Friday, February 20, 2015

Break Her Fall by JoAnna Grace




They say confession is good for the soul so here goes.

“Forgive me, fandom, for I have sinned. I have lusted over Jesse in Pitch Perfect, who is not a book boyfriend.”

Seriously, I am in love with his character! I mean, who doesn’t love a straight guy who can sing, dance, AND make you laugh? Not to mention, he’s adorable. Trust me folks, I had my fist in the air by the end of that movie. (Only awesome people will understand that reference.) It remains one of my all time favs and you better believe I will be first in line to get Pitch-slapped when the second movie comes out.


Though I could write an entire blog about the thousand reasons to love Jesse/Skylar, I shall refrain. Instead I will focus on the moment that he won my heart forever.

Like most of you, I was friggin impressed with Anna’s performance of “Cups”. (Go girl!) My nine-year-old daughter memorized it as did most of the pre-teens/teens of America. I, however, was swooning over Jesse’s reaction. Remember? He stared, awestruck, and uttered one word.

“Wow.”

That one word, so overused and overlooked in most situations, hit me like Cupid’s arrow. What girl in her right mind wouldn’t want a man who is so impressed, so enamored, so dumbfounded by her talents that he is left with his jaw hanging to the floor? Wow. Instantly I turned to my poor husband and asked if he’d ever had that kind of moment with me. God bless him, he smiled sweetly and like a seasoned pro answered, “Every day, baby. Every day.” (That’s good training for you, ladies.) After I laughed at his obvious lie, I let it go. But I did secretly fantasize over such adoration.

I realized the writer of Pitch Perfect had caught me up in a love affair that would affect my next novel. My heroine deserved a love like that. Amilynn needed a love like that to sweep her off her feet and make her feel worthy and worshipped. I wanted Ezekiel, the sexy wolf shifter hero of BREAK HER FALL to have a Jesse-Wow moment.

The following scene was born. Amilynn goes to the small stage in the alpha house to dance her stress away before her first official date with Ezekiel. She thinks she is alone with the music, but she has an audience. I hope you love it as much as I do!

 Ezekiel made it all the way back to his apartment and through his shower before he realized he had no clue what to wear to a Latin dance club. Usually, he didn’t care. But this was for Amilynn and if he had to dress up a bit, she was well worth the effort.

He found Melissa still in the kitchen, talking to Vivian. The two of them were laughing when he came in. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey yourself.” Vivian smiled at him, her hazel eyes full of mischief. “You and Ami put on quite a show today. Have fun?”

“Yeah, actually. I think your compadre broke my ribs, but what the hell.” The ladies both chuckled at him. “And thanks to Melissa, here, I have to accompany said warrior princess to a dance club.”

Vivian gave Melissa a grin.

Ezekiel continued. “And now you have to tell me if I’m supposed to dress fancy for this shit.”

Melissa hugged him around the waist. “Jeans and a nice shirt should be fine, sweetheart. No heavy boots.”

“Thanks. Anything else I should know? Like don’t step on her toes or she’ll gut me?”

“That’s a given,” Vivian said with a one-shouldered shrug. It was all in good fun, but he felt like there might be a hint of truth behind the joke.

“Great.” He rolled his eyes and headed downstairs to his apartment with Vivian and Melissa giggling behind him. At least someone was amused by his suffering.

He passed by the closed doors to the theatre and heard music. If his little brothers left the sound system on again, he was going to kill them. The music came from behind the closed curtain and he went around to the side of the stage.

The woman behind the curtain made his breath hitch. He slid into the shadows where he could watch. The song changed and a lovely smile crossed her face. She closed her eyes and slowly lifted her arms into the air, going up on the points of her toes.

Amilynn was a woman of many talents, as he discovered. Being more of the athletic type, Ezekiel hadn’t had too much exposure to ballet, but he recognized it for what it was. He never would’ve thought to mix ballet with a rock ballad. She did it effortlessly. “When You Love Someone” played and Amilynn’s smooth movements and soft lines were the most elegant thing he’d ever seen. She cast a spell with each step, entrancing him and holding him in place. He was afraid to breathe, afraid it would break the magic.

This was a whole new side to his chosen mate. He’d seen the warrior, the seductress, the teacher, the stubborn ass. This? This was the angel, a part he assumed not too many had the pleasure of knowing. Observing her now, no one would believe her to be anything more than a genteel lady. She leapt, her legs extending in opposite directions, her arms over her head, and her back perfectly straight. It made his heart skip. She was amazing. The lyrics to the song were perfection. They told everything he wanted for them and more.

The melody of the song heightened, bringing the listener to that point of emotional precipice. Each drumbeat raised his pulse. Ami turned, her body fluidly spinning round and round, propelled by one powerful leg until he lost count of the rotations. She ended, just as the song did, in a graceful split, her hand slowly rising above her head, her face full of rapture so deep it brought him to his knees.

Ezekiel let out the breath he’d held and blinked rapidly to clear his eyes.

If he ever looked back on their courtship, retelling their story to their children or grandchildren, Ezekiel would say this was the moment he fell madly, hopelessly in love with Amilynn. He would tell of how he stood paralyzed by her beauty and talent and untamed spirit while she danced her way into every corner of his heart.


Swoon! For more of Ezekiel and Amilynn, check out BREAK HER FALL. 

If you haven’t read book one, PRIDE BEFORE THE FALL, grab it now while it’s on sale for .99!

I’d love to hear about any Jesse-Wow moments you’ve had!

Lovingly,

Jo

Break Her Fall
Blake Pride Series
Book 2
JoAnna Grace

Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal romance

Publisher: Winged J Press

Date of Publication: Jan 20th 2015

ISBN: 978-1-94-460-15-4
ASIN:B00RKOSPXS

Number of pages: 300+

Word Count: 91K

Cover Artist: Jleeann.com

Book Description:

As beta female of the Blake Pride, Amilynn does whatever it takes to get the job done and guard her family—even if it might not be morally sound. Now that the Pride has moved in with the Blackburn Pack, she faces a threat she never saw coming…a mate. The sexy and persistent wolf wants to claim the leopardess, but she’s not going down without a fight.

Ezekiel is used to getting what he wants and his eyes are set on his seductive target. Yet predicting Amilynn’s next move is fruitless. He’s caught between admiring her strength and resenting it. Does he dominate or submit? Can he prove to Amilynn she really is worth the fight?

When a ghost from Amilynn’s past stalks their family, Ezekiel will learn her true strength. Amilynn isn’t a docile house cat and, by the time she’s done, everyone will know it.

Available at Amazon


Excerpt:
AMILYNN SNUGGLED INTO the warm arms that were around her. God, Ezekiel smelled like heaven. The sweet honey of his mating scent filled her mind and made her inner leopard purr with desire. It was so easy to sleep when his strong arms held her close and kept her safe. He was there for her in her time of distress, waiting to see if her best friend would pull through the night. He’d given his own blood to save Vivian’s life. Amilynn never thought she could find peace in the middle of a hospital, in the midst of a catastrophe like this, and yet Ezekiel gave it to her.
Her cat had never been more satisfied, even if he was a wolf.
While Ezekiel kept her safe, Ami could focus on the crisis at hand. Vivian had to live. She had to make it. If there was no hope for Vivian to live a full life of love and happiness, then what chance did Amilynn have? Vivian was wilder, more feral in her independence than Ami and, somehow, she’d found a mate in Kasey Blackburn who was worthy of her devotion. The wolf alpha had shown his love for Vivian time and time again, gaining the trust of the rest of her Pride. But look where it got them. The songs were bullshit. Love is not all you need.
Vivian fought for her life in that hospital because members of Kasey’s Pack didn’t want the Pride coming in. The feline shifters didn’t belong there, so they said. The Pack might be a mixture of wolves and bear, but adding felines to the mix was more than some of them could handle. The rebellious group had done a fine job of letting Amilynn and her family know they weren’t welcome.
Amilynn, in particular, had been warned off the males of the Pack. Here she sat in Ezekiel’s arms, the arms of a future alpha. Wouldn’t that cause another rebellion? The hookers and hounds, what a mess.
Her cat came to attention when a rumbling in Ezekiel’s chest woke her up. The low growl was aggressive and full of warning. Her eyes popped open, ready to defend her family at any cost.
“Easy, fool,” Tyrone, her brother, warned Ezekiel in gravelly bass.
Ezekiel, who had also been awakened with a start, gripped Ty’s hand. It took a couple of seconds for all of them to realize there was no threat.
“V’s awake.” Ty yanked from Ezekiel’s grasp.
Amilynn didn’t hesitate to uncurl from Ezekiel’s lap and follow Ty. She didn’t look back, couldn’t. Once she was in her right mind, she would explain to Ezekiel that there was no way they were going to be together. They were too different.
Ami took her first easy breath when she saw Vivian’s eyes open. They were half crossed, but they were open. Relief and love bubbled over her, creating a wave of deep emotion she didn’t know how to process. She could cry, but who had time for hormonal drama? When Vivian smiled at her, she had to blink back the tears. Damn. This was not cool.
“Well,” Ami said, needing to escape with her dignity. “Since Kasey is stuck up your ass, and you’re in good hands, I’m going to jet.” She sniffed and made sure not to look Vivian in the eyes again. “Glad you’re awake.” Without another word, she left the hospital room. Her chest constricted so tightly, she could’ve passed out.
“Here.” Ty tossed her a set of keys. Of course her brother would know she didn’t want anyone to see her lose her shit. She gave him a nod and bolted from the hospital. Go figure; they were to Ezekiel’s motorcycle. At least if she cried while she was on the bike, she could blame it on the wind in her eyes. Sometimes being a girl sucked.

About the Author:

JoAnna Grace lives in a world of alpha males and strong females where true love conquers all—at least in her mind!

From the time she started holding a crayon she began to create magical worlds. Her first book was a series of pictures about a puppy princess. The story changed each time she told it, but there was always a happy ending! Her first written story was about girls who changed into tigers.

Now those stories have become a bit more complex!

JoAnna’s tales are spun at her home in East Texas where she lives with her husband, three kids, and a couple dogs. When not hiding behind the computer screen you can find her camping, boating, and shopping.

Sign up for her newsletter to receive information about new releases, events, and giveaways! www.authorjoannagrace.com

JoAnna loves to hear from readers and fans!

You can find her at the following places:

Authorjoannagrace.com

Twitter: @JoAnnaGrace4ya




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1 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for hosting me! *mwah*