Review: Breath, Annie, Breathe

BREATHE, ANNIE, BREATHE

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Publication Date: 07/15/2014

Audience: YA/NA

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

Summary from Goodreads

REVIEW

 

Goodreads Archive Review: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

OPEN ROAD SUMMER Author: Emery Lord Publication Date: 04/15/2014 Audience: Young Adult Genre: Contemporary, Romance

 

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

 

Picture and Summary from Goodreads

 

REVIEW

 

Loved this one!!  I seriously need my BFF to become a country superstar...or infiltrate T. Swift's circle of peeps!

 

The Logistics:

Open Road Summer is told from the POV of Reagan O'Neill.  Reagan's BFF just happens to be country singer Lilah Montgomery, AKA Dee to her friends.  Reagan tags along on Dee's concert tour which is lucky for us readers because we get to live vicariously through Reagan as she becomes fast friends with hunky Matt Finch and has a grand time being Dee's VIP.

 

I absolutely adored Dee and Reagan's friendship.  It came across as so real and genuine and deep.  They had history and I could feel it.  I can't help but think how awkward I would feel to tag along with a rich and famous friend, feeling like I'm living off of their fame, but I could tell that Dee made sure Reagan felt comfortable, that she knew she was wanted and not a burden.

 

And Hello Matt Finch!  With his own battle wounds and swoontastic voice it's no wonder Reagan couldn't keep herself from falling for him.  Their relationship is not always easy but it wouldn't feel real if it was.

 

Bottom Line:

With easy to love characters and a fun setting (who doesn't think a tour bus would be fun?!) Open Road Summer is a perfect summer read.  The friendship and romance will have you smiling, laughing out loud, and sighing like an idiot.  I highly suggest reading it in the warm shade on a hammock with an ice cold sweet tea in your hand.

 

 



 

Sneak Peek Into....The Boy From The Woods

SNEAK PEEK into…

 

 

THE BOY FROM THE WOODS

Author:  Jen Minkman

 

 

Expected Release: December 1, 2013

 Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary/Paranormal Romance    

Pre-order: iTunes | Kobo

 

  Julia has been in love with Michael for years. He’s the hottest guy in school, and she can’t believe her luck when they finally hit it off during Senior Prom. Her dream doesn’t last, though: after a few dates, he callously dumps her out of the blue. Summer vacation starts with Julia feeling heart-broken and miserable. But then she rescues Michael in the woods when he has a motorcycle accident in a heavy thunderstorm. From that point onward, her life is turned upside down. Michael has changed completely after the blow to the head that nearly killed him... and he wants her back. But why is he so different? And will she be able to trust him this time around? Can the boy who broke your heart ever win it back again..?

 

 

 

Sneak Peek Excerpt

 

  Julia wiped the raindrops from her cheeks and trudged doggedly on. The rhythm of the song spurred her on and made her run faster, her heart beating wildly in her chest, tapping out an indeterminate fear. Her hands clenched into fists and her eyes squinted against the rain falling from the sky.

 

Only a few more minutes and she’d be home. And then something caught her eye. She froze. In the light of a bright lightning strike setting the forest ablaze with cold fire, she saw there was someone lying on the ground. The black stain of a person on the edge of the path. A motorcycle on its side, smack in the middle of the forest trail.

 

Julia came to a standstill, her breath ragged. With trembling, slippery fingers, she fumbled with the player to turn off the music. She’d ended up at her favorite oak tree, the place suddenly looking sinister in the gloom. Her throat turned dry as she peered at the unconscious figure on the forest trail. Step by step, she shuffled forward. Her eyes followed the tire tracks that the motorcycle had made in the muddy soil. Julia’s heart stopped when she came even closer and recognized the Honda bike. No – this couldn’t be happening. She rushed the last few yards separating her from the boy on the ground.

 

Julia fell down on her knees next to his lifeless body, her stomach filling with dread as she noticed the left side of his face was covered in blood. He’d hit his head on a sharp-edged rock. His head injury looked really, really bad.

 

“Michael?” she whispered softly, putting a trembling hand on his forehead. “Can you hear me?”

 

He lay very still, his lips almost blue in the macabre light of the thunderstorm flashing occasionally. If only she could see whether he was still breathing! She couldn’t hear him breathe over the din of the rain and wind in the woods. With shaking hands, she grabbed her cell phone from her jacket pocket, setting the camera to permanent flash. The bright light illuminated Michael’s face, and tears welled up in her eyes. He looked so lifeless… so vulnerable. For just a moment, she forgot all about the horrible way he’d treated her. She’d wished for all kinds of nasty things to happen to him, but not this.

 

“Michael,” she sobbed, her voice breaking. “Please, please wake up.”

 

Her heart skipped a beat when he suddenly inhaled sharply. She took his hand. Very slowly he opened his eyes, green like the forest leaves he was lying under, his pupils dilated and black like the treacherous darkness that had caused him to slip and fall in this severe weather.

 

“Julia,” he whispered in a soft, yet clear voice.

 

She swallowed. Why did he sound so different? He pronounced her name with so much emotion that she could almost believe he was seeing her for the first time.

 

“I’ll get help,” she managed to stutter before his eyes fell shut again, her words making him smile faintly.    

About the Author

 

Jen Minkman (1978) was born in the Netherlands and has lived in Austria, Belgium and the UK during her studies. She learned how to read at the age of three and has never stopped reading since. Her favourite books to read are (YA) paranormal/fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian and romance, and this is reflected in the stories she writes. In her home country, she is a trade-published author of paranormal romance and chicklit. Across the border, she is a self-published author of poetry, paranormal romance and dystopian fiction. Her books are available in English, Dutch and Chinese. She currently resides in The Hague where she works and lives with her husband and two noisy zebra finches.