Series & Title: Forever Series, Book 1: Forever Love
Author: J. Lum
Author Links: Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Bookbub | Instagram
Publisher: J. Lum
Release Date: August 2, 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Hosted By: InkSlingerPR
To appreciate the sun, you have to withstand the storm.
Free-spirited, poetic Casey Loughlin has had her fair share of rain, and she always manages to see the silver lining. During her teenage years, when she met Toby Cardona, she learned everything she ever needed to learn about love and loss—all in one year.
When Toby lost Casey, everything changed for him. The once caring and endearing boy, with dreams and hopes of his own, became the cold, broken, money-hungry man he swore he'd never be. Now, with Casey back in his life, it's up to her to show Toby that the second time around, love can still hurt, but it's worth every painful prick. Will Toby weather the storm, and embrace a second chance, with the woman he’s always loved?
Excerpt:
I walk along the rows of bookshelves, running my fingers along the books. My favorite Pablo Neruda is no longer housed here, and I have to wonder if Toby still has it. I stop on a book that is familiar to me, and my hand shakes as I run my hand along the spine. I pull away, my fingers stroking my mouth, and I close my eyes. Biting down hard on my lip, I open my eyes, grab the book from the shelf, and walk over towards the window.
I plop down on the comfy bench chair that I used to hang out on and flip through the pages. I stop when I find what
I’m looking for. A memory I placed here, still lays waiting. I pick it out and flip it over.
Soft strokes.
Want. Warmth. All Mine.
All Toby
I suck in a deep breath and remember my first kiss with Toby, reveling in the memory. There is nothing like your
first kiss. Toby was commanding, yet his kisses held more depth, as if he were laying all his secrets at my feet. I craved any openness with him. It was like a drug. He didn’t give things up so freely, but with me he did, and that made
me feel so special.
The thought is sobering, and I quickly slip the note back to where it belongs. I shouldn’t have elicited this memory, because it reminds me of what I couldn’t have. A future.
Taking a deep breath, I look outside and see the wide expanse of the ocean view. This week is as much a challenge as
it is closure. Another chapter to tuck away that should’ve been dealt with years ago, but I was too scared to. I just hope that I’m whole enough to come out on the other side not too scathed. I have enough scars already, and I’m tired of being afraid. I want to be that brave girl I once was. The girl who took life as it was instead of hiding from it.
Find out how Casey and Toby met in:
TOBY
Spending the entire summer with my father wasn’t in my plans. I hated him. I was angry and resentful, and it made me feel out of control.
Until I met her.
Casey is carefree. She lives life to the fullest, without regrets, and to a guy like me, she was hope. We only had the summer, and I knew better than to get wrapped up with her, but I couldn’t help it.
And now? Now, I don’t know how to let her go.
CASEY
I’d never been in love. At fifteen, my life was filled with books and family expectations. Love was not something I had time for.
And then, he saved me.
Toby is a boy from California, so you would think he’d be easygoing, but he isn’t. He's the definition of self-control; everything has to be “just so.”
But when we’re together, living each day with reckless abandon, I realize that life is so much more than fairytales within the pages.
I’m pretty sure he’s my soulmate. But what good can possibly come from falling so hard when you’re this young? How can this ever work?
A promise. That’s all we have to hold on to. One. Simple. Promise.
***This novel contains adult/mature young adult situations. It is only suitable for ages 17+ due to language and sexual situations.
J. Lum resides in the Northern Virginia area. While she calls Virginia home, she is constantly on the go. She’s got a constant case of #Wanderlust; most of the time, you can find her traveling around the world to see her book besties, or checking off her bucket list places. Her second home away from home is Hawaii, where her family is from. The love for the ocean runs through her veins. She also has a love of pugs, unicorns, and anything chocolate. She and coffee have been having a love affair for many years. And, if you don’t find her wandering around the world, she’s more than likely hanging with her pug, Lani.
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