Excerpt and Review: Black Rose by F.X. Scully

July 7, 2014 Kristi Excerpt, Reviews 1 ★★★★★

Black Rose

F.X. Scully

Series: Lewiston Blues/Black Family Saga, #3

Published on July 7, 2014

Genres: Dark, Romance

The HEA you've been waiting for...

Just because you're damaged doesn't mean you can't be fixed.

At twenty-nine, Luke Black is a college drop out, a has-been musician, a widower, a dead-beat dad and an ex-con. On paper, the man doesn’t have a redeeming quality. But in his heart he’s still searching for one thing—“normal”.

All twenty-four-year-old Cocanda Rose has ever known is “normal”. And all she’s ever sought out is something that’ll make her mundane life just a bit more exciting. The rocker she fell for has broken her spirit and shattered her heart more times than she can count. Despite it all, she’s like a moth to a flame and has deemed herself irrevocably damaged. But there’s one person who has the potential to pick up the pieces. He’s her life-long neighbor, her best friend’s ex and the town pariah. He’s also the last person she ever thought she’d end up with.

In the final installment of the Lewiston Blues Series, F.X. Scully picks up the pieces of Luke Black’s life. But not without some hiccups along the way.

Excerpt:

He presses our mouths together gently and my stomach catapults and flutters so much it feels like I’m on some kind of roller coaster ride. And as his tongue finally darts out to taste mine, I realize that I am. That all this time I have been. From the moment I saw him at the hospital to the second he came to my rescue out in the driveway. His strange behavior at The L, the way he’s been looking at me lately. It’s been one big long ride, leading up to this moment. The moment where my legs turn to butter and an embarrassing little moan escapes me and I suddenly realize not every ride is a good idea.

Review by Leah

Oh, how I have been waiting to get my hands on this story. On Luke’s story.

I’ve loved him since book one, and was dying for more from him in book two. He makes me smile, my heart ache, and my eyes shed tears…. and okay, I’ll admit, my ladybits tingle.

Starting Black Rose, I kept preparing myself for what could happen. I mean, what hasn’t already happened to him? Between the love of his life dying, going to jail, giving up his kids…could he withstand anymore?

And Coco? I love her. She’s been the perfect supporting character in the past two books. Hilarious, quirky, mischevious, caring. In book two we learn she has a relationship with Luke’s old band-mate. And in book three we find out its not all rainbows and sunshine. She loves him, but does he love her back? Is he even capable of loving anymore more than himself and his music?

Luke is out of jail and barely surviving. He doesn’t want to live life, so he dulls the pain with alcohol and hermits himself in his house.

Coco is struggling with her relationship and her health. So when she sees her lifelong friend sitting in his backyard in the middle of the night when they both can’t sleep and face their dreams? It’s obvious that it’s the start of something wonderful.

The whole book I found myself hoping that this would be Luke’s happily-ever-after. That he would finally find some peace in his world that’s been nothing but tragedy and pain.

But Coco loves her boyfriend, no matter how wrong she knows he is for her. No matter how her feelings are changing for Luke, she’s loyal to her six year relationship.

Can Coco and Luke find each other? Can they push past the chaos and heartbreak in their lives and grab what’s right in front of them?

Black Rose was absolutely a five-star read for me…it is by far the best in the series. FX Scully doesn’t write HEA’s, and her books so far have caused a lot of heart ache and tears reading them, but they’re real. I hope you enjoy Luke’s story as much as I did. And head over to the NAA blog for a chance to win a copy today!~Leah

To catch up on books one and two, check out the links here.

About F.X. Scully

F.X. Scully loves romance, but she doesn’t write your typical Happily Ever After. Because let’s face it, in the real world, it can sometimes take a lot of angst and pain before you get there. And some of us never do. But since most of us pick up books to escape the real world, her stories don’t lack hot boyfriends and sexy encounters. Neither will she leave you completely heart broken, sobbing into a tub of ice cream. Rest assured you’ll be on a roller coaster, but you’ll be glad you went along for the ride.

F.X. is the author of TWO THOUSAND 3 (November 2013), BECAUSE OF LUKE (February 2014) and BLACKOUT (April 2014).

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