Book Blitz: EXCERPT + Playlist + GIVEAWAY - Till Death Us Do Part by Cristina Slough

Till Death Us Do Part
Cristina Slough
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: December 29th 2015
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

The fateful day Mimi Marcus has dreaded begins with a phone call…
The wife of a U.S. Marine, Mimi spent countless nights worried that her husband Joel would fall in the line of duty. He had fought valiantly and served his country with honor. That’s exactly what they tell her when they deliver the news—Joel was taken by the enemy in Afghanistan. Her husband is dead.
In desperate need of closure, Mimi travels to the one place Joel still has ties—The Marcus Ranch in Texas, inherited by his handsome younger brother Austin.
New beginnings are only an illusion…
The closer Mimi grows to the Marcus family, the more she considers it home. But when suspicions of Joel’s past surface, Austin refuses to disclose family secrets—even to his brother’s widow. It’s only by accident she uncovers evidence of Joel’s tainted past. Devastated by his lies and betrayal, she slowly opens up to Austin, and together they unfold layers of pain and grief.
Mimi is sure she’ll never love again, but is Austin the man to prove her wrong? Then the unthinkable happens…
Just as Mimi finds new hope in a future with Austin, Joel returns home from war. Enraged, traumatized, and teetering on the edge of insanity, Joel confesses to a history of deception, revealing yet another secret—this one too terrible to forgive.
In an awful twist of fate, Joel proves marriage vows are made to be honored.
No matter what.

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EXCERPT:

She took the palm of her hand and wiped her face. “You don’t mean that.” She paused and looked at him. “Do you?”

“Yes, this is so fucked up Mimi. You don’t belong to me. You belong to him.”

“But...God, Austin, I don’t know what the hell I’m thinking or feeling.”

“I don’t care. The truth is, I got caught up in everything with you. I felt sorry for you; I pitied you.”

“Austin stop,” she cried “You don’t mean that.”

“Mimi, I do. The truth is. You were my final upyours to my dear brother.”

“You’re lying.”

He took his hands out of his jean pockets and placed them on her sunken shoulders and looked firmly into her eyes. “Yes I do. Everything I told you about loving you was a lie.

And this, what we had was nothing but revenge. Joel played it well, the son of a bitch. He even cheated death. Now get your goddam bags packed and get the hell out of my life.”

She jolted back, falling out of his grip.

Austin stood in silence after the hard slap connected across his left check; it caught his lip, making it bleed. She turned on her heel and ran away, her long hair flowing in the breeze behind her.

He stood there for a second, but it seemed like an hour. He walked a little, and then for the first time in his adult life, he cried.

The digital clock read 2 am. He gazed out of the window. The sky was tarblack, the large clouds gathered fast and furiously. Soon, the gentle specs of rain flicked against the window. As it grew heavier, the tarmac on the carpark soon turned into a black river. He saw a man quicken his pace and slip into a beaten old truck. He opened the door, letting the rain fall on him, drenching through his clothes. He moved out into the stormy weather,needing to wash away the hurt that lay inside him.

He remembered having this feeling once before, after the death of his father. It was then that the divide between him and his brother had become even greater. It had torn them apart, ripping them at the seams. Austin had stolen Joel’s father, and now he was taking his wife. He had no control over the first time, but he swore that he wouldn’t let Austin win this time.

Blood pounded in his ears; he was still at war, but this time with himself.

TRAILER

—

Playlist:

#TeamJoel or #TeamAustin

Brother vs. Brother Face Off

Name: Joel Marcus

Age: 28

Occupation: U.S Marine

Physical Description: Dark, muscular, intense

Likes: The Corps, guns, and women

Dislikes: His brother

Relationship Status: Married (to Mimi)

Typical Friday Night: Beers with the boys

Drink of Choice: Beer

Favorite Food: Fried chicken

Favorite Song: Slash: No more heroes

Choice of Transportation: Anything fast

Boxers or Briefs: Boxer-briefs. Boxers

Best Memory to Date: Marrying Mimi

Words to live by: Semper Fi

VS.

Name: Austin Marcus

Age: 27

Occupation: Owns a family ranch

Physical Description: Dirty blonde hair, moody cowboy, athletic build.

Likes: His son Jake, horses, and wide open spaces

Dislikes: His brother, busy cities, giving-up

Relationship Status: Single (until Mimi came along!)

Typical Friday Night: At home with his son, Jake.

Drink of Choice: Whiskey and beer

Favorite Food: Rack of ribs

Favorite Song: Garth Brooks: Thunder Rolls

Choice of Transportation: His truck

Boxers or Briefs: Boxer-briefs. Boxers

Best Memory to Date: Hearing his son call him daddy

Words to live by: ‘There was never a horse that couldn’t be rode;

never a cowboy who couldn’t be throwed’.

About TILL DEATH US DO PART

Q: That ending....Many Readers didn't see it ending as it did. How much of that ending was you and how much was you letting the characters take the wheel?

A: That ending was all them. I didn’t even know what was going to happen until my fingers typed the final words. Suddenly, my mind raced right back to the opening chapter of the book where Mimi was dreaming about Joel; his body, bloody and wet. All of the feelings and emotions I had throughout the story came together in the final scene. The best way to describe it would be—putting a needle and thread throughout the book and stitching it all together. Truly, it felt like I was right there with them. The ending resulted in showing readers what I saw…even I was shocked!

Q: Favorite Scene of TILL DEATH US DO PART?

There were quite a few scenes that I loved writing. If I had to make a firm choice then it would have to be Chapter 30 titled: Joel. This is where my emotional investment to the story hit its highest level. It is the moment that my voice was no longer my own. It was all theirs.

Q: Team Joel or Team Austin?

Ultimately, Team Austin. But I loved writing about Joel, he was very complex, there was far more about him than meets the eye.

Q: Who is your celebrity dream cast for TILL DEATH?

Scott Eastwood would make the perfect Austin. I’d love to see Zac Efron play Joel, although he would have to be more rough around the edges.

Looks wise, Shay Mitchell would fit Mimi perfectly but I have no idea if she could pull off a British accent!

I think that Julianne Hough would also fit the physical profile of Meg, but again, she’d have to be able to pull off being a Brit.

Q: If you can pick one song that encompasses the whole story, what would that song be?

I won’t give up by Jason Mraz. I wrote the end scene to this song. It could have been from either Joel or Austin’s POV.

Q: Do you have plans to write more with the characters from TILL DEATH?

No. I truly feel like my journey with the characters has ended. That being said, they will forever be a part of me.

Q: What is in the works now?

I am working on a new standalone novel about a woman that fakes her own death to escape from her abusive husband. Some of my research is being carried out by working with a lady who has been a victim of domestic violence. She has offered to share her experiences with me. It is not based on her life, however she is helping me to understand what some women may be feeling that are or have been in an abusive relationship. This one is going to be emotional for sure.

Author Bio:

Novelist, movie addict, and animal lover, Cristina Slough is the author of Till Death Us Do Part, her debut novel.
Cristina has always been a bookworm, rarely seen without a pen and paper in her hand, she loves delving into a literacy fictional world of her own.
At the age of 11, her junior school teacher told her mother that she would be wasting her life if she didn’t become an author. Throughout her teenage years and beyond, her parents spurred her on to keep writing. She later began a career in commercial real estate, working in London’s West End, a corporate bubble where she was unable to fuel her passion to write.
It was on her Californian honeymoon in 2012 that the bug to write was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. After visiting Yosemite National Park she was inspired by the natural beauty of the land that surrounded her. Holding a special place in her heart, Yosemite would later be written into her debut novel.
She finally gave up the ‘big smoke’ when her son, Lucas, was born in October 2013.
When Lucas was a newborn, Cristina was told to sleep when the baby sleeps. She never could. There was a calling inside her to write. After getting to grips with her new role as a mother, she began working a psychological thriller, but she couldn’t fully connect to the characters she created. She ditched the manuscript and started Till Death Us Do Part (Limitless Publishing, 2015).
Cristina is married to Adam, who runs a successful business; together they share their Bedfordshire home with their son, crazy white German Shepherd and three spoiled cats. They can be found trekking through woodlands, or around the many shops Cristina loves to explore. As a family, they love to travel frequently, the United States being a firm favorite.

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