Monday, May 21, 2012

Blog Tour - Knee Deep - Review/Excerpt


Knee Deep
By Joleen B. Perry
Release Date: May 1, 2012

Description:
Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He's her soul mate. He's more uptight every day, but it's not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she's adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he'll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.

Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He's the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she's playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.

Shawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both

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Review:

Amazing, captivating, and heartbreaking.  This book had all those qualities and so much more.  The second I picked it up I did not want to put it down, I could not put it down.  The characters were relate able, the story was intriguing and emotional, very raw.  The moral behind the story is so truthful and honest and is something that every person (not just females) should pay attention to.  If you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it.  Now on to the story.

We meet Ronnie who has been in love with Shawn for as long as she can remember.  They were friends when they were very young but he moved away for a while and when he returned they returned to their growing relationship.  Ronnie felt as if there was no one else for her, he was her forever.  But finding your forever in high school is not something normal to begin with.

Every year her and her best friend Mindy come up with a list of firsts that they will accomplish, this year she chose trying out for the play, which she gets the part of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.  Her other best friend Luke is playing Romeo.  This of course leads to more complications in her relationship with Shawn as he has become unbelievably jealous and controlling.  More so than usual.  He suspects something is going on with Ronnie and Luke. 

Ronnie is conflicted as she's known them both the majority of her life and Luke has always been there for her, even when Shawn left, but this realization doesn't come to her until the end.  As their roles as Romeo and Juliet become more blurred where it feels more like Ronnie and Luke than the characters they are playing. 

Shawn's life becomes a downward spiral and he becomes more stressed and with this he starts to take his frustrations out on Ronnie, beginning with just a bruised wrist and getting more serious.  Ronnie being the loyal person she is and believing that he is her forever deals with it the best way she can.  She covers for him, hides her bruises and distances herself from other people.  But Luke is very observant and knows that something is wrong and he doesn't approve.  He saves Ronnie several times from getting seriously hurt further than she has

There is so much that happens throughout this book and I believe every woman/girl needs to read it, know that if something is not right then you need to speak to someone.  You cannot always handle everything yourself.  Sometimes it's beyond you and you should never let someone make you feel that abuse is the normal thing.  There are relationships that work the correct way, and there is always someone else out there for you.  You do not belong to only one person.  We are not something to be possessed or obsessed about in an unhealthy way.

Jolene B. Perry is an amazing author, ever book I read of hers is more and more intense and I honestly believe that I would read anything she writes.  She's just simply amazing, and I thank her for this great story.  The rawness and realness of it all is eye opening.

Please go out and buy this book and read it, re read it, give it to other people. It will be worth it. Remember you are not alone.

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Excerpt:

My front door opens. “Hello?” Shawn calls.

“In here!” I say back. Suddenly this feels weird. Why would this feel weird? This is just what happens when one of us is stuck at home. Why would today be any different? But my heart’s beating against the inside of my ribs, trying to tell me this is different.

Luke scoots away from the couch. Does he feel it too? That maybe him and me hanging out alone for the day might not have been the best idea?

Shawn steps through the hallway and scowls when his eyes meet mine and then pass to Luke. This shouldn’t be a big deal. Except...I’m so stupid. I was just thinking how I needed to make Shawn’s life outside of his house less stressful, and part of me knew it was weird that Luke was here without Shawn. I thought it, and did nothing. But again, it is just Luke.

“What’re you doing here?” Shawn asks. His dark eyes fix on Luke.

“I figured you’d be here, man.” Luke stands up. “It’s like we always ditch together, right?”

Romeo and Juliet kissing in the pool on the TV screen probably isn’t helping anything. Maybe Shawn won’t notice, or maybe it’s just sending my heart into crazy flutters because this tension between Shawn and Luke and, I guess, me, is happening during the most romantic scene of the movie.

“Uh, I don’t know.” Shawn’s still scowling, his brows pulled low and his jaw tight.
“You would’ve hated it,” I say. My eyes catch his, but his are as black as his mood seems to be. I’m so stupid. Why did I have to let Luke stay?

“Yeah, maybe.” Shawn’s narrowed eyes go from Luke to me, back and forth, as if judging the situation. Really? What did he think could possibly happen between Luke and I? Even if this is suddenly on my top three ‘most awkward moments’ ever. I can’t even think about what the other two might be. Maybe I’ve just found number one.
“Romeo and Juliet all day.” Luke laughs, but I know him well enough to see he’s trying really hard to be relaxed. His shoulders are too stiff, and his normal stance is too rigid. I wonder if Shawn sees it too. “Guess I’ll leave you two alone.” Luke’s trying hard to keep his voice light.

“Yeah.” Shawn has yet to return Luke’s smile. “I almost never see my girl anymore.”
It’s like I’m on the edge of my seat, tension pinpricking every part of me. I’ve never seen Shawn like this.

“Well, I should get my ass to rehearsal anyway.” Luke gives Shawn a friendly pat on the shoulder before heading outside.

I don’t watch him go. My eyes are on Shawn, trying to figure out what to expect next.

What the hell was that?” His sharp gaze is now pointed directly at me.

I stand up and lean to the side, trying to be relaxed. “It didn’t seem like a big deal this morning.” Maybe if I play it off as nothing Shawn won’t be so mad. He knows Luke and I are friends. No big deal, I tell myself again. But I don’t know if I’m trying to convince myself or Shawn.

“Was he here when we were texting?” he asks. His voice may be low, but not in a good way. It’s low in a way that makes him sound like he’s past the edge of reasonable anger.

My body’s screaming for me to take a step back, which makes no sense. This is Shawn. My Shawn. “No.” But I’m weakening by the second, almost shaking inside. His jaw tightens again.

My eyes close as I remember, and dread fills my chest. “He got here as I sent my last one.” Is that bad? Good?

“And you didn’t think to tell me? What the hell is that?”

I jump at the sharpness of his voice. Shawn doesn’t need this stress. I know this. I reach forward to put my arms around him. We just need to hold one another for a minute, then it’ll all be fine.

He stops me, grabbing my arm—hard—just above my wrist.

“This is not okay.” His jaw is set.

“Hey.” My voice shakes. My body shakes. I’m actually scared of Shawn for the first time ever. I jerk my hand once, but he tightens his grip...impossibly tight. My lungs can’t pull in a breath; there’s just not enough air in the room anymore. “Shawn, you’re hurting me.” He can’t mean to hurt me. He can’t.

His face is stuck in a sharp scowl.

“He’s your friend.” My voice is crying. I want to try and pull my shaky arm out of his grasp again, but I’m afraid to; he’s squeezing so hard. Tears are hot against the back of my eyes, threatening to spill over.

“How would you feel if I spent all day with some chick?” The words come out as angry spit from between his teeth.

I open my mouth to answer but can’t, the lump in my throat has taken over. All I can think about is that I need to find something to say so he’ll let me go. Some way to get the air through my throat to form words. “It’s just Luke,” I plead, sucking in a breath.

“Whatever.” He throws my arm back at me, turns, and walks out the door, slamming it hard behind him. My body jumps at the sound.

I stumble backward onto the couch. I’m like a leaf battered about in the wind. Nothing’s working right. I need to sit. Normally I’d run after him, but I have no idea what to expect. And I’m afraid. Of Shawn.

He’s never been that way before. Ever. He’s moody and particular, but this seems...extreme. I’m cradling my wrist with my other hand, afraid to look at any possible damage. It hurts to move it. What just happened here? How did it happen?

It’s like there suddenly must be something fundamentally wrong with the universe. But the TV’s still on. My house looks normal and quiet. I’m still breathing, but Shawn, my Shawn, just hurt me. Lying down seems so anti-climactic, but I can’t bring myself to do anything else.

When Juliet realizes Romeo’s dying the sobs take over, and I pull my knees to my chest as if making myself smaller will somehow dull the pain.

It doesn’t.

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About the Author:

Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.

She is also the author of Night Sky and The Next Door Boys.


You can find her at http://www.jolenesbeenwriting.blogspot.com/
Or on her author site at http://www.jolenebperry.com/
Or her group blog - http://www.fortheloveofcontemporary.blogspot.com/

To purchase:
Kindle Version
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Smashwords
PDF Version

2 comments:

Tribute Books said...

Cathy, thanks for the review!

Jolene Perry said...

You absolutely. Completely, and totally. Made my day :-D