Blog Tour: The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club by J.C. Isabella

Buy the book: Amazon US ; Barnes & Noble

Story: Welcome to the big leagues. To secrets and scandals. It's all about the game. Who's playing. Who's not. Who has no idea about the game. And...wait, what game are we playing?

I'll leave that for you to decide.

Where to start is the big question for Chloe Baker. How was she supposed to explain to Zack Warren that she started a fan club for him when she was a kid? It was just a game. A way to make friends and have fun. She never thought it would spiral out of control. And never. In a million, gazillion years, did she think it would follow her to college. How could she tell him her best friend Lana kept the club alive? That she had nothing to do with the craziness?

Chloe didn’t understand why she cared so much about Zack's opinion of her. She hated him. He hated her. They had very mutual feelings of dislike for each other. So he'd just hate her even more when or if he found out.

And that's totally fine...she thinks.

Zack Warren had a soft spot for Chloe Baker. He likes the way she walks. He likes the way she talks. If he was poetically inclined, he’d write a sonnet about her ass.

It's Zack’s junior year of college. He’s got things to worry about. Scouts from the major leagues. Baseball games. Contracts. Grades.... His father ran away to Vegas with Chloe's mother. He didn’t have time to worry about a girl. But he did. He worried about Chloe a lot, especially with that jerk Max sniffing around her. It's weird though, to like your stepsister, right?

But Zack could argue that he saw Chloe first. Way before his dad met her mom. He was too young to stake a claim. But he just doesn't care anymore.

He’s done playing games.

Thoughts and impressions: This story immediately caught my attention. The synopsis screams the sort of thing I used to read a lot of as a teen. It’s not the sort of book that I still read very often now that I’m a bit older, but occasionally I do enjoy a foray back in this sort of genre. I knew as of the get go that this book was going to be one of those forays.

I have to say I really enjoyed this blast from the past!

That isn’t to say that the book is without its problems. For example, I wasn’t sold on how much of a creep Max was. Maybe it would have been possible to paint him as such a character with ulterior motives, but Max’s never really rang true to me. I got that he was being an arse but his actions didn’t really fit for me. It might have helped to see more backstory of the rivalry between Max and Zack and why Max hates him so much.

That was my one major sticking point, though. For the rest of it, I enjoyed this fluffy, light romance. It consisted mostly of how stricken Chloe is about the unofficial Zack Warren fan club that she set up when she was young but soon abandoned after Zack stole the pink streamers from her bike, resulting in her deciding to hate him forever rather than love him. Unfortunately for her, under her best friend’s ministrations, the unofficial Zack Warren fan club became a living, breathing monster in its own right – a monster to be reckoned with. Even worse, she’s still considered the founder and everything about the group is attributed to her.

Zack meanwhile has been fighting his attraction to Chloe for years now. After losing his mother at a young age, he chose to protect himself from future heartache by not allowing anyone to get close enough for him to have feelings for them. Chloe gets past all his barriers, though, and with his father having just married her mother, he’s going to be forced to spend rather a lot of time around this very dangerous girl. (Dangerous to the barriers he’s erected around himself).

The story is very easy and slow-going. It’s not mile-a-minute or anything like that, but it never fails to keep your attention and even induces a few chuckles with some laugh out loud moments. It’s short and sweet but, apart from the Max weirdness, it really works well!

On a side note, poor any future half siblings! Can you imagine being a kid having to explain to the other kids at school that your brother and sister are dating? Owch.

Style: Some minor problems, most importantly there is no distinction made between "X and I" and "X and me". I see an increasing number of people who don't know how to use these terms grammatically correctly and this worries me.

Final verdict: A fablous piece of light fluff that kept me well entertained at a time when I needed a distraction from reality. I highly recommend if this is your sort of thing. 4.5 stars

Extra notes: Some bad language use. No sex.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

Sneak peek:

Chloe's PoV:

Nostalgia is for idiots and Zack Warren is trouble.

I knew it the first time I saw him in second grade. The boy had heartbreaker written all over him. He was two years older, wiser. He did a back flip off the jungle gym, landing right at my feet with a cocky grin, getting dirt all over my new pink Keds.

He didn’t apologize.

Instead he dropped a lizard on my head and called me prissy.

Despite the fact that we didn’t hit it off on day one, I harbored a huge crush on Zack, my first ever. In the third grade I started a club. Girls only. We dubbed it an unofficial club because we thought some powerful person, like Oprah, had to deem it official.

We have since discovered that is not true, but the name had a nice ring to it.

During our unofficial meets we talked about Zack, spied on him, and risked being found out on a regular basis. What a rush, seriously. It was going great. The group accepted new members, and we even drew up plans for a clubhouse. I invented a fun game and made new friends.

Then, when I was in the fifth grade, Zack stole the streamers off my bike.

I cried, and made the very rational decision to hate him until the end of time.

This effectively ended my reign as leader of The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club.

--

Zack's POV

“Horse races.” Vince said with enthusiasm, flipping through the TV channels. “Now that’s a sport.”

Never in my life, not once, had I ever resorted to violence to solve a problem — since I have reformed myself— except for pinning Max to the fence when he talked about Chloe.

Okay, so one time I’ve used physical methods. But I wouldn’t mind making it two. I imagined grabbing Vince by the back of his too big suit and kicking him out the front door. He was one of those people you wanted to swat, like an annoying little fly buzzing your sandwich. I wanted to chat with him about as much as I wanted a baseball to the crotch.

“Gambling’s not a sport.” I said under my breath. My dad, sitting on the couch next to me, nodded in agreement. Vince wasn’t scoring points with him either.

“So, Zack, tell me what you do.” Vince jingled. The man had on so much gold he actually jingled. I couldn’t believe he and Chloe were related for a second. His lady, Helga, boy was she a trip, too.

“I go to college.” I said, trying to keep my voice friendly.

I mean, what kind of question was that? I only had enough time for a job during the summer.

He nodded. “Yes, with Chloe. How old are you?”

“Twenty-one.”

Dad clapped me on the shoulder, “Zack’s into sports.”

“Really?” Vince didn’t seem impressed, more like bored. He uncrossed then re-crossed his legs so tightly, he either had to take a piss, or he’d been cursed with balls the size of grapes and a dick like a gherkin. It just wasn’t normal for a guy to do that.

“I play baseball,” I supplied. He didn’t react. Not even a raise of his greasy black eyebrows. What the hell, maybe I could get him interested in something else, “I practice martial arts too.”

His eyebrows shot up now. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

What a wiener.

This guy was a serious hot dog.

The author:

J.C. Isabella is the author of Chasing McCree and The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club. Ever since she discovered romance novels in high school, she has been a self proclaimed fan. This led to penning her first YA . When she isn't thinking up new recipes for the cookbook she hopes to one day write, she is brainstorming a new novel and listening to country music. She lives in the tropics of Florida with her big fat Italian family and ornery feline companion.

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Blog Tour: Sykosa by Justin Ordoñez

Buy the book: Amazon US ; Amazon UK ; Barnes & Noble

Information:

Title: Skyosa

Author: Justin Ordoñez

Publisher: TDS Publishing

Series: Skysoa #1

Target Audience: Older YA+

Genre: Realistic fiction

Length: 320 pages

Story: Sykosa (that's "sy"-as-in-"my" ko-sa) is a junior in high school. She belongs to an exclusive clique of girls called the "Queens." The leader is her best friend Niko. Their friendship has been strained lately because Tom—Sykosa's first boyfriend boyfriend—has gotten all serious about making her his pretty Prom princess. That is if he ever gets around to asking her. Before Prom, there's a party at Niko's cottage where parental supervision will be nil. He wants to have sex. She doesn't. He sometimes acts like that doesn't matter.

It matters.

Sykosa has a secret she has never told anyone about. Although, some people—Tom included—know anyway. It happened last year and it was big and she'll cry if she talks about it so she's done talking about it, okay? Never mind, it's nobody's business. Except it keeps happening, and it never stops. She doesn't want to deal with it. He does. She sometimes acts like that doesn't matter.

It matters.

Thoughts and impressions: The style of this story is very out of the norm. It’s one that’s very raw and to the point while still somehow managing to only skirt around certain subjects. I admit that it took me a while to actually get into the style. I read the book in parts, at first because the style failed to really lure me in and then because I had other reading obligations that were more urgent. The synopsis was one that caught my attention immediately, but I was quite a way into the book before it had really sucked me in. On top of this the jumpy narration occasionally made it quite hard to follow events and I would find myself having to go back and reread passages in order to really understand what was going on. This was frustrating.

Eventually I came to realise that this was written more like the style of Skyosa’s thought flow. I’m not so keen on that style (“je buvais des grenouilles” – I drank frogs – the sentence that put me off this style), but I do see the appeal for it, especially for a story such as this where everything is very dependent on Skykosa’s innermost thoughts and secrets, and her preference to skirt around a certain event in her past rather than tackling the event head on. This event in her past is very important to the evolution of her character. She often alludes to it but never quite manages to tackle it head on.

I think that it is important to note that while the story may be considered aimed at the YA market, it’s more aimed at mature YA or adult readers. There are a number of subjects tackled that I wouldn’t consider entirely appropriate for younger readers. There is a huge focus on sex in particular. And when I say that it focuses on sex, I mean it seems like all of the characters focus on sex almost all of the time. I don’t remember being that sex-mad as a teen but then I did grow up in a very different environment.

In fact, I’m not sure that this environment could have been any farther from the one I experienced myself. I liked that they were Asian characters, in a very religious environment and yet many of the parental figures take a backseat to the action, seeming to take little interest in their teenage children’s antics. It made for an original setting. I’m not sure if I’ve ever read something quite like this.

There is a darkness that overshadows the whole of this story. It’s not a feel good book. It’s a grim look at a potential reality that a teen could face. There’s a cast of broken individuals who are all struggling to come to terms with events they’ve faced and how their lives have been impacted. It’s not a book that I would normally pick up but it’s one that made me stop and think. And it’s got me intrigued – I’m very interested in seeing where things will go next!

Style: See review.

Final verdict: A dark tale that took me places I hadn't expected to go. I really enjoyed the story but found the style a little off putting (the style is, however, part of what makes this story so different and is central to what makes Skyosa Skyosa). 4 stars

Extra notes: Bad language is present. There is a focus on sex.

The author:

Justin Ordoñez was born in Spain, raised in the mid-west, and currently lives in Seattle. He's nearly thirty years old, almost graduated from the University of Washington, and prefers to wait until TV shows come out on DVD so he can watch them in one-shot while playing iPad games. For fifteen years, he has written as a freelance writer, occasionally doing pieces as interesting as an editorial, but frequently helping to craft professional documents or assisting in the writing of recommendation letters for people who have great praise for friends or colleagues and struggle to phrase it. Sykosa is his debut novel.


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Blog Tour: Take This Regret by A.L. Jackson

Buy the book: Amazon US

Information:

Title: Take This Regret

Author: A.L. Jackson

Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House

Target Audience: Adult

Genre: Contemporary romance / chick lit

Length: 242 pages

Story: There are some mistakes we make that we will regret for the rest of our lives.  For Christian, it was the day he betrayed Elizabeth.

Christian Davison has a plan for his life.  He is determined to become an attorney and to one day take his place as partner in his father’s law firm.  Nothing will stand in his way, not even Elizabeth Ayers and their unborn child.

After Christian cuts her from his life, Elizabeth spends the next five years struggling to provide for her daughter and willing to sacrifice anything to give her child a safe, comfortable life. 

For five years, Christian has regretted the day he walked away from his family and will do anything to win them back just as Elizabeth will do anything to protect her daughter from the certain heartache she believes Christian will bring upon them.

When Christian wrestles his way into their lives, Elizabeth is faced with asking herself if it is possible to forgive someone when they’ve committed the unforgivable and if it is possible to find a love after it has been buried in years of hate.  Or are there some wounds that go so deep they can never heal?

They say everyone deserves a second chance.

Thoughts and impressions: The decision to read this book was one of those spur of the moment things. It’s a very different sort of story to what I normally read but of course reading is all about expanding your horizons. I’m not the sort of person who really keeps to a limited reading sphere, so I figured I’d take a chance on the book!

When Elizabeth falls pregnant, Christian gives her an ultimatum: him or their unborn child. She chooses the child and walks out of his life. Six long years later, a chance meeting between Christian and a young girl draws him into the life that he’d turned his back on, the life that includes fatherhood. A small taste of what he had up until that moment never known is enough to make him crave it and he muscles his way into his daughter’s life, despite knowing that Elizabeth is less than comfortable with this change.

The story mostly focuses on the excursions that the three of them make as a family, showing the reader just how Christian is growing as a person in order to embrace the new role that he has taken on. He’s actually a very interesting character and I enjoyed observing his evolution from spoilt rich kid to doting father, even if I did often find the interactions between Christian and Lizzy (his daughter, not to be confused with Elizabeth, the mother). I suppose this reflects on my relationship with my parents. It’s a healthy relationship, but we tend to show our love through actions rather than endless direct proclamations.

Elizabeth was another matter entirely. She started off as a woman willing to make a difficult choice and ready to face the consequences of it. Unfortunately, while Christian evolved, I felt that Elizabeth devolved. Christian hurt her and she never got over the pain of his betrayal. I get it. Considering his actions, her reticence around him was taken too far and just ended up as a lot of repetition about how he’ll just hurt her again so she should keep her distance – but it’s so hard! I lose all respect for her when she held Christian accountable for her actions and made him responsible for them not having sex. When she then takes out all her fears on her daughter while claiming to be protecting her, she became a weak-willed character that was a shadow of the strong woman she’d been; a character I could not stand.

I understand why this is in the story but it just didn’t work for me personally. What’s more, once Elizabeth lost my respect, she failed to regain it before the story ended so I parted ways with her feeling dissatisfied with her character, and because of this ultimately with the story as a whole.

My copy of the book also had some formatting issues and I’d come across sentences like:

“He could wanted, but it would never change what he discarded us and he had no right in our likes. apologize all he did. He had”

Sometimes I could reconstruct these broken sentences but others I had no idea where the fragments were supposed to fit in. I couldn’t say for sure whether I missed anything important because of this.

Style: The style in the story was actually very heavily on the tell side. Both characters would often tell us the low down of their actions rather than show us the events.

The author also had a habit of using some weird syntax with constructions such as:

“He’d just disappeared in the middle of the night from our lives forever.”

Final verdict: As mentioned in the review, I found myself rather on the fence about this one. It was one that I enjoyed but at the end of the day I didn’t enjoy it as much as other readers, with different tastes to me, will do. It had certain shortcomings, Elizabeth’s character in particular, that I couldn’t get over.3.5 stars

Extra notes: Both bad language and sex are present.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

Get to know the author:

1. Describe your book in ten words or fewer.

What one man would do for a second chance.

2. With such a large number of books out there, what do you feel sets your apart from all others?

Even though I write in the contemporary romance and paranormal romance genres, my books tend to be very emotional. My hope is that a reader will get so into my characters that they feel what the character feels.

3. Tell us a bit about your influences and just how / why these authors and / or their work inspire(s) you.

Even though I write in a very different genre, the author who has inspired me the most is Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander. Her writing style helped me see that I didn’t have to write in a box.

4. How did the seeds of this story come to you?

I had a vague sense of Christian when he first popped in my head. I saw a man who was living a life he didn’t want to be living. I began thinking about him and his situation, and finally the plot of the story clicked into place.

5. Which five books would you want with you if you were stranded on a desert island?

1. Bible. This one was easy.
2. Survival guide. Knowing me, I’d eat something I wasn’t supposed to on the first day. 
3. Shakespeare anthology.  I’ve always wanted to spend more time studying Shakespeare. Guess there’d be no better place than on a deserted island.
4.  Shadowbound by Erin Kellison. Total guilty pleasure, but one of my favorite books.
5.  Twilight. Another guilty pleasure. I could probably read it a thousand times and never get bored.

6. Who was your first book crush? (Or if you’ve never had a book crush then who is your favourite character to read about?)

My first crush had to have been Ashley Wilkes. Gone with the Wind was one of the first romances I read in elementary school. I was hooked.

7. Let’s imagine that your book’s getting turned into a movie / tv series. Woo! Which actors can you envision playing the lead roles?

Ooo…this is an easy one. Christian would be a black-haired Chris Pine and the perfect Elizabeth would be a blonde Scarlett Johansson.

8. What do you like to do in your free time (when you’re not reading or writing)?

Most all of my free time is spent with my family. I spend a ton of time watching my boys (and holding my breath) at the skate park, going to the movies, or going out to dinner.  And of course I LOVE a night out with the girls.

9. If you could visit your destination of choice, which plane would you be on in the morning?

Anywhere on the Mediterranean Sea.

10. What’s your least favourite chore to do around the house?

Ugh, folding laundry!

11. Does bacon make everything taste better?

The only place Bacon belongs is on a BLT.

12. Anything else you’d like to share with us all? Extra points if you make us giggle!

Just want to say thank you to Rea for having me on!

Thank you for taking the time to share this with us. I wish you the best of luck with your future career as a published writer and look forward to seeing the book you churn out next!

The author:

A.L. Jackson first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student.  She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.

Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three beautiful children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves. 

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Blog Tour: Racing to Love by Amy Gregory

Buy the book: Amazon US

This was supposed to be posted yesterday but my internet went down. :( It's still rather rocky but I wanted to try to backpost this. 

My apologies, Ms Gregory, for the slight delay here!

Information:

Title: Racing to Love

Author: Amy Gregory

Series: Carter’s Treasure #1

Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing

Target Audience: Adult

Genre: Romance / chick lit

Length: 214 pages

Story: From the outside, Molly West had everything, beauty, brains, and a career she'd retired from not once, but twice. Being in the limelight and in a sport that was male driven, she was often surrounded by men. She ignored first the boys, and as she got older, the men. Her cold shoulder and patented not a chance in hell look were usually enough to get her point across. Molly had no plans in changing what was a perfectly good system. That is until she walked into the pits. Carter Sterling had traveled the racing circuit since he was a boy. He'd heard all the old standbys, She's out there somewhere, love comes along when you least expect it. Good things come to those that... Yeah, he'd heard them all. The last place he expected to meet the love of his life was on a pro track. All she did was smile, and he knew, looking into her sapphire blue eyes, Molly West was his. Forever. If it was only that easy. From the moment he laid eyes on her, he had a gripping feeling in him. An overwhelming need to protect her-a girl he'd just met. Carter had learned a long time ago that gut feelings are almost never wrong. Molly now held his heart in her hands, but it was going to take a lot more than just love to protect her from the past she thought she'd buried a long time ago.

Thoughts and impressions: I’m going to be honest here: I had a hard time even getting going with this story.

First of all, even as it starts the two characters go against what the synopsis led me to expect of them, specifically Molly. For a woman abused in her youth, with trust issues and no time of day for men, it just didn’t feel natural to me when she immediately welcomed Carter’s physical advances. They were just little things, like laying his hand on her thigh, but it all felt as though it moved far, far too fast. I know it was supposed to be a whirlwind romance but the result of this is that I was not invested in the relationship between the two characters. I missed out on build up of feelings and consequently I wasn’t as interested in the outcome of their relationship as I would have preferred to be. I could have done with an additional 50 pages or so of Molly learning to be more open to the possibilities that Carter is offering her.

Second, the book is written in the third person but in a POV that has access to the characters’ innermost thoughts rather than just observing actions. The POV jumps between characters from one paragraph to the next with nothing to show that such a jump has taken place. Towards the beginning of the book I found it hard to keep up with the seemingly random jumps.

Once I’d actually got into the story, things started to improve for me. But as I eased into the style, I become more aware of the fact that there’s actually very little plot to it at all. Everything focuses on the relationship, but there’s never any doubt about the outcome there so you’re more reading to see their relationship than to watch them overcome the obstacles in their way. This said, there are an awful lot of romance books out there where you see this sort of thing. It’s just that I usually prefer mine with a more substantial plot around the romance itself.

Admittedly there is an attempt at an external threat when Molly starts receiving threatening letters. Unfortunately, this isn’t really explored to the full potential that it presented. All things considered, it resolved far too quickly and easily; the perpetrator’s reasoning isn’t really gone into beyond scratching the surface enough to establish a reason; and other characters’ involvement – however unwilling – isn’t even touched on.

This is balanced by Molly slowly learning to stand on her own two feet and make her own decisions outside of the supportive network that her adoptive family had set up for her when she came to them. She had to let go of the past in order to fully embrace her future. I vastly enjoyed this part of the story! Seeing her stand up to people who claim to have her best interests at heart (but are not listening to her when she tells them that this is what she wants) inspired a feel-good feeling that lasted throughout the rest of the novel.

Carter was possibly a little too on the perfect side, but again this is something you see a lot so I’m willing to overlook it.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

Style: The one thing that bugged me the most with this style was the persistent use of “drug”. The past tense of drag is dragged, not drug. Drag is not an irregular verb.

There was another one of my pet hates in here. “I’d never of believed it otherwise.” In this case, the author is aware of how to use the past tense of the conditional as she used it correctly in other places, but it still really, really annoys me whenever I see “of” used instead of “have”.

There was some incorrect word use, such as: “The waiting room of the ER had been overtaken by their friends and family.” Taken over, not overtaken.

And there was some clunky phrasing, such as: “Their whole table let out a collective breath”. I get what the author is trying to say here, but it’s still clunky.

Other than this, once I’d settled into the style, I enjoyed it!

Final verdict: The story was a light, easy read that turned out to be enjoyable despite my initial wariness. I would have preferred more of a focus on external threats, though. 3 stars

Extra notes: Both bad language and sex are present.

Read an excerpt:

“Sometimes,” he whispered, “there’s a bigger plan out there and we don’t have the answers to it.”

“Sure feels like that, huh? It’s kinda scary, don’t you think?”

“Why’s that?” He stroked her back. “You’re not scared of me, are you?”

“No, no, not at all. It’s this. I mean, twelve hours ago life was very different. I was missing home and my family and I wasn’t ready to be gone for four months.”

She couldn’t help the sickening feeling she just had. James. Ugh. She’d thrown the equivalent of a temper tantrum before they’d left town. She had just gotten home from one contract job to find out that two days later she had to leave for another. And this was a long one. When he found out she not only wasn’t mad anymore, but that she was excited about being here—God, he’d never let her live it down. Then he’d lecture her on men.

She had that one memorized, probably because she’d heard it regularly since she was fourteen years old. She only mimicked it verbatim when his back was turned. She loved the man with all her heart, but she had to admit she was a teensy bit worried about how he’d take the news of Carter. Well, more than a teensy bit. She was more like scared to death for Carter’s safety. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep the smile under control. She didn’t want to scare the man off by explaining what was going through her mind at that moment, especially since he’d stuck out the panic attack.

“But now?” he asked in his low, sexy voice, hugging her to him.

He continued to rub her back and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He didn’t know it, but his voice was such a comfort to her. When he lowered it like that, it could almost slip her into a peaceful trance.

“But now, I want time to stand still.” She pulled in a breath of his cologne, his scent like a magnet.

“Me too.”

“We’re moving really fast, Carter.”

She knew it was one kiss, a hell of a kiss, but—one kiss. But combined with other comments he’d slipped in here and there? She knew what he meant when he said she was the one. He was talking about something much bigger than just a weekend fling. She wouldn’t have done that anyway, but he was making this into more. Way more.

Plus, if she had to be honest, he deserved points. Most men would have run like their ass was on fire when they saw her in a heap of tears on the floor. He hadn’t. He’d been sweet, nurturing, and if she wasn’t mistaken, scared to death. He also hadn’t pushed her. He hadn’t made her feel bad when she denied his earlier kiss, he hadn’t pushed her to talk when she wasn’t ready, and he wasn’t pushing for more right now. He seemed happy to go at the pace she was setting.

“Fast is relative. When its right, you don’t measure it, and we aren’t teenagers.” He laughed lightly. “You can’t even consider us young adults anymore, Gorgeous. And look at the thousands of people who go to bed together the first night they meet or have one night stands.”

“That’s not me,” she said softly, then shut her eyes.

“I know, baby.” He had figured out that she was only confident and out-spoken around their big group. When he was alone with her, she was quiet, sweet, and vulnerable. He grinned to himself, completely in love with both sides of her already, but also proud that she trusted him. Seeing first-hand how fast she could throw a wall up against men that wanted to be with her.

“Carter, I have never really had a boyfriend before.” She took a deep breath at her admission.

“Never? I find that hard to believe.”

“No. There was never anyone worth the effort of a long distance relationship. We grew up on the road. Hell, I’m still on the road a lot. You live the same way, you know what it’s like. So why bother? I have been on a few dates over the last few years, but just a date and usually just once. It doesn’t take long to figure out that they’re all just the same. But here…tonight…with you? I’ve been acting like a ditzy, flirty girl. I’ve been hanging on you all night. Uh…your friends are going to think I’m easy.”

“I knew you were the kind of girl to worry about that.”

“I do. Look, it started a fight.”

“There was nothing you did that started that fight. I promise you, Molly. That was all on Martins. He’s a jackass. Don’t you dare feel guilty over that. Please? And as for you hanging on me, you weren’t. But I’ll admit, I like it. I like having your hand in mine, my arm around you. I love your head on my shoulder. I could tell you were able to relax around me. If you consider all that hanging on me, I’ll take it.”

“That’s a man answer.” She softly chuckled.

With her still in his arms, he whispered in her ear in an even lower voice, one with an edge to it, “I am a man.”

Her stomach did another flip flop, but then her mind caught up and her heart dropped. Like you need to remind me? She looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. “Yeah, and I’m sure you’ve got women throwing themselves at you.”

“Not really.”

“I don’t believe that for a minute.”

“I don’t.”

“Carter, you are incredibly good looking and you have killer eyes. So no, I don’t believe you.” A cocky, slow grin danced across his face. “Oh, don’t you look at me like that,” she teased. “You know you’re absolutely amazing, don’t play innocent with me.” His hands slid down to her butt, pulling her as close as he possible could.

“Oh yeah?” He raised his eyebrows up at her a couple of times.

“Yeah.” Her eyes were as wide as saucers, but she wasn’t minding that his hands were on her, and she was loving the crooked grin on his face. It made him appear almost boyish when just seconds before he was—almost—hungry. Boyish she could handle. Hungry scared the shit out of her.

“So…”

“So?”

“Am I worth a long distance relationship?”

Her heart went from zero to sixty from the excitement and the fact he really did like her. Karen had always told her there would be someone. She felt her insides go gooey and her cheeks get warm.

Feeling a little braver, she said, “Depends.” She grinned up at him, getting a small thrill off the control.

He squeezed her butt. It was a total possessive move on his part and she knew it. “Oh yeah? On what?”

“On how long it takes you to kiss me again.”

“That I can do, Gorgeous.”

She slid her arms up to his neck and smiled at him. Then she bit her bottom lip. He smiled his slow, sexy grin that kept driving her insane. There went the control, back to Carter—she had no power against that smile. “What? You’re staring.” She giggled nervously. She gave herself a mental slap upside the head for sounding like a goofy teenage girl.

He smiled down at her and she melted all over again. “I’m just…”

“Just making me nervous,” she finished for him.

“I just can’t get over the fact that I get to be the man holding you. I get to be the man to kiss you.”

“I was thinking that I’m the lucky one.”

He leaned down to kiss her and she slid one palm to his cheek. With her other hand, she threaded her fingers through the back of his hair just as she parted her lips to kiss him. When he pulled her even closer to him, she sighed. The move was intentional. He needed her to know how much he wanted her—to feel how badly he wanted her. A part of him needed her to know how hard he was struggling to keep himself under control, to silently prove to her she was safe with him.

He broke the kiss and pulled her tight to him, the man in him wishing she wouldn’t object to going back to his motorhome. But he knew she wasn’t ready for that. He drew back. “Oh my God.” He breathed heavily, just standing there holding her, willing himself to behave. Carter finally caught his breath and pulled away a few inches to look at her before he leaned his forehead to hers. “Oh girl, what you do to me.”

She looked up at him and graced him with the sweetest smile he had ever seen. “I don’t want to let you go,” she whispered.

“So…” he replied just as quietly, “Don’t. Tell me I’m worth it, that you’ll do long distance. Please.”

She reached up to kiss him gently. “You’re worth everything.”

The author:

Amy Gregory leads an incredibly active lifestyle in Kansas City with her husband and their three fantastic kids who keep them running in three very different directions. When she’s not rushing her oldest daughter to tumbling, her youngest daughter to music lessons, or sitting track-side watching her son practice motocross, she’s taking the few minutes in between to scribble the next pages in her Racing to Love series.

When asked, “When do you have time to write?” Amy Gregory giggles. “In bits and pieces,” she says.

Amy is known for her snarky, off the cuff sense of humor, which you’ll find shining through in the characters she’s created. Her debut novel, Racing to Love, Carter’s Treasure, is set for release June 7, 2012.

I’ve spent my whole life trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, and now I’ve finally found it. – Amy Gregory

Publisher Author Page
Blog
Twitter - @AmyGregory548

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Freefall by Susan Rae

review / interview / giveaway

*giveaway is at the bottom*

So apparently my go-to genre when I’m feeling weighed down by a long week is romance! When I read the synopsis of this one I was immediately intrigued as I have come into a family surrounded by aeroplanes. I even live under one of the landing routes for Schiphol Amsterdam and work between two others – there is no such thing as escape from the planes! What’s more, I’ve actually been on a flight in one of those little planes. Here’s a photo of me & the bf in front of our plane:

Information:

Title: Freefall

Author: Susan Rae

Publisher: Musa Publishing

Target Audience: Adult

Genre: Contemporary romance / chick lit / mystery

Length: Unknown (not too long)

Story: Freak accident, or attempted murder? Kate needs answers to her brother’s plane crash, but can she trust undercover DEA agent “Spike” Larsen to deliver them?

He felt as if he was falling—freefalling through 15,000 feet—without a parachute. It was exciting, thrilling—and deadly. He’d brought Kate up here to protect her, to keep her out of trouble. He’d told himself he owed that much to Keith. Now all he wanted to do was take her down into the cabin and ravage her ‘til dawn…

Kate Reynolds’s quest to unravel the mystery of her brother’s plane crash throws her into the turbulent wake of suave pilot/mechanic Everett Larsen. His gray gaze ignites in her a passion as powerful as a jet stream, but it also sparks a memory…

Drawn to Milwaukee by Keith’s cryptic message, Larsen is unprepared for the torrent of emotion he feels when he sees Kate—after his wife’s death, he is afraid to love again. But when Kate gets too close to the truth, he is even more afraid to lose her.

Thoughts and impressions: The book opens with “the pilot” taking off and soon realising that there’s something not right with his plane. He’s faced with the choice of attempting to right the problem by continuing with his flight – and thus potentially endangering citizens – or returning to the runway in what can only be a crash landing. Following the pilots’ code of ethics, he chooses to put only himself at risk rather than innocent people who just happen to live close by the airport.

We then meet his sister, Kate, who is having to come to terms with the fact that her brother has almost died in an accident involving a flying machine for the second time in his life. The doctors inform her that despite the extent of his injuries he still has brain activity, which is a good sign, but there’s no telling when, or if, he’ll wake up. Kate basically puts her life on hold in order to tend to her brother, but she also wants to help keep his business, an airport, running while he’s unable to keep on top of it himself. As she starts to uncover the events in his life leading up to his accident, though, she also finds herself wondering whether she really knew her brother as well as she thought she did.

At the same time, we’re introduced to Everett Larsen, an army buddy of our beloved coma patient, Keith. Keith had contacted him prior to the accident about something fishy taking place. What’s more, it would appear that Keith’s accident might not have been an accident at all. Everett, now an undercover investigator, is determined to get to the bottom of what happened to his friend, which puts him in Kate’s path. She doesn’t recognise him, though, and he’s happy to present a false persona in order to keep her from learning the truth.

There’s a lot of truth being kept from others in this story, which is usually the way of things in mystery, but Kate and Everett do tend to take it to an extreme. They’re both damaged individuals with previous relationships that ended in emotional turmoil. As such, they’re still working past their demons, but in each other they find a way of coming to terms with what happened – the past is the past and both realise that they need to turn a new page and look to the future instead.

I enjoyed the budding relationship between these two characters as well as the glimpse into life around a small airport. With Schiphol being one of the busiest airports in Europe, my experience is obviously very different, though I have visited some smaller ones in passing (like the “field” in the photo above), which seem much more relaxed and very quaint! In fact, the little views into the life running an airport like this were the highlight of the story.

My only real gripe with the story was that the truth behind what happened to Keith was fairly transparent. As soon as any new information was imparted to the characters, even if it was misleading, it was possible for the reader to put the pieces together much faster than the story was keeping up with. It was just too easy to unravel the mystery and I could see most of the twists and turns coming from the moment they were introduced.

Despite this, I enjoyed the read!

Style: Sometimes the dialogue sounded really corny. It just didn’t sound natural at all.

Final verdict: An enjoyable light and fluffy romance! 4 stars

Extra notes: Both bad language and sex are present.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

The interview:

Hi there! Welcome to Rea’s Reading and Reviews. Thank you for taking the time to share some info about you and your book with me and my readers. Tell us a bit about yourself!

I have always been writing something since I was in 5^th grade.  I wrote a melodrama for the Girl Scout Drama badge in sixth grade, complete with hero, heroine and dastardly villain.  It was lots of fun as I got to play the villain, also.  I’ve done some journalism, short stories, poetry, and even an historical novel—Savage Destiny—during the time of the bodice rippers.  That novel was never published which is probably a good thing!  I may rework it someday though…  Now I guess I have come full circle—romantic suspense is very much like a melodrama. 

1. Describe your book in ten words or fewer.  

Spicy romance and intrigue centered around a mysterious plane crash. 

2. With such a large number of books out there, what do you feel sets your apart from all others? 

The setting, and the intriguing characters.  The story takes place in the Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine Forest and picturesque Door County; but while the setting is idyllic, the drama is not.  As for the characters, Everett and Keith are former Afghanistan special ops pilots who have vowed to look out for each other; Kate is a tough, modern day heroine, head of her own software company, and has no family left in this world but Keith.  The story is about loyalty and family, and how far one will go to protect a loved one.

3. Tell us a bit about your influences and just how / why these authors and / or their work inspire(s) you.

 I have loved a good mystery since I was very young.  I remember reading all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books; then I moved on to Louisa May Alcott, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mary Higgins Clark, Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, Stephen King, Nora Roberts—just to name a few.  I think all have influenced me, as well as the classics—I was a literature major in college.  I love an expertly written, well-told story. 

4. How did the seeds of this story come to you?  

I have to credit my husband for that.  He was part-owner in an aircraft repair shop.  I spent many a day watching him work on airplanes at the small airfield, and watching the planes take off and land.  The main plotline gelled, though, after reading a news article.

5. Which five books would you want with you if you were stranded on a desert island? 

Hopefully, I am stranded with my Kindle that I have just loaded with: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, for fantasy; a hot new thriller, whichever is out at the time; a couple of romantic suspense stories, for heat and adventure; and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.  Between the five of those, I should have lots of characters to keep me company! 

6. Who was your first book crush? (Or if you’ve never had a book crush then who is your favourite character to read about?) 

Other than Nancy Drew, it has to be Jo in Little Women. I read Little Women in sixth grade, and had the opportunity to play Jo in our eighth grade production.  Jo was a tough young woman who gave me the idea that I could be a writer, too.  

7. Let’s imagine that your book’s getting turned into a movie / TV series. Woo! Which actors can you envision playing the lead roles?  

Okay, this question gave me pause.  I’ve honestly thought about it for twenty-four hours and decided I would just have to do a casting call.  I guess I’ve created rather individual characters and I would need to find just the right person to play them—strength with compassion; stubbornness with humility; softness and beauty with a steel core.  I had originally thought of Tom Cruise for Everett, (of course, who wouldn’t), but I think he’s getting a little too old for my hero now, and given the latest news of the breakup of TomKat, probably not such a good choice!  I tell you what, for those of you who read the book, if you come up with any suggestions, please let me know!

8. What do you like to do in your free time (when you’re not reading or writing)? 

I enjoy swimming, travelling around the country in my RV, and golfing.  I really enjoy getting away from the computer and out into the fresh air.  There’s nothing like smacking a golf ball around the course to get your frustrations out when you’re working out a plot point.

9. If you could visit your destination of choice, which plane would you be on in the morning?  

Italy.  I have a painting of a quaint little seaside town hanging above the fireplace in my family room.  Wouldn’t it be great if I could just wiggle my nose like Samantha in bewitched, or get into the transporter like Kirk in Star Trek and whalah!  I’m there!  The truth is, I’m not crazy about flying for eight hours.  But maybe someday…

10. What’s your least favourite chore to do around the house? 

Vacuuming.

11. Does bacon make everything taste better? 

I try to eat healthy, so I don’t use bacon very often (because I have to leave room for cake!)  However, broccoli salad just doesn’t taste right without the real thing, and an “LT” doesn’t cut it either!

12. Anything else you’d like to share with us all? Extra points if you make us giggle!

As for influence for characters, my husband’s co-workers swear he was my main influence for Drake, the intense, hot Irish/Italian hero in my previous novel, heartbeats.  My husband’s response?  He just smiles.  Mine?  I swear it isn’t so, (at least not entirely ); but I mustn’t protest too much, because I think he actually enjoys the comparison!

Thank you for taking the time to share this with us. I wish you the best of luck with your future career as a published writer and look forward to seeing the book you churn out next!

The author:

I write, basically, because I just can’t help myself. I can't resist the challenge of taking the intriguing characters and storylines that pop into my head and fleshing them out into compelling manuscripts. Romantic suspense is a natural to me, because it allows me to combine my love of a good mystery with a passionate love story. It also lets me express my appreciation for the outdoors in the settings which I recreate on the page.


My first novel, heartbeats, is a story of romance and danger set against the background of busy Chicago and the quiet, rural cornfields of northern Illinois. heartbeats has garnered numerous awards, including RWA Golden Heart Finalist for Best Romantic Suspense Novel and Best First Book by First Coast Romance Writers.


In freefall, my second novel, danger and suspense are juxtaposed against the tranquil valley of Sylvan Lake (fictitious) in the Kettle Moraine Forest and the sun-dappled waters of Door County, Wisconsin.


When I’m not sketching characters or working out plot problems, you might find me on the golf course working on my handicap. I also enjoy traveling around the country seeking out new settings for my novels with my husband and my empty nest puppies, Ginger and Nikute.


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The giveaway:

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