'Love, God & Tattoos Bundle' by Aleshia Robinson

Love, God & Tattoos Bundle

by Aleshia Robinson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Love, God & Tattoos is a series of young adult novels written by American author Aleshia Robinson. The story chronicles the spiritual journey of 21 year old Alcatraz, a troubled tattoo artist, and her struggle to have a positive relationship with God and herself.

ALCATRAZ THE LOST PEARL

Fifteen year old Alcatraz is being chased. Born and raised in a loving family, she suddenly finds herself fending for her life on the streets of Los Angeles. Consumed with anger, hurt and confusion, Alcatraz turns to the spiritual realm to find life’s answers. While experimenting with pagan spells, Buddhist chants, and yoga sutras, she continually encounters a spirit who claims He is God. The Truth she learns from this spiritual quest introduces her to the unexpected world of divine healing, acceptance and unconditional love.

ALCATRAZ THE RIGHTEOUS PEARL

After two years of spiritual searching, Alcatraz has finally decided who the One true God is for her life. But trouble soon follows. Being rejected by her new found religious organization because of her appearance and discharged from the tattoo shop for her beliefs, Alcatraz is forced to enter the Hollywood adult entertainment life with her best friend Kuriko. The nightmares she experiences living on the dubious streets of Los Angeles causes her to struggle to keep her faith.

KURIKO THE DAMAGED PEARL

Alcatraz has desperately wanted to learn more about the mysterious past of her street-smart Japanese best friend, Kuriko. Now her wish has come true, but not in the way she expected. Kuriko handed Alcatraz a black bamboo box before the tragic accident. Inside, Alcatraz finds the diary of a nineteen-year-old girl's struggle with sex trafficking, powerful men, abuse, betrayal, and surprisingly, a burning desire to know God. After two years of living with the secretive, over-protective high-dollar prostitute, Alcatraz learns the dark truth of Kuriko's inhumane journey. Now she wishes the past could have been buried with her best friend.

Read an excerpt:

ALCATRAZ THE LOST PEARL- BOOK 1 IN LOVE, GOD & TATTOOS SERIES

Unfulfillment, boredom and anxiety overcame me every time I wasn’t tattooing someone. While I was in creative mode I was fine but as soon as I stopped it was like life wasn’t worth living anymore. My mood could change instantly. I masked my pain very well with alcohol. If it wasn’t pomegranate margaritas from The Geisha Room then I drank hard liquor at the Roxy or wherever we were that night. On the outside girls envied me for my mad abilities, but on the inside I cried myself to sleep at night like a little, insecure baby. No matter how hard I tried to party and tattoo my way out of my problems, I couldn’t let go of the pain of my parent’s death, my rape and being plucked from Valeo Academy into this Hollywood life on my own. All of those seeds were ever present in the soil of my heart waiting to be tended to. I didn’’t know how to process the pain except to pretend like it wasn’t there. Alcohol allowed me to flee from my problems gracefully and to fit in with people who made me feel loved, accepted and worthwhile.

Buy links

Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ Kobo \ iTunes 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Aleshia Robinson was born in Chicago, Illinois and enjoys writing edgy inspirational fiction, traveling, decoupaging, empowering women in the sex trade and providing clean water for mankind.



Links

WEBSITE: www.lovegodandtattoos.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/authenticityink
TWITTER: @lovegodtattoos

Aleshia will be awarding a print copy of the Love, God & Tattoos Bundle (US and Canada only) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

'Chosen (Daughters of the Sea #3)' by Kristen Day

Chosen

Daughters of the Sea Book #3

By- Kristen Day

Publication Date- May 27th, 2014

The essence of who we are lies not in what we have, but in what we are willing to give up.  Because in the end, Time and Tide wait for no one.

After sacrificing all that she had, the evil princess of the Underworld is still successful in her bid to tear Finn from Stasia’s life.  In the midst of her search to reclaim him, Stasia is summoned to the island nation of Cyprus to take part in an age-old ritual; unveiling the missing pieces of her ancestry and re-igniting an ancient war.  As she struggles to both save Finn’s soul and free Carmen’s mind, Stasia’s bravery and determination will be pushed to its breaking point.  A dark storm is forming on the horizon, and the forces who are vying to destroy her may be much closer than she thinks. Destiny weaves a sticky web of evil, betrayal, and revenge that can only be undone by the purity of love and the soul’s unyielding will to survive.  In the last installment of the Daughters of the Sea trilogy, the past will collide with the present as Stasia’s future hangs in the balance.  The prophecy that paved the way for her new life may indeed be the very thing that strips her of the ones she loves the most.

 

Review of the 'How To' series by Cassie Mae

How to Seduce a Band Geek (How To #2)

by Cassie Mae

Release Date: 05/06/14

Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Sierra Livingston’s got it bad for her sister’s best friend, Levi Mason—the boy who carries his drumsticks in his pocket, marches with the school’s band, and taps his feet to whatever beat runs through his head. Sierra racks her brain for ways to impress the sexy drummer, but the short skirts and bursting cleavage don’t seem to cut it.

When Sierra gets paired with Levi’s sister, Brea, for a mentorship program, they strike a deal. In exchange for Sierra keeping her mouth shut about Brea ditching the program, Brea lets Sierra dig for more info on Levi to help get the guy of her dreams.

But when Sierra discovers Levi no longer plays the drums, his family has moved into a trailer, and he’s traded in his Range Rover for a baby blue moped, Sierra’s not sure if she can go through with violating his privacy. She’ll have to find the courage to ask him straight out—if he’s willing to let her in—and explore other ways to seduce the school’s band geek.

Read an excerpt:

A day without my phone is like a day without … I don’t know … my hair. Like it’s always been there, so when it’s suddenly not, you forget and you just fall into the habit of thinking it’s there. I’ve reached for my pocket a thousand times today then mentally yelled, “Damn it!” 

So first thing I do when I get to my house is locate the thing. 

After flitting through my Pinterest for way too long, I get a text from Dad, who still hasn’t mastered the art. His autocorrect is all over the place. 

DSahara, I need you to conspire with the dishes before your master gets home. Thanksgiving very much. I’ll be there at tenth. 

Good thing I’m an auto-translator.

Available from:

Amazon * Kobo

**My thoughts**

We got to meet Sierra in the first book, How to Date a Nerd. She was the cranky, bratty little sister, only 14 at the time. Of course, some of our impressions of her were skewed, because we were seeing her through her big sister's eyes. 

Sierra did something really dumb two years ago. Because high school can be an evil place, no one has ever let her forget it. Some would call it being bullied and would shrink into themselves, or worse. Sierra is stronger than we realized, though, and still marches on day after day, in spite of it all. She has her close friends, and a massive crush on her sister's hottie friend who is in the band.

Levi has been lovable since the first book, because he isn't shallow. He's the kind of guy that everyone knows and respects. Sure, he's a band geek, but he's a hot one and doesn't act like it. He has a big heart and just wants to do right by everyone.

The two of them together make a fun match. Sierra can be your stereotypical teen girl who freaks out over the hot man and plots ways for them to run into each other. Yes, she may do a bit of stalking. She doesn't seem to be crazy obsessive, though. You are going to smack your forehead with a few of her antics, but she wouldn't be herself without them. Levi does seem almost too good to be true at times, but he is hiding a deep secret. Sometimes being this wonderful young man who cares too much can be overwhelming at times.

You're going to find characters that you recognize from your own high school days in this book. You'll even hear about some situations that are scary to think of happening in schools. (I am thinking of a particular party.) The fundamental high school experience seems to be the same, twenty years later, just higher stakes and more dangerous events.

This has been a fun series to read. I eagerly anticipate book 3 and also want to check out some of Cassie Mae's other titles!

Blurb:

Anonymous Zoe has a great pair of legs, perky boobs, and wears exactly what she needs to show it all off. She works hard for the easy sleazy ‘you only wish you were me’ reputation, burying who she really is—an all-out nerd. The only time Zoe gets to be herself is when she hides under her comforter to read X-Men comics, sending jealousy stabs at everyone who attends Comic-Con. Keeping up her popular rep is too important, and she’s so damn insecure to care about the consequences. But when Zoe’s sister takes her car for a ‘crash and burn into a tree’ joyride, her parents get her a replacement. A manual. Something she doesn’t know how to operate, but her next door neighbor Zak sure as heck does. Zak’s a geek to the core, shunned by everyone in school for playing Dungeons and Dragons at lunch and wearing “Use the Force” t-shirts. And Zoe’s got it bad for the boy. Only Zak doesn’t want Popular Zoe. He wants Geek Zoe. She has to shove her insecurities and the fear of dropping a few rungs on the social ladder aside to prove to Zak who she really is and who she wants to be… if she can figure it out herself.

Available from:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo

**My thoughts**

Zoe is a mess. Sure, she looks like she has it all together on the outside. She knows how to dress to get attention. She has a new boyfriend every couple of weeks. She has all the right friends and gets invited to all the right parties and events. Inside, though, she is an utter mess. Desperate to escape her nerdy status from middle school, she has sold her soul to the fashionista devil and has turned herself plastic. She literally hides under the covers, hoping no one sees her as she reads her comics and "nerdy" books. Her new reputation has cost her the one friendship that helped her to thrive and to be herself in those younger years. And Zak has just gotten hotter, making it even more difficult to ignore him. 

I felt sorry for her. I just wanted to reach into the book and shake her and tell her that it is okay to just be yourself. Those high school years aren't going to matter in the long run. But it is a learning process that she has to endure on her own.

Zak is a saint. At times, I have no idea how he puts up with Zoe's nonsense. Then again, the heart wants what it wants and is often willing to be hurt in hopes of a better payoff in the end.

The two of them go on quite a roller coaster ride of self-discovery and push the lines of friendship to the breaking point. You can't help but to root for them and may find yourself wishing for a bit of a nerd to fall in love with, yourself.

About the Author

Amazon multi-category and international bestselling author of HOW TO DATE A NERD, HOW TO SEDUCE A BAND GEEK and HOW TO HOOK A BOOKWORM

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. Her angel children and perfect husband fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

Cassie Mae is an Amazon.com bestselling author of the teen contemporary romance novel REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND, which she self-published. In addition to publishing with Swoon Romance, she is published by Random House Flirt.

Author Links:

    

*GIVEAWAY*

1 ebook of How to Seduce a Band Geek & $10 Amazon gift card (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

'Planet Urth (Book 1)' by Jennifer & Christopher Martucci is Forever FREE - Book 4 Coming Soon!

Blurb:

The world has changed. It’s dangerous, deadly. Inhuman creatures rule the planet. Animals have mutated. The land is hostile. But it’s all I’ve ever known. Hunger. Fear. Panic. Those emotions are my reality. They are my every day. I am Avery, and I am seventeen. My father died a year ago. Since then I’ve been responsible for my eight-year-old sister, June.

I worry we are the only humans left.

Humans have been hunted for centuries, to the brink of extinction. I must fight each day to protect my sister. It is the reason I wake, the reason I breathe. But how long can I go on fighting? How long will it be before they find us?

More than two hundred years into the future, human beings are an endangered species. The planet has been battered by war, its inhabitants plagued by disease and death. Few humans survived and remained unaffected. Most changed dramatically and evolved into something else entirely. Irrevocable alterations caused by chemical warfare have created a new species. North America is in ruins and has been overtaken. Humanity has fallen at the hands of mutants known as Urthmen.

Seventeen year-old Avery is alive and unchanged. But she has not been immune to the harshness of the new world. She has lived on the run for much of her life, in terror.

After losing her father, Avery is the sole guardian of her eight-year-old sister, June. Avery is now charged with June’s safety as well as her own, a nearly impossible task.

Forced to hide deep in the forest and away from the cities overrun by Urthmen, Avery and her sister are constantly hunted. Danger awaits them at every turn. They fear they are the only human beings left, that they are the last of their kind.

But are they truly alone?

Find out in this raw and riveting first installment of the Planet Urth series.

Find out what others are saying about this free young adult post-apocalyptic thriller:

”Planet Urth pulled me in from the very beginning… Engrossing from start to finish, I can't wait to read the 2nd book.” ~Amazon Reviewer 

“I recommend this to everyone who likes post-apocalyptic books and a good humor/romance I love all the characters and I'm GOING to read the next book!” ~Amazon Reviewer

“I can't wait for the next book in this series!! There are so many Post-Apocalyptic books out there. This one surpasses the rest!!” ~Amazon Reviewer

If you enjoy free teen fiction and post-apocalyptic adventures, this is the book for you!

Buy links

Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ Google Play \ Smashwords \ iTunes \ Kobo

Also available:

Book 2 \ Book 3

Coming this June:

Book 4

About the Authors
Jennifer and Christopher Martucci hoped that their life plan had changed radically in early 2010. To date, the jury is still out. But late one night, in January of 2010, the stay-at-home mom of three girls under the age of six had just picked up the last doll from the playroom floor and placed it in a bin when her husband startled her by declaring, “We should write a book, together!” Wearied from a day of shuttling the children to and from school, preschool and Daisy Scouts, laundry, cooking and cleaning, Jennifer simply stared blankly at her husband. After all, the idea of writing a book had been an individual dream each of them had possessed for much of their young adult lives. Both had written separately in their teens and early twenties, but without much success. They would write a dozen chapters here and there only to find that either the plot would fall apart, or characters would lose their zest, or the story would just fall flat. Christopher had always preferred penning science-fiction stories filled with monsters and diabolical villains, while Jennifer had favored venting personal experiences or writing about romance. Inevitably though, frustration and day-to-day life had placed writing on the back burner and for several years, each had pursued alternate (paying) careers. But the dream had never died. And Christopher suggested that their dream ought to be removed from the back burner for further examination. When he proposed that they author a book together on that cold January night, Jennifer was hesitant to reject the idea outright. His proposal sparked a discussion, and the discussion lasted deep into the night. By morning, the idea for the Dark Creations series was born.

The Dark Creations series, as well as the Arianna Rose series and the Planet Urth series, are works that were written while Jennifer and Christopher continued about with their daily activities and raised their young children. They changed diapers, potty trained and went to story time at the local library between chapter outlines and served as room parents while fleshing out each section. Life simply continued.

As the storyline continues to evolve, so too does the Martucci collaboration. Lunches are still packed, noses are still wiped and time remains a rare and precious commodity in their household, but it is the sound of happy chaos that is the true background music of their writing. They hope that all enjoy reading their work as much as they enjoyed writing it.

'The Eye-Dancers' by Michael S. Fedison

The Eye-Dancers

by Michael Fedison

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Seventh-grader Mitchell Brant and three of his classmates inexplicably wake up at the back edge of a softball field to the sounds of a game, the cheering of the crowd. None of them remembers coming here. And as they soon learn, “here” is like no place they’ve ever seen. Cars resemble antiques from the 1950s. There are no cell phones, no PCs. Even the spelling of words is slightly off.

A compulsive liar, constantly telling fantastic stories to garner attention and approval, Mitchell can only wish this were just one more of his tall tales. But it isn’t. It’s all too real. Together, as they confront unexpected and life-threatening dangers, Mitchell and his friends must overcome their bickering and insecurities to learn what happened, where they are, and how to get back home.

The answers can be found only in the mysterious little girl with the blue, hypnotic eyes. The one they had each dreamed of three nights in a row before arriving here. She is their only hope. And, as they eventually discover, they are her only hope.

And time is running out.

Read an excerpt:

(End of chapter 12)

It seemed like hours before he got to sleep. The night-beast outside continued to howl, Duss continued to bark, and Joe had to keep getting up to hush him. But eventually, mercifully, the howling ceased. And then Mitchell just lay there, thinking—of worlds upon worlds, layers of existence, side by side. And he wondered. What was he doing in those other worlds right now? Did he have a sister? Were his parents the same? Did they get along, somewhere? Were there really worlds out there where his mom and dad didn’t fight with each other? Were there worlds where Mitchell was confident? Where he could talk with ease, and his tongue worked as fluidly, as effortlessly, as his mind?

“Good night, Mitchell,” he whispered, to himself, to all of his selves, in all of the worlds in existence. His last thought before sleep finally took him away was of a line of Mitchell Brants. They stood, single file, one in front of the other. He started to count them in his mind’s eye, but the line went on and on, forever. He was infinite, endless.

When he counted the two hundred sixty-third Mitchell Brant, the line began to melt away, disintegrating into the netherworld of his dreams.

Buy links

Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ Smashwords \ Kobo

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Michael S. Fedison was born in Rochester, New York, and now lives with his wife, Sarah, and regal cat, Luke, in the green hills of central Vermont. Michael has been writing creatively for as long as he can remember, and has had short fiction published in several literary magazines, including Iconoclast and The Written Word. He works as a full-time technical writer and also is a freelance proofreader and copy editor.

Michael has been a lover of imaginative stories his entire life. He enjoys any story that takes you by the hand, lifts you up, and transports you to another place, a new and creative way of looking at the world around us.

Michael will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

Cover Reveal! 'His Reverie' by Monica Murphy

We are so excited to share the cover for Monica Murphy's HIS REVERIE! HIS REVERIE is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance novel!

 

ABOUT HIS REVERIE:

I knew from the moment I first saw her she was the one. The only girl I could ever want.

The only girl I could ever love.

She is light.

I am darkness.

She is innocent.

I’ve done too much.

She is good.

I am bad.

She is my every dream.

I should be her every nightmare.

We come from different worlds. She’s…perfect. And I’m…

Not.

Somehow she wants me anyway. So we’ll grasp at what we can. We’re going to make this summer count. She’s my secret. And I’m hers.

The problem with secrets is they never last for long. And when others discover we’re together, they’ll do whatever it takes to keep us apart. All I know is: I won’t let them.

Because Reverie Hale? She’s mine.

Add it to your TBR today! 

HIS REVERIE Goodreads

EXCERPT:

“Thirsty?”

I jump at the sound of a soft female voice, my hand jerking so the hose splashes me right in the face. Muttering a curse, I drop the hose and reach out blindly, wrenching the faucet off with one hand as I swipe at my eyes with the back of the other. I hear the girl laugh and I whirl around, fully prepared to find some bratty preteen Hale daughter mocking me.

But she’s not a preteen. Not even close. More like around my age. She’s tall and slender, her long blonde hair falling far past bared tan shoulders. She’s wearing some sort of sundress or whatever you call it and she’s pretty much covered since it hits just above her knees, though her arms are exposed since the dress is sleeveless. The sun catches her just right though, shining through the thin fabric of her skirt so I can see through it.

My gaze drops and all I can see is long, long legs through the shadowy fabric. Damn. Those sexy legs are endless. She clears her throat, like she knows exactly where I’m looking and what I’m thinking and I jerk my gaze up guiltily to meet hers, feeling like a jackass.

That’s when I notice her eyes are blue. As blue as the sky above us, and she’s so damn pretty, with delicate features and pink, pink lips, that I can’t seem to form words.

“Who are you?” she asks curiously. Her voice washes over me, sweet and melodic and now it’s my turn to clear my throat to get the lump out so I can freaking speak.

“Who are you?” I ask back like an idiot.

She smiles shyly and my entire body reacts, a bolt of electricity seeming to go through me. “I asked first.”

“Are you Hale’s daughter?” If she is, that sucks because holy hell she’s hot but yeah.

She’s completely untouchable if she’s a Hale.

“What if I am?” She kicks at the ground with her sandaled foot, her cheeks coloring the faintest pink. Innocence radiates from her. She looks like a damn angel and seems a little uncomfortable with me.

Despite her seeming discomfort, I think she might be trying to flirt with me.

“Well, I’d make sure and be extra polite to you since I work for your dad.” I go with the truth because I don’t want any problems from this girl. I probably shouldn’t even be alone with her. She could say anything, accuse me of something terrible and I’d have no defense. Her word against mine.

And her word would win every single time.

Another laugh escapes her and she slowly shakes her head. “I like your honesty.”

I like everything about her so far but I keep my lips clamped shut. I’ve already said enough to make myself look like a total loser.“So I’m guessing you’re definitely Hale’s daughter?”

ABOUT MONICA MURPHY:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite. A wife and mother of three, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance for Bantam and Avon. She is the author of One Week Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend.  

Links:

Website \ Blog \ Twitter \ Facebook \ Author Goodreads \ Amazon author page

'The Art of Lainey' by Paula Stokes Release Day Launch!

 

 We are so excited to be working with Paula Stokes and Harper Collins on the release day launch of Paula's young adult contemporary romance!! This book is so much fun--and Paula has shared a really great excerpt from it! Check it out below!!

The Reading Date \ The Eater of Books! \ Becky on Books \ Roxy's Reviews \ I Dare You To Read \ The La La Land of Books \ Divergent Gryffindor \ Book Angel Booktopia \ Paper Charade \ My Book Empire \ Lis les Livres \ Born To Read \ Music, Books and Gravity \ Eat, Sleep, and Read \ Always YA at Heart \ Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews \ Jenuine Cupcakes \ Up All Night Book Addict \ carol clarke blogs \ Bows & Bullets Reviews \ Library of a Book Witch \ Megpie93's Book Blog \ Readers Live A Thousand Lives \ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life \ Ficwishes \ amber \ Annaberry Reads \ Literary Meanderings \ The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club \ Burning Impossibly Bright \ Bittersweet Book Love \ Literary Assassins \ Gaga Over Books \ Corrie the Book Crazed Girl \ Ramblings From This Chick \ Between fantasy and reality \ Book Briefs \ Books, books, and more books \ Part of that World \ Red Cheeks Reads \ Tifferz and Her Sisterz Book Reviewz \ Books and Books \ Bibliophile Mystery \ Reading Between the Wines Book Club \ Because I Said So \ Short and Sassy Book Blurbs \ Oops! I Read A Book Again \ A Reading Nurse \ Living in a Bookworld \ Ramblings of a Daydreamer \ Wolfel's World of Books \ Librosintinta \ Andi's Young Adult Books \ daydream books \ Love. Life. Read. \ Forever Me Romance

Read an Excerpt:

GOT HEART?

The music pitches and swells, violin and guitars, drumbeats and thudding bass. As I sway back and forth in front of the stage, it feels like being in the eye of a tornado, where it’s calm, but everything is going crazy whirling around me. I can’t stop looking at Micah, at the way the lights reflect off his mohawk, at the way he’s completely lost in the storm of overlapping chords.

I see every part of him, tiny pieces I never knew existed. The slight bend in his nose, the wedge-shaped scar on his right temple, the outline of his bicep hiding beneath the pyramid tattoo. His lips part, just barely, when he exhales. As I imagine the invisible mist of his breath hanging in the air, I inch closer to him. Here, in the strange blue light, while the bass pulses and pounds, all I can think about is touching him. Our fingertips brush. A shockwave courses through me. I want to grab him and pull him into my calm spot, closing my eyes and kissing him while the world spins topsy-turvy around us.

My thoughts feel hot inside my head, like they should be radiating a laser beam across the club, but Micah’s eyes are still closed, his body loose. He’s oblivious to the fact I’m thinking about kissing him. He has no idea my eyes are skimming their way down the lines of his body. His cheekbones. His beard stubble. The ridge of muscle connecting his jaw to the center of his chest. The faintest trace of sweat glistens where his neck meets his right shoulder. I want to touch my lips to it.

This is crazy. It’s Micah. I don’t like Micah. He doesn’t like me. We have about as much in common as, well, nothing. I sneak another glimpse at him. He’s still completely entranced by the song. He’s still completely kissable. It has to be the beer, or the music, the violins and guitars and electronic pulsing, the whole otherworldly quality to this song. Or maybe it’s just because I’m not myself here, and I don’t have to obey the rules of Lainey.

GOT GAME?

I sub back into the game a few minutes later and stay through the end of the half. It’s still 1-0. The Yellow Jackets tie it up on a breakaway goal in the second half. At this point I’m running from one end of the field to the other, playing more defense than any striker forward ought to be playing. I can’t help it. It feels so good to be in the game.

Matt Clifton saves a shot on goal and drop-kicks the ball in my direction. I dribble up field, out maneuvering two of the other team’s defenders. I pass the ball to Jason who sends it across to our right wing forward. The defense kicks the ball out of bounds and we get a corner kick. Jason goes to take it. I position myself in front of the goal, dancing back and forth as I vie for position with one of the Yellow Jacket fullbacks.

It’s a beautiful kick—high and strong, and it’s coming right at me. The other players, the shouting, the movement, they all fade into the background as I keep my eyes locked on the ball. Angling my body just slightly, I propel all five feet and eight inches of myself into the air at exactly the right moment—I think, I hope—and the crown of my head connects squarely with the ball. The players around me all turn to watch as it arcs through the air…

GET LAINEY!

I flip on the radio as soon as Leo fires up the engine. I hit the tuning arrow up until it lands on the station Micah put on for the ride home from the baseball game.

Leo looks over at me. “I didn’t know you liked this kind of music,” he says.

Me neither, but I do. Kind of, anyway. “I’ve been branching out. Anything gets old if you listen to it twenty-four seven, you know?”

“I hear you. I like new stuff too.”

I don’t answer. If you asked me whether I was the type of person who liked trying new things or preferred sticking with what was familiar, I would have told you I’m the second girl. The if –it-aint-broke-don’t-fix-it girl. I also would have told you plays were lame. It suddenly occurs to me that I don’t seem to know very much about…me. It’s a weird feeling, like maybe a stranger is inhabiting my body. Or maybe a stranger was, and I kicked her out.

About The Book:

The Art of Lainey Synopsis:

Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.

And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.

What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with, if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be?

  Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author:

Paula Stokes is half writer, half RN, and totally thrilled to be part of the world of YA literature. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri where she graduated from Washington University and the Goldfarb School of Nursing. When she's not writing, she's kayaking, hiking, reading, or seeking out new adventures in faraway lands. Paula loves interacting with readers! Find her online at www.authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.

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Review of 'Ride of Your Life' by Shevi Arnold

Ride of Your Life

By- Shevi Arnold 

Seventeen-year-old Tracy Miller met the love of her life . . . thirty years after her own death. 

Tracy was working at the House of Horrors at the Amazing Lands Theme Park when the fire broke out. Instead of running, she lost her life trying to save eleven-year-old Mack. Now thirty years have passed, and suddenly everything changes with the arrival of two new ghosts: a little girl named Ashley and a cute, seventeen-year-old boy named Josh. Josh would do anything for Tracy, but can he help her let go of the past?   

Ride of Your Life is a bittersweet, romantic, YA ghost story that was inspired by a true event, the Great Adventure Haunted Castle fire, which killed eight teenagers in 1984, exactly thirty years ago this May 11th. It is a fantasy novel about undying love, and it won third-place in Smart Writer’s Write It Now (W.I.N.) contest in the YA category, which was judged by Alex Flinn, the author of Beastly and Cloaked.

Hang on. Love can be as terrifying as a roller coaster, but it can also be the Ride of Your Life.

Additional information about the Six Flags Great Adventure Haunted Castle fire- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_Castle_(Six_Flags_Great_Adventure)

  

 

**My thoughts**

It's sad that this story was inspired by real events, but what a lovely thought, that those who have moved on may still be around on some level, helping those who have recently passed over. 

Tracy and Mack have made it their afterlife's goal to take care of the newbies. Okay, so it is more Tracy who has a compelling need to take care of the ghosts. Josh also seems to have a big heart, as he died trying to save Ashley. Ashley is just a sweet little girl who died in a freak accident. Mack is a troubled tween who has found more love and affection in the afterlife than he ever had in real life. The bond between these kids is heartwarming, especially because in real life, they probably would have never bonded. I like how even in the afterlife, one can grow and mature. I even like the idea of a little romance.

I liked the unique setting of an amusement park as the "waiting area" to go to Heaven. I liked the creativity in how the ghost kids made themselves comfortable as they found new ways to carry on their new afterlives. It made me wonder what I would do, should I get stuck somewhere like that after I die. And in a weird way, it did make me crave visiting an amusement park once again. I grew up with Cedar Point and had fun imagining what it would be like to run around there, without being seen.

All in all, a fun YA romance with a bit of adventure, that would be a great summer read.

'Love and Leftovers' by Sarah Tregay

Love and Leftovers

by Sarah Tregay 

Paperback Re-Release: 05/13/14

Katherine Tegen Books

Summary from Goodreads:

My wish 
is to fall 


cranium over Converse

in dizzy, daydream-worthy 
love.

(If only it were that easy.)

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father. By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up.

But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? Can you even know it until you've lost it?

Read an excerpt:

When My Mother Takes an Ambien 

I have eight hours to devote to whatever I choose.

Some nights, I take her laptop down to the end of the lane
to pick up a Wi-Fi signal from the neighbors,
IM Katie, and watch Linus’s music videos,
while I perch on the rock wall.

Other nights, I sit facing the glowing coals
and read steamy romance novels that Aunt Greta has left behind.

Without Mom to tell me
to get off the computer,
or to come inside unless I want West Nile
I can hang out with my friends (online).

Without Mom to tell me
that weak female characters
are the result of an unimaginative author,
I can read about women who go weak in the knees
at the sight of a cowboy in Levis
and nothing else.

But most of the time
I write poems in this blue notebook
because
I feel free
when Mom is out cold.

Available from:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Book Depository

About the Author

Raised without television, Sarah Tregay started writing her own middle grade novels after she had read all of the ones in the library. She later discovered YA books, but never did make it to the adult section. When she's not jotting down poems at stoplights, she can be found hanging out with her "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sarah lives in Eagle, Idaho with her husband, two Boston Terriers, and an appaloosa named Mr. Pots. Her next book, Fan Art, will be released in June.

Author Links:

   

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