Cover Reveal: Ella's Twisted Senior Year by Amy Sparling

Today is the cover reveal for Ella's Twisted Senior Year by Amy Sparling. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours.

Ella's Twisted Senior Year

By Amy Sparling

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age category: Young Adult

Release Date: May 31, 2016

Blurb:
Having spent most of her senior year flying under the radar, the last thing Ella Lockhart expected was to have a tornado rip straight through her house, leaving her homeless. It’s bad enough that the whole school now pities her, but did her parents have to let the neighbors take them in?

Now she's sharing a house with Ethan Poe, her former best friend-turned-enemy. All those feelings she used to have for him are starting to rain down on her again. Too bad he's a jerk and his new girlfriend has territorial issues. Thanks to Mother Nature, Ella's house and her entire life have been turned upside down.

Ethan isn’t quite sure why Ella hates him so much, but he does know she wants nothing to do with him. He’s never quite gotten over the crush he had on her as a kid, and now that she’s living across the hall, it’s hard to stay away. His girlfriend isn’t helping the situation and when she shows her true colors, he doesn’t want to date her anymore. He wants to date someone like Ella. Too bad she hates him.

You can find Ella's Twisted Senior Year on Goodreads.

About the Author:
Amy Sparling is the author of The Summer Unplugged Series, Deadbeat & other awesome books for younger teens. She lives in Texas and has an addiction to sparkly nail polish, taking photos of her cute dog, and swooning over book boyfriends.

You can find and contact Amy here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Instagram
- Goodreads

There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of Ella's Twisted Senior Year. These are the prizes you can win:

- a $10 Amazon gift card (Open internationally)

- a signed paperback of Ella's Twisted Senior Year by Amy Sparling (USA only)

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

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Cover Reveal: Tuned into You by Cindy Dorminy (Giveaway $25 iTunes GC)

Tuned Into You

By Cindy Dorminy

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age category: Young Adult

Publisher: BookFish Books

A summer party is the last place Lydia Flowers wants to be. Beer pong? Stupid, foot-wrecking shoes? Random hookups? No thanks. Lydia would rather be in her cleats practicing her bat handling skills.

Enter Abe Fischer, the Nashville Teen Idol superstar. He’s a lip-syncing party animal with a short fuse; or at least that’s what the tabloids say. Except, Abe turns out to be nothing like the guy Lydia’s read about online. He’s sweet, and the way he talks to his horse…sigh.

Then life throws Lydia and Abe a curveball. They are wrongfully arrested for destruction of property. Their choices? Either work on the Fischer Farm for the summer earning nothing more than blisters and a sunburn, or have the arrest go on their records, which would ruin Lydia’s shot at a softball scholarship. It’s a no-brainer. Lydia picks up a pitchfork, pulls out the SPF 40, and prepares for the worst two months of her life.

When the press gets wind of a big secret Abe’s family has been keeping, things become even more complicated. Now Lydia has another choice to make: stick around for Abe’s messed-up life in the spotlight, or go for the scholarship of her dreams.

You can find Tuned Into You on Goodreads

About the Author:  Cindy Dorminy grew up on a steady diet of popcorn (the kind you pop in a sauce pan), Tab (pre-Diet Coke), and movies for teenagers. She can’t let a day go by without quoting a line from one of her favorite films, so quirky dialogue is a must in her stories.

When she’s not at her research coordinator day job, Cindy is writing funny love stories, walking her dog, or slinging iron the old-fashioned way. She shares her house with her musician husband, her awesome daughter, and a cool, four-footed child that would eat all the cheese if she could figure out how to open the refrigerator.

Cindy is a member of Romance Writers of America and Music City Romance Writers. She resides in Nashville, TN where live music can be heard everywhere, even at the grocery store.

Author Links

~ Website ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~

There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of Tuned Into You. One winner will win a $25 iTunes gift card.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

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Review and Blog Tour: A Shot of Bourbon by A.C. Land (With iPad mini Giveaway!)

This is my stop during the blog tour for A Shot of Bourbon by A.C. Land. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 29 March till 11 April, you can view the complete tour schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.



Title: A Shot of Bourbon (The Bourbon Series #1)
Author: A.C. Land
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: March 29, 2016
Publisher: BookFish Books

About the book: In the little highway town of Bourbon, Missouri, deadly secrets lurk behind Southern charm.

Seventeen year old Charli Valentine didn’t expect to spend the last few weeks of summer break nursing a broken heart, icing a black eye, and watching her ex kiss another girl. Since being a good girl has gotten her nothing but heartache, Charli decides to give rebellion a try. She pigs out, drinks, and hangs with Luke Parker, the son of the infamous Bourbon Butcher.

But there’s more to Luke than meets the eye. His tough exterior and terrible dialect hide a good person despite his bad boy reputation. No matter how hard he tries to fight it, Luke is drawn to Charli’s innocence and finds her clumsiness too charming to resist. Though they’re from opposite sides of the tracks, neither can resist the magnetism drawing them together.

When Charli discovers a box in her mother’s closet, she pieces together the truth about Bourbon’s past and uncovers a deadly secret about her family. And once Luke learns of it, he vows to protect Charli no matter the cost.

My thoughts:  Yeah - I was pulled into this book from the very beginning.  There is a mystery introduced in the prologue and it is kept under wraps for most of the book.  I had an idea - but of course my first thought was wrong (for which I was very happy!)  Anyway - loved the book. It kept me up way passed my bedtime.

I don't think the blurb above does the book enough credit.  She ends up getting together with Luke  more by accident than be design.  She does discover a box in her mom's closet - but others seem to piece together the secret long before she does.   She is naively innocent and doesn't really see what is right in front of her.

I loved the chemistry between Charli and Luke though - and also the relationship between Luke and Collin - his brother.   You can't help feeling for these boys - that they have been dealt such a raw deal and yet they are really trying to be good kids.  They just can't seem to get a break from anyone because of their parentage.  Of course, living with their drug addicted brother Midgey doesn't help any.

Being the first book in a series, while you get some answers - the ending is wide open as to what will happen in the second book!  Looking forward to it's release this fall.

Book Links

~ Goodreads ~  Amazon ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~

CHARLI

I waited while his fingers uncurled around the back of my neck. With the distant light, I
could just make out the deep, thoughtful lines etching his face. He stared at me like he’d never really looked at me before, eyes dancing over my cheeks. I leaned into his touch.

Clearing his throat, he pulled away.

I sucked in a breath that wasn’t tinged with the heady smell of his bar soap and laundry
detergent. Okay, as much as I’d wanted him to kiss me, or maybe profess his unwavering
devotion to me, it was probably better this way. There was a small voice in the back of my mind that kept reminding me: Pandora’s Box. Box. Box. I could not let myself get distracted by his unbelievably attractive charm.

He’d already taken off, walking swiftly across the turf. “Please slow down and tell me
what this is all about.”

He came to a stop again, this time at the top of a sandy pit. Lucas only stilled for a second
before sitting on his bottom and sliding down. I’d been to this course a few times, and I was
ninety-nine percent sure that wasn’t how you did it.

Then again, he did it so well…

He wiped his pants and held out his hands to me. “C’mon, Charli Chip, I won’t let
nothing hurt ya.”

Making the wise decision, I walked fifteen feet around the small obstruction. It was either
go around or inevitably hurt myself. There was no way I could slide with as much swagger as  Lucas had.

He glanced at the clubhouse in the distance. Wiggling his brows playfully, he whispered, “We’re breaking in.”

I spun on one foot and started marching back to the car. “Have a good night, Lucas.”

Strong arms wrapped around my middle, and he tossed me over his shoulder like a sack
of potatoes. My chest smacked against his back, and my legs slung forward, over his pecs.  My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. “Put me down!”

“We’re breaking in,” he repeated, having the audacity to sound amused.

About the Author:Author of the Bourbon Series, A.C. Land has been a lover of stories since she first read about Peter Pan giving Wendy an acorn and teaching her to fly. A.C. always dreamed of telling big stories about small towns.

Residing on a cattle farm in Missouri, A.C. loves playing with her rambunctious Jack Russell, Riley, making decorative cakes, taking pictures, drinking pumpkin spice coffee, and hanging out with her nephews.

Author Links

~ Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~

There is a blog tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of A Shot of Bourbon. One person will win an ipad mini (US Only)!

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

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Cover Reveal: She Laughs in Pink by Jessica Calla

Today is the cover reveal for She Laughs in Pink by Jessica Calla. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours.

She Laughs in Pink (Sheridan Hall #1)
by Jessica Calla
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: May 2016
Publisher: BookFish Books

Blurb:
Four years after her twin is murdered, Juliet Anderson still struggles with guilt, her parents, and her relationships. Two things keep her from falling into a deep, dark place—dancing and her best friend, Ben. So when Ben decides to play football for New Jersey University, Juliet doesn’t hesitate. She follows. Finally away from her past, there is nothing to stand in the way. Juliet will win Ben's heart.

Then she meets Ben's roommate, Chase.

On probation and hell-bent on adhering to a “new life plan,” aspiring artist Chase leaves his New York City home for New Jersey University and meets Juliet before even stepping foot on campus. For him, their connection is instant. She’s the most vibrant girl he's ever seen. Her colors explode on his canvas, and he's never been more inspired in his life.

Too bad she’s madly in love with his seemingly perfect, good guy roommate.

You can find She Laughs in Pink on Goodreads

About the Author:

Jessica Calla is a lawyer by day and a romance writer by night. Her favorite time is "bedtime," when she's free to open her laptop, battle with her blinking cursor, and pour out the contents of her heart. Jessica is a member of Romance Writers of America and is involved in the Contemporary, Young Adult, and New Jersey Chapters. She is also a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She lives in central New Jersey with her husband, two sons, and a dog. Besides reading and writing, she enjoys movies, coffee, and chocolate. She considers herself addicted to Diet Coke and Netflix (in a good way).

Author Links:

~Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon~

There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of She Laughs in Pink. One winner will win a 25$ amazon gift card.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: A Shot of Bourbon by A.C. Land

Today is the cover reveal for A Shot of Bourbon by A.C. Land. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours.

A Shot of Bourbon (The Bourbon Series #1)

By A.C. Land

Genre: Contemporary

Age category: Young Adult

Release Date: March 29, 2016

Publisher: BookFish Books

Blurb:
In the little highway town of Bourbon, Missouri, deadly secrets lurk behind Southern charm.

Seventeen year old Charli Valentine didn’t expect to spend the last few weeks of summer break nursing a broken heart, icing a black eye, and watching her ex kiss another girl. Since being a good girl has gotten her nothing but heartache, Charli decides to give rebellion a try. She pigs out, drinks, and hangs with Luke Parker, the son of the infamous Bourbon Butcher.

But there’s more to Luke than meets the eye. His tough exterior and terrible dialect hide a good person despite his bad boy reputation. No matter how hard he tries to fight it, Luke is drawn to Charli’s innocence and finds her clumsiness too charming to resist. Though they’re from opposite sides of the tracks, neither can resist the magnetism drawing them together.

When Charli discovers a box in her mother’s closet, she pieces together the truth about Bourbon’s past and uncovers a deadly secret about her family. And once Luke learns of it, he vows to protect Charli no matter the cost.

Excerpt:
Charli
I stepped into line behind a guy I recognized immediately. Chills shot up my spine the way they did when I dipped my foot in a cold pool. He twirled a worn looking cigarette between his fingers. It slipped over his dirty knuckles before sliding between his thumb and forefinger. The cigarette had finger impressions all over the filter and dirty smudge marks across the white paper. I wondered how long he’d been twirling it for it to look that way.
Lucas Parker had always fascinated me. I didn’t know what it was about him. Maybe the fact that he was overbearingly protective of his brother, Collin. Or that he worked so many hours at his incarcerated father’s failing auto shop. Or maybe because his family was the only one my mother had explicitly told me to stay away from.

About the Author:
Author of the Bourbon Series, A.C. Land has been a lover of stories since she first read about Peter Pan giving Wendy an acorn and teaching her to fly. A.C. always dreamed of telling big stories about small towns.
Residing on a cattle farm in Missouri, A.C. loves playing with her rambunctious Jack Russell, Riley, making decorative cakes, taking pictures, drinking pumpkin spice coffee, and hanging out with her nephews.

You can find and contact A.C. Land here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Instagram

There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of A Shot of Bourbon. One person will win a 50$ amazon gift card!

For a chance to win, enter the raffleocpter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Synchrony by Cindy Ray Hale

This is my stop during the blog tour for Synchrony (Destiny #2) by Cindy Ray Hale. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours . The blog tour runs from May 5 till May 25, you can view the complete tour schedule here. I am running a few days behind for this blog tour and for that I apologize.  I read both the first book in this trilogy, Destiny, as well as Synchrony which is book two.  I have shared my thoughts below.

Destiny

(Book 1 of Destiny Trilogy)

Cindy Ray Hale

Genre: Contemporary Romance, YA

Destiny Clark, a young Mormon girl living in Tennessee, is wildly infatuated with Isaac Robinson, the headmaster's son at her Baptist high school. When they're cast together in the school's production of Les Misérables, Destiny is horrified to find that she has to be publicly humiliated by acting out her true feelings of rejection onstage. 

As their rehearsals begin, Destiny realizes the unimaginable: Isaac has developed deep feelings for her despite their religious differences and the fact that he has a girlfriend. 

But will they be able to find their place amongst the backbiters of their ultra-conservative world?

Weaving around Destiny and Isaac's alternating viewpoints, Destiny is the first book in a series inspired by the characters of Les Misérables and explores heartbreak, self-discovery, intolerance, and love.

Synchrony

(Book 2 of Destiny Trilogy)

Genre: Contemporary Romance, YA
Release Date: April 8, 2014

When her parents discover she’s been sneaking out with Isaac Robinson, the forbidden Baptist boy, Mormon girl Destiny Clark decides it’s time to keep their relationship quiet. As their relationship moves to shakier ground, Destiny discovers that Isaac has a terrible secret, and she is left completely shattered.

The moment Destiny feels all hope is lost, Preston Nelson, her longtime church friend and Isaac's bitter rival, arrives like a beacon of light. It isn't long before two separate disasters strike for Preston and Destiny's best friend, Hannah. As Destiny helps them through their issues, she discovers that sometimes the best way to forget about your own problems is to help a friend in need.

Just as her heart begins to mend and her friendship with Preston begins to heat up, Isaac walks back into her life, threatening to rekindle the feelings she’d hoped to bury forever. Will Destiny and Preston find the synchrony they so desperately need, or will she find a way to forgive Isaac and return to his outstretched arms?

My thoughts: I am going to review these books as one.  Because I read them back to back I am not sure where the story ended and the second one picked up.  I liked these books and the whole lover's triangle between Destiny, Isaac, and Preston.  Barring the religious undertones, I bet you can find at least one triangle like this in every high school in America.  

Destiny is only 15 when the book starts and is a Mormon attending Bethel Baptist  High School.  Her family are the only Mormon's that attend and they were former members of Bethel Baptist Church.  When they converted, a lot of their friends didn't understand and broke off the friendship.  While her brother Michael seems to be very well-liked, Destiny doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere. At the start of the school year she only has two girls that she calls friends, and one of them turns out to be Isaac's cousin.  

There are actually two more books coming out, Complexity - book 2.5 and Harmony - book 3.  I am going to have to read these because I want to know what happens with these three!  There is also some smaller stories going on - one with Destiny's best friend Hannah and her boyfriend and another with Destiny's little sister Olivia, and a would be suitor.  Both could be explosive all on their own.

Now that I have shared what I liked about the books, I do have to let you know about something that bothered me.  I am a born-again Christian and felt a little bit like the Christians in this book weren't represented very well.  They seemed to be the ones who were unaccepting, rumor mongerers, druggies, and having pre-marital sex.  The Mormons on the other hand, all had close knit families, watched out for their siblings, dressed conservatively etc.  And it wasn't until Isaac, (Christian) decides to learn more about the Mormon religion that he is portrayed in a much better light.  I understand that this is central to the story line, the different religions and the conflicts between the two, but you don't run into very many good Christians in this story. Meanwhile, even though the Mormons are breaking some house rules, there is no comparison to what their Christian counterparts are doing.  I am wondering if some of this is going to change in the next books though and look forward to finding out. 

You can watch the book trailer here:

Are you Team Isaac?

Or Team Preston?

About the Author:  Cindy Ray Hale lives in a little slice of wooded heaven near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and children. She spends way too much time following up-and-coming musicians on YouTube and dreams of joining their ranks one day. She’s a bit of a health food nut and can’t live without her daily green smoothies. She tries to stay sane as she juggles writing with four kids, staying active on social media, and keeping up her book blog at http://cinnamoncindy.blogspot.com/. In addition to writing and self-publishing two Young Adult Contemporary novels, she has also written articles for "New Era" magazine and The American Preppers Network.

For more information on The Destiny Trilogy and Cindy’s upcoming books visit http://destinybycindyhale.blogspot.com/ or follow @CindyRayHale on Twitter.

Author Links: 
Website /  Website for destiny /  Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Google+ / Pinterest



There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Synchrony. These are the prizes you can win:

- A $25 Amazon Gift Card (INTL), and a Destiny Swag Pack which includes: a signed copy of Destiny, a signed copy of Synchrony, a Destiny bookmark, a Destiny magnet, a Destiny keychain, and a Synchrony keychain.

- An ecopy of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris and a swag pack

- A Camp Boyfriend swag pack by JK Rock

- An ecopy of Definitely, Maybe in Love by Ophelia London.



For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

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Review: One Good Cowboy by Catherine Mann

One Good Cowboy

(Diamonds in the Rough #1)

by Catherine Mann

Genre: Contemporary Romance

From Ex to Eternity?

To inherit his family's empire, Texas cowboy-turned-CEO Stone McNair must prove he has a heart beneath his ruthlessly suave exterior.  His trial?  Finding homes for his grandmother's rescue dogs.  His judge?  Johanna Fletcher, the woman whose heart he broke.

Sure Johanna can handle a week traveling the country with her ex-fiance to fulfill his dying grandmother's request.  She and Stone want different things -- plain and simple.  But there's nothing plain about Stone, or simple about the heat that still flares between them.  One week may not be long enough.

My thoughts:  This story was about more than just Stone and Johanna.  You also got to meet the matriarch of the McNair family - Stone's grandmother, Mariah McNair.  She is definitely the glue that holds the family together.  The other blood relatives include Amethyst and Alexandrite or Amie and Alex, Stone's twin cousins.  Johanna is like a granddaughter to Mariah though, being practically raised on the ranch where her father worked and herself now living and working there. 

Stone and Johanna are sent out on this test because Mariah has found out she has an unoperable brain tumor.  This shocks all the grandkids but affects Stone the hardest.  He was raised by his grandmother as his mother was/is a drug addict -  in and out of rehab continuously.  He didn't find out who his father was until he was 25, and decided that he was better off without him.  He made some decisions during that time that would affect his future in ways he could not imagine.  

I liked the love of animals that is also portrayed in this book, and the care they took in finding these dogs homes.  Makes me want to go find another furry friend to replace one that we lost to diabetes a couple of years ago.  

All in all it was a quick read.  I like those stories that don't lose speed and have some heat between the main characters.  You knew there was attraction between Stone and Johanna, even though they both fought to ignore it. I liked it that they didn't just jump into bed with each other at the first sign that the spark was still there, but you get to feel their frustration and their confusion.  Looking forward to the next book in the series.

~I received a complimentary ecopy of One Good Cowboy from Net Galley and Lola's Blog Tours in exchange for my unbiased review.~

Purchase Links: 

About the author: USA Today bestseller Catherine Mann and RITA Award winner, Catherine writes contemporary romance for Berkley, Harlequin, and Sourcebooks. With over two million books in print in more than twenty countries, she has also celebrated five RITA finals, three Maggie Award of Excellence finals and a Bookseller’s Best win. A former theater school director and university instructor, she holds a Master’s degree in Theater from UNC-Greensboro and a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts: Theater (with minors in both English and Education) from the College of Charleston. Catherine and her flyboy husband live on the Florida coast where they brought up their 4 children – and still have 5 four-legged, furry “children” (aka pets). Catherine is an active volunteer with her local Humane Society, serving on their Board of Directors and fostering puppies and special needs dogs (she stopped counting at a hundred). She recently checked off a major item on her “bucket list” by completing the hands-on training for the Florida State Animal Rescue Coalition. Catherine enjoys hearing from her readers and can be found online daily. To receive an autographed bookmark, send a SASE to: P.O. Box 6065, Navarre, FL 32566.

Author Links:
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest / Blog