Effortless With You series by Lizzy Charles
Published by: Swoon Romance
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Synopsis book 1 - Effortless With You:
School is out and Lucy is ready for the perfect summer: lazy days at the pool, invitations to the most exclusive parties, and romantic dates with her hot new boyfriend. That is, until she lands in trouble one too many times and her parents issue the ultimate punishment: a summer job. Suddenly, the summer can’t end fast enough.
To make matters worse, the job is painting houses with Justin, the most popular, egotistical guy in school. Spending all summer with Justin might be other girls’ dreams, but definitely not Lucy’s. After all, Justin is cocky, annoying, and a jerk. So what if he’s the most beautiful jerk Lucy’s ever seen? Or that his grin makes her forget she’s mad at the world? Or that maybe, just maybe, there’s more to Justin than Lucy realizes. Only one thing is certain: it won’t be the summer she wanted, but it might be exactly the one she needs
Synopsis book 2 - Perfectly Messy:
Popularity isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. Justin Marshall knows this better than most. For the captain of the basketball team, small business owner, and son of Minnesota’s next governor, life can get pretty overwhelming. But Justin can handle anything as long as he has Lucy, the girl who fell for the man he’s trying to be.
But for Justin and Lucy, finding time together proves challenging. Stolen kisses and whispered promises just aren’t enough. That is, until scandalous photos of the couple are leaked to a press intent on creating a juicy scandal during Justin’s dad’s gubernatorial campaign. And when Lucy becomes fair play for the tabloids and gossip pages, Justin does the only thing he can to protect her: he breaks her heart.
For Lucy, junior year is everything she hoped it would be: new friends, second chances, and a boyfriend she can’t stop kissing. That is, until the boy she’s pretty sure she loves chooses the life his family wants for him, over her.
Now it’s up to Lucy to teach him what it really means to have everything. Because for Justin, being who everyone needs him to be just might cost him the one person he can’t live without
Effortless With You Excerpt
Alex tugs on my arm. “Man,
woman. Do you ever have a normal day?” He pulls me into a hug
before giving me his signature pat on the back
I wonder the same thing.
The wind picks up again. I jump
at the sound of abandoned ladders crashing to the ground. The oak
tree gives another protesting creak as its branches bend above us.
“Alright. Call it.” Justin
yells. “Get your stuff and get home. Safely,” he adds.
Everyone breaks away from the
huddle, grabbing everything in their path. I walk over to my ladder,
grabbing its edge. My fingertips and palms protest in pain as I swing
it up and over my shoulder. I search for my paint can, finding it in
the daisies which are now splattered with white paint. The roof’s
edge hangs above me where only moments before I’d been dangling. I
can’t help but shudder at the what-ifs.
The oak tree makes a popping
sound, jolting me out of my state of shock and awe. I readjust the
ladder over my back. The ladder seems so much heavier than earlier
that day. I watch the guys in the distance effortlessly throw their
ladders and supplies into Justin’s truck bed. For the first time, I
really do wish I was that large He-She-like creature that the senior
girls called me. I could use the strength today.
I focus on Justin, climbing into
the truck bed and surveying the supplies. The rest of the guys have
taken refuge in their vehicles. Thankfully, the changing weather
distracted everyone from my struggle. I don’t want any more
attention.
I dig my feet into the ground,
determined to get my ladder to the truck on my own. I refuse to be
lame and leave it behind. But the oak tree urges me to with every
creek. It doesn’t understand. I don’t always want to be the
damsel in distress. I need to do this on my own.
Sheets of rain pour from the sky.
The sound is near deafening. I readjust my grip on the metal. My palm
stings as if glass has cut me. The ladder slips through my palms,
crashing on the sidewalk below.
I bend over, determined to do
something right. Surprisingly, the ladder lifts with ease. I look up
as Justin takes it from me, swinging it over his shoulder. He pushes
me in front of him toward the truck.
Damn. I’m sick of being so
hopeless and weak.
Boom.
A cannon of thunder.
Justin throws the ladder in the
tuck bed and pulls me around to the front. I reach up, grabbing the
door’s handle only to be rewarded with pain shooting through my
palms. Red blood drips down the side of Justin’s white truck.
Justin gasps as he reaches past
me and grabs the handle, opening the door and lifting me onto the
seat. White pellets fall on Justin’s shoulders and it’s like I’m
stuck in a popcorn maker. Justin stands outside, oblivious to the
hail and rain. He turns over my palms, searching for the cause of the
blood. I look at my hands with the same curiosity.
My fingertips are scrapped and
raw, already swollen and bleeding. Large calluses have been ripped
from my palms. Small holes weep blood in their place. Two deep cuts
are positioned on my right palm where blood seeps freely.
Justin removes his hands from
mine. He takes off his shirt, pressing the wet cloth into my palms. I
close my hands around it and focus on the white fabric changing red.
The shirt stings but I hold it tightly. It’s a good distraction
from Justin’s abs. The door shuts and a moment later the other
opens. Justin slides in next to me.
He grabs my wrists, pulling my
hands back in his. “Lucy, crap.” Water drips down my face. I am
pretty sure it isn’t from tears. At least, I hope not.
The sirens blare and the wind
gusts pick up. Justin swears, dropping my hands, turning the ignition
and throwing the truck into reverse. The radio broadcast continues,
“Severe Thunderstorm Warning In Effect.”
“Thunderstorm warning? Look
outside.” Justin shouts at the radio. I glance through my window.
Clouds swirl above us as Justin speeds away from the neighborhood. He
pulls onto the highway. We’re flying with a few other cars at over
eighty miles per hour.
“That’s a Severe
Thunderstorm Warning for Hennepin County.” The radio voice
reiterates. A siren blares from the radio. “Update: Tornado Watch
in effect for West Hennepin County.” I roll down the window for a
clear view at the sky. The clouds drop lower, spinning in opposite
directions above us. “Justin, the clouds…” Cars stop and
drivers run down into the ditch.
The truck screeches to a halt
with them. I turn, fumbling with the door’s latch. “Forget it,”
Justin shouts over the wind. A bush blows past my window as he pulls
me over his lap with one arm. He throws the door open, pushing me out
of the truck and into the ditch.
Justin shoves me against the
ground. I duck, covering the back of my head like they taught me in
elementary school. I feel more pressure over my head as Justin’s
body presses over me. Two women scream as the sound of a train
approaches. Cars scrape against the pavement and smash into one
another. Justin’s lies next to me, one hand over my head. The train
drowns all noises.
I hold my breath.
About The Author:
Lizzy Charles lives in the Twin Cities and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. When she isn’t raising her three children or caring for premature and sick babies as a neonatal intensive care nurse, she’s seeking refuge with her laptop, sparkling water, and dark chocolate. She married her high school sweetheart, a swoon-worthy musician, so it’s no surprise she’s fallen in love with writing contemporary YA romance novels.
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