I See London
by Chanel Cleeton
by Chanel Cleeton
February 3, 2014
Harlequin HQN (Digital First)
New Adult Contemporary Romance
“I See London is fun, sexy, and kept me completely
absorbed.” – Katie McGarry, author of Crash Into You
"A sassy, steamy and sometimes sweet read that had me racing to the next page to see if Samir would be on it. Mmm, Samir..." - New York Times Bestselling author Chelsea M. Cameron
Synopsis
Maggie
Carpenter is ready for a change— and to leave her ordinary life in South
Carolina behind. But when she accepts a scholarship to the International School
in London, a university attended by the privileged offspring of diplomats and
world leaders, Maggie might get more than she bargained for.
When
Maggie meets Hugh, a twentysomething British guy, she finds herself living the
life she always wanted. Suddenly she’s riding around the city in a Ferrari,
wearing borrowed designer clothes and going to the hottest clubs. The only
problem? Another guy, the one she can’t seem to keep her hands off of.
Half
French, half Lebanese, and ridiculously wealthy, Samir Khouri has made it clear
he doesn’t do relationships. He’s the opposite of everything Maggie thought she
wanted…and he’s everything she can’t resist. Torn between her dream guy and the
boy haunting her dreams, Maggie has to fight for her own happy ending. In a
city like London, you never know where you stand, and everything can change in
the blink of an eye.
This
is a New Adult romance recommended for readers 17 and up.
Goodreads link:
Book Trailer
Chapter Release
Chapter 1:
Chapter 2
George dropped my bags off at the front of a long
hallway marked by a number of heavy doors.
“This is as far as I go.”
“Do you turn into a
pumpkin past this point or something?”
He laughed. “No. But your
roommate is number one on Residence Life’s hit list.”
Oh, god. “She can’t
be that bad. Please tell me she’s not that bad.”
“Oh, she’s worse. We were
in the same class last year. Trust me, I know.”
I never considered they
would put me with someone older. “Worse, how?”
George grinned. “We call
her the Ice Queen.”
I groaned.
“Apparently she used to model before coming to school.
She was in a French rap video or something. Thinks she’s better than everyone
else and isn’t afraid to let them know it.”
“Awesome. What about
Noora?”
“I don’t know her. She
must be a freshman.”
“Why don’t they put all
the sophomores together?”
“Because none of the sophomores would have
Fleur as a roommate. She was supposed to have a single but something fell
through. She’ll probably be even more pissed off now.”
Fabulous.
“Look, if you want to
apply for a roommate change, come by our office. We’re on the ground floor.”
I smiled weakly, mentally
already racing to the office. “Thanks.”
I walked down the hall,
dread filling me as I searched for room 301. I stopped in front of a door with
three name tags on it. I looked down at the room code on the piece of paper,
struggling to punch in the numbers on the little metal keypad. I turned the
knob. Nothing. I stared back at the numbers.
Three tries later I was
in.
I swung open the door,
dragging my first bag over the threshold, stopping short at the sight of the
room that was to be my home for the next year. It was small. Ridiculously
small. Everything was pretty basic, three small beds, three wardrobes, three
desks...and two big windows. I walked over, peering out at the view of Hyde
Park. The lush green trees, the expanse of grass, the heavy iron gates— the
magic of it all— made up for everything else.
I spent the next hour
unpacking my suitcases, hanging clothes up in the tiny wooden wardrobe the
school provided. Thankfully I was the first one to arrive. I set a few things
out—my favorite books, a few mementos from home, pictures with friends.
The sound of the door
opening startled me.
“Hi.”
A girl stood in the
doorway, bags on her shoulders. Her hair was covered by a gorgeous purple silk
scarf.
“Please tell me this is
the right place.”
“I’m Maggie. Are you
Noora?”
She waved with her free
hand. “Nice to meet you.”
I grinned. “Nice to meet
you, too.”
She dropped her bags down
on the empty bed. “Is this it?”
“Yeah. Hard to believe
they mean for three of us to live here, isn’t it?”
“Have you met the other
girl?”
“I haven’t. I heard she’s
a sophomore, though.” I didn’t mention the rest.
“Are you a freshman?”
Noora asked.
“Yep.”
“Me, too.”
“Nice. Where are you
from?”
“Oman.”
Way more glamorous than
South Carolina. We chatted for a few more minutes, talking about our
backgrounds. I liked her immediately; she was so friendly and outgoing, it was
impossible not to. If Fleur was the Ice Queen, Noora was her polar opposite. I
spent an hour helping Noora unpack before she left the room to go visit with a
friend from home. Still no sign of my third roommate. Maybe she wouldn’t ever
show up.
A girl could dream.
As soon as Noora left, I
called my grandmother. It was early morning in the U.S., but she’d always been
an early riser.
“How are you settling in?”
A wave of homesickness
rushed over me at the sound of her voice. I even missed the Southern accent I’d
worked so hard to erase from my own. I leaned back against my bed, tucking my
knees against my chest.
“It’s going. It’s still
early, though.”
“Have you made any
friends?”
“The people seem nice so
far.” I didn’t mention Fleur. My grandmother worried enough as it was.
“Have you been getting
enough to eat?” She was always trying to fatten me up.
I grinned. “I promise I’m
going to go get lunch soon. Although I bet the food won’t be anywhere near as
good as yours.”
Ever since my mom left, my
grandparents had raised me. They were my parents more than my biological ones
were. And still—
Not quite the same.
“Have you heard from
Dad?”
“Sorry, honey. I
haven’t.”
I pushed down the familiar
hurt that rose in my throat, forcing the words out. “Do you know where he is
now?”
“Somewhere in the Middle
East, I think. You know how these things are, honey. He can’t say where.”
“When do you think he’ll
be back?”
“Hopefully by Christmas.
He said he might be able to come home this year. We could spend Christmas
together again.”
I hadn’t spent a Christmas
with my dad in at least three years. But I didn’t want to disappoint her. He
did enough of that.
“That sounds great,
Grandma.”
We talked for a few more
minutes before I hung up the call, tears welling up in my eyes. We’d never been
apart for more than a day or two. I wiped at my face, surprised by the emotion
filling me.
For a moment I just sat
there, wallowing. I felt disgusting. I’d been traveling for fifteen hours and
jet lag was creeping up on me. I needed a shower. I grabbed a towel and my bath
stuff, heading for the door. The school had communal bathrooms on each floor—
thankfully divided by gender. It was one of the things I had been dreading
about dorm life. I wasn’t exactly a get naked in front of everyone kind of girl.
The bathroom, like my dorm
room, was a bit of a disappointment. Definitely keeping my flip-flops on for
this one.
I settled into the shower
just as the first tears began to fall.
***
It felt weird walking back to my room in just a
towel, but the only places to change in the bathroom were fairly public. This
seemed like the lesser of two evils. I clutched the top of the terry cloth with
a tight fist. At least I felt a little more human after my shower.
Luckily the floor was
still pretty empty as I padded down the hall. This was the first day students
could move into the dorms but school didn’t start for a few days. I’d come
early to get the lay of the land and learn my way around London. I stopped in
front of my door, shifting my bath caddy to the other hand so I could punch in
the code. This time I got in on the first try.
Shutting the door behind
me, I set down my bath stuff and grabbed the clothes I’d left on the bed. Then
I unwrapped the towel from my body, letting it drop to the floor.
“I was wrong. You’re
definitely my type.”
I whirled around in shock
at the sound of that voice, smooth and teasing, my gaze colliding with the boy
from the steps—
And then his gaze traveled
lower, and he wasn’t looking at my eyes anymore.
I SEE LONDON February 3, 2014
I SEE LONDON Copyright © Chanel Cleeton Permission to reproduce text granted by
Harlequin Books S.A.
Buy Links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1cQXjYm
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1khLGx1
iTunes:
http://bit.ly/1ewcogY
About Chanel
Originally
a Florida girl, at seventeen Chanel moved to London to attend an international
university. In the four years that
followed, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, learned how to
dance, travelled through Europe, and made lifelong friendships. Chanel fell in love with London and planned
to stay there forever. But fate
intervened on a Caribbean cruise, when an American fighter pilot with smooth
dance moves, swept her off her feet.
Now,
a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure in South
Korea. An avid reader and hopeless
romantic, she is happiest curled up with a book. She has a weakness for handbags, puppy
cuddles, and her fighter pilot husband.
Harlequin (HQN) will release Chanel’s New Adult debut, I SEE LONDON, on
February 3, 2014, followed by a sequel, LONDON FALLING, later in the year.
Author Links
Website: www.chanelcleeton.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorchanelcleeton
Twitter: www.twitter.com/chanelcleeton
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/chanelcleeton
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