Afraid To Fly
The Fearless Series: Book Two
S.L. Jennings
Synopsis
I’d like to tell you that I’m ok.
That the meaningless sex with countless women has somehow numbed the pain. That it’s deciphered the constant confusion in my head. Eased the self-hatred that sinks into my gut every time I look in the mirror.
I’d like to tell you that time heals all wounds.
That we evolve and grow into well-adjusted, stable adults, set on a path to right the world’s wrongs. That we are not our past…we are not our pain.
I want to tell you all those things. Hell, I want to believe all those things. But I’d be lying. I’m good at that. Living a lie is the only way I truly know how to survive.
But the day I saw her, I stopped surviving. I stopped existing. And for the first time in 24 years, I started living.
She brought me back to life. Set me free and sent my soul soaring. Made this useless shell of a man feel like…something. Something whole and real and good.
She saved me.
Although she believes I wasn’t even worth saving.
“Desire is just concentrated madness of the body and soul.” she whispered. “Do you want my crazy?”
When I first read
Fear of Falling, I remember being immediately intrigued by Kami’s best friend Dom’s character. I loved how kind and supportive he was with Kami, even though you could tell he had a lot of issues of his own. I wanted to see what those issues were. I wanted to see what made Dom tick. It’s been a while since I’ve read FoF, and I was very excited when I heard this book was being released and made sure to read it straight away. I’m happy I did. I loved it even more than the first.
My heart broke for Dom. Going into his past and reading about what happened to him as a child was not easy. No one should ever have to experience anything like that. Dom didn’t always cope in the healthiest ways, but it was easy to understand why he did it. Why he was the way he was. Even with some unhealthy coping, Dom is a stand up guy. I admire his character and the way he choses to take the bad that happened to him and devoting his life to making sure those same things don’t happen to other children. People who devote their lives to jobs that are too difficult for most amaze me. It’s so unselfish and giving.
Raven is a girl who has a past as well. It’s so different than Dom’s, but it’s still there. She works two jobs to support her brother, who Dom is a mentor to. Toby (Raven’s brother) is a special character. I loved how there were so many wonderful characters in this story. There were times I wondered what Raven’s real motivations were. I didn’t know where she was coming from and what she was about in a lot of this book, but once it clicked… it really clicked. I got it. I understood her.
This story isn’t all about the love. One of the things I love most about this book is the relationships within the story. These characters aren’t just friends. They are a family. A real true family full of loving and supportive people. Just like in FoF, I loved the dynamic of Dom, Kami and Angel.
Between me, Angel and Kami, we were more nuts than Almond Joy, and we still managed to find each other in this big, wide, crazy world.
There is love. Even when Dom and Raven might not have wanted to admit it, their love started much earlier than either one thought. And it only developed as they became friends of sorts and Raven started to trust Dom. That attraction was always there, but the trust took time. When it finally happened and they were able to open up to one another, it was a glorious thing.
“I want to be anywhere else too… with you.”
Sometimes the happiest endings don’t have the most beautiful journeys. This story was raw, it was real and at times intense. I loved the strength of these characters and how they fought to get through their issues and overcome their pasts. Jenning’s writing is wonderful. She excels at these emotional and captivating stories.
Afraid to Fly is a powerful read. It’s got characters who are broken and damaged but find a way to move past it. It’s a love story, but it’s much more than that. Books like this make me think, make me feel, and inspire me. I highly recommend this book and I hope there is more to come with this series.
You are not your past. You are not your pain. You are kindness and strength and beauty. You are love.
“You’re bigger than my fear, bigger than my pain. You’re the most perfect part of me.”
Excerpt
It was if my body had known what my soul needed to mend itself from the verbal assault that had left me open and bleeding. Sex was that healing balm for me. And this was exactly the place where I could find it.
None of the dancers here were prostitutes, and I never paid to get laid. Ever. They fucked me because they wanted me. And I fucked them because I needed them. It was an even trade.
Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t stick my dick in just anything, and other than Cherri, had only been intimate with two other girls there: Skylar, a hot sophomore at UNC Charlotte, stripping her way through college, and Velvet, a tattooed, purple-haired vixen from England who fucked like a porn star and cursed like a sailor.
Right now, I needed Velvet. If anyone could make me forget the last twenty minutes, Raven’s razor-sharp words and myself, it was her.
My legs carried me inside, despite the numbness I felt. I didn’t want to be here, but I needed to be. And once I had the soft silkiness and warmth of a woman’s skin against me, I’d feel a helluva lot better. Luckily, Velvet was there for a day shift, working the lunch crowd in her usual getup of velvet and chains. Today she wore a cut-out thonged romper that left little to the imagination. And that was fine by me. I was tired of thinking anyway.
“Hey love,” she smiled as I approached. Her lips were painted a deep, dark eggplant purple that almost looked black. I’d have the color smeared all over me within the hour, most of it in places invisible to the public.
I didn’t waste any time. I didn’t have it in me to go through the motions and pretend I was here for anything other than sex. I leaned in close to her ear, letting my lips brush her earlobe in that sensual way I knew would get her hot, and whispered, “Back room in 10.” Then I quickly made my way to the bar to slam a shot of tequila.
She was there when I arrived, lounging on a plush loveseat with her heeled boots propped up on the arm. She looked at me with sin gleaming in her heavily lined eyes and gave me a slow, Cheshire grin. “Someone’s awfully anxious today.”
I was already loosening my tie as I stalked towards her and said, “Clothes off, boots on and get on your knees.”
Fear Of Falling
The Fearless Series: Book One
S.L. Jennings
I can’t remember the last time I felt completely safe. Security seemed more like a luxury to me, reserved for those who were fortunate enough to have picture perfect childhoods. For those who didn’t bear the ugly scars that keep me bound in constant, debilitating fear. I’ve run from that fear my entire life. But when I met him, for once, I couldn’t run anymore.
He scared the hell out of me in a way that excited every fiber of my being. It wasn’t the tattoos or the piercings. It wasn’t the warmth that seemed to radiate from his frame and blanket me whenever he was near. It was just…him. The scary beautiful man that threatened to alter 23 years of routine and rituals, and make me face my crippling fear.
My name is Kami and I am constantly afraid. And the thing that scares me the most is the very thing I want.
“Don’t worry,” he smiled, pulling me into the hard warmth of his chest. “I’ve got you. I’ll always catch you when you fall.”
And just like that, Blaine had staked his claim on the untouched part of me that no living soul had ever moved. He had captured every fear, every reservation, and crushed them in the palm of his inked hand.
Amazon: http://bit.ly/FearOfFalling
About the author
S.L. Jennings is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance, reality TV junkie, obsessive coffee drinker and collector of crazy.
Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and she has had seven books on the New York Times Bestseller list and eleven on the USA Today Bestseller list. Like the heroine in her novel, FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. She loves hearing from readers! Her bestselling series include Caught Up in Love, Seductive Nights, No Regrets and Fighting Fire. She recently released Forbidden Nights, a standalone novel in her New York Times Bestselling Seductive Nights series that became an instant New York Times Bestseller. This summer she'll release Consumed by You, her next title in her NYT Bestselling Fighting Fire series about sexy firemen and the women they love, and Sweet Sinful Nights, the first book in her new series Sinful Nights. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, text BLAKELY + your email address to 678-249-3375 (please use the actual + sign).
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