Author Name: Melanie Hansen
Book Name: Unquiet
Series: Resilient Love
Book: Three
Unquiet can be read as a standalone
Release
Date: January 22, 2016
Blurb:
Loren
Smith has been in
love with Eliot Devlin almost his entire life. During their
turbulent childhood and teen years, Loren didn’t always understand Eliot, and
sometimes he could be a challenge, but Eliot was the only one to ever truly
ease Loren’s deep loneliness and accept him. When Eliot’s increasingly
erratic and self-destructive behavior culminates in a suicide attempt at
seventeen, Loren is devastated.
Upon
meeting again by chance nine years later, Loren is enjoying a successful career
as a police officer while Eliot’s life has been a constant struggle for
stability. In and out of mental hospitals, with a rap sheet a mile long,
he continues to be buffeted by the twin storms of mania and depression.
Loren’s love and protectiveness for Eliot are deeply ingrained in him, however,
and their feelings for each other are quickly rekindled.
Loren
has issues of his own he’s dealing with, and trying to understand and cope with
Eliot’s bipolar disorder isn’t easy. They believe they’re meant to be,
and Eliot brings a fulfillment to Loren’s life that no one else will ever
match. But as they both come to realize, love by itself can’t cure all.
Pages or Words: 102,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M
Romance, Romance
Excerpt:
“Are you happy, El?” Loren finally asked.
“I’ve seen so many different incarnations of your moods, but I honestly don’t
know if I’d recognize happiness in you.” His voice held a faint note of apology
for asking, and Eliot glanced at him, surprised but pleased by Loren’s candor.
“I don’t
know if I’d recognize happiness either, Loren,” he admitted, rubbing his thumb
over the back of Loren’s hand when he threw Eliot a stricken look. “Hey, hey,”
Eliot said reassuringly. “I don’t mean that the way it sounds.”
Eliot
blew out a breath, thinking about how to explain this. Loren waited, but his lips
were pressed together in a tight line, and Eliot squeezed his fingers.
“Usually
when I wake up in the morning, I’m afraid,” he said, and Loren opened his mouth
to speak but then didn’t say anything. Eliot glanced at him again, then
continued, “I feel the craziness, the madness lurking, just waiting for me. It
feels like it’s attached to me, that when I get out of bed, I’m dragging it
with me. It’s always there, ready to pounce and swallow me up.”
“Oh,
El,” Loren whispered.
Eliot stroked
his hand. “And this morning when I woke up, I wasn’t afraid. I think that’s
what it feels like to be happy. It’s enough for me.”
Loren
didn’t say anything, but a lone tear slid down his cheek. Eliot reached up and
wiped it away with his thumb, stroking Loren’s jaw tenderly.
“What’s
the matter, honey?”
Just
then the sign for a scenic lookout appeared, and Loren took the exit, parking
the truck. He stared through the windshield, blinking fast, more tears welling
up.
“The
thought of you for all those years, waking up afraid,” he whispered brokenly.
“And I wasn’t there, Eliot. I wasn’t there.” Eliot could see Loren’s throat
working as he fought not to cry, and with a soft exclamation, Eliot opened his
arms, gathering him close. He stroked Loren’s hair, feeling the hot wetness of
tears against his neck.
“But you
were there, Loren. Shhh,” he soothed.
When
Loren calmed a little, Eliot pulled back and took Loren’s face in his hands,
forcing him to meet his eyes.
“I’ve
been in a lot of therapy over the years, and they always ask me the same thing,
what my best memories are, what memories do I have of feeling happy or safe.
I’m supposed to bring them to mind when I’m stressed or scared or angry. It’s
part of cognitive therapy, learning to readjust your thinking, to focus on good
things and not negative things.”
Eliot
caressed Loren’s face. “And Loren, there’s a lot I don’t remember, but what I
do, every single one of those types of memories is about you. Being kids,
riding our bikes, playing with toys, laughing at stupid jokes. Then later the
way you held me in the dark after a nightmare or sat with me when I was so sad
and hurting that I wanted to die. The way you—the way you loved me, loved my batshit crazy and fucked-up mess.
“You’ve always been with me, Loren, through my
memories. Always.”
Loren
completely lost it then, and Eliot let him cry it out, murmuring to him,
rocking him, reveling in being the one to comfort, to soothe, of being able to
shore up the man he loved when he needed it.
Finally
the storm passed and Loren pulled away, sitting up and scrubbing his hands over
his face.
“I’m
glad, El,” he rasped, clearing his throat several times before starting the
truck and pulling back onto the interstate. “I’m glad I’m your best memories.”
Buy the book:
Meet the author:
Melanie Hansen has spent time in
Texas and Florida prisons…for work. She’s been in a room with a
17-year-old mass murderer who was also one of the most soft-spoken and polite
teenagers she’s ever met. After a 13-year career as a court reporter, she
can tell many stories both hilarious and heartbreaking.
She grew up with an Air Force dad,
and ended up marrying a Navy man. After living and working all over the
country, she hopes to bring these rich and varied life experiences to her
stories about people finding love amidst real-life struggles.
Melanie left the stressful world of
the courtroom behind and now enjoys a rewarding career transcribing for a deaf
student. She currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.
Where to find the author:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelJoyAZ
Goodreads
Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26833425-unquiet
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover
Artist: Natasha Snow
Rafflecopter Prize: $20 Amazon gift card
Rafflecopter Code:
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