Ex Factor
by Elisa Dane
Release Date:
04/22/14
Summary from
Goodreads
Nevaeh Evan’s life is uprooted after her father’s death, when she moves
in with her aunt and cousin, Livvie. Her plan to lay low at her new high school
isn’t working. Her friend’s jerky boyfriend keeps asking her out, the guy she
likes treats her like garbage, and the thought of tumbling again makes her want
to hurl.
So when her aunt pushes her into joining the elite X-FACTOR cheer leading
squad, Navaeh goes along with it.
But Nev feels she doesn’t deserve to be happy. Not after what happened the
night her father died.
Bodie Scott knows about grief all too well. Critically injured in an alcohol
related accident the year before, Bodie struggles with the fact that he’ll
never play football again, and he’s so far behind in credits he can’t see
straight. That is, until he meets Nev. Haunted by their bloody pasts and wary
of a shared future, Nev and Bodie turn to one another for comfort and support,
and realize they’re not so alone after all. And when the party scene at school
threatens the life of a loved one, the two stop at nothing to keep the past
from repeating itself.
Excerpt
I slid my finger
across the touch-screen, ready to dial my guy when the loud whirring from the
Tate's heavy slider drew my attention from my phone.
Eyes wild,
movements jerky, Reid stormed out of the house slinging a barrage of curse
words that would make Lil Wayne blush. His mother's silhouette appeared in the
doorway, the light from the newly risen moon combined with the yellow glow from
the interior lighting making her look like a thin, black blob.
"I can't do
it, Reid," she cried. "You don't know what you're asking. We'd have
nowhere to go. Nowhere to live."
Reid spun on his
heels and sliced a hand through the air. "I'd rather sleep in a fucking
box than live with that asshole another day. You can leave him, Ma. You just … won't, and I don't know why."
Silence flooded
the open space, the mating call of a few horny crickets and the faint rumble of
a sputtering car engine far off in the distance a poor soundtrack for the
real-life drama playing out in front of me.
Buzz!
Buzz!
Buzz!
Oh, crap! Frantic, I fumbled with the volume button on
my cell for several seconds before shoving it into my pocket. Silent, but not
silenced, the thing continued to vibrate at regular intervals for several
moments before finally stopping.
"Enjoy the
show?"
I stiffened,
shame-filled heat spreading across my extremities as I looked up and locked
eyes with one very pissed off Reid.
Metal scraped
against metal as his mother disappeared into the house, sliding the glass door
closed behind her.
"No. I didn't
… I mean, I … " Words never came easily for me when conflict was involved.
And though the conflict wasn't mine, the fact remained I'd enjoyed a front row
view of the Tates' nightly serial drama when I should have minded my own
business. I felt like a jerk.
"Pssh …
whatever." He pulled a lighter out of his pocket, lit the cigarette in his
hand, and immediately took a drag. He exhaled with a deep sigh, the smoke
circling up and around him like some sort of ghostly vortex.
His jeans—the only
article of clothing he had on—rode low on his hips, the denim visibly worn, the
edges frayed from wear. The soft, yellow light from the house behind him cast a
warm glow over his already bronzed skin and highlighted the chiseled shadows
covering his muscled frame. Broad shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist,
which showcased a set of abs that made my toes curl. He had to work out. Bodies
didn't look that good from just sittin' around shootin' the breeze.
The standout feature, though, was the ginormous dragon tattoo that
crawled across the center of his chest from his right shoulder. The ink was
extensive and mostly complete, which meant he'd spent a good amount of time in
someone's chair—and recently, too. I was pretty sure you couldn't get a tat
until you were eighteen. Although, with Reid, anything was possible.
Available from:
by Elisa Dane
Release Date: 06/10/14
Summary from Goodreads
Release Date: 06/10/14
Summary from Goodreads
Perception is everything to sixteen-year-old
Olivia Brown. With her freakishly hot boyfriend, volunteer work at the local
animal shelter, successful beauty channel on YouTube, and well-earned spot on X
Factor Cheer's elite level five Diamond Girl team, Livvie's the girl every
other girl wants to be. At least, that's the illusion she's aiming for.
But Livvie's seemingly perfect life is anything but. Lying about the bruises
her boyfriend gives her, and cowering beneath his raging temper becomes a
regular way of life until she unwittingly witnesses her drunken neighbor
beating his step-son, the town bad boy, Reid Tate.
For Reid, vulnerability is the enemy. Opening up, and letting people in gives
them the power to disappoint. Growing up with a co-dependent mother and an
abusive alcoholic father, Reid has endured all the disappointment he can
stomach.
But when his pretty, do-good neighbor witnesses his step-dad beat him to within
an inch of his life, and not only call the cops, but keeps quiet at school
about what she saw, Reid wonders if maybe, just maybe, he's found someone he
can finally trust.
About
the Author
I'm a
lover of books (YA & Adult romance), chocolate, reality television, and am
a proud mother to three All Star cheerleaders. Woot!
I write Contemporary YA romance with cheerleaders. Yep. I write what I know,
and it's my hope that my stories will not only take you on a romantic journey
that will warm your heart, but that you'll find a new respect and interest in
the sport of Cheerleading you may not have had before.
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