Title: The Heart Knows What the Heart Wants
Genre: Contemporary / New Adult Romance
Publication Date: March 6th 2014
Goodreads URL: HERE
Plot: Estelle "Star" Falconé, a thirty-year-old tattooed bartender, was once a free-spirited dreamer who dabbled in astrology for fun and secretly dreamed of becoming a rock-star some day.
One night, when she's five minutes late getting home from work, her boyfriend decides to teach her a lesson with his fists. The beating serves as her wake-up call. She plots her escape from the man who swore if he can't have her, no one will.
Star's not sure where she's going, but she knows she has to leave while she's able to walk out on her own two feet -- rather than get carried out in a body bag. She runs away, driving until her old car dies, and leaves her stranded near a small town north of St. Louis. While waiting for the car to be repaired, she takes a part-time job and rents a room, believing it's only temporary -- that as soon as her car is fixed, she'll move on...
Until she meets twenty-one-year-old Shane Harper.
Shane was once the star of the local high school basketball team. With a full ride scholarship, his dream was to play college basketball and study planetary science. When a tragic car accident permanently sidelines his basketball career, college is out of the question.
Sparks fly when their two worlds collide.
Can a relationship between a thirty-year-old starry-eyed woman who's on the run from an extremely dangerous man, and a twenty-one-year-old science geek who's hell-bent on protecting her at all costs survive?
***Caution*** for mature readers. Contains graphic violence including rape. This is a complete, standalone novel.
Excerpt
Finally giving up on sleep, she climbed from bed
and gathered her clothes to take into the bathroom for a long hot shower,
hopeful the hot water would dislodge the myriad of inappropriate thoughts that
had started to march through her sleep-deprived brain.
Star knew Shane was too young for her. He'd
barely begun to live his life and in her thirty years she'd already lived
enough for both of them combined. There was an undeniable attraction, she
couldn't dispute that. Holding him, comforting him, as she had just a few short
hours ago left her craving more of his touch.
She gritted her teeth and turned up the water
temperature as she scrubbed her body. "Why is it the men I'm attracted to
are always wrong for me? For once, why can't I like the nerdy, science geek
with a big brain instead of a big…ego," she huffed.
After her shower, she wiped the fog from the
mirror and studied the lines in her face. Time had not been kind to her,
especially the time spent with Derek. She smoothed the skin around her eyes,
suddenly wondering how much a face-lift would set her back. A more
close-up inspection advised her that more than a couple new gray hairs had
sprouted, seemingly overnight, as well.
"Are you going to be much longer?"
Shane's muffled voice asked from the other side of the bathroom door causing
her to jump.
"Just a few more minutes, sorry," she
answered. She hurriedly dried off and scrambled into her clothes. When she
opened the door, he sat on the floor facing her, his back against the wall. He
beamed mischievously up at her, and something warm pooled inside of her. She
smiled back and said, "I guess I kind of lost track of time."
"No worries. As long as there's hot water
left, I don't mind." He held his hand out to her. "Help me up,
Blue," he asked.
She tugged him to his feet and he seemed
reluctant to let go of her hand. He gave her fingers a quick squeeze. Holy
hell I'm melting here. She thought. The tips of her ears started to burn
and she withdrew her hand from his. "All yours," she whispered and
turned to go to her room.
She couldn't be sure, it may have been her
overactive imagination, or wishful thinking, but she could have sworn she heard
him say "I wish," before he disappeared into the bathroom.
Star fanned herself and sat down on the corner of
her bed. If he had remembered having the nightmare, or her rocking him back to
sleep afterwards, it wasn't evident in the tundra-melting smile he'd given her.
She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Was she disappointed that he hadn't
remembered, or relieved?
About the Author
1. I'm an only child.
2. My
only child is a Min Pin.
3. I was born
in Iowa City, Iowa.
4. I worked as a
professional psychic reader for 2 years.
5.
I'm a Pisces Sun, Leo Moon with Aquarius rising.
6.
I've written 7 books and am in the process of brainstorming the 8th.
7. I make my home near St. Louis, MO.
8. I ran my first 1/2 marathon at age 50.
9. I love 80's hair band music.
10. I'm a vegetarian.
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