Thursday, March 31, 2016

Honesty by Seth King

* * * * *


A radiant story of first love and self-acceptance for fans of John Green, Jandy Nelson, and Rainbow Rowell

“Maybe we weren’t meant to collide. Maybe we were meant to explode.”

As a closeted teenager in the Deep South with a holy-roller father and the scars to prove it, bookworm Cole Furman has resigned himself to experiencing life and love only within the pages of his favorite novels. But after Nick Flores seems to walk off a page and starts to rewrite his story, Cole finds his dreams spinning into a dazzling – and complicated – reality.

If you have ever found yourself on the wild breathless thriller ride that is young love, Honesty will rip you back again in screaming color.



Seth King is a remarkable writer. He has a gift for describing things, especially feelings, making them jump off the pages and come to life.  Honesty is the fourth novel of his that I’ve read. I dare say it’s his most profound work and it’s by far my favourite!

How does Honesty shine? It’s brutally truthful about what it’s like for a gay teen who has accepted his sexuality but who has to suffer the ignorance of others. It’s achingly blunt about what it’s like to fall in love with someone who hasn’t come to terms with who they are. It’s eye-opening about how expectations can crush someone’s spirit. It makes the reader reconsider every preconceived notion they had about what it means to be gay in a world that isn’t always so welcoming. I consider myself an open-minded person and I was wowed by Cole’s thoughts! Some things he said are just common sense but in King’s descriptive prose, they’re simply enlightening because he’s offering us a broader perspective.

Falling in love for the first time is exciting and scary. In Honesty, those feelings are amplified because neither Cole nor Nick is exactly certain about how to pursue their relationship while also keeping it a secret for Nick’s sake. It’s heartbreaking how badly Nick wants to let go and love Cole but he’s afraid about the repercussions when his family finds out. Cole on the other hand, just wants to love and be loved unconditionally but willingly plays by Nick’s rules in order to keep him in his life. Living in a town where they have to suppress their feelings and monitor their movements leads to a kind of ferocity and intensity that plays out when they’re alone. I was hanging by every word on every page.

On the eve of its release, King published an article about how Honesty was drawn from his real life experience. It’s a story that he has waited to tell at the right time. I’ll admit that that has influenced my perception of this book. I think as an author you’re vulnerable. When drawing from personal history it has to be a frightening undertaking not knowing how that story will be received. I bring this up because King does not hold back as he wraps you up in Cole and Nick’s journey through the highs and many lows of their love affair.

Five stars is inadequate to describe how brilliant and important Honesty is. It's a treasure that joins the ranks of two other books that I hold close to my heart. It will undoubtedly be in my Top 10 of 2016. And considering that there's so much in the news lately regarding the LBGT community, everyone should read this masterpiece and open their eyes and hearts.

~ Bel


Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Dirty by Kylie Scott - Teaser #3

Are you ready to get Dirty

We're getting closer to the April 19th release of Dirty, Book One in Kylie Scott's Dive Bar series. Since we're counting down, why don't you enjoy another riveting teaser!

(Pre-order links below.)


 
   
      Dirty (Dive Bar, #1)

 
Pre-order your copy of DIRTY here:




Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1MetF1F

Waiting on Wednesday (185)


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating


Relentless (The Hero Agenda, #2)By Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs
Publication Date: June 7, 2016

Revenge is easy, but justice is worth fighting for…

Kenna is tired of being lied to—and hunted by the very allies she once trusted. Unearthing the dark secrets of the superhero world has not only endangered her life, now her boyfriend faces execution for crimes he didn’t commit and her mother is being held captive in a secret governmental prison.

Kenna is determined to stand up for what’s right and save those she loves from unspeakable fates. It’s time for the betrayal to end. It’s time for the real criminals to face justice.

But the truth is even more terrifying than Kenna could imagine. A conspiracy threatens the fate of heroes, villains, and all of humanity. If Kenna’s going to survive, she must draw on her deepest strength: her resilience. Because when Kenna’s pushed to the limit, she doesn’t break down. She fights back.
 



You Know Me WellBy David Levithan and Nina LaCour
Publication Date: June 7, 2016

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other -- and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour, the award-winning author of Hold Still and The Disenchantments, and David Levithan, the best-selling author of Every Day and co-author ofNick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (with Rachel Cohn) and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with John Green), You Know Me Well is a deeply honest story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time.


Beta Test (#gaymers, #2)By Annabeth Albert
Publication Date: May 30, 2016

Ravi Tandel is ahead of the game. He’s a top video game developer and he just got asked to present a top-secret project at a huge gaming conference in Seattle. All systems are a go…until he learns his office nemesis is coming along for the ride. Player vs. Player. Fight!

Newly minted MBA Tristan Jones doesn’t seem like the gaming type but he knows the business inside-out. Together, they’ll give an awesome presentation – they just have to survive the cross-country trip. Ravi’s opinion of Tristan is rebooted when he discovers a softer side to the conservative charmer and a new tension builds between them.

Despite their best efforts to keep it casual, things heat up quickly. Tristan is hiding his true self for fear of what his parents might think. Ravi knows that feeling all too well, but he didn’t disconnect from his family years ago only to hide who he is now. To be together, Tristan has to push past his fear and ultimately decide, does he want a future with Ravi? Or is it game over?

Book Two of the #gaymers series.
 

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry Release Week Blitz - Excerpt and Giveaway!

Walk the Edge - RWB banner  

One moment...

That’s all it takes to change your life.

What happens when your entire future is on the line because of one reckless moment? This is what Breanna Miller and Thomas “Razor” Turner have to face in Katie McGarry’s WALK THE EDGE. Blackmail, family secrets, future plans on the verge of collapsing, two people who aren’t supposed to be together fall in love, and the power of social media in defining who you are when you’re not even sure who that person is yet…Join the Club and and immerse yourself in the world of the Reign of Terror. Pick up WALK THE EDGE today!

    Walk the Edge - cover

One moment of recklessness will change their worlds

Smart. Responsible. That's seventeen-year-old Breanna's role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyberbully's line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas "Razor" Turner into her life.

Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don't belong. But when he learns she's being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it's time to step outside the rules.

And so they make a pact: he'll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she'll help him seek answers to the mystery that's haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they're both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they're going from here.


Amazon * iBooks * Barnes and Noble * Kobo * Indiebound

Add to your Goodreads

And don’t miss the first book in the Thunder Road Series,

NOWHERE BUT HERE!


  Walk the Edge - The Boy Everyone Needs

"There's something about McGarry's writing that's totally enthralling. Her characters are vivid, flawed and riveting, making this is a truly amazing read!"

~ RT Book Reviews "Katie McGarry is a master of her craft! Raw emotion, pure grit, I hang on every word. Her characters are real people with real problems and I cheer them every step of the way. Ready for a new addiction? Look no further than Katie McGarry's books."

~ Gena Showalter, Bestselling author of Firstlife "I finished WALK THE EDGE by the amazing Katie McGarry. It was SO good that now I feel bereft. I already miss Razor & Bre - I need to know more! She is by far my #1 favorite author. She paints a picture with the words, puts you IN the story... LOVE."

~ Lori Foster, New York Times Bestselling Author

  Walk the Edge - preorder graphic

DON’T MISS THIS AWESOME INCENTIVE OFFER FOR AN EXCLUSIVE ECHO AND NOAH SHORT STORY!

Order WALK THE EDGE, Register your Order by April 1st and receive an exclusive Echo and Noah short story and a chance to be in the next Thunder Road novel! Register at https://offerpop.com/campaign/796530.
    Katie McGarry - author pic
About Katie McGarry: Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads


Excerpt

“I’m here about your mother.” The asshole knows he has me when my eyes snap to his.

                “She’s dead.” Like the other times I say the words, a part of me dies along with her.

                This guy has green eyes and they soften like he’s apologetic. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ve received some new evidence that may help us discover what caused her death.”

                Anger curls within my muscles and my jaw twitches. This overwhelming sense of insanity is what I fight daily. For years, I’ve heard the whispers from the gossips in town, felt the stares of the kids in class, and I’ve sensed the pity of the men in the Reign of Terror I claim as brothers. It’s all accumulated to a black, hissing doubt in my soul.

                Suicide.

                It’s what everyone in town says happened. It’s in every hushed conversation people have the moment I turn my back. It’s not just from the people I couldn’t give two shits about, but the people who I consider family.

                I shove away those thoughts and focus on what my father and the club have told me—what I have chosen to believe. “My mother’s death was an accident.”

                He’s shaking his head and I’m fresh out of patience. I’m not doing this. Not with him. Not with anyone. “I’m not interested.”

                I push off the railing and I did out the keys to my motorcycle as I bound down the steps. The detective’s behind me. He has a slow steady stride and it irritates me that he follows across the yard and doesn’t stop coming as I swing my leg over my bike.

                “What if I told you I don’t think it was an accident,” he says.

                Odds are it wasn’t. Odds are every whispered taunt in my direction is true. That my father and the club drove Mom crazy, and I wasn’t enough of a reason for her to choose life.

                To drown him out, I start the engine. This guy must be as suicidal as people say Mom was because he eases in front of my bike assuming I won’t run him down.

                “Thomas,” he says.

                I twist the handle to rev the engine in warning. He raises his chin like he’s finally pissed and his eyes narrow on me. “Razor.”

                I let the bike idle. If he’s going to respect me by using my road name, I’ll respect him for a few seconds. “Leave me the fuck alone.”

                Damn if the man doesn’t possess balls the size of Montana. He steps closer to me and drops a bomb. “I have reason to believe your mom was murdered.”

Walk the Edge - Bridges graphic

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All Chained Up (Devil's Rocks #1) by Sophie Jordan

* * *

There are bad boys and then there are the men of Devil’s Rock . . .

Some men come with a built-in warning label. Knox Callaghan is one of them. Danger radiates from every lean, muscled inch of him, and his deep blue eyes seem to see right through to Briar Davis’s most secret fantasies. But there’s one major problem: Briar is a nurse volunteering at the local prison, and Knox is an inmate who should be off-limits in every way.

Knox feels it too—a shocking animal magnetism that drives him to risk his own life to protect Briar’s. Paroled at last, he tries to resist her. She’s too innocent, too sweet, and she has no idea what Knox is capable of. But a single touch can lead to a kiss—and a taste . . . until the only crime is denying what feels so right . . .

“When the prison doors are open, the real dragon will fly out.”—Ho Chi Minh


Sophie Jordan has an impressive catalogue of books and I’m always amazed by her ability to jump between genres. Fresh off her recent YA release, Reign of Shadows, she now offers, All Chained Up, an adult contemporary romance that’s first in the Devil’s Rock series.

Nurse Briar Davis has begun volunteering at Devil’s Rock Prison once a week. The very thought of being there among the inmates freaks her out of her mind but she’s doing it to impress her boss and ensure that she has a future at the clinic she works at. On her first day she treats the inmate Knox, an intimidating presence, inside the clinic. She’s unnerved by the fact that they can’t keep their eyes off each other. Despite her wrecked nerves, she manages to make it through the remainder of the day. She doesn’t expect to be back until the following week but plans change and she’s accompanying her boss again the very next day. And this is the day that things go dreadfully wrong and all of Briar’s nightmares about prison come true. Thankfully Knox is her savior. That’s the last they see of each other until a run-in at a convenient store some time later. Neither of them can believe the coincidence. The time since prison has not erased the electricity between them.

The beginning of their relationship is mostly carnal. Briar is the only woman Knox has lusted after in some time. To Briar, Knox is the dangerous man with a secretive past that she can’t resist. Could her physical attraction to him be clouding her better judgment? As for Knox, his life is screwed up enough already that he’s worried about ruining hers just by association. Still they can’t stay away from each other. Aside from the action at the prison in the beginning, not a whole lot happens in between except for Knox and Briar romping through the sheets without much communication. It’s not supposed to get serious – this is only supposed to be a series of hook-ups but that’s not how it ever goes. All this leads to a bit of a mess down the road. 

The story is hot and a bit on the dark side. Knox fits the bill for those seeking a quiet but imposing hero who’s also a fierce protector. Briar starts out as the damsel in distress (though I can’t fault her because I’d certainly be a mess if I had to work in a prison) but grows into a more outspoken person. All Chained Up does include an unexpected subplot that felt oddly of place at first but now I’m curious as to how it’ll play out in the next book. In the meantime, Jordan serves up another delicious romance with plenty of magic time to make your head spin! Also, you may never look at Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia the same again ;)

~ Bel


Sunday, March 27, 2016

A Peek In The BiblioBin #193


Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the lovely ladies at Tynga's Reviews.


Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.

For Review:


Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1) by Rachel Caine

Before Hadley by J. Nathan


Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

Borrowed:


Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs


Friday, March 25, 2016

Dirty by Kylie Scott - Teaser #2

Are you ready to get Dirty? 

Dirty is Book One in Kylie Scott’s Dive Bar Series releasing April 19th!





 
Pre-order your copy of DIRTY here:




Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1MetF1F

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Waiting on the Sidelines (Waiting on the Sidelines #1) by Ginger Scott

* * * * *

Nolan Lennox had things figured out. Named after a baseball legend, she enjoyed being the Tomboy, her closet filled with her brother’s hand-me-downs, cut-off jeans and soccer shorts. But when her first trip to high school results in a broken heart from the first boy to ever make her heart flutter and cruel words from an older girl she once thought a family friend, Nolan starts to question the very person she thought she was and wonders if her humble upbringing can compete with the afforded luxuries of her privileged peers.

Throughout the next four years, Nolan struggles to maintain herself throughout her path of discovery, learning just how cruel teenagers can be through the pressures of underage drinking, sexuality and class. And despite how life seems to continue to work against her, she still manages to listen to her heart, falling deeper and deeper for the guy the entire town adores, even if he only sees her as a friend. Can Nolan strike a compromise between her own integrity and the boy she loves? And can she make him notice her before it’s too late?

Reed Johnson came to Coolidge High School with a lot of fanfare. The son of a hometown football legend and the brother of a local football hero, Reed wore all the pressures of carrying a town without hope into the spotlight. Thankfully, he had the talent to back it up. But when he meets a girl who makes him think twice about exactly what being a hero means, he starts to wonder if following in his brother’s footsteps might be all wrong.

Nolan Lennox was everything that was opposite of expected. She didn’t flirt, she didn’t drink and she didn’t sleep around. Nothing about her was easy, but something about her made Reed want to try harder. Though she didn’t look the part, she seemed to be spending a lot of time in Reed’s thoughts, and he wondered if she could be the one who made it all worthwhile. But could Reed handle letting her down? And would breaking her heart break him beyond repair?

Waiting on the Sidelines explores young love to its fullest, exposing how real young heartbreak and passion is and how important it is to discover yourself and hold onto your own identity. The story follows two young characters as they deal with mature situations, including the prevalence of bullying and promiscuity in today’s high school setting. Ultimately, Waiting on the Sidelines is a story of hope, honesty and those powerful, first true loves—the ones worth holding onto at any cost.


I’m still on a high from reading this amazingly well-crafted story of a high school crush that evolves into friendship and then into something more.

It occurred to me as I read along that many of the YA novels I’ve read in the past have zeroed in on a specific aspect of that character’s life and everything else is just background noise. Waiting on the Sidelines works with a different formula. It follows Nolan and Reed over the course of their entire high school career. In doing so, Scott is able show their growth and the shedding of their innocence. She subtly introduces several high school-age themes from self-esteem issues to anxiety to peer pressure to bullying to sexual awakening to drinking and finally self-identity. The story develops organically and I really felt as if I went through four years of high school watching these two blossom.

Nolan is perhaps now one of my favourite YA heroines. While she may crush after the guy, she’s not entirely defined by it. She still has other things happening in her life that make up who she is – athletics, studies, family and friends. During this time when many teens are confused and exploring who they are, her core principles are intact. Believe me, she’s challenged a lot. She stands up for herself several times, including to Reed when he’s crossed the line. She’s strong — not perfect — and overcomes her shortcomings to be even stronger. This is a heroine I want my teen daughters to read!

And speaking of friends, they’re surrounded by some well-rounded, level-headed friends. The fact that their social circles remain a significant part of the story only enriches it and made me so happy.  It’s also a comfort considering the drama that comes and goes.

Nolan and Reed stumble spectacularly over the years on their way to each other. With the way their tale is spaced out, it allowed me the opportunity to experience all their milestones along with them. The high moments are sweet indeed and the low moments are crushing. This is my seventh Ginger Scott novel and she hasn't failed me yet. I admire her ability to write about real life issues and pull the reader into the journey at hand. I believe it’s because she’s not a narrow-minded writer. She’s always incorporating the bigger picture. In this case, it’s Nolan’s own self-discovery amidst AND outside the chaos of her relationship with Reed. The various themes contained within the story will resonate with many readers and elicit some strong emotions.

If you ask me to name my favourite YA novel, it would be this one. I can’t think of a single thing that I’d change about this story. It’s simply perfect to me.

~ Bel




Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Dirty by Kylie Scott - Teaser #1

Are you ready to get Dirty? 

Dirty is Book One in Kylie Scott’s Dive Bar Series releasing April 19th!





 
Pre-order your copy of DIRTY here:




Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1MetF1F

Race the Darkness by Abbie Roads Cover Reveal

Today we have the cover reveal for Abbie Roads’ Race the Darkness! I am so excited to share this fantastic new romantic suspense with all of you! Check it out and make sure to preorder your copy today!!

Release Date: Oct 4th



About Race the Darkness:

Cursed with a terrible gift…

Criminal investigator Xander Stone doesn’t have to question you—he can hear your thoughts. Scarred by lightning, burdened with a power that gives him no peace, Xander struggles to maintain his sanity against the voice that haunts him day and night—the voice of a woman begging him to save her.

A gift that threatens to engulf them…

Isleen Walker has long since given up hope of escape from the nightmare of captivity and torture that is draining her life, her mind, and her soul. Except…there is the man in her feverish dreams, the strangely beautiful man who beckons her to freedom and wholeness. And when he comes, if he comes, it will take all their combined fury and faith to overcome a madman bent on fulfilling a deadly prophecy.

Amazon     I     Barnes & Noble     I     BAM


Seven Things about Abbie Roads:

  1. She loves Snicker Parfaits. Gotta start with what’s most important, right?
  2. She writes dark emotional books featuring damaged characters, but always gives her hero and heroine a happy ending… after torturing them for three hundred pages.
  3. By day she’s a mental health counselor known for her blunt, honest style of therapy. At night she burns up the keyboard. Well… Burn might be too strong a word. She at least sits with her hands poised over the keyboard, waiting for inspiration to strike. And when it does—the keyboard might get a little warm.
  4. She can’t stand it when people drive slowly in the passing lane. Just saying. That’s major annoying. Right?
  5. She loves taking pictures of things she thinks are pretty.
  6. She’s represented by Michelle Grajkowski of 3 Seas Literary.
  7. Her first book RACE THE DARKNESS will be published October 4, 2016 by Sourcebooks. Yay!

Connect with Abbie:

WEBSITE     I     FACEBOOK     I     FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE     

TWITTER     I     PINTEREST

NEWSLETTER SIGN UP—For exclusive content and giveaways!!!



Waiting on Wednesday (184)


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating



Fly With Me (Wild Aces, #1)By Chanel Cleeton
Publication Date: May 3, 2016

From the author of the Capital Confessions Novels comes the first in the steamy Wild Aces Romance series.

U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Noah Miller—call sign Burn—loves nothing more than flying hard and fast. When he meets a gorgeous and sassy woman while partying in Las Vegas, he immediately locks on to her.

Jordan Callahan owns a thriving clothing boutique, but her love life is far less successful. Her luck changes when six feet, two inches of sexy swagger asks her to dance and turns her world upside down. 

One scorching weekend becomes an undeniable chemistry that they can’t leave in Vegas. But the long distance relationship and their different lives threaten to ground their romance. And when the dangers of Noah’s job become all too real, Jordan learns being with a fighter pilot means risking it all for a shot at love…



Heart Breaker (Nashville Nights, #1)By Erin McCarthy
Publication Date: May 17, 2016

They’re perfectly in tune—but only when it comes to their music. This sizzling romance from New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy follows Nashville’s hottest country music duo as they fight for love in a city where dreams often cost a broken heart.
  
Self-made singer/songwriter Jolene Hart loves everything about being on top in Nashville. Well, everything except her very public breakup with Chance Rivers, her sexy masculine other half. Once the hottest duo on the scene, they turned Music City on its ear. Now their careers are as cold as their relationship. Which is why their manager has practically locked them in a remote cabin with nothing but a guitar, a bed, and time to do what they do best: make some beautiful music together.
 
As Nashville royalty, Chance has big boots to fill—and the pressure that comes with ’em. He fell hard for Jolene, but he couldn’t handle the spotlight, the crowds, and the fights that made headlines and killed any notion that love and success could go hand-in-hand. Still, Chance is more than willing to rekindle the one thing that worked: the wild passion behind their hit songs. Soon they’re making up for lost time, in the steamiest ways possible. But Chance finds himself wishing for the impossible: that their intimate hideaway could last forever.
 
Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.


The Art of Being NormalBy Lisa Williamson
Publication Date: May 31, 2016

David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he's gay. The school bully thinks he's a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth: David wants to be a girl.

On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal: to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in his class is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long , and soon everyone knows that Leo used to be a girl.


As David prepares to come out to his family and transition into life as a girl and Leo wrestles with figuring out how to deal with people who try to define him through his history, they find in each other the friendship and support they need to navigate life as transgender teens as well as the courage to decide for themselves what normal really means.
 

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis Blog Tour





It's that time again friends, Jill Shalvis has another book releasing and we are psyched to head back to Cedar Ridge!  I mean, just look at the hotness that is Jacob Kincaid...


A rugged, outdoorsy soldier?  Yes please!  If that's not enough enticement to read on, there's also a giveaway below, but you should check out the book for Jill's trademark humor and steamy sexy-times.  



About NOBODY BUT YOU
When Jacob was injured in the war, it changed him for life. Now all he wants to do is come home to Cedar Ridge, settle in at his lakeside cabin and get some much-needed peace and quiet. But there's no peace to be had when he finds a spitfire of a woman camping out on his property. Half the time he's not sure whether he wants to spank her or kiss--or maybe both. He's in a dark place and a dark mood, and here's this wildly hot woman who is also funny and light and may be the balm be needs to soothe his aching soul.

Sophie Marren is pretty much penniless after leaving her abusive husband. She doesn't have the money to pay rent or the slip fees for docking the boat where she's been sleeping. She was getting along just perfectly until the good-looking, brooding, I'm-too-sexy-for-myself guy moves into the lake cabin that the slip belongs to. Sure he's hot as the noon sun with those dark lens and even darker 'tude, but god forbid she tie herself to another man who's always telling her what to do. But the more she gets to know Jacob, the more she sees how willing he is to battle for her wounded heart...a battle she might just let him win.

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

Jill’s Social Media:
Website: JillShalvis.com
FB: Facebook.com/jillshalvis
T: @jillshalvis
IG: @jillshalvis

Buy Links
Amazonamzn.to/1nJOatw 
IndieBoundbit.ly/22gObop 
iTunes: apple.co/1TJDOYH 
GooglePlaybit.ly/1RKiLPz 
Kobobit.ly/1QTy644 

Excerpt:


She eyed the bench a long beat but did eventually sit, perching primly as far from him as she could get and yet still be close enough to grab the bottle.

Smart woman.

She took the Scotch and drank. Her eyes watered and she coughed as she handed it to him. With a sigh, she leaned back to study the night sky. Her bared throat was slim and creamy smooth. An unexpected temptation. Remembering the flash of pain and vulnerability she’d unwittingly revealed, and that for whatever reason he’d somehow added to it, he spoke. “I’m sorry.”

She glanced at him as if she’d never heard a man apologize before in her life. “For…breathing?” she asked. “Having a penis? What?”

“You were upset because you didn’t know I was a Kincaid.”

She sighed. “That was just me looking for a reason to be mad at you so I wouldn’t…”

She bit her lower lip, clearly not wanting to go on.

But now he had to know. “So you wouldn’t what?”

“Nothing,” she said. “It’s just that I’m trying to make better choices.”

“Of which I wouldn’t be one.”

“It’s not necessarily your fault,” she said. “It’s that you’re a man.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“And I’m off men right now.”

“And on…women?” he asked with admittedly more than a little fascination.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m on no one, but thank you for proving my point on men.”

“I get that,” he said. “But being off men doesn’t seem to be making you very happy, or sound like a whole lot of fun.”

“Maybe I don’t need fun.”

He understood that. He’d felt the same way since Brett died. “What do you need?” he asked, honestly wanting to know more about her.

Instead of answering, she reached for the bottle. He waited until she met his gaze before letting go.
“Nothing,” she said a little too quickly. “Everything’s…perfect.”

“And your glass is half full,” he said. “So you’ve said.”

But he didn’t believe her. “How about a game?”

“I don’t play games.”

Now, that wasn’t exactly true. Whether she knew it or not, she’d been playing with  his head since he’d first laid eyes on her. “Three truths and a lie,” he said.

She stared at him. “As in you tell me three truths and a lie, and I pick out the lie?”

 “Yes.”

She considered this. “What do I get if I win?”

“What do you want?”

For the briefest of beats, her gaze dropped to his mouth.

Oh, hell yeah, he thought. Want me…

“My first boyfriend taught me that game,” she said.

“What did the winner get?”

“A kiss.”

Definitely still playing with his head… “Is that what you want, Sophie? A kiss?”

Again she stared at his mouth before dropping eye contact and wrapping that eye-stopping pink robe tighter around her body. “Do you?” she asked.

“Hell yes.”

Her gaze flew to his.

“Problem is,” he said conversationally, “if I kissed you, I don’t think I’d be able to stop.”

Her mouth literally fell open. The pulse at the base of her throat jumped. And she seemed to lose her words.

He went on. “But you should know, I don’t lose. That means you’ll have to tell me three truths and a lie.” And he’d hopefully get to know more about her.
She closed her mouth to bite her lower lip in what could’ve been indecision or excitement. Obviously he was hoping for the latter. “But hey, if you’re not sure you can handle losing, we can just forget about it,” he said.

The challenge lifted her chin and put sparks in her eyes. That’s it, babe. Show me what you’ve got.

“Bring it,” she said.




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