If I would have known then what I know now.
If I would have known that having my heart broken at thirteen by my one and only friend, Garrett Rhodes, would never compare to the empty feeling at sixteen when I buried my mother.
If I would have known that changing schools in my senior year would throw all that back in my face.
If someone would have told me that when you drink a fifth a night and get in bar fights at twenty one, I’d end up in jail … again.
Maybe … just maybe … I wouldn’t be in the hell storm I’m living in these days. Letting my past dictate my future, allowing the best of the best male MMA fighters bully me day in and day out and knowing no matter what I do, Garrett will always be the only man that understands me. I didn’t have to live this way. One day changed the course of my life forever.
Through all this mess, the one thing that I’ve found that keeps me centered … martial arts. And I’m damn good. If only someone would give me a chance to prove my worth.
All I can do now is make the best of it and try to not let the fight consume me.
“Hey, cheater. You still got clothes on,” Garrett shouts from the bank.
“It’s not my fault that you’re wearing more than me. Skirt and flip flops come off in much less time than sneakers and jeans.” Dipping my head back to get the hair out of my face, Garrett finally gets his shoes off and starts working on his jeans.
Nothing could have prepared me for the sight I was about to see. Unbuttoning his pants and letting the zipper down, he lets the denim drop to his ankles. His muscular thighs are barely hidden by the tight boxer briefs he’s wearing underneath. Pulling his shirt over his head, Garrett’s abs glisten in the late afternoon sun.
Licking my lips, I have to remind myself that when I last saw Garrett, he was a fifteen-year-old, lanky boy with no muscle tone whatsoever. This man before me … he’s got muscle on top of muscle and it’s downright the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I make sure that when Garrett finally makes his way into the water I keep my chest below the surface to hide my ever present hardened nipples. I could always lie and say the water’s cold, but he’d know I’m a damn liar.
Ashley Suzanne is a married mother of three little boys as well as a daughter, aunt, sister, best friend, birth mother, blogger, book whore and author. Ashley is a native to the suburbs of Detroit, with most of her family living in Kentucky and New York.
You can usually find Ashley sitting in bed, with her laptop, playing on Facebook, pretending to write, entering giveaways (she’s also a swag whore) or on a football field with her oldest son, Tyler. Yep, not only is she a football fan, she’s a football mom!
When she’s reading, it’s typically something to do with romance, contemporary being her favorite genre. She’s a total fan-girl over a few authors; Pamela Ann, SE Hall, Madeline Sheehan, Jasinda Wilder, Maya Banks, CM Stunich, Nicole Jacquelyn and Riley Rhea to name a few.
Ashley has no pets, unless you count her children and she is a little OCD. Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite drink is cherry vodka and coke and double chocolate brownies are a must.
Other Works by Ashley Suzanne (all available on Amazon, BN, iTunes, Kobo and Smashwords)
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Review- Raven
Rian just can’t catch a break. She was bullied from a young age because of her boy name until Garrett came along. Garrett quickly became her friend and put an end to the bullying. Too bad at age 13 she lost Garrett due to him moving to another town.
About three years later Rian gets a second chance to be his friend, and more, when her mother dies and she has to move to another town with her Aunt. Garret spots her as the new kid in school. They quickly become best friends again and then so much more.
Rian’s luck just keeps running out. Garret had already enrolled in the army before she came back into the picture. Since he is a year ahead of Rian, he will have to leave her so she can finish her last year of high school. Rian is crushed but will wait for him to come back after basic training. NO LUCK AGAIN for Rian! He will be gone longer than that and at a most inconvenient time when she has lost everyone and just needs him. She feels abandoned and decides to leave and start fresh with her life since she has no one left.
Now at age 21 Rian’s new life is a much harsher one. She works at a bar, keeps to herself with no real friends, and sex is just a way to go numb. She also discovers that MMA fighting is a great outlet for her anger and stress. She’s actually gets pretty good at it.
Rian’s lifestyle will cause her to need to reach out to the only people she knows which means contacting Garrett’s family. Is it fate? Garrett has now entered her new life, but what about his life? Will he be around when she faces more hard times in hers?
This book gets 5 full stars from me!
Let me just say that I didn’t think Ashley Suzanne could out do herself after the Destined series. Well, I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! I will definitely one click all of her future books. She is just getting better and better with each book.
It’s well written. The story is original. It doesn’t follow the pattern that most books in this genre seem to fit into (sappy girl that has a dominant rich boyfriend with a boat load of issues). This book is raw and edgy.
You have a female MMA fighter as your main character, which is just completely bad ass! She isn’t your typical quiet mousey-type book girlfriend. She will challenge you verbally and physically. She’s been a loner and has made it through really rough situations, yet she’s still standing and moving forward.
Garrett’s a pretty hot character too! There are times in the book where he let me down, but he definitely always came back to redeem himself.
There’s so much more I can say, but I would give away too many exciting things that happen in the book.
Stop thinking about reading this book and DO IT! Well worth it! It’s a great read!
Rian just can’t catch a break. She was bullied from a young age because of her boy name until Garrett came along. Garrett quickly became her friend and put an end to the bullying. Too bad at age 13 she lost Garrett due to him moving to another town.
About three years later Rian gets a second chance to be his friend, and more, when her mother dies and she has to move to another town with her Aunt. Garret spots her as the new kid in school. They quickly become best friends again and then so much more.
Rian’s luck just keeps running out. Garret had already enrolled in the army before she came back into the picture. Since he is a year ahead of Rian, he will have to leave her so she can finish her last year of high school. Rian is crushed but will wait for him to come back after basic training. NO LUCK AGAIN for Rian! He will be gone longer than that and at a most inconvenient time when she has lost everyone and just needs him. She feels abandoned and decides to leave and start fresh with her life since she has no one left.
Now at age 21 Rian’s new life is a much harsher one. She works at a bar, keeps to herself with no real friends, and sex is just a way to go numb. She also discovers that MMA fighting is a great outlet for her anger and stress. She’s actually gets pretty good at it.
Rian’s lifestyle will cause her to need to reach out to the only people she knows which means contacting Garrett’s family. Is it fate? Garrett has now entered her new life, but what about his life? Will he be around when she faces more hard times in hers?
This book gets 5 full stars from me!
Let me just say that I didn’t think Ashley Suzanne could out do herself after the Destined series. Well, I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! I will definitely one click all of her future books. She is just getting better and better with each book.
It’s well written. The story is original. It doesn’t follow the pattern that most books in this genre seem to fit into (sappy girl that has a dominant rich boyfriend with a boat load of issues). This book is raw and edgy.
You have a female MMA fighter as your main character, which is just completely bad ass! She isn’t your typical quiet mousey-type book girlfriend. She will challenge you verbally and physically. She’s been a loner and has made it through really rough situations, yet she’s still standing and moving forward.
Garrett’s a pretty hot character too! There are times in the book where he let me down, but he definitely always came back to redeem himself.
There’s so much more I can say, but I would give away too many exciting things that happen in the book.
Stop thinking about reading this book and DO IT! Well worth it! It’s a great read!
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