• Hearts Series #2
• 351 page
~ you should read books 1 + 1.5 first - you don't NEED to, but you definitely should ☺
Book #1.5 will be included in Paper Hearts!☺
I lost her.
No, I didn't lose her. I threw her away.
She was my best friend.
I was never supposed to fall in love with her.
I was careless.
She was heartbroken.
I thought I was doing fine. But here she is, years later, forced to work with me, reminding me why I fell in love with her in the first place.
And this time I'm going to do everything in my power to never let her go.
No, I didn't lose her. I threw her away.
She was my best friend.
I was never supposed to fall in love with her.
I was careless.
She was heartbroken.
I thought I was doing fine. But here she is, years later, forced to work with me, reminding me why I fell in love with her in the first place.
And this time I'm going to do everything in my power to never let her go.
A love like this is worth fighting for…
We all remember Mia & Jensen from Kaleidoscope Hearts... Mia was Estelle's best friend, and Jensen was in the 'guy group' - best friends with Estelle's brother Victor and Estelle's future husband Oliver.
Mia and Jensen have always had this special bond. She was everything for him when they were younger.
And then, when he left to go to college in NY - they decided to take a little break from each other.
And like guys are - he was lonely and jealous, of whatever Mia was doing in California - and he had an affair with a girl from his class. And of course that girl ended up pregnant.
And being the good guy that he is, he felt he needed to get married to the girl. (There might have been some pressure from her dad too.)
All that left Mia totally heartbroken. And Jensen too - because not only was Mia the love of his life - she was also his best friend - and he needed her so much back then, but she just left and never looked back.
Now - five years later, both Mia and Jensen are in New York.
Mia took a temporary photographer job with Newsweek - the same magazine Jensen writes for as a freelancer. And of course he will be interviewing the couples she's taking pictures of.
How is she supposed to stay strong, when she has to see him all the time.
Jensen never got over Mia - he wants her back. He's divorced now and Mia has always been his big love - the girl that got away. He needs to make things right with her.
But she doesn't yet understand how hurt HE was back then. They have a lot to talk about. If only Mia wouldn't always run away once he starts flirting. ☺
They have the next two months to try again. And Jensen will do everything in his power to get back the only girl he ever loved.
Will there be a HEA?
______________________________________________
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Real love stories never end.
I loved Estelle & Oliver's story - but I think Mia & Jensen's love story was even better.
After I finished the TORN HEARTS novella - I HAD TO know how their story would end. It was all so sad and ugh - I just wanted them to get back together.
There was soo much hurt and heartbreak between the two of them - and now - five years later..... they need to get it right, because we so want them to get their happy ever after with each other.
And it's soo adorable and moving to watch them get there.
How Mia tries to stay strong, and not give in to her still huge feelings for this ridiculously hot poet.
And Jenson - he loves her so much - always has - always will.
It's just soo heartbreaking to watch him live his life without Mia.
I loved how Claire added those little articles Jensen writes for the Times.
He bares his heart in those articles. We can clearly read how much he still loves that girl from California that used to be his best friend.
I loved every single word of this book.
I laughed - I cried - but most of all, I hoped that they would just get over everything and talk it all out and fast-forward to their Happy End.
________________________________________________
Real love stories never end.
I loved Estelle & Oliver's story - but I think Mia & Jensen's love story was even better.
After I finished the TORN HEARTS novella - I HAD TO know how their story would end. It was all so sad and ugh - I just wanted them to get back together.
There was soo much hurt and heartbreak between the two of them - and now - five years later..... they need to get it right, because we so want them to get their happy ever after with each other.
And it's soo adorable and moving to watch them get there.
How Mia tries to stay strong, and not give in to her still huge feelings for this ridiculously hot poet.
And Jenson - he loves her so much - always has - always will.
It's just soo heartbreaking to watch him live his life without Mia.
I loved how Claire added those little articles Jensen writes for the Times.
He bares his heart in those articles. We can clearly read how much he still loves that girl from California that used to be his best friend.
I loved every single word of this book.
I laughed - I cried - but most of all, I hoped that they would just get over everything and talk it all out and fast-forward to their Happy End.
If this book would've been a movie - I would've been on the edge of my seat, with my hands half-covering my eyes, waiting and hoping for Mia & Jensen to finally live happily ever after.
Paper Hearts was an extremely moving and adorably romantic second-chance Love Story.
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EXCERPT
Prologue
I don’t take ownership in a lot of things. I rent an apartment, lease a car, and go to
a no-contract gym. I have a wandering heart—an incessant mind. It’s hard for me
to look at something and see forever; though I had a forever once.
I let her go, not because I loved her too much to ask her to stay, but because
I couldn’t bear to hear her tell me she wouldn’t. Still, every once in a while I
And nothing is more haunting than regret.
I used to wonder what I would do if I had the chance to go back in time and right
something. Would I take it? Would I look at it as a second opportunity, or would I
just let it go, knowing the experiences I went through and learned from?
Discomfort spread through me as I walked into the building of my new,
albeit temporary, job. The feeling stayed there, stuck to the lining inside of my
uneasy stomach, echoing its way into my mind until I reached the twentieth floor
of the building. As I exited the elevator and stepped into the lobby of the magazine,
a smiling brunette, who was sorting through a colorful cup of pens, greeted me.
Something about her—maybe her fidgetiness, the Lisa Loeb look she had going, or
the welcoming smile on her face—made me breathe a little easier.
“How can I help you?” she asked in a singsong voice as she swiveled
“I’m here to see Mrs.—I mean, Dr. Zamora.”
“Fran,” she said. “She likes to be called Fran. Are you Mia?”
The girl smiled and gave me a quick onceover. “Cool. I’m Katie. Let me
make sure she’s in. Take a seat.”
I let out a breath as I placed my bag on the floor and sat across from her in a
sleek white chair, taking in the vast space filled with photographs shot by people
whose work I admired. In an effort to calm my nerves, I picked up one of the
magazines beside me and leafed through it, and even went as far as to try to
channel my inner zen, remembering what an incredible yoga session I’d had earlier
that morning. But nothing worked. That sticky feeling of what did I get myself
It felt like the time I let my twin brother talk me into letting him cut my hair
so that we could “really be twins,” and I ended up looking like Peter Pan for two
months while my mother cried into her pillow every night. I fished out my phone
and contemplated sending him a text. Rob had always been the brave twin, with
words of wisdom to get me through these times. But, I’d dug my grave, and now I
When I ran into my favorite college professor months ago, a local magazine
had just published some of my pictures for a special they were circulating. The
accomplishment I felt at telling her this dwindled when she asked the dreaded
words: what next? But then she offered me the opportunity of a lifetime: to take
pictures for a huge magazine, one I probably wouldn’t have had an opportunity to
work for had my professor’s sister not been the person in charge of the project. The
catch, of course, unbeknownst to my professor or her sister, was that my
exboyfriend, The Dream Crusher, wrote for the same magazine. But I’d have been
an idiot to turn it down. Regardless of where I worked after this, to have this
experience on my resume would be incredible.
“She just got here,” Katie said, jerking me out of my thoughts. I stood
quickly, hitching my bag on my shoulder as the glass door to my right opened and
a tall woman with an uncanny resemblance to my professor—wild red hair and
bright green eyes—walked through it.
I laughed when she winked at me. After she hired me for this job, we started
following each other on any social media that allowed for stalking.
“It’s like we’ve been friends forever.”
“Social media will do that,” she responded with a laugh as she turned on her
heels. “Let me show you around.”
If Fran were a car, she’d be in fourth gear at all times. By the time she
finished showing me around the place and we got back to her office, my legs felt
like they were on fire. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the heels I was wearing, or
because I had to take four strides to her two. Being short could be a bit of a curse.
“We already got the clearance from W Magazine and are keeping the title
‘What Would You Do With Your Second Chance?’ I’m sure they told you
already,” she said as we each took a seat.
They hadn’t told me anything. Not that it mattered. I’d taken pictures for an
article with a similar name, but it was for a small, local magazine, nothing of this
“I hope your friends don’t mind that we’re stealing their limelight,” Fran
added with a smile. She’d become completely fascinated by the fact that the couple
on the cover of the magazine, my best friend and her now-husband, were a second
“They definitely don’t mind,” I replied with a laugh. “They wanted to kill
me when they saw the magazine in our grocery stores, so replacing it will be a
” She laughed. “Were they uneasy because they weren’t an official couple
“Basically. Her brother wanted to kill Oliver … the guy,” I paused to clarify
before continuing, “when he found out about the whole thing.”
“But it’s so romantic,” Fran said, letting out a deep sigh.
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re one of those girls!”
“The ones who are all ‘I don’t need a man’ and ‘I hate romance.’” She rolled
her eyes, but I could tell she was biting back a smile as she said it.
I shrugged. “I’m not any kind of girl. I don’t need a man, but I don’t hate
romance. I think I’m kind of obsessed with romance, really, which is probably why
Fran laughed loudly. “Funny how that works, right? I’ll tell you what, had it
not been for Match, I would have never met mine. I’m sure you don’t need any
help finding a guy, though.” She waved the length of my torso as if she was
presenting me to someone as some kind of trophy.
“Finding a guy isn’t a problem. Keeping a guy is a problem, and finding the
Fran nodded in sympathy. “Yep. I’ve been there. But alas, you’ll find the
one. You’re young, adorable, funny, talented, and smart. Hell of a combination.”
I smiled and looked away. “One day.”
“Anywho, enough about boys. Let’s talk about work. As I stated in the
email, you’ll be taking your headshots today. You don’t need to come into the
office every day, but feel free to use our facility for anything you need. I sent you
the contact information for the couples you’ll be shooting so that you can schedule
their test shots first, and after that, we’ll let you know who we narrowed it down to.
We only want to select four couples to feature: two young, and two older. They all
have different stories, anyway, so that’ll be fine.”
She paused for a breath as I nodded, taking mental notes. “And … oh yeah,
here are the names of the writers working on the special. Carlos and Deborah are
regular staff; the other two are freelance, but work with us often. I wrote down
their emails and will send them yours now so they can contact you. Sometimes
they like to go along for the shoots and do their interviews there.”
My eyes scrolled down the list as I nodded. I stalled when I saw his name.
Just words on a page, but they made my heart flip once, twice, and finally nestle its
way into the pit of my stomach. I was prepared for this.
“You should meet us for drinks on Wednesday,” Fran said, pulling me out of
my thoughts. I was so not prepared for this.
“So I only see them on days that I shoot?” I asked, waving the paper slightly.
“Well, that only happens if they want to interview the people in their
element. Otherwise, we only see each other during meetings, and we don’t have
many. We’ll be having one this Wednesday over drinks, though, and then again to
I swallowed loudly and nodded. “Okay.”
“It would be great for you to come on Wednesday and meet them,” she said
again. I felt like I was on a downward spiral, moving here, knowing this job would
mean I would be insanely close to him, secretly hoping that I was, while reminding
myself of the reasons I’d avoided him in the first place. I took a breath and braced myself for the inevitable fall.
“Sure. Drinks sound great.”
↓ LINKS TO THE BOOK AND AUTHOR ↓
Prologue
I don’t take ownership in a lot of things. I rent an apartment, lease a car, and go to
a no-contract gym. I have a wandering heart—an incessant mind. It’s hard for me
to look at something and see forever; though I had a forever once.
I let her go, not because I loved her too much to ask her to stay, but because
I couldn’t bear to hear her tell me she wouldn’t. Still, every once in a while I
And nothing is more haunting than regret.
I used to wonder what I would do if I had the chance to go back in time and right
something. Would I take it? Would I look at it as a second opportunity, or would I
just let it go, knowing the experiences I went through and learned from?
Discomfort spread through me as I walked into the building of my new,
albeit temporary, job. The feeling stayed there, stuck to the lining inside of my
uneasy stomach, echoing its way into my mind until I reached the twentieth floor
of the building. As I exited the elevator and stepped into the lobby of the magazine,
a smiling brunette, who was sorting through a colorful cup of pens, greeted me.
Something about her—maybe her fidgetiness, the Lisa Loeb look she had going, or
the welcoming smile on her face—made me breathe a little easier.
“How can I help you?” she asked in a singsong voice as she swiveled
“I’m here to see Mrs.—I mean, Dr. Zamora.”
“Fran,” she said. “She likes to be called Fran. Are you Mia?”
The girl smiled and gave me a quick onceover. “Cool. I’m Katie. Let me
make sure she’s in. Take a seat.”
I let out a breath as I placed my bag on the floor and sat across from her in a
sleek white chair, taking in the vast space filled with photographs shot by people
whose work I admired. In an effort to calm my nerves, I picked up one of the
magazines beside me and leafed through it, and even went as far as to try to
channel my inner zen, remembering what an incredible yoga session I’d had earlier
that morning. But nothing worked. That sticky feeling of what did I get myself
It felt like the time I let my twin brother talk me into letting him cut my hair
so that we could “really be twins,” and I ended up looking like Peter Pan for two
months while my mother cried into her pillow every night. I fished out my phone
and contemplated sending him a text. Rob had always been the brave twin, with
words of wisdom to get me through these times. But, I’d dug my grave, and now I
When I ran into my favorite college professor months ago, a local magazine
had just published some of my pictures for a special they were circulating. The
accomplishment I felt at telling her this dwindled when she asked the dreaded
words: what next? But then she offered me the opportunity of a lifetime: to take
pictures for a huge magazine, one I probably wouldn’t have had an opportunity to
work for had my professor’s sister not been the person in charge of the project. The
catch, of course, unbeknownst to my professor or her sister, was that my
exboyfriend, The Dream Crusher, wrote for the same magazine. But I’d have been
an idiot to turn it down. Regardless of where I worked after this, to have this
experience on my resume would be incredible.
“She just got here,” Katie said, jerking me out of my thoughts. I stood
quickly, hitching my bag on my shoulder as the glass door to my right opened and
a tall woman with an uncanny resemblance to my professor—wild red hair and
bright green eyes—walked through it.
I laughed when she winked at me. After she hired me for this job, we started
following each other on any social media that allowed for stalking.
“It’s like we’ve been friends forever.”
“Social media will do that,” she responded with a laugh as she turned on her
heels. “Let me show you around.”
If Fran were a car, she’d be in fourth gear at all times. By the time she
finished showing me around the place and we got back to her office, my legs felt
like they were on fire. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the heels I was wearing, or
because I had to take four strides to her two. Being short could be a bit of a curse.
“We already got the clearance from W Magazine and are keeping the title
‘What Would You Do With Your Second Chance?’ I’m sure they told you
already,” she said as we each took a seat.
They hadn’t told me anything. Not that it mattered. I’d taken pictures for an
article with a similar name, but it was for a small, local magazine, nothing of this
“I hope your friends don’t mind that we’re stealing their limelight,” Fran
added with a smile. She’d become completely fascinated by the fact that the couple
on the cover of the magazine, my best friend and her now-husband, were a second
“They definitely don’t mind,” I replied with a laugh. “They wanted to kill
me when they saw the magazine in our grocery stores, so replacing it will be a
” She laughed. “Were they uneasy because they weren’t an official couple
“Basically. Her brother wanted to kill Oliver … the guy,” I paused to clarify
before continuing, “when he found out about the whole thing.”
“But it’s so romantic,” Fran said, letting out a deep sigh.
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re one of those girls!”
“The ones who are all ‘I don’t need a man’ and ‘I hate romance.’” She rolled
her eyes, but I could tell she was biting back a smile as she said it.
I shrugged. “I’m not any kind of girl. I don’t need a man, but I don’t hate
romance. I think I’m kind of obsessed with romance, really, which is probably why
Fran laughed loudly. “Funny how that works, right? I’ll tell you what, had it
not been for Match, I would have never met mine. I’m sure you don’t need any
help finding a guy, though.” She waved the length of my torso as if she was
presenting me to someone as some kind of trophy.
“Finding a guy isn’t a problem. Keeping a guy is a problem, and finding the
Fran nodded in sympathy. “Yep. I’ve been there. But alas, you’ll find the
one. You’re young, adorable, funny, talented, and smart. Hell of a combination.”
I smiled and looked away. “One day.”
“Anywho, enough about boys. Let’s talk about work. As I stated in the
email, you’ll be taking your headshots today. You don’t need to come into the
office every day, but feel free to use our facility for anything you need. I sent you
the contact information for the couples you’ll be shooting so that you can schedule
their test shots first, and after that, we’ll let you know who we narrowed it down to.
We only want to select four couples to feature: two young, and two older. They all
have different stories, anyway, so that’ll be fine.”
She paused for a breath as I nodded, taking mental notes. “And … oh yeah,
here are the names of the writers working on the special. Carlos and Deborah are
regular staff; the other two are freelance, but work with us often. I wrote down
their emails and will send them yours now so they can contact you. Sometimes
they like to go along for the shoots and do their interviews there.”
My eyes scrolled down the list as I nodded. I stalled when I saw his name.
Just words on a page, but they made my heart flip once, twice, and finally nestle its
way into the pit of my stomach. I was prepared for this.
“You should meet us for drinks on Wednesday,” Fran said, pulling me out of
my thoughts. I was so not prepared for this.
“So I only see them on days that I shoot?” I asked, waving the paper slightly.
“Well, that only happens if they want to interview the people in their
element. Otherwise, we only see each other during meetings, and we don’t have
many. We’ll be having one this Wednesday over drinks, though, and then again to
I swallowed loudly and nodded. “Okay.”
“It would be great for you to come on Wednesday and meet them,” she said
again. I felt like I was on a downward spiral, moving here, knowing this job would
mean I would be insanely close to him, secretly hoping that I was, while reminding
myself of the reasons I’d avoided him in the first place. I took a breath and braced myself for the inevitable fall.
“Sure. Drinks sound great.”
↓ LINKS TO THE BOOK AND AUTHOR ↓
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