Three Chicks and Their Books: Blog tour: Escaping Me by Elizabeth Lee

Synopsis

All she wanted to do was forget. Forget the memory of walking in on her boyfriend in the middle of, well, another girl. Forget how she had her entire life planned out. And, forget about being perfect all the time. Unfortunately, she was Whitney Vandaveer and despite the fact that she moved to the middle of nowhere – she couldn't.

He always knew he would never be more than nothing. No job, no money, no future. Cole Pritchett had accepted the fact that he would always be the screw up and he was okay with it. Until he met her.

Here's the thing they quickly found out – sometimes we all need a little help escaping who we think we are.

4 star review by Jen Skewes

"For once in my life, I want to do what I fell like and just enjoy the ride."

Whitney Vandeveer has always lived her life to please others. When she was younger, her parents got divorced and she chose to live with her father, and live the big city life with her rich lawyer dad. She has always been the perfect daughter and girlfriend. Until she catches her boyfriend, Wes with another girl. Wes and Whitney were a great couple on paper and of course he is the type of boy that her father wants to see her marry. He would be the perfect husband who would always provide for Whitney and she would be the wonderful trophy wife. Except that's not really what Whitney wanted. Whitney decides to go live with her mother and sister for the summer in a small country town. While she has always been in touch with them. she never really had a close relationship with her mother or sister, but things change for her this summer in more ways than one. Whitney has left the big city life for small town country livin. A place she learns more about herself and the person she really wants to be, with the help of her mother, sister and a bad boy named Cole Pritchett.

Oh, Cole Pritchett-(sigh)! He's cocky, has some anger issues, has had a few run ins with the law, sports some tattoos, and is an overall bad boy who things he is not worthy of anything good in life. His mother was a drug addict and his father a felon. So in his eyes, the odds of making something out of his life are pretty much stacked against him. Plus it was his brother who managed to escape their terrible home life and actually do something with his life. Even more reason to believe he ws destines to have a carppy life with nothing to look forward to. His brother is the deputy in their small town and has kept Cole out of jail more times than he cares to count. So after this last fight, his brother tells him that he has called in all his favors and he moves him to another town where he gets him a job in hopes that he will keep out of trouble. Its in this new town where he meets the girl that will change his life forever.

When Cole first meets Whitney, or should I say picks her up on the side of the raod after passing out, his first impression of her is what most people would think. Rich girl with an attitude, who also happens to be beautiful. But Cole gets a little bit of a surprise when he finds out that she is not what he expected. She is kind, sweet, caring and most of all she believes in Cole. She starts off wanting to be his friends but the attraction and chemistry between them is so strong that being friends won't lasst that long. They soon find themselves falling for each other quickly and in ways they never expected.

"Plus she looks so content wrapped up in my arms that I don't want to move. So I kiss her forehead and hold her tight, knowing that nay chance I had of not falling for her is gone."

Cole has had a girlfriend in the past but he never felt anything close to what he feels for Whit. And while Whit believes she loved Wesley, she never felt the way she does when she is with Cole, like herself and free. Cole is so opposite from her ex in so many ways, but most of all he wants her to be herself, and not act the way she is expected to act but instead be the person she wants to be. Whitney believes in Cole and sees him in ways that no one else has ever seen him before. She sees the good in him and while he may believe he isn't good enough for her, Whitney thinks otherwise and needs to prove it to him.

I loved Cole and Whitney together. They were simply perfect for each other. Cole was a bad boy but he was sweet and caring and wanted nothing more than to take care of Whitney and protect her. He also had a heart and ladies he is definitely swoon worthy. They have both been hurt and betrayed in the past by their exes, and we do see their trust issues and insecurities come out in their relationship. Whitney is only visiting for the summer, so what happens when it is time to go back home? Can their love survive a long distance relationship or will it tear them a part? And what happens when an ex or two gets in the way? Will Cole and Whitney get their happily ever after?

Escaping Me was a wonderful read about trust, love, and finding one's self. It's about trying to escape from the person that everyone wants you to be and instead finding the person that you truly are. Growing up, no one ever saw Cole as anything more than a screw up and that is what he believed himself to be. But meeting Whitney made him realize that there is much more to him than people that. His appearance is nothing more than an appearance and what's inside is really what counts. Whitney always did what she thought was right and tried to please everyone else but herself. Cole helps her find her way and be the person she WANTS, not who she thinks she should be. Elizabeth Lee did a wonderful job with the characters. You will fall in love with Cole and Whitney from the moment you meet them. I loved Whitney's sister Mallory and Cole's friend Zeke. They were a wonderful and refreshing addition to the story. Mallory is a trip and would love to see her get her own book. This book is a fun, light, sexy read with the right amount of drama in the form of an angry ex or two. Definitely a must read. Fantastic job by Ms. Lee!

Escaping Me Excerpt #2

“I'll have you know, Mr. Pritchett,” I say and follow the direction of his voice while pushing the sunglasses back on top of my head, “I have operated tools before.” It's a blatant lie, but I'm not about to give him the satisfaction of being right.

“Really?” His grin is disbelieving as we both reach the end of our aisles, almost running smack into each other. Much like our previous run-ins, mere inches separate my body from his. If he wants to, he could lean down just slightly and tap the bill of his cap on my forehead. “For some reason I find that very hard to believe, Miss Vandaveer.” I try not to let my eyes settle on his lips, but the way he says my name is captivating. He doesn’t have much of an accent, just a hint of country charm, which is apparently enough to hold my attention.

“You're right,” I grin, trying to peek under his cap and see his eyes. “Maybe you could show me how to use them sometime?” What the hell? Am I shamelessly flirting with a guy who only a few hours ago acted like he could care less if I even existed?

“Oh, I could definitely show you,” he responds, much to my surprise. He slowly reaches up between us, his hand barely grazing mine, to turn his hat backward, finally letting light shine on the eyes I've been desperate to see. Brown. Not just brown. Warm, chocolaty, I-want-to-stare-into-them-for-days brown. Before I could lose myself in them completely, their corners crease as he gives me a wicked grin. “I've got another tool you could start with…”

Is he actually flirting back? Here I'd written him off as a complete dick and now he is insinuating I start with his tool. I have to fight back my “I have a boyfriend” spiel I am so use to giving when guys hit on me because I don’t. I can do this. I can make suggestive comments to a hot guy I hardly know and not feel like I am doing anything wrong. This is supposed to be my summer of fun, right? I should start it off with a bang. Cole might have been a jerk before, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the hotness he is exuding in the black t-shirt he cut the sleeves off of, revealing both sides of his incredibly rippled body and the top of his red boxers that are peeking out of the waistband of his jeans. The tattoo—a tribal design—that usually only peeks out from the bottom of his sleeve is on full display and intricately winds up his upper arm and down his shoulder blade before wrapping around to his rib cage. Yes, I can definitely appreciate this fine display of hotness. With my hands and my mouth and many other body parts that are now tingling with just the thought. Just as I am about to take him up on his offer, he raises his hand up, revealing a hammer and small box of nails.

“Ever used one of these?”

“Oh? You were talking about a hammer.” I try to fight back the blush that I can feel taking over my cheeks.

“What did you think I was talking about?” He raises a brow with a questioning smile.

“Umm...” I start to confess. As he lets out a quiet laugh.

“Whitney,” I hear Mr. Thompson call out. “I've got your order ready to go.” I quickly turn, taking my stupidity with me, and rush to the counter to collect my mom's order.

“Thank you,” I say, taking the box and scampering out the door. I am mortified. What in my right mind made me think he was doing anything but offering to teach me how to use a hammer? I swiftly toss the box in the back of the Jeep and pull the tailgate down. “Jesus, Whitney,” I quietly chastise myself, letting my forehead fall against the rear window.

“Hey,” I hear him say. I close my eyes, not wanting to turn around and face him. Maybe if I just stay quiet he'll go away. “It's not nice to steal things.” I raise my forehead and reach up to feel the sunglasses I apparently just stole.

“Shit,” I huff as I take them off and start to head back into the store to apologize. “I didn't mean to—”

“Relax, Vandaveer.” He shakes his head and holds his hand up to stop me. “I paid for them.”

“You didn't have to do that.” The smile on his face eases my guilty conscience. “Let me pay you back.”

“No need.” He walks over to his old Ford truck, complete with tattered teal paint job, and tosses the hammer and nails he just bought in the back. “It was the friendly thing to do.” He winks.

“Does that mean we are friends?” I counter. I mean, he winked for God's sake.

“Well, we’re not strangers anymore,” he states, pulling open the driver's side door. “Let me know if you ever want to learn how to use my... hammer,” he chuckles as he settles into his truck and fires up the engine. As he backs out of parking lot and drives away, I feel the fire return to my cheeks as he confirmed knowing what I hoped I’d hidden. Cole Pritchett knows I am interested in his tool.

About the author

When I'm not writing or playing the part of wife and mother, you can find me dancing back-up for Beyonce, singing back-up for Miranda, or sunning myself on the beach with a drink in hand. Here's the thing about being born and raised in a small town—you have a very vivid imagination! Now, I channel it all to create stories where the girl always ends up with the right guy, first kisses are magical, and a happy ending is just that!

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