15 October 2013

{Blog Tour}Interview+Review+Playlist+Dream Cast+Giveaway: More Than This by Jay Mclean



Blurb:
*Mikayla*

In one night my fairytale ended. Or it may have begun. This is my story of friendship and love, heartbreak and desire, and the strength to show weakness.

*Jake*

One night I met a girl. A sad and broken girl, but one more beautiful than any other. She laughed through her sadness, while I loved through her heartbreak.

*This is our story of a maybe ever after.*
He was right. It made no difference whether it was 6 months or 6 years.
I couldn’t undo what had been done. I couldn’t change the future.
I couldn’t even predict it.
It was one night.
One night when everything changed.
It was so much more than just the betrayal.
It was the Tragedy.
The Deaths.
The Murders.
But it was also that feeling.
The feeling of falling.

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My Review

Mikayla is your typical high school teen. She's popular, get good grades, belongs to the A crowd and dates one of the most popular guys in her school. She's beautiful, well-liked and most of all, she had a great family. She has everything until one night, everything is taken away from her. Suddenly, her life was turned upside down and life was never the same again.

Jake is the guy who has a goal in mind. His parents made sacrifices in their lives so that he can achieve these goals. Between baseball and school, Jake has no time for a distraction. And he certainly has no time to play savior to Mikayla. But he was the person who has seen it all with her. He was there at the right moment and he became her everything.

More Than This is an enjoyable read from start to finish. I sucked in by Mikayla and Jake's story. Both so young but both had to grow up really fast, Mikayla especially. Her story just breaks my heart. In what was supposed to be one of the most unforgettable moment of her life, everything she has known was taken from her. She was betrayed by the two people she trusted people. She was supposed to be able to count on them but these two people, not only betrayed her, but one of them was actually instrumental in taking away her family.

Despite the tragedy, she also found herself by people she never expected to be there for her at all--Jake and his family. This is probably my favorite aspect of the story. It just shows the goodness in people who are essentially, strangers but in the process have helped Mikayla cope with the tragedy. I loved Jake and his friends and how they took to Mikayla. Same goes with his family.

Another thing I loved about this is the slow build up of Jake and Mikayla's relationship. It was clear they were attracted to each other but it due to the circumstances surrounding their relationship, the urge to act on those attractions were hampered somewhat. The sexual tension was phenomenally written and when they finally got together and admitted their feelings, it was a welcomed feeling.

More Than This is Jay Mclean's first novel and I'm pretty sure it won't be her last. Definitely an author to watch out for in the YA/NA genre.

4.5 More Stars!!
My Dream Cast for Mikayla and Jake

Author Interview

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I didn't know I wanted to be one. Not until I wrote More Than This and realized that people enjoyed the story. I'd never written anything in my life. Not a short story, a poem, nothing. I wrote More Than This because the story played in my head and it consumed me. I still don't consider myself a writer. It's still a little overwhelming for me.


What inspired you to write More Than This?
Like I said previous, it was just a storyline that consumed my mind. I'd always had characters and stories and scenes play out in my mind and I always though it was because I watched too much T.V. Around June last year I picked up a book and ten books later, reading became an obsession. So, I thought I'd just give it a try. I guess I was lucky that people enjoy the story as much as i enjoyed writing it.


How much of the book is based on your own personal experience? Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your   own life?
None of the major events are based on personal experiences. There are some things, like the way Kayla's parents met, is similar to how me and my partner met. Insta-love, insta-attraction, etc. Also the way Mikayala and Megan met, is based on me and my best friend's meeting.


Which of the characters you relate to the most?
I think a mix between Lucy and Mikayla.


When you are not writing, whose books do you like to read? Any fave authors or books that come to mind?
I love Tijan's work. She writes teenage angst like no-ones business. But her books are a sit-down-and-don't-talk-to-me-until-I'm-done kind of read. I also read anything by Hoover, Sorenson, and Desson.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I'm a stay at home mom with two boys, 3 and 1 -- So I write whenever they nap or when they go down for the night. A lot of the time I'm up until 3 or 4 in the morning and get up at 6.30 - 7. I'm a zombie a lot of days.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I like to throw in a little comedy in between the angst and drama, and I think it really helps with the leveling of the story. No one wants to have too much of the one thing all the time.


What's in store for your readers after this series?
I don't know how many books I'll be releasing in this series - but I have a road trip book that I'll be writing soon. I don't know how much more I'm going to write - I guess it just depends on whether or not people keep reading my stories :)

Playlist
More Than This Playlist

About the Author
Author of Mature YA / New Adult contemporary novels, MORE THAN THIS and a soon to be released sequel, MORE THAN HER. I enjoy reading and writing books that make people laugh, cry andswoon for dreamy book boyfriends. When not doing either of those, I can be found looking after my two little boys, and trying to avoid house work at all costs.

Author Links: WebsiteFacebookTwitterGoodreads

Giveaway

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{Release Day Blitz} Caught Up in You by Sophie Swift



Caught Up in You by Sophie Swift
Publication date: October 15th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis
Blake Thomas knows exactly why women want to sleep with him. He’s a sexy, twenty-six-year-old bartender with nothing to lose and confidence to spare.

Then Blake meets twenty-two-year-old Lia Smart, the owner of the restaurant where he’s just been hired. Lia is different from Blake’s usual conquests. She’s beautiful, shy, and guarded, with just a hint of loneliness in her eyes. The only problem is, Lia refuses to see Blake as anything more than just a flirtatious bartender.

But everything changes when Lia’s sexy and assertive older sister, Alex, comes back into town. Alex and Lia have always had a complicated relationship, made even more complicated by the fact that they are clearly in love with the same man. Before long, Blake finds himself the pawn in a high stakes game of forbidden love and dangerous emotions, caught between two sisters who could both easily break his heart.

*Contains adult language and situations*

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Excerpt



“So,” she said, breaking me out of my reverie. “What is your deal?”
I laughed. “My deal?”
She nodded. “Your deal.”
I couldn’t be sure but I swore I heard her voice slur slightly on the last word. My hopes instantly rose. Tipsy Lia would be a lot more willing to take clothes off than sober Lia. That I could be sure of.
“I don’t have a deal,” I insisted.
She squinted. “Oh, you so have a deal. All guys like you have a deal.”
“How many times are we going to say the word deal? Should we turn it into a drinking game? Make things interesting?” I flagged down the waitress and ordered a Jack and Coke. Lia asked for the same.
“Do you always drink Jack and Coke?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
I laughed. “Are you trying to be mysterious?”
Her eyes twinkled. “Maybe.”
She stayed silent and we stared each other down like two kids having a contest.
“I’m waiting,” she finally prompted.
“For me to kiss you?” I asked presumptuously, making her giggle. “Because that’s a little difficult with you all the way on the other side of the table. But I’ll give it a shot if you want.”
I cleared away the empty shot glasses between us, like I was going to sprawl myself right across this table.
“For you to tell me your deal,” she corrected.
I pounded the table with my fist. “Damn. We don’t have our drinks yet. That’s one extra sip for you.”
When she didn’t respond, I added, “Why don’t you tell me what you think my deal is.”
“Oh, I already know.”
I feigned surprise. “You do?”
She nodded. “I do.”
The waitress delivered our drinks and I took a sip of mine, prompting Lia to take an obligatory swallow of her own. She did.
I sat back. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
“You’re a bartender,” she began.
I pursed my lips in mock appreciation. “Oooh, perceptive. I like that in a woman.”
  She ignored my jab and continued. “You do it because you like the attention.”
“What attention?” I asked. “You ignore me all night.”
“From other women. I see the way they look at you. You could have any girl in this room.”
I leaned forward, holding her gaze. “But I’m here with you.”
 
About the Author

Sophie Swift is an east coast girl who recently transplanted to Southern California. She writes about sexy boys by day, and dates them by night. Her sizzling, new adult romance, OUT FROM UNDER YOU, the first in a new contemporary series, will be released in August of 2013. She loves books that quicken her pace, music sung by adolescent boys, and cupcakes with too much frosting. Visit her online at: www.SophieSwift.com.

{Cover Reveal} Night Moves (G-Man Series #3) by Andrea Smith

Night Moves (G-Man Series #3) by Andrea Smith
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Expected Publication: December 2013

Synopsis

There's a new Alpha in town . . . and he's a Brit!

Darcy Nicole Sheridan, is 22 years-old, beautiful, single, spirited, sexy and - spoiled. She knows that about herself. Raised by wealthy (and doting) parents as an only child, Darcy pretty much coasts through life until her heart was inexplicably broken by her boyfriend, Darin.

To ease the pain, Darcy flies to Belize over the holidays fully intending to wallow in self-pity and distance herself from her ex. Her pity party is short-lived however, after observing a very handsome, very intriguing man on the beach. Darcy becomes the focus of the smokin' hot, wealthy and somewhat mysterious 'E.J.'

Soon she finds herself entangled with an alpha like no other… Her world is rocked by a series of events that will forever change the course of her life, showing her what love is all about; and forcing her to come to terms with hidden sexual pleasures only one man could fulfill…

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Author bio
Andrea Smith is an Ohio native, currently residing in southern Ohio. Ms. Smith is the mother of two
grown sons; grandmother of four. The 'Baby Series' trilogy is Ms. Smith's first self-published work. Having previously been employed as an executive for a global corporation, Ms. Smith decided to leave the corporate world and pursue her life-long dream of writing fiction.



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