Sweet Rome (Sweet Home #1) by Tillie Cole
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Self Published on 30th January 2014
ABOUT SWEET ROME
You met Romeo Prince in the Amazon & USA Today bestselling novel, Sweet Home. Now hear the story from his lips: unbarred, uncensored and raw to the bone.
It makes me laugh when I hear that folk think Mol and I rushed into it too fast, spouting that we couldn't possibly have felt what we did for each other in such a short space of time. I say, how the hell would they know? We made it, didn't we? She became my whole life, didn't she? And as for my folks not being real, being true? Tell that to me aged ten, eleven, twelve — damn, all my bastard life — when I was never enough, when I was beaten until I bled for being too good at football and not being everything they'd dreamed: the perfectly dutiful son. Tell that to thousands of kids around the world getting wailed on by asshole parents for whatever stupid reason; tell them that evil don't exist in their eyes.
Fuck Romeo and Juliet: this is the story of me and my girl, from my lips. No mushy sentiment, no cheese, just the plain, hard truth, and, because I'm feeling generous, I'm going to let you in on more of our story too.
Sweet Rome is a New Adult Companion Novel to Sweet Home — contains adult content, sexual situations and mature topics. Suited for ages 18 and up.
BUY LINKS
Amazon UK - http://ow.ly/t6iak
Amazon US - http://ow.ly/t6il1
B&N - http://ow.ly/t6io3
Smashwords - http://ow.ly/t6isn
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Self Published on 30th January 2014
ABOUT SWEET ROME
You met Romeo Prince in the Amazon & USA Today bestselling novel, Sweet Home. Now hear the story from his lips: unbarred, uncensored and raw to the bone.
It makes me laugh when I hear that folk think Mol and I rushed into it too fast, spouting that we couldn't possibly have felt what we did for each other in such a short space of time. I say, how the hell would they know? We made it, didn't we? She became my whole life, didn't she? And as for my folks not being real, being true? Tell that to me aged ten, eleven, twelve — damn, all my bastard life — when I was never enough, when I was beaten until I bled for being too good at football and not being everything they'd dreamed: the perfectly dutiful son. Tell that to thousands of kids around the world getting wailed on by asshole parents for whatever stupid reason; tell them that evil don't exist in their eyes.
Fuck Romeo and Juliet: this is the story of me and my girl, from my lips. No mushy sentiment, no cheese, just the plain, hard truth, and, because I'm feeling generous, I'm going to let you in on more of our story too.
Sweet Rome is a New Adult Companion Novel to Sweet Home — contains adult content, sexual situations and mature topics. Suited for ages 18 and up.
BUY LINKS
Amazon UK - http://ow.ly/t6iak
Amazon US - http://ow.ly/t6il1
B&N - http://ow.ly/t6io3
Smashwords - http://ow.ly/t6isn
Review
Sweet Rome is the sequel to Sweet Home by Tillie Cole. I fell in love with Rome Prince in Sweet Home but my love for him grew in Sweet Rome. To hear what happened between Rome and Molly, from Rome’s point of view, was amazing! You get to learn more about his background, more about his moods and more about his love for Molly. I loved being about to feel all the ups and downs with him. There were many scenes from Sweet Home but there were also many from Sweet Rome. It wasn’t just a real telling of Sweet Home from Rome’s POV. Those scenes that were in Sweet Home were amazing to see, the way Rome saw them. The scenes that were new were amazing. You got to see his lows, his turmoil with his parents and how he felt, in his words. But you also got to see his highs. There was a scene soon after they found out Molly was pregnant that showed his excitement for this new chapter in his life. His future.
I think my favorite parts were what happened after Sweet Home ended. The extras. The future. The epilogue. Sure there are parts that I wish we read about but Tillie Cole did a great job showing us where they are and what has happened to them in the future. It comes full circle in my opinion.
Sweet Rome is the sequel to Sweet Home by Tillie Cole. I fell in love with Rome Prince in Sweet Home but my love for him grew in Sweet Rome. To hear what happened between Rome and Molly, from Rome’s point of view, was amazing! You get to learn more about his background, more about his moods and more about his love for Molly. I loved being about to feel all the ups and downs with him. There were many scenes from Sweet Home but there were also many from Sweet Rome. It wasn’t just a real telling of Sweet Home from Rome’s POV. Those scenes that were in Sweet Home were amazing to see, the way Rome saw them. The scenes that were new were amazing. You got to see his lows, his turmoil with his parents and how he felt, in his words. But you also got to see his highs. There was a scene soon after they found out Molly was pregnant that showed his excitement for this new chapter in his life. His future.
I think my favorite parts were what happened after Sweet Home ended. The extras. The future. The epilogue. Sure there are parts that I wish we read about but Tillie Cole did a great job showing us where they are and what has happened to them in the future. It comes full circle in my opinion.
Excerpt:
I flattened my back against the cold white wall, praying no one would see me hiding like a pussy, when a flash of movement to my right caught my eye. Some chick holding a mass of papers came flying around the corner, muttering to herself, checking her watch, brown curls piled on her head, thick black glasses, and the brightest fucking shoes I’d ever seen.
Neon orange. Christ.
I couldn’t help but crack a smile at her whole package, and I almost felt along my lips just to check it was actually there.
When was the last time I fucking smiled? That is, when was the last time I was smiling because of something other than looking at some asshole I’d knocked clean out on the floor?
Shaking my head in disbelief, I risked a peek around the corner and saw Shelly lock her eyes onto the chick and turn to say something to her friends, a spiteful smile on her lips. I tensed, suddenly feeling protective of the flustered brunette; the poor girl was completely unaware of what was about to go down.
I couldn’t help but stare at her. She looked so fucking tragic as she blew her crazy hair from her thick glasses, scurrying down the long hall, her plastic shoes squeaking against the tiled floor with each hurried step.
I was too preoccupied, hooked on the scene, and realized too late that Shelly was up to something. I could only watch as Shel shouldered into the girl as she passed, causing all her papers to fall to the floor.
Fury possessed me.
She’d always been a bitch, but seeing her do that to that innocent girl just made me pissed beyond measure. Hell, it wouldn't have taken much, the mood I was in.
Shelly said something to the girl on the floor—I couldn’t hear what—but the brunette never looked up, kept her head down, ignoring what I imagined to be a shitty slight.
Why I ever dipped my stick in that was beyond me. I blamed it on too many head knocks in football. That and being too horny to function. I didn’t understand why Shelly had to treat people so bad. She had everything in the world and still, on occasion, showed moments of being a good person deep down. But those moments weren’t nearly enough to salvage any friendship we’d ever had. I just couldn’t work the girl out.
Stepping out of my hiding spot, I headed to tell Shelly to get the fuck on, but I was too late. She’d already sauntered into class, looking like the cat that got the cream.
As I approached the brunette, she leaned forward to reach for the papers that had landed way out in front, and I almost groaned out loud, my cock springing to life.
Fuck me.
That ass.
That perfect, curvy ass.
I quickly tucked my boner into my waistband and tried to think of something to cool down. Jimmy-Don in a two-piece. Jimmy-Don in a thong. Actually… I smiled derisively. Shelly sucking on my dick… Yeah, deflated like a defective balloon.
Running my hands through my hair, I stopped behind the new chick, avoiding staring at her ass in those short dungarees and those long, tanned legs that were just tempting me to reach out and wrap them around my waist.
Shit. My cock hardened again.
I opened my mouth to ask if she needed help just as she spat, “Fucking arseholes!” to herself and got to her feet. Her glasses crashed to the floor in the process, the shitty frames landing right next to my feet.
Time stopped.
What the hell was that accent? English, maybe? Whatever it was, it was the hottest thing I’d ever heard in my entire sorry life.
Before I could stop it, a loud laugh jumped out of my throat at the sweet, proper voice cussing. She paused, frozen, as she heard me behind her.
Her head bowed, her shoulders bunched, and the sigh she let out said it all—pure defeat. Hell, I knew how she felt.
I reached down and scooped up her glasses, then, holding her arm, spun her to face me.
Jesus. H. Christ.
I flattened my back against the cold white wall, praying no one would see me hiding like a pussy, when a flash of movement to my right caught my eye. Some chick holding a mass of papers came flying around the corner, muttering to herself, checking her watch, brown curls piled on her head, thick black glasses, and the brightest fucking shoes I’d ever seen.
Neon orange. Christ.
I couldn’t help but crack a smile at her whole package, and I almost felt along my lips just to check it was actually there.
When was the last time I fucking smiled? That is, when was the last time I was smiling because of something other than looking at some asshole I’d knocked clean out on the floor?
Shaking my head in disbelief, I risked a peek around the corner and saw Shelly lock her eyes onto the chick and turn to say something to her friends, a spiteful smile on her lips. I tensed, suddenly feeling protective of the flustered brunette; the poor girl was completely unaware of what was about to go down.
I couldn’t help but stare at her. She looked so fucking tragic as she blew her crazy hair from her thick glasses, scurrying down the long hall, her plastic shoes squeaking against the tiled floor with each hurried step.
I was too preoccupied, hooked on the scene, and realized too late that Shelly was up to something. I could only watch as Shel shouldered into the girl as she passed, causing all her papers to fall to the floor.
Fury possessed me.
She’d always been a bitch, but seeing her do that to that innocent girl just made me pissed beyond measure. Hell, it wouldn't have taken much, the mood I was in.
Shelly said something to the girl on the floor—I couldn’t hear what—but the brunette never looked up, kept her head down, ignoring what I imagined to be a shitty slight.
Why I ever dipped my stick in that was beyond me. I blamed it on too many head knocks in football. That and being too horny to function. I didn’t understand why Shelly had to treat people so bad. She had everything in the world and still, on occasion, showed moments of being a good person deep down. But those moments weren’t nearly enough to salvage any friendship we’d ever had. I just couldn’t work the girl out.
Stepping out of my hiding spot, I headed to tell Shelly to get the fuck on, but I was too late. She’d already sauntered into class, looking like the cat that got the cream.
As I approached the brunette, she leaned forward to reach for the papers that had landed way out in front, and I almost groaned out loud, my cock springing to life.
Fuck me.
That ass.
That perfect, curvy ass.
I quickly tucked my boner into my waistband and tried to think of something to cool down. Jimmy-Don in a two-piece. Jimmy-Don in a thong. Actually… I smiled derisively. Shelly sucking on my dick… Yeah, deflated like a defective balloon.
Running my hands through my hair, I stopped behind the new chick, avoiding staring at her ass in those short dungarees and those long, tanned legs that were just tempting me to reach out and wrap them around my waist.
Shit. My cock hardened again.
I opened my mouth to ask if she needed help just as she spat, “Fucking arseholes!” to herself and got to her feet. Her glasses crashed to the floor in the process, the shitty frames landing right next to my feet.
Time stopped.
What the hell was that accent? English, maybe? Whatever it was, it was the hottest thing I’d ever heard in my entire sorry life.
Before I could stop it, a loud laugh jumped out of my throat at the sweet, proper voice cussing. She paused, frozen, as she heard me behind her.
Her head bowed, her shoulders bunched, and the sigh she let out said it all—pure defeat. Hell, I knew how she felt.
I reached down and scooped up her glasses, then, holding her arm, spun her to face me.
Jesus. H. Christ.
ABOUT TILLIE COLE
Tillie Cole is a Northern girl through and through. She originates from a place called Teesside on that little but awesomely sunny (okay I exaggerate) Isle called Great Britain. She was brought up surrounded by her English rose mother -- a farmer's daughter, her crazy Scottish father, a savagely sarcastic sister and a multitude of rescue animals and horses.
Being a scary blend of Scottish and English, Tillie embraces both cultures; her English heritage through her love of HP sauce and freshly made Yorkshire Puddings, and her Scottish which is mostly demonstrated by her frighteningly foul-mouthed episodes of pure rage and her much loved dirty jokes.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tilliecoleauthor
Twitter https://twitter.com/tillie_cole
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074846.Tillie_Cole
Website http://tilliecole.com/
Tillie Cole is a Northern girl through and through. She originates from a place called Teesside on that little but awesomely sunny (okay I exaggerate) Isle called Great Britain. She was brought up surrounded by her English rose mother -- a farmer's daughter, her crazy Scottish father, a savagely sarcastic sister and a multitude of rescue animals and horses.
Being a scary blend of Scottish and English, Tillie embraces both cultures; her English heritage through her love of HP sauce and freshly made Yorkshire Puddings, and her Scottish which is mostly demonstrated by her frighteningly foul-mouthed episodes of pure rage and her much loved dirty jokes.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tilliecoleauthor
Twitter https://twitter.com/tillie_cole
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074846.Tillie_Cole
Website http://tilliecole.com/
AUTHOR GUEST POST:
Q) Some ideas we came up with were how did she come up with the characters/the idea for the book, why Alabama, besides Sweet Rome, what other books are coming up for her?
The story of Sweet Home came to me one day out of the blue. Initially I intended it to be a romantic comedy about a tragically geeky Brit moving to a place so beyond her experience—Alabama—and how her quirky attitude would attract the attentions of the bad-boy on campus. I had lots of funny scenarios and cute-meets planned out. But when I began to write the novel, I just wasn’t feeling the humour, and something told me to explore these characters on a deeper level. Before I had realised it, eight weeks had passed and I had a finished novel that wasn’t a comedy at all, but a sweet, coming of age love story about two broken people finding solace in each other, against all odds. A fairytale of sorts.
The character of Molly Shakespeare was simple for me: she is English, so am I. We are from the same small northern town, and I too studied Religious Philosophy, so the academic arguments were areas I felt comfortable with. But that’s where the similarities end. The idea of her father’s death came to me from my town’s local history and I thought it would be a good place to begin the story. When I was growing up in the North of England, the mines that provided many jobs in the area, were closed by Margret Thatcher. It hit many workmen hard. Unfortunately along with unemployment, suicides went up, thus it was a plausible and very realistic background for the character of Molly to have, and would no doubt affect her future. After that, I just tried to envision the path her life could’ve taken if she used her incredible IQ to ‘get out’, and the rest is history. Plus, I wanted her to finally find a family in her best friends, and Cass, Lexi and Ally are just that, inspired by my own life-long best friends.
Romeo, and his aggressive, but tragic, bad-boy persona, seemed the perfect counter-part to Molly. He was someone to relieve her of her constant loneliness and her resented need to be self-sufficient. I imagined she would be thankful to have an alpha type male who would support her in every way possible enter her life, and of course, Molly would in turn, save Romeo too.
As the wife of a professional sportsman, I had some understanding of how crazy the attention and pressures of the sports fans can be for the players, and how hard that type of life can be on their loved ones. I wanted Romeo to have a struggle too, not just be unnecessarily angry, and the idea of being torn in two by the expectation to take on the duty of his family’s business and his passion for football, seemed a good route to explore.
The farther I progressed with the novel, the more I recognised the similarities between Sweet Home/Rome’s love story and that of Romeo and Juliet, thus I added in the comparisons. Plus, I love anything Shakespeare. But I wanted my star-crossed lovers to get a better ending! I’m a huge sucker of a happily ever after.
The reason I chose the setting of Alabama was, simply, because I love the Tide. My father has watched American Football since I was a child and he always liked the Crimson Tide, thus so did I. Plus, I think the Bama accent is the best, most amazing accent in the world! I wish I had that accent! Seattle Seahawks are my favourite NFL team, so I had to sneak them in there too! I love the Sweet Home series, it will forever hold a place in my heart and I’m so humbled that lots of people out there have shared their love for it too.
This year, I have lots of new releases scheduled. I have books three and four in the Sweet Home series coming out this summer (Lexi and Austin’ story in book three, and Ally’s in book four). In April, I am releasing ‘It Ain’t Me, Babe’, a dark, gritty story of finding love in the most unusual places and how someone, so completely unexpected, can enter your world and flip it upside down. It involves a bad-ass biker, a Fat Boy Lo Harley and a lost girl on the run from a dangerous situation… oh, and it’s set in Austin, Texas, so more sexy accents and southern-boy irresistible ‘y’all’ drawls! I ADORE this novel and cannot wait for people to read it.
To see the rest of my upcoming novels, check out my website, www.tilliecole.com.
I hope everyone loves Sweet Rome and here’s to a fantastic 2014!
#RollTide
#GoHawks
Q) Some ideas we came up with were how did she come up with the characters/the idea for the book, why Alabama, besides Sweet Rome, what other books are coming up for her?
The story of Sweet Home came to me one day out of the blue. Initially I intended it to be a romantic comedy about a tragically geeky Brit moving to a place so beyond her experience—Alabama—and how her quirky attitude would attract the attentions of the bad-boy on campus. I had lots of funny scenarios and cute-meets planned out. But when I began to write the novel, I just wasn’t feeling the humour, and something told me to explore these characters on a deeper level. Before I had realised it, eight weeks had passed and I had a finished novel that wasn’t a comedy at all, but a sweet, coming of age love story about two broken people finding solace in each other, against all odds. A fairytale of sorts.
The character of Molly Shakespeare was simple for me: she is English, so am I. We are from the same small northern town, and I too studied Religious Philosophy, so the academic arguments were areas I felt comfortable with. But that’s where the similarities end. The idea of her father’s death came to me from my town’s local history and I thought it would be a good place to begin the story. When I was growing up in the North of England, the mines that provided many jobs in the area, were closed by Margret Thatcher. It hit many workmen hard. Unfortunately along with unemployment, suicides went up, thus it was a plausible and very realistic background for the character of Molly to have, and would no doubt affect her future. After that, I just tried to envision the path her life could’ve taken if she used her incredible IQ to ‘get out’, and the rest is history. Plus, I wanted her to finally find a family in her best friends, and Cass, Lexi and Ally are just that, inspired by my own life-long best friends.
Romeo, and his aggressive, but tragic, bad-boy persona, seemed the perfect counter-part to Molly. He was someone to relieve her of her constant loneliness and her resented need to be self-sufficient. I imagined she would be thankful to have an alpha type male who would support her in every way possible enter her life, and of course, Molly would in turn, save Romeo too.
As the wife of a professional sportsman, I had some understanding of how crazy the attention and pressures of the sports fans can be for the players, and how hard that type of life can be on their loved ones. I wanted Romeo to have a struggle too, not just be unnecessarily angry, and the idea of being torn in two by the expectation to take on the duty of his family’s business and his passion for football, seemed a good route to explore.
The farther I progressed with the novel, the more I recognised the similarities between Sweet Home/Rome’s love story and that of Romeo and Juliet, thus I added in the comparisons. Plus, I love anything Shakespeare. But I wanted my star-crossed lovers to get a better ending! I’m a huge sucker of a happily ever after.
The reason I chose the setting of Alabama was, simply, because I love the Tide. My father has watched American Football since I was a child and he always liked the Crimson Tide, thus so did I. Plus, I think the Bama accent is the best, most amazing accent in the world! I wish I had that accent! Seattle Seahawks are my favourite NFL team, so I had to sneak them in there too! I love the Sweet Home series, it will forever hold a place in my heart and I’m so humbled that lots of people out there have shared their love for it too.
This year, I have lots of new releases scheduled. I have books three and four in the Sweet Home series coming out this summer (Lexi and Austin’ story in book three, and Ally’s in book four). In April, I am releasing ‘It Ain’t Me, Babe’, a dark, gritty story of finding love in the most unusual places and how someone, so completely unexpected, can enter your world and flip it upside down. It involves a bad-ass biker, a Fat Boy Lo Harley and a lost girl on the run from a dangerous situation… oh, and it’s set in Austin, Texas, so more sexy accents and southern-boy irresistible ‘y’all’ drawls! I ADORE this novel and cannot wait for people to read it.
To see the rest of my upcoming novels, check out my website, www.tilliecole.com.
I hope everyone loves Sweet Rome and here’s to a fantastic 2014!
#RollTide
#GoHawks