Consolation
Book One in the Consolation Duet
Author: Corinne Michaels
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Okay Creations
Photographer: Perrywinkle Photography
Release Date: March 18th
Liam wasn’t supposed to be my happily ever after.
He wasn’t even on my radar.
He was my husband’s best friend—forbidden.
But my husband is dead and I’m alone. I ache for him and I reach for Liam.
One night with Liam changed everything. Now I have to decide if I truly love him or if he’s just the consolation prize.
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Conviction – Book Two in the Consolation Duet
Release Date: May 27th
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Shera’s Review 5 of 5 Stars!
Corinne Michaels does it AGAIN! This amazing author continues to deliver exceptional stories that you can’t help but love and devour! First we met Jackson in the Beloved Duet. Now, she gives us Liam in the first book of the Consolation Duet.
What an amazing, heart wrenching, jaw dropping book this was. Now, I loved Jackson, but holy hot dayuum Liam just stole my heart and RAN! This book, the feelings, the emotions… Just Wow! The minute you pick up Consolation, her writing just sucks you in and you won’t put this one down until you reach the end. Even then, you’ll keep swiping your kindle like a maniac because you will want more!
Natalie is grieving the loss of her husband. The day that knock came to the door, was the day her life was changed forever. Raising a beautiful baby girl on her own Aarabelle, Natalie pushes through to get through her daily routine. She is hurt, lost and just feels abandoned by her late husband. He promised he would come back, but promises aren’t always kept. Like any good mother, she picks herself up and gets through the day but is she really living?
“My life is gone. My heart is dead. I’m a widow at twenty-seven” – Natalie
Insert Liam Dempsey into the picture. Holy mother of gawd this man is just pure perfection. He is gorgeous, honest, sweet and so caring. He is a current SEAL and was Aaron’s best friend. He steps in and helps Natalie even though she doesn’t think she needs any help in things that need to be taken care of once you lose someone. But, he offers so much more. You can’t help who you fall in love with, even if it seems forbidden and wrong, the heart wants what it wants.
“I shouldn’t want this but I do. I shouldn’t be comfortable in his arms. But I am. I should make him leave and put some distance between us. But I can’t.” – Natalie
This was an exceptionally written story. You will laugh, you will cry, you WILL SCREAM at your kindle. These are all guarantees while you read. You WILL fall head over heels with Natalie and Liam’s story. I absolutely cannot wait for Conviction. Congratulations Corinne on another amazing story!
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Kristin’s Review 5 of 5 Stars!
Consolation….where to start? WOW!! Corinne Michaels you have DEFINITELY succeeded in writing yet another heart stopping, jaw dropping, shock inducing book.
We know from the Belonging Duet that Natalie “Lee” is the pregnant widow of former SEAL team member Aaron Gilcher, killed in action while working for Cole Security Forces. While trying to be a good mother to her daughter, Arabell, Lee is forced to come to terms with the untimely death of her best friend, father of her daughter, and first love.
“No one will ever love you as much as I do.”
Liam Dempsey, Aaron’s best friend, comes to help Lee with tasks that she hasn’t been able to tackle on her own. Liam sees through Lee’s declarations of being “fine” like no one else had been able to. He also forces her to deal with her feelings and move forward like no one else had been able to do.
“What good does crying do? He’s dead. He won’t ever come home. I have a daughter, a house, a mortgage, and a shit ton of other things to worry about.”
Through their time together, Liam and Lee become very close. Both struggling with feelings of love and the guilt that follows, they build a relationship together. While the relationship begins in secret, eventually they are unable to hide their feelings for each other.
Lee learns things about her marriage that shake her to the core. Was her husband the man she thought she knew or the man she is learning about now? Marriage is hard work but when you add the stress of being a Navy SEAL, with deployments and trainings, the stress multiplies immensely.
Can Liam and Lee make a go of a real relationship or is fighting a ghost too much for them to overcome?
“I can’t keep pushing her and I fear I’ll push her away. I love her and that scares the ever-living shit out of me. She needs to decide if it’s me she wants. I sure as hell won’t the consolation prize.”
I can’t go into too much detail without spoiling the story but I will say that this book absolutely rocked me. The feelings in this book are so real and so raw it’s impossible for it not effect you. I absolutely love Corinne’s writing style and this book is no exception. As someone that has lost loved ones to the current military situations, I can say without a doubt that Corinne NAILED all the feels with this one!
“War takes from us. It robs us of so much, but if we let it…it can save us. You being here in my arms right now is reminding me that sometimes the victory is worth the battle.”
Can’t for May 27, 2015 and the conclusion of this amazing duet…Conviction.
Copyright © 2015 Corinne Michaels
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.
Prologue
Natalie
“Oh, Chloe, if you’d like to come out, please wait until your Daddy gets back,” I insist, holding my belly as another Braxton Hicks contraction hits. I grip the dresser and try to breathe through it. It seems like they’re coming more frequently.
Once it passes, I try to finish what I came in here for. Aaron is away, but I want the nursery done so we can enjoy the next few weeks once he returns. I walk around what will be her room, putting a few more of the pretty pink dresses in the drawers. Aaron and I have fought about the vast array of pink things that are now strewn around the house—he hates it, I love it.
He insisted we paint her room in camouflage. Brown, green, and black camouflage for a girl? No. I almost sent myself into labor with that argument. I got home and he and Mark were drawing it out on the walls. I launched various household items at Mark while throwing him out of the house. My husband found out shortly after how much he could suffer by my hands. I may not be a SEAL, but you don’t mess with me either. In the end, I won with purple walls and the sheer netting around her white crib.
“Daddy’s going to love this room, Chloe. I can’t wait to see his face when he sees the pretty butterflies.” Needing to take another break, I sit in the rocking chair and rub my stomach. It soothes me knowing she’s in there. I can protect her—it’s my job. I love being pregnant and it’s a miracle we were able to conceive her. I’ve already told Aaron I want to try for another one as soon as she’s born. I close my eyes and sink, allowing the world to fade away.
I imagine holding her in my arms, sitting here in this chair, soothing and kissing her. I picture Aaron with her asleep on his chest as she gets to hear his heartbeat. She’ll own his world and have him wrapped around her finger.
Knock, knock, knock.
I hear the door, but it takes me a few seconds to get out of the chair.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
They bang louder this time.
“Coming!” I yell at the door. Jeez, give me a second.
Waddling to the door takes me a minute since I’m the size of a whale.
I open the door and see Mark Dixon, Aaron’s boss and close friend. He works at Cole Security Forces with Aaron and served with him for years. His head is hanging low and when he looks up, his eyes are full of sorrow.
“What’s wrong?”
“Lee,” he chokes on the one syllable of my name. The one Aaron uses. Something is definitely not right.
“What happened?” I ask again as I begin to shake.
Tears fill his eyes and I know. I know my life is never going to be the same. I know everything I’ve ever feared is about to come true because Mark doesn’t cry. Mark wouldn’t be at my door if something weren’t really, really wrong. “It’s Aaron.”
My heart stops beating and the world I live in ceases to exist. “Don’t,” I beg with tears blurring my vision and my breath accelerating.
This can’t be happening.
“Please, don’t, Mark. Please,” I beg him again, because once he says it…but I know it’s futile. It doesn’t matter because he can’t stop it. It’s already happened.
“Natalie, I’m so sorry.”
The dreaded words that every military wife fears. Only I wasn’t supposed to have to worry about this anymore. We were done. We got out. I wasn’t supposed to ever fear this again.
Please, God, don’t take him from me. Please!
“But, I’m p-pregnant. I’m having a baby,” I stammer as if that will somehow make none of this real. “He said he’d be back. He said he…” I trail off as it becomes difficult to breathe. My hand flies to my mouth to stifle the scream about to escape. Everything goes colorless.
“It was an IED. I’m sorry,” Mark says as his eyes glimmer with unshed tears.
I fall.
But he’s there, cradling me in his arms. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“No. No. No.” Mark holds me as I sob clutching my stomach. “You’re lying,” I hiss, tearing myself out of his embrace.
“I wish I were,” he says as I struggle to get up.
“It was a mistake. He’s having a baby. He said it was a simple in and out!” I scream and throw my hands against his chest. “You’re lying!” I scream, even knowing it’s not a lie.
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying you’re sorry!” My sorrow turns to hatred. I hate him. I hate everyone in this moment. I hate Aaron and everyone who was there. I hate this house and everything in it. I hate the air that he no longer breathes. Hate consumes me. Hate smothers me. “Get out!” I yell and push against his chest. “Get the fuck out of my house! Aaron will be back in a few days and then we’re going to get ready for our daughter to be born.”
“Please,” Mark beseeches and I refuse to look at him.
This isn’t happening because Aaron’s alive.
He’s not dead. How dare Mark lie to me.
“He’ll be back. He wouldn’t leave me. He promised.” Aaron wouldn’t lie to me. He never does. When he left for missions, he would always say goodbye like it could be our last. But this time he kissed the tip of my nose and said, “Now don’t have that baby until I get back.”
“Can I call someone? Your mom?”
“No, you can’t call anyone because he’s not dead! Go get him, Mark! Go get my husband and bring him home.” I step back pointing my finger at him. “You all promised. He promised.” I clutch my stomach as a sharp pain radiates, but it’s nothing compared to the agony sitting on my chest. Tears flow relentlessly as I struggle against his hold. “He promised.”
“I know he did,” Mark says as he holds my head against his chest.
“He lied.”
My life is gone.
My heart is dead.
I’m a widow at twenty-seven.
I lift my head and press my lips against his. His hand cradles my cheek and he holds me as we kiss. I grab his neck and feel the weightlessness from letting a little part of myself go. He kisses me adoringly and cautiously, allowing me to lead but still commanding me. I lose myself a little more as I moan when his hand presses against the small of my back.
“Let go,” he says against my mouth. “Let me take it for you.”
Before I can say anything, his mouth is on mine again. Our tongues thrash against each other as the kiss becomes hungry. He pulls me close so there’s no space between us. The low sound resonates through his chest, sending shivers down my spine. It’s sexy, and before I know it, my hands are traveling to his chest. I pull his shirt out and my fingers trail up his chest. I want to feel his skin.
Liam breaks the kiss. “Natalie,” my name is both a plea and a request.
“Shhh,” I instruct him as I unbutton his shirt. “I want to feel your heart.”
My hands glide up and he trembles beneath my touch. We stand here with my fingers resting on his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath me. He’s alive and here with me. His hands stay at his sides as he once again lets me decide where I’m going with this.
“I want to touch you so bad,” he admits and his hand lifts then drops. “I’m fighting every muscle in my body right now.”
“Stop fighting,” I say without thinking.
Corinne Michaels is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness.
Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were librarians, which only intensified her love of reading. After years of writing short stories, she couldn’t ignore the call to finish her debut novel, Beloved. Her alpha Navy SEALs are broken, beautiful, and will steal your heart.
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