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A MONSTER LIKE ME by Pamela Sparkman

Heart of Darkness series #2

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The Ravenels series #4

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Companion to the Full Tilt series

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Woodlands series #5

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Hearts series #5.75

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Moonshadow series #1

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Blog Tour with Review and Giveaway: The Fragile Ordinary by Samantha Young

8:00:00 AM  , , , ,  No comments

     

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Impossible Vastness of Us and the On Dublin Street series comes a heartfelt and beautiful new young adult novel, set in Scotland, about daring to dream and embracing who you are. Order your copy of THE FRAGILE ORDINARY today!

   

About THE FRAGILE ORDINARY:

I am Comet Caldwell.

And I sort of, kind of, absolutely hate my name.

People expect extraordinary things from a girl named Comet. That she’ll be effortlessly cool and light up a room the way a comet blazes across the sky.

But from the shyness that makes her book-character friends more appealing than real people to the parents whose indifference hurts more than an open wound, Comet has never wanted to be the center of attention. She can’t wait to graduate from her high school in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the only place she ever feels truly herself is on her anonymous poetry blog. But surely that will change once she leaves to attend university somewhere far, far away.

When new student Tobias King blazes in from America and shakes up the school, Comet thinks she’s got the bad boy figured out. Until they’re thrown together for a class assignment and begin to form an unlikely connection. Everything shifts in Comet’s ordinary world. Tobias has a dark past and runs with a tough crowd—and none of them are happy about his interest in Comet. Targeted by bullies and thrown into the spotlight, Comet and Tobias can go their separate ways…or take a risk on something extraordinary.

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Amazon Kindle

iBooks | GooglePlay | Kobo

 

“Endearing and relatable, Comet-the girl who is searching for her place in this world-will shoot through the sky and into your heart.”

— #1 New York Times bestselling author Erin Watt

             




       


EXCERPT

Tobias had offered to spend Christmas Eve with me alone, considering what had just occurred between me and Kyle. Yes, I was devastated by the brief conversation. I was also confused by my reaction, because Kyle hadn’t told me anything I didn’t already know. To hear him confess his own weak will when it came to Carrie, to hear from his own mouth that yes, he did love her more than me and that he’d choose her over me no matter what was painful. I didn’t know if his fears about Carrie’s issues were founded. Maybe. I guess I didn’t know the woman who was my mother well at all. She’d never been verbally unkind to me, though. Her cruelty had always been in her indifference.

Those were my thoughts, going around and around like they were stuck on some twisted, hellish merry-go-round, when I walked into Tobias’s new house.

I tried to focus on Lena. I discovered, however, as I followed her through the narrow hallway of the three-bedroom house in the more affluent area of Porty that Tobias did take after his father in looks. There was a photo hanging on the wall in the hallway of a younger Tobias standing in between Lena and a man I knew must have been his dad. They stood outside a huge white house that reminded me of the wealthy homes featured in John Hughes’s movies. Like Tobias, his dad was extremely tall, broad-shouldered, with fair good looks.

I’d slowed down to look at the photo, and Tobias turned around to see what was keeping me.

“Your dad?”

His eyes flicked to the photo, and I hated the pain that shimmered in his gaze. He nodded and I squeezed his hand.

“Would you like something to drink, Comet?” Lena called from the kitchen. “We have water, Coke, orange juice. Or I could make us all hot chocolate.”

I tugged Tobias away from the photo. There was no need for us both to be a sad, wallowing mess today. “Yes, Mrs. King, hot chocolate sounds lovely.” We wandered into the small, modern kitchen to find her waiting on us.

“I thought I told you to call me Lena.”

“Of course, sorry.” I gave her a smile, trying to ignore the fact that she was raking her eyes over my outfit like she had the last time I saw her.

It was Christmas, so I’d decided on a burgundy long-sleeved thermal with gold sparkles through it, matched with a short burgundy velvet skirt with a dark red tulle underskirt that stuck out rock-chick style from the skirt. I wore thick, black tights and Irregular Choice burgundy suede ankle boots in the Victorian style. They seemed simple until I turned around—they had a huge gold jacquard bow pinned to back of the ankle.

I’d added a bunch of chunky gold bracelets up both arms so I jingled when I moved.

I’d considered toning my clothes down but this was me, and Tobias knew this was me and all that mattered was that he loved me, loud fashion sense and all. Still, I smoothed my hands down my skirt nervously until Tobias captured one of them in his own.

Glancing up at him in question, I found myself caught by the tender reassurance in his eyes. He drew my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it while his gaze held mine, and I felt like he was silently reminding me not to worry what she thought of me because he thought I was perfect.

The sound of a throat clearing broke our moment and we turned to find his mum staring at us wearing a huge smile. “Hot chocolate.” She gestured to the mugs in front of us.

Her assessment of my appearance ceased and instead she studied my interactions with her son. In fact, she watched everything Tobias did, and she did it in a way that made me think she missed him. I knew they’d talked and he was attempting to repair the damage to their relationship, but I perceived a wariness in Lena’s behavior. Like she was scared of making the wrong move—one that might cause him to shut her out again.




Samantha Young’s’ THE FRAGILE ORDINARY – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
June 25th
Book Freak – Review
For The Love of Fictional Worlds – Review & Excerpt
Garden of REden – Review
June 26th
Blog of Books – Review
Bookalicious Babes Blog – Review & Excerpt
Kick Back & Review – Review & Excerpt
liber_lady – Review
Miss Riki – Review & Excerpt
Read more sleep less – Review & Excerpt
White Hot Reads – Review
June 27th
A Literary Perusal – Review & Excerpt
Book Bitches Blog – Review
LoveFades – Review
Smut Book Junkie Reviews – Review & Excerpt
June 28th
Catty Jane Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
Novel Addiction – Review & Excerpt
the lovely teacher addictions – Review & Excerpt
Smokin' Hot Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Reading Faery – Review & Excerpt
June 29th
Ali's Reviews and More – Review & Excerpt
Bookish Proclivity – Review & Excerpt
Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic – Review & Excerpt
Ficwishes – Review & Excerpt
Read Love Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Bookish Sisters – Review & Excerpt
June 30th
Lisa Loves Literature – Review & Excerpt
Nose Stuck in a Book – Review & Excerpt
Pervy Ladies Books – Review & Excerpt
Read. Eat. Love. – Review & Excerpt
The Escapist Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
July 1st
KDRBCK – Review & Excerpt
Once Upon A Page – Review & Excerpt
The Coffeeholic Bookworm – Review & Excerpt
July 2nd
Alpha Book Club – Review
Book Babes Unite – Review
Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Rad Babes Read – Review & Excerpt
Spellbound Stories – Review
The Book Dutchesses – Review & Excerpt
July 3rd
Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt
gata leitora – Review & Excerpt
KM Sultry Reads – Review & Excerpt
Relentless Romance – Review & Excerpt
Sweet Red Reads – Review & Excerpt
July 4th
Bookaholic Confessions – Review & Excerpt
Margaux – Excerpt
Sofia Loves Books – Review
Sultry Sirens Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Tales of the Ravenous Reader – Review & Excerpt
July 5th
After Dark Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
Literary Misfit – Excerpt
More Books Than Livros – Review & Excerpt
July 6th
mustreadbooksordie – Review & Excerpt
Romance Schmomance – Review & Excerpt
Sentranced Jem – Review


   


About Samantha Young: 

 Samantha Young is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows. Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us will be published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017 Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015. Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.  

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

 

REVIEW


The Fragile OrdinaryThe Fragile Ordinary by Samantha Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



It's not difficult to understand how I immediately connected to the heroine in The Fragile Ordinary and empathized with her internal conflict. She's a book lover who loves to write, loves to dream, and escapes into the fictional worlds that capture her heart and imagination. The narrative is that of a young woman on the fringes of discovering her own self-confidence, and finding a better understanding of her own identity. It's a coming of age story that explores the effect of emotionally absent parents, the thrill and angst of first love, bullying, loss and grief, and believing in yourself.

Very much an introvert, she prefers her own company and a good book to attending parties and chasing boys like many sixteen-year-olds. The fear of being judged and found wanting, and her innate shyness is something that's holding her back from experiencing life to its fullest.

    Courage wasn’t something you found at the bottom of a hot chocolate or in a few words of encouragement from your favorite teacher. Courage was clearly something I needed to find, but how was I supposed to when there was a big part of me that didn’t mind the fact I hadn’t discovered it?

It's not just a matter of being shy, however. A cruel teacher in her younger years paired with her parents' inattention and indifference have caused her to retreat inside herself where no one can hurt her. She finds the ability to express herself through her love of poetry, but isn't confident enough to share that deeply personal side of herself with anyone. Many of her poems captured the uncertainty of young love, and the pain of loneliness so eloquently. That was one of the things that drew me to the story when reading the synopsis, and it was just as wonderful as I was hoping it would be. It's easy to identify with her feelings of loneliness and desperation to move on to bigger and brighter things. It's almost as if you're in limbo during these years. Waiting to become an adult, but not quite a child anymore.

Tobias King is the new boy in school, and he slides right into the role of bad boy with a chip on his shoulder with ease. At first, she has no interest in getting to know him, especially since he runs with a very bad crowd and shows a total lack of respect to the teachers in the school. Comet is that good girl you used to know. The one who likes to sit up front in class, raises her hand, and wouldn't dare think of talking back to an adult. She's an old soul who feels closer to her elderly neighbor than most of her classmates. When she's forced to work on a project with him, and sees him outside of school, she realizes that there's a lot more to him than the image he projects.

Struggling with his own private heartache, he lashes out by rebelling at school, and covering his pain with cold indifference. To be honest, I wasn't sure what she saw in him for some time, because even after they became friends, there were times that he treated her abominably and really hurt her. I understood that he was trying to shield her from the crowd that he was running with, and for good reason. I just think his protection could have been handled in a much more mature way, especially as it took him so long to be honest with her about his true feelings. His behavior at the end had me feeling extremely angry towards him. Yes, he was experiencing devastation and crippling guilt, but his treatment of her was selfish.

    That was the thing about living in the now and accepting that most people weren’t heroic storybook characters. They could be extraordinary, but most days they were f lawed and ordinary. And ordinary people had wounds that sometimes never healed.

On the other hand, neither character was perfect when it comes down to it. She was closed off, irrational, and very secretive and unfair to her two friends. He made a lot of (almost irreparable) mistakes, and hurt her in the process. But I think the angst of it all was true to their ages. As frustrating as their actions could be, they made sense for who they were in that moment.

I enjoyed seeing Comet's growth, and her realization that she was far from the ordinary girl who was misrepresenting her extraordinary name. Many readers will be able to closely relate to the uncertainty and emotional self-reflection she goes through. Through the pages of the book, she goes through a metamorphosis, and when she spreads her wings and flies it's a beautiful sight to behold.


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Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Review: Cry Baby by Ginger Scott

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Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2rjlag4

Purchase here:
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2t69Wxt


Synopsis

Tristan Lopez is loyal to his brothers. He doesn’t really have a choice, born into a gang that has a chokehold on every kid that roams its streets. He gave his life to them willingly, knowing if he did then one day this kingdom, led by boys drunk with power and ruled by fear, would all be his.


He was loyal through it all. Loyal when prison took his dad away. Loyal when his face was touched by the cold metal of the rival gang’s gun. Loyal even though his mom begged him to run the moment she returned home from rehab.


He thought about becoming someone else. It was hard not to crave the life of a regular 17-year-old. It’s the only reason he stayed in school—to pretend. But he always fell back in line.


Loyal.


Riley Rojas didn’t belong in Tristan’s real world. She should have only been part of the fantasy, one of the many faces he got to pretend with amidst rows of metal chairs and desks and whiteboards with assignments. But there she was, moving boxes from the back of an old pick-up into a house Tristan had shot up on a dare with his friends only a few months before.


Tall enough to look him in the eyes and strong enough to fill his shadow, Riley took up space on his streets, her loud mouth fearless in the face of the gang leaders who terrified everyone else. She pushed Tristan around on the hard court, and she balled better than his friends—better than him

sometimes. She challenged him. She needed him. He liked it. And when her pale blue eyes stared into his, he quit wanting to pretend.

He couldn’t ask her to leave because she’d only dig her heels in deeper. He couldn’t ask because he didn’t want her to go. She was blurring his lines. She was testing his loyalty.


He was falling in love.


And it was going to tear him apart.


About the Author:


Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams, The Hard Count, Hold My Breath, and A Boy Like You.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Social Media Links:
Twitter: @TheGingerScott


My rating: 4 of 5 stars




When you pick up one of Ginger Scott's YA books, you know that you're about to get a story that addresses serious topics, not just your garden variety, young love fluff. In Cry Baby, she tackles the subject of gangs and their effect on the youth. How living in this environment all your life can shape and mold your future, and how you can feel imprisoned in your circumstances. Tristan was born into this senseless, violent life. Because of the choices his father made, and ultimately died for. He was placed onto a path of self-destruction, and by the time he realized it, he could only face his future with resignation and hopelessness.

     I sold myself to this life when I was a kid, blinded by these criminals I idolized and the stories they told me about my dad.

In Tristan's world, there were only two places you ended up if you stayed in that life. Prison or an early grave. It could be a drug deal gone bad, a rival gang getting revenge, or someone close to you stabbing you in the back. Or it could be something as simple and arbitrary as walking to the convenience store. He'd become almost numb to his daily life. Fortunately, not so much that he lost all sense of right and wrong. It wasn't that he didn't think about the murders that he witnessed, or the drugs that passed through his hands-in fact he hated himself for his involvement.

He was a young man with an old soul, and the weight of the world on his shoulders. His nickname Cry Baby was given to him because of his inability to cry by the head of the 57, Dub. Dub was a sociopath, plain and simple. A man without conscience, morals, or mercy. And he had his claws sunk deep into Tristan with no plans to ever let him find his way out of the darkness.

Riley was the new girl in town. When she runs into Tristan as she's unloading some furniture in front of the house, she mistakenly believes that she's found a quick friend to shoot hoops with down the street. What she doesn't know is that first impressions aren't always what they appear, and he has no plans to let her anywhere near his crowd. This sets off a streak of stubbornness in her to gain entry into what she believes is a sexist boy's inner circle. Riley was unbending. Fierce, and full of confidence in her own worth. I loved that confident side of her. There was no room in her head for dating or boys when all of her focus was already centered on getting herself on a team again to secure a spot in college. She may have had an easy road with her mother taking off, and bouncing from school to school, but she wasn't afraid to brush herself off and work for what she wanted.

The romance between Tristan and Riley took a little while to unravel. Neither was looking to fall in love, one because they were reaching for a bright future, and the other because they had none. But once she got a glimpse into the kind of physical and mental battle he was dealing with, everything changed. His mother and Ms. Beaumont had been pushing him to strive for more and change the direction of his life, and Riley's added faith seemed enough to push him over the edge and start to believe.

    There’s something about Tristan that speaks to me, and no matter how many warnings I get—from him, from Lauren…from the universe—I still want to let him in. I want time with him. I want to know why my friend thinks he’s so awful, because I just don’t see it.

There was one thing that bothered me about Riley and that was her lack of concern for her own safety. According to her, she has lived in tough neighborhoods before. Maybe not quite that dangerous, but you would think that it was common sense to lock up your car and home to protect yourself. Or to not go out at night alone! She said that she didn't want to allow them to have power over her life and how she lived. It's one thing to be brave, another to be reckless with your own life. It didn't really add up to me that she felt this way.

I think that reactions to the ending could be a mixed bag for readers, but personally I appreciated the stark reality of how the conflict was resolved, as well as the fact that she didn't compromise her goals over what happened. There isn't always a picture perfect answer, but this felt right and necessary. Sometimes important people drift from us in our lives, but the tide will always bring them back when it's the right time. I always take away something from Ginger Scott's books, and this one was no exception. She didn't shy away from showing the gritty realities of gang life, and what a wide scope of tragedy they have.

    Criminals aren’t born; they are made. This world made Tristan, and he fights to break free of it. That hold, though—it’s vicious.

Highly recommended for readers who like YA on the mature end of the genre.


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Monday, June 25, 2018

Blog Tour with Giveaway: The Highlander's Promise by Lynsay Sands

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In a spellbinding new Highlands story from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands, the laird of the Buchanans finds the one woman who is his equal in passion and courage.


Aulay Buchanan has retreated to his clan’s hunting lodge for a few days of relaxation. But the raven-haired beauty he pulls from the ocean puts an end to any chance of rest. Though he christens her Jetta, she knows nothing of her real identity, save that someone is trying to kill her. As she recovers, it will not be easy for Aulay to protect her and keep her honor intact when she mistakenly believes they are man and wife…
Jetta sees beyond Aulay’s scars to the brave, loyal warrior she’s proud to call her own. But as the attempts on her life grow more brazen, Jetta realizes that not all is as she believes. And if Aulay is not her husband, can she trust the desire flaring in his eyes, or his promise to defend her with his life?

About the Book

The Highlander’s Promise
by Lynsay Sands

Series
The Highlander Series

Genre
Adult
Historical Romance

Publisher
Avon Books

Publication Date
June 26, 2018
Purchase Your Copy Today!



EXCERPT


“Did I do something to anger you?” Jetta asked with a frown.

His eyebrows rose at the question. “Nay. What would make ye think that?”

“Because you have not kissed nor touched me again since then. I thought either you thought I did not want you to, or that I had somehow angered you, or that you simply tired of me and did not want me anymore because of my shorn head and my being too thin.”

“Oh, lass,” Aulay said softly, cupping her cheek with his hand. “Ye’ve no’ angered me, and I am definitely no’ tired o’ ye. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Every minute I am with ye I have to fight no’ to kiss and touch ye,” he admitted, his eyes dropping to her mouth and his face moving closer.

“Truly?” Jetta whispered uncertainly. “Aye, truly.”




Tour Wide Giveaway

To celebrate the release of THE HIGHLANDER’S PROMISE by Lynsay Sands, we’re giving away one paperback set (6 books in total) of THE HIGHLANDER SERIES!



GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  
Open to US shipping addresses only. One winner will receive a paperback set of the Highlander series by Lynsay Sands.  This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Romance. Giveaway ends 7/6/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Romance will send the winning copies out to the winner directly. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address.  Duplicates will be deleted.  CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


About Lynsay Sands


LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historicals and anthologies. She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there’s occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Please visit her on the web at http://www.lynsaysands.net.

Author Links

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon



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Friday, June 22, 2018

Release Blitz: Cry Baby by Ginger Scott

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We're celebrating the release of CRY BABY by Ginger Scott! One-Click today!


Cry Baby by Ginger Scott
A Contemporary Young Adult Romance
Release day: June 22, 2018
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2rjlag4



Purchase here-->
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2t69Wxt
“Cry Baby is brilliantly written. It's hauntingly beautiful and heartbreaking and will leave you thinking about it for days afterward. Bravo, Ms. Scott. This boy-man stole my heart and I don't want it back.”- L.J. Shen, Bestselling Author

Blurb:
Tristan Lopez is loyal to his brothers. He doesn’t really have a choice, born into a gang that has a chokehold on every kid that roams its streets. He gave his life to them willingly, knowing if he did then one day this kingdom, led by boys drunk with power and ruled by fear, would all be his.


He was loyal through it all. Loyal when prison took his dad away. Loyal when his face was touched by the cold metal of the rival gang’s gun. Loyal even though his mom begged him to run the moment she returned home from rehab.


He thought about becoming someone else. It was hard not to crave the life of a regular 17-year-old. It’s the only reason he stayed in school—to pretend. But he always fell back in line.


Loyal.


Riley Rojas didn’t belong in Tristan’s real world. She should have only been part of the fantasy, one of the many faces he got to pretend with amidst rows of metal chairs and desks and whiteboards with assignments. But there she was, moving boxes from the back of an old pick-up into a house Tristan had shot up on a dare with his friends only a few months before.


Tall enough to look him in the eyes and strong enough to fill his shadow, Riley took up space on his streets, her loud mouth fearless in the face of the gang leaders who terrified everyone else. She pushed Tristan around on the hard court, and she balled better than his friends—better than him

sometimes. She challenged him. She needed him. He liked it. And when her pale blue eyes stared into his, he quit wanting to pretend.


He couldn’t ask her to leave because she’d only dig her heels in deeper. He couldn’t ask because he didn’t want her to go. She was blurring his lines. She was testing his loyalty.


He was falling in love.


And it was going to tear him apart.







About the Author:


Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams, The Hard Count, Hold My Breath, and A Boy Like You.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Social Media Links:
Twitter: @TheGingerScott

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Thursday, June 21, 2018

Release Blitz: A Thousand Reasons by Mariah Dietz

8:00:00 AM  ,  No comments




A Thousand Reasons, a new contemporary romance by Mariah Dietz is LIVE! 


Title: A Thousand Reasons
Author: Mariah Dietz 
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Cover Designer: Hang Le with byhngle.com 




Purchase here:
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2tf43Oh 
Amazon Universal: http://bit.ly/AThousandReasons 




Blurb:

My life is like a coin.
There are two sides.

On one side, I am Leela Walsh: daughter, sister, employee at three minimum-wage jobs.
I cook. Do laundry. Contribute to the debt my family is sinking in.

On the second side, I am Leela Walsh: Straight-A student, top graduate of my class, med student.
No one knows of my brother’s sordid past. My sister’s poor decisions. Or that I’m the first in my family to graduate high school.

The balance between these two sides is nearly impossible to maintain. And it only becomes more difficult when I meet Wes McCleary.

He’s never had a job. Never wanted for anything.
And now, he wants me.


There are a thousand reasons we shouldn’t be together, and just one that keeps bringing us together.

Will that one reason be enough? 


 
➜ Read the first THREE chapters of A Thousand Reasons: https://bit.ly/2o53w0T



About Mariah: 



Mariah Dietz lives in North Carolina with her husband and three sons who are the axis of her crazy and wonderful world.

Mariah grew up in a tiny town outside of Portland, Oregon where she spent most of her time immersed in the pages of books that she both read and created.

She has a love for all things that include her family, good coffee, books, traveling, and dark chocolate. She’s also obsessed with Christmas ornaments and all things Disney.


Connect with Mariah:

Facebook: https://bit.ly/29BAVUJ
Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/1NEj1Uc
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2FepS80
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mariah-dietz
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/mariahdietz
Website: http://www.mariahdietz.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MariahDietz
Instagram: http://instagram.com/mariahdietz
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2Id3OJj

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Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Blog Tour with Review: Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis

8:00:00 AM  , , ,  No comments




SYNOPSIS

Following the USA Today bestseller, Lost and Found Sisters, comes Rainy Day Friends, Jill Shalvis’ moving story of heart, loss, betrayal, and friendship.

Six months after Lanie Jacobs’ husband’s death, it’s hard to imagine anything could deepen her sense of pain and loss. But then Lanie discovers she isn’t the only one grieving his sudden passing. A serial adulterer, he left behind several other women who, like Lanie, each believe she was his legally wedded wife. Rocked by the infidelity, Lanie is left to grapple with searing questions. How could she be so wrong about a man she thought she knew better than anyone? Will she ever be able to trust another person? Can she even trust herself?

Desperate to make a fresh start, Lanie impulsively takes a job at the family-run Capriotti Winery. At first, she feels like an outsider among the boisterous Capriottis. With no real family of her own, she’s bewildered by how quickly they all take her under their wing and make her feel like she belongs. Especially Mark Capriotti, a gruffly handsome Air Force veteran turned deputy sheriff who manages to wind his way into Lanie’s cold, broken heart—along with the rest of the clan. Everything is finally going well for her, but the arrival of River Green changes all that. The fresh-faced twenty-one-year old seems as sweet as they come…until her dark secrets come to light—secrets that could destroy the new life Lanie’s only just begun to build.



EXCERPT


Chapter 1

Anxiety Girl, able to jump to the worst conclusion in a single bound!

Most of the time Karma was a bitch, but every once in awhile she could be surprisingly nice, even kind. Lanie Jacobs, way past overdue for both of those things, told herself this was her time. Seize the day and all that, and drawing a deep breath, she exited the highway at Wildstone.

The old wild-west California town was nestled in the rolling hills between the Pacific Coast and wine/ranching country. She’d actually grown up not too far from here, though it felt like a lifetime ago. The road was narrow and curvy, and since it’d rained earlier, she added tricky and slick to her growing list of issues. She was already white-knuckling a sharp turn when a kamikaze squirrel darted into her lane, causing her to nearly swerve into oncoming traffic before remembering the rules of country driving.

Never leave your lane; not for weather, animals, or even God himself.

Luckily the squirrel reversed direction, but before she could relax a trio of deer bounded across the road. “Run, Bambi,” she cried, hitting her brakes, and by the skin of their collective teeth, they all missed each other.

Sweating, nerves sizzling like live wires, she finally turned onto Capriotti Lane and parked as she’d been instructed.

It took a moment for her pulse to come down from stroke level. She’d been taught anti-anxiety techniques, but she’d never quite figured out how to make any of them work while in the actual throes of an anxiety attack.

It’s all good she told herself but because she wasn’t buying what she was selling, she had to force herself out of the car like she was a five year old starting kindergarten instead of being thirty and simply facing a brand new job. Given all she’d been through, this should be easy, even fun. But sometimes adulthood felt like the vet’s office and she was the dog excited for the car ride -- only to find out the real destination.

Shaking her head, she strode across the parking lot. It was April, which meant the rolling hills to the east were green and lush and the Pacific Ocean to the west looked like a surfer’s dream, all of it so gorgeous it could’ve been a postcard. A beautiful smoke screen over her not-so-beautiful past. The air was scented like a really expensive sea-and-earth candle, though all Lanie could smell was her forgotten hopes and dreams. With wood chips crunching under her shoes, she headed through the entrance beneath which was a huge wooden sign that read:

Capriotti Winery, from our fields to your table…
Her heart sped up. Nerves, of course, the bane of her existence. But after a very crappy few years, she was changing her path. For once in her godforsaken life, something was going to work out for her. This was going to work out for her.

She was grimly determined.



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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Follow her:


Facebook: @JillShalvis
Twitter: @JillShalvis



REVIEW

Rainy Day Friends (Wildstone, #2)Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Title: Rainy Day Friends
Series: Wildstone #2
Author: Jill Shalvis
Release date: June 19, 2018
Cliffhanger: No

    It was as if her life had been a fresh painting and then it'd rained, smearing that old life away to nothing but a soggy canvas.

Jill Shalvis is one of those authors that you can depend on to deliver a story with laugh out loud, witty humor from characters who effortlessly steal your heart. The friends and family that she creates feel like coming home even when you've never met them before. And that's the magic that she gives us in Rainy Day Friends. Within the first few pages, I knew immediately that the Capriotti family was special. Not just for their sarcastic and hilarious sense of humor, but most of all the strength of their love and unconditional acceptance. These are people that love so fiercely that you can't be too bothered by their nosiness and meddling.

    In essence, Capriotti Winery was a small town all on its own where there were no secrets and the gossip mill was alive and well.

They're large, loud, and never give you a minute's privacy. Unfortunately that's one thing that Lanie is desperate to have, especially at this juncture in her life. Her two month job there gives her an opportunity to get away and lick her wounds in the aftermath of losing her husband and discovering his shocking betrayal. I really empathized with her as I grew to understand the cause of her anxiety and sadness. She's the kind of person who internalizes everything, so it helped to be able to get inside her head, because she's as stubborn as a mule about letting people in and allowing herself to be vulnerable. Externally she's friendly but distant, not that Cora or the rest of the family are deterred. If they have anything to say about it, she's going to have a permanent place in their business and their lives.

Cora's son Mark is a single father of two adorable twin girls who's nursing some heavy heartache himself. After his wife decided she wasn't cut out to be a mother, she split town and never looked back. He's been picking up the pieces ever since. He works endless hours trying to make a better life for his girls, and his utter devotion for them was apparent in every word and action. He puts them first in his priorities, in fact, not wanting to even consider a serious relationship again until they're all grown.

Lainey starts to grow attached little by little. Mark's girls have burrowed into her heart when she wasn't looking, Cora has watched over her with an eagle eye, even Uncle Jack's bad jokes have her cracking a reluctant smile. Mark...he's a whole other story. Each of them dance around their attraction for a bit. This felt like a nice slow burn between them, because they weren't even sure that exploring their chemistry was worth the risk. Her time there had an expiration date, and neither was even remotely looking for love.

In the beginning stages of their relationship, I wasn't loving their casual arrangement. It messed with her mind badly, making her wonder once again if she was not enough. First by her parents, and then her cheating husband. But I could see that Mark was scared too, and things changed quickly once he understood her better. He just didn't know how to get through to her and help her see that it was okay for her to put her trust in him.

    She'd really thought she'd known everything about him and their relationship, and yet he'd betrayed her. So she no longer believed in her own judgement and other people.

My one frustration ended up being in Lainey. While I sympathized and even empathized with everything she had gone through, she was continuously and stubbornly pushing everyone away. Even after Mark changed and made his feelings clear, and tried to be patient with her while she decided if she was going to stay, it was like she never gave the man an inch. She was the same way with River, even after their road trip where I thought she had resolved a lot of her animosity between them, but then afterwards, she completely shut down again. I wish I could have seen her let go of her fears a little earlier, and trust in the people who were showing her that they genuinely cared.

The family was absolutely endearing and it made me a little envious of Lainey as she was welcomed into their fold. River's appearance, and her own path to healing was an interesting addition to the story as it eventually intersected with Lainey's. They both needed to completely let go of the past, because it was holding them back from seeing the promise in their future. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at the winery. You can't go wrong with Jill Shalvis, and this one was no exception. I'd really like to read Holden and River's story as well, they were the absolute sweetest together!

If you're thinking of reading this, jump right in! It's not necessary to read the other full length or novella first.


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