Title: Unforeseen Heartbeat (Second Chances #2)
Author: Maureen Mayer
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: February 24, 2014
Used… Broken… Confused…
It only took one drunken mistake four years ago for Maddie Harrington to learn that when you fully give yourself over to a man, you should never expect anything in return. Since that night, her views on love have become distorted, believing men would only want her for the pleasure her body could bring them. She in turn finds herself hooking up with random guys, but never keeps them around long enough to see if there could possibly be something more.
That is…until Hunter Bryant enters the picture.
When the handsome pre-med student shows up in the right place at the right time, captivating her with his stormy gaze, she immediately pushes him away, thinking he’s no different than any other guy. The deeper Hunter delves into her life, trying to break through her iron-clad walls, the more she begins to question whether she is truly capable of opening her heart up to another man.
Maddie soon finds herself forced to make a difficult decision, one that will forever change both of their lives. Will she shut Hunter out of her life for good or will she finally open up her heart and allow herself the life she never dreamed she deserved?
I yawned as I stretched my arms up over my head, and the blanket slipped away from my still naked body. My dress from the night before was lying scattered on the floor next to my bra and panties, and I smiled at the thought of how quickly Jeremy had peeled them off of me the moment we returned from the club. I grabbed a clean oversized SSU shirt from the laundry basket and slipped it on before heading to the kitchen to make some coffee.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes as my feet slapped across the cold kitchen floor, I smacked right into the fridge door. Jesus, what the…
And that’s when I saw it. All six-foot-four of Robbie’s boyfriend, Lance, was standing there naked as a jaybird…and at full attention. It was one of those moments where I knew I should look away; divert my attention to anything but the rigid appendage pointing directly at me like an English Setter. He slowly brought the carton of orange juice up to his mouth, but not before I saw a smirk tug at the corner of his lips. And then I saw it move…
“Eww, eww, eww!” I squeezed my eyes shut and continued yelling until Robbie came running out his room. I opened my eyes just enough to see that he was rocking his birthday suit just as proudly as Lance. Oh, for Pete’s sake…
“Not you, too!” I turned around so I wasn’t tempted to look.
“What’s wrong, baby girl? What’s with all the shouting?” Robbie walked over to Lance, snaking the carton of juice out of his hands to take a swig for himself.
“Will y’all put some damn clothes on!? Since when do we walk around the apartment with everything hanging out and flapping in the breeze?”
Robbie chuckled, somehow managing not to sputter juice everywhere. “Hmm, I don’t remember reading anything about required attire in your little roommate agreement.”
I spun around and rolled my eyes at him before turning my attention back up to the ceiling. “Seriously? I didn’t think it was necessary to include that, since we’re civilized human beings and all. Or at least I thought we were.”
“Sorry about that, Maddie. I didn’t think you’d catch me out here. I’ll make sure to at least put boxers on next time.” Lance winked and pulled me into an awkward side hug that almost resulted in it touching my leg.
“Hey, you know this is my apartment, too. I should be able to walk around with my Johnson sprung free if I want to. You’re more than welcome to join me. It’s no secret that I’m not offended by the female anatomy.”
“That’s because you’re gay, dipshit! My lady bits don’t get you all hot and bothered. Me, on the other hand…it’s just…ughh! It’s just weird, okay!”
“Baby girl, are you trying to tell me that my sexy ass gives you lady boners?” I could hear Lance chuckling at Robbie’s comment, and I turned to glare at him. At least he had his boxers on now.
“Both of you, please, just keep some clothes on when you’re outside of the bedroom. Seriously, what if I had company over?” I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling extremely awkward the longer our conversation went on. It was becoming more difficult to keep eye contact with Robbie, considering the current state he was in.
“Is Jeremy still here?” Robbie wasn’t exactly his biggest fan, and I could hear it in his tone.
“No. He left hours ago. Don’t try to change the subject. Just promise me you’ll keep your…member…covered from now on. Okay?”
Robbie smiled and grabbed a dishtowel, covering himself as he crossed the kitchen in my direction. My body stiffened in response to his close proximity, but he leaned in just close enough to press a kiss against my forehead. “I promise, baby girl. It won’t happen again.”
He took off toward his bedroom with Lance in tow. They were sickeningly sweet together, but I really was happy that they had each other. When Robbie first moved in, I was a little apprehensive about living with a guy. Just one look at him and I knew it would be impossible to avoid falling into bed with him. He was six-foot-two-inches of delicious eye candy: jet black hair, ice-blue eyes and a killer smile. When he told me he was gay, I was both relieved and disappointed. Why was it the hot ones were always gay? I swore it was like the universe was plotting against me every time I came across a decent, good-looking guy.
To say I was excited to read this book was an understatement. I may or may not have stalked and hounded Maureen to get her to keep writing, but she loves me.
Unforeseen Heartbeat is the second book in the Second Chances series but before you panic it can be read as a stand alone. Book one followed the story of Liberty and Shayne, and Unforeseen Heartbeat is Maddie's story. Unforeseen Heartbeat picks up right where Relinquishing Liberty left off but don't freak out, you are not left in the dark, you find out all the details you need to know not to feel lost. However, I recommend reading Relinquishing Liberty as well, you get to meet Liberty and Shayne and trust me you want to know Shayne.
Maddie is bubbly, energetic, happy, strong and independent, but that is only on the outside. Inside she was broken, fragile and weak. She wants to be loved, but due to some horrible event in her past she believes she is not worthy of being loved. Instead she finds herself in an endless string of one night stands or no strings attached hook-ups. One night at a party her whole world changes when Hunter Bryant enters her life. Hunter is a strong, loving, protective, independent, and romantic. He gave Maddie time to adjust to having someone care about her, and when she pushes him away, he pushes back harder. Causing Maddie to second guess her view on love, and making her see that maybe she was worthy of being loved all along.
Unforeseen Heartbeat is a must read. Maureen writes in a way where you feel emotionally connected to the characters. Unforeseen Heartbeat is sweet, sexy, it has a who done it factor, it has humor and for the more sensitive people it will bring on tears.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Maddie and Hunter and ask them some questions, we even had a surprise visitor!
Tabby: Hello Maddie and Hunter thank you so much for agreeing to talk to me today
Maddie: We're happy to have you. *laces her fingers with Hunters and smiles lovingly at him*
Tabby: Well you two look as happy as can be...Hunter is there something wrong with your eye?
Hunter: *reaching up toward his eye and smearing away the cover up* Fuck! *shaking his yeah* yeah about that…I uh, might've gotten into it with Shayne the other day.
Maddie: Don't even get me started on that or else you'll be spending another night on the couch.
Tabby: Care to elaborate on why you "might've" gotten into it with Shayne?
Maddie: *glaring, shooting daggers into Hunter* Yeah baby, why don't you tell her all about how you sucker-punched Shayne the other night at the bar. Go on…I'm sure she'd love to hear all about it.
Hunter: Babe, you know I had every right to lay into that piece of shit for what he did to you. No one messes with my girl and gets away with it.
Maddie: That's was years ago! Ohmigod it's like dealing with a child here, Tabby, I swear. And look where it got you Hunter. Your eye is nearly swollen shut for Christ's sake!
Tabby: How did Shanye take this attack and does he look as bad?
Hunter: *Rubbing the stubble lining his jaw* Well, we're not exactly on speaking terms as of right now, but I could care less what happens to that fucker. He got what he deserved and walked away in much rougher shape than I did.
Maddie: Unbelievable *shaking her head*
Hunter: Oh c'mon babe you weren't this pissed off in bed last night.
Hunter: *winking over at Tabby with a wicked grin gracing his lips*
Maddie: So help me God, Hunter, if you don't keep your trap shut you're going to get it a lot worse than Shayne did.
Tabby: *Hides a giggle and quickly retorts* Hunter this happened years ago, and Shayne had no idea that she was pregnant. Why take it out on a guy who was blindsided after the fact years later?
Hunter: Hmm I think Maddie could answer that better than I could, isn't that right sweetheart? *crossing his arms over his chest*
Maddie: Hunter…
Hunter: Wasn't it just the other day you "accidentally" let it slip that Shayne was the one who got you pregnant? Yeah, she left that little tidbit of info out. Shayne wasn't the only one who was blindsided here.
Maddie: Baby, I'm sorry. You know I wasn't trying to hide that from you on purpose. It's not exactly something I like to bring up.
Hunter: *letting out breathy sigh*I know, babe. I know. I'm sorry for the way I reacted. You know I'd do anything to protect you, and I just went with my instincts. *rubs Maddie's back and kisses her forehead*
Tabby: Ok, lets just move on from this subject. Mistakes were made, punches were thrown and from the sound of it there may or may not have been some hot make up sex.
Tabby: I have to admit, I was completely loving the nickname Lil Rambo. Does she still live up to that nickname Hunter?
Hunter: You have no idea. *giving Maddie a knowing look* Both in and out of the bedroom.
Maddie: Hunter! *smacks his chest playfully* Tabby doesn't want to hear about that. I mean…oh shhhit...
Robbie: Hey guys… *Walks into the room nonchalantly* Is that a camera? *Strides up to the camera with a cocky grin*
Maddie: Robbie what the fuck are you doing!? We've talked about this a million times. You need to wear clothes when there is company around. No one needs to see your pork sword!
Hunter: *diverting his attention to the ceiling*
Robbie: Tabby *licking his lips* you don't have a problem with my sexy ass walking around here in the buff, do you?
Tabby: *Eyes the floor, peeking up a time or two* Hi Robbie, it's so nice to ummm...see you. How are you?
Robbie: Never been better! *Stretches his arms over his head* I've missed seeing these two around, now that Maddie has moved out, so I figured I'd grace them with my presence.
Maddie: You seemed to have forgotten to grace us with your clothes. *rolls eyes*
Hunter: *chuckling beside Maddie, eyes remaining on the ceiling* Yeah it's good to see you, man.
Robbie: Dude you totally ruined the job I did on your eye!
Tabby:*laughs out loud* Robbie do you do this often? Prance around the apartment naked?
Robbie: Ah what can I say? I was blessed with this body and I'm not afraid to share it with the world. Why cover up such utter perfection?
Maddie: *smirks* I'm not sure the rest of the world would agree.
Tabby: Robbie without giving much detail, because not everyone has read Unforeseen Heartbeat. What was the hardest to deal with?
Robbie: We all have our problems, but seeing all the shit baby girl has gone through and not being able to do a damn thing about it… It killed me.
Tabby: I bet that couldn't have been easy. You're such a good friend to her, but I hear you haven't been cuddled up in this apartment alone since Maddie left. How is that going?
Robbie: *a wicked grin spreads across his face* So ya heard about that, huh? Well as much as I miss baby girl being around, my boyfriend Lance and I have been doing quite well. Now we don't need to be so…discrete around the apartment, if you know what I mean. *winks*
Maddie: Thank God I'm no longer there to witness it!
Robbie: Oh c'mon we weren't that bad.
Maddie: I'm sorry…do you not remember the incident in the kitchen?
Robbie: *chuckling* All right, point taken.
Did you and Lance like embarrassing Maddie in the kitchen?
Robbie: Oh Tabby, it was too easy. I swear, Maddie sets herself up for that shit.
Tabby: By just waking up in the morning? *Laughs and looks at Maddie sympathetically*
Robbie: She's not quite awake before she gets her morning, or should I say afternoon, cup of Joe, so that made it even easier.
Maddie: All right, I'll give him that. I'm in freakin' zombie mode when I first wake up.
Hunter: *leaning back with his arm across the back of the couch and laughing* Oh i'm just enjoying the show. I've learned to stay out of it, otherwise I end up in the doghouse.
Maddie: As you should! It's not fair when everyone gangs up on me.
Hunter: It's all in good fun, Lil' Rambo! *slips his arm around Maddie's shoulder and tugs her to his side.*
Tabby: Robbie what did you think when you first met Hunter? Did you think Maddie was going to chew him up and spit him out? No offense Maddie, but you were pretty mean in the beginning. *offers a soft smile*
Robbie: *gazes over at Maddie sympathetically* I haven't known Maddie as long as the rest of the crew, but I know she has her reasons for the way she handles relationships. And in Hunter's case it's a bit of a sensitive issue, but she was kind of thrown into bed with him unwillingly. I know he was just there to help, but putting myself in her shoes, I can't really blame her for wanting to chew him up and spit him out on the spot.
Robbie: Me, I thought Hunter was perfect with her. I think it took a little nudging from everyone to make Maddie see that for herself, but she finally came around.
Hunter: Thanks for that, man.
Tabby: Ok, back to Hunter and Maddie, all I have to say is wow! How did you two not rip each others clothes off during the "gym scenes"?
Hunter: Trust me, it wasn't easy by any means. But I managed to rein it in when things got...heated.
Maddie: Yeah, somebody kept pumping the brakes every time we'd get all hot and bothered.
Hunter: that's because I respect you, babe. I didn't want you to think I was just another asshole trying to get in your pants.
Tabby: So before I let you two go, where do you see yourselves in the next 5 years?
Hunter: *bringing Maddie's hand up to his lips* with my girl by my side, maybe a few kidlets running around. As long as I have her, my life full and complete.
Maddie: Awww, baby! *throwing her arms around Hunter's neck and laying a passionate kiss on his lips* You really see all of that?
Hunter: Hell yeah, babe! You're my world. *brushing his thumb across her cheek* Without you, my life is has no meaning.
Maddie: *tears in her eyes* I love you so much.
Tabby: You two are just so cute! Thank you for meeting with me today. I hope to have the opportunity to talk with you two again. *yells across the apartment* thanks for the visit Robbie!
Robbie: *peeking out of the kitchen with nothing but an apron on* hope to see you again soon sweets!
Tabby: *giggles* Well at least he covered up...mostly.
Maddie: His ass is still showing but at least we don't have to see his pork sword! It was so nice to meet you Tabby. *moves across the room to hug you*
Hunter: you're welcome back here anytime, sweetheart. *kisses you on the cheek*
I completely swooned over a peck on the cheek! Maddie is one lucky girl.
Maureen Mayer was born, raised and currently resides in Buffalo, NY with her loving and supportive family and boyfriend of 9+ years. She’s always had a love for the outdoors, and when the city isn’t buried under snow, she can be found hiking, fishing, camping or lying on the beach. She’s a sucker for off-color humor, but holds a sweet spot for sick and twisted horror films. When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in bed with her kindle, diving into a steamy romance novel and falling in love with the latest book boyfriend.
Relinquishing Liberty (Second Chances #1)
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