A news bulletin flashes across the screen. The crawler at the bottom of the screen reads, “Deadly helicopter crash in Alaska. Pilot and all passengers killed on impact.” The image above shows the wreckage of a helicopter at the base of a snow-covered mountain. In the top right-hand corner of the screen, the location of the crash is identified as Bear Glacier National Park. The plate in my hand goes crashing to the ground. “NO!”
Characters
Listed alphabetically by first name
Adam Cooke – Evan’s best friend and NJ Sentinels’ Player Liaison
Anthony Romeo Santos – N.J. Sentinels Tight End
Averee DeVeau –Evan’s former girlfriend and pop star
Blaine Campbell – bartender at Rush
Brianna – Anthony Rivera’s fiancée
Camilla Ramos – Marcus' fiancée
Carlo Rivera – NJ Sentinels Wide Receiver
Caroline Warren (Callie) – Evan’s sister and floral designer
Clare Bogan – bartender at Rush
Dean Warren – Callie’s husband and Evan’s brother-in-law
Delaney – Troy Duffy’s wife
Derek Lattimer – head bartender at Rush
Emmalyn Akins (Emmy) – bartender at Rush
Evan Thomas McGuire – Back-up QB for NJ Sentinels
Genevieve Fletcher – Juliette’s mother
Glenn Deegan – Auggie’s father
James August Deegan (Auggie) – Real Estate Agent
Jill McGuire – Evan’s Mother
Jocelyn – Xander Parish’s girlfriend
Joey Griffin – host of “Night After Night”
John McGuire – Evan’s Father
Juliette Evangeline Fletcher (Jette) – co-owner of Rush
Laci Keilani – Reporter, Celebrity News Network
Louis Vinciguerra – Head Coach, N.J. Sentinels
Lucas Luu – Actor, Auggie’s boyfriend
Madeira (Maddy) – mixed breed boxer
Marcus Chase – general manager, Rush
Matt Ortiz –QB for the NJ Sentinels
Nancy Deegan – Auggie’s mother
Natalie Grecco – pastry chef, Rush
Reese Barrett – chef, Rush
Regan Felicity Warren – Caroline and Dean’s daughter
Ryker Donovan – former US Army soldier and new chef at Rush
Shaun Marise – N.J. Sentinels Halfback
Willow Rivera – Carlo Rivera’s wife
Theodore Geiselman – Doctor of Orthopedic Medicine
Troy Duffy – N.J. Sentinels Placekicker
Walter Falkowski – counselor
Xander Parish – N.J. Sentinels Running Back
Playlist
If there was a soundtrack to accompany this book, these are the songs that would be included:
“Royals” – Lorde
“Another Brick in the Wall” – Pink Floyd
“Get Lucky” – Daft Punk
“Brave” – Sara Bareilles
“In the Air Tonight” – Phil Collins
“Safe and Sound” – Capital Cities
“The Other Side” – Jason Derulo
“Lucky Strike” – Maroon 5
“Roar” – Katy Perry
“The Fox” – Ylvis
“The River” – Bruce Springsteen
“All Night” – Icona Pop
“Marry Me” – Jason Derulo
“Marry You” – Bruno Mars
“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” – AC/DC
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” – Queen
“Another Brick in the Wall” – Pink Floyd
“Welcome to the Jungle” – Guns N’ Roses
“The Best Day of My Life” – American Authors
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” – Aerosmith
“Don’t You Forget About Me” – Simple Minds
“Take it Easy” – Eagles
Mixology
“Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.” ~ Frank Sinatra
Turnover
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Goldschlager
2 oz. caramel vodka
2 oz. apple juice
Splash of seltzer
Directions:
Shake well with ice
Strain into two Old fashioned glasses.
Add a splash of seltzer.
Red Zone Cocktail
Ingredients:
2 oz. Blood Orange Vodka
2 oz. Red Bull
Splash of Seltzer
Wedge of Lemon
Directions:
Shake well with ice and strain into two shot glasses.
Garnish with lemon wedge.
Touchback
Ingredients:
2 oz. Vodka
3 oz. Pink Grapefruit Juice
Splash of Cranberry Juice
Directions:
Shake well with ice and strain into two shot glasses.
Garnish with pineapple chunk.
Interception
Ingredients:
2 oz. Absolut Pear Vodka
0.5 oz. Simple Syrup
Splash of Pomegranate Juice
Wedge of Lime
Directions:
Shake well with ice and strain into two shot glasses.
Garnish with lime wedge.
Black & Gold (the Panther)
Ingredients:
2 oz. Blavod vodka (aka black vodka.)
1 oz. Goldschlager
Directions:
Pour the Blavod into ice filled shaker and shake.
Strain into a chilled glass
Top with Goldschlager so the flakes float all around
Screaming Orgasm
Ingredients:
1 oz. Vodka
1.5 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
0.5 oz. Kahlua
Directions:
Pour first vodka, then Bailey’s, then Kahlua into a cocktail glass over crushed ice.
Stir and serve.
Blow Job
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Vodka
0.5 oz. peach schnapps
2 oz. cranberry juice
2 oz. orange juice
Directions:
Add vodka and peach schnapps to a highball glass over ice.
Fill with equal measures of cranberry and orange juice.
Stir and serve.
Wet Spot
Ingredients:
0.5 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
0.5 oz. Buttershots liquer
0.5 oz. vodka
Directions:
Pour Irish Cream and Buttershots into a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake briefly and strain into shot glass.
Add vodka and serve.
Sloe Comfortable Screw
Ingredients:
3 oz. Sloe Gin
3 oz. Southern Comfort
3 oz. orange juice
3 oz. vodka
Directions:
Stir or shake ingredients
Serve with ice.
Sex on the Beach
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. vodka
0.5 oz. Peach Schnapps
2 oz. cranberry juice
2 oz. orange juice
Directions:
Add vodka and peach schnapps to a highball glass over ice.
Fill with equal measures of cranberry juice and orange juice, and stir.
Sangria Mocktail
Ingredients:
2 cups boiling water
2 black tea bags
2 cinnamon sticks
0.5 cup sugar
3 cups pomegranate juice
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 orange, sliced into thin rounds
1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
1 lime, sliced into thin rounds
1 apple, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3 cups carbonated water
Directions:
Pour boiling water over tea
bags and cinnamon sticks and steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags and stir in sugar to dissolve.
In a large jar or pitcher, combine tea, cinnamon sticks, pomegranate juice, orange juice, orange, lemon, lime, and apple. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and preferably overnight.
Just before serving, stir in carbonated water. Serve in glasses over ice.
Language of Flowers
Flowers are colorful, natural and beautiful. They have traditionally been given as gifts for centuries. Different flowers have different meanings, though, and they developed these meanings because of their histories and associations with certain practices. Flowers today make a lovely gift to acknowledge love, friendship, congratulations and sympathy.
Pink Tulip – Anyone who wishes to spread cheerful messages to their friends and loved ones should send a bouquet of pink tulips, for they are a symbolic representation of the ultimate happiness a person could achieve.
White Tulip – A white tulip symbolizes forgiveness, purity and serenity. Tulips are grown from bulbs and bloom in the spring. They are identified by a cup-shape of pointed petals atop a tall, green stem. White tulips denote a new beginning and a sense of worthiness. Giving someone white tulips tells them that you wish for them to forgive you and that you want a fresh start. It denotes that you want your relationship and events to be pure and seen as worthy, with any mistakes in the past forgiven and forgotten.
Hyacinths – Hyacinths are grown from bulbs and bloom in the spring. They are identified by fragrant clusters of bell-shaped flowers. Depending on the color, the hyacinth flower denotes different meanings. A purple hyacinth is an emblem of forgiveness and means "I am sorry," "Please forgive me" and "Sorrow." To tell someone that you are sorrowful over an event and wish for them to forgive you, give them a bouquet of purple hyacinth flowers to represent these emotions.
Red Rose – Red is universally considered the most passionate color, so it's no wonder that a red rose symbolizes intense emotions of the heart. The Greeks and Romans associated red with their love goddesses, and that tradition remains evident with red roses playing a role in courtship and romance today. The number of flowers you give in a bouquet is also heavy with symbolism. A solitary rose is the calling card of a long-standing admirer, whereas a husband in the doghouse may send an abundant arrangement of two dozen flowers to get back into his wife's good graces.
Dahlias – Symbolizing hope for an everlasting union between two people, dahlia flowers are presented to couples at engagement parties and weddings. These flowers, which bloom in white and a variety of showy hues, including pink, crimson, orange and yellow, are given as an anniversary gift in celebration of 14 years of marriage, although the origin of this tradition is unknown.
Heather – It can represent admiration, beauty and good luck, and it can also be associated with solitude and protection. More specifically, the color of the heather flower influences its meaning. Traditional purple heather is used to represent admiration, beauty and solitude, while pink heather is associated with good luck. If white heather is chosen, it means protection from danger.
Forget-Me-Not – Long a flower of historical legend, forget-me-nots are as persistent and hardy as the stories they inspire. They have long been considered a representation of true love and memories.
White Daisy – Daisies hold different meanings and can represent both truth and lies simultaneously. The daisy flower is associated with purity, patience, innocence, loyal love, beauty, and simplicity.
Purple Iris – The iris symbolizes hope, and is the emblem of both France and Florence, Italy. It has also spawned the fleur-de-lis, based on the blade-shaped foliage and graceful curls of the flower. The name of the flower, Iris, derives from the Greek word for rainbow, given because of the different color varieties available. The flower grew in Mary Gardens, where it is said that the leaf shapes were an example of the sorrows that "pierced her heart."
Purple Orchid – The purple orchid, tropical and delicate, has lush, velvety petals and strikingly rich color that makes it especially captivating. Orchids represent beauty and love. Purple orchids, especially, symbolize love. The orchid’s star-shaped allure is deepened by its color, traditionally associated with royalty and refinement in many cultures.
Violet – The violet flower is a pledge of faithfulness. In his sonnets, Shakespeare used the violet as a symbol of humility and constancy in love. A dream of violet flowers was said to foretell an advancement in life.
Gardenia – The added beauty of these flowers is that they convey intense emotional meanings, which if given as a gift, helps express a person's feelings to someone. The gardenia, therefore, signifies joy, purity, secret love and is associated with thoughts of beauty.
Connect With the Author
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/RunningBackToYou
GoodReads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7151235.Suzanne_Sweeney
Blog:
http://suzannesweeney.wordpress.com/
Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/SweeneyWrites/
Email:
[email protected]
Did you love Running Home to You? Then you should read Running Back to You by Suzanne Sweeney!
Juliette Fletcher is a girl with a plan. Not one to sit back and wait for life to happen, she moves back home after graduation and begins to carve out a life for herself.
Evan McGuire is desperate for a fresh start. His career in the NFL depends on it. Years of partying and carefree living have caught up with him. After buying a beach house in need of renovations, he begins to rebuild his life and his reputation.
What Evan doesn’t expect is a chance meeting with Juliette out on an early morning beach run with her dog. A strong mutual attraction draws them together, but fear of scaring her away keeps Evan from revealing his true identity. Evan finds himself in an unfamiliar situation – forced to work harder than he ever has before to prove himself worthy of her affections.
Tragic misunderstandings and unexpected obstacles threaten to derail a fragile relationship. Someone is watching, waiting, and tormenting Juliette, desperate to destroy everything. Can they find the strength to overcome jealousy, insecurity, and fear before it’s too late?
Reviews:
I love the suspense that was thrown into the plot and had me guessing the whole way through.
~Margie, Best Sellers & Best Stellars Book Blog
I really loved the mystery to this book it was so much more than a romance novel. Just when I thought I had it figured out it went in another direction.
~Danielle, Lives & Breathes Book Blog
Running Back to You is romantic, passionate, funny and dramatic. The struggles of each character is evident and Suzanne Sweeney's character development is great.
~Quiet Crazy Book Whores Book Blog
You will laugh at the funny flirtatious banter between Jett and Evan and you will cry and laugh right along side of them. The author draws such a great image of them you feel like you know them.
~Rene, Rene's Getaway Book Blog
Running Back to You is one roller coaster of a ride. If you’re wanting romance, it’s there; a little humor, it’s there; and hot chemistry, this is the one for you. Plus, add a little twist and you will be hooked.
~Julie, Stories and Swag! Book Blog
If I were to compare it to another series, I would say that it had that “Come Away With Me” vibe. You know, that uber popular book series by Kristin Proby. I loved it just as much as I loved that whole series. So if you’ve read that series and loved it, then you’ll love this story too!!
~Brenda, Twinsie Talk Book Reviews
Also by Suzanne Sweeney
The Running Series
Running Back to You
Running Home to You
About the Author
Suzanne Sweeney is a graduate of Georgian Court University where she studied Education and Sociology. For some time now, she has
been sharing her love of literature with the young minds who sit before her in class each and every day. After years of teaching the art of writing, Suzanne has finally taken her own advice and put pen to paper in order to produce her debut novel, Running Back to You. She writes what she lives, residing in the community she loves, Point Pleasant, with her family who provide a constant source of inspiration and support.
For more information on this novel and author, please visit http://suzannesweeney.wordpress.com
Here’s just a few of the things you’ll find there:
• Recipes for all of Juliette’s favorite drinks
• List of flowers and their hidden meanings
• Links to the places Juliette & Evan visited
• Playlists with all the songs featured
• News and updates from the author
Read more at Suzanne Sweeney’s site.
Running Home to You (The Running Series) Page 41