I'm a huge fan of Jen McLauglin and absolutely loved Out of Line so I'm excited to have an extract from the newest book in the series Out of Mind to share with you today.
Finn survived the ambush and came home to me, but in his head, the battle is still raging. He’s falling apart and I’m trying my best to pick up the pieces of him, to find the us we used to be. I love him as much as I ever did, but love isn’t enough to fix this. I thought telling my father about our relationship would be the hardest thing we’d ever have to face. I was wrong.
Lost in shadows...
All I wanted was to be worthy of Carrie. One mission, just one, and I’d be able to give her the future she deserved. Then everything went wrong, leaving me tainted and broken. Carrie wants me to be who I was, but all that’s left is what they made of me. I’m no good for her. No good for anyone like this. I have to figure out how to move forward. Alone.
Sometimes love isn’t enough...
Out of Line Series:
Out of Line
Out of Time (Novella)
Out of Mind
Visit Diane Alberts / Jen McLaughlin's website for more information.
About the author:
Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.
Website: http://dianealberts.com/
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/DianeAlberts6
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeAlberts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6921962.Jen_McLaughlin
Extract from Out of Mind by Jen McLaughlin
(Posted with permission from the author as part of the blog tour)
“Don’t let me die...Please don’t let me die...”
Explosions boomed in my ears, shooting me upright into a sitting position in bed, gasping for air and crying out into the empty bedroom. Gunshots still echoed in my head, along with the gurgling of Dotter’s blood as it poured out of his body until there was nothing left. I looked down at my hands, half expecting to find them bloody. They weren’t.
But metaphorically? That was a whole other fucking story.
Trembling, I rose to my feet, my broken arm casted and hanging uselessly in a sling. My body was coated in a light sheen of sweat, and even my sheets were dampened and dark. Blinking at the sunlight that crept through the closed curtains, I tried to remind myself where I was. I wasn’t fighting for my life. Wasn’t watching people die. I was safe.
As safe as I was going to be, anyway.
Pushing the curtains back, I squinted outside. After spending a couple of weeks in a hospital in Germany, followed by another couple of weeks in a hospital in D.C., it was nice to be in a home. But instead of the sandy beaches and hot weather of California, I saw a foot of snow reflecting the sun, blinding me. And we were supposed to get even more tomorrow night. Fucking ridiculous. I studied the position of the sun in the winter sky. Damn, what time was it now? Last thing I remembered, I took a few pills and zonked out. It had been...morning? Maybe? Now, judging from the sunlight streaming through clouds, it was mid-afternoon.
I’d missed a whole day.
Sure. I could act shocked about this, but that happened more often than not lately. I slept away the day, high on painkillers and drunk from whiskey. When I woke up, I swore I wouldn’t touch another drink. I’d last an hour or two.
Then I’d do it all over again.
I ran my hand over my shaved head, wincing at how rough it felt. I’d been back in the good old USA for a couple of days now. I still felt like I was trapped in the fucking desert. Instead, I was in the winter wonderland from hell. Carrie’s parents’ house.
A knock sounded on the door, and I dropped the curtain. I glanced down at myself. I had on a muscle tank and a pair of black basketball shorts. Decent enough, I supposed. “Come in.”
The door cracked, and the red hair I’d recognize anywhere appeared before the face I needed so damn much did. “You’re up?”
“Yeah.” I tugged on my tank and crossed the room. “You can come in.”
Carrie entered, shutting the door behind her. She hesitated, looking torn. Her blue eyes were sober and crystal clear, while I was a fucking drunken wreck. I’d been snapping at her lately. Pushing her away. I hated myself for it, yet I couldn’t seem to fucking stop.
“Did you sleep good? I thought I heard you cry out.”
I fingered the puckered wound on my head. It was still sensitive to the touch and ugly as fuck. Not as ugly as the rest of my scars. Inside and out. “I had another nightmare. Same old thing.”
She approached me slowly. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Yeah.” I met her eyes. “You can come hug me.”
She gave me a smile. “Anytime.”
Within seconds, she was in my arms. Well, my arm. I glowered down at my broken arm, knowing it was as marked up as my head. You just couldn’t see it right now. I closed my arm around her, burying my face in her neck. “Fuck. I missed you.”
She tilted her face up to mine. “I missed you, too.”
Giveaway Details:
As part of the blog tour Jen is holding a fabulous giveaway for a Finn necklace and a signed set of the whole Out of Line series. The giveaway is only open to US participants though I'm afraid (I can't tell you how jealous I am of whoever wins the prize because I would LOVE to enter!).
You can enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below, the winner will be contacted directly by Jen so she can arrange to send out your prize.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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