Recently jilted Josephine Davis wasn’t looking for love…. A chance encounter along the sweltering highway with Atlanta’s own millionaire bachelor changed all that. Devastatingly handsome and full of unexpected talents, William Prescott Harrington, III shows beautiful Josie a life that she could have only dreamed of; his excessive wealth and generosity eventually threatening her very existence. Two star-crossed lovers from polar opposite sides of Atlanta navigate their way through a maze of greed and jealousy desperate for only one thing – each other.
Her heart made a wish. Will her dream become reality or will the nightmare destroy them all?
He left the flat tire on the pavement and grabbed the spare out of the back, bouncing it to the empty wheel well. He got it on in no time and she held the rim full of nuts for him as he carefully tightened each one back on the tire, flexing his upper body magnificently.
“That didn’t take long now, did it?” He grinned at her again, pushing back the wave on his forehead smearing more black residue on his handsome face. He slowly cranked the jack back down to where the tire was sitting perfectly on the pavement.
On Sale Date: February 23, 2016
9781611882261, 1611882265
$26.95 USD, $26.95 CAD
Fiction, Coming Of Age
The Story Plant
300 pages - 6 in | 9 in
A remarkable coming-of-age story with special appeal to dog lovers.
This was supposed to be a simple summer for Billy; one more lazy
expanse of time before college began. He'd fill the hours playing with
Jimmy - his canine best buddy - going camping and doing all the things
he promised Jimmy they'd do before Billy left.
But that was before the accident that shook the entire town.
It was before the summer job that turned into something so much more than a way to get a paycheck.
And it was before Vicki.
Author Information
Steven Manchester is the author of four
#1 bestsellers: Twelve Months, The Rockin' Chair, Pressed Pennies and Gooseberry
Island. His long-anticipated novel, The ChangingSeason, is currently available
for pre-order. Steve is also the author of the award-winning novel, Goodnight,
Brian. He has written A Christmas Wish (Kindle exclusive), Wilbur Avenue
(novelette), Just in Time (novelette) and The Thursday Night Club (novella),
while his work has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CBS's The Early Show,
CNN's American Morning and BET's Nightly News. Three of Steven's short
stories were selected "101 Best" for Chicken Soup for the Soul
series and he is the produced playwright of Three Shoeboxes.
Links to All Online Retailers
(for print and eBook versions): The Story Plant
Excerpt
This summer was destined to be many things to Billy, things he didn't
truly understand until now. But it was definitely not going to be
simple.
The
beach was nearly deserted. After erecting their tent and establishing a cozy
campsite, Jimmy trotted to the water. As Billy looked on, the silver-faced mutt
walked in slowly—like an old man easing himself into a warm bath—the reckless
abandon he’d once been known for completely gone.
Jimmy swam for a bit before sitting in the shallows with the water
line at his chest.
Billy waded in and took a seat beside him where they sat for a
long while, looking out onto the horizon. While the tide gently lapped at their
chests, Billy wrapped his arm around Jimmy’s shoulder. “This is the life,” he
whispered.
A seagull landed on the sand a few feet from them. Jimmy just sat
there, watching the squawking bird with mild interest. “You must be tired, Jimmy. Back in the day,
you would have chased that vulture until you collapsed.”
Jimmy stood and took chase, but it was a haphazard effort.
“Half-stepper,” Billy teased the dog and stood to go for a walk
and dry off.
As they strolled along the coastline, Jimmy shook the salt water
from his coat. He also took breaks, long breaks, acting like he was exploring.
I am excited to be included in the reveal of Taste by Kate Evangelista as this is another one of those academy novels that I am simply drawn to reading simply because they are so pleasurable to read. And the premise is very intriguing. Take a look!!!
Taste Blurb:
At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.
When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.
Author Bio:
When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels.
I sat up and followed Calixta’s gaze upward. I rubbed my eyes. I didn’t know what I was seeing at first. A statue? ¬My brain refused to snap together coherent thoughts.I didn’t realize I’d fallen so close to one of the garden benches until I stared up at the boy that sat on one. He was strikingly beautiful. His tumble of blonde hair curled just above his sculpted cheekbones. He wore a silk shirt and a loosened cravat, like he’d become bored while dressing and decided to leave himself in disarray. His ivory skin and frozen position was what had me mistaking him for something carved from marble by Michelangelo. Then he sighed—a lonely, breathy proof of life. If I had to imagine what Lucifer looked like before he fell from heaven, the boy on the bench would certainly fulfill that image. My brain told me I had to look away, but I couldn’t.
“Luka,” Calixta said again, her voice unsure, almost nervous. It no longer contained the steel and bite she had threatened me with, which made me wonder who the boy was.
He leaned on his hands and crossed his legs, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the night sky. His movements spoke of elegance and control. I’d encountered many people with breeding before, but his took on the air of arrogance and self-assuredness of someone used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.
I only realized I’d been holding my breath when my lungs protested. I exhaled. My heart sputtered and restarted with a vengeance. Luka tore his gaze away from the stars and settled it on me. I’d expected pitch-black irises, like the other Night Students, but blue ice stared back at me.
“Human,” he whispered.
He reached out, and with a finger, followed an invisible trail down my cheek. I stiffened. His touch, cooler than Demitri’s, caused warm sparks to blossom on my face. He lifted his finger to his lips and licked its tip. He might as well have licked me from the way my body shivered.
Luka’s curious gaze held mine. “Leave us,” he said, but not to me.
“But—” Calixta protested like a spoiled child.
He spoke in a language I hadn’t heard before, remaining calm yet firm. The words had a rolling cadence I couldn’t quite follow, like rumbling thunder in the distance. They contained a harsh sensuality. The consonants were hard and the vowels were long and lilting.
Footsteps retreated behind me.
Luka reached out again.
It took me a minute to realize he wanted to help me up. I hesitated. He smiled. I smiled back timidly and took his hand, completely dazzled. Even with my uniform soaked from melted snow, I didn’t feel cold—all my attention was on him and the way his callused hand felt on mine. Without moving much from his seated position, he helped me stand.
“What’s your name?” he asked. He had a voice like a familiar lullaby. It filled my heart to the brim with comfort.
I swallowed and tried to stop gawking. “Phoenix.”
“The bird that rose from the ashes.” Luka bent his head and kissed the back of my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
My cheeks warmed. My head reeled, not knowing what to think. I couldn’t understand why I felt drawn to him. And the strange connection frightened me.
From behind, someone gripped my arms and yanked me away before I could sort out the feelings Luka inspired in me. I found myself behind a towering figure yet again. Recognizing the blue-black silk for hair tied at the nape, relief washed over me. Calixta hadn’t come back to finish me off.
Demitri’s large hand wrapped around my wrist. Unlike the night before, no calm existed in his demeanor. He trembled like a junky in need of a fix. The coiled power in his tense muscles vibrated into me.
“What are you doing here?” Demitri asked.
I didn’t know he’d spoken to me until I saw his expressionless profile. I sighed.
“Phoenix.”
I flinched. The ruthless way he said my name punched all the air out of me. “You owe me answers,” I said with as much bravado as I could muster.
“I owe you nothing.” He glared. “In fact, you owe me your life.”
“I don’t think so.”
Ignoring my indignation, he faced Luka, who’d remained seated on the bench during my exchange with Demitri. “Why is she with you, Luka?”
“I wasn’t going to taste her, if that’s what you’re implying,” Luka said. “Although, she is simply delicious. I wouldn’t mind if you left us alone.”
There it was again. Taste. The word that kept coming up between these Night Students and I was connected to it in an increasingly uncomfortable way. To taste meant to sample, but what? My flesh? They had to be joking because the alternative wasn’t funny.
“The sins of the father …” Demitri left his sentence unfinished.
Luka’s smile shifted into a snarl. “Obey my command.” His chin lifted. “Kneel.”
Demitri’s stance went rigid. His grip tightened around my wrist.
Okay, weird just got weirder. Why would Luka want Demitri to kneel before him? I thought back to Eli and the others bowing to Demitri when he questioned them, but they didn’t kneel. Seriously? Were they all living on a different planet or something?
“Kneel.” Luka’s detestable smirk made his features sinister rather than angelic. The real Lucifer: a fallen angel.
Without letting go of my wrist, Demitri knelt down on one knee and bowed his head, his free hand flat at the center of his chest. “Your command has been obeyed,” he said formally.
Luka nodded once.
Demitri stood up and pulled me toward the school without telling me where we were going. Not having the time to thank Luka for saving me from Calixta, I risked a glance back. Luka smiled at me. His smile spoke of whispers, secrets, and promises to be shared on a later date.
