BOOK BLAST
Book Title: Just Be You
Author: M.E. Parker
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre/s: M/M Romance—Contemporary (Brother’s Best Friend)
Length: 77 000 words
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Blurb
When Scott Cohen got word that he’d been nominated for a Grammy, he wondered if the universe was playing some cruel trick on him. Of all the songs he’d written, why did it have to be that song?
Over ten years had passed since he’d written the song and even more since Scott had become obsessed with Marshall Donavan, his brother’s best friend. It didn’t matter that Scott hadn’t seen Marshall in years. Nor did it matter that Marshall never belonged to him or even that Marshall was straight. Scott never managed to stop thinking about him.
When Scott got a call from his manager asking him to submit a song for a movie and a call from his brother Abe informing him of Marshall’s engagement to Julia Sterling on the same day, Scott took it as a sign. It was time to say goodbye and forget Marshall Donavan forever.
Submitting ‘Just Be You’ to the movie executives was supposed to be Scott’s way of letting go—of forgetting, of saying goodbye. But his plan backfired when the movie became a box office success overnight and his song was nominated for a Grammy. There was no way he’d ever be able to forget. The song would follow him for the rest of his life and so would his unhealthy obsession with Marshall Donavan.
It didn’t help things when he found himself face to face again with the man who had consumed his thoughts for years. No, it didn’t help at all when he saw the still very sexy and very straight Marshall Donavan for the first time in eight years. It didn’t matter what would happen between them. As soon as he saw Marshall again, he knew that giving up his obsession wasn’t an option…
Just Be You is a standalone, full-length, ‘brother’s best friend’ romance novel. It has ‘gay for you’ and ‘first time gay’ themes, is stocked full of STEAM, heartache, laughter, and has a guaranteed happily ever after ending.
Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited
Excerpt
He was the most beautiful person I had ever known. His sandy blondish-brown waves were wild and unruly. I watched as he ran his fingers through his cashmere locks. His knuckles were still red and bleeding. A slow smile crept across his face, giving me a rare glimpse of his dimples. I adored those dimples that hardly ever presented themselves almost as much as the few freckles that were sprinkled across his perfect nose.
Marshall Donavan was the second most popular guy at Becksworth Academy. He was a football player and easily the best-looking guy to ever walk through the halls of the most prestigious private high school in Connecticut. It was almost laughable that he even knew who I was. He shouldn’t even be seen with me. But there he was…smiling at me. Coming to my rescue.
Everything inside my fourteen-year-old heart wanted to believe that it was because of me. Because he cared about me. But even then, my immature brain knew he wasn’t doing this for me. It was all for Abe, my big brother—the most popular guy at Becksworth Academy, the captain of the football team, the student-body president, Marshall Donavan’s best friend. Even though I’d never had a friend like that, I knew Marshall was honor bound by some bro-code, requiring that he protect his best friend’s little brother.
I looked up at him as he gazed down at me with an impossibly perfect smile that was waning. His brow furrowed. “Scottie?”
“I-I-I’m okay.” I managed to offer.
“That guy’s a prick. Don’t let him get to you, okay?” Marshall grimaced.
Marshall squeezed my arm and I smiled up at him, “I’m all good.”
“Yeah?” He looked at me with concern in his perfect green eyes and I felt like I was going to melt.
I cleared my throat as I shoved my violin case into my locker. “Really Marsh, I’m fine.”
When I turned back around he was still inches away from me, studying my expression, his brow furrowed. I looked up at him. He was nearly a foot taller than me. I noticed a dark bruise under his eye. My hand shook as I raised it and gently brushed my thumb under the bruise. I didn’t have to ask how it happened, I already knew, but he lied anyway. “Caught an elbow during practice.”
I nodded and swallowed hard. “Mom’s making spaghetti tonight.”
“It’s all good, Scottie. I’ll be there. Don’t worry.” Marsh smiled at me. He knew how much I worried. He always tried to tamp down my anxiety. But it never worked. I always worried. “Listen…if anyone else starts shit with you again, you call me or Abe, if we’re not around.”
I shook my head. “It was my fault. I should have known better. I shouldn’t have picked violin this year. I’m so stupid.”
Marsh’s eyes filled with anger. “Stop it, Scottie. This isn’t your fault. Lewis Braxton is a fucking coward and a pretender. Don’t change. You got it? Don’t try to be something different for those assholes. Okay? Just be you.” He ruffled my hair.
I couldn’t help but stare at him, his emerald eyes sparkling, as he smiled down at me, begging me to hear him. I wanted him to kiss me. I knew it was a crazy thought. But I couldn’t help it. I forced myself to turn my back to him as I felt my cheeks turn red. He was a popular senior. I was a nerdy freshman. He was Abe’s best friend. I was a guy. He liked girls…
About the Author
Mary Esther Parker lives in Tennessee with one sweet teenage daughter and one grumpy white-haired cat. She loves to read just about anything. When she's not reading, she's writing, painting, making home improvements, or drinking wine with her oldest and bestest friends. She has B.A. in Political Science and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee. She happily walked away from her law practice to write sweet contemporary love stories that combine plenty of laughs, sometimes a few tears, ooey-gooey romance at its best, and whole lot of steamy sex. She believes when you put those things all together in the right way, you get the perfect feel good read, guaranteed to leave you smiling in the end. She also believes love is love, romance is romance, and gender is irrelevant. She's a proud supporter of the LGBTQ community and doesn't have a lot of patience for small mindedness or backward thinking. Because of the all the steamy sex and occasional naughty words, her books are intended for adult readers only.
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