The Wreckage of Us by Brittainy C. Cherry Blog Tour

Never in a million years did I think it would be Ian Parker who saved me...

I know I should stay away from Ian Parker.

But when my drug-dealing stepdad kicks me out, I have nowhere to go. Squatting in an abandoned shed on Ian’s grandpa’s farm seems like as good a plan as any.

Ian finds me there, of course, and he insists on me moving into his spare room. I should say no, but the appeal of a roof and a warm bed is too much. Not to mention Ian’s brown eyes and strong arms.

We’re nothing alike, but the spark between us is undeniable. My life is finally looking up.

Until I call the cops on my stepdad and unintentionally get my pregnant mom arrested.

Now I have to sacrifice my dreams to take care of my mom’s baby. She’s the only family I have left. Meanwhile, Ian’s band is taking off; his dreams are coming true.

Ian is my one chance at love. I just hope he doesn’t become the one chance that got away.

 

 

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

A typical Eres Saturday night.

I wandered the ranch with a notebook and pen in my hand. I kept scribbling down lyrics and crossing them out before trying again to create something better, stronger—realer. I kept drumming my fingers against each other, trying to unlock the pieces that I was missing. As I paced back and forth, a voice broke me away from my mind.

“It’s the words.”

I looked up to see Hazel sitting in the rocking chair that Big Paw built for my mother years ago. I used to sit in Mom’s lap as she’d read me stories before bedtime all those years back. There’d been times I thought about getting rid of the chair in order to forget that memory, but I hadn’t found the strength to let go just yet.

“What do you mean it’s the words?” I asked, walking up the steps of the porch. I leaned against the railing facing her.

She blinked and tilted her head in my direction. “Your words are trash.”

“What?”

“The lyrics to your songs, they are complete garbage, filled with clichés and bubblegum. Don’t get me wrong, the music style and tempos are brilliant. And even though it pains me to admit, your voice is so solid and soulful that you could be a star in a heartbeat. But your lyrics? They are pig shit.”

“I think the saying is horseshit.”

“After spending weeks in a pig pen, pig shit seems to truly sum up my feelings about your music. But my gosh, your voice. It’s a good voice.”

I tried to push off her insult, and tried to ignore her compliment, too. But it was hard. I had an ego that was easy to bruise, and Hazel was swinging her punches while also speaking words of praise. It was as if every bruise she made, she quickly covered with a Bandaid.

Insult, compliment, insult, compliment. Wash, rinse, repeat.

“Everyone else seemed to enjoy it,” I replied, tense with my words.

“Yeah, well, everyone else are morons who are drunk off their minds.”

“Oh? And you think you could do better?”

She laughed. “Without a doubt.”

“Okay, Hazel Stone, master of lyrics, give me something to go with.”

She gestured toward the other rocker beside her—the one Dad used to sit in.

I sat down.

She pressed her lips together. “Okay. Give me one of your songs. One that you know is crap but are pretending isn’t crap.”

“They aren’t—”

“Lying isn’t going to get us far tonight, Ian.”

I narrowed my eyes and murmured a curse word before I began flipping through my notebook to find a song for Hazel to magically make better. “Fine. We can do Possibilities.”

“Hmm… What is it about?”

“A new relationship forming. I want to showcase those beginning feelings, you know? The fears and excitements. The nerves. The unknown. The—”

“First chapters of love,” she finished my thoughts.

“Yes, that.”

She took the pencil from behind my ear and took the notebook from my grip. “May I?”

“Please. Go for it.”

She began scribbling, crossing things out, adding things in, doing whatever came to her mind. She worked like a manwoman, falling into a world of creativity that I didn’t think she’d held inside of her. The only thing I knew about Hazel Stone was where she came from, and the clothes she wore. I hadn’t known anything else, but now she was pouring herself out on the page, and I couldn’t wait to see what the hell she was scribbling.

She took a breath and handed the notebook back to me. “If you hate it, no harm, no foul,” she said.

My eyes darted over the words. “It’s possible this is forever ours. It’s possible we’ll reach the stars. We’ll fight for this, we’ll make it real. Is it possible, possible, to show you how I feel?”

“Shit.” I blew out a breath of air. “Hazel… that’s... It’s like you crawled into my head and read the thoughts I couldn’t decipher. That’s the chorus. That’s it.”

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
Anytime there is a new book coming out from this author, I want it even before I know what it is about. Her stories are the best, they pull at your heartstrings and sometimes make you think. You will hate a character, be sad, want to throw things, and fall in love. But in the end, you will be happy you read the story because you fell in love!

Hazel has lived a rough life, now 18, and looking for a job so she can save some money and move away from her mom and stepfather. She demands a job at a ranch. Big Paw tells her she is at the wrong place to apply for a job at the restaurant. But Hazel fires right back that she needs to make some money and she can't do that unless she works at the ranch. And she will work harder than most of the workers he has now. So Big Paw gives her a chance to prove she can do it.

Ian Parker is Big Paw's grandson and he has to train Hazel. They both hate each other from the beginning. On her first day, Ian is a no-show, when Hazel goes looking for him, she finds him in the office with a girl in an inappropriate position.

Needless to say, neither of them wants to be around the other, but there are forces working that will bring them together in a way that will last forever. They will ground each other. As they grow closer, Hazel helps Ian write music for his band and Ian lets her (with the push of Big Paw) move into the cabin with him.

I am not going to tell you anymore, just to read this one. If you are a Brittainy C. Cherry fan, then you know. And if you haven't read her before, you should. She is an awesome author that will automatically become one of your favorites. So sit back and enjoy this one. I loved it!

 

 

The Wreckage of Us takes place in the inauspicious town of Eres, Nebraska. Not exactly a place where happily-ever-afters are made. What made you choose this setting?

I wanted to tell a story about a small town that was overlooked by the world as a whole. Most people would overlook a town like Eres, Nebraska, but there are still people who are living, who are loving, and who are struggling in these small towns. I wanted to show their stories, and how even though the rest of the world may not see them, that they still matter. They deserve their happily ever afters just as much as the rest of the world.

Hazel, your heroine, is newly eighteen when her criminal step-father throws her out of the house. She literally has nothing when the story begins—not even her mother’s support. What choices does Hazel make? Do you agree with them?

Hazel chooses to find a job in order to help her mother from a distance. I think she acts on impulse, not exactly thinking things through. She doesn’t get the opportunity to think far into the future, she only has right in that moment. Second by second. I do agree with her choices in a way, since she isn't harming anyone with these choices. She is just doing her best to make it to the next day.

Forget about healing, Hazel is in survival mode. What keeps her going?

Her twisted love and care for her mother is keeping her going—along with her unborn sister. She knew what it was like to grow up in her household, and she wouldn’t want her little sister to go through those same kind of struggles. So, that pushes Hazel to keep moving forward and fighting for her family.

Your hero is a very interesting mix of both the town’s “golden boy” as well as the town’s “bad boy”. Ian is… complicated. How did you get to know him? How does Hazel get to know him?

I believe Hazel and I both got to know Ian the same way—piece by piece. He has a wall of protection up from the world due to the trauma he experienced as a child. Being abandoned by his parents really did a number on Ian’s trust. Yet, the beautiful thing about Ian is when he loves, he loves fully. He does everything he can to make sure those he loves are taken care of. Once his pieces are discovered, he makes a beautiful complete puzzle.

Music is Ian’s whole life. He sees it as his escape, a way out of the stifling Eres, Nebraska. However, he struggles with his emotions and allowing himself to really feel the music he is making. What needs to change for him?

He needs to tap into his darkest struggles. He has to go to the edge of his anger, his hurts, and express those feelings on the page in front of him. Ian holds so much in that it becomes a creative block in a way. Once he starts breaking those walls down—with the help of Hazel—he discovers his real creativity. He finds his voice, he finds his songs. He finds himself.

Hazel and Ian are an unlikely pair. They really get on each other’s nerves and they want different things out of life. Yet despite their differences, they find a connection. What is the spark that brings them together?

I think it’s loneliness. They grew up without having the true love of their parents. And in the town of Eres, drugs are a big issue. Those drugs affected both of their parents lives in different ways, but it’s a connecting factor for them both. They are able to connect with one another because they both know what it’s like to hurt so deeply and dream of a parent’s love.

The theme of “impossible love” runs through your novels. Two people that can’t possibly make it work realize that they don’t want anyone else but each other. What excites you about these types of stories.

I think there’s something so exciting about a love worth fighting for. When the passion is given from not only one side of the equation, but both the hero and heroine know the feelings they have run deep. Sure, there are struggles, like there are in everyday life, but they know they wouldn’t want to struggle with anyone else in the world. They fight for their happily ever after, no matter what. And that, in my mind, is what makes the impossible love become possible and true. That’s what gives us the happily ever afters that we as readers crave.

Currently our country and the world are going through unprecedented crisis. The arts have become so important for people to feel a sense of normalcy. As a writer, how do you hope your story affects your readers?

I hope my stories give my readers hope. I hope it reminds them that even throughout the storms, the sun will always shine once the clouds move to the side. There’s beauty in the storms, too, if you are willing to look hard enough. There are lessons of self that can be learned, and I think my characters discover that from time to time. I just hope to showcase that this is still a time to believe in happily ever afters, and that the world’s story as a whole, is far from over. We still have so much beauty to still discover. We still have so much light to find. And those facts alone, give me hope, and I hope my stories do the same for readers. I hope I give them light.

How has our current situation affected projects you are working on now? (Any spoilers you can tell us about what is up next for you?)

I’m finding myself more forgiving of my writing pace! I fell off for a while, and found it hard to be creative, but now that I am in a groove, I am finding writing fun again. It’s my great escape from the issues around me. Words save me day in and day out, and I’m thankful for that. Up next for me is my second book in my Compass series, which is entitled Eastern Lights. It’s my first ever romantic comedy, that is filled with so much heart. I think readers are going to love getting to know Connor and Aaliyah’s story!

 

 

BRITTAINY C. CHERRY has been in love with words since she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a bachelor’s degree in theater arts and a minor in creative writing. She loves to take part in writing screenplays, acting, and dancing—poorly, of course. Coffee, chai tea, and wine are three things that she thinks every person should partake in. Cherry lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her family. When she’s not running a million errands and crafting stories, she’s probably playing with her adorable pets.

Connect with Brittainy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads
Brittainy's Golden Girls (And Boys) Facebook Group

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Wreckage of Us by Brittainy C. Cherry to read and review for this tour.

Southern Storms by Brittainy C. Cherry Blog Tour

All I wanted to do was run away, I never expected to crash into his arms...

After leaving the city life behind to escape my loveless marriage, I moved to small town Havenbarrow for a fresh start.

What I didn’t expect was to find myself drawn to the town’s black sheep.

They called him troubled. Cold. A man with a dark past.

What everyone seemed to miss about Jax was the splashes of light in his eyes. The random acts of kindness he performed when no one was watching. The way he made me smile and laugh.

Jax helped unpack the baggage I’d been carrying around with me. He was patient with my pain and gentle with my scars. He was the stillness during my hurricane.

Yet when both of our pasts came back to haunt our present days, we realized quickly that sometimes love stories didn’t end the way we’d hoped.

Sometimes you were left with only the damage from the storm.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Kennedy

Joy Jones was quite the character to take in. That morning, when the sun came up, she walked outside to her front porch and sat down in her rocking chair with a smile on her face and a large cup of coffee. A few of my nosy visitors told me that it was a daily routine for her.

Her silver-dripped hair was tossed up in a messy bun being held together with two knitting needles, and her thick-framed, vibrant-orange glasses sat on top of her head. She wore a vibrant bow in her hair that matched her dress for the day, and she always greeted everyone who passed by her house, even when they didn’t speak back to her. Everyone in town called her Crazy Joy, even though she was the kindest person. Her only odd quirk was that she never left her property.

I wondered how she managed, though. I wondered how she kept living without stepping foot outside of her home. It seemed she hadn’t any children and she didn’t have a caregiver who came to aid her, from what I could tell.

Later that morning, my questions were answered as a blue pick-up truck pulled in front of the house. Needless to say, my jaw dropped to the ground when I saw Mr. Personality step out of the vehicle. He walked his way straight toward Joy’s front porch with his arms filled with grocery bags.

He proceeded to greet Joy. She stood from the rocking chair as he set the bags down on the porch. Then, he hugged her.

He hugged her!

I wouldn’t have thought someone as grumpy as Mr. Personality had the ability to hug someone. The two of them walked inside to put the groceries away, leaving me completely baffled and unable to return to my scheduled reading. It took a lot to break me away from a book. And by ‘a lot,’ I meant a lot. My house could’ve been on fire, aliens could’ve beamed me up, and I would’ve still been trying to get in that one last page. When my own love story was broken, I turned to story books to heal the cracks of my broken heartbeats. When my world fell apart, the story books still believed in happily ever afters. Those books saved me on the days I felt my soul falling victim to the hardest of storms.

Yet, Mr. Personality pulled me away from the words against the page. He made me curious about him walking into Joy’s house. Watching him chat away with her had my mind racing. A few minutes later, when the two of them walked back outside with two glasses in their hands—one with wine, the other with some dark liquor—whiskey, I assumed—I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over to them. Joy kept talking, and Mr. Personality kept responding. Even though I couldn’t hear what they were saying, Joy looked beyond smitten with whatever was being said her way, which forced my own heart to skip a few beats.

Well, I’ll be damned.

The town’s asshole made me swoon.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
I have found another favorite book from author Brittainy C. Cherry. Jax and Kennedy are two broken souls that found each other as kids and somehow made their way back to each other as adults. And it is what each needed to heal the other's heart.

This story is filled with pain and heartache that will make you cry, but you wouldn't expect anything else from this author. You will also find yourself laughing too. This story has all the feels to make you want to read it over and over again.

So, if you haven't read a Brittainy C. Cherry story before or if you love her stories as much as I do, then you will love this one. Just have a tissue or a box handy because you will need them and enjoy it.

Author Brittainy C. Cherry is an Amazon #1 bestselling author.

She has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing.

Her novels have been published in 18+ countries around the world. Brittainy lives in Brookfield, Wisconsin with her fur babies.

Connect with Brittainy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads
Brittainy's Golden Girls (And Boys) Facebook Group


Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Southern Storms (Compass #1) by Brittainy C. Cherry to read and review for this tour. Mary received her copy via the author’s ARC team.

Landon & Shay Part Two by Brittainy C. Cherry Blog Tour

Once upon a time, I fell in love with a boy.
A beautiful, broken boy who had his own world of struggles.

People warned me against our love, but I didn't listen.
We looked weak.
Young, foolish.
Dangerously in love.
We didn't care.

In order to keep our hearts protected from the opinions of others, we became each other’s secret.
We shared stolen moments. Tender touches. Secretive embraces.

It was our twisted love story, and it worked for us up until our lives changed forever.

The boy I loved became Hollywood’s newest golden boy.
His career blossomed as mine stalled.
He found massive success as I discovered multiple failures.
He made something of himself, while my dreams never came true.

We moved into different realms where our pieces no longer fit together.

In the fairy tales, love conquered all.
In reality, love was the main reason empires began to fall.

I always knew Landon belonged in my story.
He was my beginning, middle, and end.
The only problem? I wasn’t certain I still belonged in his.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Shay

“Oh my gosh, tell us everything.” Raine beamed as she sat across from Landon at the dining room table with her chin on her hands in amazement. “Tell me everything about being famous.”

That privacy I thought Landon and I would get?

Not going to happen with Raine living in the same place as me. She was so giddy seeing her best friend, and I couldn’t blame her. I was just as excited—even more so than her.

Landon looked so good, so grown-up.

He had facial hair that was groomed to perfection, and he smelled like sex appeal and honey. Since he’d arrived, I hadn’t allowed myself to be far from his side.

I sat in the chair next to him, and he hadn’t removed his hand from my thigh, massaging it up and down.

“I’m not famous.” Landon chuckled, giving Raine a smile. “I honestly don’t know what’s been happening to me, or why it’s been happening to me, but I feel like I’ll one day wake up and it will all be a dream.”

“You know what I hate?” Raine asked, crinkling her nose up.

“What’s that?” Landon replied.

“When really famous people claim they aren’t famous. That’s like when rich kids are like ‘Oh, I’m not rich, my parents are.’ Like, shut up, Susan. You can’t say you’re not rich while driving your Mercedes Benz wearing your Gucci shoes. That’s not how that works.”

I chuckled at my dramatic friend. “She is right, though. You are famous, Landon. The world has seen your tushy in boxer briefs. That’s the top layer of fame.”

“And what a cute little tushy-wushy it is,” Raine mocked, leaning over to pinch his cheeks. “I’m a proud big sister.”

“For the millionth time, I’m older than you, Raine,” Landon remarked.

“By age, not by maturity.” She darted her eyes back and forth between the two of us. Then her stare moved to Landon’s hand caressing my upper thigh. “Is this about to get a little PG-13? Should I leave?” “You should probably leave,” I joked. She nodded in agreement. “Okay, well, don’t make plans tomorrow night, Landon. We’re going to have everyone over for a reunion. Now, go do whatever it is you’re planning to do, you two lovebirds—but remember, these walls are thin, and my bedroom is right next door to Shay’s.”

I laughed. “I know, and I’m reminded of how thin the walls are every time Hank stays the night.”

She gave me a smile and a wink. “We broke the headboard the other night.”

Landon jumped in. “And I think that falls into the realm of too much information. I don’t want to think about Hank and you banging and breaking headboards. You are like a big sister to me, after all.”

Raine walked around and patted him on the back. “You’re old enough to know that your sister gets laid, Landon—at least four times a week in many different positions.”

“Raine,” Landon groaned, slapping his hand to his face. “Too much information.”

“I bet you won’t think it’s too much information when Shay breaks out some of the moves from the Kama Sutra book I gave her. Good night, kiddos.”

She hurried off, and Landon was staring at me with a highly arched eyebrow.

“What?” I asked.

“What’s this about a Kama Sutra book?” His lips curved up into a wicked grin.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s nothing. Raine is just a sex-driven girl. She said she and Hank needed to spice things up after being together so long.”

“I like spice. Spice is my favorite thing. What are some of the names of the moves in the book? What are we trying tonight?”

I felt my face heating up from the idea of it all. “None.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Oh crap. You’ve really read this book, haven’t you?”

“What? No. Not at all.”

He smirked and pointed a finger. “You have one on the tip of your tongue. I can tell. Do share.”

“Well…” I pulled the collar of my shirt between my lips and shrugged. “There is this thing called the butterfly.”

The way his eyes smiled along with his lips made my cheeks heat even more. He rose to his feet. “Come on, let’s go. I’m going to butterfly the hell out of you.”

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
The first book of Landon and Shay was hard on the heart, but book two was hard on the soul. In book one you learn their past, so you think book two is going to be their present. Well, it is past, present, and the future, but also so much more.

Landon tries to fight his demons and use Shay as a crutch until she finally has had enough and ends their relationship. Both are miserable without the other. It's like they are living without their own hearts. But until Landon gets his life under control and controls his demons, there will never be another chance for them to have a future together.

Can Shay forgive Landon for all the tabloid gossip? Will Landon tell her the truth about why he did some of the things he did all those years ago? Is there hope for Landon and Shay?

I love Brittainy C. Cherry and her stories will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. The stories are so breathtakingly awesome that even though your heart may break while reading one, Cherry will always put it back together with loving care.

I highly recommend reading book one first and then enjoying this one. And if you haven't read this author yet, read The Air He Breathes, it's my favorite and I love all her stories.

Also Available in the L&S Duet

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Landon & Shay Part One Blog Tour.

Author Brittainy C. Cherry is an Amazon #1 bestselling author.

She has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing.

Her novels have been published in 18+ countries around the world. Brittainy lives in Brookfield, Wisconsin with her fur babies.

Connect with Brittainy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads
Brittainy's Golden Girls (And Boys) Facebook Group


Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Landon & Shay Part Two (L&S Duet #2) by Brittainy C. Cherry to read and review for this tour.

Landon & Shay Part One by Brittainy C. Cherry Blog Tour

Shay Gable hated my guts, and I hated hers, too.

We went out of our way to avoid one another at all times. When she came my direction, I went the other. When we locked eyes, she’d turn and walk away.

All of that changed the day I was presented with a challenge. It started out as a stupid bet: make Shay fall in love with me before I fell in love with her first.

That was an easy bet for me to win.
I didn’t love, I hardly liked.

Yet slowly the game started to shift. Shay made me crave things I never knew I wanted.
Love.
Happiness.
Her.

The closer we grew, the more she challenged my darkness, and the parts I kept locked away.
The hurts.
The pains.
The truth.

The game between us became too real, our feelings intermixed, and the risks of hurting one another grew higher.

But you know what they say...
All’s fair in the game of love and war—especially the heartbreaks.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Spin Seven was a mixture of spin the bottle and seven minutes in heaven. When it was my turn, I reached out to the bottle with no concern about whether or not it would land exactly where I wanted it to go. At fourteen years old, I’d learned how to perfect my spin-seven skills in order to kiss the girl I wanted.

Though, this time, I knew there wasn’t going to be a lot of kissing going on. More like yelling.

The bottle spun and spun, around and around. Shay’s eyes stayed glued to the glass beer bottle. The moment it started to slow down, I watched her lips part as she quietly muttered, “No, no, no,” before it stopped directly in front of her.

The circle began oohing and aahing at the idea that the two sworn enemies were on their way to the closet together for seven minutes straight. They were all here for that show, and I knew the moment we stepped into that closet, the door would be surrounded with people whispering and pressing their ear against it from the outside, trying to catch a snippet of what was going on behind closed doors.

I stood from the circle and gestured toward Shay. “Please,” I offered. “Chickens first.”

She grimaced, her thick, full eyebrows lowering a hair before she pushed herself up from the floor and headed toward the closet in haste. We both stepped inside and stood nose to nose.

“Okay, friends, you know the rules,” Eric said, grabbing the handle of the door. “Seven minutes in heaven—or, in your case, hell. Have fun!” He slammed the door shut, and the moment it happened, Shay whined with irritation.

“I can’t believe I’m locked in here with you for seven minutes. I could think of a million things I’d rather be doing,” she grumbled, probably with a pout.

“Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know… watching paint dry.”

“Well, since we’re here, we should probably spend our time wisely,” I joked, moving to unbuckle my jeans, knowing it would bother her. I wished I could see the annoyance on her face. I loved when I got under her skin enough to make her nostrils flare.

“Oh my gosh, remove that idea from your mind, Landon, and stop messing with your belt, because there’s no way in hell I’m touching you.”

“I’ve thought about it before,” I said, my voice low and tame.

“Thought about what?”

“Kissing you.”

She huffed sarcastically. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“You’re right, it’s not.”

“I know.”

It was true, though. It’d happened once—and only once—after Lance’s funeral. I had spent a lot of weeks being out of it, using alcohol to cope with the shitstorm raging inside my head, and I was a bit unstable. If my friends hadn’t been looking out for me, I would’ve probably gone overboard. I remembered walking into school one day and seeing Shay standing there at her locker with a few of her friends. She was laughing and tossing her head back in such a genuine way, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

I kept thinking about how she’d held me weeks prior and stayed with me during the lowest point of my life. She had been there—my enemy—taking care of my scars. And as I’d stared at her in the hallway, I’d thought about thanking her—walking over to her, parting my lips, and giving her my gratitude. I wasn’t used to people doing shit for me with no hope of anything in return, and Shay had done it without any expectations.

I remembered looking at her eyes, and then moving down to her slender nose, and then her cheeks, then those juicy lips.

I wondered how those lips would taste if I used mine against them to thank her. I wondered if she tasted like the candy she was always popping into her mouth. I wondered if she dripped of the angelic sin I always claimed her to be. I wondered for a split second… considered it for a blink in time… and then she slammed her locker, walked away, and I sobered up.

Still, I had considered it.

We both went quiet for a few moments before I cleared my throat again. I didn’t like silence. Silence and I didn’t get along too well. “Just one kiss, Chick. I can keep it a secret.”

“You keep secrets the same way you keep girls. AKA, you don’t—other than Monica.”

“Monica’s not mine.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that she thinks you’re hers.”

I smirked a little. “You jealous of her?”

“Jealous of her having to deal with a guy like you? Never in my life.”

“Whatever you say, Chick.”

“I wish you’d stop calling me Chick,” she snapped. “I hate it.”

“You want a new nickname, sweet cheeks? I can give you a new nickname, sweet cheeks.”

She shivered in disgust. Good. There was nothing I enjoyed more than getting on her nerves. “Not that either.”

“I’ll keep working on it.”

“Or you could just call me by my name.”

“Nah, Shay’s too ugly a name to leave my lips.”

“I hate you.”

“I hate you more.”

“Yeah, but I hate you the most.”

I snickered. “You really think you can get a guy like me to fall in love with you?”

“Yes. I’m positive, actually. People are the easiest to read, and that includes you.”

“You can’t read me, Shay.”

“I can, like an open book.”

“Okay.” I reached into my pocket, pulled out my cell phone, and turned on the flashlight, lighting up the small space. “Read me.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You sure you want me to do this? Reading people is kind of my gift, and you might not like what I have to say.”

“I never like what you have to say, so this time shouldn’t be any different. Go for it.”

She rolled her shoulders back and stretched out her arms as if she was about to deadlift me. “Okay. You’re fake, Landon.”

That was it? That was the big reveal? “What the hell do you mean I’m fake?”

“I mean exactly that. You. Are. Fake. F-A-K-E. Fake. There is nothing real about you. You’re a walking lie.”

I laughed. No joke, I actually laughed out loud, which didn’t happen often for me. It was a deep-rooted, belly laugh.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I questioned. “Everything about me is real. I’m the realist damn person you’ll come across in our town.”

“No,” she disagreed with a shake of her head. “You are the fakest. You’re even faker than the new boobs Carly Patrick got for her eighteenth birthday.”

“What?!” I breathed out, stunned by her words. “I’m not fake, Shay.”

“It’s not a big deal, Landon.” She shrugged her shoulders and went to picking at her nails. “People seem to love your fakeness.”

“I’m not fake,” I argued again, my blood boiling at this point. “Plus, I’ve seen Carly’s boobs up close and personal. Those are straight in-your-face, nips-don’t-flick fake. There is no way in this world I’m more fake than those silicone watermelons. I’m a lot of shitty things, but fake isn’t one of them.”

“Okay then, can you answer a question for me?”

“Anything.”

“How many people know you’re sad?”

“The hell kind of question is that?” I barked.

“A very straightforward one,” she replied. She seemed so cool, calm, and collected—one of the many things I despised about her. It was as if her life was always so solid. I wished for that kind of stable structure, and seeing that she had it annoyed the living hell out of me.

“How long have you been sad, Landon?”

I glanced at my watch. “About a solid three minutes now, because being trapped inside this closet with you is complete hell.”

“Aren’t you the one who wanted to come in here with me?”

“Bad call. A lapse in judgment. I forgot how annoying you are.”

She smiled. She freaking smiled at me, pleased by my annoyance. “Are you going to answer me about your sadness?”

“Are you going to suck my dick?” I replied.

“Do you always do that?” she asked, tilting her head to the left as she studied my expressions. She was doing that thing she did—reading me. Taking note of my movements and the tightness of my jaw, taking in every inch of me.

Don’t let her read your pages, Landon. She couldn’t have even handled my prologue.

All my walls were up, and I wasn’t going to let her knock them down.

“Do what?” I questioned.

“Use sarcasm to shield your hurting.”

“There’s nothing hurting here. Look at this life. I have money, badass parties, and girls throwing themselves at me—why would I have anything to hurt about?”

“Maybe because money, girls, and parties don’t make a person happy. I see how miserable you are in your eyes.”

I grimaced and whisper-hissed, “You don’t know shit about me, Shay.”

“Then how am I able to get under your skin so easily? If that wasn’t true, if you weren’t sad, why would my saying that bother you so much?”

“You don’t,” I calmly replied.

She did.

She was pushing me, making me uncomfortable with the fact that she did seem able to see the parts of me no one else could. Anger was building in my chest, and I needed to defuse it before it became too big.

“Maybe it’s best if we shut up for the rest of the time,” I told her.

“For the second time in my life, I agree with you.”

Shay sat down on the floor of the closet, and I did the same, leaning back against some coats that were hanging. How did seven minutes feel like seventy? Was time moving at all? This was hell.

Then came the silence. The silence that brought out heavy thoughts. Shay could read my mind somehow, and so, when the silence became too much, I cleared my throat and tried to make small talk in hopes of shutting my own brain up. “A chicken and Satan walk into a closet—stop me if you’ve heard this one.”

She laughed a little.

It was quiet and low, and dammit, I’d never heard Shay laugh at anything I’d ever said before, so that was new. What was also new was the small part of me that enjoyed hearing her sound.

“Landon?” she whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Just shut up, all right?”

Yeah, okay.

“One more minute, you horny hatebirds!” Eric called out.

We both stood, and I took a step closer toward her. “I get you not wanting to kiss. That’s intimate and personal, but if you want, this is your last chance to touch my cock while no one’s looking. I won’t stop you.”

“No thanks. I’m allergic to peanuts,” she said so effortlessly and loudly, causing the crowd on the other side of the door to burst into laughter.

Shay smirked again, feeling proud of her little dig at me. That beautiful, annoying smirk I loved to hate.

Shay: 1

Landon: 0

I wasn’t worried, though. The game was just getting started. She might’ve scored one point, but I wasn’t going to let it happen again. We were playing on my field, and Shay didn’t know what she was up against.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
Landon and Shay hate each other. They went out of each other's way to avoid the other. That is, until Landon took a bet to make Shay fall in love with him. It was on when she overheard them talking about the bet.

Shay was the only person who could see Landon's pain. She could read him like no one else. But when she walked into his bedroom and heard them talking about her, she wanted in on that bet. So she bet Landon that he would fall in love with her before she would fall in love with him.

As they tried to stay away from each other, they began to see what the other was hiding. Shay brought her light and laughter to Landon's darkness and Landon let Shay see that the darkness was not all he was about.

Can Landon let Shay continue seeing the real him and not lose himself in the darkness for good? Will Shay help Landon move from the darkness and they continue a relationship? Will the bet ruin a relationship they might have?

I love Brittainy C. Cherry and her stories because she always writes stories that will have you feeling all the feels. This story will have you on the edge of your seat until the end and leave you wanting more. I cannot wait for book two. I hope you love this one as much as I did.

Author Brittainy C. Cherry is an Amazon #1 bestselling author.

She has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing.

Her novels have been published in 18+ countries around the world. Brittainy lives in Brookfield, Wisconsin with her fur babies.

Connect with Brittainy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads
Brittainy's Golden Girls (And Boys) Facebook Group

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Landon & Shay Part One (L&S Duet #1) by Brittainy C. Cherry to read and review for this tour.

Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy C. Cherry Blog Tour

Greyson East left his mark on me.

As the young girl who first fell for him, I didn’t know much about life. I did know about his smiles, though, and his laughs, and the strange way my stomach flipped when he was near.

Life was perfect… until it wasn’t, and when we were forced to go our separate ways, I held on to our memories, let go of my first crush, and wished for the day I’d find him again.

When my wish came true, it was nothing like I imagined.

I couldn’t have known when I took the nanny position that it would be his children I looked after, that my new boss would be that boy I used to know, that boy who was now a man—a cold, lonely, detached man.

The smile and laugh I had loved so much were gone, now distant memories. Every part of him was covered in a fresh pain.

When he realized who I was, he made me promise to do my job and my job only.
He made me promise not to try to get to know him, not to recall the memories I’d treasured all this time.

But, sometimes, I saw the boy I’d once known in his stormy eyes. I saw the Greyson who smiled and laughed, who had stolen a young girl’s heart, and there was no doubt in my mind that this boy was worth fighting for.

I was given a second chance with the one who’d left his mark on me. All I hoped was that somehow I’d leave a mark on his soul, too.

**Eleanor & Grey is a complete standalone novel**

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Eleanor

Thirty-two years old

Greyson’s assistant, Allison, finished giving me a tour of the house. “Okay, I think that’s everything. I’m going to head out now, but go ahead and make yourself comfortable. Get used to the property. Mr. East knows you’re here today, so don’t feel like you aren’t allowed to wander around a bit. If you need anything, my cell number is on the contact list in the book, or you can email me. If nothing comes up, I hope your first day goes well. Claire will be with you Monday to make sure the transition goes smoothly.”

I must have looked terrified because as Allison grabbed her coat and purse to leave, she gave me a light squeeze on the shoulder.

“You’re going to be fine, Eleanor. Mind over matter. You got this. Let’s touch base later in the week so I can check in on how things are going.”

“Sounds great. Thanks, Allison.”

After she left, I took a deep breath and flipped through a few pages in the binder. Then, I did a once-through of the house, familiarizing myself with whose room was where. There was something so unsettling about the quietness of Greyson’s home. It was so dark with an odd gloomy feeling attached to it, haunting almost. I didn’t mean dark as in the lighting situation, rather it was the energy level. There was such a heaviness in the space.

The place felt like a house, not a home.

If I hadn’t known any better, I wouldn’t have believed a family lived there at all.

It felt so abandoned, almost like a memory frozen in time.

That might’ve just been my own thoughts, thought, due to knowing about the tragedy that had taken place in the lives of the individuals who lived there. With the number of books I’d read, it wasn’t inaccurate to say my mind wandered toward the dramatics.

I walked back into the kitchen, flipping through the binder, completely taken aback by the girls’ schedules. Between school, swim lessons, karate, piano lessons, physical therapy, and grief counseling, I wasn’t sure how they found the time to live a little.

“Eleanor.”

I leaped out of my skin at the sound of my name and turned to see Greyson standing behind me with an empty glass in his hand. He was dressed in a suit and tie, which was so strange to me.

Who wore a suit and tie in their own home?

I hardly wore pants when I was home alone.

“Oh, Greyson, hi. Sorry I’m still here. Allison was just giving me a tour, and she said it was okay to look around a bit more.”

“She made me aware.”

Wow. He had responded immediately, unlike the first time I saw him. I called that progress.

I smiled at him, but he didn’t smile back, and that felt like the oddest thing in the world. The old Greyson had been full of smiles.

“It’s a beautiful home,” I stated, unsure what else to talk about. “It’s massive. I swear, it’s like ten times the size of my place.” He blankly stared my way as I shifted from foot to foot. “I love the décor,” I blurted out, and I hated myself the second the words left my lips. Just walk away, Eleanor. Don’t be awkward. “Those throw pillows in your living room are to die for. Where did you get them?”

“The interior designer chose everything,” he replied dryly.

“Oh, right, of course. My interior designer is normally the clearance section at T.J. Maxx,” I joked. “Or on special occasions, Target.”

He didn’t laugh, probably because I wasn’t funny.

I wondered when was the last time he’d laughed.

Did he ever find anything funny anymore?

We kept staring at one another in the most uncomfortable silence, though I didn’t feel as if I could pull myself away from it. I probably stared at him too long, but how could I not? I’d gone fifteen-some years without looking at him. It was understandable that I wouldn’t be able to turn away quickly.

The awkwardness of it all finally came to a halt when Greyson cleared his throat.

“Eleanor?”

“Yes?”

“I came for water.”

“Oh?” I stared at him like an idiot, wide-eyed like a deer in headlights, waiting for his next words. I stood still as if he were going to expand on his interest in water. Was he offering me a drink? Were we going to sip water and catch up on things? Was I finally going to be able to ask him how he’d become the CEO of his father’s company at such a young age? What had happened to his father?

His stare narrowed, and his lips turned down in a displeased fashion. He nodded once.

“Hmm?” I asked.

He nodded more aggressively this time, gesturing past me.

I glanced behind me and realized I was standing right in front of the refrigerator, blocking the water dispenser. I stepped to the side, mentally beating myself up.

Idiot.

“Oh, right, of course. Well, I think I’m done here, so I’ll see myself out,” I stated, scrambling to grab my binder. “Have a good afternoon.”

He didn’t reply, but that wasn’t shocking. I was quickly learning that this new Greyson didn’t have nearly as much to say as the old one.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
First, there are not enough stars to rate this story for me. It is absolutely perfect, and I loved everything about it.

It starts on April 8th, which happens to be my birthday, and Eleanor is a BIG Harry Potter fan and so am I. I was the same way when each book came out. I had to devour them on release day. And now I find myself devouring Brittainy C. Cherry's books even more. So, this book is my birthday present to myself this year and it was a perfect gift.

Eleanor is the nerdy heroine who just wants to read the next Harry Potter book in peace and quiet. When her cousin Shay drags her to a party. Eleanor finds a place under the stairs (just like Harry Potter) to read and hopefully be left alone. When the star basketball player sits down beside her. He asks her to pretend to talk to him so his friend will leave him alone. The feelings that stir when Greyson touches Eleanor is something new and Eleanor isn't sure what to do.

Greyson East likes sitting by Eleanor Gable, she is different, sassy, and tells him like it is. She doesn't tell him what he wants to hear, she tells him what she thinks. It is a breath of fresh air. And Grey finds he wants to spend more and more time with her.

When Ellie goes through a painful situation, Grey is there to share his light and help her. And when things seem to sour for Grey, it is Ellie that helps him see the light. They are both there for each other until Ellie and her parents move away. While Ellie and Grey continue to call and connect on AOL messenger, they lose touch.

Now some 15 years later, it is Ellie that walks back into Grey's life and he is so far into the darkness that it might be too late to pull him into the light. So now Eleanor is the nanny for his children and sometimes she sees the boy she used to know. But the hardness and pain she sees is more and might be too much to bring him back to her.

Can Eleanor help Grey and his daughters heal from their loss? Will Grey be able to let Eleanor back in to help him heal? Will they all be able to help each other heal and move forward and live a better future?

All I can say is, Read This One. You will not be disappointed. Just be prepared for all the pain, heartache, and love that is Eleanor & Grey. If you haven't read Brittainy C. Cherry before, just pick one, read it, and you will love her and have a new favorite author.

Author Brittainy C. Cherry is an Amazon #1 bestselling author.

She has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing.

Her novels have been published in 18+ countries around the world. Brittainy lives in Brookfield, Wisconsin with her fur babies.

Connect with Brittainy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads
Brittainy's Golden Girls (And Boys) Facebook Group

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy C. Cherry to read and review for this tour.

Disgrace by Brittainy C. Cherry Blog Tour

Each day I prayed for my husband to love me again.

After fifteen years together, he walked away from me, and into the arms of another.

I didn’t know how to cope. I didn’t know my worth. I didn’t know how to exist without him by my side.

All I wanted was for him to come back to me.

Then, Jackson Emery appeared.

He was supposed to be a distraction for my mind. A summer fling. A confidence boost to my bruised heart.

We were perfect for one another, because we both knew we wouldn’t last. Jackson didn’t believe in commitment, and I no longer believed in love. He was too closed-off for me, and I was too damaged for him.

Everything was fine, until one night my heart skipped a beat.

I didn’t expect him to make me laugh. To make me think. To make my sadness somewhat disappear.

When our time was up, my heart didn’t know how to walk away.

Each day I prayed for my husband to love me again, yet slowly my prayers began to shift toward the man who wasn’t right for me.

I prayed for one more smile, one more kiss, one more laugh, one more touch…

I prayed for him to be mine.

Even though I knew his heart wasn’t destined to love..

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Jackson

“I’ve read about boys like you in books, ya know,” she whispered, her fingers slowly spinning spirals on my chest.

“Oh, yeah? What did those books teach you about boys like me?”

“Well…” She bit her bottom lip, and with a small inhalation, she whispered, “They taught me to stay away.”

“Then why are you so close?”

She tilted her head up, looking me straight in the eyes. “Because in those stories, the heroine never ever listens.”

“And then there’s trouble?” I asked.

“Yes, and then there’s trouble.”

From the way she said those words, I knew trouble was exactly what she was in search of. We were the classic cliché. She was the good girl next door, I the monster from around the block. We were perfect opposites for the perfect storm, and she was asking me to be her next flaw, her greatest mistake.

And, well, who was I not to live up to her request?

“I could destroy you,” I warned.

“Or save me.”

“Is it worth the risk?”

“Isn’t it always worth the risk?”

The more she touched me, the more I wanted to touch her back. I wrapped my hands around her wrists flipping us around so she was now against the wall with her hands above her head. “I have rules.” I leaned in closer, lightly brushing my lips against her neck. God, she smelled good, like peaches and my next sin. “You can’t break these rules, either.” My tongue rolled from my mouth and circled against her neck before I gently sucked her skin.

She shivered at my touch. “What are they?”

“Rule one,” I whispered, my mouth moving across her collarbone. “You never stay the night.”

“Check.”

“Rule number two,” I said, dropping her left arm to the side. Taking my hand to the bottom of her blouse, I slowly raised it up and massaged her skin. “You never develop feelings.”

“That’s easy enough,” she replied, her breaths uneven as I teased at the top button on her jeans. “I don’t believe in feelings anymore.”

I didn’t know why, but that made me sad for her. I, too, didn’t believe in falling for people, but that was my norm. Grace seemed the type to believe in something bigger than love, so the fact that her belief was completely gone was a bit surprising.

Maybe we had more in common than I thought.

“Rule number three… we don’t talk about my life.”

“Like ever?”

“Never.”

“Okay.”

“And lastly, rule number four…” My mouth brushed against hers, and I slid my tongue slowly across her bottom lip. “If your favorite pair of panties get ripped, don’t expect me to replace them.”

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
Grace Harris is heading back home after her 15-year marriage has failed. She doesn't understand how it could have happened but deep in her heart, she knows. After all they had been through, he found comfort in someone else's arms but could not comfort his wife. So, the marriage is over. Now, Grace is going back home to small town USA where her father is the town minister and her family is treated like royalty. Grace just wants to move on from Finn and his betrayal and for her job to start in Atlanta.

Jackson Emery is the town bad boy. Everyone talks about him and his father and all the whole town wants is for them to leave. But Jackson can't leave without his father and his father isn't leaving. So, the people talking are ignored by the Emery men as they continue to work on cars in the family-owned auto repair shop.

Can Grace and Jackson help each other heal and live a better future? Will Jackson and his dad ever move from Chester? Will Grace get her mother to understand what happened to end her marriage? Is there a future for Grace and Jackson?

I am going to stop talking (or typing) now, I don't want to give anything away. But I will say if you have or have not read anything from Brittainy C. Cherry, you need to read this one. Just be prepared, it is an emotional rollercoaster from the very first page and doesn't let up until the end. It has all the feels and then some to make this an awesome story and it will leave you wanting more. So get your favorite drink, a comfy blanket, a quiet corner, and read it, you will not be disappointed. I hope you love it as much as I did.

Hi! I'm Brittainy! Join me as we travel through my mind as a Romance Author. This includes such things as my random thoughts, tricks, tips, things I'm learning, things I'm re-learning, things I'm forgetting, and my weird ways of crafting stories.

Connect with Brittainy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Disgrace by Brittainy C. Cherry to read and review for this tour.