Exchange of Hearts

  • Exchange of Hearts has a NEW COVER and is just 99c!

    I wrote Exchange of Hearts around ten years ago and it’s been published since 2015 – it was time for a new look that reflected the New Adult genre. I also wanted something piano-themed but not a whole piano, so I came up with this new fresh design.  I just love it!

    And to celebrate, it’s on sale for just 99c! It’s only for a short time so be quick!  No new content has been added.

    Universal Link

     

    Blurb:

    Eighteen-year-old Harrison Haddon has grown up alone. Surrounded by wealth, nannies, and material things, all he craves is the approval of his father. Sent away to the boarding school his father and grandfather attended, it’s assumed he will follow in their footsteps from Sydney’s prestigious Ivy League school straight into medical school.

    But Harrison doesn’t want to be a doctor. He dreams of music and classical piano. His only true happiness, his escape from the world expected of him, is dismissed by his intolerant and emotionally detached parents.

    Levi Aston arrives from London for a three-month student exchange program. Free-spirited and confident in who he is and what he wants to do with his life, Levi convinces Harrison not give up on his dreams. But convincing Harrison not to give up on his family might not be so easy.

    39,000 words. New Adult, Gay Romance.

  • Lovely Review for Exchange of Hearts

    Thank you to Love Bytes for a lovely review of Exchange of Hearts. It received a wonderful 4.5 stars!

    Promo 5

    I love a good young adult romance as much as the next person, ok I probably love them more than most, but it takes a talented author to convince me that two teenage boys who are falling in love for the first time are going to be together forever. Luckily, nobody does hearts and flowers like N.R. Walker does hearts and flowers. Harrison and Levi had me from hello…not that they said hello, it was more a leering once over, but hey, teenage boys right!? Read the rest here.

  • Exchange of Hearts is now on All Romance eBooks

    Buy Links: Amazon |Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

    iBooks and Barnes and Noble will be posted asap!

    Blurb: Eighteen-year-old Harrison Haddon has grown up alone. Surrounded by wealth, nannies, and material things, all he craves is the approval of his father. Sent away to the boarding school his father and grandfather attended, it’s assumed he will follow in their footsteps from Sydney’s prestigious Ivy League school straight into medical school.
    But Harrison doesn’t want to be a doctor.
    He dreams of music and classical piano. His only true happiness, his escape from the world expected of him, is dismissed by his intolerant and emotionally detached parents.
    Levi Aston arrives from London for a three-month student exchange program. Free-spirited and confident in who he is and what he wants to do with his life, Levi convinces Harrison not give up on his dreams.
    But convincing Harrison not to give up on his family might not be so easy.

    Excerpt

    SYDNEY
    CHAPTER ONE

    I walked side by side with the blonde, well-dressed woman and ignored the looks and laughter from the other guys.
    Along with our student advisor, Miss Goff, I’d been relegated as the welcoming committee to the new kid. As part of a student exchange program, a kid from England was joining the ever-so-prestigious St. Michael’s Boarding School for three months.
    So, why me? Why did I get picked to go?
    Because he was going to be my roommate. That was why.
    As we got to the car, Miss Goff stopped. “Oh, I just remembered I left the file in my office. I’ll be right back, Harrison,” she told me. “Wait here. I won’t be a minute.”
    As she turned and walked briskly back toward the building, I leaned against the car, knowing the other kids would soon start with the slurs and teasing. I looked up, and of course it was him I saw.
    “Have fun with Miss Goff,” Carson taunted me suggestively. The other boys laughed. His personal entourage, of course they laughed. They were all rugby players, and I was the music nerd. Tall and thin, my dark hair made my skin look paler than it really was, with long piano-playing fingers, and I was usually alone—I was the opposite to their athletic builds and jock-pack mentality. Carson laughed the loudest. “No making out with the teacher at the airport, Haddon.”
    I didn’t even bother with a comeback. Why fucking bother?
    He knew damn well she wasn’t my type.
    She. No, shes were not my type at all.
    He knew this. He knew it damn fucking well. Because he and I had fooled around together. On the quiet, of course. In the darkened privacy of his room, only when he was certain there was no one else around, when it suited him.
    Just kissing mostly, rubbing, dry humping—whatever the fuck you wanted to call it.
    Making out. First base. Whatever.
    It was after our last encounter that things changed.
    It was about two in the morning and we’d been making out in his bed. We were both so hard, and he was whining and moaning as we writhed against one another. So I slipped my hand under the waistband of his boxers, and I gave him a hand job.
    Skin on skin.
    I wrapped my hand around his dick, pumped and squeezed him, and not a moment later he came.
    It was the fucking hottest thing. Ever.
    But afterwards, when his mind had cleared of his jizz-high, he was… different. He pulled away from me and suggested coldly I go back to my room.
    It was too real for him.
    I figured he just needed a day or two and then things would go back to normal.
    But they didn’t. They got worse.
    The jokes, the taunting. It had been over three months now, and he still made fun of me. Although I could see it in his eyes, as he was saying hurtful things, his eyes were saying sorry.
    And I couldn’t bring myself to say anything back. I just… couldn’t.
    “You ready, Harrison?” Miss Goff’s voice startled me. She had a manila folder in her hand. “We’d better go if we’re going to be there when the plane arrives. We don’t want to be late.”
    After we got into the car, she handed me the folder and then pulled out onto Ryde Road traffic, heading toward the city. I held the folder in my hands, not even bothering to open it. I couldn’t care fucking less about some foreign exchange student. If I had to put up with a roommate, I didn’t want to look at his face for any longer than necessary.
    Miss Goff sensed my mood. “Don’t worry about those boys,” she told me. “People like Carson Sinclair aren’t worth your time.”
    I snorted. If only she knew.
    We drove for a few minutes in silence. Then she asked, “How’s the music coming along?”
    We discussed my music for the rest of the drive. It was an easy subject for me, my love of piano, even though she knew I couldn’t make a career out of it. But thankfully before too much longer, we were walking into Sydney Airport’s International terminal.
    I figured this kid would take a while to get through customs and there’d be some kind of paperwork to fill out—I was also guessing you couldn’t just walk into the airport and take some random kid. So presuming it was gonna take a while, I told Miss Goff, “I’m just going to grab a Coke. Can I get you anything?”
    She was distracted enough, double-checking the board of flight numbers and arrival gates, and without looking at me, she shook her head. “No, thank you,” she said, before reminding me, like I was five years old and not eighteen, not to wander off, not to go too far, and to come straight back.
    I grabbed a drink, and keeping an eye on Miss Goff every now and then, I browsed through magazine racks. There was nothing really worth looking at—a nice one with Hugh Jackman on the cover, but I noticed two guys near the wall looking at a map. Obviously backpackers or hikers or something. They were dressed in cargos and T-shirts, hiking shoes; young, fit, healthy.
    Hot.
    I picked up a magazine and pretended to read it, but really I was just checking the two guys out. I didn’t often get the opportunity to perv on guys, so I took my time.
    Only they caught me staring, smiled politely and moved on. They walked past some other guy who seemed to have been watching me watching them, because he was trying not to laugh.
    He was cute too; tall as me, blond-brown messy hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and his pink lips gave him a nice smile. He looked fit but not like the football meatheads back at school.
    I wasn’t embarrassed to have been caught looking—even in full school uniform, no one here knew me, and Miss Goff was nowhere in sight. So I decided to play it up. I looked him up and down, shrugged one shoulder, gave him one raised eyebrow and half a smirk.
    He grinned, then turned his head quickly like someone called his name.
    Exactly like someone called his name.
    Like Miss Goff.
    Fuck.
    Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me!
    That was him?
    My roommate for the next three months was the guy I just checked out?
    I watched—like a slow motion car crash—as Miss Goff greeted him and offered to take his suitcase. She looked up, saw me, and called me over. His eyes followed hers, and when he saw it was me, his eyes widened, and he grinned like the Cheshire fucking cat.
    I stuffed the magazine back in the rack and walked over, wishing the world would end in the next two seconds.
    No such luck.
    “Levi Aston?” Miss Goff said.
    “Yes, Miss,” he said with a posh British accent and a smile.
    She grinned. “We’d like to welcome you to Sydney, Australia. St. Michael’s is proud to have you,” she said. Then she looked at me, “This is Harrison Haddon. He’s a boarder. He’ll be your roommate and can show you around the school.”
    Levi extended his hand and looked at me with a knowing smirk. “Hello, Harrison.”
    Fuck. My. Life.
    “Hello,” I said, shaking his hand for as long as was considered polite, then let it drop.
    I was in such deep shit.

    Promo 2

    Giveaway:

    As you know, my wordpress isn’t widget/java script friendly, so please click on the rafflecopter image below to enter!

    rafflecopter pic
    Competition to win 2x $10 Amazon giftcard, and 2 further prizes of N.R. Walker e-books – closes 27th November at 00:01 Sydney
    Or the direct link to the rafflecopter is HERE

    Good luck!!! <3

  • Review of Exchange of Hearts

    Woohoo! Exchange of Hearts is out and has its first 4 star review.  Thank you, Multitasking Mommas.

    Promo 5

    This is a story that is low in angst and drama but terrifically high on the romance. I love books like these. I can take the time out, go to a cafe, sip coffee or relaxing tea and just lose myself in the romance. It is books like these that make me crave an N.R. Walker because she always leaves me feeling good and grinning like an idiot.  Read the rest here.

     

  • Exchange of Hearts is out today!!

     

    Buy Links: Amazon |Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

    iBooks and Barnes and Noble will be posted asap!

    Blurb: Eighteen-year-old Harrison Haddon has grown up alone. Surrounded by wealth, nannies, and material things, all he craves is the approval of his father. Sent away to the boarding school his father and grandfather attended, it’s assumed he will follow in their footsteps from Sydney’s prestigious Ivy League school straight into medical school.
    But Harrison doesn’t want to be a doctor.
    He dreams of music and classical piano. His only true happiness, his escape from the world expected of him, is dismissed by his intolerant and emotionally detached parents.
    Levi Aston arrives from London for a three-month student exchange program. Free-spirited and confident in who he is and what he wants to do with his life, Levi convinces Harrison not give up on his dreams.
    But convincing Harrison not to give up on his family might not be so easy.

    Reviews:

    Multitasking Mommas: 4 stars – “…It is books like these that make me crave an N.R. Walker because she always leaves me feeling good and grinning like an idiot.”  Read the rest here.

    Love Bytes: 4.5 stars – “Luckily, nobody does hearts and flowers like N.R. Walker does hearts and flowers. Harrison and Levi had me from hello…not that they said hello, it was more a leering once over, but hey, teenage boys right!?” Read the rest here.

    Excerpt:

    SYDNEY
    CHAPTER ONE

    I walked side by side with the blonde, well-dressed woman and ignored the looks and laughter from the other guys.
    Along with our student advisor, Miss Goff, I’d been relegated as the welcoming committee to the new kid. As part of a student exchange program, a kid from England was joining the ever-so-prestigious St. Michael’s Boarding School for three months.
    So, why me? Why did I get picked to go?
    Because he was going to be my roommate. That was why.
    As we got to the car, Miss Goff stopped. “Oh, I just remembered I left the file in my office. I’ll be right back, Harrison,” she told me. “Wait here. I won’t be a minute.”
    As she turned and walked briskly back toward the building, I leaned against the car, knowing the other kids would soon start with the slurs and teasing. I looked up, and of course it was him I saw.
    “Have fun with Miss Goff,” Carson taunted me suggestively. The other boys laughed. His personal entourage, of course they laughed. They were all rugby players, and I was the music nerd. Tall and thin, my dark hair made my skin look paler than it really was, with long piano-playing fingers, and I was usually alone—I was the opposite to their athletic builds and jock-pack mentality. Carson laughed the loudest. “No making out with the teacher at the airport, Haddon.”
    I didn’t even bother with a comeback. Why fucking bother?
    He knew damn well she wasn’t my type.
    She. No, shes were not my type at all.
    He knew this. He knew it damn fucking well. Because he and I had fooled around together. On the quiet, of course. In the darkened privacy of his room, only when he was certain there was no one else around, when it suited him.
    Just kissing mostly, rubbing, dry humping—whatever the fuck you wanted to call it.
    Making out. First base. Whatever.
    It was after our last encounter that things changed.
    It was about two in the morning and we’d been making out in his bed. We were both so hard, and he was whining and moaning as we writhed against one another. So I slipped my hand under the waistband of his boxers, and I gave him a hand job.
    Skin on skin.
    I wrapped my hand around his dick, pumped and squeezed him, and not a moment later he came.
    It was the fucking hottest thing. Ever.
    But afterwards, when his mind had cleared of his jizz-high, he was… different. He pulled away from me and suggested coldly I go back to my room.
    It was too real for him.
    I figured he just needed a day or two and then things would go back to normal.
    But they didn’t. They got worse.
    The jokes, the taunting. It had been over three months now, and he still made fun of me. Although I could see it in his eyes, as he was saying hurtful things, his eyes were saying sorry.
    And I couldn’t bring myself to say anything back. I just… couldn’t.
    “You ready, Harrison?” Miss Goff’s voice startled me. She had a manila folder in her hand. “We’d better go if we’re going to be there when the plane arrives. We don’t want to be late.”
    After we got into the car, she handed me the folder and then pulled out onto Ryde Road traffic, heading toward the city. I held the folder in my hands, not even bothering to open it. I couldn’t care fucking less about some foreign exchange student. If I had to put up with a roommate, I didn’t want to look at his face for any longer than necessary.
    Miss Goff sensed my mood. “Don’t worry about those boys,” she told me. “People like Carson Sinclair aren’t worth your time.”
    I snorted. If only she knew.
    We drove for a few minutes in silence. Then she asked, “How’s the music coming along?”
    We discussed my music for the rest of the drive. It was an easy subject for me, my love of piano, even though she knew I couldn’t make a career out of it. But thankfully before too much longer, we were walking into Sydney Airport’s International terminal.
    I figured this kid would take a while to get through customs and there’d be some kind of paperwork to fill out—I was also guessing you couldn’t just walk into the airport and take some random kid. So presuming it was gonna take a while, I told Miss Goff, “I’m just going to grab a Coke. Can I get you anything?”
    She was distracted enough, double-checking the board of flight numbers and arrival gates, and without looking at me, she shook her head. “No, thank you,” she said, before reminding me, like I was five years old and not eighteen, not to wander off, not to go too far, and to come straight back.
    I grabbed a drink, and keeping an eye on Miss Goff every now and then, I browsed through magazine racks. There was nothing really worth looking at—a nice one with Hugh Jackman on the cover, but I noticed two guys near the wall looking at a map. Obviously backpackers or hikers or something. They were dressed in cargos and T-shirts, hiking shoes; young, fit, healthy.
    Hot.
    I picked up a magazine and pretended to read it, but really I was just checking the two guys out. I didn’t often get the opportunity to perv on guys, so I took my time.
    Only they caught me staring, smiled politely and moved on. They walked past some other guy who seemed to have been watching me watching them, because he was trying not to laugh.
    He was cute too; tall as me, blond-brown messy hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and his pink lips gave him a nice smile. He looked fit but not like the football meatheads back at school.
    I wasn’t embarrassed to have been caught looking—even in full school uniform, no one here knew me, and Miss Goff was nowhere in sight. So I decided to play it up. I looked him up and down, shrugged one shoulder, gave him one raised eyebrow and half a smirk.
    He grinned, then turned his head quickly like someone called his name.
    Exactly like someone called his name.
    Like Miss Goff.
    Fuck.
    Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me!
    That was him?
    My roommate for the next three months was the guy I just checked out?
    I watched—like a slow motion car crash—as Miss Goff greeted him and offered to take his suitcase. She looked up, saw me, and called me over. His eyes followed hers, and when he saw it was me, his eyes widened, and he grinned like the Cheshire fucking cat.
    I stuffed the magazine back in the rack and walked over, wishing the world would end in the next two seconds.
    No such luck.
    “Levi Aston?” Miss Goff said.
    “Yes, Miss,” he said with a posh British accent and a smile.
    She grinned. “We’d like to welcome you to Sydney, Australia. St. Michael’s is proud to have you,” she said. Then she looked at me, “This is Harrison Haddon. He’s a boarder. He’ll be your roommate and can show you around the school.”
    Levi extended his hand and looked at me with a knowing smirk. “Hello, Harrison.”
    Fuck. My. Life.
    “Hello,” I said, shaking his hand for as long as was considered polite, then let it drop.
    I was in such deep shit.

    Promo 2

    Giveaway:

    As you know, my wordpress isn’t widget/java script friendly, so please click on the rafflecopter image below to enter!

    rafflecopter pic
    Competition to win 2x $10 Amazon giftcard, and 2 further prizes of N.R. Walker e-books – closes 27th November at 00:01 Sydney
    Or the direct link to the rafflecopter is HERE

    Good luck!!! <3

  • One Day to Go for Exchange of Hearts

    Piano classical music musician player. Pianist with musical instrument grand piano

    Blurb:

    Eighteen-year-old Harrison Haddon has grown up alone. Surrounded by wealth, nannies, and material things, all he craves is the approval of his father. Sent away to the boarding school his father and grandfather attended, it’s assumed he will follow in their footsteps from Sydney’s prestigious Ivy League school straight into medical school.

    But Harrison doesn’t want to be a doctor.

    He dreams of music and classical piano. His only true happiness, his escape from the world expected of him, is dismissed by his intolerant and emotionally detached parents.

    Levi Aston arrives from London for a three-month student exchange program. Free-spirited and confident in who he is and what he wants to do with his life, Levi convinces Harrison not give up on his dreams.

    But convincing Harrison not to give up on his family might not be so easy.

    Promo 2

  • Exchange of Hearts Teaser

    Less than a week to go to the release of Exchange of Hearts, and here is a teaser extract.
    Blurb:

    Eighteen-year-old Harrison Haddon has grown up alone. Surrounded by wealth, nannies, and material things, all he craves is the approval of his father. Sent away to the boarding school his father and grandfather attended, it’s assumed he will follow in their footsteps from Sydney’s prestigious Ivy League school straight into medical school.

    But Harrison doesn’t want to be a doctor.

    He dreams of music and classical piano. His only true happiness, his escape from the world expected of him, is dismissed by his intolerant and emotionally detached parents.

    Levi Aston arrives from London for a three-month student exchange program. Free-spirited and confident in who he is and what he wants to do with his life, Levi convinces Harrison not give up on his dreams.

    But convincing Harrison not to give up on his family might not be so easy.

    Teaser Extract:

    One afternoon after school, we walked down to the little supermarket not far from campus. It was the usual place boarders went to pick up snacks, drinks, and magazines. When we walked in, we found a few other guys there, Carson being one of them.

    “Not here,” I told Levi.

    He nodded in understanding but seemed a little disappointed. And as we scouted through the aisles, it just so happened that Carson was there by himself.

    Levi looked at me, but I shook my head no.

    To his credit and my relief, he didn’t say anything, or do anything, and we bought our stuff and went back to our room.

    “That was the perfect opportunity!” he told me, dumping his things on his bed. “God, I could have had some fun with the cucumbers.”

    When I didn’t laugh at his joke, he looked at me. “Harrison, what’s up? Are you starting to have second thoughts?”

    “It’s not that,” I said.

    “Then what is it?” he questioned.

    “Nothing,” I lied. “It’s just….” I didn’t finish. I couldn’t finish.

    Levi walked over to stand right in front of me. “It’s just what?”

    I shook my head and took a step back from him, trying to put some distance between us.

    “It’s just what?” he said again, taking another step toward me.

    “Um,” I swallowed thickly, taking another step back. “Every time you… do something to piss Carson off… you….” God, I couldn’t say this.

    “I what, Harrison? Just tell me and I’ll stop it.”

    “No,” I blurted out. “I uh, I don’t want you to stop it.”

    His eyes widened. He was confused, curious.

    Oh, God. Oh, fuck. I could feel myself blush right down my neck. Considering what I’d said already, I may as well just finish and completely die of embarrassment. “Every time you do something to make Carson jealous… you… youmakemehard.”

    He blinked.

    And I wanted to die.

    He blinked again. Then a slow spreading smile took over his face. “I make you hard, huh?”

    I breathed out shakily and nodded. “When you lean in and whisper… when you touch me….”

    He was grinning now, right in front of me. I couldn’t move; even if I could have made my legs work, I was backed in against my bed.

    “Harrison,” he said softly. He lifted his hand toward my face. “Can I touch you?”

    I couldn’t speak, so I swallowed and nodded. Then ever so softly, he touched his fingers to my cheek. He mumbled, and I could barely hear him over my pounding heart. “So beautiful.”

    I found myself smiling shyly at his words. God, I was never embarrassed like this with Carson, but something about Levi made me nervous. He was so close to me. His body, his face, his eyes, his mouth.

    “I want to kiss you,” he whispered.

     

     

  • About Exchange of Hearts

    I want to disclose some information about Exchange of Hearts.  This little 39,000 word novella started its life about four or five years ago, as a 20,000 word contest entry.

    That’s right. I wrote what is now the first half of the story as an entry to a fanfiction contest. The story didn’t do any good (and seriously, after re-reading it, how it was submitted, I’m not surprised LOL) and to be honest, I forgot all about it.

    I never posted it online. It was never available to anyone outside of the contest, and it sat on my hard drive, untouched, for years.

    I can’t remember what I even went looking for, but stumbled onto an old file in the deep, dark depths of old writings, and found it. And so I re-read it… It was poorly written, a sure sign of my growth and experience as a writer some four years later, but it was cute. It had potential. It needed reworking, it needed fixing, and it needed expanding.

    So that’s what I did. Exchange of Hearts is now 39,000 words long, and it’s sooooo much better. I’m glad I gave these boys more life, and I’m glad I gave them the story they deserve.

    I believe in full disclosure, and am never anything but honest with my readers. I want people to be able to make informed decisions before they spend money.  That’s all. Some will care, some won’t give a toss. But no one can say they were never told.

    I hope you enjoy Harrison and Levi’s story.  <3

  • COVER REVEAL – EXCHANGE OF HEARTS

    Exchange of Hearts has a cover!!  The wonderful Sara York has done it again, and given my boys a beautiful, perfect visual representation of their story. Release date is November 13!

    BLURB:

    Eighteen-year-old Harrison Haddon has grown up alone. Surrounded by wealth, nannies, and material things, all he craves is the approval of his father. Sent away to the boarding school his father and grandfather attended, it’s assumed he will follow in their footsteps from Sydney’s prestigious Ivy League school straight into medical school.

    But Harrison doesn’t want to be a doctor.

    He dreams of music and classical piano. His only true happiness, his escape from the world expected of him, is dismissed by his intolerant and emotionally detached parents.

    Levi Aston arrives from London for a three-month student exchange program. Free-spirited and confident in who he is and what he wants to do with his life, Levi convinces Harrison not give up on his dreams.

    But convincing Harrison not to give up on his family might not be so easy.

    ~oOo~

    Exchange of Hearts is a 39,000 word novella, and will be available at all the usual ebook outlets, and later in paperback. There will be no pre-order buy links this time. I will post all links when I have them <3

    Promo 2