Summary
Beckett Taylor is a murderer. His calling, his craft are destruction and intimidation—whether he wants it that way now or not. He left Poughkeepsie to keep his brothers safe, to keep Eve safe. Set up with happy lives to live, they’re better off without him, right?
But all his willpower crumbles when he hears his brother Blake’s frantic voice on the phone. An unknown enemy has moved in on his old territory, and Livia’s been taken. In an instant, Beckett knows it will take an attack only he and Eve can execute to bring her back. All his self-imposed embargoes are torn to shreds, perhaps along with the new man he’s struggled to become.
“Brother, call Eve. I’ll be there soon.”
In this emotional and action-packed sequel to Poughkeepsie, Debra Anastasia conjures a tale of love at its most raw and ragged. With Beckett and Eve, how could we expect anything less? But even when it’s messy, not magical, true love perseveres. Real love finds a way—for better or for worse until death does part.
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Excerpts
And yet she was all he could think about. When he was feeling gracious, he pictured her snuggled in a warm sweater under some lucky fuck’s arm.
And when he was feeling jealous, which was most of the goddamn time, he pictured her naked under some nameless three-pump chump. Being a girlfriend or a wife.
God, please not a wife.
The pistol lay between his legs, the liquor sat in the seat next to him like a true friend.
Do it, you pussy-headed motherfucker.
But the sky was too blue. And his hand kept shaking.
Beckett was afraid of the gun. It was more final than time. It wouldn’t erase the pain, and he was afraid that after his body was wasted, the only thing left would be fear. And he fucking despised fear.
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Dear Kyle,
I see you crying when you don’t think I notice. I do. I see your eyes, red and glassy with the tears you halted because I came into the room.
I can’t give you the baby you want. Our love should be enough, but I feel it too. There’s a hole in between us when we hold hands. We’re feeling the loss of someone who has yet to even exist. Your smiles are getting smaller. When you look at me I want to give you more, I just don’t know how.
I remember when I first found your eyes, when I first realized you existed. I could hardly make my tongue work. My words were fuzzy, wrapped in cotton. When you were taken from me, I had so much rage. Such a burning need to place my hands on your face, I would have killed a million men to get to you. Kissing your lips, remembering you, safe in that hospital bed is a waterfall of relief for me still.
And then our wedding? Everything blue makes me want to touch you, taste your lips, see your skin wet in the shower.
How can something that isn’t happening come between us? When you’re reluctant to walk past a stroller, when you quickly change the channel to save your heart the sight of a chubby baby, I know you’re aching. You’re building wall, and only you fit behind it.
How can I show you I love you so much anyway? Will you ever understand that you’re just as important as a woman that can have a child? I’ll make love to you whenever you demand it. I’ll hold you tightly when you cry.
If it’s just us, Kyle, If that’s all there is, it’s enough for me. And if that thought makes you sad, then I’ll move heaven and hell until you see a future that you want to be in, smiling, with me. Just step into my arms, let me be here for you.
You’re not protecting me from your pain. I feel all of it, except I feel it alone when you won’t let me help. Come to me. Let me kiss your hair. Let me make love to you for no reason at all.
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5 Random Questions For Debra Anastasia
1. What's you fav food?
Chocolate!!
2.Which of the characters from your book are you most like?
Probably Emma from Crushed Seraphim. I try and do the right thing but have a temper when I see people being jerks.
3. Which one is your fav character and why?
I think my very favorite character is Mouse from Poughkeepsie. He is just the most loving bay guy and is amazing with his knitting.
4. If you could be a man for the day what would you do? (you can be as rude as you like)
I think I would pee on everything. I would love to write my name in the snow.
5. If you could live the life of any character from any book who would you be and why?
I think I would pick something exotic. Hmm. Maybe Anastasia Steele when she was on the boat with Christian.
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Author Bio
Debra Anastasia is busy, just like
every other mom. There's dinner, the dogs, the kids, and their homework. The
laundry pile turns into a big, heaping monster. When the clothes finally make
it into the washer, it gets unbalanced and puts on an elaborate show before it
cuts out. This crazy job that never ends is her first love and her crowning
achievement.
Her writing started a decent
handful of years ago when along with the dogs, cat, kids, and husband, the
voices of characters started whispering stories in Debra's ear. Insomnia was
the gateway for the plots that wouldn't give up, wouldn't let go. In the
shower, a twist would take hold and--dripping and frenzied--she'd find
somewhere, anywhere to write it down.
Debra grew up in New York and got a
bachelor's degree in political science at SUNY New Paltz. At the start of her
marriage, she moved to southern Maryland with her husband. She still doesn't
trust crabs and all their legs, though everyone else in her family thinks
they're delicious. Her favorite hobbies include knitting, painting furniture
and wall murals, and slapping clowns.
Omnific Publishing published her
debut novel, #1 on Kindle Best Seller’s list, Crushed Seraphim, and its sequel
Bittersweet Seraphim about a cursing angel. They also bravely published
Poughkeepsie, which a romance about a homeless man who counts the smiles of his
dream girl. You can visit her website at DebraAnastasia.com and find her on
twitter @Debra_Anastasia.
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Poughkeepsie (Poughkeepsie #1)
He counts her smiles every day and
night at the train station. And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter
acknowledges him-just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake
Hartt is not like the others . . . he's homeless. Memories of a broken
childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He
stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh
light of day. Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her
fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this
kindness as nothing special, just like her. She's the same as a million other
girls-certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every
day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it
were air to breathe. When the moment comes that Livia must do more than smile,
without hesitation she steps into the fray to defend the homeless man. And
she's surprised to discover an inexplicable connection with her new friend.
After danger subsides, their smiles become conversation. Their words usher in a
friendship, which awakens something in each of them. But it's not long before
their bond must prove its strength. Entanglements from the past challenge both
their love and their lives. Blake's heart beats for Livia's, even if her hands
have to keep its rhythm. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never fails. Love
never fails, right? In an interwoven tale of unlikely loves and relationships
forged by fire, Debra Anastasia takes readers into the darkest corners of human
existence, only to show them the radiant power of pure adoration and true
sacrifice. Complicated families and confused souls find their way to light in
this novel, which manages to be racy, profane, funny, and reverent all at once.
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Crushed Seraphim (Seraphim Series
#1)
How does a foul-mouthed angel end
up as the last hope for all of Heaven and Earth? When Seraph Emma is maimed and
tossed from Heaven by a rogue angel who's taken charge, she fears she'll never
be allowed to return. Tasked with the impossible job of showing the
self-loathing (and not even human!) Jason his worth, Emma is sure she's doomed
to fail. Meanwhile, having wormed his way into Heaven, the corrupt Everett has
trapped God in Hell and has designs on unleashing evil everywhere. Fortunately,
if there's one thing Emma can't do (in addition to minding her language), it's
give up. Determined to save Jason and get back to Heaven-even if it means going
to Hell-Emma's plan is simple yet impossible: trick the Devil to save God. What
she doesn't count on is the devotion and, well, humanity she finds in Jason;
the spirit, hidden compassion, and raw sex appeal within the Devil; and the
vulnerability of her own heart. With the help of two unlikely allies, she'll
wage the battle for Heaven. But will Emma be sidetracked by a new sort of
heaven along the way? What's truly more dangerous? Falling from Heaven, or
falling in love? Debra Anastasia has twisted a fast-paced tale of intimate
relationships with literally universal impact. Rich with humor and electrified
by attraction, this novel offers a playfully off-beat take on the good and evil
that make up the world.
Bittersweet Seraphim (Seraphim
Series #2)
Suffering is worst when you're
doing it alone. But Emma's taking Hell like an angel-even though her
languishing began with having her seraph wings torn from her back. Now her
worst enemy lords his body and his evil desires over her while she tries
desperately to remember the words to her favorite prayer. As Devil, Jack used
to have Hell and its women humming like well-oiled machines. Too bad he's
nowhere near the place now. Stuck on Earth as a human, he must work with a
ragtag team of exiled minions and half-breeds to save the angel who's become
all that matters. Rescuing a seraph is the plan, but breaking into Hell means
letting evil things out. Once they collide, minions and angels converge in the
battle of the ages: good versus evil. But which side is which? Will Jack
destroy the world as he fights to save Emma, his true and timeless love, from a
damnation he designed? An action-packed sequel to Crushed Seraphim, this tale
reveals-time and again-what happens when the heart's deepest desires break
free. With a story both sizzling and sensual, emotional and enigmatic, Debra
Anastasia invites readers to join a battle with nothing less than love on the
line.
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