Category: Blog Tour (Page 19 of 19)

RELEASE DAY + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY – Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2) by Rachel Caine

RELEASE DAY + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY - Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2) by Rachel Caine

RELEASE DAY + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY – Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2) by Rachel CainePaper and Fire (The Great Library #2)
by Rachel Caine
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

In Ink and Bone, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine introduced a world where knowledge is power, and power corrupts absolutely. Now, she continues the story of those who dare to defy the Great Library—and rewrite history…

With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good.

Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower and doomed to a life apart.

Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.

But Jess’s home isn’t safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon, Jess must choose between his friends, his family, or the Library willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control…

A year ago, Rachel Caine gave me something I didn’t know I needed : an alternative world where The Great Library of Alexandria has authority over life or death, where lions aren’t only wild animals but also creepy automatons (of course I love them) – A world in which smuggling books is no small feat *cough* it could kill you, okay? *cough*

Today Rachel Caine comes back with the sequel of Jess’ adventures, and if I didn’t like it as much as I loved Ink and Bone, I still think that this premise is absolutely fantastic and have hopes for the last one. Really, though? I cannot wait to see what you will think, so why don’t enter the giveaway and make an opinion for yourself?

My review of Ink and Bone : 4 stars

In my honest opinion the strength of Ink and Bone lies first in the plot, which is entertaining as hell, and in the world-building, which contains several of my main interests : think books, automatons, alchemy, a dystopian world ruled by Librarians who control every knowledge (or aim to) and an academy blended together. Exciting? FUCK YEAH.

Random facts you might want to know about Ink and Bone (because there’s no way I’m spoiling the story for you)

✔ After reading I went to my bookshelves and HUGGED my paperbacks. Not my Kindle. The thing kind of scared me.

✔ It presents an alternative history that actually MAKES SENSE (most of the time) : think about our history with a twist, the uprising of the Great Library, an organization that controls every book and then, holds a great deal of power. No press. No Gutenberg. I know, *GASP*

✔ Oh, they have lions automatons as guards : HOW AWESOME IS THAT???

✔ I loved the concept of Codex and every invention, really. I don’t want to give away too much, but let’s say that the Great Library developed a number of mechanisms, first of all the ability to transfer and erase words on every book sold, because they’re all blanks, sort of ereaders controlled by the Library awhile originals are carefully kept in Alexandria. An example? Look at your book, and imagine that it would be possible for someone else to alter or erase its content in one second without even being at the same place as you. OMG BUT THAT’S POSSIBLE! Frightening, right? I thought so. Especially given that printed books are outlawed.

Concerning the characterization, I have to admit that I’m not completely convinced by it because it lacks of depth. Indeed the characters felt quite blank sometimes – not in a boring way, but they weren’t fleshed-out enough in my opinion, especially the secondary ones like Jess’s fellow students, who were border stereotypical on some aspects. That’s why I’d have wanted them to be less transparent in their intentions and more intricate. However, I did enjoy Wolfe’s character a lot, because he was complex and multi-layered : here’s the kind of characters I can love.

“I suppose you want me to apologize for calling you a bastard.” “No need,” Santi said. “You should hear what his friends call him.” ” I have friends?” Wolfe said. “They don’t care to admit it in public.”

As for Jess, the main character, I’m afraid that my complaints prove to be the same. Indeed although I can’t say that I didn’t care about him because it would be false, at the same time I can’t deny that I kept feeling that something was missing to completely win me. Oh, well. I don’t know. Perhaps I’m not used to that kind of books (which emphasizes on the plot, let’s say) anymore. Indeed almost every one of my favorite authors (Marchetta, Moskowitz, Robin Hobb, even) focus primarily on the characterization and that’s okay with me, because that’s what I seek most of the time. Not here : not that Jess’s character wasn’t interesting, but he never stood out either. Now, perhaps does it serve the story’s purpose, in a way? Concerning his personality, he’s not flawless and I’m glad he isn’t : indeed he makes mistakes, he has at first a restrained vision of the world (yes, he’s sometimes full of shit stereotypes, but now, he’s 16, give him a break) but how in the world could it be different, tell me? From his upbringing spent as a smuggler for his family’s business to his training in the Academy, he has always been used, and genuinely doesn’t know how to deal with real relationships. However something about him rubbed me the wrong way, and that’s the fact that he cares about books more than people. Well, even as a book lover (no shit) it made me a little uncomfortable at times, I must confess. Fortunately it doesn’t stay that way, because despite the fact that books are rare in his world, I wouldn’t have stand a character who happily watches people getting starved and killed because of books. Sorry guys. I’m TEAM HUMANS. (I’m French, after all. Yes, that’s relevant. You’ll see) But then, little by little, he evolves. Day after day, he realizes that the world is not near as simple as he thought he was. Page after page, we get to know him better, to understand him more. Chapter after chapter, the choices he has to face become more and more difficult and the lines between right or wrong blur… For that, I thank you, Rachel Caine.

For that, I’m eager to read the next book because I feel how strong his potential can be. Finally, for most of the book, I got the feeling that the romance was… Well… I’d say “low-cute”. What is it, you’re asking? It means that I’m happy for them, kind of, but I don’t care and to me it was unnecessary since the author openly didn’t focus on it, so much that the story would have been as great without it. Now, (don’t hit me) but that’s what I thought about the romance in Harry Potter too. I just don’t care. That’s not why I loved the books. So, yeah, I wasn’t a big fan of this romance which stayed in no-chemistry territory, until, until, until suddenly I started to feel something, and that was as glorious as unexpected. Now, and that’s something I rarely write, but to me the pacing was perfection : I was never EVER bored and the writing just flowed smoothly, making the read completely addictive, and some parts were so full of tension that my heartbeat increased.

PS : French are rebels, eat lambs and drink red wine : of course they do >.< PS2 : No, Dario, Spanish wine isn’t better than Cahors. DUH. PS3 : I might be (a little) subjective. MAY-BE.

Giveaway to win a copy of Ink and Bone (US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My review of Paper and Fire : 3 stars

The novelty wore off. Sadly, if it stayed entertaining, Paper and Fire confirmed the complaints I had with Ink and Bone, and lost a little of its charm along the way.

✔ As it was the case with the first book, we’re on for a ride in a fast-paced and action-packed story which manages to stay out of boredom territory at all times. It is addictive and that’s rare enough to point.

Moreover, alternative history is my jam, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that the world-building kept my interest awake. This said, more we go on in the story, more the similarities with regular YA Fantasy novels – Dystopian? – become hard to hide. That’s why even if I kinda worship the Lion automatons (really, they’re just so much fun!), the bunch of kids trying to overtake a Great Power in a world in war with Resistants… tires me a little. Call me cynical.

Not to mention that looking back… I can’t not see how little happened in this book, and by that, I mean, things that actually matter for the story’s progression. If I compare the ending of Ink and Bone and this one, I’m let with a bad after taste because in all honesty, I expected more. More craziness, more originality, less useless scenes about characters I don’t care about…. and less predictability.

✔ Let’s talk about the characters, okay? They’re great. No, really, they are. The relationships dynamics are interesting, we get at least three romances (without forgetting the LGBT diversity), they have to make harsh choices, and yet…

And yet I don’t feel anything for them. Take Jess, for example. The boy’s sarcastic, a little wild, damn, he’s a reformed smuggler (I do love my thieves) and is in love with a girl who’s locked in a high-security tower. Perfect, right? Too bad his story never, ever, pulled at my heart strings and let me so devoid of any emotion that I wonder if my heart’s working. And don’t get me started about the tedious romances (plural) that never managed to give me butterflies. Please don’t give us romances if we’re not going to feel any of the supposed heartbreak or joy. Don’t, because their uselessness is way too noticeable. Ugh, annnnnd arguments I didn’t even UNDERSTAND. What’s the problem with me, really?!

Unfortunately I can say the same about every one of these characters. On paper they work, I like them enough, but in the end, they lack complexity and I don’t care about any of them, or, rather, I can’t connect with them. For all the hardships they endure, they still feel like visitors in their own story sometimes. Or that’s just me.

✔ As usual, Rachel Caine‘s prose flows smoothly and makes for an enjoyable and easy read.

But.

BUT.

It relies way too-much on narratives choices that annoy me a great deal. I’ll call them “forewarning” but really, I could say, “these things authors do when they think we’re too stupid to figure it out”.

1) The letters : So the story is filled with letters from different important figures from this world, and are meant to inform us about other’s intentions. Their problem? They destroy any kind of tension in the story.

Let’s take an example, shall we? So our MCs are about to be imprisoned (GASP), and wonder if they’re gonna be betrayed by someone. Of course, being sensible readers, we’re scared too, poor kids don’t deserve that.

A page later though, we get a letter.
From this person.
Who says she won’t betray them.
Before we even get to that part of the story.

I mean, why the fuck not? I’ll tell you why : if I know everyone’s intentions, my mind can never wander in fear. Plus they’re so low on authenticity, I can’t even.

2) Useless scenes, as in, involving characters I don’t care about who do things I don’t care about and whose purpose stays very unclear. They’re few, yes, but already too many for me.

Why 3 stars, then? Because despite its flaws, Paper and Fire is a book which offered me a few hours of fun. Sometimes it’s enough, but that wasn’t what I expected after the rollercoaster that was Ink and Bone. Oh, well. I still hold hopes for the last one 🙂

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY – Change Places with Me by Lois Metzger

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY - Change Places with Me by Lois Metzger

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY – Change Places with Me by Lois MetzgerChange Places with Me by Lois Metzger
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Rose has changed. She still lives in the same neighborhood with her stepmother and goes to the same high school with the same group of kids, but when she woke up today, something was just a little different than it was before. The dogs who live upstairs are no longer a terror. Her hair and her clothes all feel brand-new. She wants to throw a party—this from a girl who hardly ever spoke to her classmates before. There is no more sadness in her life; she is bursting with happiness.

But something still feels wrong to Rose. Because, until very recently, Rose was an entirely different person—a person who is still there inside her, just beneath the thinnest layer of skin.

Alluring and captivating, Change Places with Me wrapped me in an unsettling atmosphere from the very first page. Indeed the questions started piling up at once, breaking through Rose’s apparent happiness, pulling at it, restlessly.

Am I annoying if I say that it’s not the point? Yeah? Okay then, let’s try this : Change Places with Me is an unputdownable scifi/thriller that kept me glued to the pages for hours without allowing me to stop. Given the fact that I have the attention span of a goldfish lately (did you see my DNF shelf? HOPELESS), it’s undoubtedly saying something.

Moreover, Change Places with Me perfectly captures the inherent complexity of the role that memories play in the way we define ourselves, and in that aspect, makes for a thought-provoking read.

Ah, memories. These tricky allies. They help us building ourselves as much as they can pin us down. I’m not going to lie, the way we deal with memories is a sensitive subject for me.

The fact is, having lived through my fair share of grief, I’ve always refused to dwell on the negative. I cannot. Doing that, I realized recently that looking back, my mind separated my life into lives, if that makes sense : imagine a succession of before and after, before and after… Tricky, right?

For years I thought that it wasn’t quite right, because as much as people love urging others to move on, dwelling on is somehow expected. One must not dare be happy too soon after a loss, because really, isn’t it heartless? In my experience, it is not. This does not mean that I never burst into tears for no reasons other than a trigger song or situation, but I don’t let the past define my whole self : parts of me will never forget, my personality is built upon it, but I refuse to live a life full of regrets. If I’m being completely honest, I can be quite horrible about that : as unfair as it may be, we tend to judge people by our own standards, and I know that one of my biggest flaw lies in my lack of patience for sad rambling going on and on and on. Perhaps that’s why this novel fascinated me so much. Thought-provoking, see?

Anyway, now that we have demonstrated than I’m an asshole, let’s go on, shall we?

As I’m having a hard time defining what this story is, let’s take a look at what it’s not :

It is not our typical YA romance – actually, it’s not a romance, period.

It is not our typical YA scifi, either : no aliens, no ships in space, no time travel, no – well, are there other kinds of YA scifi really? (I’m kidding, I think??!) Yet the story takes place in the future and contains scientific advances we have yet to experience.

It is not our typical coming of age story, but it definitely features some of the themes we often find in them : aren’t they all about discovering who we are?

It’s not our typical YA thriller either, and THANKS GOODNESS. I’m not sure I’d survive another TSTL road-trip with no cops in sight and teenagers making stupid decisions. We keep turning the pages in hopes of finding out the truth, though, so that has to count for something.

Now, does a book need to follow a genre guideline to have an impact? I don’t think so. Prior to Goodreads, I never really bothered with genres, actually [insert the sound of my Literature teacher screaming]. Look, I followed a course in my second year of Uni called something like, “Genres in Literature”

– Most. Boring. Course. Ever.

Since my childhood I’ve always been an avid reader, but all this organizing, compiling tropes stuff never failed to tire me. Above that, I genuinely think that sometimes, it hurts Literature as a whole. Honestly, it’s all incredibly pretentious, and many readers around the world just do not care. I may be an hypocrite, because I use genre-related shelves here in Goodreads, but sometimes I miss the time when I didn’t know of this neat organization and opened a book without having any idea of its genre (and of what it’s about, for that matter). That’s marketing for you : now you cannot help but notice it, except in the “French Literature” shelves in bookstores around here, which happily mix every kind of genres (of course I love that).

The strength of Change Places with Me definitely lies in its eerie atmosphere : if we know that something’s off from the start, we can’t pinpoint what it is, and the quest of answers – both for Rose’s questions and ours – proves to be at the heart of the story. If I guessed many facts early on – especially because it shares similarities with a novel I read last year (view spoiler) – it didn’t really bother me, as my interest lay in the way Rose would react to these answers more than the answers themselves.

If you know me, you know that I’m forever complaining about my complete inability to enjoy a book when I don’t care about the characters, but this novel makes a liar out of me : far be it from me to suggest that Rose isn’t an interesting and complex character, because she is. However, I didn’t connect with her on a strong level. Yet I was completely okay with it as it was never detrimental to the story, but quite the opposite.

▶ Talk about a good surprise, really.

 
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Follow the Change Places With Me by Lois Metzger Blog Tour and don’t miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.
 
 
 
Lois Metzger was born in Queens and has always written for young adults. She is the author of five novels and two nonfiction books about the Holocaust, and she has edited five anthologies. Her short stories have appeared in collections all over the world. Her writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, The Nation, and The Huffington Post. She lives in New York City with her husband and son.

GIVEAWAY

BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY: How to Disappear by Ann Redisch Stampler

BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY: How to Disappear by Ann Redisch Stampler

BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY: How to Disappear by Ann Redisch StamplerHow to Disappear by Ann Redisch Stampler
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads
Synopsis:

Title: HOW TO DISAPPEAR
Author: Ann Redisch Stampler
Release date: June 14, 2016
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 416
Formats: Hardcover, eBook

This electric cross-country thriller follows the game of cat and mouse between a girl on the run from a murder she witnessed—or committed?—and the boy who’s sent to kill her.
Nicolette Holland is the girl everyone likes. Up for adventure. Loyal to a fault. And she’s pretty sure she can get away with anything…until a young woman is brutally murdered in the woods near Nicolette’s house. Which is why she has to disappear.
Jack Manx has always been the stand-up guy with the killer last name. But straight A’s and athletic trophies can’t make people forget that his father was a hit man and his brother is doing time for armed assault. Just when Jack is about to graduate from his Las Vegas high school and head east for college, his brother pulls him into the family business with inescapable instructions: find this ruthless Nicolette Holland and get rid of her. Or else Jack and everyone he loves will pay the price.
As Nicolette and Jack race to outsmart each other, tensions—and attractions—run high. Told in alternating voices, this tightly plotted mystery and tense love story challenges our assumptions about right and wrong, guilt and innocence, truth and lies.

 

Click the link to purchase this book below!

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | iTUNES | INDIEBOUND | GOODREADS

 

 

Giveaway:

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ONE (1) winner will receive a $50.00 gift certificate for The Book Depository,  Signed HOW TO DISAPPEAR bookmarks + a Nicolette’s disguise inspired Smashbox makeup kit.

***Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

About Ann Redisch Stampler

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Ann Redisch Stampler is the author of the young adult novels Afterparty and Where It Began as well as half a dozen picture books. Her work has garnered an Aesop accolade, the National Jewish Book Award, Sydney Taylor honors, the Middle East Book Award, and Bank Street Best Books of the Year mentions. How to Disappear (Simon Pulse, 2016), her first young adult thriller, will be released in June. Ann lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband Rick.

WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | GOODREADS

 

 

 

And check out the rest of the tour below! 

Tuesday, June 14th:

Wednesday, June 15th:

Thursday, June 16th:

Friday, June 17th:

Saturday, June 18th:

Sunday, June 19th:

Monday, June 20th:

Tuesday, June 21st:

Wednesday, June 22nd:

Thursday, June 23rd:

Friday, June 24th:

Saturday, June 25th:

Sunday, June 26th:

Monday, June 27th:

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BOOK REVIEW + GIVEAWAY – From This Day Forward (The Wedding Belles #0.5) by Lauren Layne

BOOK REVIEW + GIVEAWAY - From This Day Forward (The Wedding Belles #0.5) by Lauren Layne

In case you didn’t know, I adore Lauren Layne books! They are filled with friendship, love and scenes that make me laugh and melt my heart. So check out my 4 Star Review below, read a scene where Jason and Leah come face to face and enter a fabulous giveaway to win a print ARC of Book 1,To Have and to Hold, in this series. Enjoy!

BOOK REVIEW + GIVEAWAY – From This Day Forward (The Wedding Belles #0.5) by Lauren LayneFrom This Day Forward (The Wedding Belles #0.5)
by Lauren Layne
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in this prequel to USA TODAY bestselling author Lauren Layne’s The Wedding Belles series about three high-powered New York City women who can plan any wedding—but their own.

Up-and-coming wedding photographer Leah McHale’s career is on the rise–thanks in no small part to the Wedding Belles, the elite New York wedding planning agency that always throws top-tier business Leah’s way. So when one of the Belles asks Leah to fill in at the former First Daughter's wedding, Leah is overjoyed to say yes–until she finds out who she’ll be working with.

Jason Rhodes is the one man who was able to capture Leah’s heart and, once he had it, promptly stepped all over it and left her broken. Now he’s working side-by-side with her at the biggest wedding of the season and Leah is determined to give him the cold shoulder. Despite his persistence, she is not going to fall for his charming, impish ways again. Not even if he still has that killer, irresistible smile...

Review:

From This Day Forward had everything that I have come to love from Lauren Layne.  And this time she pulled it off in a Novella.  Usually I’m not a novella girl, unless it’s in the middle of a series I’m obsessed with.  But when it comes to her books, I have learned that if it’s something I’m usually not the biggest fan of, you can bet that I will be since she wrote it!  So get ready because this series looks like it is going to be filled with friendships, laughter, sexiness and moments that will make me sigh and fall madly in love!  I can’t wait to read the rest of this series and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I get lots of peaks of Jason and Leah too!

“Leah—”
Her stomach flipped a little. He’d only ever called her Leah in bed. Otherwise it was always
Red. “Please don’t,” she whispered.

Ohhhh Jason and Leah.  A year has passed since they roughly parted ways.  Leah thought Jason was cheating on her and Jason never tried hard enough to talk with Leah after what happened.  But now they are going to spend the weekend working around each other photographing the previous President’s daughter’s wedding.  And the sexual tension is running high!

The first time Leah had seen Jason Rhodes, she’d lost a little part of her soul.
Or at the very least, a little part of her dignity.
Never in her thirty-one years had she encountered a man who’d been able to turn her on just by
looking at her.

Leah and Jason are the type of couple that radiates sexual tension and electricity.  When they’re near each other they have this pull towards one another that is blatantly obvious to everyone!  And they can’t even try and ignore it!  But even though they’re still jaded from their past it doesn’t put a damper on their chemistry.  I had so much fun watching Jason try to seduce Leah. *fans face*  Jason is an alpha male who is extremely charismatic and I fell hard for him.  Especially since he could be thoughtful at just the right moment.  He was definitely sigh worthy.

“Never mind,” she muttered. “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”
“Charming?” he asked.
“Presumptuous,” she corrected. “Contrary to the delusions in your head, you’re not every woman’s fantasy.”
“I never wanted to be every woman’s fantasy. Just yours.”
Leah froze at the unexpected seriousness in his voice. “Jason . . .”

Now I’m not sure if we were supposed to or not, but I figured out the twist near the beginning of the story.  That definitely didn’t bother me, because I patiently waited to see if my guess panned out.  And I was so happy when it did!

From This Day Forward was a story that quickly pulled me in and I easily found myself connecting with the characters.  The amount of emotions packed into this novella was beyond fabulous!  My only wish was that their story was a little longer.  I know, I know, this is a novella.  But she created these characters that were so wonderful that it pained me to not read a full length novel with them.  Jason had such a huge back story that I would have loved to dive into more and I wish I could have had some flashbacks to their past but you can totally ignore my whining because this was so well written that I just wanted more.  I’m greedy like that!  Now I can’t wait to see them in the future books in this series!  I hope you enjoy meeting Leah and Jason too!

*ARC kindly provided by Pocket Star via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

 

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Excerpt:

[scroll-box]“Do you have any plans for your unexpectedly free weekend?” Alexis asked as she perused the menu.

Leah’s eyes narrowed on her friend. Alexis Morgan might be the queen of poker face, but Leah had known Alexis for close to a decade now. She knew when she was being handled, and right now, Alexis was definitely working up to something.

Instead of answering the question, Leah took a sip of her mimosa and waited. When Alexis’s brown eyes flicked up to hers, Leah merely lifted her brows. Waited some more.

With a sigh, Alexis set the menu aside and folded both arms on the table, leaning toward Leah. “I need a favor.”

“Anything,” Leah said automatically, meaning it completely.

Her relationship with Alexis may have started as a business arrangement—they’d both arrived in the city ten years earlier with big dreams of pursuing their dream careers.

But somewhere along the way, Alexis and Leah had transitioned from sometimes business associates to friends. Alexis had been there for Leah when she’d needed her, and Leah fully intended to repay the favor any way she could.

“I need you to work the Preston wedding.”

Leah blinked. “The Preston wedding. As in, the wedding of the former First Daughter we were just talking about? The one this weekend?”

Alexis nodded.

Leah sat back, stunned. “Holy crap, Lex. That’s not really me doing you a favor, hon. More like the other way around. This would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me. For any photographer.”

“I know, but I still hate asking last minute like this. If it were up to me, I’d have recommended you from the very beginning, but Kylie’s college roommate and her husband are a two-person photographer team, and Kylie wanted to give the opportunity to her friend.”

“So what happened? They had a falling-out?”

Alexis shook her head. “They live in San Francisco and she’s a few months pregnant. There was some complication; she’s been put on bed rest. Nothing serious, just a precaution, but ergo . . . she’s certainly not going to be flying to New York any time soon, and certainly can’t be photographing a wedding.”

“Ugh. That sucks,” Leah said sympathetically.

Alexis smiled. “This is why I knew you were right for the job. You get it. You get people.”

Leah rolled her eyes. “You hardly have to sweet talk me into taking a job that’s likely to be the highest-profile wedding of my career.”

Alexis glanced down at her Bloody Mary, stirring a pickled green bean. “Well there is one tiny thing I haven’t mentioned.”

“Bring it.”

Alexis looked up. “It’s a huge wedding. One photographer’s not going to cut it.”

Leah waved her hand. “Oh please. My ego’s not so big I can’t handle a little teamwork. Who else you bringing in?”

Alexis bit her lip, and Leah tensed at the rare unease she saw on her usually confident friend’s face.

Alexis leaned forward and touched her arm. “Leah, you have to know how impossible it is to book one good photographer on short notice in June, much less two, and I’m counting myself lucky because two of the best happened to be available, but . . .”

“But what?” Leah asked, her heart pounding faster as she somehow knew what her friend was trying to say. Knew whose name Alexis was terrified to say.

Alexis’s gaze cut away from hers and fell somewhere over Leah’s shoulder, even as Leah felt the shiver of awareness that someone else had stepped into her personal space.

Alexis glared at the newcomer. “You’re early, Rhodes.”

Leah’s heart stopped, just for a moment. Slowly, she turned around and glanced up into the dark brown eyes of Jason Rhodes.

He pulled a toothpick from his mouth and gave her a slow, sexy once-over. “Hiya, Red. Long time.”

Leah could only shake her head. It had been a long time, but not nearly long enough.
Not only was he the one man on the planet she could absolutely, positively not work with.

He was the one man who Leah had let in close enough to break her heart.[/scroll-box]

 

About Lauren Layne:
Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband (who was her high school sweetheart–cute, right?!) and plus-sized Pomeranian.


In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.

In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.

For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!

 
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