Blurb:
Two strangers are thrown together
through insurmountable tragedy.
Since his
family disintegrated a decade ago, Jake has kept his heart safely ensconced
within the protective walls he’s erected. Determined to live out his life alone
and free of the burden of love, Jake’s world is turned upside down when the
grief of a woman he hardly knows calls him to step out of his comfort zone.
Once Marnie enters the picture, he tries not to notice how broken, how
pitiful…and how beautiful she is. Jake
is torn between doing the right thing for himself….and doing the right thing.
Devastated
by loss after loss, Marnie is left a shell of her former self. After losing her
home in a fire and numbed by yet another heartbreaking tragedy, she is unable
to communicate or even function on her own. Marnie finds she must place her
trust in a quirky stranger and his three-legged dog. Desperate to reach out to
the only stability in her life – Jake – but paralyzed by pain, she struggles to
pick up the shattered pieces of hope. Marnie wonders if she will ever learn to
live – or love – again.
One year.
One apartment. Two strangers, each wrapped in their own personal turmoil. Can
Jake and Marnie overcome the obstacles before them and find love despite the
odds?
Longer Excerpt:
He sensed the same strange time warp sensation he felt
earlier that night―the faster he tried to move, the slower it seemed he was
going. Did she know what was coming? Jake reached out, connecting with her and
wrapping his arms around Marnie as tightly as he could, wanting in some way to
help strengthen or protect her from the truth that was only seconds away from
destroying her world. There was nothing he could say; he knew nothing he could
say would help or comfort her in any way at all.
He heard the EMT walk purposefully up beside them. He
knew the man was talking to Marnie, but he couldn’t hear his voice. Jake knew
what the EMT must have said, the same awful things he’d heard himself just a
few moments before. He felt Marnie’s knees buckle. He felt sure the EMT was
still talking to her, but the only sound he could hear was the gut-wrenching
wailing of Marnie’s voice. He thought, right then, about how he would never
forget that horrible sound―it was a low, primal keening, as if it was being
physically torn from her body. He didn’t think it would ever stop.
Jake did the only thing he could think to do. He held
on. He just held on.
Valarie Kinney is a writer, fiber artist and Renaissance
Festival junkie with a wicked caffeine addiction. She resides in Michigan with
her husband, four children, and two insane little dogs. Her work has appeared
in The Prague Revue and IG Living magazine. Her blog,
"Organizing Chaos (and Other Misadventures)" is available for your
viewing pleasure on WordPress and she can be followed on Twitter @kinneychaos.
“Just Hold On” is her debut novel.
Buylinks:
I love the black and white cover with the red font and rose. It's very eye-popping. Congratulations, Valarie! I wish you the best of luck! :)
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