Saturday, May 30, 2015

The Duff Book Review!

The Duff

Author: Kody Keplinger
Average Rating: 3.91/5.0
Personal Rating: 3.5/5.0
Page Count: 300 
Publisher: Poppy
Release Date: 7 September 2010


According to Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “Duffy,” she throws her Coke in his face.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Feature and Follow (#1)


Happy Friday everyone!

Parajunkee and Allison Can Read are the two hosts of Feature and Follow. The goal of the Feature and Follow is to meet new bloggers in the world of book blogging and earn some new followers :)

The awesome thing about this feature is that when you follow me I will follow you, and vice versa.  Let me know if you followed by Email or Bloglovin down in the comments! One last thing, make sure you leave your link so I can come visit :) I look forward to reading all of your blogs!

This Week's Question Is...

How many books do you have on your TBR list? Question was asked by Obsessive Compulsive Reader

Hmm should I tell the truth or...? Alright. Guys. I have a confession to make. According to my Goodreads TBR shelf, I have *drum-roll please* a grand total of 459 books. However, with that being said I probably have over 500 since I have a lot of books on my physical bookshelf that I haven't taken the time to add to Goodreads. 

I really need to go through my Goodreads list, especially, and see which books I am actually still interested in reading some day and which ones that need to go. Do I see spring cleaning in my future?



Wednesday, May 27, 2015

The Cinderella Moment by Jennifer Kloester Book Blitz with Giveaway #ReadSwoonRepeat

Note from Meredith:

Welcome back to A Book Lover's Corner. Today, we welcome Jennifer Kloester and her novel The Cinderella Moment. We also have a giveaway that will have one winner who can choose any two already published Swoon Romance novels in an e-book form. Thank you to Jennifer Kloester, Swoon Romance, and Chapter by Chapter for allowing me to be a part of the tour. 


The-Cinderella-Moment-Banner


Welcome to this week’s

Swoon Romance YA Wednesdays!

This week features:

The Cinderella Moment by Jennifer Kloester!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!


The-Cinderella-Moment-Cover


I adored this book. It made me think of Sabrina meets Anna and the French Kiss.” – Amanda

If you love a good male lead, and you love fairy-tale style re-tellings then this is the book for you!” — Claire

This one played out in my head like a movie.” — Michelle, Novels on the Run

So nice to see a clean, old-fashioned romantic coming of age story. I can see Disney knocking on Ms. Kloester’s door soon. A very charming read. I will recommend to my students this fall.” —MaryAnn E.

I just loved this book! So not was I was expecting. Clean, romantic and the fashion is to die for!” — K. Mendez


Let the masquerade begin!

Angel Moncoeur has always wanted to be a fashion designer, but without money or connections, it’s going to be a challenge. When an opportunity to leave her home in New York and head to Paris appears, Angel grabs it – even if it means masquerading as her best friend Lily. That can’t be too hard, can it? But when she falls in love with her very own Prince Charming who thinks she’s someone else, Angel embarks on a plan to secure her happy ever after.

THE CINDERELLA MOMENT is a fabulously fun story about high society, mistaken identity, love, betrayal, friendship – and great clothes!

THE CINDERELLA MOMENT is a contemporary twist on the Cinderella fairytale. There are no fantasy or magical elements. This is NOT a paranormal or fantasy novel! This is a clean contemporary coming of age story that readers can be conformtable recommending to daughters, nieces, students and friends who enjoy teen romance reads. Originally published in Austalia by Penguin. Available in the U.S. in both print and eBook from Swoon Romance.

add to goodreadsThe Cinderella Moment
by Jennifer Kloester
Publication Date: December 2013
Publisher: Swoon Romance



About-the-Author

Jennifer Kloester



I was born in Melbourne, Australia, but have lived and worked in Papua New Guinea and the Middle East and travelled to more than thirty countries. During my time abroad I studied as an off-campus student with Deakin University and achieved my BA (Hons) while raising my three children. After graduating with a PhD in history from the University of Melbourne, I had my first two books: 'Georgette Heyer's Regency World' and 'Georgette Heyer' (the biography) published in both the UK and the USA. I've had lots of fun giving talks around the world on Georgette Heyer and the Regency, and am a passionate advocate for women writers, books and reading. My first novel, 'The Cinderella Moment', was published by Penguin Australia and Swoon Romance in 2013 and will be followed by the sequel, The Rapunzel Dilemma in 2014. I love writing and spending time with my family, gardening, reading and going to the beach. I have a black belt in karate and am love having adventures. One of my favourite things is experiencing new cultures, meeting new people and trying out different languages. Particular interests include Georgette Heyer first editions, and after a glorious visit to South Korea in 2012, Korean language and culture.


Giveaway


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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Ideal High by Valerie Ipson Book Blitz and Giveaway!

Ideal High Banner

Note from Meredith

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day or night :) Today, we are welcoming Valerie Ipson and her book Ideal High. So, feel free to take a look around, and get to know all there is about Ideal High (there's an excerpt!) and Valerie Ipson. As a bonus, there's a giveaway for one person to win an ebook copy of Ideal High, one winner for a print copy of Ideal High, and three winners for a $10 Amazon gift card! Lastly, (but not least) I want to thank YaReads Blog Tour for allowing me to be a part of this book tour. 

Ideal High
Title:Ideal High

Author: Valerie Ipson

Genre: YA contemporary

Published: February 24th, 2015

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25032703-ideal-high
Amazon


Smashwords


Barnes & Noble


There’s no way Taryn’s taking Blake’s place as president of the student body. As soon as the memorial for him and six of their friends is over, she’s resigning as VP. Really.
Except people say the fire was no accident.
(She say it’s way too easy to blame someone who’s dead.)
When Taryn reads the writing on the wall, literally, the bathroom wall, she knows what it means. To get to the truth she has to come out from under her paisley comforter.
But, seriously, what stage of grief says Taryn has to be the one to fix what’s wrong at Ideal High? Maybe she’s the one who’s broken.



About the Author:

Valerie

Valerie Ipson loves her family…and reading, writing, genealogy, and Hershey Milk Chocolate Almond & Toffee Nuggets. She lives in Mesa, Arizona, and IDEAL HIGH is her debut novel. Reading has always been a huge love in her life, but she never thought she’d be on the author side of a book. Valerie hopes she can give readers the same experience that she has enjoyed through the years while being curled up with a good book!

Blog: http://valerieipson.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13550563.Valerie_Ipson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/valerieipson



The Excerpt:
Whose idea is it to broadcast the super-size faces of those who died to the far reaches of the school’s auditorium? Everybody knows they’re gone. Why emphasize the obvious even for the sake of a memorial? And why no rain on this joyless day? Never a good Texas thunderstorm when you need one.


I force a glance at the pull-down screen behind me, but immediately turn to focus on the line where the ceiling meets the wall at the back of the room. I can’t bear to look into the crowd, but I can’t look at the screen either. A giant reminder that I will never see those faces again. Weeks of grief have left me numb, but I should have worn my hair down to give me something to hide behind. Just in case.

Light pours in through the ribbon of windows high along the back wall. It crisscrosses the podium, making me squint at the sheet of paper in front of me.

It doesn’t matter. I know the list by heart.

I blink through the glare and lean in to the microphone, not sure how loud I need to be. “Ashley Bannister.”

My voice echoes across the vast room. Plenty loud.

All eyes rivet on the screen and a kid from Drama Club tugs the rope of the school bell slowly and deliberately for maximum effect. It must have taken practice to get a perfect mournful clang.

The audience’s collective gaze swings to my right. To Chelsea standing at a matching podium, staring at her own list. She’s leaning heavy on her crutches, and on the podium, too. She needs both to keep her vertical, apparently. I’m just glad I don’t have to share the same half of the stage with her. As always, I need my distance. That hasn’t changed.

“Weston James Brown.” Chelsea’s lips tighten into a thin line. I’m amazed she gets the name out. The bell sounds again, even more slowly than the first time, and a chorus of sniffles and muffled sobs grows slightly louder.

I measure my breathing and tap my fingers along the edge of the sheet of paper in front of me. I have to keep my hands busy, distracted. Maybe if I keep moving I won’t think too hard about the next name.

I switch to rubbing my palms up and down the sides of my pants. I just can’t look at Kayla’s parents who sit with my mom and dad in the front row. I pause too long and the principal clears his throat behind me. Very cliché, Mr. Myers. Doesn’t he get that this is beyond difficult?

“Kayla … Marie … Carter.” I speak her name to the back wall then take up tapping on the podium again. But not so loud anyone can hear. So much for avoiding the faces on the screen. All that loops through my brain is Kayla’s wide smile.

Quit worrying, Taryn. Blake’s not getting back with Chelsea, Kayla had said that night after the party. I’ll go find him for you and you’ll see I’m right. Then she walked right back into the old Gin Co. building.

Why was I forced to do this? I’m not the one who should be speaking the names of the dead in front of all these people. The list reads like the school’s Who’s Who, and I have no business pretending I’m one of them.

Except for him. How many more names until his? I’d scanned both versions as soon as they were held out to us, snatching the one with his name among those highlighted. Chelsea has no right to it, to him. Not like I do. At least that’s what I tell myself.

The light flickers from behind me, so I know they’ve moved on to the next abnormous face. A face that should be in the yearbook, not on a screen at a memorial.

A moan rises from the second row, competing with the plaintive tones of the bell. Plaintive? Where’d that come from? Now I’m conjuring up junior year Vocab?

One of Chelsea’s crutches bangs against her podium. I can’t help shooting her a sideways glance. She’s still hunched forward. Definitely struggling and the service is just getting started.

Thankfully, I don’t have to maneuver crutches and the names in front of me. Still, I will it to be over. My knotted stomach begs for it, and the fetal-position imprint on my bed is only growing colder. Who knows how long Principal Myers will feel obligated to address the assembled after our part is done?

Chelsea finally speaks, but the name comes out in a hiccupped sob. The noise of a bump, then a scrape carry through the sound system when she adjusts her crutches again.

“Keisha Lambert.” I blurt it out when it’s my turn, afraid to get stuck on a name again. I shut my eyes and try to erase the image that the crowd views behind me. Her exotic-for-small-town, multi-color-ed cornrows and pierced eyebrow, her excitement at being named cheerleader last May.

Chelsea reads the next name, verbally struggling yet again. It’s understandable. She and Becca Martin were closer than sisters.

My throat tightens when I move in closer to the mic, but I’m determined not to lose it like Chelsea. Fixating on the list, I draw in a breath and the amplification of it hits the back wall. I cover my mouth, but it doesn’t hide my embarrassment. The faces of the crowd blur, and all I can see is Blake’s, creased with alarm as flames leap out of the building behind him.

Don’t turn to look at the screen. Say his name, but don’t look at his face. I hesitate, wanting — needing to. Wishing I could ask him the questions that plague me. They all start with “Why?”

Chelsea’s crutches bump and scrape again, sending javelins of adrenaline into the pit of my stomach. I drop both hands onto the podium in front of me. I suddenly need something to hang onto.

Just say it. Say his name loud and strong. He deserves that. My lips brush the microphone and I taste metal.

“Blake Austin Montgomery.”

His name erupts from my mouth and startles the crowd. The hushed crying and sniffling silences for a moment as if proper tribute to the late student body president mandates it.

Ignoring the looks from the audience, I clench the neatly-typed names on the paper into a fist. Relief surges through me now that my part of the program is over.

But it isn’t over, not really. The memorial is only the beginning of what was supposed to be the perfect senior year.

Blake, the object of my years-long crush, and I were a couple. Sort of.

We’d been elected student body officers — president and vice-president. We spent the entire last month of school sitting in homeroom eating doughnuts on the sly, discussing senior year. True, Blake had done most of the talking and me a lot of nodding, but he intended for us to be a couple, right? I was his date to Junior Prom. That has to mean something.

I head to my seat on the stage, avoiding Chelsea’s eyes as the too-tanned blonde hobbles over to drop into the chair next to me. The principal takes my place at the podium on the left.

“I want to thank these ladies for volunteering for this assignment.” He nods in our general direction, before addressing the audience. “As you know, Taryn Young will step into the position of student body president and Chelsea Manor as head of the cheerleading squad.”

Volunteered? Yeah, right. I stare at my shoes, afraid to look anyone in the eyes. I’m on stage by default. I’m the only one of the newly-elected class officers to survive the fire. But more than that I am a fraud. An abnormous fraud. An enormous abnormal fraud.

I would have never run for vice president if Blake hadn’t talked me into it. The position full-out scared me, but how could I turn him down? Ever since that day in homeroom when he first noticed the doughnut glaze on my shirt sleeves, I couldn’t tell the difference between dream and reality anymore. They were the same. Now I wish I could erase the nightmare, or better yet, rewind it all so the night of the Ideal Gin Co. fire never happened.

I squirm in my seat, trying to get comfortable as Mr. Myers’ words buzz through the sound system. No rewinds. No do-overs. Now I sit with the only other survivor of the fire in front of an auditorium full of people with questions. Why Taryn Young, they must be thinking? Why not my son or daughter, my sister or brother? No, just Taryn and Chelsea. A cruel reminder of those who hadn’t made it out alive.

Things like this don’t happen at my school. Not in a town called Ideal, Texas.

I half-listen as the principal begins his concluding remarks. “The first day of class is one week from today and counselors will be available. Line up outside Ms. McKinney’s door, no appointments needed. Our goal is to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. Let’s not forget,” he stresses, “here at Ideal High School we have a long-standing tradition of unity, pride, and respect. This will carry us through.”

I just want to crawl back into bed where only my pillow hears me scream.

“What about my brother?” A masculine voice coming from the side of the stage jars me. From the shadowed steps, the voice addresses the principal again. “You didn’t call out his name. Isn’t he good enough for your program?”

A figure steps into the stage lights. He wears faded jeans and a gray plaid shirt with sleeves rolled up and shirt tails hanging. The thud of cowboy boots punctuates his step as he edges closer to the podium opposite the principal. He’s about my age, and I can’t help noticing the square confidence of his shoulders, despite the pain that ruts his brow.

“My brother died in the fire, too.”

“Who’s that?” hisses Chelsea. She doubles over like she’s in pain, but maybe she’s just trying to get a better look. The same question seems to vibrate across the auditorium.

I fix my eyes on the intruder. I can’t wrap my brain around his claim. I know everyone who was at Ritter’s Crossing that night where the crumbling old cotton gin had stood for a hundred years before the fire destroyed it.

Mr. Myers takes a step toward the young man. “May I help you after the service? We’re almost finished here.”

“You can help me. You can have one of these pretty girls with their expensive clothes and neon-white teeth stand at the microphone and shout out Tim’s name.” The stranger’s voice breaks, but he continues, “He’s important, too, even though no one knows his name.”

“Son, please,” Mr. Myers begins again. “Let’s discuss this afterwards in my office. I’m sure we can clear up any misunderstanding.”

I sense movement among the faculty members sitting on the stage around me, but I don’t take my eyes off the stranger. Mr. Myers seems unruffled, but my mood moves quickly from confusion to irritation. Who is this guy? Who’s his brother?

“Let me do it. Then I’ll leave y’all alone.” He reaches the podium where Chelsea stood moments before. The mic’s movement grates through the sound system when he pulls it to him, and I slide to the edge of my seat. I have to admit, now he’s really got my attention.

“He was my younger brother. My only brother.” The guy turns away from the mic, momentarily pressing his left thumb and index finger to his eyes. Mr. Myers motions for the others to hold back as the young man continues. “Sure he was new, an easy target for bullies. But he was a student here.”

His words are half-whispers now where before he had been practically shouting. “Can’t you say his name? Can’t you give him even that much?”

The guy takes a deep breath. His next words echo across the room, calm and clear. “Timothy Wade Jenks.”

He turns, steps straight to the bell, and grabs the rope. Yanking it, he sends a single deafening bong reverberating across the room. He pauses, head bowed, then disappears down the same steps from which he came, leaving behind a brief, bewildered silence.

As the auditorium door closes behind him, the room erupts into chaos.




The Giveaway:

(1) ebook of Ideal High

(1) print book of Ideal High

(3) $10 Amazon Gift Cards



Open to US and CAN



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, May 25, 2015

The Flappers: Vixen Review!

Vixen (Flapper #1)

Author: Jillian Larkin
Average Rating: 3.77/5.0
Personal Rating: 4.0/5.0
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: 15 December 2010


According to Goodreads:

Jazz... Booze... Boys... It's a dangerous combination. 
Every girl wants what she can't have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle--and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she's engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago's most powerful families, Gloria's party days are over before they've even begun... or are they?

Clara Knowles, Gloria's goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch--but Clara isn't as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she'll do anything to keep hidden...

Lorraine Dyer, Gloria's social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria's shadow. When Lorraine's envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone's going to be very sorry...

My Opinion:

I don't know about all of you, but it has been a life long dream of mine to be able to travel back in time to the Roaring Twenties. There's something so...okay cheesy alert...enchanting/enthralling about the flappers, the jazz, the speakeasies, the clothes, the mob. That time period seems so exciting compared to 2015. I know 2015 that you are not even halfway over, but I mean nothing has really happen. It's not me, but you. Anyway...and how can we forget about the slang??? You are the cat's meow? Copasetic? Look how fun those are. All we got are...swag, hipster, dough. Eh. 

As you might have picked up on, I love the setting. The characters didn't disappoint either. The book has three narrators that alternate each chapter. First, you have Gloria who wants to rebel against her goody two shoes lifestyle before she is tied down due to wedding vows. She comes from a new money family, and is engaged to Bastian Grey, who is old money. There's even talk that he has a hint of royalty running through his veins. He has the looks and the money ladies and gentlemen, but don't be fooled! That is purely a disguise. Jerome is a popular African American pianist in the most popular speakeasy currently, the Green Mill. Gloria is instantly drawn to him and he vice versa. Lorraine is the second narrator, and Gloria's best friend...if you can call someone that who is always jealous of your popularity and is always looking to be the center of attention. The third narrator is Clara, who is Gloria's cousin from a farm in Pennsylvania but arrives with a secret past. Interlaced throughout all the narratives is Marcus, a handsome boy who is friends with Gloria and Lorraine. 

There are about 2 1/2 romantic relationships occurring throughout the novel. Two are right in your face, in a good way. The other half involves someone chasing and pining over a boy who doesn't look at her much more than as a friend. It takes her well over two-thirds of the book to realize she needs to move on, only for her to run into a man who actually does pay attention. I enjoyed following along as the characters shared their secrets, gained trust, broke away from relationships/friendships, and basically figured out what they really wanted and not what society or their parents wanted.  

There are two things that I wished we would have gotten. They are both mild. One, I wish we could have received more backstory about Clara's relationship with the man from her past (I don't want to say the name, because it will take away some of the suspense). The other thing I wish there would have been more of was more interaction with the mob. However, I feel like my second wish will come true in the second novel Ingenue, because that plot twist had me questioning my existence. Let's just say, I immediately requested Ingenue from my library, and will be picking it up on Tuesday. 

I recommend Vixen to all historical fiction lovers, especially for those who would have wanted to live during the Roaring Twenties like me. The novel is definitely low-key on the action level, but the suspense and the vividness that Jillian Larkin creates with her writing truly makes Vixen worth the read. 


Purchase Links:


Check out the Flappers Website!




Thursday, May 21, 2015

Mia and the Bad Boy by Lisa Burstein Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway!

Mia and the Bad Boy

Author: Lisa Burstein
Publisher: Entangled Crush
Release Date: 19 May 2015


According to Goodreads:

This good girl’s about to meet her match…

Ryder Brooks is living the dream—he’s famous, loved by millions of girls, and miserable. All he really wants is to write his own music, not Seconds to Juliet’s sugary sweet pop. In order to do that, though, the “bad boy” of the band will have to play by the rules. And that includes behaving with his new—and super cute—über-good-girl tutor.

Mia Reyes is in fangirl heaven. Tutoring her favorite member of her favorite band? It’s a dream come true…until it turns into a complete nightmare. Ryder is nothing like she thought. He’s crude, arrogant, and pretty much a total jerk. And the worst part? She’s roped into pretending to be his girlfriend so that no one finds out he’s being tutored. Fake kisses, plenty of PDA, and even sharing his hotel room…

But sometimes even the baddest of bad boys needs a little redemption.


Purchase Links


My Opinion:

I received an e-ARC through NetGalley through YA Bound Book Tours, but in no way does that influence my opinion. 

Reading Mia and the Bad Boy was a fresh breath of air for me. It has been forever since I read a contemporary romance that involved a bad boy and good girl. I love watching the good girl slowly but surely realize there's more to life than following every single rule and restriction in the non-existent rule book. 

S2J, the boy band in the novel, reminded me so much of One Direction. I loved how Lisa Burstein portrayed each member of the band. In fact, I wish she would have gone deeper into each of them so the reader could have gotten to know them more. However, the whole novel basically surrounds around Ryder and Mia. 

I felt like some parts were hard to believe. For example, Mia has to share a couch bed with Ryder at one of their concert stops. She doesn't try to find Lester, the band's manager and Mia's boss, and she doesn't put up a huge fight. I get the guy is hot and all, but he's still a stranger to her at this point. If I were in her spot I probably would have made a larger deal about it than just contemplating on how she needs to be this good girl but she'll go ahead and sleep there with him. 

Overall, I found the romance was sweet and cute. I would definitely say this is a fast read with plenty of drama as Ryder figures out how to open his heart to someone leading him to be vulnerable. I would recommend Mia and the Bad Boy to all of you who are out there looking for a light contemporary read. 


About the Author:


Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats.

She wrote her first story when she was in second grade. It was a Thanksgiving tale from the point of a view of the turkey from freezer to oven to plate. It was scandalous. 

Author Links:


GIVEAWAY (US Only): Enter for a chance to win a $25 Ticketmaster Gift Card!



Blog Tour Organized By:




Pepper Jones Series Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Pepper Jones Series 


A Note from Meredith:

Today on A Book Lover's Corner we have the pleasure of promoting the Pepper Jones Series by Ali Dean. I received this opportunity through YA Bound Book Tours. I hope you will enjoy the post, and the chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card. This giveaway is open internationally, so don't hesitate to enter!

Title: Pepped Up (Pepper Jones #1)
Author: Ali Dean
Page Count: 238
Release Date: 25 August 2013



According to Goodreads:

Pepper Jones is ready for an epic cross country season. She wants to qualify for Nationals, and she’s willing to do anything it takes to make it happen. She can handle long miles and hill sprints, but boys? That’s an entirely different challenge.

Pepper’s never considered revealing her deeper feelings for her longtime friend, Jace Wilder. After all, he’s got the personal magnetism and good looks to hook just about any girl in town -- and he has. Their friendship stands apart from high school social circles, and they’re both just fine with that (or at least they pretend to be).

That is, until running star Ryan Harding moves to town.

When it comes to running, Pepper’s goals are clear. But when it comes to Jace and Ryan, it’s nowhere near as simple.


Add to your Goodreads


Title: All Pepped Up (Pepper Jones #2)
Author: Ali Dean
Page Count: 290
Release Date: 10 July 2014



According to Goodreads:

(This is the second book in the Pepper Jones series. The following description contains spoilers for Pepped Up, which should be read first.)

Pepper Jones knew that being Jace Wilder’s girlfriend wouldn’t be simple. But she didn’t predict just how many complications would arise from his past. Jealous girls? That she expected. Family secrets? Not so much. At least Pepper can always hit the trails to clear her head… except when it comes to racing. The high expectations from her phenomenal cross country season haunt her, and she can’t seem to get psyched up for track season. Pepper’s junior year at Brockton Public is full of challenges on and off the track, but she’s not afraid to face them.


Add to your Goodreads

About the Author:

Ali Dean lives in Colorado with her husband, twin babies, and golden retriever. In addition to reading and writing, she loves the outdoors - everything from marathon training and biking to snowboarding and skiing. 

Author Links:

Goodreads Facebook

GIVEAWAY (INT): Enter for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card!

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My Heart is Yours by Amanda Leigh Book Blitz and Giveaway!


My Heart is Yours
Release Date: 05/18/15
169 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
Samantha
Marie Ramsden has three brothers. Craig, John and Matt. When tragedy strikes
their family, Craig takes on the task of becoming his siblings legal guardian.
It’s hard enough being someone’s guardian, but when you’ve only recently
entered adulthood yourself it’s almost impossible to know where to draw the
line between sibling and ‘parent’.

This
is made even harder on him when Sam starts to get close to a long time friend,
Jason. It looks like their friendship could turn into something more. An idea
that Craig has never been too happy with. Spanning six years, My Heart is Yours
explores family, friendship, love and much more. As well as asking the
question: Would you defy family for love?


About the Author
Amanda Leigh graduated with a BA in English and
Communications and a double minor in Psychology and Creative Writing. During
college, she worked on the literary magazine and loved every minute of it. She
adores cats and has one named Sawyer - named after one of her favorite
characters in Lost. Amanda enjoys reading, writing avidly in a journal, writing
poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction, cooking, listening to music, singing,
swimming and art - particularly photography. Amanda is a bit of a chocoholic
and is slightly obsessed with office supplies. She has many ideas for stories
so keep an eye out for more work from her. 



Author Links:
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Excerpt

Prologue
            Five and a half year old Samantha slept in her white threadbare sheets. Tonight the wind was coming through particularly strong from the cracks in the wooden boards on her window. Her small body shivered.
            The door creaked open and her mother entered. Sam had the same blonde hair as her mother. Her eyes were her own though. Changing from blue, to grey, to blue-grey, to green or any combination of these colors seemingly simultaneously. Sandras hand approached her daughters shoulder and she shook her roughly awake. The clock on the wall read three o clock in the morning. Sam rubbed her eyes. Come on! Her mother said as she looked over her shoulder. Get out of bed, now! She grabbed a hammer from the toolbox they kept in Sams room, went to the boarded up window and started tearing the boards to the floor. Wood splintered through the air. Go on. She gestured to the window. Get out. Go.
            Sam hesitated for half a second then climbed through. She knew she couldnt ask questions. She got into trouble when she asked questions.
            Sandra wiggled through the window; she cursed aloud as the glass cut her shoulder.
            “Dont try to run away from me! The hoarse shout came from behind them. Sams father. Sam knew what it meant when he was like this.
Sandra pushed Sam into the car, ran to the other side and jumped in. Mommy. Sam said as they went speeding past houses. Whats wrong?
            “If you must know, your fathers more drunk than usual. He has a gun and he says hes gonna kill us. Satisfied? Sams eyes widened as she looked in the rearview mirror. There was a car right on their tail. Sam stretched in the front seat to see who it was; she recognized the face of her father. Mommy! She yelled. Her mother ignored her. The only reason Im taking you with me is cuz as a single parent with no job I might get some money from the government. Mommy! She yelled again. Otherwise Id just let him kill you. The car stopped, jolted forward and stopped again. Damn it. Were out of gas. Sams mom muttered. Sirens wailed in the background.
            Beside them, Sam heard the screech of tires. Blonder hair hit Sams face as she turned her head toward the noise. In the car beside them her father scooted across the front seats; his eyes wild with rage.  A flash of black came from behind him. Sandra frantically tried to get the car started. Too late. An arm shot out around her neck; holding her fast. Her husband held the shiny black gun to her head and before Sam could scream from the sound, the trigger boomed and her mothers body slumped over on the steering wheel. Deep red blood gushed out of her head forming a pool on the floor.

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