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    Blind Date, Checkmate
    Blind Date, Checkmate
    Blind Date, Checkmate
    Ebook107 pages1 hour

    Blind Date, Checkmate

    By Veronica Blade

    2.5/5

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    About this ebook

    NOTE: This is a novella with the length of appx 100 printed pages.

    REVIEW
    “There is something about a man who is famous and wants just a regular ol girl that I like to read about. The chemistry between these two leaps out at you and you really enjoy reading about Shelby resisting the urge to plunge into love.” — Beck’s Book Picks about Blind Date/Checkmate

    BLIND DATE, CHECKMATE

    Should a woman who’s unable to forget her first love give “happily ever after” one more try?

    Shelby Winters’ one great love went sour. If she can’t feel that way about a guy again, why bother? When Shelby’s best friend sets her up on a blind date with Logan, the guy who broke her heart, he pursues her relentlessly, forcing her to make a choice: give her heart what it’s always desired and risk total devastation or shut Logan out and lose her only shot at happiness. To Shelby, it’s a lose-lose situation. Or is it?

    EXCERPT
    “I never stopped loving you,” he said as we both got to the door.

    Liar. I whirled around and glared. “I was seventeen and it’s been nine years. We’ve both grown up. I’m not the same stupid kid and I won’t be so gullible this time.” Why did he keep drawing me into these conversations? “So far, Logan, you’re all talk and no action. The story of your life. No follow-through.”

    I tried to get past him but he blocked the door. I backed up when I noticed his eyes ablaze, thinking maybe I’d pushed him too far. As if I were his prey, he caged me against the wall with his arms. I pressed my back into cold plaster so I wouldn’t feel his thighs brushing mine. He only moved closer, a breath away, the friction of our bodies sending an inferno through me.

    Oh, yes, that had definitely been missing in my life.

    “You want me to follow through, I’m ready right now,” he growled softly.

    Me too. But Logan was the last guy I’d go there with. Although it wouldn’t exactly be a hardship re-enacting certain moments with someone that gorgeous, deep down I was still bruised by his past rejection.

    But I couldn’t deny I was tempted.

    I’d never had a relationship that lasted. If I was doomed to a life of loneliness, it almost seemed justifiable to take happiness where I could find it, even if only temporarily.

    Logan inched toward me, his lips at my temple. My pulse spiked as he sucked my earlobe between his lips and I shuddered.

    “I knew you still loved me,” he whispered in my ear.

    His words slapped me back to reality. A temporary fling with him would only bring me a lifetime of more pain. No. Way.

    “Oh, honey, you’re confusing love with lust.” I patted his cheek a little harder than necessary and pushed on his chest. “A guy like you should know better. Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”

    I sailed past him knowing I’d thrown him a nice curve. I’d just taken his bishop. Score one point for me.


    WHAT BOOK REVIEWERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VERONICA BLADE'S OTHER WORK:
    “This book is delicious!”

    “This book takes Twilight and others like it to the next level!”

    “The dialogue and emotions are real and raw, there are some expletives and sexual fantasy scenes but I felt they worked with the characters and gave them more of an edge to their creation. Oftentimes the author used comedic wit to the scenes giving it an even more humanistic appeal to the characters.”

    “From teen to adult, I can't imagine anyone not absolutely adoring this book.”

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCrush Publishing, Inc.
    Release dateDec 24, 2011
    ISBN9780979886980
    Blind Date, Checkmate
    Author

    Veronica Blade

    Veronica Blade lives in Southern California with her husband and children. By day she runs the family business, but each night she slips away to spin her tales. She writes stories about young adults to relive her own childhood and to live vicariously through her characters. Except her heroes and heroines lead far more interesting lives -- and they are always way hotter.

    Read more from Veronica Blade

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    Reviews for Blind Date, Checkmate

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    • 2/5

      2.5 Stars

      Shelby Winters never got over her teenage love. After dating for three years, her Logan had to move away when his parents divorced. They tried to make the long distance work until one day he called and dumped her. Not only had he broken his promise to come back to her once he turned eighteen, but he'd also broken her heart irrevocably. All that happened nine years ago.

      When her best friend strong arms her into agreeing to a blind date, Shelby is more than surly but gives in eventually. Imagine her shock when she sees who her blind date is.

      Nine years ago, Logan made the biggest mistake of his life. Now he's back and he'll do whatever it takes to get a second chance and make things right. Convincing her to trust and love him again won't be easy, but he's determined to get her back.

      I love stories about second chances. I figured two people who drifted apart for whatever reason as teenagers would be older and wiser when their second chance came around. On page two, I already knew I'd have a hard time liking the heroine. Not only has she spent the past nine years pining for Logan, but she's in denial about her feelings for him. She lies to herself, her best friend and even Logan. I understood that she was deeply hurt, but she could have listened to what he had to say, or tell him to get lost once and for all. From beginning up until the end, she's b*tchy (vocally), but on the inside all her thoughts are mushy. As for Logan, he had a good reason for not returning once he turned eighteen, but as for the other eight years, I didn't buy his excuses. He claims he never stopped loving her yet he stayed away and silent all that time. Even if he thought she had moved on with someone else, as long as she didn't have a ring on her finger, he could have had a chance to win her over. The ending may have resolved the issue for Shelby, but it was just too easy and simple.

    Book preview

    Blind Date, Checkmate - Veronica Blade

    Copyright  ©  2018 by Veronica Blade. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever without the prior written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

    Crush Publishing, Inc

    Gardnerville, NV

    www.CrushPublishing.com

    Crush Publishing, Inc name and logo are trademarks of Crush Publishing, Inc and are used only with its permission.

    The places, characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by author.

    ISBN 978-0-9798869-8-0

    Cover design by Rose Nomura

    ~~~

    Summary

    Should a woman who’s unable to forget her first love give happily ever after one more try? 

    Shelby Winters’ one great love went sour. If she can’t feel that way about a guy again, why bother? When Shelby’s best friend sets her up on a blind date with Logan, the guy who broke her heart, he pursues her relentlessly, forcing her to make a choice: give her heart what it’s always desired and risk total devastation or shut Logan out and lose her only shot at happiness. To Shelby, it’s a lose-lose situation. Or is it?

    ~~~

    ~ For my wonderful husband ~

    Note from the Author

    I’m in love with all things young adult and I rarely stray. But I think the reason I love Blind Date, Checkmate is because, even though the characters are in their twenties, they still remember their first love.

    I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

    Immediately following the end of this story, please scroll to the next page for sneak peeks of my other books.

    As with any of my stories, whether written for grownups or young adults — with or without werewolves or witches — you’ll always get lots and lots of romance, both sweet and steamy.

    Happy reading!

    — Veronica Blade

    ––––––––

    TTTW cover

    Free e-book offer!

    Get your FREE copy of Thrown to the Wolves: The Legend of Hannah & Eli (Shapes of Autumn Prequel) directly from my website! Go to VeronicaBlade.com for more info.

    Immediately following the end of this story, please keep scrolling for peeks of other books by Veronica Blade.

    CHAPTER ONE

    Various ways to murder my best friend flashed through my mind. But if I got rid of her, she wouldn’t be around for me to talk to. Then I’d just be more lonely. Despite the guys I’d dated, they’d rarely tempted me enough to get me into the bedroom. I was used to living without a soul mate.  I didn’t want to live without my best friend, too.

    There were other ways to punish her for secretly arranging a blind date for me — and waiting until practically the last minute to tell me about it. Ways that would drag out the pain, make her suffer longer. I’d spent two hours every day for the past nine years working off my sexual tension at the gym. I could take her.

    No, Ginny. I shot up from the sofa, my hands slamming to my hips. Call him and cancel. I’m not going. Besides, aren’t you forgetting Jared? Going out with another guy doesn’t seem right.

    Granted, Jared and I had only gone out once before he moved and I wasn’t sure how I felt about him. He’d do as an excuse though. The point was that he was a known entity.  One I was comfortable with. One who was a hundred miles away but that was a fairly easy weekend commute. And he had promise. Who knew what I’d get with this last minute blind date?

    Ginny’s eyes snapped to mine as she, too, rose from the couch to go toe-to-toe with me. "Nothing against Jared.  I like him, Shelby. I’ve known him longer than you have. But he did leave. If you’d made it to a third date, that’d be a different story. In the meantime, you can date another guy."

    Maybe I don’t want to date another guy. It might work out with Jared, I said in a pouty voice.

    Or it might not. You should keep your options open. Ginny canted her head and gave me a sly smile. But you’ll never know unless you meet this guy.

    But a blind date, Ginny? I grimaced, then shook my head. No.  I’m not that desperate.  Not yet, anyway. 

    She rolled her eyes. Fine. I give up. If you want to cancel this date, you’ll have to do it yourself. Here’s his number. She reached into her jeans pocket, pulled out a tiny piece of paper and thrust it at me.

    What?  No way.  I shook my head violently.  You set it up— 

    She sighed and stuck the paper back in her pocket. As usual, I was looking out for you. If you think I’m going to be the bad guy here, you can forget it.

    Bad guy? Guilt swept through me and I hesitated, but then I saw her lips quirk. 

    I narrowed my eyes. She thought she was so slick.

    I was slicker. I shrugged, putting on an air of indifference. Then the poor guy’s going to sit at the restaurant and wait for a date that never shows.

    Trust me, a guy that hot won’t be waiting alone for long. But if you blow him off, don’t be complaining to me about your love life — or lack thereof — ever again.

    Apparently, I wasn’t as slick as I thought because the words ‘a guy that hot’ piqued my interest. How hot were we talking about? Hotter than Jared? That would be saying something.

    I reconsidered.  Whether it was Ginny or I who called and cancelled, some guy was going to have his plans for the evening ruined. What if he had a fragile ego?  Unlikely if he was hot, but possible.

    What else did I have to do now that Jared was gone?

    Let’s not forget Ginny thought this guy was hot. If nothing else, I’d get a nice meal out of the date.

    A girl has to eat.

    Fine. I rolled my eyes to keep up the pretense. Ginny would gloat if she thought she’d won and I wouldn’t want her to make a habit of setting me up on blind dates. When and where?

    She smiled smugly.  You’re meeting him at six tonight at The Boat House. Remember where it is? She grabbed her purse from my overstuffed chair.

    Yeah, I sell real estate, remember? I know where just about everything is in Sacramento. I rose and followed her to my front door.  So what’s this guy’s name?

    Have fun. She gave a mischievous grin. And let me know how it goes, she threw over her shoulder, just before disappearing outside.

    Hey, wait a second— Too late. She was gone. Great. I checked my watch.  Two hours to kill. Grabbing my phone, I texted Ginny. 

    What’s Hot Guy’s name? 

    I stared at my phone but it didn’t ring or buzz or anything else. I plopped onto my black suede sofa and flipped on the giant flat screen TV. A second later, I turned it off and glanced around my living room. I

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