Padme's Library: Talon by Sybil Bartel

Friday, March 4, 2016

Talon by Sybil Bartel

Title: Talon

Author: Sybil Bartel

Series: Uncompromising #1

Genre: Adult Romance

Release Date: March 1, 2016

Summary:
Talon

I surf.
I fuck.
I pretend to smile.

Two years ago my life was perfect, until it wasn’t. I scattered my wife’s ashes then walked away from the Marines. I didn’t think I had anything else to lose.

I was wrong.

The blond showed up at my surf shop, beaten and stabbed. I did what I was trained to do—I stitched her up. I didn’t have a clue who she was and I told myself I didn’t care. Until they came looking for her.

I swore I’d take my last breath before I let anyone else hurt her except I didn’t know she was keeping a deadly secret. Now I had two choices, her life or mine.

Marriage and combat taught me the same thing—I was no one’s hero. And I was about to prove it.

She stared at me like she could read my mind. “I used to think your eyes were green. When I first met you, you were wearing an olive-colored shirt. It made your eyes look green.”

Not many people noticed my eyes were actually a combination of blue and brown. That she’d noticed wasn’t what surprised me. Her remembering the first time we met was. “And now?”

“They’re half-brown, half-blue. The green, it’s an illusion.”

“White flowers on a blue background,” I said, describing the pattern of the dress she’d worn that night.

Her back stiffened in surprise.

I fingered a strand of her silky blonde hair. “Do you know what I’m talkin’ ’bout?”

“The dress I had on that night,” she said quietly.

Staring into those complex eyes, I fought to restrain myself. I wanted her small body in my arms and her taste in my mouth. The memory of this morning taunting me, all I could think about was kissing her. “Do you know what I thought when I first saw you?” I traced her bottom lip with my thumb.

She didn’t answer.

A bar full of women and she’d stood out like a fucking sunrise. Yeah, I’d noticed her. I’d noticed her under Randy’s arm. I’d noticed how she hadn’t looked at any other guy. I’d noticed how nothing in her expression had given away a single emotion, except one thing had stood out above all else. “You were fuckin’ beautiful—and miserable.”

“Talon.” My name whispered across her lips.

The air between us snapped and I almost lost my train of thought. All my blood rushing south, my voice low and rough, I gave her the truth, “I saw through you.”

She grabbed a handful of my shirt and my mouth was on hers.

I sank my tongue into her heat and fucking lost it. One hand tangled in her hair, the other caught the back of her knee and I wrapped her leg around my waist. Pushing into her, I kissed her. I kissed her to feel. I kissed her to forget. And I kissed her because I was fucking desperate for her.

Author Bio:
I grew up in Northern California with my head in a book and my feet in the sand. I dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew me into the world of storytelling. I love the New Adult genre, but any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes me swoon.

I now live in Southern Florida and while I don’t get to read as much as I like, I still bury my toes in the sand. If I’m not writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in my backyard, you can find me spending time with my handsomely tattooed husband, my brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…

But Seriously?

Here are ten things you probably really want to know about me.

I grew up a faculty brat. I can swear like a sailor. I love men in uniform. I hate being told what to do. I can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks me out. My favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—I can’t decide. I have a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on me for driving directions, ever. And I have a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell my husband.