EXCERPT REVEAL: Someone Like You by Lauren Layne

A man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes away the pain.

Lauren Layne’s bestselling Oxford Series continues with the poignant, heartwarming story of New York’s most eligible bachelor, Lincoln Mathis, a man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes away the pain.
 
Lincoln Mathis doesn’t hide his reputation as Manhattan’s ultimate playboy. In fact, he cultivates it. But behind every flirtatious smile, each provocative quip, there’s a secret that Lincoln’s hiding from even his closest friends—a tragedy from his past that holds his heart quietly captive. Lincoln knows what he wants: someone like Daisy Sinclair, the sassy, off-limits bridesmaid he can’t take his eyes off at his best friend’s wedding. He also knows that she’s everything he can never have.
 
After a devastating divorce, Daisy doesn’t need anyone to warn her off the charming best man at her sister’s wedding. One look at the breathtakingly hot Lincoln Mathis and she knows that he’s exactly the type of man she should avoid. But when Daisy stumbles upon Lincoln’s secret, she realizes there’s more to the charming playboy than meets the eye. And suddenly Daisy and Lincoln find their lives helplessly entwined in a journey that will either heal their damaged souls . . . or destroy them forever.

Advance praise for Someone Like You

“Fun and flirty, sassy and steamy, with a deep emotional pull that will keep you turning the pages.”—Kelly Jamieson, author of Top Shelf

“An unsung hero with a story that touched my heart. Emotional and gripping. A top favorite of 2016 for me.”—New York Times bestselling author Melanie Moreland

SOMEONE LIKE YOU

Oxford #3

Lauren Layne

Releasing Dec 6th, 2016

Loveswept

Daisy took another sip of her wine, watching as wedding guests took their places on the dance floor, warding off her boredom by trying to guess how long each couple had been together based on body language. 

She was a little amused to see that Emma and all of her Stiletto friends still seemed to be in the handsy honeymoon stage with their significant others, even though she knew they’d mostly been with their respective spouses for years.

Daisy felt a little twist of her heart. Once upon a time, she’d thought that’d be her and Gary. As much in love on someone else’s wedding day as they had been on their own. At least she’d been in love on that day. She wasn’t sure someone like Gary knew what love was. 

Still, she was glad to be here. Glad to be surrounded by all of this happiness, even if it was bittersweet. Daisy wished her father could be here to see this. He’d died of a heart attack a year ago, and though their dad had wreaked plenty of havoc on Emma and Cassidy’s relationship all those years ago, Daisy wished he could have walked Emma down the aisle and had a chance at the father-daughter dance.

The way it had worked out was rather lovely, though. Cole Sharpe, yet another Oxford writer, had walked Emma down the aisle, and a whole slew of the Oxford guys had twirled a laughing Emma around the dance floor in place of the father-daughter dance.

It struck Daisy that this was Emma’s family. Sure, the twins were close, but they were orphans now, and they’d never been particularly close to the rest of their extended family. So Emma had built a family here in New York, with a network of tight-knit friendships.

And though Daisy was happy for Emma she was also . . . jealous.

“I hate to break it to you, pet, but you’re pulling off the wallflower routine a little too convincingly over here.” 

Daisy turned, somehow unsurprised to see Lincoln Mathis standing beside her, blue eyes twinkling above the pink bow tie that he pulled off with impressive masculinity.

“You cheated,” she said, by way of greeting.

He smiled, slow and flirty, as he rested one shoulder against the wall she was leaning on, looking down at her. “How’s that?”

“You made them laugh and cry in your speech. I thought we agreed that you were just going to be the funny guy.”

He smiled wider. “What can I say, I’m alluring in a multitude of ways.”

“Speaking of,” she said, nodding her chin slightly to the sultry brunette making her way towards them, “I believe your previous dance partner is wanting an encore.”

He let out the subtlest of groans, so quiet she thought she might have imagined it.

“Dance with me,” he said suddenly to Daisy, straightening and looking down at her.

She jolted in surprise, then in panic. “I can’t.”

He smiled and held out a hand. “Come on now, Wallflower. I’m very good at dancing.” 

Wallflower. Daisy had never been a wallflower in her life. Although he had a point. She did seem to be lurking in the corner a bit. She silently scolded herself. This was everything she’d been coaching herself not to do. Not to let Gary win . . .

“I don’t doubt your dancing prowess,” she replied saucily, “but—”

She broke off. What could she possibly say? I don’t like being touched?

It’s not that she couldn’t be touched. She wasn’t that broken. She didn’t freak out. She’d endured Cassidy’s hug when she’d greeted him last night; she’d danced earlier with her uncle. But those men were family.

Lincoln Mathis was . . . not family.

Dance with him, she commanded herself. Don’t be that broken woman Gary tried to make you.

She didn’t move, and slowly Lincoln’s hand dropped to his side, just as the brunette reached them.

“I love this song,” the woman said, running a possessive hand up Lincoln’s arm. “Dance?”

Lincoln held Daisy’s gaze and she shrugged before blowing him a teasing good-bye kiss. “Bye bye.”

His eyes narrowed. “Actually,” Lincoln said, turning and giving the other woman a regretful smile, “I need to step out for a moment.”

The woman’s perfectly shaped brows folded into a frown. “Step out? For what?”

“I need to show Daisy something,” he said, bending and kissing the other woman’s cheek. “Next time, love.”

Before Daisy could register that she’d been commandeered as part of Lincoln Mathis’s escape, he’d plucked the champagne flute out of her hand, setting it aside before clasping her fingers in his and pulling her toward the door.

“Wait, we’re really leaving?” she asked with a laugh as he tugged her through the throng of wedding guests. 

“Yep.”

“I can’t,” she said. “It’s my sister’s wedding, I have family here, and . . .”

“But you want to leave,” he said, turning and facing her. 

She narrowed her gaze. “Why would I want that?”

He met her eyes. “Because you don’t like weddings any more than I do.”

Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband (who was her high school sweetheart--cute, right?!) and plus-sized Pomeranian.

In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.

In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.

For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!

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BLOG TOUR: Halo by RC Stephens

I fell in love with Thomas Wells and knew he was my forever.

I was sixteen when I gave him my heart.

Our love was the kind to last a lifetime.

But Thomas was broken.

The first day we met he told me he was going to become a Navy SEAL.

At nineteen he enlisted.

At twenty he married me.

At twenty five he left me pregnant and didn't turn back.

I knew he was suffering….

I also knew I couldn't save him.

He left me broken.

I was scared and alone.

Until I met Ryder St. John a wounded soldier…

He was lost.

I was lost.

Together we made sense.

I fell in love again…

What Ryder forgot to mention was that he held a secret so explosive that it could shatter both our worlds.

    

 

I was so intrigued with this book and couldn't put it down once I started.

Halo and Thomas meet when she was 15 and he was 17. From the start, he was the bad boy who only had eyes for the shy and innocent Halo. When Halo's parents get killed in a car accident, Thomas steps up to take care of Halo and becomes her everything. But she knew from the start that Thomas was ready to leave... he was enlisting to become a Navy Seal. It was always a part of the plan and she was ok with that.

The years of deployment and being on the front lines has taken a toll on Halo and Thomas. And one day she finds that he's no longer coming home... just when she needs him the most.

This book is full of sorrow, pain, redemption, mystery and surprises. It was a true page turner for me.

One of my top reads of 2016.

Prologue

Rogers Park, Chicago

Christmas morning 2002

Thomas

I lie in bed waiting for Halo to wake up. I know Christmas was a big deal around her house when she was growing up. Even though her parents are gone I still want her to feel the magic of the holiday. When I was a kid Christmas was another shitty day in my life. Nothing to celebrate. Another mark on the calendar moving me closer to the time I could leave my father and my dirty past behind.

Halo begins to stir in bed, shifting toward me with her eyes shut. A sweet smile plays on her pink, lush lips and my chest bursts with love for this woman.

“Hey.” Her morning voice is raspy and thick. She opens her eyes. I couldn’t love this woman more even if I tried. She’s my everything.

“Hey yourself.” I grin as my eyes roam over her rosy nipples. The memory of making love last night gets me all hard again. I would take her right now if I didn’t have something planned. I let out a grunt.

She stretches out her arms and her body moves into a delicious curve. I lean down and close my mouth over her nipple. Damn, she tastes good.

I groan. “Baby, you can’t be teasing me now. It’s Christmas morning and I got stuff waiting for you under the tree downstairs.”

“Stuff?” Excitement grows in her eyes. “Like presents?” She instantly pops up to her knees, bouncing on the bed. She’s too cute. It’s taking everything in me not to claim her right now. I want to give her Christmas.

Seeing her smile means everything. Not too long ago she was drowning in darkness. The healthy gleam in her eyes tells me she’s feeling good now. It will make my news a little easier to deliver.

“Yes, baby, the stuff is presents.” Before I can say anything else she pops out of bed and grabs her T-shirt off the floor. I must have thrown it there last night during our lustful attempt to actually make it to the bed as opposed to having sex on the floor again.

There’s nothing wrong with floor sex but it can get hard on the back and Halo’s knees. Halo throws on the shirt and darts down the hallway. I hear the small patter of her footsteps as she makes her way down the stairs. I slip on my boxer shorts and follow her. I placed a number of presents under the tree and she won’t know which to open first.

I swiftly walk down the stairs to the living room where our Christmas tree is shining bright. I look out the window to see a small dusting of snow falling from the sky. Halo seats herself on the floor in front of the presents. This is my second year with a Christmas tree and her second year without her parents—bittersweet.

“Which one do I open first?” she asks like a little girl rubbing her palms together. It makes me laugh. I mean we are young. I’m twenty and she’s nineteen. We were both forced to grow up too quickly. I guess it’s memorable times like this that we cherish.

“If I knew presents made you this excited I would try to get more.” I chuckle.

“It’s not just the presents, Thomas. It’s Christmas. Do you feel that? It’s magical.” She stares out into space with a peaceful look on her face.

“Sure baby, I’m feeling it.” I look down to the chub in my shorts from this morning’s perusal of her body.

“Thomas,” she chides, punching my shoulder.

I chuckle again. “I’m just joking, this day is special for me too.” She’s too cute. I lean in, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. I pull away and lean toward the first box I want her to open. “This one.” I pass her a little red box wrapped in pink ribbon. She opens it in a hurry. It’s a thong from Victoria’s Secret. It’s not meaningful, but I couldn’t help picture how hot she would look in it.

“Thank you.” She leans forward and places a kiss on my lips. Then she rises to her feet and walks over to the closet by the front door. She retrieves a box from the closet and comes back to the tree.

“This is for you,” she says, extending the box with one hand. I pull her toward me, guiding her to sit in my lap. Then I open my gift. It’s a dog tag. Engraved. “I will always love you. You are the light in my darkness.” My chest grows tight.

I enlisted in the navy and went through SEAL boot camp, passing with flying colors. Then I was shipped out to Coronado, California a year ago for more training. Becoming a SEAL was a dream I had all my life. Originally I wanted to be a SEAL to get away from my father. Then I met Halo. She was only fifteen and perfect. She made me want to be a SEAL for an entirely different reason—I wanted to prove myself worthy of her.

I haven’t told her yet, but I’m deploying. I was putting it off until I knew the depression was better. I also know that she could feel me itching to leave. My friends from boot camp had already been assigned to teams that had left for Afghanistan. Being a newlywed meant I could put it off for a while. Now I was deploying. I worried she would take it hard. That’s another reason I wanted to make Christmas extra special for us.

“Halo, it’s perfect, baby.” I lean over and give her a kiss. “You are the light in my darkness. I know you know I need to leave. I wanted to talk to you about it, but…”

Her finger presses to my mouth. “I know…I know you need to go. I’ve known for a while. I guess I was selfish trying to keep you here all this time.”

“There isn’t a selfish bone in your body. You were having a hard time and it was completely understandable. You’re stronger now. You’re going to be okay. You’re busy with school and you have Jenny. You will be fine without me, Halo. I don’t think you realize how strong you really are.” I pause for a minute because I want her to open her next gift. “Here, open this.” I pass her a little silver box; this one has a little gold bow on top. She turns on my lap so she is sitting with her legs wrapped around my waist. She opens the box and her jaw drops.

“Thomas, it’s perfect,” she gasps taking it out of the box. It’s a silver locket.

“Here, let me.” I take it out of her hand and show her the engraving on the back.

You’re my Halo, my ray of light.

I will always find my way back to you

She laughs.

“We clearly think alike.” She nods, proud of herself. It’s true her name is quite original. We’ve used “halo” as a term of endearment many times. It’s a reminder that when a person is drowning in darkness, another person can show them the light.

“It’s perfect, Thomas.” 

“It opens up. You can put two pictures inside,” I explain, showing it to her.

“I will have to get some pictures made.”

I place the necklace around her neck and her palm closes over the locket, holding it close to her heart. I place the tags around my neck.

“Baby, I ship out tomorrow. I’ve known for a couple of weeks, but I didn’t want you walking around sulking for my last days at home. I thought it’s better we had a quick goodbye.” I speak the words softly, but inside I’m cringing, hoping she isn’t mad.

“Thomas…” Tears roll down her cheeks. “I know this has been coming. I know you need to go. It’s okay. I’ve told myself it’s okay since we had our first date four years ago. I’ve been preparing myself mentally for this. You will be great and you will do good in this world.” She leans forward and places a wet kiss on my mouth. I can feel her tears on my face. I love her so damn much it hurts.

“Baby, I love you. I’ll probably be gone for a while. I’ll try to stay in touch as much as I can but I’ve been told that I may be off radar for long periods of time…” I pause because my next words aren’t easy. I take a deep breath. There really is no easy way to say this... She’s young and beautiful and we fell in love and married young. If something were to happen to me she needs to know that she needs to move on.

“Don’t say it, Thomas.” Her tears continue to fall and she nods. “You’re it for me, baby.” She says it adamantly and I believe her. I was her only boyfriend and her first everything.

“Halo, listen to me.” My thumb grazes her cheek, wiping away her tears. “I’m a SEAL now. We go on high-risk missions. I need to know that if something happens to me that you won’t check out. You need to find yourself a new husband and make a life. You are nineteen years old and the most beautiful thing I have ever seen walk this earth. I know I’m asking for a lot here, but I need to hear you promise me you will. Now that being said, I promise you that I will do my damnedest to come home to you. I will find you in the dark; you can trust that. Just in case, please say the words.” I beg her as if it’s my least breath. I know she would always keep her promises to me and this one is important. My own tears spill.

I’m a realist. Living a difficult life makes you into one. There are no ifs about it. I wipe gently at her tears and look at her with pleading eyes, chipping at her stubborn walls until they are fully broken. 

“I promise.” She nods then claims my lips hungrily. The thought of her being with another man makes me crazy possessive. I know deep down I need to do everything I can to stay alive, but the reality of being a SEAL doesn’t always allow for that. The heat between us ignites and within seconds I yank down my boxer shorts and have my cock buried between her legs as she rocks on top of me. I need to own every inch of her because that conversation about her moving on has just done crazy things to my insides. As I bury myself inside her, I cleanse my mind. There is nothing else—just me and her. The way it should always be. 

As far back as R.C. Stephens can remember she was a sucker for a good romance. Of course there had to be a prince charming even if he ultimately was a dark knight and there had to be a happy ending.

She watched the movie Dirty Dancing way too many times growing up and Jean Claude Van Damme movies too. Go figure!

After years of saying she would write a book one day, she finally put pen to paper and carved out the plot line for what would eventually become the best selling Twisted Series. Now R.C. is just finishing up her seventh book and can't seem to stop the stories running through her mind. Visit R.C. on her FB page to find out what's new in her life and what releases she has coming up.

   

Holding Out for a Hero by Codi Gary

 He wasn’t looking for love...

Two years after the death of his wife, Sergeant Blake Kline is still hurting. He isn’t ready to date, but whenever he stops by his local diner and sees the friendly smile of his favorite waitress, he feels a spark of true happiness again. And when her life is unexpectedly threatened, Blake discovers his feelings for her might not be as platonic as he thought.

She was holding out for the hero of her dreams...

Bookworm Hannah York has always been a hopeless romantic—preferring book boyfriends to blind dates—and she’s been day-dreaming about Blake since the moment he came into her diner. She’s convinced they’ll never be more than friends... until Blake kisses her and “weak in the knees” becomes more than just a line from her favorite romance novel. The closer Blake and Hannah get, however, the harder he fights to keep her at a distance.

But forever has a way of sneaking up on you...

When their blossoming relationship takes a complicated turn, Blake will have to face his past… or risk losing Hannah forever.

AMAZON | B&N | iBOOKS | KOBO

This was my first book by Codi Gary and the first in the series that I have read, and I'll definitely be coming back for more.

Hannah York has had a crush on the handsome just sometimes broody Sgt. Blake Kline, who comes into the diner she works at, like clockwork. The two seem to have an easy going friendship until Kline saves Hannah from an attempted robbery and all of a sudden he's disappeared. Hannah is confused because she thought something was there between the two of them, at least she hoped. But what she didn't know is that Blake lost his wife to a senseless crime two years ago and the robbery starts to stir a ton of emotions in the standoffish Sargent.

Blake is starting to have feelings for Hannah, but he feels like he's betraying his wife who died two years ago. Is two years long enough to mourn the love of your life? How can he open up his heart to a woman, when his heart is still broken from Jenny's loss.

Hannah and Blake are the perfect pull of personalities. I loved these two together. This was a great read and I can't wait to go back and read the rest of the series now!

 

 

An obsessive bookworm, Codi Gary likes to write sexy small-town contemporary romances with humor, grand gestures, and blush-worthy moments. When she's not writing, she can be found reading her favorite authors, squealing over her must-watch shows, and playing with her children. She lives in Idaho with her family. Codi is represented by Sarah E. Younger from the Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

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I See You by Molly McAdams

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Molly McAdams’ powerful new novel offers one of the most memorable love triangles in fiction since Twilight—perfect for fans of New Adult fiction like Jamie McGuire, Abbi Glines, and Tamarra Webber.

What if…

Aurora Wilde’s life feels like a series of what ifs, forks in the road, and doors unopened. What if she hadn’t gone to the party that night? What if Jentry Michaels hadn’t captured her interest, or disappeared the next day? What if Declan Veil hadn’t been there to sweep her off her feet?

And as she goes down the list to make her perfect forever, Aurora is happy with her life and a future that seems completely secure. Until, one day, suddenly it’s not. Now she’s stuck between the man who has been there for her and the one she never stopped thinking about.

As the consequences of each of her choices comes to a head, Aurora begins to realize that, sometimes, one tiny decision can ripple through a life and change everything. But when what once felt like a safe and reliable future becomes something else, will Aurora have the courage to make a final decision that could alter the course of her entire life?

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA

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Another out of this world read from Molly McAdams. I was absolutely intrigued with this book and once I started I couldn't put it down.

What if you had the connection of a lifetime with someone, but never saw them again. Or at least you thought you would never see them again. And in the meantime, you found someone else that you had a connection with, that you loved but there was still just something missing. 

For Rorie Wilde - she never thought she would see "Jay" again. They shared a magnetic night together, but the next morning he was gone. When she goes back to look for him the next weekend, she meets Declan and they hit it off and start dating.

What she never expected was for "Jay" to walk back into her life. And now she doesn't know what to do. Follow her heart and go with the guy she hasn't been able to stop thinking about for the past year or stay with the man who has shown her love and has always been there for her.

You're emotions will run high while reading I See You. My heart broke for all three of them as they navigated through the what nows. This book goes from the past to the future in the different stages of all their relationships so you get a good detailed account of everything that happened. 

You can't go wrong with a Molly McAdams book and I See You is another top read for me!

 

He reached for me, but I shot my hand out in a silent plea for him not to. I was already shaking from keeping myself from him. I didn’t want to think about what I would do if he touched me now.

The past was standing right in front of me, begging to be seen. As if I had ever stopped seeing him. As if I had ever pulled myself from the embers of that night. That night was a dance of flames that had no ending, only respites. One touch from him and those embers would roar to life again, burning hotter and higher.

I wanted it.

I couldn’t allow it. Not now, not with everything going on.

I dropped my head and took quick steps to leave the closet, but Jentry’s arm shot out to stop me, his hand curled against my waist possessively.

“Aurora—”

“Don’t. Please don’t.”

He ignored me and pulled me against him so my side was pressed to his chest. My body trembled as those flames got higher. But with the flames that guilt grew and grew, threatening to cripple me.

“You hurt, I hurt,” he reminded me. “And, Aurora, seeing you like this and not being able to fix it is killing me. I’m sorry for what happened. I’m so damn sorry, and I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.” Each word was laced with pain, echoing the aches in my heart and my soul. “But you are out of your mind if you think it was easy for me not being here. I have regretted letting you go, every minute of every fucking day. If I could do that first night all over again I would, and I would’ve been there for you. I would have been here.”

The tears that had filled my eyes finally slipped free at his words and the memory of that night. “But you did let me go, and no matter how much we beg time to reverse, it won’t.”

His body deflated against mine as regret leaked from him. “No, it won’t. But I’m here now. I’m here, and we’re going to get through this.”

So much indecision and confusion wove through me. Wants and needs at war with one another as they had already been for an agonizing amount of time.

My heart had bled out through each battle until I’d made a life-changing decision, a decision that Declan and I didn’t speak of, and one that Jentry still didn’t know. Now any move I could make from here on out would be the wrong one. I was sitting in a minefield, waiting.

Just waiting.

“I tried to forget that night,” I whispered before I could stop myself. “I tried to forget you, but somehow you embedded yourself so deeply into my soul in just one night, that forgetting you—forgetting that night—was impossible. I don’t need a lifetime with you to know that no one and nothing will ever compare to what’s between us. But it’s too late for anything involving us even if it’s just us getting through this, because that night and you are now some of my biggest regrets.”

Want to know how the music matches to the book?
Here are the songs linked up to the parts of the story!

Tonight – Mitch Lee, ft. Jocelyn Alice [Ch. 5: end of]

Whisper – Chase Rice [Part II]

Come Wake Me Up – Rascal Flatts [Ch. 6: Jentry’s POV]

9 Crimes – Damien Rice [Ch. 9]

Fallout – Marianas Trench [Ch. 10]

Over You – Ingrid Michaelson, ft. A Great Big World [Ch. 11]

Playing With Fire – Thomas Rhett, ft. Jordan Sparks [Part III]

Good To You – Marianas Trench, ft. Kate Voegele [Ch. 13: end of Aurora’s POV/beginning of Jentry’s POV]

With Love – Christina Grimmie [Ch. 20 – Ch. 21: Aurora’s POV]

Powerful – Major Lazar, ft. Ellie Goulding, Tarrus Riley [Part V: first half]

Falling Slowly – Glen Hansard, ft. Marketa Irglova [Part V: second half]

Foolish Games – Jewel [Ch. 22: second half of Aurora’s POV]

Don’t Go – Jake Coco, ft. Caitlin Hart [Ch. 23: second half]

Perfectly – Chelsea Lee, ft. Jason Reeves [Ch. 25: first half]

We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off – Ella Eyre [Ch. 26: second half]

Molly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband, daughter, and fur babies. When she’s not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach … which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes. She has a weakness for crude-humored movies and fried pickles, and loves curling up in a fluffy comforter during a thunderstorm … or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren’t really happening.

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