Totaled by Stacey Grice
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Bree Murphy is stuck.
As only a teenager, she was thrown into the matriarch of her
Irish-Catholic family after the tragic death of her mother. Between playing mom
and her job at the mixed martial arts gym, she has no time for a social life…or
any life for that matter. Now in her
early twenties, she is ready to break out of the dull and boring life that she
has been living in. It’s time for change…
A new Bree.
A new Bree.
Drew Dougherty is the same.
He’s stuck, but fighting a different battle…an internal one. The
memories and secrets of the day he lost both of his parents still haunts him,
eating at him day in and day out, causing him to cope in the only way he knows
how to.
Fighting.
Fighting.
But, what happens when these two worlds collide? Will they be
able to fight together as one until the end or will their love be…
Totaled.
Totaled.
EXCERPT
My heart raced, my palms grew sweaty, my
skin felt flushed, and my breathing sped up. I let my tongue graze over my lips
to wet them, and apparently that was invitation enough. His eyes immediately
dropped to my mouth. Drew started to slowly lean in towards me, closing the
distance between us, never releasing my face from his hold. Everything moved in
slow motion and I knew this was the moment of our first kiss.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the sky opened up and it started raining. Not raining, pouring! Everyone around us (of whom I’d been unaware for the last hour) scattered like ants and we stood to run for cover with the rest of the crowd. People were frantic and crazy, squealing and sprinting for cover, bumping into us left and right. Drew grabbed my hand and pulled me with him, jogging away from the chaos in the rain. We were running in the street along the inter-coastal, in the direction of the gym a few blocks away. Already drenched, we laughed at each other, stepping in puddles and pulling each other back and forth to dodge others in our path. It felt like we were children, being playful and having fun with it, because what else could you do
at that point?
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the sky opened up and it started raining. Not raining, pouring! Everyone around us (of whom I’d been unaware for the last hour) scattered like ants and we stood to run for cover with the rest of the crowd. People were frantic and crazy, squealing and sprinting for cover, bumping into us left and right. Drew grabbed my hand and pulled me with him, jogging away from the chaos in the rain. We were running in the street along the inter-coastal, in the direction of the gym a few blocks away. Already drenched, we laughed at each other, stepping in puddles and pulling each other back and forth to dodge others in our path. It felt like we were children, being playful and having fun with it, because what else could you do
at that point?
When the rain picked up, we were still a
good four blocks from the gym. Drew suddenly stopped jogging in front of me and
turned around to face me, a look of intensity and determination in his
expression. I almost couldn't stop in time and nearly crashed into his chest.
He grabbed my face with both of his strong, masculine hands and looked at me
like I was a giant piece of chocolate cake and he was starving. For two seconds
he stared at me. Four seconds. Six seconds. All the while standing in the
middle of the street in the pouring rain. And then his lips crashed into mine.
His lips were firm at first but immediately softened. He licked my lower lip,
tasting me, enticing me to open for him and I couldn't dream of doing anything
in that moment but exactly whatever he wanted me to do. I opened my lips slowly
to invite him in and our tongues touched each other, playfully at first and
then with purpose. They danced together in perfect synchronized harmony like a
beautiful Viennese waltz. The waltz turned into an angry paso doble, full of
passion and angst. He kissed me with urgency, like he couldn't get enough, but
not with haste. He was savoring me, cherishing me. My hair stuck to my face,
slick with wetness from the rain, my dress clinging to my body, soaked all the
way to my underwear, but I didn't want to move. Our hands were all over the
place, grabbing each other anywhere, everywhere. He held my face with one hand
and reached around to the small of my back to pull me in closer to him. The
substantial, hard bulge between us confirmed how much I was affecting him. I
felt my core twitch and throb with a need that I’d never felt before. My romance
novels were finally right about something—this aching and throbbing stuff was
legit. I didn't want to stop feeling it. I didn't ever want to stop.
Our mouths separated and I tried to take a
deep breath, but he moved his mouth down to my throat and neck, kissing and
licking, lapping up the raindrops from my skin, and I couldn't possibly catch
my breath with him doing that. I suddenly realized where we were still outside,
still in the wide open, still in the rain. He must’ve felt me stiffen, because
he brought his eyes up to mine and smiled.
"Let's
get you out of the rain," he said, and we started jogging towards the gym
again.
Author Bio:
I am a mother to a beautiful five
year old daughter and a wife to my best friend. Being a labor and delivery
nurse three nights a week pays the bills but I have recently decided to take my
hobby of writing to the next level. Living in Florida where I was born
and raised allows me to hear the waves and stick my toes in the sand whenever I
want, which is vital to my emotional well-being. Completely and absolutely
obsessed with good music, the lifeline to my creativity, I cannot and will not
write without it. Some things that I appreciate are honesty but not cruelty, an
unapologetic sense of humor, being able to make any situation fun, often
dancing like no one is watching, and a good cup of coffee with enough creamer
to make it blonde.
Being an astute people watcher with
a judgmental mind gives me constant inspiration for my stories. My characters,
like many authors, are conceived from a hodgepodge of actual people in my life,
unique personality traits, real world encounters, and conversations that I have
directly taken part in. Totaled is my debut novel with many more to come.
I HEART BOOKS REVIEW
Review by Jennifer Ballam
Stars: 4.5
I’m not sure where to start with this book or what to say. I really, really enjoyed this book but, and it is a small but, there was something that was missing from the beginning of the book. I can’t quite put my finger on it but there was something just missing. I loved the characters, Drew and Bree alike are both loveable.
Both of them have had terrible things happen to them in the past, Drew especially. He is, to a degree, running from that past. He is a fighter and joins a gym on the recommendation of a man who comes to his aide when his car breaks down. His introduction to the gym doesn’t quite go to plan and he ends up getting….. sorry this part is too good to ruin by telling you what happens!
Drew and Bree get close to one another and to those around them, especially Bree’s twin brother Liam, can see the attraction to one another. At this point I should point out that Bree virtually raised her brother after the unfortunate death of her mother by a drunk driver and that Liam has special needs.
Drew gets his shot at a professional fight but that is when things start to unravel. His past comes out which isn’t a bad thing as it brings them closer together. It is when the nightmares Drew has of his past return that things fall apart, and boy do they fall apart spectacularly. Only problem is that this is where the story ends, leaving you with a HUGE cliffhanger. It is definitely a book worth reading but that cliffhanger ending is a big one. Where will Drew and Bree end up? Will Pat,Bree’s dad, find out what happened? Will Bree forgive him? Will Drew forgive himself? Gah, the amount of questions!!
Please note that I was given a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not sure where to start with this book or what to say. I really, really enjoyed this book but, and it is a small but, there was something that was missing from the beginning of the book. I can’t quite put my finger on it but there was something just missing. I loved the characters, Drew and Bree alike are both loveable.
Both of them have had terrible things happen to them in the past, Drew especially. He is, to a degree, running from that past. He is a fighter and joins a gym on the recommendation of a man who comes to his aide when his car breaks down. His introduction to the gym doesn’t quite go to plan and he ends up getting….. sorry this part is too good to ruin by telling you what happens!
Drew and Bree get close to one another and to those around them, especially Bree’s twin brother Liam, can see the attraction to one another. At this point I should point out that Bree virtually raised her brother after the unfortunate death of her mother by a drunk driver and that Liam has special needs.
Drew gets his shot at a professional fight but that is when things start to unravel. His past comes out which isn’t a bad thing as it brings them closer together. It is when the nightmares Drew has of his past return that things fall apart, and boy do they fall apart spectacularly. Only problem is that this is where the story ends, leaving you with a HUGE cliffhanger. It is definitely a book worth reading but that cliffhanger ending is a big one. Where will Drew and Bree end up? Will Pat,Bree’s dad, find out what happened? Will Bree forgive him? Will Drew forgive himself? Gah, the amount of questions!!
Please note that I was given a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
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