The
Sweetheart Sham (Southern Charmed #1)
by Danielle Ellison
Publication
Date: December 4, 2017
Publisher:
Entangled Teen: Crush
In
a small town like Culler, South Carolina, you guard your secrets like you guard
your cobbler recipe: with your life. Georgia Ann Monroe knows a thing or two
about secrets: she’s been guarding the truth that her best friend Will is gay
for years now. But what happens when a little white lie to protect him gets her
into a fake relationship…and then the boy of her dreams shows up?
Enter
Beau Montgomery: Georgie’s first love, hotter than ever, and much too much of a
southern gentleman to ever pursue someone else’s girl. There’s no way to come
clean to Beau while still protecting Will. But bless their hearts, they live in
Culler—where secrets always have a way of revealing themselves.
Disclaimer: This
Entangled Teen Crush book contains a hilarious “fakeship,” a scorching-hot
impossible relationship, and a heartwarming best-friendship that will make you
want to call your best friend right here, right now.
Purchase Links:
Excerpt:
“Beau
Montgomery, what on earth!” someone, I think it’s Will’s mom, says with a
squeal. I can’t single it out because my heart seems to stop beating.
Everyone scoots
toward the patio entrance and gathers around. Will drops my hand to move
closer.
And then I see
him.
He’s standing
behind Mrs. M next to his dad, a big smile on his face, and he’s tall. Real
tall. His dark hair is longer and nearly falling into his hazel eyes,
definitely a length that Orry won’t like much. His jaw is strong, some muscles
pressing under his polo. He looks nothing like the boy I remember.
And suddenly
I’m a little self-conscious. What am I wearing today? I can’t even remember. I
could look down but that would mean looking away from him, and thenmaybe when I
look back he won’t be there. I don’t know if he even sees me, but I see him.
Clearly. After more than twoyears of nothing.
“Beau, is that
you, boy?” Orry calls. Beau steps around the rest of the family toward his
grandpa. He’s closer now, and I can get a better look at his face. My eyes
explore his features and rest on his lips, which break out into a small smile
and—Dang, is it hot out here?
“Hello,
Granddad.” Orry pulls him into a hug and Beau has to lean over to reach him
properly. Orry looks like a kid in his arms.
Cheese and
rice, even his voice is sexy. Deeper but still with a familiar feeling that it
stirs up in me, and an accent with a hint of Georgia twang instead of South
Carolina
cadence.
I like it. Lord
help me, I like it.
Orry holds him
out at arm’s length and examines him before giving him a pat on the shoulder.
“You look more like your daddy than I expected. How tall are you?”
“Six one, sir,”
Beau says.
“You look good,
grandson, real good. Atlanta treating you well?”
“Yes, sir, it
is.”
I want to move,
but I can’t. My feet are stuck to the ground, not that I should move anyway. I
don’t reckon I trust myself around him. Especially not right now when I’m not
sure if I want to hug him or kick him somewhere that would hurt. I’d do a good
job of it too and make darn sure my kick was as painful as him not showing up
that night.
“When’s your
momma coming?” Mrs. M asks him.
“Not until
closer to the wedding,” he says.
I watch as Will
hugs him. They’re both smiling, and it reminds me of before when he was here.
They were inseparable—we were—and now I’m just standing here like an idiot.
Which I am. Will looks in my direction, and then Beau’s eyes are on me, too.
It’s even worse when he’s looking at me, especially now with a hidden glimmer
in them. It’s not how he said hello to the others; it’s almost like his eyes
hadn’t seen me before, and now he’s hyperaware. Just like I’ve been since his
dad yelled his name.
He takes a step
toward me.
Interview with Danielle Ellison
What inspired you to write The Sweetheart Sham?
It was Georgie and her insistence that she had a story about how she was the
only one in the town who knew her best friend was gay. That made me ask why,
which lead me to the story, to the unique setting, and to the problem. I call
this book my Will and Grace meets Gilmore Girls books because it’s about best
friends and small towns.
Can you tell us a little bit about the
next books in the Southern Charmed series, or what you have planned for the
future?
The next book in the series follows two characters you meet in TSS…and let’s just say they don’t like
each other very much. They are from different worlds, even though they live in
this same town, and they are different people…but when they’re brought together,
they are a really interesting combination. J
Can you tell us a little bit about the
characters in The Sweetheart Sham??.
Georgia Ann Monroe,
aka Georgie, is a pure-breed Southern Belle, but she’s more than meets than
eye. She’s pretty fierce, loyal, spunky, and knows how to balance Southern
Charm with fishing.
Beau Montgomery is
back to his hometown after a hiatus (and his parent’s messy divorce) and he
hasn’t really been the same since he left town, so he comes back hoping to find
some of what he’s lost.
You know I think we all have a favorite
author. Who is your favorite author and why?
My favorite author is Jennifer Donnelly because she
creates intense characters and her stories are always unique. They aren’t
afraid, and I admire that–almost as much as her ability to make words dance on
the page.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends?
Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
I have a cat named Simon! He’s two and I adopted him over
a year ago. He picked me, and he knew what he was doing because we are pretty
much the same. Except he holds a grudge and he’s much cuter.
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us today.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Danielle
Ellison is a nomad, always on the lookout for an adventure and the next
story. In addition to writing, she’s the founder and coordinator of the NoVa
TEEN Book Festival. When she’s not busy with books, she’s probably watching her
favorite shows, drinking coffee, or fighting her nomadic urges. She is newly
settled in Oklahoma (for now) with her cat, Simon, but you can always find her
on twitter @DanielleEWrites.
Giveaway:
The
Sweetheart Sham Prize Pack (US):
-Pampering
goodies (sweet southern soap and bath bombs)
-a
“peanut butter <3s jelly” mug
-ice
cream erasers
-heart
shaped sunglasses
-a
copy of “Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit” by Jaye Robin Brown
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