Queen of Ruin, page 19
Pulling off my tie, I throw it across the room with an unceremonious affect because I should have expected this, but I’m still thrown off kilter. It’s been three months, and I can blame the campaign for keeping me busy… but the truth is I couldn’t bring myself to draw up the papers. Apparently she has not been so restricted by time.
“Don’t forget about the fundraising event tonight,” Rausch says as he enters my office. He sees my tie lying on the ground and picks it up, and when he places it on the desk he looks at the papers.
“You can gloat if you want to,” I tell him angrily. “You got what you wanted, right?”
“If you want me to say that Evangeline leaving was the best thing for your campaign, then fine, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about seeing you in pain.”
I scoff.
“You can think what you want, Darren, but what I said to you before was the truth. If you wanted her with you on the campaign, I would do everything to protect her,” he says with sincerity.
If there is one thing I know about Rausch, it’s that he keeps his word.
I lift my eyes from the papers. “Well, it seems she didn’t want to be a part of this life after all.”
Rausch lets out a breath. “You can sit here and stare at those papers, or you can pull yourself together and win this election.”
* * *
Read State of Union, the third and exciting final book in the Kingmaker Trilogy, now.
Also by Paula Dombrowiak
THE BLOOD & BONE SERIES
A Steamy Rockstar Romance series
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Blood And Bone (Book 1)
Two days. One Interview. Twenty-five years of Rock ‘n Roll. Telling his story might just repair past relationships and ignite new ones.
Breath To Bear (Book 2)
These chains that weigh me down, my guilt I wear like a crown, SHE is my Breath to Bear
Bonds We Break (Book 3)
To have and to hold from this day forward - to love and to cherish, till death do us part - and these are the bonds we break.
Bound To Burn (Book 4)
Love has a way of blazing through you like poison, leaving you breathless but still wanting more.
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All four books in the Blood & Bone series plus a bonus novella.
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STANDALONES
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Beautiful Lies
I own the boardroom. He owns the stage. We were never meant to be together, but when somethings forbidden, it only makes you want it more.
A forbidden, reverse age gap romance
KINGMAKER SERIES
A Steamy, Marriage of Convenience, Political Romance Trilogy
* * *
King of Nothing, Book 1
Queen of Ruin, Book 2
State of Union, Book 3
About the Author
Paula Dombrowiak grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois but currently lives in Arizona. She is the author of Blood and Bone, her first adult romance novel which combines her love of music and imperfect relationships. Paula is a lifelong music junkie, whose wardrobe consists of band T-shirts and leggings which are perpetually covered in pet hair. She is a sucker for a redeemable villain, bad boys and the tragically flawed. Music is what inspires her storytelling.
If you would like a place to discuss Paula’s books, you can join her Facebook Reader Group Paula’s Rock Stars Reader Group
You can always find out more information about Paula and her books on her website
pauladombrowiak.com
* * *
You can also purchase eBooks, signed paperbacks, audiobooks, and multi-book bundles on her direct shop.
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payhip.com/PaulaDombrowiakBooks
Acknowledgments
I could not have written this book without the support of my family. Thank you so much for always being there for me, and for allowing me the space to create.
To my beautiful alpha reader’s, Nattie (a.k.a. Poopsie) and Mishie, I wouldn’t be who I am without your friendship and this book would not be possible without your support and incredible feedback. I’m not sure how I got so lucky to call you both friends but you’re stuck with me for life.
To Lena Moore, you beautiful soul. Thank you for reading and providing your insight into Darren and Evangeline’s story. I treasure our daily check-in’s and words of encouragement.
To my editor Dayna Hart, who loves to cut my word count but I’m not mad at her. She makes my stories better.
Thank you to Katy Nielsen for proofreading. You are and always will be the one to find and fix all my errors, especially homophones. I may leave a few in there for you on purpose, just to keep you on your toes.
To my street team, thank you for sharing all my teasers on your social media because it makes a huge difference for this little indie author. Thank you for your friendship, and the laughs. I love you girls!!!
To all the Bookstagrammers, Bloggers, and Booktokers out there who have supported me, shared my posts, reviewed my books, and reached out to me, thank you, thank you, thank you! Word of mouth is huge! Your love of books astounds me, and I am so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful book community.
To my ARC readers, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading and providing your honest review. Reviews are so important - especially for us little indie authors.
Last, but certainly not least, to my readers!!! I can’t tell you how much you mean to me. In my heart I’ve always been a writer, but you make it real. I am always touched when readers reach out to me to say how much they connected with my characters. I strive to write from the heart, create characters that are real and flawed, and portray them in the most sensitive way possible. I hope you continue on this journey with me. Thank you for your support!
Paula Dombrowiak, Queen of Ruin
