It’s a pleasure to be participating in author
Nicole Jacquelyn’s Release Week Blitz for her new novel, UNBREAK MY HEART.
As part of the celebration, Nicole is sharing
her Top Five Things
you don't give your best friend for a wedding gift if she's marrying your soul
mate. Can you guess what they are? In addition, there’s an excerpt to read and you
have the chance to win one of ten (10) trade paperback copies of UNBREAK MY HEART. Please see the end
of the post for more giveaway details.
Title: Unbreak My Heart
Author: Nicole Jacquelyn
On Sale: June 7, 2016
Formats: Trade Paperback
& eBook
Price: $14.99 USD
What do you do when your soul mate marries your
best friend?
If you're Kate Evans, you keep your friend Rachel, bond with her
kids, and bury your feelings for her husband. The fact that Shane's in the
military and away for long periods helps-but when tragedy strikes, everything
changes.
After Rachel, pregnant with her fourth child, dies in a car
accident and the baby miraculously survives, Kate upends her entire life to
share parenting duties. Then on the first anniversary of Rachel's death, Kate
and Shane take comfort in each other in a night that they both soon regret.
Shane's been angry for a year, and now he feels guilty too –
for sleeping with his wife's best friend and liking it…liking
her. Kate's ability to read him like a book may have once sent Shane
running, but their lives are forever entwined and they are growing closer.
Now with Shane deployed for seven months,
Kate is on her own and struggling with being a single parent. Shane is loving
and supportive from thousands of miles away, but his homecoming brings a
betrayal Kate never saw coming. So Kate's only choice is to fight for the
future she deserves – with or without Shane…
UNBREAK MY HEART is available at the
following sites: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Google Play, iBooks, Indiebound, Kobo, and Powell’s.
Now
the Top Five Things you don't give
your best friend for a wedding gift if she's marrying your soul mate …...
1. A framed photo of
you and your soul mate… before your best friend came along.
2. Recipes for his
favorite foods. Since they were passed down in your family, you can use that
excuse when she asks for them. “Sorry, secret family recipe.”
3. Anything
expensive. You love her, but she’s already taken enough.
4. Lingerie. As far
as you’re concerned, she’s wearing a long flannel nightgown to bed.
5. Your opinion on
the relationship and wedding.
I
don’t remember the drive to the hospital or even where I parked that afternoon.
I can’t recall what the nurse looked like as she searched for Rachel’s name in
their computer system or the walk toward the room where I waited for someone to
speak to me.
The
first thing I remember clearly is the white-haired doctor’s kind face as he sat
down across from me, and the young chaplain’s small smile as he chose the chair
to my left. Their words became a litany that I would hear in my dreams for
years.
My
Rachel was gone, but her son was alive and in the NICU.
“Is
there anyone you’d like for us to call? Any family or friends that you’d like
to be here?”
The
question jolted me out of the fog that seemed to be getting thicker and thicker
around me. Dear God.
“I’ll
make the calls,” I answered, looking blankly at the wall. “Can I have some
privacy please?”
“Of
course. I’ll be right outside if you need me,” the chaplain answered, reaching
out to pat my hand. “I’ll take you up to the NICU when you’re ready.”
The
room was silent after they left, and I fought the urge to scream at the top of
my lungs just to hear it echo around me. I understood then why people hired
mourners to wail at funerals. Sometimes the lack of sound is more painful than
the anguished noise of a heart breaking.
My
hands shook as I pulled my phone out of my front pocket and rested it on the
table in front of me.
It
only took a moment before the sound of ringing filled the room, and I rested my
head in my hands as I stared at the name across the screen.
“Hello?
Kate? What’s wrong?”
“Shane—”
I said quietly, my voice hitching.
“What?
Why are you calling me?” His voice was confused, but I could hear a small
thread of panic in the urgency of his words.
“I
need you to come to Tri-City Hospital,” I answered, tears rolling down my face
and landing on the glass screen of my phone, distorting the letters and
numbers.
“Who?”
His voice was frantic, and I could hear him moving around, his breathing heavy.
“Rachel
was in an accident.” I sobbed, covering my face to try and muffle the noise.
“No,”
he argued desperately, as I heard two car doors shut almost simultaneously. “Is
she okay?”
I
shook my head, trying to catch my breath.
“Kate!
Is she okay?” He screamed at me, his anguished voice filling the room as I’d
wanted mine to just minutes before.
“No,”
I answered through gritted teeth, feeling snot running down my upper lip as I
heard him make a noise deep in his throat. “She’s gone.”
He
didn’t say a word, and less than a second later, the connection was broken.
I
rubbed at my forehead, trying to convince myself that it was all just a
nightmare. Where was I supposed to be? What was I supposed to do now? My best
friend in the entire world was there in that hospital, but not really. I
couldn’t bear to see her. I couldn’t help her. Where the fuck was I supposed to
go?”
I
made my way to the NICU as quickly as I could, and within minutes, I was
holding my new nephew in my arms. The nurses told me that he’d passed all of
his tests with flying colors, and I was in awe as I sat down in a rocking
chair, cradling him to my chest.
“You
sure got a shitty beginning, little man,” I murmured against his fuzzy scalp,
rocking back and forth gently. “I’m so sorry, buddy. You’re probably missing
your mama and that warm bubble you’ve been in for so long. I can’t help you
there.”
I
sniffled, closing my eyes as tears rolled down my cheeks. My whole body ached,
and even though I had that little boy in my arms, the whole day seemed like
some sort of surreal dream, foggy in some parts and crystal clear in others. I
wanted to hop up and take his sleeping, little form to Rachel, to tease her
about the weird Mohawk thing he was sporting and make joking comments about how
men always seem to sleep through the hard parts of life. I wanted to see her
smile proudly at the sturdy boy she’d produced and grumble that I was hogging
him.
I
wanted everything to be different.
I
hummed softly with my eyes closed for a long time, holding the baby close to
me. It was quiet where we sat, nothing breaking up the stillness of the room
until I heard someone open the door.
“There
he is,” the nurse murmured from the doorway.
My
eyes popped open to see Shane’s ravaged face just feet from me. He looked like
he was barely holding on. I swallowed hard as his red rimmed eyes took in his
son carefully before rising to meet mine.
“Is
he okay?” he asked thickly, searching my face. I’d never seen him so
frightened.
“He’s
perfect,” I answered, my voice throbbing with emotion. “The nurses said he’s a
rock star.”
He
nodded twice, reaching up to cover his mouth with his hand, but before he could
say another word, he was stumbling and falling to his knees with an almost
inaudible sob.
TOUR
PARTICIPANTS:
You
can follow Nicole on her journey during this tour by visiting the following
blogs participating.
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| Author Nicole Jacquelyn |
First, she became a mom, and then during her
senior year of college--with one daughter in first grade and the other in
preschool--she sat down and wrote a story.
ABOUT FOREVER
To find out more about Forever and the
wonderful books they have to offer, check out their website and connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
This tour-wide
giveaway is for ten (10) trade paperback copies of UNBREAK MY HEART. To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter
widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to
load so please be patient.
Thanks so much for stopping
by today. What would be among your Top Five Things not to give
your best friend for a wedding gift if she (or he) was marrying your soul mate?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
An excerpt which made my eyes leak. Powerful stuff.
ReplyDeleteoh, noes, what a ghastly situation to be in
ReplyDeleteSorry, no long flannel nightgowns allowed in my house....
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds as though it packs a real emotional punch, Mason! And the overall plot sounds interesting, too. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a heart-wrenching scene.
ReplyDeleteSo sad...I'm not sure I up for that.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrible situation to be in. My heart would break in a million pieces if the person I perceived to be my soul mate married someone else.
ReplyDeleteWow, Mason, this is a serious blog tour. The book sounds great! And the interview was intriguing! Thanks for highlighting Nicole!
ReplyDeleteBook sounds and looks great!
ReplyDeleteWhat I would not give my best friend when she marries my soulmate: a picture of the three of us in happier times; anything with a "love will keep us together" sentiment; any "his & hers" type gift; no "friends forever" item; and no card that says: "You've married my best friend...and now we're best friends too".