Blog Tour, Excerpt, & Giveaway: Holly Hearts Hollywood by Kenley Conrad

Title: Holly Hearts Hollywood
Author: Kenley Conrad
Release date: 09/23/14
Publisher: Swoon Romance

Book Description via Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Holly Hart wants to be a star. She moves to Los Angeles from the small town of Cedar Junction, only to hear she’s too fat and ugly to be a famous singer.

But when Shell Shocked Records looks past Holly’s plus-size and less-than-graceful-personality to offer her a recording contract, Holly cannot believe her good fortune. On closer inspection, however, the record execs want Holly to do all the singing, and a thinner and more beautiful girl, Lacey, would lip-sync and get all the credit. Holly goes for it because after all, she wanted to sing.

Contractually bound to secrecy, Holly is more than happy to sit backstage while Lacey shimmies in the limelight and basks in the fame. Before she knows it, Holly is friends with Serena, the pop-star daughter of a music-mogul, flirting with an intern, and developing a strange half-friendship with Lacey.

When Grayson Frost, the biggest country star in America, and coincidentally, a former school bully begins dating Lacey, Holly hopes that he won’t recognize or torment her.

Through a series of embarrassing and weird events, Holly gets to know Grayson and learns that he is much nicer and more mature than he was four years ago. Holly is horrified when she starts falling for him. When Grayson admits he fell for Lacey's voice, what is a girl to do when she can’t legally tell the truth at the moment when the truth matters the most?

Excerpt:

January 31st, 8:15am—Homeroom

I’m one of the unluckiest people I know. I’m the girl who gets a pimple on picture day or starts her period at a pool party with cute boys. Nothing goes my way, and I’ve always been okay with that. So when I posted videos of me singing Carrie Underwood cover songs on YouTube, I didn’t think my luck would suddenly change.

I’m just so embarrassed! They emailed me for two weeks, but I kept ignoring them. The emails sounded so suspicious—was I really supposed to believe I was being offered a recording contract through email? I wasn’t going to fall for another email con artist. My sister still makes fun of me for believing that the Prince of Aruba was having financial problems. Finally, they asked to talk to my mom and proved they were actually the head honchos of Shell Shocked Studios through a video chat session. Before I knew it, Mom bought two plane tickets to Los Angeles. I’ve never left Iowa before, and now she’s talking about moving to LA. I could just die. I really could.

The worst part is the fact that I can’t really tell anyone about this. I mean, I could, but I know the kids at school will make fun of me, instead of congratulating me. None of them would believe that Holly Hart, that girl who always gets in trouble for writing in her journal during class, would get a record deal. I’m not even in choir. Whoops, Mrs. Holland is looking my way.

About the Author:
I'm the author of the upcoming YA series Holly Hearts Hollywood, coming September 2014 by Swoon Romance. I'm a twenty-something cat lady who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. When I'm not working my office day job or writing books, you can find me either singing and dancing or binge-watching TV shows on Netflix.
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Blog Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

Book Blitz, Excerpt, & Giveaway: Highballs in the Hamptons

Title: Highballs in the Hamptons
Series: Girlfriends of Gotham #2
Author: Delancey Stewart
Release date: 09/30/14
Publisher: Swoon Romance

Book Description via Goodreads:

Natalie Pepper thinks she can just be friends with CJ, the man of her dreams. But after seeing him every day at work – and after he lays it all on the line – it becomes pretty clear that something’s gotta give. She’d admit to herself, and to him, that all she really wants is him…if she wasn’t so afraid of losing the best job she’s ever had (and the life it has made possible).

At least she’s got her friends to distract her. Lulu Rossi is an unorthodox and unpredictable spitfire of a girl who has a habit of saying whatever’s on her mind. And while that attribute entertains friends and intrigues her new boyfriend, Andrew, it might be the one thing that stops their relationship from moving forward. Lulu has unintentionally entered the world of Upper East Side royalty, as her ER doctor boyfriend turns out to be the pedigreed heir to an old money fortune – one that is watched over by his manipulative and exceedingly judgmental mother, Elizabeth “Tippy” Barton.

Natalie’s insane supervisor worsens the situation at work when her own man troubles result in a new “no fraternization” policy, and CJ finally gives up and begins to look for other opportunities. Natalie is forced to decide what is important to her for once and for all. Will it be CJ or her job?

Lulu must prove her worth to Andrew’s family – or make him see that the only person whose opinion really matters is his.

Excerpt:

Natalie:

I sat on the couch in my apartment, staring at the television, watching people I didn’t know go through some serious issues on Days of our Lives. I’d watched the show in high school but hadn’t so much as glanced at it since then. Strangely, I found that I could still follow a few of the story lines. I felt like my life might make a good plot. Everyone watching would be rolling their eyes, telling me to just go after the guy, only to realize that it was already too late.
I ate my sandwich and brooded, and when my cell phone rang in my bag it woke me from a stupor. I’d been staring at the television and hadn’t even noticed when a new show had come on.
I scrambled to pull the phone from my purse on the floor where I’d dropped it.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Tamara.”
“Hi, Tam.” I was a little surprised to hear from her; out of our group of friends, I spent the least amount of time with Tam. But I was glad she called. There was a spark of energy and fun in her that made me want to get to know her better.
“Hey, are you still looking for an apartment?”
“Well, kind of. I can’t pull the trigger on anything for a while because I need a few thousand bucks to handle the broker fee and first and last.” My current situation wasn’t bad, but my roommate sometimes felt like either a stranger or a displeased parent. I wanted to live on my own.
“Might not matter,” Tamara said. “I know of a sublet, and they need someone, like, now.”
“I’m about to head out of town for a week, Tamara.”
“When? Now?”
“No, Monday morning.”
“Well, if you want this apartment, it’d have to happen this weekend anyway. Let’s go look at it.”
“So fast?” I was shocked. Could I make a decision like that in one day?
“That’s how things work here. You wanna go look or no?”
“Yeah, I guess so … ” It was almost the end of the month, though I hated the idea of leaving Tory in the lurch. “What’s the rent?”
“It’s amazing. It’s twelve.”
Twelve hundred dollars was double what I paid Tory. But to have my own place? “Wow.”
“I know, right?” Somehow, I didn’t think Tamara understood that my “wow” was not the “wow” she thought it was. “Meet me outside my office? 56th and Seventh.”
“Okay,” I said, my brain still whirling. “I’ll be there in twenty.”
“Cool.” Tamara hung up.
Twenty minutes later I stood beneath a towering office building, waiting for Tamara to appear. When she came out of the building, she looked far more corporate than I could have imagined, in a tailored skirt suit and shiny black pumps.
“You look amazing!” I told her.
“It’s the uniform.” She winked.
Tamara worked at a high-end real estate firm selling properties that I would most likely never see the inside of. I had no idea how she’d landed that job, but got the sense that she was probably good at it.
We grabbed a cab and headed downtown. “You excited?” she asked.
“Yeah, kind of,” I said. “Things are just insane right now … I’m not sure it’s the right time to move.”
“Well, it probably never will be if you look at it like that.”
We rode in silence for a minute.
“Look, Pepper.” She turned to face me. “Apartments—good apartments at least—are like hot guys. When they’re available, you have to take a chance and go for it. They won’t last long and if you hesitate, then someone else will be snuggled up on your window seat tomorrow.”
“This place has a window seat?”
“Well, no. It has a radiator in front of the window. But you could put a pillow on it and call it a window seat.” She smiled. “Some New York real estate takes a certain amount of creativity.”
“So do some New York men, I guess.”
“Exactly.”
Tamara knew less about the CJ situation than my other friends did, so I didn’t think that her metaphor was actually a quip about him. But it hit home nonetheless.
We pulled up outside a nondescript brown building on West 15th Street near Eighth Avenue.

Links for Men and Martinis (Book One):
Amazon | Kobo | Goodreads | B&N

About the Author:
I'm not big on labels, but there are a few that fit me (not necessarily in this order. Or maybe in this order):
- wine drinker (and wine geek)
- mother of small boys
- military spouse
- writer
- chocolate eater

I've written the Wine Country Romance Series, which ties my love of wine to my love of falling in love... and the Girlfriends of Gotham series, which begins publishing with Swoon Romance in December 2013.

I also love short stories, and my themed collection (all set in the same NYC brownstone across the span of a century) published in 2012.
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Review: Party Games by RL Stine

Title: Party Games
Series: Fear Street
Author: RL Stine
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: September 30th 2014
Source: Netgalley & St. Martin's Griffin


Summary from Goodreads:
Her friends warn her not to go to Brendan Fear's birthday party at his family's estate on mysterious Fear Island. But Rachel Martin has a crush on Brendan and is excited to be invited. Brendan has a lot of party games planned. But one game no one planned intrudes on his party—the game of murder. As the guests start dying one by one, Rachel realizes to her horror that she and the other teenagers are trapped on the tiny island with someone who may want to kill them all. How to escape this deadly game? Rachel doesn't know whom she can trust. She should have realized that nothing is as it seems… on Fear Island.

R.L. Stine makes his triumphant return to Shadyside, a town of nightmares, shadows, and genuine terror, and to the bestselling series that began his career writing horror for the juvenile market, in the new Fear Street book Party Games.

★★★★ ★

Four and a half stars.

---

Oh, RL Stine, how I missed you. Stine is one of the writers that turned me into the avid reader that I am today. I started reading the Fear Street series while my friends were reading Goosebumps, and I couldn't get enough of them. I had (and still have) full shelves dedicated to this series, and the author too. It turns out that I am just as in love with the Fear family legends as I was back then. This book was a great burst of nostalgia, but also a gripping story that let me read it in one go.

Party Games is exactly the kind of work I've come to expect from RL Stine. The descriptions are vivid and haunting from cover to cover, and he does a great job as always of building the world that is Fear Street and in this book, Fear Island as well. It's vivid enough where I was able to watch it mentally play out like a horror movie, and that makes me both happy and more creeped out at the same time. There's also plenty of creepy crawly gore. From dead, flattened squirrels nestled into the blankets of an unsuspecting bed, to a dead body twisted in an unnatural tornado where limbs should not be bending, this book is bound to make you shudder at least once.

Honestly, I was expecting to know what was going on from early on in the book. Silly Stine, over a decade later and you still had me fooled. I definitely didn't see the plot unfolding exactly as it did. I correctly guessed it partially, and then all hell broke loose and I was turned completely around, trying to figure out what was happening and who was murdering and kidnapping the guests on the island.

This book had me on the edge of my seat, and it made the foggy, dreary weather outside my train window seem all the more unsettling. This book is a must-have for any fan of RL Stine, the Fear Street series, or young adult horror in general. This is an amazing return to the horrific curse that is Shadyside, and it feels like RL Stine and I never left the neighborhood at all.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

Stacking the Shelves [62] & a Sad Note

A note to my readers, publishers, and anyone else who stumbles onto this post:

It is with a very heavy heart that I tell you that there has been a death in the family. I will largely be gone from the blog while I travel home for the service and some grieving time with the rest of my family. A majority of my promised posts are pre-scheduled and so they will post automatically in lieu of my absence. I'd like to apologize in advance if any posts get missed, or if I am a bit slow in my replies to you. I will only be thinking of family, and I promise I will get back to you as soon as I am able to. The best way to communicate with me until then would be Twitter. I thank all of you for your patience, and for the well wishes that I have been sent so far. You all are lovely, lovely creatures. If you do just one thing of note today, please hug someone that you care about and let them know just how much they mean to you. Have a beautiful weekend.

With all of my love,

Jillyn



Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to show off the books we've won, bought, or otherwise received in the past week. If a book catches your eye, *click* the picture to go to the Goodreads page of that book.

Netgalley:
Slow Hand by Victoria Vane (Invited. Thanks Victoria!)



Freebies:
The Stray Sister: Blades and Red Skulls by Amy Law
Blood's Fury by C.M. Owens
Stripped by Kellie Perkins
Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars #1)by Sara Shepard
Angels from Hell: Alpha Bad Boy Biker and MC Romance Box Set by A.L. Summers
Swish by Marian Tee




In by Inbox:
Taming the Tycoon by Amy Andrews (Thanks Entangled Publishing!)
Frostbitten by Heather Beck (Thanks Kristen Noel & Heather)
Wednesday by Clare James (Thanks Clare)
Everett by Jenifer Ruff (Thanks Jenifer!)
Spark of Light by Elizabeth Tuttle




In by Mailbox:

I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre (Thanks Ann & Melissa!)
Wherever You Go by Heather Davis (Thanks Larissa)
Rival by Penelope Douglas (Thanks Rachel)
Evernight by Kristen Callihan (Thanks Forever Romance!)

Evernight also came with a pin and a steampunk looking bracelet. I love it!

I have one giveaway up right now, plus I'm part of a whole lotta blitzes and tours. Look at the right sidebar and click to win!

Click here & enter to win a copy of The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco. Open to US & CAN ages 13+.

Blog Tour Mini Review- Submission: Erotica for Women edited by Alex Algren

Title: Submission: Erotica for Women
Editor: Alex Algren
Format: ebook, 45 pages
Pub. Date: September 16th
Source: Cleis Press

Book description via Cleis Press:

Eyes blindfolded. Mouth gagged. Hands chained to the headboard. You’re on display, ready for him—ready to be used. And the only sound in the room is your own breathing...until you hear him close the door behind you.

Let these tales give you inspiration for the next time you find yourself in a tight spot. This collection of stories featuring guys dominating their eager, submissive lovers is bound to fill your imagination with kinky playtime ideas!

About the Author:

A graduate of Mills College with degrees in semiotics and mathematics, Alex Algren lives in Oakland, California. She is an avid reader who writes and edits to make more things to read. She is also the editor of Stories of O and Kinky!. Currently working on a novel about revenge, she also quilts and volunteers at her local animal shelter.


★★★ ★

Three and a half stars.

---

Submission: Erotica for Women is a collection of six erotic short stories, each one of them featuring a Dominant male who wants to push their submissive to the limit in the sexiest ways possible. I prefer my men to be Dominant, so the theme of this mini collection is right up my alley. This collection is a short and fast read, which is perfect when you just want a hint of a story, just enough to tease you. Literature foreplay, if you will. It was a bit shorter than I expected or would have liked, but that's partially my own fault for not realizing its length before I started reading it.

I'm not going to review each story individually, but I will say that there was one story I loved, one that I didn't like at all, and four others that were solid reads. I'm not going to put the majority of them in order, but I will give a shout out to "Reclaiming" by Teresa Noelle Roberts, which was my favorite story of the bunch. It features a woman who has just come home from a long stint away on business, and the Dominant who has a very, very distinct way of showing her just how much that he missed her.

Though there was one story I didn't care so much for, I know that when I see names like Alison Tyler and Rachel Kramer Bussel that I'm going to be reading something good. Overall, I feel this is a steamy and enjoyable taste of erotica. The whole collection spans about 45 pages, so as I mentioned earlier, I recommend it for anyone looking for a quick fix of kinky reading.

Thank you to Cleis Press who provided me with a copy in exchange for my completely honest review.

This book is an ebook exclusive published by Cleis Press. You can purchase it by clicking over to Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBook or Google Play.

4 for Friday Blitz: Presented by Month9Books + Giveaway

Welcome to the 4 for Friday Blitz for Crown of Ice by Vicki L. Weavil, Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton, Avian by Nicole Conway, and Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki, presented by Month9Books!

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

Thyra Winther’s seventeen, the Snow Queen, and immortal, but if she can’t reassemble a shattered enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday she’s doomed to spend eternity as a wraith.

Armed with magic granted by a ruthless wizard, Thyra schemes to survive with her mind and body intact. Unencumbered by kindness, she kidnaps local boy Kai Thorsen, whose mathematical skills rival her own. Two logical minds, Thyra calculates, are better than one. With time rapidly melting away she needs all the help she can steal.

A cruel lie ensnares Kai in her plan, but three missing mirror shards and Kai’s childhood friend, Gerda, present more formidable obstacles. Thyra’s willing to do anything – venture into uncharted lands, outwit sorcerers, or battle enchanted beasts — to reconstruct the mirror, yet her most dangerous adversary lies within her breast. Touched by the warmth of a wolf pup’s devotion and the fire of a young man’s desire, the thawing of Thyra’s frozen heart could be her ultimate undoing.

CROWN OF ICE is a YA Fantasy that reinvents Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” from the perspective of a young woman who discovers that the greatest threat to her survival may be her own humanity.

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Chapters Indigo! | TBD | iBooks

Vicki Lemp Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. Since obtaining her undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Virginia, she’s gone on to acquire two masters degrees, living in places as diverse as New York City and rural North Carolina. She’s currently the library director for a performing an visual arts university. Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumbler

When a plane crashes in the woods near Jess’s home, the boy of her dreams falls out of the sky—literally. But David’s not here to find a girlfriend. He’s from another planet, and if Jess can’t help him get back to his ship, he’ll be stuck on Earth with nothing to look forward to but the pointy end of a dissection scalpel.

But her father runs their house like an army barracks, and with an alien on the loose, Major Dad isn’t too keen on the idea of Jess going anywhere. Ever. So how the heck is she supposed to help the sweetest, strangest, and cutest guy she’s ever met?

Hiding him in her room probably isn’t the best idea. Especially since her Dad is in charge of the squadron searching for David. That doesn’t mean she won’t do it. It just means she can’t get caught.

Helping David get home while protecting her heart—that’s gonna be the hard part. After all, she can’t really fall for a guy who’s not exactly from here.

As they race through the woods with Major Dad and most of the U.S. military one breath behind them, Jess and David grow closer than either of them anticipated. But all is not what it seems. David has a genocide-sized secret, and one betrayal later, they are both in handcuffs as alien warships are positioning themselves around the globe. Time is ticking down to Armageddon, and Jess must think fast if she’s to save the boy she cares about without sacrificing Earth—and everyone on it.

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Chapters Indigo! | iBooks

Corporate Team Leader by day, and Ranting Writer by night. Jennifer M. Eaton calls the East Coast of the USA home, where she lives with her husband, three energetic boys, and a pepped up poodle.

Jennifer hosts an informational blog “A Reference of Writing Rants for Writers (or Learn from My Mistakes)” aimed at helping all writers be the best they can be.

Beyond writing and motivating others, she also enjoys teaching her dog to jump through hoops—literally.

Jennifer’s perfect day includes long hikes in the woods, bicycling, swimming, snorkeling, and snuggling up by the fire with a great book; but her greatest joy is using her over-active imagination constructively… creating new worlds for everyone to enjoy.

 

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

What kind of power is lurking inside him?

After a year of training to become a dragonrider, Jaevid Broadfeather has been sent home to rest during a three-month interlude. But when he returns to find the king drake has chosen Beckah Derrick as his new rider, Jaevid realizes something big is about to happen. Every fiber of his being is pushed to the breaking point as Jaevid battles through his avian year, preparing for the final graduation test of the battle scenario. But there is more standing in his way than a few pushups and fancy sword moves.

Jaevid must face a new fear as he is tormented by a gruesome nightmare of a mysterious gray elf warrior murdering the royal family of Maldobar. It seems obvious to him that this is some kind of message about how the war started long ago—until Felix assures him the king is very much alive. With his strange powers growing stronger by the day, and that violent dream replaying in his mind every night, Jaevid no longer wonders if he will pass his avian year or not . . . he wonders if he will even survive it.

The truth will soon be set loose.

 

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Chapters Indigo! | TBD | IndieBound | iBooks

Nicole is the author of the children’s fantasy series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES, about a young boy’s journey into manhood as he trains to become a dragonrider. She has completed the first two books in the series, and is now working on the third and final book.

Originally from a small town in North Alabama, Nicole moves frequently due to her husband’s career as a pilot for the United States Air Force. She received a B.A. in English with a concentration in Classics from Auburn University, and will soon attend graduate school.

She has previously worked as a freelance and graphic artist for promotional companies, but has now embraced writing as a full-time occupation.

Nicole enjoys hiking, camping, shopping, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. She also loves watching children’s movies and collecting books. She lives at home with her husband, two cats, and dog.

 

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Fifty years ago The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society.

To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.

Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home.

Constant darkness.

Brutal and savage violence.

Excruciating pain.

Every day is a fight for survival.

But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole.

I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at college orientation and have been best friends ever since. After college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but they still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on weekends, they went to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What started out as an enjoyable hobby has now become an incredible adventure.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumbler

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

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Cover Reveal: Frozen Hearts by Topaz Winters

Title: Frozen Hearts
Author: Topaz Winters

Book Description:


“Rose, don’t try to tell me what’s real or not real. I live and breathe impossibilities.”

Rosalyn Lawrence is not the type of girl who strays from the norm. She’s not the type of girl who goes on whirlwind adventures or travels across the world and beyond or fights fire-breathing dragons to the death. After all, fairytales exist only in books, and Rosalyn is happy to keep it that way.

But when her beloved little brother Benjamin disappears, Rosalyn’s entire world comes crashing down. Then a boy with a wand climbs through her window and she learns that the grieving queen of a shockingly desolate enchanted land has abducted Benjamin. If she chooses to be sucked into the magic of this land, its power – and the power of an enemy she isn’t quite sure even exists – could destroy her.

A world of frozen fantasy is waiting for Rosalyn – and if she will succeed in bringing Benjamin home, she must learn how to trust herself, use her wits, and perhaps discover an inner magic she never knew she had.

Excerpt:

Rosalyn woke in the middle of the night.

Her head was clouded, cobwebs of sleep still lingering, a fog drifting over her senses. The surface she was lying on was soft. As she sat up she saw a figure, not quite near enough to touch, motionless on the floor. She couldn’t seem to recall his name.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she realised that his shirt was off and his back was to her, bare in the soft moonlight. She looked out the window. The stars seemed to glisten, impossibly dense confetti scattered over the blanket of night. The moon hung suspended as if from a child’s mobile.

She stood, moving closer to the figure on the floor. The rise and fall of his chest was almost imperceptible. His face was still just out of her line of sight, his name still just out of the grasp of her slumber-clouded memory.

In the moonlight she caught a glimpse of something on his back. Her fingers glided down to it and she traced it, feather light, afraid for reasons she could not fathom of waking him. The scar joined another and another, until all at once she realised that she was connecting a veritable constellation of pain across the canvas of his back.

She gazed down at them. They were old, she could tell, but they still looked painful. The skin was gnarled, as if some heavenly hand had reached down, ripped it off of his back, and then bunched it up and pasted it haphazardly back on – and she knew she should be horrified at the sight, knew she should be pitying him or turning away in revulsion, yet she could not bring herself to. All she felt was the inherent need to know: how had he gotten them? Did they still hurt?

Was Chase all right?

And there was his name, pulled from the graveyard of her memory: Chase. A boy with a crooked smile and a secret she’d never been meant to discover.

Somewhere in the back of her mind a deep voice with a cold accent surfaced, murmuring something about his father. What had he told her? She struggled to remember, and finally it hit her. “Let’s just say he wasn’t the best role model,” the voice had said.

The gashes were long healed, yet so deep, so thick and ragged that she almost didn’t want to think about who might have put them there – his father? she wondered, and then wished the thought had never crossed her mind.

She couldn’t bear to look at them for a moment longer. Turning away from his pockmarked body, she glanced up at the stars once more before climbing back into the small cot and letting sleep overtake her – an uneasy sleep, riddled with nightmares of long, thin sticks of ice, dark men and evil laughter, unbearable pain lacing through her back. This time the stars did not look like confetti, but teardrops.

In the morning, she would have no memory of her nighttime awakening.

And the boy lying across from her would never tell her that his eyes had been open the whole time.

About the Author:

TOPAZ WINTERS is a songbird, word hoarder, and cheesecake connoisseur. Sometimes she composes music. Other times she writes books. If she knows you, she’s probably written about you. Topaz’s debut novel, Frozen Hearts, drops this year, and her first album in 2015. She enjoys strong coffee, ugly cats, and the taste of words.

Topaz rambles about writing, music, and the meaning of life over at her website.

Finding Mr. Darcy: High School Edition Blog Tour, Excerpt, & Giveaway!

Title: Finding Mr. Darcy: High School Edition
Author: Erin Butler
Release date: September 16th, 2014
Publisher: Swoon Romance

Book Description via Goodreads:
Sixteen-year-old Liza Johnson takes fangirl to a whole new level of crazy when she decides to take dating advice from her literary hero: Jane Austen.

With the help of her best friends, Liza sheds her ancient-speak and complete Austen wardrobe for something a bit more modern in an attempt at finding her very own Mr. Darcy.

Enter Will, the new kid and Liza's Darcy incarnate. Add her BFF's ex to mix and the sexy Brit who kisses with an accent, and Liza is in trouble.

So, what's a girl to do? Without her mom to go to relationship advice, Liza turns to the only person she can truly trust with matters of the heart via her mother's copy of COMPLETED WORKS OF JANE AUSTEN.

It's too bad Austen's heroines have never played Spin the Bottle or Seven Minutes in Heaven. Liza's determined to find her true Austen-esque happy ending, but if she can't trust herself instead of books, she just might end up in her own tragic love story.

Excerpt:

Janie burst through my bedroom door and stared me down, hands landing on her hips. “You’re delusional if you think you’re wearing that.”
I looked down at the outfit I wore to school. “Looks fine to me.”
“Ugh, Liza! Why can’t I have a normal best friend?”
“Normal? You have pink in your hair!”
“Whatever.”
Janie walked in and I got up to shut the door. I was pretty sure Dad sat downstairs watching the Jays, his Triple-A baseball team, but still. He didn’t need to overhear our girl conversations.
Janie toted a backpack along with her, which slightly frightened me. “Is that your word of the day or something?”
“What?”
“Whatever. You’ve said it to me like five hundred times today.”
She rolled her eyes. “What-ever.” We busted up laughing. “Come on.” She tugged on my arm. “It’s makeover time.”
“Oh no. I was afraid of that.”
Janie meandered toward the bed. “What are you reading?”
I reached out for the magazine, but Janie snatched it from me. “About Cole Foster.”
“Cole Foster?” She frowned at the glossy pages.
“If they ever remake Pride and Prejudice, he’d be the perfect Mr. Darcy.”
“Cole Foster? Isn’t he from that stupid soap on channel five?”
I yanked the magazine from her hands. “Yes. He’s gorgeous. Very agreeable if you ask me.”
“Whatever.” She plopped down on my flowery quilt and winked at me. “And who would play Lizzie?”
“Duh, that’s easy. Me.”
Janie shoved my shoulder. “You are delusional. If you are going to get Cole Foster, or Mr. Darcy, or any boy to even look at you, you need a makeover. A clothes makeover.” She stood up and went straight to my closet. “Where’s that purple top I got you for your birthday?”
“What purple top?” I mumbled.
Janie spun around with her hands on her hips.
“You know, the one that doesn’t have anything J.A. on it.” She circled her finger around her chest as if I was a child that needed a demonstration.
“The only purple top I have is the ‘Jane Austen is my Homegirl’ t-shirt.”
“BS.” Janie turned around and fanned through my clothes. “I gave you that shirt for nights exactly like this. Now where is it?” The hangers raked against the bar as she searched my closet.
I pointed to the very end. “All the way to the right.”
“Thank you,” Janie said. Her smile grew as she pushed aside all my precious t-shirts. “This is going to look so good on you.”
“I don’t see why I can’t wear this.” I looked down. WWJD What Would Jane Do? “It’s new.” And it was awesome.

About the Author:
Erin Butler is lucky enough to have two jobs she truly loves. As a librarian, she gets to work with books all day long, and as an author, Erin uses her active imagination to write the kinds of books she enjoys reading. Young Adult and New Adult books are her favorites, but she especially loves the ones with kissing scenes.

Erin lives in Central New York with her very understanding husband, a stepson, and doggie BFF, Maxie. She prefers to spend her time indoors reading and writing, but will venture out for chocolate and sunshine. She is the author of BLOOD HEX, a YA paranormal, HOW WE LIVED, a contemporary New Adult novel, and FINDING MR. DARCY: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION, a contemporary YA.
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