**Teaser Tuesday ~ #23**

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

***

Fever by Melissa Pearl

Songbird #1

SynopsisSinging in the shower takes on a whole new meaning in Melissa Pearl's first Contemporary Romance. 

Ella Simmons does not want to move across the country. But she is, because her boyfriend has persuaded her to join him at UChicago to finish out her college education. Never able to tell him no, she hops on a plane and makes the trek from LA expecting to adjust to life like she's often forced to, but things are not that simple when she hears a luscious voice singing over her shower wall. His deep, sexy tenor makes her weak in the knees, spreading fire through her limbs and making her question everything about her life and relationship. Can one voice really have that much of an impact?

Cole Reynolds is on his way out. In his final year at UChicago, the only this he wants to do is finish school and get on with this life. But the sweet voice that interrupts his morning shower turns his world upside down. Compelled to find his shower songbird, he begins a search across campus. The only thing to distract him from this goal is his roommate's gorgeous girlfriend who's just arrived from LA - Ella Simmons.

Relationships are put to the ultimate test as future dreams are questioned and friendships are thrown on the line for love.

***Teaser***

It was like they were addicted to each other, pulled together by a force outside of themselves. I wondered what a love like that felt like.

It scared me to think maybe I already knew.

-Ella

**Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ The Fall of January Cooper ~ Audrey Bell**

Hey y'all! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Audrey Bell's The Fall of January Cooper. My stop includes all you need to know about the book, my review, and a giveaway.


To follow all the stops on the tour, click the tour banner above.

***

The Fall of January Cooper

Age group: NA/Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover designer: Audrey Bell

Source: I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 3.5-4 Bookworms

Synopsis

How do you lose everything?

Ask January Cooper.

She was the daughter of a Dallas multimillionaire, the debutante of the year, and the girl most likely to get whatever she wanted.

But when her father is arrested for securities fraud, the girl who had everything starts to lose everything. And once she starts falling, she can't seem to stop.

When she walks into Christian Cutlass's bar, she meets the first person who sees all the way through her. And Christian Cutlass meets the first girl who doesn't care about who he used to be and what he lost one night when he was nineteen years old.

She's gorgeous and hurt. He's twisted in too many ways to count. She's the girl with nothing left to lose. 

He was the boy who lost everything he lived for.

How do you lose everything? You start by falling.

The Fall of January Cooper is an intriguing story about two people who are unhappy for vastly different reasons. Over time, they teach each other they each are strong and can weather any storm.

January Cooper is known as the rich girl, the spoiled girl, the girl who gets everything she wants. And she seems to live up to those perceptions. But underneath, she's a vulnerable young woman who rarely gets what she wants, and what she most wants is someone to love and accept her for her. When her father is arrested for orchestrating a Ponzi scheme, things go from bad the worse.

Christian Cutlass is a damaged young man. Once a promising young hockey player, he lost everything he most cared about in one night. He now drowns his guilt in work, school, and alcohol. When January comes into his bar one night, Christian's life is irrevocably changed.

I really enjoyed watching as January and Christian became friends, and not friends, and back again. There seemed to be miscommunication between them as they each tried to stay away from the other but there was snarky banter that made it entertaining. I liked that their relationship wasn't going to be perfect but they seemed to be exactly what the other needed. And the emotional growth and healing they brought about in each other was touching.

I liked this story and the characters so much. However, I felt there were a few threads in the story that were either left somewhat unresolved or resolved in an unsatisfying way. One thread, involving a character named Vanessa, seemed more important that the resolution it received. I also didn't like the way in which events with January's parents culminated. I know they were selfish and greedy people but to have treated January the way the did seemed a tad unrealistic (maybe because I'm a parent who can't fathom it) and it made for too tidy an ending.

I don't know if Ms. Bell plans on giving us more of January and Christian's story but I certainly wouldn't mind. As I said, I liked these characters quite a bit and maybe I'd get a better resolution for January's parents' story, as well as for Vanessa. The Fall of January Cooper was engaging and nicely paced...at least until the end.

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Audrey Bell is a writer living in New York.

Titles include: Love Show and Carry Your Heart.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads

**Release Day Blitz & Giveaway ~ Fever ~ Melissa Pearl**

Fever by Melissa Pearl

New Adult Contemporary Romance

Available Now for only $2.99

Singing in the shower takes on a whole new meaning in Melissa Pearl's first Contemporary Romance. 

Ella Simmons does not want to move across the country. But she is, because her boyfriend has persuaded her to join him at UChicago to finish out her college education. Never able to tell him no, she hops on a plane and makes the trek from LA expecting to adjust to life like she's often forced to, but things are not that simple when she hears a luscious voice singing over her shower wall. His deep, sexy tenor makes her weak in the knees, spreading fire through her limbs and making her question everything about her life and relationship. Can one voice really have that much of an impact?

Cole Reynolds is on his way out. In his final year at UChicao, the only this he wants to do is finish school and get on with this life. But the sweet voice that interrupts his morning shower turns his world upside down. Compelled to find his shower songbird, he begins a search across campus. The only thing to distract him from this goal is his roommate's gorgeous girlfriend who's just arrived from LA - Ella Simmons.

Relationships are put to the ultimate test as future dreams are questioned and friendships are thrown on the line for love.

Purchase Fever here
iBooks ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Amazon ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords 

Enter the Release Day Giveaway!

http://ow.ly/xWBZE

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with her husband and two sons.

She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011.

Since then she has continued to produce a steady stream of books. Recently she signed with Evatopia Press and her first Evatopia book is coming out in February 2014 - True Colors, The Masks Series #1. She is very excited to be trying out new things this year while continuing to publish under her own name as well. She has six books planned for 2014 and is excited about writing each and every one of them.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

**Blog Tour Review, Guest Post & Giveaway ~ GUNS ~ J.A. Huss**

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for J.A. Huss' GUNS. My stop includes all the important details about the book, the trailer, a guest post, my review, and a giveaway!

If y'all haven't yet met Rook, Ronin and the gang, there's no better time. The Rook & Ronin Omnibus, which includes Tragic, Manic, and Panic, is **ON SALE FOR ONLY 99 CENTS**! 

To follow along with all the stops on the tour, click here.

***

GUNS: The Spencer Book by J.A. Huss
(Rook and Ronin Spinoff)

Release Date: March 31, 2014

Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Source: I received an eARC of this book but also purchased my own copy :)
Rating: 5 Beautiful Bookworms!!

Description

The Team is growing. It’s no longer just Ford, Spencer, and Ronin and the three new additions have Spencer Shrike off his booze, off his bikes, and paranoid to the extreme. Every Team member has a job, and every job is important—but only Spencer’s job keeps everyone alive.

Veronica Vaughn has put up with Spencer Shrike’s shit for years and where has it gotten her? A big fat nowhere. No ring, no house, no kids, and no promises. In fact, Spencer is worse than ever—completely distant and moody—and his fascination with weapons has turned into an obsession.

Now there’s another man in town with his eye on her. And she’s ready to jump ship. The last thing on Spencer’s mind is a relationship, and Veronica Vaughn has had enough.

But what if Spencer has a reason to keep Veronica at arm’s length? What if her life depends on his painful indifference? And what if… a very dangerous man with a very real vendetta sees through his ruse with killer clarity?

GUNS brings the entire Rook and Ronin series full circle. Every con, every lie, and every skeleton in the closet is back for one final shot at vengeance and the only thing standing in the way… is Spencer Shrike.

**TRAILER**




**GUEST POST**

Brandee wanted me to write about ‘nailing the male point of view’ in my books. I’m flattered that people are loving the guys in the Tragic Series and I think it’s because I hung out with a lot of guys in my life. Most of my best friends were guys growing up. I always had a best girlfriend, but for some reason, there were always guys in the friend zone with us. 

Guys are so different than girls. One time I was with my best friend Dena. We lived in Anaheim at the time and we were meeting these hot guys at this game center – a miniature golf place, arcade, go-carts and shit. So Dena and I hung out with these two friend-zone guys named Mike and Danny. Mike and Danny were not boyfriend material. They were just goofball friends we did lots of questionably legal things with. Mostly it involved drinking lots of beer on the beach and smoking pot. So we brought Mike and Danny with on this freaking date with these two hot guys and we told them to just stay in the car. Smoke their pot and be good. We’ll be back later. 

Yeah. Needless to say, the date ended abruptly when we caught the friend-zone guys driving the car around the parking lot yelling at girls from the window. We never got second dates with the hot guys. But Danny, Mike, Dena, and I stayed friends for a long time. ;) 

So I think I “get” the “guy” POV and my characters talk like the guys I know. When I started this series I had a very specific goal for each character and I tried to stay true to those traits in each book. All three of the guys are very different. Ronin is calm and patient. Ford is controlling and mysterious. And Spencer is protective and funny. So I think there is room for everyone to find a favorite. 

If these guys were real and I had to choose, I’d pick Ford. I like that he can be funny, even when he’s not trying, and I like that he just takes care of things without telling people. He’s got a lot of rules, but if you’ve read Taut, you know the rules don’t apply to Ashleigh. She’s running that show even though he doesn’t realize it.

Thanks so much for being part of the GUNS tour and having me on your blog, Brandee!

**Please note: Do NOT read GUNS if you have not read the Rook & Ronin trilogy. GUNS is not a standalone.**

*sigh* I truly hate that this series has to end - but I couldn't have asked for a better ending. J.A. made me giggle, made me swoon, and made me cry. I've loved every minute of this ride with Rook, Ronin, Ford, Ashleigh, Spencer, and Veronica. GUNS definitely went out with a bang!

In GUNS, J.A. give us more intrigue with some interesting plot twists, as well as lots of feels. I stated in a previous review that Spencer is 'the muscle' of the Team. This point is really illustrated in GUNS. With the trial approaching, tensions increased as Spencer, Ford, and Ronin worry over protecting their girls. And since Spencer's job is to keep everyone alive, the weight of this task falls heavily on his shoulders. We're made aware of all his reasons in treating Veronica the way he does as well as seeing his struggles in his treatment of her. But more than that, we get to see how protective and loyal he is to everyone on his Team. Although he would put one above the rest, Spencer would do anything to save his friends.

And then there's Veronica. She's a pistol! She's tough - she knows how to throw a punch and shoot a gun. But when it comes to Spencer, well, she melts into a puddle of goo. She hates not being a part of Spencer's Team. But mostly she hates not being a part of Spencer's life. 

I so love all these characters. I particularly enjoyed learning more about how Spencer initially wooed Veronica. I am, first and foremost, a Ford woman. But I will admit that Spencer would have free-reign with his airbrush and paints. :)

J.A. did an incredible job of tying up this story and leaving me absolutely fulfilled. It was fun, exciting, tense, swoon-worthy, blush-inducing and evoked such emotion from me. As raw as this story is, I appreciate all the details. I adore that J.A. incorporates things such as Rook and Veronica's feelings about one another, Ashleigh, and themselves. I laughed so hard at Ronin and Ford thinking they know their women so well...that they're the bosses in the relationships, when that couldn't be further from reality. And the epilogues...yes, two! Seriously satisfying!

I could go on and on with the fangirling. :) It's been such a pleasure getting to know these characters and live in their world, if only for a brief period of time. I've delighted in watching them grow, mature and 'figure it all out' on their own terms. 

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J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

**Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ Drowning ~ Rachel Firasek**

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Rachel Firasek's Drowning. My stop includes all the details for the book, my review, and a giveaway.

To check out all the stops on the tour, click here.

***

Drowning by Rachel Firasek

Tears of Sin Series #1

Release Date: October 19, 2013

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: I purchased my own copy of Drowning prior 

to agreeing to participate on this tour.

Rating: 3.5 Bookworms

Synopsis

"I dare you." Those words would change adrenaline junkie, Alice Harrison's life forever. She's a party girl that doesn't believe in love until she meets a man that only writes about it. Seth James escaped his overbearing father and moved into one of the James family's vacant condos, hoping to create the music he loves in peace. But the fragile calm he's envisioned shatters when a tiny woman with a world full of energy bounces out of the elevator and nearly takes him out. With the patience of a saint, Seth seeks the dark that keeps Alice from enjoying life. He challenges her to exorcise the demons in her past in order to discover the true meaning of love. But when the walls fall down, the hidden deceptions will bare the ugly truth about a woman drowning in sorrow and a man who may not know how to be her hero.

Drowning was a gripping read, overall. It's familiar in that it uses the NA trope of broken girl meets broken boy but it also incorporated some grittiness and suspense. 

Alice Harrison is a young woman coping ina life where she's been tortured and made to believe she'll destroy anything good in life. She gave up school and her art to take care of her half-sister due to her belief that it's her due penance. When she literally runs into Seth James, her whole life is turned on its head.

Seth James is a young man haunted by the loss of his mother and his father's subsequent absentee parenting. He pours all his passion into his music. He's trying to make a go of it with his band and the last thing he wants or needs is the distraction that one Alice Harrison presents. When Alice's dad comes calling, both Alice and Seth learn a lot about themselves and what those things mean for the other.

Drowning is a compelling story. It introduced likeable characters, such as Gabe, Seth's brother, and Deacon and Evan, their bandmates. I look forward to learning more about them in the forthcoming books in this series. I also liked Molly, Alice's half-sister, despite her character flaws. I would have liked to have learned more about Molly though, particularly because of the roll she has in Alice's life. I'm going to assume I'll get more in the future installments.

I admired Alice's strength and spirit. The things she's endured - unspeakable acts, would have sucked the life out of most people. Alice didn't let it. In fact, she sought out adrenaline-pumping activities in order to prove to herself she was alive. Until that fateful day, when things went horribly wrong. 

I liked Seth a lot. But he made me angry several times. Drowning is told through dual POV, so I got to read what was going on in his mind. He was flip-flopping on where he stood with Alice and it frustrated me.

The writing and pacing in Drowning were done well. There were places where transitions were rather abrupt though. And I felt as though Seth's life maybe wasn't bad enough to warrant the 'broken' boy label. The story though was good. I'm anxious for more from these characters.

**FAVORITE QUOTES**

"Don't cry over him. Those tears give him power." -Seth, Loc 323

"Because...I think you are just as f#cked up as I am. Two wrongs do not make a right." -Alice, Loc 1026

"No. Alice, I most definitely do not want to date you. I want to own you, desire you, possess you and all your dark secrets, but no date. Date is something normal people do and the two of us are definitely not normal." -Seth, Loc 1074

"In darkness, there is hope. In light, there is truth. You've captured me somewhere in between and made it safe." -Alice, Loc 2586

"You're our lead, baby. Where you go, we all follow. You've won our hearts and our loyalty." -Gabe, Loc 4371

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Rachel Firasek spends her days daydreaming of stories and her nights putting those ideas to ink. She has spent a dull life following the rules, meeting deadlines, and toeing the line, but in her made up worlds, she can let the wild side loose. Her wonderful husband and three children support her love of the written word and only ask for the occasional American Idol or Swamp People quality hour. She has a philosophy about love. It must devastate or it isn't truly worth loving. She hopes you all find your devastating love and cling to it with all your heart.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

**Release Day Blitz ~ The Harder I Fall ~ Jessica Gibson**

I'm thrilled to be a part of the blitz for Jessica Gibson's The Hard I Fall. I have all the details on the book and a teaser for y'all!

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The Harder I Fall by Jessica Gibson

Release Date: February 23, 2014

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Synopsis

Becca Langer was not a normal girl, she didn't have normal girl problems. For most of her life, she’s had to take care of herself, her younger brother Chad, and her drunk mother. She’s lived under the shadow of what her father did when she was ten years old. Forever branded by his actions.

College was her escape, she could get away and finally live. Her dream was to make it in the New York Ballet Company one day. That for her meant a long road full of hard work and dedication. She didn't have time for distractions, and Levi Klein was definitely a distraction.

Will Levi be able to crack through her tough exterior and really see the wounded soul underneath? Becca needs to be loved, but the question is, will she let Levi love her?

Come to the Facebook Party Release Event!

**Teaser**

Jessica Gibson is a recovering bookaholic, she's down from four books a week to a more
reasonable one. It was that love of words and creativity that made her dream about writing 
her first book. That dream was hidden for years, always put on the back burner, filed away in the "someday" section, until her husband Matt gave her the kick in the pants she needed to actually get off her butt and write.

Jessica and Matt live in Southern California and have a serious addiction to reality tv shows like Pawn Stars and American Restoration. They have one son and hope to add to the family in the near future.

Aside from writing, she runs an online event planning business called the Release Day Diva. In addition to novels, Jessica writes and maintains the blog Book on the Bright Side. Keep up with Jessica and her latest releases and events on her blog.

Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads