Ramblings of a Book Lunatic: Black Rose (Lewiston Blues #3) by F.X. Scully with Giveaway, Excerpt & Review

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Black Rose (Lewiston Blues #3) by F.X. Scully with Giveaway, Excerpt & Review

Just because you're damaged doesn't mean you can't be fixed.

At twenty-nine, Luke Black is a college drop out, a has-been musician, a widower, a dead-beat dad and an ex-con. On paper, the man doesn’t have a redeeming quality. But in his heart he’s still searching for one thing—“normal”.

All twenty-four-year-old Cocanda Rose has ever known is “normal”. And all she’s ever sought out is something that’ll make her mundane life just a bit more exciting. The rocker she fell for has broken her spirit and shattered her heart more times than she can count. Despite it all, she’s like a moth to a flame and has deemed herself irrevocably damaged. But there’s one person who has the potential to pick up the pieces. He’s her life-long neighbor, her best friend’s ex and the town pariah. He’s also the last person she ever thought she’d fall for and she soon becomes the only person who will stand by him.

In the final installment of the Lewiston Blues Series, F.X. Scully picks up the pieces of Luke Black’s life six years after it was torn apart. But not without some hiccups along the way.

F.X. Scully loves romance, but she doesn't write your typical Happily Ever After. Because let's face it, in the real world, it can sometimes take a lot of angst and pain before you get there. And some of us never do. But since most of us pick up books to escape the real world, her stories don't lack hot boyfriends and sexy encounters. Neither will she leave you completely heart broken, sobbing into a tub of ice cream. Rest assured you'll be on a roller coaster, but you'll be glad you went along for the ride.

F.X. is the author of TWO THOUSAND 3 (November 2013), BECAUSE OF LUKE (February 2014), BLACKOUT (April 30) and BLACK ROSE (June 15).

I reach my hand toward her and when she climbs the three stairs separating us and gives me hers, I’m so relieved I have to force myself not to pull her into my arms and take what I want right there. “Are you going to be okay with this?” I ask, staring down at our hands.

“With what?”

“Dating the town pariah.”

Her gaze drops and when she looks back up at me her face is serious. “I don’t want to date you, Luke.”

I swallow hard and open my mouth to protest to convince her. Anything. But she stops me, meeting me on the top step. “I want for you to be all mine and me to be all yours.”

Holy shit.

5 stars
This was so hard to read. It was very emotional for me. Luke has been through so much, and I felt so badly for everything that had happened. Then he gets news that makes things worse. Luke had to find a way to stop a terrible thing from happening, and the only person who can help him is his neighbor, Coco. They have a friendship that goes back a long way, back before all the things in Luke's like turned to crap and he lost everything that had ever meant anything to him. Coco and Luke have a connection from way back then that they never let on that they cared for each other in any way. Then they were both off living their lives, only to find themselves neighbors once again. Coco has been in a relationship with one of Luke's ex-bandmates for the last 6 years. Dash doesn't deserve Coco, she puts up with entirely too much from him. Coco and Luke fight the attraction they have for each other, while rebuilding their friendship. During that time, Luke realizes that Coco makes him feel something again. For the first time since his wife's death, he feels something for Coco. Now he just has to convince Coco that what she feels for him is real, and worth fighting for. I really liked the ending of this book. Luke went through so much, he deserves a good woman to love him. I enjoyed Luke coming back to life, looking forward to living again, instead of being hollow and empty as he has for the past 5 years. I am looking forward to the next generation of books stemming from this series. Ms. Scully has wowed me yet again, made me cry and want for her characters to have more. This was a fantastic series from start to finish, every book, every page.