Blog Tour - Better When He's Brave by Jay Crownover + Excerpt & Giveaway

Title: Better When He's Brave (Welcome to the Point #3)

Author: Jay Crownover

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: August 11, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo / B&N / iTunes

In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover’s third novel in her sexy, thrilling Welcome to the Point series, a woman’s search for repentance leads her to the one man from her past she can’t forget as they join forces to save their city—and the explosive love neither can live without.

Titus King has always seen his world in black and white. There is a firm right and wrong in his mind, which is why as a teenager he left behind the only family he’d ever known to make a better life for himself. Now a police detective in one of the worst cities in the country, he can’t deny his life has turned a million different shades of gray.

They new criminal element in The Point has brought vengeance and destruction right to Titus’s front door, and walking the straight and narrow seems far less important now. The difference between right and wrong is nothing compared to keeping those he loves alive. To add to his already strained moral compass, the beautiful and mysterious Reeve Black has made her way back to town. This girl might be as dangerous to Titus as the guy trying to destroy The Point but he can’t walk away because he needs her—in more ways than one.

Reeve knows all about the threat tying to destroy The Point. She knows how ruthless, how vicious, and how cruel this new danger can be…and instead of running away, she wants to help. Reeve knows that she has a lot to depend for and saving the city, plus the hot cop that she hasn’t been able to forget might just be the only way she can finally find some inner peace.

With an entire city poised on the brink of war, Titus and Reeve stand in the crossfire—and it will take two brave souls to fight for the ultimate love.

Over the past year, I have fallen completely in love with the dark and gritty world of The Point. It’s a weird thing to say considering all the bad crap that happens there, but it’s a fact. Jay Crownover made me fall in love with this world she created and Better When He’s Brave only solidified this.

Titus King has made it his life’s mission to try to bring some light to the darkness that is The Point. Wanting nothing more than to make a better life for himself, Titus left his family behind and became a cop. But singlehandedly saving one of the worst cities world can take its toll. When someone new seems intent on destroying The Point and is going after everyone and everything he cares about, Titus will do everything he can to save his city. Reeve left The Point, hoping to put it all behind her. But she’s done running away and she’s ready to help Titus bring some light to The Point. But saving the city makes putting themselves in the crossfire and may require them to sacrifice what they’ve found in the midst of all this darkness: love.

I first found Jay Crownover’s Welcome to the Point series not exactly by accident but it wasn’t a series I was initially going out of my way to read. But the moment I read the first book, I became hooked. As dark and gritty and hard to read as some parts of this series are, I could read these books all day. It should go without saying that I was very much excited about Better When He’s Brave. I was lucky enough to be given access to an advance copy of the book and I wasn’t very successful in holding off on reading it. And the moment I started reading, I couldn’t stop. The thing about the books in the Welcome to the Point series is that they come with addictng stories, stories that leave you constantly wanting more, constantly trying to figure out what is happening and who is behind all the horrible things that are happening. Better When He’s Brave kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. Much like Titus, I just wanted to know who was behind everything, why they were so set on burning the Point down to the ground. And there were some moments where I was seriously concerned for the safety of the people in this story. And I don’t really think I need to say that the romance was hot, but I will say it anyway. I was ALL for Titus and Reeve.

The whole time I was reading Better When He’s Bad and Better When He’s Bold, I was curious about Titus. There was just so much about him that I wanted to know. With Better When He’s Brave, I finally got all the answers I wanted about Titus, and then some. There was so much more to him than I could have thought, so much that I possibly couldn’t have predicted but at the same time helped explain so much of who Titus was and why he did what he did. And I’m not going to lie, everything I found out about him totally made me fall a little bit (okay, a lot) in love with Titus. So really, it’s no surprise that Reeve fell for her pretty hard. But Reeve herself, I wasn’t entirely sure about. Because of what she’d done in previous books, I wasn’t sure whether or not I could trust, if she was actually helping Titus or just trying to save herself. But the more I read, the more I grew to like Reeve and, much like with Titus, I began to understand why she was doing what she was doing. And like I’ve already said, I was all about Reeve and Titus being together. And them together was often HOT.

I loved and devoured Jay Crownover’s Better When He’s Brave. This story kept me on the edge of my seat and convinced me that I would be happy to keep reading stories set in The Point forever.

Excerpt

“Everyone has a breaking point.”

I sounded gruff and really had to concentrate on getting the words out because she leaned forward and her lips hit right below my ear on my rough jaw. Her teeth started to nibble and her tongue lapped a long wet trail all the way up behind my ear where she breathed, “I would love to see you when you reach yours.”

She curled her hand around the back of my neck and rubbed her cheek against mine. When I let my monster have at her, it took in giant mouthfuls, gobbled her up, and tried to burn as fast and as hot as the pleasure would allow.She wasn’t kidding when she said hers needed to be soothed. Every move she made was deliberate, erotic. We touched everywhere and somehow it was more intimate than all the times I had been inside of her over the last month. She brushed her chest against my own and I decided the playing field needed to level out a little, so I hooked my hands under her shirt and lifted it up off over her head. Her hair fell back around us like a dark curtain and I grabbed her face so I could kiss her. She blinked at me with big eyes and smiled.

“You are the only one that sees it, over and over again. You were the breaking point from the moment you walked in the door to tell me you helped Novak grab Dovie. I wanted to be disgusted, to hate you, but I didn’t. I thought you were beautiful and resilient. You seemed so misguided and lost, an even then I wanted to get you naked and fuck you on my desk.”

Her face lowered to mine and our lips touched just a tiny bit. One of her hands skated down the center of my chest and landed on my best buckle. I reciprocated by popping the clasp on the back of her bra and pulling it out of my way.

“You should’ve tried. I would’ve let you.” The words danced across my lips and somewhere in the center of my chest an animal howled in delight. That was what was missing in my life. Someone that appreciated all the sacrifice, the hard choices I had made to become the man I was, but who could also appreciate the fucked-up kid I had been.

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How to Say I Love You Out Loud by Karole Cozzo

Title: How to Say I Love You Out Loud

Author: Karole Cozzo

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Release Date: August 4, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Words are strong. Love is stronger.

When Jordyn Michaelson’s autistic brother joins her at her elite school, she’s determined not to let anyone know they’re related. Even if that means closing herself off to all her closest friends, including charming football stud Alex Colby. But despite her best intentions, she just can’t shake the memory of kissing Alex last summer, and the desire to do it again.

Can Jordyn find the courage to tell Alex how she really feels—and the truth about her family—before he slips away forever?

Books that take me by surprise are the best kind of books. Sadly, following closely what is said about books I have my eye on makes it difficult for books to surprise me. One book that succeeded in surprising me, was Karole Cozzo’s How to Say I Love You Out Loud. 

Jordyn is finally finding her stride at her elite school. She has friends, she’s on the field hockey team and she’s hoping to move her relationship with Alex from friendship to something more. But just as the school year is starting, Jordyn’s autistic brother has to transfer to her school, and she becomes afraid that everything will change. That once again she will become the autistic kid’s sister. Jordyn’s solution is to cut herself off from everyone. But Jordyn can’t keep pushing everyone away forever. Eventually she’s going to have to find the courage to let someone in.

I had been looking forward to reading Karole Cozzo’s How to Say I Love You Out Loud for quite some time. But right before I started reading it, I was on Goodreads and saw that people were either loving the book, or not liking it at all. And that made me kind of nervous. All of a sudden, I was worried that this book I had been excited to read wouldn’t end up being as enjoyable as I had hoped or thought it would be. But I really didn’t have anything to worry about. I ended up falling on the loving side of things where How to Say I Love You Out Loud was concerned. To be completely honest, I didn’t expect this book to make me feel so many things. Because it totally did. It kinda crept up on me. I was getting caught up in the story, but by the end there were actual tears falling down my face. I just couldn’t help it. The story in How to Say I Love You Out Loud ended up going a lot deeper than I thought it would and it was a lot more touching than I thought it was going to be. Reading it, I could tell that Karole Cozzo has experience working with children with autism, portraying how the autism affects not just the person who suffers from the disorder, but also everyone around them. It felt real, and it made for a touching and moving story.

I’ll admit that at first I had some issues with Jordyn. As much as I could understand not wanting to be defined by the fact that her brother is autistic, I didn’t always agree with some of her behaviour. But at the same time, not having ever been in a situation like she was, it’s hard to say how I would react or behave if I were in her shoes. But as I kept reading the story, I started to understand better why Jordyn behaved and thought the way she did. Once I found out the whole story about what happened in the past, I started being a whole lot more sympathetic towards her. And those tears I mentioned earlier, she was totally the one who was responsible for them happening. In the grand scheme of things, what I wanted for Jordyn was for her to finally open up to someone, so that she wouldn’t be alone all the time. And you can bet that I was rooting for that person to be Alex. If there was one person who would understand what she was going through and would stand by her it was him. Even if it just stayed at the friendship level, I still loved the relationship between Jordyn and Alex. But being the romance lover than I am, I couldn’t help but hope for more.

Karole Cozzo’s How to Say I Love You Out Loud surprised me in all the ways that matter. This story was both fun and touching and I would highly recommend it.

Blog Tour - Red Blooded by Caitlin Sinead + Giveaway

Title: Red Blooded

Author: Caitlin Sinead

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date: August 3, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

Instead of eating ramen and meeting frat guys like most college freshmen, Peyton Arthur is on the campaign trail. Traveling with her mother, the Democratic pick for vice president, she’s ordering room service, sneaking glances at cute campaign intern Dylan and deflecting interview questions about the tragic loss of her father. But when a reporter questions her paternity, her world goes into a tailspin.

Dylan left Yale and joined the campaign to make a difference, not keep tabs on some girl. But with the paternity scandal blowing up and Peyton asking questions, he’s been taken to watch her every move. As he gets to know the real Peyton, he finds it harder and harder to keep a professional distance.

When the media demands a story, Peyton and Dylan give them one—a fake relationship. As they work together to investigate the rumors about her father and Peyton gets closer to learning the truth, she’s also getting closer to Dylan. And suddenly, it’s not just her past on the line anymore. It’s her heart.

Sometimes, I discover books completely randomly. I’ll be on Goodreads or on NetGalley and randomly come across a book I hadn’t heard about before but sounds like something I would enjoy. That’s how I found Caitlin Sinead’s Red Blooded and I’m more than happy I did.

Peyton Arthur is ready to start college in the fall, but before that happens she has a few obligations to fulfill on the campaign trail. As the daughter Democratic pick for vice president, Peyton gets to answer awkward questions about the loss of her father and try to flirt with Dylan, one of the interns working the campaign. It shouldn’t be too hard, but then a reporter starts questioning whether or not Peyton’s father was really her father. Not knowing what to do, Peyton starts digging for answers, no matter how many times people tell her to leave well enough alone until the campaign is over. As Peyton digs for answers, Dylan is tasked with making sure she doesn’t jeopardize the campaign. And as the two spend more time together, they realize that the election and Peyton’s pas aren’t the only thing at stake any more.

There is nothing I love more than making random book discoveries. As plugged into the publishing world and the book world as I am, I am sad to say that it doesn’t happen nearly as often as I would like it to. But every so often, I still manage to find out about books just by randomly browsing websites like Goodreads or NetGalley. With Caitlin Sinead’s Red Blooded, I hadn’t heard of the book until I randomly came across it on NetGalley. Though I hadn’t heard about it until that point, I knew right away when I read the description that this was a story that I would very likely enjoy. And as it turns out, it totally was even if it ended up being a little different than I thought it would be. I mean, this is an NA story, I totally expected lots of romance. It’s pretty much what the genre is known for. And don’t get me wrong, there absolutely was romance in Red Blooded, but it wasn’t the main focus of the story. At first it threw me, but the more I read, the more I liked the fact that this story was more about Peyton finding herself and finding out where she came from, than it was about her relationship with Dylan. It was a refreshing change from all the romance I had been reading right before picking up Red Blooded. That’s not to say that I didn’t love the romance between Peyton and Dylan, because I totally did. Which probably had a lot to do with the fact that I also really liked Peyton and Dylan themselves.

I liked Peyton. A lot. With everything she had to deal with because of her mother’s political campaign, I felt for her a lot of the time. But then at other times I kinda wanted to ask her why she always insisted on doing exactly what she had been explicitly told not to do. I mean, I get wanting answers and as someone reading her story, I wanted those answers just as much as she did. But as much as I sometimes got exasperated with her, I still admired her determination, how she wanted to find answers no matter how afraid she was of what those answers might end up being. I busted wanted her to a actually trust Dylan as much as she claimed to. Because right from the start, I could tell that Dylan really cared about her, even if he was trying to hide those feelings. He was exactly the kind of person that Peyton needed. He understood the pressure she was under because of her mother’s campaign, and he was ready to do just about anything to help her. And they were adorable together, even before they ever got together romantically. So yeah, even if the romance wasn’t always the main focus of this story, I was totally rooting for Peyton and Dylan.

I might not have found out about Caitlin Sinead’s Red Blooded until quite recently, but I’m happy I did. This story wasn’t what I expected but I loved the mix of romance and slight political intrigue I got instead. If you’ve been curious about Red Blooded, it’s definitely worth the read.

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Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Title: Him

Author: Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: July 28, 2015

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waiting a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend…and a big one to learn about himself. 

I love sports romance something fierce, especially the NA variety. And I love a good m/m romance. When I heard that two authors whose romance books I love were writing an m/m sports NA? I was all over that. It should go without saying that I absolutely adored Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy’s Him.

Four years ago, Ryan Wesley pushed the boundaries of his relationship with his best friend. On their last night at hockey camp, things got heated and one night changed their friendship completely. After that night, Wes cut Jamie off completely. Fast forward four years and Jamie and Wes are about to face off in the college hockey championship. When they see each other for the first time since that last night of camp, things quickly go back to the way they were before. But when Wes shows up at camp to join Jamie on the coaching staff, things are going to be heating up in ways neither one of them ever expected. Both Wes and Jamie have discoveries to make about each other. But more importantly, about themselves.

2015 has apparently been the year where I read all the awesome m/m romances. To be completely honest, they’re not really something I’d really read before this year. It’s not that I was opposed to them, there just weren’t really any on my radar. But I seem to be on a roll with the m/m romance this year, and the latest in that streak is Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy’s Him. Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen are two romance authors whose individual books I have loved (I’ve gushed plenty about Elle’s Off-Campus series, and gushing about Sarina’s Ivy Years series is coming soon) so when they announced they were writing a romance about gay hockey players, I was beyond excited. And when Him landed on my Kindle, I pretty much dropped everything and started reading it right away. And I read it all in less than a day. Because once I started, I couldn’t bring myself to stop. This story was fun. It was touching. It was sweet. At times it was downright hilarious. And at others it was heartbreaking. But I loved every single page of it. Him is absolutely one of my favourite books I’ve read this year and is quite possibly one of the sweetest and most touching romances I’ve ever read. It was just THAT GOOD. And I fully plan to talk people’s ears off about it and recommend it to everyone I know. Because anyone who loves romance is pretty much guaranteed to love Him. At least that’s my opinion on the subject.

One of the reasons I loved Him so much is because I pretty much adored Wes and Jamie. I don’t really know how to put either one of them into words other than to say I loved them. But I’ll try even if  I won’t even come close to doing them justice. One of my favourite things about Wes and Jamie were that they had a history. They’d known each other since they were thirteen years old and you could just tell. They were so comfortable around each other and it made their relationship feel real and genuine. The back and forth between them was always so fun and the more quiet moments could be incredibly touching. Wes and Jamie just worked together even though they were pretty different. Sure they both played hockey, but where Jamie was the definition of laidback, Wes was always on the go, likely getting himself in trouble. I loved how easygoing Jamie was, how he was always willing to go with along with whatever potentially crazy idea Wes had. And so often my heart broke for Wes, because he felt like he had to hide his feelings. I just wanted to give him a hug. So I loved Jamie. And I loved Wes. And most of all, I loved Jamie and Wes together. 

If you are a fun of either Sarina Bowen’s or Elle Kennedy’s books, I can guarantee you will love Him. The story was sweet, it was hilarious, it was touching, it was everything I could have ever wanted it to be. Him is the kind of book that reminds me why I love romance stories as much as I do.

Most Likely to Succeed by Jennifer Echols

Title: Most Likely to Succeed (The Superlatives #3)

Author: Jennifer Echols

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: August 4, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

In this sexy conclusion to The Superlatives trilogy from Endless Summer author Jennifer Echols, Sawyer and Kaye might just be perfect for each other—if only they could admit it.

As vice president of Student Council, Kaye knows the importance of keeping order. Not only in school, but in her personal life. Which is why she and her boyfriend, Aidan, already have their lives mapped out: attend Columbia University together, pursue banking careers,  and eventually get married. Everything Kaye has accomplished in high school—student government, cheerleading, stellar grades—has been in preparation for that future. 

To his entire class, Sawyer is an irreverent bad boy. His antics on the field as school mascot and his love of partying have earned him total slacker status. But while he and Kaye appear to be opposites on every level, fate—and their friends—keep conspiring to throw them together. Perhaps the seniors see the simmering attraction Kaye and Sawyer are unwilling to acknowledge to themselves…

As the year unfolds, Kaye begins to realize her ideal life is not what she thought. And Sawyer decides it’s finally time to let down the facade and show everyone who he really is. Is a relationship between them most likely to succeed—or will it be their favorite mistake?

I’ve been a fan of Jennifer Echols and her books since I first read them when I started blogging five years ago. And earlier this year, I absolutely devoured the first two books in The Superlatives trilogy. And the final book, Most Likely to Succeed, it’s officially my favourite of the series. 

Kaye has always had a plan. Not just for school, but for her whole future. She’s been waiting Aidan since she was fourteen, and together they’re going to go to school at Columbia, start careers in banking, and one day get married. It’s what her entire high school career has led to. And until recently, it was everything she thought she wanted. Now, Kaye can’t stop thinking about Sawyer, the one guy she knows she should stay away from. But that’s easier said than done when their friends seem to keep pushing Kaye and Sawyer together. As the year goes on, it’s time that Sawyer and Kaye finally admit what they really want and see if maybe a relationship is exactly what both of them want and need.

Though I haven’t reviewed them on the blog, I absolutely loved (and devoured) Biggest Flirts and Perfect Couple, the first two books in Jennifer Echols’s The Superlatives series, when I read them earlier this year. The story was addicting, the characters were loveable, and the romance was just how I like it. By the time I finished the second book, I was eagerly waiting for the final book, Most Likely to Succeed. Now that I’ve read that final book, I can officially say that it was my favourite out of the three. Right from the start the story sucked me in. It didn’t hurt that I was already quite familiar with the characters because I’d met them in the previous two books. But even if I hadn’t already been familiar with Kaye and Sawyer, this story still would have grabbed me. I’m a sucker for a romance between the smart, good girl and the bad boy (not that Sawyer was a bad boy, but I’ll get to that later). I just really enjoyed reading their story. It often had me smiling stupidly, if not full on laughing. And the romance between Kaye and Sawyer was just how I liked it. I loved that the two of them were friends, even if it was at times almost a strenuous friendship, before they moved to being more (because that is totally my favourite romance trope). But I think my love of Most Likely to Succeed is in large part because of how much I loved Kaye and Sawyer themselves.

Like I’ve said, I already knew Kaye and Sawyer before I even cracked Most Likely to Succeed open. And I already had thoughts and opinions about them before I started reading the book. Mostly, I had a feeling that Kaye wasn’t exactly happy being the girl everyone expected her to be. And I had a very strong suspicion that Sawyer wasn’t the bad boy slacker everyone seemed to think he was. As it turns out, both those assumptions were very true. But they were also only scratching the surface. Yes, Kaye was unhappy, but she also had issues at home with her mom, she didn’t now if the future she’d been working for was the one she actually wanted. She was basically trying to figure out who she was amidst all the pressure of high school. And figuring out who she was, also meant figuring out how she felt about Sawyer. And Sawyer, well he’s officially one of my favourite boys. Despite what people thought of him, Sawyer wasn’t actually a bad boy, he just hasn’t had it easy. And he was trying to do better, to break the cycle his family was in. With the people he cared about, Sawyer was all kinds of sweet and seeing that side of him only made me love him more. And it should obviously go without saying that I was all in favour of Kaye and Sawyer as a couple. Obviously.

Much like with the rest of Jennifer Echols’s The Superlatives series, I absolutely loved Most Likely to Succeed. This series was the kind of fun yet thoughtful romance that I love reading. If you haven’t checked it out already, I can’t recommend it enough.