More Than Exes (Chasing the Dream 0.5) by Elizabeth Briggs
Publication date: October 28th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Synopsis:
Keyboardist Kyle Cross may look like a bad boy with his tattoos and piercings, but he’s really the good guy who’s always stuck fixing his band’s problems and never gets the girl. His band is competing in a college Battle of the Bands, but when their bassist doesn’t show, Kyle must track her down with the help of the person he least expects: his ex-girlfriend Alexis Monroe.
Kyle hasn’t seen Alexis since she dumped him in high school, and she’s dropped her preppy image for fiery red hair and a bold new attitude to match. With only hours before his band goes on stage, Kyle has to be a little bad if he wants to win both the Battle and the girl he’s never gotten over. But when their old problems resurface, the good guy might just get his heart broken all over again.
Available at:
Excerpt
“My car’s over here,” Alexis said,
leading me to the other side of the parking lot.
“The same one as before?” We’d spent
so much time in that old Mercedes back in high school. Truth be told, I was
kind of excited to see it again.
“No, that one died a year ago. I have
a MINI now.”
“Too bad. We had some good memories
in that car.”
“We did.” She gave me a sly smile.
“Some very good memories in the
backseat.”
I coughed and tried to steer the
conversation back to something less dangerous, but all I could think about was
when we’d been together. “Remember that time we got lost on our way home from a
concert in Pomona? And we ran out of gas in a shady part of LA and had to wait
for Jared to come get us?”
“I remember. I was scared we were
going to get carjacked, so you helped…distract me.” She met my eyes. “You were
so very good at distracting me.”
Suddenly, all I could think about was
how I’d like to distract her now. First, I’d tangle my fingers in that long,
thick hair, getting a good hold of it. Then I’d tilt her head back so I could
press my lips to her neck, to that spot just below her ear. She’d moan my name,
and I’d work my way down, lower and lower, dipping inside the V of her shirt to
taste every inch of skin I’d seen earlier. She’d reach for the front of my
jeans and—
Whoa there. None of those things
could happen. I could not get involved with Alexis again, and the only way I’d
get through the night was to banish those thoughts entirely. Why was she even
bringing all of that up again? Earlier she’d mentioned wanting to catch up, and
now she was flat-out hitting on me. Did she want to get back together or
something?
We stopped at a black MINI Cooper
with white racing stripes across the hood. Not a car I’d ever picture her
driving. Hmm, maybe she had changed.
“Nice car,” I said. “Not much room in
the backseat, though.” Wait, why had I said that? It’s like I couldn’t stop
myself from flirting with her, either.
“I bet we could still fit.”
Her eyes swept over me again, and it
took all my energy not to press her back against the side of the car and devour
her. I was so, so tempted to make a move, even though it was a terrible idea.
Being around Alexis was causing my brain to not function properly. I wanted to
blame my growing hard-on for rendering me stupid, but that wasn’t the entire
reason. All the memories of being with Alexis, combined with seeing her again,
were turning me into a sentimental fool.
I cleared my throat and tore my gaze
away. “Let’s just find Becca, okay?”
“Sure,” she said, but she sounded
disappointed. Hell, I was, too. I wished I was more like Jared and could do
random, meaningless hook-ups, but that wasn’t me. If I got a taste of Alexis, I
would only want more and more. I had to stop this now before it went any
further.
Author Bio
Elizabeth Briggs is a full-time geek who writes books for teens and adults. She plays the guitar, mentors at-risk teens, and volunteers with a dog rescue group. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a pack of small, fluffy dogs.Sign up for her newsletter to get info on upcoming books, plus giveaways and other exclusives: http://bit.ly/ebnewsletter1
Facebook Website Twitter
Interview
Please welcome More Than Exes author Elizabeth Briggs to Diane’s Book Blog.
Where did you get the idea for More Than Exes?
In More Than Music, which is about
Kyle’s friend, Maddie, and his brother, Jared, there’s a part where Maddie
thinks about how it must be difficult to be Jared’s brother sometimes. That made
me wonder about how Kyle sees his brother, and I quickly jotted down what would
become the first chapter of More Than Exes. Right then I knew I had to tell
Kyle’s story, too. I also had many fans of More Than Music tell me they loved
Kyle and wanted a book about him, so that sealed the deal!
Do you need to read More Than Music to read More Than Exes?
No, definitely not. More Than Exes is a
novella set about a month before More Than Music and can be read as a
standalone. There’s nothing in it that would be confusing if you haven’t read
More Than Music – but if you have, it will also shed light on a few things in
that book. You can read them in any order, even though More Than Exes is a
prequel.
What is your favorite thing about More Than Exes?
There are so many things I love about this
book – the fact that it takes place over a few hours, the sarcastic humor in
it, and the love story of two high school sweethearts getting back together…
but my absolute favorite part is the close sibling relationship between Kyle
and Jared. I loved showing Jared from Kyle’s point of view – Kyle views his
brother very differently from how Maddie does in More Than Music, but still
loves him and would do anything for him.
What was the hardest part about writing More Than Exes?
More Than Exes is the first book I’ve
ever written from a guy’s point of view, and that was a lot of fun but also
challenging at times. I had to make sure that Kyle would be sympathetic to
romance readers but also feel like a realistic 21 year old male. I don’t think
there are many romances told from only a male perspective, but I hope people
will give this one a chance!
If you weren’t a writer, what would you do?
A rock star, of course! I play the
guitar, though I don’t have time to practice as much as I’d like. I’ve always wanted
to be in a famous rock band, but now I just write about them instead.
What’s next in the Chasing the Dream series?
I’m currently working on More Than
Comics, a novella about the drummer of the band, Hector, set at Comic-Con about
a week after More Than Music ends. After that, I’ll be writing books about
Maddie’s best friends, Julie and Carla, who both go on their own reality TV
shows!
Giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment