Killer Among by S.E. Green with Giveaway!

Killer Among

by S.E. Green 

Killer Instinct, #3

October 19th 2018

YA Thriller

Lane swore never to be like her late mother. But now she too is a killer. One difference remains—Lane only stalks and punishes the guilty.
But while trailing a new killer of teenage girls dubbed “The Strangler”, Lane makes a terrible miscalculation and kills the wrong man.
Now the family of the man she accidentally murdered is hunting the killer, and Lane is forced to cover her tracks by befriending them. Because everyone knows you keep your enemies close.
But are they really enemies? Lane isn’t so sure.
As the plot surrounding “The Strangler” tightens around her like a noose, for the first time Lane is tempted to trust someone with her darkest secrets. But will breaking down her boundaries bring salvation, or doom?

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Graphics and Promo: Jessica Porter

And here she is...

 

S. E. Green is an award willing, bestselling author who writes dark and twisty novels like Killer Instinct, dubbed "Dexter for teens"; Ultimate Sacrifice, a satanic cult novel of suspense; and Vanquished, a gritty survival thriller. She also writes under Shannon Greenland and there you'll find young adult novels of action, romance, and suspense.
Shannon lives in a small Florida beach town, has one very grouchy dog, and loves to travel. She's also up for any adventure you might throw her way.

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Happy Book Birthday, Watching You by Shannon Greenland with Giveaway

Watching You 

by Shannon Greenland 

Entangled Publishing

July 2nd 2018

YA Thriller

Viola’s always been that girl from thatfamily, so a scholarship to a prestigious private school in Florida was supposed to be her ticket out of poverty and into a brand-new life. But Viola’s secrets have followed her. Her relationship with the intelligent and gorgeous Riel should have been the salvation she needed—he understands her troubled past better than anyone. But then weird things start to happen.
Frightening messages.
Missing personal items.
The unsettling feeling that she’s being watched.
Viola’s never been one to give her trust easily, but she’ll need to trust in Riel if she’s going to survive her stalker. Because she’s not fighting for a new life anymore—she’s fighting to stay alive.

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MY TIDBITS

Emotion, hopes, and dreams mix with increasing tension to create a thrilling ride,

Viola can't believe that she's finally achieved her goal of gaining entrance as well as a scholarship to her dream school. Although her past and family are anything but many consider ideal, she now has a chance at a bright future as well as the possibility of bringing her mother and younger twin sisters out of a less than pleasant life. But this sudden golden chance starts to tarnish. Not only does she meet Riel, a hot, super nice guy who she 'took' the scholarship from but discovers that hiding the lies she told to get the scholarship might not stay hidden. Jealousy, prejudice and an ever lurking chill as if someone is following her bring darker shadows than she suspected.

This is one of those reads which grabs at the beginning and digs in its claws the deeper the tale goes. Viola is exactly the kind of heroine to cheer for. She carries tons of baggage but refuses to let it block her future. Determination drips from her character even though she still is a little hesitant and unsure of herself. She holds secrets, but her lies are easy forgiven since she has a heart of gold. The hero slides right into place with her, carrying all the tension, desire, confusion and appeal a hero should. Mix in colorful friends and possible enemies, and the personality plate is full.

The scene of a rich school has its moments of cliche but it works out well. Viola's life and the moments she experiences come across clear and believable. Florida takes on its sunny shine and leaves beach dreams. The interactions, concerns and decisions the characters make are understandable. The author does a great job of building the relationships in many directions and bringing them to a personal level. This makes it easy to fall into the characters and get lost in their worlds. As the tension builds, it's no problem to fear for them and cheer them on. Especially Mar adds a nice touch.

A careful web is woven to make it difficult to see who the real 'bad guy' is. Clues are dropped here and there, some more clear cut than others. For the most part, it keeps the reader guessing until the very end. The last scenes hold enough tension to make the breath catch, and the ending rounds everything off nicely and makes sure to tighten most loose ends.

This is a great read for fans of high school drama, diverse reads, heroines from difficult backgrounds, romance, and, of course, reads which keep the danger increasing until the very end. 

And here she is. . .

Shannon Greenland is the award winning author of several novels including the teen spy series, THE SPECIALISTS, and the YA romances, THE SUMMER MY LIFE BEGAN and SHADOW OF A GIRL. She also writes thrillers under S. E. Green and lives off the coast of Florida with her very grouchy dog.

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Cover Reveal: We Told Six Lies by Victoria Scott

Sneak Peek: Sweet Desire Wicked Fate by Wray Ardan with Giveaway!

Sweet Desire, Wicked Fate

Sweet Desire, Wicked Fate Book 1

by Wray Ardan
YA Romantic Fantasy Thriller

Discovering long lost relatives can be a real nightmare. Do you know who or what you're related to?

Jaden Lisette never imagined she might not live through the month to see her sixteenth birthday, or that befriending reclusive triplets and a mentally challenged man could be her only chance of survival. Days after coming to Louisiana, Jaden falls for the irresistible Briz Nolan. Then she falls into a living nightmare when she discovers a side of her family that she never knew existed. Once she uncovers her family's deadly secret, Jaden is forced into a world she could only imagine in horror movies. There's nowhere to run. To survive, she must kill.

Sweet Desire, Wicked Fate is the first book in a YA romance, fantasy, thriller trilogy that is filled with danger, humor, and the intoxicating passion of first love.

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Imagine Jade Gone

Sweet Desire, Wicked Fate Book 2

The bayou holds terrors that can devour her alive.

All sixteen-year-old Jaden Lisette wants to do is spend time with the sweet and sexy Briz Nolan. But falling in love may not be their fate.  When a new, deadlier species of creatures is set loose, Jaden and Briz's chance of survival quickly becomes as murky as the bayou water surrounding them. As Jaden battles her new living nightmares, an old adversary returns, intent on revenge. This time, every last ounce of her strength and courage may not be enough to save the ones she loves...or herself.

Imagine Jade Gone is the second book in the YA romance thriller series Sweet Desire, Wicked Fate. If you like original fantasy creatures, dark suspense, and simmering chemistry, then you'll love Wray Ardan's captivating tale.

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Wray Ardan lives on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with an artist, four cats, and a parrot. She is the winner of the Readers' Favorite 2015 Gold Medal for YA Horror for her novel Sweet Desire, Wicked Fate, and the 2017 Readers' Favorite Silver Medal for the second book in the series, Imagine Jade Gone. The stories were inspired by sculptures her partner in life and business, artist Steven Lee Smeltzer created. Currently she is working on book 3. With a desire to promote teens that are PONO, Hawaiian for "doing the right thing," she set up Dakine Teens+ at dakineteens.tumblr.com

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Sneak Peek: The Progeny by Tosca Lee with Giveaway

THE PROGENY

Descendants of the House of Bathory (Book #1)

by Tosca Lee

Howard Books

YA Thriller/Slight Paranormal

352 pages

Tour dates: March 26 to April 13, 2018

Content Rating: PG

COMING. . .

MAY 2016!!!

From New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee comes a story of love, ancient secrets, and survival. Book 1 in the House of Bathory duology.

When you wake up, you remember nothing. Not your name, or where you were born, or the faces of the people you knew. Just a single warning written to yourself before you forgot it all:

"Emily, it’s me. You.

Don’t ask about the last two years… Don’t try to remember and don’t go digging. Your life depends on it. Other lives depend on it.

By the way, Emily isn’t your real name. You died in an accident. You paid extra for that."

You start over in a remote place with a new name, a fresh life. Until the day a stranger tells you you’re being hunted for the sins of a royal ancestor who died centuries before you were born.

You don’t believe him, until they come for you. Now you’re on the run.

Every answer you need lies in a past you chose to erase. The only thing you know for sure is that others are about to die and you need those memories back.

But first, you have to stay alive.

Praise for The Progeny:

"Be warned: once you start this book, it’s impossible to put down!”
- Maria V. Snyder, New York Times bestselling author of Poison Study

“Intriguing and romantic, I literally couldn’t put it down.”
- Jennifer L. Armentrout # 1 New York Times bestselling author

"Irresistible..."
- Publishers Weekly

"[A] complex thriller with various turns and twists...A great choice for readers who enjoy their psychological thrillers with a historical twist."
- Library Journal

"Exciting...action-packed…intriguing.”
- Romantic Times Book Reviews

"Filled with intrigue, romance, and reversals fans are sure to love."
- Family Fiction

"The Progeny has risen to the top of my favorites list…I devoured every word of it.”
- Book Reporter

​

Amazon ~ Author's Website

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SNEAK PEEK

The Center

No one speaks when you enter the Center for the last time. There’s no need. You’ve gone through the counseling, tests, and a checklist of preparations to get the plastic bracelet you wear the day of treatment. The one that saves a life. They don’t need to know why you’re doing it any more. Or that you lied about it all. Just the scratch of the stylus as you sign your name on the screen one last time.

A nurse takes me into a room and I lie down on the table. I give her the sealed packet—the only thing I brought with me. There’s cash, meds, and an address inside, the one for “after.” It’s a thousand miles away. She’ll pass it to the companion assigned to me. No point meeting her now.

I’m 21 years old and my name doesn’t matter because it’s about to be erased forever. I’m choosing to forget the ones I love, and myself, in the process.

They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die. But they don’t tell you that every detail comes screaming back to life. That you taste each bite of every meal you savored, feel the shower of every rain you walked in… smell the hair against your cheek before that last, parting kiss. That you will fight to hold on to every memory like a drowning person gasping for poisoned air.

Then everything you knew is gone. And you are still alive.

For now.

Continue reading the first four chapters FREE.

And here she is. . .

"Superior storytelling." - Publishers Weekly

"One of the most gifted novelists writing today." -Steven James, bestselling author

Tosca Lee is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the House of Bathory Duology (The Progeny and Firstborn, currently in development for television),Iscariot, The Legend of Sheba, Demon: A Memoir, Havah: The Story of Eve, and the Books of Mortals series with New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker (Forbidden, Mortal, Sovereign). A notorious night-owl, she loves watching TV, eating bacon, playing video games and football with her kids, and sending cheesy texts to her husband.

You can find Tosca at ToscaLee.com, on social media, or hanging around the snack table. (And be sure to check out Ismeni, the free e-short prequel to The Legend of Sheba!)

Get your copy of The Progeny here: http://toscalee.com/product/the-progeny/ (Kindle readers: now you can enjoy special insights in the author’s highlighted comments!)

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest

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Ends April 21, 2018

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Sneak Peek: Nocturne by Heather McKenzie with Giveaway

NOCTURNE

Nightmusic Trilogy, #2

by Heather McKenzie

Clean Teen Publishing

March 20th 2018 

YA Mystery, Suspense

I am hunted.
A pawn in a vicious game.
The only way I can protect the ones I love…
…is to disappear. 

Finally free of her father, Kaya has the one thing that keeps her heart beating—Luke.
Blissfully content in his arms, everything seems perfect…until their world is shattered by a deadly invasion. When an old ally comes to the rescue, Kaya wants none of it. She is devastated to learn the identity of her attacker, and that she must do something truly heartbreaking if she wants to save the ones she loves. Sacrificing everything and sinking into bottomless sorrow, Kaya finds solace in an unlikely friend—one who shows her a different kind of love, and helps her discover an inner strength she never thought possible. 

A heart-pounding journey of self-discovery, Nocturne is the transformative second installment of The Nightmusic Trilogy by Heather McKenzie.

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Grab book 1 – Serenade – for FREE!
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SNEAK PEEK

I flew out the door into the cool night, took four steps, then stopped—the latest enlightening news about my father had sent me over the edge. Tears burst from my eyes. The last shred of hope I’d been hanging onto that Henry wasn’t all bad had been completely obliterated; he was an actual monster.
I dropped to the curb and put my head in my hands. The rain started falling, lightly dusting my shoulders at first, then becoming a downpour just to add to my misery. I became soaked head to toe, but I didn’t care. I stayed where I was, wishing the rain would melt me into a puddle that would drain into the gutter and then just disappear into the earth…
“You left something in my truck,” said a voice from out of nowhere.
At the edge of my vision was Ben, rain coming down even harder now and pouring off his cowboy hat in rivers. He was holding out a paper bag, which was now soaked. It was the muffin I hadn’t eaten.
“I didn’t want it to go to waste,” he added, eyeing me with concern, then glancing at the café window where I could feel many sets of eyes on my back.
I dropped my gaze back to the gutter. My body didn’t want to move, and I still held out hope that the rain might just wash me away. Ben said something, and then he hauled me up and turned me to face him. He lifted my chin, and I had no choice but to meet his eyes. The rain plastered my hair to my face, mixing with the tears that were spilling out of me with blinding force.
He gave me a weak smile. “I tried to leave. Got in my truck and was ten minutes out of town, but then I realized…” He paused, fumbling for the right words. “I could really use some help at my ranch. Now, the job doesn’t pay much, but you’ll have your own room and all the food you can eat.
You’ll be dry.”
He waited patiently for an answer, but I was so grateful that all my words caught in my throat. He tossed the paper bag with the muffin into the garbage. After a quick glance at the internet café and the white-haired waiter watching from the doorway, his hand firmly latched onto mine. I had the sense I wasn’t being given a choice, I was going wherever this cowboy wanted me to.
“I’m taking you home now,” he said over the downpour.
Home. Home was in Luke’s arms….
The rain was falling in sheets. Since I wasn’t about to turn into a puddle and dissolve, I let the cowboy lead the way.

And here she is. . .

 

Heather McKenzie is the Canadian author of The Nightmusic Trilogy. Also a professional singer/songwriter with five albums to date, she told stories through music for years before falling in love with novel writing. Heather pulls from her extraordinary experiences as a musician to fuel her passion for creating Young Adult fiction. She is a rocker at heart, a mom of three and an aspiring painter. 

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Review: The Second Window by Erica Keifer

THE SECOND WINDOW

by Erica Keifer

Clean Teen Publishing

YA Mystery/Thriller

256 pages

As her senior year flies by on cruise control, seventeen-year-old Olivia Cole yearns for excitement—something her upscale private school no longer provides. Her job as a grocery store bagger isn’t much help…until the day she has a bizarre exchange with the cagey town recluse. When the woman abruptly surrenders to the police, Olivia feels compelled to dig deeper into her perplexing story. But the investigation stalls when Olivia receives another piece of news—Andre Steele, the golden boy of Westmont and her previous tormentor, has unexpectedly returned from his four-year stay in Brazil—and the whole school is buzzing! All at once, Olivia’s dull and predictable life is uprooted, and she wonders if “boring” was so bad after all.

MY TIDBITS

After a smooth glide of building gentle tension, this book suddenly shoots off into mystery pure.

Olivia is a senior and lives in a perfect bubble. Her mother is a successful psychiatrist, her father loving, she has great friends and school life is a breeze. When one of her regular customers at the grocery store, a quiet woman who always comes on Wednesdays, almost sheds tears at the register,  an entire nest of secrets begins to open up. Just as the mystery gets going, an unexpected ghost returns from Olivia's past. Not only does she have to face him, but soon finds herself uncovering information which no one wants her to know—things which turn life as she knows it upside down.

The moment I saw the cover, title and blurb on this one, I wanted to dive into Olivia's world. It wasn't what I expected. While this is a mystery thriller, it's not one that flings itself into dark shadows and high tension right away. The first chapter allows the mystery to begins, but before too many shadows take over, the story quickly reels back into more of a personal, teenage drama, and then launches into the mystery again little by little. The author allows Olivia's insecurities to come around full circle in a bout of teenage drama with a dash of potential romance. . .which seemed a little distracting at first. But by the end of the book, the sense of it flows into the main plot, adding the right amount of self-questioning needed for this psycho-thriller.

The pacing holds steady the entire way through, although much of this is a head-game more than real action. The author establishes the hint of wrongness right away, and then digs into Olivia's head and her own self-esteem issues. The mystery than mounts in dabs making a smooth transfer from Olivia's personal issues into the growing shadows around her. The secrets unfold little by little, meandering just enough to question what is true and what is a lie. While some things are very unexpected, others are easy to predict long before the truth is brought to light. It's a pretty even balance.

The book is engaging enough that it's not easy to set down. Still, the deeper concentration on Olivia's guy problems pulled further away from the mystery than I liked. But this isn't the end of the story. The cliff-hanger ending leaves the mystery open ended with tons of possibilities to follow. I'm hoping that future twists and turns will wrap this early teenage drama into it's cocoon and weave the necessity into a tight web. Either way, I'm excited to see where the author will take us next.

Type X by M.A. Phipps

Type X

by M.A. Phipps

YA Dystopian Thriller

Cover Designer: Nathalia Suellen

Editor: Catherine Stovall (CLS Editing)

Publisher: Seven Sisters Publishing

Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR




No matter what I do, no matter what steps I take to avoid it,

I'm always playing right into somebody's hand.

Playing the role I was destined for.

Two years have passed since her willing return to the DSD, and Wynter Reeves is no longer the timid girl who only wanted to blend in. Strong, confident, and in control of her once debilitating powers, the world trembles at her feet while news of what she's capable of spreads like fire among the State's enemies. As the death toll rises and Dr. Richter further warps her into a weapon of war, Wynter is forced to embrace the daunting reality of what she's become. With the remnants of her humanity hanging on by a shoestring, she must choose between the one sacrifice that could lead to her salvation or the dark path of destruction from which there can be no return.

Torn between two sides of a war she never asked for, will Wynter find her freedom, or will she be doomed to remain a monster forever?

M. A. PHIPPS is an American author who resides near the ocean in picturesque Cornwall with her husband, daughter, and their Jack Russell, Milo. A lover of the written word, it has always been her dream to become a published author, and it is her hope to expand into multiple genres of fiction. When she isn’t writing, you can find her counting down the days until the new season of Game of Thrones.

Author Links:

Official Webpage: http://www.maphipps.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormaphipps/ Official Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/436191730095124/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/authormaphipps Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13682371.M_A_Phipps Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormaphipps/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MAPhipps 
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/authormaphipps/ 
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2sF4HC5 
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/m-a-phipps

Buy Links for Ultraxenopia:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2uZ0fPJ

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ultraxenopia-ma-phipps/1126583754?ean=2940154402023

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/ultraxenopia-project-w-a-r-1/id1245702057?mt=11

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ultraxenopia

Pre-Order Links for Type X:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2DI2QDu

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/type-x-ma-phipps/1124421899?ean=2940154640326

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/type-x/id1336562426?mt=11

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/type-x

Review: You Won't Know I'm Gone by Kristen Orlando with Giveaway

You Won’t Know I’m Gone 

The Black Angel Chronicles #2

by Kristen Orlando

Swoon Reads

YA Contemporary, Thriller

COMING. . .

JANUARY 16th!!!

Reagan has to prove herself to an elite group of special agents—and avenge her mother’s death—in the second book in the Black Angel Chronicles from the author of You Don’t Know My Name.
Going rogue in an effort to rescue her kidnapped parents has cost Reagan Hillis her automatic ticket to the Training Academy. But becoming a Black Angel is the only way Reagan will be able to exact revenge on her mother’s merciless killer, Santino Torres.
When Reagan is given a chance to prove that she’s worthy of training to be a Black Angel, she also gets the first chance she’s ever had to be her true self. No aliases. No disguises.
But when her friend Luke joins her at the Black Angels training compound, Reagan finds herself once again torn between the person she was and the person she wants to be. Reagan has to prove that she’s as good as her parents trained her to be, because she’ll never find Torres without the Black Angels’ help.

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MY TIDBITS

This is the second book in The Black Angel Chronicles. I did not read the first one before diving into this one, and although I was able to fall into the world and characters fairly well, I would not recommend reading these out of order. Much of what happens as well of the relationships builds on the first book, and I wished the entire way through that I had hit that one first.

The story reminded me a little bit of Nakita—in a broad sense. It definitely held tons of edge-of-the-seat fight scenes and kept the tension high the whole way through.

After breaking the rules and perhaps being one of the causes of her mother's death, Reagan not only has to fight her depression but has lost her automatic advancement into the Black Angels. Luckily, she's given a second chance and must now prove her worth in the Training Academy. She might have been an elite, but mourning the death of her mother for several months has not only scarred her psychologically but has left her physically below the rest of the trainees. Only a few will be chosen, and she has to be among this group if she ever wants to take revenge on the person who really caused her mother's death.

Reagan is a wonderful character, full of determination and rough edges. She has to overcome as may inner battles as ones in the Training Academy. Her attitude is harsh at times, but if fits the situation very well and makes her believable. Those around her don't have quite the same amount of depth, but the help the plot keep a quick pace, although this book mainly concentrates on Reagan simply getting through the training year.

The action scenes mostly take place in the academy as she fights to regain her earlier strength and respect. I would have loved to see more than this, but it fits the series flow well. Although the real villain stays an arm's length away, his general presence keeps up the tension the whole way through. The ending happened much too fast and would have greatly benefited from a few more chapters. So, it felt sudden and that, with a cliff-hanger too.

It's a great spy read with lots of thrills and action, and promises to hold much more excitement in the upcoming book.

And here she is. . .

 

Writing is one of the great loves of Kristen Orlando’s life and she has been lucky enough to make it her living, first as a television producer, then as a marketer and now as a novelist. Kristen graduated with a B.A. in English literature from Kenyon College. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with the other great love of her life, Michael. You Don’t Know My Name is her debut novel.

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Happy Book Birthday, The Cutting Room Floor by Dawn Klehr with Giveaway

The Cutting Room Floor 

by Dawn Klehr

October 13th 2017!

YA Mystery, Thriller

Behind-the-scenes secrets could turn deadly for Desmond and Riley

Life in the Heights has never been easy for seventeen-year-old Riley Frost, but when she’s publicly dumped and outed at the same time, she becomes an immediate social outcast at her high school. So Riley swears off romance and throws herself into solving the shocking murder of her favorite teacher, Ms. Dunn.
Riley turns to her best friend, budding filmmaker Desmond Brandt, for help. What she doesn’t know is that Dez has been secretly directing her life, blackmailing her friends, and hoping his manipulations will make her love him. When his schemes go too far, Dez’s web of lies threatens to destroy both of their lives.

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And here she is. . . 

Dawn Klehr is the author of the young adult thrillers: The Cutting Room Floor and If You Wrong Us.
She began her career in TV news and though she’s been on both sides of the camera, she prefers to lurk behind the lens. Mostly, she loves to get lost in stories –in film, the theater, or on the page – and is a sucker for both the sinister and the sappy. She’s currently channeling her dark side as she works on her next book.
Dawn lives in the Twin Cities with her funny husband, adorable son, and naughty dog. 

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Sneak Peek: Carry Me Home by Jessica Therrien

Carry Me Home 

by Jessica Therrien

Acorn Publishing

 September 26th 2017

YA Contemporary, Thriller

“A riveting page-turner… Jessica Therrien broke my heart into a million pieces — and then put it back together again. This book will haunt and uplift readers long after they turn the last page.”
-KAT ROSS, best-selling author of The Midnight Sea

CARRY ME HOME is a fictional novel inspired by the true story of a teenage girl’s involvement in several Mexican gangs in San Jose and Los Angeles. The members of her crew call her, Guera, Spanish for “white girl” and it doesn’t take long for her to get lost in their world of guns and drugs. 

Blurb 

Lucy and Ruth are country girls from a broken home. When they move to the city with their mother, leaving behind their family ranch and dead-beat father, Lucy unravels.
They run to their grandparents’ place, a trailer park mobile home in the barrio of San Jose. Lucy’s barrio friends have changed since her last visit. They’ve joined a gang called VC. They teach her to fight, to shank, to beat a person unconscious and play with guns. When things get too heavy, and lives are at stake, the three girls head for LA seeking a better life.
But trouble always follows Lucy. She befriends the wrong people, members of another gang, and every bad choice she makes drags the family into her dangerous world.
Told from three points of view, the story follows Lucy down the rabbit hole, along with her mother and sister as they sacrifice dreams and happiness, friendships and futures. Love is waiting for all of them in LA, but pursuing a life without Lucy could mean losing her forever.
Ultimately it’s their bond with each other that holds them together, in a true test of love, loss and survival.

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SNEAK PEEK

“You ready for this, Guera?” he asks.
It’s a test, Guera. Only thing I can say is you’re allowed to fight back. Take ‘em out with everything you got.
I’d heard of people being jumped into a gang before, maybe it was Rosa who told me about it. As the girls start to descend from their spots around the room, slowly closing in like encircling wolves, I know what’s about to happen.
The realization takes hold in my chest, a quick plunge of the heart into an icy lake of fear. I back away slowly out of instinct, ready to run, but there’s nowhere to go. The sound of their skittering feet is the first thing I hear before they come at me. Me against all of them. Me against Rose Tattoo and Cigarette Twins. Me against the jealous novias. Ten sets of eyes glinting with the thrill of a fight. I flinch and turn my back to avoid the fists, but they’re all around me. One of them catches me by the shoulders, holding me in place as the other girls hit the back of my skull. My head flies forward, chin to chest.
At first I don’t know whether to swing or cover. I reach up to protect myself, but there are too many points of contact. The rush of adrenaline is intense. It blocks the pain, but there is a fiery need in me to get away. I try and kick or punch, feeling one or two connect, but the girls are everywhere. An elbow slams against my temple. My head splits and my ears ring. I go down.
Every infinite minute of being the enemy feels like it’ll never end.
Someone’s shoe stomps my thigh. Others strike my ribs. I heave and gag until I can’t breathe. But that kind of terror turns me into a resilient kind of crazy. The kind of rabid-mad that is born of desperation. I scrape and flail until I’m on my feet, pulling hair and swinging my fists, making contact with whatever I can. I don’t realize I’m screaming until Toño calls them to a stop.
It ceases the moment the girls hear his voice, and I’m left there shaking and crazed, my breath dragging in and out of my lungs in a feverish effort to return to its normal rhythm. I pant and cry, as softly as I can, but it’s hard to deny my body the relief of all-out sobbing. My head hurts. My brain smashes against my skull with the pulse of too much pressure. I taste blood in my mouth, though no one has touched my face. Now that it’s over, the pain of it all rushes to the surface and makes me want to vomit. I feel like I could die.
Why am I here? Why am I doing this?
“She’s in,” Toño says, and the cheers of the group shock my senses and make me tense up.
They all rush me, and at first I’m terrified it’s about to start again, but instead they hug me and pat me on the shoulder all at once. Each hand on my back or squeeze around the shoulders rocks me with pain, but they’re so happy. Their laughter and cheering is contagious, it flows into me, filling me with a strange sense of pride and belonging. I can’t help my smile when I see their encouraging faces. I even start to laugh.

And here she is. . .

 

Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult series Children of the Gods. Book one in the series, Oppression, became a Barnes & Noble best-seller shortly after its release. Her trilogy has been translated and sold through major publishers around the world, such as Editions AdA (Canada), EditionsMilan (France), and SharpPoint Press (China).
Aside from her Children of the Gods series, Jessica is the author of a kid’s picture book called, The Loneliest Whale. Her award-winning stories can also be found in a published anthology of flash fiction.
Jessica currently lives in Irvine with her husband and two young sons. She is working on an a YA suspense thriller series and a middle grade fantasy series.

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