Title: Only Between Us
Publication date: September 3rd 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis
Last semester, Romy escaped from an abusive relationship with the guy she’d thought was the man of her dreams. This semester she’s putting herself back together, determined to reclaim her passion for art and for life. When she signs up for a painting class at the local art co-op, the possibility of passion becomes very real -- in the form of her teacher, Caleb. Both mysterious and seriously hot, Caleb bares his soul on his canvases, and Romy’s fascinated by what she sees.
Caleb is just trying to keep his head above water. Caring for his traumatized, unstable sister is getting harder every day, and his paintings are so dark and bleak that no one is buying. Teaching classes at the co-op is no longer enough, and now he’s going to have to sell more than just his art to the wealthy, sex-starved women in his classes. But when Romy comes along, she makes everything more complicated. She sees the truth in his paintings -- a truth no one else has realized, until now.
Romy and Caleb might have a real shot together -- one that could heal them both. But when ghosts from their pasts re-emerge, determined to keep them apart, will they be strong enough to hold on to each other?
Excerpt
With a sigh, I put the phone away and try to focus on the job that’s going to earn me enough to cover bills and pay our rent for the next three months. I grab my sketch pad from a corner and pull the pencil from its spiral. Landscapes. Flowers. Tasteful. The blank page greets me, and the irony makes me chuckle. Wasn’t I pulling Romy through her creative block only an hour ago?
If she could see me now, what would she say?
Why am I thinking about her at all?
But before I can stop myself, I’m recreating the slope of her neck, this graceful line of pure wish. I trace my index finger along its path, smudging it a little. The curve of her jaw, the shell of her ear. It’s easily visible because her hair’s so short. I stretch out on my stomach on the floor of my studio, among my oils and brushes, stupid landscapes the furthest thing from my mind. I want to capture it, challenge and fear at the same time, the need for shelter and the need for strength bleeding together, mixing but still distinct. It was all there in Romy’s eyes, and it made me want to take her face in my hands and stare long enough to figure it out.
The Only Between Us playlist
New Low by Middle
Class Rut – “I have no space/No
room to move around/And this box is getting smaller/I'm trying to get out …” At
the beginning of the book, Caleb is so worn down and feels so trapped, and this
song reminds me of that.
Be Calm by fun. – “I know you feel
like you are breaking down/I know that it gets so hard sometimes/Be calm …” A
perfect reminder during those moments of anxiety, and Romy has many of them.
Seven Devils by
Florence and the Machine – “For what has been done/Cannot be undone/In the evil's
heart/In the evil's soul …” I think this song is kind of terrifying, and to me
it captures the kinds of memories Caleb and his sister face.
Iridescent by Linkin
Park – “You felt the
gravity of tempered grace/Falling into empty space/No one there to catch you in
their arms …” This song is just the soul of loneliness, and I think it’s one
Caleb would listen to as he paints.
Take Me Back To
Where I Was by Shiny Toy Guns – “Please take what I've had to hide/Start me over from the
start/Reshape my heart tonight …” A very melancholy song, but a beautiful one.
Another Caleb painting song.
Timeless by The
Airborne Toxic Event – “Just help me through this moment/After everything I told
you/How the weight of their loss is like the weight of the sun …” Caleb has
suffered incredible loss, and the moment he lets that out is pretty cathartic.
Both Hands by Ani
DiFranco – “I am writing
graffiti on your body/I am drawing the story of how hard we tried…” This one
haunts me. It’s just a classic song about how you can love someone and still
struggle to be together.
Dig by Incubus – “Dig me up from
under what is covering the better part of me …” A lot of this book is about
exactly this.
Guilty As Charged by
Tegan and Sara
– “And so I go back home to be by myself/I try everything I've ever
read/Desperate, I still can't get you out of my head …” How Romy feels about
Caleb, in a nutshell.
Soul Meets Body by
Death Cab for Cutie – “Cause you’re the only song I want to hear/A melody softly
soaring through my atmosphere …” There’s something amazing about finding peace
and sanctuary in another person, and it’s how Caleb feels about Romy.
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Mila Ferrera lives in New England, where she has a family and a job and does various normal, everyday things, all while plotting novels in her head. She has a passion for writing new adult/adult romance featuring psychological twists and tortured heroes. Her own psychology internship involved plenty of consultation, but alas, no sexy Swedish doctors, and her decision to make one up is what sparked her self-publishing adventures. She's the author of SPIRAL (available now), ONLY BETWEEN US (9/3/13), and EVERYTHING BETWEEN US (11/5/13).
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