My Clueless Broken Heart by Jennifer DiGiovanni

My Clueless Broken Heart

A School Dayz Novella

by Jennifer DiGiovanni

YA Romance

Becca Thornton is clueless when it comes to love. Why else would she break up with Will Gamen, a boy at the top of the hottie short list for every other girl?

Because, if she’s being totally honest, Becca will admit the truth. Her heart belongs to someone else. For as long as she can remember, Travis Brennen has been unavailable. When Travis unexpectedly rolls back into town, Becca realizes for the first time that her feelings for him might be mutual. But Travis and Becca come from what he calls “different circumstances.” Becca’s parents are world-famous scientists and Travis’s dad is the caretaker on the Thornton family’s estate. Still, Becca can’t change the way she feels about him, no matter how hard her parents try to keep them apart. She’ll just need to find a way to prove to her parents that Travis isn’t the guy they’ve always assumed him to be. Becca’s earned the right to grow up, make her own choices, and fall in love, even if she ends up with a broken heart.

Get the book for free on Amazon today!

And here she is. . .

Jennifer DiGiovanni is a freelance writer and YA author of the School Dayz series. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, working on home design projects, or trying to meet the daily goals on her Fitbit. She also likes to try new sports and activities, from archery to ballroom dancing, with varying degrees of success.

Twitter: @JenniferDiGiov2

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Sneak Peek: Holdfast by Kate Carter

HOLDFAST

by Kate Carter

 December 14th 2016

YA Science Fiction, Thriller

Once they’d do anything to keep her safe. Now they’ll do anything to kill her.
The discovery of a genetically twisted corpse on her latest stepfather’s ranch in the Badlands of Forsaken triggers a desperate and brutal race against time for eighteen-year-old con artist Ariel Tesla when her loving stepbrothers are turned into monstrous killers with a single purpose: to hunt Ariel down and destroy her.
Running for her life, the one person she can turn to for help is the last person in the galaxy she can trust, former mark Hale Carrow. She needs a ship to get off the planet, fast; he wants revenge on the girl who broke his heart.
To save the family she never thought she wanted, she’s going to have to gamble on the boy she betrayed, or no-one’s life will ever be the same.
And hers will be over.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT

The human body can only handle so much stress. Ariel knew how this went. If she stopped, she wouldn’t be able to start again. She’d crash, and then she’d be at the mercy of anyone or anything that came along. Despite the danger of stopping, she found her steps slowing. It wasn’t, however, the exhausted halt she battled with every step, nor the jagged, stumbling, end-of-the-line finish she yearned for. It was a graceful, taut arrest of movement, up on the balls of her feet, body quivering, nerves screaming.
The mech shed was in sight, a shade beyond comfortable sprinting distance, dead ahead. She was out in the open, visible from every angle. Flat land stretched around her, rising to bluffs ahead and to her left. She turned, poised and scanning, all exhaustion forgotten.
A full circle sweep. Nothing. She stared over at the bluffs and jumped with a punch of sudden shock when a group of ferrokirrim broke over the ridge and bounded down the slope, scattering scree. A mother and her almost full-grown cubs, she registered. Heading right for her.
They’d take her down in a second. She’d be dead a second after that. In half an hour, she’d be a memory. She wasn’t ready to be a memory. She wasn’t ready for any of this, damn it. She bent her knees as they thundered her way, all the while thinking, What, are you going to wrestle them? There was nothing on the planet of Forsaken fiercer than a mother looking out for her cubs. Ariel braced.
They ran past her.
They ran right past, giving her a wide berth. She felt the mother’s eyes flick over her, dismiss her, then urge her cubs on with a spine-ruffling grunt.
Ariel straightened slowly, staring after them. They were running away from something.
What in hell would scare off a mother ferrokirrim?
A rock bounced down the scree slope.
Ariel counted the strikes. Three, then silence again. She did not want to turn and see what had knocked it loose. She didn’t have a choice. She turned.

All about. . . 

Kate Carter writes science fiction and fantasy, and lives in the UK. You can stay up to date with Kate's books through her Amazon author page.

Website / Amazon

Cover Reveal: Behind the Lens by Cassandra Giovanni with Giveaway

The cover is designed by Gio Design Studios. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours.

BEHIND THE LENS

Boys of Fallout #2

By Cassandra Giovanni

YA/NA Coming of Age

COMING. . .

MARCH 14th, 2017!!!

Natalie Scott's life is simple with no strings attached. As a band photographer, she's made metal music her life, and life on tour means no relationships.

At least not ones that last and that's the way she likes it.

She only has one rule.

Don't date or otherwise screw around with the client.

But she never said anything about love.

Brent Andrews knows Natalie's rules.

And he's about to make sure he's an exception to them.

All of them.

Even ones she didn't know she had.

You can find Behind the Lens on Goodreads

You can pre-order Behind the Lens on Amazon.

Excerpt

I scrunch my nose up as I look at the door hanging open for us. "It's going to be a love fest in there, isn't it?"
Brent scratches his chin. "Honestly, every time the girls have shown up, I've had a girlfriend--so I've never really paid much attention."
I swallow, looking down at my shoes before looking over at him. "Was it a love fest for you?"
He blinks at me a few times, his lips in a stern line. "We don't just start fucking all over the bus."
I throw my hands up. "Hey, I know how it is. You haven't gotten laid in a few months and you get to see your significant other--"
"Is that all you think we think about?" he asks, a slight smirk on his face. "Or is that all you think about?"
My face burns red, and I shake my head. "No--not at all."
"Brent?" a woman's voice calls at our backs.
"Tay!" Brent replies as he turns, pulling her into a hug. "It's good to see you!"
Tay smiles as she pulls away from him. "I forgot how lovely you guys smell right after you get off stage."
I watch as Brent's face turns red, and he puts his hands in his pockets as he rocks on his heels. "Sorry, I haven't gotten a chance to shower."
She punches him in the shoulder. "Seriously, Brent? Believe me, Kie smells no better than you do. Speaking of which, where is he?"
Brent glances at me and then to the woman. She has long blonde hair curled into waves with ice blue eyes that are anything but cold. She smiles as she looks over at me, holding out her hand. "I'm sorry, this was rude of me--you must be Natalie, the photographer? I'm Taylor, Kie's girlfriend. Everyone calls me Tay."
I shake her hand. "You're the first one to actually introduce yourself to me. The other girls didn't even notice me at all."
She laughs, running a hand through her hair. "I'm sure if I saw Kie, I would've ignored you too!"
I nod over my shoulder. "Brent, go take a shower. I'll help Tay find wherever Kie ran off to."
Brent narrows his eyes at me, and I smile up at him. "You do smell."
He blinks at me. "And you smell any better?"
My eyes widen and he puts his hands up before backing slowly onto the tour bus.
"I'm sorry if I smell," I say as I look down at my damp tank top.
Taylor laughs. "You definitely don't smell like any of them do."
"Thanks," I reply. I nod towards the building. "I think he went somewhere inside the venue."
We fall into step with one another and she looks over at me with a slow smile. "So you...and Brent?"
My face burns and I feel a cold sweat building on my spine. I tell myself it's just the difference in temperature between the air-conditioned backstage and the heat of Arizona outside.
"No, not at all," I reply, and my voice cracks.
Because I'm thirsty. Who wouldn't be after the workout that is doing show photography?
She bites her lip. "Sorry, I didn't mean to assume--"
I put a hand up, laughing a bit too high pitched. "Believe me, I've gotten used to people assuming that."
"So do you?" she asks, biting her lip as she looks at me.
"Like him?" I finish her sentence.
She closes her eyes as we walk further into the venue and shakes her head. "You don't have to tell me. We don't know each other...It just seemed like you do."
An awkward silence falls over us, and I clear my throat. "Uh, I think I saw Kie go this way. All these places are so different -- crazy mazes."
I hear a muffled noise that sounds like Kie and head towards the door I think it's coming from. I open the door to peek my head in and blink as I stare at Kie with a half naked girl wrapped around him and his pants at his ankles. His eyes meet mine, going wide before I slam the door shut.
Taylor stands back behind me, and she swallows, staring at the closed door. "Anything?"
My hands go into fists as I try to control my facial expression. "Place has rats apparently."
Her eyes drop to the floor, and she nods. "Sometimes they do."
"Maybe he made it onto the bus by now?" I say, linking my arm in hers. Guilt washes over me as I try to act like I saw nothing.
Her body is stiff, and I can tell by the blank look in her eyes that she knows the way Kie is. "Sure, if not, I'm sure he'll make his way there eventually."
Silence falls over us as we make our way towards the bus. My chest tightens as I glance over at her, and I bite my lip before asking, "So it's that obvious?"
Taylor shakes her head, looking over at me and her friendly eyes have a dark hint to them as does her tone when she replies, "What?"
I feel the need to distract her from whatever is going on in her head.
"That I might be..." I suck my lips into my mouth before admitting, "A tiny bit attracted to Brent?"
Taylor bursts out laughing. "A tiny bit? And who says it's only obvious one way?"

Get book 1 in this series!

Book one in this series Out of Beat is available now! You can buy a copy on Amazon

And here she is. . .

Cassandra doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. Besides being a writer, Cassandra is a professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

For regular updates visit Cassandra’s website and sign up for her newsletter.

You can find and contact Cassandra here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Instagram
- Newsletter

GIVEAWAY!!!

There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of Behind the Lens. One winner will win a swag pack including bookmarks and postcards (US only). And an ebook copy of the both books in the series, Out of Beat and Behind the Lens by Cassandra Giovanni.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sneak Peek: Squirrel Superhighway by Anna C. Morrison

Hot off the press! Anna C. Morrison's SQUIRREL SUPERHIGHWAY is released from Guardian Angel Publishing! Please leave a comment to let her know you stopped by?

SQUIRREL SUPERHIGHWAY: IT’S GOOD TO BE A DOG
by Anna C. Morrison
Guardian Angel Publishing
Children’s Picture Book
16 pages
ages 3+

Squirrel Superhighway features a dog on a self-discovery mission who is surrounded by many graceful squirrels. This is a vocabulary booster in a series of feel-good stories for children of all ages and those who read with and to them. The story includes squirrels, more squirrels, even more squirrels, and a dog who wants to be a squirrel!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

And here she is. . .

Anna C. Morrison is an author of children’s books, including Silly Moments and Green Gooey Goop, with many more to follow.  She is also an adjunct professor for multiple colleges and universities, both face-to-face and online.  While she instructs various levels of English composition, she also teaches classes on literature, film, feature writing, and technical writing, among others.  In addition, she has worked with Adapt Courseware as a writing consultant on three video course projects, including college skills and composition.  Anna received her MFA in Writing from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, and her BA in English, Creative Writing, from California State University, San Bernardino.  Anna is an active member of SCBWI and is available for book signings.  She lives in Southern California with her family and pets.   

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS

Review: Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING

Daughter of the Pirate King, Book One

by Tricia Levenseller

Feiwel & Friends

YA Fantasy

320 pages

COMING. . .

FEBRUARY 28th!!!

A 17-year-old pirate captain intentionally allows herself to get captured by enemy pirates in this thrilling YA adventure.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

Debut author Tricia Levenseller blends action, adventure, romance, and a little bit of magic into a thrilling YA pirate tale.

MY TIDBITS

Never trust a pirate, especially in this high-tension tale where sword fights and stormy waters are nothing compared to deception's games.

Alosa isn't just a pirate, she's the feared pirate king's daughter. When she lets herself get captured to fulfill a task for her father, the circumstances - which would be horrifying to anyone else - are nothing more than an adventure. Or so she thinks.

I'd heard a lot about this book and was excited to get my hands on it - although I wasn't sure it would be something I'd enjoy. The first chapters swept me away.

Alosa isn't only capable, she's a real treat. She knows her strengths, and she knows she's clever. For her, dangerous situations are all fun and games. Even though she borders on arrogant, she's simply a ton of fun. Her fearlessness puts even the bravest pirate to shame, but it's her secret heart of gold which rounds off the sharpest edges of her personality. 

The other characters in the book are rich with personality, each demonstrating very distinct characteristics. They come to life, creating a crew which calls for dread and humor at the same time. Especially the dialogue exchanges are a joy to read-packed with sarcasm, hidden messages and stabbing humor. Alosa dances with her words around everyone, but finds a few who match pace and make for a dangerous game.

There's never a boring moment as the sea and the pirating world come to life. Alosa goes from one high-tension moment to the next, often with very bloody and deadly stakes. This book is heartless in that respect. Pirates die violent deaths, and there isn't a twitch of regret. Pirating life is not a dainty past time, and that is clear in these pages. Alosa plays her part of deception like a master, but she isn't the only one - and it's this tension which grabs hold the entire way through.

Secrets come in layers, but in this rough world, it's the softer ones which are the most dangerous. The author does a great job of making these moments not only a facet of intrigue but creates a needed warmth to make the characters sympathetic. It's hard not to root for them, even with horrendous acts. Things like romance gain an extra edge, since even this aspect isn't clear cut. Not even at the end. 

The only thing which bothered me was the heavier twist into fantasy toward the end. Although the story didn't lose pace through it, it weakened Alosa's character and strength. But this is a very personal opinion, which others probably won't be bothered by in the least.

Summed up, this is an exciting read which takes to the seven seas and back again. The wit is a real treat. Fans of adventure are sure to enjoy this one.