*~*Better by S. Walden Blog Tour – EXCLUSIVE Avery POV Scene, Review & Giveaway*~*

❀Release Date: November 19, 2013❀

Title: Better (Too Good, #2)

Author: S. Walden

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Hosted By: Romance Addict Book Blog

Their relationship has been exposed, and now their lives are changed forever.

For Cadence Miller, the fast track to adulthood proves intimidating and frustrating. She’s a little girl lost—abandoned by her parents and uncertain of her future. She doesn’t think she “fits” anywhere. She’s eighteen. She wants to be older. And the result is both comical and heartbreaking.

Mark Connelly will do anything to provide Cadence a stable, loving home—to be her protector. But he’s just as broken and lost, and his heart won’t let go of his past so easily. He knows he must share his secret with Cadence. And he hopes his revelation won’t tear them apart. He hopes it will draw them closer, and make their love better.

Did you check out our exclusive interview with Mark and Cadence?

Have you read Good yet? Check out our reviews and an Alternate Mark POV Scene.

Cadence Miller is a good girl. She just happens to make one terrible mistake her junior year in high school which costs her ten months in juvenile detention. Now a senior, she’s lost everything: her best friend, the trust of her parents, driving privileges, Internet access. It’s a lonely existence.

But there is one bright spot: Mark Connelly, her very cute, very off-limits 28-year-old calculus teacher. She falls hard for him–a ridiculous schoolgirl crush headed nowhere. She can’t help it. He’s the only good thing at Crestview High. She doesn’t expect him to reciprocate her feelings. How inappropriate, right? But he does. And he shows her.

And that’s when her life goes from bad to good.

So…who out there doesn’t love Avery?  Well…we got lucky, again!  Check out this Alternate POV from Avery…and…this might only be the beginning of what we can expect from Avery! 🙂  (FYI…is this is the beginning…we are SO excited!!!)

This guy thinks I’m totally into him.

I leaned back in my chair and eyed Dylan with a look of suspicion. I wanted him to think I was about to drill him. I mean, why the hell not? Maybe it’d wipe that smug smile off his face.

“I like your manners.” I said it like a challenge.

“I know you do,” Dylan replied. He leaned back in his chair, mimicking me. “You didn’t think I’d pull your chair out, did you?”

I shook my head.

“That’s because you’ve only dated douchebags,” Dylan explained.

I cracked a grin and shrugged my shoulders. Not agreement, but not disagreement either. Noncommittal. Yep. That’s what I wanted to be. I realized I made a HUGE error the night of our card playing. I let my guard down. I sweat him way too hard, and in the process, blew his head up ten times its normal, arrogant size. This guy was clever, cocky, and fucking hot, okay? I’m not even gonna lie. Fuck. Ing. Hot. I wanted to lunge at him from across the table.

Pause for description: Tall. Über large hands. I imagined they could do all sorts of fun things to my body. Long eyelashes that were really unfair. I mean, no guy should get to have such beautiful eyelashes when he doesn’t even dress them up. Am I right? Chocolatey eyes like my own. Chiseled jaw. Stubble. Fuck me. Lots and lots of stubble. I was itching to get my fingers on it. Badass cropped hair like a marine. He was awesome.

“Not every guy I dated was a douchebag.” Lie. Total lie.

The side of Dylan’s mouth quirked up.

“But none of them ever pulled out my chair for me either,” I conceded.

“I’ll pull your chair out for you anytime,” Dylan said.

I smiled then. Actually, it was more like a stupid grin accompanied by flushed cheeks. Why was he on a date with me anyway?

“Why did you ask me out?” I couldn’t help it. I had to know.

“I think you’re pretty.”

Slight letdown. Who wants that to be the first reason? Tell me I’m freaking smart or clever or funny even though you don’t know shit about me. Don’t go straight for the obvious guy answer. Be better than that!

“But that’s not the Number 1 reason,” Dylan went on.

Bullshit.

“I think you’re smart.”

Bullshit again. You don’t even know me.

“That is, from what I gathered about you during card-playing, I think you’re smart. And clever.”

Means the same thing.

“And I totally know that smart and clever mean the same thing, but I’m talking smart as in you know a lot and clever as in you’re witty,” Dylan said.

Okay. This guy’s pretty good. He can read my thoughts.

“I’m reading your thoughts right now, aren’t I?” Dylan asked.

Holy shit!

“Facial expressions,” he explained.

“Ugh. That’s totally Cadence’s fault. I used to be unreadable, right? And then I started hanging out with her, and suddenly I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve,” I said.

Dylan grimaced.

“What?”

“Clichés . . .”

I burst out laughing. “Get over yourself.”

He chuckled. “Actually, I love clichés.”

“Just stop,” I said.

“Over the moon about them,” he continued.

“Ha ha.”

“They’re as good as gold, if you ask me.”

I giggled.

“I’m high as a kite about ‘em.”

“Oh God. Cadence put that last one in her story. Remember? Talk about bad writing.” I shook my head and sighed.

Dylan smiled and studied my face. He wasn’t even covert about it. He just stared blatantly. And I let him. Because I liked it. And I knew I looked good. Okay, that’s me being totally modest. I freaking rocked tonight. My long, dark hair was curled into messy spirals. That’s right. Girls, take note: If you want natural-looking curls, go with two separate sized rods and curl your strands in alternating, opposite directions. And for Christ’s sake, run your fingers through your hair afterwards. Don’t just curl and spray. Ugh.

I pumped up the eye factor. Thick, black mascara and shimmery eye shadow. I wanted to sparkle for him. I wanted him to like my brown eyes. If I have to read one more book about blue eyes and green eyes, I think I’ll barf. Give the brown-eyed girls some face time, right? I mean, we have a popular Van Morrison song written about us, after all. Anyway, I wore skinny jeans and my favorite closed-toe black and white pumps. They matched a long, tight sweater I accented with a wide silver belt. I wanted his eyes to move up and down between my eyes and chest. So far? Happening.

“This is the weirdest first date I’ve ever had,” I admitted. That was the truth. It was also shaping up to be the most fantastic. I hope I didn’t blow it. Wait. What the hell? I hope he didn’t blow it.

“How so?” Dylan asked. He paused when the waitress approached us for our drink order. “Two Maker’s Marks, straight up.”

The waitress nodded and left. I couldn’t believe it. How did he just do that? They always ask for ID in Georgia. Always. It’s the law.

“How?” I whispered.

“You can get anything you want if you act like you’re the most important person in the room,” Dylan explained. “You just be confident going in, and it’s yours.”

“What’s Maker’s Mark?” I asked. For the record, just because I like to drink alcohol doesn’t mean I know everything about it. I have my go-to girly drinks, but I know there’s a whole world of liquor out there just waiting to be explored.

“Whiskey.”

“Oh God.”

“Good whiskey. Smooth whiskey.”

The waitress appeared and set our drinks on the table. Dylan asked for a few more minutes before we ordered.

“Take your time,” she said, and walked to a nearby table to check on her other customers.

I took a sip of my drink. It burned my throat. “Smooth” my ass. But I confess I wanted him to think I was a cool chick. You know those girls who can hang with guys and drink and eat the shit they do? Talk about sports and hoot and holler at the TV screen? Well, I wouldn’t be hooting and hollering, but I could show him that I could hang with him and his whiskey.

My mouth thinned out in a strained smile.

“You hate it, don’t you?” he asked after a moment.

“Not at all. I think it’s smooth,” I said.

He chuckled. “You think it tastes like shit.”

“I think it tastes like shit,” I agreed, and slid the drink over his way. “Does this mean I’m not cool anymore?”

“Avery, you’re the coolest chick I’ve ever met,” Dylan replied. “I’ll give you a pass with the whiskey.”

“A gentleman would have asked me what I wanted,” I pointed out.

He considered this, then replied, “Just trying to share my likes with you.”

Okay. Cute. I pulled my drink towards me and gave it another try.

“You’re ordering martinis after this,” I said, trying not to cough.

“Fair enough,” he replied.

“Girly ones,” I added.

“Sickly sweet?”

“Totally.”

He opened his menu and started scanning the page.

“I think you’re absolutely gorgeous, just for the record,” he said nonchalantly, not looking at me.

My heart gave a small jolt, and I nearly knocked over my whiskey reaching for my menu. I was starting to understand what Cadence meant when she said Mark’s words made her nervous. Something to do with their directness and confidence. Dylan had words like that, too, I discovered. What alarmed me was the way I reacted to them. That wasn’t like me to get flustered. To blush and grin like an idiot. Was that a late-twenties male thing? Confident, sexy, I’m-doing-you-any-way-I-want-tonight words?

(Totally discussing with Cadence later.)

“And I plan on spending a lot of time with you in the future,” Dylan went on. He still perused the menu as he spoke. “I’m making you my top priority.”

Okay. That does it. Panties? Wet.

He lifted his eyes to my face. “That is, if you’re okay with that.” He stared, waiting.

I nodded like an idiot. I think my mouth hung open slightly.

“I’ve never said that to a girl before,” Dylan explained. “But I have a good feeling about you, Avery.”

“You do?”

“Oh yes.”

I took another sip of whiskey. This time it didn’t burn my throat. In fact, I’d been so flustered by Dylan’s words that I hadn’t noticed the nice, little glowing ball it created at the base of my stomach. But now I did. And I felt it moving up, up to heat my chest. It radiated warmth right behind my breastbone, and I realized in that moment that I had a taste for whiskey. Just like that, I loved it.

“I think this is gonna be a lot of fun,” I said, my lips pressed to the rim of the glass. I went in for another sip.

Maybe it wasn’t the whiskey after all. Maybe it was the man who ordered it for me.

Better by S. Walden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

4.5 “Sweet Cheeks” Kisses

I am in shock…awe…and amazement. I knew Mark and Cadence had a tough road left ahead of them…I knew it was going to be far from easy…but wow. There was so much to their story…so many aspects I didn’t anticipate…difficult barely scratches the surface. But I am so proud and happy of their journey. First of all, if you have not read Good – drop everything because you MUST read it! It’s the first book in the Too Good Series and…you have to read Good to understand Better.

Cadence Miller…my sweet little Cay, I don’t know what to make of her this time around. I mean…she’s 18…she’s still naïve and inexperienced and being forced to deal with some very adult choices and situations. I felt aggravated by some of her choices and nativity but it was easy to forgive because…she honestly doesn’t know any better! It might be frustrating or something that I would never do, but it was fitting with Cadence’s character and who she is. I still had this unending need to hug her, help her, fix her! I felt bad for her because although she is struggling with what’s going on she is surrounded by people who want to help her. She just doesn’t know what to do with that help. That might have been the most frustrating part too…

“Be quick to forgive. Slow to anger.”

Mark Connelly…ok, so I was concerned about his secret, especially after the way Good ended. It scared me…I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to get over it…or even worse, that Cadence wasn’t going to be able to get over it. I was smart to worry. It was bad…prolly worse than I expected but the way he handled telling Cadence was epically worse than I could have ever imagined. BUT…the way Mark handled Cadences’ reaction to his secret was a MILLION times past my expectations. Where some guys would have given up he didn’t. I have no idea where he got the patience to deal with her antics. She gave him every opportunity to move on…but he loved her too much. *sigh*

‘“But you know what?” he asked.
“Hmm?”
“I wouldn’t give a shit if you did nothing but lay around all day because loving you is not about percentages: I give 50 percent. You give 50 percent. That’s bullshit. My job is to love you and give to you as much as I can each and every day. Try to make it to on hundred. On my own.”
“You usually do,” Cadence said, smiling.
“Then I must be doing something right.” He winked at her.’

So I talked about their journey…there are no words to fully explain it. This is one of those stories that needs to be experienced firsthand to truly convey the emotions. The angst is pretty rough…I was hurting for him, I was hurting for her (even if I thought she was making it more difficult!)…there was just no escaping the hurt. There are so many scenes that are rough to get thru…one very specific one towards the end. I don’t want to spoil it because it’s the pinnacle of everything they have gone thru. The point where all the hurt that they have both experienced over the past few months is laid on the line and they have to deal with it. It’s different…it’s a physical expression of their emotional pain…and both of them go thru it. And the way the come out the other side is…beautiful. There are many different ways the scene can be taken but if you look at it the right way you will see it for what it is…a pure, heartfelt expression of love. It’s not conventional but then again neither are Mark and Cadence.

‘He only saw her. She was all that mattered.’

So on top of hurting for them in their relationship you’re also hurting for Cadence because her friendship with Avery is strained…her relationship with her parents is non-existent…her brother is struggling without her…your heart is just pulled in all different places. This is mainly a story about Mark and Cadence but it’s also Cadences’ journey into her life as an adult. What she is like after high school, after her parents and what she wants her future to be like. Seeing her grow and become a stronger person, getting more confident and more of a back bone…exploring her sexuality with Mark, learning to make new friends and seeing that maybe not everyone has the best intentions. There are two people we meet that prove that point…Michael and Carrie. Their influence and the parts they play in the story while…sucky are crucial to Cadences’ process.

‘Cadence lifted her face to him. Eye to eye, and she thought she’d drown in his. Stormy seas with one purpose s- to sweet her up and sink her deeper and deeper into his love. She would go there, to the bottom of his ocean, stay there a lifetime as long as she could keep feeling this.
“Say it,” he whispered.
“I love you.”
He smiled brightly.
“I’m mad for you. I’ll do anything for you. I’ll take on the whole world. I’ll rescue you. Always Cadence. You tell me, and I’ll do it.”’

There was an interesting change that I did not expect from Good to Better…the POV. I knew we were going to see a lot more from Mark’s POV but we got more than that. It was like third person but we got everyone’s inner thoughts. Which…said like that sounds like it has the ability to be very confusing – it wasn’t! The writing was clear and concise…I always knew whose head I was in…I enjoyed having the little bits of info we got from each characters thoughts. We might only be in someone’s head one time, but what we gain is worth it and pertinent. I felt like no detail was left out and I really appreciated that. While the story is always moving forward we do skip around in time a little bit…which, there were parts I liked and parts I didn’t. The parts I liked – going back in time and getting Mark’s thoughts on different things that happened in Good – no, I didn’t like that, I loved that! Totally enriched those memories and made them that much more special. Getting that insight was amazing for me. Then, there was skipping forward in time, which did happen occasionally…it might be a few days, it might be a few weeks…it might be more than a few weeks. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t expect for every moment to be catalogued at all and for the most part that didn’t bother me too much but there were some pieces of time when a little more explanation would have been nice. It didn’t stop me from feeling the emotion or understanding what was going on with the story…but I guess I am one of those readers where I like all the little details, so if everything hit with me with the skipping around, I can only imagine the impact had we seen more.

“I’m gonna love you for the rest of my life. You know that? Even when my mind goes and I’ve no idea who or where I am, I’ll know you. And I’ll love you.”

There was so much else that I loved…the quotes! OOOOOOMG…too many…it’s impossible to pick a favorite…they’re swoony, they’re happy, they’re funny, they’re sad…couldn’t get enough. I loved Ollie (I wish he could get an HEA too *hint hint*)…I loved what happened with Avery and Dylan – sooooo didnt see that coming! The ending was fantastic but that epilogue was genius. OMG…my smile was ginormous! Freakin’ amazing epilogue. I loved Mark and Cadences’ unlikely journey of love…it was touching, different, and original.

View all my reviews

a Rafflecopter giveaway

S. Walden used to teach English before making the best decision of her life by becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Georgia with her very supportive husband who prefers physics textbooks over fiction and has a difficult time understanding why her characters must have personality flaws. She is wary of small children, so she has a Westie instead. Her dreams include raising chickens and owning and operating a beachside inn on the Gulf Coast (chickens included). When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about it.

❀Connect with S. Walden❀

She loves her fans and loves to hear from them. Email her at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com and follow her blog at http://swaldenauthor.blogspot.com where you can get up-to-date information on her current projects.

Please follow and like us: