New Dark Romance by Carina Adams!
Almost Innocent is NOW LIVE!
Blurb
Callaghan. A name
synonymous with power and fear. A family of untouchable criminals.
As a teenager, Gabriella
Forte had no intention of getting to know the town's most dangerous brothers.
Once Dustin set his sights on her, she was trapped. There was only one way out
of her personal hell.
Declan was determined to
break away from his family's shadow. Until he fell in love with the one woman
he couldn't have. She changed everything.
Life isn't always kind.
Love can hurt. Sometimes you need to sacrifice yourself to protect the people
you care about.
It's been twelve years
since Declan did the unthinkable and went to prison. He promised to stay away
from Gabby and his nephew. That's one vow he can't keep.
Things aren't always what
they seem. Facts are only as credible as the person stating them. The truth
doesn't always set you free.
Warning: This is a dark romance. If domestic violence
bothers you, if you can't read violence in literature, or you are looking for a
light and fluffy read, this book is not for you.
Excerpt
I turned into my driveway
so fast I almost sideswiped the gate, then I gunned the
engine, slamming on the
brakes at the last minute, so I didn’t collide with my
brother’s
Jeep. Leaving
my car door open, I raced into the house and up the stairs, then I threw
my
weight against the door to Dustin’s room.
Just as the gunshot echoed
throughout the house, shaking the walls as if an earthquake
had hit.
His room was destroyed,
furniture broken and scattered around, holes in the walls, the
floor covered in
debris. The scent of blood hit me like a freight train. The taste of
copper
invaded my mouth, almost as if it was me who had been wounded, and I
stumbled
backward as my eyes moved over the room, desperate to find her. The closet
door
was flung open, hanging from only the bottom hinge.
On the floor, just inside
the closet, was a man, weeping. He clutched something in his
arms as he rocked
back and forth, sharp wails of pain seeping from his body.
No! No. I raced to them,
fell to the floor at her feet, climbed up her legs, and shoved
the trembling
mass away from her. Her eyes were still open, yet there was no life left
in
them. One of her hands hung limply at her side while the other was curled over
her
rounded belly, almost protectively. Fuck, no!
I sank onto my knees next
to her, pulling her up to me and burying my face in her
neck. Not my Gabby. She
couldn’t be gone! Without her, I had no reason to breathe.
Despair filled every part
of me as I clung to the woman I loved, desperate to rewind the
clock and get
her back. Just for a few more minutes. Just to tell her how much she
mattered
to me.
“She’s gone. She’ll never
be yours,” the sinister voice I’d grown to hate goaded. “She
always thought she
was never good enough for you.” He barked out a psychotic laugh
. “You. Bitch
was never good enough for me.”
Without moving away from
her, because I couldn’t physically let go yet, I yanked my
Desert Eagle from
its holster and aimed at my brother. “You were never fucking good
enough for
her.” I pulled the trigger without a single regret. “She’ll never be yours.”
The look on Dustin’s face
was one of betrayal and surprise. I didn’t know why he felt
either. My loyalty
to him died the day he’d discovered I was in love with his girlfriend
and
decided to punish her for my mistakes. He’d been there when I stole the life
from
perfectly healthy and decent men, so it shouldn’t be a shock that I’d
relieved his black
soul from his diseased, evil existence. He flopped over to
the side dramatically as I
returned my attention to the woman who was my
everything.
“I’m so fucking sorry,
baby,” I whispered, holding her tight one last time.
A phone rang across the
room, but I couldn’t move away from the woman in my arms.
I cradled her head
against my chest, begging God and all of the saints to grant me
a miracle. I’d
give my life for hers. I willed my strength into her body.
It didn’t work.
The phone rang again, this
time with a commotion behind me. I snapped my head to
the right, a predatory
growl on my lips, daring whoever had come into the room to try
to rip her from
my arms. The sight of my cousin, standing just inside the door, caused
rage to
boil out of me.
I wouldn’t leave her for
anything. Except revenge. Pressing my lips to her still warm
forehead, I laid
her back gently and faced the man I’d trusted above all others.
I stalked toward him, gun
drawn. “Where the fuck were you?”
Mark narrowed his eyes at
me but was smart enough to step back.
“I told you to watch her. I
told you to protect her.”
My best friend raised his
chin defiantly, as if the love of my life wasn’t lying behind
me and growing
cold. “I don’t take orders from you, kid. She wasn’t yours.”
The pain that hurtled
through my body was unlike any I’d ever felt, burning a path
from my mind to my
stomach as realization dawned. He’d known. The fucker had
known and hadn’t
lifted a fucking finger to stop it.
Loss—not just from Gabby,
but knowing the man I’d loved as a brother was now gone
—mixed with the bitter
taste of betrayal and swirled in my stomach. I could finally see
the man Mark
had become. I hated him. He may not have pulled the trigger, but he
was just as
responsible for Gabby’s death as Dustin.
I lifted my arm without
aiming and unloaded the magazine into him.
I sat up, gasping for air
and clutching at the blanket that covered me. It was just a
dream, I told
myself. Just a dream. I moved quickly, throwing my legs over the side of
the
bed, leaning my elbows on my knees, and clutching my head.
Just a dream.
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
It was a little confusing at first. It will all unfold. It is not completely explicit, but it does deal with some sensitive topics. It was a great book!
About the Author
Carina Adams has been writing and creating characters for
as long as she can remember, allowing her to fall in love with the next man of
her dreams with every new story.
Thankfully, fate stepped in and granted her the ultimate
wish - a life full of men. Carina lives in a picturesque New England town with
her husband, the man who ruined the thought of all others, and two amazing sons
who always keep her on her toes.
Carina received her MBA in May, but would much rather play
with her imaginary friends (the voices in her head) than work her 8 to 5. When
she isn’t trying to juggle being a working mom with karate and football
practices, surprising her children with her sci-fi movie knowledge, or writing,
you can find her with her nose pressed against her kindle, laughing with
friends, or living life vicariously as her Derby Girl persona, Writers Block.
Carina is the author the of Bastards MC series and best
selling Forever Red. She is currently writing Out of The Blue, the follow up to
Forever Red. She loves to hear feedback from her readers, no matter what type.
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