{Release Day Blast + Guest Post + Giveaway} Love, Lucy by April Lindner

I am so excited that LOVE, LUCY by April Lindner releases today and that I get to share the news, along with an awesome guest post from the author in which she shares “Some Rules of the Road” for traveling abroad, as Lucy did in the book.

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful new book by Author April Linder, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blast also includes a giveaway for a copy of the book courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours and 3 signed JANE posters courtesy of the author. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

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About LOVE, LUCY

Title: LOVE, LUCY
Author: April Lindner
Release date: January 27, 2015
Publisher: Poppy
Pages: 304
Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Description:

While backpacking through Florence, Italy, during the summer before she heads off to college, Lucy Sommersworth finds herself falling in love with the culture, the architecture, the food...and Jesse Palladino, a handsome street musician. After a whirlwind romance, Lucy returns home, determined to move on from her "vacation flirtation." But just because summer is over doesn't mean Lucy and Jesse are over, too.

In this coming-of-age romance, April Lindner perfectly captures the highs and lows of a summer love that might just be meant to last beyond the season.

Find it: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | THE BOOK DEPOSITORY | INDIEBOUND | GOODREADS

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About April Lindner

April Lindner is the author of three novels: Catherine, a modernization of Wuthering Heights; Jane, an update of Jane Eyre; and Love, Lucy, releasing January 27, 2015. She also has published two poetry collections, Skin and This Bed Our Bodies Shaped. She plays acoustic guitar badly, sees more rock concerts than she’d care to admit, travels whenever she can, cooks Italian food, and lavishes attention on her pets—two Labrador retriever mixes and two excitable guinea pigs. A professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University, April lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons.

BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | TUMBLR | GOOGLE + | GOODREADS

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The Guest Post

SOME RULES OF THE ROAD

Like Lucy Sommersworth, the heroine of Love, Lucy, my parents gave me the gift of a lifetime: a backpacking trip to Europe. I was a bit older than Lucy—22, and just out of college—but when I arrived in Milan, Italy with a Eurail pass, a copy of Let’s Go: Europe, and a seventy-pound backpack I could barely lift, I was a wee bit terrified. Like Lucy, I spoke only a little bit of Italian, just barely enough to get by, and I wasn’t particularly good at reading maps or train schedules. Unlike Lucy, I was travelling solo.

Luckily, my journey began with training wheels. I’d just taken a college Italian class, and my professor had offered a safe crash pad for the first few days of my trip—in her family home in the Alps. Less luckily, when I reached Malpensa airport, nobody was there to pick me up. Giddy with excitement and jet lag, I wandered around the airport, eavesdropping on Italians as they hugged each other hello and goodbye, and had noisy arguments. I’d never felt more alone in my life. Where would I sleep that night if my ride didn’t show up?

Luckily, my professor’s brother arrived at last to whisk me away to the family home in Domodossola. The extended family welcomed and fed me, gave me tours of their city with its charming medieval center, helped me practice my Italian, and, when the time was right, brought me to the train station where my solo travels began for real. It was time to take off the training wheels. 

If I’d felt alone back in the airport, I was even more so on that train to Verona, a city where I didn’t know a soul. In those pre-internet days, I could disappear into thin air and nobody would even notice I was gone. The thought was chilling, but oddly exciting.

By nightfall, I’d made it to Verona. I’d figured out the public transportation, found a youth hostel, and booked myself a bed. Best of all, I had introduced myself to a handful of other backpackers. We hung out together in the hostel’s common area, sharing bread and cheese, exchanging stories, discussing the rules of the road—those bits of practical wisdom our travels were teaching us. Here are a few.

Time passes differently on the road.  Spend a few very intense hours seeing the sites with strangers and by the end of the day, those strangers have become a part of your story. Years later you’ll see their faces in your photo album and still remember stray details of the adventures you shared together, even if you can’t quite recall their names. 

Spontaneity is key.  There are few things as magical as showing up at a train station with no idea where you’re headed next, picking a random train, and hopping on. 

Janis Joplin said it best: Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.  When you’re carrying all your possessions on your back in a city where you don’t know a soul, you’re absolutely free. You can go anywhere, do anything. That freedom has its lonely moments—but it can be the doorway to all kinds of adventures.

Embrace misadventure.  As carefully as you plan there will be crazy mistakes: wrong turns, slept-through train stops, multilingual misunderstandings, and all kinds of other blunders—and these will make the best stories. My misadventures are some of my favorite memories. The time I missed curfew and had to climb into my hostel through a second-story window. The morning when, hanging out my recently washed clothes to dry, I dropped my wet underthings out the window, onto a stranger’s head. The night when, with no room to stay in, I slept on Venice’s train station steps with about a hundred other backpackers, the stars above us and the Grand Canal stretched out before us.

Would I trade that last memory for a safe, comfy night in an actual bed?  Not on your life.

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The Giveaway

There is a blast-wide giveaway, ending February 6th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, for:

• 1 copy of LOVE, LUCY to be ordered from Amazon or The Book Depository – Int’l
• 3 JANE posters (signed) – US only

Enter in the Rafflecopter below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Release Day Blast + Giveaway} Nothing To Lose by Christy Reece

Nothing to Lose

A Grey Justice Novel

By: Christy Reece

Releasing March 31^st, 2014

Choices Are Easy When You Have Nothing Left To Lose

Kennedy O’Connell had all the happiness she’d ever dreamed—until someone stole it away. Now on the run for her life, she has a choice to make—disappear forever or make those responsible pay. Her choice is easy.

Two men want to help her, each with their own agenda.

Detective Nick Gallagher is accustomed to pursuing killers within the law. Targeted for death, his life turned inside out, Nick vows to bring down those responsible, no matter the cost. But the beautiful and innocent Kennedy O’Connell brings out every protective instinct. Putting aside his own need for vengeance, he’ll do whatever is necessary to keep her safe and help her achieve her goals.

Billionaire philanthropist Grey Justice has a mission, too. Dubbed the ‘White Knight’ of those in need of a champion, few people are aware of his dark side. Having seen and experienced injustice—Grey knows its bitter taste. Gaining justice for those who have been wronged is a small price to pay for a man’s humanity.

With the help of a surprising accomplice, the three embark on a dangerous game of cat and mouse. The stage is set, the players are ready…the game is on. But someone is playing with another set of rules and survivors are not an option.

Buy Links 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Lose-Grey-Justice-Novel-ebook/dp/B00JBLKUJU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1396060921&sr=1-1

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nothing-to-lose-a-grey-justice-novel-christy-reece/1119018739?ean=2940149340040

{Excerpt}

Nick opened his apartment door and headed straight to his bedroom to change into a pair of shorts and an old sweatshirt. About the only way he had to battle the hopelessness inside him was to beat the hell out of his boxing bag and work himself into exhaustion. He was halfway to the kitchen for a bottle of water when he realized he wasn’t alone. The dark figure of a man sitting in a chair in the corner caught his eye.

Cursing his inattentiveness, he grabbed the closest weapon—a bust of Sherlock Holmes—and turned toward the intruder.

“Before you allow Mr. Holmes to bash my head in, wouldn’t you like to know why I’m here?”

The crisp British voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Nick replied coolly, “I’m more of an attack-first-and-ask-questions-later kind of guy.”

“Pity. You don’t seem the type to go off half-cocked.”

“Depends on the situation. Having some asshole break into my house is the type of thing that pisses me off.”

“Understandable, but you can often learn more things if you wait awhile.”

“Or you can get yourself killed. Now, tell me who the hell you are and why you’re here.”

“Let’s talk first. Then we’ll decide if we want to exchange personal information.”

If the man was going to shoot him, he would’ve done so by now. Nick lowered the statue to his side but held on to it just in case. He reached for the light switch on the wall.

“No lights.”

“So I’m not allowed to know your name or what you look like?”

“Not yet. Have a seat.”

Despite the aggravation of having a stranger break into his house and the man’s numerous rules, Nick was intrigued. He pulled his hand back from the light switch. “I’ll stand. Now tell me what the hell you want.”

“I want what you want—to bring Mathias Slater and his goons to justice.”

If he hadn’t captured Nick’s attention before, he sure as hell had it now. “What do you know about Slater?”

“That he’s into more shit than anyone could ever imagine.”

“And why do you care?”

“Let’s just say that seeing bad guys get what’s coming to them is a hobby of mine.”

“And how can you assist me in seeing that Slater gets what’s coming to him?”

“By giving you access to information you can’t get through your channels.”

“You mean illegal channels.”

“Semantics. What you see as illegal, I see as creative license.”

Still wary but more interested than ever, Nick returned the statue to the end table and dropped down onto the sofa. “Okay, you have my undivided attention.”

“Excellent. However, we need to come to an agreement before we go further.”

“Such as?”

“If you decline my proposal, this discussion never happened.”

“Agreed.”

“Excellent.”

“You’re just going to take my word for it?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t already know you can be trusted, Mr. Gallagher.”

Where and how he’d gotten information on Nick could wait till another time.

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“Mathias Slater and his antics hit my radar several years ago. I’ve tried penetrating his tight-knit circle. Unfortunately, I’ve gotten only so far before someone ratted out my informant.”

“And how can I help? If you know that much about me, then you already know that I’ve run into a road block in every avenue I’ve taken against Slater.”

“That’s true. However, you have an avenue you don’t even know you can take.”

“And what’s that?”

“There’s a folder on the table in front of you. Take a look inside.”

Nick didn’t move…considered what could be inside.

“I’m glad to see that my informants were correct. You have a short fuse, but it’s tempered with a deliberative cautiousness.”

“I’m assuming that I’ll be allowed to turn on the lights to look at the folder.”

“That’s correct. Another reason why your deliberation is important. You turn on those lights, you will have information that could destroy not only me, but negatively impact the lives of thousands.”

Nick reached up and flipped on the lamp beside him. Light illuminated the man sitting in the corner and he knew why the voice had sounded so familiar. This was a man known to millions. And he was right—if anyone discovered the truth, thousands of lives would be affected.

Deciding to mull over the man’s identity later, Nick grabbed the folder and opened it. The instant he saw the first photograph, everything within him froze. He looked up at the man who sat so calmly across from him and whispered hoarsely, “What do I need to do?”

{Giveaway}

Two Digital Copies of NOTHING TO LOSE

a Rafflecopter giveaway  
 http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NTIxYWM0YzhjYmFkNDc1MDkxYzA3ZDNmMjhhM2RjOjMyNg==/

Author Info

Christy Reece is the award winning and New York Times Bestselling author of dark and sexy romantic suspense. She lives in Alabama with her husband, four precocious canines, an incredibly curious cat, a very shy turtle, and a super cute flying squirrel named Elliott.

Christy also writes steamy, southern suspense under the pen name Ella Grace.

Author Links

http://www.christyreece.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChristyReece?ref=search&v=wall

https://twitter.com/ChristyReece

http://www.ellagracebooks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/EllaGraceAuthor

https://twitter.com/EllaGraceBooks

{Happy Release Day} Just Between Us by Hayley Oakes

Title: Just Between Us

Author: Hayley Oakes

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date: 28^th March 2014

An attraction that can’t be denied ….

Ten years spent trying to forget.

Now

Kyle returns to his home town following years away to discover Sophie, the girl he could never have, nursing a broken heart after being dumped by her fiancé.

Then

A decade before Sophie and Kyle hated each other, she thought he was an arrogant playboy and he thought she was a spoilt princess. However one night a drunken kiss changed everything ….

Back then he was the achingly attractive bad boy that, however much she tried, Sophie couldn’t resist. Now as Kyle spends the summer attempting to revive Sophie from her misery, she wonders if the one person she wouldn’t let herself have is the only one who can save her?

 Add to Goodreads

Purchase links:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Just-Between-Us-Hayley-Oakes-ebook/dp/B00JAPE3LS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395994618&sr=8-1&keywords=just+between+us+hayley+oakes
 
http://www.amazon.com/Just-Between-Us-Hayley-Oakes-ebook/dp/B00JAPE3LS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395994655&sr=8-1&keywords=just+between+us+hayley+oakes

 

 


About the Author: Hayley Oakes is a wife to a Manchester United fan and a mother to a three year old daughter, both require patience and a sense of humour. She enjoys reading angst ridden romance and writing stories that she would love to read. She loves post apocalyptic movies and anything 80’s. This is her second novel.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHayleyOakes

Twitter: @Hoakesauthor

Link to other book: Waiting for Grace

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Waiting-Grace-Hayley-Oakes-ebook/dp/B00FVRFFNE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1394990500&sr=1-1&keywords=waiting+for+grace

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Grace-Hayley-Oakes-ebook/dp/B00FVRFFNE/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1394990567&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=waiting+for+grace

Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Waiting-Grace-Hayley-Oakes-ebook/dp/B00FVRFFNE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394990621&sr=8-1&keywords=waiting+for+grace

{Release Day Blast + Giveaway} Everlasting (A Night Watchmen Novel) by Candace Knoebel

What if your destiny lay on the other side of death?

The annual Culling ceremony is a day every coming-of-age novice looks forward to within the Primeval Coven. It’s the start to being initiated into the Night Watchmen, humankind’s protectors, and it’s the long-awaited day when novices discover if they’re a Hunter or a Witch.

But this day is not a happy one for Faye Middleton. Not when she’s known her whole life that she’s a Defect and is about to face banishment in front of her fellow novices. She’s forced to attend the Culling with little hope for her future, but what she discovers about herself is far worse than she could’ve imagined. And far more dangerous.

Thrown into training and separated from her friends, Faye must learn to adjust. She struggles to find her place within the Coven, and with Jaxen Gramm, the darkly handsome and extremely unnerving man assigned to watch and protect her. Emotions run high, and when she discovers a deadly secret about him, her struggles deepen. As corruption within the Coven begins to unravel, Faye pieces together her role in saving the future of her people, and within Jaxen’s life...but will the truth save her, or be her undoing?

GENRE: Paranormal Romance

Available on Amazon & Barnes & Noble!

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00IIYHQEI

Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/or6g3bl

 

Excerpt:

“This way,” Nathaniel says from the side of the stage. We’re like cows being herded into individual pens to await sacrifice. There are closed-in cubicles constructed backstage, and each of us is placed in one without a word of guidance or encouragement.

“Wait a second,” I say as I try to scan down the row one last time for Katie, but I’m shoved into my cubicle and the door shuts, enclosing me in between four confining walls with only the light of a lamp. I drag my hands down the fabric of the walls until I fall down into my seat. I tug on my braid again and again and again. Calm down. Breathe. Calm down. I chant this over and over again, imagining that Katie’s the one who’s coaching me. I shut my eyes and am back in her room. The scent of her perfume overwhelms the small space, but instead of making me sneeze, it comforts me. It makes my imagined state more real.

I hear loud clapping coming from off the stage and know someone must’ve just gone. They obviously weren’t a Defect. No one wants a Defect at their ceremony. A voice shouts, “Let’s go, Todd Jenson. It’s time to meet your partner.” I wonder if it was Katie on stage. I wonder if he’s her partner. I wonder this through eighteen more times worth of clapping and cheering and name calling. Anytime now, they’ll open my door and force me to stand before the crowd, force me to touch the quartz, force me to face my peers in shame. If they deem me a Defect, I’ll be the first this Culling, and most likely the only.

I twist my hands into knots and think about my parents. They have to be out there by now. I’m going to walk out there and they’re going to be in the front row smiling. I open my eyes. Four walls. They’re closing in on me. They’re suffocating me. I have to get out.

“Faye Middleton?” The door opens and air rushes in. I draw sharply on it as the cheering continues. Another novice and her new partner walk off stage. It’s the girl with black hair. She’s coyly looking at him from under her lashes. He looks pissed.

Nathaniel guides me forward, and I want to yank my arm from him. I want to tell him I left my courage back in that cubicle, but I don’t. I can’t. My lips are glued shut by fear. My knees have turned into two extremities of doubt, and I know I’m going to fall. I’m going to forget how to speak.

Steel blue eyes find mine from across the stage. Elder Maddock. He bows ever so slightly in my direction, his eyes seeking past my outer appearance. I wonder if he knows who I am. He has to. I stop right before him and feel like a bird trapped in a cage. I can’t escape the thousands of eyes studying me. I can’t escape the hundreds of assumptions building me into something I’m not.

“Faye Middleton,” he says, his voice eager and curious. There’s a friendly lightness in his voice I don’t expect, a sound that makes me feel safe and comfortable under his gaze. He has thick, golden brown hair combed neatly over to the side and back, showing off the squared planes of his face. He looks much younger than he should, but older than my father. “Are you ready to begin?”

I turn to the crowd and scan desperately for my parents. Eyes. There are so many eyes. Too many. They form together, creating an awful monster that wants to swallow me whole. I can’t find them. The eyes have hidden them from me. I’m all alone. I try to swallow, but my mouth is so dry. I bite the inside of my cheek, curbing the need to release tears.

The Witch standing next to him says, “Faye, he asked you a question.”

I take in a tight breath and force myself to look away and back at Maddock. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, my stomach twisting a little tighter.

He pretends not to notice the panic I’m sure my face is masked in and offers me the kindest, most patient smile. “Everyone is nervous on the day of the Culling,” he says knowingly. “I was a wreck the day of mine.”

Polite laughter comes from the audience, and I feel myself relax just enough so that I can breathe again.

He offers me a small wink…a knowing sort of wink, and says, “Your parents will be proud.” He says these words carefully, evenly, and I know he’s trying to tell me something. They’re okay? He’s aware of who I am. “So are you ready to begin?”

ADD IT ON GOODREADS!

Updated 2/19 to add a Giveaway - Candace Knoebel is hosting a huge giveaway on her Facebook page. Go enter!

About The Author

Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-a young adult fantasy trilogy.

Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. Embracing the Flames, the second in the trilogy, is scheduled for release in the summer of 2013.

Candace Knoebel discovered through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. Since then, she crawled out of Purgatory and has devoted her time to writing and sometimes heelying.

Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ @candaceknoebel