~ Synopsis ~
Ballerina
Dovey Beckham is a scholarship student at Briarcrest Academy,
determined to prove she’s more than just a girl with the wrong
pedigree. She does whatever it takes to succeed in her endgame, even
if it means surrendering her body but never her heart.
Until
the day she meets him, and he rips apart all her well-laid plans.
Suddenly, the girl everyone thought unbreakable might just
shatter.
Cuba “Hollywood” Hudson is rich, spoiled, and a
star football player. With his fast cars and superficial girlfriends,
he lives the high-life, hiding his secrets from the world.
Until
the day he meets her, and she offers him something he’s never
tasted…love.
But once in a lifetime kind of love doesn’t
come easy…especially when dirty money, past sins, and old flames
threaten the very fabric of their lives.
Welcome
to Briarcrest Academy, where sometimes, only the wicked survive.
~ Review ~
4.5 Stars
I
really am at a loss with how to rate this book. I really loved
it and I devoured it in one sitting. I was up till three am
reading because I had to know how it ended. I loved most of the
book and it was a five star until a certain part. I won't say
what because it will give away part of the story. I will let
you decide for yourself!!
Dovey
had a terrible childhood. She grew up in the dumps of town
witnessing things no one should have to see. She is a fighter
and is determined to get out of this dump. She would do
anything for her guardian Sarah and her neighbor Heather-Lynn. She
is finally in her senior year of school and was completely devastated
by Cuba, the boy she gave everything too. To top off the
heartache she is dealing with Sarah's illness and a stupid thing
Sarah did. Can she ask for help? Or has all her friends
turned their backs on her in her time of need? How low will she
go to save her loved ones?
Cuba
has sunk to a new level. He has always had issues with
something bad that happened four years ago. He is not only
devastated, but his family is also. He used woman to help he
forget his life. Then Dovey walked into his life and made him
find light and believe he could be happy and deserve love. But
after a tragic event he shuns her in the worst possible way. He
turns back to woman and it's worse than before Dovey. He is
slowly spiraling out of control and losing everything he dreamed of.
Will he find HOPE again? Or is he destined to fail?
This
book will have you smiling, happy, sad, pissed and worried. I
didn't feel as big of a connection with Cuba as I needed too. And
Dovey was a hard character for me to connect with also. She was
so strong in some parts and weak on others. She was a good
person and did always try to put others first, but I just could feel
her. And for those reasons I had to give it a four star.
~ Excerpt
for Very Wicked Things ~
Book
#2 of the Briarcrest Academy Series
by
Ilsa Madden-Mills
I
got out of the shower and dressed hurriedly, anxious to get back to
Cuba.
The
door opened, and like he did it every single day, he stepped inside
the steamy bathroom.
“Think
I need a shower, too,” he said, his fingers easing off his football
practice shirt.
What?
Now?
Trying
to play it cool and failing miserably, I moved my eyes off his naked
chest and checked out his track pants and the obvious bulge he
sported.
Oh.
Did his lower body match the rest of him? Was it all sinewy muscle
and big?
Just,
yeah. That thought got stuck in my head and went round and round.
“You
staying?” he asked, a grin working his face. Pleased at my open
admiration, probably.
“No,”
I said, but made no move to go. ‘Cause I had no shame when it came
to catching a glimpse of his muscular body.
“Good,”
he said, his smile broadening.
He
pivoted to turn on the shower, and my eyes betrayed me again,
admiring the muscles in his back, checking out how they twitched and
rippled when he moved. Football and rowing had been good to him. My
fingers itched to know how they’d feel underneath my hands. Which
was stupid because we had nothing in common. Not a rich Highland Park
boy and a poor girl from Ratcliffe.
And
most importantly, he was a player, not to be trusted.
He
hooked his thumbs into his pants, paused a moment—maybe waiting to
see if I’d run from the room?—but when I didn’t budge, he slid
them and his underwear off. My mouth opened. Cuba Hudson, the most
popular guy at Briarcrest was standing right in front of me, naked
and beautiful. And like the cocky bastard he was, he posed for me,
his big-ass biceps and chiseled abs making me vibrate all over. Need
for him slammed into me.
Did
I say he was hot?
Well,
I was wrong.
He
was off-the-charts, no-holds-barred, freaking going
make-me-lose-my-mind-right-there delicious. The ultimate man-candy,
the kind I knew to stay away from, yet here I was, ogling him.
“Still
leaving?” he asked huskily.
“Any
minute,” I said in a weak voice, backing up to the wall and
propping myself up. “Just chillin’. Shower wore me out. I might
need to hold this wall up for a sec.”
“I
want you to stay,” he said, eyes at half-mast, glowing with heat.
“Why?”
I said, aching to touch him. But that was crazy. I was a virgin, and
I didn’t know jack about touching a guy’s you-know-what.
“Look
at me, Dovey.”
I
tore my eyes from his manhood, blushing.
His
eyes burned. “There’s a sense of urgency in my head. Like our
time is limited.”
I
nodded. Yeah, same here.
“And,
I’ll be honest, I don’t want to rush you, but I’m dying to sink
into you. I want to set you on fire with need for me.” He ghosted
his hands over the steel rod between his legs. Once, twice, and—holy
shizzle, he didn’t stop.
My
chest rose faster and faster, and I tried to chill-out, but I
couldn’t.
He
lowered his voice. “Kiss me again, Dovey.”
Oh.
“That’s a terrible idea, Cuba. Cause you’re naked, and I’m
turned on because you’re naked. And you’re touching yourself. And
you’re naked.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “Not a good combo. Odds are we’ll end
up in that shower together or back in your bed doing the
double-backed monster.”
“Then
join me in the shower. I’ll be good. For you.” He arched his
back, his hands still doing that back and forth that was driving me
insane.
Liar,
liar, pants on fire,
I thought. No way he would he be good.
Because
he was the Heartbreaker of Briarcrest Academy. And one wicked boy.
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~ Author
Bio ~
Ilsa
Madden-Mills writes about strong heroines and sexy alpha males that
sometimes you just want to slap. She spends her days with two small
kids, a neurotic cat, and her Viking husband. She collects magnets
and rarely cooks except to bake her own pretzels. When
she’s not typing away at a story, you can find her drinking too
much Diet Coke, jamming out to Pink, or checking on her carefully
maintained chocolate stash. She loves to hear from fans and fellow
authors.
~ Giveaway ~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Because Ilsa Madden-Mills
fell in love with her beautifully flawed characters in Very
Wicked Things,
she penned Very
Wicked Beginnings
as a prequel novella to the book, featuring the story of football
star Cuba Hudson and ballerina Dovey Beckham.
Since May is Mental
Health Awareness Month, all May proceeds from the sale of the novella
will be donated to The
Keith Milano Memorial Fund which benefits the American Foundation for
Suicide Prevention (AFSP). www.afsp.org
Title: Very Wicked Beginnings
Series: Briarcrest Academy #1.5, a
prequel novella to Very Wicked Things
Release: Both books will release on
May 13th!
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
Cover: Photography by
Toski Covey
Graphics: Sommer Stein
at Perfect Pear Creative Covers
Model: Tanner Belcher
~ Book
Description for prequel Very
Wicked Beginnings ~
Girls say I’m a
walking, talking sex
god. Guys
call me Hollywood because my life is golden.
It’s not.
But, ESPN did rank me as
a four star recruit, calling me one of the best defensive players
since Briarcrest Academy opened its esteemed doors. So yeah, with
football and a stellar GPA, my future
seemed
good.
Then Dovey Beckham shows
up in her short skirts and ballet shoes. Driving me insane. Making me
want to beg for her attention.
But that wouldn’t
happen, because Cuba Hudson didn’t beg for anything.
She walked around BA like
she owned the place, and most days she looked right through me…the
one girl I couldn’t have.
So, of course, I made it
my mission to claim her, to put her notch on my bedpost.
Because no girl can
resist the Heartbreaker
of BA.
But I never planned on
destroying her.
I never planned on
wrecking the one thing that could save me.
Welcome to Briarcrest
Academy, where wicked
love begins…and ends.
~ Review ~
5 Stars
This is a very short read giving us a little back story on Cuba 'Hollywood' Hudson and Dovey Beckham.
Cuba has a rough home life and has a secret that he doesn't want people to know. He uses girls to help him forget. He uses girls, but only ones who know the score. He is a one night man not a forever guy. Though the moment he lays eyes on Dovey he knows she's the one and he stays away. Will he get the courage to ask he out? Or will he continue to watch from a distance?
Dovey is from the wrong side of the tracks. She isn't known at the school because she is the scholarship student. She knows who Cuba is because he is the most popular guy at school. She knows he would never notice her so when he walks up to her she doesn't know what's going on. Is it a joke? Or is he really interested?
This was a great prequel to Very Wicked Things and I cannot wait to start it!!
~ Very
Wicked Beginnings ~
Excerpt
from Chapter One
“Two
things about me: I play football—and girls.”
–Cuba Hudson
I
wanted the gorgeous girl in the window.
More
specifically, I wanted the dark-haired girl dancing inside the Symthe
Arts Building as I stood outside on the twenty yard line at football
practice, fixated on her when I should have been focused on the line
of scrimmage. I adjusted my helmet and squinted through the afternoon
Dallas sun.
Did
I know her?
Movement
from other players on the field pulled me back. Good thing. As
defensive end, it was my job to put the screws to or sack the
quarterback as soon as the ball snapped. But I was off today.
Probably because I knew I had a shit ton of homework waiting for me
at home. With my dream of being a doctor and getting into a good
school, being on top of my game in class was important as well.
Briarcrest Academy was one of the top-rated private schools in the
country, making expectations here high.
Just
like every eighteen-year-old kid out there, I had stresses.
But
I did have more than the average. I had a sick mom.
But
those thoughts faded when I looked back at the window and watched the
girl run and then leap in the air, her body doing some kind of crazy
in-the-air-leg-split-thing. Damn.
She’d gotten at least four feet off the ground.
Then,
after landing on her feet light as a feather, she danced away from my
view. I waited for her to come back, wanting to check out her toned
muscles again, especially her tight ass. And then I randomly wondered
if her tits were small. Weren’t all dancers? Yeah. But still, she
looked—
“Pay
attention, Hudson!” Coach Howe yelled at me.
Fuck.
Caught.
I
automatically stiffened and tightened my defensive stance, running my
eyes across the offensive line, waiting for the play. But the
quarterback was pussy-footing around still undecided if they were
gonna run or pass. Whatever. Matt the Quarterback was a complete jack
ass. I ate guys like him for lunch which wasn’t hard when you’re
tall and fast like me.
I
got bored.
Out
of my peripheral vision, I caught a flash of pink dashing past the
window.
She
was back.
And
like I was addicted to her, my eyes drifted to the building again,
one part baffled by the fascination, the other part wanting to get
another glimpse of her long legs. As I watched, she adjusted her
ponytail as she laughed up at her ballet partner—who was a dude.
Crazzzy.
Yeah, you’d think he’d be all feminine and shit, but he wasn’t.
Nope. Dude looked buff, like he could bench press a school bus.
Something
about the girl called to me. Yeah, it was probably that short skirt
she wore. I pictured slipping my hand underneath it to her panties.
Her core would be hot, on fire for me, of course, and I’d ease my
finger inside her wet—
Bam!
I took a hard hit from Tank Carson, an All District offensive
guard I routinely ran circles around in practice. He might be big,
but I was quick and smart and had more moves than a freaking octopus.
So the chance to plant my distracted ass on the turf was an early
Christmas present for him. That's what I get for letting some piece
of ass get in my game, even if it was practice.
And
so. My unprepared body flew through the air with 290 pounds of Tank
on top of it. My head followed my body and hit the turf, the contact
reverberating inside my helmet and then everything went black…
~ Charity Information ~
The Keith Milano Memorial
Fund was established to help raise awareness about the devastating
and deadly disease that is mental illness. Keith’s spirit and
laughter is kept alive through our efforts to increase awareness
about mental illness and to raise money for education and imperative
research. Keith often struggled with society’s perception of mental
illness. Our hope is that by having the strength to say that
Keith was “Bipolar” we can strip away the stigma and help others
to be more open about their disease. www.keithmilano.org
The Keith Milano Memorial
Fund benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
www.afsp.org
AFSP
is the only national not-for-profit organization exclusively
dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research
and education, and to reaching out to people with mood disorders and
those affected by suicide.
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Very Wicked Beginnings to you Goodreads:
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read the first book #1 New Adult Romance Very Bad Things? It’s on
sale!!
~ Very Wicked Things Book Trailer ~
