Blog Tour and Giveaway: Impossible: Laurel Ulen Curtis
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One Accident. Two losses. Three years.
Veronica Russo chases storms, but runs from her past by staying firmly in the present. Unwilling to consider the possibility of a future, she’s checked out of life by using solitude and standoffishness as her armor and a sharp tongue and quick wit as her weapons.
Coleman Cade is a walking contradiction- just like his mismatched eyes. A rough and manly bull rider with a playful side. A ladies man with thousands of willing victims, but what he really wants is one woman. The right woman.
Will Roni be able to let go, move on, and find a way to fulfill her dream of having everything? Or will unsubstantiated choices and unresolved demons stand in the way of their happily ever after?
In order to overcome past tragedies and find true happiness- in order to have Everything- Roni needs to do one thing. Find the impossible.
Cover Design by Stephanie White of Steph's Cover Design
Other books by Laurel Ulen Curtis:
Read Kim's 4 star reviews of the One Series
Coleman Cade is briefly introduced in The One Girl,
but Impossible can be read as a stand alone.
See below for Tour wide giveaway
Exclusive Scene in Coleman's Point of view
written for our blog tour post.
This is when Coleman first met Roni.
I held the
door for CJ as he stepped inside, and then stepped in myself, letting the door
swing shut behind me.
Letting my
eyes adjust from the outside to the dimmer light of indoors, I let CJ step up
to the hostess stand to ask Lily, a quiet little blonde who’d been working here
for years, to get us a booth ready.
My eyes were
different colors, but both light in shade, and had always been extra sensitive
to sunlight.
Lily smiled
shyly and motioned for us to follow her, a little something extra thrown into
her smile for CJ.
He, of
course, paid it no mind. As much attention as he got from the girls, he never
really did anything with it. We were alike in a lot of ways, but my son was no
playboy.
CJ intended
to find one woman, hook her deep, and then treat her like royalty until the day
he died. Perhaps it was a result of my history, or the unsavory truth of his
mother, but CJ knew exactly what he wanted. Lily was a sweet girl, but she
wasn’t The One.
He may be my
son, but in a lot of ways he was more mature than I was, and I respected the
hell out of him for the man he already was at the age of fifteen.
As I rounded
the corner to the line of booths along the back, I noticed a woman sitting at a
booth alone, her head down with long brown hair falling in a curtain of secrecy
around her face. At the same time, I felt CJ’s body freeze in front of me as
Lily placed our menus on the table directly across of her.
For some
reason, I needed to see her face. Willing her to look up, I focused all of my energy
in her direction, but all of it was for naught.
CJ directed
his attention at the same table, his thoughts completely separate from mine,
but somehow on the same wavelength nonetheless, and questioned, “Roni?”
Her little
body was tight, and I wondered if this was a coy game she was playing. Waiting
for us to notice her, and then reacting with surprised delight.
However, when
her hair cleared her face, the look on it looked nothing like relief, but
instead, like I had just run over her favorite puppy.
Regardless of
the crushed look, her face was remarkable. Fresh and makeup-less, but
incredible all the same. Vivid green eyes that pierced right through me sat
above a perfectly proportional nose, and her lips were soft, lush, and just the
right color of pink.
“Hey CJ,” she
said in a forced casual voice, bringing my attention back from her physical
attributes.
“I’ll be
damned. Didn’t know that I’d ever see you again,” CJ murmured, his voice one of
excitement and genuine affection.
It was only
then that I realized this was the woman he had told me about. The one he had
changed a tire for despite her sour disposition and general snarkiness.
Her hands
were still clenched into fists under the table, but she plastered a fake smile
on her face when she said, “Yeah, well, I go where the-”
“Action is.
Yeah, I know,” CJ cut her off.
I bit my lip
to keep the smile off of my face at his attitude. Her abrupt closing last time
had seriously pissed him off, especially the part where she had ripped her door
out of his hand.
Shifting my
eyes back up her face to her eyes, I noticed an angry line of stitches in her
forehead, and gave it absolutely no thought before stepping into her space and
asking, “What happened to your head?”
It looked
fresh, like she had gotten it within the last day or so, but I had to ask. “She
have that when you met her?” I questioned, looking over my shoulder directly at
my son.
CJ shook his
head and answered immediately, “No, sir.”
Squatting
down so that I could really inspect it, I caught her scent, fresh and flowery
but completely natural in its intensity, and couldn’t stop from crossing the
line as far as personal space was concerned. Lifting my hand to her soft face,
I ran my thumb gently along the line of stitches counting them silently as I
went.
At first she
settled into it, her eyes locked onto my face, but it didn’t last long.
Suddenly, she
jerked back and transformed her features into a scowl.
It was
clearly a facial expression she had perfected, but it still did nothing to
dissuade me.
“Excuse me!”
she snapped, deciding the scowl alone wasn’t enough of a deterrent.
She was
right, of course, but the “Excuse me” wasn’t going to stop me either.
Still, women
were a little bit like animals. You couldn’t corner them too quickly when they
were frightened, so I backed off just a little, and I did it slowly. “Sorry,
Roni.”
She looked
momentarily mystified, and I didn’t have to wait long for her to give it a
voice. “How do you know my name?”
She was too
cute, and I felt my mouth lift into a smirk in response.
“Well, for
one thing, CJ just said it,” I explained.
I waited
patiently for the attitude, and she didn’t disappoint. When I left the rest of
my point hanging in the air she prompted, “And?”
“And he’s
mentioned you.”
She jerked
her head back almost violently before spearing CJ with a look so fierce I was
sure she would follow it up with some physical retribution.
She was a
feisty little thing, and I had to bite my lip to keep from chuckling as CJ,
smart boy that he was, raised his hands defensively and steered the focus of
the conversation back toward me.
“You probably
already guessed, but this is my dad. Coleman Cade. The original.”
Her pretty
pink lips separated and her t-shirt clad chest heaved with the effort it took
to try to be civil. This woman really didn’t like us in her business, and I was
finding it really fucking enjoyable.
“Nice to meet
you, Coleman,” she said.
The sound of
my given name falling from her extraordinary mouth was one of the best things I
had ever heard. Even better than hearing the sound of the buzzer from a spot
still securely on top of my bull.
I was
completely focused on her face, and maybe, if I was honest, a little bit south
of there, so when she snapped, “And what exactly is so amusing about that,
boys,” it was my first clue that CJ had found the whole Coleman thing
entertaining too.
CJ had a
tendency to blab right away, but for some reason, I wanted her to keep calling
me Coleman. Everyone called me Cade, and it was no big deal. I’d even go so far
as to say I liked it. But not her. I didn’t want her calling me Cade.
Moving
quickly, I raised my hand briefly and just barely shook my head in the negative
to tell CJ not to say anything. He picked up on my cue immediately, so I took
over. “Absolutely nothin’, Roni. The pleasure is all mine.”
She didn’t
like being left out of the loop. It was in the tense set of her body and the
fire in her eyes.
She was
something else.
Something
special.
A fighter. I
wondered what had happened to create this kind of woman.
“Yeah, well.
As much as I love bringing you pleasure-” she started, but quickly stopped. It
was obvious that she immediately recognized her mistake, her words a glaring
invitation for innuendo, so I just bit my lip and smirked instead of making one
of my usual comments.
God, I had so
many. Oh well, I’d use them later.
When she was
sure I was going to keep my mouth shut, she finished her sentence, stating, “I
need to eat and then get on the road. So, nice to meet you.”
Neither of us
moved a muscle. For me, I was fascinated, and if I had to guess, I’d say CJ was
the same.
Clearly done
with us, and I mean done in the sense that she’d be happy if she never saw us
again, she snapped out a “Bye” that was more of a demand than a suggestion.
So much fire
in such a little package.
And just like
that, it hit me.
She was a
Banty rooster.
I really
liked the idea of having such a pretty little Banty rooster all to myself.
First of all, let's just all take this opportunity to drool over this gorgeous cover. That man is a perfect Coleman Cade. Fans Self! Holy Shitdizzle!(yes, that is a new word I learned in this book).We got a little taste of Coleman Cade in The One Girl. He was Tucker's cocky, flirty, bull riding friend. But that did not prepare me for the full Coleman Cade experience. Oh my...
"Finding the right woman is a lot like ridin' a bull. You'll know in a little over eight seconds whether they're worth a second ride or not. And, as you know, the best ones usually buck you off a few time before givin' you the ride of your life."
But, Let's start back in the beginning of this story. Roni has been though a horrible tragedy. She now spends her time alone as a meteorologist, travelling, and chasing storms. She is hiding from everyone including herself. She has no desire to open up or care about anyone since it is just easier that way.
One day in an odd twist of fate, she meets a teenage boy, CJ, that she has an immediate connection with. Before she knows it, she is drawn a little into his world and that means also into the life of his dad, Coleman Cade. I knew Cade was sexy, flirty, and dripping in charisma from the previous book. But in this one, I swear I could literally feel him staring at me with his one blue and one green eye and I thought my kindle would start smoking. This man is seriously magnetic and swoon worthy. He is hot, funny, bossy, challenging, determined, caring, and down right intoxicating.
Shitdizzle. I did. I liked it. So help me, but he was one of those endearing assholes. The ones you loved to hate and hated to love, all at the same time.
For such a strong, physically intimidating guy, he was so freaking soft. So playful, so generous with affection. So everything I wanted. And everything I didn't think I could handle.
And most importantly he can see right through her. He(and his family) have the uncanny ability to see past her tough facade. He gets her immediately and can see she has walls up and is a runner. He not only takes that as a challenge, but also makes it his mission to wear her down. He is not going to let her get away with anything.
"You're like a Banty Rooster, sweetheart. Tiny little thing, but you don't hesitate to puff your chest, lookin' for a fight."
"Banty. Only thing you do more than fight, is run. I've been waitin' for it all day, and if you felt that kiss even a quarter of how much I felt it, I'm surprised you're not already gone."
I found myself laughing out loud at some of the things he said and his antics. This man just warmed my heart. His persistence, patience, capacity to love his family, and his vulnerability under his outward persona were so endearing. Their love story was tentative and fragile, but beautiful. It was not easy or perfect and they had issues with communication and secrets. But I loved them together. And I adored how Coleman's son and mother felt the same connection to Roni as he did and welcomed her into their lives. They were funny, supportive, and truly important to the story as well.
And of course, there had to be challenges and dramas. I got nervous, tense, frustrated, and my heart hurt for them. There were twists I did not see coming and by the time it got near the end, I was so invested in these characters that I was holding my breath. And I would love to thank Laurel for giving not only giving an epilogue, but also a bonus scene in Coleman's point of view...sigh...Yes, Coleman Cade is my new book boyfriend and I am not afraid to admit it. I have already claimed him. And only second to my love for Coleman, is my love for his son CJ. He is a heartbreaker in his own right and I am so looking forward to a book about him in the future.
This book made me laugh, swoon, tear up, and fall in love with an entire family. Laurel Ulen Curtis has a wonderful ability to create hot, bossy alpha men with a soft side, strong women that are likable despite flaws, and connections that are intense, passionate, heartfelt, and sweet. This is an engaging story of learning to live, second chances, and hope.
Thanks to Laurel Ulen Curtis for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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1 comments
Thanks for the terrific giveaway chance.. truly hoping to read one of those soon..
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