Blurb
Lexi is a vivacious, quirky, and fiercely independent woman with enough attitude and wit to intimidate even the most confident of men. Levi is a sexy-as-hell, cocksure, smoldering hot marine blessed with smooth swagger and cool confidence to charm his way into any woman’s bed. The one thing they have in common, though, is their disinterest in finding love. She’s determined to not let love interfere and dictate her life. And with his career, he doesn’t need the emotional ties and baggage of love, and dreams of white picket fences.
But a few chance encounters have these two tangled up in one wild, passionate, explosive ride which neither of them expected, and which leaves them completely and utterly addicted to each other. Already in too deep, Lexi stubbornly fights her growing feelings for him and refuses to become vulnerable against the power that love seems to yield. She has witnessed firsthand how loving someone can destroy a person, leaving him defenseless against a life of emotional turmoil. She refuses to let it happen to her.
Levi knows that Lexi is holding back. He knows that she is keeping a part of her heart guarded. He’s determined to burn down the walls she so desperately clings to, and make her surrender her all to him. But with his long-lost brother’s unexpected return comes an inexorable danger that he will do just about anything to protect her from—even if it means losing her, and in the end, breaking her heart.
Presenting the smoking hot cover of Bella J’s new Contemporary Romance - Book 2 of the Resplendence Series
RESPLENDENT RUSH
Excerpt:
Lexi indicated for the bartender to bring them a round of shots. Just as she was about to toss the tequila back, someone rammed into her from behind, and her little shot glass of heaven went bye-bye all over the counter and down the front of her dress.
“What the hell?” she called out and grabbed a napkin.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” a voice came from behind her. It was a guy—of course it was a guy. Only guys would do something as stupid as ram into someone in a club with hundreds of people in it.
Her temper flared, and she spun around. “What the hell do you think—”
And then she blinked.
She stared straight into the greenest eyes she had ever seen. It was the kind of green that reminded you of a forest after it rained. Or the kind of green that pushed through patches of snow, reminding you that spring was just around the corner. His chocolate brown hair fanned just above those captivating greens.
Anger—gone.
“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” he asked, concerned. She hardly noticed the other two guys who flanked him.
Kim turned on her seat and glared at the green-eyed piece of hotness pie. “Does she look okay to you?” Kim moved her eyes to Lexi. “She looks practically traumatized.”
Lexi would have liked to tell Kim that it wasn’t because of the getting rammed in the back part, but more about the getting rammed in the back by a prince of everything emerald that had her gawking like a total loser. But somehow her eyes had managed to find those broad shoulders and the lean, perfectly shaped torso just below it, so no way would she have been able to speak. She was afraid that she might drool if she attempted to open her mouth.
Under the white shirt he was wearing, she could see the roped muscles that she would have given her left pinkie for if she could just touch them.
Mr. Emerald Eyes lifted a brow, and an amused grin crossed his marvelously sexy face. “I think she looks like she just saw something she likes—a lot.”
Anger back.
Lexi liked a man who handled himself with cool confidence, but there was a fine line between confidence and arrogance—which Mr. Stormy Green had just stepped over.
Lexi shook the fog from her brain and brought forth her most intimidating stare. After all, she had to make up for her height in other ways, so being able to shoot a glare that had men running for the hills was something she had perfected years ago.
“Don’t you she just saw something she likes me, mister.” She waved her finger right in front of his face. “You’re the one who rammed into me. You almost had me choking to death on a shot glass. I practically saw my life pass before my eyes.”
He snorted, and she could have sworn those dark green eyes went a shade lighter. She swallowed.
“You’re being a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” He smiled, and all Lexi could see were those delectable full lips which probably tasted as good as they looked.
Focus!
“Dramatic? I am not dramatic.”
“I think you are”—he held his fingers with a tiny space between his thumb and forefinger—“just a little.”
Who the hell does this guy think he is? How dare he tell me I’m dramatic? Oh, it’s on.
Crossing her arms, she said, “Yes, you do kind of look like a man who has a lot of experience with little things.”
He made a step toward her, and the club suddenly felt just a tad smaller. “And I’m pretty sure you drooled a little a few seconds ago when your eyes were all over me.”
“Wow, you have a ginormous ego. Are you perhaps compensating for something?” Strike.
When he stepped forward again, she caught the subtle smell of musk and peppermint. His gaze was locked on hers; she had to shift from one leg to the other—for reasons that she could not share with anyone.
And then he was standing very, very, very close—his gaze lowered to hers. “You have a big mouth for such a”—his gaze dropped to her legs and then moved back up—“petite little thing.”
Suddenly Lexi’s mouth went stone dry, her pulse pounding through the roof. Heat, so much goddamn heat—it was all around them. Her back was against the bar counter, and she had nowhere to go.
“I take it you’re an expert on all things petite—are you?” She cocked a cheeky brow, and by the smirk on his face he knew exactly what she was insinuating.
“I know enough to know that you were definitely giving me the dreamy stare just now.”
She snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself, big boy.”
“Oh, I bet you’d love to get acquainted with my big boy, wouldn’t you?” He leaned closer, his torso touching her chest.
Good holy heavens, she couldn’t breathe.
“What dream are you living in?” she shot back, her voice just a little lower.
Then she felt a slight tingle spread from her arm straight through to her spine, and she realized his fingertips were softly moving against her upper arm.
He leaned down, his mouth close to her ear.
“In a dream where you’re going to wake up tomorrow morning, and the first thing you’ll see will be my naked ass next to you in your bed.”
Everything clenched tight—everything. The hidden promises of mind-blowing pleasure were all there, echoing in his words.
She swallowed. “Why would it be my bed and not yours?” Lame comeback, she knew it, but she was kinda finding it hard to focus at that point.
He spoke next to her ear, his breath dancing against her cheek, and she imagined her heart would leap out of her chest at any second. “Because once I’m gone I want you to think of all the things I did to you, every last detail, whenever you look at your sheets.” Sweet baby—
“Lexi.” Kim’s voice echoed in the far back corner of her mind—far behind all the visuals of her and this green-eyed honeypot of deliciousness doing very dirty things between her sheets.
“Lexi?” Was that Kim?
She tore her gaze away from Mr. Hotness and looked at Kim, who stared at her all wide-eyed with a huge-ass question mark on her forehead.
“Lexi, huh?” His voice was still extremely close to her ear, which meant she just had another outbreak of goose bumps.
She turned back to Mr. Dreamy. “Yes, my name is—”
“It’s Alexandra, actually,” Kim chirped in.
Lexi glared at Kim. “Thanks for clarifying—Kimberley.”
Kim shrugged. Sometimes Lexi was convinced her best friend was completely clueless.
“I’m Levi.”
He smiled, and Lexi swooned like a teenager. That was the moment Lexi pulled on her shiny red slippers, eagerly got onto the yellow brick road, and skipped all the way to the Emerald City—screw the lion and fuck the tin man.
RESPLENDENT RUSH
RELEASE DATE: 11-01-2016
Make sure to grab your copy of the first book in Bella J’s Resplendence Series
RESPLENDENT RUIN (Resplendence #1)
Juliette thought she had love. She thought she knew what it felt like to be loved. And to finally marry her fiancé, Daniel, was a dream she refused to let go of—until Knox Taylor showed up and made her question everything she thought she knew about life and love.
Juliette Mason had it all—the perfect job, the perfect home, the perfect fiancé. She lived the perfect life. Until everything started to slowly fall apart.
Daniel, her attractive and success-driven fiancé, was the love of her life. For years she wanted nothing more than to finally walk down the aisle, to be Mrs. Daniel Clarke. But as time went by, the cracks in their relationship started to come to the surface, and Juliette found herself in a place she never imagined she would be. It was a place where she started to question everything about her life and her dreams, a place where nothing about her life made sense anymore—a place where she found Knox Taylor.
Knox didn’t count on falling in love. In fact, Knox didn’t count on anything really. He was blissfully happy living a fast life of reckless behavior, impulsive decisions, and beautiful women. He lived the perfect life of a flourishing bachelor—but then she happened.
Content Notes: Spicy, Contemporary
Oh man, what a book. For a debut novel, I'm screaming from the rooftops to get your copy. This book knocked my socks off. That cover sucked me in and then the world painted for me kept me turning page after page... and before I forget "Knox is Mine" - NEED EPIC READS
Resplendent Ruin was really an enjoyable, emotional read! I got all caught up in the emotions Juliette went through and was drawn right into her dilemma. - LUV MY BOOKS
Instant love with the Author Bella J after reading her debut novel Resplendent Ruin. She knows her Alpha male and she knows it too well. The story was honestly just addictive! It’s the kind of story where you start the book and then suddenly realize that you’re halfway through and you have barely stopped. It was thrilling, emotional, romantic, hot, sexy, a lot of drama, just what I was looking forward to. - BOOK LATTE
Instantly Infatuated! I love this debut novel! Bella J wrote such a fantastic, nail biting, gut-wrenching love-triangle drama with so many surprising twists! Such a compelling, sweetly-heated contemporary romance that kept me glued to every page and tugged real hard on all my heart-strings! - ROMAZING READER
This story had me feeling the pain all the way around in this story of secrets, revelations and betrayals. I felt Juliette’s pain as she tried to work through her feelings for both Knox and Daniel, not really knowing until the end which way things were going to go. And that journey? This story was so full of highs and lows that my heart needed a break by the end. - GIVE ME BOOKS
Buy links Resplendent Ruin (Resplendence #1)
About the Author
Bella J lives in Cape Town, South Africa with her husband, two kids, & chihuahua. Her love for writing started in eighth grade when she received her first writing assignment—which she flunked. But the positive side of her failure—her newly found passion for writing. The negative side—now she’s completely spaced out half of the time living in her little pretend world of romance, love, & insanely hot heroes.
THANK YOU!
