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Book Review: Flat-Out Celeste (Flat-Out Love, #2) by Jessica Park

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Synopsis

Whether you were charmed by Celeste in Flat-Out Love or are meeting her for the first time, this book is a joyous celebration of differences, about battling private wars that rage in our heads and in our hearts, and—very much so— this is a story about first love.

For high-school senior Celeste Watkins, every day is a brutal test of bravery. And Celeste is scared. Alienated because she’s too smart, her speech too affected, her social skills too far outside the norm, she seems to have no choice but to retreat into isolation.

But college could set her free, right? If she can make it through this grueling senior year, then maybe. If she can just find that one person to throw her a lifeline, then maybe, just maybe.

Justin Milano, a college sophomore with his own set of quirks, could be that person to pull her from a world of solitude. To rescue her—that is, if she’ll let him.

Together, they may work. Together, they may save each other. And together they may also save another couple—two people Celeste knows are absolutely, positively flat-out in love. 

 

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Review

 

Astonished, amazed, inspired… Flat-Out Celeste is a quite simply put…a masterpiece. Jessica Park has managed to make me fall in love all over again with this amazing series. She is brilliant and I am in awe. This is an absolute must-read!
 
Let me backtrack a bit and come clean. When I first read Flat-Out Love, book one in this extraordinary series. I wasn’t sure of my feelings. In fact, I do believe my initial reaction was, “entertaining and hilarious, but predictable.” Now wait, don’t fret, I was a moron and I’ll be the first to admit it. My ridiculous reasoning at the time is not even worth mentioning…yet as time passed I still couldn’t get this book out of my head…it took a couple of weeks for me to realize I was a complete idiot and I actually rather loved this book. So, what did I do next you ask? Well, I reread it of course.  On second glance…ok, it was a bit more than a glance…more like a thorough examining, but all I could think is, “this Jessica Park lady is brilliant.” She made me love all the characters and when Flat-Out Matt was released I was overjoyed and once again…I fell in love. The announcement of Flat-Out Celeste put me over the moon. I was elated and I didn’t even know what to expect, all I knew is I had to have it. I was captivated with Celeste’s quirky personality since Flat-Out Love. Of course I had questions, what had become of this eccentric yet brilliant girl? Had she developed better social skills? Did she make more friends? Would she fall in love? I needed answers and I needed them like yesterday!
 
See, Jessica Park doesn’t just draw you in with her writing, she makes you fall in love…you actually want to live in these books and know more about every single person you encounter. I fell in love and connected with Celeste from the very first book and I needed more. The wait was grueling, but when I finally had my hands on Flat-Out Celeste, I devoured EVERY…SINGLE…WORD. Celeste is highly intelligent, but she has rarely allowed emotions to rule her or get in the way of important decisions. This book highlights her struggles to fit in, her path to both finding love and self-love. Celeste’s story is one that you may relate to on different levels. She is quite unique and there are discernible differences between her and many others characters, however, at the core, her battles aren’t so very different than those that many others face. The awakening that Celeste experiences in this book is life changing. She grows, loves, learns and experiences the world in a way that makes you appreciate the struggles. And while Celeste’s story takes up a great deal of the book her story wouldn’t be complete without Matt and Julie. Woohoo…so, yeah, you’ll see their return and hopefully appreciate the way things unfold.
 
Flat-Out Celeste lived up to all my expectations and then some. I won’t go and repeat the synopsis or summarize the book. I want you to experience this book for all that it is. It’s an extraordinary story with a beautiful and powerful message. Celeste is a character you won’t soon forget. Her story is one that is beautiful, heartbreaking and incredibly brave. I laughed, I cried and I fell hopelessly in love…again.
 
I could go on and on about this book and the series, but I want you to read this through so I’ll end by saying this book is beyond my greatest expectations. Jessica Park gives life to characters in a quirky and absolutely endearing manner rendering you speechless at times. The wit, humor and raw honesty in her writing is powerful and evocative. This book takes you on an incredible journey with a reminder that sometimes different is perfect and sometimes all you need is the perfect person to help you find your way. I give this book a gazillion stars…yeah I said it, it’s really that good! Go forth and read my friends this one is a must-read for all! 
 
PS: I hope there will be more to the Flat-Out Love Series…I need more like now…hook me up to a Flat-Out Love IV. I fear I may not survive without it…seriously…ok maybe I won’t die…or maybe I will…why even risk it Jessica? Take me out of my misery…just say there will be more…pretty please with a cherry on top! 😉  

 

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

 

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Excerpt

There was a knock at the door and Matt leaned in, swinging a brown paper bag in her direction. “I heard Mom made stuffed peppers tonight. Last time she made those, I nearly died from flatulence. I assume she stuffed them with her usual repulsive ground chicken, quinoa, Brussels sprouts, and pomegranate seed mix?”

Just the sound of Matt’s voice made Celeste relax. She smiled at him. “Based on the smell, I believe you’re right.”

“So you didn’t eat then? I was right!” Matt flopped onto her bed and lay down, his long body scrunching up the neat white comforter that she spent ten minutes arranging before she’d gone to school this morning. “I thought I’d take a break from studying and bring you something edible.”

“It smells like a burger from Mr. Bartley’s,” she said as she got up and took a seat next to Matt. “Hand it over, thoughtful brother.”

He tightened a hand around the top of the bag. “You have to guess which kind I brought you first.”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“Close your eyes.”

She did as instructed and felt him move the bag under her nose. Sweet, spicy… a bit garlicky. “Aha! Boursin cheese and bacon! The Mark Zuckerberg burger!”

“And sweet potato fries and a bottle of iced tea, but you win. A burger named after ‘the richest geek in America,’ as the restaurant calls him.”

“You will be the richest geek in America after you finish your Ph.D. Program,” Celeste said through a mouthful of fries.

“If M.I.T. doesn’t land me in a psych unit first.”

“You only have this year left to endure. And you will hardly find yourself in need of psychiatric care, Matthew. You are doing stupendously.”

“I’m scraping by.” Matt reached into the bag and grabbed a handful of fries and opened her iced tea.

“You are not ‘scraping by.’ You are assistant teaching classes, excelling in your own, and in all ways performing to standards that exceed even the high ones our mother set for you.” She frowned as he chewed on the fries. “Did you not eat?”

“I did. A Big Papi burger and a Fiscal Cliff. But you can never have enough sweet potato fries.”

“I have a finite amount of my own from which you are stealing. But I shall not complain because this was very kind of you.”

Matt chewed and studied her. “Are you okay?”

“Why do you ask?”

“No contractions. When you’re stressed out, they disappear.”

“I know. But most days I do not care to use them. If it is an effort, then I do not push.”

“Okay. I get it.” He chewed for a minute. “I heard your presentation went well. Did your friends like it?”

“It went marvelously. My friend Dallas took me aside to share quite the flow of compliments.”

“That’s great, Celeste.” He was downing half her iced tea.

“And then I bitch slapped her.”

Matt choked on the drink and desperately tried to clear his airway. “I’m sorry. You did what?”

She cocked her head. “I bitch slapped her.”

“That… that can’t be right,” he sputtered. “I mean, I hope it’s not.”

“I slapped my hand against her hand. Up in the air.” She looked at Matt blankly. “Is that not the right term?”

“Thank God, no, it’s not. I think you mean a high-five.”

“If you say so. Well, either way, it happened. You know I have trouble with colloquialisms, so I resent your shocked reaction.”

“I do know that about you, and I apologize.”

“Since we are on the subject, there is something else I would like for you to clarify.”

“Shoot.”

“What is meant by ‘nut bag’? Is that a testicular reference or merely the identification of a satchel of cashews or pecans?”

Matt groaned. “This conversation has gotten really weird. Could we just talk about— Wait a minute. Why are you asking me this? Did someone say that to you?” He looked angry.

Celeste picked at her fry. “No. Certainly not. I heard the term and had a natural curiosity.”

“Okay then…” Her brother crumpled up the paper bag and then smoothed it out in his hands. Then crumpled it again. “It’s the same as ‘nuts.’ You know, crazy.”

“Thank you for the definition.” She took the last bite of her burger and wiped her hands on one of the paper napkins. It shouldn’t matter what her classmates thought of her. Celeste would just be strong about this. She would move on.

 

 

 

More Book By Jessica Park

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FLAT-OUT LOVE is on sale at Amazon for a limited time! 

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Just $5.99 for the Paperback and $2.00 for the kindle e-book!!!!

 

About the Author:

Jessica is the author of LEFT DROWNING, the New York Times bestselling FLAT-OUT LOVE (and the companion piece FLAT-OUT MATT), and RELATIVELY FAMOUS. She lives in New Hampshire where she spends an obscene amount time thinking about rocker boys and their guitars, complex caffeinated beverages, and tropical vacations. On the rare occasions that she is able to focus on other things, she writes.

 

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Book Review: Scoring Wilder by R.S. Grey

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Synopsis:

What started out as a joke— seduce Coach Wilder—soon became a goal she had to score. 

With Olympic tryouts on the horizon, the last thing nineteen-year-old Kinsley Bryant needs to add to her plate is Liam Wilder. He’s a professional soccer player, America’s favorite bad-boy, and has all the qualities of a skilled panty-dropper.

• A face that makes girls weep – check. 
• Abs that can shred Parmesan cheese (the expensive kind) – check. 
• Enough confidence to shift the earth’s gravitational pull – double check.

Not to mention Liam is strictly off limits . Forbidden. Her coaches have made that perfectly clear. (i.e. “Score with Coach Wilder anywhere other than the field and you’ll be cut from the team faster than you can count his tattoos.”) But that just makes him all the more enticing…Besides, Kinsley’s already counted the visible ones, and she is not one to leave a project unfinished.

Kinsley tries to play the game her way as they navigate through forbidden territory, but Liam is determined to teach her a whole new definition for the term “team bonding.”

**Recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual situations.** 

 

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I needed him to step back. His cologne was practically hijacking my ovulation cycle and I had to fight the urge to let my face collapse onto his shirt and inhale. 


Liam kept his distance as I went to join the group, but that didn’t stop me from peeking at him from beneath my lashes. His soccer shorts hung low on his hips and I could see a sliver of his boxer briefs. Calvin Klein, of course. A shiver ran down my spine and I had to shove my gaze away before I started awkwardly panting. Dear Mr. Klein or should I call you Calv, it’s me again, Kinsley. Thanks so much for designing your underwear line. If you ever need a focus group for future designs, I’d like to be included. I’m a very good package inspector with excellent attention to detail. Attached you will find my list of references. 


He’s my coach. My off-limits coach. He’s like chocolate and I’m like pickles. They shouldn’t be mixed…unless…chocolate-covered pickles? No. They shouldn’t be mixed. Damnit.


Review

Scoring Wilder is incredibly funny. I am still laughing at the witty and playful banter. This is a sweet, sexy and romantic read that will leave you feeling warm and tingly inside (and maybe out hehe). R.S. Grey paints a vivid picture of the life of an athlete and life in the public eye while building budding romances among multiple characters that will leave you swooning. I am so incredibly head over heels for Liam. I heart him and I swooned hard…still am. Kinsley you lucky bitch! haha.

I also have to mention the friendships in this book. They are amazingly depicted. I wanted Becca and Emily to be my friends. They are fun, witty and remind me of my own inner circle. These relationships made me connect well with the story and the characters. The romance is sweet, humorous and intense at times.

Scoring Wilder is hot, hilarious and utterly engaging. I spent one night reading this book and couldn’t stop laughing or smiling. This is a great beach read and a fantastic summer pick. Add it to your list if you’re looking for a sweet, and at times steamy, romance! Go on my one-click crazed friends and buy it now!!! This is a must read. Happy Reading!!!

 

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Massive List of Sales, Freebies and Pre-Orders

 

SALES

 

Easy by Tammara Webber $2.99
Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…
 
The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.
 
Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth – and find the unexpected power of  love.


The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons $1.99
The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler’s armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.
Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander’s impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

 

Frenched by Melanie Harlow $0.99
When Tucker Branch, playboy heir to Branch Bolt and Screw, screws and bolts a week before their wedding, Mia Devine wants nothing more than to crawl under her newly monogrammed sheets and plan a funeral for her dignity. But her friends convince her that bitter tastes better when it’s drowned in Bordeaux, so Mia grits her teeth and packs her bags, determined to make the best of her luxurious Paris honeymoon—alone. 

She never planned on meeting Lucas Fournier. 

The easygoing bartender’s scruffy good looks and less-than-sympathetic ear annoy her at first, but when she takes him up on his offer to show her around the city, she discovers that the romance of Paris isn’t just a myth. 

Nor is the simultaneous O. 

The last thing Mia needs is another doomed love affair, but since she only has a week, she figures she might as well enjoy la vie en O with Lucas while she can. But each day—and night—with Lucas is better than the last, and suddenly her heart is telling her this is more than a rebound fling. 

Is it just the seduction of Paris…or could this be the real thing?

 

Only For You by Genna Rulon $0.99 (my review)
“In its purest form love is self-sacrificing, eternal, selfless, enduring, truthful, forgiving and indulgent. It also feels an awful lot like a kick to the stomach when you try to fight it!” 

All Everleigh Carsen wanted to do was complete her final semester at Hensley University and begin the life she planned. 

When a wave of violent crime seizes campus, Everleigh is persuaded by her best friend to attend a school sponsored self-defense seminar, where she meets volunteer instructor, Hunter Charles. After Everleigh’s biting sarcasm induces Hunter to eject her from class, an explosive relationship is born. 
Only For You is a compelling tale of friendship, desire, and redemption—brimming with witty characters, intelligent dialogue, unexpected twists, profound sorrow, unfettered hope, and love’s unassailable perseverance.  

 

The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller by L.B. Simmons $0.99
Death. 

For some, it’s simply one of life’s certainties, nothing more. For others, it’s merely a fleeting thought, one often overshadowed by the reckless delusion that they have been blessed with the gift of immortality. 

For Aubrey Miller, death is the definition of her very existence. Overcome with the guilt resulting from the loss of her beloved family, she alters her appearance from the once beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl to that of one shrouded in complete darkness, enveloping herself in her own unbreakable fortress of solitude as a form of protection for others. 

As she enters her first year of college, her goal is simple: Earn a degree with the least amount of social interaction as possible. What she never anticipates is the formation of very unlikely relationships with two people who will change her life in ways she never believed possible: Quinn Matthews, the boisterous former pageant queen, and Kaeleb McMadden, a childhood friend from her past who never really let her go. 

Over the years, as their connections intertwine and grow, a seemingly indestructible bond is formed between the three… 

But when death painfully reemerges, Aubrey is lost once again, burying herself deeper than ever before inside the familiar fortification of her fears. 

Will the refuge of friendship, the solidarity of life-long bonds, and the power of unconditional love be enough to do the impossible? 

Will they be enough to finally bring about… 

The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller? 

 

Come to Me Quietly: The Closer to You Series by A.L. Jackson $1.99 
Aleena Moore is haunted by Jared Holt. It’s been six years since she’s seen her brother’s best friend, the self-destructive bad boy she secretly loved in high school. As the years pass, she knows it’s time to move on. Time to decide between a practical nursing degree and her true dream as an artist. Time to get over Jared and give another guy a chance…
Just when she opens her heart to her friend, Gabe, Aly returns home to find Jared sleeping on her couch. The teenage boy she loved has grown into a man she can’t resist. Covered in tattoos and lost in rage, he’s begging to be saved from his demons—the memories of the day he destroyed his family. As the two reconnect, their passion is hot enough to torch Aly’s judgment. But can she risk her future for a man who lives on the edge of destruction? 

 

Take A Chance: A Rosemary Beach Novel by Abbi Glines $1.99
When Harlow Manning’s rocker father goes on tour, he sends her to Rosemary Beach, Florida, to live with her half-sister, Nan. The problem: Nan despises her. Harlow has to keep her head down if she wants to get through the next nine months, which seems easy enough. Until gorgeous Grant Carter walks out of Nan’s room in nothing but his boxer briefs.

Grant made a huge mistake getting involved with a girl with venom in her veins. He’d known about Nan’s reputation, but still he couldn’t resist her. Nothing makes him regret the fling more than meeting Harlow, who sends his pulse racing. Yet Harlow wants nothing to do with a guy who could fall for her wicked half-sister—even if there are no strings between Grant and Nan. Grant is desperate to redeem himself in Harlow’s eyes, but did he ruin his chances before he even met her?

 

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park $2.00  
He was tall, at least six feet, with dirty blond hair that hung over his eyes. His T-shirt read Nietzsche Is My Homeboy.

So, that was Matt.  Who Julie Seagle likes. A lot.  But there is also Finn.  Who she flat out loves.

Complicated? Awkward?  Completely.

But really, how was this freshly-minted Boston transplant and newbie college freshman supposed to know that she would end up living with the family of an old friend of her mother’s? This was all supposed to be temporary.  Julie wasn’t supposed to be important to the Watkins family, or to fall in love with one of the brothers.  Especially the one she’s never quite met. But what does that really matter?  Finn gets her, like no one ever has before. They have connection.
But here’s the thing about love, in all its twisty, bumpy permutations—it always throws you a few curves.  And no one ever escapes unscathed. 

 

Semblance by Logan Patricks $0.99
Whoever said money couldn’t buy happiness has never starved a day in their lives. 

My name is Aria Valencia, a third year classical music student at the university, and I was down to my last dollar. Some nights, I seriously considered working at the rippers just to make ends meet, but the thought of my dad’s spirit–God rest his soul–scowling at me while I danced up on some drooling degenerate was enough to turn me off the idea completely. 

And then one night, chance came knocking on my door under the guise of the Midnight Society, a secret cabal comprised of the most wealthy and influential souls this side of the Universe. Their leader was a man named Shadow, who was equally enigmatic as he was gorgeous and, for some mystifying reason, had his dark brooding eyes focused on me. 

Seduced by the promises of fame and fortune in exchange for a seemingly innocent request, I soon found myself drawn into a provocative world filled with both vast riches and unending lies and it didn’t take long for me to realize what being a part of the Midnight Society actually entailed: shiny things, sensual romance, and dead bodies. 

Falling in love with Shadow came with a terrible price, one that I wasn’t willing to pay. There’s a dark side to every love story, and this one was mine.

 

Left Drowning by Jessica Park $1.99 (my review)
What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe?
Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

 


Shine Not Burn by Elle Casey $0.99
IT HAPPENED IN VEGAS. I can’t be held responsible. Things that happen there are supposed to stay there, right? Right? Yeeeah. Not so much.

Andie’s just days away from tying the knot, but there’s just ooooone little glitch. Apparently, she’s already married. Or someone with her name is married to a guy out in Oregon of all places, and the courthouse won’t issue her a marriage license until it’s all cleared up. Tripping her way through cow pies and country songs to meet up with a man who gets around places on horseback is her very last idea of how to have a good time, but if she’s going to get married, make partner at the firm, and have two point five kids before she’s thirty-five, she needs to get to the bottom of this snafu and fix it quick … before her fiancé finds out and everything she’s been working toward goes up in flames.

 

Love, In English by Karina Halle $0.99
A standalone, contemporary romance about the ultimate forbidden love… 

He’s thirty-eight. I’m twenty-three. 

He speaks Spanish. I speak English. 

He lives in Spain. I live in Canada. 

He dresses in thousand-dollar suits. I’m covered in tattoos. 

He’s married and has a five-year old daughter. 

I’m single and can’t commit to anyone or anything. 

Until now.Because when they say you can’t choose who you fall in love with, boy ain’t that the damn truth. 

 

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STEALS (Free at time of posting)

 

Where There’s Smoke: A Short Story by Jodi Picoult 
Even as a child, Serenity Jones knew she possessed unusual psychic gifts. Now, decades later, she’s an acclaimed medium and host of her own widely viewed TV show, where she delivers messages to the living from loved ones who have passed. Lately, though, her efforts to boost ratings and garner fame have compromised her clairvoyant instincts. When Serenity books a young war widow to appear as a guest, the episode quickly unravels, stirring up a troubling controversy. And as she tries to undo the damage—to both her reputation and her show—Serenity finds that pride comes at a high price.

 

Crossing by Stacey Wallace Benefial (my review)
He stole her lipstick…and her heart. 

Twenty-year-old Dani Walker can’t believe her luck when she’s paired up with the gorgeous Liam Garrett as her Acting I scene partner – or when he ends up in her bed. Being a Plain Jane with a mouth on her hasn’t exactly served Dani well in the guy department. In fact, she’s had nothing but one night stands. Still, she lets go of her insecurities and falls for Liam, despite feeling like he’s holding something back. 

When Dani finally discovers Liam’s secret, she must learn the true meaning of accepting the ones we love for who they are, or risk losing the best thing that’s ever happened to her.  

 

Tristan: Finding Hope by Jessica Sorensen 

Tristan has always felt like a ghost. After a painful loss, he became all but invisible to his grieving family. So he dove headfirst into a dangerous life, sinking deeper until he felt he could disappear-and almost did. Though Tristan survived, staying on track is a 24/7 battle he’s not sure he wants to fight.

Then Tristan meets Avery, the girl with purple streaks in her hair and tattoos like secrets, waiting to be uncovered. Her smile is warm and inviting, but her sad, hazel eyes tell a different story. And the strangest part is-she can really see him. A girl like that might just keep Tristan out of the darkness . . . or pull him right back in.

Includes a bonus chapter from Breaking Nova!

 

Forever & Always by Jasinda Wilder 
Ever, 

These letters are often all that get me through week to week. Even if it’s just random stuff, nothing important, they’re important to me. Gramps is great, and I love working on the ranch. But…I’m lonely. I feel disconnected, like I’m no one, like I don’t belong anywhere. Like I’m just here until something else happens. I don’t even know what I want with my future. But your letters, they make me feel connected to something, to someone. I had a crush on you, when we first met. I thought you were beautiful. So beautiful. It was hard to think of anything else. Then camp ended and we never got together, and now all I have of you is these letters. S**t. I just told you I have a crush on you. HAD. Had a crush. Not sure what is anymore. A letter-crush? A literary love? That’s stupid. Sorry. I just have this rule with myself that I never throw away what I write and I always send it, so hopefully this doesn’t weird you out too much. I had a dream about you too. Same kind of thing. Us, in the darkness, together. Just us. And it was like you said, a memory turned into a dream, but a memory of something that’s never happened, but in the dream it felt so real, and it was more, I don’t even know, more RIGHT than anything I’ve ever felt, in life or in dreams. I wonder what it means that we both had the same dream about each other. Maybe nothing, maybe everything. You tell me. 

Cade 
~ ~ ~ ~ 

Cade, 

We’re pen pals. Maybe that’s all we’ll ever be. I don’t know. If we met IRL (in real life, in case you’re not familiar with the term) what would happen? And just FYI, the term you used, a literary love? It was beautiful. So beautiful. That term means something, between us now. We are literary loves. Lovers? I do love you, in some strange way. Knowing about you, in these letters, knowing your hurt and your joys, it means something so important to me, that I just can’t describe. I need your art, and your letters, and your literary love. If we never have anything else between us, I need this. I do. Maybe this letter will only complicate things, but like you I have a rule that I never erase or throw away what I’ve written and I always send it, no matter what I write in the letter. 

Your literary love, 

Ever 

 

A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire, #1) by Tara Sivec 
He saw her first, but his friend made the move. 

She settled for the safer choice, but her heart knew the truth. 

They love, they crave, they lie. 

Garrett McCarthy, Annabelle Parker, and Milo Roberts were as close as friends could get. They shared in each other’s joy during graduations, promotions, and engagements. They consoled one another through heartache and loss. 

When one of the friend’s life is tragically cut short, it’s up to the two left behind to pick up the pieces and find out the truth – no matter the cost. As they slowly start to uncover the nature of his deception, and the very powerful people behind it, they begin to question everyone and everything, even themselves. 

Everyone has secrets – some do it for love while others do it for power. Those secrets can change perceptions, alter reality and sometimes destroy lives. 

What do you do when you find out your whole life has been a lie?

 

Breathe For Me by Natalie Anderson 
The last thing Chelsea Greene wants is to be rescued, but that’s exactly what happens when she’s caught wearing nothing but her swimsuit during a midnight emergency evacuation drill. Turns out her ‘hero’ is a former lifeguard who has no hesitation in offering the kiss of life. So not happening, right? 
But for emotionally chastened Chelsea, one touch changes everything. She discovers a desire to satisfy this arrogant, demanding tease. Unable to express her own fantasies, she finds unspeakable pleasure in serving his. 

Xander Lawson exudes easy charm. He likes a woman unafraid to match his appetite for unfettered fun. He doesn’t do complicated or emotional. But the raw need emanating from fragile Chelsea compels him closer. He can’t resist spinning a sensual fantasy world around them. 
As passion spills outside their carefully selected boundaries, Xander learns Chelsea’s stronger than he first thought. But is she strong enough to handle the intensity he’s always kept hidden?

 

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Finding My Prince Charming by J.S. Cooper $3.99 
Can a Playboy Prince ever be tamed?
When Lola Franklin decided to study abroad she never anticipated embarking on a whirlwind weekend romance with a hot guy before classes started.

And she certainly never counted on the hot guy being her new professor. Or a Prince. Or the biggest asshole she had ever met.
Xavier Van Romerius is the playboy Prince of Europe and he loves his life. He doesn’t do relationships, and never wants to get married. But when he see’s Lola Franklin flirting with his little brother Sebastian, he realizes that maybe he needs to rethink his ideas about love before the wrong Prince gets the girl.

Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park  
For high-school senior Celeste Watkins, every day is a brutal test of bravery. And Celeste is scared. Alienated because she’s too smart, her speech too affected, her social skills too far outside the norm, she seems to have no choice but to retreat into isolation. 

But college could set her free, right? If she can make it through this grueling senior year, then maybe. If she can just find that one person to throw her a lifeline, then maybe, just maybe. 

Justin Milano, a college sophomore with his own set of quirks, could be that person to pull her from a world of solitude. To rescue her—that is, if she’ll let him. 

Together, they may work. Together, they may save each other. And together they may also save another couple—two people Celeste knows are absolutely, positively flat-out in love.  

 

Beloved by Corinne Michaels $2.99 
Not enough.

Catherine Pope has never been enough. Every man she has ever loved abandoned her–from her father to her fiancé. She finally accepted the fact she would never be enough to hold any man’s heart and soul.

Then Catherine met Jackson Cole.

When her world literally collided with the sexy former Navy SEAL, everything she always believed is turned upside down and left scattered. He made her feel alive and desirable, consumed her with fierceness and loyalty–which completely unnerved her. Jackson got her in a way no one ever had, giving him the power to destroy her.

If she breaks down and gives him what’s left of her battered heart–will he protect it? Or will Catherine become an irrelevant part of yet another man’s life?

Will she get the one thing that has always evaded her – to finally be someone’s beloved?  

Indulge Anthology  $0.99 
An anthology featuring 9 books from NY Times, USA Today, and Bestselling Authors!
Go ahead and INDULGE….guilt-free!!!
Since 100% of our proceeds will benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital—-Finding Cures. Saving Children.

NINE steamy stories filled with love, redemption, and passion! LIMITED TIME.
So INDULGE today before this offer disappears….

Stay With Me by Abigail Lee
No Turning Back (Full Circle #1) by Casey Peeler
Uncomplicated: A Vegas Girl’s Tale by Dawn Robertson and Jo-Anna Walker
Tied Up In Heartstrings by Felicia Lynn
Temptation (Touch of Tantra #1.5) by Liv Morris
Seduce by Missy Johnson
Undescribable by Shantel Tessier
Teach Me Love by S Moose
Entangled by S.E.Hall

Stay With Me by Abigail Lee
Recovering from a devastating heartbreak, Bailey Hart has sworn off all relationships. Everything is going according to plan until a mysterious new guy moves to her small town. Will Bailey’s stubbornness force her to stay on the path she has laid out for herself, or will Ty Jacobs find his way into her already broken heart?

No Turning Back (Full Circle #1) By Casey Peeler
Charley has been away from home for only forty-eight hours before she breaks the two promises she made to herself.  How will her first semester of college end? Joe, Cash, or alone?

Uncomplicated: A Vegas Girl’s Tale by Dawn Robertson and Jo-Anna Walker
One high class business man. And one night neither of them will ever forget.

Tied Up In Heartstrings by Felicia Lynn (Heartstrings Series #1)
Tragedy ripped the security from her life. Left a single mother, Alexis’s fear of loss insulates her from the rest of the world. A man from her past has always been in love with Alexis. He’s never met anyone that measures up to her. Is love enough to overcome loss and heartbreak?

Temptation by Liv Morris
Kathryn Delcour returns to her hometown of New York City as a young widow. She found healing from her loss through the ancient practice of Tantra and teaches the spiritual and sexual art.
When she oversees a husband performing a very intimate tantric massage with his wife, the steamy session makes Kathryn face her own sexual frustrations.

Seduce by Missy Johnson
Cocky, British Womanizer Jack Falcon is about to learn even he isn’t immune to falling in love

Undescribable by Shantel Tessier
Samantha- A broken hearted bartender just wants to get on with her life and forget about men.
Slade- The towns cocky, foul mouth playboy decides he needs her and won’t take no for an answer. Will Samantha let Slade prove his love is real, or will she push him away?

Teach Me Love by S Moose
A sexy, rich, CEO and a single mother. Both broken. Neither were looking for love, but who says love plays fair.

Entangled by S.E. Hall
Things heat up, and not just the Georgia summertime, when Dane and Laney go head to head over plans for her new duplex. But Laney’s got his number, and knows just how to coerce her bossy, domineering man. Spend the summer with the gang and find out…just how many is a crowd?

 

COMING SOON/AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

 


June 10 – Your Perfect Life by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke (my review)

 

June 15 – Dirty Angels by Karina Halle (**Special pre-order price of 99 CENTS – valid until after release day, June 15th, when the price will go up to $3.99.**)

 

June 24 – Rusty Nailed by Alice Clayton

 

June 24 – Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker

 

July 1 – Beautiful Oblivion: A Novel (Maddox Brothers) by Jamie McGuire

 

July 1 – Come to Me Softly by A.L. Jackson

 

 

July 1 – Harder by Robin York

 

July 29 – Lead by Kylie Scott

 

August 5 – Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Book Recommendation: My Clarity by M. Clarke

 

Recommendation & $0.99 Alert!

My Clarity by M. Clarke is ONLY $0.99!

Meet Alex & Elijah! 

 

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Get your copy of My Clarity at: 

Amazon US   |   Amazon UK   |   Amazon AUS

 
Synopsis
Still reeling from the death of her father, Alexandria hopes to find both independence and reprieve from her grief by heading off to college. However, life throws her a serious curveball when she discovers that her roommate isn’t quite the person she had imagined.
Smoking, tattoos, and street racing for fast cash are Elijah’s only interests. A harsh life has made him apathetic and indifferent, until Alexandria enters his life. When their paths cross, turmoil abounds.
An inevitable encounter, an undeniable attraction, and an unexpected chance at love-will it be enough?

 

* $.99 CENT SONG *
To Love A Woman by M.Clarke 
Elijah sings this song to Alex on chap. 21

 

Follow M. Clarke
Twitter  |   Facebook   |   Blog   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon

COVER REVEAL: Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park

We were introduced to Celeste in Flat-Out Love and readers wanted more! Well, more they shall have! Look at this amazing cover and take a peek inside FLAT-OUT CELESTE!
COMING SOON!

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

 

Whether you were charmed by Celeste in Flat-Out Love or are meeting her for the first time, this book is a joyous celebration of differences, about battling private wars that rage in our heads and in our hearts, and—very much so— this is a story about first love.. 
For high-school senior Celeste Watkins, every day is a brutal test of bravery. And Celeste is scared. Alienated because she’s too smart, her speech too affected, her social skills too far outside the norm, she seems to have no choice but to retreat into isolation. 
But college could set her free, right? If she can make it through this grueling senior year, then maybe. If she can just find that one person to throw her a lifeline, then maybe, just maybe.
Justin Milano, a college sophomore with his own set of quirks, could be that person to pull her from a world of solitude. To rescue her—that is, if she’ll let him. 
Together, they may work. Together, they may save each other. And together they may also save another couple—two people Celeste knows are absolutely, positively flat-out in love.

 

 

Excerpt

There was a knock at the door and Matt leaned in, swinging a brown paper bag in her direction. “I heard Mom made stuffed peppers tonight. Last time she made those, I nearly died from flatulence. I assume she stuffed them with her usual repulsive ground chicken, quinoa, Brussels sprouts, and pomegranate seed mix?”

Just the sound of Matt’s voice made Celeste relax. She smiled at him. “Based on the smell, I believe you’re right.”

“So you didn’t eat then? I was right!” Matt flopped onto her bed and lay down, his long body scrunching up the neat white comforter that she spent ten minutes arranging before she’d gone to school this morning. “I thought I’d take a break from studying and bring you something edible.”

“It smells like a burger from Mr. Bartley’s,” she said as she got up and took a seat next to Matt. “Hand it over, thoughtful brother.”

He tightened a hand around the top of the bag. “You have to guess which kind I brought you first.”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“Close your eyes.”

She did as instructed and felt him move the bag under her nose. Sweet, spicy… a bit garlicky. “Aha! Boursin cheese and bacon! The Mark Zuckerberg burger!”

“And sweet potato fries and a bottle of iced tea, but you win. A burger named after ‘the richest geek in America,’ as the restaurant calls him.”

“You will be the richest geek in America after you finish your Ph.D. Program,” Celeste said through a mouthful of fries.

“If M.I.T. doesn’t land me in a psych unit first.”

“You only have this year left to endure. And you will hardly find yourself in need of psychiatric care, Matthew. You are doing stupendously.”

“I’m scraping by.” Matt reached into the bag and grabbed a handful of fries and opened her iced tea.

“You are not ‘scraping by.’ You are assistant teaching classes, excelling in your own, and in all ways performing to standards that exceed even the high ones our mother set for you.” She frowned as he chewed on the fries. “Did you not eat?”

“I did. A Big Papi burger and a Fiscal Cliff. But you can never have enough sweet potato fries.”

“I have a finite amount of my own from which you are stealing. But I shall not complain because this was very kind of you.”

Matt chewed and studied her. “Are you okay?”

“Why do you ask?”

“No contractions. When you’re stressed out, they disappear.”

“I know. But most days I do not care to use them. If it is an effort, then I do not push.”

“Okay. I get it.” He chewed for a minute. “I heard your presentation went well. Did your friends like it?”

“It went marvelously. My friend Dallas took me aside to share quite the flow of compliments.”

“That’s great, Celeste.” He was downing half her iced tea.

“And then I bitch slapped her.”

Matt choked on the drink and desperately tried to clear his airway. “I’m sorry. You did what?”

She cocked her head. “I bitch slapped her.”

“That… that can’t be right,” he sputtered. “I mean, I hope it’s not.”

“I slapped my hand against her hand. Up in the air.” She looked at Matt blankly. “Is that not the right term?”

“Thank God, no, it’s not. I think you mean a high-five.”

“If you say so. Well, either way, it happened. You know I have trouble with colloquialisms, so I resent your shocked reaction.”

“I do know that about you, and I apologize.”

“Since we are on the subject, there is something else I would like for you to clarify.”

“Shoot.”

“What is meant by ‘nut bag’? Is that a testicular reference or merely the identification of a satchel of cashews or pecans?”

Matt groaned. “This conversation has gotten really weird. Could we just talk about— Wait a minute. Why are you asking me this? Did someone say that to you?” He looked angry.

Celeste picked at her fry. “No. Certainly not. I heard the term and had a natural curiosity.”

“Okay then…” Her brother crumpled up the paper bag and then smoothed it out in his hands. Then crumpled it again. “It’s the same as ‘nuts.’ You know, crazy.”

“Thank you for the definition.” She took the last bite of her burger and wiped her hands on one of the paper napkins. It shouldn’t matter what her classmates thought of her. Celeste would just be strong about this. She would move on.

 

PURCHASE—-> FLAT-OUT LOVE and FLAT-OUT MATT on Amazon.

FLAT-OUT LOVE at B&N.

 

About the Author:

Jessica is the author of LEFT DROWNING, the New York Times bestselling FLAT-OUT LOVE (and the companion piece FLAT-OUT MATT), and RELATIVELY FAMOUS. She lives in New Hampshire where she spends an obscene amount time thinking about rocker boys and their guitars, complex caffeinated beverages, and tropical vacations. On the rare occasions that she is able to focus on other things, she writes.

 

Please visit her:

 

Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter

 

 

Chelsea Fine’s BEST KIND OF BROKEN (Finding Fate #1)

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Synopsis

 

SOMETIMES MOVING ON MEANS MOVING IN
Pixie Marshall wishes every day she could turn back time and fix the past. But she can’t. And the damage is done. She’s hoping that a summer of free room and board working with her aunt at the Willow Inn will help her forget. Except there’s a problem: the resident handyman is none other than Levi Andrews. The handsome quarterback was once her friend-and maybe more-until everything changed in a life-shattering instant. She was hoping to avoid him, possibly forever. Now he’s right down the hall and stirring up feelings Pixie thought she’d long buried . . . 
Levi can’t believe he’s living with the one person who holds all his painful memories. More than anything he wants to make things right, but a simple “sorry” won’t suffice-not when the tragedy that scarred them was his fault. Levi knows Pixie’s better off without him, but every part of him screams to touch her, protect her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss away the pain. Yet even though she’s so close, Pixie’s heart seems more unreachable than ever. Seeing those stunning green eyes again has made one thing perfectly clear-he can’t live without her.  
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Excerpt 

The door to the dining room swings open again and this time Levi walks through, a box of tools in his hand.

Cougar Mable immediately lights up. “Morning, Levi!”

“Morning, Mable.” He smiles at her. He scowls at me.

I notice his face is now clean-shaven and a part of me misses his scruff—what? No. NO. I do not miss his scruff. Missing scruff is for weirdos.

I scowl back at him and start grating Swiss cheese.

“Where’s the fire alarm in here?” he asks in his work voice. It’s a very different voice than his get-out-of-my-way voice or his if-you-want-hot-water-wake-up-earlier voice.

Mable points to the wall, looking far too happy to be of service, and I keep my eyes down as he moves past me. As I sprinkle cheese over the quiche, I can’t help but notice how grated Swiss kind of looks like white scruff.

I’m not a weirdo.

Quiche finished, I turn to start sautéing vegetables and my gaze automatically darts to Levi. He’s so distracting. His arms are all raised, and his shoulders are all broad, and he’s fixing crap, and it’s just… it’s just… annoying.

You know what else is annoying? The fact that the freaking fire alarm is right by the stove.

With a huff and a puff and some choice words in my head, I grab my sliced bell peppers and force my feet to the stove. I throw the vegetables into a frying pan, grab a wooden spoon, and ignore Levi’s close proximity.

My body hums.

I ignore that too.

I steal a glance in his direction and watch as the corded muscles in his forearm flex as he unscrews something on the alarm box. Why does he have so many muscles in his forearm? That can’t be healthy.

I drop my eyes to the frying pan and focus on bell peppers, because bell peppers are interesting and they don’t have backs the size of Alaska or copious amounts of forearm muscles.

The forearm muscles that I’m not thinking about lightly brush my shoulder, and the humming inside my body knots together and zips around like a bumblebee on crack.

I casually turn down the heat on the stove, like that’s the reason I’m suddenly a human vibrator, and go back to stirring. Levi goes back to screwing.

Bell peppers.

I’m thinking about bell peppers.

Levi brushes against me again, except this time his forearm grazes my breast and my body immediately goes wild, like I’m some love-starved teenager, and the humming dives low in my belly and the stove gets hotter and my breaths get shallow and suddenly bell peppers are the sexiest vegetable on earth.

Welcome to Hotel Horny Women, home of scruffy cheese and sensual produce.

From the corner of my eye, I catch his Adam’s apple bobbing with a nervous swallow, which can mean only one thing. The boob brush was an accident.

Well, crap.

If he had been trying to cop a feel with his Hulk-ish forearm, I could have responded with some kind of snarky “you’re a pervert” comment. But it wasn’t on purpose and somehow that makes it sexier, and now the cracked-out bumblebee is buzzing in my nether regions and my hands are starting to tingle and why the HELL is this stove so hot?

I turn the burner down another notch and take a slow, deep breath. I have a boyfriend. A great boyfriend. So this sexual frustration I feel around Levi is nothing to get my bee-loving panties in a bunch about. I just need to calm down.

Levi lowers his arm for a moment, his eyes still on the alarm, and stretches his neck.

Ah, the neck stretch. The universal sign of stress. Well, at least I’m not alone in my frustration. My hot, distracting, pants-are-so-inconvenient frustration.

Wait, what?

Who said anything about pants? I am NOT thinking about pants—or lack thereof. Damn you, bell peppers!

I toss the wooden spoon to the side and move back to the counter, where the threat of being turned on by a handyman or, you know, a sautéed vegetable is much less severe.

I stare at the scruffy quiche and bite back a groan. What was I thinking, living under the same roof as Levi? There’s no way I’ll survive the summer.

Hell, I can barely survive breakfast.

Purchase:

Amazon  |  B&N  |  iTunes

 

 
Chelsea Fine Headshot 2About Chelsea Fine:
Chelsea lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where she spends most of her time writing stories, painting murals, and avoiding housework at all costs. She’s ridiculously bad at doing dishes and claims to be allergic to laundry. Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee, sleeping-in, and crazy socks. She lives with her husband and two children, who graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete 
lack of skill in the kitchen. 
 
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

 

 

 

Giveaway

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Tour Stop: Lean on Me (Take My Hand, #3) by Nicola Haken

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Synopsis

Rachel Mason oozes confidence. She’s outgoing, adventurous and would chop off her right arm before caring what other people think of her or her disability.

Right?

Jared Mattheson on the other hand, is more than a little goofy and a whole lot of carefree. He’s happy living the bachelor life on his father’s credit card, takes nothing seriously and wouldn’t know difficulty if it slapped him in the face.

Right?

With Emily and Dexter away in the States, Rachel and Jared are left behind to keep each other company. They share the same sense of fun, their personalities bounce off one another perfectly and perhaps inevitably, they become best friends. But what happens when the lines of friendship start to blur? How will they cope when the sides of themselves they’ve kept hidden from the world for so long begin to show?

Their journey together may have started with fun, games and alcohol – but it seems the future has other ideas.

Turns out, even the strongest of people need someone to lean on sometimes.

(Not suitable for under 18’s due to adult language and sexual content)

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BOOK REVIEW

 *This book was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own. 

She’s done it again!

You all know how much I love Nicola Haken’s books. I have to say, I think Lean on Me is my favorite of all her books.

This is Book 3 of the Take My Hand series and takes place in the UK while Dexter and Emily are in the US.   In my head while reading Hold on Tight I knew Rachel’s story would be interesting and unpredictable. While I had my suspicions I  never imagined the story would take the turns it did.

This book is special. If you’ve read the previous books you will likely laugh at Rachel and Jared’s antics, but you will absolutely fall in love with them, especially after reading Lean on Me. This book and these characters made my heart melt. I fell hopelessly in love with Rachel and Jared from the moment I read Take My Hand. I never imagined their brief appearances in Hold on Tight would lead to what was revealed in Lean on Me. I really can’t compare their relationship to Dexter and Emily’s because both go through their own sets of trials and tribulations and although their struggles are different each story is beautiful in its own right. I think for me though, I connected with these two on a deeper level than I did with Dexter and Emily.

When I first started the series all I wanted was for these two to get together and get on with it. I mean, how could two people who are so perfect for one another not see it? Well, these idiots made me wait long enough haha. Rachel is a complex character and although she appears strong and confident on the surface there are so many layers beneath the persona. It’s hard for her to trust or rely on others. When Jared starts to break down those walls it’s then that you really begin to see who they both are. I never imagined how deep and meaningful a relationship between these two would be, but boy did I enjoy getting to know them. Rachel and Jared both have secrets and getting close only begins to make each of them unravel. The beauty in this story is their commitment to one another as friends and as lovers, but how far will this relationship get? Both Rachel and Jared steer clear of relationships…can they possibly build more than a fling? Or will they ruin a perfectly good friendship trying?

Lean On Me is a beautiful story about two incredible people who learn being different isn’t always a bad thing and sometimes having someone to lean on is all you need. This is an excellent read. I highly recommend this series to New Adult/Contemporary Romance fans. 

 

Nicola HakenAbout the Author

Nicola lives in Rochdale, England with her husband and four children and she is the author of New Adult/Contemporary romance novels Inevitable, Saving Amy and the Take My Hand series. When she is not busy playing with her imaginary book friends (or talking about them with real life friends!) she can usually be found studying or carrying out her ordinary mum/housewife/all round slave duties!

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BOOK TRAILER

 

EXCERPT 

Day 5 ~ Your future boyfriend x

 

Day five? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Seemed I was about to find out when a few seconds later, Jared let himself into my flat, waving his key proudly in the air and looking too hot for his own good in black jeans and a white shirt with just the right amount of buttons undone at the top.

“Fucker.”

“Good afternoon to you too, saffy. I see you got my flowers?”

“Day five?”

“Today is the fifth day you’ve still not said yes. If I were smarter I’d have started sending them on day one. But I’m not… so we’re starting at day five.”

“Well as long as you know you’re going to end up bankrupt,” I said dismissively, trying to ignore the warm feeling cocooning my heart.

“Nah. It won’t take that long,” he replied confidently. I simply shook my head, amused at his sureness. “You ready?”

“My hair is wet. Do I look ready?”

“You look beautiful.” A smile emerged on my lips without permission, even though I knew he was probably bullshitting me as part of his master plan. “Let me do your hair.”

“My hair. You… want to do… my hair?” What the…

“Sure,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly.

“Um… let me think. How about, fuck no!”

“I’m doing your hair.”

“You are not doing my hair!” I protested, gripping my hand-rims and wheeling away from him.

“I’ll catch you, saffy. I can run faster than you can wheel,” he teased.

“Seriously, I don’t get what’s gotten into you lately!” I stopped, throwing my hands in the air. Damn, I was laughing. I was supposed to be acting pissed off.

“Well I know what’ll be getting into you soon enough.” He strode over to me with a wicked grin illuminating his irritatingly gorgeous face. Then he bent down so his mouth was level with my ear, and when his breath swept across my heated cheeks my breath caught. Damn. “Me,” he whispered throatily.

Ah, fuck. I’m so screwed. 

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BLITZ: Impossibly True (Impossibly, #2) by Shane Morgan

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Release date: February 2014
Publisher: TSW Books

Synopsis via Goodreads

Moya is finally listening to her heart.
She’s ready for love and willing to bask in all the joy it brings, but still, she insists on taking things slow. After all, her relationship with Branden isn’t the only one that needs a chance.

With his health scare behind him, Branden wants nothing more than to get his life back on track—play hockey again, catch up on school, and get things moving with his girlfriend.

In the middle of strengthening their relationship and sorting out their individual lives, trouble begins to brew, testing the depth of their feelings for each other.

Can Branden and Moya once again overcome their trials and prove that their love is indeed true, or will past ghosts and new temptations drive them apart forever? 

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PURCHASE BOOK

buylinkamazon AMAZON US   |   AMAZON UK   |    AMAZON CA

Impossibly Forever Hardcover @ LULU

(Includes Impossibly Love #1 and Impossibly True #2)

 

BOOKS

 

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About the Author 

Shane Morgan is a writer of Young Adult and New Adult fiction. She enjoys contemporary, fantasy, romance, and horror. Shane physically lives in Rhode Island, but virtually she’s in Neverland.
Her belief is that imaginations can never be too wild. If you’re thinking it then the story is already written inside your head. It’s simply time to share it with the rest of the world. 

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  

 

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Book Review: Reborn (The Guardian Trilogy #3)

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Synopsis

You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

When Emma Donohue wakes to find her world turned upside down, she wants nothing more than to return to the life she knew. To a life filled with a loving family, close friends, and college classes. To a normal life that didn’t involve the supernatural, odd bracelets, or three strangers who refuse to leave her side.

Unsure of what truly happened during The Allegiant’s attack, Emma tries to reconcile her past with her growing feelings for James, Garrett, and Dane. They remain steadfast in her protection, awaiting the arrival of the only people who hold the answers.

The Larvatus.

When Madeline and Ash appear, the revelations they bring not only rock Emma’s world, but everyone she touches. Her mind is twisted, caught up in new abilities and new desires. Her old self forgotten, she has never been more scared. She has never been more confused.

She has never been more empowered. 

You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
But, sometimes, the absence leaves space for something better

Review 

*This book was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own. 

If you have not read Guardian or Allegiant take a step back and immediately read them.

This review MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. You have been warned.

I realize that when it comes to final books I tend to take my time getting to them. I like to live in my book worlds and when I know the end is near, I dip into other worlds before finally committing to ending my trilogy/series. I received Reborn over a month ago and for some reason kept pushing it aside. I was going mad waiting for my ARC, but when it was finally in my hands I didn’t know if I was actually ready for it to end. The first two books in the trilogy left me in utter disbelief. By the end of Guardian and Allegiant, Sara Mack was indeed evil, but Reborn is the finale, this was different, things would be resolved, we’d get answers and Emma would undoubtedly need to make some very difficult decisions. I wasn’t ready. I still don’t know if I am fully ready to let go of this fantastic trilogy. 

I have been under the weather for a few days and although I joked with Sara Mack that I have been in and out of consciousness I decided to spend my time reading Reborn. I can say in all honesty I would have finished this book in about 2-3 hours had I not been sick, but it did take me a couple of days. I procrastinated with this book and I don’t know why. Simply put, Reborn is amazing. I loved it as much as the first two books. I think a big part of me was dying to see who Emma would end up with, but since I fell in love with James, Dane and even Garrett. I think I may have felt as torn as Emma. 

This book definitely changes the game, leveling the playing field. With these “strange” men vying for her affection, Emma has to choose wisely. She has bigger things on her plate, but losing her memories has helped her get reacquainted with James, Dane and even Garrett. Something that early on I felt may have clouded her judgment. Losing her memories was both a blessing and a curse. Emma is able to sort out her feelings based on the present and not so much the past, there are a lot of events that occur in Reborn, centered around her memories and her emotional state. Emma is strong in many ways, but the challenges she faces with the Larvatus, the Allegiant and her love life solidify her character and to what lengths she will go to protect those she loves. She builds new relationships and rekindles others. Emma has an incredibly difficult challenge in Reborn and Sara Mack executes this dilemma flawlessly. 

This book gets a bit crazy at times, there is a lot going on. Every time you think there is no way things will get more complicated or insane…guess what? They do! I loved every minute of Reborn. It’s hard to express all my feelings without giving much of the story away, but I will say I think you will be satisfied with the outcome and the decisions that lead Emma to her HEA. This is the perfect ending to a phenomenal trilogy. I love every single character in Emma’s circle. I was saddened by a few events that took place, but I will not detail much of those events because this is a MUST read. This book had me on an emotional roller coaster, but I’d gladly take the ride again. I highly recommend this trilogy to my paranormal/fantasy fans. This is an incredible story that will completely captivate you from start to finish.   

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About the author 

Sara Mack is a Michigan native who grew up with her nose in books. She is a wife and a hockey mom on top of being trapped in a windowless office forty hours a week. Her spare time is spent one-clicking on Amazon and devouring books on her Kindle, cleaning up after her kids and two elderly cats, attempting to keep her flower garden alive, and, of course, writing. She has an unnatural affinity for dark chocolate, iced tea, and bacon. Guardian is her debut novel. 

 

Website  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Facebook   

 

Book 1

 

Book 2

 

J. Lynn’s BE WITH ME Release Day Launch

We are extremely excited to say that J. Lynn’s BE WITH ME has been released!!! BE WITH ME is a New Adult contemporary romance being published by Avon (William Morrow), an imprint of HarperCollins, and is a part of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s With You Saga. This book is smoking hot and one you need to go get today!  

Be With Me - Cover

BE WITH ME Synopsis:

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wait for You

Do Teresa and Jase have a real shot at getting together or will life get in the way?

Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, life-changing kiss. Then she got out of a terrible relationship. Now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for plan B: college. And maybe she’ll have a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone—especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about is kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Teresa can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not. . . .

 

EXCERPT:

“You got a visitor, Tess.” He rested his chin atop my head, which caused my pulse to try

to outrun my heart. “Two of them to be exact.”

“Okay.”

There was a pause. “Are your eyes closed?”

“No.”

His chin slid off my head and then his chest rumbled as he laughed. “Your eyes are

closed.” He laughed again. “Open them up.”

Cursing under my breath, I pried one eye open and then jerked against him. His arm

tightened. “Oh wow …”

The black-and-white horse was the closest, standing mere feet away from me. The brown

one wasn’t too far, shaking its head and making soft snorts. My eyes were wide as they bounced

between the two creatures. “They’re not carnivorous, right? Because at their size, they could eat

me.”

Jase laughed deeply as his hand shifted up, resting in the center of my stomach, just

below my breasts. “Horses do not eat people, you little idiot.”

I started, eyes narrowing. “There’s always a first.”

The lips pulled back on the black-and-white horse as if it was smirking at me.

“This one right here? Mr. Friendly? Jack calls him Bubba One,” he said in a quiet,

calming voice. But air hitched in my throat when his thumb moved in a slow circle over the thin

material of my tank top, hitting against the wire in my bra. “And the brown one is Bubba Two.”

Mouth dry, I wetted my lips. “That’s good for remembering names.”

He chuckled as his pinkie and forefinger started to move up and down, reaching my belly

button and then sliding back up. It was almost as if he was unaware of what he was doing, or the

electrifying response the tiny motions were dragging out of me. “I think so too, but his real name

is Lightning.”

Said horse shook his head, tossing the shaggy mane.

“Lightning seems to be a more suitable name,” I admitted, relaxing as the seconds

passed. Maybe that was his intention. Distract me with the soft, almost innocent touches. It was

working. “What about Bubba Two?

“Ah, the one who is staring at the pail like it’s the holy mecca of grain?” His cheek

grazed mine as I laughed. “That’s Thunder. And we’re going to feed them. Together.”

The friction his fingers created with my shirt sent tiny shivers up and down my back.

“With our hands?”

His answering laugh tipped the corners of my lips up. “Yes. With our hands.”

“After checking out the choppers on them, I’m not so sure about that.”

“You’ll be okay.” He slid his hand off my stomach and wrapped it around my wrist.

Slowly, he lifted my hand out in front of me. “Hold still.”

My heart lurched. “Jase—”

Lightning trotted forward and pressed his wet nose against my hand. I cringed, waiting

for him to eat my poor fingers. The horse didn’t. Nope. It nudged my hand as it whinnied softly.

He guided my hand up over Lightning’s jaw, all the way to the pointy, twitchy ears.

“See?” he murmured. “That’s not too bad, is it?”

I shook my head as my fingers curled along the soft coat. Lightning seemed to anticipate

the direction of the petting, pressing his long head against my hand as my fingers tangled in his

mane. It wasn’t bad at all.

Jase shifted behind me, and in an instant all thoughts of the horses evaporated. His hips

lined up against my backside, and I bit down on my lower lip as I focused on the white splotch

covering Lightning’s muzzle.

I could feel him—feel Jase. And there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that he was

affected by how close we were standing. That knowledge and the hard length of him left me

dizzy, just like it had done that Saturday night. An all too warm flush spread down my neck. In

the back of my head, I was rationalizing his physical reaction. He was a guy. Our bodies were pressed

together. If a wind blew on a guy’s private area, they got hard. So I should just ignore it,

but my body was so not on board with my head. My body was operating on a different playing

field. An ache centered low in my stomach. A sharp and sweet yearning raced through my veins.

“Not so scary, right?” His voice was deeper, richer. “They’re like dogs. Well, like a dog

that can carry around two hundred pounds, if not more.” Hand sliding off mine, he stepped back,

and the sudden emptiness of his body was like a cold shock. “Trust me.”

Then he smacked my ass.

 

BUY NOW:

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Release Day Launch 

Author PhotoJennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn Bio:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  J. Lynn Goodreads  |  Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads 

 

 

GIVEAWAY

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Book Review of Robin York’s Deeper (Caroline & West, #1)

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Synopsis 

In this New Adult debut by Robin York, a college student is attacked online and must restore her name—and stay clear of a guy who’s wrong for her, but feels so right.
 
When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground.
 
West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works.
 
They hang out, they talk, they listen. Though Caroline and West tell each other they’re “just friends,” their feelings intensify until it becomes impossible to pretend. The more complicated her relationship with West gets, the harder Caroline has to struggle to discover what she wants for herself—and the easier it becomes to find the courage she needs to fight back against the people who would judge her.
 
When all seems lost, sometimes the only place to go is deeper.

Advance praise for Deeper
 
“The perfect new adult story . . . West will make you swoon!”New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy
 
“Beautifully written and full of swoony tender moments, toe-curling chemistry, and delicious, twisty angst . . . Stop whatever you’re doing and read this book.”—Christina Lauren, author of the Beautiful Bastard series

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Review

I fell in love with Deeper and was utterly heartbroken by the pain these characters endured. This is a book that will leave you wanting more. I don’t know how I’ll get through the next few months waiting on Harder, book two in the series.

I absolutely adore West. He is definitely my new book boyfriend! The spark between Caroline and West is so strong my kindle nearly burst into flames. There were some pretty intense moments between these two and after reading this book I can only say, I want West. I want someone to love me that deeply, that intensely.  Fictional guys always seem so perfect don’t they? West, however, is far from perfect, in fact he fucks up…a lot. The way he redeems himself is worth every agonizing, sexually frustrating moment that leads up to it. Yeah, I’m gonna leave you hanging there…sorry.  You’ll just have to read it, trust me…worth every minute!

Caroline Piasecki fell for the wrong man, no, she TRUSTED the wrong man and is betrayed as a result. She spends three years of her life loving him, appeasing him, being good to him, but when Caroline realizes she doesn’t want to be with Nate anymore, she decides to end their relationship. She even believes there is a chance they’ll remain friends, but Nate has other plans. After a seemingly amicable breakup, Caroline receives word that her photos have been posted online and distributed to students at Putnam. The photos are pretty demeaning and as much as Caroline would like them to go away, the damage has already been done. 

Caroline can’t prove that Nate posted the photos, but she knows they were intimate acts, private moments now on display for anyone who has access to the internet. Caroline is mortified. She’s suddenly gone from good girl to ‘slut’. She’s the youngest daughter of a judge. How can she hide this from getting back to her father? What will he think? Caroline is the one who wants to follow in his footsteps. She wants to go to law school, but how can she knowing these photos are out there. All she’s ever wanted is to go to school, get an internship and follow her dreams, but now her dreams have become a nightmare. She’s taunted every time she closes her eyes, every time a stranger looks her way. She can’t stop the comments, she blames herself and she can’t tune out the voices in her head…she’s read the comments online, she hears them everywhere she goes and doesn’t know how to turn them off. She’s barely getting by, but she is incredibly strong. This book shows Caroline’s strength in so many ways.

West Leavitt doesn’t need any distractions, his head is filled with enough. Caroline is his weakness, he can’t understand why, but she gets to him and as much as he hates to admit it, he needs her. West is intense, he’s focused and his priority is to remain at Putnam long enough to graduate. What he doesn’t factor into those plans is Caroline and the way his world will be turned upside down by just allowing her in.  They’re not friends, they bake, they talk, they listen and they part ways. The routine they’ve built for themselves becomes necessary and lines begin to blur. How far is too far, how much is too much? What will it take to bring them together? What will it take to tear them apart?

Deeper is a poignant story that explores revenge porn and how Caroline grows after experiencing what could be seen as her worst nightmare come true. She’s an incredibly strong woman and by the end of the book seems even more empowered than the broken girl we meet in the beginning. Robin York creates a hauntingly beautiful story that explores what its like to find a deep, passionate, earth shattering love in the midst of pain. While I really admire Caroline and her story, West definitely has his own story to tell and I hope Harder gives us more insight into his character. 

This is an incredible debut and I highly recommend this book to all my New Adult fans. This is an absolute must read! 

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About the Author 

Robin York grew up at a college, went to college, signed on for some more college, and then married a university professor. She still isn’t sure why it didn’t occur to her to write New Adult sooner. Writing as Ruthie Knox, she is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary romance, including RITA-finalists About Last Night and Room at the Inn. She moonlights as a mother, makes killer salted caramels, and sorts out thorny plot problems while running, hiking, or riding her bike.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giveaway:

 
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Follow the Tour

Deeper Blog Tour

January 24

Romance Addict – Excerpt & Review
Stories & Swag – Review
Fictitious Delicious – Review

January 25

Dream Within A Dream – Playlist
Behind Closed Covers – Review
The Procrastinator’s Corner – Review

January 26
Three Girls & A Book Obsession – Review
The Book Lovers Codex – Review
Kats Read – Review

January 27

Shelf Pleasure – Author Interview
Stay Bookish – Review
Hooked On Books – Review

January 28

Anna’s Book Blog  Review
Steamy Guys After Dark – Character Interview (West) & Review
Sticky Reads – Review

January 29

Ramblings From This Chick – Excerpt & Review
A Novel Idea – Review
Forever Me Romance – Review

January 30

All Romance Reviews – Review
Bookish Treasures – Guest Post & Review
The Reading Date – Review

January 31

XPresso Reads – Dream Cast & Review
The Indie Express – Review

February 1

Books To Light Your Fire – Review
Electively Paige – Guest Post

February 2

BiblioBelles – Review
Reading Between the Wines – Excerpt
Confessions of a BookWhore – Review

February 3

Starbucks N Books Obsession – Excerpt & Review
FicTalk – Review
Not Everyone’s Mama – Review

February 4

Books Over Boys – Author Interview
I Dare You To Read – Review
Reading A Little Bit Of Everything – Review

February 5

Fiction Fare – Guest Post
Dirty Girl Romance – Review
Red Hot + Blue Reads – Review

February 6

Stuck in Books – Character Interview (Caroline) & Review
Keep Calm & Read Romance – Review
Lustful Literature – Review
Falling in Fall Book Blog – Review

February 7

Books, Books, Books – Review
FicCentral – Review
Rumpled Sheets Blog – Review

February 8

Crazy Book Chicks – Review
A Life Bound By Books – Guest Post & Review

February 9

The Book Lovers – Review
Love Words N Books – Guest Post & Review
My Favorite Things – Review

February 10

Cocktails & Books -Excerpt & Review
Gone With The Words -Review
Nerd Alert Book Love -Review

 

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Forever Young Blog Tour

Dawn_Masquerade

MASQUERADE by Nyrae Dawn (January 7, 2014; Forever E-Book; 9781455576333; $3.99)

Synopsis

A biker. A tattoo artist. A love to last a lifetime.

Maddox Cross has always had to be tough. When his father went to jail for murder, the teenager took care of his sister and mother. Now on his own and working security at a night club, Maddox wants to become a tattoo artist-a dream that comes closer to reality when he falls for the hottest, most tatted woman he’s ever seen. She’s wild and beautiful, and Maddox will do anything to be with her.

Bee Malone came to town to open up her new tattoo parlor, Masquerade. Since being kidnapped as a young girl, Bee has had trouble getting close to anyone. But when she meets Maddox, she sees that under his hard biker’s body is the sensitive soul of an artist. What starts out as a sizzling one-night stand soon becomes so much more.

Bee wants Maddox to join her tattoo business, but letting him into her life means revealing all her most intimate secrets. And as the past begins to intertwine with her present, Bee fears their love may not be as permanent as their ink . . .

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Nyrae Dawn_Photo Credit - Cherished Memories Photography[1][1][1][1]Author Bio:

Writing has always been Nyrae Dawn’s passion. Nyrae gravitates toward character-driven stories. She loves going on emotional journeys with characters whether it be reading or writing. And yes, she’s a total romantic at heart and proud.

Nyrae resides in sunny Southern California with her husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two awesome kids.

When she’s not with her family, you can be pretty sure you’ll find her with a book in her hand or her laptop and an open document in front of her. Nyrae also writes adult romance under the name Kelley Vitollo.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads 

 

Excerpt

“Did you bring any drawings?” Bee sits at the chair behind a desk.

I hand her a book, but the second I do, I want to snatch it back. It’s always like that showing someone my work, even though I know it’s good. “That’s just one I had with me. I have more at home.”

She doesn’t answer as she starts flipping through the pages. After a couple minutes of watching her study each page, I start to get jittery. Feel like she’s looking inside me instead of at some pages, so to distract myself, I move around the room, taking in pictures of her work and other tattoos on the walls.

She looks at the book for what seems like an hour before speaking. “These are good. They’re different. Your artwork has a unique style that I haven’t seen before.”

I nod.

“Why do you want to be a tattoo artist?” she asks. The question shows me how serious she is about what she does because no one has brought it up before.

The urge to tell her it’s none of her business surges through me, but I want this badly enough to answer. “Because when I’m around it, I feel more like myself than I probably ever have.”

A brief flash of shock shows on her face, but she covers it quickly. “Good. I won’t screw around with someone who’s playing a game. This isn’t something you do to make a quick buck. Not if you’re working with me, at least. Did you get a chance to actually give anyone ink?”

“No. The apprenticeship only lasted three months before he bailed.”

Bee nods. “That’s good. I actually rather you have hardly any experience—that way I don’t have to train bad habits out of you.”

“I’m not a dog.”

“No one said you were. Chill out, Scratch.”

I tense at the name, but before I can really say anything, she starts asking questions again. “Do you lean toward liking only black work or are you into color too?”

Everything I have so far is only black, but as I look at her again, I see a variety of black and colorful work. “Depends. I don’t want to do only one or the other. I love work with shading too. I’ve seen some pieces that are really incredible just because of the shading.”

She nods and I wonder if that was the right answer.

“I’m not saying you don’t, but this is something you have to take seriously. There are a lot of dumb-asses out there who think it’s all fun, but it’s not. Stuff like being clean and safe is even more important than the picture you put into someone’s skin.”

“That’s a given, isn’t it?”

She grins. “You’d think, but it’s not always like that.”

We’re both quiet after that. Bee glances down at my artwork again. “I’m surprised I even let you in here tonight. It’s important that you know that. I don’t take shit from people.”

One look at her and that’s obvious. Part of me didn’t expect her to open the door for me either. “I’m surprised I came, so that makes two of us.” When she looks up at me, I’m not sure how I feel about the way her eyes take me in. Don’t know what I think about the fact that we have shit in common or that her look is familiar to me. I give it myself.

Bee stands, walks around to the front of the desk, and then leans on it. “If we do this, can we keep things from getting awkward?”

My answer comes automatically. “I can if you can. It was one night. We don’t know each other and I’m never with someone more than once anyway.” I’ve shared this strange sort of honesty with her tonight that makes my body overheat. I want all the words back because they’re a part of me and I don’t want anyone to see who I am, but this is it. Saying these things to her is the only way to get what I want.

“Now that you’ve asked your questions and realize this isn’t a game to me, I need to know if we’re doing this or not.”

Silently she walks toward the door and opens it. I hold in the groan, pissed at myself for fucking this up again and even more pissed that she’s in control.

Bee turns toward me, her blond hair messy from sleep, but it’s another thing she doesn’t care about. It doesn’t take away from how sexy she is either.

“We’re doing this. Don’t make me regret it. Now I need to get some sleep and then we’ll talk tomorrow about a schedule.”

I let out the breath trapped in my lungs. Thanks, echoes through my mind, but all that comes out is, “Cool. We’ll talk later.” Then I walk out the door.

Instead of going home, I head to the high school. It’s such a dumb fucking thing to do, but like I’ve done other nights, I jump the fence and head to the football field. Sitting in the middle of it, I let my eyes trace over the whole thing, trying to remember the time this used to be important to me. And trying not to concentrate on the fact that even though I got something I want, something I need, I still want to take out the fucking world because of everything I’ve lost.

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THE DESTINY OF VIOLET & LUKE by Jessica Sorensen (January 7, 2014; Forever E-Book; 9781455576524; $2.99)

Synopsis

Luke Price’s life has always been about order, control, and acting tough on the outside. For Luke, meaningless relationships are a distraction-a way to tune out the twisted memories of his childhood. He desperately wishes he could forget his past, but it haunts him no matter what he does.

Violet Hayes has had a rough life. When she was young, she was left with no family and the memory of her parents’ unsolved murders. She grew up in foster homes, living with irresponsible parents, drugs, and neglect, and trying to fight the painful memories of the night her parents were taken from her. But it’s hard to forget when she never got closure-and she can’t stop dreaming about what happened that tragic night. To make it through life, she keeps her distance from everyone and never allows herself to feel anything.

Then Violet meets Luke. The two clash instantly, yet they can’t seem to stay away from each other. Although they fight it, they both start to open up and feel things they’ve never felt before. They discover just how similar they are. But they also discover something else: The past always catches up with you . . .

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Jessica Sorensen[1][1][1][1]

 

Author Bio:

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen, lives with her husband and three kids. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family. 

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads 

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpt

“Maybe you should go get cleaned up first.” She runs her thumb down the side of my lip and the connection sends uninvited emotions coursing through my body. I have to clench my hands into fists, just to keep myself from grabbing her and crashing her lips against mine. She withdraws her hand and wipes her thumb and her finger together. “You have blood on your face and clothes.”

I shrug, smothering the desire to jerk her hand back to me, rip her clothes off and bend her over the hood out of my truck. “I’m fine with looking like a man who just beat the shit out of someone, but if you’re too embarrassed to be seen with me, you can sit in the truck.”

“ ‘A man who just beat the shit out of someone’?” she muses, stopping at the passenger door of my truck, her hand hovering above the handle of the car door. “Or a guy who just got his ass kicked?”

I can’t tell if she’s toying with me or not, but it’s both irritating me and exciting me in ways I didn’t know were possible. Half the damn time I have no fucking clue whether she’s being serious or not. Being a control freak, this should send me running, yet it’s having the opposite effect when it comes to her.

I decide to give her a taste of her own intense medicine, throw her off a little, regain the upper hand and hopefully scare her away. “Are you saying that I’m not tough?” I position myself in front of her, trying to get her to back up into the truck, but she stays still. “Or that I’m not a man?”

“I’m not saying either,” she says with a fervent look in her eyes that nearly sends me soaring through the roof. The more intense I get the more excited she gets, which makes me want to get even more intense. “Although, I’m guessing that despite that fact, you’re still about to show me that you’re both of those things.”

“Is that what you want me to do?” My voice comes out husky. This isn’t working out how I want, my plan of keeping her away backfiring on me. I take a step forward and then another, until I’m pretty much stepping on her feet. She still doesn’t back up and it frustrates me even more. “For me to show you how tough I am or how much of a man I am?”

She presses her lips together, her gaze unwavering, eyelashes fluttering. “I don’t want anything from you, Luke. I’m just simply saying what’s in my head. And the longer you’re around me, the more you’ll realize this.”

The longer I’m around her? Fuck. I reach a hand around the side of her and grab the door handle of the truck. “So you don’t think I’m tough?” I ask.

“I think you want to show me how tough you are and how much of a man you can be,” she says.

I put my other arm on the other side of her, so she’s pinned between my arms. Most girls in this position would back up into the door, but she stands firm, refusing to let me control her like I desperately want to.

“And how would I show you?” I drop my voice to a husky growl, intentionally this time.

“I’m sure you have your ways,” she replies, her gaze flickering at my mouth as I lean forward and our bodies press together.

It takes every ounce of strength not to seize hold of her hips and gently shove her back. Instead, I lean farther in, our lips inching closer. “I do have my ways…” I lick my lips and feel the sting of the cut. It reminds me of everything I just witnessed; with her, with me. I know if I kiss her it’ll more than likely lead to me jerking the door open and throwing her down on the truck seat, right here in broad daylight. I wouldn’t care who saw us. I never do. I’d just want to get this God damn need to regain control out of me, the need she’s putting in me. But then what would happen after it was all over? Would we go get tacos and come back to my dorm and hang out? Yeah, that doesn’t seem at all possible, but neither does screwing her and then bailing. I’m too far into her and I’m not sure how to get away or if I can get away at this point.

I clench my hands into fists as I fight the urge to shut my eyes and kiss her until she can barely breathe. I feel weak the moment I flip up that handle and start to pull the door open because I’m choosing to feel the vile, pathetic feelings of my past—how I did things I didn’t want to do, how my mother messed with my head, how I had no control over my life. I was a puppet. I was weak. I don’t want to be that person ever again.

I wait for Violet to move out of the way so I can get the door open, but she doesn’t budge and I’m the one who ends up stepping back, losing again. It’s an unsettling place I’ve arrived at and I don’t know what to do with it beside drink myself into a stupor and hammer my fist through anything that gets in my way. My body is actually shaking as my mind craves the burning, blissful taste of alcohol.

“So where are we going to get tacos?” She sidesteps around me and hops in the truck, tucking her skirt in as she brings her legs into the truck.

“You pick,” I say as I shut the door.

She smiles a plain, fake smile, not even giving me the benefit of a real one. “It doesn’t matter to me,” she says as I climb into the cab. Then she kicks her feet up on the dash and flops her head back against the seat, looking as calm as can be.

I have to wonder if she really means it. If nothing matters to her, and if she’s beginning to matter to me. 

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SONG OF THE FIREFLIES by J.A. Redmerski (February 4, 2014; Forever E-Book; 9781455555048; $3.99)

Synopsis

THE TRUTH WILL SET THEM FREE
Brayelle Bates has always been a force of nature. Even as a child, Bray’s wild and carefree spirit intimidated everyone around her. The only person who’s ever truly understood her is her best friend, Elias Kline. Though every fiber of her being wants to stay with Elias forever, Bray can’t bear the thought of him discovering her agonizing history. She’s done everything she can to keep him at arm’s length, including moving away. But their undying bond was too strong a pull to deny, and Bray couldn’t survive without him. Now she’s back home with Elias, and things have never felt more right-until one night changes everything.

Elias vowed never to be separated from Bray again. So when she decides to flee in a desperate attempt to escape her fate, Elias knows he must go with her. As the two try to make the most of their circumstance, taking up with a reckless group of new friends, Elias soon realizes there’s a darkness driving Bray he can’t ignore. Now in order to save her, he’ll have to convince Bray to accept the consequences of their reality-even if it means losing her. 

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Author Bio

J.A. Redmerski, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children, two cats and a Maltese. She is a lover of television and books that push boundaries and is a huge fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead.

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Excerpt

When I made my way back to the top, I found Bray wasn’t sitting near the edge of the ridge where I had left her I moved farther out into the clearing with our blankets draped over one shoulder.

“Bray?” I said, looking around.

I brushed it off for a second, thinking she was probably just taking a piss behind a tree somewhere, and I set our blankets on the ground.

But then I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I walked quickly toward the edge and looked over. My heart started to bang against my rib cage. I peered down as far as my sight could penetrate the darkness, but took a step back upon realizing that if she had fallen there was no way I’d be able to see from way up here.

She had to be somewhere around close by. She had to be.

“Bray?” I called out again. “Where the hell did you go?”

Still no answer.

Panic set in quickly. I stood there as still and as quiet as I could for several long seconds in case she was coming through the woods, but I heard nothing. I arranged both hands around my mouth and shouted, “BRAY!” and my voice echoed through the wide-open space. But still nothing. I felt sick to my stomach. She wouldn’t have left like that way out here. And if she did, I would’ve seen her on the path coming down as I was making my way back up.

I ran toward the tree line, searching for any sign of her, for another path she might have taken. I refused to believe that she had fallen off the edge.

Just as I noticed another path through the woods that seemed to head south and I started to go toward it, I heard footfalls in the leaves. I didn’t wait to see if it was her, I ran blindly straight into the woods. A skinny branch slapped me across the forehead on my way, but I didn’t stop.

Bray and I nearly crashed into each other.

“Shit, baby! Where the hell did you go? Scared the hell out of me!” I started to pull her into a hug, but something about her was off and I stopped. She didn’t respond or even raise her head to look at me.

“Are you all right?”

I took her hands into mine. Hers were shaking. Her whole body was shaking.

I cupped her face in my palms and raised her head so that she’d look at me. She was crying, and something in her eyes…I couldn’t place it, but it haunted me. I wondered if she even knew I was standing right in front of her. Her hair was messy, with pieces of leaves stuck within a mass of strands. Dirt was smeared across her left cheek. She looked like she’d been in a fight.

I touched her split lip, where a thin line of blood glistened near the corner. “Bray, you’re scaring me. What happened to you?” I shook her gently and then more aggressively when she still didn’t respond. “What happened? Talk to me!”

Her lips trembled and more tears seeped from the corners of her eyes. And then as if a floodgate had been opened, she started screaming through her tears, “It was my fault! Elias! Oh my God!”

“What happened?” I roared, scared for her and for myself, my heart about to burst through my chest.

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UNDONE by Shannon Richard (February 25, 2014; Forever Mass Market; 9781455544691; $6.00)

Synopsis

Things Paige Morrison will never understand about Mirabelle, Florida:

Why wearing red shoes makes a girl a harlot
Why a shop would ever sell something called “buck urine”
Why everywhere she goes, she runs into sexy-and infuriating-Brendan King

After losing her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend, Paige has no choice but to leave Philadelphia and move in with her retired parents. For an artsy outsider like Paige, finding her place in the tightly knit town isn’t easy-until she meets Brendan, the hot mechanic who’s interested in much more than Paige’s car. In no time at all, Brendan helps Paige find a new job, new friends, and a happiness she wasn’t sure she’d ever feel again. With Brendan by her side, Paige finally feels like she can call Mirabelle home. But when a new bombshell drops, will the couple survive, or will their love come undone? 

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Author Bio:

Shannon Richard grew up in the Florida Panhandle as the baby sister of two overly protective but loving brothers. She was raised by a more than somewhat eccentric mother, a self-proclaimed vocabularist who showed her how to get lost in a book and a father who passed on his love for coffee and really loud music. She graduated from Florida State University with a BA in English Literature and still lives in Tallahassee where she battles everyday life with writing, reading, and a rant every once in a while. Okay, so the rants might happen on a regular basis. She’s still waiting for her Southern, scruffy, Mr. Darcy, and in the meantime writes love stories to indulge her overactive imagination. Oh, and she’s a pretty big fan of the whimsy.

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Excerpt

When Brendan pulled into the shade of the park he saw Paige sitting on top of a picnic table. She was staring down at the screen of her camera, biting the corner of her lip. She looked up at the tree and then back down to her camera, shaking her head. Brendan pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head, grabbed his loot, and got out of his truck. When he slammed the door shut she looked over at him. She turned her camera off and shoved it into a bag that was on the table.

“Hey,” she said, standing up and brushing the back of her orange dress down before she started walked toward him.

“Hi,” he said, walking past her and sitting down on top of the picnic table.

“What are you doing?” she asked, spinning around and looking at him. “My Jeep’s over there.”

“Yes,” he said, grabbing a Coke and popping the top. “But lunch is over here.”

“I thought you were going to change my flat,” she said, frowning.

“I am, after I eat lunch. Care to join me?” he asked, patting the empty space next to him.

“You’re serious?”

“Paige, it’s almost one o’clock, so I’m going to eat. You can either stand there and watch me, or you can split this Cajun turkey sandwich that my grandmother made,” he said, taking the sandwich out of the bag.

She shook her head and smiled.

“You, Brendan King, are a whole mess of trouble,” she said, walking over to the bench and sitting down next to him.

“Good choice,” he said, taking his half out of the bag and handing her the other half. “What are you doing out here?” he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“Taking pictures.”

“For?”

“The tribute program that Mr. Adams wants to start using during the memorial services. He wants to use local pictures instead of the stock pictures that are already in the program.”

“That sounds like it’s right up your alley.”

“It is actually,” she said, reaching for the other can of soda and popping the top. 

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

“Why? That I could actually fit in around here? It does surprise me.”

“Why?”

“I’m not used to this whole small-town thing, where everybody knows everybody and their business.”

“Yeah, that’s one of the things about small towns that sucks,” he said, opening a bag of chips and holding it out for her.

“You can say that again,” she said, reaching for a chip. “Why don’t you have oil stains on your hands? I thought all mechanics had oil stains.”

“I wear gloves,” he said, grabbing a few chips for himself and popping them into his mouth.

“Right.” She glanced down and frowned, reaching out for his arm.

“The tree,” she whispered, grabbing his elbow and pushing up the sleeve of his shirt.

Her soft, delicate fingers lightly traced the lines of his tattoo. It took only one simple touch from her for him to completely lose his mind again.

“I knew I’d seen it somewhere.” She looked up to the oak tree in front of them and then back down to his arm. “Why do you have that tree tattooed on your arm?” she asked, looking up at him.

She must have seen the heated look in his eyes because she let go of him and started blushing.

“Sorry, I just … yesterday when I’d been looking at your tattoo, it just sort of fascinated me, and … and it’s that tree,” she said, pointing to the tree in front of them.

“It is.” He cleared his throat and finished his sandwich. He grabbed an orange from the bag on the table and started peeling it. “My mom loved that tree,” he said, looking up at it for a second. “She would bring me and Grace here all the time.”

“Loved?” Paige asked.

“She died,” he said, turning to look at her. “Twelve years ago from breast cancer.”

“Oh God, Brendan. I’m so sorry.”

“I am too. She was a great woman. Grams still can’t talk about her without losing it.”

“Wait, your mom was Lula Mae and Oliver’s daughter?” she asked, confused.

“Yeah,” he said, looking over at her. “I know a little bit about being the center of town talk too. My dad walked out on us before I was born, and Grace’s dad, well, no one knows who Grace’s dad is. My mom wouldn’t tell anybody. That was a source of gossip for years,” he said, handing her half of the peeled orange.

The orange was still cold from being in the refrigerator. Brendan stuck a slice in his mouth, the juice bursting across his tongue. Paige sat next to him in silence, eating her half.

“How do you do it?” she asked, looking at him.

“Do what?”

“Accept stuff like that? Move on? I lost my job, my apartment, and my boyfriend all within a span of two months and I thought that everything was falling down around me. But you? God, Brendan, you had a girlfriend run off with another man, your dad abandoned you, and your mom she …” Paige trailed off. She looked down at her empty hands shaking her head. “You make my problems look trivial.”

“Paige,” he said, edging closer to her and pressing his thigh against hers.

She looked at him, her hair falling in her eyes. He reached out and pushed it behind her ear, letting his fingers trail down to her chin.

“That stuff happened over a long span of time, and I’ve had years to deal with it. You had to deal with a lot over a very short amount of time, and it didn’t happen so long ago. It isn’t trivial,” he said, rubbing his thumb across her jaw. “One day, you’ll wake up and it won’t hurt as bad. You’ll be able to move on.”

“I think I had that breakthrough a week ago,” she whispered, her eyes dipping to his mouth before they came back up to his eyes.

“Really?” He smiled, moving in closer. “And what was the catalyst for that development?” he asked, moving his hand to the back of her head, his fingers tunneling in her hair.

“A cracked radiator,” she said, putting her palms on his chest.

He brought her mouth to his. She parted her lips and when his tongue touched hers he lost himself. She tasted like oranges, like the sweetest freaking oranges that he’d ever eaten. He wrapped his free arm around her back, pulling her into his chest as he slanted his mouth over hers, deepening the kiss. One of her hands was in his hair, her nails racking the back of his head.

Brendan pulled back and looked at her, both of them breathing hard. He was still holding her face in one of his hands as he ran his thumb across her lower lip.

“That was …” He couldn’t even find the words to describe exactly what it was.

“Yeah.” She looked at him, dazed as she fisted her hand tighter in his shirt and pulled him back to her. And then they were off again and neither of them had any desire to come back up for air for a long time.

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