Breaking A Legend by Sarah Robinson Blog Tour - Review & Q & A

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BREAKING A LEGEND

Kavanagh Legends #1

Sarah Robinson

Released Sept 29th, 2015

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Perfect for fans of Katy Evans and Monica Murphy, Sarah Robinson’s blistering-hot series debut introduces the Kavanagh brothers—mixed martial arts fighters who work hard, play hard, and love with all their hearts.

As one of the big names at his family’s gym, Legends, MMA star Rory Kavanagh is used to being in the spotlight—until a gruesome leg injury knocks him out of the cage. Rory is left feeling sidelined in more ways than one, battling the inner demons that come with losing the one shot at his dreams. Then Clare walks into his life and gives him a new dream: winning her heart. There aren’t many new faces in Woodlawn these days, but this tough, beautiful stranger makes Rory want to get his life back into fighting shape.

Clare Ivers doesn’t think she’ll be able to tell anyone what really brought her to the close-knit Bronx neighborhood where she just started bartending. But her life’s on pause and her past is catching up fast, try as she might to move on—with new friends, steady work, and a chiseled alpha male trying to get her attention. Even though Rory’s more than a little intense, she can’t deny that her heart beats faster when he looks at her with those soulful silver eyes. Clare thought she was done with love, but Rory might just be man enough to show her she thought wrong.

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Sarah Robinson is the bestselling author of The Photographer Trilogy and the Sand & Clay rock star series. A native of Washington, D.C., Robinson has both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal psychology. She is married to a local police officer who is just as much of an animal rescue enthusiast as she is. Together, they own a zoo of rescue and foster animals.

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We asked Sarah Robinson a few questions and she very kindly joined in our silliness!  Check out the Q & A below:

BiblioJunkies:  What is your favorite thing about sports romance?

Sarah Robinson: Masculinity and rugged alphas, for sure. Almost every sports romance has a muscled, strong athlete who’s one of the best in his field, and won’t let anything stand between him and his dreams. Being an athlete takes dedication, skill, and ambition- all very attractive qualities to me in a man, and ones I hope to portray in all my novels. Rory’s career is over at the start of the novel due to an injury, but the same drive and determination never leaves him. He knows what he wants, and he’s going to get her.

BiblioJunkies:  Do you have a favorite book boyfriend/literary crush?

Sarah Robinson:  Gabe Hyde from Rachel van Dyken’s Ruin Series has stuck with me for a while, something about the way she writes men is intoxicating to me. They’re both strong and capable, yet wounded and in need of a woman’s help to be the man they want to be. If you’re talking specifically MMA       romances, then any man in the Fighting Series by JB Salsbury has stolen my heart more than once. Honestly, I don’t have one specific favorite, because my favorite is usually whatever I’m   reading at the time!

BiblioJunkies:  What is your favorite book of 2015 (so far)?

Sarah Robinson:  I adored The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon, which I’m not sure came out this year but I read it   this year. That story was fantastic. I laughed out loud, literally to Confessions of a Reformed Tom            Cat by Daisy Prescott. For a chilling and fantastic read, I read Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes         which actually comes out next year. Her first book, You, was amazing, and it’s in my top favorites        of all time. For romance specifically, I really loved After the Kiss by Lauren Layne, and that whole     series. I plan on reading at least 30 more books before the end of the year though, so who knows   what else might catch my eye! At the end of every year, I post a “top books of the year” list on my website, which you can subscribe to in order not to miss it at www.booksbysarahrobinson.net.

BiblioJunkies:  Are you a boxing/MMA fan?

Sarah Robinson:  Do I like sweaty men groping around at each other and flipping around on a mat? Yes, yes I do.    Do I like the sport itself and am a diehard fan? Not necessarily. I enjoy the sport itself, but it’s   always so short. So often when I’m watching, it’s always the lead up to the fight, then the fight is ten seconds, and it’s over. Those ten seconds are pretty freaking awesome though.

BiblioJunkies:  We are all about books, boys and pie (or really any sweet treat) here at BiblioJunkies HQ, we’ve covered the first two, so I have to ask, what is your favorite treat?

Sarah Robinson:  I’m eating pizza as a type this and wearing a t-shirt by Chris Crocker that says “I ain’t tryna please ya, I’m just tryna eat some pizza,” so one would think that is my favorite, but that’s just my favorite of the day. My favorite sweet treats varies based on the time of the month, you know what I’m talking about ladies, and based on how heavily my personal trainer shamed me and my eating habits that particularly, but if the calories don’t count, sheet cake is my favorite thing in the world. Generic vanilla sheet cake with dye-your-tongue-blue frosting and outrageously large frosting flowers. Heaven, right there. Sometimes I crash kid’s birthday parties just to eat the cake, and if they have one of those weird fruit cakes, they’re off my friend list for life. This is very serious.

I often post the silly things I’m wearing and eating on my Instagram (www.instagram.com/booksbysarahrobinson) so make sure to follow me to keep up!

Review:
***

There seem to be a lot of boxing/MMA books out there right now where the badass fighter falls for the abused girl.  Breaking a Legend was well-executed, thoughtful and a good read, but I think I'm burnt out on this particular storyline.  I will never tire of staring at the book cover, though.  :)  That said, I enjoyed Breaking a Legend, especially the supporting cast of characters.

I do adore the Kavanagh family and can't wait to read Kieran's story in Saving a Legend (coming in March 2016).  Lots of siblings, each will get their own book according to Ms. Robinson's website, and if you have siblings, you know the kind of hijinx that ensue.  There's a real family dynamic that is entertaining and engrossing, and that is what will keep me coming back for more.  

~ Shel

Upside Down Print Release Blog Tour by Lia Riley

Today is an extra beautiful day because Upside Down is now available in print! That's right - you can now own this fantastic book with the amazing cover about two souls, Talia and Bran, finding that epic love Down Under!

To celebrate this very special occasion, Lia Riley stops by to share with us some of her favourite Australian things. We also have a teaser and oh yes, a giveaway! Just think, you can stare at your very own copy of Upside Down on your bookshelf! I plan on having my own copy because I can't pass up this amazingly hot cover ;)

~ Bel

UPSIDE DOWN by Lia Riley (May 12, 2015; Forever Trade Paperback; Off the Map #1)

If you never get lost, you'll never be found…

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying good-bye to the past-and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she'll act like a carefree exchange student, not a girl sinking under the weight of painful memories. Everything is going according to plan until she meets a brooding surfer with hypnotic green eyes and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he moved back home to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He's never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once in a lifetime . . . or if they were meant to live a world apart.

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Excerpt:

“Is it true you have no regrets, not even one?” Hopefully he has no idea how dead serious I am in his response. 

“There’s no point.” His fingers tighten infinitesimally on the wheel. “The past is the past. That’s it.” 

“Like whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?” 

“No, that’s a dumb-ass cliché. I mean there’s no meaning to life, despite what people pretend. Once I figured that out, everything got easier.” 

“Has anyone ever said you are intense?” 

“Since the day I was born.” He checks the rearview mirror. “So I got to ask you something. Maybe I’m presuming but—” 

“If that’s your lead-in, then you’re probably correct.” 

“You don’t fool me.” 

He’s right. No matter how hard I try to hide and pretend away my crazy, Bran sees too much. 

“But you try to fool everyone, don’t you?” He turns and catches me staring. “With the act. You, all breezy, cute as hell, always smiling like we’re at some big-deal party. You know what I think—” 

“No, actually.” Wait, I’m cute? He thinks I’m cute? 

“Not sure what your issue is, but—” 

“I’m fine,” I mutter tightly. Reality wanders back, as unwelcome as a drunk uncle at a family picnic. Let’s face it, no one wants to be around a girl with issues. “Really, I’m all good.” Right, I sound like a five-year-old watching worms die in puddles.

“Whatever you say, Miss OCD.” He glances from the open atlas on my lap to my pursed mouth with a thoughtful look. 

“I…I…” Anxiety locks me in an invisible chokehold while my abdomen spasms. But Bran’s gaze isn’t mocking. There’s an unexpected sweetness there that’s coaxing me from my familiar fortification. “I guess maybe it’s something like that.” My whispered words rise above my head like a toxic balloon.

“Must kinda suck.”

People don’t kid if they think you’re crazy, right? 

“Sucks donkey balls.”

He grins. “An unpleasant flavor.”

Suddenly I can breathe again. “And you’d know how?”

A second crawls past. He keeps his veiled eyes trained on the road. 

“Bran?” Finally, I can’t take it. I need to say something. “You acting nice is unfamiliar, and, frankly, uncomfortable, territory.”

“Is being interested a crime?” He kneads the back of his neck. The deep, massaging rhythm is mesmerizing. His thumb is a little wide. He keeps his nails neatly cut. 

“You’re interested?” I’m off-kilter, like I’ve taken back-to-back rides on the Tilt-A-Whirl at the boardwalk. 

“In your quirks. Let’s hear another one.”

“One more. That’s it. Then we’re done for the day.” I kick off my flip-flops and cross my ankles. “I can’t fall asleep without reciting this long poem, Paul Revere’s Ride.” 

How is this even possible? We’re talking about my most shameful secrets like it’s just another thing. Why isn’t he pointing a judgmental finger at me, crying, Shun her, shun the freak? 

“And you call me kinky? What do your boyfriends say when they sleep over?”

“I repeat the words in my head, not out loud. And I’ve never had a boyfriend.”

“Wait, how is that even possible?” 

“What? The no-boyfriend situation?” The words make me sound like a bigger loser when spoken aloud. There’s a very good reason. Too busy obsessing over my sister’s big love. But I don’t say that. Even in this sharing mood, some words strangle. Still, I’ve hinted at my blackest secret and wasn’t smote down, laughed at, or ridiculed. 

A new song starts that’s all angsty and instrumental—dramatic violins, slow guitar riffs, and measured drumbeats. I don’t want to go dark, not right now, when everything almost glows.

I spy Bran’s iPod up on the dash and reach forward. “We need different music—”

“But we haven’t finished talking about— Wait! Hold up.” His hand darts but I’m quicker. 

“What?” I dangle the iPod out of reach. “Cool guy like you have something to hide?

Maybe a secret Beyoncé playlist or…” I flick on the screen. “Oh to the Em Gee.” 

“Go on.” He heaves an exaggerated sigh. “Don’t hold back.” 

“Justin Bieber?” 

“I watched my nieces yesterday. They have a dance recital to the song next week. I helped them practice their routine.” 

“You? That’s so normal.” And sweet. 

“Yep. I broke it down to the Biebs.” 

“Please, tell me there’s a video.” 

“I’m secure in my manhood, Captain.”

About Lia Riley:

After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, Lia Riley scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. When not torturing heroes (because c'mon, who doesn't love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach combs, daydreams about as-of-yet unwritten books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. She and her family live mostly in Northern California.

A little Q & A fun with Lia about what her favourite things about Australia are (aside from the Hemsworth brothers)

Must-see location in Australia

Wineglass Bay, Tasmania

Australian food & dessert

Pavlova! It’s a meringue based desert with a crisp crust that’s soft and light inside, usually served with a dab of cream and smothered with fruit.

Uniquely Australian activity

Hemsworth spotting. Joking. No, not really joking.  Someday Liam…someday. (BliblioJunkie Bel kindly requests that if you see Chris, aka The Elder Hemsworth, please tackle him for me. But gently. Thank you.)

An Australian band and/or movie we should check out

Ohhh, good question. I love the classic The Year My Voice Broke and also The Castle.

And finally something extra special about Australia she'd like to share with us.

No one ever remembers Tasmania and they should. It’s gorgeous, the food is outstanding, and the beauty is unparalleled.

Connect With Lia:

Website    I     Facebook     I     Twitter     I     Goodreads

Giveaway:

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