The Rules of Regret by Megan Squires
Publication date: October 1st 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Synopsis:
“Life doesn’t come with a blueprint, which makes it hard to have any plans.”
Nineteen-year-old Darby Duncan is finally on her own. Her boyfriend of six years just left for a high-powered summer internship, though in reality he’s been absent for much longer than that. This newfound freedom wasn’t a part of Darby’s plans, but as she’s come to discover, plans only exist on paper, not in reality.
And guys like Torin Westbrook aren’t supposed to exist in reality, either. But he does, with his disheveled curly hair, irresistible dimples, and endearingly quirky habit of reciting quotes from classic movies and ancient thinkers. When Darby meets Torin as a fellow counselor at the survival camp she impulsively applies to, she’s certain his main goal is to turn her world upside-down.
But Darby’s not sure she can adapt to Torin’s ways of viewing his past and the tragedies he’s faced. Because she’s had her own share of heartache, too, and as much as she wants to believe that it’s all been for a purpose, her grief hasn’t allowed her to get to that point. Yet the more Darby is around Torin, the more she craves the freedom to break out of her carefully constructed routine and mindset and fall into something new.
She’s just not sure that she should be falling for Torin along the way.
GOODREADS |
AMAZON
So I'm still trying this New Adult genre. I've found real gems around, and I'm hoping this one will turn out to be one of those; with that gorgeous cover and amazing synopsis. I mean, CAMP! who doesn't love camps?! and survival! The Parent Trap and Bear Grylls are like, my favorite things ever.
Now to get excited about The Rules of Regret, let's just take a moment to enjoy this excerpt:
“Put this on.”
“Where?” I squeaked, reluctantly taking the red and white polkadot two-piece
from his hold. Our fingers brushed and his eyes caught mine in an unsure
glance.
“I don’t know, behind a tree or something.” He continued digging through my backpack, pulling out all of my clothes
and the blanket crammed inside. He took them to a nearby rock and spread them
out onto its surface like he was a maid with a clothesline and a load of
laundry to finish. I really wished I hadn't fallen in that creek. Everything
was soaked.
“I’m not changing out here.” I wrapped my arms across my chest,
humiliation spreading throughout my body. Usually people’s cheeks turned red when they were embarrassed. I was fairly certain
every inch of my skin was blushing bright pink, rivaling the reddened hue of
Porky the Pig.
Torin cocked
his head and thumbed his chin—something I was beginning to notice
he did a lot of—and his dimples eased onto his
cheeks. “You do realize this is a survival
overnighter, don’t you? There are some things you
need to let go of for survival’s sake. Modesty is one of those
things.”
“If I remember correctly, yesterday
you pretty much promised me that you’d keep me alive. And I’d like to keep my modesty. I really
don’t want to change into this, Torin.”
He dragged his
hands through his hair and sighed my direction, sensing the sincerity in my
plea. “Darby, it may currently be blazing
hot out, but tonight it will get down into the 40’s. And as of right now, you have no dry clothes to sleep in and your
overnight blanket is full of about ten pounds of water. You’ve run out of options.”
I pinched my
lips together. What I wouldn’t give to be lounging on the couch
back at the rental with Sonja, getting fat with our beer and our Cheetos. Even
the hope of visiting Lance didn’t make any of this worthwhile. I
sort of wished Torin would have just let me float out there in the river a bit
longer. Maybe I would have passed out and drowned. That would be slightly less
humiliating than what I feared was in store for me at this summer camp.
“At least turn around.”
Torin looked up
at me from the granite slab where he’d arranged my clothes. “What?”
“Please turn around. No peeking.”
He shook his
head and returned his focus to his work. “I’m not gonna peek. Off limits.”
“I'm off limits?”
He stepped back
and surveyed the spread of fabric, then moved a pair of my socks so they didn’t overlap with the t-shirt underneath. “Off limits. Taken.” His pale eyes pulled up to mine. “And even if you weren’t, you’re not really my type, Darby.”
Insult
sucker-punched me in the gut. “Geez,” I murmured, feeling the hurtful sting of his comment. “Then by all means, please stare away. Take pictures if you like.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Torin stepped back from the rock
and fiddled with his belt. Before I could register what he was doing, he’d unzipped his fly and was down to his boxers, pulling one leg, then the
other from his cargo shorts. My throat went dry and I tried hard to swallow,
but it was all sandpaper and it scratched my tongue. Where did his pants go?
And why was I staring at his underwear that was covered in hundreds of yellow
smiley faces, repeated over and over in a dizzying, disorienting pattern?
Seriously, why were his boxers smiling at me?
HeHe.
Aw, can't wait to read these two. They seem like fun people to be around when one's at camp. I can't stop thinking about camp now.
I love camp.
NOW I WISH I WERE YOU BECAUSE YOU GET TO PARTICIPATE ON THIS GIVEAWAY TO WIN A COPY OF TROR (open INTERNATIONALLY):
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I want someone who will talk to me honestly about things. You're the only person who ever has. Maybe you don't know this, but when you're disabled almost no one tells you the truth. They feel too awkward because the truth seems too sad, I guess. You were very brave to walk up to the crippled girl and say, essentially, wipe that sunny expression off your face and look at reality. That's what I want you to do next year. Tell me the truth. That's all.
