by Neeny Boucher
"Back of Beyond"(Book 1)
"Lost in Flight"(Book 2)
"Ties that Bind"(Book 3)
"Lost in Flight"(Book 2)
"Ties that Bind"(Book 3)
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Excerpt from Lost in Flight:
Christina, Shanwick, The Present, 2012
Skin meets skin, trailing promises and desire. Feathery breaths whisper on Christina’s shoulders. Her eyes snap open, squinting at the morning sun. The dull throb in her head gives notice, as does fierce thirst.
Her tongue seeks moisture on her lips, but there’s none. Christina’s stomach roils. Her breath is radioactive. She makes her own self feel sick.
Blue walls, a dresser, and a familiar door: recognition tugs at her consciousness. Christina knows this room, but hasn’t been here in a long, long time. She’s also naked and not alone.
Wrapped around her is her ex-husband, ex-love of her life, and persona non grata, Nicholas Riley. Riley’s fast asleep, breathing heavily, and his hands are wandering up her body. One lands on her boob, clutching, groping.
Christina jerks forward, shrugging him off. She opens and closes her eyes, counting to ten. Nothing changes and he is still here.
The gory details of last night are behind the ominous, pulsating fog in her head. The man, the lack of clothing, and the rumpled bedding indicate what it involved. Adrenaline responds to her internal alarm.
If he wakes… A myriad of awkward scenarios run free-flow through her head. This will be the fastest exit of shame in the history of exits of shame.
Extracting herself finger by finger from Riley’s death grip, Christina slips over the side of the bed. The room sways, rocking back and forth. She lurches forward on wobbly legs.
Christina’s bladder aches. She needs to do things, desperate things… human things. She just can’t do them naked.
Her little blue dress is at the end of the bed. Hunching down, she crawls to retrieve it. A quick search for her other belongings throws up further questions. Draped at an odd angle on the mirror are her panties. It looks like someone slingshot them.
Cringe lands on Christina’s face in big, red, heat spots. What did she do? Scratch that. Willful ignorance is sometimes a kindness.
Her bra, shoes, and handbag are nowhere to be seen. The bras and shoes are manageable, but the handbag is a problem. Her life is in there.
Hauling on her dress, Christina slinks over to her panties, pulling them on with a hop and a bump. She recoils at the woman in the mirror. Smeared mascara accentuates dark brown eyes and then there’s the lipstick. It’s everywhere: face, teeth, chin, and neck.
But, the makeup is nothing in comparison to the hair. Her after-sex hair is an 80’s rock video. Dragging her fingers through it, she winces. Taming it is a lost cause and also, she doesn’t want to anger it.
Years ago, this wouldn’t have bothered her. She was “Dina,” high school Queen of the Outcast Crew, and a true believer in grunge. By today’s standards, Christina Martin, lawyer, she is a complete mess.
Wiping as much of last night’s makeup off as she can, Christina creeps to the door. Riley hasn’t moved, just rolled over onto his back and settled in the space she vacated. Taking a deep breath, she blows it out of her mouth quietly.
I can do this. I can get out of here and if anything comes of it, I can use the old lawyer’s trick of: deny, avoid, defer, and engage. There is also “settlement,” but that is the last resort.
Christina’s hand is on the bedroom door handle. She freezes at the crunching sound it makes. Every nerve ending is on high alert, but the silence from him allows her to relax.
She pulls the door toward her, but it sticks. She pushes and pulls, but it will not budge. Horror sweats break out.
“Good morning.” Riley’s raspy, amused voice hits her senses like an old lover’s caress. Intimate, knowing. It sends chills up her spine.
Back of Beyond
Price: $2.99 ebook (at time of post)
Book Link: Click Here
- SYNOPSIS -
Dina Martin and Nicholas Riley are total opposites. She’s the good girl with the perfect grades and he’s the bad boy with the reputation. Growing up together with close family ties, they have been at war for as long as they can remember. When the unthinkable happens, neither of them wants it.
- SYNOPSIS -
Dina Martin and Nicholas Riley are total opposites. She’s the good girl with the perfect grades and he’s the bad boy with the reputation. Growing up together with close family ties, they have been at war for as long as they can remember. When the unthinkable happens, neither of them wants it.
Set in a small town at the turn of the millennium, this story is about family and friendship, the love of music and how sometimes who you don’t want, is exactly who you need.
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My Rating: 
My Thoughts: When Loathe Turns to Love
This was probably one of the strangest most entertaining yet insightful reads this year. The story is told in third person alternating dual narrative, which threw at first but after the first few chapters I quickly fell into the story and characters. The novel is young adult, but is filled with many issues such as self insecurities, family and social problems in a fun, and at times, very deep ways.
In this little town of Shanwicks the back of beyond place in nowheres land a place where people think highly of everyone's opinion of each other. So when Christina 'Dina' Martin is taunted and teased mercilessly by the "Anys" aka the it or cool girls in school, Dina's best friends Mandy and Bonnie decide the time is now to hatch a plan. Their trios mission is to become just cool enough to be above the Anys but not too bad; The problem is Dina needs to get into her brother's band and one member really hates her. Nicholas Riley is part of the Outcast Crew, though he comes from old money, Riley likes to be on the outside. Not one for rules or much of anything, Riley is the bad boy of the town who isn't to be messed with. Which is why he and Dina clash, she is Perfect and he's everything but. So when Dina sings and Riley realizes she is so much more than meets the eye, things for them just get a whole lot more complicated. Especially with his troubled past and her families expectations.
Overall, loved this book. I'm Fully surprised by how much depth there was sprinkled into moments here in and there. Dina is not your typical female lead, she never wanted the guy or anyone for that matter yet found herself falling for someone she should resent. Riley is the bad boy turned good, but was secretly always the good boy who just became bad because that's what people labeled him. The subject of bullying in this book tackles many aspects of the issue but one was highlighted pertaining to Dina being slut shamed, the way Dina talked it through was brilliant and had me bring it up as conversation amongst my friends. Oh and I loved how fierce Dina's friends were when it came to anything, I'm a huge fan of best friend power in literature, Mandy and Bonnie are amazing support even if only there to gossip with sometimes. Actually, the whole Martin family was supportive and a great cast of characters, who reminded me of my family, minus the parent with the accent. Now the only thing I had an issue with was there was a moment of assault, that should have been dealt with more in a legal way or at least with parents. Anytime a woman is assaulted it needs to be dealt with not hidden. Apart from that the only other issue I could see is if readers do not get comfortable with the narrative form and switching perspectives. So if you are looking for a story about a town bad boy falling for schools quirky but new hot singer while everyone and everything comes between them, then you'll enjoy this book.
In this little town of Shanwicks the back of beyond place in nowheres land a place where people think highly of everyone's opinion of each other. So when Christina 'Dina' Martin is taunted and teased mercilessly by the "Anys" aka the it or cool girls in school, Dina's best friends Mandy and Bonnie decide the time is now to hatch a plan. Their trios mission is to become just cool enough to be above the Anys but not too bad; The problem is Dina needs to get into her brother's band and one member really hates her. Nicholas Riley is part of the Outcast Crew, though he comes from old money, Riley likes to be on the outside. Not one for rules or much of anything, Riley is the bad boy of the town who isn't to be messed with. Which is why he and Dina clash, she is Perfect and he's everything but. So when Dina sings and Riley realizes she is so much more than meets the eye, things for them just get a whole lot more complicated. Especially with his troubled past and her families expectations.
Overall, loved this book. I'm Fully surprised by how much depth there was sprinkled into moments here in and there. Dina is not your typical female lead, she never wanted the guy or anyone for that matter yet found herself falling for someone she should resent. Riley is the bad boy turned good, but was secretly always the good boy who just became bad because that's what people labeled him. The subject of bullying in this book tackles many aspects of the issue but one was highlighted pertaining to Dina being slut shamed, the way Dina talked it through was brilliant and had me bring it up as conversation amongst my friends. Oh and I loved how fierce Dina's friends were when it came to anything, I'm a huge fan of best friend power in literature, Mandy and Bonnie are amazing support even if only there to gossip with sometimes. Actually, the whole Martin family was supportive and a great cast of characters, who reminded me of my family, minus the parent with the accent. Now the only thing I had an issue with was there was a moment of assault, that should have been dealt with more in a legal way or at least with parents. Anytime a woman is assaulted it needs to be dealt with not hidden. Apart from that the only other issue I could see is if readers do not get comfortable with the narrative form and switching perspectives. So if you are looking for a story about a town bad boy falling for schools quirky but new hot singer while everyone and everything comes between them, then you'll enjoy this book.
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Lost in Flight
Price: $2.99 ebook (at time of post)
Book Link: Click Here
*Recommended for audiences over the age of 18*
- SYNOPSIS -
Christina Martin, lawyer, ex high school grunge queen, teenage bride, divorcee, and once a suspected killer, is confronted by a past that she has spent the last eight years carefully avoiding. Drawn back to her hated hometown, with her family under the worst of circumstances, matters are complicated when she finds the love of her life, ex-husband and nemesis, Nicholas Riley, also in residence.
Riley, a man with secrets, who has a penchant for psychological games, made wary by life and with one weakness, his ex-wife. Christina is the woman that brings out all his protective instincts and others less noble. All it takes is one fateful night, where these two collide, opening a door both thought slammed shut and locked forever.
From the past to the present, Christina and Riley show that true love doesn’t always run smoothly, it might not conquer all, and most importantly, love is complicated.
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REVIEW TO COME
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Ties that Bind
Price: $2.99 ebook (at time of post)
Book Link: Click Here
*Recommended for audiences over the age of 18*
Forced to return to her hated hometown to work, Christina Martin, lawyer and ex resident bad girl, finds herself questioning her life choices. Reunited with her former husband, Nicholas Riley, their tenuous and complicated relationship is tested when secrets from the past and present are revealed.
Riley, a man with explosive secrets and penchant for psychological games, faces the dilemma of keeping the woman he loves through lies by omission or potentially losing her with the truth. This isn’t just their second chance for happiness, it’s their last chance and there may be some things that love can’t conquer at all.
Equal parts helped and hindered by a colorful cast of supporting characters, Ties that Bind, book three in the Complicated Love series, continues the dysfunctional relationship of Riley and Dina.
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REVIEW TO COME
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Neeny Boucher
Neeny Boucher is a nom de plume because my real name sounds like a 19th Century suffragette. Originally from New Zealand, I’m a long-time supporter of the All Blacks. Currently, I live in Europe and am trailing spouse, following my husband all over the world for his work. This not only gives me the opportunity to write, but also, experience the world and indulge in one of my favorite past-times: people watching.
My own employment history is varied and ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous. All of those experiences and encounters, however, have allowed me to collect amazing stories, which now form the basis of my writings.
I have always loved the weird, the outcast and those on the margins of society because they see the world in a different way. These are the people my characters are based around.
I have a BA, BA Honors, and a PhD in Sociology/Indigenous Studies.
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