*COUNT THE CAST* Megan Erickson's Make It Count

Woohoo! It's Count the Cast time! I'm so so very excited to share with you the dream casting for Megan Erickson's upcoming debut new adult novel, MAKE IT COUNT!

But first, let me share a little bit about the book itself:

Make It Count by Megan Erickson
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Publisher: William Morrow Impulse/HarperCollins
Publication Date: June 3rd, 2014

Kat Caruso wishes her brain had a return policy, or at least a complaint hot-line. The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend's gorgeous best friend, Alec...who just so happens to be her brand new college math tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?

Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends--both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It's safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm's reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.

Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She's adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He'd never stab his best friend in the back...

But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can't be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.

Kat Caruso
The Student

“No rush. But by the time I leave tonight, you will give me a kiss, Alec Stone.”
























Alec Stone
The Tutor

“Don’t you feel it? All that negative crap I’d been holding inside is gone because of you. And the good I’m filling it with? That’s you.”

About the Author: 

Megan Erickson grew up in a family that averages 5’3” on a good day and started writing to create characters who could reach the top kitchen shelf.

She’s got a couple of tattoos, has a thing for gladiators, and has been called a crazy cat lady. After working as a journalist for years, she decided she liked creating her own endings better and switched back to fiction.

She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids and two cats. And no, she still can’t reach the stupid top shelf.

Where to purchase & learn more:

Available for PRE-ORDER NOW!!

all the best, dear readers!

 

*BLOG TOUR* WHISPER TO ME by Christina Lee: Review + Giveaway!

Welcome to my blog tour stop for Christina Lee's latest novel, Whisper to Me! This is the highly anticipated third novel in The Between Breaths Series, however, while there are connected characters, each novel can be read as a stand alone!

Check out an teaser, my review, and then enter the giveaway!!

Whisper to Me by Christina Lee
Publication Date: May 20th, 2014
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:
A hot and consuming New Adult romance about a wayward musician and the one girl who keeps him grounded…

At college, Rachel has a reputation for being a sarcastic flirt with a thing for star athletes. No one at school knows that she’d had her heart ripped to shreds by her high school sweetheart, who’d driven them both off the side of the road on a borrowed motorcycle, and then abandoned her. No one knows the real Rachel Mattson—except one person…

Ever since he helped nurse his sister’s feisty best friend back to health, pierced bass player Kai Nakos has been head over heels in love. But the supposed bad boy can’t risk letting Rachel know the truth—especially now that the two of them are back in their hometown for the summer, together for the first time since the months following that fateful night. Never mind that Rachel’s ex is back, groveling for her forgiveness.

Shaken by her ex’s return, Rachel finds herself turning to the one guy she knows she can trust. Kai is willing to hide his feelings for her, just to have Rachel touch him again. After all, this is only a temporary fling. Until it becomes something more. But maybe it had been more all along.

And now for my review:
*Spoiler-Free* REVIEW: Whisper to Me by Christina Lee
Publication Date: May 20th, 2014

*DISCLOSURE: ARC was provided in exchange for a fair and honest review

Review:
WOW.

Ever since she entered the New Adult Romance arena at the end of 2013, Christina Lee has delivered solidly unique and well written novels full of heart-wrenching emotion and steamy, chemistry laden pages. But Whisper to Me is truly her knock out punch.

I am an absolute sucker for the guy best friend/best friend's brother, reunion to discover there's something more storyline....and this book has facets of all of the above! Better yet, they are all done to perfection.

Told in dual POV, we get to experience the tumultuous emotions of both Rachel and Kai as they drift together and apart. Rachel and Kai have a history together and the juxtaposition and the blending of their stories, the absolute sexiness of their present and the sweetness and caring of their past creates a relationship that you can't resist rooting for. The story unfolds, allowing us to learn about and love the two as individuals, and also allowing us to see how much better they are together.

It is no surprise to me that Christina Lee has been picked up to continue this phenomenal series with another three novels. I can't wait to be blown away again and again.

Rating:

About the Author: 
Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives near Cleveland with her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything.

New Adult/Young Adult author.  Repped by Sara Megibow. 

Also the creator of Tags-n-Stones (dot com) jewelry.

Where to purchase & learn more:


       

FINALLY it's GIVEAWAY TIME!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

all the best, dear readers!

*BLOG TOUR* ALL LINED UP by Cora Carmack: Review + Character Interview + Giveaway!

All Lined Up by Cora Carmack
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Publication Date: May 13th, 2014

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack follows up her trio of hits—Losing It, Faking It, and Finding It—with this thrilling first novel in an explosive series bursting with the Texas flavor, edge, and steamy romance of Friday Night Lights.

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

*** A Character Interview with Dallas Cole ***

Hi Dallas! Welcome to the blog, and thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today! I have to tell you, I really connected with you throughout this book...I even took the quiz (HERE!). I’m definitely a Dallas. haha.

You literally fell upon Carson McClain at one of your first college parties….what were your first thoughts or impressions of him?

It was something along the lines of, "Oh God, here we go again." Followed by, "Oh God, he's gorgeous." Followed by "Oh God, he's going to try to catch me." Followed by, "Oh God, he's an idiot." Followed by, "Oh God, he's REALLY gorgeous."

What I love about your story is that it really is more than a love story of boy meets girl. It’s also a story about the love between a father and daughter. Can you tell the readers a little about your relationship with your dad? OR Can you share one of your favorite memories with your dad?

Oh gosh. My Dad and I are very alike. We're both stubborn and competitive and we worry a lot. It is that worry that is always at the center of our issues. He worries about me being able to support myself... about my uncertain artistic future. I worry about failure, about settling for the safe things instead of chasing my dreams. I worry about how settling would affect me, whether it would break me. We just have different ideas about what is best for me. Neither of us is particularly good at being affectionate either. We're super awkward in any situation concerning emotions. I remember one time he hugged me in front of tons of people when I won an award in Middle School, and it was probably the single most awkward moment of my tween years (and that's saying something).

I’ve heard all about what an amazing dancer you are….If you had to chose just one song to perform to, what would it be?

Oh man, you can't ask me that! I always have no fewer than four songs running through my mind at any given time. Lately I've been loving "Falling or Flying" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - I've been playing a lot with the juxtaposition of "falling" and "flying" in my dance, and this song is kind of perfect for that.


What was one of the wildest “Stella’s (Suck-it-up-you-prude) Stamp of Approvals” that you were compelled to follow through on?

So, there's this religious group (some people would say it's a cult...and by "some people" I mean "everyone") that has this big compound about twenty miles outside of our town, and it's sort of a rite of passage at our high school for graduating seniors to visit the compound in the middle of the night and steal an informational pamphlet about the cult. As you can imagine, Stella was ALL about this, and wanted to take it a step further by getting a selfie on the front porch of the cult leader's house. I didn't want to go but she used the stamp, so I got stuck driving the getaway car. Let's just say, the cult leader didn't take kindly to being woken up by camera flashes in front of his house at 3 AM. I've never run so fast in my entire life.

If you were to get a tattoo, what would you get and why?

Well, this is a huge IF, because I am 99.9% sure I will NEVER get a tattoo....I don't do well with needles. But if there were some magical way to get a tattoo that didn't involve needles or pain, I would get something to do with dance. I met a dancer once who had the phrase "I walk forward in the certainty that my dance is secure" tattooed on the arches of her feet, so that when she stood in first position you could read it. I thought that was really neat.

What is your most prized or treasured possession and why?

My first pair of pointe shoes. I got them when I was eleven. I only danced en pointe for a few months before Dad moved us, and my new studio didn't offer that level of ballet, but those were some of the best few months of my life.

Ok, time for a little quickfire round….

Sweet or spicy? spicy

Celebrity crush? Liam Hemsworth (swoon)

Your pet peeve? When people are terrible drivers and don't do the thank you wave! Is that just a Texas thing? If I'm gonna let you merge in front of me, you BETTER wave at me in your rearview mirror to say thank you, or you are dead to me.

Your go to comfort food? Anything chicken. Preferably fried.

The best sound in the world? there's this sound that Carson makes when we OH MY GOD I CAN'T SAY THAT.

Football fan? Yes or No? *sigh* Kind of? Depends on the day.

Thanks again Dallas! It was so wonderful having you here! I can’t wait for everyone to experience your story. I really truly hope that we’ll be seeing a lot more of you!

And now for my review:
*Spoiler-Free* REVIEW: All Lined Up by Cora Carmack
Publication Date: May 13th, 2014

*DISCLOSURE: ARC was provided in exchange for a fair and honest review

Review:

With each new novel, Cora Carmack has never ceased to amaze and surprise me, not only with her immense ability to weave words into tales full of humor and heart, but with her talent for creating memorable and lovable stories and characters. Her latest novel, All Lined Up, bears no exception. In fact, Cora and her novel have both gone above and beyond my high expectations of them.

All Lined Up is the first novel of her sophomore series. The Rusk University series is being touted as New Adult meets Friday Night Lights, however don’t be fooled into thinking that it is just about football. What Cora has written is an intensely truthful novel not only about the love between the boy who meets girl, but the love and meaning of family and friendship.

Each character within the novel, from the highly relatable Dallas, our heroine, to the hardworking, swoonworthy Carson, the hilarious spitfire best friend Stella, to the gruffly demanding father/coach, brings something very important to the novel creating a truly phenomenal ensemble cast of characters. This is just another facet of why this novel works so well.

This book allows you to really explore, not only the emerging relationship between Dallas and Carson, but who they were as individuals as well. Their romance is definitely a steamy one, but what I loved about it, was the friendship that develops on the way from A to B. It’s a very real and honest relationship that could jump right off the page and into real life.

The same could be said for Dallas’s relationship with her father (and Carson’s coach). The struggles between the dad who doesn’t quite know how to raise the daughter who doesn’t fit into his area of expertise, and the daughter who wants to pursue her dreams but doesn’t know how to separate herself from her dad’s expectations of her. I felt this relationship to my core and despite all the trials and missteps, you still feel the love hidden in every word between them.

I have been a huge fan of Cora’s Losing It series, and All Lined Up has shown that she’s not a one trick pony. This was a unique and engaging novel that sucked me in, left me begging for more, and fully invested in this series. Whoever took the chance to publish Cora Carmack for the first time, I owe you my heartfelt thanks! But really, this was probably the smartest and best decision you’ve ever made.

A beautiful novel, one of her best yet. Go get it now.

Rating:

About the Author: 

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Where to purchase & learn more:

Available for ORDER NOW!!


AND NOW THE GIVEAWAY!! 
Win one of 5 signed copies of ALL LINED UP for 5 winners (US Only).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

or the via link.... 

all the best, dear readers!

 

Cora Carmack's ALL LINED UP *FACEBOOK PARTY* - Guest Authors, Massive Giveaways, Tons of fun!

GUESS WHAT?? I'm Co-Hosting a VERY exciting event today! We've been celebrating Cora Carmack's new release, ALL LINED UP, all week over on Facebook with a Spirit Week!

Today is Throwback Thursday, and I have to tell you, my co-hosts and I came up with some pretty fun and exciting events and massive giveaways! PLUS, Cora has lined up a spectacular group of authors that will be joining us throughout the day!

We'll have SIGNED books, e-books, swag giveaways galore (some signed!) plus special items from all of our visiting authors! Well, don't just sit there, head on over and participate now! If you don't feel like joining all day, don't worry, stop by, say hello, enter a giveaway! :)

** CLICK TO JOIN THE ALL LINED UP: RUSK UNIVERSITY SPIRIT WEEK PARTY! (on Facebook) **

ALSO, If you've been following along, we have a DAILY SCAVENGER HUNT in order to win an awesome Rusk University tote bag filled with goodies from Cora!

Here is clue #2 for the day (sounds kinda risqué all by itself...wonder what the rest says *wink*):

Collect clues #1, #3, and #4 from the following two sites and enter the full phrase in the rafflecopter!
Clue #1 - http://www.kimberlyfayereads.com
Clue #3 - http://fictitious-delicious.blogspot.com

Clue #4 - http://www.bookdrunkblog.com/ It's super easy and fun!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


If you're not sold just yet, let me share a teaser graphic with you and some more details on the book itself:

All Lined Up by Cora Carmack
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Publication Date: May 13th, 2014

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack follows up her trio of hits—Losing It, Faking It, and Finding It—with this thrilling first novel in an explosive series bursting with the Texas flavor, edge, and steamy romance of Friday Night Lights.

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

NOW WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? JOIN THE PARTY NOW!

** CLICK TO JOIN THE ALL LINED UP: RUSK UNIVERSITY SPIRIT WEEK PARTY! (on Facebook) **

About the Author: 

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Where to purchase & learn more:

Available for PURCHASE NOW!!

all the best, dear readers!