Review and Excerpt – Always You by Stephanie Rose

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To Samantha Christensen, Lucas Hunter was always the guy—the sexy, smart and unattainable man she pined for throughout college. To Lucas, she was a treasured friend, a younger sister he felt the need to protect. She had a choice—to wait and hope, or to settle.

When they meet again years later, Lucas looks at Samantha and sees a woman he wants—even though she’s not free to take. As they renew their friendship he finds he’s falling hard, and can’t accept any less than all of her.

Samantha realizes there’s hope with Lucas. Will she finally have a chance to be happy with the man she’s always loved, or will obligations and insecurities stand in their way?

Can Samantha and Lucas convince each other that they belong together? That it was Always You?

Always You Cover

BFF K’s Review

rating_3.5

Always You is a sweet second chance romance! Always You is a wonderful story of finding love the 2nd time around.  Many parts of the story were predictable, but there were also a few twists that I didn’t really expect, but that added to the overall story. I enjoyed reading about Samantha’s school-girl-infatuation with Lucas in college. And, it was sweet and exciting to watch Lucas awaken to her feelings and fall in love with Samantha as an adult.

But, more than that, I liked the story of Samantha finding herself. I wish that there had been a more detailed back story to understand why Samantha’s self-esteem had taken such a beating. I just accepted that there were experiences in her past that damaged her self-worth and I enjoyed watching her reclaim her independence and the love of her life!

(And, there are few things sexier than a guy who is a good dad. Watching Lucas embrace Samantha’s daughter and become loyal and fiercely protective of both of them is absolutely swoon-worthy!)

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Excerpt

“Shit, Sam! Baby Girl, are you okay?”

God, please no. Calling me Baby Girl now was like sticking a knife directly into my already broken heart. Lucas lifted me off the ground to help me stand. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. I always loved when he did that, but now it hurt like hell. It was torturous, but I let myself feel him one last time. I wanted to remember the way he smelled, how his arms felt like home—but he wasn’t my home anymore, and it killed me to know that.

I pushed out of his hold and looked at his face. His beautiful face. His blue eyes were still glassy, but they were red now. I didn’t want to believe what I saw. I wanted to look at the unshed tears growing in Lucas’s eyes and think it meant he really loved me, and he would never ever hurt me.

I saw an empty cab coming up the block and raised my arm to hail it. I must’ve fallen hard as blood trickled down my wrist when I held my hand up. The cab slowed to a stop and I headed to the curb where it waited. I willed myself to stop crying at least until I got inside.

Lucas grabbed my arm again, shaking his head. “You can’t leave like this.” His voice was cracking. “I need you, I love you. You know me, Sam.”

I shook my head sadly. “No. No, I don’t.”

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About The Author

Stephanie author picStephanie lives in the Bronx, New York with her superhero-obsessed husband and son.

Her day job is marketing, but she always has a story in her head.

This lifelong New Yorker lives for Starbucks, book boyfriends, and 80s rock

After spending most of her youth watching soaps, Stephanie has an obsession with angsty drama and hot romance.

She’s excited to finally bring the characters she’s been dreaming about to life!

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