Release Blitz, Excerpt & Review: Words I Couldn't Say (Promise In Prose #1) by Tessa Teevan

Title: Words I Couldn't Say 

Series: Promise In Prose #1

Author: Tessa Teevan 

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Photo Credit: Sara Eirew Photography

Release Date: November 22nd, 2016

Synopsis:

You know the old adage “if you love something, set it free?"

It's the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

The dumbest thing I've ever done.

I loved her. I lost her. Hell, I let her go. And then spent five miserable years without her.

To cope with the loss, I put pen to paper and wrote her a love story, knowing when she was ready she’d hear the words I couldn’t say all those years ago.

Turned out, not only would she hear them, but when Hollywood came calling, I made sure she got the lead role. After all, no one else could portray the character whom she’d inspired.

Now she's within arms' reach and finally, she'll know the truth in my heart.

Because that other cliché, “Actions speak louder than words?”

I’m going to prove it.

My words may have brought Ava Banks back into my life; I have to be enough to make her stay.

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Excerpt:

The air around us was silent save for the crickets chirping off in the distance. The cool Cincinnati breeze nipped at my skin while I waited for his reaction. When I’d started writing this novel, it had been an ode to my past love. My past life. But then it’d taken on a life of its own and become so much more. Which had made it that much more poignant. That much harder to fathom the one word that’d been haunting me for years.

Goodbye.

At long last, he turned to the final page and sucked in a breath. My stomach twisted in knots because he was about to read the end. And I didn’t know how he’d interpret it. Half scared he’d tell me that I’d lost my mind and no one would ever want to read this story, especially with that ending.

He didn’t make me wait long. As his head slowly rose, I was taken aback at the tears shining in his usually cheerful eyes. This man, who had always been like a second father to me, had been reduced to tears by my words. My words. Words we both knew for whom they were meant. And, instead of calling me a fool or attempting to kill me, he watched me with tearful appreciation, switching between nodding and shaking his head as if trying to process it all.

I didn’t know how to react, so I simply stared at him, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

He closed the manuscript and set it on the table in front of us before taking a long swig from his whiskey glass. I followed suit and enjoyed the smoky burn that did little to soothe my nerves.

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, his eyes locking in on mine. “Tucker. You did it. You fucking did it,” he whispered, seemingly unashamed of his emotional display.

I nodded, the same emotion welling up inside me when I remembered the ending of my first novel. So many love stories begin with the girl who got away. Mine wasn’t any different. Not only in my novel, but in real life as well. Ava Banks was, and always would be, that girl for me. But, instead of slipping through my fingers, she’d made the conscious decision to leave. And, like most dumbass men, I’d let her. Hell, I’d pushed her away. I’d regretted it ever since.

But, now, I was hoping like hell I could get the second chance Trevor did. Hoping like hell my story would turn out differently than his. But, either way, I was putting myself out there, as terrifying as that was. She finally, finally would hear the words I couldn’t say all those years ago.

Now, I just had to wait to see what she’d do about it. 

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About the Author:

Tessa Teevan is a twenty-something book junkie who is also obsessed with sports. Bengals, Buckeyes, Reds are who she spends her time rooting for. She’s a research analyst by day, reads/writes by night, and is married to a guy 15 inches taller than her, making them quite the pair! They currently reside just outside of Dayton, OH with two adorably grumpy cats. 

If she’s not writing or scouring through tons of photos of hot men, all in the name of research, then you can probably find her curled up with her Kindle, ignoring the rest of the world. She loves her sports almost as much as she loves her books. Her other obsessions include red wine, hot men, rock music, and all things Corey Taylor. 

She adores hearing from readers, so please feel free to contact via any social media site listed below. 

  

My Review:

I love Tessa Teevan and her books so I was quite happy when I got the chance to read and review Words I Couldn't Say. And I wasn't disappointed. I've been in a book rut lately, reading books that were ok or good but not great. And I was really hoping that Tessa Teevan will take me out of the funk with an incredible story. And she delivered as always. She caught me from the very first sentence and nearly made me cry even though I was in public (that doesn't happen to me very often) and by the end of the prologue my head was spinning from the unexpected twist. Though I probably should've expected that if I was more careful in reading the synopsis :D

In it's basics this is a second chance romance. But it is so different than everything else I've read on the same topic. It is heartbreaking and at the same time so very romantic. The beginning of the book was a little bit too melodramatic for my tastes but considering it was retelling of the characters' story during their teenage years, it was kind of understandable. And I would assume that everyone who goes through such a tragedy will be at least a little bit unreasonable. Though, I didn't specifically agree or like Ava from those flashbacks, in a way I did understand her. Though I still think she could've handled the situation differently. Though that probably comes with experience.

I did love Tucker though. For one thing, with his dark hair and baby blues, he is definitely a heart-throb. I only need to imagine him repairing something shirtless and with his toolbelt haning low on his hips, and I start drooling :D But he is also strong, responsible, romantic and pretty much everything else you can think of, that can make him the perfect boyfriend and man. And what he did, to show his love for Ava is definitely swoon worthy ;)

So, in a few words, this is an incredible second chance story that you should definitely check out. It is heartbreaking and sweet and so romantic :) And if nothing else, you should check it out because of Tucker :D So get your #oneclick finger ready and pick up your copy ;)

Cover Reveal, Excerpt: Words I Couldn't Say (Promise in Prose #1) by Tessa Teevan

Title: Words I Couldn't Say

Series: Promise in Prose #1  

Author: Tessa Teevan 

Photo Credit: Sara Eirew Photography

Cover Design: Robin Harper at Wicked by Design  

Release Date: November 22nd, 2016

Synopsis:

You know the old adage “if you love something, set it free?"

It's the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

The dumbest thing I've ever done.

I loved her. I lost her. Hell, I let her go. And then spent five miserable years without her.

To cope with the loss, I put pen to paper and wrote her a love story, knowing when she was ready she’d hear the words I couldn’t say all those years ago. 

Turned out, not only would she hear them, but when Hollywood came calling, I made sure she got the lead role. After all, no one else could portray the character whom she’d inspired.

Now she's within arms' reach and finally, she'll know the truth in my heart.

Because that other cliché, “Actions speak louder than words?”

I’m going to prove it.

My words may have brought Ava Banks back into my life; I have to be enough to make her stay.

Excerpt: 

I knew life wasn’t that simple. It wasn’t that easy. It was messy and unforgiving, relentless in the hands it dealt. Just when you thought everything was perfect, the universe decided you didn’t deserve such happiness and then ruined it. My parents were an anomaly. Don’t get me wrong. I loved them, and knew how fortunate it was they’re still blissfully in love after all those years together. Grossly in love at times. The amount of PDA I’d witnessed in my own household would put the kids in my high school to shame. I never thought I’d have a love like theirs, though. I never thought I’d want it.

Because finding your soulmate in high school? That’s like waiting for lightning to strike in the same spot twice. In other words, it wasn’t going to happen for this girl, even if my life was paralleling theirs a little too close for comfort.

Tucker, my best friend and the boy next door since childhood, was always a little too close for comfort. Except he wasn’t too close. He was exactly where I wanted him to be. Or well. He had been until I pushed him away.

They say history is bound to repeat itself—I said no way. But, sometimes, you can’t fight nature. And the way he made—and still makes—me feel? It’s the most natural feeling in the world. It’s like home. Comfortable. Cozy. And I wanted to wrap myself up in it and bask in the warmth in my heart.

And then his parting words seeped back in.

“I’m not your dad, Ava. I’m not chasing you until you realize we’re meant to be together. If you choose to leave, you’re doing so knowing exactly what you’re giving up.”

And then I make the biggest mistake of my life.

I left.

Tucker was not my dad.

He let me.

Tucker hadn’t lied. He didn’t chase me. He didn’t call. He didn’t write. And when I returned home from college for winter or summer break that first year, he was nothing but a ghost. Even though I didn’t like to admit it, I spent long, lonely nights staring at his window, wishing, hoping, praying the light would turn on and I could gather up the courage to go over to see him.

It never did.

So I stopped going home.

Unfortunately, that didn’t halt the pain.

They say hindsight’s a bitch, but that’s an understatement. Hindsight is a never-ending agonizing torture, always burning under the surface, receding until you’re on the brink of healing, then flaring up to envelope you in flames all over again.

It was true. Over the course of the next five years, I went through a cycle. Anger (mostly at myself, a little at him). Melancholy riddled with rife loneliness. Determination, telling myself I’d get my shit together and get over the guy once and for all. But then something would happen to have the house of cards falling down all around me. I’d get a hint of his favorite aftershave, and I’d burst into tears, wishing the scent was due to him holding me in his arms, telling me everything was okay. Or I’d get drunk and go to my Ugly Girl Cry playlist, followed up by listening to Clarence Carter’s Strokin’ while simultaneously laughing my ass off and bawling my eyes out. Sometimes I’d begin with laughing, but within sixty seconds, I was crying, reminded of how ridiculous Tucker looked the first time he sang the song at karaoke—courtesy of my father, of course. Not only did I sound like a drowned cat; I had the appearance of one, too.

And then that was when it was the words. The reminder of how much Tucker was like my dad. How much I wanted to be like my mom. But unlike her, I was a coward.

So that was my cycle. Pain. Regret. Anger. Melancholy. Determination. Heartache.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat. For five long years. All the while wondering what he was doing, but never mustering up the courage to find out.

Yeah, I was a coward, indeed.

About the Author: 

Tessa Teevan is a twenty-something book junkie who is also obsessed with sports. Bengals, Buckeyes, Reds are who she spends her time rooting for. She’s a research analyst by day, reads/writes by night, and is married to a guy 15 inches taller than her, making them quite the pair! They currently reside just outside of Dayton, OH with two adorably grumpy cats. 

If she’s not writing or scouring through tons of photos of hot men, all in the name of research, then you can probably find her curled up with her Kindle, ignoring the rest of the world. She loves her sports almost as much as she loves her books. Her other obsessions include red wine, hot men, rock music, and all things Corey Taylor. 

She adores hearing from readers, so please feel free to contact via any social media site listed below.