EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
If You Only Knew
by Prerna Pickett
If You Only Knew by Prerna Pickett is currently on tour with Xpresso Book Tours. The tour stops here today for an excerpt and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
A boy recently released from jail and the daughter of a prosecutor fall for each other against the odds in this YA novel.
Corey has just been released from jail, and all he wants is a new beginning. But when his former gang comes knocking, Corey agrees to vandalize the home of Kent Hopper, the prosecutor who put him away.
To erase the guilt she carries from getting away with a crime, Tessa spends most of her nights riding her motorcycle. When she catches Corey destroying her father’s car, she doesn’t see a criminal: She sees a way to finally right her own wrongs. So instead of turning Corey over to the police, she convinces her father to give Corey a second chance.
As Tessa and Corey spend more time with each other, it becomes difficult to ignore the pull between them. But they’re both keeping secrets, and when those secrets come to light, they’ll each have to face their demons in order to have a future together.
Excerpt
Corey
For the last five years I’d lived by one simple rule: Stay alive.
I put that rule to the test by making one simple statement. “This isn’t a good idea.”
Vance waited in the shadows, molding himself to them. The whites of his eyes narrowed. He clenched his jaw.
“I’m not asking for your opinion.” He lifted the hem of his shirt and stuck his thumb into a belt loop. His piece glinted against the little bit of light filtering through the row of windows on the garage door.
I gripped the bat in my hand and gritted my teeth. Being in jail had rusted my instincts, short-circuited my sense of self-preservation. All I needed was the sight of Vance’s gun to remind me of that.
“I know what I’m doing, Fowler. Right, boys?” His question echoed and fell around me as he nodded to Drew and Jaimie. They stood at the back of the detached garage in their matching black shirts and jeans, holding flashlights. Drew frowned, a grim line set across his mouth.
I cleared my face of all emotion, a blank canvas, tightening my hold on the bat in my hand and tried to convince myself it wasn’t created to hit baseballs, but rather elite sports cars.
“You know you want to. That lawyer deserves worse.” Vance crept closer to my ear, egging me on with his jittery presence. “Just one swing, right there on the front windshield.”
Hopper didn’t deserve it. Not really. Especially not after everything he did to get my sentence reduced. Which wasn’t part of his job, considering he was the prosecuting attorney.
“Not like he can’t afford another one,” Jaimie taunted.
The words didn’t offer me any comfort. My hands kept sweating, making my hold on the bat slick. I forced myself to shut off the danger sign flashing at the back of my head. This wasn’t exactly how I planned on paying back Hopper for his kindness.
I rolled the bat back and forth, tossed it in the air and watched it twist, the black ingrained logo showing its face with every turn. Vance’s wide grin reflected across the shining surface of the car.
“A year in that hell. And for what? Nothing you did.”
I almost snorted at that one. Maybe I hadn’t done exactly what I was charged with, but I still picked the path that led me to the dank and dark cell.
“Corey, do it.”
This time, it wasn’t a question. Jaime and Drew already had dumped out all the garbage onto the patio, spray-painted the back and side of the house, and broken a couple of windows. All the commotion was blocked out by the house party next door. When the lawyer was away, the neighbors came out to play.
I gripped the bat tighter and ground my teeth as I pictured the look on Mom’s face every time she came to visit me in prison.
What the hell was I doing here?
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“This is an awesome story.” ~ Emily Hollman
“I enjoyed the backstories of each character and the fact that Corey is a bad kid, but is trying to redeem himself and is caught in a tough place. So far it's reminding me a bit of the Fast and Furious movies.” ~ Tara Tsai
“I loved this sweet YA contemporary!!! If You Only Knew follows two heroes you will be rooting for the whole time.” ~ Shannon Young
“I could not stop turning the pages, the many twists and turns kept me riveted as I rooted for Tessa and Corey. Teens will love their adventures; the motorcycle, the race, their date, and the chemistry of their attraction […] This book will be a hit with teens!” ~ B. J. Neary
“I also enjoyed Tessa’s character. She was very headstrong and stood up for what she believed in! Overall this was a very cute YA read that had the type of suspense, forbidden love plot that kept me reading!” ~ Amazon Customer
About the Author
Prerna Pickett believes in magic, fairytales, and unicorns. Writing was always her dream job and now she gets to live the dream. When Prerna isn’t writing, she can usually be found daydreaming about writing, or at the library helping her five kids choose books. If You Only Knew is her debut novel.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a print copy of If You Only Knew by Prerna Pickett (US only).
Links
Featured in this post:
