Title:
Fated to be
Yours
Author: Jodie
Larson
Release Date:
Sept 1, 2015
Find on
Goodreads
Hearts are fragile, and
mine's been shattered before...
I have always thought of love in the abstract, never
something to come true. My past has shown me time after time that those who are
supposed to love you will only lead you to disappointment. Destiny, fate,
chance...those are things that I never believed in.
Until him.
A chance encounter with a distinct pair of blue eyes and a
heart-melting smile challenges my knowledge of life and love.
Because there's something about this stranger that
has me believing in the possibility of
more...
As I fiddle with the clasp on
my bag, I see out of the corner of my eye that someone takes the seat next to
me on my left. Not wanting to invade the person’s space, I pull my
bag over towards the right to give them more room. But as I look to the side,
my eyes are drawn to the nicely tailored pair of gray slacks and designer
shoes. I’m not sure how I know the pants are tailored, but I do.
There’s just something about the material that says he
didn’t buy them from JC Penney. I can’t help but admire his
well put together attire and get confused when I feel my breathing start to
speed up. My eyes roam over the slacks and the black sweater, causing heat to
run through my system while noting that he obviously takes excellent care of
himself. He has an athletic build, with his broad shoulders and lean muscular
upper body. Even through his sweater I know that there is nothing but well
defined sculpted muscles adorning his entire
body.
My gaze slows as it passes over
his chin, which is sporting some seriously sexy stubble, finally falling onto a
pair of bright blue eyes looking intently at me. His face takes my breath away
and it feels as if my heart has slowed its tempo. He has piercing blue eyes and
dark hair that is styled like he just rolled out of bed. You know, that sexy
way guys wear their hair that makes women turn into blabbering idiots. Chiseled
cheekbones and a strong jaw complete the package. He screams yummy to my
starving body. He appears to be in his late twenties or early thirties if I had
to guess. I blink twice and then look back down at my bag, feeling shy and
awkward all of a sudden.
“Is this seat
taken?” he asks in his deep English-accented
voice.
That
voice. There is something about his voice that seems familiar to me. I know
I’ve never met this man before in my life. I would most definitely
remember meeting someone like him. I look up again into his kind eyes and he
smiles at me, showing perfect white teeth. Oh my, the earth can swallow me up
now.
“Um,
no. No one’s sitting there. Well, you are now, I suppose.”
Lame. Totally lame. Way to go,
Tessa.
He gives a little chuckle,
keeping the smile in place on his perfect face. I give him a slight returning
smile and can feel my cheeks start to heat up. His eyes dance around my face
and I swear I see something flash within them. Something familiar but I
can’t quite figure out
why.
He looks as if he’s
about to say something, but the crackle of the speakers draw our attention to
the airline desk attendant as she announces that our flight is ready to board.
Kara is still talking on her phone but stands up with me as we make our way to
the counter. I’m almost eager to get away from him, yet sad at the
same time. The only comfort I can gather is he’s going to be on the
same flight as me. The mystery man follows suit and stands a couple of people
behind me in line. As we board the plane, Kara ends her call and then turns
around to ask me where I am
sitting.
“Aren’t we
sitting together again?” I ask her.
“No. I
wasn’t able to get us a seat next to each other. I’m in row
three, how about
you?”
“Six.”
“Oh well. Maybe
you’ll get lucky and the person you’re sitting with is a
mute. Or maybe they’ll just be some hot eye candy that you can talk
to and start an illicit affair with,” Kara says, as she shrugs her
shoulders.
“You’re so
funny. You know I’ll have my nose stuck in my Kindle or
I’ll be sleeping.” I laugh as I smirk at her. She gives me
a grin back.
“If the person next
to me doesn’t show you can sit by me.
Deal?”
“Deal.”
I make my way through the aisle
and find my seat. Row six, seat A. No problem. I sit down and pull out my
Kindle, getting it ready for the long flight across the Atlantic. I’m
juggling the device in my lap as I bend down to stow my laptop bag when I
notice that someone is occupying the seat next to me. I inwardly sigh. Of
course, I’m not lucky enough to sit by myself. I glance over to my
right and see a newly familiar pair of shoes. I slowly straighten my body back
into an upright position. With a small lump forming in my throat, I turn my head
and there he is, my mystery man, sitting next to me and flashing me a smile
that causes my heart to stop yet
again.
“Hello, we meet
again,” he says in his sexy English
accent.
How
long have you been
writing?
I’ve
always loved writing, even when I was younger. It started out as Sweet Valley
High fanfic (because Jessica and Elizabeth couldn’t get into enough
trouble on their own) and it kind of bloomed from there. I always had a story
going about something that happened to me and I needed to get it off my chest.
Or an idea would pop into my head and I would have to write it down before it
was lost. In Seventh Grade, my teacher submitted a poem I wrote for a class to
some national contest and I was one of the winners. They published it in an
anthology of poems written by kids of various ages from across the country. I
was extremely excited about that. Until recently I hadn’t written for
fun in a while, due to life getting in the way. A couple years ago I had an
idea pop into my head and soon enough, Tessa and Andrew’s story was
born!
Who is
your favorite author and
why?
Tough question. I have lots of
favorite authors that I fangirl over. I love Mia Sheridan’s writing
with all my heart. Her stories are so real, so moving that I just
can’t help but get lost in them. And I love the fact that
they’re real people going through real struggles as they make their
way through life. I could pick any of her books from my shelf, and yes I have
them all signed, and just get lost in their world for a while.
Another author I love is Amy
Bartol. She is an amazing writer. The way she creates her stories have me
begging to be included in them. Both her Premonition series and Kricket series
are some of my favorites. And I tell her that
often!
Heather Lyons is another one of
my favorites. The Collector’s Society series is fantastic. I love how
she creates these pictures in my head as I read, making me see everything as if
it’s a movie playing out in my thoughts. And her attention to detail
and creating these characters that come to life amaze me. I recommend her books
all the time simply because they’re some of the best out
there.
And I’m sure this is
only supposed to be one author but I can’t go without saying how much
I love LB Simmons!! She is such an amazing writer and friend that I need to
mention her. She has a gift with her words and pulls at your heart strings with
so much ease that you can’t help but fall in love with her work. Plus
she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and I’m lucky
enough to call her my
friend!
What
did you want to be when you grew up?
I had several things I wanted
to be. At first, I wanted to be a singer, which was an easy pick because
that’s all I did growing up was sing. I always auditioned for the
musicals and got the singing parts or was chosen to sing solos during the
Christmas performances when I was younger. As I grew older, I wanted something
more practical, so I decided that being a doctor sounded good. If you
overlooked the fact that I’m squeamish about needles, I’m
sure I would have made a fine doctor if I would have stayed focused and not
changed my mind again. And now, as an adult, I’m still not sure what
I want to be. But being a mom is definitely a full-time job (on top of my
paying ones) and it is something that I get rewarded for
daily.
Any
advice you would give your younger self if you
could?
Don’t rush to grow
up. Enjoy being a kid for as long as you
can.
Oh, and don’t drink
beer at the house parties in college. You’ll just end up puking on
the sidewalk because you don’t like
beer.
Who is
your favorite book boyfriend?
I think everyone who knows me
will not be surprised by my answer. I have a (slight) obsession with Professor
Gabriel O. Emerson. He is not my boyfriend, he is my husband and we are happily
married! I don’t know what it is about him, but I fell in love with
him instantly. Yes, he was an arrogant asshole at first, but man. When he
romances a woman, he does it right! My list of BBF’s changes and
updates as I read, but he has always remained my number
one.
Fated to be Mine
(Fated #2) – Releasing Oct 6, 2015
I've made a
mistake...Can we find our way back?
They say that distance makes
the heart grow fonder, or that time heals all wounds. What they don't
tell you is that it doesn't lessen the pain. I don't think
those people have experienced a loss like
this.
I left my heart in London, and
I'm not sure I'll ever get it
back.
But fate has a plan of her own.
She keeps me guessing and hoping that not everything is as it
seems.
Hearts can be shattered but can
also be put back together. Especially when love doesn't give up on you,
even if you think it has.
Jodie Larson is a wife and
mother to four beautiful girls, making their home in northern Minnesota along
the shore of Lake Superior. When she isn’t running around to various
activities or working her regular job, you can find her sitting in her favorite
spot reading her new favorite book or camped out somewhere quiet trying to
write her next manuscript. She’s addicted to reading (just ask her
kids or husband) and loves talking books even more with her friends.
She’s also a lover of all things romance and happily ever afters,
whether in movies or in books, as shown in her extensive collection of
both.
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