COLLIDE, my second Romance Revisited novel, has been a long time coming. It was under contract with my previous publisher on two different occasions before I received the rights back and decided to publish it on my own. Although the wait has been long, I’m excited that COLLIDE is almost here!
Here’s the blurb:
When their worlds collide, neither will be left unscarred.
Suffocated by her small-town life, Maggie Hale runs away to Las Vegas to pursue her dream as a contemporary dancer. But Vegas doesn’t turn out like she imagined. She doesn’t make it into Essence Dance Theater and the only job she can find is working in a greasy diner—again.
Jay Thornton wants to quit enforcing and own his own boxing gym one day. But his loan shark boss saved him from the streets as a kid and he owes the man everything. Cutting ties isn’t so simple.
When Maggie pledges to pay back a friend’s loan, she becomes Jay’s next mark. Sparks fly between them, but choosing each other could mean the end of both their dreams.
COLLIDE is inspired by Elizabeth Gaskell’s NORTH & SOUTH. I wouldn’t call it a retelling because I let the modern characters take the story their own way, but if you’ve read (or seen) the original, you’ll see the similarities. It’s also a standalone novel. It isn’t necessary to have read SWAY first, although there is a small tie-in readers of SWAY will notice.
So are you ready for the cover? My fabulous cover artist for both SWAY and CLASH outdid herself for COLLIDE and I couldn’t be happier. What do you think?
COLLIDE is coming this November! Stay tuned for an excerpt next month, and an advanced copy giveaway coming soon! 😀
15 comments
Skip to comment form
Sounds intriguing! Looking forward to reading it.
Thanks!
Must admit that I’m a great fan of N&S,it being my joint favourite book,alongside P&P!
Therefore I must confess that my interest is piqued by this modern take on such a beloved book.
Looking forward to reading it.
Wishing you the best of luck with it.
Thank you! I love North & South as well, and it was a lot of fun to write a retelling!
I like the cover. It lets you imagine their looks and fits with the rest of the books in the grouping.
Thank! I loved the couple we ended up going with- the guy really is perfect for my Jay Thornton. 😀
North and South is one of my favorites. Funnily, I just watched the series last week with my 15 year old daughter. She was resistant at first, but by the end she was melting 🙂 Collide sounds intriguing, Melanie! And what a gorgeous cover! Looking forward to reading it.
Thank you! I was actually the same about the series- I thought, cotton and manufacturing? Ugh. Lol. Then I ended up loving it!
It’s lovely. So great to see some N&S-inspired fiction. I love John Thornton!
Me too! I actually couldn’t find any modern retellings of N&S which surprises me since so many people love it! Hopefully mine measures up!
Congratulations, Melanie! I’m so glad that you finally wrested your book back from the publisher so that you could pursue your own vision. The cover is gorgeous, and I am also a devoted fan of Elizabeth Gaskell’s works. Nicole’s variations on North and South are incredible; I highly, highly recommend reading them if you haven’t already!
Yay, you!! I can’t wait to read the excerpts!! 😀
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
Thanks Susanne! I haven’t read her variations yet but I have them on my TBR list!
Gorgeous cover! Congratulations! What an interesting premise with this as well. I still have to read ‘Clash’ but I hope to before November!!
Love the cover! Congratulations
I’ve read and enjoyed the other two so will plan on reading this. Thanks for sharing.