Blog Tour with Reviews: The Cracks Duet by L.H. Cosway

We're celebrating the release of the CRACKS DUET by L.H. Cosway! 

 

Title: A Crack In Everything and How The Light Gets In (Cracks Duet)

Age Group: Adult

Release Date: January 30 & February 6, 2018

A Crack In Everything  Goodreads

How The Light Gets In Goodreads

A Crack In Everything
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2DvxZc5
iBooks: https://apple.co/2BsghVg
Nook: http://bit.ly/2n7Od4k
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Gd10ez

How The Light Gets In

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2GfvMmO

iBooks: https://apple.co/2n9grg1

Nook: http://bit.ly/2n9RWyf

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2F9klMf

Book Description:
A Crack in Everything

Life used to be simple.

I was a city girl with humble dreams. Then Dylan O’Dea broke into my flat, held me against the wall and told me to stay quiet.

It was like in the movies, where the universe zeros in on a single scene. I looked into his eyes and knew he was going to change me.

For Dylan, the sky was always falling. He showed me how our world is a contradiction of beauty and ugliness. How we choose to ignore the awful and gloss over it with the palatable. How you need just a tiny drop of something unsavoury to create every great scent.

Pretty deep for a pair of teenagers living in a block of council flats in inner city Dublin, right Probably. But we weren’t typical. We both had our obsessions. Mine was growing things, Dylan’s was scent. He taught me how to use my nose, and I introduced him to the magic of flowers.

I had no idea that one day he’d build an empire from what we started together. But before that, there was love and happiness, tragedy and epic heartbreak…

My name is Evelyn Flynn and I’m going to tell you about the crack in everything.

A Crack in Everything is Book #1 in L.H. Cosway’s Cracks duet.

How the Light Gets in

He came back to me 16 minutes and 59 seconds into Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7.

We parted amid tragedy, so it seemed poetic. Dylan O’Dea, my childhood sweetheart, had once
meant everything to me. Now we were strangers, and honestly, after eleven years I never thought
I’d see him again.

I lived in the world of the average, of getting paid by the hour and budgeting to make ends meet. But
Dylan, he lived in the world of wealth and success. He’d achieved the great things I always suspected
he would. The dissatisfaction he’d felt as a teenager had obviously been an excellent motivator.

He started a business from scratch, pioneered a brand, and created perfumes adored by women
across the globe. I was just one of the people who’d been there before. Now he was living his best
life in the after.

And me, well, I’d been in a dark place for a while. Slowly but surely, I was letting the light back in, but there was something missing. I was an unfinished sentence with an ellipsis at the end. And maybe, if I was brave enough to take the chance, Dylan could be my happy ending.

How the Light Gets In is Book #2 and the concluding installment in L.H. Cosway’s Cracks duet.

About the author:

L.H. Cosway lives in Dublin, Ireland. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books. She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories. L.H. is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Social Media Links:FB: www.facebook.com/LHCosway
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LHCosway
Instagram: www.instagram.com/l.h.cosway
Website: www.lhcoswayauthor.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lhcosway13/

REVIEWS

A Crack in Everything by L.H. Cosway

Title: A Crack in Everything
Series: Cracks Duet #1
Author: L.H. Cosway
Release date: January 30, 2018
Cliffhanger: Yes
Rating:  4.5 stars

A Crack in Everything is a book that will reach inside of your chest, give your heart a squeeze, and leave you breathless. It's a fresh and original coming of age story about two teens on the cusp of adulthood. Ev and Dylan navigate through their first love together while exploring their sexuality, their hopes for the future, and a devastating tragedy. There was a feeling of dread throughout a good bit of the story, knowing that the sweet promise of what they discovered together was going to eventually lead to heartbreak and sorrow. With one unexpected event, their lives would be turned upside down and nothing would ever be the same again. After some subtle foreshadowing sprinkled throughout the book, I was anxiously flipping the pages hoping that my prediction was wrong.

Evelyn meets Dylan when he pushes his way into her apartment in a moment of desperation. Technically this wasn't their first meeting, but their first interaction. Little did she know, that he had been quietly observing her for some time, since she moved into the dreary council flats where he lived. The only thing that she knew about him was that this attractive boy who could have been popular had no interest in it, and that only made his mysterious aura and allure even stronger. There was a fire and passion in him that was a bit like watching a shooting star overhead. Bright, beautiful, and destined for unreachable places far away.

Dylan struck me as the type to hate fiercely, but also to love just as fiercely. He felt all of life’s emotions with everything he had in him, and there was a captivating sort of appeal about that.

In their corner of the world, you either accepted your lot in life, or you dreamed big, and worked harder to escape. Evelyn is the former, possessing an inner glow for life and a positive attitude despite the hardships she has already had to overcome. There's something beautiful about a young girl being so strong in mind and spirit, but at the same time there's a little bit of naivety there on her part that the ugly part of the world can't tarnish her. I loved her optimism, and her self-confidence in her own identity and purpose in the world.

Dylan's father is prone to catastrophic thinking, and has anxiety as a result of that. In other words, he automatically jumps to the worst possible outcome of any situation. When you’re raised by someone ruminating over doom and gloom, your life becomes very dark and lonely place. But as Ev and Dylan's friendship and attraction grow, her effervescence helps him to see the world through a different lens. They were so sweet around one another, but had these great introspective talks that elevated them above a simple teen romance. There was a connection and fervor that was very genuine and relatable.

I needed to make this last, so I could etch his taste into my memory, fold his smell in crepe paper and save it for a rainy day when I needed some sunshine. That’s what he tasted like—bottled sun. Golden, like the flecks in his hair.

I adored Dylan so, so much. He was such a strong, yet sensitive guy who cherished those he loved. He was extremely intelligent, and his heightened sense of smell was something I found fascinating and completely original. Unique or quirky personality traits are a staple in Cosway's books, but I really feel as if she went above and beyond with these characters. And with the air of urgency hanging over them, it made for a very fast paced read. I zipped through this first part in one night, alternating between dread and elation.

Besides one small quibble over the couple's actions that I found to be out of character, I was blissfully happy with this first installment. The minor detail didn't have a large impact over my overall enjoyment at all, in fact, the angst was everything I hoped it would be and more. If you're considering reading this, don't hesitate! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a poignant read about young love that faces tough choices and crippling grief. The ending is unresolved of course, but it's not a suspenseful cliffhanger.

Book #2 in the Cracks Duet, How the Light Gets In releases February 6, 2018

View all my reviews

How the Light Gets In by L.H. Cosway

Title: How the Light Gets In
Series: Cracks Duet #2
Author: L.H. Cosway
Release date: February 6, 2018
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 4.5 stars[Yes (hide spoiler)]

“It’s always been you. It only ever will be.”

A Crack in Everything revolved around discovery and tragedy, and in the conclusion we're given reconciliation and healing. If that one devastating event had never happened, Evelyn and Dylan were already destined to take a different path in life. He was going to take the world by storm, and she was determined to stay right where she was. It was important to her to be nothing like her mother, the woman who abandoned her when she was a child. She was never going to leave her family when she was needed. Ev always thought she had a purpose, and was happy to fulfill it, even if it wasn't the standard to what most aspired to.

It broke her to lose Dylan, and what they could have had. Completely and irrevocably. But in her eyes, there was no way to have it all together. So they both let go of what they wanted so they could have what they needed. They had a beautiful, unselfish love that was unconditional through time and distance. Anger and bitterness never replaced the affection and acceptance they had for one another and I loved that about them. They were IT for each other. Soulmates set adrift, trying to stay above water while apart.

Eleven years later, Evelyn's circumstances change and she starts a new life in New York with her aunt. Finally allowing herself to shed the grief that has blanketed her for so long, she hopes her fresh start will finally bring her happiness. She's not the same optimistic person she once was, and that inner glow she had has been snuffed out. When she unexpectedly reconnects with Dylan, they are both greatly changed, but that spark that was between them is still there waiting to be rekindled.

Dylan is now hugely successful, having used his gift of scent to create his own fragrance company. Ev had followed his career through the years, but couldn't allow herself the luxury of entering his world. Even the thought of sampling the scents he created was too painful for her to attempt. He needed to be kept at a safe distance for her to be able to bear the life she chose.

I knew that each scent would remind me of him. Dylan was the sort of person who put his entire self into every endeavour. I’d smell the top notes and see his smile, the middle notes and remember his voice. But most of all, hidden like a secret in the bottom notes, I’d feel his touch.

But now that they reconnected, Dylan was going to move heaven and earth to grasp onto their second chance. This man...he couldn't have been any more perfect. He was everything you could ask for and more. SO devoted, patient, and an overall kind human being. Even as a teen, he had a maturity beyond his years, but now that he was an adult, he was well-rounded and more confident in himself. He had set out to rise above his circumstances, and with his success, that brought a positivity to his life that he struggled with in the past. In this way, their outlook on life was reversed and he wouldn't accept that Ev had lost her zest for life that had so inspired him.

Above all, he was supportive and considerate of Evelyn's needs to rebuild their relationship slowly. He was always encouraging her, and trying to lift her confidence and self worth. I was honestly a bit frustrated how she could keep him at a distance for so long, especially after all of the amazing gestures he made for her. But to rush back into a relationship when they had both changed and grown into different people would have probably been foolish. They gradually worked their way back to each other by strengthening their friendship first, which is how they fell for each other the first time.

There were so many sweet moments, and a wonderful side story with Connor and Yvonne that I would LOVE to see fully fleshed out in its own book. I think I enjoyed the first part a bit more just because I felt that intensity of their young love and the angst of the tragedy and their separation really hit me hard. But then right at the end, L.H. Cosway hit me in the gut with a punch of the feels, and I found myself teary eyed all over again.

If you're considering reading this duet, do not hesitate! I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone.

FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON: 

View all my reviews

Read More

Review: Marriage of Inconvenience by Penny Reid

Synopsis:

There are three things you need to know about Kat Tanner (aka Kathleen Tyson. . . and yes, she is *that* Kathleen Tyson): 1) She’s determined to make good decisions, 2) She must get married ASAP, and 3) She knows how to knit.

Being a billionaire heiress isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it sucks. Determined to live a quiet life, Kat Tanner changed her identity years ago and eschewed her family’s legacy. But now, Kat’s silver spoon past has finally caught up with her, and so have her youthful mistakes. To avoid imminent disaster, she must marry immediately; it is essential that the person she chooses have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever and be completely trustworthy.
Fortunately, she knows exactly who to ask. Dan O’Malley checks all the boxes: single, romantically indifferent to her, completely trustworthy. Sure, she might have a wee little crush on Dan the Security Man, but with clear rules, expectations, and a legally binding contract, Kat is certain she can make it through this debacle with her sanity—and heart—all in one piece.
Except, what happens when Dan O’Malley isn’t as indifferent—or as trustworthy—as she thought?

Goodreads

PRE-ORDER

iBooks: https://apple.co/2BKZLzB

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nxhC85

Google Play: https://goo.gl/dHnuun

Kobo: https://goo.gl/qr5wSN

B&N: https://goo.gl/5AH5a8

Title: Marriage of Inconvenience
Series: Knitting in the City #7
Author: Penny Reid
Release date: March 6th, 2018
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 5 stars

Delayed gratification: maybe you're not a fan of it. Maybe you don't like the waiting so much, and in the end, that gratification is not quite as pleasurable as you had anticipated. The crash and burn can be painful, so you avoid it like the plague. This book is pretty much the definition of that phrase. To say that readers of this series wanted Kat and Dan's book written is like saying that the discovery of the DNA structure is a pretty decent scientific find. We were practically foaming at the mouth in our rabid impatience to get our hands on their book. And folks? Put your worries to rest, because Dan the security man and Kit-Kat lived up to every bit of their promise.

Kat has always been the most quiet and reserved woman of the group. I was happily surprised when her quirky personality unfurled-she was endearing from the first page. Cheese is her drug of choice, and she uses it to self-medicate her anxiety away. She hiccups when she's nervous. Not in a cute little peep...no, this was something else entirely. I actually laughed out loud at her mortification over her stress hiccups.

My hiccups sounded like a shrill gasp if I wasn’t careful to keep my mouth closed. A few people eyeballed me as I walked, as though attempting to determine if I were in distress or just a weirdo making truncated shrieking sounds.

The reason for Kat's subdued personality comes out, and it all made perfect sense. As the heiress to the largest privately held pharmaceutical fortune in the world, she was worth billions. When you have that much money, it's a lonely position to be in. Kat had a completely dysfunctional childhood with one mentally ill parent, and another who either didn't acknowledge her existence, or show her any love or acceptance. But she never cried 'poor little rich girl.' She began a downward spiral, years of dangerous rebellion, and self harm. She didn't have any positive reinforcement, no one there who encouraged her, or helped guide her in the right direction. But she lays the blame entirely on her own shoulders, and the shame and feelings of unworthiness eat her alive. She internalizes everything and that is probably one reason for the mysterious Big Misunderstanding.

If it weren't for that night in Vegas, she could have avoided the uncomfortable awkwardness that her relationship evolved into with Dan. Her stubborn avoidance of the man who stars in every one of her fantasies frustrates him to no end. The poor man has been besotted with her for years, but even after their disastrous night, he can't get her out of his mind. I think this is what makes their chemistry so enticing. That pull they have towards one another creates some of the most delicious friction and tension.

   I leaned closer again.
“Dan.”
He tilted his head to the side, saying,
“Kit-Kat,”
and a tiny shiver raced down my spine.
He’d lowered his voice to the naughty-secret level.

It takes a moment of desperation to reach out to Dan for help, and he grabs his shot with both hands without hesitation. How can I explain how much I loved his instant eagerness to help her, no questions asked?? Penny Reid excels at creating heroes with charm and charisma, and Daniel O’Malley is no exception.

He's coarse, rough around the edges, but with a soft side that is so devilishly sweet. One thing I particularly loved about him was how devoted he was to his mother. Devoted, yet at the same time completely terrified of her wrath. How cute is that? He's also very intuitive, and doesn't let Kat hide away from him like she's used to doing with the rest of the world. He peels back her protective outer layers, and reveals the woman that she hadn't felt worthy enough to expose.

Instead of running scared, he's drawn in even more deeply than before. Their relationship is anything but conventional, they're essentially dating after they get married, and learning each other's faults and eccentricities. But not only does he accept her issues, he vows to help her navigate through them and heal. Suddenly their fake marriage is becoming more than words on a piece of paper. They're both in deep, and sorting their feelings while navigating her crisis with Caleb isn't making it easy on them.

Fuck me,
but I could drown in her eyes.
It wasn’t just that they were gorgeous,
it was everything behind them—
the smarts, the goodness, the toughness,
the compassion—
and they made me stupid
when we were this close.

There were moments when you just wanted to grab the back of their heads and smoosh them together. Kiss, you stubborn kids!! Then tie them together and make them talk out all of their fears and concerns until they got it right. Lust is often confused with love in many relationships, but with Kat and Dan, gratitude was what drove a wedge between them and caused doubt. Based on the mistakes of his father, Dan was hypersensitive and too quick to distrust in order to avoid repeating history. But in doing so, he could demolish the progress they made together if he can't see the truth in front of him.

The Knitting in the City series started its journey five years ago. I have read each and every full length novel in order, and looked forward to the next with impatient giddiness. Coming to the end of the road with these beloved characters is definitely bittersweet, but oh, how it hurt so good. I'm not going to lie, I got a little emotional facing the fact that this would be the final couple in the series. However, getting to know Dan's brother a little better, I have to wonder if he'll be getting his own book. Can I be the first in line to beg for that? I'll make sure we form a neat and orderly line. There's much more to him than we all previously thought, let's just say that. And that epilogue had me dreaming of a spin off series...but that could just be my inability to say goodbye rearing its head. To sum things up: READ THIS BOOK!! But you probably don't need me to tell you that.

FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON: 

View all my reviews

Read More

Release Blitz: The Cracks Duet by L.H. Cosway

We're celebrating the release of the CRACKS DUET by L.H. Cosway! 

 

Title: A Crack In Everything and How The Light Gets In (Cracks Duet)

Age Group: Adult

Release Date: January 30 & February 6, 2018

A Crack In Everything  Goodreads

How The Light Gets In Goodreads

A Crack In Everything
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2DvxZc5
iBooks: https://apple.co/2BsghVg
Nook: http://bit.ly/2n7Od4k
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Gd10ez

How The Light Gets In

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2GfvMmO

iBooks: https://apple.co/2n9grg1

Nook: http://bit.ly/2n9RWyf

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2F9klMf

Book Description:

A Crack in Everything

Life used to be simple.

I was a city girl with humble dreams. Then Dylan O’Dea broke into my flat, held me against the wall and told me to stay quiet.

It was like in the movies, where the universe zeros in on a single scene. I looked into his eyes and knew he was going to change me.

For Dylan, the sky was always falling. He showed me how our world is a contradiction of beauty and ugliness. How we choose to ignore the awful and gloss over it with the palatable. How you need just a tiny drop of something unsavoury to create every great scent.

Pretty deep for a pair of teenagers living in a block of council flats in inner city Dublin, right Probably. But we weren’t typical. We both had our obsessions. Mine was growing things, Dylan’s was scent. He taught me how to use my nose, and I introduced him to the magic of flowers.

I had no idea that one day he’d build an empire from what we started together. But before that, there was love and happiness, tragedy and epic heartbreak…

My name is Evelyn Flynn and I’m going to tell you about the crack in everything.

A Crack in Everything is Book #1 in L.H. Cosway’s Cracks duet.

How the Light Gets in

He came back to me 16 minutes and 59 seconds into Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7.

We parted amid tragedy, so it seemed poetic. Dylan O’Dea, my childhood sweetheart, had once
meant everything to me. Now we were strangers, and honestly, after eleven years I never thought
I’d see him again.

I lived in the world of the average, of getting paid by the hour and budgeting to make ends meet. But
Dylan, he lived in the world of wealth and success. He’d achieved the great things I always suspected
he would. The dissatisfaction he’d felt as a teenager had obviously been an excellent motivator.

He started a business from scratch, pioneered a brand, and created perfumes adored by women
across the globe. I was just one of the people who’d been there before. Now he was living his best
life in the after.

And me, well, I’d been in a dark place for a while. Slowly but surely, I was letting the light back in, but there was something missing. I was an unfinished sentence with an ellipsis at the end. And maybe, if I was brave enough to take the chance, Dylan could be my happy ending.

How the Light Gets In is Book #2 and the concluding installment in L.H. Cosway’s Cracks duet.

About the author:

L.H. Cosway lives in Dublin, Ireland. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books. She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories. L.H. is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Social Media Links:FB: www.facebook.com/LHCosway
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LHCosway
Instagram: www.instagram.com/l.h.cosway
Website: www.lhcoswayauthor.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lhcosway13/

Read More

Release Blitz with Giveaway: Dangerous Witness by Katie Reus

Today we have the release week blitz for DANGEROUS WITNESS by Katie Reus! Check out this new romantic suspense and grab your copy today!

 

Title: Dangerous Witness

Author: Katie Reus

Genre: Romantic Suspense

 

 

About Dangerous Witness:

  He foolishly let her go…   When the woman he loved walked out of his life, Brooks Alexander was certain she did so willingly—with the cool two-million his father had offered as incentive to walk away. So when he learns that Darcy didn’t take a dime of his father’s payoff, Brooks realizes he made an epic mistake. He’s determined to make things right and reclaim his woman. Except neither task is as easily accomplished as he first thought.   Now her life is in his hands…   Wedding planner Darcy is no stranger to disappointment when it comes to the men in her life. When Brooks accused her of taking his father’s bribe, she was devastated that he thought so little of her—and realized he never knew her at all. So she walked away with her pride intact and her heart broken. Now, months later, an overheard conversation puts Darcy in the crosshairs of a dangerous criminal with powerful connections. With nowhere else to turn, she has no choice but to put all her trust in Redemption Harbor Consulting—and its cofounder, the man who broke her heart.

Grab Your Copy Today:

Kindle | Nook | Kobo | ibooks | Paperback

 

About Katie Reus:

Katie Reus is the New York Times, USA Today, and IndieReader bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it. However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. Her book Avenger’s Heat recently won the Georgia RWA Maggie Award for Excellence in the fantasy/paranormal category.

Connect with Katie:

​​ Facebook | Blog| Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Website

 

Enter Katie’s Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Read More

Review: Standing Sideways by J. Lynn Bailey

Synopsis

When Livia Stone suddenly loses her twin brother, Jasper, she must learn to navigate her new life alone. As she faces tragedy and starts down a road toward
self-destruction, Daniel enters Livia’s life—at a moment when she needs it most.

Standing Sideways is a poignant, relevant, and touching story of survival, courage, and compassion that will have readers crying, laughing, and most of all, debating the issues affecting the lives of parents and teens alike on a journey of hope and forgiveness.

Goodreads

Title: Standing Sideways
Series: Standalone
Author: J. Lynn Bailey
Release date: January 30, 2018
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 4 stars[Yes (hide spoiler)]

Have you ever felt like you can’t catch your breath? Or hope the breath you breathe will be your last?

With a biting, sarcastic narrative, J. Lynn Bailey has composed a story about grief, addiction, and surviving after everything you thought you knew about life is ripped apart. I had no idea what to expect when I opened up this book, as I was not previously familiar with this author's work. I can honestly say that I got so much more than I could've anticipated. I would even go so far as to say that there were moments of brilliance in this story. Many moments I just sat back and soaked in the words, wanting to take my time with them.

If we knew our departure date, maybe we wouldn’t enjoy the pure moments of joy that life provided. Maybe our souls have their own journey, and our bodies are just a costume we wear while our time is spent on Earth.

Standing Sideways was pensive, insightful, and filled with raw honesty. This story is inspired by a real life tragedy, and that comes through in the gritty emotion that permeates Livia's struggle to cope. To wake up every day and take a breath without breaking, and dissolving under the weight of her pain. Livia's twin brother Jasper was like her other half, the best part of her. They were inseparable, and couldn't even imagine a time when their lives would fork apart onto different roads. Until the day her identity was divided in a new way: before and after.

Before Livia was preparing to follow her dreams of studying writing at Harvey College. She was mature, driven, and had a bright future ahead of her. After Livia was a person reborn from the ashes of Jasper's death. She was now a girl who could barely look at herself in the mirror without flinching. All of the coping mechanisms she developed ranged from unhealthy to dangerous. And yet she couldn't find the will to change. You will see Livia coming apart at the seams right before your eyes. Veering from apathetic to enraged over the injustice of the world, she questions her sanity, her faith in God, and the possibility that she's stumbling down a dangerous path.

Where does Daniel enter into all of this? He's the new boy in town, a transplant from England who has an air of mystery about him. After running into Livia and her best friend Cao on their first day of school, the two quickly form a friendship with an undercurrent of attraction. Forming an attachment for someone is not a wise course of action for either of them at this point. But Daniel is secretly struggling with a broken family and grief himself, and the mutual understanding that they provide each other makes it harder for them to resist the pull they feel.

His fingertips barely graze
my midsection,
and I feel an explosion of stars
in my head.
Butterflies have hatched.
Stars align. A new universe is born.
I’m screwed.

I really enjoyed Daniel and Livia as a couple, but their romance wasn't the highlight of the book for me. It was their own individual growth, and the lessons they learned along the way. This is a wonderful story that touched on many different significant topics. Though, I did have a few issues with it overall that prevented me from giving it a full five stars.  A few loose ends in the plot, and some repetition.  

I debated for a few days about how to rate this. I really loved the storyline, and felt that has such an eloquent way with words. That made it very difficult for me to lower my rating, but there were enough issues there that I wasn't able to let them go. Would I still recommend this? Absolutely, without a doubt. If you're looking for an emotional YA book that will pull at your heartstrings, I urge you to give it a chance. Standing Sideways is a book that came directly from the author's heart, and it shows. I'm looking forward to seeing what she has to offer in the future.

FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON: 

View all my reviews

Read More

Excerpt Reveal: Memphis by Ginger Scott

Check out the amazing excerpt of Memphis by Ginger Scott! We are so excited about this release!

Memphis by Ginger Scott

A Contemporary New Adult Romance
Release day: February 23
Goodreads

Blurb:

My mom always said it was just something about the way he moved.

The same swagger Archie Valentine wore in the ring when he took his opponents down followed him like a halo everywhere he went. But make no mistake about it—he was no angel. He was like a drug. My mother was his addict.

I never understood it…how love could make you blind and convince you to drink the poison. Not until I met Memphis Delaney.

At first, it was the familiar form. He’s a fighter, built like a god from the past, the kind of man the universe doesn’t make anymore. His eyes hide a story, and every time I’m in his presence I want to keep reading him until I get to the end. And then…there’s the way he moves. His boxing is violent but beautiful, and his body is a seductive weapon. When he’s in the ring, he wears the stare of a man committed to the battle until his very last breath.

He could end me; turn me into her. Too much of him will leave me as a shadow, and I’ve lost so much of myself already.

But I have discipline. It came the hard way. Lessons learned, scars left behind, and trust stripped away from life.

I will breathe his air, but I won’t fall for a man like him. The only boxer who’s ever going to break my heart is the one who gave me my name.

EXCERPT:
“Come here,” he says, calling me with a finger.

I wait a second before giving in, letting my arms fall to my sides as I take the few steps from where I am to where he is. His hands wrap around my biceps as soon as I’m near enough and I breathe in fast, just once. His eyes widen a little.

“You’re stronger than you look,” he smirks.

My gaze is held by his when he speaks. He holds it hostage and when I start to look away, his hands slide down to my wrists and he shakes them lightly until I look at him again. His head tilts, and he waits until I get it.

I’m stronger than I look.
“Thank you,” I say, pulling my lip in tight, so afraid I’m not. I’m stubborn for certain. I’m hardened and jaded. I’m not sure if any of that makes me strong.

My muscles bend to Memphis’s will as he threads his fingers through my right ones and lifts my arm, his other hand holding my elbow into my side. He lets go of my fingers and wraps his palm over my knuckles forming a fist and then moves my entire arm forward slowly, stopping when my body lunges with it.

“Here. You lose everything…right here,” he says, stopping my fist where it is then placing the tips of his fingers on my hips.

Memphis’s eyes are intent on where his hand rests at my waist, and he pauses to take a breath, his tongue pinched by his teeth, his lips twitching up at the corners, his eyes blinking fast—all in a second.

I think about kissing him again right now.

“Your weight is already spent, and you haven’t even made impact with something yet. Think about it,” he says, eyes flitting up to mine.

I shake my head a little from the brief stare and silence we share.

“Okay,” I say, following his lead as he brings my arm back and steps behind me.

“You hit me hard, but that was without everything you have behind it. Imagine,” he begins, adjusting his hold on me, his right hand sliding down my arm and covering my hand, feet straddling one of mine from behind, his chest against my back, his breath at my neck and a thousand beads of nerves dotting my skin.

“You’re here,” he says, his voice low and right at my ear.

My eyes flutter when his left hand runs down the side of my body to my hip, and my breath hitches when he grips it more forcefully.

“Your opponent is standing right there. Do you see him?”

I nod.

“Yes,” I say, my voice barely audible.

“He’s cocking,” he says, and I giggle at the word while his nose moves closer to my skin, tickling against my ear. “You’re such a child.”

I clear my throat and wriggle my hips and roll my shoulders, all under his touch.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” I say, still smiling.

A short breath escapes him in laughter.

“He’s about to swing, okay?” he says, coaxing me to focus.

“Trust me.” His voice falls to a whisper, and my eyes fall closed.

Memphis drives my body, the space between us gone so much that I am lying against him while standing. His hand brings mine up, tucking it close to our bodies. His fingers splay on my thigh, and my leg feels strong. He leans with me, our bodies in sync as we twist to the left, our right shoulders stretching backward, necks rolling until we’re nearly back where we started.

“His balance is off,” he says at my neck. There are no areas of my body that aren’t affected by the vibration of his voice. “You have him. He’s yours. You have balance. His is gone. This is where you win.”

His hand holds my left side still, and his right hand brings me back to swing with a tighter form than I had before. He takes me through the motion once slowly, almost like we’re just part of some intimate ballet performance, then he brings my fist back in and tucks his chin into the side of my neck.

“Again,” he says, this time leading me through the motion faster as his hand slides from its hold on my hip to my diaphragm.

“Breathe out,” he says, and I do slowly at first, but with each swing we repeat, the motion is faster.

My air escapes with my thrust, my body something mechanical now, parts working in unison until I’m able to do it all on my own.

“Keep going,” Memphis says as he steps away. My eyes flit open, and I imagine everything that has ever hurt me. I see their faces—my parents, Enoch, the angry crowds at trials, reporters.

Memphis picks up one of the pads and steps closer as I swing, bending down to hand lift one of my abandoned gloves, eventually holding his palm out for me to pause.

“Put it on, and I want you to hit me now…not like before. Hit me with what you know. Hit me with what you feel, but always there is balance. You can’t give that away. It’s not theirs to have.”

My eyes lock on his as he slides the glove over my knuckles and I form a raw fist with my other hand. He takes two small steps back and readies himself before nodding.

I clear my lungs and consider his words and everything he just led my body through. I was so strong. I’m stronger than I think I am.

My feet shift to find the perfect fit against the mat, and I bring my hands in, fists raised and ready.

“He’s going to swing now,” Memphis says, and I react just as he taught me.

I dodge. The motion so swift and natural I barely remember doing it before my legs steady themselves, my middle twists and my arm swings forward, fist landing in the same spot as it did before only this time my body doesn’t stumble. Memphis does. Inches, but there is reaction to my action.

“Ha,” I breathe out in disbelief. My eyes lift from the fist-shaped dent in the pad to Memphis, and my lips part in awe.

“Yeah,” he says, glancing around to the front of the pad. “You did that by yourself.”

Giddiness takes over my face, my mouth stretching wide with parted lips. Memphis lets the pad fall again, and the physical proof from my force disappears as the padding evens out. It was there, though. I fought back, and left a mark. More than seeing it, I felt it. I still feel it.

“I want to do that again,” I say, blinking as my vision slides from the pad to Memphis’s proud smile.

“Baby steps, Champ. Let me show you a few drills, and then maybe you can punch me one more time before we’re done,” he says, chuckling.

“I wasn’t hitting you,” I say, handing him the glove.

He holds it in both of his hands before bending down to pick up the other glove, pairing them together. His gaze hits mine.

“I know who you were hitting.” Silence settles in for a long second. I don’t have to respond; Memphis doesn’t expect it.

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, A Boy Like You and A Girl Like Me.

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:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GingerScottAuthor
Twitter: @TheGingerScott
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/thegingerscott/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GingerScottAuthor
Google: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GingerScottAuthor/posts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/GingerScott
Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com

Read More