Cover Reveal: Serenading the Shadows by Jodie Larson
Today we have the cover reveal for Serenading the Shadows by
Jodie Larson! Check it out and grab your copy Nov
10th! Title: Serenading the Shadows Author:
Jodie Larson Genre: Contemporary Romance Release Day: Nov
10th
No one should have their life
planned out at the age of three. Yet that's exactly what happened to
Adrienne Carmichael. Paving the way as the "piano prodigy"
was all her parents wanted... Only she didn't. All she
wished for was to be normal, to be a regular teenager and everything
that came with it - including the decisions that would shape her
life. Wish granted. Ten years later, scarred and
broken, she knows that being alone isn't everything she imagined. The
piano is finally everything, except nobody will ever hear her play
again. All that changes when a sexy-as-sin rock god blows into her
life. Tall and tattooed with jet-black hair and a dangerous bad-boy
smile...he's every girl's fantasy. To her, he's a distraction,
yet Kade Evans is everything she shouldn't want. Instinct tells her
to run, but she can't get him out of her mind. But maybe, just
maybe, he can be the one to pull her from the shadows before the
darkness swallows her...for good.
“Why? I don’t understand what the big deal is. Can’t you just
move it so I can go out and live my life?” Another crack of
lightning illuminates the sky. The responding thunder rumbles in the
background as the torrent of rain falls upon the ground. The cold,
bitter wind howls against the glass as it presses forward, matching
the mood inside the car. “The big deal? Adrienne, you’re sixteen
years old. There is no way we’re going to let you go to an
overnight concert two hours away with that boy,” Mom says from the
front passenger seat. That boy? Ugh, why does she have to
say it like he’s a disease? Just because Brian isn’t from our
side of town doesn’t mean he’s not good enough. Sure, he dresses
in nothing but baggy jeans and leather jackets, but he listens to me,
treats me like a human and not a piano playing robot. In fact, half
the time we’re able to sneak away together, the piano never comes
into the conversation. I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m
not with him. I can just be me, whoever that is. Most days I’m not
even sure anymore. “You know how important this weekend is to your
career. You need to be there,” Dad adds. I let out a
frustrated groan and stomp my foot. “No! I’m sick and tired of
playing on your schedule. You’re always trying to run my life. When
do I get to have a say in what I do, or where I go, and when I play?”
I run a hand through my hair, yanking at the roots. “You know what?
Maybe I’ll give up the piano altogether just so I can be a normal
teenager for once in my life!” Playing the piano has been my world
since I first crawled onto the bench at the age of three. My fingers
hit the keys and played a simple melody: Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Star. I had listened and watched my mother play it so
many times I knew exactly what to do. That’s when my life, my
freedom to choose, ended. Piano lessons, performances, traveling
concerts, scholarships to private schools to work on my music, voice
lessons, and anything else related to better my ability. Not once
have I been able to go out on a Friday with friends. Those nights
were dedicated to showing everyone that the local piano prodigy is
going to make a name for herself. “Sweetie, you have the rest of
your life to do what you want. What we’re doing now is helping you
succeed for the future. You have a gift, and it shouldn’t be
wasted,” she says. “Trust me, Adrienne, you’ll thank us later.
Besides, it’s only for a few more years.” She turns and pats my
leg. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the orchestra asks you to play
with them for the new season.” “Maybe I don’t want to play with
the orchestra. Maybe I want to do something for myself.” I can feel
the heat crawl up my neck the more this conversation doesn’t go my
way. Time for the kill. “You can’t live your life through me.
Eventually, you’re going to have to deal with the fact that you’re
a washed up nobody who can’t play the piano anymore, Mom.” A
twinge of pain hits me as I watch my mom’s face fall from the
sharpness of my words. It’s not like I’m asking for much. One
weekend of normalcy is all. That shouldn’t be too much to ask for.
“Adrienne, you’re not going, and that’s final. You will go
to this performance, and you will play the piano. And when
they offer you the seat with the orchestra, you will accept.”
The scowl Dad gives me in the rearview mirror almost makes me shrink
back in my seat. “We are done talking about this. It’s what’s
best for your future,” he says with the utmost finality in his
voice. I lift my face to the ceiling and let out a frustrated yell.
“You don’t understand! I hate you! I hate you both! I’m nearly
an adult. I should be making decisions about my life!” Angry
bolts of lightning flash across the sky, creating a distraction from
the deafening rain pelting the car. Within seconds, the car shakes
and rocks with the roar of thunder and gusts of wind. Darkness
surrounds us again as the sky opens up, releasing its fury. Suddenly,
the car jerks and we float across the water on the road. Dad’s
knuckles turn white before he corrects us. The wipers can barely keep
up, making it nearly impossible to see. Dad turns his head to say
something, only he never has the chance to speak. Mom clutches his
shoulder, pulling at his shirt. Everything moves in slow motion.
Scenes flash before my eyes. Blinding white lights pour in from the
oncoming vehicle. Our screams echo in my ears as I brace for impact.
And then there’s nothing. No sound. No lights. Nothing. I don’t
know where I am or how much time has passed. Faint voices sound above
me, while machines beep in the background. I can’t move. I can only
listen to what the voices are saying. “We need to get her to an OR,
stat,” a man says. “How’s her pressure?” someone else asks.
“Eighty over forty.” The woman’s voice grows fainter as the
darkness threatens to pull me under again. “Now, people, move it!
We’re going to lose her.” I want to move, but nothing works. I
want to cry, to scream, to ask what happened, but I have no voice.
Something’s wrong. Why won’t my body respond? Sounds fade in and
out, the voices and machines are a constant now, the only reminders
I’m still here. “She’s stable now,” a familiar masculine
voice says. “She’ll need to stay here in ICU for a while, though.
How’s her family?” “Died on impact,” another voice says.
“They never had a chance. She was lucky she was in the back seat.”
Darkness. Quiet. Alone. It’s what I wanted. It’s what I asked
for. I guess what they say is true. Be careful what you wish for.
Jodie Larson is a wife and mother to four beautiful girls, making
their home in northern Minnesota along the shore of Lake Superior.
When she isn’t running around to various activities or working her
regular job, you can find her sitting in her favorite spot reading
her new favorite book or camped out somewhere quiet trying to write
her next manuscript. She’s addicted to reading (just ask her kids
or husband) and loves talking books even more so with her friends.
She’s also a lover of all things romance and happily ever afters,
whether in movies or in books, as shown in her extensive collection
of both.
Other books written by Jodie Larson: Fated to
be Yours Fated to be Mine Lessons of the Heart
You can find Jodie at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jodielarsonauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jlarsonauthor
I
nstagram: www.instagram.com/jodielarson
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