Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Guest Post with author AJ Nuest

Keeping Secrets by AJ Nuest

Sh-h-h…don’t tell anyone…

For the record, I’m not so great at keeping secrets. Never have been. Or maybe the issue is I just really stink at telling a lie. Truth is, I worry I won’t do it well. *For those of you who are fans of Big Bang Theory, I’m like the character Sheldon when it comes to making sure my bases are covered.* What’s my back-up story? Was I believable? Did I leak enough details or too many? In fact, anything you prefer be kept confidential, it’s probably best if you just never tell me…for everyone involved. (This is the part where all my friends slap a hand to their forehead and say, “Great! Now she tells us!”)

A surprise party I once gave for my husband comes to mind. What a total nightmare! I was fine while he was at work. I happily jotted down the RSVPs, shopped for decorations and planned the menu. But the moment he returned home, I shifted into panic mode.

As the big day neared, I grew quieter and quieter whenever he was around. I simply didn’t trust myself to speak out of worry I would blow the whole thing! Of course, it didn’t take long for him to figure out something was screwy, and being a typical male, he thought my silence indicated something more…how should I say…clandestine in nature?

Poor guy. And, really, who could blame him, what with me snatching the phone whenever it rang and sprinting for the other room, whispering, “I can’t talk now!” LOL Not good.

Enter Jezzy’s secrets in Jezebel’s Wish. Boy howdy, did I ever have to stretch my writing muscles when it came to her desire to hide her past. But even more than that, I had to really put myself in her shoes. How would I react, especially around the people I cared about and who I was desperately trying to protect, while keeping such a terrible secret? And what, if anything, would make me break my silence?

Truth is, in comparison to what Jezzy is hiding, my little party planning venture and the ensuing suspicions from my husband were a walk in the park. And I knew if I were hanging onto all that guilt, I wouldn’t be happy. Quite frankly, neither is Jezzy at the beginning of the story. But at its very core, I think that’s what her journey of healing and forgiveness is about. The lengths to which Jezzy is willing to go to protect her secrets. Her determination to keep them is the one thing she has in her arsenal to atone for her mistakes…or so she believes, right up until she meets the gentle acceptance of a beautiful black stallion called The Reverend, and a frustratingly handsome veterinarian by the name of Matthias Saunders. The one man who is just as determined to help her work through her grief.

So what about you? How good are you at keeping secrets? And has keeping them ever gotten you into trouble? *AJ rubs her hands together* Time to dish me.


About Jezebel's Wish
Publication Date:  April 12/16 by Mystical Press
Length:  268pgs
Genre:  contemporary romance
My Rating: ★★★★★
Book Links: my reviewGoodreadsAmazon(US)Amazon(CA) - B&N - Kobo - Indigo

Back Cover Blurb:

Haunted by nightmares, tormented by guilt, Jezebel arrives at Redemption Ranch in an attempt to escape her past…except now she's stuck in the middle of nowhere with no redemption in sight. When her mother pushes her into riding lessons with local veterinarian Matthias Saunders, Jezebel balks. Sure, the doctor is gorgeous, but he's completely obnoxious, and knows how to push every single one of her buttons. Only her deep connection with The Reverend, a gentle stallion who guards her darkest secrets, has her agreeing to spend any more time with Dr. Saunders. Caring for the stallion is the first bright spot in her life in months, and if being around the horse means she has to face-off with the most frustrating person she’s ever met, then so be it. Surely a city girl like her can handle one country vet. Even one with disturbing blue eyes.


3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for hosting me today, Jonel! I'm absolutely thrilled to me here! xo

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  2. Keeping secrets, you ask? I'm still slapping my forehead for all the ones I told you!!!

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    1. LOL Vonnie! I haven't told anyone, I swear. *shifty eyes* Okay, I told the dog! I'm sorry, I folded!!!! xoxo

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