Cover Reveal and GIVEAWAY: Running in Place by L.B. Simmons
Running
in Place (Mending Hearts #2)
By
L.B.
Simmons
Expected
release date: Late
October 2013
SERIES
READING ORDER:
- Mending Hearts #1 -
Running on
Empty:
http://amzn.to/116pVVm
- Mending Hearts #1.5 -
Recovery:
http://amzn.to/19aaPmH
- Mending Hearts #2 -
Running in
Place
Blurb:
Tatum
O’Connell:
Some
call me a party girl. People see me as happy, full of life, with
absolutely no cares in the world. They see what I want them to see.
But no one knows me - really knows me. Not even Noah Reese. Mr.
Perfect is always watching me, most likely judging every single
imperfect thing I do. But, if Noah wants to keep an eye on me, that’s
just fine. I definitely don’t mind. I just hope he doesn’t have
any plans to save me from my new-found life of self-destruction
because in order to save me, he will have to see me…
And
I’m never going to let that happen.
Noah
Reese:
Perfect.
That’s me. That’s the only acceptable way to be, according to my
father. Perfect grades. Perfect manners. Perfect athlete. Perfect SAT
scores. Perfect college. And recently, I was accepted into the
perfect med school. My future has already been mapped out for me and
there’s nothing that can change that. Not even Tatum O’Connell.
That girl is out of control, yet for some reason, I can’t seem to
keep my distance from her. I watch her closely, hoping that one day
she’ll let me in, but watching her lead her life down the dangerous
path she’s on right now isn’t easy…
I
have a feeling I’m about to find myself swept away by the hurricane
that is Tatum O’Connell.
“Two
fleeting souls,
Unknowingly
tethered.
Too
slowly drawn,
Impatient
fate calls.
The
jolting collide intertwines their lives
And splinters their walls.”
“Catalyst”
– Noah Reese
Author Bio:
L.B.
Simmons is a graduate of Texas A&M University and holds a degree
in Biomedical Science. She has been a practicing Chemist for the last
11 years. She lives with her husband and three daughters in Texas and
writes every chance she gets.
Connect
with L.B.:
- Website:
http://www.lbsimmons.com/
- Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/lbsimmonsauthor
- Twitter:
https://twitter.com/lbsimmons33
- Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6580347.L_B_Simmons
Teaser
1:
“Seriously,
why are you even with him, Tatum? You never seem happy when you are.”
Well,
that sure turned her smile upside down. It also caused her to glare
back at me.
“Like
you have room to talk, Noah. Why are you with Piper? You sure as
hell never look happy when you’re with her, either. You usually
look irritated, actually.”
Touché.
“Touché.
You’re right,” I shrug as I lean back against my chair, “We
kind of have an agreement. So, it is what it is. But, it’s nice to
know you’ve been watching.” I give her a quick wink.
She
narrows her eyes as she sits back in her seat and crosses her arms
over her chest. “Well, you might want to explain that to her,
because I’m pretty sure she thinks otherwise. Like, she probably
has the church booked and wedding magazines all over her apartment.”
It
seems that even the mention of marriage also has an adverse effect on
my cardiac system. Or maybe it’s just any reference to Piper?
We
are getting way off track here, so I scoot my seat underneath the
table, getting closer to Tatum and shift toward her, crooking my
finger for her to lean in as well. After a slight hesitation,
surprisingly she does. I shield the side of my mouth with the back
of my hand and lower my voice to a whisper. “Let’s drop the Piper
topic for a second, it’s giving me heartburn, and concentrate on
you for a second.” Her hardened mask breaks and she laughs even
though I couldn’t be more serious.
“I’m
going to give you a loser lesson. Let’s call it, ‘Loser
101: Introduction to All Things Loser.’”
Another small smile breaks across her lips and I’m once again
momentarily distracted by her mouth.
Glancing
back up, I look into her eyes and grin. “Okay, so number one. His
name isn’t really Cash, you know this right? His name is
Herman.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but if he’s not man
enough to even stand behind the name his mother gave him, well?”
Tatum’s
eyes widen and she covers her mouth. “How did you know that?” she
whispers back from behind her fingers. She looks like an adorable
little girl with her huge blue eyes gaping back at me. It’s
captivating. I burn the image into my brain before letting her in on
my secret.
“I’m
a bartender. I’ve seen his I.D. In fact, I make him show it to me
every time he comes into the bar because it makes me laugh.”
She
drops her hand, huge smile displayed. “You’re evil.”
“Yes,
yes I am.” I hold up my pointer finger. “That’s number one.
Number two…” I draw out, “He’s what? Twenty-four? You know
what I see every time he hands me that I.D. other than his name and
age? His goddamn huge-ass senior ring … from high school. He really
needs to learn to let go of what were probably the best years of his
life and just move on. So, if they still feel that their high school
years are relevant – loser. Lesson number two.”
I
count it on my fingers as I lean in even closer and whisper my final
lesson in her ear. “The third one is the most important, so listen
closely.” I take a discreet whiff of her hair before continuing.
“You may not believe this but it’s the truth. You deserve to be
treasured. You should be with someone who respects you, who makes
you a better person, and most of all who makes you happy. He,
however, treats you poorly. I see it every single time I’m around
the two of you, and I have to say it takes a lot of restraint on my
part not to beat the shit out of him when I see him do it.” I lean
away from her and hold up three fingers in front of her
shocked-as-shit facial expression. “So, they don’t respect you
and treat you how you should be treated – loser. Lesson three.”
I
clear my face of its smartass smirk so she understands that I’m
completely serious. “Never settle for less than you’re worth.
You don’t give yourself enough credit. Hopefully, one day, you’ll
see what everyone else sees.”
She
graciously accepts my compliment with a half-smile and after sliding
herself back into her chair, she studies me intently.
“Interesting
lesson there, Noah. Thank you for the wise words. But, as I clearly
displayed last night, I have issues. Not everyone would take me back
after what I did last night. But he
did. Because, he loves me. We all have our faults, not everyone can
be perfect, like you. I hope you know that’s not meant to be an
insult, so please don’t take it that way. I just mean that some of
us are flawed and have to deal with what we’re given.” She breaks
from my eyes to watch the waitress pick up the empty plates from our
table. Once they’re cleared, she begins again, still gazing off in
the distance.
“Broken
hopes and expectations can leave very, very broken people. So, after
a while, you learn not to aim so high, because when people fail you,
you land hard and there’s only so many times a person can be
shattered before they’re beyond repair.”
She
brings her eyes back to mine. “What you’re so quick to label as
settling,
I simply call survival,” she finishes with a defeated shrug of her
shoulders.
After
her statement, she casts her glance away from mine to smile at the
person passing by. Although as usual, it’s not genuine. It’s the
same one she plasters on her face to appease everyone around her.
What
the hell
happened
to her?
The
waitress conveniently drops the check off at our table, providing
Tatum the perfect way out of this conversation and therefore any
further interrogation. She stands and pushes the chair out from
underneath her with the backs of her knees. “Ready?” she asks,
purse already in hand and stepping towards the direction of the
register.
Well,
I guess that’s all I’m getting from her for now. I know it’s
not much, but I’ll take it.
It’s
not like I can actually concentrate on asking her any more questions,
because there’s one gigantic conclusion I’ve just drawn and it’s
currently blocking any other thoughts from entering my mind.
A
person who judges someone without really knowing them, without
walking in their shoes, or without at least attempting to understand
what they’ve gone through or experienced during their lifetime –
loser.
Lesson
number four.
Giveaway:
To
celebrate the cover of her newest novel, Running
in Place,
L.B. is offering her readers an awesome Giveaway!
- Winner 1: $100 Amazon gift card
- Winner 3: ARC of Running in Place, to be sent to the winner in mid October.
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