Blog Tour: How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler

TITLE How I Lost You
AUTHOR Janet Gurtler
PUBLICATION April 23rd 2013 by Sourcebooks Fire
READ April 13, 2013
SOURCE Sourcebooks for review

There are a few things Grace Anderson knows for sure. One is that nothing will ever come between her and her best friend, Kya Kessler. They have a pact. Buds Before Studs. Sisters Before Misters. But in the summer before senior year, life throws out challenges they never expected. And suddenly the person who's always been there starts to need the favor returned. Grace and Kya are forced to question how much a best friend can forgive. And the answer is not what they expected.

As a Canadian I am always quick to support Canadian authors, so last year when I found out that Janet Gurtler was not only from Canada but lived in Calgary, I was quick to pick up some of her books. Prior to HOW I LOST YOU I had only gotten to read one, WHO I KISSED and I have to say that HOW I LOST YOU blew that one out of the water. This was a novel full of characters that I connected to emotionally and at the heart of the story is one of the most wonderful family units I have had the pleasure of reading about.

The real charm here kicked off in the very first chapter when it came to light that Grace (our MC) and her best friend Kya are kickass paintball players. These girls don’t just play the game here and there but they excel at it. They take part in tournaments and most of the time they whip the guys butts. They have earned a level of respect in the paint balling environment as they compete and work at Grace’s dad’s indoor paintball arena, Splatterfest. The added element of the sport and camaraderie gave me a feeling reminiscent of what I have always felt when reading Miranda Kenneally’s Hundred Oaks series, which was definitely a welcome feeling. I loved what a headstrong character Grace was and watching her function in this primarily male environment.

This novel doesn’t only have the adrenaline that the sports scenes lend to it, it also throws some strong emotion at the reader as it deals with some pretty heavy issues. Grace, Kya, and their other friend James’ relationships are really put to the test as they harbor secrets and hidden feelings for one another. I couldn’t really peg James for much of the novel but as his story came to light and we find out what he has had to deal with with the girls and with his mother who is ailing from MS I really felt for him. He was a caring, present friend in their lives despite all that he was going through. Kya was someone that I felt really bad for but I also wanted to slap some sense into her. She was incredibly impulsive to the point of being self destructive. We also get to watch the characters grow and along with that comes relationships and hurt feelings. Grace’s romance with Levi was incredibly sweet and I loved watching it grow very slowly and naturally.

The relationship at the forefront of the novel is Grace and Kya’s. These girls have been best friends forever and we watch them grow apart. There is an elephant in
their closet that has been letting Kya get away with her unhealthy antics for too long and watching Grace come to that realization was pretty emotional. It was intense to see her come around and start putting herself first. Helping her get there is a great support system in the form of her family. Her parents were awesome! Her dad was an ex-cop and her mom an ex-lawyer with quite the personality. Their witty banter with one another was heartwarming and I loved her mom’s dry sarcasm so much.

HOW I LOST YOU is an exceptional novel with so many layers that it has a little something for everyone. Chalk full of great action sequences, layered relationships and well-developed characters, it’s a fun, empowering read that isn’t scared to draw out emotion. I think Gurtler has hit it out of the park with this one and I can’t wait to see what she throws at us next.

Excerpt from How I Lost You

     “Climb over,” Kya called from her yard.
     I sized up the fence. It wasn’t designed for climbing. I shook my head. “I’ll come around to the front on the street.”
     “Come on. Climb over. You’re already out here. It’s not hard. We’ll catch you,” Kya shouted.
     It was a test. One she didn’t necessarily want me to pass. I found out later how much Kya liked to test people.
     “Come on, new girl. Try,” Kya called.
     I could hear James protesting, trying to stick up for me.
     But the challenge trickled over the fence. And right there, I fell for her hard. Actually, I fell right on top of her. I climbed the fence and when I swung my leg over the top of it, my pant leg caught on a branch of lavender. I hung there until Kya grabbed my leg and yanked. Hard to say which was louder, the rip of my jeans or my shriek, and then I landed on top of Kya. Fortunately, she laughed. The crazy snort laugh didn’t suit her stunning looks but it was contagious. I started to laugh too and then James joined in. Lavender flowers came down with me and tickled at my skin, and when I pulled them out of my pant leg, the smell filled my nose, mingling with our laughter. Lavender would forever remind me of that day.

Janet's Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Janet lives near the Canadian Rockies with her husband and son and a little dog named Bruce. She does not live in an Igloo or play hockey, but she does love maple syrup and says “eh” a lot. Janet only gives 5 stars to the books she reviews because she is an author herself and knows that no book can appeal to everyone, but like a child, it is very special to the creator.

I'M NOT HER was published by Sourcebooks Teen Fire in May 2011 | IF I TELL released Oct 1, 2011 from Sourcebooks Teen Fire | WHO I KISSED Sourcebooks Fire 2012.

Janet's work will also appear in the THE FIRST TIME anthology, DEAR TEEN ME anthology and WHO DONE IT anthology.

This post is a part of the How I Lost You blog tour brought to you by Jean Book Nerd

Click the tour banner below to see all the stops on this tour

Boy Nobody: Chapter 1 Extract

Today I am excited to share the first chapter of the upcoming YA novel BOY NOBODY by Allen Zadoff. This is a title that I am excited to get to and I think the extract is pretty riveting.  Read on to find  the extract, more about the novel, and more about Allen.

Boy Nobody
(Boy Nobody #1)
by Allen Zadoff
to be published June 11th 2013 by Little, Brown & CO BYR

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school, in a new town, under a new name, makes few friends and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die -- of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, and moves on to the next target.

When his own parents died of not-so-natural causes at the age of eleven, Boy Nobody found himself under the control of The Program, a shadowy government organization that uses brainwashed kids as counter-espionage operatives. But somewhere, deep inside Boy Nobody, is somebody: the boy he once was, the boy who wants normal things (like a real home, his parents back), a boy who wants out. And he just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's next mission.

 Chapter 1

I PICK UP A BASEBALL BAT.
     It’s a thirty-two-ounce Rawlings composite. I feel the weight in my hands. The balance is slightly off from a dent on the tip.
     I grasp the bat on either end and stretch out in the parking lot after the game. Natick vs. Wellesley. My Natick teammates are all around me, high school jocks doing what they do after a win. Celebrating. Big-time.
     I celebrate, just like them.
     This is what I think to myself:
     I am one of you. I am young. I am a winner.
     I smile and stretch.
     After a moment, I shift my weight onto my back leg and I swing hard. Jack Wu comes up behind me at the same time. The bat misses his head by an inch.
     A big man in a black suit tenses nearby. Tenses but doesn’t interfere.
     This is Jack’s bodyguard and driver, a shadow behind Jack whenever he goes out. Jack’s dad is rich. Rich and nervous.
     Jack hates the bodyguard. He’s told me a dozen times. Jack and I are friends, so he tells me these things.
     “Watch it with the bat, dude,” Jack says, and he punches me on the shoulder. A playful punch.
     The Suit steps forward, and Jack spins around, anticipating him.
     “Down, Rover,” he says, like he’s talking to a pit bull. The Suit grins like he’s in on the joke, but I wonder if he wouldn’t slap the hell out of Jack if he had the chance. Instead he leans back against the sleek black Mercedes and waits.
     “You killed it out there,” Jack says. He head-gestures toward the field.
     “I do my best,” I say.
     “Your best kicks ass and takes names,” Jack says, and he punches my shoulder again.
     This time the big man doesn’t move. But the other players are looking at us. Two punches on the arm. A way of asserting dominance. Dominance is a threat. It must be dealt with.
     I run a checklist in my mind:
     I can let him punch me. Choose a lower status.
     I can retaliate in equal measure, with equal force.
     I can escalate. Assert my dominance.
     Which should I choose?
     Jack is supposed to be my friend. A teenage friend would punch a buddy the way he punched me. When in doubt, emulate. That’s what I’ve been taught. So it’s option two. I give Jack a light punch on the shoulder.
     “Ow!” he cries in mock pain. “Take it easy on me.”
     This entire transaction takes no more than two seconds:
     I swing the bat.
     Jack punches. I punch back.
     We both laugh as the Suit looks on.
     This is what you’d see if you were watching us now. Two jocks, buddies, teasing one another.
     “You want to come back to the bank vault?” Jack says. The bank vault. That’s what Jack calls his house.
     “For a little bit,” I say.
     Jack steps toward the car. The Suit reacts quickly, opening the back door for him.
     “My friend is coming with,” Jack says to him.
     “Yes, sir,” he says, and he gestures for me to get into the car.

THE LEATHER IS SOFT IN THE MERCEDES.
     It’s the kind of leather seat that pulls you in, begs you to relax against it. A seat that says, You are being taken care of. You are being driven where you need to go.
     I imagine having a father who can afford things like this. Expensive cars. Expensive bodyguards. Not just afford them, but a father who wants his son to have them. Wants him to be taken care of.
     But this is not something I should be thinking about now. Not when there’s work to do.
I glance at Jack. He’s leaning back with his eyes closed. “I was thinking,” he says.
     “That’s unusual for you,” I say.
     “Asshole,” he says.
     He smiles, his eyes still closed.
     “I was thinking about you and me.”
     “Stop right there,” I say. “You’re making me nervous.”
     “Can I be serious for a minute?” Jack says.
     “You want to get all heavy for sixty seconds, I’m not going to stop you.”
     “I was thinking that you’re a real friend.”
     “You’ve got tons of friends,” I say.
     “Not guys I invite over to the house. Not guys I trust.” “You trust me?”
     “For real,” Jack says.
     The Suit in the front seat coughs. A warning to Jack? A reminder that he’s still here? Or nothing at all. A tickle in the throat.
     “If you trust me, can I borrow a hundred bucks?” I say. “I don’t trust you that much,” Jack says.
     He laughs.
     He punches my arm.
     I let him do it.

THE SUIT TYPES A CODE INTO THE SECURITY GATE.
     The large metal gate slides open to reveal a long driveway, a guard hut set twenty feet in.
     We pull up to the hut and the Suit nods to a guard. He lifts two fingers. Two people coming in, Jack and me. The guard marks it down on a clipboard. He’s seen me before and it’s not a big deal.
     We continue around a hairpin turn and the house comes into view. Big but not lavish. The Suit stops to let us out.
     Jack types a code to gain access to the house.
     The front door beeps to announce our entry. Front door open, it says.
     It beeps again when the door is closed. Front door closed, the electronic voice says.
     Jack’s dad wanders by with a beer in his hand. Chen Wu is his name. His friends call him John. He’s the CEO of a high- tech firm along Route 128. Lots of government contracts.
     Does he need all this security?
     I know he likes it. It makes you feel important to have a lot of people with guns around you. It makes you feel safe, and more importantly for him, it makes his wife feel safe. That keeps her from giving him a hard time.
     It’s not just Mr. Wu. All the CEOs are edgy right now. There was some violence a year ago. An important kid got shot during an attempted kidnapping while on spring break in Mexico. The Fortune 500 went security crazy. Now rich kids like Jack need a commando team to take a dump.
     “Nice to see you, boys,” Jack’s dad says.
     “What’s up, Dad?” Jack says. “Gotta take a squirt. Pardon my French.”
     He turns to leave.
     “Hey, I can’t stay too long,” I say.
     “You gotta go?” Jack says, disappointed.
     “Gotta call my mom,” I say. “I guess it’s morning wherever she is.”
     “Crap in a bag,” Jack says.
     He shoots up the stairs.
     “You have time for a cold one?” Jack’s dad says.
     “Beer or soda?”
     “How old are you?” he says.
     “Sixteen.”
     “Soda for you. But it was a nice try.”
     I shrug like I’m bummed out, and I follow him through the den.
     “How was the game?” Jack’s dad says. “Amazing,” I say. “You should come sometime.” “High-school ball is not really my thing,” he says.
     But it’s his son’s thing, so what does it matter?
     I see this a lot with the Fortune 500. Mr. Wu is always working. Except Friday nights. His only downtime, and he doesn’t want to spend it with his family. He relaxes for the evening, then works again all weekend.
     So be it. It’s Friday night and he’s here. So am I.
     That’s the important thing.
     We head into the kitchen, and the conversation drifts to the Red Sox. We’re in Boston, so we have to talk Sox.
     I notice an expensive knife block on the counter with one of the knives missing from its slot. A wide slot. This is a knife big enough to be used as a weapon.
     I scan the room.
     The sink.
     The knife is sitting on a cutting board next to the sink, ten feet away from us. A safe distance away.
     I relax and exhale. I sit at the table, and I reach into my backpack and take out a ballpoint pen.
     Jack’s dad looks at me from the refrigerator, a question on his face.
     “You taking notes?”
     “When you talk baseball, I listen,” I say.
     Jack’s dad smiles. I smile.
     When in doubt, emulate.
     I turn the cap and double click, exposing the point.
     Jack’s dad reaches forward to hand me the cold soda.
     I push the end of the pen into the meat of his forearm. The action depresses a miniature plunger.
     His eyes widen as the drug hits him. His mouth puckers, forming the familiar Wh—
     Maybe it’s why he’s trying to say.
     Maybe it’s what, as in What are you doing?
     But the drug is fast acting. Its actual speed depends on age and conditioning, which is bad news for Jack’s dad.
     He’s out of shape.
     So it is fast. Faster even than a word can form.
     Jack’s dad stumbles, and I catch him, place him on the floor by the kitchen table. I don’t let him fall because I don’t want Jack running downstairs to see what caused the noise. I don’t want anyone else rushing in. Not yet.
     I need fifteen seconds.
     Six seconds to lay him down, arranging the body, limbs splayed as if from a fall. I use an elbow to knock over the can of beer next to him. The foam hisses.
     Five seconds to put away my pen and notebook, zip the backpack where it hangs from the back of a chair.
     Four more seconds to play out the chain, let the chemical reaction in Mr. Wu’s body take him beyond the point of resuscitation.
     Fifteen seconds.
     Done.
     I look at the body. The man that was Jack Wu is gone.
     A husband is gone.
     A father is gone.
     “I trust you,” Jack said.
     That was your mistake, I think.
     Twenty seconds have passed. The outside edge of my operational window.
     “Oh my god!” I say. “Help!”
     I fling open the front door. “Someone!” I shout.
     Jack comes running down the stairs, and his face turns white with shock. A sound comes out of him, something between a moan and a scream.
     The security people rush in. One look at the body and the first guy knows.
     It’s all a show after that.
     I stand to the side and watch it happen.
     Resuscitation attempts, the ambulance, all of it.
     I push forward like I want to be in the middle of the action, be near my friend Jack. The Suit from the baseball game stops me. He puts an arm on my shoulder, gently, like he’s my father
or something. I want to shrug it off, but I don’t.
     “Maybe it would be better if you stepped away,” he says.
     “What about Jack—?”
     “It’s a family matter,” he says.
     I relax my shoulders beneath his arm.
     “I need my backpack,” I say.
     He steps into the fray, grabs my backpack, hands it to me, and guides me out the door.
     I glance back. My last image is of Jack on the sofa, his back hunched, his head almost to his knees.      
     A profile of grief.
     All because of me.

Allen's Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Allen Zadoff is the author of three YA novels. His debut novel, Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award and was a YALSA selection for Most Popular Paperbacks of 2012. His second novel was My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies, the story of a techie hiding from life after a family tragedy. His most recent novel Since You Left Me is set in Los Angeles and tells the story of a religious school student who doesn't believe. He also wrote the memoir for adults, Hungry:Lessons Learned on the Journey from Fat to Thin.

Allen is a graduate of Cornell University and the Harvard University Institute for Advanced Theatre Training. Look for Boy Nobody, a YA thriller series, coming summer 2013 from Little Brown.

Blog Tour Stop: The Kings of Charleston

Today I'm excited to share with you an excerpt from The Kings of Charleston by Kat H. Clayton as part of the blog tour.  This tour is brought to you by Xpresso Book Tours. First, here is some information about the book:


The Kings of Charleston
(The Kings of Charleston #1)
by Kat H. Clayton
Published July 10th 2012 by Kat H Clayton

Casper Whitley is forced to move to Charleston, South Carolina where she’ll be the new kid her senior year of high school. Casper’s upset about the move until she meets the Roman family’s gorgeous son, Cal, but there’s a problem. A mystery surrounds him which can be summed up in one word…Kythera. Never heard of it? Neither has Casper until she finds the word tattooed on cars, paintings and all her new friends.

After Casper’s life is threatened, someone is forced to tell the truth about her parents, the Romans and Kythera’s motives for her being in Charleston. Once the truth is revealed, she must decide whether to protect her family and Kythera’s secrets or walk away from everything she has ever known.

 Excerpt

     Cal swore under his breath and pulled to the side.
     I was a mess. I had never been pulled over, not even as a passenger.
     Cal pushed a button and the window slid down slowly with a whoosh. I turned to look at the approaching officer. He had a flashlight in his hand that he swept across the side of the car. Once he reached the front of the car, he paused at the front wheel and stood motionless for several seconds. I leaned over the console to see what the holdup was. The officer’s face had drained of all its color.
     “Can I help you, Officer?” Cal said.
     I hit Cal on the shoulder and mouthed, What are you doing? He shrugged his shoulders.
     “Oh, well, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize who you were,” the officer said with an uneasy laugh. Why would he be sorry for pulling over a seventeen-year-old in a Mercedes?
     “No problem, you new to the force?” Cal said in a conversational tone. My mouth dropped open.
     “Yes, I am. I didn’t get a good look at your vehicle till now. Hope you have a good night,” he said. The officer walked back to his vehicle and drove off. Cal turned on his blinker and merged back into the flow of traffic.
     “What just happened?” I asked. I was shocked and confused by how the officer had treated Cal. You would have thought he was a movie star or a diplomat with immunity to the law.
     “Ah, nothing, I just know the police pretty well,” he responded, smiling to himself. There was obviously more to the story and it had to do with whatever the officer had seen on the front wheel of his car. What could he have seen? I was dying to find out.
     “You have a lot of run-ins with the law?”
     He leaned his head over to me with a playful expression on his face. I felt tiny butterflies develop in the pit of my stomach. “Me? Nah, they have run-ins with me from time to time. I have to straighten them out, you know?”
     He turned the blinker on and we entered a residential neighborhood. A few minutes later, we pulled up to a restaurant at the end of a secluded street. Cal pulled the car into a parallel parking space across the street and got out of the car. I began to open my door, but he waved his finger at me. He opened the door for me and gestured for me to take his hand. After a moment’s hesitation, I stepped out of the car, my hand in his strong grip.

Kat's Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Kat has been a writer her entire life, but never pursued a writing career until the characters from a short story she wrote in high school refused to go away. Finally, she sat down and wrote their story which would became The Kings of Charleston series.



Kat has been an avid reader her entire life. She enjoys all genres, but particularly Mystery and Young Adult. Mary Higgins Clark is one of her favorite authors who inspired her love of mysteries. 



When she isn't writing, Kat loves to travel, try out new recipes and hang out with her husband. She is originally from Kentucky, but currently resides in South Georgia with her husband, a cat named Frank and a dog named Lil.

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Strength Blog Tour Stop (Excerpt/Giveaway)

Today I have an excerpt and giveaway to share with you for the Strength by Carrie Butler blog tour, which is brought to you by Xpresso Book Tours. First here is a little about the book:

Strength
(Mark of Nexus #1)
by Carrie Butler
Published March 7th 2013 by Sapphire Star Publishing

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.

Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation--and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…

Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.

They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do--even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.

(Upper YA/New Adult)

Excerpt from Chapter 6

After the screaming subsided and the noises stopped, I took a deep breath and pounded on the door again—mentally preparing myself for another bout of waiting. It wasn’t like I had anywhere to go. Gabby was still occupying the room downstairs. I had all the time in the world.

Not that he’d ever answer the freakin’ door.

I was about to retreat to my spot on the sofa, when the door jerked open with a barely-perceptible whoosh of air. My hair fanned at the abrupt vacuum, and I swallowed, feeling everything I’d planned to say disappear with a single glance. “Wallace…”

It looked like he’d just escaped a brutal assault, leaving half of his face swollen, red, and glistening with sweat—his left eyelid lowered at half-mast. “What?” he snapped, swiping the back of his wrist under his nose.

“I…I…” My voice jumped an octave. “Are you okay?”

His narrowed, unfocused gaze met mine. “I’m fine.”

He didn’t look fine. He looked dead.

“I just thought I heard something and wanted to check on you.” My adrenaline fed off of his fearsome exterior, burning my legs with the desire to run. It was like meeting the manifestation of our fears for the first time. He seemed so different from last night. “I-Is there someone with you?”

His austere features darkened, and he shifted from one side to the other. “Sure you wanna ask the crazy guy?”

Ouch. Okay, I deserved that.

He gripped the doorknob and tilted his chin, looking past me. “How about you?”

I turned as Aiden paled and backed away. “N-No,” he sputtered. “I-I mean you’re not crazy. You’re just…” He rubbed his hands on his pants. “Sorry, she just gets worried about…stuff.” Swallowing hard, he jerked his head toward his own door in a gesture for us to go. “We’ll leave you alone now.”

My heart raced. I was petrified, but my mind was reeling with possibilities. If I left, I’d have to forego what little ground I had already gained. Was it worth it? I couldn’t just spout idealistic lectures and then punk out when it came down to it, could I?

“Look, I just wanted to see if you were okay.” Also, please don’t hurt us.

“Well, you’ve done your good deed for the day.” Wallace stepped back and started to close the door. “You’ll sleep well tonight.”

“Wait! That’s not what I—”

“Goodnight.” He shut the door with a soft click.

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Clayton Falls Blog Tour Stop (Excerpt/Giveaway)

Today I am excited to be taking part in the Clayton Falls Blog Tour that is brought to you by Xpresso Book Tours. To see all of the stops on this tour click the banner above!  In my post you will find an excerpt from Derailed as well as a fantastic giveaway. First here is a little more about the books:

Derailed
(Clayton Falls #1)
by Alyssa Rose Ivy
published September, 2012 by CreateSpace

When you're lost, sometimes the only place you can go is home.

Broken over the death of her fiancé, Molly leaves law school to return to her childhood home in North Carolina. Expecting to lay low until she can figure out what else to do with her life, she finds herself in the arms of her high school sweetheart, the boy who represents everything from the past she tried to leave behind.

Looking for an escape, she instead finds a way back to the girl she almost forgot existed and a future she never dreamed possible.

Veer

(Clayton Falls #2)

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

published  November, 2012 by CreateSpace 

Only when you let go can you learn to live.

Between the death of her mother and pushing through law school without her best friend, it's been a tough year for Becca. Needing a break from Boston, she moves to a tiny coastal North Carolina town for a relaxing summer. After bumping heads repeatedly with a local cop, she realizes her summer will be anything but quiet.

Three years after a career ending injury ruins his chance to play Major League Baseball, Gavin has a distrust of northerners and lately girls in general. He wants nothing to do with a girl who is only in town for the summer.

When the two give in to their impossible attraction, they realize that they may just have found the key to freeing themselves from the ghosts of their pasts.

 Derailed is only $1.00 for your Kindle during this tour!

Click here to grab your copy today!

Excerpt From Derailed (Clayton Falls #1)

     I pulled off my tank as soon as I hit the dock. I hadn’t unpacked my swimsuits yet, and I wasn’t about to let that stop me. I stripped off my skirt, standing alone on the faded wood dock. Dad was the only one who ever took care things like that, and he’d been gone five years. Wearing only a grey bra and panties, I looked down at the black water and hesitated for a second before diving in.

     Cool water greeted me. It was too early in the season for the water temperature to have risen yet. I sunk further down—away from two boys, one who left me and one who I left. I came up for air, the saltiness of my tears blending in with the water.

     I floated, letting the slight current move me. Part of me hoped it would take me so far out I’d never find my way back again. The lights from the dock lit the night, but with my eyes closed, I could pretend the world had gone dark.

     I’m not sure how long I floated when a voice broke me out of my reverie.

     “A little late for a swim, isn’t it?”

     I opened my eyes and looked up at the dock to see Ben sitting with his legs hanging over the edge. “A little late for a visit, isn’t it?” I shot back, not ready to face him.

     “Well, if you recall, we were supposed to be catching up tonight. You left before that could happen.”

     “I wonder why I did that?” I swam reluctantly over to the dock.

     “You ready to come out yet?”

     “Not with you watching.”

     “Like I haven’t seen you wet and naked before.” He smirked.

     “I’m not naked.”

     “See, so really there’s no reason to worry about it.”

Watch the Derailed Book Trailer!

Alyssa's Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive an ebook copy of Veer (Clayton Falls #2)

Giveaway is open internationally

Last day to enter is February 8, 2013

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Spellbound Trilogy Book Blitz

Today I am super excited to be taking part in The 12 Days of Magic Xpresso Book Blitz for Nikki Jefford's awesome Spellbound trilogy!  I have come to be pretty close with Nikki and I can say that she is awesome and such a great person to talk to.  I have read the first two books in this series (Read my review of Entangled HERE and Duplicity HERE) and am anxiously awaiting the Enchantment to see how it all wraps up! First here is a little more about the books in this series:

Entangled
by Nikki Jefford
published February 20th 2012 by Nikki Jefford

Two months after dying, seventeen-year-old witch Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body.

Until Gray finds a way back inside her own body, she’s stuck being Charlene every twenty-hour hours. Her sister has left precise instructions on how Gray should dress and behave. Looking like a prep isn’t half as bad as hanging out with Charlene’s snotty friends and gropey boyfriend.

The “normals” of McKinley High might be quick to write her behavior off as post-traumatic stress, but warlock Raj McKenna is the only person who suspects Gray has returned from the dead.

Now Gray has to solve the mystery of her death and resurrection and disentangle herself from Charlene’s body before she disappears for good.

Duplicity

by Nikki Jefford

published May 20th 2012 by Nikki Jefford

If Graylee Perez thought sharing a body with her twin sister was bad, dealing with a duplicate of herself is two times worse. Gray the second doesn’t seem to get that Lee’s boyfriend, Raj McKenna, is off limits. Then there’s the problem of Adrian Montez. He expects one of the Grays to be his.

Nearly a year later, the council is onto them for past misdeeds; Lee, along with the rest of the coven, has lost control of her powers; and Gray is being stalked by what looks like the Grim Reaper.

If they work together, they may stand a chance of setting things right and making it out alive.

Enchantment
by Nikki Jefford
to be published April 2013 by Nikki Jefford

In the third and final installment of the Spellbound series, Graylee Perez (the duplicate), goes to Spain for a summer of escape. There she meets new friends and comes face to face with her old adversary, Adrian Montez.

When Gray tries to setup a spell that will banish Adrian from her life, she inadvertently falls under a love spell instead.

Charlene returns, having hijacked a new body, for one final battle between the twins.

Teaser from Enchantment

IN THIS SCENE: Adrian’s grandmother returns in book three, accompanying him on his magic tour in Europe.

“This food no good.”

Adrian’s Nan glared down at the plate of paella the waiter had set before her.

They were seated at an antique marble table attached to legs made of curly cast-iron supports. It was only noon, which made Adrian and his Nan the first lunch customers of the day. The Spaniards wouldn’t be out for their mid-day meal till closer to two.

Adrian was already three bites into his dish. “There’s nothing wrong with the food, Nan.”

“Food better in Paris.”

“Spanish food is fine. You just miss the pastries.”

“What wrong with pastries?”

Adrian grinned. “Come on, you have to admit it’s good to get out of the apartment.”

Nan scowled in answer.

His Nan had barely stepped foot outside since arriving in Barcelona two weeks prior.

“Why we come to Spain?”

“I told you. I had an opportunity to perform.”

“Perform!” Nan spat on the ground then tossed up her arms. “You perform plenty in Paris. I know why we come to Spain. The girl.”

Nan missed the look of warning on Adrian’s face.

“You almost kill yourself for this girl and still I no meet.”

“I did not almost kill myself for her. It doesn’t matter, anyway. She hates me.” She probably hated him even more after last night. It was of little consequence. Adrian had not expected to see Graylee Perez again, at least not this soon. Her mother had forbidden it. He smirked at the thought. No one forbade Adrian Montez anything.

Nan huffed. “Love. Hate. Doesn’t matter. You powerful warlock. Make girl love you.”

Adrian wasn’t above manipulation or the use of magic to get what he wanted, but in this instance the mere thought of it made him physically recoil. “I am Adrian Hedrick Montez. I will have a woman’s sincere love or I won’t have it at all.”

Nan huffed again.

Adrian smiled slowly. “Besides, I already have the love of a good woman.”

Nan came the closest to a giggle as Adrian had ever heard. Her lips puckered into a brief smile and she actually took a bite of her food. But as soon as she’d swallowed, she leaned forward and asked, “When we return to Paris?”

It was like dealing with a four-year-old.

Yay, I get the feeling from this teaser that we will be seeing a lot more of Adrian in Enchantment, which is definitely welcome!! And how cute, lunch with his nan.

Nikki's Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt. She writes edgy teen fiction, including the Spellbound Trilogy and Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter.

Nikki married Sébastien, the love of her life, while working as a teaching assistant in France. They now reside in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands, 70 miles northeast of Forks, Washington.

 Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive: A signed Entangled paperback and a box of Peppermint Chocolate Polar Bear Smooches.

12 lucky ebook winners will receive their choice of ebook (Entangled, Duplicity OR Enchantment when it releases)

Giveaway is open internationally

Last day to enter is December 27, 2012

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Stormdancer Blog Tour Stop (Excerpt & Giveaway)

Today I am so excited to be hosting a stop on the Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff blog tour. If you haven't heard of it, I have to ask what rock you have been living under these last few months! Stormdancer has taken the YA book community by errrr... storm.  My stop on the tour is featuring an excerpt from the novel (actually the entire first chapter!) as well as a giveaway of a hardcover copy of Stormdancer.  First, here's a little bit about the book:

Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1)
by Jay Kristoff
to be published September 18th 2012 by Thomas Dunne Books

A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger—a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

1
YUKIKO

As the iron war club scythed toward her head, Yukiko couldn’t help wishing she’d listened to her father.
She rolled aside as her cover was smashed to kindling, azalea petals drifting over the oni’s shoulders like perfumed snowflakes. The demon loomed above her, twelve feet high, all iron-tipped tusks and long, jagged fingernails. Stinking of open graves and burning hair, skin of polished midnight blue, eyes like funeral candles bathing the forest with guttering light. The club in its hands was twice as long as Yukiko was tall. One direct hit, and she would never see the samurai with the sea-green eyes again.
“Well, that’s clever,” she chided herself, “thinking about boys at a time like this.”
A spit-soaked roar pushed her hard in the chest, scattering a cloud of sparrows from the temple ruins at her back. Lightning licked the clouds, bathing the whole scene in fleeting, brilliant white: the endless wilds, the stranded sixteen-year-old girl, and the pit demon poised to cave in her skull.
Yukiko turned and ran.
Trees stretched in every direction, a steaming snarl of roots and undergrowth, stinking of green rot. Branches whipped her face and tore her clothes, rain and sweat slicked her skin. She touched the fox tattoo sleeving her right arm, tracing its nine tails in prayer. The demon behind her bellowed as she slipped away, over root and under branch, deeper into the suffocating heat.
She screamed for her father. For Kasumi or Akihito. For anybody.
And nobody came.
The trees erupted and toppled in front of her, cleft to the heartwood by an enormous ten-span sword. Another oni appeared through the shower of falling green, tombstone mask for a face, lips pierced with rusted iron rings. Yukiko dived sideways as the great sword swept overhead, clipping her braid. Strands of long, black hair drifted down to the dead leaves.
She was rolling to her feet when the oni snatched her up, quicker than flies, its awful grip making her cry out. She could read the blasphemous kanji symbols carved on its necklace, feel the heat gleaming from its flesh. The first oni arrived, bellowing in delight. Her captor opened its jaws, a black maggot tongue lolling between its teeth.
She drew her tanto and stabbed the demon’s hand, burying six inches of folded steel to the hilt. Blood sprayed, black and boiling where it touched her skin. The oni roared and hurled her against a nearby cedar. Her skull cracked against the trunk and she crashed earthward, rag-doll limp, the bloody knife skittering from her grip. Darkness reached up to smother her and she desperately clawed it away.
Not like this.
The first demon’s laughter reminded her of screaming children, burning on Guild pyres in the Market Square. Its wounded comrade growled in a dark, backward tongue, stalking forward and raising its sword to end her. Lightning glinted on the blade’s edge, time slowing to a crawl as the blow began to fall. Yukiko thought of her father again, wishing for all the world she’d done what she’d been told for just once in her life.
Thunder cracked overhead. A white shape burst from the undergrowth and landed on the oni’s back; a flurry of razors, broken blue sparks and beating wings. The demon shrieked as the beast tore into its shoulders, ripping mouthfuls of flesh with a blood-slick beak.
The first oni growled, swinging its war club in a broad, hissing arc. Their attacker sprang into the air, tiny whirlwinds of falling leaves and snow-white petals dancing in time to the thrashing of its wings. The demon’s tetsubo slammed across its comrade’s shoulders. Bone splintered under the war club’s impact, the oni’s spine shattering like dark, wet glass. It crumpled to the ground, its last breath spattered in steaming black across Yukiko’s terrified face.
The beast landed off-balance, digging bloodstained claws into the earth.
The oni glanced at its companion’s corpse, shifting the war club from one hand to the other. Howling a challenge, it lifted the weapon and charged. The pair collided, beast and demon, crashing earthward and tumbling about in a flurry of feathers, petals and screams.
Yukiko wiped at the sticky black in her eyes, tried to blink away her concussion. She could make out blurry shapes rolling in the fallen leaves, dark splashes staining the white azalea blossoms. She heard a crunch, a choking gurgle, and then a vast, empty silence.
She blinked into the gloom, pulse throbbing behind her eyes.
The beast emerged from the shadows, feathers stained black with blood. It stalked toward her and lowered its head, growl building in its throat. Yukiko groped toward her tanto, pawing through the muck and sodden leaves for the blade as her eyesight dimmed. The darkness beckoned, arms open wide, promising an end to all of her fear. To be with her brother again. To leave this dying island and its poisoned sky behind. To lie down and finally sleep after a decade of hiding who and what she was.
She closed her eyes and wished she were safe and warm at home, nestled in her blankets, the air tinged blue-black with the smoke from her father’s pipe. The beast opened its beak and roared, a hurricane scream swallowing the light and memories.
Darkness fell completely.

How epic is that first chapter right? Talk about starting off with a bang! Now that I have wet your appetite for the novel here is a chance to win a hardcover copy for yourself.

This giveaway is open to US/Canada only (sorry international readers) and all you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below!
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To see all of the other great stops on this tour
Click Here

Breaking Lauren Tour Stop

Today I am so excited to be able to feature an excerpt from Breaking Lauren as well as a giveaway! This is part of the blog tour brought to you by AToMR Blog Tours. To see all of the other stops on this tour click here.  First here's a little bit about the book:

Seventeen-year-old Danny Cummings' life is far from a fairytale, but that's okay since he doesn't believe in happy endings. After spending a year in juvenile hall for maliciously beating his sister's boyfriend, Danny embraces his badass image. Spending most nights drinking, fighting and collecting gambling debts for his Uncle, Danny's life is out of control. His addiction to the bad boy lifestyle won't let him do anything about it, even with his family begging him to go straight. But, when fifteen-year-old Lauren McIntosh stumbles into one of his nightly escapades, the self-proclaimed anti-romantic can't concentrate on anything except Lauren and the fact that she's on the same path his sister was on. Danny knows true love happening for the villain is as common as gamblers paying their debt on time, but he's never backed away from a challenge before and he hates the idea that history will repeat itself.

Growing old with the man she loves—in the small town where she was born—is the only dream Lauren McIntosh has ever had; that is until her family is practically run out of town amidst rumors of arson and adultery. So, when she meets Danny at her new school and hears the rumors about his activities from her new friends, she wants nothing to do with him or the gossip that seems to follow Danny everywhere. After a dangerous and ill-fated attempt at sneaking out, she develops unwelcomed feelings for Danny that he seems to reciprocate. But, Danny’s unrelenting pursuit makes Lauren nervous, especially since he's the only one that wants to know the secrets surrounding her family’s move. Lauren can't tell if Danny's intentions are true or if he has other plans for their newfound and unlikely friendship. The only way to figure out is to let him in and that could destroy everything, including the popularity and social acceptance she desperately seeks.

Danny:
Lauren is standing in the doorway of Jess’ bathroom. The clown make-up is completely gone and her hair’s pulled back into a high ponytail. She looks like fresh apple pie on a summer’s day. Her slightly pink cheeks accentuate her porcelain skin and her green eyes look like two precious emeralds in the dim light. She lets out a deep breath when I hold up the movies. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take for Ali to feel better; she just threw up again. Jeremy’s not back with the car yet, either. Do you want to watch a movie?” I try to keep my tone even, not anxious like I feel.

“Oh. Yeah, that’s cool.” She starts tugging at the end of her ponytail, twirling her raven hair up and over her index finger. Over and over and over—it’s hypnotizing and perfect, and a clear indicator I didn’t drink enough today because I actually feel something that’s eerily familiar, but has been absent for so long.

“You look like you’re feeling better.” I want to tell her she looks
beautiful because she does. But I don’t.

As part of the tour Jordan Deen is offering up two print copies of Breaking Lauren as well as some swag.  This is open to US only, just fill out the rafflecopter below to enter!
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Jordan's Website / Twitter / Facebook

I grew up in a small town 45 minutes outside of East St. Louis, Illinois. I discovered my talent for telling tall tales at the age of seven when my family home burnt down. Of course losing my family home wasn't exciting enough! So, aliens did it. The dogs wanted revenge against the cats because they could be inside... you get the idea.

At twelve, my family relocated to California and I've continued to concentrate on my love of all things reading, writing and story-telling.

My reading taste hovers towards the YA audience as there is just something authentic and magical about first loves and building friendships that will last a lifetime (or not).

Even though 'The Crescent' is a YA Urban Fantasy, I tend to write a bit of everything. I have a few edgy YA novels in process, a book about witches, a Sci-Fi novel and several others that I'm not sure where they are going yet. Again, I write what I feel, when I'm feeling it.

Writing is like the air I breathe, I'd die without it.