Five Ways a Boy Can Break Your Heart : Blog Tour
Today we have Skylar M. Cates and Cate Ashwood stopping by to chat about their new book! Welcome guys!! Thanks for coming – and good luck with Five Ways a Boy Can Break Your Heart – I know Whit really liked it!! Check out her review HERE. Take it away Skylar and Cate ….
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Have you ever regretted not swallowing your pride? Has that moment haunted you?
As the old proverb states: “Pride goeth before destruction”
Hello! Skylar, here! On behalf of myself and Cate Ashwood, I wanted to say thanks so much for hosting us today!
In Five Ways A Boy Can Break Your Heart, Trey and Liam meet as teenagers in boarding school. They have years together to fall in love, although it remains unspoken between them, and to build memories. Music is their shared passion, but they also take care of each other in different ways. Trey protects Liam from others; Liam protects Trey from himself. Unfortunately, when they are suddenly separated, their pride rips them away from each other and they are not mature enough to admit the truth.
Sometimes, I think that pride is a luxury for younger people. Certainly, as I get older, and have added responsibilities, pride becomes less important than getting a paycheck to provide for my kids or getting along with my in-laws to keep the peace. Pride, after all, isn’t as crucial as honor or love. Trey and Liam both need to learn this lesson. Without giving away spoilers, Trey hides some things that he should have been upfront to Liam about, while Liam feels entirely too insecure about Trey.
They lose each other. In real life, I often wish for a time machine to go back and salvage my past relationships. Don’t you? Of course, that can be impossible to do. Luckily, Cate and I could flash forward seven years and allow the two men to try again (Yay for the power of writing!). With new maturity, Trey and Liam earn a second chance.
When I think of these two characters, I think about the word “yearning.” They ached for each other, felt incomplete without each other, and were each other’s first loves…. Time does not diminish love, not if it is real and true. Watching them reconnect, open up, and finally put their pride aside was deeply gratifying to write, and we hope will be equally enjoyable to read.
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Trey returned to the bed and sat facing Liam, the guitar cradled in his lap. He strummed a few chords, testing out the pitch, turning the shiny silver keys meticulously until he was satisfied that it was in tune.
Playing guitar was the only time Liam wished he had no musical talent. The first time Trey had handed him a guitar, it had felt clumsy and awkward in his hands. He was used to strings, but they felt different on his violin, more natural somehow. The angle of his wrist had made it difficult to change the chords, and he couldn’t seem to make his fingers cooperate. It had only gotten worse when Trey had slid in behind him, pressing his solid chest against Liam’s back.
The world had gone still as Liam had tried his best to concentrate on the words Trey was saying rather than the way his breath danced over the back of Liam’s neck. The blood that had momentarily frozen in his veins had resumed pumping at a wicked pace, making him feel hot and dizzy. Trey had slid his hands over Liam’s, urging them to move with his. It had been the most perfect moment of Liam’s life. Making music in Trey’s arms, everything had felt right in the world.
Unfortunately, as much as he’d tried to prolong the experience, Liam was a fast learner, and Trey knew it. Now he would have to be satisfied with sitting across from his best friend, watching him fall into the music. It really was beautiful to watch; his whole body moved with the notes flowing from him, and when he sang, it never failed to make Liam shiver.
He strummed a few chords, testing out the sound, and then he began to sing.
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“What do you think?” Trey asked when he’d finished the chorus.
It took Liam a moment to register Trey had stopped singing. The sound reverberated through him, numbing him and encasing him. “I think it’s perfect,” he said, finally. He scrawled the lyrics Trey had written across the center of the page, beneath the previous verse.
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When Trey and Liam meet in boarding school, they couldn’t be more different. Liam is a classical violinist with a scholarship, and Trey is a punk rocker with famous parents. Despite their conflicting backgrounds, they hit it off and bond over their love of music. But after spending every waking hour together, Liam is devastated when Trey leaves school without an explanation. Worse yet, Trey capitalizes on a song they wrote together.
Seven years later, they bump into each other at a charity benefit in New York. Old sparks fly, but Liam hasn’t quite recovered from the pain Trey caused. Liam doesn’t know if any explanation Trey can offer will be enough, or if he can find it in his heart to forgive the only man he’s ever really loved.
Buy From Dreamspinner Press
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Skylar M. Cates loves a good romance. She is quite happy to drink some coffee, curl up with a good book, and not move all day. Most days, however, Skylar is chasing after her husband, her kids, and her giant dog, Wasabi. Skylar dreams about spending her days writing her novels, walking along the beach, and making more time for her good friends. On a shoestring budget, Skylar has traveled all over in her early years. Although, lately, the laundry room is the farthest place she has visited, Skylar still loves to chat with people from all around the globe.
Skylar can be found on Facebook, Goodreads, or her website:
Cate Ashwood wrote her very first story in a hot-pink binder when she was in the second grade and found her passion for writing. Her first successful foray into romance writing came five years later when she wrote her best friend, who was experiencing a case of unrequited love, her own happily ever after.
Cate’s life has taken a number of different and adventurous roads. She now lives a stone’s throw from the ocean, just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and two cats. Her life is filled with family and friends, travel, and, of course, books.
Cate loves to hear from readers. You can find her at:
Live Your Life, Buy The Book 
This one sounds perfect for me!
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Music, young love, lost and then found love…I can’t wait!
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