A MESS OF A MAN by Terri E. Laine & A.M. Hargrove: Blog Tour, Excerpt & Mary’s Review

Only they have no idea of  the journey they’re about to undertake when their lives collide. Ultimately  they’ll tackle the biggest test of their lives because she is his game changer.
The one, who through the ensuing wreckage, can domesticate the mess of a man
that he is.

There is finality to the sound of the door  closing behind her. A sort of tormenting peace knowing the end has come. It’s  not like I should have expected things to go on this way for long. How could  they?


I stare holes in the walls as if I can still see  her, the one woman I let in.


Sweeter than peach cobbler, she hardly has a  bad thing to say about anybody—until now. Her parting description of me,  beginning with ass and ending with hole, reverberates through my hollow heart,  as I stand here rooted to my spot. I’m not even shocked, as this isn’t the  first time I’ve been on the receiving end of that sentiment. I’m only surprised  because I don’t think I’ve ever heard her so much as mutter a single curse word  before. And the first time I do, it’s aimed squarely at me.


My hands tighten around a tumbler filled with  amber liquid before I toss back its contents hoping for oblivion or something close to it. This road is so familiar. Only this time is different. I never cared like I do now. She means more to me than a quick fuck. Hadn’t I been about to tell her just that? How could things have gone wrong so fast? Don’t be a dumbass. You can still fix this.


Instead, I stubbornly stay embedded to my  spot because nothing can change the outcome. It’s a truth she and I know wil haunt me until my last breath. And it’s created a wall between us I’m unable to  climb … even if you gave me a damn ladder.


I’ve never been much of a risk-taker when it  comes to matters of the heart. I can fill a bank account with a number having many zeros behind it from my astute choices in the market. But I can’t be a man a woman stays with. Hadn’t I warned her about that too?  Unable to see past my own shitty existence, I
long for her to come back. I want to believe it’s all been some kind of mistake  and I can forget what I know to be true. As the seconds continue to tick by,  the inevitability that things are really over sinks in. My window of  opportunity quickly closes as fast as her car door slams and the engine fires  to life.


She’s so close, yet miles away. The longer I  let the minutes expand between us I know distance won’t make the heart grow fonder. But maybe it’s for the best. Love, or whatever masquerades as it, just isn’t enough for the dirty, fucked up truth. Right when things were better than I ever expected, facts messed it up. 

Groaning, I launch the crystal glass worth a  small fortune at the door I can’t seem to force myself towards. A beautiful show of light plays off the shards as they cascade down in an explosion of fireworks. Visually, it’s what I feel inside as desolation constricts and then obliterates my chest because the best thing I ever had is gone … leaving me with only the certainty I’m meant to be with her.

I love you, I whisper for the first time and  in place of goodbye. She left me and will never hear it. I can only pray we  both survive what’s to come.

MARY’S 5 STAR REVIEW

OMG, what an awesome read A Mess of a Man was!! I loved it from beginning to end and really had a soft spot in my heart for Ben. It’s a total page turner and I definitely encourage everyone to get this book.

To say Ben was messed up is putting it lightly. Ben had suffered one of life’s greatest tragedies, the death of his best friend to cancer at the age of 29. Ben is lost without his best friend. Add to that the pressure of working for his Dad, constantly working hard, seeking his approval and self-worth.

On the other hand Ben had a real problem with women too. After having his heartbroken a couple of times earlier in life he’s resolved never to get married. This leads to Ben’s womanizing, man whore ways…using, discarding and breaking women’s hearts. Something that his BFF would never approved of.

Ben mets Samantha in produce department of the Whole Foods store as she was manhandling a melon. It was cute and it was funny and kind of an insta-attraction for them both. Ben would find himself thinking of her a lot….all kinds of dirty thoughts! Their banter was cute and light hearted and in the end Ben got a date with Sam.

I loved Samantha. She is the capable, confident owner of a successful event planning business. Not only that but she is gorgeous, sweet, kind but she also has the history of picking loser boyfriend. You really felt Sam’s struggle as she tried to navigate the waters with her former boyfriend.   Ironically, Samantha’s attraction to Ben seemed to confuse her more because she always seem to have him on her mind too.

The real impasse for Ben was that in spite of his man whore ways he was beginning to have feeling for Samantha.   Yet, because of his history with women, he didn’t think he was good enough for Sam and would end up hurting her. Even after multiple dates Ben would ultimately end up pushing Sam away.

Sam on the other hand was totally confused by his on and off actions. Deciding to take matters into her own hands she propositioned Ben with having consensual s*x without commitment. Even with this arrangement she still couldn’t understand how he could just shut his emotions down…. especially when the s*x had been beyond amazing!!

Would Ben ever see that he is worthwhile? Could he and Sam move beyond his crazy?

A Mess of a Man is a truly emotional journey for Ben. Trying to come to terms with his best friends death, proving to himself that he was deserving of love and finding a happy place. You’ll experience a full range of emotions, and yes at times cry. Grab your tissues, a drink and sit back and be prepared for the feels!

 

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