Erika Marks’ Forget Me Not

I don’t know what I’m more excited about—being here on Jane’s fabulous blog, or getting the chance to invite y’all back to Magnolia Bay for another romance!

I hope you’re ready for summer, friends, because from where I’m sitting, it has arrived! The breeze is heavy with honeysuckle, the sunset hangs on a little longer in the sky, and the mint is muddled for mojitos. I’m no meteorologist, but I call this falling-in-love weather.

Speaking of love…Who here is a sucker for second-chance love stories?

(*Erika waves wildly from her chair* “Oh, me! Pick me!!”)

Now we all know the saga of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY and the phenomenon it became. From all appearances, the author seems to have weathered the media storm quite well—but what if the author wasn’t looking for fame and fortune as an erotica writer, I wondered? What if she never imagined her family and friends would find out what she was writing? And what if they—or her ex-boyfriend—did?

From there FORGET ME NOT was born.

As a writer myself, I am always aware of the effect of my words on my loved ones—all writers are, certainly. But for Mallory, her words belonged to someone else, an alias known only as Farrah Ivory. Until the day her identity is revealed to the world, and the media firestorm that ensues sends her back home to hide—where she finds herself face-to-face with the boyfriend she left behind, Josh Loveless.

Now if you’ve been to Magnolia Bay before, then you already know those irresistible Loveless boys—and Josh is cut from the same sexy Loveless cloth. Josh is my kind of alpha. Strong in body and soul. But he’s no player. To me, there is nothing sexier than a man who knows what—and who—he wants. And Josh wants Mallory. At least, he used to, before she left Magnolia Bay five years earlier to pursue her writing career in New York City. When she goes, he moves on with his life and opens the outdoor adventure store he’s always dreamed of. But what about his heart? Well, he believes he’s moved on with that part of himself too…until Mallory rolls back into town, looking to ride out her scandal, and suddenly everything Josh thought he wanted gets as tangled up as a set of climbing wall ropes.

It certainly doesn’t help matters that everyone in town thinks Josh was the inspiration for Mallory’s rock-climbing, billionaire bad-boy—and ribs him for it mercilessly. And while some men might be flattered by the attention, Josh likes to keep his love life—and his athletic bedroom prowess—private.

For her part, Mallory Reynolds is no shrinking violet. No, ma’am. Yes, she’s embarrassed at all the attention, but she knows her books are as well-written as anyone else’s and while she’s willing to tuck her tail between her legs at first, she’s not about to apologize for her success—especially not to Josh who should know she’s still every bit the same fun-loving, good-hearted woman he fell in love with in high school. Has she changed some? Of course. How could she not?

I loved, too, exploring the theme of personal growth—both as we see ourselves, and as others see us. For Josh and Mallory to find their way back to each other will take more than forgiveness—it will take acceptance of a fundamental truth: we grow and we change. It is our right and, one might even argue in this book, our duty. (Fortunately for Josh and Mallory, their attraction to one another is the one thing that hasn’t changed!)

I hope Josh and Mallory’s second chance at love grows on you, too, friends.

Have you ever found yourself going home again years later? Was it the place you remembered? Were you?

Website: http://www.erikamarksauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErikaMarksAuthor
Facebook/Magnolia Bay: https://www.facebook.com/magnoliabaybooks

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Erika, thank you for sharing with us today!  Readers, be sure to download your copy of Forget Me Not soon.

To help celebrate the release of Forget Me Not, we have a great Erika Marks prize full of good books, gift cards and fun stuff!  For a chance to win, leave a response to Erika’s questions and you’ll be entered!  Contest ends Thursday with winner announced Friday!