Carry Your Heart

(After Forever #1)

by: Audrey Bell

Genre: Contemporary New Adult

Publishing Date: 5/7/13

ISBN: 9781626207172

Word Count: 73,000

Description:

Champion skier Pippa Baker lost everything in the avalanche: her boyfriend, his best friend, and her will to win. After a year of grief, she returns to competition.

She finds more than buried memories and steep slopes in Utah. She finds Hunter Dawson, a heartbreaking daredevil with the gold medals to prove it. And she finds that his reputation doesn’t stop her from falling hard, and that her heart might not be as broken as she once believed.

But, Hunter has scars and memories too—scars that make him believe falling in love might hurt too much, scars that make him run.

Pippa knows how much love hurts when it’s gone. Will she stop herself before she’s in too deep? Or will she let herself fall?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Purchase at Amazon

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Audrey Bell lives in New York City, where she indulges her SoulCycle addiction and expresses her passionate hatred of the 6 Train. You can find her reading in Central Park, overcaffeinating at Starbucks, or trying to kidnap her neighbors’ Maltese puppy. She loves hearing from readers. Check out her blog at audreybellbooks.blogspot.com.  

True

by: Erin McCarthy

Publishing Date: 5/7/13

Publisher: InterMix

Genre: New Adult Romance
Source: Goodreads

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes

Description:

When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory. 

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t… 

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

My Review:
Erin McCarthy's newest release, "True" is a new adult romance book that takes you on a journey of a girl in college, who realizes that the one guy who she thought never paid attention to her, actually was falling hard for her. It took her friends though for the guy to make the moves on her to find out more about her.

Rory Macintosh reminded me so much of myself when I was reading "True".  She's the girl who is so focused on school that she forgets to have fun every once in awhile.  She is beyond smart and is all about math and science.  She thinks logically about everything.  When she first meets, Tyler, he keeps hooking up with her roommate Jessica...but the minute he sees her, he becomes intrigued on how Rory handles herself.  He knows though he is out of her league.  When he finds out that she has never been with anyone, he is determined to find out why.  The minute he starts to get to know Rory though, he knows he is in deep.  Rory even realizes the boy who she considers the bad boy has a whole entire side that is sweet and caring and she is falling hard for Tyler.
Tyler is the boy, who has grown up with a mother who is a drug addict and tends to be aggressive.  He is all about taking care of his brothers and he's trying to work on his EMT program so he can have a decent job and take care of his brothers.  He never thought  the girl he thought was shy and smart would intrigue him so much.  I think I fell in love with Tyler the minute he helped Rory get out of a certain situation.  He definitely was a gentleman to Rory in the book.
Rory was the one who was determined to go further with Tyler.  (It is the shy and quiet ones you have to worry about)
What made me a little upset was Rory's roommates and how they were trying to help Rory, but they ended up sticking their noses where it did not belong.  They did not believe in Rory and Tyler.
This is one book that will put you through the ringer though.  You will feel sorry for Tyler and his brothers and what they have gone through and continue going through.  You will feel terrible for Rory and Tyler and everything they are put though.  How no one believes they should be together.  Tyler even starts believing it because he feels he will ruin Rory's reputation.  Rory is one determined girl though.  She will do anything to prove to everyone that Tyler is a good guy, they just need to get to know him.  She even puts her father in his place in this book.  I was so proud of her standing up to him.  She is an adult and she should be able to decide who she wants to be with.

I definitely enjoyed this book even when it made me cry and mad at times.  Erin McCarthy is definitely one author who is an auto-buy for me.  I am so glad she dived into the new adult genre and I look forward to reading the next book...which will be about Jessica.  She definitely got on my nerves in this book, but maybe she will grow on me in her book.

*The meaning behind the title of the book is discussed in the story as well, and it definitely made me cry a bit.  Let's just say Tyler and his brothers are very close knit and they definitely stole my heart in the story*

I give this book 5 full moons and highly recommend it to new adult genre readers and contemporary romance readers out there.

Get your tissues ready and prepared to say up late to finish it.  I had a hard time putting it down.  I needed Rory and Tyler to have a happily ever after.  They definitely deserve it after what they went through in this book to make their relationship work.  

Wait for you

(Wait for you #1)

By: J. Lynn
Publishing Date: 2/26/13

Publisher: Self Published

Genre: New Adult Romance

Source: Purchased at Amazon

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Description:

Some things are worth waiting for… 

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself. Some things are worth experiencing… 

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed. 

Some things should never be kept quiet… 

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her? 

And some things are worth fighting for…

My Review:
Oh my, why have I not read J. Lynn or aka Jennifer Armentrout's books before now.  I had literally a hard time putting down my Kindle when reading "Wait for you".  From page one to the very last page, I was entranced in the words that J. Lynn wrote for the story " Wait for you".
AND....let me get this off of my chest before I explode....I AM IN LOVE WITH A FICTIONAL CHARACTER and I do not care what anyone thinks, not even my husband.  I LOVE CAM!!!
He can cook me eggs and bake me goodies anytime.  Just saying.  =)

J. Lynn gives you a female character, Avery Morgansten, who has run away from her hometown and gone off to West Virginia for college.  She has secrets she is trying to get over and hide from that happened to her when she was 14 years old.  Her first day of college and she ends up running over Cameron Hamilton.  He is one of the most popular males on campus because every girl wants to be with him and every male wants to be him.  The minute Avery runs into him, her world will change.  She told herself she would focus on her studies, but for some reason she keeps running into Cam and cannot get him out of her head.  In the mean time, she starts receiving nasty texts, unknown phone calls, and emails from an unknown person that keep bringing up her past.  She does not want the past in her life..but she cannot make a future unless she talks about it to someone or confronts it.
The minute Cameron Hamilton meets Avery, he is infatuated with her and will do anything to win her over.  He becomes friends to her and almost every day asks her out, but she keeps turning him down.  When she finally gives him a chance, all he wants is for her to trust him and let him make her happy.
When the truth slowly comes out about Avery's past, the first thing Avery does is shut everyone out.
But, the one person who will not be shut out will do anything for her to open up to him.

This is a story about love and how you may find the right person for you when you're not even looking for that someone.  Once that person is found, they will be willing to wait for you and be there for you through everything bad and good.
Avery is a character some females can relate to and Cameron is a character every female wishes could be real...because everyone deserves someone like Cam.
Avery has gone through the unthinkable at such a young age that when the truth comes out about what happened to her, all you want to do is comfort her like her friends try to do.  Cameron steps up to the plate and he has to be one of my most caring and sweet male characters I have read in a long time.
He's not a jerk ladies....and this is the kind of boyfriend/significant other that should be in everyone's lives.  Not those overbearing, forceful and down right mean male characters who make you feel like poo.
No Cameron is the complete opposite.  Believe me you will fall in love with him the minute Avery plows into him....literally she plows into him.  =) *sigh*
You will feel sympathy for both characters while reading this book.
You will also enjoy the secondary characters, Ollie (Cam's roommate), Brit (Avery's friend from school), Jase (Cam's friend), Jacob (Avery's friend from school), Theresa (Cam's sister), and even Cam's parents will win you over.

"Wait for you" is a new adult romance filled with humor, friendship, love and secrets that will have you reading this book in one-sitting.
Be prepared to cry, scream, smile, and laugh throughout this book.
If you are a fan of J. Lynn and her other books, you will enjoy this one as well.  I know I am a BIG fan of J. Lynn and now must buy her other books since her writing style is friggin' amazing & addicting.
Warning though, you will want more after you read this book and like me, you'll be anxiously waiting for the next installment in the Wait for you novels.

Just some Favorite quotes from "Wait for you" that I loved:
"Easy for you to say.  You're the one who got plowed.  I was doing the plowing."

"I would be clapping like a seal right now if I weren't so fucking hung over, just so you know.  Inside, I  am doing happy jumping jacks for you with glittery pom poms."

"You're a good guy, Cam." "No, I'm not."  He exhaled deeply and his breath was warm against my cheek.  "I'm only good with you."

Everything was okay.  Maybe not perfect, but life wasn't meant to be perfect.  It was messy and sometimes it was a disaster, but there was beauty in the messiness and there could be peace in the disaster.

Welcome to our virtual tour stop of "Rocked Under" by Cora Hawkes hosted by Flirty and Dirty Book Blog.  

Rocked Under

(Rocked #1)

by: Cora Hawkes

Publishing Date: 12/31/12

Publisher: Self Published

Genre: New Adult Romance

Source: Amazon (Kindle Edition)

Amazon 

Description:

Falling in love isn't always easy or pleasant. The intense and angst-filled story of Emma and Scott is a painful, gut-wrenching and exhausting portrayal of how hard it can be to let go... Picking up the pieces and starting again in the US, Emma enrols in college with her cousin, Ashley. She is finally free to do what she wants and live how she chooses, and no man will ever rule her decisions or emotions again. That is, until Scott Mason walks on stage... Intense bad boy Scott is the lead singer of a popular local rock band. A ladies’ man and Ashley's long-time friend, Scott holds an instant fascination for Emma — she finds herself drawn to him, even though he represents everything she hates and needs to stay away from in a guy. He treats females like he does a cigarette — light it, use it, and lose it. For her cousin's sake, Emma makes an effort to get along with Scott, but she soon discovers that there is more to him than first appears, making him even more dangerous in her eyes. Behind the façade of friendship, jealousy, obsession, fear and insecurity fester — an internal battle rages as she fights her attraction and does everything she can to stop history from repeating itself. One thing she knows for sure is that if she breaks her rule, it may destroy her. Warning: Contains mature content — recommended age 17+

My Review:

When I was contacted for Cora Hawkes Virtual Book Tour....I said to myself....HECK YES...and I had already purchased a copy since I was kind of stalking...Cora Hawkes website to find out when the book would release.  I saw the book on Goodreads one day and read the synopsis and knew it was up my alley.

First off...let me get this into my review first.  The male character is not a cheater in this book.  I repeat...he is not a cheater.  Unfortunately, he would be considered a ladies man. He ends up having a girl over every night....but may I also say....he has had it rough and the truth comes out towards the end, what was really going on with him.  I repeat again, he is not a cheater.  How can he cheat when he is never with a character?  Just saying....

I really thought at one point I was going to go through the book and beat the living crap out of both characters and I never, ever feel that way over any characters when I'm reading.  I should know by now that New Adult Romance is a genre that makes me love and hate characters.  

Here's a short take on "Rocked Under" - 

Emma has moved to the states to get away from her past and start new.  She ends up moving in with her cousin, Ash, who has a friend/neighbor upstairs from them, who is a HE.  

Scott is the lead singer to the rock band group, From Under, and he is every girl's dream come true.  

When Emma meets Scott at the local club his band plays at, instant attraction starts.  Although, Emma has been warned about Scott's tactics with girls and Scott has be warned by Ash to not get involved with her cousin.  Now here starts the part where emotions go haywire for both characters.  

Emma is fighting her feelings for Scott and Scott is just confused by Emma.  

Bring on the emotional roller coaster of Emma and Scott and you will want to several times go through the book and knock some sense into both of these characters.  

Now...you're probably thinking that I hate this book, but that's not the case.  I love a book that makes me angry, happy, and sad all at once.  When a book makes me cry and makes me blubber like a baby...then I know I'll be daydreaming about this book until the second book comes out in August.  

I loved the angst and the sexual tension in this book.  

Emma had her issues with what happened in her past and Scott has his relationship issue where he never stayed with the same girl once...but for some reason both of these characters clicked with each other.  Scott had his reasons and so did Emma.  

If you love the new adult romance genre, love tattooed bad boys, rock bands, and your emotions going like crazy...then you'll enjoy "Rocked Under".  

And don't come back and hate me after you finish reading it and loving it and find out the next book is not out until August.  

I read this book in less than two days and now I'm anxiously waiting for the 2nd book.  I really hope Cora doesn't make me hate Scott.  He did kind of tick me off every once in awhile in this book, but at the end, he stole my heart.  Oh boy...did he steal my heart.  

When family problems push Riley Middleton into giving up a percussion scholarship in another state and attending college from home, her friends push her to try out for a local rock band. Of course, Riley makes the band. She rules at the drums. 

Riley soon finds out rock bands have a different dynamic than marching bands, especially when each of her male band mates has a major ego and is a major player. Two of them relentlessly flirt with her. The other—a dark, sexy rock god she can’t help being attracted to— is a total jerk and pushes her to quit. She becomes determined to ignore his rudeness and his hotness. Even if she was interested in jerks, a hook up would probably get her booted out of the ego-ridden band, and playing keeps her sane. Behind the drums, the world and her family’s troubles evaporate.

If she wants to stay in the band, Riley just has to ignore the growing sparks between her and her band enemy. But as she gets to know the man behind the stage persona, ignoring him proves to be more difficult than flowing through a time sig shift. 

*New Adult/Mature YA for language and sexual situations.

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Jean Haus lives in Michigan with her wonderful husband and son who, other than cooking, have taken over homemaking duties since she started writing more. When Jean isn’t writing, she’s usually reading. Anything from young adult to historical fiction as long as there is a bit a romance, she’ll load it on her Kindle. She loves to cook, and someday she will create the world’s best potsticker.

Seduced by Innocence

(Seduced, #1)

by: Kimberly Kimrade

Publishing Date: 1/21/13

Publisher: Daring Books

Genre: New Adult Romance/Paranormal
Amazon Paper book | Amazon Kindle copy

Description: 

Seduction comes in many forms. 

"Liquid fire poured into me, filling me with the intimate sense of him as he leaned in to claim my lips with his own. I reached for him, needing him closer, but my arms couldn't close the distance between us, which grew wider with each hitched breath. So close to finally feeling something real, something carnal and deep, I cried out in frustration, dropping my hands as he disappeared. My cries deepened into a frenzy of panic and my eyes flew open. I clutched my blanket and stilled myself to calm my racing heart. 

Just a dream. Always just a dream." 

Rose Wintersong didn't have an ordinary upbringing. Raised in what most would call a hippy commune, but what is actually a powerful coven of witches, she never questions the life fate chose for her. 

Until she meets Derek O'Conner. 

Derek challenges everything Rose believes and forces her to see the secrets hidden beneath the whitewashed walls of her idyllic country life. 

Rose knows she should walk away, that the sexy martial arts instructor is bad news bred to create discord in her tight community… but the animal magnetism between them is impossible to fight. 

Caught between the passion of first love, and the steady beat of the life she's always known, Rose must choose between the innocence of her youth or the pleasures of womanhood—but lost innocence comes at a price, and Rose harbors a dark secret that could destroy everyone she loves—including Derek. 

Submit to the Seduced Saga as Derek and Rose face their future while unraveling the mysteries of their past. 

Look for these books in 2013. 

January -Seduced by Innocence 

February -Seduced by Power 

TBA-Seduced by Pleasure 

TBA-Seduced by Pain 

TBA-Seduced by Love

Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. She writes fantasy and paranormal stories for all ages and still believes in magic worlds. Check out her YA paranormal series The Forbidden Trilogy, her lower grade fantasy series The Three Lost Kids, and watch for her New Adult romance and fantasy books coming in 2013 including The Seduced Saga, Sunrise and Nightfall, Death by Destiny and The Fallen Trilogy and her next YA fantasy adventure, The Reluctant Familiar. You can find her books on Amazon, B&N and Goodreads among other fine retailers. 

When she's not writing, she runs Daring Books Design & Marketing with her husband, Dmytry Karpov, where they help authors with all manner of marketing, editing, and design needs until such a time that their brilliant children take over the business for them. 

She lives with her three little girls who think they're ninja princesses with super powers, her two cats who think they're gods (and probably are), her two dogs who think they're humans and her husband, also known as the sexy Russian Prince, who is the love of her life and writing partner.

What Does Your Office Look Like 

For years, I didn’t have an office. When I was writing in college, I always lived with roommates, so I did most of my work in my room. Then, when my husband and I got married, I bought myself a writing desk. It housed our desktop computer, which also doubled as our T.V. for years, and as such, it sat smack dab in the center of the living room. 

Then we bought our little house. I immediately claimed the spare bedroom, painted it periwinkle blue, and hung my diplomas over the desk. There’s a guest bed in here, but the space is truly my office. 

Let me show you around. 

There’s an antique map of Egypt hanging on the wall to the right. This was a present from my Hubby right before we traveled there, and every time I look at the map, stories spill out of my heart. 

My desk is next to a street-facing window, where I sometimes spy on the neighbors when I’m supposed to be working. The desk has a hutch, which is filled with some of my favorite books. A bulletin board and two white board calendars hang to the right, where I keep my inspiration and my crazy schedule straightened out. Isn’t it a beautiful space? I am so thankful to finally have a room of my own!

The Burning of Isobel Key

by: Jen McConnel

Publishing Date: 10/1/12

Genre: Contemporary New Adult

Amazon

Description:

When Lou travels to Scotland, she’s a mess. She’s twenty-six, unemployed, and unsure of herself. It doesn’t help that she’s traveling with Tammy, her best friend, who is everything Lou is not. At first, the trip pushes Lou towards the brink of depression, but then she meets Brian, a handsome local tour guide. When Brian tells the tourists about the countless witches burned in Scotland, Lou starts to listen. And when she discovers information about Isobel Key, one of the victims of the seventeenth century, Lou finds renewed purpose. 

Lou has begun exploring the Neo Pagan faith, a dramatic shift from her wealthy Catholic upbringing. Despite her fears of being too “hocus pocusy”, Lou turns to her new faith as she struggles to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of Isobel Key. But faith or not, Lou must face her demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.

Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter: @ProDeaWriter

Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”). 

She is also an active reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW. 

A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.