Blog Tour Stop: Stupid Girl by Cindy Miles

Title: Stupid Girl
Author: Cindy Miles
Pages: 332
Publisher: TKA Distribution
Pub Date: May 13th, 2014
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Only fools fall in love... 

After her senior year of high school leaves behind nothing but heartache, Olivia Beaumont is sure of this: She’s no stupid girl. She sets out for Winston College, promising herself that she will remain focused on her first and only love – astronomy. But all it takes is cocky sophomore Brax Jenkins and an accidental collision with a football, to throw her entire year off course. 

A quick-tempered Southie who escaped the inner city streets of Boston to pitch for Winston, Brax is known to play way more fields than just the baseball diamond. So, when his name is drawn to take part in his fraternity’s hazing dare, Brax eagerly accepts the mission to take Olivia’s virginity. But he doesn’t plan on falling hard for the sweet and sassy Texas girl who sees right through his bad-boy persona. 

As Olivia and Brax battle their feelings for each other, echoes of the past year begin to surface. A boy who once turned Olivia’s whole world upside down reappears, and “harmless” pranks wreak havoc. Pretty soon the aspiring astronomer is on the verge of revealing her most difficult, heartbreaking secret. All the while, Brax must wrestle with the irrevocable dare, and Olivia struggles against all logic as she does the one thing only a stupid girl would do: fall in love

I can’t really pinpoint why I loved this book. Its full of clichés and not just subtle ones but the entire story line was copied from some 1980’s rom-com. Player boy meets sweet country girl. Player boy falls for sweet country girl. Sweet country girl has dark secret. Player boy breaks sweet country girl’s heart. It’s the story of every other new adult book but for some reason this one was so damn addicting! Maybe it was Brax’s Boston accent or Olivia’s view on life but it was so good.

 It starts off revealing Olivia’s big secret, which is nice because we don’t have to guess or wait until the end of book. Now it’s a year since it happened and she’s has a chance to go away to college and start fresh. It last less than five minutes, notorious player Brax sees her and “can’t help himself” and welcomes her with a kiss. Which is one of the cutest beginning to a couple that I’ve seen for a while. From there the story becomes Brax trying to land Olivia (or as he called her ‘Gracie’) and her trying to keep just friends. Doesn’t help that her dark past followed her to her new start.

 Gracie and Brax had such an honest relationship. It wasn’t all sexual, it started out as a flirty friendship. Although Brax is described as a player we don’t really see it. He really only flirts with one other girl and it was all part of his “plan” so I wouldn’t count that.

 “Now that was a real talent. Day one with Brax Jenkins, and I was already thoroughly kissed, charmed, and…. nauseated at the same time? 

 I was obsessed with his accent, it is one of the few books where his accent was always there. While finishing this book I found myself reading even text messages with his wicked Boston accent. As for Gracie, I just loved her! She was sweet and didn’t let what happen to her ruin her life. She may or may not have been date raped but she still tried to get past it. There was no slut shaming from her, ever. Lastly (and probably my favorite thing) was how we saw her growth through the book. She went from a ranch girl who used words like ‘swell’ and ‘blouse’ to a grown up woman who left her past in the past.

 My favorite character was Tessa. She’s Gracie’s roommate and she’s Hispanic! I’m astounded by the lack of Hispanics in new adult. The only thing that sucked was how little info the author put for Tessa. She never says what kind of Hispanic she is (Cuban, Puerto Rican, etc.) and the only Hispanic words she says are “Chica” otherwise it just said “followed by a string of Spanish words none of us understood”. I mean really? Its fine if you say it once but it was used Every.Single.Time. On the positive side she gave the best advice:

 “Chica, it don’t matter how much a guy loves you. If he’s crazy, it’ll only lead to more heartache. Or worse.”

 If I could cross-stitch I would put it on a pillow, just so I’d never forget it.

Overall this was such a cute story about love and forgiveness. Great for any fans of Beautiful Disasters or those who wanted a less intense leading man (who still fights for his girl)

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AUTHOR BIO

National bestselling author Cindy Miles writes edgy romance, ranging from contemporary love stories to sexy paranormals. A native of southern coastal Georgia, she loves reading (naturally), baking swoon-worthy desserts, traveling abroad, yoga, and classic rock. The cover for her upcoming New Adult romance, STUPID GIRL, was featured on USA Today’s Happily Ever After blog. In the novel, a volatile mix of bad boys, sassy smart girls, dark secrets, and red-hot romance add up to one wild ride through college.

Author Links:

http://www.cindy-miles.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/275252.Cindy_Miles

https://www.facebook.com/officialcindymilesfanpage

https://twitter.com/cindymilesbooks

Blog Tours: Right Kind of Wrong by Chelsea Fine

Title: Right Kind of Wrong
Author: Chelsea Fine
Pages: 336
Publisher: Forever
Pub Date: September 2nd, 2014
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 3 Martinis 
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Sometimes wrong can feel oh so right . . .

Jenna Lacombe needs complete control, whether it’s in the streets . . . or between the sheets. So when she sets out on a solo road trip to visit her family in New Orleans, she’s beyond annoyed that the infuriatingly sexy Jack Oliver wants to hitch a ride with her. Ever since they shared a wild night together last year, he’s been trying to strip away her defenses one by one. He claims he’s just coming along to keep her safe-but what’s not safe for her is prolonged exposure to the tattooed hottie.

Jack can’t get Jenna out from under his skin. She makes him feel alive again after his old life nearly destroyed him-and losing her is not an option. Now Jack’s troubles are catching up to him, and he’s forced to return to his hometown in Louisiana. But when his secrets put them both in harm’s way, Jenna will have to figure out how far she’s willing to let love in . . . and how much she already has.

My Review

I’ve been on a lot of road trips, but none were as fun as reading Jack and Jessica’s trip. Jessica is well guarded, she not only scared of love, she’s terrified of it. Luckily she never had to deal with any of those feelings until she met Jack.

Jack is the complete opposite of Jessica, he sees what he wants and goes for it. He doesn’t take no for an answer and he’s been through enough in life to know whats worth fighting for.

Our story starts off right in the middle, Jack and Jess already have a tenseful past. When I requested this book in netgalley, I didn’t realize it was the last book in the series. I don’t think I missed much, because the other books in the series are about other characters. So ignoring the fact that we start in the middle Jessica needs to drive down to Lousiana to visit her “dying” grandmother. Coincidentally, Jacks also has to go, his brother dispeared and he’s pretty sure he can find him.

Jack’s brilliant idea is to hitch a ride with Jess, but since he knows her, he decides to force her into taking him. This lead to them arguing and being sassy with each other



Even though they were adorable, it was frustrating to see their relationship. It felt like they constantly took one step forward and two steps back. Going on a road trip with friends will break or make a relationship, which is why the whole idea for this was so intruiging.  Yet the problem in the relationshio Jack, it was all Jess. It could have easily have been avoided if she would have just given in.




It was written with alternating point of views and I loved Jack’s point of view. When reading from a guys point of view my biggest pet peeve is when the guys don’t have their own opinion  and most of their thoughts are just about how great the main girl is. That was not the case, even though he did think Jess was great he still had his own problems and demons to deal with.

The story line was a little slow, there were a few points where it simply dragged on. Jess’s story mostly bored me and made me roll my eyes at her fickle personality and interests but Jacks story was as interesting as it was constant.

Overall, this was a cute read and is great for  New Adult fans but don’t expect too much.

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Character Interview

Who was your favorite point of view too write from?

Jack! For whatever reason, I always prefer writing in my male's point of view. Maybe because it's fun to be in a guy's head and try to figure out what a guy what think, say, and do in certain situations. When I'm writing a female point of view, it's easy. I rarely have to think through my female characters' actions and thoughts because I'm a girl and I get how we operate. But pretending to be a guy is a whole different thing. It's more challenging and that usually makes it more fun. Jack, especially, was a blast to write because he's big and tough, with a dark past and a rough home life, but he's also sweet and honest, and trying to change his life around. I loved being in his head.

How did you come with Jenna's tattoos & love for jewelry?

I based Jenna's character on a good friend of mine in real life named Kristen. Kristen is beautiful and wild and cracks me up with her cleverness so I just had to write her into one of my books. Kristen has some amazing tattoos and a few fierce piercings so, naturally, I gave Jenna those same kinds of tattoos and piercings, and just for fun I decided to make Jenna a jewelry lover with all her rings and whatnot. In a lot of ways, Jenna was one of my easiest characters to write since I had such a great friend/model to work from. ;)

I had the most fun reading all of Jenna And Jacks adorable fights, what was your favorite scenes to write?

Haha. I love this question. My favorite scene to write was probably when Jenna first found Jack in her car before she left for Louisiana. Jenna was startled by Jack's presence, and when he informed her that he planned to accompany her on her road trip back home, she swiftly refused. The two of them bickered back and forth before she finally gave in, and those first few minutes with them on the road together were hilarious. I smiled the whole time I was writing that scene. 

ABOUT CHELSEA FINE:

Chelsea lives in Phoenix, Arizona where she spends most of her time writing stories, painting murals, and avoiding housework at all costs. She’s ridiculously bad at doing dishes and claims to be allergic to laundry. Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee, sleeping-in, and crazy socks. She lives with her husband and two children, who graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete lack of skill in the kitchen.

LINKS:     

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** YouTube ** Instagram

Author Goodreads ** Novel Goodreads

Sanctuary Blog Tour

Sanctuary 

by Pauline Creeden 

Release Date: 09/10/13 

Summary from Goodreads: 

In a heart-racing thriller described as Falling Skies meets The Walking Dead, Jennie struggles to find a safe place for what’s left of her family. But it seems as though there is no place sacred, no place secure. First the aliens attacked the sun, making it dimmer, weaker, and half what it used to be. 

Then they attacked the water supply, killing one-third of Earth’s population with a bitter contaminate. And when they unleash a new terror on humankind, the victims will wish for death, but will not find it…When the world shatters to pieces around her, will Jennie find the strength she needs to keep going? 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18684843-sanctuary?ac=1 

Buy Links: 

http://www.amazon.com/Sanctuary-Pauline-Creeden-ebook/dp/B00FI2W6CK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394297623&sr=8-1&keywords=pauline+creeden 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sanctuary-pauline-creeden/1117001506?ean=9781491072066 

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/sanctuary-72 

http://www.bookdepository.com/Sanctuary-Pauline-Creeden/9781491072066 

About the Author 

In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.  Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.  Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary is scheduled for release September 30, 2013, and has already been nominated for two awards in YA Science Fiction.  One of Pauline's short stories has won the CCW Short Story contest. Other short stories have been published in Fear & Trembling Magazine, Obsidian River and Avenir Eclectia. An urban fantasy short will appear in The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves from Port Yonder Press, and a vampire short will appear in Monsters! from Diminished Media Group.  

 Author Links: 

http://paulinecreeden.com/ 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5284782.Pauline_Creeden 

http://www.twitter.com/P_Creeden 

http://www.facebook.com/PaulineCreeden 

***GIVEAWAY*** $25 Amazon gift card (INT) 

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Or: 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MjM0OGI5ZGJmNWUwNzllYTYzNjAyYzhhZGU0MDc0OjIzNg==/ 

 RULES AND RESTRICTIONS:   

Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 13 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond  or another winner’s name will be selected. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity. 

Blog Tour Organized by: 

YA Bound Book Tours 

Excerpt 1:
“What?” Jennie followed the line of Liza’s gaze. They passed out of the treed area, and it came into view. Silver, round, and glossy, just as the news said it would be. It shifted in and out like a mirage. She blinked hard at it, while Liza pulled the car over to the shoulder.
“I can’t believe it.” The tremor in Liza’s voice betrayed her nerves.
Jennie nodded but didn’t say a thing. The moment reminded her of her first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, as they drove by it, headed for upstate New York. From the highway, the statue had looked like a toy on the horizon. Her heart had leapt in her chest then, just as it did now. It’s one thing to be told about something, and even see pictures of it on TV, but it was quite another to take it in with your own eyes.
She tore her gaze away from the strange, floating metal disk and saw that Liza’s was the last in a long line of cars that had pulled over on the shoulder. Some people had even stepped out of their cars to take pictures with their camera phones. Liza hopped out, and Jennie gave a grumbled response to the closing door. Even though fear gripped her insides, she unbuckled and jumped out after her friend.
Liza clicked away with her camera phone, standing in awe with the others. The look of the disk rotating in the sky, blocking out the half-lit sun, was enough to make Jennie want to scream and hide under her bed covers. She could understand, now, why so many were running for the hills. Shivers ran up her spine and gooseflesh popped up her arms.
“Liza, what are you doing here?” a man asked. The sun glinted off the golden highlights in his brown hair. He looked vaguely familiar.
“Mr. Harris.” A blush rose to Liza's cheeks.
Jennie blinked and studied the man. Yep. Hot Mr. Harris, the Bio teacher and every senior girl’s crush. Her friend, Terra, had taken the class with him last year. Jennie shoved her hands into her pockets and averted her gaze from the thrumming metal disk less than a half mile away.
“You girls shouldn’t be here, you know. It’s not safe, and I’m sure your parents wouldn’t approve,” Mr. Harris admonished but gave them a half smile.
Was that a dimple? Had she ever seen him smile before? Ridiculous. Of course not. Her eyes returned to the disk, and its vibration continued in her chest. Panic rose up in her throat again.
“Do you think you could take a picture of us? Then we’ll leave. Promise.” Liza handed Mr. Harris her phone and yanked Jennie toward the metal fence line.
She dragged her feet and shook her head. The last thing Jennie wanted to do was get closer.
Mr. Harris eyed her, his brows furrowed. “Did I teach you last year? No, wait—Terra’s friend, right?”
Jennie half nodded.
Liza adjusted Jennie’s shoulders and wrapped her arm around them, turning her so that her back was to the ship. Jennie stiffened. The thrumming of the machine sent vibrations through her core. She could hardly stand still. Prickling fear ran across her back, as if she were being watched...or as if she was vulnerable to an attack. She longed for the safety of the car.
Mr. Harris frowned, his worried, sympathetic eyes fixed on Jennie’s.
“The picture, Mr. Harris?” Liza reminded him.
“Oh, yeah.” He lifted the camera phone and snapped it.
The minute the flash ended, Jennie darted for the car, fumbling with the handle, and dizzy from hyperventilating.
“Are you okay?” Mr. Harris called after her.
“She’s fine, and thanks for the pict—”
With a door slam, Jennie cut off the last word and the dreadful hum of the alien ship’s constant rotation. She slumped into the seat. The pit of her stomach still quivered, and she felt faint. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see or hear any more.
A moment later, the car door opened, and Liza spoke. “Wasn’t that the coolest thing you’ve ever seen?”
Jennie broke into a cold sweat. “Whatever. Let’s just go home, okay?”
“Chicken.” Liza made a few bock-bocks and flapped her elbows like wings.
Jennie smacked Liza's elbow when it threatened to pop her in the chin. “Okay, whatever. Let’s just go.”
With a shrug, Liza pulled the Volkswagen Beetle back onto the highway. She made her way to the next exit, where she turned around. “Well, at least I’ve got a picture of the two of us for a keepsake.”
Jennie groaned.
“And we got to see ‘Hot Mr. Harris.’” She giggled.
Jennie rolled her eyes. What did her friends see in him? He was so much older than they were—at least in his mid-twenties.
As they passed the ship again, on Liza’s side, Jennie turned her head away and looked out her window at the abandoned houses in those neighborhoods. If she didn’t see
the ship, it was easier to deny it hovered there. As far as she was concerned, she’d never seen it.