Title: Little Things
Author: Madison Street
Release Date: June 2, 2014
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Synopsis
Everything in Duke Grayson’s life was all he could ever ask for: A loving family, loyal friends, a beautiful girlfriend, and a scholarship to his top choice college. It’s his senior year of high school, and all he needs is to focus on his grades, lacrosse, and keeping his girlfriend happy. That is until Raya walks into his life.
From the moment they meet, Duke is drawn to her, not only for her natural beauty and her stunning crystal blue eyes, but because he’s aware there’s more to this girl than just his alluring pull to her. He senses secrecy and fear.
Throughout the year, their bond grows stronger, and his feelings for her become undeniable. Just when he is about to express his love, tragedy strikes and Raya disappears.
For six years, Duke is tortured by his struggles, as he’s unable to find her and blames himself for failing to protect her. Until the day, she’s found, and he’s given a second chance. Will Duke become her beacon of hope and make her see that it’s the little things that make life worthwhile? Can Raya overcome her fears and fight against the terrors that haunt her? Or will her dark and torturous past be too much for her to battle against?
*Warning: This book contains some disturbing situations, strong language and sexual content. Suited for 18 years and over.
Review
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
We first meet Raya when she and her mom Genna are packing to move for the third time in two years. Craig decides when they move and where they move to. Raya tripped on the stairs and the box she was carrying and broke some frames. She knew that she was going to get into trouble, so she took the broken frames out of the box and hid them in her dresser until she could pay to get them replaced. She was told to go up to her room and fix it up, She fell asleep while she was up there and when she was called down for supper she was in a panic because if she looked like she was sleeping she would get into a lot of trouble. We first meet Duke while he is having a dream about his girlfriend Melanie. The second day of Forensics class Duke and Raya meet for the first time. This is the first book in the Second Chances series. Some of the subject matter is sensitive.
Raya is afraid of Craig, she wants to take her mother away from him wants she turns 18. Has a major crush on Duke. Duke is Melanie's boyfriend and a friend to Raya. He is the Captain of the lacrosse team. Melanie is friends with Raya and Duke's girlfriend. Rob is on the lacrosse team and he is friends with Duke, Melanie and Raya. Genna is Raya's mom and she married Craig after Raya's father passed away. Craig is Raya's step father and he is very abusive towards Genna and sometimes Raya. Derrick is Raya's kickboxing instructor. The Characters are very likable, the only one that got on my nerves was Craig and Derrick.
While reading this book I felt a whole bunch of emotions from Happiness to sad to just plain mad at a couple characters. I liked that I was drawn into the story from the beginning and I was hooked till the end. I loved Madison Streets style of writing. This is my first story by Madison Street and it definitely will not be my last. I truly loved that the story line was amazing and I also liked that all the characters are well developed.
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Excerpt
With a quick pace, I give Mrs. Robinson my test and race out of the class only to crash into Duke. “Whoa!! Slow down!” He steadies me with his arms.
I chuckle, “Sorry, I’m just happy to get away from Jose. I’m happy this is the last class with him.”
“Me, too. He’s gotten in the way of a lot of things and I can’t fucking stand him. It’ll be alright, Raya. He won’t bother you anymore.” He caresses my arm for a few seconds and then pulls away, clearing his throat. “So, uhh, what did Taylor want?”
I glance away to avoid his eyes, “He asked me out on a date.”
“He finally did it, huh? Took him forever.”
My head snaps to look at him, “Wait. What do you mean?”
He laughs and shakes his head, “After the Halloween party, he asked me if he should ask you out and I told him to go for it. Honestly, I thought he would have asked you out weeks ago. I don’t know what took him so long.”
My heart drops and an unbearable sadness falls over me. “Oh, is that right?”
“You know he’s crazy about you. You should give him a chance. He’s a really good guy.”
I close my eyes and try to force back the tears that are threatening to escape. My heart aches at the loss of Duke’s affection. All I want is him and I know I won’t ever get it. “I’m not so sure. I like him, but not as much as he likes me. I don’t want to rush anything. Besides, I told him that I can’t make any promises. I’ll be very busy with work during the break and won’t have much free time.”
“Ehh, he’ll wait. He doesn’t have a lot going on anyway.” He glances at his phone and responds to a text message. “Okay, well I’m going to catch Melanie before she heads off to her next class. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay. Tell her I’ll see her in English.”
“I will.” He waves at me as he heads off to go get his girlfriend. At that moment, I realize that my feelings for Duke are purely one-sided and I need to get a grip on them. A single tear escapes and I quickly wipe it away. I promised myself that I wouldn’t stand in the way of Duke and Melanie. I’m not like that and I refuse to be the reason for a breakup. Their friendship means so much to me and I won’t ruin it.
Maybe I should go out with Taylor, but how can I with Craig being home? Hopefully, he has a conference coming up soon and will have to go out of town. I’m going to have to find a way to explain this to Taylor.
I hope he’ll understand. I grab my cell phone and send a quick text to him.
Me: Meet me at work tomorrow.
I head down the hallway, making my way to endure the next final in line. A few minutes later, I hear my phone beep with an incoming text notification. I grab my cell to read the message sent from Taylor.
Taylor: So, is that a yes?
I laugh to myself. He always gets a head of himself.
Me: It’s a maybe. I’d like to take things slow so if you want come visit me at work.
Taylor: Of course! What time is your shift?
Me: From 11-7
Taylor: Okay, I’ll see you there. Maybe we can do lunch?
Me: Yeah, that sounds good. See ya tomorrow. J
Taylor: See ya then sweetie ;)
I smile at his text and think about seeing him tomorrow. He really is a nice guy and maybe I should listen to Duke and give him a chance. My hopes and wishes are slowly diminishing and I can use any bit of happiness I can get right now. Maybe Taylor is just what I need.
About the Author
Giveaway
2 Signed Paperbacks of Little Things (US ONLY), 2 Signed Little Things Bookmarks (US ONLY), 5 ecopies of Little Things
thank you for the lovely review <3
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