SECOND CHANCE BOYFRIEND Paperback Release Day Launch + Giveaway

Title: Second Chance Boyfriend (Drew+Fable #2)
Author: Monica Murphy
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group: New Adult

From breakout New Adult author Monica Murphy comes the exhilarating conclusion to Drew and Fable’s story—the star-crossed young romance that began in One Week Girlfriend.

Lost. Everything in my life can be summed up by that one sickening word. My football coach blames me for our season-ending losses. So does the rest of the team. I wasted two whole months drowning in my own despair, like a complete loser. And I lost my girlfriend—Fable Maguire, the only girl who ever mattered—because I was afraid that being with me would only hurt her.

But now I realize that I’m the one who’s truly lost without her. And even though she acts like she’s moved on and everything’s fine, I know she still thinks about me just as much as I think about her. I know her too well. She’s so damn vulnerable, all I want to do is be there to help her . . . to hold her . . . to love her.

I just need her to give me one more chance. We may be lost without each other, but together, we’re destined to find a love that lasts forever.

You can purchase Second Chance Boyfriend at the following Retailers:

EXCERPT

Release Day Launch Excerpt:

“I thought you said you were hungry.” He glances up, his gaze catching mine. “What are you in the mood for?”

You, I want to tell him, but jeez. I had him not even an hour ago. What’s wrong with me? I go without Drew for a couple of months and now I act like I need him every minute of every day.

“I don’t know.” I open the menu to check out my options. I’ve never eaten at this restaurant. It’s close to Drew’s apartment and I’m rarely in this part of town. “What’s good here?”

“Fable.” His deep, quiet voice makes me glance up and I find him watching me, his dark brows drawn, a little frown curving his mouth. “Are you okay?”

He’s got both elbows propped on the table now, his hands clasped together, and I want those hands on me. His black long-sleeve shirt clings to his arms, accentuating his bulging biceps, those broad shoulders, that wide chest. I’ve explored every inch of his body the last few days and it’s still not enough. I can’t believe he’s really mine.

And I can’t believe I’m his.

“I’m not very hungry,” I admit.

His frown deepens. “You’re the one who wanted to come here.”

I shrug, feeling silly, my gaze locked on his hands. They are so big. Long fingers, wide palms, a little rough, a little smooth. I love how they touch me, sometimes gentle, sometimes with force. I like it best when he wraps my hair around his fingers and tugs. Oh God, I really love it when he does that . . .

I want those hands on me. Now. “I guess I’m not as hungry as I thought.” My stomach is fluttering with nerves. I don’t want to eat. I want Drew. I feel sort of crazed with it. Like I need to have him as much as possible before he slips through my fingers and I lose him forever.

But I’m not going to lose him. We’re in this together. I need to remember that—and believe it.

“You’re being weird.” Worry fills his eyes. “Are you mad? Did I do something?”

Just his breathing—that does it for me. “I’m not mad. I’m, um . . .” I let my voice trail off, feeling like an idiot.

“You’re what?”

“I’m looking at your hands,” I admit with a little sigh. Can I admit out loud that I’m horny? That would sound ridiculous.

Those dark brows shoot up practically to his hairline. “Why?”

My cheeks are hot. I squirm in my seat again. “I’m . . . remembering what they did to me earlier.”

The frown is gone, replaced with a wicked smile that sends my body temperature skyrocketing. He leans across the table, his voice so low it vibrates through me and settles between my legs. “Maybe we should go back to my place so I can do that to you all over again.”

Oh my God, that sounds like the best idea ever. “Maybe we should.”

The smile never leaves his face. In fact, it grows bigger. My quiet, hesitant Drew has morphed into some sort of cocky sex god. “You don’t want to order anything?”

I slowly shake my head. “Can’t we just get pizza again? Later?” We had it last night, too. “From somewhere different this time. You know, just to mix it up. Or maybe Chinese? I love Chinese.”

He laughs, the sound husky. “You said you wanted to get out of the house for a while because you worried we were becoming addicted to each other.”

“Is that what I said?” I honestly can’t remember. What’s wrong with being addicted to each other? Aren’t we still in this pretend mode where we’re normal people who like to have sex without hangups or issues? I wonder if Drew has ever had sex like this. Carefree and so . . . normal.

“Yep.” He nods.

“Maybe I like being addicted to you,” I admit softly. We haven’t said we loved each other yet. I can’t work up the nerve. Maybe he can’t either. Silly, considering how consumed with love I am for him. He is just . . . amazing. Sweet. Attentive. Funny. Smart. Sexy.

I understand him. He understands me. We’re perfect for each other.

Maybe we’re too perfect together. Too perfect doesn’t really exist. This could all be a façade. Just like our week together over the Thanksgiving break.

That week felt fake, though. Surreal. There were real, grounding moments, but for the most part, we were caught up in an act. Maybe we’re pretending right now too, but I’m trying to be as real as I can with him. Without the baggage and the heartache and the trouble hanging over us. For at least a little while.

It’ll all come crashing down upon us soon. That’s a reality I don’t want to face quite yet.

He reaches across the table for my hands and takes them in his. “I really like being addicted to you.”

The smile I send his way is so big it hurts my cheeks. We are so in this addiction together.

For once, I know I’m not alone.

“Let’s go home and play true confessions,” I suggest because I’m feeling silly. “Nothing heavy, though. We can keep it light and easy.”

“True confessions? I’m intrigued.”

“You should be,” I say coyly. “It’s going to be a sexual true confessions.”

He stiffens the slightest bit and I squeeze his hands in my grip. We need to be open with each other and while the sexual connection we have is amazing, I know sometimes he holds himself back. I understand why. Sort of.

That’s where we’re complete opposites. I was the type who gave it away just so I could feel something, anything, for a little while. He’d rather box himself up and feel absolutely nothing.

“Fable . . .” His voice trails off and his smile fades. “I don’t know if I’m up to that yet.”

“It won’t be anything crazy, I promise.” I lean over our linked hands and bring them to my mouth, pressing a lingering kiss to his knuckles. “No pressure. Just fun.”

“Just fun?” He brushes his thumb over the top of my hand and my entire body reacts.

“Always fun,” I whisper.

Author Bio

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite. A wife and mother of three, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance for Bantam and Avon. She is the author of One Week Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend.

Follow her on these sites: Website|| Goodreads || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon

GIVEAWAY!

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Review: Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler

Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler

Genre: YA Contemporary
Paperback: 384  pages

Release Date: January 7th, 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository 

Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother -- whose name her dad won't even say out loud. That's why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her...and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she's everything Emma is not.

And it may be more than Emma can handle. 

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It's more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop... 

This explosive, sexy, and harrowing follow-up to Ann Redisch Stampler's spectacular teen debut, Where It Began, reveals how those who know us best can hurt us most.

Thoughts

First things first, I would like to point out the beautiful cover. I usually remind myself not to judge a book by its cover and it wouldn’t hurt to say that the first thing that caught my attention was it―Well, it’s the first thing that you will notice on a book so it must leave an impression―Look at the colors, the lights, and the silhouette of a girl in a dress carrying her shoes which gave an intriguing and fascinating feeling. It is exactly the kind of cover that best describes the title, Afterparty.

The story is divided into three parts and it was told from Emma’s point of view following her and Siobhan’s life (Emma’s newfound friend) in a private High School in California. Emma describes herself between two personalities, a Goody two shoes Emma and a bad Emma. Ha! It might a tad confusing but when you read the book she’s just as confuse on herself because while trying to be good for herself and for her Dad, whom she is afraid to disappoint, she also feels like a part of her is destined to become somebody like her Mom. Her Mom didn’t appear in the story but it is observable that she has a huge effect on Emma. Well, to give a summary of what her Mom did that made her father quite strict to her was her Mom’s addiction to vices (Drugs, Drinking, et al.) so her father is just trying his best for her not to wind up like her Mom although it would seem that on some level her father had been too strict. I don’t mean to say that he should have let her loose or anything like that but I think that because of it Emma learned to lie and she learned to keep secrets from her father. I don’t support Emma’s character in the book not because I hate her…Well, annoyed perhaps but not hate. I’m annoyed on her bad decisions, Yeah…nobody’s perfect but she keeps on coming back on the same mistakes because when she decides on a thing either she’s drunk or she’s emotionally unstable which ruffle my feathers though one thing I admire about her is her loyalty.

On the other hand we have Siobhan, a total opposite of Emma in all aspects. She’s carefree, wild, and unpredictable but she had become friends with her since the first day. She’s the person who made the prep Afterparty check list for her that contain debauchery that Emma wouldn’t imagine her father would let her do. I can’t say that she’s a completely bad friend because she had shown her good and bad side but there were times that when she fights Emma I don’t feel as if she were a real friend, friends fight but it doesn’t look like they’re fighting as friends. It was like she’s a new person and she’s trying to compete with her.  I hate her lies, her made up stories and the way she interferes on Emma’s life unaware or deliberately messing it up or just trying to fix it. I’m not a fan of Siobhan and she’s the type of person I wouldn’t mess with or have as a friend but beneath it all I know that drinking or doing drugs is just her way of coping up…a terrible and wrong path but who would tell her that when her mother is always away and she’s very secretive. A redeeming quality of her for me is keeping promises however her ability to keep promises may have been over the top that it became a bad thing too and it could’ve lead to death.

As for the romance in the story, if you are expecting a lot of swoon or cheesy scenes then I’m going to warn you that don’t expect too much on that department. There is romance; actually it is one of the problems that surfaced and it wasn’t instalove but ain’t the focus of the story. The book gives emphasis on Siobhan and Emma’s love and hate friendship. However, I assure you that Dylan Kahane is one hot guy that you wouldn’t wanna miss. Regarding its title, Afterparty, it fits the character and atmosphere of the book since it is all where it started and where should definitely end.

Afterparty is the story of two girls that is utterly different, two sides of the same coin, but has formed friendship despite their differences and it is despairing to see their friendship crumble into nothingness because of the string of lies and betrayals. Add to the mix the endless misunderstandings, mistakes, forgiveness, love and hate and you’ll have the type of book that is absolutely enticing and will keep you reading until you’ve read the conclusion. It is not the best read for me because I have my dull moments with this book too but not worst either so I’ll just stick with okay. This may not be the type of book for everyone but if you’re a contemporary reader looking for something fresh and YA (and if you aren’t afraid to hurl your copy across the room because some of the parts are so good therefore you are affected and hurt) then this book is definitely for you!

Afterparty is the first work of Ann Stampler I’ve read and I want to thank her for sending me an Advance Reader Copy of her book in exchange of honest review.

Author Bio

Where it Began marks the YA debut of Ann Redisch Stampler. She is the author of several picture books, including The Rooster Prince of Breslov. Her books have been an Aesop Accolade winner, Sydney Taylor notable books and an honor book, a National Jewish Book Awards finalist and winner, and Bank Street Best Books of the Year. Ann has two adult children and lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband.

Follow her on these sites: Website|| Goodreads || Twitter

Release Day Launch: Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker + INT Giveaway!

Title: Four Seconds to Lose (Ten Tiny Breaths #3)
Author: K.A. Tucker
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Blurb: Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine year old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.

Twenty-two-year old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her doesn’t need to complicate her life with romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.

You can purchase Four Seconds to Lose at the following Retailers:

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Check out the first two books in the series!

Ten Tiny Breaths

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

One Tiny Lie

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

  

Author Bio

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Follow her on these sites: Website|| Facebook || Twitter|| Goodreads

Giveaway
SIGNED set of  TEN TINY BREATHS and ONE TINY LIE
Open Internationally

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The Darkest Part by Trisha Wolfe Spotlight + Sale!

The Darkest Part (Living Heartwood, #1) by Trisha Wolfe

Release Date: August 6th 2013

Blurb:

Pressing the boundaries of both the psyche and the heart, Sam and Holden embark on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of love.

Sam Wintry’s life used to be almost perfect. She was engaged to her childhood best friend and high school sweetheart, Tyler Marks, planning an amazing cross-country honeymoon during her college break. But after a hit-and-run leaves her in ruin, she begins seeing Tyler’s fractured, ghostly presence, and her family believes she’s losing her mind. Not until she completes their journey, stopping along the way to scatter Tyler's remains, will Tyler be able cross over. Only...is Sam ready for him to leave her?

When the black sheep of the Marks' family, Holden Marks, returns to check on Tyler's case, Sam convinces him to give her his brother's ashes. Despite their shaky history, she needs him...plus, he owes it to Sam and his brother. What she doesn’t count on is Holden’s relentlessness to go on the trip.

On the road, Holden realizes just how unhinged Sam has become. Dealing with her psychosis forces him to confront his dark past, making it harder to keep secrets hidden that should remain buried. Especially from Sam, the only woman he’s ever loved. And as Sam starts to unravel the truth, she begins to question if the brother she's unwillingly falling for again is in an even darker place than her. 

New Adult Contemporary coming this year.

What readers are saying about THE DARKEST PART... 

"This is a great story that captures every element bringing it to a full circle of knowledge and love. A worthy read that is unique and entertaining, The Darkest Part is great." - Savannah @ BooksWithBite 

"The Darkest Part is not your typical NA. It’s a powerful mentally and emotional story about true love and finding your way out of the darkness. Something that only a talented writer can pull off." - Nereyda @ Mostly YA Book Obsessed 

"The Darkest Part is emotional, raw, dark, and passionate, and I felt each of those emotions with Sam and Holden through the entire novel." - Ellen @ Always YA At Heart

 The Darkest Part is available on Amazon and B&N for only 99¢ from now until November 2nd!

    

Find the author...
Website
  

Blog Tour Stop: Guest Post by Amanda Gray (ENDLESS)+ Giveaway

Hi everyone! I'm excited to have Ms. Amanda Gray in our blog today and have a chance for a guest post written by her. Read her take on New Adult books and her playlist while doing Endless. Hope you'll give a chance to read the book and join the giveaway below! 

Endless by Amanda Gray

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Month9books,LLC.

Release Date: September 10th 2013

Blurb:

IN A RACE AGAINST TIME, HOW DO YOU KEEP THOSE YOU LOVE SAFE?

Jenny Kramer knows she isn't normal. After all, not everybody can see the past lives of people around them. When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumbles on an old music box with instructions for “mesmerization” and discover they may have more in common than they thought.

Like a past life.

Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren't alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has traveled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he has defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back. While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock — and the Order — the trio discovers a link that joins them in life — and beyond death.

You can purchase Endless at:

Guest Post

     Playlist while doing Endless

We listened to a lot of the music that the royal family – and our priness would have listened to especially :

Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908), Mussorgsky (1839–81), Borodin (1833–87) and César Cui (1835–1918), Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–93), best known for ballets like Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. We also listened to acoustic contemporary music by bands like Angus and Julia Stone, Ed and Ben Howard.

How you start and end your day

By writing  for at least three hours.

By reading for at least an hour.

                    What's your take on the rising of New Adult Books?·                  

Its really exciting and encouraging that we keep finding new ways of enticing and entertaining readers. Whether or not we define it with a label, there is absolutely a market for literature aimed at 18-24 year olds. People in this age bracket, like teenagers, have a unique set of concerns -- attending and graduating from college, navigating the complicated world of modern sex and dating, and coming to terms with family issues that may inhibit their growth and ability to live life on their terms. Maybe the NA label will encourage more writers to address these issues, whereas in the past we (authors) were often told, “We don’t know how to sell or market this.”

  

Author Bio

Amanda Gray believes in magic and fantasy and possibilities. She is a team of two bestselling authors who live only miles apart but have never met in person. They talk on the phone and are the best of friends and between them have written more than a dozen novels and novellas and have had their work appear on television.

    Giveaway Time:

·         Two (2) print copies of Endless by Amanda Gray (US Only)
·         Two (2) eBook copies of Endless by Amanda Gray (INT)
·         $25 iTunes gift card (INT)

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