Breathe

Title: Breathe   

Author: Abbi Glines

Publisher: Wild Child Publishing, Simon Pulse

Publish Date:  16 May 2011 (Wild Child); 04 June 2013 (Simon Pulse)

Pages: 333

ISBN: 9781442488694

Source:  bought; received at BEA

Genre:  YA, romance, contemporary

Series:  Sea Breeze

Other books in series:  Because of Low, While it Lasts, Just for Now, Sometimes It Lasts, A Little Misbehavin'

Other books by author:  The Vincent Boys series, Existence Trilogy, Too Far series

Rating: really liked

In the shore town of Sea Breeze, Sadie discovers that fame is nothing in the face of passion. A steamy read from bestselling author Abbi Glines.

Sadie White’s summer job is at the beach, but she won’t be working as a lifeguard. Since her mom is pregnant and refuses to work, Sadie will be taking over as a domestic servant for a wealthy family on a nearby island.

When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie were normal—if she hadn’t spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house—maybe she’d be excited about working for a rock star. But she’s not.

Even though Sadie isn’t impressed by Jax’s fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax, but he fights his attraction: Relationships never work in his world, and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. Yet as the summer stretches on, Jax’s passion leaves him breathless—and Sadie feels like the only source of oxygen.

Can their love overcome the disparity in their lifestyles? One breath at a time, they’re going to find out…

Even though Sadie is supposed to be the child in the relationship with Jessica, she found herself acting like the parent more often than not.  That is what got her into the predicament at the Stone resident.  Jessica, her mother, is pregnant and couldn’t go to work, so she puts it on Sadie to go for her.  Sadie isn’t sure that they are going to let her work in her mother’s place.  When she arrives at the Stone residence, she has to prove to Ms. Mary that she is not going to be some crazy teenager when the owner and rock star heartthrob, Jax Stone, show up. 

While working at the Stone mansion, Sadie makes friends and catches the eye of Jax.  She and Jax start spending as much time together as they can given their schedules.  She knows as soon as she starts things with Jax that it is not going to have a happy ending.  He will go back to his world and she will only have memories of the time she spent with him.  What will happen between Sadie and Jax?  How will Jessica deal with their relationship? 

I have read a lot of books by Glines recently and really like her writing style.  Even though Sadie is “beautiful” and is told that multiple times throughout the book, she still doesn’t believe it.  Not that she necessarily has self-esteem issues, but I don’t think she has had a lot of time to think about it.  She just thinks that she is not as pretty as her mother and that is the ending of her thinking on the matter.  I liked that she is not stuck on her beauty like some of the girls her age that you read about. 

Sadie has some other qualities that are admirable.  She takes care of her pregnant mother.  This doesn’t end after her mom gives birth.  Why should it?  Sadie has been doing it for a long time.  She is a hard worker and doesn’t let her teenage curiosities get the better of her.  She needs this job to support her family – a thing she shouldn’t have to think about at her age.  I don’t need to reiterate that Sadie is responsible.

Jax is a rock star; a teenage rock star that has oodles of girls fawning over him.  That is the reason that he doesn’t want any teenage girls to work at his summer home, his one place where he can go and be “normal” for a while.  When he first sees Sadie, he thinks that she snuck into his house to get his autograph or just get close to him.  It baffles him that she doesn’t act all fangirl on him and actually is concerned about her job.  I like Jax in this story.  Even though he is this big star, you learn how grounded he is.  He doesn’t think that he is on a level up in the stratosphere while Sadie belongs in the dirt.

This book was a fun read.  Who doesn’t want the rock star to fall in love with you?  It seems like a fairy tale, like a modern-day The Prince and the Pauper.  I like the way Sadie learns to rely on other people.  If Jax had been in a “boy band,” I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the story as much.  Just saying… 

Since this is a re-release of the book, there is a new cover.  There have been two other covers that I found.  The next cover (#2) is the one that I got when I bought the book.  After reading, I found out that this is the e-book cover.

This next cover (#3) was on the paperbacks.  I admit that I liked that better than the e-book covers.

Cover #1 is the one used at the top of this post.  This is the most recent one that was used when Simon Pulse re-released the book.  This is also the one that I got when I received the hard copy at BEA.  I read somewhere that for the re-release, Glines had put some of Jax's POV, so that would make it better.  I know that would make me want to re-read the story.

As far as which cover I liked the best, I would have to say #3.  In #1, it's nice because it has a nice looking girl, guy and a guitar.  But these are supposed to be teenagers.  Granted, I guess teenagers COULD look like the cover, but I would say that they are a little older. The other thing is that Sadie is supposed to different than the millions of fangirls, which means she likes him for him and not just what he represents.  This cover just doesn't show that.

 #2 is just generic in my opinion.  It has a person playing the guitar.  You don't even know if it is a male or female.  You could PRESUME that it is a guy, but it doesn't have to be.  I don't really get a sense of the story from that cover.  I like covers that represent the story.  I chose #3 because I like the softness of it.  The models might very well be the same ones from cover #1, but you really cannot tell.  This cover, to me, represents that Sadie just likes being with Jax.  No pretense or special things needed.

Blog Tour: An Endless Summer

Title: An Endless Summer

Author: C. J. Duggan

Publisher: C.J. Duggan

Publish Date:  11 July 2013

Pages: 311

ASIN: B00DW5S0A2

Source:  review tour

Genre:  new adult, romance

Series:  Summer

Other books in series:  The Boys of Summer

Rating: really liked

Sean looked out over the lake, squinting against the sunlight. He turned to me, his expression sobering as his eyes flicked over my face in a silent study.

“Come on Amy, I saved you once, I’ll save you again.”

I met his stare unflinchingly. “I don’t need saving.”

A wicked grin formed slowly. “Don’t you?”

After a rebellious summer night that almost claimed her life, Amy Henderson – the Onslow publican’s only daughter – is sent away to suffer a fate far worse than any other punishment:

Boarding School.

Three years on, a now nineteen-year-old Amy returns to Onslow for the summer. What once was a cauldron of activity with live bands, hot meals and cold beers, the Onslow Hotel now lies dark, deserted and depressing. All fond childhood memories of loitering on the hotel stairs and eavesdropping on customers’ colourful conversations are in the distant past.

How had her dad let it come to this?

With the new threat of putting the Onslow up for sale, Amy reluctantly turns to a local tradesman for help: Sean Murphy, the very same Onslow boy who saved her life all those years ago. With his help and that of some old friends, the task is clear: spend the summer building the hotel back up to its former glory or lose it for good.

In an endless summer, Amy soon realizes that sometimes in order to save your future, you have to face your past, even if it’s in the form of a smug, gorgeous Onslow boy.

What do you do when you realize that the place you love and where you spent your summers has been let go?  That is what happens to Amy.  She returns from boarding school and decides that she wants to return to Onslow.  Her father used to take care of it and stay there, but her mom demanded more of him and he left the Onslow to work on his marriage.  After Amy returns, she gets sick of being around her lovey–dovey parents and decides to head to the old hotel for a “vacation.”

She does not know what she is returning to.  The place is falling apart and has only one staff member, Matt, whom she is not entirely sure about.  It is there she meets Sean Murphy again.  He was the boy who saved her life after her near-drowning incident three years prior, which got her banished to boarding school.  He is the last person she wants to see and she certainly doesn't want his help to restore the Onslow to its former beauty.  Will Amy be able to restore the Onslow?  What will happen between Sean and Amy?

I really liked this book even though there are some parts which would have made me not want to buy this book if I had not liked The Boys of Summer as much as I did.  (When I say that I’m talking about language and sex.  I understand that this is a new adult book and those are implied with that genre, but that is the reason I don’t read a lot of New Adult.)  Even with my biases about the genre, I really enjoyed this book.  

I wasn't sure how An Endless Summer would hold up without the same Onslow characters, but they delivered the same feelings as the first book.  I really like Duggan’s writing style.  I like that her main characters have flaws that you actually see and not just hear about.  They are not perfect.

I like Sean and his humor.  He is unwavering in his pursuits.  When he wants something, he goes after it and that is admirable.  The Summer series is one that I will be following.

Click the banner for more stops on the tour

There is an element of cringe-worthiness when I say writing to me is an extension of who I am. I know it’s rather cliché, but it is so deeply ingrained in me, and has been for so many years, it’s impossible to contemplate not doing it. In all my creative, secluded wisdom, I must say I had never thought of it as something to share with others, never thought of it as a career, it’s not about sitting down at the desk to churn out a best-seller and retire from that check in the mail. For me, it’s not a job it’s just what I do; to be honest, I had never given it too much thought.

So why now?

Because there is this immense satisfaction of being able to channel that creativity with others in the writing/reading community, being able to share and discover new talent and realize I am not alone! Cue the dreamy music and let me tell you about a little ditty called “Blog” a word my husband still can’t get his head around, but I assure him it’s a great thing. And it has been for me! A platform to vent and share my work to a group of like minded people who also help inspire you to believe in what you are doing. It has challenged me and made me take responsibility of my work, it’s all very new, exciting and oh yes overwhelming.

As I enter this new phase of embracing my inner writer, I have been able to network my writing through the wonderful world of blogging, where I discuss the trials and tribulations of independently writing my first book: 'The Boys of Summer'. By offering an insiders look at the struggles a writer goes through in order to put those words on paper. Being independent I write from the heart, no deadlines, no big bucks rolling, no movie deals, but that’s o.k., like I said it’s not what it’s about!The response has been over whelming and having been able to link into the Indie community has been truly inspiring. I look forward to giving you an insight to the wonderful world of Independent writing, the good the bad and the ugly. (hopefully not too much of the latter)

(This was taken from Duggan's website.)

YA Bound has teamed up with C.J. Duggan to host this tour giveaway

a YA Bound tour giveaway

The Boys of Summer is on sale this week only for $0.99!  Get your copy now!

Promotional Post: Killing Sarai

Title: KILLING SARAI

Author: J.A. Redmerski

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Publish date: June 20, 2013

Pages: 396

ISBN: 978-1490436524

Age Group : General adult 17 +

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Series: Killing Sarai

Other Books in Series: Reviving Izabel

Other Books by Author: The Darkwoods Trilogy, The Edge of Never series

Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.

Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.

While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.

As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.

This is their story…

•  Victor Faust speaks seven languages fluently: German, French, Spanish, Swedish, Hungarian, Arabic and English
• The book was partially inspired by my anger towards the movie Hitman when Agent 47 and Nika didn’t have a romantic relationship. I was so distraught over that! The woman and romance lover in me decided to take that secret love affair some of us have with deadly men and make it romantic.
• The other part of my inspiration for writing KILLING SARAI came from the song Father Figure by George Michael.
• While although Sarai didn’t get to finish school and had limited means of education while at the compound, she is very intelligent both book-wise and street-wise. And she is a fast learner.
• Sarai has spit in Izel’s food so many times she lost count.
• Victor and his younger brother, Niklas, are one in the same but entirely different. They are both fiercely loyal to each other and those they love and are both skilled killers, but Niklas is untamed and undisciplined, which creates a constant wedge between the two.
• Victor has never been in love. Ever. Niklas, on the other hand, although he preaches to Victor about avoiding relationships and how falling in love will only get him killed, secretly loved a woman once.
• The woman that Niklas once loved was secretly killed by none other than Victor.
• Sarai pulled one of her own wisdom teeth out with a pair of pliers because she had no way of getting dental care while in Mexico. And even though Javier would’ve made sure she got the care, Sarai refused to tell him for fear of Izel finding out and trying to remove the tooth for her.
• I molded Victor Faust’s character almost entirely from actor Michael Fassbender! 

Author of THE DARKWOODS TRILOGY, THE EDGE OF NEVER series and DIRTY EDEN, mother, werewolf & zombie fanatic, book addict and a happy hermit obsessed with the Universe. Oh,and AMC’s “The Walking Dead”.

Addictions: Starbucks every morning, trolling Barnes & Noble’s shelvesonce a week, detesting winter, shopping flea markets and preparing for thecollapse of society as we know it. Do I own a tin foil hat? Maybe. :-)

I was born in Arkansas and have lived here most of my life, except thecouple of times when I lived in Pennsylvania. I started my first novel at theage of thirteen and have been writing something ever since. Generally, Ilove characters in life and on paper. I pay attention to people, especially thosewhose personalities make them different from the rest of us: the drug addictroaming the Laundromat that talks to himself, the young, inattentive mother inthe park with the meanest kid on the playground – (the entire cast of ‘SwampPeople’) – characters fascinate me and I hope that it shows in my literarywork.

Guest Post: Meredith Towbin

Meredith Towbin is the author of Straightjacket.  Here is the synopsis of her book:

Eighteen-year-old Anna has lived her whole life in shame, losing herself in books to cope with crippling panic attacks triggered by her abusive parents. Forced into a psychiatric hospital, she can’t imagine a future that’s anything but bleak—until she meets Caleb, a gifted, 19-year-old artist who insists he’s an angel.

He swears his mission is to help Anna break free from her parents’ control and fulfill a destiny that she can only dream of. The doctors, however, are convinced that Caleb is delusional.

Anna doesn’t want to be that girl who’s in love with the crazy guy, but when she sees his stunning portraits of her and the way he risks everything to keep her safe, she can’t help but imagine a new future for both of them, filled with hope. But just when it seems they’ve created heaven on earth, Caleb’s past emerges full force, threatening to destroy their tiny, blissful world. And Anna has to decide if she should follow her heart, or if Caleb’s really as troubled as his doctors say…

I used to think that all writers were something like Henry David Thoreau. More specifically, I imagined that one day they would wake up and announce, “I’m going to write a really good book now,” and find themselves some nice little cabin by a beautiful lake. They would hole themselves up in there for a month or two, let the creative juices flow, and when they finally emerged, they’d be gripping the next Great American Novel in one hand and a nice cuppa joe in the other, pleased as punch with themselves.

Then I wrote a book. And it was so not like that.

This is what it’s really like to write a book:

1. You’re supposed to write about what you know, or at least that’s what I’ve been told, but what I know is boring and I want to know about other things. That’s where Google comes in. You find yourself searching things like, “What does it feel like to drown?” and “What’s the most humane way to kill a fish?” Unfortunately they’re kind of weird, crazy things. You hope that the police never have just cause to seize your computer and access your search history because then your biggest problem is no longer that you can’t find a in-depth-enough description of what bodies smell like when they’re burning.

2. I don’t have a cabin to write in. Heck, I don’t even have an office. I have a chair in my house. But I do a lot of my writing in random places. If I’m lucky, I can get myself to a bookstore café. A lot of the time I’m writing in a waiting room or sitting on bleachers during my kid’s soccer practice. As far as that last one goes, it’s super uncomfortable and super annoying because all these kids are screaming. But I power through nonetheless. Because I can’t drop everything and go to some random cabin. I kind of have responsibilities. Like keeping my kids alive.

3. Ah, writer’s block. It’s the worst. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. The absolute worst is the rare occasion when I have an entire day to devote to my writing, but I literally can’t think of anything to write. Well, that’s not exactly true. I can’t think of anything good to write. Sometimes the block just lasts a weekend. Sometimes a week or more. I try to keep my spirits up by being productive in other ways, which usually involves spending money at Costco or spending money at Target or spending money in any number of ways. Ugh. The. Worst.

So there you have it. Sorry to burst your bubble, but writing is very unglamorous. Unless you’re Jackie Collins. She seems like she has it going on.