Title: Words I Couldn’t Say
Series: Promise in Prose #1
Author: Tessa Teevan
Release Date: Nov 22, 2016
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Photo Credit: Sara Eirew Photography
You know the old adage “if you love something, set it free?"
It's the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
The dumbest thing I've ever done.
I loved her. I lost her. Hell, I let her go. And then spent five miserable years without her.
To cope with the loss, I put pen to paper and wrote her a love story, knowing when she was ready she’d hear the words I couldn’t say all those years ago.
Turned out, not only would she hear them, but when Hollywood came calling, I made sure she got the lead role.
It's the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
The dumbest thing I've ever done.
I loved her. I lost her. Hell, I let her go. And then spent five miserable years without her.
To cope with the loss, I put pen to paper and wrote her a love story, knowing when she was ready she’d hear the words I couldn’t say all those years ago.
Turned out, not only would she hear them, but when Hollywood came calling, I made sure she got the lead role.
After all, no one else could portray the character whom she’d inspired.
Now she's within arms' reach and finally, she'll know the truth in my heart.
Because that other cliché, “Actions speak louder than words?”
I’m going to prove it.
My words may have brought Ava Banks back into my life; I have to be enough to make her stay.
My Review
I received an advanced copy of this book with the promise of an honest review.
Well. I was bawling my eyes out before the prologue was even over. Ava wanted a grand gesture from the man she loves and she got all that and more. Holy. Cow.
Ava left Tucker behind to follow her dreams of becoming a movie star. He originally was going to go with her, but family obligations made him stay behind. They have had little to no interaction in the five years they have been apart, but when a movie role that was made for Ava falls into her lap, she finds herself going home to star in a possible blockbuster movie and potentially back in front of the boy she left behind.
As Ava is walking through the airport, the last person she expects to see is right in front of her. And he is definitely not the boy she remembers. Tucker is all grown up and unbeknownst to her, ready to get back the life he gave up five years ago. Their reunion isn't bad, but it's not great either. He ends up giving her a lift home (he still lives next door to her parents) from the airport and it's obvious that there are a lot of feelings still between them, but things won't be settled over night.
While Ava and Tucker do talk about the past and how it affected them, they are more focused on learning about the people they are today. Their lives are extremely different than they were five years ago. Professionally they have moved on and created new lives for themselves, but emotionally, they never let the other person go. They both were both walking around with Ava/Jeremy shaped holes in their souls and it is now time to fill them up. And these two as an adult couple were sexy as hell. There were a few scenes that not only made me want to take a cold shower, but also made me blush. On my commute. In public. All grown up, indeed.
And I didn't think it was possible, but I think I love Jeremy and Sierra even more after reading this book. They are still ridiculously crazy in love and hilarious. Their antics as meddling parents made me laugh out loud more than once and they also tugged at my heartstrings. Then throw in Ava's adorable younger brothers and I just want to be a part of the Banks family! And her younger brother's names...SO GOOD. I won't share them here because I don't want to ruin anything, but trust me on this.
Tessa knocked it out of the park with this book. Ava and Tucker's story was perfect. From moment Ava walked up to Tucker and claimed him for herself, to the very end of of the book, I was captivated. Believe it or not, the drama is kind of kept to a minimum, but that doesn't mean there is a lack of emotion. This book is full of it. There are also lots of awesome pop culture references that will make you happy (well they made ME happy) and you may even find your self humming a boy band song or two.
The air around us was silent save for the crickets chirping off in the distance. The cool Cincinnati breeze nipped at my skin while I waited for his reaction. When I’d started writing this novel, it had been an ode to my past love. My past life. But then it’d taken on a life of its own and become so much more. Which had made it that much more poignant. That much harder to fathom the one word that’d been haunting me for years.
Goodbye.
At long last, he turned to the final page and sucked in a breath. My stomach twisted in knots because he was about to read the end. And I didn’t know how he’d interpret it. Half scared he’d tell me that I’d lost my mind and no one would ever want to read this story, especially with that ending.
He didn’t make me wait long. As his head slowly rose, I was taken aback at the tears shining in his usually cheerful eyes. This man, who had always been like a second father to me, had been reduced to tears by my words. My words. Words we both knew for whom they were meant. And, instead of calling me a fool or attempting to kill me, he watched me with tearful appreciation, switching between nodding and shaking his head as if trying to process it all.
I didn’t know how to react, so I simply stared at him, waiting for him to say something. Anything.
He closed the manuscript and set it on the table in front of us before taking a long swig from his whiskey glass. I followed suit and enjoyed the smoky burn that did little to soothe my nerves.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, his eyes locking in on mine. “Tucker. You did it. You fucking did it,” he whispered, seemingly unashamed of his emotional display.
I nodded, the same emotion welling up inside me when I remembered the ending of my first novel. So many love stories begin with the girl who got away. Mine wasn’t any different. Not only in my novel, but in real life as well. Ava Banks was, and always would be, that girl for me. But, instead of slipping through my fingers, she’d made the conscious decision to leave. And, like most dumbass men, I’d let her. Hell, I’d pushed her away. I’d regretted it ever since.
But, now, I was hoping like hell I could get the second chance Trevor did. Hoping like hell my story would turn out differently than his. But, either way, I was putting myself out there, as terrifying as that was. She finally, finally would hear the words I couldn’t say all those years ago.
Now, I just had to wait to see what she’d do about it.
Tessa Teevan is a twenty-something book junkie who is also obsessed with sports. Bengals, Buckeyes, Reds are who she spends her time rooting for. She’s a research analyst by day, reads/writes by night, and is married to a guy 15 inches taller than her, making them quite the pair! They currently reside just outside of Dayton, OH with two adorably grumpy cats.
If she’s not writing or scouring through tons of photos of hot men, all in the name of research, then you can probably find her curled up with her Kindle, ignoring the rest of the world. She loves her sports almost as much as she loves her books. Her other obsessions include red wine, hot men, rock music, and all things Corey Taylor.
She adores hearing from readers, so please feel free to contact via any social media site listed below.
