Almost MATCHED ~ Almost Bad Boys #1 by A. O. Peart
Published: November 8,
2013
Blurb ~
Would you take another shot at love? Or just settle on a friend with benefits?
THEIR HEARTBREAKING PAST WILL MOVE YOU.
THEIR PASSION WILL MAKE YOU BLUSH.
THEIR ANTICS WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH OUT LOUD.
Twenty-five-year-old Natalie Davenport lugs substantial baggage. One
boyfriend after the next has been a total disaster, leaving Natalie
distrustful toward the male population in general. So when Colin Hampton
crosses her path, she’s cautious. Her heart (and some other body
parts!) nudges her to go for it, while her head wants her to run for the
hills.
Colin is one of those gorgeous guys who attract women, no matter the
age or marital status. With a successful career at a popular Seattle
radio station, hard body, and charming personality, he is the complete
package. But something dark lurks in the corners of his soul; some murky
experience that has changed him—maybe for the better, but maybe for the
worse.
Will he steal her heart and stomp over it like other guys did?
Will she let him into her heavily fortified world despite herself?
Or will they settle somewhere in the middle—establishing the emotional boundaries to protect them from falling in love?
This contemporary romantic comedy blends humor, sensuality, and angst, with zany characters and witty dialogue.
***Warning:
contains sexual situations (some quite vivid!), profanity, and a high
dose of sarcasm. Oh, and there is a lot of appletini and beer drinking.
May not be appropriate for readers under 18 years old. Not intended for prudes and killjoys with no sense of humor***
May not be appropriate for readers under 18 years old. Not intended for prudes and killjoys with no sense of humor***
This novella is
approximately 39k words.
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Get your copy on Amazon & Barnes & Nobles !
Genre ~ New Adult Romantic Comedy novella
Publisher – Three Graces Publishing
The Series ~
Publisher – Three Graces Publishing
The Series ~
The Almost Bad Boys series are the stories of four feisty twenty-something women who refuse to let their past drag them down.
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Add Almost Matched to your book list on Goodreads TBR:
Get your copy on Amazon & Barnes & Nobles !
The cover was designed by Regina Wamba of Mae I Design and
Photography.
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Excerpt:
Hey! Natalie!” I hear someone call from the car to my left.
I turn. Two things happen at once: my heartbeat increases to some dangerous levels, and my brain sounds the S.O.S. message. I am far from indecisive most of the time, but now I cannot, for the life of me, decide what to do.
So,
I sit, my eyes stupidly wide, staring at the absolutely gorgeous,
insanely sexy male specimen that grins at me from the car in the lane
next to mine. The traffic freezes, so the cars aren’t moving at the
moment. He looks at me from behind some designer sunglasses, waiting for
a sign of recognition from me.
It’s him! The man who I encountered last week while I was clad only in a mini skirt, shoes, and a bra that left little to imagination.
Did
I mention the S.O.S pleading from my brain? Screw the brain. I like
what my heart is doing so much better. And why am I so worried about
Colin’s intentions? If he didn’t want to get my attention, he wouldn’t.
But he did. He deliberately called out to me, waving and smiling.
“Hey, Colin!” I give a cautious wave back. “Wow, what a coincidence.”
Yep, that’s me—the queen of obvious. I never try to be sophisticated or
ostentatious. One thing I’d learned in my twenty-five years is to be
myself and not try too hard to please anyone. ‘Forget the pressures of
the outside world’ is pretty much my mantra.
“So good to see you, Natalie.” He definitely sounds sincere. No hidden undertones, no suggestive meanings. Just the old, good ‘nice to see you’.
I
like that. Actually, I like it a bit too much. So much that there is an
unmistakable warm feeling in my stomach, spreading upward to my chest
and down… well, way down there. What the hell is that about? I should be
embarrassed, remembering our first—very unfortunate—encounter. But no!
My vagina decides it is perfectly normal to act ready. Stupid vagina.
There really should be a saying, that—like men, thinking with their
penises—some girls think with their pussies. I would qualify. I would
get a platinum level membership. Well, my girlfriends would too, so that
would be a hoot of a club.
“Crazy traffic, isn’t it?”
I’m stalling, trying to see how Colin would continue this conversation.
Although the cars are about to start moving, and we will just wave
‘bye’.
“I
know. It might even make sense to take the next exit and wait it out
somewhere. There must be some nice bar or a restaurant around.”
Whoa. Is he trying to get me to join him? I won’t go for it. Cute or not, I don’t even know him. “I hear ya.” That’s safe enough answer.
Colin
is wearing a very-white, very-crisp dress shirt, with sleeves rolled up
over his elbows. His tie is draped over the navy-blue jacket that hangs
on the back of the passenger seat. Several buttons of his shirt are
unbuttoned, and when he twists his upper body away from the steering
wheel and toward me, he graces me with a glimpse of his smooth chest. No
hair, just the way I like it. And is there a tattoo, swirling up from
somewhere around his nipple and toward his shoulder? It’s hard to tell
with his shirt just barely allowing a peek of his upper torso.
Suddenly,
I want to see what that tattoo is depicting. No, scratch that. It’s my
vagina who wants to know. And she wants to do some naughty things to
that tattoo. How freakin’ embarrassing. Ali is right—I need a fuck buddy
to keep my fantasies at bay.
I
look away, trying to get myself under control with two deep breaths.
And then I realize that my own shirt is unbuttoned way too low. Hello
girls! My boobies are curiously sticking their heads up, trying to see
what vagina is so breathlessly talking about.
My
hand goes automatically to my chest, trying to put the stupid buttons
back into their holes, but I stop half-way through, thinking this would
seem overly-bashful enough to actually give me the real reason to blush.
Ah, screw that. “Where are you heading?” I ask, my tone conversational.
“Back home. Worked out, but my gym tee was too sweaty too wear, so I settled on putting my work shirt back on.” He gestures to his white shirt.
I wonder if he changed from gym shorts into his suit pants. But I can’t see below his chest.
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~ Soundtrack ~
Aretha Franklin “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman”
Three Days Grace “Riot”
Pink Floyd “Goodbye” (The Wall)
Awolnation “Sail”
Evanescence “Bring Me To Life”
Family of the Year “Hero”
Brandi Carlile “Hallelujah”
Imagine Dragons “It’s Time”
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole “Over the Rainbow”
Anberlin “Innocent”
Sara
Bareilles “Gonna Get Over You”
See my Review of Almost Broken Up HERE.
Excerpts
Natalie's POV ~ opening line:
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This is such bullshit. If something is about to kill you, it will scar you for life. There is no strength coming from terrifying experiences. Maybe that saying should be more specific and read something like What seriously kicks your ass makes you stronger. Yeah, that makes more sense.
Colin's POV:
I don’t know how long I stand in the shower. Hot water burns my skin, evoking red splotches all over me. But I welcome the sensation, because it lets me concentrate on something other than Faith’s death. I put my palms on the wall and hang my head down under the water. I watch the water run down the drain by my feet. Someone pounds on the door again, but I ignore it. Maybe the same girl as before? Or maybe another girl. I don’t care, because the only girl that I want to see now is dead.
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Almost BROKEN UP ~ Almost Bad Boys #2
Blurb ~
How far would you go to protect the one you love?
The
terrors of Colin’s past are revealed and accepted by Natalie.
Her doubts about letting him into her life are finally disbanded
and replaced by a sense of security and commitment. But Natalie doesn’t
know that Colin’s past hides more dark secrets unknown even to him.
When a delusional psychopath threatens Colin’s life, things quickly become complicated. Natalie’s stubborn character and desire to kick ass won’t let her step aside and allow the authorities to handle the danger. She gets herself tangled up with street hoodlums, befriends a Russian mobster’s high-maintenance girlfriend, and becomes expert at picking locks and hiding evidence.
**Warning: contains sexual situations, profanity, and a high dose of sarcasm. Oh, and the appletini is still the drink of choice.
May not be appropriate for readers under 18 years old. Not intended for prigs and sourpusses who get easily affronted**
When a delusional psychopath threatens Colin’s life, things quickly become complicated. Natalie’s stubborn character and desire to kick ass won’t let her step aside and allow the authorities to handle the danger. She gets herself tangled up with street hoodlums, befriends a Russian mobster’s high-maintenance girlfriend, and becomes expert at picking locks and hiding evidence.
**Warning: contains sexual situations, profanity, and a high dose of sarcasm. Oh, and the appletini is still the drink of choice.
May not be appropriate for readers under 18 years old. Not intended for prigs and sourpusses who get easily affronted**
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Natalie's POV ~ opening line:
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This is such bullshit. If something is about to kill you, it will scar you for life. There is no strength coming from terrifying experiences. Maybe that saying should be more specific and read something like What seriously kicks your ass makes you stronger. Yeah, that makes more sense.
Colin's POV:
I don’t know how long I stand in the shower. Hot water burns my skin, evoking red splotches all over me. But I welcome the sensation, because it lets me concentrate on something other than Faith’s death. I put my palms on the wall and hang my head down under the water. I watch the water run down the drain by my feet. Someone pounds on the door again, but I ignore it. Maybe the same girl as before? Or maybe another girl. I don’t care, because the only girl that I want to see now is dead.
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Other Books by Angela ~
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My reviews for Angela's other books:
Forged By Greed , Forged By Magic, & Forged By Legacy.
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My reviews for Angela's other books:
Forged By Greed , Forged By Magic, & Forged By Legacy.
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~ Angela Peart ~
A.O. Peart describes herself as European
born, American by choice. She was just seven-years-old when she decided
to learn English and translate her favorite Polish fairytales.
She is the author of the Young Adult and New Adult fiction novels.
She writes in multiple genres, including paranormal, fantasy, urban
fantasy, contemporary, sci-fi, and short stories. She is passionate
about watercolor painting, fashion—especially stilettos, rock climbing,
environment, and organic food and gardening. She lives in the Seattle
area with her family and a chronically curious cat.
Stalker Links:
Facebook Author Page, Goodreads Author Page, Amazon Page, Pinterest, & Twitter @Angela_Peart
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Angela is
looking for beta readers. If you are a book reviewer and would like to
beta read and review Almost Matched, please sign up HERE ASAP. She will send you the ARC copy in the PDF file.
~ GIVEAWAY ~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~ GIVEAWAY ~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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