Promo Post: Crushingly Close by Stella Torres


Book: Crushingly Close
Release Date: July 19, 2016
Author: Stella Torres
Available here:  Amazon
Stella Torres is the author of Save the Cake and the short story “Be Creative” from Kids These Days: Stories from Luna East Arts Academy (Vol. 1)). She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature and worked briefly in public relations, but has chosen to pursue her post-graduate studies in the field of education. She loves dark chocolate, hates flyaways, and is constantly in search of comfortable shoes.
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About the Book: At twenty-four years old, Agnes Escueta has risen from the ranks to become a producer for Sports Tonight. No one can touch her, it seems—not even crush-worthy anchorman Daniel Ferrer, who she gets to work with every single day. When a road trip to Indonesia throws Agnes and Daniel together, they find themselves working in close quarters. It doesn’t take long before Agnes finds herself being charmed by Daniel, and her defenses start to melt with his touch. With deadlines looming and a big game coming, Agnes must figure out how to let Daniel into her life without risking her professional reputation—and without breaking her own heart. 


Book Review: Unlocked by Margo Kelly

Unlocked by Margo Kelly
YA, Teen, Mystery
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Buy links:
https://www.amazon.com/Margo-Kelly/e/B00JY4LYZS
17-year-old Hannah is losing her grip on reality, which is affecting not only her but her friends and family too. She wrecked the car when bugs crawled over her hands, but were the creepy things even real? Now someone is moving Hannah’s possessions around in her room, or is she imagining that also? Why does she feel like she isn’t in control of her own brain anymore? Hannah is terrified she’s headed for a horrible life in and out of the mental institution, just like her dad. 
When her friends bail, Hannah is left floundering. Her boyfriend, Manny, doesn’t believe her wild stories, and new girl Chelsea is practically replacing her at school. Only artsy outsider and self-proclaimed occult expert, Plug, agrees to help Hannah discover the truth, but even he can't help Hannah reclaim her mind from whatever is taking over. She'll have to do that on her own, especially if she wants to save her friends, her mom, and herself. 
 Hannah has experienced one thing that drastically changes her life forever. As a result, she has lost the life she knows; her friends, her boyfriend and is now considered an outcast in her school. The only saving grace to Hannah's life is her newfound friendship with the campus "oddballs". Would she be able to go past the pain and loss, or would she succumb to it?

This book shows the complexity of human behavior. It showed how one struggles with loss, with the unexplainable and with hope. Put into mind as well that these things are experienced by a teenager, whose emotional intelligence is still developing, chaos would definitely describe what she is feeling. Unlocked shows how one accepts whoever they are and letting the people who truly understand them enter their lives.



Margo Kelly loves to be scared … when she’s reading a good book, watching a good movie, or suffering from the hiccups. She enjoys writing mysteries and thrillers for young adults and hopes her stories give readers the goose bumps or the itchies or the desire to rethink everyday things. Margo is a native of the Northwest and currently resides in Idaho. Her award-winning debut, Who R U Really?, was published by Merit Press (an imprint of F+W Media) in 2014. Her second novel, Unlocked, will be published by Merit Press in October 2016. Margo welcomes opportunities to speak to youth groups, library groups, and book clubs. For more information visit: www.margokelly.net

Release Day Launch: WHEN SPARKS FLY by Ines Bautista-Yao!

WHEN SPARKS FLYby Ines Bautista-Yao
Genre: Sweet Romance




Twenty-four-year-old photographer's apprentice Regina has always felt like the plain, dull orange next to the shiny red apple that is her best friend Lana. But then she meets Ben—the first guy to ever break Lana's heart, and the first guy to ever make Regina feel that he only has eyes for her. 

As Regina finds herself falling hard for Ben, she also finds herself breaking all the rules of best-friendship. Will she give up the love of her life for Lana, or will she finally realize that she deserves her share of the spotlight, too?

After Lana had gone, promising not to dig up more dirt about the newest hussy Ben was supposedly dating, Regina sat on the grass as Katie and Chris ran around the field with their other friends. That was where Tita Beverly found her and plopped down next to her.
“Ever notice how Chris just follows Katie around?” Regina forced a smile at her tita.
Tita Beverly looked at her for a few seconds, as if pondering what she was about to say, then turned to look at her daughter and her friends. “He’s a sweetheart. Katie bosses him around, but he doesn’t complain. As long as I don’t get a call from his mom saying he’s upset that he doesn’t get to do what he wants, I’m letting them be.”
“Wise words.” Regina snapped a few more shots, hoping to distract her aunt from the earlier drama.
“So what did Lana want?”
No such luck.
Regina put down her camera and let out a deep sigh. She turned her eyes to her young aunt and studied the features she shared with her daughter. “What made Tito Patrick different?”
Tita Beverly let out a laugh. “I didn’t expect that. Where is this coming from, Reg?”
Regina shrugged and waited for an answer. It was better than spilling her guts out and most likely getting a stern reprimand. Her conscience was already doing that anyway.
She watched her aunt’s expression soften as she gazed at her husband who was standing next to the kids, holding their hotdogs. The preschoolers were trying to throw rings around prizes that were laid out on a wide piece of plywood. “I guess he was the one I felt the most like myself with. Does that make sense?”
Regina felt her head move up and down on its own. She too was looking in the direction of Tito Patrick, but her thoughts were on someone else. Someone with round, brown eyes who preened when he talked about being on TV and complained when made to wear an apron and watch a cheesy movie.
“What does this have to do with Lana?” She knew her aunt wasn’t going to let this go. Katie’s tenacity had to come from somewhere.
“She’s upset that the guy she was dating is now dating someone else.”
“But that never got her down before.”
“What she doesn’t know is, the girl he’s dating…” Regina took a deep breath, “is me.” She lifted her eyes to her aunt’s, afraid of what she would see in them. But instead of shock and judgment, she saw sympathy. And pain.
“Oh, Reg.”
Regina closed her eyes and shook her head. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“No one does,” Tita Beverly whispered. “Are you going to tell her?”
“If you were in my place, would you tell her?” Regina gave a short, bitter laugh. “Sorry, that was rude. No. She doesn’t have to know. Because nothing is going to happen between us. Nothing anymore. We had one date. And it was lovely.” Then she straightened up and clutched her camera to her chest. “But hey, one date doesn’t make one true love, right?”
Tita Beverly was searching her face with her eyes, her lips in a tight, straight line. “No,” she murmured. “It doesn’t.”
“See? You agree!” Regina didn’t know if this was a victory or not. But she was going to see it that way anyway.
“But it can be the start.”
“Tita Bev, don’t say that!” Regina’s head fell into her hands.
“I don’t know what’s going on, Reg, but I’m just afraid that you’ve sacrificed your happiness too many times for Lana. Don’t get me wrong. I love her. But I worry about you.”
“It’s nothing, Tita Bev. It’s early enough to break it off.”
“But I thought there was nothing to break off?” Her aunt threw her a knowing smile.
“You know what I mean!”
“Maybe more than you know. Just stop selling yourself short, okay, Reg? It’s getting old.”


Reading and writing are close to Ines Bautista Yao's heart ever since she was a child. She graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in AB Communication Arts. She has been a teacher at the Assumption College San Lorenzo and the Ateneo de Manila University's English department.

Her debut novel One Crazy Summer was first penned in 2007 when she was pregnant with her first daughter Addie. Being a mother has taken much of Ines' time so she was only able to write 13 pages of her novel. She completed her story in April 2011, while three-year-old Addie was sleeping and inspiration struck her again. Two months later her story was complete. After eight months, her dream of publishing her own book came true. The book was only launched last January 26, 2012, but Ines is already writing her second novel.

Most readers can remember Ines as the former editor-in-chief of K-Zone Magazine and Candy Magazine . At present, Ines is working as an editor of Summit Books. She is also married to photographer Marc Yao, whom she says she consults whenever she's stuck in the middle of a story she's writing.


BLOG TOUR: Summerlypse by Gerardo Delgadillo


Summerlypse
Genre: YA Contemporary (adventure/romance)
Release date: June 20th 2016

 After his crush rejects him, seventeen-year-old Colton catches a plane to Mexico, hoping to forget all about girls. But a night out at a dance club crowded with long legs in miniskirts doesn't help, especially when he meets the club's beautiful DJ, Alex.

In awe of her mixing skills, Colton finds it hard to believe Alex is deaf. As they bond, she asks him to help her win a DJ contest behind her rich, estranged father's back.


Colton's not a wimp or anything, but millionaires with armed bodyguards are not his ideal vacation buddies. The only problem—if he helps her, he may fly back home in a body bag.


Buy Links (ON SALE FOR $0.99 FROM AUGUST 8-14!):

 ADVANCED PRAISE
“Packed with unexpected twists and South-of-the-Border danger, Summerlypse grabbed my attention from the first enticing page. With a quirky writing style that offers both depth and entertainment, Summerlypse is an original, diverse story that will delight anyone looking for a unique spin on teen relationships.” –Anna L. Davis, Author of Open Source(Enhancement Series)

"SUMMERLYPSE by Gerardo Delgadillo is a great young adult story about two unlikely friends who team up hoping to win a summer DJ contest in Mexico. This book has a well-defined cast of complex characters with a thoughtful focus on the hearing-impaired. An entertaining read!" ~ K.S. Jones, award-winning author of Shadow of the Hawk
"SUMMERLYPSE is a great read.  The characters are real and well crafted, and the story kept me interested to the end.  I liked it. I recommend it." -- Rickard B DeMille, author ofTweet Revenge, Hellfire, Defending Daniel




All that Colton wanted to hear before school ends was to hear his ultimate crush, Miranda, say yes to him. However, guys are not what Miranda wants. So, to let go of the pain, he flies away from it--literally. There, not only does he get to spend quality time with his best bud Martin, but he also gets the attention of two pretty ladies. However, out of the two, only one of them truly caught his attention. The question is, is he willing to brave the bad guys and win this girl's heart?

I like this book. If I were a few years younger, maybe I would have liked it even more. The characters' dialogues have a youthful tone to them, showing teen struggles and how they think of dealing with it. Unlike in most cases where we get the girl's perspective, this time the book is from the guy's. It is quite refreshing to see a protagonist stumble his way through the roadblocks, learning everything as he goes. The book is the right touch of action, adventure and romance that you'd definitely want to read should you wish to reminisce the good old days (mind you, I'm not THAT old yet, so I can still relate to it).

Summerlypse gives us a glimpse on what it's like to be an adolescent boy, experiencing life and struggling through it in order to reaching his dreams, or in the least, his dream girl. A new place, different culture, a little of action and a whole dash of romance, Summerlypse is the read for the teens-at-heart.





Gerardo Delgadillo lives in the Dallas metropolitan area with his wife and children and dogs and cats and the occasional rabbit. Originally from San Francisco and raised in Mexico, he loves to write about contemporary teens in distress in English and EspaƱol. So no magic, dragons, or unicorns.

Gerardo's fun facts:
- At the tender age of sixteen, when giant lizards ruled the world, Gerardo was a DJ--turntables and all.
- Cloud computing is his area of expertise--just don't ask him what cloud computing means. 
- He loves football, the one played with the feet by footballers, La Liga from Spain being the best.

About his novels: 
- His writing must be emotional, or else… 
- He believes in the Oxford comma, but the Oxford comma doesn't believe in him. 
- Loves first person present tense POV.

Author Links:



Blog Tour Organized by:

Book Review: Painting Sky by Rita Branches

Painting Sky by Rita Branches
NA, Romance
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Buy links: 

 Nobody ever said life was easy...

People pleaser, Jane Skylar wants nothing more than to earn her art degree, start her life, and bask in the bliss of living with her boyfriend. 

But things don't always go as planned...

Struggling with her creative side, Jane finds herself in turmoil, often confiding in her roommate - another, more talented art student, Keith Hale. Keith just so happens to be her boyfriend's older, brooding brother. After a devastating breakup, Jane turns to Keith for comfort. But when the lines blur between roommate and lover, Jane's life becomes more complicated than ever before.

When Keith's past comes back to haunt him, their lives all get turned upside down, forcing the truth to surface. Now Jane must fight for what she wants--even if it hurts everyone she loves.

*It's a Stand-alone*
Jane knew in her heart that it could only go better than before. Getting to pursue the major she wanted while cutting down on home expenses by boarding with her brother and her boyfriend, Cody. The only catch? Living with the worst person she could ever think of; Cody's brother, Keith. With no choice, she decided to give being roommates with him a try. The things that happen next are entirely not what Jane expected. The question now is, will she give up or push forward?

Others may find the first part dragging but to me, those events gave Keith and Jane's story a good beginning. Jane was feeling alone. Even with their home filled with people, she couldn't connect to them. Always being left alone, Jane turned to her books and later on, Keith. Keith became the friend she never thought she'd have. From being her frustration, he is now the one she turns to for comfort and support. When tough times came, they both became each other's anchor and light house.

The pace of the story is what made me like it so much. I felt every bit of Jane's frustration with her relationship with Cody and more so with the mixed feelings she get from Keith. Granted, there are flaws with both characters and how they got together was not how I totally saw it in my mind, them being together did not come as a surprise.

Though there are still loose ends to the story (such as did Jane still get to continue her degree, her relationship with her parents and brother among other things), Painting Sky makes you believe in finding your own strength.






Rita Branches is the author of young adult and new adult contemporary romance. She published her debut novel in April 2016 and her second novel will be published in August.
Rita lives in Portugal and has a degree in Landscape Architecture, although from a very young age, her love has been in books. She has a healthy obsession with books, you can always find her with her eReader. She’s been writing for years, but just ventured into the publishing world in 2016.

link: website