"The first time I saw her, I knew this girl was wilder than any stallion I’d ever trained. She was headstrong, wounded, passionate and free. And I had to have her…”
Brittany Ray doesn’t care about her bad reputation. Growing up in a sleepy beach town with a junkie mom and a runaway dad, Brit’s learned the hard way that the people you love will only let you down. It’s no use hoping for love or happiness. Some dreams aren’t meant for girls like her.
Hunter Covington is one of those dreams.
Gorgeous, charming Hunter is damn near perfect—and it’s killing him. Son of Charleston royalty, he’s been trapped in a gilded cage since the day he was born. Now he’s breaking free. He’s quit law school to restore his grandpa’s old horse ranch, trying to soothe the demons in his soul. But Beachwood Bay is full of old ghosts, like the mysterious girl who spent an unforgettable night with him—and then slipped away before dawn. Brit.
Everything about her screams danger, but Hunter doesn’t care: he’s never felt a connection so deep. And try as she may, Brit can’t resist the desire consuming her —or the safety she finds in Hunter’s arms.
A reckless passion. An undeniable bond. Scarred by their pasts, Brit and Hunter fight to heal old wounds. But will dark secrets tear apart their new beginning? And when love is the biggest risk of all, can they find the courage to face the future unafraid?
Melody Grace: I picture Beachwood Bay as being a small town on the North Carolina coast, and although it’s just my imagination for now, I can’t wait to take a trip out there and find the real-life spot for myself! I’ve always loved ‘beach house books’ – stories that take you into a great community, away from hectic city life, and conjure up that feeling of summer: tanning lotion, sand between your toes, ice-creams down on the boardwalk, steamy hot summer romance… So when it came time to write my own, I saw Beachwood as clearly in my mind’s eye as I did the characters!
Romance Addict-K: Brittany is a great character—feisty and fiery and strong but with a past that clearly won’t stay in the past. What is it about this character that made you want to give her a book, a chance to tell her story? Will we be seeing more of Britt in the future?
Melody Grace: Brit only had a small part in Unbroken, but she really leapt off the page for me, and I knew right away she had her own story to tell. Her and Emerson’s upbringing was really tough, and we saw how it made Emerson the man he is today, so I wanted to explore how Brit would have been shaped by the past in a different way—and how that would cause juicy conflict when she met a gorgeous, charming guy like Hunter, who wouldn’t just accept her bullshit, but challenge her too. She’s so strong-willed and reckless on the surface, but nursing a lot of scars, and there’s something about that I think everyone can relate to: we’ve all been damaged by relationships or family dynamics, and it’s easy to let those past issues control how we feel about the world. Brit’s journey to facing her past and forging her own destiny is really inspiring, and it meant a lot to me to write it.
As for seeing more of her… she’ll be cropping up in future Beachwood books for sure!
Romance Addict-K: This is not a question, just a statement: Thank you for giving me an Emerson/Juliet fix in this book. It is much appreciated.:)
Melody Grace: Ha ha, my pleasure! I couldn’t let them stay away.
Romance Addict-K: There comes a point in this book when Britt gets the chance to confront a huge part of her past, and she doesn’t full-on/directly do that. It was one of those book moments where I wanted to say, “Excuse me, Britt. Step aside for a sec, please. I’m on this!” I wanted to get right in there and have a word of prayer with this person who’d so badly hurt Britt. Can you give us some insight into why you didn’t write this confrontation? If you did write it, confess! And then tell me why you decided to leave it out of the book because what she discovered in that scene is pretty huge.
Melody Grace: So, the scene you’re talking about was a big emotional moment – the biggest in the book, in some ways. It’s about Brit facing her past, and making a conscious decision to move on with her life, and break free from something that’s haunted her as long as she can remember.
And yes, I know that the predictable thing would have been to have this big confrontation, where both parties let fly everything they’ve been meaning to say, but the thing about those big moments is… sometimes, there’s nothing the other person can ever say to make it OK. You can’t change them, or wipe out the years of hurt, all you can do is take control of your own emotions and decide not to let them have power over you anymore.
Brit needed to let go of her past – all on her own. In that moment, it meant a lot to me that Brit was making her move to walk away. She spent her life thinking she needed something from the other person – explanations, acceptance, love – but in the end, she realized she didn’t need anything. She was enough on her own. That’s a really important message, because relying on someone else’s response to determine your future will always leave you disappointed. She was so strong in that moment, and I’m proud of her!
Romance Addict-K: I think it’s interesting that Emerson and Juliet have moved away from Beachwood Bay (even though they’ve kept the cottage) and started a new life, but I’m guessing that Britt and Hunter are going to stay put in Beachwood. As a young woman in a small Southern town, it would seem that Britt has more to run away from than Emerson. They may both have come from the same family, and partied and slept around, etc. but I think we all know that women are judged differently than men when it comes to these things. In the end, it’s Britt that’s going to stay and deal with the consequences of her past in her future. Was this a conscious decision on your part?
Melody Grace: The great thing about Brit is she’s so resilient, and now she has a real partner to build a life with, I think her past in Beachwood Bay won’t be a negative for her, but just another part of her story. Brit and Hunter’s future location is more up in the air than Juliet and Emerson, but I think both couples will always have strong ties to the town. Hunter has the ranch on the outskirts of town, but I also see him being a little more involved with his family now—building bridges. Brit has big ambitions of her own, so I think they’d find a good balance: spending some of the time in Beachwood, and some of the time in the city for her to pursue her dreams of being a fashion designer.
Romance Addict-K: What the heck happened on the beach the night Britt and Hunter met?!
Melody Grace: I’ll let your imagination take care of that one… ;)
Romance Addict-K: I’ll be honest—when Hunter busted out the bridle lead, I gasped. I just wasn’t expecting it (so kudos to you!). I liked the analogy of Britt and the horses, the way you introduced it at the beginning, and the way that mirrored Emerson and the hurricane in Unbroken. So, spill it: How much fun was the whole horse thing?
Melody Grace: I love that you were shocked! I have to admit, that is the sexiest, steamiest scene I’ve ever written, I was pretty much blushing and fanning myself the whole way through. I thought it would be great for the characters—Brit is someone who’s always called the shots in her hook-ups, so for her to surrender and be dominated like that was a big deal for her (and very sexy!), and Hunter is such a take-charge guy, he was determined to break down all her defenses… Yum!
Romance Addict-K: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Melody!
Britt’s one-night stand is Hunter Covington—a piece of Ivy League perfection in worn-out jeans. You’re going to love Hunter. He’s come back to the place he summered as a kid and teenager to take over his grandfather’s ranch and to find this girl he only had one night with but can’t forget (yes, I’m talking about Britt!). He has a way with horses, and he wants to raise and train them and basically live a quiet life on his own terms. He’s expected to join his dad in his firm and be some sort of corporate/social big wig, but Hunter couldn’t be less interested—and for that he lives in a constant state of unrest with the rest of his family. There’s something big hanging over Hunter too, but I’m not giving that away. I thought he was just about as perfect as Britt does both before and after his big secret was revealed; and he’s got a way about him sexually that will make you want to hand him a bridle and reins—you’ve been warned. Even Britt, who takes orders from no one, finds herself more than willing to give in. Example: While having a literal roll in the hay, Hunter decides to bring his horse-whispering skills out of the stall and turns to Britt, flexing a leather bridle lead between his hands. In the words of Britt—Holy shit. If Britt is powerless to form the word no, what chance do mere mortals like you and I have? And he delivers donuts. Sold.
Our boy, Hunter, is determined to give Britt the kind of relationship she deserves and to make her believe in it, but that’s a tall order for a girl with an emotional suitcase the size of Texas. Throw in some family drama and a bitchy momma on Hunter’s side and you’ve got a recipe for drama—the kind of drama you won’t want to put down. I love Melody Grace’s books for a lot of reasons, so let me see if I can break them down for you:
- 1. I open a Melody Grace book and I just want a rainy day, a blanket and some silence. Everybody back away while I read my book—I should get a sign. I don’t want to come out of a Melody Grace book; I just want to escape into it.
- 2. She rocks chemistry. She did it in Unbroken and Untouched, and she does it again in Unafraid. If you’re not fanning yourself from the heat these two characters produce, then you need your own “Back Away” sign because clearly you are not paying attention.
- 3. Melody Grace may rip my heart out somewhere along the way, but she gives it back to me better than ever.
- 4. Her characters are never just sweet. When Emerson acted like a complete ass in Unbroken, I was yelling at Juliet to go after him--I loved him even more when he put that jackass spin on his sweet talk. When Hunter got a little bossy in the bedroom, I sat up and took notice. It’s no surprise the horses do what he says too; he just makes it all sound so good—even when he’s ordering a girl around.
- 5. Melody Grace is a good time—I might just write that on a bathroom wall next to an Amazon link for Unafraid. Give yourself a good time and buy this book (and her other books too!).
I’m hoping that at some point, Ms. Melody might give us more Britt and Hunter. I’m dying to know what happened on the beach the night they met—we get snippets in Unafraid but I’d like the picture painted for me, please. And if you’re reading, Melody, I think Britt’s story just gets more interesting. I’ll keep reading if you want to keep writing.
Website: http://melodygracebooks.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melody-Grace/329573187160227
Twitter: http://twitter.com/melody_grace_
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6926290.Melody_Grace
I love the interview and your review is wonderful. I have the first two books, and I cannot wait to read the third one. It's an awesome series. Thanks for the great giveaway!
ReplyDelete