Her Only
Salvation by J.C. Valentine
Publication Date: September
13, 2016
Genres: Adult,
Contemporary Romance, Sweet / Clean Romance, Thriller
BUY:
Synopsis:
Sometimes,
relationships can be deadly.
Terri thought she was
marrying a strong, loving man, only to find that beneath that handsome face
lies something cold, brutal, and dangerous. After years of abuse, her husband
takes things a little too far, and Terri finally summons the courage to take matters
into her own hands and make her escape.But freedom comes at a price. Forging
a new life, Terri moves to a new town and tries to forget her past, but she
can’t help looking over her shoulder at every turn. When prison bars can no
longer hold her husband, and her past comes knocking, Terri finds that the
strength to trust again may be her only salvation. When her attractive new boss
steps up to the plate and vows to protect her at all cost, she’s inclined to
accept…but can she ever allow herself to trust her instincts again?
*Author Note* Her
Only Salvation is a bold and enticing storyline with a hint of romance
(sensual but not explicit). This book was originally released under J.C.
Valentine’s given name and was entitled “Spring Cleaning.”
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT
Luke
stomped across the floor and poured himself a glass of water. Gulping it down,
he placed the empty cup in the small sink basin and turned to survey the room.
Terri
didn’t try to make small talk this time, not after what happened the last time.
Instead, she cleaned around the human pillar parked in front of the taps. He
would have to move sometime, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.
She
could feel his eyes on her as she moved about the confined area.
“The
police said it was a hit and run.” Luke’s voice was gruff, tortured.
Sensing
his need to unburden himself, she put the glass she was cleaning down and met
his eyes. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He broke eye contact, staring at the shelves of liquor above her head as if
deep in thought. Eventually, his gaze shifted back to hers.
“They
said since it was on my property, I might be facing a lawsuit.”
Terri
rose up straight. “How is that possible? You weren’t the one that ran someone
over.” Anger for Luke’s situation had her fisting her hands against her sides.
A
shoulder lifted and fell. Luke sighed deeply, as if he were exhausted by the
whole ordeal. “It all depends on whether the guy lives or not and how much he
can tell the detective about what happened tonight.”
“What
do you mean, if he lives? How serious was it?”
Luke
smirked humorlessly. “Every hit and run is serious, Terri.”
She
raised an eyebrow at that. “Duh. What I meant was…” She shook her head. “Yeah,
I don’t know what I meant.” She huffed at her own stupid remark.
Retrieving
his cup, Luke poured himself another glass of water. He sipped it slowly,
thinking. “The guy was only twenty-one,” he stated, as if that should clarify
everything. The look she gave him said it didn’t. “He left my club falling-down
drunk, intending to drive home.”
Terri
winced. The dram laws said that bartenders, and anyone else who served
alcoholic drinks, were supposed to monitor how much was too much for any one
customer. If they looked like they weren’t handling it so well, they weren’t
allowed to leave unless it was by cab or some other designated driver. It was a
good rule that kept a lot of heat off of the Sunset Black.
“Okay,
but how can this be held over your head? He never drove away, and they can’t
prove the guy who hit him was drunk,” she pointed out “Maybe not, but that
doesn’t mean I don’t have some responsibility to make sure my customers make it
home safely.” Pushing off the bar, Luke returned his glass to the sink without
finishing it. “If he wakes up, he might decide I didn’t hold up my end. If I’m
sued, I’ll probably lose this place in legal fees alone.”
“Well
what about this driver? Didn’t anyone see who it was? What kind of car they
were driving? Anything?” Terri felt desperate for answers. It wasn’t even her
business to save, but she felt a kinship with Luke, and that made her concerned
with what happened to him in his life.
He
had offered her a job when no one else would. She was uneducated and hadn’t
worked since the day she married. To top it off, he treated her kindly,
something she hadn’t experienced in years, and he was her friend. Those she
called a friend she stood behind fully. His fight was now her fight, as far as
she was concerned, and anything she could do to keep him from losing his
livelihood—his dream—she would do.
“One
of the witnesses said they saw a late model blue pickup speeding away. They
didn’t get the plates or see who was driving, though. So they probably won’t
catch the guy, which leaves just me, unless that boy recovers and gives us
something good to go on.” Reaching out, Luke placed a gentle hand against
Terri’s cheek. “Hey, you’re all pale. What’s wrong?”
She
didn’t know how she could’ve missed it, but her eyes were wide open now. The
guy at the club earlier with the broken beer bottle and the driver of the truck
in the parking lot responsible for running down one of their patrons…
Shaking
now, Terri peered up at Luke hoping he wouldn’t confirm her worst fears. “Who
was the victim? The guy they took to the hospital.”
“Terri,
I don’t see how—”
“Please,”
she pleaded, “I have to know.”
“It
was that guy who hassled you tonight. The college kid.”
Terri’s
legs crumbled beneath her. Luke’s quick reflexes made sure she didn’t fall.
Scooping her into his arms, Luke carried her quickly to his office before
anyone noticed what had happened.
Luke
place Terri on a very smart-looking sofa in his office. He left her long enough
to close the door, then returned, pulling up his desk chair and sitting down to
face her.
“Want
to tell me what just happened out there?”
Terri
shook her head. Words failed her. They were all locked up in her throat. Blood
pounded through her veins, making her pulse thunder inside her ears.
Rubbing
two fingers across his chin, Luke studied her. “Okay. Do you want to go home,
Terri?”
She
thought about it. The idea of going back behind that counter, walking around
the dark club floors where someone could be watching her, and she’d never know
it, terrified her.
“Yes”
was all she could say.
“Okay
then.” Luke stood and rounded the desk. He slid open a drawer and drew out a
set of keys. “I’ll drive you home.”
Terri’s
attention snapped back to him. “What about my car?”
Luke
held up a hand. “Leave it. I’ll pick you up tomorrow afternoon on my way in.
Your car will be fine until you get back.”
Terri
didn’t argue. She stood up and let Luke
lead her from the office, thoughts of Randy racing through her mind. Had he
finally been released from jail? Was he free to come after her now? If he was,
would he really do it after all this time? But she already knew the answer to
that. Of course he would.
The
question now was, would he be waiting for her, ready to run her down the moment
she stepped across the protective barrier of the club provided her like he did
to that boy?
She
could only hope that having Luke by her side would be enough to keep her safe.
Title: Her Only Salvation
Author: J.C. Valentine
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Thriller
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Rating: ★★★★★
Reviewer: Melyssa
Reviewer: Melyssa
This
was quite a bit of a different read from previous books that I’ve read by the
author in the past.
It still held onto the core things that for me as a reader, I enjoy from J.C. Valentine’s stories. Such as connection to characters, an engaging story, and a writing style that’s near impossible to walk away from once you’ve experienced it.
This time around though, it also had less focus on romance (even though it was there) and seemed to be more driven by suspense, intrigue and an edge of your seat thriller type feel. A story that from one minute to the next left you questioning just how things would play out. Who would make it out alive, if anyone and just how dark and twisted it would get before reaching its conclusion.
I enjoyed the differences here. It gave me a new appreciation for the author and her ability to put together one hell of a story that even though still had the core elements of romance (just on a smaller scale), was driven by something much different.
I have to admit, I would love to see more of this kind of story from this author in the future if the mood ever strikes her again. She definitely hit the nail on the head and had me chomping at the bit quite a few times throughout. With nail biting and itching to skip pages to be sure everything turned out okay for characters I’d become invested in. She also gave a feel of “will they or won’t they” in terms of the hero and heroine of this tale that also kept me engaged throughout because she didn’t just throw them in our laps. It was a slow burn to get to the payoff that occurred here.
If you enjoy a little action in your stories, ones that keep you on the edge of your seat, only being able to guess how things will all play out, I think you’ll enjoy this. If you’ve previously read anything by the author before, you also won’t go wrong picking this up. And hopefully, when you do, you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
My thanks to the author and all others involved in letting me read this before official release. This was definitely a ride I’m glad I got to be a part of and I can’t wait to see where the author brings us in the future.
It still held onto the core things that for me as a reader, I enjoy from J.C. Valentine’s stories. Such as connection to characters, an engaging story, and a writing style that’s near impossible to walk away from once you’ve experienced it.
This time around though, it also had less focus on romance (even though it was there) and seemed to be more driven by suspense, intrigue and an edge of your seat thriller type feel. A story that from one minute to the next left you questioning just how things would play out. Who would make it out alive, if anyone and just how dark and twisted it would get before reaching its conclusion.
I enjoyed the differences here. It gave me a new appreciation for the author and her ability to put together one hell of a story that even though still had the core elements of romance (just on a smaller scale), was driven by something much different.
I have to admit, I would love to see more of this kind of story from this author in the future if the mood ever strikes her again. She definitely hit the nail on the head and had me chomping at the bit quite a few times throughout. With nail biting and itching to skip pages to be sure everything turned out okay for characters I’d become invested in. She also gave a feel of “will they or won’t they” in terms of the hero and heroine of this tale that also kept me engaged throughout because she didn’t just throw them in our laps. It was a slow burn to get to the payoff that occurred here.
If you enjoy a little action in your stories, ones that keep you on the edge of your seat, only being able to guess how things will all play out, I think you’ll enjoy this. If you’ve previously read anything by the author before, you also won’t go wrong picking this up. And hopefully, when you do, you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
My thanks to the author and all others involved in letting me read this before official release. This was definitely a ride I’m glad I got to be a part of and I can’t wait to see where the author brings us in the future.
ABOUT J.C. VALENTINE
J.C. Valentine is the
USA Today and International bestselling author of the Night Calls and Wayward
Fighters Series and the Forbidden Series. Her vivid imagination and love of
words and romance had her penning her own romance stories from an early age,
which, despite being poorly edited and written longhand, she forced friends and
family members to read. No, she isn’t sorry. J.C. earned her own happily
ever after when she married her high school sweetheart. Living in the
Northwest, they have three amazing children and far too many pets and spend
much of their free time together enjoying movies or the outdoors. Among the
many hats she wears, J.C. is an entrepreneur. Having graduated with honors, she
holds a Bachelor’s in English and when she isn’t writing, you can find her
editing for fellow authors. Sign up for J.C.’s newsletter and never miss a
thing! http://bit.ly/1KxXWWB
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