Showing posts with label Contemporary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contemporary. Show all posts

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Release Week Event {Review + Giveaway}: STOP! by Alison G. Bailey


Title: STOP!
Author: Alison G. Bailey
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: 6/25/15

Synopsis

Every life has a different path full of sharp turns, smooth curves, and steep drop offs.

Hollis Murphy has a plan—college, career, boyfriend, love, marriage, family. A predictable, normal life. She’s on track until an outside force causes her to crash and burn. They call it an accident, because that’s the only word they know to explain what happens to her. It helps everyone move on with their lives, except for Hollis. She holds on to the belief that she’s been targeted for a reason. 

Risher Stevenson is intelligent, caring, sweet, and the hottest boy Hollis has ever laid eyes on. He fits perfectly into her original plan for a normal life. Everyone loves him.

Benton Daniels is intelligent, caring, sweet, and the bravest boy Hollis has ever met. He doesn’t fit into her life but gives it purpose and makes it extraordinary. Everyone hates him.

One is bullied. One is tormented. All are judged. How will it STOP?


Excerpt

“Name?” she said, impatiently.
I was so flustered that for a second I’d forgotten who I was. “Hollis Murphy.”
She scribbled something on a spreadsheet and handed me a packet with my name and the number two hundred ten typed out on the front sticker, which I assumed was my room number.
In a flat bored voice, she said, “Everything you need to know is in the packet. Should you have any additional questions or needs after reading the information, please ask your RA. Have a productive semester. Next!”
Clutching the envelope to my chest, my gaze shifted back down, and I walked quickly out of the office.
As I turned the corner, a loud deep woot! jerked my attention down the hall. I took one step before crashing full force into something solid and warm. Stumbling back, I dropped the envelope. Once my balance returned, my eyes focused on a gray T-shirt with cut off sleeves, stretched across broad shoulders. When I glanced down in search of my envelope, I couldn’t help but spot the narrow hips and round ass covered in black basketball shorts. As I squatted to pick up the envelope, a tanned forearm came into view. My gaze roamed up to find the arm was covered in bulging muscles.
“Oh god, I’m so . . . sor…ry,” I stammered, my cheeks heating with embarrassment.
            “Here ya go,” a deep voice said.
Reaching for the envelope, my gaze inadvertently shot up to the warmest green eyes ever created. His dark brown hair was cut short on the sides, longer on top, and tousled. The perfect amount of scuff peppered his strong jawline, with deep dimples framing a sexy lopsided smile. The air was immediately sucked from my lungs. He wasn’t just hot, he was boy band hot.
            A deep chuckle drifted down before I realized he had stood up and was extending his hand to me.
Oh boy! I get to touch him.
I slipped my hand into his and felt an immediate jolt of electricity. The muscles in his arm twitched. He felt it too.
“Thank you,” I said, as he helped me up.
            “I’m Risher Stevenson.”
            He was actually introducing himself to me.
            It had become a habit not to look directly at anyone, especially a stranger. I automatically angled my head down and to the left, to hide the messed-up side of my face. But those green eyes locked me in place. 
            “Hollis Murphy.”
            “Nice to meet you Hollis Murphy.”
            “Sorry again about running into you. I need to do a better job at watching where I’m going.”
            The tip of his tongue slipped between his lips before they formed into a slight smirk. Just as he was about to speak, his name came barreling down the hallway.
            “Rish! Get your ass down here. We’ve got a ton of boxes to haul in.” A blond-haired guy was standing at the end of the hall.
            “I gotta go finish helping my friends move in.”
            I nodded.
            Risher took three steps before turning back toward me. “Don’t do too good of a job.”
            My eyebrows squished together in confusion.
            “At watching where you’re going. I hate to think I won’t get rump bumped again.”
He winked before jogging away.
            I Sasquatched those shoulders, those hips, and that ass all the way down the hall.


Review

Before I get into my review I first would like to say the this was my first book my Alison. I have heard nothing but great things about her Perfect series, so I was super excited to start STOP!.

STOP! is about a girl named Hollis. She had an accident that caused her to had surgery which in turn resulted in a scar on her face. She was often called names in high school so she is insecure while entering her first year in college. There she meets two boys. 

Risher is adorable. He's smart and he is very kind.

Benten is going through something not all of us understand, but Hollis sees him as brave.

After finishing this book I was kind of disappointed. The writing was great, but it was Hollis that just didn't do it for me. Torwards the end I didn't really understand some of Hollis' decisions in terms of telling the authorities know about what was going on with Benten.

One thing that I would liked to know more about was Fishers past with his father. This book was a bit rushed at the end and I didn't really like that.

This book is labeled as New Adult and I don't know if the author intended for is to be NA or not, but aside from some bad words it felt like I was reading a Young Adult book.

All in all it was a good read, but I expected more from the other characters.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

My rating: 



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Buy Links

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

Barnes & Noble

iTunes

Kobo

About the Author

Alison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. She attended Winthrop University and graduated with a major in Theater. While at school Alison began writing one-act plays, which she later produced. Her debut novel, Present Perfect, landed on Amazon's Best Seller List and appeared on many "Best Reads of 2013" Book Blogs. The novel won Best Book at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention Awards. Her second novel, Past Imperfect, was published in February of 2014 and appeared on several best books of 2014 lists as well. Presently Perfect, the third and final book in The “Perfect” series was released in Dec 2014 to rave reviews. In March 2015 all the love, swoon, heat, and angst were combined into the Perfect Series Box Set.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads


GIVEAWAY!!!

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Cover Reveal {Excerpt + Giveaway}: STOP by Alison G. Bailey

We are so excited to be sharing with you the cover for Alison G. Bailey's new book releasing on June 25th - STOP! Enjoy a sneak peek below and make sure to enter the giveaway for a beautiful bracelet from Alison. Enjoy!

STOP!ebook
Release Date: June 25th
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Cover Designer: Murphy Rae, Indie Solutions
Photography: Abigail Marie, NON`PA*REILPhotography
Model: Paige Forsberg
add-to-goodreads-button

Synopsis

Every life has a different path full of sharp turns, smooth curves, and steep drop offs.
Hollis Murphy has a plan—college, career, boyfriend, love, marriage, family. A predictable, normal life. She’s on track until an outside force causes her to crash and burn. They call it an accident, because that’s the only word they know to explain what happens to her. It helps everyone move on with their lives, except for Hollis. She holds on to the belief that she’s been targeted for a reason.
Risher Stevenson is intelligent, caring, sweet, and the hottest boy Hollis has ever laid eyes on. He fits perfectly into her original plan for a normal life. Everyone loves him.
Benton Daniels is intelligent, caring, sweet, and the bravest boy Hollis has ever met. He doesn’t fit into her life but gives it purpose and makes it extraordinary. Everyone hates him.
One is bullied. One is tormented. All are judged. How will it STOP?



Excerpt

The air was filled with the energy of the new school year. Hellos, goodbyes, laughter, and questions swirled around me. New friendships were already being formed and old ones reunited.  The pair of flip flops in front of me moved forward, so I followed. After fifteen minutes of the shuffle ‘n stop, I reached the check in desk. An older lady with short salt and pepper hair sat slightly hunched over, partially blocked by a large stack of thick manila envelopes. Never looking up, she recited a generic Welcome to Chambers spiel. All the noisy activity made it hard to hear every little thing the woman said. Her gaze and eyebrows lifted as she stared up at me.
Terrific, its starting already.
Not sure what to do, I gave her a weak smile and waited for instructions.
“Name?” she said, impatiently.
I was so flustered that for a second I’d forgotten who I was. “Hollis Murphy.”
She scribbled something on a spreadsheet and handed me a packet with my name and the number two hundred ten typed out on sticker, which I assumed was my room.
In a flat bored voice, she said, “Everything you need to know is in the packet. Should you have any additional questions or needs after reading the information, please ask your RA. Have a productive semester. Next!”
Clutching the envelope to my chest, my gaze shifted back down, and I walked quickly out into the hall.
As I turned the corner, a loud deep “woot!” jerked my attention down the hall. I took one step before crashing full force into something solid and warm. I stumbled back, dropping the envelope. When my balance returned, my gaze shot up to see a gray T-shirt with cut off sleeves, stretched across broad shoulders. Glancing down in search of my envelope, I couldn’t help but spot the narrow hips and round ass covered in black basketball shorts. As I squatted to pick up the envelope, a tanned forearm came into view. My gaze roamed up to find the arm was covered in bulging muscles.
“Oh god, I’m so…sor..ry,” I stammered, my cheeks heating with embarrassment.
“Here ya go,” a deep voice said.
As I reached for the envelope, my gaze inadvertently shot up to the warmest green eyes ever created. His dark brown hair was cut short on the sides, longer on top, and tousled. The perfect amount of scuff peppered his strong jawline with deep dimples framing a sexy lopsided smile. The air was immediately sucked from my lungs. He wasn’t just hot, he was boy band hot.
                A deep chuckle drifted down before I realized he had stood up and was extending his hand to me.
Oh boy! I get to touch him!
I slipped my hand into his and felt an immediate jolt of electricity. The muscles in his arm twitched.
He felt it too.
“Thank you,” I said, as he helped me up.
                “I’m Risher Stevenson.”
                He was actually introducing himself to me.
                It had become automatic for me not to look directly at anyone, especially a stranger. Usually, I’d angle my head down and to the right in order to hide the messed up side of my face. But, those green eyes locked me in place. 
                “Hollis Murphy.”
                “Nice to meet you Hollis Murphy.”
                “Sorry again about running into you. I need to do a better job at watching where I’m going.”
                The tip of his tongue slipped between his lips before they formed into a slight smirk. Just as he was about to speak his name came barreling down the hallway.
                “Rish! Get your ass down here. We’ve got a ton of boxes to haul in.” A blonde haired guy stood at the end of the hall.
                “I gotta go finish helping my friends move in.”
                I nodded.
                Risher took three steps before turning back toward me. “Don’t do too good of a job.”
                My eyebrows squished together in confusion.
                “At watching where you’re going. I hate to think I won’t get rump bumped again.”
He tossed me a wink before jogging away.
                I Sasquatched those shoulders, those hips, and that ass all the way down the hall.

AboutTheAuthor

alison g baileyAlison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. She attended Winthrop University and graduated with a major in Theater. While at school Alison began writing one-act plays, which she later produced. Her debut novel, Present Perfect, landed on Amazon's Best Seller List and appeared on many "Best Reads of 2013" Book Blogs. The novel won Best Book at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention Awards. Her second novel, Past Imperfect, was published in February of 2014 and appeared on several best books of 2014 lists as well. Presently Perfect, the third and final book in The “Perfect” series was released in Dec 2014 to rave reviews. In March 2015 all the love, swoon, heat, and angst were combined into the Perfect Series Box Set.


Giveaway

charm2

Monday, January 12, 2015

Release Day Blitz {Book Trailer + Playlist}: Branded by Tara Sivec


Title: Branded (Book 2)
Series: The Ignite Trilogy
Author: Tara Sivec


Summary:

Ignite Trilogy, Volume 2: DJ & Phina 

I wear my scars like a scarlet letter, reminding myself that I’m not worth the trouble.
I’ve spent seventeen years pushing men away, never allowing myself to believe in the fairytale…then, he walked back in.
Just like before, we explode when we’re together. I hate him for what he did to me, but I can’t stay away.
Eighteen days filled with passion and promises.
Nineteen letters filled with threats and foreboding. 
It only takes twenty minutes for the numbers to all add up.
One thousand, two hundred seconds until everything changes and there’s no going back.
This is my story, and it’s going to leave a scar.


Purchase Links:

Book Trailer

                             

Spotify Playlist

                                           


Monday, October 13, 2014

Blog Tour {Teasers + Excerpt}: Blinded by Love Series by Emma Grayson

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Take It All (Blinded By Love #1)
Author: Emma Grayson

Genre: Contemporary
Hosted By: Francessca's Romance Reviews


Synopsis



Judy Garland said it best, For it was not into my ear you whispered but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed but my soul.
If you asked her why she loved him, she would tell you it was because he was who he was and, well, she was who she was.
Plain and simple.
All her life Lennox Ward felt incomplete. Her heart was always searching for that one special thing; that special someone she had yet to find.
Then Caleb Kingston came strolling back into her life unexpectedly, and little did she know her world was about to come crashing down around her, forever shattering it.

TEASERS

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REVIEWS

I started 'Take it All' and it immediately sucked me in, I couldn't stop reading! ~ Goodreads Review

WOW!!! This book was not what I expected but I totally fell in love with the characters and storyline , it was real and dealt with real issues!!This wasn't some " cookie cutter " romance story, things got ugly and the truth freaking hurt ~ Goodreads review

This is one of those stay up all night, finish in one sitting books. Take it All is a heartbreaking story of a love that can destroy you and it leaves you feeling you got hit by a semi... in a good and bad way. ~ Goodreads Review




PURCHASE LINKS




Promise It All (Blinded by Love #2)

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Synopsis

Caleb Kingston’s addiction got the best of him and he left everything important behind; including the one person he loved more than anything.

Lennox is left to fight through her heartache and pain as well as the crushing confusion she feels in the aftermath of Caleb’s departure. She finds it difficult to move forward because he didn’t just leave her behind, he also left their son, AJ.

Realizing Caleb will never leave the life of addiction behind and return to her and AJ, Lennox makes the painful choice to finally put Caleb and their love behind her. But when Caleb returns in a shocking and unexpected way, he changes her game plan and makes her question what she truly wants.


TEASERS

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EXCERPT

PROLOGUE
Friday, May 16th 2014
Present day

Tick.
Tock.

The room was empty and silent, except for the sound of Heather, the receptionist, typing away on the computer. Lennox looked at the time on her phone; she still had another fifteen minutes before it was her turn.

Tick.
Tock.

The office was old and dusty with a musky smell. She thought the place could use a good cleaning and possibly a new air freshener, preferably the scent of fresh linen. The chair she sat in was well worn with the padding torn and barely there as the wooden base under her was becoming uncomfortable.

Just like it did every single time she sat on it twice a week for the last five months, but this time wasn't anything like the times before.

Tick.
Tock.

Every time she came, she was prepared, she knew what she was going to say, she was ready to hold her emotions back, she was ready to put on a brave face and act as if everything was okay, that she was okay.

Not today.

Today she had no idea what to expect. For the first time she was going in completely blind and unprepared. She had no expectations, no words to express how she was feeling or what she was thinking, but worst of all she had no idea how she was going to control her emotions and put on a brave face and continue to act as if she was okay.

Lennox wasn't okay, she was far from okay.

Tick.
Tock.

Sitting in the god-awful chair, staring at the off white wall in front of her, she only had one word floating around in her head.

Kryptonite.

Superman's weakness.

Like him, everyone has a weakness. Everyone has something in their lives that no matter how hard they try to push it aside, they can't. They end up falling into its momentum until they're on the ground without the strength to get back up again and live.

Tick.
Tock.

Lennox had fallen into her Kryptonite more than once, but this time she had more than just herself to lose. She struggled with wondering if the direction she was heading was right, if it was worth it, and if it was what she truly wanted.

She had perspective. She'd thought about every outcome possible, and she had done so more than once—more than twice. She thought about it every single day for the past three months. She was unfocused with everything in her life, and consumed with the possible outcomes of her day.

She knew nothing would be solved at the end of her time, or in a day or week or even in a month. She knew it could take months until she finally had clarity, and the thought of that killed her. She wasn't the most patient person, but when it came to this specific topic she knew one thing for sure.

It was going to take time. It would also take work, patience, faith, hope, and most of all trust.
Trust… the hardest thing for her to give to anyone.

Tick.
Tock.

The chair next to Lennox suddenly wasn't empty anymore as Heather stood up from her desk. "He'll see you now," she said.

Lennox nodded and stood to her feet, pulling her purse over her shoulder. Today was the first time she wasn't going in alone. As they walked toward the mocha-colored door, Lennox laughed to herself as she thought about how it all started with a phone call.

A phone call she'd been waiting three years for. A phone call that changed everything.


PURCHASE LINKS


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emma Grayson is a Canadian author who resides outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with her family and seven year old son. She is Amazon’s Bestselling author of Unbeautifully Loved, the first book of the Breathe Again series, as well as it’s follow up, Unbearable Guilt. She is also the author of Take it All and Promise it All, a series inspired by real events of her life.

Emma is currently working on a new novel, Erase my Scars, the first of a new trilogy.

When Emma’s not writing she enjoys time with her son, coming up with new book plots, going to the movies, reading, enjoying time with family and friends, and watching rerun episodes of Criminal Minds and Sons of Anarchy. She loves to watch the food network, music of all kinds, coffee, all things purple, Oilers hockey, and doesn’t leave the house without her cell phone, Kobo, flip flops and a pack of gum.



Sunday, August 31, 2014

Release Party {Excerpt + Giveaway}: Perfectly Ernest by E.J. Wesley





Welcome to the release party for Perfectly Ernest by E.J. Wesley! This is a New Adult Contemporary with romantic elements. Perfectly Ernest is now available for sale! 


Synopsis

A gripping story of striking out and winning big. From a distance, Ernie’s life seems perfect—he’s a star college baseball player adored by the student body and coveted by professional teams. Up close, he is a disaster. Since the death of his mother, he’s been trapped by a promise he made and forced to live her dream instead of his own. He reaches his breaking point in the biggest game of his young career and sets off a chain of events that will either define or destroy the rest of his life.

 Ernie grudgingly joins a quirky campus counseling group that empowers him to heal himself and right his wrongs. By testing old friendships, forging unlikely new ones, and exploring an exciting romance, he begins to unravel the jumbled knot his tangled inner-psyche has become. But old rivals, mental illness, and the risk of a forbidden relationship soon threaten his progress. Will Ernie’s new direction and friends be his salvation, or confirmation that he is forever doomed by his imperfections?

 Perfectly Ernest is a New Adult contemporary novel with romantic elements by author E.J. Wesley. Ernest offers a smart, funny, sweet, sexy, uplifting, and oftentimes poignant perspective of one person’s difficult transition into adulthood. It is a story about overcoming the demons of mental illness and struggling with the profound burden of expectations—both real and imagined. But it’s mostly a tale of friendship, hope, and love. 

NOW AVAILABLE!

 Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Goodreads |  Book Page



Excerpt

Neyle tottered over to a far corner of the room and snatched a jar of jellybeans from a shelf. He moved to our circle and chose a spot between Abbey and Baker. After handing the jar to Abbey, he unfolded his seat. He grunted as he straddled the makeshift chair and let his hands rest on the curved top of the cane. He waited as Luther powered down his machine, smiled as Sing checked her watch for the thirtieth time, arched his eyebrows as Baker picked his nose, and furrowed his brow at the way Abbey grimaced over the candy jar like someone had asked to her hold dirty underwear.
He never made eye contact with me.
“I’ll take those back, Abbey dear. Alright, y’all know the drill.”
I considered raising my hand to inform him I had no clue what thedrill was—and that I was alive and not a ghost in the room. But he continued before I got the chance.
“Progress report, I’ll start. The good: My physical therapist says I’m making real strides. The bad: I still can’t write with a pen, and my darn right foot doesn’t always do what my left-brain tells it. Laura says she can sympathize with my left-brain, because I don’t always do what she tells me, either.”
He chuckled and grabbed a handful of jellybeans before passing the jar to Baker. Neyle had a slight droop to his mouth that was hard to see under the bushy mustache. Stroke maybe?
Baker tossed back several beans. “Good: Totally made it to all my classes but two last week.” There was a chorus of surprised murmurs. “Bad: I only remember going to Algebra, man.”
Groans rained down. Baker shrugged and snatched another handful of candy. He shoved the jar into my hands. I immediately attempted to hand them over to Luther, but he simply regarded me with wide-eyed incredulity—like I’d used the Holy Water at a Catholic mass to wash my armpits or something.
I watched Neyle. My gut tightened. Did he expect me to participate in confessional on my first night?
He smiled.
“I really don’t know why I’m here—”
Neyle held his hand up. “Maybe start with your name.”
“Right,” I mumbled. “My name is Ernie. I’m a sophomore. I play … I played baseball here at South State.”
I tried to pass the candy off once more. Luther shook his head, so I grabbed a few out of the jar and tried again. He still wouldn’t take the damn thing.
Neyle coughed. “Nice to meet you, Ernie. How about your week? Anything good or bad to report?”
“For real?” I hoped to find some kind of support but only got a toothy grin from Abbey and a frustrated eye roll from Sing for my effort.
“Okay, guess I’ll go bad first since there’s been a lot to choose from lately. I managed to royally piss off my new English teacher. Good…” I scratched at my chin, which was beginning to stubble over for the night. Surely I’d had something worthwhile happen. “They had corn chip chili pies in the cafeteria on Monday?”
“Those are awesome, bro.” Baker leaned forward. “You put that nacho cheese on them?”
Abbey made a dramatic gagging sound. In spite of my annoyed mood, I couldn’t hold back a smile.
I popped a jellybean into my mouth, then handed the jar to Luther and was almost giddy when he took it. I thought I caught the hint of a wink from Neyle.
He relaxed on his seat. “Lex, what was up with you?”
“Bad: Dad is still an asshole. Good: I didn’t actually have to talk to him this week. Next.”
Luther placed the jar near Sing and fished out a handful of candy.
“Whoa, hold up.” Neyle leaned forward. “You didn’t have your mid-week check in with the Sergeant?”
Luther shook his head, making his glasses wobble. “Nah, he and Mom went to Vegas to meet up with some of his Army buddies.”
“That’s progress at least. You must feel like a free man,” Neylesaid and laughed.
“Not really. He had Mom inform me that re-charging my meal card would have to wait until he got back, so he could go over my purchases from last month. Apparently, I went a little heavy on the snack bar. Guess he’s decided to starve me out for insubordination.”
“No way,” Baker said.
Sing flinched.
Abbey quit fiddling with her nails.
Would his dad really let him go hungry to teach him a lesson?
Not for the first time in my life, I reminded myself that not having a dad around could actually be a bonus. Especially if he was a shitty dad.
“Do you have enough money to eat until then?” Neyle asked.
“Yeah, I’m cool. I’ve got rations stashed in my dorm for such an emergency. Plus, Mom’ll send me some cash if she can sneak out to a mailbox.”
Neyle’s gaze stayed locked on Luther. “Sing?”
She had arranged six jellybeans into two symmetrical rows in front of her on a piece of seamlessly folded tissue paper. Each candy was a different color—white, green, yellow, black, red, and blue. Judging by how she composed the room earlier before sitting down, she seemed like a girl who had a reason for the order in which she did everything. I couldn’t fathom the meaning of this, though.
“Good: I stopped by the housing office and asked for a roommate request form.”
Neyle grinned. “That’s great, Sing. We’ve talked about you getting a roomy for a couple of semesters now. You know, Laura and I probably wouldn’t be married if it weren’t for Hyena Brown, my old college roommate. He’d eat anything, and we often had to because we were so poor. If I could survive a year with Hyena, I knew Laura’s cooking wouldn’t kill me, either. Don’t tell her I said that. ”
Sing smiled.
“Bet you didn’t even take an application, did you?” Luther asked.
Sing turned on him, teeth bared like a prim-but-very-wild, animal.
“Of course I didn’t. The student secretary bimbo behind the desk was eating cheesy chips and put her gross hands all over it. I asked for an application, not a passport to her personal island of disease and filth.”
Luther laughed.
Neyle crossed his arms over his chest. “You didn’t say that to her, did you?”
Sing fiddled with her candy, not making eye contact with anyone. “That’s actually my bad thing for the week. They threatened to call campus security if I didn’t leave. So I told them I’d gladly go with security—or anyone—with table manners beyond that of the common house rat.”
Neyle sighed. “Well, I can print one up for you I suppose. That leaves you, Abbey.”
She sifted through the candy jar and selected a single, pink bean. She took a tiny nibble and set the other half of the piece on the floor in front of her with a satisfied, and gorgeous, smile.
“Give me a break.” Luther moaned.
She narrowed her eyes. “It’s called portion control.”
“It’s called neurosis, aka why we’re freaking here,” Luther replied.
If a look could gouge eyes out, Luther would’ve been left with an extra set of nostrils in his head. Abbey’s fury didn’t last long, however.
“Good: Becca wanted me to go on this new diet with her, where you eat nothing but green juices for a month.” She stuck her chest out and smoothed her hair. “I said no.”
“Doesn’t take a genius to know you can’t survive off liquids,” Luther said. “I’m not sure that’s a win.”
“Not true, bro,” Baker said, his voice taking on the quality of a wise surfer guru. “I once bet my brother’s friend he couldn’t survive a month living on those diet meal replacement shakes. Gained like twenty-five pounds.”
“Your bad thing?” Neyle asked. An edge of impatience in his voice told me he was trying desperately to usher us beyond the introductory round at this point.
“So, I was at the mall last weekend, and I tried on this ultra-cute top. It had this amazing scalloped lace on the sleeves and a deep neckline. Which I totally adore, because I think my collarbones are my best feature and—”
Neyle cleared his throat, again.
Abbey’s eyes widened.  “Anyway, they only had an extra-small in the mint color I liked. I tried it on and it made my arms look all bulgy. I mean totally like cookie dough covered in plastic wrap. But I bought it anyway.”
“You got the shirt even though you didn’t look good in it?” Sing asked. “Sounds like a good thing coming from University Barbie.”
Had to admit, I was slightly impressed this girl got something that she felt was less than flattering on her.
Abbey stared at the ceiling and crossed her lean arms.  “I figured I could squeeze into it if I made good food choices during the week. So I decided to skip food on Tuesday and Thursday. The top is really cute, though…”
The silence got uncomfortable, quick, and I felt bad for her.
“You skipped a meal on a couple of days. Seems okay to me,” I said.
I scanned the group, not understanding why no one was backing me up. She didn’t need to beat herself up over what I was sure every girl did on occasion. When Neyle retrieved a packet of travel tissues from his shirt pocket as a tear worked its way down Abbey’s cheek, I knew.
I’d misunderstood. She literally didn’t eat anything two full days because she thought a shirt looked funny on her. The true burden of what we were doing settled over me in that moment. These weren’t quirky people. These were sick people. They needed medicine—be it a figurative ointment for the soul or a very real pill for the body—or their disease was going to kill them. And I was one of them.

Praise
“EJ Wesley has written a modern day Breakfast Club.” “E.J. tells a college love story with a real life feel. He has created a flawed and pitiful character who quickly becomes a rallying point for all the other characters of the story. Ernie is the sort of boy I could easily imagine myself being friends with in college and cheered on through life in general, but certainly the story.”

“EJ’s tale of a college baseball star and the demons he fights is powerful and captivating. Once you’re involved in Ernest’s world, you are invested for the ride. Fans of this genre will say EJ hit it out of the park!” Alex J. Cavanaugh, Amazon bestselling author of the Cassa series

 ”Great cast of characters. Lots of fun humor. Romance. Win! Definitely recommend!”


 ”This is not so much a “coming of age” story, as it is a “coming of self.” I loved reading it”

“It is an inspirational, heartwarming story in which any reader is likely to get lost.”

“This story made me laugh and cry and it was so great to read something sweet and awesome from a guy.”

“Perfectly Ernest offers an emotionally genuine tour through depression, friendship, and love.”

 “It’s wonderful when a story’s voice is so strong as to drag you into someone’s head so it feels natural. I devoured Perfectly Ernest.”

 “…captured my heart from page one.”


About the Author:
Growing up in small-town Oklahoma, there were limits on the amount and types of entertainment at my disposal. Perhaps that’s why I set my imagination free. After collecting degrees in psychology and counseling, life brought me to Missouri, Texas, and Northern California–where I currently read, write, and live. I fill my spare time playing video games, watching movies, planning for the zombie apocalypse, reading graphic novels, and playing with my dogs.
 My passion for New Adult literature led me to producing the weekly New Adult Lit Chat on Twitter and contributing to the NA Alley Blog. I’m also the author of Moonsongs, a series of New Adult, urban fantasy novelettes. Find me on Twitter @EJWesley or Facebook and we’ll chat!  

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Giveaway:
1 New Adult sports books bundle (INT)
1 $15 iTunes gift credit (INT)
1 signed paperback copy of Perfectly Ernest + Ernest team jersey. (US)