"When I tell you that he hates me, you'll probably assume it's because he's a jerk...but you'd be wrong. He's not a jerk. I am." --- Several years ago tragedy struck Emma's home, leaving her broken... like a cup with cracks spiraling and slithering around the edges. Slowly, bitterness crept in like tar, hardening between each fracture to resemble a deceitful wholeness. She became a monster, and targeted her venom on the sweetest person she could find: Trinity Nixon. Too bad the boy Emma longed for was Trinity's brother. Now, as Emma fights to win the heart of the boy who despises her, she's forced to hide her demons. She paints her fragile cup in pinks, yellows, and oranges - all the colors of the sun. She paints on a smile, and an unusual sense of humor, so that the world will view her as bright and cheerful, when in reality she's breaking. But she's completely unprepared for the acidic truth that melts away the tar, demolishing her shell, and awakening the Emma White buried deep inside. --- Book 1 in The Dismantled Pride series *Story was previously titled "Faking It"

COMPLETED. "Look, if you're-" "Shut up." I was taken back at the sudden manner in which he spoke to me. "Let's get something straight Miss Greene, I don't appreciate people talking back at me. And quite frankly, you're crossing your limit with me and my patience with you. So from now on, as long as you're with me you'll do as I say. Understood?" _____________________________________________ Mystery. Romance. Deception. You know what they say, hate is a strong emotion- so is love. You can only hate someone you place in high esteem since you care about what they think. When Juliet Greene secures an internship position at the Empire Heights hotel, and things seem to be finally going her way, a brief encounter causes her life to turn upside down. Getting in the way of the hostile, unfeeling, yet wickedly magnetic billionaire Adrian Vandermir, Julie suddenly gets thrown into a situation that's too much for her to handle. Wanting to have little to do with this and the infuriating Vandermir, she none the less convinces herself that his decisions would be best for her family's own safety. But when things begin to get out of hand, she discovers that she has more to do with the dangerous situation Adrian is involved in than she or anyone else could ever imagine. In the hopes of ending the matter, both must endure each other's company as they take a trip together which reveals unbearable past secrets and irresistible desires. Desires that Julie fears would only deepen her wounds, but somehow heal Adrian's. BONUS CHAPTERS available on my blog (link in my bio)

101 of my favourite Lana Del Rey quotes from Born to Die and Ultraviolence and a few unreleased songs in the mix too.