Title: Little Things
Author: Madison Street
Release Date: June 2, 2014
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Synopsis
Everything in Duke Grayson’s life was all he could ever ask for: A loving family, loyal friends, a beautiful girlfriend, and a scholarship to his top choice college. It’s his senior year of high school, and all he needs is to focus on his grades, lacrosse, and keeping his girlfriend happy. That is until Raya walks into his life.
From the moment they meet, Duke is drawn to her, not only for her natural beauty and her stunning crystal blue eyes, but because he’s aware there’s more to this girl than just his alluring pull to her. He senses secrecy and fear.
Throughout the year, their bond grows stronger, and his feelings for her become undeniable. Just when he is about to express his love, tragedy strikes and Raya disappears.
For six years, Duke is tortured by his struggles, as he’s unable to find her and blames himself for failing to protect her. Until the day, she’s found, and he’s given a second chance. Will Duke become her beacon of hope and make her see that it’s the little things that make life worthwhile? Can Raya overcome her fears and fight against the terrors that haunt her? Or will her dark and torturous past be too much for her to battle against?
*Warning: This book contains some disturbing situations, strong language and sexual content. Suited for 18 years and over.
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Excerpt
With a quick pace, I give Mrs. Robinson my test and race out of the class only to crash into Duke.
“Whoa!! Slow down!” He steadies me with his arms.
I chuckle, “Sorry, I’m just happy to get away from Jose. I’m happy this is the last class with him.”
“Me, too. He’s gotten in the way of a lot of things and I can’t fucking stand him. It’ll be alright, Raya. He won’t bother you anymore.” He caresses my arm for a few seconds and then pulls away, clearing his throat. “So, uhh, what did Taylor want?”
I glance away to avoid his eyes, “He asked me out on a date.”
“He finally did it, huh? Took him forever.”
My head snaps to look at him, “Wait. What do you mean?”
He laughs and shakes his head, “After the Halloween party, he asked me if he should ask you out and I told him to go for it. Honestly, I thought he would have asked you out weeks ago. I don’t know what took him so long.”
My heart drops and an unbearable sadness falls over me. “Oh, is that right?”
“You know he’s crazy about you. You should give him a chance. He’s a really good guy.”
I close my eyes and try to force back the tears that are threatening to escape. My heart aches at the loss of Duke’s affection. All I want is him and I know I won’t ever get it. “I’m not so sure. I like him, but not as much as he likes me. I don’t want to rush anything. Besides, I told him that I can’t make any promises. I’ll be very busy with work during the break and won’t have much free time.”
“Ehh, he’ll wait. He doesn’t have a lot going on anyway.” He glances at his phone and responds to a text message. “Okay, well I’m going to catch Melanie before she heads off to her next class. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay. Tell her I’ll see her in English.”
“I will.” He waves at me as he heads off to go get his girlfriend. At that moment, I realize that my feelings for Duke are purely one-sided and I need to get a grip on them. A single tear escapes and I quickly wipe it away. I promised myself that I wouldn’t stand in the way of Duke and Melanie. I’m not like that and I refuse to be the reason for a breakup. Their friendship means so much to me and I won’t ruin it.
Maybe I should go out with Taylor, but how can I with Craig being home? Hopefully, he has a conference coming up soon and will have to go out of town. I’m going to have to find a way to explain this to Taylor. I hope he’ll understand. I grab my cell phone and send a quick text to him.
Me: Meet me at work tomorrow.
I head down the hallway, making my way to endure the next final in line. A few minutes later, I hear my phone beep with an incoming text notification. I grab my cell to read the message sent from Taylor.
Taylor: So, is that a yes?
I laugh to myself. He always gets a head of himself.
Me: It’s a maybe. I’d like to take things slow so if you want come visit me at work.
Taylor: Of course! What time is your shift?
Me: From 11-7
Taylor: Okay, I’ll see you there. Maybe we can do lunch?
Me: Yeah, that sounds good. See ya tomorrow. J
Taylor: See ya then sweetie ;)
I smile at his text and think about seeing him tomorrow. He really is a nice guy and maybe I should listen to Duke and give him a chance. My hopes and wishes are slowly diminishing and I can use any bit of happiness I can get right now. Maybe Taylor is just what I need.
Review
This book was intensely emotional, raw and downright dark and gritty. This was totally my kind of read. It started out kind of slow but I understand we had to get the whole back story and understand the dynamics of the friendships, so my advice when you hit this point, KEEP READING. The story line will change and it will feel like you got hit by a freaking freight train. I did not expect what happened to happen. I loved being caught by surprise.
Raya is one tough cookie! She always fights for what she believes in throughout the whole book. Sometimes with deadly consequences. Her fighting spirit is what keeps her alive.
Duke latches on emotionally to Raya from the very first moment they meet. Raya immediately falls in love with Duke. Can they be together at all?
Tragedy strikes at the end of her senior year in high school and Raya high tails it out of town leaving Duke behind. He’s not having any of that and he looks for her. What will he find? Will it be too late to find the Raya he knew in high school?
Ms. Street tells us one hell of a disturbing yet awesome story that you don't want to miss out on. But please only 18+ and be warned that it deals with rape, prostitution and abuse. I’ll be looking forward to reading more of this author.
Complimentary copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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