Cross Drop Review Tour

Blurb:

Nikki

I’m not a saint. Never claimed to be. I’ve played the game and scored my fair share—both on and off the field. This is why I should have known better than to fall for a hockey player. But I did. I fell fast and hard.

Now I’m left with the painful consequences, reminded every day of how reckless I had been by giving him my heart so easily—so willingly. Dalt broke me in the cruelest of ways, and because of him I’ll never be able to love again.

Dalt

Nikki changed me. She made me want to be a better man. My days playing off the field were over because she owned every little piece of my heart…until she left, leaving behind a gnawing ache where my heart used to be.

Now she’s back, and it’s painfully clear she hates me, ignoring me, pretending like I’m nobody to her. But that’s just too damn bad. I want answers. I want a goddamn explanation.

And most of all…I want her.

Excerpt:

“Hey.” The intelligent greeting the only thing I could think of to say.

When she looked up and hit me with those baby blues I had to remind myself to breathe.

“Hey.” One word. That was it and she started walking off the field toward the field house. I stood baffled for a moment. I’d never had a problem talking to a girl before and they usually didn’t walk away from me when I did. I ran to catch up to her.

“Great game. You were amazing out there.”

“Yeah, thanks.” She just kept walking, even picked up the pace like she was trying to get away from me.

“I’m…I’m Dalt by the way.” Like an idiot I stuck my hand out to shake hers. She stopped and stared at my outstretched hand but didn’t make a move because her hands were full with her bag and some of the equipment.

“I know who you are, hockey boy.” The words ‘hockey boy’ came out like they

tasted sour on her tongue. And she started walking away from me again. I couldn’t believe it. When I caught up to her, she stopped and turned to me.

“What do you want, hockey boy?” She threw me off my game so bad, I think I stuttered.

“I…um…your name would be nice for starters.”

“For starters?” She quirked a brow.

“Then I thought you might like to get a beer or a burger or something at the Thirsty Whale.” She scanned my body from head to toe and back up. Then the damnedest thing happened.

“No thanks. I don’t do dates. Not looking for a boyfriend. I just like to, you know, keep my options open.” Say what, now! Had she just turned me down for a date?

My Review:

3 stars

To start off, I’m not a big sports person at all, so I was more interested in the romance here than the sports, which was a big part of the book, which partially affects my review. Just an FYI before we get started.

Now then…the beginning started off shaky, with the characters coming across as shallow and over-the-top about how amazing the other was. Once the drama kicked in though, the story picked up and hit its stride. Seeing the characters grow due to their circumstances was nice. My favorite part was the humor in the writing and character interactions, which bumped this up to a solid 3 for me.

While I enjoyed the story, I did have some issues with it. The miscommunication behind their breakup was flimsy at best, so I felt a little cheated on that storyline. In addition, I was a little irritated with Dalt’s reactions, particularly to Nikki’s secret, especially since I felt he was partially to blame. Yes, she should have told you, but she had her reasons, and you never bothered to check in with her. So, I was a little irritated with how that was handled and Dalt in general.

All in all, this was an okay read for me, though I would recommend it to sports romance readers.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

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Author Bio and Links:

As a lover of the northeast US, Elizabeth moved with her husband to the Poconos several years ago to open a Chiropractic Clinic. Four children and a menagerie of animals later, she has finally found time to fulfill her lifelong dream of writing novels. The wild ride of writing books is one of the most difficult things she’s ever done in her life. But the opportunity to get her stories out of her head and down on paper and send them out into the world is also one of the most wonderful things she’s ever done. A dreamer at heart, romance is the genre she spends most of her time writing and reading into the wee hours of the morning. And having readers fall in love with her characters as much as she does is almost as exciting as giving birth (just not as painful!) When not juggling work responsibilities and writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking the beautiful hills and woods around her home, swimming, knitting, watching old classic movies and travelling.

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Take a Chance on Me Review Tour

Blurb:

Kate Zell and Brody Carlson have been best friends since elementary school. Their relationship had always been easy. Both of them loyal to a fault, they had been there for each other through everything: heartbreaks, hangovers, and tragedy. So when Kate needs a place to stay for three months, Brody doesn’t think twice about agreeing. After all, they had known each other forever. Would could go wrong living with his closest and oldest friend?

Apparently, everything. Three months in a small apartment becomes more than complicated. Brody shouldn’t be attracted to his dorky best friend…he most definitely shouldn’t. That would be absurd. She’s a relationship girl and he’s more a one-night-sans-clothes kind of guy.

One drunken dare of strip poker changes everything. Suddenly, two people with too much to lose play a dangerous game. The unapologetic playboy and the girl-next-door have a choice to make, if only their pasts didn’t keep getting in the way of their future.

Excerpt:

“I have to bat. Don’t punish me too much, please?” She puppy-dog eyed me before jogging off. She hit a solid single to right field and jumped up and down, so excited that she slipped off the bag.

“You good?” I shouted, not even trying to hide my laughter.

“Emotionally bruised. That’s all.” She brushed the dirt off her ass and ran like a fool when the next person hit a triple. She jogged up to me, out of breath with her hands on her knees. “Lay it on me. What do I have to do?”

“Go on a date with me. Don’t overthink it.”

“Wait, that’s it?” She looked up at me with a furrowed brow. “A date?”

“Yes.”

“You? On a date? With me?”

“Yes, that is typically how it works, right? Or is that not what people do anymore?”

“But…Brody.” She shook her head and kicked the dirt, running her foot back and forth. “It’s you.”

“What does that mean, exactly?” Anger crept up my chest.

“You don’t do ‘dates.’” Her little air quotes pissed me off.

“I don’t really care what I do or don’t do. You lost the bet. Your punishment is a date. End of, Shorty.” I ran a hand down her arm, squeezing. “Turn off your overactive brain.”

A smile broke through her barriers, and she bit her delicious lip. “Okay. When?”

“You’ll get details at a later date.” I puffed my chest and tried not to appear too smug.

“Oh, so your people will call my people?” She snorted, shoving me in the side.

“You realize I do have people, right?”

“Oh, my God. I forgot. You do.”

“So, I need to hear a yes.”

“Sure. I guess. I don’t have a choice.” She grumbled and picked up her glove to walk to her car.

“No, you don’t.”

My Review:

4 stars

This was such a fun book. I loved the characters, especially Kate and Brody. Kate just cracked me up, and Brody was right there with her. Their chemistry was amazing, and I couldn’t help but root for them from the get-go. The plot was entertaining and interesting as well, but my favorite part was the humor. I lost count of how many times I laughed while reading this book. Whether it was the teasing between two old friends or the crazy shenanigans they got into, I was chortling from start to finish. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a funny, lighthearted romance. Just be prepared to laugh a lot while reading.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

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Author Bio and Links:

Jaqueline Snowe lives in Arizona where the “dry heat” really isn't that bad. She enjoys making lists with colorful sticky notes and sipping on coffee all day. She has been a custodian, waitress, landscaper, coach, and a high school teacher. Her life revolves around 200 high school kids, her two dogs who don't realize they aren't humans, and her wonderful, baseball-loving husband.

Visit http://www.jaquelinesnowe.com/ to find out more about the author and her writing. She loves to hear from readers—so don’t be shy, send her a message!

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Finding Shawn Blog Tour

Synopsis:

Shawn and Alex have been friends since first grade.

Alex, the rock star quarterback, appears to be basking in the limelight of his success and his new romance with Pam.  But appearances can be deceiving.

Shawn is the key man in the football team’s solid defense. He’s also the senior class’ most eligible bachelor. But Shawn has no time to get involved with a girl—at least, that’s what he tells his friends. 

In reality, he does have a love interest… Tony Valito. 

Side-by-side, the relationships between the two couples blossom.  One in the open. The other in secret. That is, until Shawn’s world erupts when the rumor that he’s gay gathers momentum.

In trying to find Shawn, perhaps his friends will end up finding themselves. And everyone will discover how dangerous are the lives of high school athletes.

Excerpt:

Alex makes a fist with his free hand and brings it to his mouth. He blows hard into it. He’s holding back a tidal wave of emotion.

Coach Roberts sits down next to Alex. “Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? You look like hell.”

“I can’t,” Alex mutters.

“Sure you can, Alex. We can take it from here.”

Alex slams his feet firmly on the floor. “Sure you can. I can’t. But you can.”

The coach is confused. “What are you saying, Alex?”

It’s been eating at him for hours. He blurts it out. “My best friend was lying on the floor, bleeding to death, and I couldn’t do anything. Not a damn thing. And I didn’t stop Peter and Dan when I had the chance. And now Shawn is in there and you want me to go home and go to bed. This sucks. I suck.”

Joe goes over and kneels down in front of Alex. “Don’t do this to yourself, Alex. There’s plenty of guilt to go around. Right now we need to be strong. We need to be strong for Shawn. And for Pam. And for Julia. There’ll be plenty of time to point fingers. But not now.”

Buy Links

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Laying Down the Tracks to Finding Shawn

Finding Shawn started out as a simple story that I wanted to tell, about the bullying of a gay teen by a high school athlete.  But along the way the two primary characters, Alex and Shawn took on lives of their own. And as I started exploring their friendship the characters just sort of exploded. It happened when I tried to understand their relationship. Why were they best friends? What bridge existed between them? 

Enter Pam, Shawn’s sister and confidant. How would she handle having a gay brother under the claw of an overbearing cop father? And how would keeping Shawn’s secret from Alex, her boyfriend, effect their new romance?

How did Shawn meet his love interest, Tony, and was Tony worth jeopardizing his reputation and potential athletic scholarships?  And how would a macho group of football players destined for greatness handle the outing of one of their own? As I began to answer these questions the book suddenly became so much more fun and exciting.  It was like weaving together a road map into the unknown.

Along the way, I pondered how the story would develop and how people would react in different parts of the country.  There was no doubt that this story and the way these characters responded might be different if this had happened in the deep south or in a very rural conservative community.  Utica, NY is a mix of inner city and backwoods. There are night clubs and bars that host a punk band one night and country western the next night. Utica also has a very depressed economy. The 2008 depression hit Utica back in 1998. It’s number one industry is tearing down abandoned buildings.

So it was a perfect setting for a sports centric community that revered its winners while it ignored their flaws. Of course sitting in the spectator seats is not the same as showering with a guy. What would his teammates do?

After the first few chapters, the book started to write itself. Scene after scene just flowed out. Shawn, Alex, Tony and Pam were real people with their own personalities and skeletons in their closet. And what they did, how they reacted to the fast paced events was dictated by those personalities and experiences. 

So please, jump in and meet my friends Shawn, Alex, Tony and Pam. They’re all great people. I hope you get to like them as much as I do.  And I hope that Finding Shawn will touch you in many ways. I look forward to your feedback and questions.

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About the Author:

PHIL MARCELLO started writing as a boy in the sixties. Growing up in the projects wasn’t easy, but reading and writing were a couple of healthy vices he picked up along the way. Life happened, but Phil never entirely lost his interest and over the years, he started, but never finished, over a dozen stories.

Fortunately, he saved them all and now has the time and desire to complete them. Phil knows it will take years, but as he enjoys writing and views it as his art form it’s a labor of love he gladly undertakes.

PHIL MARCELLO can be found at:

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