SST: This Ordinary Life by Jennifer Walkup

Book Link: Goodreads

Synopsis (GR):
High-school radio host Jasmine Torres’s life is full of family dysfunction, but if she can score the internship of her dreams with a New York City radio station, she knows she can turn things around.

That is, until her brother Danny’s latest seizure forces her to miss the interview, and she’s back to the endless loop of missing school for his doctor appointments, picking up the pieces of her mother’s booze-soaked life, and stressing about Danny’s future.

Then she meets Wes. He’s the perfect combination of smart, cute, and funny. He also happens to have epilepsy like her brother. Wes is living a normal life despite his medical issues, which gives Jasmine hope for Danny. But memories of her cheating ex-boyfriend keep her from going on a real date with Wes, no matter how many times he asks her.

Jasmine can’t control everything. Not who wins the internship, not her mother’s addiction, not her brother’s health–not even where her heart will lead her. She wishes she could just have an ordinary life, but maybe what she already has is pretty extraordinary after all.

Excerpt
“Seriously,” he says quietly. “Why?”

            “Why what?” I dig in my bag for the water bottle that caused me to lose my balance in the first place. My mouth is all Sahara desert and besides, I don’t want to talk about it.

His hand on my arm stops my rustling and when I look up he’s still staring at me.

“Come on,” he says. “Let me take you on a non non-date.”

            “No.” Screw the water. This whole thing was a mistake. I’m not ready for this. I zip my bag and push around him. The trail levels out and I pick up speed. His footsteps soon fall in step with mine, beside me. Infuriating.

            “What if it’s a really bad date?”

            “Nope.”

            “If I make it terrible, it will hardly count as a date at all, really.”

            I walk faster.

            “You can pay for yourself! Hell, you can even pay for me, if you want. It will be the non datiest date ever.”

            I shake my head.

            “What restaurant do you hate? I’ll take you there.”

            My lips betray me by twitching into a smile. Thankfully he’s behind me and can’t see.

            “We’ll even sit at different tables. You can pretend you don’t know me.”

            Giggles start to bubble up my throat, like some elementary school volcano science project.

            “You just don’t give up, do you?” I say, out of breath. I turn around with my hands on my hips.

            He trots up beside me, all smiling and disheveled from our trek and, thanks to me, tumble on the trail.

“I’m feeling a little hopeful,” he says. “Is that what I should be feeling?”

            I start down the trail again, more slowly this time. “I’m not going out to dinner,” I say.

            “Breakfast? Lunch?”

            “No. A meal is definitely a date. And don’t even think about suggesting a movie.”

            He hands me his canteen and I stop to drink the cool water. Instant relief. Never mind that my lips are touching where his lips just were.

            “Next weekend,” he says. “How about Saturday? I’ll come up with the worst plan ever. I promise.”

About the Author:
Award-winning author Jennifer Walkup is most often found writing, reading, and spending time with her husband and young sons. A member of SCBWI and RWA, Jennifer also works as an editor and creative writing instructor, and is an advocate for Epilepsy awareness. This Ordinary Life is her second novel.

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Cover Reveal: After The Storm by Marie Landry

Book Link: Goodreads

Synopsis:
For most people, starting senior year at a new high school would be a nightmare, but for Ella O’Dell it’s the new beginning she desperately needs. Two months after her mother’s death, she’s ready to leave behind the rebellious, unhappy person she became when she found out her mom was dying.

When Ella meets River Maracle and Sadie Fitzgerald, she begins to learn it’s okay to be herself, even if that means being different. River and Sadie aren’t ashamed of their misfit status—River grew up on a reservation, and his mother is the school counselor; Sadie stands out with her funky homemade clothes, and is a master at ignoring the whispered rumors that have plagued her since the beginning of high school.

Ella finds a kindred spirit in Sadie, and something more in River. After almost a year of pretending to be someone she’s not, she finally embraces life and allows herself to have fun without constant guilt. But despite her budding happiness, something is off with her new life. She doesn’t want to dwell on the past, but Angel Island is a small place, and she soon realizes her demons are harder to outrun than she thought…

Waiting For The Storm is available at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble as well as Smashwords.

Excerpt

Charlotte’s watching me closely. Her gaze is almost like a physical thing, cloaking me in its weight. She pushes back from the table and excuses herself, saying she needs to use the washroom. Dad and Ezra don’t seem to notice that the tone of the evening has shifted; they start talking about some movie that’s coming out in a few weeks. I excuse myself and follow Charlotte to the bathroom.

She’s standing at the row of sinks, staring into the mirror. The sound of the door closing makes her jump, and she meets my eyes in the glass. 

“What’s up?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “It’s nothing. I’m just…having a moment.” She laughs, but it sounds tearful.

I walk over to the counter and lean against it, facing her. “Talk to me. What’s going on? What happened out there?”

She blinks rapidly, and I know she’s fighting tears. I pray she doesn’t cry or I’m sure I’ll start, too. “Sometimes I still miss her so much it’s like an actual ache. Right here.” She rubs the knuckles of one hand over her heart. “I’ll be going along, having a great time—like tonight—and then all of a sudden something will remind me of her and it’s like I can’t catch my breath. It doesn’t happen all the time. Usually when I think of her it makes me happy in a sad sort of way. Does that make sense?”

I nod, unable to speak.

She nods too. “So I get this happy-sad feeling, and I can think of all the great times we had together, and it’s fine. But other times…other times, it’s almost like losing her all over again, and it hurts so much I feel like I’m going to implode.”

She grips the counter and I realize she’s shaking. I pull her into my arms, and for a second she shakes even harder, but then she relaxes and starts crying quietly. “I miss her too,” I whisper into her hair, feeling my own tears start to flow.

I don’t know how long we stand there, wrapped around each other and crying. I hardly ever cry, but this is the second time this week I’ve had a meltdown. It’s like I stored up all my tears over the last few months and they’re coming out in a flood now.

Author Bio:

Marie has always been a daydreamer; since early childhood she’s had a passion for words and a desire to create imaginary worlds, so it only seemed natural for her to become a writer. She resides in Ontario, Canada, and most days you can find her writing, reading, blogging about writing and reading, listening to U2, watching copious amounts of TV on DVD, or having grand adventures with her nephews and niece. She’s a hopeless romantic, an unapologetic eavesdropper (occupational hazard), an equally unapologetic squeeing fangirl, and a lover of swoonworthy book and TV characters. For more on Marie and her books please visit http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca. She also loves to chat with fellow book lovers, so feel free to tweet her @SweetMarie any time! 

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Cover Reveal: As You Turn Away by Molli Moran

Title: AS YOU TURN AWAY (The Walker Boys #1)
Tentative release date: March 1, 2014

Genre: New Adult

Book Link: Goodreads

Cover Designer: Marie Landry

Synopsis: 
When Quinnlan Reynolds left home at 18, she escaped her small, Georgia town and her suffocating upbringing. She started a new life as a ballerina, and tasted freedom for the first time. But four years later, her first visit home turns tragic. Reeling, Quinn tries to piece her life back together again. But doing so is easier said than done when sexy Jonah Walker saunters back into her life.

Quinn shattered Jonah’s heart once, so getting involved with her isn’t something he’s sure he’s ready to do again. He became someone he didn’t recognize when he left home. He’s spent the last years burying his pain by keeping everyone in his life at arm’s length. Now he needs to get to know his family again, and finally become who he wants to be.

But neither Quinn or Jonah can stay away from each other, especially when old feelings resurface. Something is pulling them back together, and they can’t deny their chemistry for long. One Georgia summer could change both their lives forever, if they can work through their past to have a future together. 

Excerpt #3: Flashback | Dance With Me

“Dance with me.” He cupped her waist, which wasn’t exactly where his hand belonged, but they were alone, and he’d do what he pleased. Between school, and working the farm, not to mention Quinn’s family, they barely got any time together. But what time they did spend together meant more to Jonah than he knew how to say.

“Always.” Quinn stumbled on the next step, but recovered. She stared at her feet, watching as he led.

“1-2-3, 1-2-3,” he counted. He could feel the smile tickling his lips as they found a rhythm. Quinn was adorable when she concentrated, and even more so when she wanted to get something right.

“Well, you suck at ballet but you’re pretty good at waltzing. Someday you’ll have to tell me how you learned.” Quinn squeezed his hand. “And you’re not half bad at being a boyfriend.”

Jonah couldn’t hold back the grin any longer. “Boyfriend, huh? Is that what I am? That would make you my…girlfriend.”

“I mean…if you want to be…”

She was flushed, and flustered, and completely adorable. Jonah pulled Quinn into his arms, and kissed her lips. She melted against him, and he smiled against her mouth. The response was as automatic as the sun washing away the moonlight – it was something he simply knew would happen. Anytime he kissed her, happiness overtook him.

“Yeah.” He kissed her forehead, lips lingering. “I want to be.”

 Author Bio:

Molli is a Southern writer who doesn’t consider her day complete if she hasn’t written. She loves coffee and talking fast, things she attributes to being raised by Gilmore Girls. She’s a romantic at heart, and brings that to her books. When not reading or blogging, she can be found obsessing over Doctor Who, cuddling her various pets, or spending time with friends, family, or her girlfriend. 

Connect with the author:

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Blog Tour: They All Fall Down by Angela Brown

BOOK 1

Neverlove by Angela Brown
(Shadow Jumpers #1)
Publication date: October 8th 2012
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Synopsis:

For seventeen-year-old Abigail, one rash decision leads to an unexpected chance for redemption. At V’Salicus Academy, a unique institute where she trains to become an agent of heaven, she struggles with the pain of her past, the changes of the present and accepts a loveless future until her path – and heart – crosses with Basil’s.

Basil’s off-chance slip of the tongue binds him to a life of servitude to the Devourer, the master of hell. His existence has no upside until a chance meeting with Abigail brings new perspective.

Keeping the truth of their present lives from each other brings disaster when secrets are brought to light and the life of Abigail’s mentor is put on the line.

Can Abigail and Basil save her mentor and salvage their love amid the chaos? Or will they lose it all, destined forever to NEVERLOVE?

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

BOOK 2

They All Fall Down by Angela Brown
(Shadow Jumpers #2)
Publication date: October 1st, 2013
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Synopsis:

Abby and Basil: New love reaches new heights as they finally give in to their lust and desire for each other.

Q: Consumed by the Devourer within and his base need to claim Abby as his own.

The crave: What it all boils down to. A crave for souls. A crave to keep love intact beyond betrayals. A crave for a second chance. A crave for power and The Fall of mankind.

“Love can conquer all” is put to the test and salvation may be impossible when they all fall down.

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Excerpt:

This is a scene of Basil’s first night out as a Harvestor, hanging with Drakar and Pam:

Half an hour past ten p.m., knuckles rapped against his door.  An obscure driver escorted him to a limousine.  Drakar would travel in style.

His joyful mood waned the moment Pam rolled her eyes at him.  “I knew it.”

Basil settled on a seat.  The driver pulled away from the curb.  “What?”

Pam shook her head in disapproval, much like his father used to.  Remembering his parents sobered his thoughts, quieted his mind.  A few minutes ride brought them to the highway.  Hazard lights flashed in the near distance.  Two shadows loomed near the vehicle.

“Driver,” Drakar called.  “Pull over.  Looks like those folks are in need.”

The driver nodded and slowed.  Tires bumped and rumbled onto the shoulder.

White teeth flashed when Drakar smiled mischievously.  “Forget the casino, Pam.  Lessons start now.”

The corners of her lips dipped into a neon frown, pink lipstick bright and shiny.  But she held her pout in check.

A couple held their hands up to their faces, blinded by the limo’s headlights.  “Pam, take the guy.  You know the drill.” Drakar instructed.  He turned to Basil.  “If memory serves me correct, overprotective mommy never let you within a foot of a girl’s lips, so we’ll have to improvise.”

Basil chewed his bottom lip, both embarrassed and angered by the truth of Drakar’s words.  Heat flooded his cheeks.  The tips of ears even tingled. 
 “What is it we’re doing here?”  Basil grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, rubbing it against his jeans.

“Siphoning,” Pam answered.

Basil stilled, playing the word in his head again.  They were in a limo.  They had more than enough fuel to get to Atlantic City and back ten times over.  He knew she had to mean something else but he didn’t want to risk sounding more useless, pathetic.

Drakar snatched the apple from Basil.  
“This will do.”  
His grin spread wider.  “Worked out well for Adam and Eve.”

As a kid, Basil learned the story of the first woman and man and the forbidden fruit.  And it most certainly didn’t work out well.  This shook his nerves even more, but he stayed quiet.

Drakar called to the driver.  “Go find out what is wrong.”

Once the driver left, Drakar placed the green apple in one hand and held his other palm a hand’s breadth from the stem, chanting, “Receive to consume.  Animo.”  He spoke the words several times until the skin shone brilliant, inviting and very tempting.

Consume.  Animo.  Basil remembered the second word was another way to say soul.  The gears in his mind reached a conclusion he tried to deny.  The real meaning of siphoning.

Drakar broke into his train of thoughts, handing him the apple.  “Give this to the woman.  It will absorb her soul energy, act as a container since you’re sorely behind in social skills.”

Pam giggled aloud.  “What a waste.  I’m ready, Master.”

Basil bit back the comment that she was probably always ready, knowing it would only earn another snide remark.

The driver tapped the rear passenger side window and Basil opened the door.  “They don’t need much,” the driver said.  Having a little trouble changing the tire in the dark is all.  I’ll help them, if that’s okay with you.” Drakar nodded.  The driver returned to the couple’s vehicle.

Pam shoved Basil out onto the gravel.  He stumble-shuffled but kept upright.  She stuck one leg then the other out of the door with the grace of a feline.  Her face glowed beneath the moonlight, beautiful without her pesky smirk.

She took Basil by the elbow and swayed her hips seductively as they approached the couple.  Her performance wasn’t lost on the guy.  Or the woman.

Pam whispered in Basil’s ear, “Give your apple to the woman first.  I’ll handle the rest.”

He wracked his brain for a good reason anyone would accept a piece of fruit from a complete stranger.  He got nothing.  Pam shot him a glance, noting his silence, then took over.  “Hope you two haven’t waited for help too long out here.”

“A short while, but it’s okay,” the woman responded, lacing her arm with her husband’s.  Moonlight glinted off their matching wedding bands.  “People are understandably leery.  We’re thankful you stopped.”

Pam’s smile curled into something malevolent.  “Don’t thank us yet.  Now!”

Basil slapped the apple into the woman’s hand.  She stood stock still.  Her arms fell to her side, fingers gripping the fruit tightly.  Her eyes widened and glossed over.  At the same time, Pam reached up and jerked the man’s face down.  Her lips bound to his.  He squawked in protest half a heartbeat then loosened like Jello.

The woman’s face paled, thin lips bared over clenched teeth.  The apple’s shine was gone, the job of tempter now fulfilled.  When Basil pried her fingers from the fruit, the last thing he expected was for her slender form to crumple to the ground.  The same happened when Pam withdrew her lips from the man.  Husband and wife laid side by side like heaped rag dolls.

A weighted shiver rolled down Basil’s spine, though not from the night air.  He took solace in watching their chests rise and fall, in knowing he hadn’t taken a life.  The driver’s gasp and the clank of the tire iron pulled him from his thoughts.

“Oh my God!  What have you people…”  The driver couldn’t finish, try as he may.  Not when the odor of decay surrounded them.

AUTHOR BIO:
Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, Angela now calls Central Texas home.

Reading and writing have been lifelong passions. It was around the time she gave birth to her forever-love, nicknamed Chipmunk, that she really took writing seriously. After all, how could she teach her child to follow her dreams if she hadn’t tried herself?

As a YA fantasy/sci-fi reader and author, she favors the magical, mysterious, the darker side of life…even harbors a secret fright for things that go bump in the night.

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Blog Tour: Excerpt & Giveaway for All Of You by Christina Lee

Book Title: All of You

Author: Christina Lee

Genre: New Adult/Romance

Publishing Company: Penguin

Expected Publication Date: September 17, 2013

Tour Hosted by: The SubClub Books 

Synopsis

Nursing student Avery Michaels wants nothing to do with dating—she’s perfectly happy single.  Privy to too many of her mother’s bad decisions and even worse taste in boyfriends, all Avery can handle is a string of uncomplicated hookups whenever the mood strikes.

When she meets smoking hot tattoo artist Bennett, she wants him—for just one night. But he won’t accept a no-strings-attached arrangement. He lives by a straight-laced code of values based on his own troubled upbringing.

Bennett sees something special in Avery and he wants more from her. Way more. As Avery wrestles with her emotions for Bennett, danger and tragedy force them to open up to each other. And Avery must face the terrifying realization that she wants more from him, too.

So she needs to make a choice—let Bennett go or finally let him in.

Book Link: Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

EXCERPT 

But I chose to disappear behind the trunk of the tree instead. I caught my breath and had a good talk with myself about burying my feelings for Bennett once and for all. Focusing on school, and Adam, and my career. It was quiet and dark, like I was in my own little secluded world. Until the rain came down in hard sheets and drenched me. I pushed away from the tree to make a run for the tent.

All at once I saw a blur of red as I was forced against the tree trunk, the bark digging into my sweater. Bennett’s soaked hair swung against my forehead, his hands gripped my face, and his mouth sealed over mine, fusing our wet lips and tongues together.

I scraped my fingertips up his chest to his hairline and felt him tremble against me. My heart thudded against my rib cage as Bennett’s mouth devoured me—like he was pouring all of his frustration into me.

We were sopping wet, our clothes clinging to us, and the rain wasn’t letting up anytime soon.

I swept my tongue across his lips and the hottest fucking growl erupted from his mouth. He flattened his body against mine, crushing me with the weight of his passion.

“Is this how you like it?” he mumbled, but my mind couldn’t register what he was asking. It had turned into a foggy haze and I couldn’t even remember the letters of the alphabet at that point.  

Bennett was entirely lips and fingers and raw passion and I felt his arousal pulsing against my stomach. His hands were rough and they rushed down my body to palm my ass. He lifted me off the ground, and my legs gripped his waist.

“Tell me you want this.” He slid down to the grass with me straddling him, and all I could do was moan into his lips. It was as if all the pleasure receptors in my brain had expanded and then shot rapidly into my core, setting me on fire.

Author Bio:

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives near Cleveland with her two favorite guys. She’s addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything.New Adult/Young Adult author. NA Contemporary Romance, ALL OF YOU, releases September with Penguin. BEFORE YOU BREAK in 2014. Repped by Sara Megibow. 

Also the creator of Tags-n-Stones (dot com) jewelry.

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Blog Tour: Excerpt for Becoming Bryn by Angela Carling

Title: Becoming Bryn 

Author: Angela Carling 
Release date: June 15^th, 2013 

Genre: Young Adult 

Tour: Irresistible Reads Book Tours
Book Link: Goodreads

Book Description:

For months, Jesse has been envious of her twin sister Bryn and even has a crush on Bryn’s gorgeous, popular boyfriend, Quinton. When Jesse awakens from a coma to learn that everyone thinks she IS Bryn, the option of actually taking over her sister’s life is beyond tempting, but there’s a downside. She’d have to give up Ethan, her best friend and the only person she trusts. Could she actually live as Bryn for the rest of her life? And if her family and friends found out, would they ever forgive her?

Book Excerpt

Written from Jesse’s point of view

“It’s not funny,” I said thinking about how terrible I must look.  Ethan walked the length of the room and grabbed some more towels from above the sink. He turned on the sink and after dampening, several came to me. I wasn’t dripping ice cream anymore, but now I felt so sticky I could have been the floor of a New York Taxi Cab.  Seeing Ethan’s smirk change to compassion let me know it was okay to smile.

“Guess that was kind of funny,” I admitted.

Ethan’s smirk returned as he looked me over. His gaze was gentle but playful. “Where to start?” he posed the question as if I was an unfixable disaster. 

His words, his tone, everything about our interaction felt eerily familiar yet different than it had ever been before. I’d seen Ethan in lots of different situations before. We’d even slept in the same hotel room while traveling to the beach together with my some friends. Yet somehow, this situation, standing so close to him in the backroom of an ice cream shop, felt intensely intimate. 

Using the warm, damp towels, Ethan began wiping off my arms. In long slow strokes, he wiped every sticky inch clean.  Sometimes, his fingers would touch my moist skin and I would be surprised when my heart rate would flutter.

 What was happening?  I’d always thought Ethan was hot, but this chemistry. This was new. When my arms were clean, Ethan moved to my neck.  By folding the towels in half, he created smaller cloths and began cleaning the little bits of ice cream and pineapple off my neck. “Look,” he whispered as he lifted a piece of hair that escaped from my ponytail, “You even have it in your hair.”  I knew I should stop him. I was perfectly capable of cleaning my own neck and arms but I found myself pulled in by his tenderness and locked in by the colony of butterflies that had erupted in my stomach. Thoughts of Quinton passed through my mind, but my budding desire for Ethan was undeterred.

Ethan had stepped closer and I caught a fresh whiff of his cologne. When had Ethan become intoxicating? I made a feeble attempt at conversation to clear my head.  “That cologne, is that the one Jesse gave you?”

I could feel his breath quicken on my neck at the mention of my name.  “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” I thought when he pulled back a little but not far enough to put any real distance between us. A rush of terrible selfish relief followed. Ethan met my eyes with his own expressive ones. He was searching but I didn’t know for what. All I knew is in the few hours everything had changed. I wanted to kiss Ethan, more than I’d wanted anything in a long time.  I stood there looking at his lips. They were gorgeous, completely kissable. It’s not that I hadn’t thought about what it would like to kiss him before, you know, when we were friends. I just figured it would never happen so I didn’t dwell on it. Now, we were inches apart and I knew it could happen, and I wanted to feel his lips against mine. Subconsciously, I ran my tongue across my lips in anticipation.

That was all it took.

Without a trace of noise, the washcloth fell to the floor and with his now free hands he cupped my face in his warm fingers and he purposefully brought his lips to mine. At first the kiss was soft, like butterfly wings delicately brushing across my lips. The connection sent an electric sensation through my body, teasing me of more to come. After the first cautious kisses, something inside of me broke free and reckless abandon took over. I reached out and wrapped both arms tightly around his back pulling him in. This time, I placed my lips on his not just once but again and again. With each kiss, my heart rate seemed to climb.  Our bodies struggled to get close enough, wanting more intimacy and less air between us. The sticky shirt I was wearing soon felt warm against my skin and even though I knew I was making him a mess, I didn’t care. We leaned back against the cool, hard sink and it caught us.

I knew somewhere in my head, I should stop but kissing Ethan was like riding a rollercoaster ride that you never wanted to end. All that practice on those “girls of the week” must have really paid off. The boy knew how to use his lips.

Both of us were grabbing quick jagged breaths between kisses. A dam had burst and out flowed a passion between us that I didn’t even know was there, a passion I didn’t even know I was capable of feeling.

I forced myself to pull my fingers off his back. The air between my hands and his body reminded me that we weren’t one, that I belonged to someone else. Ethan reacted immediately, pushing off the sink, actually forcing himself to step back a few feet.  His breathing was deep and choppy as he bent over, resting his hands on his knees.

I didn’t know what to say. I stood there in shock.  Even now with the spell broken, I still wanted to reach out and grab him again. In fifteen minutes, he had gone from being my former best friend to being the only one I wanted.

Author Bio:

Raised in Palm Springs California. A desert rat that writes Young Adult novels and loves all kitties and her family. Can be bribed with chocolate. Published books, Unbreakable Love, Shackled and Becoming Bryn.

Connect With The Author:

Website- http://www.angelacarling.com/

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angela-Carling/302628969749080

Youtube- http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePajamWriter/videos?view=0

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5331346.Angela_Carling

Twitter Handle- @angelacarling

Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Bryn-Angela-Carling/dp/1935089668/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378535493&sr=1-3

Barnes and Noble- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/angela-carling

Blog Tour: Excerpt for Skipping Stones by J.B. McGee

Add to your shelf!

Blurb:

They say there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Not everyone will grieve in this order, nor will everyone go through every stage. It’s during the stage of denial when Alex Hart meets Andrew Foster. He takes her one-step closer to acceptance: the stage when new, meaningful relationships are formed. The stage when the realization occurs that this is now the new state of normal.

Just when Alex thinks she is on her way to healing, she enters the bargaining phase. That’s the phase where you wonder what you could have done differently. You wonder “what if?” Specifically, what if the ones you loved hadn’t left you?

Leaving…this is what makes heading off to war so difficult and frightening for Alex. She knows all too well what it’s like to be the one on the losing end of life, which is why she’s made it her personal mission in life to save as many lives as possible. The extreme high she gets from treating trauma victims turns into Alex’s own form of therapy, or so she thinks.

When faced with her world being turned upside down, Alex may just find that her true therapy is in the one who has always saved her.

Excerpt 1

There’s one last stone in our pile. I glance down at it. “You want it?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No.”

I glance into his brown eyes. “You want me to do this one?”

“Yup.”

“What if I mess this one up?” I reach down and pick it up. “Like the whole bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, full count, two outs…”

He smiles. “I guess we’re about to find out how you do under pressure.”

I don’t care about the stone. I don’t care if I can skip it, or not. I just want to kiss him again. “You made the game up…”

“I did,” he quips proudly.

“Then you can change the rules.”

“I’m listening.”

“No matter what, I get another kiss. Either way it’s a prize.” I shrug.

“Ha. A prize either way. What’s your reasoning?” He chuckles.

“Either the prize for winning…skipping a stone, or a consolation prize for choking.”

“Deal.” He moves back and plops into the overgrown weeds. I’d call it grass, but I’m not sure I see any blades of grass. It’s mainly clover, wild onions, and dandelions. “How about if I give you a bigger kiss if you do it? That way you still have some incentive to do your best.”

I glance back over my shoulder. “Deal.”

I replay the instructions he gave me earlier. I turn so that my side is facing the water. I put the stone just right in my fingers. I look back to him, holding my hand out. “Like this?”

As my head turns, I freeze because it’s not Drew sitting in the field. It’s my father. As if freezing and not moving will make this real. It has to be a figment of my imagination. Our eyes are locked and he smiles as he gives me a thumbs up.

I feel a tear trickle down my face. I’m paralyzed, unable to move.

Excerpt 2

He pulls my arm back like a slingshot and as we’re gaining momentum to release the stone, I hear, “Alex!” being proclaimed through the entire neighborhood. It causes my already racing heart to speed out of control. I lose complete concentration, virtually spinning myself around as the stone is released, plummeting me into his arms, our lips just mere millimeters away from each other.

We stare into each other’s eyes. Speechless seems to be my middle name for one reason or another today. I blink. “I…”

“You can’t skip a stone to save your life, can you?” He smirks.

I breathe for what seems like the first time in five minutes and start to laugh. “No. No, I can’t.”

He brushes a piece of hair out of my eye. “You will. I’ll teach you.”

“I am not sure I’m teachable. Been trying for years with Papa.”

“Come back to me. I’ll teach you. If it’s the last thing I do…” His entire face lights up. “I’ll teach you everything I know.”

I feel him, every inch of him. I know there’s more to that statement. I must admit that I’m curious. “Everything you know, huh?”

“Everything.” He caresses my cheek, just below my eyes. “Come back to me. I’ll teach you how to deal with those beautiful tears of yours. I’ll teach you how to breathe again. I’ll teach you everything.” He looks down to his pile of rocks. “I’ll share those with you. And I’ll teach you how to skip stones. It’s a promise, and I don’t break promises.”

Author Links

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Bio:

J.B. McGee was born and raised in Aiken, South Carolina. After graduating from South Aiken High School, she toured Europe as a member of the 1999 International Bands of America Tour, playing the clarinet. While attending Converse College, an all-girls school in Spartanburg, South Carolina, she visited Charleston often. It quickly became one of her favorite vacation spots. She met her husband, Chad, during Christmas break her freshman year, and they married in 2001 and she moved back to her home town. 

In 2005, the couple welcomed their first son, Noah. J.B. finished her Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of South Carolina-Aiken in 2006. During her time studying children’s literature, a professor had encouraged her to become a writer.

In 2007, she welcomed their second child, Jonah, and she became a stay at home mom/entrepreneur. In 2009, the found out their two children and J.B. have Mitochondrial Disease. In 2011, a diagnosis also was given to Chad. Please take a moment and learn more about Mitochondrial Disease. Awareness is key to this disease that has no cure or treatments.

J.B. McGee and her family now reside in Buford, Georgia, to be closer to their children’s medical team. After a passion for reading had been re-ignited, J.B. decided to finally give writing a shot. Broken (This Series), is her first book and first series. 

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Blog Tour: Excerpt, Playlist & Giveaway for Beneath Your Beautiful by Tamsyn Bester

Title: Beneath Your Beautiful
Author: Tamsyn Bester
Release Date: July 22, 2013
Book Link: Goodreads

Blurb:
On the outside, Huntley Morgan is your typical girl-next-door, with her long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, and that’s exactly what she wants people to see. Her name exposes her to the demons of her past but remembering her reason for moving across the country to start over is what keeps her alive. For the first time since the brutal murder of her mother, Huntley allows herself to care about the people around her.

Grayson Carter has everything a 21yr old College Senior could wish for – he’s the star of Whitley University’s football team, he has a different girl willing to be in his bed every night and a supportive family. For years he has managed keep his family together and hide their dark secrets from the small town of Breckinridge, Alabama.

When Huntley and Grayson meet, a force so strong pulls them together in a hurricane of feelings neither of them could have ever anticipated. Huntley and Grayson try to stay away from each other, but when Huntley’s demons seek her out, their pasts become the biggest storm of all. Will they learn to trust each other and build a new future together or will they simply do nothing to prevent history from repeating itself?

Excerpt 1

“You’re not what I was expecting,” Huntley says shifting in her seat to face me. The comment is blunt and completely unexpected, pulling me straight out of my dippy thoughts.

“Oh yeah?” I quip sarcastically, “Why’s that?”

I’m dying to know what people have told her about me. Probably about what a play boy I am or how I party too much or maybe how I have a new girl on my arm every night. Stupid rumors piss me off so much I’ve never really wasted any time negating them. But I wish I had, just so that Huntley won’t have any reason to believe them.

“I’ve heard things,” she doesn’t look me in the eye and I hate it. Clearly she’s already made up her mind about me. I hate that too.

“I’m sure you have,” I growl, shaking my head. My tone is less kind than I intend but it makes me furious to know that someone has taken the time to deprecate Huntley’s opinion of me before she’s had the chance to even know me. I guess this is all part of keeping secrets and why I refuse to get attached to anyone.

I jump out my truck and slam my door, pulling my fingers through my hair while I take in the warm air. I hear the passenger door close but I don’t look back at Huntley, afraid I’ll snap at her for shit other people have said. I squelch the urge to yell and release my frustration the way a toddler would.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice is soft and tiny. I snap my head back and frown. Before she can look up, I walk the few steps between us and cage her in against my truck. She looks scared, like I might hurt her, but when her eyes find mine I see nothing but warmth and benevolence in their boundless sapphire-colored depths.

In that moment I feel naked, like she can see my soul stripped bare of its impurities and imperfections. I don’t like that it makes me feel vulnerable and completely exposed to the derision I know will follow when she sees the ugly secrets that keep me awake night after night.

I take the chance to inhale her scent. Leaning in a little closer, I drag my nose along her shoulder, getting as close as possible without touching her. The edges of my mouth turn up, forming a smile, when I find that I’m right. She does smell like strawberries. And vanilla. It’s a heady combination that I’m going to become addicted to very quickly.

“I won’t hurt you,” I whisper, “But I think it’s best if we stay away from each other.”

Hurt flickers across her features and it’s like a punch to the stomach. “What made you think I was interested Grayson?” she bites back. She has a fire inside her. I see it. I feel it. And it’s sexy.

“Oh, I know you are,” I know it’s arrogant but I’m hoping my cocky attitude will repulse her enough to make her stay away.

A car pulls up to the curb, making us both shift apart. I cringe when my body immediately misses the heat that radiated off of her in waves.

Her back straightens and she squares her shoulders, pushing off my truck. “Goodbye Grayson.” Her back turns to me and I watch her get into Demi’s red Lexus and drive away. I should’ve kept my mouth shut until Demi got here. That would’ve been the smart thing to do.

Excerpt 2

“I was busy Rebecca.” My voice is cold and flat and I know I’m being an asshole but it’s time to end this. I didn’t sign up for a girlfriend and certainly not a possessive one at that, which Rebecca knew from the start. I should’ve known she’d get attached, they always do.

I hear her say something but it falls away when my eyes land on someone else. My breath catches in my throat and it’s like all time is standing still, freezing this moment before it flies past too quickly. Nothing else exists.

Her blonde hair is pulled up high in a messy bun with a few loose tendrils hanging in her face. She’s wearing a white sundress that compliments her sun kissed skin and red cowboy boots that make her legs look they go on forever. God have mercy… those legs… My mind goes straight to conjuring up images of seeing her in nothing but those red boots.

Damn…

I don’t think Blondie could get any hotter but then she proves me wrong when she laughs, a light choral sound that echoes through every bone in my body and settles itself in the core of my stomach. I am completely transfixed, my eyes following her every move until she disappears into the kitchen.

Excerpt 3

Moments later, Mrs. Coach calls me inside to help carry out the remainder of the food when there’s a knock at the door. It’s so soft I’m almost sure I imagined it. “Grayson honey, please grab the door,” Mrs. Coach calls from the kitchen. I walk to the door but when I open it, I’m completely unprepared for what’s in front of me.  Or rather who is in front of me.

Huntley is wearing a coral sundress with matching pumps. The color accentuates her sun-kissed skin, making it look like she’s glowing.

Her hair is curled and left loose, hanging down past her shoulders. My eyes stop at her lips, pink and glossy. I stand there like an idiot and shamelessly drink her curves in.

She clears her throat and for a brief second I’m lost in the depth of those sapphire-colored irises. I have never seen stormy blue eyes until now.  They tell a story, about what I’m not sure, but it’s there, in those stormy depths and I want to find out what it is.

“Hi,” she whispers. Her musical voice moves through my body and jolts me from my daze.

“What are you doing here?” The words are out of my mouth before I realize what I’m saying. Hurt flashes across her face at the sound of my accusatory tone and I want to kick myself in the nuts for being such an ass. It just goes to show what being around this gorgeous girl does to me.

“This is my family,” she states matter-of-factly, “I was invited.”

Of course she was invited. Coach Morgan is her uncle after all.

Thank you Captain Obvious…

Dumbass…

“Sorry, of course, come in,” I barely choke the words out and gesture for her to come in. I catch a trace of her perfume and almost lose my mind. God, I love strawberries and vanilla. She giggles and I realize I said that out loud.

Are you fucking kidding me? Could this get any worse?

Huntley pauses in front of me and smiles. It’s enough to steal the air right out of my lungs.

“Strawberries and vanilla are my favorite too,” she whispers. She stretches onto the balls of her feet to place a feather-light peck on my cheek. I can feel the heat surface in my cheeks and it’s the first time everthat a girl makes me blush. 

Playlist

The House That Built Me – Miranda Lambert

Love Story – Taylor Swift

Holding Out For A Hero – Ella Mae Bowen

Barefoot Blue Jean Night – Jake Owen

 I knew You Were Trouble – Taylor Swift

Beneath Your Beautiful – Labrynth ft Emile Sande

 Red – Taylor Swift

 Hard To Love –Lee Brice

Cruise – Florida Georgia Line ft Nelly

If I Die Young – The Band Perry

I Should’ve Kissed You (Goodnight) – Gloriana

 Crazier – Taylor Swift

 Between The Raindrops – Lifehouse ft Natasha Beddingfield

 Before The Storm – Miley Cyrus ft Nick Jonas

 Because You Live – Jesse McCartney

Why Ya Wanna – Jana Kramer

Whiskey – Jana Kramer

God Gave Me You – Blake Shelton

We Are Broken – Paramore

Gone – Phillip Phillips

Life Aint Always Beautiful – Gary Allen

 God Bless The Broken Road – Rascal Flatts

Wanted – Hunter Hayes

Author Bio:

Tamsyn is a 21 year old blogger turned author from South Africa who has an insatiable hunger for New Adult Contemporary Romance novels, coffee and chocolate. When she’s not getting caught up in yet another steamy romance with a new book boyfriend, she can be found spending endless hours working away on her laptop in pursuit of her Marketing degree and a career in book Publishing. Tamsyn is a Brat when it comes to books and believes that every story, no matter how challenging, should have a Happy Ever After. Tamsyn is currently hard at work on her debut novel Beneath Your Beautiful, set to be available July 2013.

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The Secret Book Brat
The Secret Book Brat

Cover Models: Lexie Lynn Cain & Carson Fields
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Excerpt: Falling to Pieces by L.T. Kelly

Book blurb:

When Teagan Lewis moves from rural Montana to the bright lights of London with her maker Thomas, she expects to live as harmoniously as she has for the last one hundred-fifty years. Teagan didn’t know she had a heart or soul until she met Marc Romano.

However, it quickly becomes clear that Marc is forbidden fruit. All the signs that he isn’t human were there from the beginning, but she chose to ignore them…to her peril.

Can she simply walk away from this mesmirising stranger? Or should she risk her immortality to be with the man she has fallen in love with?

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Excerpt from Chapter Five of ‘Falling to Pieces’

My heels clicked across the metal flooring of the loading dock before arriving in front of the rounded capsule made of glass with thin steel struts as support.

“The full rotation takes thirty minutes, Mr. Romano,” said the guy at the entrance, with narrowed eyes and a hand on his hip as we stepped inside.

The centre of the capsule boasted a polished lightwood, oval shaped bench. A pair of shiny long stemmed glasses and a beautifully presented box of truffles rested on a starched tablecloth. Next to them sat a silver bucket brimming with ice. A bottle poked out from between the cubes, the top encased with golden foil.

I turned to watch him entering. “Wow! I didn’t realise The London Eye was open so late.

“It’s not,” he said with a smug grin. “I have a friend at EDF. He owed me a favour.”

“EDF?” I cocked my head.

“Yeah, they sponsor The London Eye.”

“Ahh. Good thing I showed up tonight then, right.” I narrowed my eyes in his direction. He knew damn straight that I’d come back to the bar tonight. I inwardly chastised myself for being so transparent.

He dipped his head in what I took as a display of shame for being so sure of himself.

The door to the glass capsule slid shut. All that could be heard inside was the whir of the huge wheel ascending and the sound of our breathing.Marc remained by the entrance with both his hands in the pockets of his pants, his feet planted apart.I stood next to the midsection of the bench where the champagne was, not quite comfortable with how to stand or what to say next. I must have appeared as awkward too, so I tried to relax.

Marc stood silently and appeared to admire every inch of me, consuming me with his glossy gaze. I gulped, rapidly blinking whilst surveying his smouldering golden brown eyes. This was the first time we’d ever been alone, and this was an entirely different type of alone, it was impossible for us to be disturbed.

“Impressive for a first date,” I muttered, keeping my expression blank and my voice even.

I imagined myself walking over to him, tracing my palm down his solid chest, planting kisses down his neck.

My gaze flicked to his throat in time with the vision in my head as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. His expression and stance made him appear cool, calm and collected—this small detail provided me with the knowledge he wasn’t.

He stepped towards me slowly, as if he feared startling me, his eyes glued to mine. I sucked a breath through my teeth, his glance moved towards the champagne in response—as if I’d told him I was off limits.

Perhaps I’d overreacted to his self-assured actions? ‘Get over it, Teagan and just enjoy yourself,’ I scolded myself. He was stunning, why would anyone turn him down?

“You want some?” he asked, cocking his head to one side as he lifted the bottle out of the ice.

“Yes, please,” I said, still gritting my teeth against the image of sinking my fangs into his throat, smooth and sun-kissed.

“Are you scared of heights?” His eyebrows squished together for a moment.

I snorted. He’d noticed my tension and associated it with the ride. I was capable of smashing out of here and climbing down the structure before anyone even noticed. Being alone with him was the only thing causing my apprehension.

“No, I love this. Thank you for thinking of it,” I said, smiling at him.

He raised an eyebrow at me and a lopsided grin appeared as he popped the cork from the bottle not spilling a drop of liquid. A man after my own heart.

The capsule held both of our scents. His was intoxicating, almost overpowering. I felt as though it was carrying me away to a place that was designed to possess so many elements of how he smelled—perhaps a kitchen in the countryside. Floral tones reminiscent of wildflower fields drifted in through an open window on rays of sunshine, flooding me with warmth that I hadn’t felt since being a child.

 He’d poured us both a glass of the golden tinged liquid and placed the stem of the champagne glass in my hand before raising his index finger to my eyebrow, brushing his finger over it. My lips parted at the contact, and I mirrored his furrowed brow. My insides squirmed and my skin buzzed as he traced his finger down my cheekbone and across my parted lips before cupping my chin.

“You are so beautiful, Teagan.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, unable to break the intense gaze between us. My stomach somersaulted and I wanted to glance down at his lips but I realised if I did I’d be unable to refrain from kissing him. I wanted him to kiss me first, call it womanly pride—I still had that, despite all my years of life.

He dropped his hand away from my face and took a deep breath as if he were trying to hold back just like I was.

“We’re going to miss the view,” he said.

‘I think the view I’ve got in here beats the one outside.’

I smiled at my thought and turned to look out of the convex window. I bent over and rested my forearms on the cool metal railing that ran around the inside of the capsule, sipping my champagne and enjoying the bubbles popping in my mouth before swallowing. The Eye was lit up in blue that night, casting a magnificent reflection on the murky black waters of the Thames.

Marc stood beside me, his thigh pressed against mine. My heartbeat throbbed in my throat as he started running his fingers up and down my exposed back. My fangs started to peek out, and I willed them back in as I concentrated on the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben’s glowing face as a distraction.

As we reached the top, the dim light from inside blinked out making lit-up London seem that much brighter. I inhaled a deep noisy breath. I was in the darkness with the most exhilarating man I’d ever met in my long life, and he was touching me.

My insides swirled, the only sounds were the thundering sound of my heartbeat and Marc’s ragged breathing. His fingers rested on my elbow, lightly tugging at me. I turned my head to meet his burning gaze. I placed the champagne flute on the floor.

I missed the split second before he grabbed my hips and pulled me towards him. His lips found mine like he’d spent an eternity mapping out the route. His mouth tasted of the champagne, sweet and intoxicating. His excited tongue probed my mouth. My insides hummed and turned into dampness between my thighs. My entire body was a mass of wanton nerve endings begging to be touched, stroked and caressed. His soft full lips burned against mine, but all I could think about was them trailing over every inch of me. 

Author Bio:

L.T. Kelly was born and raised in Solihull, UK. She started writing short stories at school where her teachers offered her lots of feedback and encouragement.

Aged seventeen she joined the Royal Air Force, her career didn’t reserve a lot of time to write so she pushed her passion for it to the back of her mind.

After an eleven and a half career she started writing short stories again until a friend commented that she should write a novel.

She has always had an unhealthy obsession with vampires, so of course it was inevitable that a plot involving vampires would be the first to spring to mind.

L.T. Kelly lives in Lincolnshire, UK with her husband and two children.

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Excerpt: Steel Lily by Megan Curd

Title: Steel Lily

Author: Megan Curd

Genre: Dystopian

Synopsis:
AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.

She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Three: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.

Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Three. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued.

But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.

Which means digging deeper.

When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, it may make her wonder if she was better off being a government tool than searching for freedom.

Some secrets are better left concealed, but humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.

EXCERPTS:

#1:

The Polatzi woman’s broad body blocked the view of my intended hallway. Her hands were on her hips, and her piercing gaze felt as if it might actually impale me.

Do they teach that death stare to every Polatzi, or is this woman particularly nasty?

“Avery Pike?”

I jutted my chin in the air. “Who’s asking?”

“You were off the grid last night.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I pushed past her before she could say more and felt the smooth fabric of her cape slap my legs as I passed. Fiery anger consumed me, but I kept my expression neutral. Damn Polatzi. They gave me nothing but unanswered questions and a lice-ridden bed at an overcapacity orphanage, yet expected me to revere them. Providing steam–being an asset they couldn’t get rid of–gave me immunity to the Polatzi as long as I didn’t do anything stupid.

Like skipping class and going to see Alice during a night of sweeps.

Yeah, that would fall under the category of life-threateningly stupid, which was a couple notches above incredibly stupid.

#2:

I’d never seen anyone like him in Dome Four. His jawbone was strong, his cheekbones set high. His nose was regal and straight and when my gaze reached his eyes, my breath caught. Stormy blue-grey eyes that reminded me of shale returned my gaze with seemingly genuine curiosity, if not a bit of humor. Strips of colored fabric were woven into his dreadlocked hair, giving it a wildly unique appearance that suited him. His smug expression made me realize he was enjoying this.

“Are you finished checking me out? If you’re not, that’s okay; I allow every new woman I meet a free five-minute gawking period. After that, it’ll cost you.”

Blood rushed to my face. I tore my eyes from his magnetic gaze and watched as he took a worn leather strap off his wrist. He pulled back his dreadlocks–deep brown streaked with blonde–into the strap. His devilish grin pulled his eyes tight at the corners. He was trouble incarnate. Trouble I may very well want to get into, given the right circumstances.

“You’re at five minutes and thirty seconds now,” he said in a purr as he leaned in toward me. I felt his breath against my cheek, and my heart raced. “I’m going to start taking payment, and I choose how that payment is issued.”

Before I could respond, Alice stirred groggily beside me. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. “Where are we?”

“Good question,” piped Jaxon. “One that your friend here failed to ask, but it could have been because I rendered her speechless with my good looks.”

Alice moved to get a better look at him, but he emphatically covered his face, as though he were a vampire trying to block the sun. “Don’t look at me!” he cried, then grinned as he winked at me. “I don’t want to make two ladies swoon in such a short period of time. How would I entertain myself tonight?”

“You’re not that handsome,” I argued mulishly.

“There’s drool on your chin. Either you’re physically unable to keep your mouth shut, or I caused you to forget how. Since when I found you, you were drool free, I’m going with the assumption that it was me.” He fished in his pocket and offered me a piece of white silk. “Here, a handkerchief for your trouble.”

#3:

I was moving double time to keep up with his long strides. He seemed so sure of himself, so in control of his destiny, even in this place, where he claimed we were imprisoned. I didn’t have a shred of doubt that what Jaxon wanted, Jaxon got. He owned his life. I so desperately wanted to own mine as well. Could he help me take control of it, or would he cause it to crash around my feet? For some reason, it felt like either option would be exhilarating if he were involved.

Exhilarating and dangerous.

The back of his shirt was soaked. The small “v” of muscles at the base of his spine flexed as he craned his neck to make sure I was still behind him. Why did that give me butterflies?

He turned and smiled. “Are you even listening to me? You’re way past your ogling allotment.”

“I’m not ogling you.”

“Trust me, I’ve experienced enough ogling to know it when I see it. If you’d prefer to ogle in peace, I’ll turn around again. There have been contests where my ass took first place in squeezability.”

“You must have been the only person in the running.”

He grinned mischievously. “And the only one to vote, but a win is still a win, right?”

#4:

Out of nowhere, his breath ran like warm water over the back of my neck. I closed my eyes for a moment, then forced them back open. No. Not Jaxon. Nothing for Jaxon.

“Now it’s Mr. Pierce, eh?” He put one of his large hands at the small of my back to lead me toward Xander’s office. “I think I’m going backwards.”

“You are backwards, Jaxon.”

He laughed and muscled around me, sliding far too much of his toned body against me as he moved past. His chiseled chest pressed against mine as he leaned in, inches from my mouth. I sucked in a breath to avoid his scent. No dice. It still overpowered me. His smile was evident even in the low light, and I bit my lip to keep from sighing. His hand brushed my cheek, and he ran a finger down the side of my neck, sending shivers through me. “If I were backwards, I’d be Noxaj,” he whispered huskily. “What kind of name is that? It’s not sexy at all.”

“I never said you were sexy,” I whispered as his hands roved through my hair at the base of my neck.

“No, no you didn’t…” His lips were on my neck. His hands worked down my back.

I stood there like a wet noodle, incapable of responding.

Do something! Touch him back! my brain screamed, but my body felt detached. Do something, or he’s going to think you’re on the relationship short bus.

He pulled away to search my eyes, but for what, I didn’t know.

I willed myself to give him something. Anything. An awkward grin, accompanied by a cough was all I could muster. Really, Avery? Seriously?I knew later replays of this moment in my mind, no matter how awful, wouldn’t compare to the actual event.

Book Links:
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Author Bio:

Megan Curd is a graduate of Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. While having always enjoyed reading any books she could get her hands on, Megan didn’t begin writing until a friend encouraged her to do so while in college.

When not writing, Megan enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She loves to snowboard and travel to new places, and doesn’t turn down the opportunity to play xBox with her brother and friends when it presents itself.

Megan currently resides in Stanton, Kentucky with her husband, son, and Great Dane named Dozer.

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