Book Blitz: Love Defined

Love Defined by Leila Tualla
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: August 4, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

In their final summer before graduating college, three childhood friends expect an uncomplicated transition to adulthood…but learn they all still have some growing up to do.

Alex Makapulo is facing a crisis of faith. Raised a Catholic, Alex is considering becoming a member of her best friend Jack Page’s church—against her family’s wishes—but she can’t quite take the final step of baptism. Jack loves Alex and doesn’t understand her hesitation, and Alex wonders if Jack’s love is a blessing or a distraction to test her religious conviction.

Lori Hanson embarks on the trip of a lifetime. For her twenty-second birthday, Lori’s grandfather presents her with a summer vacation in England. While preparing for her adventure, she meets British musician Colin Watson online and quickly falls for him. They plan to hook up when she lands in London, but her grandfather forbids it. Due to complicated family dynamics, Lori must regretfully comply with his wishes, though she vows never to forgive him.

Andy Taylor is looking for love in all the wrong places. When Andy runs into an old crush, she decides she wants a more meaningful relationship with sexy Miles Webber. But when she confides in Alex, her friend warns her Miles only wants her for sex. Andy becomes angry and devises a reckless plan to distract Alex’s attention from her relationship. Things don’t go quite as she expected, though, and Andy is left facing a crushing moral dilemma.

As the summer unfolds, three young women learn love and faith go hand in hand, not everything is black and white, and sometimes in a fast-paced world you have to slow down, breathe a little, and find your own definition of love.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

“Do you think no matter what we do, we are still forgiven?” Somewhere between Francesca Battistelli's He Knows My Name and Casting Crown's I Will Praise You In The Storm, Andy finally spoke. “I mean.” Andy stopped.

The last song had reached its thunderous ascent and rolled towards the finish. Alex had barely heard her and for a second, thought that perhaps she had imagined it. Almond shaped brown eyes locked briefly in the mirror with a pair of big blue eyes and Alex waited, expecting Andy to go on. She didn’t. Instead, Andy broke eye contact and turned her head to face the window.

“Yes.” She finally replied. Andy jerked up, and the two caught each other’s gaze again before Alex had to look back at the road again, frowning.

“We can be forgiven as long as we ask for forgiveness, and repent and promise not to do it again.”

Another song began and once again replaced the gap of silence. Alex turned her head this time to see Andy’s eyes closed, headphones on, effectively dismissing her. She sighed out loud and set her sights on the horizon.

Book Blitz: Silverwood (Silverwood Book 1)

Silverwood (Silverwood Book 1) by Betsy Streeter
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date: March 15, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

A story of finding where you belong, even if it involves time travel, shape shifting, and hacking.

Helen Silverwood, fourteen, is sick of life on the run with her mom and her younger brother. 

Nothing makes sense. She doesn’t understand why she has recurring dreams of shape-shifting creatures, why her mother is always disappearing, and how her brother can draw things that haven’t happened yet. Most of all, Helen longs to know what happened to her dad—is he imprisoned, a fugitive, or gone forever?

When someone blows up the apartment where Helen lives, the stories of the ancient Silverwood clan—and her role in it—begin to unravel. All Helen wants is to feel like there’s someplace she belongs—but getting there will prove very, very complicated.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

A young couple stumbles out the back door of a nightclub into a narrow alleyway that would look a whole lot worse in the daytime. Distant streetlights reveal a hint of the garbage strewn around, and the shadows mask the dilapidated state of the surrounding buildings. The door itself sits in the mouth of a giant, cartoonlike face spray painted on the wall.

Deafening music and red-orange light shoots out the door while it is open, bouncing off the alley walls, and muffles again as the door closes to just a crack. There is no knob on the outside of the door; someone has wedged in a piece of wood to hold it open.

The couple start out laughing and joking, leaning on each other – their shape is all skinny jeans and mohawks mixed with the glint of jewelry – but shortly their voices turn more argumentative. Maybe someone committed an offense, perhaps there's a breakup in progress. Soon the young woman breaks away from her date, pries open the door, and storms back into the club. Loud music and lights again, muffled and dark again. The young man leans his back against the wall, his arms crossed in anger. He needs a minute to collect himself.

Book Blitz: Choosing Happiness

Choosing Happiness by Melissa Stevens
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Jake and Andrea met once. When Andrea was in college, Jake came with her brother Ben who was visiting on leave from a deployment in Afghanistan. 

Now, years later, Jake gets a job in Ben’s home town to be close to his best friend. He hadn’t counted on Andrea. The attraction he’d felt then was still there. And this time he wasn’t headed back to a war zone where he could very well be killed.

Andrea is drawn to the man who calls Ben brother. Something about him speaks to her, but she’s not sure what. 

She falls into things head first, but when something makes her question how fast things are going she slams on the breaks. Can the two of them figure out what’s going on with them before it’s too late?


♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

Later in the evening, after people started to leave, Jake asked Andrea to dance. It was a slow song and he had his arms around her. He leaned in until his lips brushed against her ear. "I'd like to take you home with me."

Andrea smiled. "I’d like to take you up on that but I need to stay, at least until Ben and Jeanie leave. I have to help Mom load the gifts. She's going to take them home and keep them for Ben and Jeanie until they get back."

"That's fine. I can hang around and help."

"That's really sweet of you, but you don't have to. I'm sure you have to be up early tomorrow."

"Actually, I'm off. There's nothing stopping me from staying out all night if I want."

"Well," her face heated. "I also don't want my family thinking I would pick someone up at my brother's wedding and go home with him." She looked down so he wouldn’t see her blush.

Book Blitz: Rebounding

Rebounding by Shanna Clayton
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: June 14, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Charlotte Hart used to have the perfect life.

Or…what she thought was perfect.

President of her sorority. Legions of friends. A promising career in journalism. It’s exactly what she wanted, exactly what she’d always planned. But after her slimy bastard of a boyfriend cheats on her with her archenemy, everything she built comes crumbling down.

She needs out. Now.

But leaving everything behind means she has to live with Max, a mysterious guy from the past. Living with him isn’t the wisest decision she’s ever made—Max isn’t friendly, he keeps a lot of secrets, and sneaks out in the middle of the night. There’s definitely something shady about him, but at least he seems to understand what she needs. In fact, he seems to know it better than she does.

When Charlotte shows up on Max Archer’s doorstep, he knows he can’t turn her away. He wishes he could—she’s broken, lost, comes with too much baggage, but he owes her his life. Whatever she wants, he’ll find a way to make it happen. Problem is, Max doesn’t count on Charlotte wanting more than he’s willing to give.

He doesn’t count on her wanting his heart.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

The way he’s carrying me makes it hard to look at him or speak to him. However, I can feel him. Even in my state, it’s hard not to notice the rippling muscles pressed against my back. He’s shirtless, and the warmth of his bare skin against mine isn’t all that unpleasant. Now that I’m aware of it, I can’t focus on anything else.

We finally reach the shore and Max sets me down on the sand. Drops me, more accurately. I rub my hips and butt, grateful to know it probably hurt less than it would if I were sober.

“I’m implementing Rule Number 5,” Max shouts. “No deranged levels of insanity.”

Book Blitz: Good Intentions

Good Intentions by Pembroke Sinclair
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: July 28, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Katie has been through Hell—literally—and discovered that it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. In fact, she kind of enjoyed it. 

She got to be with Josh, found out about her past, and discovered who she wanted to be as a person. Katie didn’t care that her actions went against social norms. She was happy.

But things are changing—again. Wes has come back into her life, and that can only mean trouble. His presence threatens to unravel her new-found happiness. She can’t allow that. She won’t let him back in. Yet, Katie can’t push him away.

Thrown back into a state of confusion and uncertainty, Katie is once again forced to pick sides, and in the process, she may lose herself.



♥ ♥ ♥

Excerpt:

The halls were quickly clearing of students, but Katie wasn’t worried. There were still enough people around to keep her safe from demon spies and Wes. Well, Wes was for sure. In reality, the shadow could be anywhere. Same with other demons, especially if they looked human. But Katie felt secure in knowing that they probably wouldn’t venture out in their true form as long as students were around.

Not that demons bothered her. It was just because of who the demon was tied to. And as long as she didn’t venture into a bathroom alone—which she didn’t plan to do—she was fine. Wes would leave her alone. Besides, in just a few minutes she’d be outside and in Josh’s car. Then, they could figure out what they were going to do about the situation.

As she stepped out of the building, a cool breeze blew by her, causing her to shudder. Fall was definitely in the air. She wrapped her arms around her chest and scanned the parking lot. It didn’t take long to find him. He was parked in the third row from the building, and his was one of the last vehicles in the lot.

Book Blitz: Forever Bound (The Forever Series #4)

Forever Bound (The Forever Series #4) by Deanna Roy
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: July 28, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

A new standalone romance with the characters from the USA Today bestselling Forever series, coming July 28, 2015.

You can only run from life for a little while. Eventually, it catches up.

A hitchhiking musician looking only for freedom and adventure as he sings for tips across the US spends a single night with spunky pink-haired Jenny, only to discover that sometimes, one night can be the beginning of forever.




♥ ♥ ♥

Excerpt:

Whoa. Who was that girl?

The party was full of women, polished and perfect and snooty in how they appraised me, like they were looking for something, and I wasn't it.

But not this one.

She seemed nervous, a little lost. Her green dress was as fancy as anyone's here, but that hair. I didn't know anybody with pink dreadlocks. She couldn't be an actress expecting to get many parts, unless the hair was for something she was doing right now.

Book Blitz: Castle in the Air

Castle in the Air by Jennifer Tressen
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: July 25, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas has been called "America's Most Haunted Hotel" largely because of the events of the 1930s when Dr. Norman Baker ran a "cancer treatment hospital" which he called his "Castle in the Air."

Follow the fictionalized story of Clara, the young, unwed pregnant niece of Dr. Baker who comes to help at the cancer center in exchange for room and board and finds things aren't quite what they appear to be. 


Caring for an ill young boy at the center she feels her maternal instincts kick in - something is definitely not right at her uncle's hospital. But what? Will she be able to piece together the clues in time to save herself and the boy? Or will be forever be doomed to reside in the Castle in the Air, where once you check in...you never leave.


♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

Clara had been lucky to not experience morning sickness in the way many mothers did. Besides a constant state of tiredness and some nausea her pregnancy hadn’t been terribly bad thus far.

Making it back to her bedroom the small mattress had never looked so inviting. Clara curled up on a ball and fell fast asleep. In the middle of the night a hand reached up and grabbed her throat. Clara tried to pull it away but couldn’t. The hand wrapped itself around her narrow neck and began its clutch.

“You’re killing me,” a voice said.

Clara gasped for air. She couldn’t breathe.

“It’s wrong.”

Clara’s eyes searched for a face.

“Medicine. I need…”