by B. Truly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: YA, Coming of Age, Urban,
Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
I
must keep it locked away—the memory of my darkest secret….
When the rising tides
of my life peak, I’m left struggling with the currents of the storm. The first
dilemma is my dad’s gambling debt. Mama bounces back quickly from the
ramifications it causes. She proves this by getting a new man. Her Rico Suave
is just the tip of the iceberg—she moves us across state to live with him and
his two sons.
My outgoing, older
sister fits right in—she’s the total opposite of me. I am Madison Guillory, the
shy, quiet type. Taught to make the best of even the worst situations, I
contemplate giving my new family a chance.
Living with my future
stepbrothers is interesting, to say the least. They’re like night and day. I
have more in common with the laid-back brother, and we become instant friends.
I’m adjusting to Taylor High, and the arrogant brother is even starting to grow
on me. Maybe everything will work out after all.
My life finally seems
to be falling into place until a dreadful night shatters my dreams. My world is
flipped upside down because of the consequences I must now bear.
The memories of that
night lurk in the shadows to torment me. If I think of what happened, I’ll
succumb to my fear. His face has scorned me. No one will believe me if I
confess, not even my own sister. I hold the key to my darkest secret, desperate
to keep it locked away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
My mind begins to wander in the quietness. A new home, city,
and school—no friends. Deep in thought, my head snaps to attention when I hear
a baritone voice coming into the kitchen. He’s singing, “That’s what I like” by
Bruno Mars. My eyes bulge, swearing that he sounds better than Bruno himself.
When he catches sight of me, his tune cuts off abruptly, and
his hazel eyes widen. It’s Jackson. He’s dressed more casually in warmup pants
and a T-shirt. He must have skipped dinner, too. I swallow hard, assuming he’s
going to call me sweet-cheeks again.
“Hi,” he finally says.
“Hey, Jackson.” Maybe if I play nice, he won’t tease me.
His warm hazel eyes twinkle. “I’m not Jackson. I am his
brother.”
“Oh,” is all I can muster. This boy is just as tall. He has
the same handsome face, lean figure, and muscular arms as Jackson. They’re
identical! My mother failed to mention Regan had twin sons. We stare at each other.
As I’m studying him, he appears to be researching me. I can’t get a read on his
expression. Friendly, although I seem to have startled him. My body is surging
with an electric warmth as we stare. I look away, refusing to admit I was
ogling him. I shouldn’t feel too foolish. His gaze wasn’t brotherly, either.
Glancing at him quickly, I spy him still staring. “What?”
It’s a rude comment—the word just spills out of my mouth. My impoliteness
doesn’t seem to faze him. His lips curve upward. A dimple! A deep one forms in
his left cheek. Well, that is one way to tell them apart.
He clears his throat, breaking eye contact. “Um … nothing.
Sorry, I’m not used to a girl being in our house.”
“Hate to break it to you, but I’m being forced to live here
now.” He chuckles. The sound of his laugh makes my stomach flutter. I don’t
like it one bit.
“It’s not bad living here. Big house, great amenities—give
it a chance.”
“The house is gigantic.” I shrug. “But Baton Rouge will
always be home to me. It’s where I was born and have lived all my life.”
He nods in understanding. “Fair enough. I’m Justin, by the
way.”
“Yeah, I met your obnoxious twin.”
He laughs again. “That would be my older brother, by only
five minutes.”
Explaining my ogling, I say, “My mom forgot to tell us you
and Jackson are twins.”
“Ah, that would account for the look on your face.”
I smirk at him, trying to hold in my smile.
“You must be Madison.”
“Lucky guess?”
“No, I haven’t met your sister yet. Your curls gave it
away.”
My curls? “I don’t get your drift.” Justin opens the fridge,
pulling out both trays. He stuffs more on his plate than I had.
“My dad told us the younger one, Madison, has a head full of
curls.”
I remember the first time Tanya and I met Regan when he came
to Baton Rouge. Self-consciously, I tug on a curl, yanking it straight. Once I
release the piece, it springs right back into a spiral. My hair falls to my
shoulders. I never do much to it because my curls are hard to tame.
A light sparkles in Justin’s hazel eyes. “Your hair is
pretty.”
His admission surprises me. My stomach turns a cartwheel.
Ugh! My manners intercept my irritation. Just because Justin’s making me uneasy
doesn’t mean I shouldn’t thank him for complimenting me. “Thanks.”
“Do you dye it?”
I get asked this question often. It’s dominantly dark brown
with natural highlights. “Um, no. Just born with two-toned colored hair.”
“The blondish highlights are quite unique.”
Okay, time to leave. Justin is charming and sings like an
angel. I like the fact he’s making small talk—it lightens the mood. The problem
is I shouldn’t be attracted to a boy who could possibly become my future
stepbrother. “I’m gonna head upstairs.”
His forehead wrinkles. “Nice meeting you.”
After I clean my plate, I smile—or attempt to. I hurry away,
because my cheeks are growing redder by the minute. I wish my complexion wasn’t
such a light shade of brown. Even a blind person could see my blush.
I worry about my first impression on him. I’m sure I seemed
ill-mannered. But in the short span of time talking to Justin, my palms became
clammy and my body tingly. Two totally different reactions with the Jenkins’
twins. Jackson sorta got under my skin—Justin set me ablaze. This is just day
one in Houston Texas.
What else will this city bring?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
B. Truly has
wanted to be an author since she was fifteen years old. She is grateful to have
accomplished this dream. B. Truly has very vivid dreams and a wild imagination.
She likes to read, watch tons of TV shows, and movies. She’s addicted to
romance and gets a thrill out of suspense and sci-fi. She writes young adult,
new adult, and adult romance, sci-fi, dystopian, and paranormal genres.
B. Truly likes
to explore conflicted plots of romance with thrilling twists. She also loves
creating impossible situations for her characters to grow from and try to
overcome.
B. Truly has
three wonderful children, and a husband who defines the person that she is
today. She works full-time as an Ultrasound technologist in Houston, Texas.
Contact Links:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7276631.B_Truly
https://twitter.com/BrandyTruly
https://www.facebook.com/BTrulysFantasies
https://www.instagram.com/brandytruly/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandy-truly-a917a9b3/
BUY LINKS:
https://www.barnesandnoble.
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