by Elisa Dane
Release Date: 01/27/15
Swoon Romance
Summary from Goodreads:
High school senior, Claire Reilly’s world revolves around All-Star cheerleading. The Diamond Girls, are gearing up for a major competition, which, if they win will allow them to compete at Worlds for the first time. But the unimaginable happens, and both Claire and her team are rocked by a devastating loss. Determined to get to Worlds any way she can, Claire finds help from the last person she imagined would give it—up and coming UFC fighter and notorious bad boy, Ryker Vaughn.
Fouled out of the octagon by a dirty opponent and a vicious kick to the head, Ryker loses control when he learns he may never fight again. Angry over the loss of his mother, an unsupportive family, and the world in general, he gives up, gives in, and unleashes his rage—destroying part of his cousin’s cheer gym in the process. Things go from bad to worse when Ryker is given an ultimatum: help the Diamond Girls compete for a bid to Worlds, or go to jail.
Overwhelmed with anger, sadness, and grief, the unlikely pair learn that what you see is not always what you get, and that the most difficult losses sometimes open the door to a frightening, yet amazing new future.
Excerpt:
I tore my eyes from the mess in front of
me and zeroed in on the crap weasel standing in front of Coach Shea's office.
If Tayla had seen him, she wouldn't have questioned who was behind the
destruction. The perpetrator stood a measly yard and a half from us, and wore a
bored expression.
Ryker Vaughn, Tayla's black-sheep cousin
and all-around douche nozzle extraordinaire, was as noxious and irritating as
he was handsome. Looking as though he were plucked straight out of one of those
big-budget Clash of the Titans movies, he was chiseled like Hercules and rocked
a massive Narcissus complex. Gorgeous, with stormy gray eyes and cropped, dark
hair, dude thought he was the shizzle, and refused to give the meager masses
the time of day. As deadly as he was handsome, there wasn't
a person in Indigo Falls, or the surrounding counties, who wouldn't recognize
his name: Ryker the Striker.
A humanized weapon of the martial arts
variety, Ryker had spent a large portion of his eighteen years studying and
perfecting Brazilian Jui-Juitsu and Muay Thai. The captain of the wrestling
team at Douglas High before he graduated last year, he won two state
championships and held the record for most wins and takedowns in a single
season.
Unfortunately for him, neither his name,
his good looks, or his martial arts skills saved him from the set of security
cameras stationed around the building's perimeter. Why was he here talking to
Coach Shea? Why wasn't his butt sitting in a jail cell somewhere?
I let my eyes wander from Ryker to the
wreckage in front of me and frowned. The guy was more than capable of this type
of demolition. What I couldn't understand was the why of it? He wasn't the
world's friendliest guy, but I'd never known him to be outright destructive and
criminal. Though, if I were being honest, I didn't really know him. I'd only
crossed paths with him at a few of Tayla's family gatherings. He'd kept to his
scowling self, barely uttering a word to anyone the entire time. Unsociable
bastard.
Companion books in this series:
(each book is a separate story and do not have to be read in order)
Links for Ex-Factor:
About the Author
I'm a lover of books (YA & Adult romance), chocolate, reality television, and am a proud mother to three All Star cheerleaders. Woot!
I'm a lover of books (YA & Adult romance), chocolate, reality television, and am a proud mother to three All Star cheerleaders. Woot!
I write Contemporary YA romance with cheerleaders. Yep. I write what I know, and it's my hope that my stories will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but that you'll find a new respect and interest in the sport of Cheerleading you may not have had before.
Author Links:
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I really liked the excerpt!!! I cannot wait to read this book!!
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