Carver's Book Cravings: Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Learning to Let Go by Cynthia P. O'Neill

Title: Learning to Let Go (Learning Series #2)

Author: Cynthia P. O'Neil

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 2014

Hosted by: Love Between the Sheets Promotions

~ Synopsis ~
Garrett Andrews has controlled every aspect of his life for as long as he can remember. Whatever he wanted, he took, especially when it came to Laurel Hart. She was the first person to make his heart skip a beat and capture his soul, allowing part of his control to slip, which uncovered his lie and destroyed her trust in him. Laurel now lays battered and broken thanks to Chase Peterson, a stalker from her college days, who won’t accept no for an answer. Garrett is determined to win her back, obsessing over her care in an attempt to heal both her body and her mind. He will go to any lengths to earn back her trust and teach her to let go of the past, but can he follow his own advice and let down his own walls? They struggle to overcome their issues and soon Chase is after her again, fixated on staking his “claim” with a startling revelation that links both the past and present. Can they find happiness with each other or is their too much to overcome? Only time will tell if they can learn to let go.

~ Prologue ~

Laurel

I needed to hold out to make it to Garrett’s penthouse. I could feel the walls closing in around me as a sense of heaviness invaded my body, weighing me down. My vision began to blur. My mind was reeling. Come on, just hold out a little longer. You can do this. You need to get to Garrett. His security guys probably see what a mess you are and he’s already on alert. He’ll be there for you.

My mind wanted to argue the fact that I’d just pushed him away from me moments earlier, but I knew Garrett; once his mind was set on something he wanted, he wouldn’t give up easily. I just prayed the same held true for me. I hated to admit it, but I needed him now more than I ever had. He was the only thing going through my mind as Chase slammed in the walls and counter and as he pulled me down into the glass. Normally I’d have given up and just taken the beating, but I could hear Garrett’s voice encouraging me to fight, to move out of the past and focus on the future.

I felt the weight of the frying pan still in my hand, reminding me how I finally got off a clean shot to Chase’s head and managed to run for it. Luck had been with me when my neighbor stepped off the elevator and the elevator doors started to close on their own. I had one shot at escape and the only place I could run was back into Garrett’s arms. As I entered the key code for the penthouse, I prayed he would still be there to catch me.

Everything around me seemed to move in slow motion as the elevator opened on his floor. I know my feet moved, because my body was inching closer to Garrett’s shocked face. I could barely hear his words, “What the hell happened, Laurel?” I could almost focus on Thompson and Dillon running past me, one heading for the elevator, the other to the stairwell. I somehow managed to squeak out, “Chase.”

Garrett’s arms were outstretched, but he wouldn’t touch me. Why? Help me! I wanted to scream. Hold me! Then the world seemed to go black and I could only hear him curse, “Fuck,” before feeling my body drop. I heard the clang of the frying pan hitting the floor. I expected my body to be next, but I felt the warmth of his arms encase me, pulling me close to his chest as he gently lowered me to the ground.

“No, Laurel! Oh, God, no! Stay with me, baby. I’ll make sure we get Chase and make him pay for what he’s done.” His voice, normally so composed and controlled, was shaking and I felt moisture hit the sides of my face.

Could he be crying? The man who was always in control of everything was actually crying!

~ About the Author ~

Cynthia P. O’Neill grew up in Clewiston, Florida and moved to Central Florida to attend college. There, she married her friend, love, and soul mate and still resides with their amazing son, and a feisty four-legged little boy. In her books, Cynthia draws on her background in healthcare and business, along with her husband’s engineering knowledge. Several years after she got married, she started dreaming about the various characters in I Remember. It took eight years before she decided that it needed to be told. With the encouragement of family and friends, she decided to bring Jordan and Gregory to life in a series of Young Adult, Paranormal Romances with a Historical bent. She has a steamier New Adult/Erotica Romance called Learning to Trust, part of the Learning Series, that released August 2013. She tries to make her writing very personal and close to her heart. Regular life is the inspiration for her books, but her imagination takes them to new heights, opening up possibilities that would normally not exist.