Because Ilsa
Madden-Mills fell in love with her beautifully flawed characters in Very Wicked Things, she penned Very Wicked Beginnings as a prequel
novella to the book, featuring the story of football star Cuba Hudson and
ballerina Dovey Beckham.
Since May is Mental
Health Awareness Month, all May proceeds from the sale of the novella will be
donated to The
Keith Milano Memorial Fund which benefits the American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention (AFSP). www.afsp.org
Title: Very Wicked
Beginnings
Series: Briarcrest Academy #1.5, a prequel novella to Very Wicked Things
Release: May 13th
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
Cover: Photography by
Toski Covey
Graphics: Sommer
Stein at Perfect Pear Creative Covers
Synopsis:
Girls say I’m a
walking, talking sex god. Guys call
me Hollywood because my life is golden.
It’s not.
But, ESPN did rank me
as a four star recruit, calling me one of the best defensive players since
Briarcrest Academy opened its esteemed doors. So yeah, with football and a
stellar GPA, my future seemed good.
Then Dovey Beckham
shows up in her short skirts and ballet shoes. Driving me insane. Making me
want to beg for her attention.
But that wouldn’t
happen, because Cuba Hudson didn’t beg for anything.
She walked around BA
like she owned the place, and most days she looked right through me…the one
girl I couldn’t have.
So, of course, I made
it my mission to claim her, to put her notch on my bedpost.
Because no girl can
resist the Heartbreaker of BA.
But I never planned
on destroying her.
I never planned on
wrecking the one thing that could save me.
Welcome to Briarcrest
Academy, where wicked love
begins…and ends.
The Keith
Milano Memorial Fund was established to help raise awareness about the
devastating and deadly disease that is mental illness. Keith’s spirit and
laughter is kept alive through our efforts to increase awareness about mental
illness and to raise money for education and imperative research. Keith often
struggled with society’s perception of mental illness. Our hope is that
by having the strength to say that Keith was “Bipolar” we can strip away the
stigma and help others to be more open about their disease. www.keithmilano.org
The Keith
Milano Memorial Fund benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
(AFSP). www.afsp.org
AFSP is the only national
not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and
preventing suicide through research and education, and to reaching out to
people with mood disorders and those affected by suicide.
Very Wicked Things
(Briarcrest
Academy #2):
Synopsis:
Ballerina Dovey
Beckham is a scholarship student at Briarcrest Academy, determined to prove
she’s more than just a girl with the wrong pedigree. She does whatever it takes
to succeed in her endgame, even if it means surrendering her body but never her
heart.
Until the day she meets him, and he rips apart all her well-laid plans. Suddenly, the girl everyone thought unbreakable might just shatter.
Cuba “Hollywood” Hudson is rich, spoiled, and a star football player. With his fast cars and superficial girlfriends, he lives the high-life, hiding his secrets from the world.
Until the day he meets her, and she offers him something he’s never tasted…love.
But once in a lifetime kind of love doesn’t come easy…especially when dirty money, past sins, and old flames threaten the very fabric of their lives.
Until the day she meets him, and he rips apart all her well-laid plans. Suddenly, the girl everyone thought unbreakable might just shatter.
Cuba “Hollywood” Hudson is rich, spoiled, and a star football player. With his fast cars and superficial girlfriends, he lives the high-life, hiding his secrets from the world.
Until the day he meets her, and she offers him something he’s never tasted…love.
But once in a lifetime kind of love doesn’t come easy…especially when dirty money, past sins, and old flames threaten the very fabric of their lives.
Welcome to Briarcrest Academy, where sometimes,
only the wicked survive.
PURCHASE LINKS
Excerpt
for Very Wicked Things
Book
#2 of the Briarcrest Academy Series
I got out of the shower
and dressed hurriedly, anxious to get back to Cuba.
The door opened, and
like he did it every single day, he stepped inside the steamy bathroom.
“Think I need a shower,
too,” he said, his fingers easing off his football practice shirt.
What?
Now?
Trying to play it cool
and failing miserably, I moved my eyes off his naked chest and checked out his
track pants and the obvious bulge he sported.
Oh.
Did his lower body match the rest of him? Was it all sinewy muscle and big?
Just, yeah. That
thought got stuck in my head and went round and round.
“You staying?” he asked, a grin working his
face. Pleased at my open admiration, probably.
“No,” I said, but made
no move to go. ‘Cause I had no shame when it came to catching a glimpse of his
muscular body.
“Good,” he said, his
smile broadening.
He pivoted to turn on
the shower, and my eyes betrayed me again, admiring the muscles in his back,
checking out how they twitched and rippled when he moved. Football and rowing
had been good to him. My fingers itched to know how they’d feel underneath my
hands. Which was stupid because we had nothing in common. Not a rich Highland
Park boy and a poor girl from Ratcliffe.
And most importantly,
he was a player, not to be trusted.
He hooked his thumbs
into his pants, paused a moment—maybe waiting to see if I’d run from the room?—but
when I didn’t budge, he slid them and his underwear off. My mouth opened. Cuba
Hudson, the most popular guy at Briarcrest was standing right in front of me,
naked and beautiful. And like the cocky bastard he was, he posed for me, his big-ass
biceps and chiseled abs making me vibrate all over. Need for him slammed into
me.
Did
I say he was hot?
Well, I was wrong.
He was off-the-charts,
no-holds-barred, freaking going make-me-lose-my-mind-right-there delicious. The
ultimate man-candy, the kind I knew to stay away from, yet here I was, ogling
him.
“Still leaving?” he
asked huskily.
“Any minute,” I said in
a weak voice, backing up to the wall and propping myself up. “Just chillin’.
Shower wore me out. I might need to hold this wall up for a sec.”
“I want you to stay,”
he said, eyes at half-mast, glowing with heat.
“Why?” I said, aching
to touch him. But that was crazy. I was a virgin, and I didn’t know jack about
touching a guy’s you-know-what.
“Look at me, Dovey.”
I tore my eyes from his
manhood, blushing.
His eyes burned. “There’s
a sense of urgency in my head. Like our time is limited.”
I nodded. Yeah, same
here.
“And, I’ll be honest, I
don’t want to rush you, but I’m dying to sink into you. I want to set you on
fire with need for me.” He ghosted his hands over the steel rod between his
legs. Once, twice, and—holy shizzle, he didn’t stop.
My chest rose faster
and faster, and I tried to chill-out, but I couldn’t.
He lowered his voice. “Kiss
me again, Dovey.”
Oh. “That’s a terrible
idea, Cuba. Cause you’re naked, and I’m turned on because you’re naked. And
you’re touching yourself. And you’re
naked.” I sucked in a sharp breath. “Not a good combo. Odds are we’ll end
up in that shower together or back in your bed doing the double-backed monster.”
“Then join me in the
shower. I’ll be good. For you.” He arched his back, his hands still doing that
back and forth that was driving me insane.
Liar,
liar, pants on fire, I thought. No way he would he be good.
Because he was the Heartbreaker
of Briarcrest Academy. And one wicked boy.
STEPH'S REVIEW
“Stay with me,” he said, kissing my shoulder. “Let Go. I will catch you. Every single time.”
Cuba Hudson is the most popular guy at Briarcrest Academy. Not only is he the object of every girl's desires but all the guys are envious of his moves both on the football field and off. However, Cuba is carrying some seriously heavy baggage. I really felt like Cuba was mature beyond his years. He was the glue that held his fragile family together and he always accepted the consequences of his actions.
“Because barely living worked for me. It’s what I deserved anyway.”Dovey Beckham is a survivor. She holds her head high attending a school that is clearly out of her league. Dovey can’t compete with the high fashion and sports cars that are the norm at Briarcrest Academy and what is GREAT… she doesn’t even try. She finally has very loving legal guardian and she has ballet.
“I never judged you for being poor, so don’t judge me for being rich. And maybe you have more important things than money.”Cuba and Dovey come from very different worlds. Their connection is real and pure, it was as if all the bullshit in their lives fell away when they were together and they could finally breath.
Their relationship is a rocky one. I was an emotional wreck at times and really wanted to throw my kindle out the window BUT in the end I am so glad I didn't miss this wild ride!
He’d never forgive himself for his sins, and now he’d never forgive me for mine. We’d never be together.The sad twist truly broke my heart. Literally as I was reading it I kept thinking “NO I CAN’T BE READING THIS CORRECTLY!”
VERY WICKED THINGS is a highly emotional read. Ilsa Madden-Mills touches on very sensitive subjects and does so with grace. I highly recommend this book!
Haven’t read the first book Very Bad Things?
Author
Bio:
Ilsa Madden-Mills writes about strong heroines and sexy alpha males that sometimes you just want to slap. She spends her days with two small kids, a neurotic cat, and her Viking husband. She collects magnets and rarely cooks except to bake her own pretzels. When she’s not typing away at a story, you can find her drinking too much Diet Coke, jamming out to Pink, or checking on her carefully maintained chocolate stash. She loves to hear from fans and fellow authors.
Ilsa Madden-Mills writes about strong heroines and sexy alpha males that sometimes you just want to slap. She spends her days with two small kids, a neurotic cat, and her Viking husband. She collects magnets and rarely cooks except to bake her own pretzels. When she’s not typing away at a story, you can find her drinking too much Diet Coke, jamming out to Pink, or checking on her carefully maintained chocolate stash. She loves to hear from fans and fellow authors.
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