Walking Heartbreak
by Sunniva Dee
Publication date: December 17th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense
Don’t
judge me.
I am
not what you see.
I am
the opposite.
—Nadia’s
lipstick note on Bo’s mirror.
Indie-rocker
Bo Lindgren is worshiped for his looks and musical genius. It’s been lonely at
the top since his ex left. Bo will never take a girlfriend again though,
because he doesn’t have the chops to love. He knows he’s poison, a heartbreak
waiting to happen for anyone he allows too close—like his ex. Bo screws his way
through the fangirls until he’s sick of it all. Until the dark gaze of Nadia
Vidal appears in the door to his dressing room.
Saved
from an arranged marriage by Jude, the love of her life, Nadia eloped and got
married at nineteen. But now, two years later, life is wilted, dead, and not
what anyone should have to endure.
Nadia,
with her secret-keeper eyes and instant understanding of who Bo is, attracts
and fascinates him without even trying. The ring gleaming on her finger should
keep them apart, but morals can’t always resist destiny.
When brokenhearted meets heartbreaker,
whose heart is really at stake?
NADIA
"Baby,"
I croak before I open my eyes. I stretch beneath our sheets, writhing at the
sound of the alarm clock. Awakened from dreams colored by our past, my first
thought goes to my husband. "Turn it off, babe? Please," I say.
The
alarm keeps beeping, beep-beep-beeping.
It's annoying and chased by my customary just-awake confusion. "Jude, you
know how much I hate that sound.”
I'm at
home in our apartment in St. Aimo, Los Angeles. Slowly, it registers that the
alarm is for me, not him. I turn to face him, whine softly, but he doesn't give
me the response I crave: a chuckle and a kiss while he playfully commiserates
with me.
"Oh
sweetie," he usually murmurs. "I'm sorry you have to leave for
school. Maybe you should play hooky and stay in bed for a rubdown? I’ll rub…
all the way down."
I
always crack a smirk then, reading between the lines. He would leave us
mumbling heated words and gasping for air if I surrendered.
Deep in
my belly, something contracts. Something bittersweet and beautiful that hurts,
because today, again, he doesn't react.
I slide
from the covers and sit on the edge of the bed. My head feels heavy. It needs
support, and for a second, I’m struck by how alive my hand is when I cup my
cheek with it.
Soon, I
find the courage to rise.
The
bathroom door is closed, but I go to it anyway. “Do you remember when you first
came to our church?" I ask Jude, my words stuttering, sleep-exhausted. I
exhale and lean my forehead against the door. "Your eyes were bright with
fear as you entered the Heavenly Harbor between your parents. You were lanky, a
gangly fourteen-year-old, a little boy big enough to have gotten yourself into
trouble."
My
throat produces hard lumps so easily these days. This one I muscle down. I
control the sadness accompanying it and let a small smile filter out instead.
"Oh Jude baby. We didn't know then, of all the adventures to come.
“I
remember sitting in the pews between Mother and Father, head twisted at the
creak of the door. You entered on a lull between psalms.
“I
didn't know. We didn't know."
I
sniff, an attempt at stanching the tears.
The
wood of the doorframe cools my cheek. Presses into it as my memories brighten.
"Your skin," I mumble. He’s quiet behind the panel. The shower has stopped—in
our bathroom or in the one above us, I'm not sure. If he's moving, he's not
making a sound. Perhaps he's listening to me.
"Fine
veins shone blue at your temple beneath your too-long hair.” I snort out a wet
laugh. “And the sun reached you through the stained-glass window, spilling the
rainbow over your face."
I roll
my forehead to the side against the door. "Funny how your parents picked
our church because ‘Heavenly Harbor’ sounded like the right kind of place. They
wanted the best haven for you."
Not long ago, my Jude would have grinned at
this. He'd pull me in, golden bangs falling over me and tickling me while he
ran his nose up mine. He'd croon, "Oh and weren't they right. I found my
haven—in you."
I'd
push him good-naturedly, not allowing fear of the future to ruin our love.
"But you'd be safe at home with your parents if they hadn't crushed on the
name of our church."
He’d
kiss my nose, groan, and say, "Right, and I wouldn't have a beautiful
wife."
"A
child bride," I teased once.
"Nineteen
is a fine age. Get them early." He winked, knowing well he only held two
months on me.
We were
young. Married. And so on the run.
Sunniva was born in Norway, the Land of The Midnight Sun, but spent her early twenties making the world her playground. Southern Europe: Spain, Italy, Greece—Argentina: Buenos Aires, in particular. The United States finally kept her interest, and after half a decade in California, she now lounges in the beautiful city of Savannah. Sunniva has a Master's degree in Spanish, which she taught until she settled in as an adviser at an art college in the South.
Sunniva writes New Adult fiction with soul. Sometimes it's with a paranormal twist, like in Shattering Halos, Stargazer, and Cat Love. At other times, it's contemporary, as in Pandora Wild Child, Leon's Way, Adrenaline Crush, and now Walking Heartbreak.Sunniva is the happiest when her characters take over, let their emotions run off with them, shaping her stories in ways she never foresaw. She loves bad-boys and good-boys run amok, and like in real life, her goal is to keep you on your toes until the end of each story.
SPECIAL WALKING HEARTBREAK ANNOUNCEMENTS:
$50
gift card and e-books giveaway: Sunniva Dee has a Rafflecopter
up that will run through OCTOBER 31st. For a chance at winning a $50
gift card and
e-books, go to: http://gvwy.io/c215lmy
Signed
paperback giveaway: Goodreads runs a signed paperback
giveaway for Walking Heartbreak and will pick two winners on December 15th, two
days before its release. The giveaway is open internationally. To enter, go to:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27005368-walking-heartbreak
Facebook
release party with
fun and giveaways raised with Sunniva and a few of her author friends. The
party runs December 17th between 7 pm EST and 10 pm EST. Join asap and you will
receive a reminder when the time comes: https://www.facebook.com/events/528736560628380/
Release
party authors: the list will be updated with more writers, but for now, these
are attending with giveaways ++ : Addison Moore, Alessandra Torre, Angela Mc
Pherson, Beth Michele, Cheryl McIntyre, D Nichole King, Kristin Vayden, Laura
Thalassa, Lynn Vroman, Penelope Ward, SC Stephens, and Sunniva Dee.
Newsletter
sign-up: to make sure you’re the first in the know when a Sunniva Dee
release or a sale begins, sign up for her non-spammy newsletter here: http://sunnivadee.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b7cf90f849404a5b8076e4297&id=b368bc5e36
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