Book Blitz and Giveaway: The Crossroads Saga by Mary Ting

 

Crossroads (Book 1)

Author: Mary Ting
Series: Crossroads Saga

Can two worlds collide in dreams? Crossroads, Between, Beyond, Eternity, Halo City-novella Protecting her from the fallen was his duty. Falling in love was never part of his plan. Loving her was forbidden. Being with her was all that mattered, even if it meant he would be exiled for all eternity. Claudia Emerson's life is about to change when her good friend, who coincidentally shares the same first and last name, dies in a tragic accident after the homecoming dance. Distraught at the loss of her friend, Claudia's dreams become tumultuous, and through them she mysteriously travels to another world called Crossroads. Unknown to her, Crossroads is like a second heaven, a place between heaven and earth, where the souls of humans in comas or near death experiences may wander. There, she unexpectedly meets Michael, a nephilim--half angel, half human. It turns out that this isn't her first visit, which is an enigma, for she has no recollection of being there, and is told that no human has crossed over...until Claudia. Now that she's been there, fallen and demons are after her, suspecting she must be special, and it is up to Michael and the other nephilim to protect her. Her dream becomes a nightmare as more secrets are revealed about who she really is, and the true identities of the people she loves most. The situation becomes even more complicated when she is unable to hinder her feelings for her swoon-worthy guardian angel. Can Michael fight his growing feelings for Claudia and protect her as a guardian angel should, or will he be too blinded by human emotions and the struggles of being who he is?

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Praise for Crossroads

 "Crossroads contains action, twists and romance that has you flipping through the pages so fast that you're at the end and ready for more before you know it." ~Gabby, Nashville Young Adult Fiction Examiner/What's Beyond Forks "Watch out Edward Cullen! The angel Michael has officially given you a run for your money! Teens everywhere will add a new fictional boyfriend to their ever growing lists! OMWings! An amazing paranormal angel romance that stays with you long after the last page has turned. I need more!" ~Jennifer Howell with LateBloomerOnline.com “Crossroads by Mary Ting has it all: danger, romance, suspense, incredible characters and an original plot that is sure to thrill. The action never stops as good and evil battle to the death. This well written and fascinating love story will keep readers entranced.” ~ReadersFavorite.com

 

Book Trailer

 

Teaser:

Though Phillip had already told me that I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between an alkin and a fallen, it was confirmed as I watched the battle. They looked just like the alkins as the two sides battled with swords. Watching, I noticed that Michael had one too, but where had it come from?
“No!” Michael shouted, suddenly standing directly in front of me. “You don’t need her. She’s just a human.”
“Get them!” Aden shouted again.
During the entire fight Michael stayed by my side, protecting me. They fought so swiftly that even with my flashlight it was hard to distinguish alkins from the fallen. I focused intently, trying to figure out who was who, but it was no use. They were too fast for human eyes. I pointed the flashlight, hoping to blind or distract them, but that also proved to be pointless. It was only useful for my vision.
In the blink of an eye they were here, there and everywhere. The clanging of swords colliding was painful to hear. As the screeching sounds continued, all I could see were sparks as the swords made contact, as if we were in the middle of a lightning storm. Fearful of any alkin getting hurt, I covered my ears, hoping that it would end soon. Suddenly, Aden raised his hand toward the stars, and the fallen stopped. The sounds of the swords crashing against each other came to a dead halt. Aden started circling around Michael and me.
As he drew closer, I could see that he looked exactly as I remembered him from my dream. The wrinkles on his forehead defined his age, and though I conceived him as evil, his voice scared me more than his appearance. Aden never lifted a finger to fight; instead, he relied on the fallen to carry out his battle strategies.
“Michael, come with me. I’ll give you anything you want.”
“There is nothing I want from you.”
“They’ve turned you against me. I should have killed you when I had the chance.” Aden’s eyes raged with anger.
“They didn’t turn me against you. I did it of my own free will.”
“Move out of my way!” Aden shouted
“You’ll have to go through me first!”
As Aden continued to circle around us, I could sense movement from the fallen, edging closer to Michael and me. The alkin must have sensed it too as they positioned themselves right behind us and immediately began to attack the fallen. Michael moved me to the left and then to the right, fighting while shielding me. Though the fallen were fewer in number than before, they were retaliating in full force. In the midst of all the chaos, I lost my grip on the flashlight, and it tumbled off the cliff. Instinctively I reached for it, and in that split second someone or something collided against me, and I plummeted off the cliff.
Gravity was pulling me faster than my body could resist. I’d always heard that at the moment of death, one’s life flashed before their eyes; all the moments that had brought them to that point, big or small. All I could think of was death itself and the one person who had changed my life forever—Michael.

      

   Author Mary Ting
Bestselling/award-winning author Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.  

BookBlast Giveaway: $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 12/15/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway: The Red Sector Chronicles by Krystle Jones

The Red Sector Chronicles

Series: The Red Sector Chronicles Omnibus

Author: Krystle Jones

Genre: Dystopia, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis

The strength of Sloane’s heart is about to be put to the ultimate test.

After the Eclipse – the night vampires began openly slaughtering human victims – everything changed. Out of fear, the government salvaged what remained of the human population and enclosed them in massive, security-laden cities called White Sectors, while marking the vampire infested territory as Red Sectors.

When seventeen-year-old Sloane McAllister’s twin brother disappears, she seems to be the only one who thinks he isn’t dead, and she vows to stop at nothing to find him. Gathering her courage, she braves the Red Sector to search for clues to his whereabouts. By chance, she encounters Aden, a handsome, charismatic vampire with a hidden agenda. He turns Sloane against her will and whisks her away to his underground city. Enemies quickly become friends as Sloane struggles against her attraction to Aden, and resists her growing loyalties to the creatures that ruined her life.

But the vampires themselves are the least of her problems. A war is brewing between the humans and vampires, along with a growing web of deceit and betrayal. And before it’s all over, loyalties will be tested, hearts will be broken, and no one’s lives will ever be the same.

Excerpt

The Scarlet Dagger *free download!* Or get the whole trilogy for $5.99. *Offer valid through November 25th.*

A sickly yellow school bus, limping on two deflated tires, sat in the middle of an intersection. As I crept alongside it, keeping to its shadow, I caught the outline of a black form moving above me, its hunkered shape slinking along the top of the bus like a cat hunting a mouse.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I wheeled around, cocking the pistol, only to find nothing. There was no nightmarish creature waiting to pounce.

My breath grew more ragged as my heart rate sped up, throbbing painfully inside my ears until it was the only sound I heard. In the windows of the bus, my reflection was still aiming the pistol at the roof of the vehicle. Shadows were at my back, save for a flash of crimson eyes.

I drew a sharp breath and dropped to the ground, spinning around on the balls of my feet as the vampire lunged out of the darkness, a rabid snarl erupting from its oversized throat. The gunshot was silent as death, and time seemed to slow as the vampire changed direction at the last second before the bullet hit, tearing a bright red gash into its bared rib cage. The vampire sailed over me, and I followed its path with the pistol, firing again as the creature shrieked and hit the ground. Quick as a shadow, it scuttled out of the way before the bullet hit home, missing its head and blowing a hole in its side, spraying the ground with black blood. The vampire latched itself on the side of the bus, crawling over the roof like a spider before disappearing from view.

I cursed and went after it. The Scarlet Dagger shined brilliant crimson in the moonlight as I unsheathed and raised it into a defensive position, while gripping the pistol in my other hand. My forefinger jittered against the trigger as I paused at the end of the bus, using the dagger as a mirror to see the other side. Only dirt and a scattering of MISSING CHILD posters lay next to the bus.

Each breath I took made my whole body shake, and I willed my heartbeat to slow as sweat dripped from my forehead onto my chest. Something rapidly clucked its tongue a few feet from me, making a low guttural noise, and I pointed the pistol at the darkness, not seeing anything. A bead of sweat dropped into my eye, and I swiped at it as my vision blurred. I glanced at my hand and did a double take, rubbing the sweat drop between my thumb and forefinger. It was warm and much thicker than it should be.

It was also deep red.

Later, I would be grateful I saw that drop of blood, because it was the only warning I had before the vampire tackled me from the top of the bus, catching me off guard and throwing me to the ground. I landed hard on my back, giving my lungs a jolt as the breath was knocked from me. While I lost hold of the pistol, I managed to bring the dagger up swift enough to block the vampire’s gaping jaws. The creature wasn’t very heavy – little more than sagging, purplish skin and fragile bone – but its speed was nearly too quick for my seemingly sluggish human reflexes, and it was all I could do to keep it at bay as it scratched at my arms and snapped its razor sharp teeth at my neck.

Character Sloane McAllister Interviewed by Krystle Jones

KRYSTLE: So, Sloane, tell the readers a little about yourself.

SLOANE: Um… *tucks hair behind ear and stares at the floor* I’m, uh, a vampire hunter who kind of became a vampire. *laughs* Yeah, EPIC fail.

KRYSTLE: *grins* How’s that working out for you?

SLOANE: Well, you know, it was a big adjustment at first. And by big adjustment, I mean I totally freaking hated it! *laughs* But you get used to it, and being a vampire isn’t all bad. *looks at handsome blond vampire off-stage*

ADEN: (shouted) Yeah, it isn’t!

SLOANE: Get out of my interview!

KRYSTLE: Aden, darling, you’ll get your turn in a minute.

ADEN: *sad face*

SLOANE: *sighs* Why does he have to look so cute when he’s sad?

KRYSTLE: Anyway, back to the vampire thing. How did you feel when you first went into the Red Sector to look for your brother?

SLOANE: Scared to death! Duh! I mean, the Red Sectors are crazy dangerous. All those vampires… *shudders*

KRYSTLE: And yet you went anyway.

SLOANE: *glares at author* And whose fault is that?

KRYSTLE: *grins* I think you relish being in danger, a bit of a thrill-seeker, as it were. Not to mention you’re stubborn and reckless.

SLOANE: Hey! Those are my finer qualities. And I wouldn’t have had to be in dangerous situations if you hadn’t kept putting me in them.

KRYSTLE: You know you liked it.

SLOANE: *suppresses a smile*

KRYSTLE: Right. Well, thanks for coming today, Sloane! Good luck staying out of trouble. You’re going to need it. *last part grumbled*

SLOANE: I heard that! Vampire hearing, remember! *points to ears*

About the Author

Krystle Jones was born and raised in the small, southern town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Reading and writing have been lifelong passions of hers. In addition to being a novelist, she is also an award-winning flutist, and moonlights as a voice actress. Her voice can be heard in the popular online game, Alice is Dead 3.

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Walking in a Vampire Hunter’s Shoes By Krystle Jones

I didn’t know my MC, Sloane, was going to be a vampire hunter when I came up with the idea for The Red Sector Chronicles. I just saw a dark-haired girl, standing in a cityscape painted in shades of red. (Random aside: I think red moons look so cool. Naturally, I had to find an excuse to have one in my novel. =)

A lot of my character ideas start like this, as pictures in my head, and then I flesh them out on paper during my brainstorming process. At first, I was just going to have Sloane be a vampire, because I thought, “Writing as a vampire would be fun!” Then I got to playing the “what if…?” game and thought, “What if Sloane was a vampire hunter who became a vampire, and vampires are what she hates more than anything on this earth?”

That made for a much more compelling character and plotline, so I rolled with it.

Thus, Sloane the Vampire Hunter was born.

I wanted her to be tough. I wanted her to be sassy. Most of all, I wanted her to kick a lot of ass. But kicking said ass was a lot harder to write about than I thought it would be!

In my original draft of the first book in my trilogy, The Scarlet Dagger, I knew she would have to “prove herself” to the audience if she was going to be perceived as a femme fatale. So I had her run-up on a vampire straight-away – and she got her butt kicked. My hubby, when I shoved the manuscript in his face he lovingly agreed to see my baby book, I said, “So, she’s pretty cool, huh?”

“Not really.”

Now, my husband isn’t known for beating around the bush. He just says what he means.

“What?” I asked. “Why not?”

“She gets beat-up right away,” he said, pointing to the manuscript. “She needs to kill this thing. Then I’d be impressed.”

“Huh.”

“Oh, and make her more like Blade, ‘cuz that’d be cool.”

(No kidding on that last part.)

I did make her more like Blade, in the sense of her being a lot tougher to tango with. And that was part of the challenge. She couldn’t be so awesomely badass that no one could beat her, because that gets old. Plus, it’s unbelievable. She needed to have some kryptonite. And she gets that, in the form of a hot vampire, some acidic metal called Scarlet Steel, and a whole slew of other problems.

One of my favorite parts of writing from Sloane’s perspective were all the fighting scenes. I didn’t want to drag them out, but I wanted readers to feel like they were there with her, so I put as many details as I could in them instead of saying, “She punched him. He punched her. Sloane goes flying through a cement wall.” I took karate lessons for many years when I was a kid, and it was fun reliving those years through Sloane, because all of a sudden, I had someplace to use my knowledge. (Never had to get in a fight yet, thankfully!)

When she becomes a vampire, I also had to think about how that affected her psychologically, since she despised vampires. I mean, they did ruin the world. Sloane was very complex and fun to write about while she was in the “figuring-things-out” stage of being a vampire. She sort of wants to like vampires, but she knows she’s supposed to hate them – and she really does – so she’s kind of stuck.

I’d like to keep writing about tough chicks. Not that I have anything against softer heroines (the Bella’s of the literary world), but writing about a girl who can protect herself is a lot of fun.

Author Q&A

1. Are you anything like your heroines?

Oh, no! Sloane is the exact opposite of me, actually. She’s very outspoken and reckless, and I tend to be very soft-spoken (on certain things), and quiet. We’re nothing alike. I’m actually probably a little bit more similar to Valerie, the heroine in my faery series. She’s not as much of a live-wire as Sloane. But that’s the fun part about writing – you get to be anybody you want to be. And the sassy characters are always a lot of fun.

2. Why did you decide to write about vampires?

Vampires are one of my favorite paranormal creatures. (And I think a lot of people would agree with me!) They’re alluring, sexy, dark, mysterious. There’s also a certain romanticism that goes along with them, which lends itself well to paranormal romance.

3. Tell us a little about The Red Sector Chronicles.

In a nutshell, it’s the story about a teenage vampire-hunter-turned-vampire and her adventures. =P That’s the super-short version. It’s a young adult trilogy that’s a mash-up of dystopia, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy, some of my favorite genres. There are laughs, gasps, and swooning-over-book-boyfriends to be had. If you’re a fan of Vampire Academy or Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series, you’ll probably like this series.

4. Are you a pantster or a plotter?

Both. Tried pantsting once. The book was a trainwreck and took about four complete rewrites to get right. Never again. *shudders* I plan things a lot more now that I’ve studied story structure, and I’ve tried really detailed outlines. They tend to make the whole writing process not as much fun for me. Things are “too” planned out, so it takes the fun out of writing. I do make notes about major plot points, as well as some sparse notes about how my scenes go. Then I just let my imagination do the rest.

5. What do you think is more important to the novel, characters or plot?

I’d say both are important, though I will say I’ve watched plenty of movies and read plenty of books where there was almost no plot to be found, but the characters were so captivating that I immensely enjoyed myself anyway.

6. What are some of your favorite movies?

I love Victorian romances, so I’m a sucker for almost any Jane Austen film. I also love fairy tales and films with strong female leads. Gotta love a kickass girl. I also LOVE scary movies and anything that makes me laugh. Some favorites that come to mind are Ever After, Underworld, The Conjuring, and Tropic Thunder.

7. Do you think you’ll ever write about vampires again?

*smiles* Oh, yes. I already have a lot of stories in mind. I just love them too much!

8. Do you have any advice for new writers?

Read. A lot. And not just within your genre, but outside your genre. Also read as many writing references as you can, and practice what you learn. That’s the key. And speaking of practicing, write every day. Not edit. Write. Pour new words onto the page. That’s how you perfect your craft.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway: Entwine by Rebecca Berto

Entwine

Author: Rebecca Berto

Genre: Contemporary, New Adult

Publication Date: November 25th 2013

Available From:

Synopsis

Sarah Langham’s life was the epitome of normal until her dad slept with another woman when she was sixteen. It ripped her family apart.

Twenty-two-year-old Sarah has it together, though.

Waiting at the train station to go home from her first day of her first proper job out of university, she spots a man.

He is an enigma to her. She’s drawn to him, with his square jaw; buzz of hair; and his tall, solid frame, seen under the contours of his business suit. And he’s been looking at her, too. Fate pulls them together that night on a whirlwind date, exceeding anything Sarah’s experienced before. He’s even more into her than she’s into him. Finally, she wants to trust a guy for the first time since she was sixteen.

But then they discover something.

Something that meant they were never two strangers at a train station.

And it threatens to tear their future apart before it, really, ever begins.

Excerpt

~ ONE ~

When Sarah first came home her ears had a faint ring in them, and now, in the aching silence, they buzzed at her fiercely. Her first thought was Ah! Relative quiet for once. I’ll just sneak in and get my mobile phone. Now she wished her dad had been doing anything else, even playing that stupid rock ‘n’ roll music. She had a solution for that: plug in her Favourites playlist and turn the volume up.

She heard the first moan, whispering through the walls. She was drawn toward the sound in her parents’ bedroom; it was like the undeniable dread of watching someone being bullied from afar. It was being unsure how to make it stop.

But Sarah’s mum was out, and there was definitely two people making those sounds in there. For the first few moments, Sarah wondered if her mum had suddenly materialised here. Why else would her dad be moaning in sync with that female voice, and the bed legs be screeching in that way?

She remembered arriving into the silence that had encased her, replacing the throbbing sounds from the party she’d just been at, thinking it all seemed too quiet in here.

She was right.

Sarah felt the blood drain from her face. A sense of nothingness washed over her as she braced her palm to the wall outside her parents’ bedroom, narrowly preventing her wobbly legs from taking her down.

What should she do?

She willed her ears to block out what she heard, but she knew sticking her fingers in the holes wouldn’t help a bit. And her dad didn’t deserve to be the reason she harmed herself if she poked inside too hard.

Sarah wished she could run, but instead her feet stayed rooted against the wall, and she shivered at the choice she had to make. What would she do, tell her mum that she could hear the bed creaking against the frame, that her dad’s friend wasn’t trying to be quiet at all?

The sounds triggered a memory. She’d caught a weird text message when sitting at the kitchen bench, her playing with her dad’s phone, her mum still at work. Her dad had snapped his mobile phone from her fingers and told her to go to her room. Her shock back then debilitated her choice to tell her mum. Her voice didn’t work when she tried to speak, and her throat was tight even when she swallowed. Now, hearing what was happening behind the wall, she had no idea where to even begin.

Sarah clamped a hand over her mouth in case she sobbed loudly, forced her other hand to push her from the lure of the wall where she had been frozen, and to walk herself out the front door.

Back to that party. Back through the shadows of darkness and odd orbs of light, along the sidewalk, back to the noise and the alcohol, and the people trying to forget their responsibilities.

About the Author

Rebecca Berto writes stories about love and relationships. She gets a thrill when her readers are emotional reading her books, and gets even more of a kick when they tell her so. She's strangely imaginative, spends too much time on her computer, and is certifiably crazy when she works on her fiction.

Rebecca Berto lives in Melbourne, Australia with her boyfriend and their doggy.

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Author Q&A

What inspired you to write Entwine?

I was in a bit of a rut and my friend suggested to free write to help. So I downloaded a program that blocked out my screen and had a serene and freeing vibe to it. And I wrote.
I wrote one scene and then during my second free writing exercise, I ended up continuing that same character and story. Fearing I’d get in a rut again if I turned it into a novel, I continued to write random scenes until about 10,000 words along.
Then I knew I had something special and I had to create a novel. The two main characters excited and ignited a passion in me I hadn’t felt for a while.
I have to thank my friend for the reason Entwine exists. It turned out beautifully, thanks to the way I approached it differently than I have to my writing in the past.

Tell us about your main character.

Sarah is an every-girl. She isn’t a virgin but she hasn’t slept with the whole town, she isn’t stuck up, or overly reserved, and she isn’t whiny.
Sarah is fresh out of college, starting her dream job but in her personal life, she’s stuck from moving forwards by hurt in her past. When she meets an amazing guy one night, she fears he’s too good since Sarah’s nothing special. It’s the simple, yet realistic quality about her I really connected to.
Sarah is understatedly unforgettable.

Who does your book appeal to?

Entwine is a unique one to classify.
It evokes a dream-like style at times; in other scenes it’s emotionally devastating with the hurt Sarah feels; and sometimes it’s so damn hot your screen will be in danger of igniting into flames.
If you love your sexy reads and your emotional stories, Entwine is a great balance between that.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway: Clan by Realm Lovejoy

Clan
by Realm Lovejoy
Release Date: 11/12/13

Summary from Goodreads:
Clans are Unity.

No variation. No deviation.

On Clades, to be a Clan is to be an exact copy. 
A perfect society cloning themselves to survive, even as the zombielike Frags threaten to overrun them on an unforgiving planet. 

Clan 1672 (privately known as Twain) was never supposed to survive the Incubation Tank. 
But he did. Illegally. 
He is different from the other Clans. 

A secret that could destroy him.

Kirkus Reviews: "In this fast-paced novel, Lovejoy uses economical prose while developing the story’s characters and setting in detail. She also meets the challenge of creating memorable characters in a world of identical people..." (Read more here!)

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About the Author
Realm Lovejoy is a writer and an artist. She was raised in Washington State and the alps of Nagano, Japan. Her father is a Japanese ex-monk and her mother an English teacher from Rhode Island. Her art is influenced by both the East and the West.

Realm aspires to tell stories through her writing and art.
She is agented by Jessica Regel.

Her upcoming YA sci-fi novel is titled CLAN, due 2013.
Author Links:
     

***GIVEAWAY***

1 Signed Paperback + CLAN Button + Signed Illustration from Paperback (6x8) (US only)

6 Paperbacks of CLAN (US only)

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Book Tour: Ready to Go by Stephanie Mann

Ready To Go

Author: Stephanie Mann

Release Date: 11/12/13

Published by: Swoon Romance

Summary

Daniel is sick of his wonderfully boring and predictable life. He dutifully gets up every morning, goes to class, goes to work, and it never changes. He does, says and even wears exactly what others expect of him. He's so predictable that he barely notices just how unhappy he truly is.

One afternoon, everything changes when David meets a girl on the run from her own demons. She doesn't need Daniel's help, but he offers and she accepts--setting a course for an adventure neither will soon forget.

Together, on an impromptu road trip, two strangers become friends and a bit more, all while facing money problems, car problems, and tourist traps and the naked truth: they can't run forever.

Will they finally stop running long enough to discover true and lasting love?

Review

Ready to Go was a cute story. I did have a little trouble pegging the genre because the characters are almost to old for it to be considered a young adult piece, yet they're a little on the young side for a romance novel. To me, it seems like it is floating somewhere in the middle. Both characters had their "young" moments where they acted more like teenagers, but they also had some "grow-up" moments too, where they acted beyond their years. (After some googling and reading, I think it's referred to as NA. Before I joined the blogging world, I never heard of that catergory.)

It was a quick read. That's not to say the writing is simplistic. It was short and sweet. Two young adults, one in college and one not, take off on a trip. Daniel is looking for a little change, and the girl he meets is just trying to get somewhere far away from home. The idea that someone can just drop their life for a day or two like Daniel does is lovely. Everyone wants to do it at some point. It's a romantic idea.

There were some times where I was concerned about Daniel's intentions, though. There were some parts where he was noticing her physical "assets" a little more than I think most narrators would admit, and sometimes it was at weird moments where it didn't feel as ..natural. There are also a few places where the description takes a little longer than helps the story flow - there is a scene in a library that takes the reader a little out of it because the unnecessary length of it.

I could have used a little more, though. I wanted there to be more when I reached the end. It was a sweet, "coming of age", road trip romance that is easy to read and easy to enjoy.

Rating

About the Author

Stephanie Mann lives in Massachusetts. Besides writing, she spends her free time working with fan conventions. She loves to travel, and has visited many tourist traps along the way. READY TO GO is Stephanie Mann's first novel.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway: Alive by Megan D. Martin

Alive

Series: Crave #1

Author: Megan D. Martin

Genre: New Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance

Release Date: November 22nd, 2013

Available from:

Synopsis

Flesh-eating zombies, dirty sex, and a shattered past…

What’s more dangerous—the man who broke her heart or those trying to eat it?

Fighting to survive, Eve finds herself alone in the world after the Crave—the only parallel of her former life. On the hunt for her sister, she runs into Gage—the first and only boy to have her heart and break it. It’s been four years and he isn’t a boy anymore, nor is he the same person he used to be. Against her better judgment, Eve agrees to stay with him when he divulges information on a safe haven near the small town they grew up in—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it…

Returning home elicits a myriad of emotions that both Eve and Gage thought they had buried. The past and present collide and they are forced to the face bitter deceits that ruined them in the before and threaten to destroy them now…

Excerpt

He jerked her body forward as she struggled against his iron grip. He didn’t stop until he had her back pressed against the decaying wall of the old wooden building with her backpack scrunched painfully in between.

“I know what you need, Eve. You need me.” White-hot heat stabbed through her body like a knife. She fought the urge to rub against him. No, don’t let him control your body like this! “You can deny it all you want. You can escape and head to Eden on your merry way. I know you know where it is. I know you don’t need some fucking tour guide.” His words were vicious, his gray eyes brighter than moments before.

“Then why won’t you let me go? Huh?” She choked the words out, hoping he didn’t notice how he affected her.

“You don’t know what’s out there.”

About the Author

Megan D. Martin is a multi-published author, mother, student and editor. In her spare time she enjoys decorating her house with strange things that do not match, playing her old school Nintendo Entertainment System, and buying fish for her many fish tanks.

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