Blurb
New York Times bestselling authors Angela
Graham and S.E. Hall have teamed up again to bring you a full-length, steamy
new romance.
Echo Kelly is loyal to her studies,
family, and aerial artistry. She has no time for or interest in anything else,
and is heartbroken when her oldest brother, Sebastian, gets accepted to a
study-abroad program— exchanging places with cocky, not-at-all-shy foreign
exchange student Kingston Hawthorne.
Kingston Hawthorne had the life every
twenty-year-old guy dreams of— endless cash, easy women, and fast cars— until
his father ripped it all away, shipping him off to the States and placing him
temptingly close to the underage virgin who fascinates him in the most
challenging of ways.
With Kingston’s bedroom just a connecting
bathroom away from Echo’s, the chemistry between them is even more enticing
than the notes he leaves for her on the shower door.
How long can you pretend you’re just
friends?
My Review (ARC
provided)
4-4.5 stars!
This was such a cute story! I actually thought it was
going to be a lot different than it was. I had this idea that I wouldn't like
the hero in some way but I really liked him. I thought probably because of the title
it would be slightly dirty but nope, it was full of some scorching chemistry
though. In fact this book was really unique in a way that things didn't turn
out as I expected and I like that. I will
warn the reader that the book is not tied up in the end, it definitely leaves
you hanging.
As I was reading this book I just kept reading with a
smile on my face because of how I much I enjoyed both the hero and heroine and
I was thinking that it was a such a sweet story and then at about 50-60 percent
in they bring on the angst and at 80 percent my heart was pounding and I
couldn't stop, I needed to know what would happen.
Echo(h) is an introvert and uses all her time and energy
practicing her art. She has always had her protective older brother to look out
for her and be by her side but when he moves to study abroad she doesn't know
what to do with herself until she meets Kingston(H). Kingston is her new
housemate taking her brothers place. They quickly form a friend/foe kind of
relationship and he tries to take on her brother’s protective role. The
chemistry is pretty instant and soon they don't know how to handle their
attraction to one another. They try to keep a distance but how long can they
pretend?
"You only fully realize the depth of want and need immediately
after experiencing loss."
This story intrigued me, it left me wanting more and left
me hoping to see a little vengeance on some of the secondary characters. My
fingers are crossed in book two I get that.
I can't wait for the second one!
Pre-order Filthy
Foreign Exchange 2
Releasing June 14th
Excerpt
I creep silently into the house and
find a tinfoil-covered plate on the kitchen counter: the dinner my mom saved
for me, even though I'm sure my father said something along the lines of, “If
she wants to eat, she can sit down, on time, with the rest of us.”
I smile to myself at the small
victory. My dad may think he rules
the roost, but he doesn't call the last shot when it comes to my mom taking
care of her babies.
After I finish off the still-warm
chicken and potatoes as quietly as possible, I tiptoe past my parents’ bedroom,
paying special attention to each step I take—or, more specifically, avoiding
the floorboards that creak.
My father's stern voice pierces the
darkness. "We'll talk in the morning, young lady."
Damn,
he's good. I literally wobbled left to right like a drunk person, nailing the
silent boards, and he still heard me.
"Yes, sir," I spit out
before hurrying up the staircase to my bedroom.
My grandfather, smart man that he
was, built this house after he had
children. With the master suite on the bottom floor and the kids' rooms
upstairs, there was no getting past the parents. But somehow, Grandpa had
forgotten to take into account that our family has studied the art of Aerialism
for generations. So once you're up in your room, getting out of it undetected
isn't much of a problem—a caveat I know for a fact my older brother Sebastian
took advantage of often. Mostly because he used my balcony to do so nine times
out of ten.
I head straight for a hot shower,
not allowing my overworked muscles to stiffen. The entire time I stand under
the spray, I stare through the glass at the closed door on the far side of the
room. Sebastian’s bedroom is connected to mine by a Jack and Jill bathroom, but
my brother isn't on the other side anymore. Tonight, and every night for this
school year, he’ll be in England, his room vacant. The thought is the final
blow to my day.
Once I've dried off and tied my
robe, I open his door slowly, with tears in my eyes. I’m not sure why—maybe to
see the proof of his absence, naively hoping that will help settle my anxiety?
It's dark inside, of course, but the
thin drapes are parted and the moon is full and bright after tonight's storm.
My breath hitches, my feet coming to
a complete and sudden halt when I spot the large body lying in my brother’s
bed. It’s almost comforting at first; I find myself wishing it was Sebastian,
but I know it’s not. And I can only assume it’s Kingston. I have no clue why my
parents didn’t just drop him at his dorm, or why I’m not turning around to go
back to my own room. But now, as I stand so close, my curiosity is piqued.
From this angle and lighting, he
could almost pass for Sebastian: dark-brown hair cut short, muscularly outlined
back, sleeping on his side. But whereas Sebastian sleeps under the covers, our
houseguest has the sheet and comforter shoved down past a tight, perfectly
rounded ass that’s filling out his black boxer briefs in a way I find
startlingly sinful. He also has his arms shoved under his pillow—another
difference that makes it hard for me to pretend.
I creep a bit farther into the room,
checking out his luggage—designer and
monogrammed, all matching of course, and reeking of luxury and fine leather. Fancy, but mismatching horribly with the
black (somewhat sexy) combat boots that—
“Umpf,” I grunt despite my desperate
efforts to remain quiet, reaching out for anything to brace myself on. But it’s
no use. I fly forward, having tripped over the second, not-nearly-as-sexy-now
boot.
"I was told you were the
graceful one."
His low, gravely taunt comes out of
nowhere and startles me further, throwing me backward in the opposite
direction, my balance completely lost. With my hands flailing, my only hope now
is that the luggage provides a soft landing.
But I never meet it, or the floor.
Instead, two strong hands rescue me, snaring my wrists and pulling me down on
top of one seriously hard, hot—temperature-wise, I mean—body.
"I'd presume you to be Echo and
say hello, but again, not the graceful girl I was expecting. So, you
are…?" He looks up at me with a smug twitch to his lip and devastating
twinkle in his gray—Are they really gray,
or is that the lighting?—eyes.
"I…uh…” I stammer idiotically,
dressed only in a robe that’s far too revealing for the position I find myself
lying in: across the bare torso of perhaps the most gorgeous guy I've ever seen
up close, in person. And we are very
up close.
I attempt to push off him, but his
hands slide down to my hips and grip tighter.
"Yes," I gasp, before
battling for a sense of authority in my next response. "I'm Echo. Sorry I
woke you, I just wasn’t…expecting you to be in here.” His brows rise,
practically screaming that he sees right through me. “Let me up! I tripped over
your big, stupid boots, then you scared me."
"My apologies, Echo.” A quiver plays down my spine at
the way my name rolls off his lips in that decadent English accent of his. “Had
I known you'd be visiting my room tonight, I'd have taken more care in setting
my belongings out of your way.”
“I should’ve left when I realized
you were in here, so we’re even. Can you let me up now?”
His grip remains firm as his smile
deepens. “I must admit, I am rather enjoying this version of our introduction.
Far better than a mere ‘How do you do?’ over dinner.” He’s sporting a full grin
now, blindingly bright even in the dimly lit room.
All I can do is stare at him, words
failing me. I half suspect I'm dreaming, but I can feel, long and stiff against
my stomach, that this humiliation is, in fact, reality.
"I’m quite comfortable, so do
feel free to stay as long as you like. And if you really want to give me a
smashing welcome, don't be afraid to wiggle around a bit." His smirk grows
impossibly wide as he thrusts his hips upward, pressing his erection firmer
against me.
And just like that, my
speechlessness evaporates.
"Are you insane?" I use both hands to shove hard against his chest, but
I'm no match for his relentless clutch on my hips. "Let me go! You're a
guest in our home tonight—you can't just manhandle me when the mood
strikes!"
"Ah, grace period.” He nods.
“Understood. So, tomorrow night, then?"
"Unbelievable!" I seethe,
wriggling around in hopes of escape.
His fingers dig deeper, but the
ravenous gleam in his eyes softens. "A joke, Echo. My apologies. Perhaps I
took it too far."
My anger soothes to a low simmer.
He's got a certain playful charm about him, and maybe this is just his very forward way of easing the
awkwardness that I instigated in the first place by sneaking into the room in
the middle of the night.
But just as I start to form a
forgiving smile, he ruins all the excuses I’d just mentally compiled.
"Can I be frank with you?”
“Will you let
me up?” I toss back.
“Of course.”
“Then let’s hear it.” I wait for him
to say God only knows what—a heartfelt apology maybe?—but instead, his
expression sharpens into one of pure lust.
“I’ve lied to you. The truth is…I'd
much prefer it if you grinded down on me a bit, Love. Wiggling is for
strangers, and we're not strangers anymore, now are we?"
“Ugh,” I growl, propelling myself
off him when his laughter loosens his hold. I stomp out of the room, his sounds
of amusement lingering behind me.
And that’s how I met our foreign
exchange student, Kingston Hawthorne.
About the
Authors:
S.E. Hall
S.E.Hall,
lover of all things anticipation and romance, is the author of The Evolve
Series: Emerge, Embrace, Entangled, Entice, Endure and companion novellas Baby
Mama Drama and Guide for Tools Looking to Date My Daughter by character Sawyer
Beckett. S.E. also wrote the stand-alone Finally Found novels Pretty Instinct
and Pretty Remedy. Her co-written works include The Provocative Professions
Collection: Stirred Up, Packaged and Handled 1&2, One Naughty Night and
full-length, standalone novel Matched with Angela Graham as well as Conspire, a
romantic suspense, written with Erin Noelle.
S.E.
resides in Arkansas with her husband of 18 years and 3 daughters of the home.
When not writing or reading, she can be found "enthusiastically
cheering" on one of her girls' softball games.
Angela
Graham is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of the Harmony
Series. She spent a lot of her childhood hidden away in the aisles at her local
public library where she fell in love with reading. It was a home away from
home through her youth to her adulthood.
In 2012
she knew she found her calling in the world of fiction the moment she began
pounding away at the keys for her first short story. With a baby on her
shoulder, she wrote about a year before deciding to try her hand at a novel. It
was the best decision she ever made and one that changed her life in ways she
never imagined.
Together
with S.E. Hall, she has released five novels and one short story together.
Angela
resides in Northwest Arkansas with her three beautiful children and a rowdy
dog.
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