Saturday, June 25, 2016

Blog Tour: Say You'll Stay by Corinne Michaels




Author: Corinne Michaels
Release Date: June 20, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis


One word.
Stay.

It was all he had to do. Instead, he got on that bus and took my heart with him.

That was seventeen years ago.

I moved on. Marriage. Kids. White picket fence. Everything I ever wanted, but my husband betrayed me and I was left once again.

Alone, penniless, and with two boys, I had no choice but to return to Tennessee. He wasn’t supposed to be there. I should’ve been safe. However, fate has a way of stepping in.

This time around, the tables are turned. It’s my decision. Second chances do exist, but I don’t know if we can repair what’s already been broken . . .

** This book is a STANDALONE **


Add to Goodreads  http://bit.ly/25zfv6k





4 Stars!
Review by Lisa Kane

My life has been a road paved with spikes and nails. I've plugged, patched and replaced the tire, but the car has never ridden the same. 

Presley Benson has a good life; a loving husband Todd, two beautiful twin 10 year old boys, Logan and Cayden. Along with her sister in law Angie, she owns a bakery in a small town outside of Philadelphia. Life is good. Much different from the town in Tennesee that she grew up in-but then left, had her heart shattered and never returned. 

Life was good, until the day her whole world collapsed around her. She came home from a long day at work, found her boys playing their video games on the couch and called out for her husband. Only he didn't answer. Presley found her husband's body and in that moment, she knew her life would never be the same. 


I look at my sweet boys. I see their pain and wish I could take it away. But I can't. All I can do is let them know that they have so many people here who love them. 

Todd's death changed Presley's life in ways she could never have foreseen. She is drowning in anger and grief and in debt and she has no choice but to move back to her parents' ranch in Bell Buckle Tennessee. The last place she ever wanted to be. 

Her kids are less than enthusiastic about moving and Presley is just about at her breaking point. Forced to lose her house, sell her business and assume a pile of debt she is drowning without a life preserver. 

Memories of why I left cause me to tense. My fingers grip the wheel as the muscles in my back squeeze tighter. Being here brings the memories front and center. 


But the town she shunned is more than a little bit excited to have her home. The only problem with that is they remember back 17 years ago when she left to go to college with the town's golden boy, Zach Hennington. She doesn't want to keep hearing about him. She's shocked to find out that the big shot baseball player retired from the game and is taking care of his family's ranch. Great-one more reason to hate moving back home. 

Presley was always good friends with Zach's brother Wyatt who may have had a crush on her for years. He is more than happy to take her under his wing. It's not long before she runs into Zach and his girlfriend of five years. 


"He's been back here for a while now. Probably about eight years or so. He took over his family's business."
"I don't--" I look over and this time he's not alone. A woman with long black hair hangs on his arms. She runs a finger down his cheek and then looks right at me. I nearly choke when I realize who she is-Felicia Hayes. She gives me a self satisfied smile before returning her attention to Zach. 


Felicia was one of those mean girls in high school that Presley couldn't stand, and it doesn't look like that's changed. Felicia can't stop rubbing Presley's nose in their relationship. But how does Zach feel about having Presley back home? 

Say You'll Stay is a sweet second chance at love romance. The very beginning of this book KILLED me! Seriously, my eyes were wet from Presley's pain at her husband's death. She is a woman with the weight of the world on her slight shoulders. She has so much anger and guilt and pain weighing her down. I liked Zach's character and although I tried like hell to put myself in the mind of a twenty two year old, I still found it impossible for me to forgive him for the way he left Presley. 

"I'm not the same man I was then. I wasn't even a man. I was twenty-two years old with a lot of dreams."

He followed his dream but it came at the expense of her happiness. Presley may have had her reasons for hiding secrets from Zach but I could understand her logic. She was the one left behind, she was the one who gave all while Zach's dreams came true. She was the one who once again, lost her footing from the actions of a man she loved and trusted. Twice she had to pick herself up and start over again, so I had no problem cutting her all the slack she needed. 

But in the wake of that decision, I was left to pick up the pieces. Alone in a town away from my family, with a broken promise, and a lot of heartache. When he followed his dream, he annihilated mine of a life together. 
"I know, and if it weren't for those choices, I wouldn't have the life I do now." 
As I say the words, I'm unsure if I'm happy about that or sorry again. Funny how there can be so many meanings to one sentence. 



Zach suffered over the years too. He is well aware of the price that his choice costs him over the years. He has tried to move on. 

"I loved after I lost you, too. But it was never close to what I felt for you."


I've devoured all of Corinne Michaels' books. The previous ones had stories centered on military romances. This made for a great change. There are so many characters who deserve their own stories-Wyatt, Trent, Grace and Angie. I could see a couple of those characters hooking up and look forward to reading about them! 

For years I've told myself I'm better off. I've lied to everyone, saying that Presley and I were too young and didn't love each other enough. That was never the truth for me. I loved her too much. I loved her enough for the both of us, but I never showed her-even though I thought I did. 


EXCERPT:

“Hey.” Zach peers at me as I shake off my thoughts. “I figured you’d be asleep.” He climbs the steps slowly as I get to my feet.
“I figured you’d be gone.”
I walk toward him, unsure of why he’s here. “I left for a bit, but wanted to come check on you.”
“Oh.”
He snickers. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Me either.” He’s close enough that I can smell his cologne. Even after a long night, being in the woods, he smells like home.
I take another step.
Then another.
I’m so close I have to tilt my head to look into his eyes.
I breathe him in, feel his heat, and I can’t stop myself. I want him. I need him. I grip his neck and yank his mouth to mine. I kiss him. I kiss him and give in to everything I’ve been feeling. He doesn’t waste a second. His arms wrap around me, holding my body against his. My fingers grip his neck, keeping him exactly where I need him. This kiss is frantic, but God it feels good.





About the Author

Corinne Michaels is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author of The Salvation Series (Beloved, Beholden, Consolation, Conviction & Defenseless). She's an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. Corinne is happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness.
Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were librarians, which only intensified her love of reading. After years of writing short stories, she couldn't ignore the call to finish her debut novel, Beloved. Her alpha heroes are broken, beautiful, and will steal your heart.

Contact Corinne


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