Amanda K. Byrne
Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Broken Down, a Contemporary Romance by Amanda K. Byrne (12 April 2016, Radiodemon Publishing, 208 pages). This is the second book in the Hidden Scars series.
Don't miss our interview with author Amanda K. Byrne.PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below. Read the first three chapters with Amazon Look Inside.
Author Amanda K. Byrne will be awarding two $25 gift cards, winner's choice of vendor, to randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀), interviews (ℚ), reviews (✍) and guest blog posts (✉).
Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | Author Q&A | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops
Synopsis
The one thing he could do for her was let her go. Until he couldn’t.When Thieves’ guitarist Shane Jones lost his close friend to a freak accident, Krista Conner helped him through the worst of his grief. He kept their late-night trysts a secret to protect her from the tabloids, and when she broke up with him, he let her go.
But he never got over her.
Months later, his world is rocked again by the death of his brother mere weeks before the biggest Thieves album yet. Grieving and desperate for peace, he tracks Krista down, craving the salvation he found in her sweet spirit. Only this time, he’s determined not to leave.
Krista left Shane because her life was a mess. She’s rebuilt it, piece by challenging piece, making some hard decisions along the way. She’s settled into a new city and a new life, and for the first time in a long time, she’s content and happy. Then Shane turns up, promising to stay, promising to care. Promising everything.
Shane’s the one she wants, but the toughest choice she made could drive him away for good.
Teaser: Excerpt
She waited.
The unfamiliar growl of an engine had shut off moments ago, and curiosity was starting to get the better of her. Whoever it was had stopped in her driveway. There was only one person who’d come by this late, and she hadn’t seen or heard from him in months. He didn’t even know how to find her.
I can’t do this anymore.
And Shane being Shane, he’d left, exactly like she’d asked him to, without protest or platitudes. Just a final kiss before he’d walked out the front door. It’d been for the best—she was ready for more, and he’d shot her down every time. It wasn’t what they were about. She was his distraction, and for a while, it’d worked for her.
Pushing back from her desk, she stood and padded down the short hall to the front entry, peering through the long, narrow window next to the door. A monster of a truck sat in her driveway, a tarp covering something in the bed. She couldn’t make out any of the driver’s features.
A shiver of fear skated down her spine. Her best friend Sara and her fiancé had been attacked several months ago, the act brutal enough it’d landed Taylor in the hospital with a gunshot wound. The guy’d been caught, and so far no one else connected to Taylor’s old gang life had made the trek across the country to disrupt their lives. Taylor was worried, though, and that worry extended to her. She could be used to get to Sara, and it was well known Taylor would do anything for Sara. Krista thought it was a little ridiculous, but still…
Better safe than sorry.
She stepped back after making sure the deadbolt was in place and went in search of her phone. When she’d rented the house two months ago, the amount of space, both inside the house and around it, had appealed to her after living so long squished in between people.
For the first time, she thought all that space wasn’t such a good thing.
A knock on the door had her straightening her shoulders. This was stupid. The neighborhood was safe as houses. She snagged her phone off the kitchen table and walked to the door, squinting through the peephole.
The breath caught in her lungs, a surge of pure joy chased away by trepidation. Even in the dark, she recognized Shane’s face. She flipped the locks and opened the door. “You drove an awfully long way for a booty call that isn’t going to happen.”
His mouth twisted in a half-smile. “Would you believe me if I told you that’s not why I’m here?”
A breeze drifted through the open door and brought goosebumps to life. August in Portland was not the same thing as August in Los Angeles. The heat of the day usually broke at night, and standing in the open doorway in a thin tank and sleep shorts didn’t exactly make for warmth. She stepped aside. “Come in.”
She led the way to the kitchen and hit the overhead light switch, pulling open the freezer for the vodka. She held up the bottle. “Drink?”
“Sure.” He dragged out a chair and slumped into it, and she snuck a glance. Still as stupidly handsome as ever. She liked the scruff. The dark hair shadowing his golden brown skin would be rough under her fingertips. Her fingers twitched, and she curled them into fists.
Swallowing hard, she busied herself with glasses. So easy, like the past six months hadn’t happened. She wasn’t going to get sucked into his vortex again. Once was enough.
Vodka burned her throat as she took a healthy swallow before setting his glass in front of him. She retreated to the counter, letting the edge of it bite into her back rather than join him at the table. “I’m sorry about Eric.” The guy couldn’t catch a break this year. First Adrian, one of his closest friends, died in a freak stage dive accident, then his brother overdosed. What was next? God would smite him with a lightning strike?
Shane spun the glass around, the liquid slopping against the sides. “Thanks. I guess. I never know what to say to that sort of shit.” His green eyes were dull with grief. “He made his choice. We all have to live with the consequences.” He lifted the glass and drank down the contents in one long gulp.
She fought off a yawn. “What’s the rest of the band doing?”
He shrugged. “Split out. Rem’s home in Louisiana with his girl. Not sure where Thad took off to, but Max managed to get a hold of him, and apparently he’s fine. Shit!” He shifted in his seat and fished his phone out of his pocket. “Max has my car.”
She smirked. “You let someone else drive your car?” She’d seen plenty of pictures of the car, but never had the pleasure of riding in it. She’d been relegated to the back of the bike.
Shane didn’t answer, holding the phone to his ear and frowning while he waited for Max to pick up. “Max. I’m here. No tail to the freeway, so whatever you did worked.” A pause, while he listened to his friend on the other end. “You fuckin’ kidding me?” He groaned and hung up without saying goodbye, tossing the phone on the table. It rattled across the surface, and she swiped it before he could protest. She thumbed open the text message and stared at the attached photo.
It was her turn to frown. “Is that a hooker?”
Shane nodded. “His grand plan for a distraction. Take my car, make the paps think I was picking up a hooker. Guy could give two shits if his name and face get splashed all over for a stunt like that.”
She pursed her lips. “Sounds like the distraction worked.”
“It did,” he admitted. He nudged the glass away and braced his elbows on the table, dropping his head into his hands. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”
Her heart skipped. “The thought had crossed my mind.” And how he’d found her. She certainly hadn’t shared the news she was moving with him.
“I need a place to stay for a while.”
Her brows shot up. “Oh? Something wrong with your house?”
“Other than it’s surrounded?” He lifted his head and met her gaze. “I didn’t know where else to go.”
There were about a thousand and one other places he could have gone. “Okay?”
He muttered something under his breath. “I’m not trying to get in your pants this time. I need to get away from all the bullshit in L.A. Seems like everyone I know is in the industry, and I need a friend who’s not.”
Unease snuck in. “We had sex. A lot of it. That’s all it was.” Her voice shook. They were not friends. They’d never been friends. She was a fool who’d let him come and go as he wanted because she wasn’t stupid enough to try and tie him down and ask for more.
“Bullshit.” A single word, laced with a vehemence that stunned her. “You were never just a fuck to me, Krista. You said you were done, I respect that. I’m not here to change your mind. I’m here because I was going out of my mind down there. I’m here because I’m a dick and I’m taking advantage of your kindness. I thought of you as a friend. You had my back when I needed you, and I’m asking again.”
He got up from the table and stepped up to the counter, his body inches from hers. “Please,” he said quietly. “Let me stay with you for a while. A few days. Longer, if you’ll let me, but a few days will help. I’ll stay out of your way. Just…Christ, I don’t know what else to do.” He lifted a hand, moved to cup her jaw, and dropped it, clenching it into a fist. “Please,” he repeated.
If he stayed, she’d have to tell him. She’d have to kick him when he was already down, and she couldn’t do that to him. It’d be better if he left. She started to shake her head, and the pain in his eyes stopped her short. This was worse than it had been with Adrian. Her hands started to tremble as she struggled to keep them to herself, the urge to touch him almost overwhelming.
She was so very, very screwed.
The unfamiliar growl of an engine had shut off moments ago, and curiosity was starting to get the better of her. Whoever it was had stopped in her driveway. There was only one person who’d come by this late, and she hadn’t seen or heard from him in months. He didn’t even know how to find her.
I can’t do this anymore.
And Shane being Shane, he’d left, exactly like she’d asked him to, without protest or platitudes. Just a final kiss before he’d walked out the front door. It’d been for the best—she was ready for more, and he’d shot her down every time. It wasn’t what they were about. She was his distraction, and for a while, it’d worked for her.
Pushing back from her desk, she stood and padded down the short hall to the front entry, peering through the long, narrow window next to the door. A monster of a truck sat in her driveway, a tarp covering something in the bed. She couldn’t make out any of the driver’s features.
A shiver of fear skated down her spine. Her best friend Sara and her fiancé had been attacked several months ago, the act brutal enough it’d landed Taylor in the hospital with a gunshot wound. The guy’d been caught, and so far no one else connected to Taylor’s old gang life had made the trek across the country to disrupt their lives. Taylor was worried, though, and that worry extended to her. She could be used to get to Sara, and it was well known Taylor would do anything for Sara. Krista thought it was a little ridiculous, but still…
Better safe than sorry.
She stepped back after making sure the deadbolt was in place and went in search of her phone. When she’d rented the house two months ago, the amount of space, both inside the house and around it, had appealed to her after living so long squished in between people.
For the first time, she thought all that space wasn’t such a good thing.
A knock on the door had her straightening her shoulders. This was stupid. The neighborhood was safe as houses. She snagged her phone off the kitchen table and walked to the door, squinting through the peephole.
The breath caught in her lungs, a surge of pure joy chased away by trepidation. Even in the dark, she recognized Shane’s face. She flipped the locks and opened the door. “You drove an awfully long way for a booty call that isn’t going to happen.”
His mouth twisted in a half-smile. “Would you believe me if I told you that’s not why I’m here?”
A breeze drifted through the open door and brought goosebumps to life. August in Portland was not the same thing as August in Los Angeles. The heat of the day usually broke at night, and standing in the open doorway in a thin tank and sleep shorts didn’t exactly make for warmth. She stepped aside. “Come in.”
She led the way to the kitchen and hit the overhead light switch, pulling open the freezer for the vodka. She held up the bottle. “Drink?”
“Sure.” He dragged out a chair and slumped into it, and she snuck a glance. Still as stupidly handsome as ever. She liked the scruff. The dark hair shadowing his golden brown skin would be rough under her fingertips. Her fingers twitched, and she curled them into fists.
Swallowing hard, she busied herself with glasses. So easy, like the past six months hadn’t happened. She wasn’t going to get sucked into his vortex again. Once was enough.
Vodka burned her throat as she took a healthy swallow before setting his glass in front of him. She retreated to the counter, letting the edge of it bite into her back rather than join him at the table. “I’m sorry about Eric.” The guy couldn’t catch a break this year. First Adrian, one of his closest friends, died in a freak stage dive accident, then his brother overdosed. What was next? God would smite him with a lightning strike?
Shane spun the glass around, the liquid slopping against the sides. “Thanks. I guess. I never know what to say to that sort of shit.” His green eyes were dull with grief. “He made his choice. We all have to live with the consequences.” He lifted the glass and drank down the contents in one long gulp.
She fought off a yawn. “What’s the rest of the band doing?”
He shrugged. “Split out. Rem’s home in Louisiana with his girl. Not sure where Thad took off to, but Max managed to get a hold of him, and apparently he’s fine. Shit!” He shifted in his seat and fished his phone out of his pocket. “Max has my car.”
She smirked. “You let someone else drive your car?” She’d seen plenty of pictures of the car, but never had the pleasure of riding in it. She’d been relegated to the back of the bike.
Shane didn’t answer, holding the phone to his ear and frowning while he waited for Max to pick up. “Max. I’m here. No tail to the freeway, so whatever you did worked.” A pause, while he listened to his friend on the other end. “You fuckin’ kidding me?” He groaned and hung up without saying goodbye, tossing the phone on the table. It rattled across the surface, and she swiped it before he could protest. She thumbed open the text message and stared at the attached photo.
It was her turn to frown. “Is that a hooker?”
Shane nodded. “His grand plan for a distraction. Take my car, make the paps think I was picking up a hooker. Guy could give two shits if his name and face get splashed all over for a stunt like that.”
She pursed her lips. “Sounds like the distraction worked.”
“It did,” he admitted. He nudged the glass away and braced his elbows on the table, dropping his head into his hands. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”
Her heart skipped. “The thought had crossed my mind.” And how he’d found her. She certainly hadn’t shared the news she was moving with him.
“I need a place to stay for a while.”
Her brows shot up. “Oh? Something wrong with your house?”
“Other than it’s surrounded?” He lifted his head and met her gaze. “I didn’t know where else to go.”
There were about a thousand and one other places he could have gone. “Okay?”
He muttered something under his breath. “I’m not trying to get in your pants this time. I need to get away from all the bullshit in L.A. Seems like everyone I know is in the industry, and I need a friend who’s not.”
Unease snuck in. “We had sex. A lot of it. That’s all it was.” Her voice shook. They were not friends. They’d never been friends. She was a fool who’d let him come and go as he wanted because she wasn’t stupid enough to try and tie him down and ask for more.
“Bullshit.” A single word, laced with a vehemence that stunned her. “You were never just a fuck to me, Krista. You said you were done, I respect that. I’m not here to change your mind. I’m here because I was going out of my mind down there. I’m here because I’m a dick and I’m taking advantage of your kindness. I thought of you as a friend. You had my back when I needed you, and I’m asking again.”
He got up from the table and stepped up to the counter, his body inches from hers. “Please,” he said quietly. “Let me stay with you for a while. A few days. Longer, if you’ll let me, but a few days will help. I’ll stay out of your way. Just…Christ, I don’t know what else to do.” He lifted a hand, moved to cup her jaw, and dropped it, clenching it into a fist. “Please,” he repeated.
If he stayed, she’d have to tell him. She’d have to kick him when he was already down, and she couldn’t do that to him. It’d be better if he left. She started to shake her head, and the pain in his eyes stopped her short. This was worse than it had been with Adrian. Her hands started to tremble as she struggled to keep them to herself, the urge to touch him almost overwhelming.
She was so very, very screwed.
Broken Down
Available NOW!
The Series: Hidden Scars
Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.
Hidden Scars [1]
Check out the full featureSometimes the past won’t stay where it belongs.
Sara’s number one rule of dating: closed off, secretive men need not apply. Years of therapy helped her move past the damage done by her emotionally abusive boyfriend, and she’s ready to date again. Someone funny, laid back, and easy to talk to. All things her coworker Taylor isn’t.
Taylor’s quiet. Too quiet. He operates in permanent stealth mode, and he hides his secrets as well as Sara does. She doesn’t want to be attracted to him, but after a night spent in a hotel room together, trapped by a blizzard, she can’t deny there’s a fire-hot connection between them, waiting to ignite. Their working relationship inches closer and closer to friendship, until one day she gathers her courage and kisses him.
It’s the match Taylor was waiting for.
What starts as a sweet, fumbling friendship quickly becomes a passionate and intense affair. Just when Sara’s starting to feel safe in Taylor’s arms, his secrets come out, and she wonders if she’ll ever be able to stop looking over her shoulder.
[Published 22 September 2015, 247 pages]
About the Author
When she’s not plotting ways to sneak her latest shoe purchase past her partner, Amanda writes sexy, snarky romance and urban fantasy. She likes her heroines smart and unafraid to make mistakes, and her heroes strong enough to take them on.If she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking hot chocolate, and trying not to destroy her house with her newest DIY project.
She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and no, it really doesn’t rain that much.
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