Surviving Broken
The Mathews
Family Series 4
By Beverly Preston
a Contemporary Romance
Can be read as a Stand-alone
B & N: TBD iTunes: TBD
RELEASE DATE: September 29th, 2014
Blurb
~ Sometimes you have to go through hell to find your
heaven ~
Most women have a wish list when it comes to what kind of
man they want to date. JC Mathews used a strict set of guidelines as a safety
net to keep herself out of trouble and out of love.
On hiatus from the bright lights and speculative gazes of
her career in the fashion industry, JC lets her guard down...only to the wrong
man. After escaping Italy and the hands of her abuser, she returns to Malibu to
recover. The last thing she expects to find is a large, gorgeous intruder
swimming naked in her pool.
Reed Rider left Texas and his broken heart behind in order
to settle his aunt’s affairs after her death. Seeking refuge from the
California heat for a midnight swim in his neighbor’s backyard, he never
expects to find the nude silhouette of a long-haired beauty standing at the
water’s edge.
As their passion ignites and the pages of JC's rulebook
fade to grey, she unlocks her guarded heart to begin a new chapter in her life.
When hidden truths are exposed and secrets unravel, will they survive the
threats from their broken pasts?
Review by pearls:
Once again, Beverly Preston does not disappoint. It was great to see her stretch her creative wings as she portrayed the darkness of an abusive relationship alongside the beauty of real love. JC finds herself in the role of many women: wondering how she allowed herself to be manipulated with promised of love into breaking all of her rules. How can she ever trust herself again, let alone a new man in another relationship. The abuse is very present, but artistically referenced. It is the psychology in her head that takes center stage. In contrast, a relationship built on mutual respect and affection allows her to blossom in her personal and professional life. He too comes into the relationship broken, showing that despite the cause, broken hearts can be mended and will love again. A great addition to the Mathews series, and you get to see all the family again!
EXCERPT
Everything around her came to
screeching halt.
Every voice, every footstep, every
clink of a glass, even the music rendered silent. Overcome by fear, she stood,
paralyzed, as her pulse rampaged through the veins in her neck. JC stared at
the man sitting at the table with his back toward her. She’d only seen one man
who measured up to Codge’s size, and he’d swam naked in her pool last night.
Fear exploded into anger and
aggravation, realizing she stood shaking in her boots while he sat enjoying
himself with friends. Oh, that is it! I
don’t fucking think so! I am not going to be afraid of you…or any other man!
Slamming her purse on the bar, she
snarled at Codge, “Watch this for me.”
JC stormed toward the group of men
ordering a round of drinks from the waitress. Her eyes narrowed and jaw clamped
tight and she stopped directly behind the man. Other men at the table all took
notice of JC staring viciously at the back of his head as if it were a
dartboard.
A man sitting directly across the
table surveyed her with wide, curious eyes. Clearing his throat, he mumbled
something and nodded in JC’s direction.
Everyone at the table, now fully
aware of her fury, watched as the large man glanced nonchalantly over his
shoulder.
Her heartbeat pounded in her chest
as their eyes met and locked.
He made a grim observation of the
situation, slowly returning his gaze to the table, muttering, “Oh, hell.”
JC’s hands balled into fists, ready
to take aim as he scooted his chair away from the table. “Oh, hell is right!”
She demanded, “Why were you in my pool?”
Rising from the chair, he
straightened to his full height, towering over JC. The enormous size of him
made her stagger back a step. Blood rushed from her face, draining her of
color. Anger welled up inside, pissed at herself for withdrawing.
“Change that to a shot of Jack
Daniels,” he said to the waitress.
Finding her nerve, JC lifted her
chest taking a bold step towards him, encroaching into his personal space. Her voice escalated three octaves higher. “Why
were you naked in my pool? Were you
trying to rob me? What are you? Some kind of burglar?”
“Make that two shots of Jack,” he
called toward the bar, uneasily running his fingers through his dirty-blond
hair. He turned back to the men sitting at the table. “’Scuse me.”
He held his hand out, politely gesturing
JC toward the bar as if attempting to avoid an embarrassing scene.
“What’s the matter? You don’t want
your friends to know you broke into my backyard?”
He cautiously touched his hand
against the small of her back.
She flinched and swatted at his
hand. “Don’t touch me!” she fumed, taking an aggressive stance, almost chest
bumping him as she glared up into his eyes.
He gazed down, staring at her
sympathetically with the most gorgeous ice blue eyes she’d ever seen. As he
leaned in next to her ear, she recoiled when the stubble on his face briefly
touched the skin near her temple. “Ma’am, I’d appreciate it if you’ll allow me
to explain. I’m not a burglar. And I don’t need everybody in this bar thinking
I might be one.”
JC blinked repeatedly, silently
damning him for having such tender sweetness in his voice that dripped like
honey from his tongue. An unfamiliar sensation rippled through her all the way
down to her toes. Turning from his hypnotic blue eyes, she marched to the bar.
Codge’s elbows rested on the bar
top, leaning his chin on his entwined fingers. A bottle of Jack Daniels and two
full shot glasses sat in front of him on the thick slab of wood.
A light dampness of sweat covered
her body from the adrenaline coursing through her body. Her chest heaved up and
down with each breath. JC waited for her streaker to explain, but he seemed to
be at a loss for words, only staring at her intently.
“Well, spit it out,” she snipped,
impatiently placing her hands on her hips.
He reached for a shot of Jack and
then another, extending a shot glass to her.
“You think I’m gonna have a drink
with you?” she shrieked, appalled by the offer.
A hint of a smile flirted on his
lip. He handed her the shot. “I thought it might settle you down.”
JC gripped the cold glass between
her fingers. “Whiskey makes me louder.”
He glanced at Codge with bent brow,
downed his shot and removed the shot glass from JC’s fingers, setting it on the
bar. “Look ma’am, if whisky makes you feistier, you don’t need this.”
Her mouth dropped open with a huff.
Defiantly, she reached over, grabbed the shot between her fingers and tossed it
back in one swig. Licking the burning sweet whiskey from her lips, JC choked,
“Why do you keep calling me ma’am? Do I look like a ma’am to you?”
Her irritation grew as he simply
gaped at her mouth.
“I’m from Texas. We call—”
“Well you’re not in Texas! You’re in
California…naked in my pool.”
Codge let out a deep throaty chuckle
as he filled the shot glass again.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Clemmins. I thought
you were out of town. I’m—”
“Ewww! I am not Mrs. Clemmins.” JC
wrinkled her nose. “Mrs. Clemmins is my mother and Mr. Clemmins is my stepdad.”
Staring at JC, he mused over her in
bewilderment before swallowing another shot of Jack.
Codge snickered for the second time.
“I’ve about heard enough out of you,
old man,” the man warned with a sharp glare.
“Hey! Don’t you talk to my friend
like that,” JC sassed back boldly.
“I’m sorry, what’s your name?”
Codge crooned, smiling ear from ear.
“Her name is JC Mathews.”
Her streaker’s ice blue eyes smiled
teasingly. “JC, darlin’, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Codge is my friend.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Codge
mouthed something to the man. She snapped her head toward the bar, snarling,
“Are you enjoying this, Codge? What
did you just say to him?”
Codge held out his hands
blamelessly, pointing to the man with flushed cheeks. “Me? I didn’t say
anything. Ask him.”
JC’s patience pushed past her
limits. Throwing her hands in the air, she pointed at both men. “Bullshit!
Somebody better start talking. You still haven’t told me why you were in my
yard! And don’t call me darlin’!”
Codge shot the man a wary glance.
“Reed, my friend, you’re on your own. I’ve known her family for too many
years.” He nervously stroked his goatee. “I said—”
“I guess it can’t get any worse. He
said goddess. My name is Reed. I’m
your neighbor. And I was caught swimming naked in your pool because I was hot.
I thought you were out of town. Hell, I’ve never seen anyone at that house and
the day I decide, What the hell, Reed, no
one’s home, you show up. I’m sorry for scaring the daylights out of ya’. I
thought you were—”
“A goddess. He thought you were a goddess,” Codge belted out a
booming laugh.
Reed glowered at Codge as if he was
about to commit murder. “I thought you were Mrs. Clemmins.”
Codge chuckled. “That’s not exactly how he told the story. There was
definitely a goddess mixed in there
somewhere, along with—”
“Codge!” The roar of Reed’s harsh
warning made JC flinch.
The old man smiled big enough to
stick a nickel in his dimples. “JC, did you come here to eat one of my famous
turkey burgers? Why don’t you two have a seat at a table and let your new
neighbor dig himself a big hole? Dinner’s on me.”
First Three books in the Mathews Family Series
will be ON SALE throughout the tour!
ONLY $0.99
Each can be read as a stand-alone.
No More Wasted Time (bk 1)
Review by pearls:
Shayla’s Story (bk 2)
Review by pearls:
The Perfect Someday (bk 3)
Review by pearls:
About the Author:
#1
Bestselling Author, Beverly Preston has been a stay at home mom for 21 years,
although she prefers the title Domestic Engineer. Along the way, Beverly worked
side by side with her husband Don, the love of her life, designing, building
and selling custom homes. As her children begin to venture out on their own,
she’s left to shed a tear—for a minute—wonder what’s next in life, and embrace
the feeling of empowerment that surely must’ve been wrapped in a present she
received on her fortieth birthday.
If
Beverly isn’t at home riding her spin bike, you’ll find her spinning richly
emotional and sinfully sexy romance stories.
GIVEAWAY
$50 Gift Card (1 Winner)
And one winner for each of the
following:
Beverly
Preston - Signed paperback of Surviving Broken
Jodi Malpas – One signed paperback of One
Night Promised
AL Jackson - Signed paperback of winner's
choice (U.S. Only)
Raine Miller - Signed paperback of choice from any of my
books
Gretchen de la O – One ebook of Almost Eighteen and one entire ebook set
of the Wilson Mooney series
Julie Richman - Signed paperback of Bad Son Rising
Julie Prestsater - Signed copy of a
Without You and a swag pack
Ilsa Madden-Mills - One ebook of readers
choice
Renee Carlino - One ebook of sweet thing
Michelle Valentine – One ebook of Rock
the Heart
For Olivia Bentley, Lucky Harbor is more than the town where she runs her new vintage shop. It's the place where folks are friendly to strangers-and nobody knows her real name. Olivia does a good job of keeping her past buried, not getting too cozy with anyone . . . until she sees a man drowning. Suddenly she's rushing into the surf, getting up close and personal with the hottest guy she's ever laid hands on..JPG)
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