nothing else to say, maybe it’s best you leave.”
His
slow twanging comment pushed her back to reality. His sandy colored
hair was messy, like it got when he ran his hands through it. His
hazel eyes—more green than gold—watched her with guarded wariness
and disappointment. He stood at the ready, ready to move, ready to
react. On the balls of his feet—foot.
He’d
lost, too. Yet while he’d been able to move on and live, she was
still struggling to survive. There was life beyond survival. How did
she get to it? “I just need to find out how to get back what is
mine.”
Morgan
lifted a hand.
She
jerked back but knew in an instant he’d merely been gesturing.
Shit.
Where had that come from? It had been months since she’d reacted at
her most basic level. She controlled her exhale, reminding herself of
where she was and who she was and how she was the strong one. But she
didn’t feel strong.
Morgan
frowned, stuffing his hand into his pocket. “Some things you can
never get back.”
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