Title: My Beloved (Thin Love novella, #1.5)
Author: Eden Butler
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 8, 2014
♥ Synopsis ♥
Keira Riley was the girl Kona Hale loved first, the woman he wants to love last. They’ve battled addiction, forgiven betrayal and healed from heartache, coming through it all bruised but hopeful that their future will be limitless.
Kona Hale was a blinding flame that Keira Riley gladly burned inside—his touch, his kiss, his overwhelming love, all made her dizzy, desperate and desired, made her believe in a love worth bleeding for, a love that ignites the heart with an unquenchable flame. But when you fall in love with an NFL darling who can’t seem to let go of the spotlight, sometimes even that flame can be gutted by the buffeting winds of opportunity, can be lost behind the brilliant flash of fame.
As Keira and Kona get caught up in plans for an extravagant march down the aisle, the hard won sanctuary they've found in each other's arms begins to erode. Will they be able to see through all the beckoning glitz and glamour to what they have worked so hard to build together, or will their love be lost in the spotlight?
MY BELOVED is a novella set prior to the THIN LOVE epilogue.
♥Purchase Links♥
Amazon → http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QNZ23C4/
Amazon UK → http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QNZ23C4/
Smashwords → https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/499073
♥ My Beloved - Excerpt ♥
“Wildcat, they
don’t care.” He pulled at her chin when she jerked away from his kiss. “They’ll
be so fucking jealous that I’m up here with you and this tight body, doing
things to you that should be illegal.”
“No, they’ll tease
me and talk about me behind my back anytime they are around me.”
“And? That’s what
family does.” Kona slid closer, moving his hand off Keira’s wrist and down her
thigh until he grabbed the swell of her ass. “Family teases.” Kona pulled her
leg over his hip and Keira closed her eyes, relishing the hard outline of his
dick as he moved against her. “Family rides you hard sometimes,” he said,
moving his hips down, so that thick, hot outline met the wet heat between her legs.
The smile left his face and he looked down at her, eyebrows up as though
surprised. “You wet for me, baby? Already? I’m barely touching you.”
Keira grabbed
Kona’s face, directing him to her lips. “Stop talking, jackass.” Then a low
grunt left Keira’s throat when Kona cupped her, slipping his fingers under her
panties to barely touch her, fingertips light on her wet skin. “Not…not fair.”
“Stop calling me a
jackass.” He got two fingers inside her and then Kona took over the kiss. He
tugged and pulled, his movements a little sloppy, a bit addled by the beer, but
even Kona comatose would know how to touch Keira, could keep her silent and
busy with the slightest touch. “You still want me? Just me? You still my girl,
Wildcat?”
Keira kissed him
deeper, let her tongue rub against his. Kona always did this when he drank.
Those tiny little insecurities surfaced with just a few drinks, but Keira never
minded it. She thought it was sweet, that after all this time, Kona still
needed reassurances.
“Only yours,
bebe.”
The noise that came
from his throat was primal, deep and Kona moved his fingers faster, hit deeper
inside her. “Then open up for me. Take all of me, baby.”
He didn’t have to
ask twice.
Kona wasn’t drunk,
just buzzed enough that his movements became eager, aggressive and Keira loved
it. He was all male and muscle, sweat and heat when he was like this. Every
grab he made on her, every hasty tug against her nipples, on her hair, just
made Keira wetter, wanting Kona just like this, raw and anxious and so damn
desperate to be inside her.
She barely had his
shorts down and her shirt tossed on the floor before Kona was inside her, hands
on her hips, eyes down as he watched their bodies coming together. “I fucking
love this, baby. The way you wrap around me, how hot you make my dick feel when
I’m inside you.” Keira squeezed around him, trying to hold him still inside her
and Kona closed his eyes, twisting his head as though he could only just manage
the sensation of her body. “Fuck, I love you.”
“Show me.”
Then Keira couldn’t
speak, could barely breathe as Kona moved his hands under her, cupping her butt
to push harder into her. It wouldn’t be long, but Keira didn’t care. Buzzed sex
was still amazing sex with Kona and she held onto him, relaxing her center, widening
her muscles so Kona went deep, so she could feel every demanding stroke, every
urgent thrust.
She watched his
shoulders tremble, the wide, beautiful expanse of bone and muscle silhouetted
against the moonlight coming through the glass door and Keira touched his face,
slowing Kona’s movements until he leaned his forehead against hers, his breath
heavy on her skin. “I’m not gonna pull out. I can’t. This is too good, baby.
You feel too good and I want you to feel everything I’m giving you.”
Keira didn’t care
about being cautious. She would marry Kona at the end of the week and she could
think of worse things than having another of his babies. Right then, all she
wanted was his hot breath on her mouth, his tight, hard grip against her hips
and the delicious sensation of her core clenching, humming her closer and
closer toward climax.
“Do it,” she told
him, drunk on his touch, on the taste and feel of it. “Oh God, Kona…harder,
please.”
He always did what she asked, especially when she said please. And he obeyed, just then, working harder, faster to bring her over the edge of oblivion, chasing after her to his just seconds later.
He always did what she asked, especially when she said please. And he obeyed, just then, working harder, faster to bring her over the edge of oblivion, chasing after her to his just seconds later.
Afterwards, they
lay silent, content for minutes, it could have been hours, turned toward each
other, fingers against damp skin, breath mingling. Keira wanted this to last,
to run from anything that would take them from that moment.
“You were mad
today, weren’t you?”
She hadn’t expected
his question, thought it was odd that Kona was mentioning their arrival after
the past half hour that should have left them blissful and ignorant to anything
but the touch of skin on skin.
“I don’t like
photographers.”
“Baby, no one likes
those assholes.” He lifted on his elbow, moving Keira’s hair off her forehead.
“I know you hate all that shit.”
“I have to deal
with it. It’s your world. I’m a part of that now, right?”
“No. You are my
world. All that other stuff is business, it’s work. You’re my home, baby.
You’re all that matters.”
“I’ll adjust.”
“I don’t want you
adjusting.” Kona pulled her so close that their hips met and he could wrap his
massive, tattooed arm around her waist. “I want you happy. I want to make you
happy.”
“You do, sweetie. I
am happy.”
“You’d tell if you
weren’t, right?”
Keira had seen Kona
with his family that afternoon. She’d heard how loud and easy his laughter was,
how he seemed settled, at peace. She didn’t care about photographers or resorts
or a big wedding full of people she didn’t know. But this place, this island
centered him, filled him up and the people Kona loved most wanted to celebrate
with them. They wanted to honor the life they’d started together all those
years before; the life that Keira once thought she would never have with Kona.
She watched his
features, the low slope of his nose, the way his full lips bent behind his
teeth, as though he expected her to disappoint him, to tell him to forget
everything he’d been planning the past two days. But she couldn’t do it. She
wouldn’t take this from him.
“I’d tell you if I
wasn’t happy, Kona.” She kissed him, felt his body relax as she deepened the
kiss. “You make me happy. You always have.”
Keira felt those large, long fingers tighten on her waist, that massive
hand slip low on her back and she inhaled, smiling against Kona’s mouth at the
smell of his skin and sound of his pleased moan.
“I’ll keep you
happy, Wildcat.” He rolled on top of her, ready for her once again, pushing her
legs apart with his knee. “Let me show you how.”
♥Review♥
★★★★★ stars
You always hope characters you fall in love with will find themselves in a happy-ever-after sort of situation, especially once they've found solutions to the issues that were keeping them apart. However, as we all know, life rarely works that way. Kona and Keira had overcome so much to find each other again, but their trials and tribulations weren't quite over yet.
When news first broke about this novella, I was REALLY excited. After all, Kona and Keira were getting married and what could go wrong with that? It was going to be all hot Kona and lovey-dovey stuff, good feels, etc. I'd forgotten how large their personalities were and that when it comes to the two of them small things can lead to humongous obstacles, and they would inevitably occur. All it took to disavow me of the notion that all was going to be well were the first couple of pages, a prologue of sorts if you will. And that's also all it took to grab my attention and not let it go.
My Beloved isn't very long if you count the pages, but when it comes to emotions and actions, it was on par with an 800 page saga. And I can never get enough of a great story or characters, so the number of pages is irrelevant. It might not have been as happy and light as I expected, but it was true Kona and Keira. It was them raw, learning to find ways to fit with each other, and be with each other; to join their two lives. There were light moments and heavy moments when I could feel my chest clench with anticipation of something shocking being revealed or even fear they weren't going to make it through this storm. I loved seeing Kona in his element at home with his extended family and I loved seeing him with Ransom and Keira. Make sure you have tissues on hand when you read. You may need them. I did.
Basically, when it comes to Eden Butler, Kona, and Keira, one should always expect the unexpected. As much as I enjoyed seeing Kona, Keira, and Ransom again, I know my journey with them is not over. I was very happy with the resolution of My Beloved and of course would've loved another hundred or so pages, which wouldn't have been fair to them. Thankfully, Ransom will be getting his own book aptly titled Thick Love, which I have a feeling will be as emotionally devastating as Thin Love and My Beloved. Even knowing how much I'm going to feel, cry, and hurt, I'm eager to read it and go on that journey with him. Thanks Eden Butler for giving us this gift of more Kona and Keira and allowing me to see everything they went through to be each other's in the end, might not have been perfect and gone smoothly, but it was all worth it in the end.
*Thank you to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*
♥ Grab Thin Love (#1) ♥
♥ About Eden ♥
Eden Butler is an editor and writer of New Adult Romance and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary (no cliffie) Romance, “Chasing Serenity” launched in October 2013 and quickly became an Amazon bestseller.
When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football.
She is currently imprisoned under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana.
♥ Giveaway ♥
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Wow, what a sexy yet sweet and romantic excerpt! Great review as well. I can't wait to read this!! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. Thin Love is on sale right now for $1.99 and you have to read it before reading My Beloved. I hope you enjoy the books when you get a chance to read them!
DeleteI loved the excerpt. I ove how the book sounds and I love reading sport romances <3
ReplyDeleteMe too! Think of the book like 200 times as good as the excerpt. You'll love it!
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