π TITLE: THE ELITEπ SERIES: XXXVII π GENRE: WHY CHOOSE | BULLY BOOK |SECRET SOCIETYπ...
βThe wildly talented Jewel E. Ann consistency finds a way to level up. Every book she writes leaves me desperate for more! The Life That Mattered is a must-read." - Ella James, USA Today bestselling author

TITLE: The Life That Mattered
SERIES: (Life Duet #1)
AUTHOR: Jewel E. Ann
GENRE: Romance
Synopsis
Sex isnβt love.
Love isnβt sex.
And friendship is neither.
The son of a French Olympic skier and a Malaysian fashion designer, Ronin Alexander has lived the life of a nomad, traveling the world to find his next adventure.
Life takes a dramatic turn when he meets Evelyn, a beautiful scientist who owns a bath shop in Aspen, Colorado. They defy all the rules of relationships, falling hard and quickly in love.
Their world intertwines with Evelynβs two best friends, the Governor and his soon-to-be wife. The four become closeβvery close.
When tragedy strikes, things from their pasts are unveiledβunimaginable truths and the grim realization that life will never be the same.
Jewel E. Ann steps into another dimension with this mind-bending thriller, a provocative story that pushes boundaries and tests the true meaning of love.
My Review

Purchase Links
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/370vtIT
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/LifeMattered
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/37132uz
Add The Life That Mattered to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2QUyoN5
Pre-order The Life You Stole, releasing February 20th, now!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/31w0kf7
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TheLifeyouStole
Add THE LIFE YOU STOLE to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3bgXmQ7

Excerpt
I wasnβt opposed to the occasional drunken one-night stand, but not with Evelyn. We werenβt drunk, and I wasnβt okay with an arbitrary time in the future that I may or may not see her again.
βIβll walk you to your door,β Evelyn said as she turned off her Jeep.
βGod β¦β I laughed, shaking my head. βThatβs messed up. Now I feel a huge urgency to get my own vehicle. I think Iβll go tomorrow to buy one just so you donβt ever have to walk me to my door again.β
She climbed out. βI donβt have to stop at your door. We donβt have to play by the rules of dating. I think weβre past that age. How old are you?β
I found her hand and led her to the front door. βThirty-five.β
βIβm thirty-four. Have you ever been married?β
We stopped at my door and faced each other. βNo. You?β
She shook her head. βThe rules donβt apply once youβre past thirty.β
βThe rules?β
Evelyn grinned. βThe courting shit. The baseball game.β
βThe baseball game?β My head canted to the side.
βYeah. The sexual bases? First base is kissing. Second base isββ
βYes.β I fished my keys from my pocket. βIβm familiar with the bases.β
βWell, I donβt know if youβre a fan of baseball or not, but I am.β
I unlocked my door and motioned for her to go inside.
She wet her lips and stepped into my condo without an ounce of hesitation. βYouβre inviting me in. So you are a fan of baseball.β
Not so much. Skiing, football (soccer), rugby, cycling, tennis β¦ but not baseball. However, something told me Evelyn might make me a baseball fan.
βAre you sure youβre living here?β She glanced around at the sparse furnishings of my two-bedroom condo.
βI never stay in one place long. No need to own much. Itβs just that much more to sell or move.β
Books.
I owned books and a place to sit and read them. My parents didnβt believe in letting Julien and I watch television while we were growing up. Julien embraced art. I embraced fictionβmysteries and sci-fi.
βWhat do you consider not long?β She ran her fingers along the back of my leather recliner before dropping her bag to the floor and slipping off her jacket.
βThree to five years is a nice stay.β I tossed my coat onto one of two barstools at my kitchen counter.
βOkay. So our marriage will be short.β Her teeth trapped her full bottom lip.
βProbably.β
Iβd dated enough women to know there existed a sequence of events that took place way before the M word should ever be discussed. Iβd never reached the point of discussing the M word. Not even with my longest relationship, which lasted two years.
Two years and we didnβt talk about marriage.
I was out of my realm of experience with Evelyn. We joked about marriage, but who joked about that? Then there was a baseball discussion happening, and I didnβt even like baseball, but I waited with restless anticipation for Evelyn to make her point. Something told me it could be brilliant.
βKenny was a guy I dated my first year in college. He played baseball.β
I could not have cared less about this Kenny guy, but he brought her back to the baseball talk, so I folded my arms over my chest, leaned against the counter, and gave her my full attention as she walked in slow circles around my furniture. A predator with calculated moves.
Who was I to judge? I walked into her shop that day and basically said we needed to expedite our dating statusβlaid out my plans to eat dinner with her, close down bars, and sip hot chocolate.
βHe was a solid hitter. Always got on base, but he never hit a home run. I honestly think he lacked the confidence to go for it. His coaches told him to just get on base, so thatβs what he did because thatβs what you do when youβre young like that. You spend a lot of time on the bases.β
Were we still talking about baseball in the literal sense?
βI think once you hit your thirties, no one should judge if you just hit it out of the park your first time up to bat.β Her lips twisted as she stopped in front of me. βThe goal is to hit it home. If you can do that, then why the hell not, right?β
I thought I understood the metaphor. But if I was wrong, I could get thrown out of the game.
βCan I get you a drink?β
Evelyn shook her head.
My eyes narrowed, studying her for a few seconds.
βFirst base is fine.β She shrugged.
Fuck me β¦
About the Author

Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.
With 10 years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.
After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.
When sheβs not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of courseβ¦heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.
Stalker Links
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Qzj2iq
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2urUQG0
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2ZZwpLD
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2s4ftr1
Stay up to date with Jewel by joining her mailing list:
