The Boys of Summer Book Blitz

The Boys of Summer (Summer Series #1)
By C. J. Duggan
Published:  December 17, 2012
New Adult Contemporary

Summary:

It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.

Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.
To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.

It will be a summer she will always remember.

Warning: sexual references, and occasional course language.

Excerpt from The Boys of Summer:

“Don’t you dare.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him backwards. His eyes darted to where my hand rested on him. I didn’t move my hand, I couldn’t physically bring myself to break the contact; all of a sudden there were no smiles, no jokes, just him and me and our space on the couch. I could only hear the music and be aware of the heat of his skin and the rapid rise and fall of my chest in this moment.

The only thing that snapped me out of my daze was Toby’s words which seemed low and raspy.

“Is Adam your boyfriend?” His gaze flicked over my face as he waited for my answer. My mouth gaped open; I couldn’t hide the fact I was dumbfounded by the question.

I blinked quickly and took my hand from his arm. I struggled to construct a legible sentence. 

“Oh – um, no, we’re just friends, it’s not like that.”

His stony expression didn’t falter, didn’t reveal any kind of emotion. He was so hard to read, and I wanted to read him so badly. He gave a small nod and handed me the CD cover. 

“Better go and make sure these guys aren’t cheating.” And without another word, he got up and headed towards the pool table.




About the Author:  C.J. Duggan

C.J Duggan is an Australian author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.
The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.
For more on C.J and ‘The Summer Series’, visit www.cjdugganbooks.com

Author Links:

For Goodreads Click Here

For Facebook Click Here

For Twitter Click Here

 Purchase At:  Amazon (Kindle)/Amazon (Paperback)/Barnes and Noble/Itunes

                                      This Book Blitz Was Designed and Organized by Giselle At:

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Boyfriend From Hell (Falling Angels Saga) by E. Van Lowe

Boyfriend From Hell (Falling Angels Saga Book One)
By: E. Van Lowe
Kindle Edition, 247 pages
Published: August 13, 2011
By: White Whisker Books
Source: Book From Author

Goodreads Summary:


Fifteen year-old Megan Barnett and her single mom, Suze, have a special relationship—they are friends, close friends, who do almost everything together. 

“But come on, guys, she’s my mother… Can I really tell her that while we’re snuggled up on the sofa watching Spider Man Three, I’m secretly undressing James Franco with my eyes? Of course not…” 

The special bond takes a turn for the worse when Suze decides to start dating again. She hasn’t had a man in her life since Megan’s father left ten years ago. 

Enter two mysterious young men, Megan’s new classmate, sinfully attractive bad boy, Guy Matson, and the dangerously handsome art dealer, Armando. Before long Megan and Suze both wind up in steamy relationships. 

But neither of the handsome pair is quite what he seems. In fact, one of them is Satan, with his sights set on a new bride. Megan has precious little time to figure out how to stop him. If she doesn’t, either Megan or Suze are quite literally going to HELL.



My Thoughts:


Boyfriend From Hell by E. Van Lowe is an excellent read.  It stands out in the Young Adult genre as a book that has the perfect balance of fun, fantasy, mystery, humor, and romance, which harmoniously blend together to create a highly entertaining fast-paced read.  The protagonist Megan is a typical 15 year old full of angst.  She has a very special relationship with her single mother Suze, and her childhood friends Erin and Matt.  However, Megan becomes conflicted when Suze wants to get back into the dating world.  At the same time that Suze begins dating, Megan meets the dark and dreamy Guy Matson.  As daughter and mother enter a new phase in their lives, nothing will ever be the same again.

There are many reasons that I enjoyed Boyfriend From Hell.  First, the storyline was entertaining and executed beautifully.  Megan came across as an authentic teenager, from the way she spoke, the way she acted, and the way she thought.  Many times in YA stories, the character doesn't have the voice of a teenager, and instead sounds like an adult trying to sound like a teenager, or slang is overused and the story becomes lacking in believability.  Another aspect of the story I enjoyed was the humor.  I kept catching myself smiling or chuckling when I was reading.  Several times I was asked, "what's so funny?"  Well, this story had me cracking up.  Also, while Megan had a love interest in Boyfriend From Hell, it did not detract in any way from the rest of the story.  I enjoyed a few plot twists and I loved the way Mr. Van Lowe ended the story.  My interest was piqued, and I cannot wait to see how the sequel unfolds.

I highly recommend Boyfriend From Hell, if you're looking for a fun, entertaining, fast paced YA paranormal read.  This story has a wide range of appeal, and a little bit of everything which will attract both young adult, as well as adult readers.  The bottom line is I give Boyfriend From Hell 4 1/2 Fun Humor-Filled Stars!


My Favorite Quotes:


"It was supposed to be a mysterious, seductive smile, but my mouth froze into a toothy grin.  I have practiced that seductive smile in the mirror like a zillion times to perfection, and the first time I try using it on a real boy, I wind up looking like the Joker." (Kindle, Loc. 140)


"Even though Guy Matson was not my first kiss, when our lips touched, I knew in that moment that I had never been kissed before." (Kindle, Loc. 842)


"You can have thirty or forty pairs of shoes, you can have a whole boat load of sisters and brothers, you can have a new boyfriend every week, you can have so many friends you can't remember all their names, you can get married as many times as you like, and have more husbands and ex-husbands than you can shake a stick at ...But, deary, you only get one mother.  And it sounds like you have a good relationship with yours.  In my mind, that alone is worth fighting for." (Kindle, Loc. 2342)

*Check out my Swoon Post on Boyfriend From Hell by Clicking Here

    Escape in a book,

                   About The Author: E. Van Lowe

E has gone on to write for many award winning TV shows including: The Cosby Show, and Even Stevens. He also co-wrote the Academy Award nominated short film, Cadillac Dreams. Never Slow Dance With A Zombie was his first teen novel.  Boyfriend From Hell is the first in the Falling Angels Saga.  The second novel in the saga, Earth Angel, will be coming out soon.  It seems E still has lots of important, and weird, thoughts to share with readers.



Purchase At:                Amazon/ Barnes and Noble/Book Depository




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Author Spotlight E. Van Lowe

Swoon Thursday (3)

Hosted by YA Bound

Losing It by Cora Carmack

The Rules of Swoon Thursday:

"From the book you are currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON.  What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.  Try to make the Swoon 140 characters so you can tweet it.  Add the #YABOUND hashtag when you tweet."


Goodreads Summary:

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

What Made Me Swoon:

*I couldn't just pick one Swoon, because the whole story was one large Swoon

"For once in my life I concentrated simply on the feel of a guy against me, the brush of his tongue against mine, the pinpricks of heat where his fingers pressed into my skin.  I didn't think about anything-not about my breath, or whether my hands were in the right place, or what he was expecting.  I lost myself in him." (Nook, 21)


"My toes barely brushed the floor, but it didn't matter.  He was holding me up.  I buried my hands into his messy locks, and threw myself into the kiss.  He took a few steps backward, and sat on the edge of my bed.  On instinct, my legs went on either side of his lap, straddling him.  The hand that had been around my waist curved around my butt and pulled me against him." (Nook, 23)

Escape in a Book,

Entice (Exquisite #2)

Entice

Ella Frank

Pub: Feb 1st 2013

By: Self Published

ARC 
Mature Content

Gr’s 
Summary

What if everything you think you want isn't what you actually need...

Dr. Shelly Monroe is a woman who doesn't shy away from going after what she wants, but lately good sex has been hard to find. Shelly's become increasingly frustrated with the men she's been dating and the men she believes are the right choice.

Joshua Daniels is certainly not even close to the right choice. In fact he is exactly the wrong choice. For one thing, he's Mason Langley's best friend and best man. Second he's too much of a risky complication for Shelly to even consider.

Then why can't she stop thinking about how delicious he looked that first night she met him at Exquisite? Why is it so imperative to keep her lusty desire for a man that doesn’t meet her preconceived mold hidden from Lena and Mason, her trusted friends? 

It seems unreasonable that being with a man completely wrong in theory could somehow feel so right. Then why is it the more she sees him the more enticing he becomes?

The way I see it

Holy Savannah Georgia Man-Eater HOTNESS!! Wow, where to start?.. How about I flipping LOVED ENTICE!!! Shelly’s character was like a hologram projection that if I could reach out and touch I’m sure would have been real!! E. Frank does an amazing job of making every single character a part of your heart! Yeah, even Mom and Dad, you don’t have to agree with them but they make your heart swell. This book made me laugh, and it made me cry. Happy tears, sad tears, and tears of pure Joy!!  So many emotions. One of my favorite aspects was even though Entice was “book 2” the main focus was on Shelly and Josh. Exquisite was focused on Lena and Mason, and even though I loved loved loved Lena and Mason in book 1, they didn’t take anything away from Shelly and Josh’s story. I fell madly in love with Shelly and Delicious Daniels. This book was absolutely amazing. Josh’s love for Shelly absolutely resonates throughout the pages... I knew he was up to something, but I was completely unprepared by what happened! It was thrilling to find out! Seriously, this was an amazing book.  Every interaction with every character was perfect!! The ending was perfect.  Bottom line... Perfect across the board!!

My Fav’s

Shelly

I love all 3 Shel’s. Man-Eater Monroe, is assertive, confident, passionate, and most of all unrestrained. Georgia is, sweet, gentle, kind, loving, and has a killer sexy southern accent. Dr Monroe, is a combination of both Man-Eater and Georgia. Not to mention Shel is the BEST! She was there for Lena and I’m so happy I got to know her!

Josh

Mm, Delicious Daniels is right!!! Wowzers! lol, sorry. *Fanning Face* Okay, Josh is this perfect blend of sexy, delicious, determined, hard working, congenial, honest and delectable man! He takes my breath away, I knew from the moment he walked into Exquisite he was meant for Shelly! 

My Rating

5.0 Brilliantly Sexy, dreaming beneath an oak tree stars! THIS.IS.A.MUST.READ. I feel so lucky for finding this amazing series! It’s your 

turn! GO.READ.NOW.

my blog-review shelf:

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

How Waiting on Wednesday (WOW) Works:

Select a book that you cannot wait to read that is not yet published.

Never Too Far (Fallen Too Far #2) by Abbi Glines

Goodreads Summary:


He had held a secret that destroyed her world. 

Everything she had known was no longer true. 

Blaire couldn’t stop loving him but she knew she could never forgive him. 
Now, she was back home and learning to live again. Moving on with life… until something happened to send her world spinning once again. 
What do you do when the one person you can never trust again is the one that you need to trust so desperately? 

You lie, hide, avoid, and pray that your sins never find you out.


Why I Can't Wait To Read Never Too Far:


Fallen too Far was an excellent read!  Talk about a page turner!  I read it in one sitting because I could not put it down.  After I finished reading it, I wished I had read slower so that I could savor every word.  Fallen Too Far was a plot driven story and the way it ended was brutal!  I wanted to pick up where I left off immediately.  This story had me entranced.  It was a very sexy, steamy, and swoon worthy read!  I have high expectations for Never Too Far, the sequel to Fallen Too Far.  I hope for it to pick up right where the first story left off.  I know it will be an excellent read, and am hoping for a Happily Ever After.  The expected publication of Never Too Far is February 26, 2013.


Teaser for Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines :
(Quote taken from Abbi Glines' Website)

"It had been three weeks, four days and twelve hours since I’d seen her. Since she’d torn my heart out. If I had been drinking, I’d blame it on the alcohol. It had to be an illusion; a desperate one. But I hadn’t been drinking. Not a drop. There was no mistaking Blaire. It was her. She was actually here.

Blaire was back in Rosemary".

YES this one has Rush’s POV in it too. You’re welcome 

*For My Book Review on Fallen Too Far Click Here

*For an Excerpt of Never Too Far Click Here

*For the Never Too Far Playlist Click Here






                                                  Escape in a Book,

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence #1) by Jessica Sorenson

The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #1)
by Jessica Sorenson
Nook, 193 pages
Published: December 13, 2012
By: Self-Published
Source: Purchased
Mature Content 17 & Up

Goodreads Summary:

There are those who don’t get luck handed to them on a shiny platter, who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don’t get saved.

Luck was not on Callie’s side the day of her twelfth birthday when everything was stolen from her. After it’s all over, she locks up her feelings and vows never to tell anyone what happened. Six years later her painful past consumes her life and most days it’s a struggle just to breathe.

For as long as Kayden can remember, suffering in silence was the only way to survive life. As long as he did what he was told, everything was okay. One night, after making a terrible mistake, it seems like his life might be over. Luck was on his side, though, when Callie coincidentally is in the right place at the right time and saves him.

Now he can’t stop thinking about the girl he saw at school, but never really knew. When he ends up at the same college as Callie, he does everything he can to try to get to know her. But Callie is reserved and closed off. The more he tries to be part of her life, the more he realizes Callie might need to be saved.



My Thoughts:

I was absolutely mesmerized and invested in The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorenson.  Callie is a social outcast at her high school.  She's the girl who was called a freak since she was in grade school.  The girl who never had any friends, never got invited to any parties, and who never wanted to be noticed.  She learned at the tender age of 12 how everything can change instantly.  Kayden was part of the popular crowd, the golden boy of his high school, and a talented quarterback.  He never really noticed Callie or gave her a second glance, until one night Callie witnesses one of his biggest secrets on the way to pick up her brother from Kayden's house, during his High School graduation party.  That night Callie saves Kayden, and a special bond is formed.  When she looks at Kayden she see's herself from the intense pain in his eyes.  After that night, Callie and Kayden can't seem to forget one another or how one moment changed both of their lives forever...


My favorite aspects of this story were the characters, elements of surprise in the plot twists, and the ability to connect with the story.  I enjoyed the way that the characters were developed throughout the entirety of the story. They were well written, and 3 dimensional.  Even the secondary characters Seth and Luke (Callie and Kayden's best friends) climbed their way into my heart.  I disliked the antagonists with a passion, as they too came to life for me.  Callie and Kayden could have been real people that attended school with you or I.   I saw Callie clearly, as she thought back to being harassed and bullied in school.  I saw her eating lunch by herself, lonely for a friend and never being truly accepted by her peers.  I pictured Kayden as the guy that everyone liked.  All of the guys admired and wanted to be like him, and all the girls wanted to date him.  Yet, no one really knew Callie or Kayden.  Opposed to all outward appearances, Callie and Kayden had a lot in common.  They were both lonely, carried the heavy burden of shame and a painful secret that they kept hidden.  This story was an emotional read for me.  It was a bittersweet love story filled with the depths of pain, hurt, and betrayal, as well as the highs of hope, friendship, intimacy, passion, and love.  I enjoyed the fact that Callie and Kayden made huge character growth.


If you enjoy the New Adult Genre, specifically stories like The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay, and Hopeless by Colleen Hoover, you will enjoy this story.  If you enjoy stories of angst and sexual tension, and learning to trust again, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden is a perfect choice for a great escape!  I also enjoyed the plot in the story immensely.  There were a lot of plot twists that kept me entertained, and hooked on reading, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden.  Overall, the reason that I loved this story so much was, because I was able to connect with the characters and feel their pain.  I felt the connection so much that I was crying, smiling, and feeling heavy hearted from the very beginning to the very end of the story.  I give, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden 4 1/2 Heart Wrenching Stars!


My Favorite Quotes:

"It's amazing how the things you remember forever are the things you'd rather forget and the things you desperately want to grasp onto seem to slip away like sand in the wind..." (Nook, 30)

"She places her palms on the table that holds a display case full of glasses.  No, I just never wanted to throw them away.  Even if they were broken, I still loved them.  She peers down into the case, completely oblivious to how much her words mean to me..."(Nook, 96)

                                      Escape in a book,

The Coincidence of Callie and Kaden Book Trailer:

About the Author:  Jessica Sorenson

I’m the author of the Fallen Star Series, the Darkness Falls Series, the Death Collectors Series, and the New York Times and USA Today Best Seller, The Secret of Ella and Micha, a New Adult Contemporary novel.
I love writing and reading almost anything that is YA. Some of my favorite authors are Cassandra Clare, Sarah Dessen, Becca Fitzpatrick, Abbi Glines, Tammara Webber, Jamie McGuire and Jennifer L. Armentrout. I’m also an avid watcher of TV series The Vampire Diaries and of Modern Family.
I absolutely love music. When I’m writing, 9 out of 10 times I have music blaring in the background. My list of favorite songs could go on and on, since I have a very broad taste in music. But a few of my favorite bands are Chevelle, Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Brand New, Death Cab for Cutie, Flight 409, Nirvana, and I’m going to stop there or else I’ll keep going on forever.

Purchase At:  Amazon/Barnes and Noble

I

Top Ten Tuesday (3)

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish