Blog Tour: The Wrong of Side Kai by Estelle Maskame

The Wrong Side of Kai
By Estelle Maskame 
Release Date: September 19th, 2019

Publishers: Ink Road

Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 304
Goodreads: Add to TBR

 

Vanessa Murphy doesn't do relationships.

With a father who doesn't notice her, it's easy for her to sneak around with her latest fling, Harrison Boyd. But when an explicit video of Vanessa hooking up with Harrison is leaked the morning after she ends things with him, her life is thrown into chaos.

And Vanessa wants payback. Enter Kai. With his own vendetta against Harrison, Kai proposes revenge, and the two pair up to ruin Harrison Boyd's life. At first, they are nothing more than an illicit partnership. Teammates working towards the same mission.

But – between late-night stakeouts and crime committing – Vanessa is drawn into Kai's life. And, as the two grow closer, she finds herself letting Kai into hers.

Extract from The Wrong Side of Kai

There’s a few minutes until first period, so everyone is milling around in the hallways, a constant buzz of voices as everyone talks about the killer weekend they just had. My guess is that Madison Romy’s party is the hot topic. Half the senior class was there, and those Westerville Central football players turning up and kicking off a brawl definitely makes for some serious gossip.

But I notice something is off. As I squeeze my way through bodies, I can feel it. The pressure of a thousand eyes on me. I keep my head down, trying my best to ignore it, pretending I’m imagining it.

But no, I’m seriously not.

I slow down, lifting my gaze to look around. Even so, it’s not immediately obvious. People are moving around, pushing past me, groups of friends leaning against lockers lost in their own conversations. But I still catch the quick glances. The subtle sniggers. The one group of junior guys that busts out into laughter as they all turn to look at me. What the hell?

I give myself a quick once over just in case I’ve been walking around with my bra on show or the zipper of my jeans open – at least that would explain Malone’s weird remark – but nope, nothing. Did news spread that Harrison and I are done? That he kicked me out of his truck and left me behind at Heritage Park? Sure, it’s gossip, but it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like we were actually dating, and I didn’t think people cared that much about Harrison and me.

I keep my head down and continue along the hallway to my locker. My heart is beating faster than usual as I fumble with my combination. I taped a mirror to the back of my locker door in freshman year, and it’s always been a lifesaver. I scan my appearance once more, but my hair is fine, my makeup is fine, my clothes are definitely fine, everything is fine. So why the hell is everyone looking at me so weird? And now that I think about it, why have I walked the entire length of this hallway without anyone talking to me?

“Looked like you had fun at Maddie’s party,” a deep voice says from behind.

I spin around so fast my elbow clunks against the metal lockers and I find myself face to face with Anthony. Noah is by his side, a few other guys from the team huddled in close behind them, pretty much trapping me against the lockers. It’s suffocating, but I’m not surprised. They’re Harrison’s friends. They’re going to taunt me the same way they did when I first cooled things down with Noah. That’s what guys do – it’s that dumb pack mentality they have.

“Um, yeah, I did actually,” I say, and they all snicker, their laughter ringing hollow in my ears. My eyebrows furrow as I watch them exchange knowing looks, rolling their eyes and generally behaving like the dicks they are. I’m not sure what’s so funny.

“How come you never once gave me a striptease?” Noah asks, leaning in close as he juts out his lower lip like a kid feeling left out. He places a hand on my hip, and the smile he gives me is gross. “I would have been cool with that, you know.” Anthony and the guys cackle, their laughter howling down the hallway so loudly that it echoes.

I grit my teeth and shove Noah’s hand off me. Fucking Harrison telling all his friends about our business. It’s not like I don’t know guys talk about this stuff. Hell, I do the same with Chyna, but still. The thought of half the football team knowing what gets me off makes my stomach churn.

Slamming my locker shut, I push my way around Anthony’s bulky frame and walk away from them, my pace quick. My heart is thumping too hard in my chest. I’m freaked out.

“Oh, come back, Vanessa!” Noah calls after me. I know most of the people in this hallway are listening at this point, and my cheeks are scorching red with heat. “Anthony wants his turn on the Murphy-Go-Round! He’s heard it’s a great ride.”

Assholes. I hate what they’re insinuating. Sure, I like to fool around, but what’s so wrong with that – besides inevitably dumping any guy who ends up asking for more from me? It’s fun. I can take my pick of the hot guys. I like the excitement. The guys act as if I have a list with a hundred different names on it, when the reality is there’s only a few. I’m pretty sure Noah has hooked up with too many girls in this school to count, including me, so to hell with him and his double standards. Those standards aren’t mine, but I’ve learned to accept that they’re just the way things are. I make sure the remarks I get every once in a while don’t bother me anymore.

But they bother me today.

As I push my way down the hall, I hear that stupid word: Slut.

I don’t catch who says it. Some girl, but I don’t even try to pinpoint who the voice belongs to. My mind is in a whirl. Something’s going on. Something bad. I can feel it in the air. An odd sense of me versus the world, like everyone in this goddamn school is against me. I feel powerless, exposed; my skin is as thin as tissue. What’s worse is, it’s usually the exact opposite. I don’t know where this feeling has come from, but suddenly I want to curl into a ball, making myself as small as I can be, and hide.

{Blog Tour} The Caged Queen (Iskari #2) by Kristen Ciccarelli

Posted by Donna
Release Date: September 25th, 2018
Finished Date: September 19th, 2018

Publishers: Gollancz
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: paperback

Pages: 400
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo 

 

Once there were two sisters born with a bond so strong that it forged them together forever. When they were angry, mirrors shattered, and when they were happy, flowers bloomed. It was a magic they cherished - until the day a terrible accident took Essie's life and trapped her soul in this world.

Dax - the heir to Firgaard's throne - was responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roa's people had suffered. Roa made him a deal: she'd give him the army he needed if he made her queen.

Together with Dax and his sister, Asha, Roa and her people waged war and deposed a tyrant. But now Asha is on the run, hiding from the price on her head. And Roa is an outlander queen, far from home and married to her enemy. Worst of all: Dax's promises go unfulfilled. Roa's people continue to suffer.

Then a chance to right every wrong arises - an opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Relinquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa can reclaim her sister for good.

All she has to do is kill the king.

The Review: The Caged Queen is the second book in Kristen Ciccarelli’s Iskari series and this time around we have Roa and Dax’s story and don’t worry, this book features some very interesting old stories that keep you captivated from start to finish.

The starts only a few days have passed since the events of The Last Namsara so as a reader you really don’t miss out on anything. I was so pleased when I finished The Last Namsara I had this book ready and waiting for me because I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

Both characters are in the first book so, it was nice to already be familiar with them. Dax is Asha’s brother and Roa is Dax’s new wife. They married to join their forces together to overcome the Dragon King. I really wasn’t sure what their story would bring. There is a lot of miscommunication between the pair and as a lot of history to uncover as well. They each don’t know if they can trust the other and both having to play a role made for a lot of drama and suspense to the story while you could see that these two characters deeply character for one another.

What made this book for me was that we got chapters from the past from when the characters were younger. It made me understand their friendships and relationships with each other as well with Roa’s sister Essie. It made me root for these characters all the more, I wanted them all to have that happy ending that they all deserved. But I also love how each characters story is linked with the other. Even though Asha and Torwin aren’t a big part of this story, they stories are still entwined and brings the story all together.

I was literally on the edge of my seat the whole time while reading this book because it’s just so captivating and compelling. The authors writing is so addictive that I wish I’d savoured this book more but it was simply impossible to put down.

The Caged Queen is a fantastic follow up to The Last Namsara. These books are definitely a favourite of mine and I’m dying to hear news on the third book because I just can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Thank you to Gollancz for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

{Blog Tour] Night Owls by Jenn Bennett

Posted by Donna
Release Date: August 13th, 2015
Finished Date: July 16th, 2015

Publishers: Simon & Schuster UK
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: ARC

Pages: 272
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Since school had let out in May, gold graffiti had been popping up around San Francisco. Single words painted in enormous golden letters appeared on bridges and building fronts. Not semi-illegible, angry gang tags, but beautifully executed fonts done by someone with talent and skill...

Meeting Jack on the Owl—San Francisco's night bus—turns Beatrix's world upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive...and possibly one of San Francisco's most notorious graffiti artists.

On midnight rides and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is. But Jack is hiding much more - and can she uncover the truth that leaves him so wounded?

The Review: What a super cute read! Seriously this book left me with the biggest smile on my face!

After missing her normal bus Beatrix has no other choice but to catch the dreaded Owl night bus that everyone hates. So when she meets Jack - a gorgeous guy she seems to click with - it definitely made the journey worthwhile. But as her and Jack are about to part ways, Bex discovers something about Jack when a gold can of spray paint rolls out of his bag. Surely he can't be the one leaving graffiti tags all over San Francisco? Bex is compelled to know more about Jack and so when she finds him again and she finds out he's also been looking for her, they embark on a journey of discovering each other and their love of art.

I hadn’t heard of Night Owls until it arrived through my letterbox but as soon as I read the synopsis I just knew it was one I had to read. It sounded slightly similar to Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley and I adored that book, so I definitely had high hopes for this and I’m pleased to say Jenn Bennett doesn't disappoint one bit!

There’s just something about this book that once you start you simply don’t want to put it down. It’s almost magical and the words just seem to flow right off the pages. It’s well written and I loved the mixture of fun and serious moments that was added. It gave the story the right blend and kept my emotions going up and down like a roller coaster.

The characters are quirky and super cute. They're also both very unique. While they have several things in common the biggest one is their love of art and so art is the main feature of this book and I really enjoyed it because both of the characters love art in their own way and they express it in their own way. I really loved the connection between Bex and Jack. It was an instant connection but not insta-love - I loved that. It made me appreciate their story more. They banter back and forth which is so entertaining to read. And even some of their later scenes together are adorable too - swoon-worthy even. Jack is perfect! I don't think I've swooned over a character like him in a long time! I smiled a lot during this book. It's impossible not too.

In all, Night Owls is definitely a special read and it's one I will definitely be recommending to all of my book friends!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster UK  for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Jenn Bennett’s Book Stack

Today, just for you, dearest reader, I pulled twelve random books from my bookshelf. You’ll find them here, as seen with my handsome pug, Iorek. (Don’t trust that sweet face, for he is truly wicked and most evil. And yes, he was named after one of my favorite literary characters, Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear from the His Dark Materials series.) Some of the books in my stack are related to my YA debut, Night Owls, and some are not. From the top of the stack to bottom, here are the books:

My Crowd, Charles Addams

Dry wit. Hilarious stuff. My character, Bex, mentions the Addams Family. (People at school call her Morticia because she likes to draw anatomy, and therefore assume she must be gruesome. She’s not.)

Infinite City, Rebecca Solnit

This is a terrific compendium of San Francisco atlases. A wonderful Bay Area author friend, A.J. Larrieu, gave this to me. I could stare at it for hours.

Colored Pencil Bible, Alyona Nickleson

My first love is art, and I do a lot of colored pencil drawings. This is a great resource.

Reading Egyptian Art, Richard H. Wilkinson

I’m a fanatic about Ancient Egypt and have been since I was a wee tike.

Struwwelpeter, Heinrich Hoffmann

I was born in Germany (my father was in the U.S. army and was stationed near Frankfurt when my Swedish mother was knocked up with me), and this book of cautionary tales for children scared the bejesus out me when I was a kid.

Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley, Peter Guralnick

In my book, my hero, Jack is obsessed with rockabilly music. Cool, young Elvis (we’ll forget about bloated, old bedazzled Elvis for now) wasn’t just a brilliant musician, he also had a great pompadour.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling

Yes, I have them all. Yes, I own all the movies. No, I have never dressed up as Luna Lovegood, I mean, uh…

Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles

Man, I loved this YA romance. The Latino hero is total swoons.

Graceling, Kristen Cashore

One of my fave romantic YA fantasy books. Only, I wish the ending had turned out differently. (Look,  I’m a hopeless romantic, okay?)

Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones

Love, love, love this book. Total charmer. Old favorite of mine.

Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater

She’s brilliant. I like her Raven Cycle the best.

Flapper, Joshua Zeitz

I write books for adults about the Roaring Twenties. I’m mad about that era, so I have a whole collection of books about it, if you ever need to borrow one.

AUTHOR BIO: 

JENN BENNETT is an artist and RITA-nominated author who writes books for adults and teens, including the award-winning Roaring Twenties romance series (Bitter Spirits) and the Arcadia Bell urban fantasy series (Kindling the Moon). Her first YA contemporary romance, The Anatomical Shape of a Heart, (aka Night Owls in the UK) will be released in 2015. She lives near Atlanta with one husband and two evil pugs. Visit her at www.jennbennett.net.

Want to be notified when her next book is coming out? Join her mailing list: http://eepurl.com/V5il9

{Blog Tour} This Is One Moment (Come Back to Me #2) by Mila Gray

 

Posted by Donna
Release Date: September 10th, 2015
Finished Date: August 2nd, 2015

Publishers: Pan Macmillian
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: Unknown
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Didi Monroe’s waited her whole life for the type of romance you see in the movies, so when Hollywood heartthrob Zac Ridgemont sweeps her off her feet, Didi believes she might finally have met the one.

While Zac’s away filming for the summer, Didi begins her internship at a military hospital in California. There, she meets wounded Marine Noel Walker.

Frustrated on the outside and broken on the inside, Walker’s a pain-in-the-ass patient who refuses all help.

Yet Didi can’t help but be drawn to him, and though he’s strictly out of bounds it soon becomes impossible to ignore the sparks flying between them.

As the attraction simmers into dangerous territory, Didi finds herself falling hard for a man she knows is going to break her heart. Because Walker doesn’t believe in love or happy ever afters. So what possible future can there be?

Then tragedy hits, shattering both their worlds, and Didi is forced to choose between fighting for love or merely falling for the illusion of it.

The Review: Being a huge fan of Mila Gray/Sarah Alderson I find myself always looking forward to a new release from her and waiting for This is One Moment was no different, especially when I found out it was centered around Didi.

Didi whom we first meet in Come Back to Me has always been a romantic at heart. So when she meets Hollywood heartthrob Zac Ridgemont, Didi believes she's possibly found the one she's supposed to spend her life with. It's not until Didi beings her new internship at a military hospital that she meets Noel Walker - a marine with a wounded body and heart. Didi find some connection to Noel but he's struggling to come to terms with his new life. But with Zac in the picture and Noel being her patient, can Didi choose between her love for each guy?

This Is One Moment is a great follow-up to Come Back to Me. Although it can be read as a standalone because it's about a different set of characters I would still always advice to start with Come Back to Me because you can get the back story on Didi more and see what happened before. I've always been a fan of Didi so I'm pleased she finally got her story told. 

Didi is a great character. She's caring, honest and has a great soul. Being a romantic at heart she's always on the lookout for love and it's kind of typical it comes at the same time. For me there was simply no contest between Zac and Noel. The more I read about Hollywood heartthrob the more the characters become predictable and boring - this is how I felt about Zac. I didn't like him. I didn't want to like him because I wanted Didi to be with someone more down to earth and that person was Noel - even despite the problems he had. It's understandable that someone that has come back from war would be struggling with the events that happened and with any injuries that they had have. Noel's character was written perfectly. He's not perfect by any means and he has struggles and mood swings, but I felt his character was written well. He and Didi have a slow burning relationship that comes with time and patience and Didi was fantastic with Noel. I really liked the two together! 

The story has a few twists that will keep you guessing but it's also a story about hope, love and loss that will easily capture your heart. Well done Mila Gray for another fantastic story! 

Thank you to Mila Gray & Pan Macmilliam for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.                                     

Mila Gray's thoughts on the cover for This is One Moment.

I was really worried before they sent me the cover design for This Is One Moment because I wasn’t sure it could ever live up to the cover for Come Back To Me which was so amazing and which received a lot of love. So I was very nervous when they sent it through to me and opened the email with a sense of trepidation. But I was instantly relieved. 

I love how this cover riffs off Come Back To Me, with a similar style and tone, but also has its own strength. Both book covers brilliantly depict the different characters. In this case Walker – who is a Marine. He’s dark haired, gruff, tall, physically imposing. And Didi, the girl who falls in love with him.

I think what we were striving for with both covers was a sense of illicit and steaming hot passion that’s underscored by tenderness and romance. The books are undeniably hot but I’m much more interested in the intricacies of love than in portraying sex without emotion and I wanted that to come across in the covers. They also wanted to make it feel very summery because both books are set in California.

Probably the one thing that doesn’t come across though is the level of heartbreak and loss. Both books are much more than light summer romances – they both tackle quite hard material – death, war, trauma, grief, mental illness – as well as being about first love, relationships, sex and family.

I hope the covers and the blurbs are enough to make people pick the books up and read them!

AUTHOR BIO

Mila Gray is the pen name for Sarah Alderson, author of Hunting Lila, Losing Lila, The Sound, Fated and Out of Control.
Originally from London she has lived in Bali for the last four years with her husband and daughter.
As well as writing young adult fiction under the name Sarah Alderson and adult fiction under the name Mila Gray, she also writes screenplays.

You can find out more at www.milagray.com and on facebook: www.facebook.com/sarahjalderson

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{Cover Reveal} Science Geek Appreciation Week Event by Kelly Oram

Welcome to Day 2 of Science Geek Appreciation Week with Author Kelly Oram! If you missed yesterday's post about The Avery Shaw Experiment, you can check it out HERE. And don't forget to stop by the Facebook party for all kinds of extra bonus material, games and giveaways. There's a new giveaway every day. CLICK HERE TO PARTY! Now... On to the cover reveal for The Libby Garrett Intervention! The Spanish Fork High Science Squad is back in this hilarious and heartwarming companion novel to The Avery Shaw Experiment.

The Libby Garrett Intervention
By Kelly Oram
Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Publishers: Self Published
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 272
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Libby Garrett is addicted to Owen Jackson's hot lovin'. But the sexy, popular college basketball player doesn't appreciate all of Libby's awesomeness. He refuses to be exclusive or even admit to people that they're dating. The relationship is ruining Libby and she's the only one who can't see it. 

When Libby's behavior spirals completely out of control, her best friend Avery Shaw and the rest of the Science Squad stage an intervention hoping to cure Libby of her harmful Owen addiction. They put her through her very own Twelve Step program—Owen's Anonymous—and recruit the help of a sexy, broody, hard as nails coffee man to be her official sponsor.

Adam Koepp has watched Libby Garrett for years. How could he not notice the sassy girl with the purple skateboard and helmet plastered with cat stickers? But in all the years he's crushed on her, Libby has failed to take notice of him. Why would she when he was just a nobody high school drop out who served her apple cider several times a week? Especially when she was hooking up with a guy like Owen Jackson—a guy with a college scholarship and more abs than Kyle Hamilton.

Adam finally gets the chance to meet Libby when his co-worker Avery Shaw recruits him to take Libby on the journey of a lifetime. With his ability to play Bad Cop and his experience with the Twelve Step program he's the perfect candidate to be Libby's sponsor. But will he be able to keep his personal feelings out of the matter and really help her the way she needs? And will Libby hate him when he forces her to take an honest look at herself?

This follow-up companion novel to The Avery Shaw Experiment can be read as a stand alone. (But where's the fun in that?) ;)

Teasers

Libby

Avery sighed. “This isn’t an attack, Libby, it’s an intervention.”

My head snapped Avery’s direction.  “Homegirl says what?”

Avery smiled again, but this time it was full of determination. “You have a problem, Libby. We’ve all come here tonight because we love you and we’re worried about you.”

“Okay, someone definitely cooked up something special in the chem lab or something. You’ve all officially gone mental. I’m not on drugs.”

Avery shook her head. “But your relationship with Owen is just as destructive.”

I’d heard enough. “An intervention?” They were comparing me to a drug addict and saying Owen was my crack? “I came here to apologize to all of you and this is what I get?” I jumped to my feet. “This is such equus ferus feces!”

I bolted for the door and got about three steps before Adam intercepted me, blocking the way like a lean, tattoo-covered wall of attitude. He stood in a typical bouncer’s stance with his feet shoulder width apart and his arms folded across his chest. Though he wasn’t particularly tall or bulky, he was still intimidating. I glared up at him. “And you’re a gluteus maximus!”

Adam’s face pulled into a frown and he looked to the group to translate. Aiden grinned. “That’s Libby speak for ‘This is horse shit’ and ‘You’re an ass’.”

Adam brought his gaze back to me, and I kept up my glare, refusing to take it back. I waited for him to flip out on me, but was shocked when his lips twitched as if he was fighting a smile. I had to be wrong, though, because there was no way this jerk had a sense of humor. “Get out of my way.”

He face hardened again. “You sit that luscious little gluteus maximus of yours back down on that couch right now,” he said, “or I’ll put it there myself.”

It really does not happen often, but I was rendered completely speechless. I was also unable to move, save the way my eyes tripled in size as I gawked at him. He gave me a dry look and added, “Capisce, Cider Chick?”

Adam

When I looked at Libby, she shrugged as though she was as helpless in this situation as I was. “Help me, Coffee-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”

It was so Libby.

“Okay.” I prayed I wasn’t making a huge mistake.

Kate and Avery both squealed and pounced on me, giving me hugs. I was still wary, but their energy was contagious and I cracked a smile.

“Thank you, Adam,” Avery said. “You really, really are the best. Is there any chance you could get started tomorrow? Libby managed to say no to Owen tonight, but if we don’t help keep her distracted tomorrow, she’s going to end up in his very expensive hotel suite tomorrow night.”

And just like that, all my reservations about this disappeared. I was all in, and failure was not an option. Libby was never going to end up in that jerk’s bed ever again if I could help it. “Tomorrow’s as good a day as any. I’m off work at two.”

Libby was already at the door trying to escape, but she stopped before turning the knob. “Actually, I need you ready to go at seven thirty in the morning. Avery already cleared it with your boss. He was more than happy to take your shift. He said he’s been trying to get you to take a vacation day for months.”

My head reared back. “You cleared my schedule tomorrow?”

Libby looked me right in the eyes and grinned wickedly. The smile did something to my insides. “You’re mine tomorrow, Coffee Man,” she purred jokingly.

I stopped breathing. Hers. Yes. Yes I was. Heaven help me, but I was hers. This was so bad. If I wasn’t careful Libby Garrett was going to break me. I had to take control of this situation fast. I don’t know what kind of look I had on my face when I stalked across the room toward her, but her eyes widened and she backed up until she bumped into the door. “You’ve got that all wrong,” I said, placing my hand on the door beside her head, trapping her in front of me.

I’d meant to intimidate her a little, but when she sucked in a breath and shivered, I lost control again. I leaned in a little too close and my next words accidentally came out in a possessive growl. “Starting tomorrow, Cider Chick, you are mine.”

This follow-up companion novel to The Avery Shaw Experiment can be read as a stand alone. (But where's the fun in that?)  The Avery Shaw Experiment is only $0.99 right now. So why wait until October to meet Libby when you can fall in love with her right now for only a dollar?

 Download The avery Shaw Experiment at Amazon * iBooks * B&N * Kobo

For more bonus material, teasers, games, and chances to win things like signed books and swag stop by the Facebook event, happening now through Friday.

Click Here to Party!

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About Kelly Oram:

Kelly wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy. 

Contact Kelly: http://www.kellyoram.com/

https://twitter.com/kellyoram

{Blog Tour} I Knew You Were Trouble (Jessie Jefferson #2) by Paige Toon

I Knew You Were Trouble 
by Paige Toon
Release Date: July 30th, 2014

Publishers: Simon & Schuster UK 
Genre: YA Contemporary

Pages: 320
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Life as the undercover daughter of a rock god isn't going to be easy. 

How will Jessie adjust to her old boring life again after spending her summer living it up with her dad in LA? 

With tough decisions ahead (and not just choosing between two hot boys), can she cope juggling her two very different lives? 

Summer may be over, but Jessie's story is just beginning…

Paige Toon playlist: Jessie Jefferson series. 

Ever since writing my debut novel Lucy in the Sky back in 2006, I have loved working to music. The song that really sums up Lucy in the Sky for me is ‘When You Were Young’ by The Killers. For Johnny Be Good, it’s Kings of Leon’s ‘Sex on Fire’. Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ kicked off the whole plot idea for One Perfect Summer (my male character Joe is the Adele in that story, the actor who can’t stop thinking about the girl – Alice – who he fell for before he became famous). 

Sometimes I love listening to a song so much that it makes an appearance in the book. In the case of The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson, I was so into ‘This Modern Glitch’, an album by The Wombats, that the band and their songs got several mentions. 

Jack is wearing a Wombats band T-shirt when Jessie first meets him. He even talks about going to see them in concert in LA. In fact, when I wrote that part of the story, The Wombats hadn’t planned a European tour, so I admit I was actually feeling a little envious towards a fictional character! I saw them in Amsterdam in March in the end – the best gig I’ve ever been to. 

Read on for my Jessie Jefferson playlist – featuring songs from both books in the series so far: The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson and I Knew You Were Trouble. I hope you get a chance to listen to some of them while you’re reading. No surprises for who’s at the top. 

Lots of love, Paige x 

Jump into the Fog and Tokyo by The Wombats Jessie thinks of ‘Jump into The Fog’ when she’s flying through the smog cloud into LA to meet her dad for the first time, and she hands Jack the record when he’s DJ-ing at his sister Agnes’s birthday party in The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson. In I Knew You Were Trouble, Jessie requests ‘Tokyo’ at Natalie’s crush’s party because it reminds her of Jack. 

I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You by Black Kids Jack impresses Jessie with his mixing skills with this song when he first DJs at Agnes’s party in Accidental Life. It also gets a mention in Trouble because it’s just so incredibly catchy and always on my go-to writing playlist. 

Running Up That Hill ¬– the Placebo version This dark and sexy song was Jack’s choice of music when he takes Jessie up to his bedroom for the first time in Accidental Life. They make out to it on his bed… 

I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift This song was played over the sound system at the Hollywood Hills party that Jessie goes to with Johnny and Meg in Accidental Life. Jessie had just been warned by a bitchy girl that Jack is ‘trouble’, so she laughs when the song comes on. Needless to say, it also inspired the title for the second book. 

Live While We’re Young and Kiss You by One Direction Jack has a tattoo that is similar to Zayn Malik’s from One Direction. Jessie teases him about it, but he bets her that he got his done first. Later he jokily sings her some lyrics from these songs, but forgets most of the words. 

All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix Jessie hears this super cool song blaring out of Jack’s stereo in his bedroom when she goes to visit his sister Agnes in Trouble. It sort of sums up his taste in music. 

People Are Strange by The Doors This is played at teen actress Lottie’s Halloween party in Trouble. The song was on the soundtrack for classic vampire movie The Lost Boys, and when Jack and his band members come dressed to the party as blood-suckers, their mate on the DJ decks whacks on this song. 

Never Tear Us Apart by INXS This song was played at Jessie’s mum’s funeral, and when it comes on during a drunken game of SingStar in Accidental Life, Jessie gets very upset. She flees and Tom comes to find her – it’s the first time they properly talk. 

A few more… 
Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs Hang Me Up To Dry by Cold War Kids (Rock) 
Superstar by Cypress Hill Live Forever by Oasis (Jack mashes these last two songs together) I Bet You Look Good on The Dancefloor by Arctic Monkeys 
Katy Perry’s California Girls 
The Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition 

I’m sure I’ve missed out loads, so if you spy any more while you’re reading, please tweet me @PaigeToonAuthor!

AUTHOR BIO: 

I was born in 1975 and my dad’s career as a racing driver meant that I grew up between Australia, England and America. I worked at heat magazine for eight years as Reviews Editor, but left to have a baby. I’m now a full-time author and freelance journalist. I live in North London with my husband Greg, son Indy and daughter Idha.

{Blog Tour} Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

Posted by Donna
Release Date: July 16th, 2015
Finished Date: July 5th, 2015

Publishers: Simon & Schuster UK
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 320
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Oliver's absence split us wide open, dividing our neighborhood along a fault line strong enough to cause an earthquake. An earthquake would have been better. At least during an earthquake, you understand why you're shaking. 
Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. But now Oliver is back, and he's not the skinny boy-next-door that used to be Emmy's best friend. Now he's the boy who got kidnapped. A stranger - a totally hot stranger! - with a whole history that Emmy knows nothing about. 
But is their story still meant to be? Or are they like the pieces of two different puzzles - impossible to fit together?

The Review: Emmy and Oliver is a story about friendship, love and loss and it easily captures your heart with it's emotional plot. 

Since they were born, Emmy and Oliver have been as close as best friends can be. But when Oliver is kidnapped by his father, Emmy's world is rocked and that's including the town she lives in. Everyone feels the loss from Oliver's disappearance and from that moment on, nothing is ever the same. But years later Oliver is found but he's not the same boy Emmy used to know. But once they start spending time together, they realize they may not be the same people now but that might be a good thing too....

Emmy and Oliver is such a well written story that it's simply impossible not to enjoy it. It's a touching YA contemporary read that has a serious plot that adds to the emotional aspect of the story but also has such a sweet romance that really makes this a great story. I felt it was realistic to the events that were happening around the characters and the author did a fantastic job writing about the serious issues. I always find I enjoy stories more than deal with issues that are more common in our world nowadays such as kidnapping because it also spreads awareness to the readers. So bravo! 

Emmy was such a great character. She's very understanding and has the patience of  a saint. Her overbearing parents drove my crazy sometimes but I could see why they acted the way they did. But Emmy was just such a lovable character. 

I really felt for Oliver's situation and I really felt his emotions to the events were realistic. He's torn between right and wrong. He's torn between two parents but more importantly he's torn between two different versions of himself. The before and after. It was hard for him. But Emmy made things easier for him and watching their friendship blossom again was so good. It was so good to read their journey together. 

In all, Emmy and Oliver is a great read and certainly one I'd recommend this year! 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

INSPIRATION FOR EMMY & OLIVER 

by Robin Benway

I wish that I had a great story about divine inspiration, how I was driving along one day and BAM! I got hit by this wonderful idea for a new story. But the truth behind EMMY & OLIVER is that it's a book that took its time becoming an actual book.

I worked on it off & on over the course of four years, but it wasn't until I sat down and really started thinking about who the characters were that I discovered the story behind Oliver's kidnapping. I read an article in the Guardian about parents whose children were taken in international abductions, and that really helped form Emmy & Oliver's mothers, two women who both witnessed this terrible incident and had to still go on with their lives.

In the very beginning of a first draft, Emmy was originally a cross-country runner. However, several summers ago, my mom and I took surfing lessons together (she's great, I'm not), and I realized that our girl Emmy was a surfer. Making that change in her character really helped the whole book come together because not only did Emmy have this talent, but it gave the book its seaside setting.

I grew up near the beach and spend a lot of time there now, and there's something about a beach community that feels different. For me, writing books that take place in my hometown feels natural, like I'm revisiting all of my old haunts with new characters, and I really wanted both Emmy & Oliver to be in the ocean waves, figuring out how to be friends again in the midst of Oliver's sudden return back home.

One of the most difficult things I've learned about writing a book is that you can't wait for inspiration. If you want to know how your characters think, feel, and act, you have to step up to meet them, which means sometimes you have to start writing them before you know who they are. That's how it was with EMMY & OLIVER, and while I'm so glad that the book is finally making its way out into the world, I miss the times that I spent with my characters.

AUTHOR BIO: 

I'm the author of "Audrey, Wait!", "The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June", and the AKA series. My new book "Emmy & Oliver" will be released on June 23, 2015. I live in Los Angeles with my extremely stubborn shih tzu, Hudson. I've gotten a lot better at cooking. I still love coffee. We should be friends.