Originally posted on December 9, 2011
I disagree completely. It’s easy to break up. What’s hard is getting over the breakup.
I bet you agree.
The painful breakups are the ones where in your relationship you’d given a lot to the other person emotionally. Even if ending the relationship is a good move, it hurts, and it takes time to move on.
*Spoiler alert!!! Don’t continue if you haven’t finished reading One More Time!*
If you have finished One More Time [republished as Spreading the News in 2020] and read the teaser for Lost [republished as Breaking News in 2020], you know Jesse and Nicki have broken up. I’m having a hard time writing this book, because it’s a painful breakup for me as well. I think Jesse’s the perfect guy for Nicki, but she hasn’t quite figured that one out. She’s afraid of losing herself in a relationship; she’s scared that she’s not ready to be that committed to someone else; and–something she hasn’t even admitted to herself, but something you and I know–she’s worried about what she might be missing.
So the book begins a couple of weeks after the breakup. It’s not fresh anymore, but Nicki’s still feeling, well…lost. She and Jesse weren’t together forever, you know, but the time they spent together was intense and hardcore, and they were not only compatible as friends but combustible in the bedroom. And he was more to Nicki than just a sex object. He meant more to her than she will admit. So she’s having a hard time starting over. In fact, something you also know from the teaser, she’s having a hard time getting back on that horse. Something you haven’t seen Nicki do in the series yet is strike out, and she does so spectacularly in Lost. And she knows deep down she shouldn’t have let Jesse go, yet she’s not willing to tell him that. She’s not even ready to admit it to herself.
So she wallows. You remember Right Now [republished as In the News in 2020]. That was like her practice for this time. The time she spent during that week of mourning helped her prepare for this time. And like she discovered in Right Now, sex isn’t a panacea for every heartache. In fact, sex to numb her mind just feels empty and meaningless.
This discovery leads Nicki to doing a little bit of self-exploration. Not much, mind you, because she’s not willing to analyze herself that much. But she does a lot of healing by spending some good bonding time with her besties Jillian and Brandy. You know as well as I do that it’s hard to find really good friends who are like sisters, but when you do, you keep ‘em close. They remind Nicki why she loves them so much.
What else will you get in Lost? Well, a lot of readers have told me they discovered the Nicki Sosebee series because they read Tangled Web, my book about a rock star and his old friend who discover their mutual attraction and love for one another, and I’ve had other readers ask me if I have any other stuff like Tangled Web. This book might satisfy a little of your rock star craving. Nicki spends a little time with a gorgeous rock god! She is one lucky girl. (And just a side note–I’m in the first stage of writing another book called MADversary [republished as Love and Music in 2020], also about a rock star “romance,” although you know as well as I do I don’t write that stuff, but what else can ya call it???)
One last thing…those of you who love Jesse as much as I do, I just want to say this much: Don’t give up hope. Jesse is still a part of the series, and you have not seen the last of him. Not by a long shot. He is still very much a part of Nicki’s life. Trust me here. I’m not going to say anything else, because I don’t want to ruin all the fun. Just know that Jesse will be around for a while.
Now I need to get back to writing. I hope to get Lost done by Christmas as my gift to you!
UPDATE 3/14/24: If you’re one of my regular readers and love suspenseful (and maybe a little quirky) contemporary romance, I think you’ll love my Nicki Sosebee stories series. If you want to binge read, check out the box set containing all 14 Nicki books, Nicki Sosebee in Love!
Leave a Reply