You don’t know when…
You don’t get to choose if…
When it’s time to join…you’ll know.
You might think you want to be a member—but trust me this is one club you don’t want to join. It’s not a place where people go to live out their deepest, darkest sexual desires—there are no handcuffs or blindfolds.
The 27 Club only admits those who die young and tragically. My brother was recently bestowed membership and joined many of our ancestors before him. I know I’m next. This is my destiny, and I was ready to yield.
But then I met Nate. He awakened a sensuality in me that had never been explored, never satisfied. I knew then I could no longer accept my destiny. Nate’s presence controls me. I’m overwhelmed by his touch, his words; my every thought is consumed by desire. I believe he was brought into my life for a reason.
Nate doesn’t believe in destiny.
But I do.
And if there’s a way to cheat it—I must
You don’t get to choose if…
When it’s time to join…you’ll know.
You might think you want to be a member—but trust me this is one club you don’t want to join. It’s not a place where people go to live out their deepest, darkest sexual desires—there are no handcuffs or blindfolds.
The 27 Club only admits those who die young and tragically. My brother was recently bestowed membership and joined many of our ancestors before him. I know I’m next. This is my destiny, and I was ready to yield.
But then I met Nate. He awakened a sensuality in me that had never been explored, never satisfied. I knew then I could no longer accept my destiny. Nate’s presence controls me. I’m overwhelmed by his touch, his words; my every thought is consumed by desire. I believe he was brought into my life for a reason.
Nate doesn’t believe in destiny.
But I do.
And if there’s a way to cheat it—I must
4 Welcome to the CLUB Stars
I’m a major Kim Karr fan. I’ve read all of her books in the Connection series so when I found out she wrote a standalone, complete outside of the Connection series, well I was all over that.
I’m also starting to love suspenseful novels. There’s something about being kept on my toes and trying to figure out what’s going on that just makes me devour books like mad.
Zoey’s family is cursed. A lot of people in her family have died at the age of 27. She lives her life very cautiously and questions everything she does. Zoey’s brother dies at the age of 27 and it has made Zoey kind of reevaluate her life. Especially now, as she just turned 27.
I get Zoey and I get her fears. A lot of people in her family have died and it would make me freak out too. We don’t get a lot of detail on how Zoey deals with this, but we do get a lot of internal dialogue on her feelings about her brother’s death.
She visits where her brother lives and tries to get some closure. Except when she shows up at his house, it’s not really her brother’s house, but his friend, Nate.
I love Nate. I found him carefree, loyal and the kind of guy you want to be with and friends with. I also liked that Nate and Zoey’s brother were really good friends and we got a tiny bit of back story with that. Nate offers his place for Zoey to stay so she sorts through her brother’s things.
I thought the dynamic between Zoey and Nate, a little insta-lust for me, just at first. I wanted a little more tension. Zoey is pretty upset with her brother’s death and Nate is really drawn towards Zoey, so of course clothes start flying off.
What I enjoy most about the book is the whole mystery element to it. It’s not heavy in the suspense, but there’s a touch that keeps me interested. Zoey’s brother isn’t who he seems and she tries to piece together how his life was like (away from her).
I wanted more of this. I wanted more of Zoey going from clue to clue and figuring out what the sketches meant and what really happened when he died.
The beginning is a bit slow at first and the relationship between Zoey and Nate is sweet, but turns saucy real quickly. I am not sure if it’s justified, but it wouldn’t be a Kim Karr book if there wasn’t steamy elements. I did enjoy that it wasn’t overly erotic.
Overall, it’s different from the connections series, but still has some of the elements I enjoy from a Kim Karr book.
My jaw practically hits the table.
The chocolate crêpe!
I can’t believe it.
Harnessing all of my willpower, I fight the sudden
inclination I have to leap around the table and jump onto his lap. I always
tell people I prefer dessert before a meal, but never has anyone taken me
seriously.
Never.
Tension coils deep in my belly. Lust flows through my
veins running faster and faster with each passing second. I look over at him
and as soon as I see his face, I can feel myself coming unhinged. Urges I can’t
deny surface. The need to know the taste of his lips, to feel his hard body,
to be able to lick the chocolate he just ordered off his
chest, and to slide my tongue down his stomach so I can taste him.
Looking thoughtful, his return gaze slowly changes to one
of concern. “Have you stopped planning for your future because you don’t think you
have one?” he asks softly.
Remnants of our conversation must have been lingering in
his mind. Slamming my eyes shut, all of the erotic images I had conjured up
immediately disappear as I fight to breathe.
Suddenly the air becomes thick in my lungs and I can’t get
it out. I take deep calming breaths. As the haze around me dissipates and I
fight off the panic attack, I hear a fumbling in front of me. I force myself to
lift my lids. Nate is attempting to open my clutch. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to get you your inhaler.” Panic seems to drown out
the deep green of his eyes.
I push to my feet and give him a disbelieving look. “I’m
not having an asthma attack.”
“You’re not?” He sounds uncertain.
Shaking my head, I set my napkin on the table. “Excuse me,
I have to use the ladies room.” I walk inside the restaurant, realizing I have
no idea where I’m going. Looking around, I find the bathrooms immediately.
Just as I pull the door open, a hand covers mine. “You’re
upset.”
I drop my head. “No, I’m fine.”
Fierceness grips his voice. “You’re lying.”
Summoning all of my willpower, I raise my eyes.
Nate lifts my chin. “You didn’t let me finish. I’m trying
to understand you. I want to know why, if you believe in destiny, you’d change
your path. Why wouldn’t you do what you had always planned on doing? Why change
your course? Personally, I think destiny is bullshit. I also think not pursuing
your dream is bullshit too.”
Caged by his body, his scent, his presence, I look up into
his burning eyes and I can see compassion there. I believe he wants what’s best
for me. If I think I know him through my brother, he thinks he knows me through
my brother as well. And Zach wanted me to continue my education. His dream was
that someday I’d be Dr. Zoey Flowers. Nate knows this.
“Zoey?” Nate’s voice is questioning. Low. Maybe even
slightly fearful.
“Nate”—I press my finger to his lips—“I think I need to
tell you something about myself.”
“What?” he asks.
In all our e-mails after my brother’s death, I never
mentioned the real reason for my delay in coming to Miami. I keep my eyes open
even though I want to close them. “I had a breakdown shortly after Zach died. I
took a leave from my job. I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t plan one day,
let alone the next. And somewhere during that time, I let any plans I had for
the future fall to the wayside. I don’t know what I want anymore.”
Shock appears on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me in any
of our e-mails?”
The truth is hard to admit. “I actually looked forward to
your weekly e-mails. But I did lie to you. It wasn’t work that kept me from
coming to get my brother’s things. It was me and my inability to cope.”
Nate stares down at me.
My entire focus is on him. “Don’t think I’m crazy. I’m
not. Really, I’m not.”
His gaze continues to pin me in a way that makes me think
he understands me.
It holds me in place. Keeps me calm.
“Zoey, God, I don’t think that at all,” he breathes. “I
can understand how that would happen.
With everything coming at you at once, and the shock of
Z’s death, coupled with the revelations about your family, it was just too
much. I get it.”
I just stare at his lips, longing to kiss him. My body is
filled with so many wants and needs, and all these new urges I’ve never felt
before.
And all I want is just for him to set me free.
PURCHASE
I live in Florida with my husband and four kids. I've always
had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, I
wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. I went on to
receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise my family.
I currently work part-time with my husband and full-time embracing one of my
biggest passions—writing.
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