Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway:
Love/Hate
By Quinn Riley
Our story is a lie, a relationship built on fake promises and hopeful dreams.
He’s my bully.
I crave revenge.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself for my plan to succeed.
I need Korbin freaking Rose to be consumed by me.
So I can crush his black heart, leave him broken and bleeding.
Except now, with each kiss and touch, my plan shifts.
There really is a thin line between love and hate.
From author Quinn Riley comes Love/Hate, an angsty, second-chance gay (MM) romance that will have readers gripped.
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Excerpt:
I pull into a space on Main Street, smirking as I jump out, seeing the old gothic sign above the entrance. Black tattoo font spelling out Marked. Making it stand out amongst the historic stone buildings and tree-lined walkways. Hints of weed mix with blue spruce, filling the air.
Old classic rock music hits me as I push the door. “There’s our boy,” Ruby greets me, her bright blue eyes laughing as she flicks her multicolored hair over her shoulder.
“Hey, girl,”
“Have you eaten?” Not waiting for my answer, she pulls a snack bar out of her drawer filled with junk food, and hands it over. The woman has one hell of a sweet tooth. “You look too skinny.”
I tear the wrapper open, taking a bite, knowing it makes her happy. She leans against the dark receptionist’s desk, giving me a view of my favorite tattoo. It’s a black cat with fur rumpled on its head. Underneath the words “bad pussy,” and it makes my lips curve whenever I see it.
Zane, the owner, steps out of the back area. I swallow my uneasiness as the snack bar gets stuck in my throat. It’s tough seeing Zane, he looks so much like his younger half-brother, Korbin.
Five years older, Zane didn’t come from the elite circle of Hill View but from the same trailer park I live in.
He stops a foot away from us, and the skull on his hand seems to grin as he itches his scruff. “Hey, didn’t expect you in. It’s graduation in an hour.”
“Never been my scene.” I lift one shoulder, feeling my defenses rise.
Today, I should be walking across the stage for my graduation. The school could damn well send it to me in the mail because you’d have more luck shoving a porcupine up my ass than getting me back there.
It had been daily torture to walk down those corridors. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d planned something for when I got my diploma.
The jokes on them, I’m done being the focus of their cruel entertainment.
In March, I received my acceptance letter. Come fall, I’m off to one of the best art universities—USC. I have a calendar in my room, which I’m marking with big black crosses until I get to say fuck you to Hill View and never look back.
After a beat, Zane lifts his chin. “I Promised Korbin I’d be there. I want you to sketch a butterfly. Let’s see what you’re made of.” Tapping his knuckles on the reception desk, silver rings click against the surface before he walks out.
I turn to Ruby. “Is he serious?”
“Better get a move on,” she winks before answering a call.
Zane has gone retro with the interior, using Jerry the sailor as inspiration. The back wall is black with a partition making it into two workspaces. Both have blood-red beds. The first station has a pin-up sitting in a martini glass on the wall, her legs in a sexy pose, with garters, playing cards surrounding the stem with dice and a bottle of whiskey. A massive scroll underneath has the words “Man’s Ruin” written on it. On the other side are two large cherries. The way Zane has painted them, it seems like someone has taken a bite out of one, and the juice is dripping. Green stalks connect them with the words “Bite Me”.
I go to the back area, which holds two rooms, one for drawing and the other for “Ruby’s Piercing Palace”, as she calls it. I drop my backpack and see Zane jumping in his truck.
“You’re not good enough.”, “Everyone hates you,” hammers in my skull. I try to shake it off and start moving the pencil across the paper, watching as harsh lines appear. It’s where my mind goes numb. A creativeness comes alive and rushes through my veins. My hands move as if someone else is guiding them, transforming the lines as they turn into something beautiful.
Enter the Giveaway:
To celebrate the release of Love/Hate, Quinn is giving away:
- A Book Box with a special paperback cover, book swag, and readers mug (UK only)
- A paperback of Love/Hate (Open Internationally)
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57630/?
About the Author
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