Thursday, March 28, 2013

Special Excerpt from Inhale, Exhale

Okay followers, I have something special for you guys today. My beautiful friend Sarah Ross stopped by the Ramblings HQ and left behind an excerpt from her soon to be released novel Inhale, Exhale

Without further ado...



Inhale, Exhale, a New Adult Contemporary romance from author Sarah M. Ross, releases May 7th.   

Check out the BLURB:
Jillian had a plan: celebrate the end of her first year of college with an amazing summer full of beaches, barbeques, and bonfires. When her mom insists she needs a summer job, and her boyfriend spends more time with his band than with her, Jillian’s plans go down the drain. 

Grant had a plan: finish his Masters, get a great job at Google, and get the hell out of Georgia. He might be giving up some of the fun of his youth, but he knows his all work and no play method would be worth it when his dreams came true.

But things never go according to plan. 

When temptation brings them together and tragedy tears them apart, Jillian and Grant will be forced to choose: fight for their dreams, or fight for each other.


Wanna read more? Here’s an excerpt:
“Are you sure you’re not breaking it just so I can come back out here? Cause if you want to see me, you don’t have to break expensive equipment to get my attention,” Grant asked earlier that day.
It was the third time I’d had to call IT, and the third time I’d gotten to see the mischievous smile on his face as he walked toward me.
“No, I promise you. I really am this dumb.” I winked playfully, allowing myself to flirt for a minute. It was harmless, right? I’d never actually act on it.
“I’m pretty sure the fact you can say that sentence in several other languages suggests otherwise.”
Sono davvero questo stupido,” I repeated in Italian.
Grant ran a knuckle down my arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps along the path. “Beautiful,” he said in a whispered breath. My own breathing hitched at his words. “See? Like I said, not a dumb bone in you.”
The all-too-familiar blush crept back onto my face. “You don’t know me that well.”
“I’d like to change that. What are you doing tonight? A bunch of us from work are going to this beach party. I’d love it if you could come.”
For a moment, I pictured myself there. Laughing and having fun around a bonfire and splashing in the ocean. Grant in his board shorts that would hang low, revealing that deep V I was sure was there. But then I snapped out of it, remembering how inappropriate my thoughts were. “I have a boyfriend. I can’t.”
“It’s not a date, Jillian. Just a group of friends hanging out.” He packed up his supplies, but paused before leaving. He stared deeply into my eyes, making my palms sweat. Leaning in close, he whispered in my ear. “If I were asking you out, it wouldn’t be with a group of people. It would be only us—alone—so I wouldn’t have anything from distracting me from admiring every nook and cranny on your beautiful face, Cupcake.”
I swallowed down the lump that formed in my throat. My mouth had gone dry; I was unable to form a thought, let alone words.
“Here.” He reached out and gently took my hand. “I’ll do this old school since you don’t like technology.”
My mouth opened, but I couldn’t respond. I stared at him as he took out a pen. He picked up my tiny hand, which shook slightly, and held it in his own. The contact was slight, but powerful. I was frozen in place as he wrote on my palm. The only movement came from my heart that pounded in my chest. Before he let go, he gently blew on the ink to help it dry, causing me to emit the faintest of moans.
“In case you change your mind,” he whispered, then winked and walked away.


Be sure to add this to your Goodreads page:
To find out more about Sarah and her books, stalk her here:
Website: www.sarahmross.com
Email- sarah@sarahmross.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/SarahtheAuthor






Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Wide Awake by Shelly Crane

Wide Awake
by
Shelly Crane

A girl.
A coma.
A life she can't remember.

When Emma Walker wakes up in the hospital with no knowledge of how she got there, she learns that she's been in a coma for six months. Strangers show up and claim to be her parents, but she can't remember them. She can't remember anyone. Not her friends, not even her boyfriend. Even though she can't remember, everyone wants her to just pick up where she left off, but what she learns about the 'old her' makes her start to wish she'd never woken up. Her boyfriend breaks up with the new girl he's dating to be with her, her parents want her to start planning for college, her friends want their leader back, and her physical therapist with the hazel eyes keeps his distance to save his position at the hospital.

Will she ever feel like she recognizes the girl in the mirror?

Okay, so this is how this review is going to happen... I'm going to tell you how amazing this book was, and then you who are reading this post are going to click on this link and purchase it. Get it?

Got it?

Good. Let's begin.

So picture this... You're sitting around on your couch, surfing around on your favorite social media site   mine happens to be Facebook, go figure   and suddenly this post pops up telling you that one of the books you've most anticipated for months is finally available for purchase, but you can't get it because you maxed out your book buying funds for the rest of the month. Dejection sets in and you find yourself pinning Voodoo dolls made to resemble the profile pics of all of those people in your news feed who aren't feeling the same level of pain as you are and are just gushing about how great the book is... Yeah, don't pretend you've never wanted to do it.  I see you. I know who you are. *giggles maniacally* 

So anyway, that was me, minus the Voodoo dolls, when Wide Awake released. Then, miracle of all freaking miracles, Shelly decided to host a giveaway in a group we're in together, and Fate shined her ever loving light on me and I was one of three winners to receive a copy of this book that I had been waiting on for half of my life. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I'll never tell you the truth. So, wham, bam, long story short and thank you ma'am, I'm in possession of Wide Awake, however, I'm in the middle of the final book in a trilogy that I'd been putting off reading for ages, so... I can't get to it yet. Well, a few short hours, and some ugly tears later, I'm finished and diving head first into Wide Awake. And let me explain something to you right.now.

It. Was. SO. Worth. The. Wait!!!

Holy bat shit!!! This. Book. Is. GOOD!!!

Shelly took my already screwed up emotions, and metaphorically said, "Stop sniveling, little girl, I'm going to wreck you. But in a good way." *insert evil plotting smile on Shelly's face*

So yeah, I was wrecked and it was more than I could ever thank her for. I can only dream of writing a story like that! Trust me, I've tried. It wasn't pretty, and that is why you will never read it. But you HAVE GOT TO READ THIS!!!!

Now for the hard stuff. 

Emma Walker is damaged, literally. This poor girl doesn't know who she is, who her parents are, or where the hell she even is. It's tragic, and confusing, and through the beginning stages of this story, the reader can't help but to be confused with her. The one thing she does know is the man standing over her when she first opened her eyes is the one person who is going to help her to function and to become the girl she's supposed to be. And Mason does exactly that. 

He never treats her like she can't do it, and he lets her fall apart when she needs it. He's patient and he's kind, and he doesn't push her to be someone she isn't, someone that she doesn't remember. For that, Emma is grateful.

Enter Emma's parents... Now look, I know that they mean well, and God knows that all they want is the daughter they lost back, but I really just wanted to knock the ever loving snot out of Isabella, Emma's mother. Rhett, Emma's father, well I cried for that man and though there was a point in the book when I wanted to hate him, I couldn't because he was just as lost as anyone. My heart broke more for Rhett than anyone else, though by the end of the book, I adored Isabella. See, even moms have redeeming qualities. Well, in Shelly Crane's books they do. 

Andy, he just gave me the creeps. Like literally, my skin crawled whenever he showed up. Ick.

But back to Mason... Mason was just perfection. Hot, hazel eyes, dark hair, tattoos... Mmm... Delicious. And he got it. He understood. He understood what Emma was going through, he understood that what she needed was to find herself, he understood her. And why did he understand, you ask? Well, read the book, you'll find out. I can't tell you everything. But he says things to Emma like, "It doesn't matter who you were or what you've done in the past. The only thing that matters is who you are right now," and you just know that he gets what she's going through, but then he says things like, "I want to kiss you when, if we go another second without it, one of us will combust," and you just have to hold on, because you know you're going to fall just as much in love with this guy as Emma is and trust me when I tell you that it is SO worth the fall. Whole E. Shit! God, it is good!

In all seriousness though, you really should not miss this book. It's absolutely incredible, and it is definitely one of those books that I wish I could go back and read again for the first time. The pace is perfect, the plot is heavy without being too dense, and the characters are flawless. The editing could use a small tweak here and there, but I think that some of that could have been formatting too, so we can let it slide. All in all, this book is high up there on my list of 2013 Must Reads, so you know, read it! However, if you hate it, then you're not my friend and I will disown you if you follow me on any social media sites. *wink*

Wide Awake gets my seal of approval, and FIVE BLUE BUTTERFLIES!!!!

Best wishes, and happy reading y'all!


Friday, March 22, 2013

Amity Hope's Twisted Blog Tour & Giveaway

Wow!! So I hadn't realized that it's been as long as it has since I last posted something on the blog! Craziness has ensued around here since my last post, and I've neglected SO MUCH! For this I apologize. I hope that it won't happen again!










Now, what do you say we work past our differences, and my neglect, with a tour stop and giveaway, huh? I was asked a bit ago by Book Nerds Across America if I would like to participate in Amity Hope's blog tour for her recent release Twisted. I said yes, and committed to writing a review for the book. Might I say, this is a good one!

Allow me to introduce you to Amity Hope by sharing a little bit about her, and then we'll jump directly into my review...


I live in Minnesota with my two sons, two cats and our Rottweiler named Daisy.

I have been a book-addict my entire life. I have always enjoyed reading and writing stories just for fun. In 2012 I decided to try self-publishing. To my delight and dismay, my debut novel took off. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to write full-time.

If I'm not writing or spending time with my kids, I'm most likely reading.


You can find Amity by clicking on any of the following links.

Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon



Maya Anderson has faced more than her share of tragedy and heartbreak. For the past six years she’s constantly been on the move with her mom. When another disaster strikes, she finds herself back in her childhood hometown of Beaumont, living with her older sister for her senior year.

A chance meeting reacquaints her with Ben McCaffey, a long-forgotten classmate from her past. After the death of his girlfriend, Ben has become a social outcast. He’s despised by some and feared by most.

Determined to become Ben’s friend, Maya begins to break through his layers of emotional protection. It isn’t long before they realize that they both have secrets in their pasts. As the line between dealing with grief and struggling with a desire for revenge begins to fade, the secrets that draw them together may be what will ultimately tear them apart. Because the closer Maya gets to Ben, the more dangerous her situation becomes.


I have to tell y'all that I absolutely enjoyed this book. It was deep, but not dark. It was fluid, while at the same time keeping you on the edge of your seat. The touches of suspense were just enough and very tasteful. There isn't really much I can complain about when it comes to this book, however, by the time I was finished, I was looking for more. I couldn't believe it was over so quickly. I felt like there was so much more to tell, so you can imagine how elated I was to read that there IS a follow up companion. That small bit of news tucked into the back of the book made my heart sing. 

I have to admit that there were some editorial flaws within the text, but it wasn't so bad that it completely threw me off the story. I was able to read through them as though they were barely there. Now, having said that, I have to tell you this... 

I adored Maya, and I loved Ben. I felt awful for the both of them, and I think it's okay for me to say that I was just as frustrated with the entire situation as Maya was. I literally found myself wanting to toss my Kindle across the room a time or two, because I was so fed up with certain characters and a few aspects. There were some portions in which I caught myself tearing up and then others I could almost feel the strain coming through the pages when Maya couldn't break through. It was enough to make me want to crawl into the book and squeeze her and thank her so much for trying. 

All in all, this book captivated me from the opening scene and held on to me until the closing sentence. It's a great read, with strong characters and a beautiful, touching premise. I'm giving it FOUR Blue Butterflies (because that's how I roll over here at Ramblings of a Writer.). Do yourself a favor and check out the buy links below. Don't forget to enter in the giveaway for your chance to win a signed copy and/or one of 3 e-books. Also, check out the book trailer, it is awesome! 

Best wishes and happy reading!!!




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