Blog Tour: Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

Welcome to the Irish Banana Review tour stop for THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS! We're so excited to share with you guys why we love this series and we might have a few awesome giveaways, too! But first let's talk about Alice.

What Makes Alice A Kick Ass Heroine:

1. She fights zombies. Zombies, people!
2. She's fiercely passionate about what she does.
3. She has a good heart.
4. She's modest about everything she does - no braggy pants around here!
5. She's a survivor - she keeps getting back up when she's knocked down.


About Through the Zombie Glass:

Inspired by the childhood classic Alice in Wonderland, this harrowing and romantic story features teen zombie slayer Alice Bell who has lost so much—family, friends, her home.

After a strange new zombie attack, Alice fears she may be losing her mind as well. A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do wicked things.

The whispers of the dead assault her ears and mirrors seem to come frighteningly to life. She’s never needed her team of zombie slayers more—including her boyfriend, Cole—than she does now. But as Cole strangely withdraws and the zombies gain new strength, Ali knows one false step may doom them all.

Amazon | Barnes & Nobles | IndieBound | Book Depository

About Gena Showalter:
GENA SHOWALTER is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the

Intertwined novels and several other popular YA and adult series. Her stories have been featured on MTV and in Seventeen magazine and have been praised as unputdownable.” Growing up, she always had her nose buried in a book. When it came time to buckle down and get a job, she knew writing was it for her. Gena lives in Oklahoma with her family and three slobbery bulldogs. Become a fan on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @GenaShowalter and visit her at genashowalter.com/young-adult/ and at HarlequinTEEN.com.

 website | twitter | facebook | goodreads | Gena Showalter on Harlequin Website


Giveaway #1
A finished copy of either Alice in Zombieland (paperback; book #1) or Through the Zombie Glass (hardback; book #2) provided by Harlequin Teen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway #2

You want all this? Then you gotta chase the rabbit and answer the question. Today's question: Ali can seriously kick ass and we love this girl! What do you think Ali must have in order to survive in Zombieland?

Rules:

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays , the white Rabbit will appear on a different blog and stays there for 48hrs. Once you have found the Rabbit, click on it and you will be directed to a Rafflecopter entry form for the Grand Prize Giveaway!

To enter, you must answer the daily question found at the Tour Stop!!

Through the Zombie Glass Tour Stops

Blog Tour: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Title: This Song Will Save Your Life

Author: Leila Sales

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Publication Date: 9.17.2013

Pages: 288

Genre: Contemporary

Series: No

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: A+

Summary (from Goodreads):

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

Review:

It’s not often I add a picture of GIF to a review. Call me old school, but I like my words to do the talking. But sometimes? There just aren’t words to describe your absolute love of a book.  And since you guys can’t actually see me sitting here, shaking with excitement like a Labrador puppy, I’ll give you this:

Oh, yes, my friends. This book is that freaking amazing.

Sometimes you just find your book soulmate. There’s no rhyme or reason, and it’s usually the book you never see coming. This Song Will Save Your Life by the amazing Leila Sales is mine.

From page one I just got Elise. I understood her need to be popular and accepted. My heart broke for the disastrous choices I witnessed her making. I wanted to protect and coddle her and keep her heart safe, but it was only through Elise being broken down and desperate that she emerged as one hell of a main character.

Typically a book needs a love story to make my heart beat erratically, and this book is no different in that respect. What is different is that instead of watching a girl fall for a boy, I was watching a girl fall in love with herself. Watching Elise transform from a girl who wanted to be loved by others to a girl who could love herself was the biggest joy of all.

I think one of the biggest reasons this book resonated with me was the music. Like Elise, I live my life with a constant soundtrack. I have a song, a playlist, a mix cd for every mood and emotion. Finding that one song that encompasses a memory or a specific emotion is like lightening in a bottle and winning the lottery at the same time. Sales perfectly captured that cosmic alignment repeatedly with Elise.

I cannot wait to hand this book to as many people as possible. Everyone needs to read this one. It’s easily making my top 5 favorite books of 2013.

Buy: Amazon

Interview

1.       Music plays an integral part of This Song Will Save Your Life. How important is music to you?

It’s probably a 9 on an importance scale of 1 to 10. I’m not saying I couldn’t live without it, but it is on the list of “things I would not want to live without,” right after nasal spray, Pepto Bismol, and Kleenex with aloe. (I get sick a lot.)

2.       Elise is an awkward, but loveable, character. Is she based off of anyone you know or experiences you had?

For sure. All my characters are based off me somewhat. They are not me, but they often view the world through the same lenses as I do.

3.       Did you consider any other titles for this book while writing?

I had entitled it “The Last of the Famous International Party Girls,” which is a reworked title of a Morrissey song. My editor didn’t feel that best represented the story, so she proposed changing it to “My Suicide Playlist.” I don’t remember which of us ultimately came up with “This Song Will Save Your Life,” but I’m very happy with it. The folder on my computer is still called “Party Girls,” but that’s just because I’m too lazy to change it, and anyway I know what it refers to.

        4.    I fell totally and completely in love with This Song Will Save Your Life—what’s the last book                    you fell in total love with?

Thank you! I’m thrilled that you loved it so much. The most recent book that I fell for was John Cusick’s Cherry, Money, Baby, which is also coming out this fall.

5.       What are you currently working on?

A lot of blog posts for the This Song Will Save Your Life blog tour! The full schedule is here: http://www.macteenbooks.com/blog-tour/blog-tour-this-song-will-save-your-life-by-leila-sales/. This is nearly the end of the tour, so make sure to get caught up on my earlier posts if you haven’t already.

The Leila Sales Soundtrack

What songs would you assign as the soundtrack to your life at these specific moments:

1. High School Days: “Get Me Away from Here, I’m Dying,” by Belle and Sebastian

2. Love Life (past, present or future): “Maybe You Can Owe Me,” by Architecture in Helsinki

3. Finding out you were being published: “Time to Pretend,” by MGMT

4. Current writing project: “I Love You Always Forever,” by Donna Lewis

5. Theme song of your life: “Roadrunner,” by The Modern Lovers

Giveaway:

The awesome folks at Macmillan are letting me giveaway one finished copy of This Song Will Save Your Life AND a CD with the TSWSYL playlist. Trust me - it's epic.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You must be a resident of the US or Canada and over the age of 13 to enter.

Tour:
http://www.macteenbooks.com/blog-tour/blog-tour-this-song-will-save-your-life-by-leila-sales/

Review: Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Title: Alice in Zombieland

Author: Gena Showalter

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Publication Date: 9.25.2012

Pages: 404

Genre: Paranormal

Series: White Rabbit Chronicles #1

Source: Finished copy from BEA

Rating: A

Summary (from Goodreads):

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….


I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

Review:

So, zombies. I'm thinking moaning, stumbling around, and yelling "I'm going to eat your brain!" That's the only thing I think of when it comes to zombies. Now, I'm not much into this kind of thing, so I was a little hesitant to read it. Can I tell you how glad I am that I did read it!

This book was so surprising. But in a good way! While we were at BEA 2013 I had heard that a few people weren't into it. So I was like, "Eh I probably won't be either." READ IT!! Gena created a world that is much more than Resident Evil or Zombie Apocalypse, and a little deeper than those as well.

Alice, the groupies, and Kat were my favorite. You got the clique drama and stereo types but also that sense that everyone is holding something secret. Not only do you have that secrecy, you are literally inside Alice's head the whole way. I know I was freaking out when she was!

One of my other favorites about this book was the story itself. Yes you had "zombies" but it's surprising yet a fresh, new way to have zombies. I don't want to spoil it so I’ll leave it to your imagination and say that you have to read it.

Alice is Zombieland is a refreshing twist on zombies that is nail biting, emotional, and addicting!

Buy: Amazon

Review: Thornhill by Kathleen Peacock

Title: Thornhill

Author: Kathleen Peacock

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: 9.10.2013

Pages: 368

Genre: Paranormal

Series: Hemlock #2

Source: ARC from swap

Rating: A

Summary (from Goodreads):

Mac can’t lose another friend. Even if he doesn’t want to be found.

The ripple effect caused by Mac’s best friend Amy’s murder has driven Mac’s new love, Kyle, to leave Hemlock and disappear from her life forever. But Mac knows that Kyle plans to enroll in a rehabilitation camp, where he can live with other werewolves. She refuses to accept his decision, especially since the camps are rumored to be tortuous. So she sets out in search of Kyle with a barely sober Jason—and Amy’s all-seeing ghost—in tow.

Clues lead Mac to find Kyle in a werewolf den in Colorado—but their reunion is cut short by a Tracker raid. Now Mac and Kyle are trapped inside the electric fences of Thornhill, a camp for young werewolves. As she devises an escape plan, Mac uncovers dangerous secrets buried within the walls of Thornhill—and realizes that the risk to the people she loves is greater than ever before.

Review:

I swear I have been anxiously awaiting this book since I first turned the last page of my Hemlock ARC back in March of 2012. Nearly a year and a half later, this book is finally out and I am still just as in love with the world Kathleen Peacock made as ever.

Thornhill picks up where book one left us … and it picks up with one of the best scenes ever. Seriously. Made my shipper heart swoon and do more tumbles than an Olympic gymnast.

Mac is just one of my favorite YA heroines—she’s so utterly likeable and relatable.  Peacock breathes a strength and resilience in her that is both admirable and believable, but never does she come off as a character who can do everything. Mac is very breakable and has her flaws, which makes her all the more loveable.

One of the big reasons I love this series is the love story between Mac and Kyle, mainly because these two went from best friends to more, so there was no insta-love here. It was something that had been building for a while before it was acted upon. If Hemlock was the book of young love, Thornhill is the book where Kyle and Mac grow up and start treating each other as equals. Yes, they make mistakes, but they don’t pout or dwell on their problems—they hash it out and move on.

Thank you, Kathleen, for a healthy YA relationship.

And let’s not forget Jason. I have been a Jason fan since the beginning. This is a series where my heart is truly torn over the triangle. Typically I treat love triangles like I would Typhoid Mary—I give them a wide berth and keep interactions with them to a minimum. This is one triangle that I’m just totally all right with because it’s so natural. And while my heart will always beat for Kyle and Mac, I need Jason to have his happily ever after.

You hear that, Kathleen? I need it.

This is a fantastic paranormal series that has wowed me from the start. If you’re looking for something that stands out in the world of vampires, angels, werewolves and other paranormal monsters, look no further than this series.

Buy: Amazon 

Blog Tour: A Little Too Far

I am so very, very excited to share with you guys a hot, new book from Lisa Desrochers, which is the first in a hot, new series. 

About the Book:

Have you ever gone just a little too far?

Lexie Banks has.

Yep. She just had mind-blowing sex with her stepbrother. In her defense, she was on the rebound, and it’s more of a my-dad-happened-to-marry-a-woman-with-a-super-hot-son situation. But still, he’s been her best friend and confidant for the better part of the last few years … and is so off limits. It’s a good thing she’s leaving in two days for a year abroad in Rome.

But even thousands of miles away, Lexie can’t seem to escape trouble. Raised Catholic, she goes to confession in hopes of alleviating some of her guilt … and maybe not burning in hell. Instead, she stumbles out of the confessional and right into Alessandro Moretti, a young and very easy-on-the-eyes deacon … only eight months away from becoming a priest. Lexie and Alessandro grow closer, and when Alessandro’s signals start changing despite his vow of celibacy, she doesn’t know what to think. She’s torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn’t want and the man she can’t have. And she isn’t sure how she can live with herself either way.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Publisher: William Morrow

Pub. Date: September 17, 2013

Pages: 371

Review:

I thought I had a fairly good idea of what to expect when I started this book. I was expecting a novel where a girl has a momentary brain-fart and sleeps with her step-brother and then is disgusted by her actions and runs away.

Yes, OK. I was totally pushing off what happened to Boone and Shannon from Lost here, but that was my only reference point!

What I did not expect was Trent (AKA the step-brother). The relationship he has with Lexie isn't some begrudging, we=were-forced-to-share-a-home type thing. From the start the connection between these two is electric. Maybe because Lexie gives you glimpses into their past and you see these two are more than step-siblings; they're best friends. Their being together was a natural as breathing and I loved them insantly as a couple.

Then Lexie had to go and run off to Italy for her semester abroad and meet the hot Alessandro.

I'm not going to tell you how this ends, but suffice to say, Lisa Desrochers writes ones heck of a compelling novel about a girl becoming a woman. I loved watching Lexie grow and mature as an adult. This, to me, is what the new adult genre is about: bridging that all-consuming gap where you stop being a kid and grow up.

Definitely on of my favorites. Any fan of contemporaries, new adult books, or books in general need to read this.

Rating: A

About the Author:

Lisa Desrochers lives in northern California with her husband, two very busy daughters, and Shini the tarantula. If you'd told her five years ago she'd write a book, she'd have laughed in your face. As it turns out, she'd owe you an apology. Writing has become an addiction for Lisa and A Little Too Far, courtesy of HarperCollins, is her first novel for adults. She is also the author of the young adult Personal Demons trilogy from Macmillan.

When she's not writing, she's reading, and she adores stories that take her to new places, and then take her by surprise. Connect with her online at www.lisadwrites.com, on her blog at lisadesrochers.blogspot.com, on Twitter at @LisaDez, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LisaDesrochersAuthor. 

WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour:

Sept. 3rd - Katie's Book Blog - Review

Sept. 3rd - Book Briefs - Guest Post

Sept. 4th - The Busy Bibliophile - Review

Sept. 4th - Fade Into Fantasy - Interview

Sept. 5th - The Irish Banana - Review

Sept. 5th - Emilie's Book World - Guest Post

Sept. 6th - Fic Fare - Interview

Sept. 6th - Narratively Speaking - Review & Guest Post

Sept. 7th - BookHounds YA - Review

Sept. 7th - Nocturne Romance Reads - Interview

Sept. 8th - Burning Impossibly Bright - Guest Post

Sept. 8th - Lovin' los libros - Review

Sept. 9th - Books Complete Me - Review

Sept. 9th - Always YA at Heart - Review

Sept. 10th - A Glass of Wine - Interview

Sept. 10th - In the Best Worlds - Review

Sept. 11th - Once Upon a Twilight - Review

Sept. 11th - Readers Live A Thousand Lives - Interview

Sept. 12th - The Book Cellar - Review

Sept. 12th - Book Labyrinth - Review

Sept. 13th - Lili's Reflections - Review

Sept. 13th - Stuck in YA Books - Review

Sept. 14th - A Bookish Escape - Review & Guest Post

Sept. 14th - Ramblings From This Chick - Guest Post

Sept. 15th - In Bed With Books - Review

Sept. 15th - Coffee and Characters - Guest Post

Sept. 16th - Waiting For Wentworth - Review

Sept. 16th - Michelle & Leslie's Book Pics - Review

Sept. 17th - Good Choice Reading - Review

Sept. 17th - Me, My Shelf and I - Review

Blog Tour: Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross

Welcome to the LETTERS TO NOWHERE blog tour! I am so excited to share with you guys what I thought about this awesome new contemporary from Julie Cross! 

Summary (from Goodreads):

Set in the tough world of Elite Gymnastics...

I've gotten used to the dead parents face. I've gotten used to living with my gymnastics coach. I've even adjusted to sharing a bathroom with his way-too-hot son. Dealing with boys is not something that's made it onto my list of experiences as of yet. But here I am, doing it. And something about Jordan--being around him, talking to him, thinking about him--makes me feel like I can finally breathe again. That's something I haven't been able to do lately. He knows what it feels like to be me right now. He knows what it's like to wonder--what now? I think about it constantly. I need answers. I need to know how to get through this. In the gym, if you're struggling, you train harder, you do drills and conditioning. How do I work hard at moving on? At being on my own? And what happens if I might be...maybe...probably falling for Jordan? I mean we live together now. That can't happen, can it? But kissing him...well, let's just say it's not an easy activity to forget.

Review:

Julie Cross made a fan of me a few years ago with her debut, Tempest, and I can say I am most assuredly still a fan now that I’ve read Letters to Nowhere.

One of the biggest pulls for me was the world of gymnastics that was hinted about in the synopsis. I realized I would never be an elite gymnast when I was five feet tall in 4^th grade. It was a hard blow, but I dealt with it.

I loved that Karen was immersed in this world. I also never felt totally out of place because sports-themed books run the risk of either bogging you down with jargon or leaving you wondering how the game is played. Cross does a fantastic job of explaining the sport without overwhelming the reader.

I loved the relationship between Karen and Jordan—who wouldn’t? Cross writes them with a chemistry is blazes off the pages. However, Jordan pulls Karen out of her downward spiral … and I have to admit, this is where I got a little disheartened (but only a little). I’m just not a fan of someone emotionally saving someone else. I think Cross was careful not to let it cross over into total need and dependency, but at times I felt like Karen clung to Jordan like a savior. Like he was the only thing keeping her afloat.

That being said, I loved Jordan so darn much I didn’t really care about that while I was reading.

This book is about the resiliency of the human spirit in times of agony. And event that should have brought Karen to her knees became the catalyst for her success. Cross doesn’t sugar-coat grief, but this book also isn’t all dark and gloom. I think it’s an accurate depiction of what happens when the unthinkable happens and you’re left to pick up the pieces.

Definitely check this one out!

Rating: B+

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

About Julie Cross:

Julie Cross is the International Bestselling author of the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, and the final installment, Timestorm (St. Martin's Press). She's also the

author of Letters to Nowhere (8/13), a mature young adult romance set in the world of elite gymnastics, as well as several forthcoming young adult and new adult novels with publishers like Entangled, Sourcebooks, HarperCollins, and St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books.

Julie lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She's a former gymnast, longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former Gymnastics Program Director with the YMCA. She's a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres. Outside of her reading and writing credibility's, Julie Cross is a committed--but not talented--long distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar weather survivor, expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym shoe addict. You can find her online via twitter, her personal website, email, facebook, Goodreads, or co-moderating the YAwriters section of reddit.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | YOUTUBE

Giveaway:

There are two tour-wide giveaways.

--GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE GIVEAWAY to ONE Winner.

--An eBook of LETTERS TO NOWHERE to FIVE Winners.

The Grand Prize giveaway is open internationally, however international winners can only select five of the books listed due to shipping costs.

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY

AUTOGRAPHED FINISHED COPIES of...

- All 3 of Simone Elkeles' HOW TO RUIN series

- TEETH by Hannah Moskowitz

- GONE GONE GONE by Hannah Moskowitz

- LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger

-  BITTERSWEET by Sara Zarr

ARCs of OCTOBER 2013 YA RELEASES

- UNBREAKABLE by Kami Garcia

- ANYWHERE BUT HERE by

- BANG by Lisa McMann

- REALITY BOY by A.S. King

- NEVER FADE by Alexandra Bracken

-  SIX MONTHS LATER by Natalie D. Richards

ARCs of NOV 2013 - FEB 2014 YA RELEASES

- ALIENATED by Melissa Landers (Feb 2014)

- ROOMIES by Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando (Dec 2013)

- AFTER EDEN by Helen Douglas (Nov 2013)

OTHER BOOK PRIZES

- Personalized signed copies of TEMPEST + VORTEX (a foreign edition if available can be swapped for the U.S. edition)

- E-copy of LETTERS TO NOWHERE by Julie Cross (if print is available at time of shipping, a print copy will be sent, too)

WINNER'S CHOICE (ONE of Following BIG prizes)

- Basic US Kindle (valued at $69.00 USD) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HCCNJU/ref=sa_menu_kdptq

OR

- $50 US Amazon Gift card

OR

- $50 US Barnes and Noble gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*As some prizes may not be redeemable by international participants, alternative suggestions are welcome but not guaranteed.

Blog Tour:

Sept. 3rd - The Book Cellar - Review & Guest Post

Sept. 3rd - Reading In Twilight - Guest Post

Sept. 4th - A Backwards Story - Review

Sept. 4th - The Irish Banana - Review

Sept. 5th - Bittersweet Enchantment - Interview

Sept. 5th - Book Breather - Review

Sept. 5th - Never Too Fond of Books - Review

Sept. 6th - Curling Up With A Good Book - Guest Post

Sept. 6th - Oops! I Read A Book Again - Review

Sept. 9th - Page Turners - Review & Guest Post

Sept. 9th - Gobs and Gobs of Books - Interview

Sept. 10th - Crawling Over The Pages - Guest Post

Sept. 10th - Musings From An Addicted Reader - Review

Sept. 10th - Sweet Southern Home - Guest Post

Sept. 11th - Mom With A Kindle - Interview

Sept. 11th - Reading with ABC - Review

Sept. 12th - Gone with the Words - Review & Guest Post

Sept. 12th - About to Read - Review

Sept. 12th - Blackplume - Interview

Sept. 13th - Every Free Chance Book Reviews - Guest Post

Sept. 13th - Literary Meanderings - Review

Book Launch: Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen

BREAKING NOVA

by Jessica Sorensen

Publication Date: September 3, 2103

Genre: Contemporary, New Adult

ISBN: 9781455582723

Summary:

Nova Reed used to have dreams-of becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true

love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she's getting by as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at her spirit. Every day blends into the next ... until she meets Quinton Carter. His intense, honey brown eyes instantly draw her in, and he looks just about as broken as she feels inside.

Quinton once got a second chance at life — too bad he doesn't want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he's done, what he's lost. He's sworn to never allow happiness into his life ... but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he's too damaged to get close to her, yet she's the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?

Amazon: http://amzn.to/14l23NJ

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/17WazX5

iTunes: http://bit.ly/15n9yUV

Author Bio:

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen, lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

Blog: http://jessicasorensensblog.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessFallenStar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Sorensen/165335743524509

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4601855.Jessica_Sorensen

Book Excerpt

I get caught up in it all—in her—and suddenly I’m pressing my lips against hers. I’ve done this a lot before, as a way to distract myself from my life. But this isn’t the same. This means something, but I’m still trying to figure out what and if I want it or even deserve to get it.

At first she stiffens, but then she hooks her arms around the back of my neck and inches closer, opening her mouth to me as she spreads her legs open and my hands travel higher toward the bottom of her shorts. She tastes like beer and smells like pot. Tristan’s gone but he could come back at any moment. I should stop this. I should care enough to stop Tristan from seeing this, but my will to care about doing the right thing at this moment has died. My thoughts are blurred by the lingering high and the scent and feel of Nova. All I seem to care about is caressing her tongue with mine and feeling her skin because it’s soft and soothing and in another life I’d touch it all the time.

I’m about to pull away, because emotions are prickling inside me, when she swings her leg over me so she’s straddling my lap, then she grips the sides of my neck and pulls me closer. She kisses me fiercely, to the point where it feels like my lips are going to bruise, then she’s crushing her chest against mine as she gently rocks her hips. I dig my fingers into her waist, bringing her even closer, before I push her back, breaking the connection of our lips.

She’s panting, wild-eyed, her hair falling out of the braid. She glances to the side at Tristan’s empty chair and then looks back at me.

“We should stop,” I say, but it sounds like a lame attempt, my voice drifting off at the end.

“W-why?” She stutters a protest and I have to admit that it’s nice there are no tears in her eyes. “I don’t want to.”

I brush her hair back from her eyes and let my fingers linger on the bruise on her cheek. “You don’t even know me, Nova. I’m no good for you… you deserve so much better.” Please run away. Because I can’t seem to do it myself.

Her jaw tenses, like I struck a nerve. “I think I should get to decide that.”

“Whether I’m good enough for you?” I ask.

“Yeah, which I can only decide if I get to know you,” she says.

I motion my hand in front of myself, pressing the point. “This is pretty much it. What you see is what you get.”

“That’s never the case,” she disagrees, flattening her palms onto my bare chest right over the scar and my body goes rigid. “In fact, most of the time people hide who they really are.” Her throat bobs up and down as she swallows hard. “Most of the time you think you know someone, but you really have no clue.”

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Hey guys! Anyone interested in a $50 gift card to Amazon.com?

Yes?

The lovely folks over at AO.com (a UK appliance company) offered to sponsor a giveaway here on the Irish Banana Review. They're letting us giveaway one $50 gift card to Amazon to a resident in the US, Canada or UK.

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