Bella and the Beast Snippet

Hey peeps!

I'm happy to announce that I am working on a new book, Bella and the Beast. It is a YA Fairy Tale Retelling set in a New York City High School.

Here is an unedited snippet. Have a great weekend:

I found Cole Castle at his locker, sorting through a stack of bulky textbooks for his next class.

Dread glued my red sneakers to the floor. A nervous shiver ran through my body. He’d heard me call him Beast, a name that most students called him behind his back. How did he feel about that nickname? What would he say to me? How would he react?

I briefly considered not doing the English project at all, but I was already falling behind in class, and, with this project making up a third of my grade, I couldn’t afford not to do it. Regardless of our rocky start, I was determined to make this partnership work.

Gathering my courage, I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. It was time to put on my big girl pants and talk to Cole. He wouldn’t bite my head off in the middle of the hallway, would he?

Honestly, I wasn’t exactly sure that he wouldn’t.

I reluctantly forced my feet to move forward. My lungs felt tight, my stomach clenched with worry. Every fiber in me wanted to turn and run. I’d never said two words to this boy, but his sheer size and his penchant for fighting scared me. I tried to ignore the other feeling that tinted my fear. Curiosity. This boy had been blacklisted by the entire school. He was a loner, whispered about in the shadows and never approached in the light. He wasn’t as socially invisible as I was, but he was definitely not a part of the crowd. He was off-limits. Strictly forbidden.

I didn’t know how I felt about that. Confused. Hesitant. Unsure. I was usually good at reading people, but Cole was like a Rubix Cube. I couldn’t figure him out. What was his deal? Was he always an outsider? If he wasn’t, what had happened to him that made him this way?

I let the distracting thoughts float out of my mind. I couldn’t think about them now. Not when my English grade depended on Cole and I playing nice together.

My feet carried me to the side of his locker and I cautiously examined his profile. He didn’t acknowledge me, though his hands had frozen on a red math book. I didn’t immediately speak. I couldn’t. Seeing Cole across the room was one thing, but seeing him up close was overwhelming. He looked like a biker who'd gotten trapped in high school, with his big muscles, black clothes, and long hair that laid in stringy waves on his shoulders. He stood nearly a foot taller than me, his body wide, and strong. A patch of black stubble covered his cheeks and chin. I imagined him ripping a phone book in half with his bare hands and chewing on the remains, and my lungs clenched a little tighter. I gathered up my nerves, tied them tight, and strapped them to my chest.

“Hey.” My voice came out low. I gripped my book bag straps and tried not to shuffle my feet. Animals can smell fear, can’t they? If that were true, I probably smelled like a steak dinner right about now.

Cole’s head turned slowly, his eyes latching onto mine.

Did I notice a slight tremble in his hands, or was it my imagination?

“Hey.” His words rumbled around me, like a storm brewing in his throat.

I felt like the temperature in the hallway rose another ten degrees. My sweaty hands slipped down the straps of my backpack.

“So, we have a project due,” I said.

He grabbed two books from the inside of his locker and slammed it shut. His body casually leaned against the metal, legs crossed at the ankles, arms over his chest. He was guarded. Off-putting. Unavailable. He didn’t respond to me right away. He just looked at me with the same hard stare as when I’d seen him in the classroom earlier.

I caught several students watching us with curious eyes and sly grins. I couldn’t recall ever seeing anyone speak to Cole before. I swung my eyes back to his, wondering how I had become such a spectacle. Me, the girl who ate lunch in the library. The girl who was invisible at St. Mary’s Academy.

Finally, he spoke up, the thunder rumbling around me again.

“Don’t worry about it.” I snorted. Don’t worry about a third of my grade? Yeah, right.

“Look,” I said. “I’m sorry for calling you Beast.”

“Why? Everyone else calls me that. Why would you be different?”

He spat the words at me, and my cheeks heated in shame. So he did know his nickname after all and, by the looks of it, he was not happy about it.

An errant piece of hair had worked its way out of my French braids. I smoothed it behind my ear and cleared my throat.

“Like I said. I’m sorry.”

His eyes slowly looked me over, making my heart beat a little faster. His eyes left trails of fire where they touched me. I felt exposed. Vulnerable. The confusing feelings froze me in place. I blinked, unable to understand why I would feel that way. By the time I regained my voice again, he was already done with his inspection and pushing off his locker. He shifted his books in his other massive hand.

My brain felt overheated. Mushy. Stupid. Why did he make me feel so crazy? It was like he'd put me under a spell or something.

He walked past me, stopping to whisper in my ear.

“Your apology is not accepted. Turn in the project yourself.”

And just like that, he was gone, stalking through the hallway to his next class.

Book Review - I'll Be Yours By Jennie B Jones

Click Here To Download I'll Be Yours

Review

Oh my goodness! This book was amazing! I devoured this book like it was my mom's macaroni and cheese. 

I loved Harper. She was damaged and broken but not hopeless. She was quirky, funny, brave and devoted. And talk about FEARLESS. This girl was willing to brave bullets to rescue a helpless animal. How awesome is that? And Ridley Estas. Can you say H-O-T? OMG he was everything. There is this one scene on the balcony at his job that gave me all of the feels. Buy this book and read it! Then read it again. Then fan yourself and read it a third time. Then thank me for making you read it. Yes, it is that good.

Jenny B Jones puts together an awesome, sweet read here. It is PG-13 and full of drama, tears, romance, and a very entertaining cast of characters. The book doesn't tie up in a nice little bow, but the way it does end is very emotionally satisfying. Finally, if you have the opportunity, get the audio version. It is very well done and adds a nice layer onto the reading. 

Blurb and buy links below:

Click Here To Download I'll Be Yours

Blurb

She’s the coach’s brilliant daughter, clueless about love. He’s the dethroned football star, ready to teach Romance 101. When dark secrets and sparks collide, there’s no playbook for what happens next.

The day Andrew Levin arrives at Washington High, Harper O’Malley knows he’ll make the perfect starter boyfriend. The school’s newest band geek is totally in Harper’s league, yet completely out of this late-bloomer’s reach. Between fitting in with a new family, scoring the first chair in band, and rescuing dogs for the local animal shelter, Harper’s never had the opportunity to hone her dating skills. But even though Harper’s love life is far from perfect, she’s got the perfect plan.

Harper knows she’s insane to agree to tutor Ridley Estes, a notorious heartbreaker and the star of her high school’s football team—but in exchange, he’s offered to school her in the game of love. Just when she sees promise with her crush, a football scandal rocks her family, her town, and Ridley’s entire future. Harper suddenly has everything to lose—her family, friends, and even her heart. When the dust of the scandal settles, nothing will be the same. Including the girl who asked the most popular jock to teach her about love.

Award-winning author Jenny B. Jones returns to YA with a sweet, funny novel about first love and the power of letting go.

"I'll Be Yours is a perfect YA literary concoction of angst, attraction, heartbreak, romance, authenticity, and humor. Captivating and real, I'll Be Yours is both swoon-worthy and heartrending, begging for a re-read as soon as the last page ends." Rel Mollet, RelzReviewz.com

"Jones's sassy style is merely one of this romance novelist's many endearing talents." Publisher's Weekly

"Jenny B. Jones is my go-to author for a hysterical beach read!" Best-selling author Kristin Billerbeck

"Funny, insightful, sheer joy--that's what you always get with a Jenny Jones story." --Award-winning author Sibella Giorello

Click Here To Download I'll Be Yours

Hello World!

Seven Steps here. I love my family, movies that make me laugh so hard that I shoot milk out of my nose, ice cream in all of its glorious forms, beaches in the summer, and anything Disney. Welcome to my fun, weird world full of hope, rainbows, sprinkles, and love.

I write clean, adult and young adult romance novels and short stories. What is romance you may ask? Well, clean means that there is no sex or swearing. Heart to heart, hand to hand, and cheek to cheek.

I am based in New Haven, Connecticut. What do we do in New Haven, Connecticut? Basically, we walk around Yale College and we travel to New York. That's about it. Fun fun!

I have an awesome husband who makes sure that my cell phone is charged, a beautiful daughter who inspires me to keep my youth, and a cat named Rosie who is training for the Olympics. Or, at least I think so. She runs sprints through my living room and kitchen at two o'clock in the morning. Every morning. I love her to pieces, but I'd better see a gold medal come through these doors soon, or else no more cat treats for her.

I look forward to catching up with each and every one of you. Where are you from? What fun things do you do? Is your pet going to be in the Olympics?

Tell me more!

With love,

Seven Steps