Release Date: October 23, 2018
It’s the blog tour for J. Lynn Bailey’s Violet Ugly. Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!
PURCHASE HERE:
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Sixteen years ago, Merit Young left Granite Harbor, Maine, for California in search of a future that didn’t involve Ryan Taylor. He’d left her in pieces on her bedroom floor, delivering a blow she couldn’t have expected. But, now, at the request of her brother, Eli, she must return and confront the demons of her past—Ryan included. After the loss they both suffered, she isn’t prepared to face him—especially considering he’s the only one who’s always been able to see right through her.
Ryan has lived his entire adult life in survival mode. Growing up with an abusive father has taught him to keep women at arm’s length, and that’s never been a problem. Until Merit—the only woman he’s ever loved—strides through his front door. He’s not sure how long she’s staying, but he knows it’ll be long enough to destroy what’s left of his heart.
To overcome their dark past, they’ll have to shed light on a reality that will most likely tear them apart. Merit has been hiding a heartbreaking decision from Ryan, and he’s been keeping lies of his own. Can two tortured souls heal after a lifetime of pain? Or will the hideous secrets of the past bury them both?
~ EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT ~
After Merit took what I did to her, this is the least I can do. After I get into a semi-comfortable position, I look over at her. Fast asleep. Like when she was twelve. Fourteen. Fifteen and seventeen.
Merit’s never been one for scary movies, so when Eli and I rented them on occasion, Merit would sit with us at the beginning and quickly fall asleep because she hated the way they scared her for the following weeks.
Her long blonde lashes are pressed against her cheeks. Her expression, peaceful and saddened. As if she wears two hats. I want to take my finger and smooth them out, pushing the feelings away. But I don’t. Her wet hair sits still behind her, falling against the blue sheets of the guest bed.
A jab of pain shoots through my chest because I take a bigger breath than normal, but I breathe through it.
She falls deeper and deeper asleep as I watch her. Slow, easy breaths, steady.
I turn off the lamp above me but not without my ribs letting me know that this position is the worst. Before I do, I take in a long look at Merit. Burn it to my memory. Tuck it back into my brain where I put all the dark things that I’ve experienced.
“Good night, Violet,” I whisper.
J. LYNN BAILEY
J. Lynn Bailey has loved to write since she learned to read, around the second grade. When she isn't running after her children, watching COPS, or on the hunt for her next Laffy Taffy joke, you can probably find her holed up in her writing room feverishly working on her next book. She lives in Northern California with her family.
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