In The Desert by Deirdre Riordan Hall::Excerpt + Giveaway
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Age Group: New Adult
When a family friend asks for a favor, UK rocker in recovery, Alex Stihl, joins her on the road trip, stirring up trouble; the last thing she needs. It doesn’t help that he has a mob of fans and a crazy ex-girlfriend tailing his every move.
Brighton and Alex clash as they cruise out of New York, she grows resigned in the rolling hills of Amish country, and he crashes hard in a hotel on the edge of the Smoky Mountains. While Brighton seeks a place to wash her mind of the past, Alex dodges reminders of heartbreak.
They both try to escape everything they have in
common: heartache, loss, and confusion about what’s next. But the magic of New
Orleans unites Brighton and Alex as they fight desperately for the other until
the stars in the desert sky lead them to discover exactly what they’re resisting
and missing.
When they reach the Oregon coast, Brighton uncovers her musical talent, bringing them closer together and helping her reconcile losing her father. But the trip comes to an end when they arrive in Los Angeles. Real life intervenes, splitting them apart; she moves into her new off-campus apartment and he has to return to his band.
When they reach the Oregon coast, Brighton uncovers her musical talent, bringing them closer together and helping her reconcile losing her father. But the trip comes to an end when they arrive in Los Angeles. Real life intervenes, splitting them apart; she moves into her new off-campus apartment and he has to return to his band.
After the semester begins, Brighton tries to
shake her mind loose from Alex, but the memory of his sexy voice, rainy day
eyes, and the miles they shared lingers like a song stuck in her head. Six
months later, when his band returns to Los Angeles for a concert, the compass
of her heart finally leads her home.
Alex
pulled her into an alcove, protected from the rain. She pressed in against him,
their faces inches apart.
“Why
would you need a brolly, if you have me?” he said.
The
way he said brolly made more laughter tickle her tongue, but the question, the
offer, of having him, made it fade on her lips.
“Do
I have you?” she asked. Her throat tightened at the possibility that the relief
from loneliness she yearned for may or may not be found in him.
“Do
you want me?”
His
breath smelled like wine and mint and shelter.
Her
pulse quickened. She’d never wanted anyone more in her life. She fought her way
to his lips. They were out of the rain, but somehow her face was damp as
another secret found its way to the surface.
“I
have something for you,” Alex whispered.
His
sexy voice was magnified against the backing track of the rain. He’d already
given her so much. She had everything she wanted snugged tight into that hidden
little alcove.
He
dug his hand into his pocket, his hips pressing up against hers in the small
space. He pulled out a guitar pick. “For you,” he said placing the vinyl chip
in her hand.
On
one side, it was printed with a series of numbers: 50.8429˚N, 0.1313˚. She breathed in his crooked
smile.
“Coordinates
if you ever get lost again.”
She
turned the guitar pick over in her hand. On the other side, it had the date in
July when they’d met along with the word always.
“In
case you ever forget.”
They
kissed, never wanting to forget that moment before stealing back through the
sopping streets, the glare of headlights and streetlamps guiding their steps in
the inky night.
The short author bio:
Deirdre
Riordan Hall is the author of upper young adult and new adult fiction. She
spends her days with her family, writing (what else?!) at the custom-made desk
her husband crafted, or seaside, pretending to be a mermaid. Click here
for the long author biography.
Social Media:
Get your copy of In the Desert:
Paperback
// Kindle
// Nook // Kobo // iBookstore
// Kindle // Nook // Kobo // iBookstoreWant to read more? Check out book one: To the Sea and two: Surfaced in the Follow your Bliss series; they can be read in order or stand-alone.
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