New Release from New Adult Author Amy Durham!!!

I just had to send out a blog about my good friend, Amy Durham's latest release. We've been friends for about 10 years and she really has the perfect voice for New Adult (senior in highschool and college age). She also writes YA (young adult). Which she knows very well since she teaches middle school music. (Brave woman) LOL. She deals with real life situations in the Resolution Series. Her characters are strong people who have dealt with tough situations.

Some things you want to forget…

Trapped in a nightmare after a college party her freshman year, only sheer determination got Sydney Baldwin through her sophomore year. But the effort of pretending she can lead a normal life in the place the nightmare began has finally proved too much. After her final exams, she packs her belongings, resolved to leave campus life behind forever. She’s hoping for a fresh start, and being maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding seems like the first step to moving beyond the darkness of her past.

Some things you’ll never be proud of…

Growing up with a drug-addicted single mother taught Shane Dawson that it’s the people you love most who hurt you the worst. He made some bad choices as a teenager, but now he’s put his self-destructive behavior behind him. He’s earning good money working as a tattoo artist at Resolution Ink, alongside his best friend. Still, he’s careful to hide his loneliness by pretending to be the happy-go-lucky one of the bunch. People can’t hurt you if you keep them at arm’s length.

Some burdens are easier if they’re shared…

After meeting the handsome, tattooed best man at her friend’s wedding, feelings stir in Sydney she thought were dead forever. She sees through his carefree facade to recognize a kindred sadness, one that stares back at her when she looks in the mirror. The aftermath of betrayal.

Shane can’t stop thinking about Sydney. Even more than her beauty, it’s the haunted look behind her eyes that touches something inside him. The walls he’s spent years building around himself threaten to crumble, as Sydney leaves him vulnerable in ways he never expected.

Will their tortured pasts pull them into the shadows and ruin their chance at happiness? Or will Shane and Sydney find the courage to reach for the hope of a brighter future together?

EXCERPT:

My first clue that I’m not in my bed is the fact that my feet are resting on something very warm and very solid. Cracking one eye open, I realize I’m lying on the couch. Shane is on the other end, which reclines. His legs are extended on the footrest, and my feet are resting in his lap.

It doesn’t escape me that I’m asleep on the couch with a guy. A really hot guy. A really hot guy who had an awful night. I can’t imagine how he feels, facing the imminent death of his mother, with whom he has a complicated, strained relationship. He looks so peaceful just now, his head resting against the back cushion, face turned slightly toward me. The light peeking through the blinds tells me it’s close to seven o’clock, so I know he won’t sleep much longer. Like me, he’s an early riser even after a late night.

Slowly, I lift my feet from his lap, being as gentle as I can so that he can sleep as long as possible. When he doesn’t stir, I swing my legs to the floor and push up off the sofa. I back away, tip-toeing to keep silent and watching to make sure he doesn’t wake.

I slept the whole night, well, at least the part of it that didn’t involve talking to Shane, without waking up. Without bad dreams. Without the feeling of fear that often accompanies me at night.

In the bathroom, I brush my teeth and throw my hair up in a ponytail. Creeping back up the hall, I find Shane still asleep, so I silently make my way to the kitchen. Taking the coffee carafe over to the sink, I run the water slowly, making as little noise as possible. I load the filter and the coffee grounds, and I’m just about to press start when I hear Shane stirring. Without a word or a glance, he heads down the hallway to his room.

I know he’s torn up inside, waking up to realize it wasn’t a dream and the terrible things he felt during the dark of the night are indeed real. I know all too well what a cruel prank a bright, new morning can be. There’s an instant, when you first open your eyes, when things are fresh and rife with wonderful possibilities. But then reality comes crashing in, and all the awful things that hurt you are still there.

The coffee begins to drip, the pleasant aroma filling the air, and I hear Shane’s bedroom door open, followed by the opening of the bathroom door. The shower kicks on a moment later. Good, I think to myself. Sometimes a shower can give you a boost… a different perspective… the energy to at least make it through the day.

With the coffee close to finished, I retrieve two mugs from the dishwasher full of clean dishes and sit them on the counter. Shane walks in a moment later wearing clean clothes, his hair still damp from the shower. I pour a cup of coffee and hand it to him, turning back to pour my own, stirring in a splash of milk. Wordlessly, we drink our coffee, stealing glances at one another over the rims of our mugs.

I’m not sure how we arrived at this no talking conclusion, but it isn’t uncomfortable. In fact, after the events of last night and the heaviness of all we talked about, it’s kind of peaceful.

When my cup is empty, I sit it on the counter and reach to open a cabinet, intending to get bowls for cereal. I’m stopped when Shane’s hands land on the counter on either side of me, his arms brushing mine as his chin comes to rest lightly on my left shoulder. I’m complete boxed in, almost trapped, but it’s not the least bit threatening. The fact that it isn’t says a lot about how I feel about Shane as a person… and as a man.

For several seconds we just stand there, in this sort-of-but-not-quite embrace. I force myself to keep my breathing even. Nerves jump beneath my skin, not because I’m afraid, but because he’s so close. I feel the heat from his body searing into the back of me, and his breath brushes softly along my neck.

“Thank you,” he whispers.

I swallow hard, willing my voice not to tremble when I respond. “No problem.”

He turns his head toward me slightly, so that his next words are spoken directly in my ear. “I was pretty buzzed last night, but I remember what we talked about. I unloaded way more than I should’ve on you.”

“I didn’t mind,” I say, resisting the urge to turn my face toward his. “You obviously needed to vent.”

“I did.” I feel him nod. “And I didn’t want to talk to anyone but you.”

My stomach flips. “I’m glad I could help.”

He lifts his hands from the counter and steps back enough that I can turn to face him.

“You’re looking at me the same way you did before you knew the truth about my mom. You didn’t even blink when I told you she was a junkie who now has AIDS.”

I smile up at him, amazed that he would worry so much about my opinion. “I’d never kick you while you were down. Believe me. I know what it’s like for someone to hurt you when you’re at your lowest. I’d never do that to anyone. Especially you.”

He tilts his head and just looks at me. I can’t begin to describe the look in his eyes. There’s a brokenness that only comes from the kind of hurt that cuts you in half, but there’s also hope… and longing so strong it reaches right into my chest and squeezes my heart.

I shouldn’t want Shane Dawson. Shouldn’t feel the things I do for him. I’m not ready. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. And even if I was at a place in my life where I could imagine a new relationship, I know he’s not the one for that. He’s young and free and unspoiled by the ugliness that can happen between two people. He isn’t ready to settle down, certainly not with someone with as much baggage as I carry.

But knowing all that doesn’t stop me from cherishing how beautiful I feel when he looks at me like he is right now.

He leans down, in that universal gesture that means I’m getting ready to kiss you. My heart hammers against my chest, and a little voice inside me screams No! I tell that voice to shut the hell up, because there’s nothing in the entire world that I want more right now than for Shane to put his lips on mine. It may be all kinds of wrong and a bad idea all around, but I don’t care. I want him to kiss me.

He doesn’t.

Instead, he presses his forehead to mine, keeping his gaze locked on my eyes. Desire rolls off him like heat waves, stunning me with its intensity. That I inspired this reaction in him astonishes me.

His hands lift to my shoulders, then slide up my neck to my cheeks, leaving goosebumps in their wake. I press my hands flat against his chest, the thin fabric of his tee shirt doing nothing to diminish the firm muscles beneath it.

I’ve been with boys before, done my fair share of partying before my life fell apart a year ago. I know what it’s like to be turned on, to feel that rush of passionate anticipation. But I have felt nothing like this. Nothing.

Not kissing Shane is more romantic and intimate than any amount of other physical intimacy I thought I’d experienced.

He leans closer still, his breath mingling with mine as his mouth descends. Though I don’t know how it happened, I’m ready for the firestorm I know his kiss will bring.

Caleb’s footsteps pounding down the stairs tear us from one another, Shane jumping back and stepping to the other side of the kitchen. He hops onto a barstool, and with shaky hands I quickly pour a fresh cup of coffee and set it in front of him. By the time Caleb steps in the kitchen, I’m working on pouring my second cup while still trying to get my breathing back under control.

SHANE'S HARMONY is officially available for download at Amazon, B&N, iBooks, and Kobo! PLUS... the pre-order price is still good, so you can still take advantage of the bargain!

AMAZON -> http://amzn.to/2rjhZ6m
B&N -> http://bit.ly/2rtBwRn
iBOOKS -> http://apple.co/1TygCwz
KOBO -> http://bit.ly/2s8RfY4\

Amy's Other books in the Series: