Book Blitz+Giveaway: Because I Love You by Tori Rigby

I'm really excited to be a part of this particular book blitz, especially since one of the topics being discussed during ArmChairBEA this week is about more diversity in books. I love reading in general, it's literally changed the way that I look at the world around, which is why I'm always craving more diversity in the type of books that I love to read - which is - pretty much everything within reason. I've definitely been trying to step outside of my comfort zone even more so now, than I was willing to do back when I originally started this blog and decided that I was going to be seriously about keeping it up. 

Books can do so many things for you, if you let them open your eyes to the world around you. They can become a sort of "escapism" and people use them for "coping mechanisms", and also reading in general for fun. I love the fun light-hearted, carefree books that you can just sink into easily and finish in a lazy day out in the summer sun; but I also love the books that can challenge your way of thinking, give you a different view or outlook on something, or just change your mind completely. 

Those books are filled with diversity in all kinds, like LGBTQIA+, topics on mental illnesses, books exploring teen pregnancy (such as this one) and the affects it can have from all sides, racial issues, and they can explore many different backgrounds and cultures giving you a plethera of characters ranging from one nationality to many more, heroes and heroines that come in all shapes and sizes. These are the kinds of books that I'm kind of filling my days off with, when I get the chance to read.

Which, is why, I'm really excited to be sharing an excerpt of Because I Love You by the lovely and talented Tori Rigby with you. Before starting this blog, this isn't the type of book that I would have actually thought to pick up and read or even really want to read. I wasn't all that much of a contemporary person, nor was I really that into reading books that explored "teen pregnancy," which is continuously on the rise. Now, though, it's different. I look forward to reading a copy of this book and I am thrilled to try and get other's into being more open to reading books that span a wide diverse of topics and characters.

So, if you're interested, check out the excerpt below and don't forget to enter the giveway. Also, please leave Tori Rigby some love as well.

Because I Love You

Tori Rigby

Publisher: Blaze Publishing

Published: May 17th 2016

Age Demographic: YA

Genres: Contemporary 

Eight weeks after sixteen-year-old Andie Hamilton gives her virginity to her best friend, “the stick” says she’s pregnant.

Her friends treat her like she’s carrying the plague, her classmates torture and ridicule her, and the boy she thought loved her doesn’t even care. Afraid to experience the next seven months alone, she turns to her ex-boyfriend, Neil Donaghue, a dark-haired, blue-eyed player. With him, she finds comfort and the support she desperately needs to make the hardest decision of her life: whether or not to keep the baby.

Then a tragic accident leads Andie to discover Neil’s keeping a secret that could dramatically alter their lives, and she’s forced to make a choice. But after hearing her son’s heartbeat for the first time, she doesn’t know how she’ll ever be able to let go.

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Can't decide if you want to read Because I Love You?
Let the small excerpt decide that for you...

Excerpt from Because I Love You
Written by Tori Rigby

No matter how much I needed him, I couldn’t let Neil throw his future away for me. He would do anything to keep me protected, comforted; I knew that like I knew the sky was blue. But I had to show him the same selfless love, or I’d forever regret holding him back. Which meant one thing: I was on my own.

My stomach turned to stone. But what about Ethan? Even if I did manage to drop out of high school and find a job that paid a decent wage, I couldn’t provide for a baby by myself. I couldn’t raise a baby in poverty—I wouldn’t. My son deserved so much more. But how the hell was I supposed to let him go?

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Author Bio

Adopted at three-days-old by a construction worker and a stay at home mom, Tori Rigby grew up with her nose in a book and her fingers on piano keys, always awaiting the day she’d take her own adventure. Now, she goes on multiple journeys through her contemporary and historical romances. She longs to live in the Scottish Highlands, and her favorite place in history is Medieval England—she’d even give up her Internet and running water to go back in time! Tori also writes high-concept genre fiction as Vicki Leigh, and when she isn’t writing, she’s kicking butt in krav maga or attending classes to learn how to catch bad guys.

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Book Blitz&Giveaway: Painting Sky by Rita Branches

It feels like New Adult novels and their respective author's have literally taken over my life within the last year or two. There's something that I crave more and more about the raw, gritty, grown-up and mature tone they seem to take on. It feels like I'm reading books that are targeted towards me, as an avid book reader and I keep voraciously devouring them every single chance that I get. I've watched people that I admire grow into becoming some of the best New Adult romance authors out there. People like, Molli Moran, Lia Riley, Jessica Sorensen, Eliza Freed, and Rita Branches are what make me want to read more. 

That's why, I'm really excited to be part of this blitz, because it's talented author's like Rita Branches, that fuel my desire to read and Painting Sky, looks like it's going to be amazing. So, if you guys are interested in checking out some amazing New Adult author's and discovering new books, as well as reading what I think will turn out to be an amazing gem, then keep reading and check out the excerpt below. It's got me, hook line, and sinker!

Painting Sky 

Rita Branches

Release Date: 04/25/16

Age Demographic: NA

Genre: Contemporary

Pages: 306

Nobody ever said life was easy…

People pleaser, Jane Skylar wants nothing more than to earn her art degree, start her life, and bask in the bliss of living with her boyfriend.

But things don’t always go as planned…

Struggling with her creative side, Jane finds herself in turmoil, often confiding in her roommate – another, more talented art student, Keith Hale. Keith just so happens to be her boyfriend’s older, brooding brother. After a devastating breakup, Jane turns to Keith for comfort. But when the lines blur between roommate and lover, Jane’s life becomes more complicated than ever before.

When Keith’s past comes back to haunt him, their lives all get turned upside down, forcing the truth to surface. Now Jane must fight for what she wants–even if it hurts everyone she loves.

Goodreads * Amazon

EXCERPT:

When I pulled the door open, the last person I wanted to see was sitting on a stool, sipping his morning coffee. He didn’t acknowledge me.

I poured some coffee in a random mug, since Keith was using my favorite one, and tried to reach the last package of cookies on the top shelf. I really didn’t want to use the stool in front of Keith.

What was the least humiliating decision? Trying to reach it by jumping on the counter or getting the stupid stool? I almost decided on just eating something at school when a throat being cleared sounded just behind me. I knew that, if I turned around, he would be invading my personal space. I had no intention of letting him ruin my birthday, so I stayed put with my arms crossed over my chest.

“Were you deciding between the cookies, the canned peas, or the rice? Because I can help with either one of them, just not sure which one you get in the morning.” Keith snickered. I could smell him, and the fact that such a pleasant smell could come from such an unpleasant person puzzled me.

I had the strong urge to turn and flip him the finger. I had never done that in my life, but could now understand why people did it. Instead, I turned slowly, thinking about how to have the upper hand this time.

I was right about the personal space: I leaned back and rested my hands behind me on the counter. He was standing so close to me that I had to look up to see his eyes. For a second, I saw the indecision there, as if he knew he should step back.

I had to think of a witty response fast, but then I noticed he had shaved— that was where the amazing smell was coming from. He had a small cut on his throat.

Keith wasn’t smirking now; he was genuinely waiting for me to do something. I wished I could read his thoughts so I could do the exact opposite of what he was hoping for.

I quickly took the wish back. It was my birthday, after all, and we never did know when a wish would be granted. This was one I really didn’t want to come true. Hearing his words hurt enough without having to hear his thoughts, as well.

“Next time you shave, try standing an inch or two closer to the blade,” I whispered, leaning closer to his shoulder.

I was so pleased with my joke that I pondered going upstairs and writing it down. I smiled triumphantly at my quick response and did a little happy dance inside.

“Did you have to think on that one this whole time, or were you just checking me out?”

My smile faltered and then completely disappeared. That had been a good one. Okay, I must have thought about it a little longer than I realized. Maybe I had been kind of checking him out—not in a “you’re so hot” way, but more of a “if you could just be a statue and never speak or move, I would thank the powers that be” way.

I stuck my chin out to try to appear taller. “That was a good one and you know it.” I crossed my arms again and brushed against his chest in the process.

Author Bio:

Rita Branches is an independent YA (young adult) author who enjoys spending every free moment (when she´s not reading) writing emotional stories. Visit: http://ritabranches.wordpress.com

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Spotted Book Blitz for Under My Skin by Laura Diamond with Giveaway

I am excited to be part of this book blitz, the minute that I read the synopsis for this book I knew that I wanted to devour this book instantly. It's an emotionally charged, contemporary romance that will give you ALL THE FEELS and SWOONS. From the few reviews that I've read for this book, the author does a beautiful job of illustrating life and death and the fact that everything can change within the span of a heartbeat. It's a gorgeously compelling contemporary romance that will lift you up and weigh you down with all of the painful baggage that comes along with the affliction Adam faces on a daily basis. 

If you're looking for a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the page, then I suggest picking up a copy of Under My Skin by the beautifully talented Laura Diamond. If you'd like to know more about it and get a feel for how it reads, then continue reading this post, because Laura Diamond has generously provided an excerpt for you to read and there is also a giveaway going on.

Happy Reading!

Under My Skin
Laura Diamond

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Published: 04/12/16

Genres: YA Contemp

Bookish Brit Adam Gibson is one wonky heartbeat away from a fatal arrhythmia. But staying alive requires Adam to become keenly focused on both his pulse and the many different daily medications he must take in exactly the right dosages. Adam’s torn between wanting to live and knowing that someone else must die in order for him to do so. He needs a new heart.

The pressure is getting to him. Adam stops talking to his friends back home, refuses to meet kids at his new school, and shuts his parents out entirely. His days are spent wondering if can cope with having a dead man’s heart beating inside his chest, or if he should surrender to the thoughts of suicide swirling around in his head.

And then a donor is found…

Outspoken artist Darby Fox rarely lets anything stand in her way of achieving her goals . Whether it’s painting, ignoring her homework (dyslexia makes a mess out of words anyway), kissing a hot boy she doesn’t even know, or taking the head cheerleader down a peg , no one has ever accused Darby of being a shy. She also happens to be the twin sister to a perfect brother with good looks, good grades, manners, and the approval of their parents – something Darby has never had.

Darby’s always had bad timing . She picks the worst time to argue with her brother Daniel. In a car with bald tires, on an icy road in the freezing cold, the unthinkable happens. In a split-second, everything changes forever.

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EXCERPT:

ADAM:

Best to get it over with now. I type: I had the thought today.

I click send.

For a few seconds, I watch the screen, waiting for her to reply. I can’t expect Dr. Shaw to be right there to answer me. She’s probably in session with someone.

A group of students pass by, chattering and laughing, light at bubbles. They halt at the curb to wait for the light to change. They’re all wearing NYU sweatshirts and carrying messenger bags or laptops with silkscreen logos about “being green” and “tolerant of diversity.” Adventurers embarking on the quest known as Life. What it must be like to have a whole lifetime to look forward to, no dead end staring back at you.

My mobile buzzes.

It’s Dr. Shaw. Tell me the exact thought and context.

I had a flutter. After, I saw Mum and Dad. Their backs were turned to me and I thought: They’d be happier without me. They’ll be fine after I’m dead. I click send and try to ignore the gnawing pit in my stomach. My message seems dramatic now that I’ve sent it off for her to scrutinize. It was better left unsaid.

A bubble with three dots surfaces at the bottom of my screen. She’s typing right now. I suck in a dry, exhaust laden breath.

She replies: What evidence do you have that they’ll be happy?

That was simple. They were laughing.

Your death will be devastating to them.

My heart twinges a bit. Will be? Does she somehow know I won’t make it until I find a donor? Maybe the surgeon told her I’m not a candidate. I blink and re-read her statement. No, I’m over-reacting. She’s just countering my argument with logic. It’s her style to challenge me with the opposite idea so I’ll find the reality somewhere between. Still, I’m not ready to admit she’s right. Mum and Dad don’t need me dragging them down. I text, Yes, but they’ll be alright.

Of course they will. Life goes on.

Dr. Shaw is unrelenting in her approach. So different from Mum who tries to comfort me with delusional happy thoughts.

Right. And I’m such a burden on them now.

Whatever you think they’re sacrificing is nothing compared to how much you mean to them.

I’m tired of waiting for my heart to stop.

Do you want it to stop? You won’t suffer anymore.

About the Author

Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist currently specializing in emergency psychiatry. She is also an author of all things young adult—both contemporary and paranormal. An avid fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and anything magical, she thrives on quirk, her lucid dreams, and coffee. When she’s not working or writing, she can be found sniffing books and drinking a latte at the bookstore or at home pondering renovations on her 225 year old fixer upper, all while obeying her feline overlords, of course.

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Book Blitz+Giveaway: Happily Ever Alpha (Paranormal Romance Anthology)

I'm really excited to be a part of this particular book blitz, because there's nothing I love more than a well written, steamy, swoon-worthy alpha-romance with a tinge of the supernatural and gorgeous couples with electric chemistry burning up the pages. Today, I'm lucky enough to share with you a little glimpse into the bones of Taken by the Beast by Kressley & Hamilton and a super steamy tantalizing excerpt from it.

But first, let me tell you a little bit more about the book...

Happily Ever Alpha Paranormal Romance Boxed Set: Sexy Shifters, Wickedly Cool Witches, Werewolves, Vampires, Gargoyles, Demons, Psychics, & More!

Publication date: January 26th 2016

Genres: Paranormal Romance

When Once Upon A Time Isn’t Enough

Happily Ever Alpha – From Twenty-Two NY Times, USA Today, and Amazon Bestselling Authors

What’s Inside:

*TWENTY-ONE FULL-LENGTH NOVELS AND NOVELLAS! NO CLIFFHANGERS!*

Professionally Edited and Formatted.

Limited Edition. Sale Ends Soon!

HAPPILY EVER ALPHA

Fourteen HOT paranormal alpha-male romances and six additional kick-ass paranormal romance tales bundled together in one of the steamiest collections to date!

With twenty-one novels and novellas and over one million seductive words of fiction, this paranormal romance boxed set will leave you Happily Ever Alpha.

These hot heroes and tough as nails heroines will steal your heart and make your beg for more.

How about a little Heat to keep you warm this Winter?

Our first tagline was so hot, Amazon wouldn’t let us publish it here, but you can find that same heat burning inside the pages of this set. Treat yourself to a varied collection of hot, steamy, and passionate paranormal tales. This satisfying collection has something to excite all readers.

With sexy shifters, hot vampires, wickedly cool witches, and so much more, this boxed set will has titles that will either warm you up or set you on fire—Take your pick!

For a limited time, you can enjoy books from today’s NY Times, USA Today, and Amazon Bestselling authors!

When purchased separately, these books cost over $50! But they are yours today for less than $1.

Every selection in this rare, limited edition paranormal romance boxed set are full-length novels and novellas!

Save over $50! This set is only available at this price for a limited time, so order your copy before it’s gone!

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Taken by the Beast is a steamy, suspenseful spin on the age old tale of Beauty and the Beast. 

It follows former plus sized supermodel Charisse as she travels back to her hometown and finds that it isn’t quite the place she remembers. 

What was once an idyllic safe space has now turned into something darker and much more dangerous.

But with darkness, comes desire…

When she meets mysterious alpha male Abram, he unleashes a passion inside of Charisse that she never knew she had. But she isn’t the only one with something to unleash. Abram has a secret as well. There’s a beast living inside of him that will take Charisse as his own or tear her apart trying. 

Don’t miss this sexy, scintillating take on a tale as old as time. 

TAKEN BY THE BEAST.

With curves and sass to spare, Ashley Graham makes the perfect Charisse.

[Insert Picture Here]

And with a sex appeal that could only be described as monstrous, Joe Manganiello simply sizzles as the beastly Abram.

[Insert Picture Here]

Now try to keep cool as you sink your teeth into this mouthwatering morsel of TAKEN BY THE BEAST!

Book Excerpt for Taken By The Beast

by Kressley & Hamilton

I reared back to slap him with my other hand, but he grabbed my wrist. Now both my hands were captive, and in that instant, we were nearly nose-to-nose, breathing in the same air—a musky air that had been permeated by his scent. 

“Let go,” I said, hating the way both my breathing and voice had shifted. 

His gaze bore into mine, as though he could see something deep inside of me, something I couldn’t even see myself. Or, rather, something I didn’t want to admit. Something that went against everything I believed and all of who I thought I was.

“Is that what you want, Ms. Bellamy?” His lips parted. “For me to let go?”

The breath caught in my throat. He inched a fraction closer, closing that last bit of space between us so that his chest pressed against mine. Suddenly, and against my volition, my nipples hardened. My heart jackhammered against my ribcage, and a flush crept up my body, warming every part of me. 

Abram tipped his forehead down so that it rested against my own. “Is that what you want?”

The temperature of the room shifted. The sensation of his hands pinning mine sent sparks through my body. He pushed against me, and the evidence of his arousal stiffened against my thigh. 

I opened my mouth, ready to push him away, to tell him that yes, I wanted him to let me go. But the words did not come. Instead, only a whimper escaped my lips. 

“Not good enough,” he said. 

He dipped his head, his lips brushing warm and rough against my neck, and my knees wobbled so abruptly that I wasn’t sure I could keep myself upright if not for his grip on me. Another damned whimper trickled from my mouth.

“Not near good enough.” His breath was hot against the side of my neck. “See, Miss Bellamy, I’m not sure you want me to let go. I think you want me to take care of you. But if you want that—if you want me to really take care of you—then you have to say it.”

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Book Blitz & Giveaway: Without A Doubt by Lindsay Paige

I'm excited and thrilled to be sharing yet another New Adult contemporary romance novel with you, by the loved and talented Lindsay Paige. Without A Doubt, is a heart-stopping, gorgeously aching novel of romance, fractured spirits, and two people who fall together and splinter apart in so many questioning ways it's unreal. It's such an emotional journey that will take YOUR FEELS on the ride of a lifetime. 

Without a Doubt
Lindsay Paige
Published: December 18, 2015
Self-Published 
Age Demographic: NA Contemporary
Pages: 336

Emerson Montgomery loves his high school sweetheart, Kelly Price. He’d do anything for her, including agreeing to a break where they’ll see other people as he heads off to college. Struggling with the break and guilt over dating other people, Emerson meets Eva, a beautiful, funny, easygoing, and nosey junior.

Eva Harvey chose this particular college with the hopes of fulfilling her own fairytale and falling in love at the same college where her parents met. She does her best to go with the flow and simply see what happens, but Emerson simultaneously causes her to fall in love while making her second guess everything along the way.

There’s some things you know without a doubt. However, Eva causes Emerson to doubt everything he believes about his future while he causes her to doubt what’s right in front of her. Can they find a way to erase all doubts or will it tear them apart in the process?

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Are you a reviewer?
You can request a review copy of Without a Doubt here!

—

EXCERPT FROM WITHOUT A DOUBT

WRITTEN BY LINDSAY PAIGE

“You fixed breakfast?”

Eva glances over her shoulder before doing a double take. “Uh, yeah. Shouldn’t you be getting dressed?”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” I ask teasingly.

“As uncomfortable as you would be if I walked into the room wearing only a towel.” She picks up her sandwich, takes a bite, and then faces me. “You can’t have yours until you put on clothes.”

I laugh. “Okay, okay.”

By the time I change and make it back to the kitchen, Eva is walking past me to take her own shower. I eat my sandwich and then start getting my books together. I’m grabbing a pen from the end table in the living room when I hear, “Emerson.” I lift my head to see Eva leaning against the threshold of the hallway. A white towel is wrapped around her body and her hair. I swallow hard at the sight of her. Ample cleavage looks strained from underneath the towel, one of her legs is showing from the hip down thanks to her not having the towel completely wrapped around her, and her damp skin shines.

“Just wanted to prove a point,” she says before turning and walking to my bedroom.

“Feel free to prove points more often,” I call after her, causing her to laugh.

About the Author

Lindsay Paige is the author of multiple Young Adult, New Adult, and Sports romances. She also coauthors sports romances with Mary Smith. Along with writing, she loves reading, watching hockey, especially the Pittsburgh Penguins, and finding funny terrible puns and recipes on Pinterest. All the while, she is also focused on completing college.

Lindsay resides in North Carolina and is inspired by the world around her and the people in it. She is currently working on numerous solo works and a couple of projects with coauthor Mary Smith as well.

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Book Blitz+Giveaway: Insanity Series (Books 1-3) by Cameron Jace

Insanity
Cameron Jace
(The Complete Books 1-3)
Published: October 28, 2015 
Publisher: Storykiller Books
Age Demographic: New Adult Fantasy
Pages: 882

Hannibal Meets Alice in Wonderland in this fantasy page-turning thriller.

After accidentally killing everyone in her class, Alice Wonder becomes a patient in the Radcliffe Lunatic Asylum. No one doubts her insanity. All but a hookah-smoking professor named Carter Pillar who believes he can prove her sanity by decoding Lewis Carroll’s paintings, photographs, and finding Wonderland’s real whereabouts.

Professor Caterpillar persuades the asylum that Alice can save lives and catch the Wonderland Monsters now reincarnated in modern day criminals. In order to do so, Alice leads a double life: an Oxford university student by day, a mad girl in an asylum by night. The line between sanity and insanity thins when she meets Jack Diamond, an arrogant college student who believes that nonsense is an actual science.

Larger than life characters, intricate mysteries, engrossing fun, and intriguing historical locations. Insanity will thrill you, makes turns pages, and stay with you forever.

Warning: intended for insane audience only.

Goodreads * Amazon

You can also purchase book 5 – Wonder – today!

BOOK EXCERPT FOR

INSANITY SERIES 

WRITTEN BY CAMERON JACE

Underground Ward, the Radcliffe Lunatic Asylum, Oxford

The writing on the wall says it’s January 14. I am not sure what year. I haven’t been sure of many things lately, but I’m wondering if it’s my handwriting I’m looking at.

There is an exquisite-looking key drawn underneath the date. It’s carved with a sharp instrument, probably a broken mirror. I couldn’t have written this. I’m terrified of mirrors. They love to call it Catoptrophobia around here.

Unlike those of the regular patients in the asylum, my room is windowless, stripped down to a single mattress in the middle, a sink, and bucket for peeing—or puking—when necessary. 

The tiles on the floor are black and white squares, like a chessboard. I never step on black. Always white. Again, I’m not sure why.

The walls are smeared with a greasy, pale green everywhere. I wonder if it’s the previous patient’s brains spattered all over from shock therapy.

In the Radcliffe Lunatic Asylum, politely known as the Warneford Hospital, the doctors have a fondness for shock therapy. They love watching patients with bulging eyes and shivering limbs begging for relief from the electricity. It makes me question who is really mad here.

It’s been a while since I was sent to shock therapy myself. Dr. Tom Truckle, my supervising physician, said I don’t need it anymore, particularly after I stopped mentioning Wonderland. 

He told me that I used to talk about it all the time; a dangerous place I claim I had been whisked away to, when my elder sister lost me when I was seven.

Truth is, I don’t remember this Wonderland they are talking about. I don’t even know why I am here. My oldest vivid memory is from a week ago. Before that, it’s all a purple haze.

I have only one friend in this asylum. It’s not a doctor or a nurse. And it’s not a human. It doesn’t hate, envy, or point a finger at you. My friend is an orange flower I keep in a pot—a Tiger Lily I can’t live without. I keep it safe next to a small crack in the wall, where a single ray of sun sneaks through for only ten minutes a day. It might not be enough light to grow a flower, but my Tiger Lily is a tough girl.

Each day I save half of the water they give me for my flower. As for me, better thirsty than mad. My orange flower is also my personal rain check for my sanity. If I talk to her and she doesn’t reply, I know I am not hallucinating. If she talks back to me, all kinds of nonsense starts to happen. Insanity prevails. There must be a reason why I am here. It doesn’t mean I will easily give in to such a fate.

“Alice Pleasance Wonder. Are you ready?” The nurse knocks with her electric prod on my steel door. Her name is Waltraud Wagner. She is German. Everything she says sounds like a threat, and she smells like smoke. My fellow mad people say she is a Nazi—that she used to kill her own patients back in Germany. “Get avay vrom za dor. I’m coming in,” she demands.

As I listen to the rattling of her large keychain, my heart pounds in my chest. The turn of the key makes me want to swallow. When the door opens, all I can think of is choking her before she begins to hurt me. Sadly, her neck is too thick for my nimble hands. I stare at her almost-square figure for a moment. Everything about her is four sizes too big. All except her feet, which are as small as mine. My sympathies, little feet.

“Time for your daily ten-minute break upstairs.” She approaches me with a straitjacket, a devilish grin on her face. I never get out. My ward is underground, and I’m only allowed to take my break in another empty ward upstairs where patients love to play soccer.

A big, muscled warden stands behind Waltraud. Thomas Ogier. He is bald, and has an angry-red face and a silver tooth he likes to flash whenever he sees me. His biceps are the size of my head. I have a hard time believing he was ever a four-pound baby.

“Slide your arms into the jacket,” Waltraud demands in her German accent, a cigarette puckered between her lips. “Slow and easy, Alice.” She nods at Warden Ogier, in case I misbehave.

I comply obediently and stretch out my arms for her to do whatever she wants. Waltraud twists my right arm slightly and checks the tattoo on my arm. It’s the only tattoo I have. It’s a handwritten sentence that looks like a thick armband from afar. Waltraud feels the need to read it aloud: “‘I can’t go back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.'” I was told I had written it while still believing in Wonderland. “That Alice in Wonderland has really messed with your head,” she says as she puffs smoke into my face.

The tattoo and Waltraud’s mocking is the least of my concerns right now. I let her tie me up, and while she does, I close my eyes. I imagine I am a sixteenth-century princess, some kind of lucky Cinderella, being squeezed into a corset by my chain-smoking servant in a fairy tale castle above ground, just about to go meet my prince charming. Such imagery always helps me breathe. I once thought that it was hope that saved the day, not sanity. I need to cool down before I begin my grand escape.

About the Author

Cameron Jace is the bestselling author of the Grimm Diaries and Insanity series. A graduate of the college of Architecture, collector of out-of-print books, he is obsessed with the origins of folk tales and the mysterious storytellers who spread them. Three of his books made Amazon's Top 100 Customer Favorites in Kindle 2013 & Amazon's Top 100 kindle list. Cameron lives in California with his girlfriend. When he isn't writing or collecting books, he is playing music.

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Book Blitz+Giveaway: The Secrets We Keep by Lily Velez

I'm excited to be sharing The Secrets We Kept by the lovely Lily Velez on the blog today. It's an incredibly sweet and endearing Young Adult contemporary romance that will pull at your heartstrings and leave you with ALL THE FEELINGS. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book in the coming year and sink into it. I have a feeling that I'm absolutely going to fall in love with the beautifully broken yet strong Cadence and Sully. I am such a sucker for those childhood sweetheart romance stories and I think this book has ALL OF THAT and SO MUCH MORE!

Just the excerpt alone, has me vying for this book and this couple! Also, don't forget to stick around and enter the giveaway. It's filled with some pretty amazing prizes. 

The Secrets We Kept

Lily Velez

Published: November 8th 2015

Genres: YA Contemporary

One year. That’s how long it’s been since childhood sweethearts Sully Graham and Cadence Gilbertson broke up, since one adoption and one out-of-state move turned their worlds upside down.

Suddenly, Cadence is back in New York City, but something’s different about her. The light in her eyes, the music in her laughter, the warmth in her smile—all of those things have entirely vanished. In their place stand the makings of a girl Sully can’t even begin to recognize, much less understand.

Still, despite the collective history of heartbreak between them, he’s convinced he can win her trust again, and he’s committed to proving the invincibility of their love no matter what it takes.

But Cadence is quietly harboring secrets of her own. Dark secrets. Ugly secrets. Secrets that could break a person. And though broken herself and unbearably lonely, she’s determined to protect Sully from her terrible, biting truths. Even if it means locking him out of her life forever.

The only problem is it seems her heart hasn’t quite received the memo. One glimpse of him is all it takes for her to trip into familiar (and, she’ll admit, addictive) feelings that threaten to all but consume her. Now her biggest fear is that her secrets will begin to slowly unravel one by one…long before Sully’s resolve ever does.

The Secrets We Kept is a moving story about first love, friendship, and forgiveness, and the enduring bonds that forever connect us and give us our strength.

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Excerpt from The Secrets We Keep
by Lily Velez

Sully still remembered the first time that he saw Cadence. It was a sweltering summer that year. Push-cart ice cream vendors roamed the neighborhood blocks like soldiers on patrol, circling playgrounds and community swimming pools. It was common to see people pop open fire hydrants like champagne bottles, children dancing in the shoots of water as miniature rainbows reflected off the asphalt.

Sully and his brother, twelve and ten years old at the time, were living with the Petersons back then along with a tribe of foster siblings. Ol’ Man Peterson was a Vietnam vet with PTSD and a short-fuse temper that exploded so quickly, it was like his personality had a gas leak. Usually, maintaining a thirty-foot distance from the man at all times was insurance against his drunken rampages. His military pedigree had bred in him a no-nonsense adherence to hard work and, where appropriate, hard discipline—both of which were far less easy to escape.

The hard work in particular manifested in the Peterson prison as an endless checklist of chores (otherwise known as “slave labor” in the Spencer Graham lexicon), the completion or lack thereof of which determined whether or not you ate dinner that night. Additionally, each child had to fulfill their assigned task in accordance with certain standards, and as Ol’ Man Peterson was an uncompromising perfectionist, one chore could go through three to five rounds before the man extended a grunt of approval.

The afternoon Cadence arrived, Sully and Spencer were attached to yard work. While the Peterson walk-up sat only a few yards from the curb, which meant there barely existed a lawn between the chain-link fence and the front door, Ol’ Man Peterson preferred his grass cut to an exact height. It was taking painstaking precision to perfect his science.

Spencer lay on his stomach with a see-through ruler to measure the blades of grass. “I think you cut this side of the walkway too short.”

Sully rested a broom atop his shoulders, arms draping over it like a scarecrow. “It’s way too hot to even care, dude.”

“I care because I want to see the new Adam Sandler, movie and I’m not about to get grounded for another weekend.”

“How many times have I been grounded because of you?”

Spencer stood. “Whatever. I’m taking over sweeping duty.” He stretched out a hand to receive the broom, but Sully’s gaze had already shifted to a royal blue SUV parking alongside the curb. A woman emerged from the driver’s side. She came around to open the backseat door closest to the Peterson home. Two ballet flats appeared from under the door, reaching for the street. When the woman closed the door, a girl who looked to be Sully’s age or slightly younger stood with her, hands bracketed to the straps of her backpack and her bottom lip caught softly under her front teeth.

Spencer snapped in Sully’s face. “Hellooo? Earth to Sully.” Sully nodded toward the two, and when Spencer turned and saw them, he said, “Uh oh. Another casualty.”

The woman, clearly the girl’s caseworker, greeted the boys with a cheery “working hard?” before continuing up the walkway with her charge. Sully waited for the girl to look his way, and when she finally did, he offered her a soft, barely-there smile by way of hello. Part greeting, part commiseration. She instantly looked away.

They discovered her name only because she was sharing a bunk-bed with their friend Novah. “Cadence Livingston,” she told them. “She’s been in the system for a few years. She doesn’t talk much. Or at all. Those are the only things I was able to get from her. She’s probably halfway to being a mute.”

“I wish Spencer was a mute,” Sully muttered.

“Ha ha,” Spencer said. “You’re so funny. Absolutely hilarious. How did I get so lucky to have a brother like you?” Then he excused himself to see about fixing the eyesore Sully had made of the front lawn and left Sully fixated on the enigma of the quiet and elusive Cadence Livingston.

About the Author

Lily Velez has been writing stories since she was six years old. Not much has changed since then. She still prefers the written word and her overactive imagination over the ‘real world’ (though to be fair, her stories no longer feature talking dinosaurs). 

A graduate of Rollins College and a Florida native, when she’s not reading or writing, she spends most of her days wrangling up her pit bulls Noah and Luna, planning exciting travel adventures, and nursing her addiction to cheese. All this when she isn’t participating in the extreme sport known as napping. 

You can learn more about Lily and her books at www.lilyvelezbooks.com. Lily’s debut novel, The Secrets We Kept, comes out November 8, 2015.

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