Pretty Reckless, an all-new standalone high school, bully romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen, is available now! We were supposed to be best friends But turned out to be worst enemies… Penn They say revenge is a dish best served cold. I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart is completely iced. I took her first kiss. She took the only thing I loved. I was poor. She was rich. The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast. Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project. Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much. Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother. There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears. Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess. Daria Everyone loves a good-old, unapologetic punk. But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way. The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you. In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day. Four years ago, he asked me to save all of my firsts for him. Now he lives across the hall, and there’s nothing I want more than to be his last everything. His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free. Now? Now he is making me pay. Buy linksDownload your copy today for the special release week price of ONLY $2.99 or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LhNRqW Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/PrettyRecklessLJ Audio: https://amzn.to/2DCyEui Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2FZssQ7 Excerpt“I don’t want you transferring into my school,” I hiss out. Melody would gladly file a transfer request, and Principal Prichard would salivate over the chance to snatch him up for our football team. “That won’t be a problem. You guys suck so much ass, you have shit-breath.” “Still smells better than poverty. You’re poor, right? Your sister was just bullshitting about being rich.” When someone hits me with a stick, I run over them with a tank. I’m so mean to him I want to throw up. I hate this part of being me. The striking harder at all costs part. “Just to make things clear.” I put the brush down, batting my lashes. “You’re not my step-sibling, foster brother, or a part of the family. You’re a stray dog. Last of the litter, most unlikely to be adopted, and a charity case.” Penn takes a step toward me, and my heart is fighting its way out of my ribcage. The closer he gets, the more I realize that my heart might succeed. Penn’s eyes remind me of a snake’s. Mesmerizing, but inhuman altogether. They weren’t like that before. His scent messes with my head. I want to reach out and caress his face. Kiss his wounds better. Beg for forgiveness. Curse him. Push him away. Cry on his shoulder for what we’ve done. For how it ended. For what we became afterwards, because I’m full of crap and he is totally empty. We ruined ourselves the day of our first kiss. Penn looks down at me. Time stops. It feels like the world is losing gravity, falling into a bottomless depth in space when he clasps my chin with his thumb and finger, lifting my head up. I can’t breathe. I’m not sure I want to, either. My towel drops to the floor with a thud, even though I secured it over my chest. I realize that he tugged at it intentionally. I’m naked. My body, my soul, my heart. All my walls are down. Somewhere in my head, a red alarm blasts and my inhibitions are getting armed, ready to fight back. I’m trying to decode his expression. He is amused, irritated, and…playful? The mixture of emotions doesn’t make any sense. “Mess with me, Followhill, and I will ruin you.” “Not if I ruin you first.” ReviewLet’s talk about the fact that Leigh opens her All Saints High Series with a BANG! Of course without a doubt I expected it. Pretty Reckless was everything I expected and more! There was so much angst with twists and turns that kept me invested throughout. Daria Followhill is rich, privileged, and has everything she can possibly want and need. Even with all of that, deep down inside she is miserable. To the outside world she has the perfect life, but little do they know that she struggles so much. Penn Scully is the complete opposite from Daria. He is from the poor side of town and his life has been anything but good. He makes the best out of the crappy situation he’s in. When Daria and Penn first meet things take a turn from the get go. Penn ends up hating Daria and makes it his mission to ruin her. Eventually he finds himself living at the Followhill’s home and then you can guess what happens from there.... I absolutely loved Pretty Reckless and really am looking forward to reading more of this series. About LJ Shen:L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat. Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets people's’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards. She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed. Connect with L.J. Shen: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorljshen/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lj_shen Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorljshen/ Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2umcYPg Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/
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Greyson East left his mark on me. As the young girl who first fell for him, I didn’t know much about life. I did know about his smiles, though, and his laughs, and the strange way my stomach flipped when he was near. Life was perfect…until it wasn’t, and when we were forced to go our separate ways, I held on to our memories, let go of my first crush, and wished for the day I’d find him again. When my wish came true, it was nothing like I imagined. I couldn’t have known when I took the nanny position that it would be his children I looked after, that my new boss would be that boy I used to know, that boy who was now a man—a cold, lonely, detached man. The smile and laugh I had loved so much were gone, now distant memories. Every part of him was covered in a fresh pain. When he realized who I was, he made me promise to do my job and my job only. He made me promise not to try to get to know him, not to recall the memories I’d treasured all this time. But, sometimes, I saw the boy I’d once known in his stormy eyes. I saw the Greyson who smiled and laughed, who had stolen a young girl’s heart, and there was no doubt in my mind that this boy was worth fighting for. I was given a second chance with the one who’d left his mark on me. All I hoped was that somehow I’d leave a mark on his soul, too. **Eleanor & Grey is a complete Standalone novel** ExcerptEleanor Thirty-two years old Greyson’s assistant, Allison, finished giving me a tour of the house. “Okay, I think that’s everything. I’m going to head out now, but go ahead and make yourself comfortable. Get used to the property. Mr. East knows you’re here today, so don’t feel like you aren’t allowed to wander around a bit. If you need anything, my cell number is on the contact list in the book, or you can email me. If nothing comes up, I hope your first day goes well. Claire will be with you Monday to make sure the transition goes smoothly.” I must have looked terrified because as Allison grabbed her coat and purse to leave, she gave me a light squeeze on the shoulder. “You’re going to be fine, Eleanor. Mind over matter. You got this. Let’s touch base later in the week so I can check in on how things are going.” “Sounds great. Thanks, Allison.” After she left, I took a deep breath and flipped through a few pages in the binder. Then, I did a once-through of the house, familiarizing myself with whose room was where. There was something so unsettling about the quietness of Greyson’s home. It was so dark with an odd gloomy feeling attached to it, haunting almost. I didn’t mean dark as in the lighting situation, rather it was the energy level. There was such a heaviness in the space. The place felt like a house, not a home. If I hadn’t known any better, I wouldn’t have believed a family lived there at all. It felt so abandoned, almost like a memory frozen in time. That might’ve just been my own thoughts, thought, due to knowing about the tragedy that had taken place in the lives of the individuals who lived there. With the number of books I’d read, it wasn’t inaccurate to say my mind wandered toward the dramatics. I walked back into the kitchen, flipping through the binder, completely taken aback by the girls’ schedules. Between school, swim lessons, karate, piano lessons, physical therapy, and grief counseling, I wasn’t sure how they found the time to live a little. “Eleanor.” I leaped out of my skin at the sound of my name and turned to see Greyson standing behind me with an empty glass in his hand. He was dressed in a suit and tie, which was so strange to me. Who wore a suit and tie in their own home? I hardly wore pants when I was home alone. “Oh, Greyson, hi. Sorry I’m still here. Allison was just giving me a tour, and she said it was okay to look around a bit more.” “She made me aware.” Wow. He had responded immediately, unlike the first time I saw him. I called that progress. I smiled at him, but he didn’t smile back, and that felt like the oddest thing in the world. The old Greyson had been full of smiles. “It’s a beautiful home,” I stated, unsure what else to talk about. “It’s massive. I swear, it’s like ten times the size of my place.” He blankly stared my way as I shifted from foot to foot. “I love the décor,” I blurted out, and I hated myself the second the words left my lips. Just walk away, Eleanor. Don’t be awkward. “Those throw pillows in your living room are to die for. Where did you get them?” “The interior designer chose everything,” he replied dryly. “Oh, right, of course. My interior designer is normally the clearance section at T.J. Maxx,” I joked. “Or on special occasions, Target.” He didn’t laugh, probably because I wasn’t funny. I wondered when was the last time he’d laughed. Did he ever find anything funny anymore? We kept staring at one another in the most uncomfortable silence, though I didn’t feel as if I could pull myself away from it. I probably stared at him too long, but how could I not? I’d gone fifteen-some years without looking at him. It was understandable that I wouldn’t be able to turn away quickly. The awkwardness of it all finally came to a halt when Greyson cleared his throat. “Eleanor?” “Yes?” “I came for water.” “Oh?” I stared at him like an idiot, wide-eyed like a deer in headlights, waiting for his next words. I stood still as if he were going to expand on his interest in water. Was he offering me a drink? Were we going to sip water and catch up on things? Was I finally going to be able to ask him how he’d become the CEO of his father’s company at such a young age? What had happened to his father? His stare narrowed, and his lips turned down in a displeased fashion. He nodded once. “Hmm?” I asked. He nodded more aggressively this time, gesturing past me. I glanced behind me and realized I was standing right in front of the refrigerator, blocking the water dispenser. I stepped to the side, mentally beating myself up. Idiot. “Oh, right, of course. Well, I think I’m done here, so I’ll see myself out,” I stated, scrambling to grab my binder. “Have a good afternoon.” He didn’t reply, but that wasn’t shocking. I was quickly learning that this new Greyson didn’t have nearly as much to say as the old one. Buy linksDownload your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FTOiSy Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/EleanorGrey Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2SYJ3dH |
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