EXCERPT AND GIVEAWAY: MATCHPLAY by DAKOTA MADISON

I'm happy to be able to share an excerpt and giveaway of Matchplay, by Dakota Madison. This book looks so good, I can't wait to read it myself. This event was organized by AToMR Tours.

 

 

Category/Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Short on Time Books

Publication Date: 3/17/13
 

 

A Girl, a Guy, a Tournament and a Challenge

The Girl: At a time when most girls obsess about homecoming and high school prom, Rainy Dey spent her senior year caring for her dying mother. So when her father drops her off at college to start her freshman year, his words of advice to his bookish daughter are to start acting like a young person and finally have some fun.

The Guy: College senior, Aaron Donavan, aka Mr. Hot-and-Knows-It, is President of the Clubhouse, a social club for the college’s most wealthy and popular guys. Aaron can have any girl on campus except the one who challenges and excites him the most—Rainy Dey.

The Tournament: Every year, the senior members of The Clubhouse engage in a golf-inspired tournament to see who can sleep with the most freshman girls. When Rainy finds out about the tournament, she believes Aaron’s only interest in her is to score points by taking her V-Card.

The Challenge: Can Aaron convince Rainy that his feelings for her are true and that she won’t be just another notch on his tournament scorecard?

--
This NEW ADULT ROMANCE contains language and content indented for adult readers (18+).

 

 

Excerpt

    I glanced over at the keg and saw that Aaron and his two groupies were still standing there drinking and laughing. The girls were practically throwing themselves at him and he seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. When he caught me looking at him and our eyes met, I saw a flash of something dark behind his rock star façade. Was it pain? Was he not really enjoying all of the attention from the beautiful blondes as it appeared? The look was only there for a moment and then it disappeared when the blonde at his left whispered something in his ear, which made him grin, but Aaron was still staring at me. The scene both disgusted and confused me. When he winked at me and gave me a sly smile, I felt sick to my stomach. Did he actually think he could flirt with me while two girls were hanging off him? I revolted.

    “Can we go into the other room?” I asked. “It’s getting stuffy in here.”

     “Sure.” Josh looked around. “Or do you want to go outside? You can see the stars in the backyard and it’s a beautiful night?’

     The stars sounded really good. The only problem was that we had to walk past Aaron and his girls to get out the back door.

    “Let’s go outside,” I said. “If you don’t mind leading the way.”

    “My pleasure,” Josh said as he placed his empty beer cup on the counter.

     I made sure that Josh was on the side that would be closest to Aaron as we passed. It didn’t stop Aaron from staring at me as we walked by him. The blondes seemed oblivious to the attention he was giving me and I made sure I had the most vile and disgusted look on my face as we passed. For a moment, he looked like I had slapped him but he quickly covered it up.  

     When we got outside, Josh asked. “Do you know that guy?”

     “What guy?” I replied even though I knew exactly, who he meant.

     “The guy from The Clubhouse with the blondes hanging all over him.”

      I shrugged. “Sort of.”

     Josh looked very concerned. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”

     I gave a chuckle as if it was the most absurd question in the world. “Why would you ask that?”

     “Just the way he looked at you. Even though he had two girls on his arms, it was like he didn’t even care. He was just staring at you.”

     I tried to minimize what Josh was saying. “We’re just partners in my art history class. We were assigned to work on a project together. That’s all.”

    “Are you sure?”

    “Of course,” I said but I wasn’t sure at all.

 

 

 

Purchase Matchplay at Amazon 

 

 

GIVEAWAY

I have an ecopy (mobi or pdf) of Matchplay to give away, courtesy of the author.

Entrants must be 17+ years of age.

Open Intl.

Fill out the form to enter.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author
Dakota Madison has been writing since she learned to read and fell in love with books. When she's not at her computer creating spicy new romances, Dakota is traveling to exotic locales or spending time with her husband and their bloodhounds.
Connect at:
Tumblr  |  Twitter

{REVIEW} THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by JENNIFER E. SMITH

Category/Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publisher: Poppy
Publication Date: 4/2/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 416
Source: Received from publisher for review

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names. Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles. When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs. Just as they did in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the hands of fate intervene in wondrous ways in this YA novel that delivers on high concept romance in lush and thoughtful prose.

This is What Happy Looks Like was surprising, to me. I read a review yesterday by Jen YA Romantics, that described it as a mix of You've Got Mail, Notting Hill, and What a Girl Wants. That's about as accurate of a description as I could ever hope to come up with.

What was surprising for me about This is What Happy Looks Like is that it was, hmm... underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, it was sweet, and charming. I liked the characters, but there was not a lot to keep me hooked. In fact, I put this down for three days because I got swept away in another series that was full of fun and passion and angst, highs and lows. And in comparison, this was just nice.

Smith is obviously an extremely talented author. I absolutely adored The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. I raved about it to all my friends for months, and credit it with making me love a boy named Oliver. Maybe that has caused me to judge this book a little too much. And though I liked Ellie and Graham, their portrayals were just sort of flat. I understood were they were coming from with their feelings and questions about their lives, but they didn't feel fully developed. I almost felt a true attachment to them and their story at certain points, the epic was just within reach, but then the story would move along and the feeling went away. Also, I would have like a least a smidge more resolution in the ending.

This Is What Happy Looks Like was a good, if underwhelming, story. I did like it, but will also say that I never fell in love with it. And I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it, but I would also say to maybe be prepared to not be swept away.


Favorite Quote:

  "I'm sorry--" she began, but that was as far as she got, because Graham couldn't wait any longer. He leaned in, his lips meeting hers, which tasted fairly of peanut butter, and he closed his eyes, and he held her by the shoulders, and he kissed her.
  It was exactly as he'd thought it would be, like the first time and the millionth time all at once, like being wide awake, like losing his balance. Only this time, it wasn't just him; this time they were losing their balance together.  ~ eARC, 44%

Purchase This is What Happy Looks Like at:

Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository

 

 

About the author

Jennifer E. Smith is the author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, The Storm Makers, You Are Here, and The Comeback Season. She earned her master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and currently works as an editor in New York City. Her writing has been translated into 28 languages.

COVER REVEAL: OFFLIMITS by SAWYER BENNETT

It's Cover Reveal time!

Today I have the gorgeous cover for OffLimits, by Sawyer Bennett.

This one sounds so good, and I'm excited to be sharing with you today.

 

Title: Off Limits

Author: Sawyer Bennett

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Cover Designer: Vitalink

Expected release date: April 16, 2013

 

  “There is a vulnerability there, hovering just below the surface. And I want to pick at it until I expose it. Then I want to kiss it." Two years ago, Emily Burnham, had an epiphany about the shallowness of her life. And she made it her mission to become a different person…a better woman. Out from under the controlling thumb of her mother, Emily is tasting the real world for the first time. And she likes it. Nixon Caldwell has served his time in the Marine Corps, surviving two brutal tours in Afghanistan. He is back home, surrounded by what he likes best…isolation. It's certainly the easiest way to avoid confrontation of the consuming guilt that is weighing him down. When an accident brings Emily and Nix together, he soon learns he is not the master of his own fate. Struggling with his own pain, Nix tries to guard himself against Emily’s charms. He wants her in his bed, but he doesn’t want her in his heart. Having grabbed life by the horns, Emily wants it all. But is she willing to accept just the small part of himself that Nix is offering? Can she reach the part of his soul that he has deemed to be Off Limits?  

 

** Be sure to add this to your to-read list! **

About the Author Sawyer Bennett is the pen name for a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

Sawyer Bennett | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads




 

 

{BLOG TOUR} PICTURE PERFECT by ALESSANDRA THOMAS

Welcome to The Bookish Babe's stop on the Picture Perfect Blog Tour! The tour is being hosted by InkSlinger Blog Tours. My stop includes a review, guest post, and giveaway.

 

Category/Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: self-published
Publication Date: 3/26/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 307
Source: Received from the author for review.

Fashion design major Cat Mitchell has a closet full of gorgeous clothes - and not a single thing fits. After two years of runway modeling for easy cash, an accident shattered her lower leg bone and her self-esteem in just one swift fall. Ten months of no exercise, prescription steroids, comfort eating and yoga pants meant returning to campus as a size twelve instead of her former size two.


When her gorgeous long-time friend with benefits sees her for the first time after her accident and snubs her in front of all her friends, Cat’s self-image hits rock bottom. Her sorority sisters all insist that she looks gorgeous, but all Cat sees is the roll of her stomach when she sits down, or the dimpling at the back of her thighs that wasn't there last year. Cat’s therapist prescribes something radical to stop the downward spiral - nude modeling for a nearby college's human form drawing classes.


When Cat faces her fears and bares it all for the class, she realizes that she's posing naked in front the most gorgeous, buffest guy she's ever seen in her life. He asks her out after the class, and after one steamy night together, Cat's absolutely smitten.


Nate’s pretty close to perfect – he takes Cat rock climbing when he discovers that it makes her feel strong and becomes a great chef after he learns that the perfect pesto sauce makes her swoon. Cat starts to feel like her old self again - confident and beautiful - as long as Nate's around. Even when he discourages her from entering the Real Woman Project, a design competition for plus-sized apparel, she reasons that he's just trying to prevent old body image wounds from splitting wide open again.


But when Cat goes home with Nate for Thanksgiving, she discovers something shocking from his recent past that proves that he hasn’t always been so encouraging of women of all shapes and sizes. Cat has no idea what to think, but she does know one thing - this might destroy their relationship before it's even had a chance to get off the ground.


Before Cat can figure out whether the real Nate is the sensitive, adoring guy she fell in love with, or an undercover asshole, she'll have to finally feel comfortable in her own skin - even if it means leaving him forever.

(This book contains sex and adult language.)

I love stories about empowerment, self-acceptance, and love.  Picture Perfect gave me all that and more.

I, like many many of you, can identify with a character who struggles with weight and self-image. And for that reason, I was instantly hooked on Picture Perfect. Cat is a model who, after an injury that left her unable to move freely for months, has gained a lot of weight. It's easy to be in denial when you wear yoga pants all day (my "uniform" of coice) and can't really see what's happening, but the denial stops when you realize you've gained sixty pounds and your clothes no longer fit. For Cat, this leaves two choices: beat yourself up and seclude yourself to help ease the shame spiral; or pull yourself up, face your fears, move on.

Cat is talked into doing a nude modeling session. To which I say, "Better you than me, Sister! You rock." I loved that Cat took a chance on the power modeling would give her, and I felt for her when she was scared and hurt. But this also leads her to Nate. Nate, he's a good guy. I loved his quiet, gentle, yet forceful nature. I loved that he brought fun, adventure, and love to Cat's life. He teaches her to appreciate aspects of life she'd always denied herself. I loved his acceptance. No, not acceptance, his absolute adoration for Cat and her body. He didn't love her despite her "flaws", he doesn't even see Cat's extra weight as flaws at all. Score one for the good guys.

At the heart of Picture Perfect, though, it is not exactly a love story between a girl and a guy. It is the love story between a girl and herself. For as much as Nate's love and assurances make Cat feel great, and he did absolutely help her, the bigger picture her is Cat's own journey towards acceptance. This is powerful stuff, and I couldn't help but fall in love with the stronger, more loving Cat.

Whether you can identify with the characters or not, everyone has had doubts about some aspect of their identity. Picture Perfect was a beautiful look at one woman's story, and I feel it will resonate with any reader.


Favorite Quote:

  "I feel like my whole body is just some prison for a person who looks different, who feels different. I keep trying to shake it, but sometimes...I can't forget who I used to be."  ~eARC, 41%


  Nate had helped me realize that I wasn't most attractive when I looked like everyone else--I was most attractive when I looked like myself. When I acted like myself instead of worrying about what everyone else thought of how I looked. ~eARC, 93%

 

GUEST POST 

The story behind Picture Perfect:


- I’ve had a LOT of weight fluctuation, and I’ve totally been in that experience of not feeling like myself in the body I’m in, or feeling great one day and horrible the next. Body image can be a brutal beast, and I kind of wanted to see what it would look like for a girl to be navigating a new body and a new relationship at the same time.


- The story’s set in Philly because I like setting stories in real places. I’m a huge fan of Google maps – I like to see the places I’m writing about. And I think it’s cool that there’s a whole set of readers who will recognize landmarks like 30th Street Station, Reading Terminal Market, and Drexel and Temple Universities. (Incidentally, if any readers attend one of those Universities, shout at me – I’ll send you a couple free copies to randomly drop or pass around. ;))

- The physical description of Cat’s character is based on Lizzie Miller, a plus sized model who became famous for her spread in Glamour magazine back in 2009, where she posed (almost) nude. The shot published by the magazine showed an obviously flabby belly and stretch marks, and garnered a huge positive response. That article, and the picture that goes with it, is one of the biggest inspirations for Picture Perfect.
Lizzie is one of the most radiant and beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Check it out:

- The experience of Cat’s character is based on someone I know in real life. She’s six feet tall and modeled in high school, and when she got to college, rounded out just a bit (as women tend to do, it’s part of normal development.) She used to be a size two and grew to a size eight, and to her, that was a huge, awful change. It took her awhile to deal with it. Even though I know some people will hate Cat for complaining about her size twelve, to her, it’s a big change.

- I did a lot of research on the injury side. I talked to one friend who is a pharmacist about the rehab required for that surgery to repair a shattered tibia and the drugs involved, and what they would do to your body. I also talked to a friend who is super-athletic about the challenges of various sports for a girl like Cat – together, we decided she and Nate’s first date would be rock climbing, because it would make her feel strong while still giving her lots of opportunity to be embarrassed about her ass being pinched by the harness straps – right above Nate’s head.

- As soon as I saw the cover, I was madly in love. My designer got it down perfectly – this book is about literal and figurative nakedness, about forcing yourself to take a good, hard, look at who you are, even if it’s less than perfect (which it is – no one is perfect.) A cover filled with a naked midsection, the most vulnerable part of our bodies to injury, was both sexy and symbolic.


Thank you so much for having me, Andrea! This has been so much fun. <3

 

 

Thank you to Alessandra for this great and informative post. I love that picture.

 

 

Purchase Picture Perfect at:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

GIVEAWAY

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

About the author

Alessandra Thomas is a New Adult writer who swears she was in her twenties yesterday. Since she's not, she spends her time looking back on her college years fondly, and writing sexy stories about guys and
girls falling in love and really living life for the first time. When she's not writing, you can find her with a spoonful of ice cream in one hand and the newest New Adult release in the other.

Connect with Alessandra at:
Twitter  |  Facebook
 

 

 

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY ~ GAME. SET. MATCH.

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selection is...
 

 

Series: Outerbanks Tennis Academy #1

Genre: Contemporary New Adult

Publisher: Coliloquy

Publication Date: 5/1/13
 

Nestled along the coastline of North Carolina, the Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the best elite tennis training facility in the world. Head Coach, Dominic Kingston has assembled some of the finest talent in the sport. From the game's biggest stars to athletes scraping and clawing to achieve their dreams, OBX is full of ego, drama and romance. Only the strong survive in this pressure cooker of competition, on and off the court.

Penny Harrison, the biggest rising star in tennis, is determined to win the French Open and beat her rival, the world’s number one player, Zina Lutrova. There’s just one problem, the only person who’s ever been able to shake her laser-like focus is her new training partner. Alex Russell, tennis’s resident bad boy, is at OBX recovering from a knee injury suffered after he crashed his motorcycle (with an Aussie supermodel on the back). He's hoping to regain his former place at the top of men’s tennis and Penny’s heart, while he’s at it.

Tennis is all Jasmine Randazzo has ever known. Her parents have seven Grand Slam championships between them and she’s desperate to live up to their legacy. Her best friend is Teddy Harrison, Penny’s twin brother, and that’s all they’ve ever been, friends. Then one stupid, alcohol-laced kiss makes everything
The Classic is what draws Indiana Gaffney out of the hole she crawled into after her mom’s death. Even though she’s new to OBX, a win at the Classic is definitely possible. She has a big serve and killer forehand, but the rest of her game isn’t quite up to scratch and it doesn’t help that Jasmine Randazzo and her little minions are stuck-up bitches or that Jack Harrison, Penny’s agent and oldest brother, is too hot for words, not to mention way too old for her.

Who will rise? Who will fall?

Told from rotating points of view, GAME. SET. MATCH. is a 'new adult' novel about three girls with one goal: to be the best tennis player in the world.

 

Why I'm Waiting ~  Game. Set. Match. looks pretty much perfect. You have a great cover, great blurb, and a great person as the author. And a tennis academy? Just think of all the shenanigans!


What are you waiting on this week? Be sure to leave a comment so I can come check it out!

THE END IS HERE: THE EVE SERIES ~ LETTER FROM ANNA CAREY TO HER READERS

 

 

The End of the Eve Series is here, and I am thrilled to be able to share a letter from author Anna Carey to her readers.

 

Visit Epic Reads' The End is Here Page for all things Eve!

 

 

 

Dear Andrea,

            It’s been over three years since I imagined one of the first scenes in Eve—a girl and boy on horseback being chased by a grizzly bear. Since then the series has been written, sold, published in the US and abroad, and now, apparently, THE END IS HERE. Love and thanks for following me this far, for your support for Eve and Once, and for hosting me for one of the last EpicReads events I’ll be doing for the trilogy.

            And now…cue the violin music…

            As you may have noticed, RISE is dedicated to Eve’s readers, but those two lines feel like a cheap imitation of all the gratitude I’m feeling now. When I started writing I wanted to tell the story of an incredibly sheltered, proud girl who was completely certain of the world around her. What happens when she finds out everything she learned is a lie? How can she possibly reconcile her education with what she’s discovering every day? Will she have the courage to leave all she’s ever known?

           I have long believed that strength isn’t something we have or don’t have—it’s something that grows from experience. I never wanted to write someone who wasn’t scared, who never made mistakes or faltered. I wanted to write someone true, someone with real flaws who feels weak and terrified at times, but manages to scrape together all the courage she has to push through.

         Emails and tweets, facebook posts and schools visits and signings and panels—I’ve seen how much Eve’s story has resonated with readers. I’m grateful that people have related to her and that they have loved her as I love her (and all these characters). I’m grateful that they’ve followed her, and the series, as she’s` grown into the strong, confident woman of RISE.

XO
Anna

 

 

 

The Eve Series

(click on cover for GoodReads page)

My Reviews of

Eve | Once

Purchase the books at:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

 

 

About the author

Anna Carey has been a gift wrapper, face painter, nanny, horrific cocktail waitress, sofa saleswoman and children's book editor. She graduated from New York University and has an MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she can be found writing, reading, and doodling on the giant chalkboard in her kitchen.

Connect with Anna at:

Website | Twitter

 

TEASER TUESDAY ~ THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

·Grab your current read
·Open to a random page
·Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
·Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.


Category/Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publisher: Poppy
Publication Date: 4/2/13

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names. Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles. When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs. Just as they did in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the hands of fate intervene in wondrous ways in this YA novel that delivers on high concept romance in lush and thoughtful prose.

My Teaser ~

  The thought occured to her with surprising force: He's sad. She wasn't sure how she knew this, but she was suddenly certain it was true. Underneath all the rest of it--an unexpected nervousness, a hint of caution, a bit of wariness--there was also a sadness so deep it startled her. It was there in his eyes, which were so much older than the rest of him, and in the practiced blankness of his gaze. ~eARC, 10%

Purchase This is What Happy Looks Like at:

Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository