Author: Lexi RyanGenre(s): New Adult/ Contemporary Romance
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Book Blurb:“If you’re broken, I’ll fix you…”
I’m only twenty-one and already damaged goods. A slut. A failure. A disappointment to my picture-perfect family as long as I can remember. I called off my wedding to William Bailey, the only man who thought I was worth fixing. A year later, he’s marrying my sister. Unless I ask him not to…
“If you shatter, I’ll find you…”
But now there’s Asher Logan, a broken man who sees the fractures in my façade and doesn’t want to fix me at all. Asher wants me to stop hiding, to stop pretending. Asher wants to break down my walls. But that means letting him see my ugly secrets and forgiving him for his.
With my past weighing down on me, do I want the man who holds me together or the man who gives me permission to break?
Book Excerpt: Asher looks damn fine standing there, his dark shades blocking his eyes from the setting sun, a tiny silver hoop glinting in each ear. He is all hard muscle and tan in his fitted black t-shirt and faded jeans. I always said there’s no man as hot as my car. Now I’m not so sure.
My first thought is that we could be naked and in my bed in twenty minutes. My second is of the story Lizzy just told me, a story that makes Asher the worst kind of bad boy—capital B, capital N, Bad News.
I pull my keys from my purse. “What are you doing here?”
His too-goddamn-perfect mouth quirks into that cocky half grin. “I wanted to see you.”
“Aw! That’s what all my stalkers say.”
He chuckles. “You owe me a date.”
“How’d you even know to find me here?”
“How’d you get the cash for such a sweet ride?”
I drive a deep blue Mustang GT, a gift from my granny. She’s terrible with money and we love her for it.
“Marry an old man for his money?” he asks.
“Sure. But I was screwing his brains out when he died, so he didn’t mind much.”
His smile never wavers. “I want to take you out.”
“We discussed this already,” I say, my traitorous gaze dipping back to the bulge of his biceps. Lord have mercy. “I don’t do dates.”
“So we’ll call it something else,” he says. “Try not to get hung up on semantics.”
“And what if I say no?”
Asher’s smirk should piss me off. This is a man who gets what he wants, and it’s written all over his face.
I sigh. “Fine, but only if you have a signed note from your wife that says it’s okay if you play with others.”
“It’s one night. What? Are you afraid you can’t resist me?”
Damn. That’s a challenge. “Dinner,” I say, punching my key fob to unlock my doors. “But none of this macho, He-Man, I-drive-the-lady crap. I have free will and I like to keep my vehicle at my disposal. You might be hot, and I might be joining you for a meal, but you don’t own me.”
“Are you done?”
I try to stop the smile that’s coming, but I can’t resist. I don’t meet many men willing to call me on my bullshit. “Yeah.”
“Do you like Cajun food, loud atmosphere, a good beer list?”
I look him up and down again—a visual journey that is worth it every time. “Goddamn, Asher. You keep going and I might just think you had my number. Cajun Jack’s?”
“I’ll see you there.” He heads toward his Jeep. When he turns back to slide his eyes over my body, I have to tell myself that the heat rushing through me is only a product of the scorching May afternoon sun.
Excerpt © Lexi Ryan, 2013
THE INTERVIEW:
Where did you grow up?
Like Maggie’s character in UNBREAK ME, I’m from Middle-of-Lots-of-Cornfields, Indiana. I’m still here, so either I love it or it’s the black hole every teenager in town believes it to be <grin>. Actually, I live in the same neighborhood where I was raised, so my kids get to grow up tromping through the same old forests and creek beds that entertained me as a child—that, I love.
Did you always know you wanted to write?
When I was in second grade, I decided I wanted to be “an author.” I don’t think I had any idea what that meant at the time, but I liked the way it sounded.
My first story was scribbled in a journal I found under my sister’s bed. I loved filling those blank pages with the escapades of a little runaway I named “Spam.” Of course, when I showed my masterpiece to my mother and sister, my mom thought the best part was the little girl’s name and my sister was just irritated that I’d usurped her journal.
By the time I was in middle school, I was penning teenage soap operas. We would pass them around English class. My friends would read them and beg for more. I had a story and an audience. There was no turning back.
What writers influenced your writing the most?
There are so many! I knew I wanted to write since I was little, but when I was in junior high, my mom gave me a copy of Jude Deveraux’s Knight in Shining Armor, and from that moment on I knew I wanted to write romance. In high school, I got my hands on a copy of Sandra Cisneros’s poetry collection Loose Woman. Her voice is amazing, and she’s so unapologetic about her sexuality, it was refreshing and formative. Of course, there have been so many other authors who have influenced me along the way—Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Kristan Higgins, Kristin Hannah, and so many others.
What was the last novel you read and LOVED?
I recently finished Tammara Webber’s EASY and loved it. That book pretty much exemplifies everything I love about reading and writing in the NA genre.
Before now you’ve written adult romances, what made you decide to write new adult?
I’ve always wanted to write about young twenty-somethings, but with a few exceptions there just wasn’t a market for it before. I’m not sure why. My college years were formative. I fell in love, I got my heart broken, I figured out how who I was fit into who I wanted to be, and I had a lot of fun. When new adult romances started getting traction, I knew immediately that I wanted to write one, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to fit it in when I had other books planned. The thing is, once the idea for UNBREAK ME took root in my head, it owned me. I had to put all my other projects on hold. I needed to write this book, and I’m so glad I did.
Will there be a sequel to UNBREAK ME?
I never say never, but UNBREAK ME was written as a stand-alone novel with a happily-ever-after ending, but I do have plans for at least one spin-off novel. It’s in early stages yet, but I’m really excited about it.
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Ryan writes romances with humor, heat, and heart. Her books are described as fun, flirty, and wickedly sexy. A lover of learning, Lexi has been in the classroom all her life and currently holds the title of assistant professor of English at her local community college. Lexi is a proud member of Romance Writers of America. She lives in rural Indiana with her husband and two children.
Website: http://www.lexiryan.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexiryanauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/writerlexiryan
Happy Ranting and Raving!!!
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