Virtual Book Tour Events: Weeks of 2/9 - 3/1/14

Virtual Book Tour Events: Week of 2/9-15/14

Monday 2/10/14

Hard Hats and Doormats by Laura Chapman

In association with Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours

Author Guest Post / Book Review / Contest Giveaway

Book Description: Hard Hats and Doormats

Lexi Burke has always been a stickler for following rules and procedures. As a human resources manager for a leading Gulf Coast chemical company, it’s her job to make sure everyone else falls in line, too.

But after losing out on a big promotion–-because her boss sees her as too much of a yes-woman––Lexi adopts a new policy of following her heart instead of the fine print. And her heart knows what it wants: Jason Beaumont, a workplace crush who is off limits based on her previous protocol.

While navigating a new romance and interoffice politics, Lexi must find the confidence to stand on her own or face a lifetime of following someone else’s orders.

Who says nice girls have to finish last?

Tuesday 2/11/14

The Opposite of Normal by Judy Mollen Walters

In association with Author Judy Mollen Walters

Author Guest Post / Book Review

Book Description: The Opposite of Normal

When Rabbi Mark Friedlander moves his teenage children from Manhattan to a quiet town in Northwestern New Jersey after the death of their mother, he hopes for a fresh start, a place for him and his children to heal while he leads a vibrant synagogue that will embrace them. What he gets instead is just the opposite.

His daughter, Hannah, twelve, struggles with grief, loneliness, and what it means to be Jewish as a Chinese adoptee. She wants to fit in, but that's difficult in their new mostly white and Christian town--so she decides to secretly convert.

His son, Aaron, a senior in high school, is applying to Ivy League schools and counting down to when he can leave the small town--until he discovers a shocking secret that threatens his entire future.

Lurking in the shadows is a pastor who says he just wants to support the kids in his congregation, but is that all he really wants?

The Opposite of Normal is about what it means to love and accept, what it means to do the right thing, and what it means to heal after loss.

Wednesday 2/12/14

Secondhand Romance by RoseAnn DeFranco

In association with Goddess Fish Promotions

Virtual Book Blast Event / Contest Giveaway

Book Description: Secondhand Romance

Annie O'Malley's dream of owning a secondhand bookstore in tight-knit Audubon Springs is coming true. Still reeling from her parents' sudden deaths, she believes that signs or messages can be found within the pages of books. She loves her job and has made plenty of friends but longs for the acceptance only love and a family can provide.

Tony Iuliano is there to fix the wiring in her shop. He doesn't believe in fate, magic, or the power of a good book. All this combined with his sexy-as-sin presence and all-knowing attitude infuriates Annie. The quirky bookworm intrigues him enough to accept her bet to read a book from her shop. When he discovers a stack of fifty-year-old love letters in the book, he wants to leave the past alone, but seeing it as a sign, Annie challenges him to read the letters and search for the long-lost lovers or lose the bet.

While shaking the dust off several ill-fated romances and fighting their attraction at every turn, the pair soon become the town gossip daily special. If they can stop arguing long enough, they may just discover this particular sign was meant for them all along.

Friday 2/14/14

Back Forever by Karen Booth

In association with Author Karen Booth

Book Review

Book Description: Back Forever

The sequel to Bring Me Back.

Back together after a painful breakup, Christopher Penman and Claire Abby are looking only to their future. Christopher’s band is making a run at it after a long hiatus. Claire lands a magazine job she never dreamed she could get. Only a ring on Claire’s finger and a baby on the way could make things more complete, and Chris is determined they’ll have everything they ever wanted.

But when Claire’s dad starts behaving strangely, and her teenage daughter feels left out, Chris and Claire’s picture-perfect plans begin to unravel. A piece of devastating news casts doubt on whether they’ll have the life they envisioned. Through everything fate throws at them, Chris and Claire must find the good and hold on to it with both hands. They will have it all as long as they have each other, forever.

VACATION TIME!

Daytona 500 Speedweeks

2/16-25/14

Time to head South to Daytona, Florida for some much needed relaxation and escape from NJ's cold and snowy winter!

Jersey Girl Book Reviews will be back hosting virtual book tour events starting February 28th!

Friday 2/28/14

Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh by Timothe Davis

In association with Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours

Author Guest Post / Book Review

Book Description: Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh

When friendships are threatened, how far will you go to protect it? Jordan Spencer is thirty-six and hasn't had a relationship that's lasted more than six months.

He's cool with that, though. He's got space issues. And what difference does it make anyway? He has his two best friends Gabby and Chris for happy hours, clubs, and weekend hangouts.

But Gabby is falling for a guy that Jordan doesn't like and Chris-the-sex-machine is having a phallic crisis.

Jordan thought that their friendship would last forever. But with each day, they drift further apart. Without Gabby and Chris at his side, Jordan finds himself facing his own emotional loneliness.

Should he fight for the friends who have become his family? Or has the season of their friendship passed? Set to the soundtrack of his life, Jordan Spencer will learn that in a world full of sex, lies, and drag queens that even the best of friends occasionally lie to each other. Sometimes they cry for each other. But in the end, sometimes you just gotta laugh …

******

Shady Deals by Cindy McDonald

In association with Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Publicity Tours

Author Guest Post / Book Review 

Book Description: Shady Deals

Kate West and Dr. Holden Reese have put their troubled past behind them and are ready to set a wedding date. There;s only one thing in Holden’s way: a powerful drug Lord at Keystone Downs Thoroughbred Race Track has Holden under his thumb, and he’s not letting go!

Kate’s family is determined to get to the bottom the of horse drugging ring, and when the West’s get too close to the truth the Drug Lord sends them a brutal message that can’t be misinterpreted. Now Holden is on the run, and he’s dragging Kate with him.

Can he escape his indiscretions?

How long can he keep Kate in the dark?

And how damning will the truth be when it’s finally revealed?

The Latecomers Fan Club by Diane V. Mulligan (Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Goddess Fish Promotions, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for The Latecomers Fan Club by Author Diane V. Mulligan!

Book Review

The Latecomers Fan Club by Diane V. Mulligan

Publisher: Self Independent Publishing

Publication Date: November 1, 2013

Format: Paperback - 198 pages / Kindle - 4406 KB / Nook - 239 KB

ISBN: 1492221996

ASIN: B00GBFVBCY

Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction 

BUY THE BOOK: The Latecomers Fan Club

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions. 

Book Description:

What is it about guys with guitars in their hands that makes them so irresistible, even when they are obviously self-centered jerks? If Abby and Maggie could answer that question, maybe they could finally get over Nathaniel. There’s just something about him when he picks up his guitar and gets behind the microphone, something that makes sensible women act like teeny-boppers instead of rational, self-respecting adults.

Abby was first sucked in by Nathaniel’s rock ’n roll swagger four years ago when a drunken fling turned into a series of drunken hook-ups that became something like a relationship. Now, as New Year’s Eve promises a fresh start, she wants to believe he’s finally going to grow up and take their relationship seriously.

What does Nathaniel hope the new year will bring? An escape from the disappointing realities of his life. He’s thirty-four years old and he’s barely making ends meet as an adjunct philosophy professor, which was always only a back up plan anyway. Nathaniel's real goal was always to make his living as a musician, but his band, The Latecomers, broke up a couple of years ago, and he hasn’t picked up his guitar in months. When he decides to spend the holiday with some high school friends instead of hanging out at the bar where Abby works, he gets the happy surprise of reuniting with his long-lost friend Maggie. Newly divorced, Maggie has just moved back to her mother’s house to regroup.

Nathaniel and Maggie were supposed to be the ones who left Worcester forever to conquer the world. He was going to be a rock star. She was going to take the world of art by storm. He’s never gotten farther than Boston, and her best efforts only left her broke and heartbroken. As they ring in the New Year together, Nathaniel decides it’s time to take control of his life and to start making his dreams come true. He thinks the first step will be easy. All he needs to do is break up with Abby and finally admit his feelings for Maggie. But the new year has more surprises in store, and nothing is ever as simple as it seems.


Book Excerpt:

Of all the possibilities Nathaniel had imagined for New Year’s Eve, he never could have predicted that he’d be kissing Maggie Monahan next to a fire pit in his friend’s backyard at midnight. When he had told Abby that no one interesting would be at the party, he believed it. He thought he would go, hang out with kids he’d known since infancy, get shit faced, and pray the New Year would be better than the old one. He knew Abby was pissed that he had chosen his friends over her, and he had to admit, the scene at Zack’s was likely to be pathetic, hardly a step up from the Watering Hole. But his friends were there, his real friends who looked up to him, who were impressed by his stories about teaching college in Boston, who still believed he was someone special even though his big, starry-eyed dreams had not come true.

At least Abby had to work so he didn’t have to fight with her about his plans. She always wanted to come with him to these things, but he never let her. His friends joked that he must be embarrassed by them. Either that or she was imaginary. The truth: He was embarrassed by her. If they met her, they’d know that however great his stories about his awesome metropolitan life, he was just like them—stuck. Sure, he got out of Worcester, but he wasn’t living his dream, and Abby was proof.

It wasn’t that she was awful—she was cute enough, nice enough—but she was so ordinary, so boring. She had no ambition. She was perfectly happy buying clothes at J.C. Penney, and her dream vacation was a week at Disney World. She wasn’t the love of his life. She was the one he settled for. And thank God she wasn’t with him tonight, because he couldn’t take his eyes off of Maggie.

My Book Review:

The Latecomers Fan Club is an intriguing contemporary women's fiction story that revolves around the complexities of life, love and relationships.

Set in Boston and the suburbs of Somerville and Worcester, the story is told in the alternating third person narrative with flashbacks to the past involving three complex individuals and their complicated love triangle. The reader is introduced to Abby, Nathaniel, and Maggie, who are all struggling in their individual lives and romantic relationships. Abby is a twenty-seven year old bartender, who met Nathaniel, a thirty-four year old adjunct college philosophy professor and struggling musician, four years ago when his former band the Latecomers played at The Watering Hole. Their one night stand turned into a complicated and toxic relationship that seems to be going nowhere. Maggie is a thirty-three year old struggling artist who came back home to Worcester after her divorce. Maggie and Nathaniel were childhood best friends, and even though Maggie had deeper feelings for Nathaniel in the past, he didn't act upon her feelings because he felt that she wasn't "the perfect one." While Maggie worked on New Year's Eve, Nathaniel and Maggie were reunited at a former school friend's party. Nathaniel becomes involved with both Abby and Maggie, and what ensues is a tangled web of emotions, drama, and unexpected trials and tribulations as the complicated love triangle becomes interwoven with their individual struggles and unfulfilled life expectations.

Author Diane V Mulligan weaves an interesting tale that easily draws the reader into the complicated lives of Abby, Nathaniel, and Maggie. The trio's alternating perspectives flow seamlessly as their individual struggles in life intertwines with their complicated love triangle. The author does a really good job of portraying the characters and the complexities of their lives in a realistic way that makes it easy for the reader to relate to. The reader steps into Abby, Nathaniel, and Maggie's lives and is able to see their strengths and weaknesses as they struggle to find the path to love and happiness. I really enjoyed the differences in each of the characters: Abby is young and naive, has never had dreams or goals, and is desperate to hold onto a toxic relationship; while Maggie and Nathaniel are both in their mid-thirties and are disenchanted with the way their unfulfilled lives have turned out, they are struggling to achieve their dreams. I was fascinated with how their lives and relationships unfolded in an entertaining and moving style as each comes to the realization that life doesn't always turn out the way they expected.

The Latecomers Fan Club is a refreshing true-to-life story about the complexities of life experiences and romantic relationships, it is a fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable read.


RATING: 4 STARS ****

About The Author

Diane Vanaskie Mulligan began writing her first novel, Watch Me Disappear, during an after-school writing club she moderates for high school students. She published it in August 2012. It was a 2013 Kindle Book Review Best Indie Book Award Finalist in the YA category. Her second novel, The Latecomers Fan Club, was released in November 2013.

Diane holds a BA in American Studies from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s degree in teaching from Simmons College. When she isn’t teaching or writing, she’s the managing editor at The Worcester Review and the director of The Betty Curtis Worcester County Young Writers’ Conference You can also find her occasionally strumming her guitar and singing at various bars in central Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband.


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Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway

Win A $25 Gift Card 

Amazon / B&N / iTunes

Author Diane V. Mulligan will be awarding a $25 Gift Card to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or iTunes, to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

The tour dates can be found here: 

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/11/virtual-nbtm-review-tour-latecomers-fan.html

A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher (Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Litfuse Publicity, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for A Promise Kept by Author Robin Lee Hatcher!

Enter Robin Lee Hatcher’s Kindle HDX Giveaway & RSVP for 2/6 Facebook Party! 

http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/a-promise-kept-by-robin-lee-hatcher 

Enter Today | 1/20 - 2/6!

Book Review

A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher

Publisher: Thomas Nelson / HarperCollins Christian Publishing

Publication Date: January 7, 2014 

Format: Paperback - 304 pages / Kindle - 1876 / Nook - 2 MB

ISBN: 1401687652

ASIN: B00DNBE9SM

Genre: Christian Fiction / Women's Fiction

BUY THE BOOK: A Promise Kept

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Litfuse Publicity.

Book Description:

God was going to save her marriage, Allison was sure of it. But neither her husband nor her marriage had been saved.

What had become of His promise?

Tony Kavanagh had been Allison’s dream-come-true. They were in love within days, engaged within weeks, married and pregnant within a year. Her cup bubbled over with joy . . . but years later, that joy had been extinguished by unexpected trials.

The day Allison issued her husband an ultimatum, she thought it might save him. She never expected he would actually leave. She was certain God had promised to heal; it was clear that she’d misunderstood.

Now, living in the quiet mountain cabin she inherited from her single, self-reliant Great Aunt Emma, Allison must come to terms with her grief and figure out how to adapt to small town life. But when she finds a wedding dress and a collection of journals in Emma’s attic, a portrait of her aunt emerges that takes Allison completely by surprise: a portrait of a heartbroken woman surprisingly like herself.

As Allison reads the incredible story of Emma’s life in the 1920s and 1930s, she is forced to ask a difficult question: Does she really surrender every piece of her life to the Lord?

Drawing from her own heart-wrenching story of redemption, A Promise Kept is Robin Lee Hatcher’s emotionally charged thanksgiving to a God who answers prayers—in His own time and His own ways.


Book Excerpt:

CHAPTER 1 

Allison

May 2011

This wasn't the life Allison Kavanagh had imagined for herself, but it was what her life had become. Like it or not, she had to get on with it.

She turned the key in the lock.

Hidden away in the mountains north of Boise, the two-story log house—built many decades before but completely remodeled on the inside—was open and airy with a state-of-the-art kitchen, modern efficiencies throughout, and spectacular views of the rugged Idaho mountains from every window. The place had been left to Allison four years earlier in her great-aunt's will. Never in her wildest dreams had Allison imagined she would end up living in it one day. Perhaps Aunt Emma had seen the future a little more clearly than she had.

Welcome to your new home.

A lump formed in her throat, but she fought back the tears. She was weary of crying—it was all she'd done for months and months. Sometimes it felt like years and years. Setting her mouth, she dropped her purse onto the small table inside the front door.

Some of her own furniture filled the living room. She was glad of it. Made the place feel a little less foreign to her. Not that it was foreign to her. She'd visited her aunt's home many times throughout her life, and after it had come into Allison's possession, it had served as an occasional getaway, a place of peace when life's storms became too much to handle.

Dear Aunt Emma. The sister of Allison's maternal grandmother, Emma Carter had been considered somewhat of a "rebel" in the family. Never married and financially independent because of her success as a nature photographer, added to sound investments and careful spending, she'd lived as she pleased. Oh, the stories Aunt Emma used to tell about World Wars I and II, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression. If ever a woman was born with the gift of storytelling, it had been Emma Carter. No wonder Allison had adored her.

"How do I get on with my life, Aunt Emma?" she whispered.

If Aunt Emma were still alive, she would have answered honestly and directly. No mincing words. Emma Carter had never sugarcoated anything for anybody. Not even for her favorite—as she'd always called Allison—and only—as Allison had pointed out in return—great niece. But Aunt Emma was gone. Allison would have to find the answers on her own or muddle along as best she could without them.

She passed through the living room and walked down the short hallway to the master bedroom. The new queen-sized four-poster she'd purchased sat against the opposite wall, bare of bedclothes other than a quilted mattress cover. Staring at the bed, she felt her aloneness afresh. It burned through her like salt in an open wound.

She looked away.

In a corner of the bedroom sat her large desk and credenza. It too was naked. Allison hadn't entrusted her MacBook, large external display, or printer to the movers. Those important items were still in her car in the driveway.

A design deadline loomed closer. She'd best get her office set up and make certain the Internet was turned on as promised by the cable provider. Her to-do list was too long to ignore, even for a few days. And besides, keeping busy took her mind off many less pleasant realities. Immersing herself in work had been her salvation. For years, really, but especially over the past eleven months. Ever since the day she'd uttered her ultimatum.

The lump in her throat returned. She swallowed again.

"Tough love" some would have called her take-it-or-leave-it demand, and she'd been certain tough love was required in the situation. But she'd believed what she said would be that last straw, that illusive bottom, those words that would change everything.

They had changed everything. Just not the way she'd hoped they would. Not the way she'd wanted. Not for the better. Not as promised.

Why didn't You keep Your promise?

It was the most she'd said to God in a while. The ability to pray seemed to have shriveled inside of her. One more loss added to so many others.

With a shake of her head, Allison retraced her footsteps to the living room, went out onto the wide redwood deck that circled three sides of the house, and descended the steps to her pale gold SUV parked in the driveway. From behind the driver's seat she released her dog from his crate and set him on the ground. Gizmo sniffed at his new surroundings.

"You stay close. I don't want an eagle or a bear having you for lunch." The tricolored papillon perked up his ears, and she couldn't keep from smiling. "You're such a good boy."

She'd bought Gizmo from a local breeder to help fill the vast emptiness that had surrounded her after her husband walked out the door, leaving her and her ultimatum in the dust. Having an active puppy around had helped ease the emptiness too. There was always something she needed to do for the little guy—feed him, take him for a walk, give him a bath, let him out to do his business.

She'd read somewhere that owning a papillon meant never going to the bathroom alone, and it was true. Gizmo followed her everywhere. He slept on the unused right side of the bed. He sat near her feet when she ate, a hopeful expression on his face even though she never let him eat table scraps. He curled up beside her on the sofa while she watched television. He lay in his dog bed under her desk when she was on the computer. He was her constant and best companion, and she loved him for making her feel less alone.

Perhaps she would become that crazy old lady who lived in a log cabin in the mountains, talking only to her dog. Or dogs. She could get Gizmo a friend or two. Or maybe she should acquire a half-dozen cats. She could give herself a funky haircut and let it go all frizzy and kinky. She could dress in bright, baggy clothes. But then, who would know if she was crazy or not? Who would see her? A dense forest separated her from her nearest neighbors, and she was miles up a winding highway to the nearest town. Not to mention that her only child, Meredith, lived halfway across the country.

A crazy old lady. She closed her eyes and released a sigh. Forty-five wasn't old, but some days it seemed like it. Some days forty-five felt like ninety.

She went to the back of the Tribeca and opened the rear door. Her LED computer display was in its original box with a handle. She grabbed it along with her laptop case and headed into the house. And for the next several hours, while she hooked up electronics in the bedroom and the living room and otherwise settled in, she managed to keep her thoughts from returning to the sad place they too often traveled to.

That was no small victory.

My Book Review:

A Promise Kept is a beautifully written and inspirational story of faith, love,forgiveness, redemption, and second chances.

After dealing with unexpected trials and tribulations in their marriage, Allison Kavanagh gives her husband Tony an ultimatum: choose what's more important, alcohol or their family. She never expected Tony's choice to walk away from their family. While recovering from the divorce, Allison restarts her life by staying at a beautiful Idaho mountain cabin left to her by her Great Aunt Emma. Allison's journey of self-discovery will lead her to discover Emma's collection of journals in the attic. Emma's journals parallel a common struggle that both she and Allison have endured, a struggle between life's expectations and God's promise, will, and timing. As Allison reads the journals, the grace of God's promise comes shining through and renews her life with hope and faith.

This wonderful story is told in the alternating first person narratives of Allison and Emma, it is an intriguing intertwining of the historical past and the present that easily draws the reader into Allison and Emma's stories. The story flows seamlessly between the two storylines, you can't help but become emotionally attached to the characters.

I loved the story's message and lesson that Allison learned during her journey: God's timing is not our timing, and His ways are not our ways. But He always keeps His promises, sometimes in surprising and even painful ways. Allison learns to love as God wants her to love, and she learns the redemptive grace of forgiveness. If you are experiencing a variety of struggles in your life, this inspirational story is a thoughtful guide that could change your outlook and provide an understanding of how God's grace is working in your life, even if it is not as you would have expected.

A Promise Kept is based on the personal experiences of the author, it is an emotional and touching story of redemption that will pull at the heartstrings.


Rating: 4 STARS ****

About The Author

Robin Lee Hatcher is the author of 65+ novels and novellas. Her home is in Idaho, where she spends her time writing stories of faith, courage, and love; pondering the things of God; and loving her family and friends.


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Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway

Robin Lee Hatcher’s A PROMISE KEPT Kindle HDX Giveaway and Facebook Party!

Don't miss Robin Lee Hatcher's stunning new novel, A Promise Kept. Robin is celebrating with a fun giveaway and an encouraging Facebook Author Chat Party.

 One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HDX
• A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 6th.

Winner will be announced at the "A Promise Kept" Facebook Author Chat Party on the 6th. Connect with Robin and friends for an evening of encouraging book chat, prizes, and an exclusive look at Robin's next book!

So grab your copy of A Promise Kept and join Robin on the evening of February 6th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by clicking JOIN at the event page. Spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway and party via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on 2/6!

Romance Through The Ages: eBook Boxed Set: 7 Romance Novels by 7 Bestselling Authors for $.99

 

For anyone who loves clean romance like I do... Don't miss out on this great deal!

    

Romance through the Ages brings you SEVEN NOVELS from 7 bestselling authors (including New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers). Join us for a fabulous collection.  

*7 Romance Novels, 7 Bestselling Authors, 1 Amazing Price*

99 cent Romance Boxed Set for a limited time only!  

Running Barefoot by NY Times & USA Today bestselling author Amy Harmon!— Deeply romantic and poignant, Running Barefoot is the story of a small town girl and a Native American boy, the ties that bind them to their homes and families, and the love that gives them wings.  

Masquerade by Janette Rallison, who has sold more than 1 million books!— It's hard for a woman to keep up the masquerade when her boss is as handsome as Slade Jacobson and the job takes her to Hawaii with him. In between handling his whirlwind four-year-old daughter and dealing with a whole cast of Hollywood personalities, Clarissa has to keep a tight hold on her heart.  

The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson, Amazon Bestseller!—Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town's charity event, Shelter’s Bachelorette, Taycee Emerson is in for the ride of her life. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it's up to the viewers—not her—to decide which bachelors stay or go.  

Pride and Precipitation by Heather Horrocks, Amazon Bestseller!— Breezy Jones is crazy about the weather, rain or shine, which makes her job as the local television station’s meteorologist perfect. That’s before she meets the attractive new general manager, Noah Drake, who is determined to repackage everything—including Breezy’s down-home delivery.

My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White, Amazon Bestseller!— Lizzie falls hard for Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy character and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. When she meets two men, Chad—a science teacher, and Matt Dawson—who looks and acts like Mr. Darcy, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.  

She Owns the Knight by Diane Darcy, Amazon Bestseller!— Why does Gillian Corbett have to travel seven hundred years through time to find a decent guy?... Why can't Sir Kellen Marshall find a lady who is obedient, submissive... or at least not trying to kill him?  

Heart of the Ocean by Heather B. Moore, Amazon Bestseller!— A dark secret . . . a grieving ghost . . . a handsome stranger . . . What more could Eliza Robinson want? Except for maybe her life. When Eliza discovers that Jonathan Porter’s dark secrets may be the link between the dead woman who haunts her and her aunt’s murderer, Eliza realizes that Jonathan is the one man she should never trust.

Grab your copy for just .99 cents!

Come To Me Quietly by A.L. Jackson (Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Author A.L. Jackson, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for Come To Me Quietly!

Book Review

Come To Me Quietly by A.L. Jackson

Book 1: The Closer To You Series

Publisher: New American Library (NAL)/Penguin

Publication Date: January 7, 2014

Format: Paperback - 384 pages / Kindle / Nook

ISBN: 0451467965

ASIN: B00DGZL2M6

Genre: Contemporary New Adult Romance

BUY THE BOOK: Come To Me Quietly

AMAZON

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BOOKS A MILLION

INDIEBOUND

KOBO

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BUY THE SERIES: The Closer To You Series

Book 1: Come To Me Quietly

Book 2: Come To Me Softly (Publication Date: July 1, 2014)

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

BOOKS A MILLION

INDIEBOUND

KOBO

GOODREADS

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Author A.L. Jackson.

Book Description:

From the acclaimed bestselling author of Lost to You and When We Collide comes a new adult novel of one woman’s obsession: a man who’s as passionate as he is elusive—and as tempting as he is trouble.…

Aleena Moore is haunted by Jared Holt. It’s been six years since she’s seen her brother’s best friend, the self-destructive bad boy she secretly loved in high school. As the years pass, she knows it’s time to move on. Time to decide between a practical nursing degree and her true dream as an artist. Time to get over Jared and give another guy a chance…

Just when she opens her heart to her friend Gabe, Aly returns home to find Jared sleeping on her couch. The teenage boy she loved has grown into a man she can’t resist. Covered in tattoos and lost in rage, he’s begging to be saved from his demons—the memories of the day he destroyed his family. As the two reconnect, their passion is hot enough to torch Aly’s judgment. But can she risk her future for a man who lives on the edge of destruction?


Book Excerpt:

Jared

What the hell was I doing?

Everything about this situation was wrong. Aly kneeling in front of me. Touching me. She was close, too close. I could taste her breath, and I kept catching hints of that fucking delicious coconut body wash I’d used last night. Somehow it smelled a thousand times better on her.

These urges constantly hit me, and I couldn’t help imagining what it’d be like to bury my nose in the haven behind her ear, to press my mouth at her jaw, to tangle my hands in her hair. Against my better judgment, which could so easily be called into question, anyway, I gave in. Took a little.

I was always so good at taking.

The strand of hair I tugged between my fingers was soft, like silk against my callused skin. The action should’ve been innocent enough. I remembered doing it often when we were children, just a small act of affection to let her know it was okay she was there. There was never anything more to it than that.

But I knew better now, knew it would stir the need I’d felt in the pit of my stomach since I found her backed against that wall last night, since she’d driven me half-mad in her kitchen this morning, since I’d stumbled into her apartment like the piece of trash I was tonight. Somehow she still found me worthy, kneeling in front of me as if I deserved even a scrap of the attention she gave me now.

With her head down, she attended to the wounds on my other hand. I allowed my gaze to fall, to trace the face I wanted to trace with my hands.

I didn’t think I’d ever felt intrigued by a girl before the way I was now, had never wanted to crawl inside someone’s mind to dig through her thoughts, to find out who she was. Why she was. Aly’s green eyes were both fierce and soft, her touch both intent and gentle. She was kind, yet she didn’t hesitate to call me out on my shit. She made me itch and squirm, made me want to run and want to stay.

She began taping up my second hand, forging this little truce between us, steadily sucking me deeper into a place I knew I shouldn’t go.

But I couldn’t stop it.

There was something about being alone with her in the seclusion of this apartment that I liked, like maybe we were sharing some kind of secret that no one else could touch.

A distorted sense of security.

For just a little while, I wanted to drift in the delusion.

I watched her as she worked. Every couple of seconds, she glanced up at me with those eyes that seemed to know more than they should.

Aly shifted closer. I attempted to scoot back without her noticing, but she tugged on my hand. “Would you hold still? You’re worse than a two-year-old,” she said.

Was she oblivious of what she was doing to me? Every time she moved, her chest brushed against my knees, and damn, if it wasn’t the greatest temptation I’d ever had to endure. Did she know how badly I wanted to touch her? To take a little more? Maybe take it all? My thoughts raced ahead, and I wondered what she’d do if I edged off the couch and laid her back on the floor. Would she stop me? Or would she allow me to feed off her compassion and goodness? Would she let me wreck her? Destroy her? Because that was the only thing I knew how to do.

I sucked in a breath and held it. No fucking way was I going there. Not with her, even if she was the only girl who’d ever made me feel like I had to have her. The first who’d ever made me want. That in itself was a pretty damned good reason to stay away from her.

That and the fact that she was Aly.

My Aly.

She sat back on her haunches. Her smile was soft when she looked up at me. “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Thank you,” I said honestly, because it’d been a long time since anyone had taken care of me. It hurt to think of the last time someone had.

“You’re welcome.” Her voice was quiet, and she sat there, just staring at me, a lot like we had last night, although now things seemed completely different.

“You’d better get some rest. It’s really late,” I said. I’d lain flat out on the hard ground for hours while I let myself sober up to the point where I could at least get myself back to the apartment, and I hadn’t come crawling up the stairs until three in the morning.

“Yeah, you’d better, too.” She sounded a little disappointed.

Her delicate hands pressed into the couch on the outside of my legs as she helped herself to stand. This time her hair did brush against my chest. We both froze with the contact, and she looked down at me, her face three inches from mine. She hovered there, her eyes searching.

Motherfucking trigger.

I wet my lips and found my voice, although it was heavy with strain. “Please go to your room, Aly.”

Blinking, she nodded before she pushed herself the rest of the way up. She paused at her door, whispered, “Good night,” and then disappeared inside her bedroom.

My Book Review:

Just when you think that your heart and emotions are safe, author A.L. Jackson pulls out all the stops and creates a new amazing and breathtakingly beautiful series that will once again tug at her readers' heartstrings!

In Come To Me Quietly, the first book in The Closer To You series, the readers are introduced to Aleena (Aly) and Jared's story.

Jared Holt is a tragically tormented and broken soul  who can't escape his destructive past. Aly Moore has followed Jared and her older brother Christopher around since she was five years old, her admiration for Jared grew into an unconditional love for him when she turned fourteen. Is Aly's unending love for a beautifully broken boy enough to save him from himself?

Come To Me Quietly is a beautifully written story that is full of heartbreak, tension and angst intermixed with hope, love, healing and redemption. Set in Phoenix, Arizona and told in alternating first person narratives with flashbacks to the past, the reader follows the emotional love story of Aly and Jared. From the first page the reader is drawn into Aly and Jared's lives, where they are held captive as this incredible story unfolds with traumatic life experiences, trials and tribulations, and an unconditional love that is destined to send the reader on a thrilling emotional roller coaster ride, only to leave them breathless and wanting more.

You can't help but fall in love with this heart wrenching story. Author A.L Jackson has a way of creating the most complex and damaged characters, and in this story I think she has hit the jackpot with the broken, tormented, and self-destructive tattooed bad boy Jared, who believes that he doesn't deserve happiness. Aly on the other hand is a strong, kind, compassionate, patient, and loving girl who has a way of touching Jared's soul like no other person can. After six years of being apart they are reunited, Aly is the trigger to Jared's past memories wrought with tragedy, hurt feelings and open wounds, he can't keep running away from his past forever, only she and true love can give him hope and help him heal.

The reader follows Aly and Jared's emotional journey as they are reunited and their budding relationship slowly builds with tension interwoven with attraction, a tug-of-war that is dramatic and intense, and oh so romantic. The connection that they shared throughout their childhood is breathtaking, you can't help but think that they are truly soul mates, they simply complete each other. But can they survive the past and move forward together, or will Jared's self-destructive ways send their love in a fatal tailspin?

Come To Me Quietly is a deeply emotional read that you won't be able to put down ... but alas, the reader is left wanting more as Aly and Jared's complicated love story continues in Come To Me Softly, the second book in The Closer To You series.


RATING: 5 STARS *****

Come To Me Quietly - Book Trailer

About The Author

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Pulled and When We Collide.

She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.

Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.


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Virtual Book Tour Schedule

 Come To Quietly by A.L. Jackson ~ Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway

Be sure to enter the COME TO ME QUIETLY Blog Tour Giveaway!! 

Grand Prize: A.L. Jackson Complete Signed Paperback Collection (all six titles) + Come To Me Quietly Poster and swag.

Second Prize: Come To Me Quietly Collection, which includes a signed copy of Come To Me Quietly, a Come To Me Quietly poster, keychain, and custom bookmark.

Third Prize: A.L. Jackson Fun Pack stuffed full of A.L. Jackson book swag.

Fourth Prize: Audiobook Gift Set from Audible.com of The Regret Series (Lost To You, Take This Regret & If Forever Comes.

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All kinds of fun stuff will be given away ~ ebooks, gift cards, and much more! 

EVERY DAY from January 7th – February 7th!!

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