~ Stars: Defied ~

Blurb: 

 A racing star, an infamous socialite, and a decade-long family feud...

Romain Martineau is heir to his father's world-renowned companies, but is better known for showing up at house parties. Giulio Cavanni is a rising star in the racing world, and is heir to his father's luxury car emporium. The two family-owned companies have been at the heart of multiple public feuds over the last decade.
But when Romain and Giulio run into each other at a party, secrets are shared, promises are made and new opportunities are discovered. With sparks flying and inheritances on the line, can the two heirs save each other from themselves, or are they destined to crash?

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In this modern spin on a Shakespeare classic, Ronan showcases a host of familiar characters in new, creative ways as they lead readers through a plot everyone knows, but this time with a new ending. 

.... Sure, that's nice and all. But since you've read this far, I'm going to guess you want more information?

As you wish it...:

Most of the cast in this story are entering or have just entered their 20's. With the newest decade of their life stretching ahead of them, they're all beginning to realise how much world there is outside of their own bubble, and how much life there is; how much they've already lived, and how much more there is still to come. 

All of this life and world comes with its own difficulties, of course: understanding and re-evaluating people they never thought they'd doubt, learning to recognise toxic patterns in themselves and in others, questioning everything they know, and everything they don't.

Friendships and habits get explored, new questions are asked as others begin to get answered, and the world begins to make sense - if only until the next question is asked and then nothing makes sense again!

...

The original draft of this book was written back in 2015 (hats off to 16 year-old me, for once), but then it sat in my computer for years gathering pixelated dust. 

In 2020, I played around with reworking or rewriting parts of it, just for something to do... Then the file got corrupted and I lost all of it.

Cue 2021, when I decided to stop pouting about what I'd lost and started all over from scratch. I didn't try to rewrite the last version, though - I couldn't remember most of it. Instead, I wrote a whole new book with the key parts that I did remember, and created the rest as I went along.

The end result was something worlds better than any of the previous versions had been (sorry, 16 year-old me, but there was a lot you didn't know to include, and a lot which really needed unincluded). 

Looking back over it all, I'm so glad that original file got corrupted. If it hadn't, I never would have been forced to start all over again, and if I hadn't started from scratch then the story never would have improved.

...

 ... And yes, the front cover is based on Michelangelo's 'Creation of Adam'. No, I'm not sorry - for the implications or the art style.