Blog Tour – Everything I Love by A.K. Evans Excerpt + Giveaway

Hello wonderful readers. Welcome to my Blog Tour Stop for EVERYTHING I LOVE by A.K. Evans hosted by Inkslinger Book Tours. I have an exclusive excerpt to share with you and a giveaway at the end. So let’s get started and don’t forget to grab your copy today!

Title: EVERYTHING I LOVE

Author: A.K. Evans

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Nikki Drake was just nine years old when she experienced her first heartbreak. Sixteen years and many betrayals later, she’s learned that life is what you make of it. Needing to leave the poison behind, Nikki joins her best friends and moves from the warm, sunny beaches of California to the cold, snowy mountains of Wyoming. She’s a loving and faithful friend who’s built a successful career despite the disappointments she’s experienced. While her past hasn’t stopped her from working hard and becoming a genuine and confident woman, it has affected one small part of her. Nikki refuses to give her heart to anyone ever again.

Luke Townsend is a man most women dream about. Underneath his tall, handsome exterior he’s charming, compassionate, sensitive and loyal. A dedicated snowboarder, Luke knows what it means to work hard for what he wants. And what Luke wants is Nikki.

When Luke tells Nikki he’s fallen in love with her, she’s devastated to think she’s going to hurt him the same way others have hurt her. Having resolved to live a life without romantic love, Nikki rejects Luke. Luke can sense that she needs some time so he walks away, vowing to find a way to her heart.

Three months after she pushed him away, Nikki decides to take a chance on Luke. He is patient and understanding while she struggles to allow herself to be vulnerable with him and to find the courage to trust he won’t hurt her. But when Nikki finally hands her heart of to him, Luke shatters her world with the truth.

Purchase Links – Amazon | Paperback

excerpt

I was pulling into the garage at my house. Nikki’s car was still there. It was crazy. Seeing her car there, knowing she would be inside when I walked through the door, made me feel like a teenage boy all over again.

I parked my truck, grabbed my gear, and walked into the house. Once inside, I smelled something awful and poked my head around the wall to make sure nothing was on fire. I saw Nikki sitting at the island with her head down on the countertop.

Something was wrong.

I set my gear down just inside the door and asked, “Nikki, what’s wrong?”

She lifted her head to look at me and all I saw was frustration in her face.

“I suck,” she blurted.

“I’m sorry. What?”

She shook her head and explained, “I should have gone to work today. I’m not domesticated. I thought since I was here and had gotten everything ready that we’re taking with us to the party tonight, I’d try my hand at making you lunch for when you got back. I suck. I’m the worst cook on the face of the planet.”

“Is that what that smell is?” I asked.

Her face changed from frustrated to sad. “I really tried. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

I walked over to her, turned her body on the stool to face mine, and wrapped her up in a hug. Her hands went to my hips as her forehead dropped to the middle of my chest.

“It’s ok, babe.”

“But, Luke, I made your house smell and I don’t have a single thing made that’s edible. Now’s your chance to get out of this. Don’t try your hardest to make me fall in love with you and then leave me because you suddenly realize that I’ll never be able to prepare you the kind of meal you deserve to have after a long day of training.”

“Look at me,” I demanded.

With her hands still on my hips, she lifted her head and looked up at me.

“I fell in love with you knowing you can’t cook for shit. I don’t care that you can’t either; I’m not leaving you. If you fall in love with me, I won’t care if we have to eat toast for the rest of our lives.”

“Just saying…I’d probably burn the toast.”

A.K. Evans is a married mother of two boys residing in a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania. After graduating from Lafayette College in 2004 with two degrees (one in English and one in Economics & Business), she pursued a career in the insurance and financial services industry. Not long after, Evans realized the career was not for her. She went on to manage her husband’s performance automotive business and drive the shop race cars for the next thirteen years. While the business afforded her freedoms she wouldn’t necessarily have had in a typical 9-5 job, after eleven years she was no longer receiving personal fulfillment from her chosen career path. Following many discussions, lots of thought, and tons of encouragement, Andrea decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.

Between her day job, writing, and homeschooling her two boys, Evans is left with very little free time. When she finds scraps of spare time, she enjoys reading, doing yoga, watching NY Rangers hockey, dancing, and vacationing with her family. Andrea, her husband, and her children are currently working on taking road trips to visit all 50 states (though, Alaska and Hawaii might require flights).