All The Write Stuff: Trusting Love

What does a s’more, a tent, and a campfire have in common?

Trusting Love

Clumsy Little Hearts Trilogy Book 1

by Julie Navickas

Genre: Contemporary Romance

What does a s’more, a tent, and a campfire have in common? For Ryan Prescott, it’s a typical weekend camping trip. But for Tess Browning… it’s a recipe for the truth.

Tess Browning earned the nickname Little Vixen for a reason. And she has no incentive to play by the rules anymore. Because why bother? All it ever did was trap her in a loveless marriage. Tossing faithfulness out the window, the only thing she is committed to now is her new code: keeping it fun, flirty, and deliciously sultry.

That is, until Ryan Prescott walks in and charms his way into her heart with a leather tool belt strapped around his waist. He’s sexy, smart, and as emotionally damaged as they come. And Ryan seemingly wants nothing more than to have Tess pick up the pieces of his broken heart.
But there’s one thing he doesn’t know about her.

When the details of Ryan’s past heartache come to light, Tess digs her hot pink heels into the ground and will stop at nothing to hide her past indiscretions from the man who stole her heart. Because if there’s one thing Ryan won’t tolerate—it’s dishonesty.

Will Tess manage to keep the truth hidden? Or, will the secrets of a lifetime shatter her one true chance at love?

Best-selling and award-winning author Julie Navickas brings back fan favorite, Tess Browning for her own shot at love. Readers of the Trading Heartbeats trilogy will recognize the flawed heroine but may not recognize the woman she’s become. After all, no one is above redemption. Fans of Lynn Painter’s Mr. Wrong Number and Katie Cotugno’s Birds of California will find a swoon-worthy and engaging romance in TRUSTING LOVE.

Excerpt #1

Beside him, she released a heavy breath and lifted her gaze. The deep hues of blue sparkled, each eye coated in a thin layer of tears.

“Wait, is something wrong?” Ryan frowned and propped his body up on an elbow.

She shook her head and smiled. Dragging a hand down the side of his face, she paused on his cheek. “This happened really fast, didn't it?”

You’re not wrong.

Ryan gripped her hand and pressed a kiss on her palm. “It did,” he muttered.

“One minute we’re picking out a paint color and the next we’re sleeping together beneath the stars.”

Their relationship flashed before his eyes, each smile on her lips gripping his heart as affection and desire built within his soul.

“It may have been fast, but that doesn’t make it any less real for me.”

A single tear slid down her cheek and dripped onto his arm. It rolled, falling to the blankets and dissolving into the material.

“It’s real for me, too.” She sniffled. “Maybe too real.”

A twinge gripped his gut. “What’s that mean?”

“Like, when is the other shoe going to drop?” She snorted. “When does the dream end, or the bubble burst?”

Just as cynical as me. You’ve been hurt just as bad, haven’t you?

Ryan sat up and reached for her sandals in the corner of the tent.

“What’re you doing?”

He pressed the first shoe into his chest. “I promise, I won’t drop it.” Holding the second sandal out to her, he placed it in her hands and guided it to her chest. “If you won’t.”

Her smile melted his heart. Eyeing a blonde curl falling in her face, he tucked it behind her ear as a shiver zipped along his spine—inspiration striking once more. “How about another adventure this morning, Ms. Browning?”

“Clothes on or off?”

With a wink, he pressed a kiss on her forehead. “That’ll be your choice.”

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Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Trusting-Clumsy-Little-Hearts-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0CNQSBJ43

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/trusting-love/id6472675900

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trusting-love-julie-navickas/1144389581?ean=2940186083139

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/trusting-love-11

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/trusting-love-by-julie-navickas

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202459383-trusting-love

About the Author

Julie Navickas is an award-winning, nationally recognized contemporary romance novelist, known for her keen ability to tell heart-wrenching, second-chance love stories through relatable characters with humility, humor, and heroism. She is also an award-winning university instructor and serves as the executive director of The Writing Champions Project. Julie earned master’s degrees in both organizational communication and English studies with an emphasis in book history, as well as a bachelor’s degree in public relations, graduating cum laude from Illinois State University.

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