Monday, July 28, 2014

Darkness Falls: Reveler Series by Erin Kellison

AnnMarie's Reviews

Book Review Corner
Darkness Falls by Erin Kellison
(Reveler Series – Book 1)


SYNOPSIS

Agent Malcolm Rook is hunting for people with the rarest of talents—the ability to master dreams. He finds the undeniably gifted Jordan Lane, but she’s wary of mysterious Rook and resists his pursuit as long as she can. Yet the dreamwaters they enter are too exhilarating to resist, and attraction soon ignites electric passions. Delving too deep stirs a nightmare, one they must defeat, or be forever lost to darkness.

MY REVIEW

I fell in LOVE with Erin Kellison after being introduced to her 'Shadow Series' 2 years ago, so I was pretty excited to read a new series from her. The Reveler Series did not disappoint. As a novella series, I knew that I would fly through each book, so I decided to wait a little while before starting them. With 4 books in the series out now, I thought that it would be a good time to start. Well, in just 2 days I have completed the first two books and have already started reading the third.

Darkness Falls is a short and easy read, but still full of action, adventure, fantasy and romance. Of course I wanted more, I always want more, especially with novellas. But, knowing that the story was a novella I expected it to be short. Still, the idea of shared dreaming, the potential for danger, the unmistakable and irresistible pull of attraction and chemistry were all present. Kellison is known for creating and developing characters that you love, and then jumping between the heads of the two destined to fall in love in her books. I love her concept of following two characters, and introducing others along the way, who will eventually be the star of their own love connection in a future installment. Knowing all that, I was not surprised that she continued her formula here, albeit on a novella series rather than a full length novel series.

In Darkness Falls, we learn about Réve, a way to share dreams and fantasy with other dreamers, yet there are things that are not well-known or understood to the general population about the process. Further, there are people that share unique talents or abilities beyond the norm within the 'dreamwaters,' there are monsters lurking about where they shouldn't, inside and outside the dreamwaters, and although the story is just beginning for Jordan and Rook, it also seems to come to an end rather quickly. However, Kellison does not just leave those characters out in the cold. They are sure to appear in the future installments of the Reveler series, as Kellison has a knack for keeping her lovable characters around.


My Recommendation for Darkness Falls: If you are looking for something different, yet a quick and easy read, this book is a good fit. This Novella series is written more like episodes, meaning that questions will not all be answered in each book, yet there are more just around the corner. Kellison is the author that keeps on giving because she continues to produce books within her worlds, so you are just left hanging wondering what happens next. The Reveler series is not all released at once, yet the books have come out close enough together to make the short wait between installments worthwhile. Plus, this book is FREE right now, so what are you waiting for?

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

AUTHOR LINKS


I give this title 5 out of 5 stars!




Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Blog Tour: Weeping Angels by Cristy Rey

Four years ago, Frankie Rios walked away from her best friend and big sister, Iris. To Frankie, Iris died the day that she last rejected Frankie’s attempts at getting Iris alcohol and drug treatment. Rather than accept grief for her beloved sister’s loss, Frankie turned to her music. A renowned cellist, Frankie has managed to ignore the pain and suffering of losing the person she loved most in this world. With Iris out of her mind and out of her life, Frankie was able to move on…or so she thought. Until Iris really died.

Topher went to war in 2001 only to return two years later damaged and broken. Unable to reconcile the war vet with the boy he used to be, Topher gave up on life. When Iris Rios, his long-lost childhood best friend, dies from liver failure at thirty-two years-old, Topher is forced to confront his past. He must decide whether he deserves to heal. He must decide whether he will take that first step and then take another until he can recover what he lost: himself.

Weeping Angels is a story of grief carried and grief ignored. It’s about learning to love and moving on. Mourning someone once is hard enough, but mourning someone twice is unimaginably harder.

 

Weeping Angels

Cristy Rey



Genre: Women’s fiction, romance

Release date: June 27, 2014

Purchase Links

Excerpt #1

A woman hurls herself into the parking lot without even checking to see if a car is coming. Long blonde hair flies like a cape and she moves as though propelled by a rocket. Black, slinky heels flick off her feet, smacking into the asphalt with every rapid step. The scarf wrapped around her neck, despite this god-forsaken humidity, flaps over her shoulder. Any other day, I might have tried to stop her. If not, I might have fallen to the ground and covered my head with my hands, brought back to Afghanistan by some misapprehending synapse fire. But not tonight. Tonight, I merely stand by and watch her go.

She stops abruptly at the edge of the parking lot and just stands there. Her back to us, she drops her arms to her sides and her shoulders slump. I’m not sure what I’m looking at, but whatever it is unfurls as I watch. A woman like that doesn’t need to be crying at the end of the parking lot alone, and we’re watching like a couple of jackals who are just man enough to smoke outside a funeral, but not man enough to rescue her from herself. I’m not sure what it is about her, but I can’t stop staring, so I don’t even try.

I suck on my cigarette, taking the longest pull I can to give myself time to keep from engaging in conversation, when the woman slams her palms to her thighs. If she were any closer or if there was any less traffic on the highway, we might have heard the smacking sound echoing in the air. Even without sound, I feel it. A sonic wave crashes into my chest. My heart stops beating for a second in its wake.

Through a stream of white smoke, I jut my chin to the woman.

”Who’s that?” I ask Jose.

“That’s Frances.” He’s curt, and the sharpness when he says her name makes it sound like an offense. “I thought you knew her,” he adds, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

There’s a silence between us as we keep our eyes trained on Frankie. For the life of me, I would have never known it was her had he not just told me. I wonder now why no one makes his or her way toward her. If there’s a husband or a boyfriend standing about inside, someone needs to tell him that she’s out there alone, grieving.

“Frankie loved Iris. She’s probably taking this hard.”

As soon as the last word has fallen from my lips, Jose chuckles humorlessly and again my eyebrows furrow. I can feel the anger lining my forehead. Jose brings the cigarette to his lips and smoke pours from his nostrils as he inhales and exhales simultaneously like a fuming dragon. He shakes his head as his gaze wanders back to Frankie.

“Frankie loved Iris, that’s true, but Frankie also disappeared and refused to come when Iris got sick.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Shock slaps across Jose’s face when I declare him a liar. There is absolutely no way I can know if what Jose said is true or not.

An ephemeral summer breeze catches her hair. When it passes, she combs her fingers through her hair and twists it into a knot that she promptly releases. Even though she’s far away, I make out the shaking of her shoulders, as if she might burst.

I’ve never felt as intimate with Frankie as I do right now. Sharing in her private, raw space is wrong. I want is to throw a curtain between her and the rest of the world. I want to put my body between Frankie and all the smokers, spread my arms, puff my chest, and yell out, “There’s nothing to see here! Move along!”like some cop directing rubberneckers forward in traffic.

I take my first step off the curb so that I can go to her and do I don’t know what, when she turns around and hugs herself so tightly you’d think it was freezing, when it’s actually a humid ninety degrees Fahrenheit. Her head tilts forward and her blonde bangs sway, falling over her eyes.

She starts walking, slumped and dejected, in my direction. If a car whizzed by her, she might look up, but given by the way she ejected herself from the building, I’m not fully convinced she doesn’t have a death wish. So I do the only thing I can think of, I finish taking that first step and then take another.


Dreamcast

Excerpt #2

What Frankie says breaks me. It breaks me. And it's not even about Iris or me; it’s about Frankie. Everything she said about Iris fills me in on years that I’ve missed. Even when I’d been standing right beside her, I was ignoring what now seems so obvious it’s blinding. Yet, for all the talk about Iris’s alcoholism and suicidal tendencies, what Frankie’s opened up about is herself.

I’m not even sure she notices because she’s so guarded. Never once has she reflected on what she’s said. She’s been stating facts, telling stories. That’s what she thinks, anyway. I know this like I know myself, because it’s what I do. I state facts and I tell stories, and what I’m actually doing is diverting attention from what’s going on inside.

Frankie’s all Iris this, Iris that, but what I hear is: I can’t live with myself because Iris was never happy and I couldn’t save her. It’s what I hear inside myself every minute of every day, and my heart breaks for Frankie and for me. What I do next comes so naturally that it scares the living shit out of me. I don’t let her leave. I hold her as close as I can because what I want is for her to be inside of me the way she’s let me be inside of her.

In this space and time, Frankie and I are one person. I’m angry with her. I’m aggressive about it, maybe even hurting her, but I reason that it can’t be any worse than how she’s been hurting herself by balling this all up for decades.

As much as I need her to be close, I want to push her away. I want her to leave and never come back. I want Frankie to take flight tomorrow morning, and I want to be the one to deliver her to the airport because what I’m feeling is something that I’m not ready to deal with. I tell myself to let her stay here, to give her this space from death that she needs. I’m surer now more than ever that we have an unbreakable bond, but I don’t want it.

We have right now and I need it right now, but I can’t want to have it tomorrow. I can’t want to have it ever again. It’s like being with yourself all the time, but only with the ugliest parts of you. It’s looking at all the broken pieces of your psyche and being forced to confront them.

That’s what Frankie is to me. That’s what she’s been to me all day if I cop to it. Maybe it was like that last night when I went out after her in the parking lot and walked her back to the service. Maybe it’s why I couldn’t believe that she could be out there alone with no one to hide her sadness from the world. I’m making up for it today, though. Right now, I’m making up for leaving her naked and on a slab for the world to pick apart. The more I hold her, the more I fear that I’ll never be able to let her go, but I keep doing it because she’s something worth saving and, if she can be saved, then maybe I can be, too.


Ten Fun Facts about Cristy Rey

1. I am a librarian.

2. For the holidays last year, I knit a Cthulhu scarflette for my good friend, Dre.

3. I have harvested over 100 mangoes from the tree in my yard in the last three weeks. (Please, no more mangoes!) I don’t even like mangoes.

4. My parents are Cuban.

5. I was a vegetarian and, later, a pescatarian for over fifteen years. Thanksgiving 2012 was the first time I had poultry, beef, or pork in half my life.

6. I thought of Weeping Angels as I stood at the funeral of a good friend – the real Iris – observing the mourners, looking at photos of a woman who didn’t match the one I used to know, and holding the hand of my sister, her ex-fiancée.

7. My dog is named after Indiana Jones and Sherlock, and my cat is named after a comic book character by Roman Dirge and a poem by Edgar Allan Poe.

8. I am almost 6’ tall.

9. I am a fangirl through and through: I read comics, I am a Whovian, I am a Sherlockian, I am committed to the Whedonverse, and I have a Fringe tattoo.

10. I make my own Halloween costumes.

Playlist

About Cristy Rey



Cristy Rey is the author of the romantic urban fantasy Incarnate series. The first book, Taking Back Sunday, and a short prequel novelette, Edge of Seventeen, are available now at online retailers. She also writes and publishes unconventional romantic women’s fiction. Her first standalone, Weeping Angels, is available now, and her second, Heart Grow Fonder, will be out in winter 2014/2015.

Cristy lives in Miami, FL where she is a reader and writer most of the time, and a knitter much less of the time than she was six months before she took up writing again. She writes the books that she likes to read. She describes her writing style as riot grrrl Jane Austen sprinkled with a little magic. There’s always a killer soundtrack running in the background of her novels – all you need to do is turn to the playlist to know what’s up.

Contact Cristy

A few of Cristy's other novels





Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Blog Tour: A Groom for Christmas by Cara Marsi

When a young woman hires her hometown's former bad boy to be her pretend fiance for the holidays, she finds she can't wrap up her feelings as easily as a Christmas gift. New York jewelry designer Graceann Palmer has two days to find a fiance to bring home to Pennsylvania for the holidays so her matchmaking mama will quit fixing her up with jerks. The Falcon, a motorcycle-riding, leather-clad former high school crush, helped her out once before.

Maybe he'll do it again. Jake Falco, man of many mysteries, is back in town on a mission-one the people of Spirit Lake most likely won't appreciate. When Graceann presents him with her crazy scheme, it gives him something he's always wanted-a chance to get to know Graceann. It also gives him the perfect opportunity to add fuel to his project of revenge. But as Jake and Graceann grow closer, their engagement-of-convenience begins to feel like the real deal-until Jake's secrets are revealed.

Can a relationship that began with lies and secrets bloom like a rare Christmas rose into happily-ever-after?

A Groom for Christmas

Cara Marsi



Purchase Links

Excerpt #1

 
“I have two days to find a fiancé.” Ignoring the anxiety that tightened her stomach, Graceann Palmer dipped her fork into her apple pie à la mode and slipped the tasty treat into her mouth.

Her friend Kate sat next to her at the counter in the quaint fifties-era Spirit Lake Diner, located just outside the small Pennsylvania town of the same name. Kate grinned. “You could advertise online: Fiancé wanted for Christmas. Good pay. Temporary position.

“Like I’d get a real upstanding guy that way,” Graceann said.

Kate shot her a sympathetic smile. “Face it. You’ll have to tell your family you lied.”

Bing Crosby’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas flowed from the jukebox, mocking Graceann. Her lie had caught up with her. She would come home for Christmas, minus a made-up fiancé.

Graceann finished her pie and pushed the plate away. “Tell my family the truth and have my mom try to fix me up with someone like the dentist she invited to spend the holidays with us last year? Boring, conceited, and he couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Yuck.”

The door opened, bringing in a fresh round of cold, snowy late December air. Shivering, Graceann drew her sweater closer around her.

“I wouldn’t mind finding that under my Christmas tree,” Kate said.

Graceann followed her friend’s gaze to the tall man who’d just entered the diner. Dressed all in black—black motorcycle boots, black jeans, black leather jacket—and walking with the lithe grace of a panther, he took a seat at the other end of the counter. She studied him while he studied the menu. He had classic “bad boy” written all over his features—sharp cheekbones, dark stubble on a square jaw, and midnight black hair tied into a ponytail. Long, tapered fingers held the menu.

Suddenly, he looked up. Clear blue eyes connected with hers. Recognition spiked through her and sent her pulse jumping like a kid on Christmas morning.

“The Falcon,” she whispered.

“What?” Kate gasped. “You’re right. It is The Falcon.”

His full lips tilted in a slow, sexy grin, showing even white teeth. He nodded at them before turning his attention to the waitress. After he gave his order, he didn’t look in their direction again.

Kate gripped Graceann’s arm, her fingers digging into Graceann’s flesh beneath the heavy sweater. “Wow. The Falcon. I heard he left town the day after his graduation from Spirit Lake High fourteen years ago and hasn’t been heard from since.”

“Wonder what he’s doing back here,” Graceann said. In school, she’d had a crush on The Falcon even though he was two years ahead of her. She’d never told anyone, not even Kate.
“He’s a little scruffy,” Kate said.

“Scruffy, my tush. He’s hot.”

Kate grabbed her arm again as Graceann lifted her coffee mug. Coffee sloshed over the sides onto the counter. Setting the mug down, Graceann gave her friend an exasperated look. “What?”

“I have it,” Kate said. “Your fiancé.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The Falcon. I’ll bet he’ll pretend to be your fiancé. After Zach bowed out, you said you’d be willing to pay someone. The Falcon always needed cash. Do it. Ask him.”

“You’re crazy. I haven’t seen him in fourteen years. He could be a serial killer for all we know.”

Kate shook her head. “He’s not. We would have heard.” She leaned closer. “You’ll be at your grandmother’s with the whole family. You’ll be safe. Your grandmother is old-fashioned. She’ll put you in separate rooms. It’s not like he’s a total stranger. Bring him to meet the family, pretend you’re wildly in love. Your mom will quit trying to fix you up. After the holidays you won’t ever have to see him again. Once you’re back in New York, you can tell your family you broke the engagement. That’s what you planned to do with Zach.”

Graceann put a hand up. “This is the craziest idea you’ve ever had, and you’ve had plenty. I can’t ask this guy to go along with my scheme. I’ll have to resign myself to fending off another loser my mom pushes at me. She means well, but she won’t accept that I’m not interested in marriage. After what Michael did, my whole family feels sorry for me. I don’t want or need their pity.”

“Michael was a jerk. He didn’t deserve you. Listen to me, Graceann. Ask. The. Falcon. What could it hurt to at least ask?”

“His name is Jake, and I’ll think about it.”

“Don’t wait too long. He’ll be out of here and you’ll have missed your chance.”

Graceann sipped her coffee and stole glances at Jake Falco. Maybe Kate was right. Jake had always been nice to her and had even come to her aid once when the mean girls were harassing her. He might help her out now. At her grandmother’s, they’d be surrounded by family. She wouldn’t be alone with him. Her gut feelings were usually on target, so she’d learned to listen. She’d ignored her instincts with Michael and look how that had turned out. Something was telling her to go ahead and take a chance on Jake.

“I’ll do it.” She stood before she lost her nerve.


Teaser

Next to him, Graceann let out a sigh. “Here we are. Curtain time.”

He unfastened his seatbelt and leaned toward her. “Might as well start now.” Framing her face between his hands, he touched his lips to hers. At first she stiffened, but he continued to press his lips against hers, drinking in her sweetness. Her lips softened and she let out a low moan. Surprised and pleased at her reaction, he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her willing mouth. She slid her hands up his chest and pressed closer.

Suppressing a groan, he fought the desire to skim his hands over her ribcage to her chest. For a petite woman, she had magnificent breasts. 

The sound of voices cut through his sensual haze. He reluctantly drew away. Graceann watched him with wonder in her incredible eyes. Her breathing was labored. He resisted a smile. This gig might be lots more interesting than he’d hoped.

“That was for practice, right?” She rubbed a finger over her lips and lowered her voice. “You really know how to play a part.”

“You didn’t like it?”

Her face pinked. “It doesn’t matter what I like. This is a business deal.”

“So you keep reminding me.” He looked toward the steps where a group of people huddled watching them. “Your family?”

She looked over and groaned. “Do you think they saw us?”

“I’m sure they did. You stay there and I’ll come around and open your door.”

“I’m capable of opening my own door.”

He touched the tip of her nose. “But we want to make a good impression, especially on your grandmother.”

“Then maybe we’d better sit here for a little while,” she said with a pointed glance at his lap.
He grinned. “See what you do to me?”

About Cara Marsi

 


Cara Marsi, an award-winning author and self-proclaimed TV junkie, is a former corporate drone and cubicle dweller. Freed of her fabric-covered cage, she can now indulge her love of all things romance. She craves books with happy endings and loves to write about independent heroines and the strong heroes who love them. And she loves to put her characters in dangerous situations or situations merely dangerous to their hearts and watch them fight for the happy endings they deserve.

An eclectic author, Cara is published in romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. She’s also published numerous short romance stories in national women’s magazines and online. When not traveling or dreaming of traveling, Cara and her husband live on the East Coast in a house ruled by their fat black diva of a cat named Killer.

Contact Cara

Giveaway


Friday, July 18, 2014

Top Sunglasses - An affordable way to get your next pair!

Do you love name brand Sunglasses? Then you need to take a look at what Top Sunglasses at www.fashadeslte.com offers. You get FREE shipping when you spend $60, they have a 30-day money back guarantee, secure shopping, easy return process, and fast delivery service. Plus, they have some of the lowest prices for name brand sunglasses I have seen.


Ray-Ban

What caught my eye first, was a beautiful pair of purple Ray-Ban's for only $15.99 (Suggested Retail $155). I didn't believe it until I saw them for myself, so I suggest you do the same by clicking the link.




For such an affordable cost, I thought I would keep looking to see what else I could find, and I found these beautiful blue Ray-Ban's for only $15.99 as well (Suggested Retail $205). Again, see for yourself.




And if you are looking for something a little more simple, they also have zx-300's for only $12.99 (Suggested Retail $130). Don't miss these deals, I know that I won't.







Oakley

The Oakley section is just as unbelievable. I found this pair of Split Jacket Oakley's for only $15.99 too (Suggested Retail $220).






I have to also mention the Oakley Staright Jacket's als$15.99, these are among my favorite, at a ridiculously low price (Suggested Retail $125).







And this post would be incomplete without the Oakley Fast Jacket insanely priced at $15.99 (Suggested Retail $220).







The bottom line? You simply MUST take a look for yourself. The deals are unbelievable, and even at these insane prices, they also have a discount section for even lower prices. Check out the Ray-Ban discount section here, and the Oakley discount section here.

With prices like I have shown you here, I couldn't buy just one pair. I lose sunglasses all the time, so I have always just purchased the cheapest pair I could find at Target, which meant that not only did they break easily, but often they were quite uncomfortable or caused headaches. Now, I know that I can get quality sunglasses an affordable price, so if I do lose them they are easily replaced. This is also why I also buy more than one pair, because I know that in one way or another, I will lost them, or loan them to my daughter, which basically confirms that they will be lost within 48 hours.

I have been happiest with the comfort of the Ray-Bans, and the clarity of the Oakley's. But I tell you what, since I am not paying over $100 per pair, I am simply loving the fact that I can have both, choosing the best for the occasion.



Thursday, July 17, 2014

Need an alternative to Angie's List? Choose Metro Installer!

Are you looking for an alternative to Angie's List? Well look no further, you've found it. Metro Installer is a new service that you should definitely take a look at. Take a look below for the reasons you should choose Metro Installer, and NOT Angie's List.
Cost

#1 - COST

Angie's List requires a PAID subscription, prices vary based on membership choices (1 year, 2 year, etc.), and there is also a fee to leave a review.

Metro Installer is FREE service to consumers. There are NO charges to join, locate service providers, or leave reviews. Homeowners can use Metro Installer as a community to locate or recommend local businesses.

Metro Installer plans to re-invent the way people communicate within their communities to encourage consumers to not only recommend home service providers to their neighbors, but also to help deserving local business owners prosper by sending them business. Supporting local businesses can have great positive results in the local community.

#2 - COMMUNITY

CommunityAngie's List is a huge business with a lot of subscribers, but they have also received quite a few bad reviews from consumers. The common complaints against the service other than the cost are poor customer support, aggressive sales approaches towards businesses, and major discrepancies with consumer reviews. Some believe that service providers that pay a fee are able to hide their negative reviews and only showcase the positive ones, while others believe that some providers are coaxed into a contract based on reviews having been submitted on their behalf, only to enter in to a contract to find that those reviews were negative. The latter results in the providers forking out more money to hide those negative reviews, or improve their ranking on the site.

Metro Installer aims to please consumers and service providers alike. The first goal is for all consumers to have the opportunity to find the service providers they need and see how their own community members feel about them. The second goal is to provide a place for homeowners to recommend businesses they trust, as well as to warn their neighbors if there are any service providers they need to avoid. The third goal is to provide a place that local business owners can get the praise they need, and offer their services to more members of the community.

What does Metro Installer need from you?

Metro Installer needs you to join for FREE today to help build the online community. This website is in the beginning stages, but they need you to join as consumers and providers to start to build the community today. So, what are you waiting for? Let's get started and build the community!

Join Metro Installer for FREE today!


Monday, July 14, 2014

Release Day Blitz: Word Play by Amalie Silver

Word Play by Amalie Silver

Word Play by Amalie Silver


Word Play by Amalie Silver
WORD PLAY

Author: Amalie Silver

Genre: Romantic Comedy



~ SYNOPSIS ~


Smut sells.

Michael Rourke learned this the hard way.Struggling to make ends meet as a mystery writer, he sold his soul - and his pride - as he pedaled sex and lust writing under the pen name Christoph Strong.

No one knew he was the one behind the steamy stories on the bestsellers lists. And he planned to keep it that way.

Until he met her.

Monica Singer, an infamous blogger, is keen to discover the truth of his secret identity.

During a chance meeting at a book convention, Michael and Monica form an instant connection. And soon, an innocent online friendship becomes something so much more.

But as Michael starts to let his guard down, he doesn’t realize that the person he's learning to trust may be hiding secrets of her own.

Secrets that could ultimately destroy everything.


Word Play by Amalie Silver




~ PURCHASE LINKS ~





Word Play by Amalie Silver


~ TEASERS ~

Word Play by Amalie Silver
 
Amalie Silver
 
Word Play
 
Amalie Silver
 
Word Play




~ Connect with the Author ~

Amalie Silver





Tour Host:
HEA Book Tours, PR & More: heabooktours.blogspot.com



Saturday, July 12, 2014

Release Day Blitz: More Than Forever by Jay McClean



Title: More Than Forever
Author: Jay McLean
Genre: New Adult
Release Date: July 12, 2014




MORE THAN FOREVER, #4 

Add to Goodreads





-LUCY-


There is a love so fierce it cannot be measured.

A heart so strong it will never slow.

There is a promise so sure it can never lie.

He promised me that love forever.

Even when it wasn't enough.



-CAMERON-


Forever. Everlasting. Eternal.

There is no measure of time.

No sounds of the ticking of a clock.

Just the rising and falling of the sun.

And our own sense of forever.



But our forever isn't always.



BUY LINKS



TEASERS















EXCERPT 


Mom says that there’s absolutely no pain worse than labor.
For sixteen hours, so she says, she went through absolute hell. She jokes that
sometimes she wonders if it was worth it. I call bullshit. I say that nothing,
absolutely nothing, can feel worse than being hit in the junk with a baseball
bat. Lincoln’s eyes are huge as he grimaces. “I’m so sorry, Cam.”

I’m folded over myself, too preoccupied with the ache below
my stomach. Sometimes, there’s a delay with the pain. But not this time. This
time it was instant. I try to speak, but nothing comes out. He looks like he
wants to cry and I want to assure him that it’s all good—but I can’t. Liam,
Lincoln’s twin brother, is laughing. The little punk. I’ll be sure to make him
do extra shit next practice. “Cam, are you okay?”

I try to straighten, but it just makes the pain worse.
“Yeah, bud. I just gotta let it settle.”

“I swear I didn’t see you behind me.” There’s panic clear in
his voice and for a second I want to tell myself to suck it up and quit being a
little bitch, but I can’t do that either. The pain’s too overwhelming. Liam’s
still laughing his ass off. My eyes narrow at him and Lincoln must notice,
because he turns to his brother and pushes him hard enough that he falls to the
ground. That makes Liam stop. He gets up and dusts the dirt of his uniform. “We
should go, Linc, we’re the last ones here.”

Lincoln looks around. So do I. Liam’s right, everyone’s gone.

“I’m just gonna help Cam pack up,” Lincoln replies, picking
up the team equipment bag and chucking in the helmets and bats sitting by my
feet. He looks up at me again, and I can see how sorry he really is.

Standing to full height, I do my best to ignore the pain.
“It’s okay, Linc. Seriously, it’s passed now.” It hasn’t, but he doesn’t need to know
that. He finishes packing anyway and hands me the bag, it’s bigger than he is.

I take it from his hands and look around again. “Your mom or
dad late to pick you up?”

“Nah,” Liam says, the laughter and amusement now gone.
“Lucy’s here.”

“Lucy?”

“Our sister,” Lincoln explains.

They both turn to the bleachers and so do I. A lone girl
sits at the bottom bench. Something flat, black and rectangular in her hand,
kinda like a tablet, I guess. Her foot’s rocking a stroller back and forth. It
strikes me as strange, because the girl looks familiar. She’s in my class, I
think. She’s a freshman and she has a baby? Stuff like that doesn’t happen in
our town and if it did, I’d know. Everyone would know.

“Lucy!” Liam shouts.

She doesn’t look up.

“Lucy!” Lincoln this time.

She still doesn’t look up, but her foot continues to rock the stroller.

“Luce!” Liam yells again.

Nothing.

My eyes narrow before looking down at the boys.
“Is your sister…uh…hearing impaired?”

They both let out simultaneous snorts. “No,” Lincoln
answers, pulling his cap further down his head and looking up at me.
His eyes roll as he says, “She’s just reading.”


The More Series 

More Than This, #1





*Mikayla*

In one night my fairytale ended. Or it may have begun. This is my story of friendship 
and love, heartbreak and desire, and the strength to show weakness. 


*Jake* 

One night I met a girl. A sad and broken girl, but one more beautiful than any other.
She laughed through her sadness, while I loved through her heartbreak. 



*This is our story of a maybe ever after.* 

He was right. It made no difference whether it was 6 months or 6 years. 
I couldn’t undo what had been done. I couldn’t change the future. 
I couldn’t even predict it. 
It was one night.
One night when everything changed.
It was so much more than just the betrayal.
It was the Tragedy.
The Deaths.
The Murders.
But it was also that feeling.
The feeling of falling.


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More Than Her, #2 






For every action there is an equal or opposite reaction." For every choice you make there are rewards, or there are consequences. It was my choice to walk away the first time. And my choice to chase her the second. But sometimes you don't get a choice, and all you get are the consequences.” "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Unless that someone is Logan Matthews. Because loving him didn't give me the strength to walk away. It didn't give me the courage to fight for him. And when it was over, all it gave me was a broken heart. 


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More Than Him, #3






"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us." - Marianne Williamson

We live in a world of darkness and shadows,
where monsters hide and aim to ruin.
And they did.
They ruined us and turned our dreams into nightmares.
But now we're back.
And we're fighting.
Not just for us, or for each other, but for our light.


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AUTHOR BIO




Jay McLean is the author of the More Series, including More Than This, More Than Her, More Than Him and soon to be released, More Than Forever. She also has two standalones coming soon titled The Road, and Combative.Jay is an avid reader, writer, and most of all, procrastinator.

When she's not doing any of those things, she can be found running after her two little boys, or devouring some tacky reality TV show.

She writes what she loves to read, which are books that can make her laugh, make her smile, make her hurt, and make her feel.



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