Friday, March 30, 2018

RELEASE BLITZ: DickSlip by Gwyn McNamee

 Genre: Romantic Comedy

~Synopsis~


One wardrobe malfunction. Two lives forever changed.

Playing in a star-studded charity basketball game should be fun, and it is, until I literally go balls out to show up my arch nemesis. When I dive for the basketball and my junk slips out of my gym shorts, I know my life and career are over. There’s no way the network can keep my kids’ show on the air after I’ve exposed myself to millions of people. I don’t know how Andy, the new CEO, can go to bat for me with such passion. I also never anticipate how hot she looks in a pair of high heels.

Rafe’s dickslip has made my new job even more stressful. It’s hard enough being a woman in a man’s world without dealing with sex organs being publicly displayed when someone is representing the company. But he’s an asset to the network, not to mention hot as hell. I can barely keep my eyes off him or his crotch during our meetings. Defending him to the board puts my ass on the line as much as his, but it’s worth it. So is risking my job to fulfill the fantasies I’ve had about him since he first set foot in my office.

Things may have started out bad, but…

Some accidents have happy endings.

***Dickslip previously appeared in the Exposed anthology. This features a NEW, never before seen epilogue to Rafe and Andy's story***

GOODREADS 

  AMAZON    B&N     KOBO



Gwyn McNamee is an attorney, writer, wife, and mother (to one human baby and two fur babies). Originally from the Midwest, Gwyn relocated to her husband’s home town of Las Vegas in 2015 and is enjoying her respite from the cold and snow. Gwyn has been writing down her crazy stories and ideas for years and finally decided to share them with the world. She loves to write stories with a bit of suspense and action mingled with romance and heat.

When she isn’t either writing or voraciously devouring any books she can get her hands on, Gwyn is busy adding to her tattoo collection, golfing, and stirring up trouble with her perfect mix of sweetness and sarcasm (usually while wearing heels).

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon


Thursday, March 29, 2018

BOOK REVIEW: Knocked Up By the Bad Boy/The Warriors MC by Nicole Fox

~Blurb~

I made a bet with my brothers:
First one to knock up a local girl wins.
At first, I don’t care what happens.
But when Bambi crosses my sights… losing is no longer an option.
 


I could never resist a pretty girl. 
And Bambi’s body screams temptation. 

She’s the County Queen. 
Doe-eyed. 
Long-legged. 
Sin and sex with curves for days. 

But it isn’t until I’ve snatched her for myself that I realize there’s a lot happening in the shadows. 
The stakes are higher than I ever imagined. 

Too f***ing bad. 

I intend to make Bambi mine. 
Screw the bet. 
Screw it all. 

She WILL carry my child. 
But only after she begs for my seed. 

Again. 
And again. 
And again. 

~Book Review~
4 Stars

I gotta admit that I picked up this book because a) The cover was hot—I’m a sucker for a tatted guy with a baby; b) It was a freebie; and c) the premise had me curious. To be perfectly honest, I thought it was going to be a train-wreck. I mean, come on, a bet between a bunch of motorcycle guys to be the first to knock up a random unsuspecting girl!

So mostly I started reading to figure out the characters' motivations in this situation. Which brings me to my last disclosure… d) I rarely read MC romance because I loathe the sexist culture. So color me pleasingly surprised that I not only kept reading it, but that it wasn’t your typical motorcycle club angsty romance nor was it some sexist “breeding” tale. (The blurb really doesn't do this book justice.)

Snake, 25, is a member of the Warriors MC, cruising through some small southern town with his buddies. Brash, egotistical, and showing off for each other, they make this ridiculous bet. Snake spies Bambi on a poster for Peach Festival Queen in a bar and sets his sights on her.
“I knew she was coming. I saw that look of desperation in her eyes, that need to do something different, something bad.”
Bambi and Snake had good chemistry, and I quickly found myself engaged in their story. This tale is on the shorter side, and I do wish their time together on the road would have been more developed, to add some more depth to the story and because I liked them together.
“‘Don’t hold back…Let anyone who wants to hear us know how much you’re enjoying yourself. It’s your moment.’”
Now, there are two things I really need to praise. Number 1, it’s actually kind of a positive, sweet story with a little epic “movie moment” in the climax. That part was really cute and had me grinning from ear to ear. It also sealed the romantic factor.

Number 2, Snake’s “speech” to Bambi in the resolution took what was a potentially sexist and certainly skeevy premise and affirmed that it was not something to romanticize. That went a long way in showing how Snake had grown and that he was a good guy to admit that their bet was wrong and utterly ill thought out.
“‘I can see what an awful thing that was to even suggest, much less agree on.’”
I give the author major points for turning the premise around, and I applaud how their HEA worked out. There’s too many tales out there where a young girl gets shackled to some sexist alpha with no future of her own, but that’s not the case here. Snake was Bambi’s bad boy white knight and helps her grow, embrace her potential, and achieve her dreams. They bring out the best in each other and that’s an important theme in romance.

Told via Bambi and Snake’s alternating first person POV, this is a safe, mostly low angst romance, pleasingly free of any OW drama that ends on a feel-good note that I enjoyed.

  GOODREADS      AMAZON   

REVIEW/RELEASE BLITZ: Royal Rebel by Jessica Peterson

Series: Flings with Kings #2
Genre: Royal Romance/Contemporary Romance

~Blurb~

Royal. Recklessly Rebellious. Totally Delicious.

SUBJECT: I'm sorry (Marked Confidential) Sat 21 May 02:48 A.M.

From the Desk of His Royal Highness Prince Robert

Aly—can’t stop thinking about tonight. Never thought enemies like us would end up naked together. Again. Know you think I’m cocky, but come on, sweetheart…don’t tell me it’s not the best sex you’ve ever had.

I’m not a good man. But for the first time, I wish I were. Maybe then I’d deserve you. I don’t. Not when I come from a family like mine. All these secrets…

You’re gorgeous. Clever. You call me out on my bullshit, and I bloody adore it.

I adore you, sweetheart.

You have your new bloke. And I’m…me. The playboy prince. We’re not meant to be together. But staying away from you is killing me, Aly. Thinking about him touching you is killing me.

I’ve no right to talk to you like this. Im sorry. It’s the whiskey talking. This is what you do to me.

Rob

P.S.—I can’t send this. But I am thinking of you.

~Book Review~
2.75/3 Stars

Aly Mason (early thirties) is an American working in England for a design company. There she meets Prince Robert, an irresponsible playboy, hung up on his grandfather’s faults.  Convinced he’s too much like him, Rob has vowed against monogamy until he can’t get Aly out of his system.

This book begins after Rob and Ally have been carrying on a no-strings fling for 5-6 months so the reader misses out on the early relationship development. Honestly, it felt like the book was starting in the middle rather than the beginning. Opening a story by summarizing so much background is never a good writing technique. Now, some of which is a brief recap of book one (Rob’s brother’s story) which is fine; the problem arises in paraphrasing the beginnings of Rob and Ally’s “enemies to lovers romance.”  As a result, I just couldn’t get invested in them, and it didn’t help that the first described sexual encounter comes off cold rather than hot.

While their relationship evolves over the planning of Rob’s brother’s wedding, the book is filled with a lot of push/pull. There’s a rinse/repeat of Rob lamenting he can’t be the one for Ally, and Ally fretting about being lonely and wanting to settle down on top of trying to date someone else.  Oh and the absolute worst scene— Rob’s disgusting puking date. That was just plain gross! (Really, it almost lost me there. *eyes DNF pile*) Seriously, the H & h cleaning up vomit is NOT a romantic bonding moment!

While there are decent developed sexy times between Robert and Aly, the romance suffered with the inclusion of other pointless scenes that went nowhere. Even the blurb message which initially intrigued me about the story is a dropped plot point.

To make a connection with Rob and Aly as a couple, the plot should have started from the beginning with scenes, not recaps, of the time when Aly arrived and Rob was dealing with his grandfather’s death and family secrets.  The “enemies” angle was very weak. Confirmation that Rob had been celibate the whole time they’d known each other would have gone a long way too. Sorely needed were more scenes where Rob shined instead of faltered, including omission of that silly, contrived drama at 80%. From there, the timeline skipped around way too much, dragging things out. While I believed that deep down Rob sensed that Ally was the “real deal” for him, a bigger wow factor was necessary in the ending to make up for all his missteps. 

Told via Rob and Ally’s alternating first person POV, I think this story had the potential to be greater, but stumbled on plotting and execution.  

99c for release week only!
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
~Also Available~
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited

Jessica Peterson began reading romance to escape the decidedly unromantic awkwardness of her teenage years. Having found solace in the likes of Mr. Darcy, Jamie Fraser (OMG love the gingers!), and Edward Cullen, it wasn’t long before she began creating tall, dark and handsome heroes of her own. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, Mr. Peterson, and her smelly Goldendoodle Martha Bean. She is the author of the super sexy STUDY ABROAD and FLINGS WITH KINGS series. 


Tuesday, March 27, 2018

COVER REVEAL: Bow & Arrow by A. Cramton

Genre: Sports Romance
Release Date: April 26, 2018

~Blurb~

Cuba Knight came into my life with a wicked smirk, bedroom eyes and a chip on his shoulder.

I was warned to stay away from him. Hell, he warned me himself.So, I made it my mission to break his walls down and kill his demons.

Loving him had consequences I just didn't know the extent until he stabbed me with the arrow I willing gave him.

GOODREADS
Cover Design: Melissa Gill Designs



A. Cramton is a wife, and mother who was born and raised in Sunny San Diego, California but now resides in Richmond, Virginia. When A is not working a fulltime job and attending to her son and husband, she loves to indulge in a juicy romance novel. A is a hopeless romantic who is in love with love, and has a guilty pleasure for celebrity gossip. After being a part of Naughty Smutty Book Blog, and reviewing multiple love stories, A decided to pursue her own dreams of being a published author.


Wednesday, March 21, 2018

RELEASE BLITZ: Bad Boys After Dark: Brett by Melissa Foster

Series: Bad Billionaires After Dark #4
Genre: Erotic Romance

~Blurb~

Everything’s naughtier after dark…
Billionaire security expert Brett Bad has had his eye on his brother’s gorgeous legal assistant, Sophie Roberts, for years. He wants nothing more from her than a single night between the sheets to satisfy his desires. But Sophie is a white-picket-fence girl, and she’s turned him down more times than he cares to count.

Sophie is all about forever kisses and happily ever afters. But she can’t deny her attraction to Brett, as enticed by his bad-boy behavior as she is by his devastating looks and his painful past, which she’d like to help heal.

When Sophie’s friend urges her to throw caution to the wind, Sophie leaves the door to her heart ajar—and Brett charges in. But this Bad boy doesn’t know a thing about romance and has no interest in forever, forcing Sophie to make her toughest decision yet—follow her heart or protect it? 

AMAZON US / UK / CAAU


~Also Available~
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and new adult romance with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented–perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines.

WEBSITE     FACEBOOK    TWITTER    GOODREADS    NEWSLETTER     BOOKBUB    INSTAGRAM

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

COVER REVEAL: Ditched by RC Boldt

Genre: Contemporary/Sports Romance
Release Date: April 3, 2018

~Blurb~

He’s playing for the heart she’s had sidelined for years.

IVY HAYES

Dating can be a rocky journey. Once the new shine wears off, you may end up with a case of buyer’s remorse.

That’s where I come in. I set the backdrop and coach you through the breakup.

Don't want overblown drama, hard feelings, or a drink tossed in your face? Then I'm your fairy godmother, child.

BECKET JONES

As an NFL quarterback, endorsement ads and the media pandering after me are all part of the game.

Ivy Hayes is the first woman who doesn't care about my money and the notoriety that goes along with it.

But I'm a long-term guy, and she operates strictly in the now. Which means I need to bring my A-game.

Otherwise, I’ll end up getting ditched.


GOODREADS
Cover Design: Cover Me Darling
Photo: James Critchley
~Pre-order~ 
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
RC Boldt currently lives on the southeastern coast of North Carolina, enjoys long walks on the beach, running, reading, people watching, and singing karaoke. If you're in the mood for some killer homemade mojitos, can't recall the lyrics to a particular 80's song, or just need to hang around a nonconformist who will do almost anything for a laugh, she's your girl.

WEBSITE    TWITTER    FACEBOOK    GOODREADS      INSTAGRAM    AMAZON   BOOKBUB

Sunday, March 18, 2018

BOOK REVIEW: Rockstar Daddy by Taryn Quinn

3.25 Stars

Kellan McQuire, 27, plans to spend his New Year’s Eve alone at his cabin with some beer. Do-gooder Maggie Kelly, 22, plans to spend it with a lonely old lady eating baked bread. But when a snowy road derails her car, they end up spending it together.

This was an okay read. Nothing spectacular, but nothing overly problematic either. Mostly, I struggled a bit to get a gauge on the characters.  It felt like the writers didn’t have a consistent handle on them either. Kellan mentions just a few too many times how he’s at the cabin to escape fame, yet he hasn’t quite achieved it yet.  He has aspirations to be a successful musician, but he’s already grown tired of the business.  He was a bit of a paradox.

Maggie too. One minute she was raised not to say swear words, the next she’s letting them flow freely. She has a reputation as a virgin, but she had a boyfriend for four years who she was sleeping with.  She seemed a bit flighty too.
“She was all cheerful like a Strawberry Shortcake doll on acid.”
Told via their alternating first person POV, they weren’t unlikable, but they weren’t easy to connect with either.  While Maggie was at least consistent, Kellan’s harsher voice in the early chapters didn’t feel like the same character as the softer later ones, though I preferred the later.  

I couldn’t help feel that the conflict was a little contrived. Maggie knows and agrees to their relationship being nothing more than a fling, a no strings attached arrangement, so the fact that Kellan withheld the details of his career didn’t seem like it was the betrayal it was made out to be.
“But she seemed ready to fillet my ass and serve it as a garnish for her steak dinner.”
And personally I thought Maggie’s friend overstepped her bounds. Her arrival was knee-jerk drama at the least and illogical at best. (Plane tickets aren’t cheap.)

The duo has a good amount of sexy encounters. There’s no skimping on the love scenes, and the story is safe.
“When he yanked open a bedside drawer and withdrew a strip of condoms, then tore open the first, that was the best sound ever.”
The only turn-off was Kellan’s admission (and more than one occasion reference) that he made out with Maggie’s older sister in high school. Thankfully, they never slept together and there is no OW drama, but it was a bit too close for comfort for me.

Don’t let the title mislead you, as noted in the front matter this is more about the baby making than Kellan’s daddy days, which I wish we could have seen more of. That cover is quite ovary weeping.


Thursday, March 15, 2018

REVIEW/INTERVIEW/RELEASE: Outcast by Jamie Schlosser

Series: A Good Guys Novel
Genre: New Adult/College Romance

~Blurb~

KAYLA
My infatuation with Ezra Johnson started how all obsessions begin—with a simple crush. Over the years I silently soaked up every shy smile and random act of kindness, wrestling them away to a secret place in my heart meant for unrequited love.

Because if it wasn’t for the fact that I tutor him once a week, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t even know I exist.

Then I find his sketchbook.

And it changes everything.

EZRA
There are two certainties in my life: I’ve been in love with Kayla Reynolds since I was fourteen, and I can’t have her.

I’ve spent years settling for a two-dimensional fantasy world, capturing her beauty with a pencil and paper. She’s kind, smart, gorgeous…

And she belongs to someone else.

Or so I thought.

An interesting turn of events makes me realize things aren’t always how they appear on the outside, and now I’ve got my chance to be the man she deserves.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been called a loser. The cripple. An outcast.

But maybe—just maybe—this time the good guy won’t finish last.
~Book Review~
4.75 Stars

Ezra Johnson’s leg injury has hindered his confidence and kept him from being one of the “cool kids” in high school. Kayla Reynolds doesn’t fit the “popular” mold either, but she makes the best of it.

Wow, this story has a little bit of everything. I swooned a little, awed a little, and fanned myself plenty. Then there was a bit of suspense and action that kicked in, and my heart picked up a faster beat, and I might have fought back a few tears with one of the characters too. But I laughed as well. Not as much as I did with Dropout, but Jeff knew just the moment to lighten the mood. But I’m getting ahead of myself so backing up…

Ezra is such a sweetie! He’s so richly developed in the opening chapters, and my heart broke a little for him. There’s no doubt he’s totally a good guy. (And I don’t even think I was biased in his favor for being a punk music fan.)
“She deserved better than getting groped by a hornball in public. Romance and shit.”
Kayla is just what he needs. She had a good head on her shoulders, wasn’t self conscious, and so not a quitter. Also major points for featuring not just a heroine with diversity in her ethnic makeup but also with the positive presentation of her same-sex parents who clearly contributed to Kayla being the strong, mature, good-natured person she was.

This is a fabulous young love story. All their firsts together were super hot!  It just goes to show that it’s not about the quantities of partners but the quality of the exchange between the hero and the heroine. Plus they had good communication. We need more couples like this as role models in the romance market.
“Our agreement to be honest had created the most delicious dirty talk.”
In fact, there were pleasingly many examples of positive messages and good advice to be found here.
“People are constantly changing, and either you evolve together or grow apart.”
As well as some big brotherly guidance from my favorite dropout:
“Don’t ever look for dating advice on the internet. Sex stuff? Yeah, go to town on that shit.”
Told via Ezra and Kayla’s alternating first person POV, Outcast is sweet and sexy. I applaud the way Ezra and Kayla, both characters who were far from cookie-cutter, stayed focused on each other, avoiding unnecessary drama and angst. That’s very refreshing not just in the romance world, but especially so in the new adult subgenre. The character development here is solid and the romantic factor stellar alongside an engaging story about learning who you are, being strong where it counts, and growing.

There’s also many likable secondary characters (two legs and four) who gave the story a feel-good quality. I’ll close with some profound words from the sexy James Peabody Johnson:
“The wooing doesn’t end once you’ve got the girl; then you have to keep her.”

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited



~Character Interview~

Book Boyfriend Data Sheet

Name: Ezra Johnson 

Age: 19 

Birthday: 🎂 June 27th ♋

Birthplace: 🌎 Heyworth, Ohio 

Measurements 📏
Height: 6’0” 
Weight: 217 lbs. before physical therapy camp, 187 
lbs. after. 
Length: 8 ¾ inches 
Girth: 6 ¼ inches 


Turn-ons:👍 Kindness, compassion, bravery. Caramel skin, green eyes, and auburn hair.

Turn-offs:👎 Cruelty and selfishness. Also, onions. 

People I admire:💗 My brother Jimmy, my parents, and Kayla. 


Currently I’m drawing:🎨 Kayla... Naked... On the couch.

Last place I found glitter: On the tile walls in my shower.🚿 I have a pretty good idea of how that got there.

Favorite song to make love to:🎶 I prefer silence. I don't want to miss a sound Kayla makes.

Favorite Books/ Movies / TV shows: Kayla's been making me watch all the "classics." I don't see what the big fuss is about with movies where people die in the end, but she likes it. And when Kayla's happy, I'm happy.




A big thanks to author Jamie Schlosser for making Ezra available!


Jamie grew up on a farm in Illinois surrounded by cornfields. Although she no longer lives in the country, her dream is to return to rural living someday. As a stay-at-home mom, she spends most of her days running back and forth between her two wonderful kids and her laptop. She loves her family, iced coffee, and happily-ever-afters.


~Previous Character Interviews 
w/the Series' Heroes~
CLICK HERE
 ~Outcast Excerpt~

PROLOGUE
Four Years Ago

EZRA
In all my fourteen years, she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. She was a new student, and from the teacher’s brief announcement I learned she was originally from Cleveland. When Mr. Marks asked her to stand in front of the
class and introduce herself, her hands anxiously twisted together as she quietly let out the name I’d say in my head thousands of times over the next several years.
Kayla Reynolds.
She was a tiny thing in a gray T-shirt, skinny jeans, and Chucks. Skin the color of coffee with a healthy dose of cream, light green eyes, full lips, and her hair was red. Not fiery-red—a deep auburn that reminded me of my favorite kind of sunset.
The color of the wild ringlets seemed out of place with her caramel skin, and it was like all her features had been put together with a bunch of mismatched pieces.
The unique combination was stunning.
Gorgeous.
I couldn’t stop staring.

Hushed whispers filled the classroom. I wasn’t the only one studying the new girl.
Heyworth, Ohio wasn’t the most diverse town, and Kayla’s distinct characteristics made her stand out like a candle in the dark.
Awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other, she sent a pleading look to our teacher.
“You can take a seat,” he told her, and she shuffled to the empty desk in the front row, just diagonal from me.
Obviously uncomfortable, she quickly glanced around before looking down at her clasped hands.
I felt bad for her.
It was hard enough coming to a new town, but freshman year started two weeks ago. Everyone had already gotten time to get acquainted and, truth be told, most of us had been in the same grade since kindergarten.
And now here she was, unfamiliar and different.
Painfully pretty.
The kind of pretty that made hearts hurt with longing or jealousy. Longing for those who wanted to be with her, and jealousy for the ones who wanted to be her.

Both could bring out a darkness we all had somewhere deep inside.
I was in the former category but instead of letting it bring me down, I felt my heart lift a little. Usually school was hell for me, but the thought of seeing her every day made it a little more bearable.
The buzz around us continued as our peers blatantly discussed the most interesting thing to happen in our grade for a long time. I didn’t hear all of what they said, but caught the words “Carrot Top” and “Chia Pet.”
Why did people have to be such dicks? I should’ve known it wouldn’t take long for them to pounce.
Suddenly, I wanted to tell everyone to stop gawking and mind their own fucking business.
Anne’s blond hair almost smacked me in the face as she whipped her head toward the new girl.
“So, what are you?” Leaning to the right, she giggled as she pulled at a strand of Kayla’s hair. “Like, are you Hispanic or something?”
I narrowed my eyes at the rude girl in front of me.
“Um, I don’t know,” Kayla responded, squirming away from the hand petting her head. “I was adopted.”
“I heard she has two dads,” Abby, Anne’s best friend, whispered loudly from somewhere behind me. “Gay dads.”
Snickering broke out among the class. Kayla’s delicate hands balled into fists until her knuckles turned white.
Fury ignited in my chest.
I’d never stood up for anyone before, not even myself. I wasn’t witty in the heat of the moment. I always thought of the best comebacks hours after it would’ve been useful. I didn’t know the first thing about defending someone.
But I couldn’t do nothing.
Just as I started to stand—with zero plan in place—a heavy hand landed on my left thigh and my leg buckled. I dropped back in my seat with a grunt as pain shot through my knee.
“What do you think you’re doing, Slug?” AJ sneered.
I bristled at the awful nickname. Not slug as in slugger, a baseball champ. Slug like the fat, slimy, slow-moving lumps that came out after too much rain.
“Uh—um—”
“Uh—uh—uh,” he mocked with a laugh. Then his tone turned deceptively kind as his hand left my throbbing leg. “Hey, you know what you should do?”
Instead of a response, I gave him a skeptical glare.
There was one word for AJ Nelson: bully. Okay, there were a lot of words for him, but none of them were nice.
“Blush,” he barked out the command, and my cheeks flared against my own will. I knew if I looked in the mirror, I’d see a bright red flush all over my face.
The worst part about being made fun of wasn’t the hit to my self-esteem. It wasn’t feeling unloved or unpopular. It wasn’t even knowing so many of my peers stood by and watched it happen, silent and unwilling to intervene.
It was the humiliation of being put in my place. The degradation of being constantly reminded that my body betrayed me. That I wasn’t in control; they were. And people like AJ took every opportunity to let me know it.
Embarrassed, I dipped my head so no one would see, but it was too late. The new girl had rotated in her seat, looking over her shoulder at me with so much empathy, it only made the heat in my face worse.
She offered a timid, yet brave smile. “Hey, what’s your name?”
“You can call him Slug,” AJ supplied, and she gave him a fierce scowl.
Before I could form a response, a booming voice came from the back of the classroom.
“Yo, Kayla. Come sit next to me.”
I turned to see Gavin, the star linebacker for our football team. Dude was a beast. Freshmen never got put on the varsity team, but the coach had made an exception for the 6’4”, 210-pound giant. He was a nice guy, though. Soft-spoken and polite. He mostly kept to himself, so it was unusual for him to make such an outburst.
Mr. Marks cleared his throat. “That’s not Kayla’s assigned seat, Gavin.”
He gave the teacher a hard stare. “It is now.”
Kayla’s wide eyes bounced back and forth between the two until Mr. Marks waved his hand in permission.
After gathering her books, she trudged to the back row. Gavin gave a gentlemanly bow before pulling out her seat. The frown on her face was replaced with a grin, and a bolt of jealousy shot through me because I couldn’t be the one to protect her.

Even if AJ hadn’t been in my way, I would’ve fumbled over my words. I wasn’t intimidating. I wasn’t commanding.
I was Ezra Johnson, the cripple.
And that was why a girl like Kayla Reynolds would never be interested in a guy like me.
Her gaze briefly met mine before Gavin snagged her attention away. Tipping his head toward her, he whispered something I couldn’t hear, and she giggled.
“Guess we know who’s getting some from the new girl,” AJ remarked crudely, earning a few laughs.
And there was nothing I could do about it. If I told him to shut up, he’d just remind me how powerless I was.
My chest burned with anger as I opened my brand-new sketchbook to the first page and started to draw.
As Mr. Marks droned on about American history, my pencil moved over the paper. I didn’t need to look at my subject to get the details right; the image of her was etched into my mind.
Her heart-shaped face. The slight upturn of her nose. Plump lips. Corkscrew curls. 
After I was satisfied with the rough outline of her beautiful features, I wrote the first of many letters she’d never see.

Dear Kayla,

Today is the best and worst day of my life. The best, because I found out love at first sight really does exist. The worst, 
because I had to watch someone else be your hero.

~Giveaway~