NOVA AND QUINTON: NO REGRETS by Jessica Sorensen (April 15, 2014; Forever E-Book; $4.99)
Today is the first day of Quinton Carter's new life. The toxic guilt of his past left him in pieces-but one girl unexpectedly put him back together. Thanks to Nova Reed, Quinton can finally see the world with clear eyes. She's the reason his heart is still kicking behind the jagged scar on his chest. And he would love to have her in his arms every minute of the day . . . but he's not ready yet.
Playing drums in a band and living with her best friends are just some of the highlights of Nova's life. But the best new development? Talking to Quinton on the phone each night. She wishes she could touch him, kiss him, though she knows he needs time to heal. Yet shocking news is on the way-a reminder of life's dark side-and Nova will need Quinton like he once needed her. Is he strong enough to take the final leap out of his broken past . . . and into Nova's heart?
Because music plays such an important part in the Nova series, and all of Jessica's books, we're offering a $25 iTunes gift card plus a collection of Jessica's print titles with signed bookplates: THE SECRET OF ELLA AND MICHA, THE TEMPTATION OF LILA AND ETHAN, THE COINCIDENCE OF CALLIE AND KAYDEN, THE REDEMPTION OF CALLIE AND KAYDEN, and NOVA AND QUINTON: NO REGRETS. The mini grand prize winner will receive a $25 iTunes gift card and a special print copy of NOVA AND QUINTON: NO REGRETS, and an additional 10 winners will receive a special print copy of NOVA AND QUINTON: NO REGRETS.
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Prologue
Nova
December 28, the day
of the funeral
It’s a strange
feeling, getting ready to watch someone get put under the ground into their
final resting place. I’ve been to enough funerals to know that my senses always
become hyper-aware of everything going on around me: the touch of the wind
seems stronger, the sun a little more blinding, the smell of the leaves, grass,
and fresh dirt overpowering. It’s like my mind is reaching out and trying to
grasp each aspect of the moment, when part of me wants nothing more than to
forget.
I’m actually at the
church earlier than I’m supposed to be and I don’t even know why, other than
that sitting home for a second longer just didn’t seem possible. So I left the
house without telling anyone and got in my cherry-red Chevy Nova, the car my
dad left to me when he died, and drove it to the church where my dad’s and
Landon’s funeral took place. And in just a bit, I’ll say good-bye to another
person I once knew and will never see again.
Now that I’m here,
staring at the brick building with a white tower pointing to the sky, I’m not
sure what I should do. I’m three hours early to a funeral, which might say a
lot about me. A lot of people would likely show up late, wanting to avoid death
for as long as possible, but I’ve become so familiar with it it’s unsettling.
After sitting in the
car for about ten minutes, watching snowflakes fall from the sky and frost the
grass and the windshield, I decide to take video instead. I didn’t bring the
fancy camera my mom gave me, but the one on my phone works and honestly I use
that one a lot more because it’s handy for sporadic recording, which seems to
be my specialty.
I blow out a deep
breath as I sit back in the seat, aim the camera at myself, and hit record. I
have the screen flipped to me and my image immediately pops up. I look tired.
The bags under my eyes are pretty obvious, even though I’ve tried to cover them
up with makeup, and my brown hair wasn’t being cooperative so I ended up
pulling it up into a ponytail. I’m wearing a black dress and earrings and the contrast
with my fair skin makes me look pallid.
“It’s amazing how
everything can seem so perfect one moment and then suddenly it’s not. How
quickly perfection can evaporate… how rare it is.” I pause, gathering my
thoughts. “I’ve seen a lot of death. More than the normal person, probably. I
watched my father’s life vanish in front of me within minutes. Found my
boyfriend’s body right after he took his own life. Too early. Too suddenly.
Both of them. I never had time to prepare myself and I thought it was the worst
feeling in the world. I always wondered how different it would be, if it ever
happened again. If maybe the third or fourth time around, I wouldn’t hurt so
badly. If it’d be easier letting someone go now that I’ve had so much
practice.” I tuck a fallen strand of my bangs behind my ear and swallow the
lump in my throat. “And maybe it has gotten easier… but it still hurts. I still
shed tears… it’s still agonizing… painful…” I trail off as a few tears slip
from my eyes and roll down my cheeks. “Even now, just thinking about some of
the stuff I saw… I should have stopped it… should have done things
differently…” I trail off, staring at the window. “But I didn’t… and now
they’re gone forever.”
Jessica Sorensen is a #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives with her husband and three kids in Idaho. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.
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