TRIP (Remember When 1) by T Torrest - Review & Exclusive Excerpt

Follow the Trip Release Excitement: http://bit.ly/2ttRKR3

Blurb:

Layla Warren first introduced us to Trip Wilmington in REMEMBER WHEN...
Now read his side of the story!

Trip Wiley wasn't always a Hollywood movie star.
In fact, he wasn't always Trip Wiley.
Back in 1990, he was better known as Trip Wilmington, the new kid in town.
New place, new school... same old story.
No big deal. It’s not like this is the first time he’s been forced to start over.
But seventeen years of city living hasn’t prepared him for life in the suburbs...
or for Layla Warren.
Layla is smart, funny, beautiful... the kind of girl every guy dreams about.
Trip should know.
He’s been falling for her since the first minute he saw her.
And his life hasn’t been the same since.

~

Prepare to travel back to your teen years... That time in your life before the real world kicked in, that limbo between adolescence and adulthood, that trial of hanging onto the past while figuring out where the future will lie.

With heart-shredding romance, steamy love scenes, and hilarious 80s references, readers of all ages will find themselves falling in love with TRIP all over again.

It is highly recommended--but not required--that you read Remember When prior to reading TRIP.

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2FBtHVO
Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/2HwrI1x
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2DtRjph
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2pcvZQX


Every story has two sides, want to hear Layla's story:
Remember When 1 is currently #FREE
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2pd8BTl

Kristine's Review:

Reviewed: March 2018.

Dear God I don't think I'll ever get enough of Chester and Lay Lay... wait...you thought this book was about Trip and Layla...ahhhh but it is, but they will forever be known as Chester and Lay Lay to me. Okay so before I confuse more then I need to, lets take a step back to the early 90s.

Trip Wilmington is no stranger to being uprooted and moving from town to town, when he lands in New Jersey there's not much for him to do but to move with the punches and settle into his new life, and prepare for his Senior year. Now I don't know about you but boy am I invested in high school crushes, I mean there's that sense of vulnerability and naivety that I love, everything feels so dramatic and huge without the responsibility of actual adultdom. So here is Trip ready to take on a new school when *kapow* he meets Layla Warren...and boy is he hit for a six (don't mind my Aussie cricket reference there). Their chemistry is undeniable, they sink into easy friendship, but he's never quite sure where he stands or how she feels about him. Queue the angsty boy teen feels here....like seriously ahhhh Torrest paints such a vivid picture it's easy to experience every emotion with Trip and Layla without having to revisit our own adolescence (which I'm so grateful for). 

"We actually made pretty great friends. It was kind of weird to think we’d only known each other for two weeks. It felt like I’d known her a lot longer. And I know she felt the same.
What can I say? Sometimes, when it comes to certain people, you just click.
I still wanted to suck her face, however."

I'll be honest here, as much as I love love love the Remember When Trilogy, and as much as I've been begging Ms Torrest for more of my beloved Chester and Lay Lay, the idea of a companion novel doesn't always grab me, I mean I've already devoured the series (more times then I can count) so I don't just want a rehashing of the same old story. Plus for devoted fans, it's kind of like Romeo & Juliet or the Titanic... we already know how it ends right.... how much new content can the author really deliver?? GUYS!! Seriously though... this story felt fresh and new....and OMGGGG.... I can 100% confirm that it is possible to love Trip Wilmington even more then I did prior to this novels release. I mean I SWOONED like I've never swooned before, Trip is every book boyfriend rolled into one delightful package with his easy grace, self deprecating humour and maturity beyond his years. I mean I could wax lyrical all afternoon about our hero and it still wouldn't be enough.

Layla was leaning against her car, the sunlight bouncing off her dark brown hair, and I swear to God, the world around her disappeared. I had tunnel vision as I walked straight toward her, dropped my bag on the ground, and pulled her to me for a kiss. I was pretty sure all our friends were watching and I didn’t care. I always knew this girl was created to be in my arms. It was about time everyone else realized it, too.

“You’re all I want, Lay. Just you.”

There's few authors that I willingly and knowingly harass for more of a much loved series, I mean the mark of a great storyteller is when you turn the last page and still crave more and yet still got the story you needed, I can usually finish a book knowing that justice was given to these characters that became real for me and know that whatever my imagination conjures up for them and their future is exactly how it should be... and yet when it comes to this pair I think I'll always be hopeful for more of them.

For lovers of great storytelling, of swoon worthy heroes and smart, sassy and real heroines, who yearn for a simpler time and all that angsty goodness that only YA/NA can deliver TRIP is a tale you won't want to put down.

“Don’t ever ask me to stop loving you, because I can’t. don’t ever think I’ll be able to forget you, because I won’t.

Rafflecopter link - Gift Card up for grabs!

Enter to win: http://bit.ly/2p3NORh

Glass Paper Ink Exclusive Excerpt:

With my target acquired, I psyched myself up for the ritual hazing as I took a casual stroll through the middle of the room. Sure enough, as I passed by, the gorilla called me over. “Yo, New Kid!”

The rest of them snickered at that as I walked toward them, all heads turning in my direction. Gorilla leaned back in his seat and asked, “So, what’s up, man? Who are you?”

“My name’s Trip,” I answered, holding out my hand.

Gorilla shook it. “I’m Rymer,” he offered, before pointing to the rest of his tablemates in turn. “That’s Sarge, that’s Cooper, and that’s DeSanto.”

The big-haired girl rolled her eyes. “It’s Lisa DeSanto. Nice to meet you.” She cocked her head to the side and asked, “How come we don’t know you yet?”

“First day.”

“School started last week, you know.”

“Yeah.” I ran a hand over my hair, taking notice of the two apes talking (undoubtedly about me) under their breath. “Took me a little longer to get here from Indy.”

Lisa looked intrigued. “You’re from Indiana?”

“I’m from everywhere.”

About T Torrest:

T. Torrest is a romance and chick-lit author from the U.S.; her alter ego writes eroticomedy under the name T. Torrid. Her stories are geared toward readers of any age that know how to enjoy a good laugh and a dreamy romance.

Ms. Torrest was a child of the eighties, but has since traded in her Rubik's cube for a laptop and her Catholic school uniform for a comfy pair of yoga pants. She's a pop-culture junkie, a movie aficionado, and an enthusiast of talking about herself in the third person. A lifelong Jersey girl, she currently resides there with her husband and two sons.

Connect with T Torrest on Facebook

LUCAS (A Preston Brothers Novel) by Jay McLean

Blurb:

In a sprint, every millisecond counts.
When you’re waiting for love, those milliseconds can feel like eons.

High school senior Lucas Preston has it all: star of the track team, a scholarship waiting for him, an apartment to himself and a revolving door of girlfriends. He also has an older sister, five younger brothers and a father who relies on him to make sure those brothers don’t kill each other.
His saving grace? Lois “Laney” Sanders, a girl he started to fall in like with when he was just eleven.
A girl who became his best friend, his confidant, his courage.

It took only sixteen clicks and eight seconds for Lucas to realize that his like for Laney had turned into love.
Eight life-changing seconds.
It’s also the exact length of time it took to lose her.

Find Lucas on Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2f06Ntc

Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/2e4wRyI

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2eTpjk5

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2dUEKvj

Kristine's Review:

Reviewed: October 2016.

I'll be honest, when Jay McLean first spoke of writing and releasing Lucas I was a tad worried, I adored the More series, all of it, each book made me fall a little more in love with the author's words, with the worlds she created, so much so More Than Enough found itself on my Platinum Lipstick - favourite of all time list and it's dedication would end up being inked on my skin, that kind of love is difficult to emulate, in fact I was scared that I wouldn't love Lucas the same way I had loved it's predecessors. The truth however is that I needn't worried, this story was a perfect combination of sweet romance and thrilling suspense and raw heartbreak.

"You're my best friend, Luke, and you're standing here right now on the side of a highway telling me I should hate you while driving to a store an hour away. For me!"

Lucas Preston and Lois (Laney) Sanders met as children and became firm friends, their young friendship saw more than most high school crushes , the setting of college dreams, the bond these two developed was raw and real in the best possible way, equal parts childhood naivety and adult reality, their relationship blossomed into something bigger and bolder along the way leaving them trying to navigate what it meant for them now. Granted from my words, you would be expecting a teenage friends to lovers romance much like I did, but Lucas was so much more than that, much like the relationship that developed between Lucas and Laney, this story was bigger and bolder than that, it left me gripping my kindle to my chest, swallowing down panic, desperately hoping something (yes I'm being deliberately vague here) to happen.

"And so without meaning to, without wanting to, I started to fall in like with a girl who would later become my best friend. My confidant. My courage... A girl who would later crush my heart and destroy me."

This is the point when I'd usually tell you about the story and the impact it had on me, I'd tell you all about how certain scenes left me reeling or made me feel exuberant and joyous but inside I'm going to beg to experience this book the way I did...blind. Know that Lucas is part YA/NA, part coming of age, part friends to lovers, all heart wrenching gloriousness that had me addicted, everything about McLean's latest work was impossible to put down. For fans of the More series, Lucas will delight and intrigue, it will easily fill the void left by a beloved series ending, for those new to the world of Jay McLean Lucas will easily enrapture leaving you wanting More. (See what I did there )  Allow McLean to steal your heart the way she did mine, with two characters who feel more like family as they take on adolescence and high school crushes, adult issues and everything in between, allow McLean to take you on a journey that you won't soon forget.

About Jay McLean:

Jay McLean is an international best-selling author and full-time reader, writer of New Adult Romance, and most of all, procrastinator. When she’s not doing any of those things, she can be found running after her two little boys, playing house and binge watching Netflix.
She writes what she loves to read, which are books that can make her laugh, make her hurt and make her feel.

Jay lives in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, in a forever half-done home where music is loud and laughter is louder.

Connect with Jay on Facebook

Chasing Spring by RS Grey - Review

 

 

 

Blurb:

 

 

I thought I’d left Blackwater, Texas behind for good. I didn’t belong in the small town, but my dad wouldn’t listen. He dragged me back home in his beat-up truck and dropped a bomb along the way: Chase Matthews was moving in with us. He was the golden boy of my high school, my former best friend, and the last person I wanted sleeping across the hall. His presence was too great a reminder of the ghosts I was trying to forget.

I didn’t ask for a hero. I don’t want to be saved.

To me, Lilah Calloway meant late nights sneakin’ out, moonlit hair, and sparklers in July. She was my best friend until the day she left and I’d assumed Blackwater had seen the last of her. Then, like a tempest, she rolled back into town for the final half of senior year. The chopped hair and dark devil-may-care attitude warned most people away, but I knew if I fought hard enough, I could find the lost girl.

I didn’t want to be her hero. Some girls don’t need to be saved. 

Find on Goodreads.

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1RUVRu9
Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/1PKOY8e
Amazon AU: bit.ly/1nHe6aa
Amazon UK: amzn.to/1SSB3Dw


Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: January 2016.

Where do I even start with Chasing Spring, I had grown accustomed to Grey's quirky yet heartfelt romances, and I was expecting more of the same, I was expecting light and sexy, while still packing an emotional connection that I often find in her work, and instead I found so much more. Lilah left her old life in Blackwater Texas, sure that she would finally be free of the guilt, pain and sorrow she felt there, but when he father advises her that she has to return home to finish her final year of high school, the new carefully constructed life Lilah had created for herself looked to be slipping away, not only was she back home and struggling to hold on while the inner turmoil she felt was threatening to pull her under, but her once best friend, Chase Matthews was now living in her family home, with only hallway separating them, Chase had always been the golden boy, and Lilah was determined to steer clear of his light, instead preferring her own darkness.

Everything about Chasing Spring stole my heart, breathtaking in it's entirety, Grey's words eloquent and inspired, I left my preconceived expectations at the first page, and took the journey that Lilah and Chase begged me to take with them, Chasing Spring is a poignant, often times heartbreaking coming of age story, that showcases how resilient the human spirit is, with moments of sheer brilliance where Lilah can see past her mother's sordid past, past the lies and deceit, past the guilt and fear, to the golden boy that she's always loved, to the man that's standing before her now, begging her to give him a chance, to give them a chance, to cut the ties that bind her to a future that can only be filled with heartache and misery, as it threatens to shackle her to a past that is not her own. These characters may be young, but they have both faced more than most of us will in a life time, with a wisdom that surpasses their years, Chasing Spring's raw emotion, it's ability to sucker punch you right in the feels, to break your heart, and simultaneously piece it back together for me came from Grey's ability to show that dichotomy of not only Chase and Lilah and the way they face their collective pasts, but the warring sides of Lilah's mind as she seeks to protect herself, with almost a devil may care attitude, while also holding Chase above all else, her need to ensure his heart is protected is tantamount to a sacred oath she made with herself.

"I thought you said you wanted to give me a happy ending?"

"Maybe instead I have to satisfied with a happy middle." 

Grey shows her depth here, while I have LOVED every book of hers, the fun, the quirky, the sexy, the emotional, nothing has gripped me the way Chasing Spring did, the way Chasing Spring has, because it's been days since I finished, and I find myself idly reading quotes, smiling wistfully as I remember moments, that so perfectly detailed the joy and heartbreak of first loves, of love in general, Grey has publicly spoken about the two years that she's been working on Chasing Spring, the fear that she had of ever publishing it, and I have to say, Ms Grey, your fears may have pushed your limits, but Chasing Spring will stay in my mind for a very long time to come.

"Think about it. Does the ending even matter? Shouldn't the middle be the happy part? It's the biggest chunk of our life..."

About RS Grey:

I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way, I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.




Facebook – http://on.fb.me/1P1szVn

Twitter – http://twitter.com/AuthorRSGrey

Instagram – http://bit.ly/1JqWEJc

Goodreads – http://bit.ly/1MK5MAq

Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) by Abbi Glines

 

 

Blurb:

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…

 

 

Purchase Links:

 

Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1LRAnc0

Amazon US: http://bit.ly/1hMDU0T

Amazon AUS: http://bit.ly/1fF45Fs

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1JYnNbF

iBooks: http://itun.es/au/ZNET5.I

 

Kristine's Review:

Reviewed: September 2015.

 

I'm going to start by being entirely honest, I was a little nervous going into the Until Friday Night, you see I'm an Abbi Glines fan, While It Lasts and Sometimes It Lasts are two of my favourite books, and I can't not mention that I suffered from "Rush Crush"...and here comes the but, and it's a big one, recently I've been finding the books in the Rosemary Beach series to be formulaic and repetitive, rich badboy man whore...check...young and innocent virgin...check...virgin shoes man whore there's more to life than easy women and expensive toys...check... in saying that I made my way through Rush, Woods and Grant's stories, but I have been struggling to feel invested since.

 

Until Friday Night had the pre release hype that I've come to accept from an Abbi release, I hoped for something fresh and new, something that felt different from her previous works, West is a God in his high school, part of the successful football team, guys want to be him, girls want to be with him, he's popular, well liked, life is good...only it isn't...his father is dying of cancer and West is slowly drowning under the crushing waves of grief not only for the man he is going to lose, but for the future he had planned with his family cheering him on. West has always maintained a level of privacy surrounding his feelings, living a life in the public eye of high school jock, surrounded by many but close with few is lonelier than most people would expect. West's entire life is crumbling around his shoulders and he has no where he can turn until he meets Maggie.

 

Maggie has an innocence to her, and yet is more world weary than anyone deserves to be, within moments of seeing West for the first time she recognises something in him, she senses a soul deep connection that only someone who understands her pain could fee. Maggie and West developing a bond is something that could save them both from the torment of the pain and grief they're living but  even the strongest connections forged during times of struggle may not last, Maggie has lived and seen things that would haunt even the strongest of men, she's found a way to cope, to survive, and she gives West hope that beyond the anger, the sadness and grief is life.

 

I'm not going to pretend there aren't similarities to other Glines' books here, but where I worried that Until Friday Night would feel stayed and predictable there was enough to spark my interest from the first chapter, there was a fresh vibe to this new series, West and Maggie could have been clichéd but instead I found them endearing, West may be the alpha of this story, but for me Maggie was very much the hero, Until Friday Night was equal parts sweet and angsty, Glines tackled some heavy subjects with finesse, I was invested in not only the characters but in the world the author created, I'm excited to see what's next for the Field Party series.

 

 

 



About Abbi Glines: 

 

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, and Existence series. She has a new YA series coming out in the fall of 2015 titled The Field Party Series . She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.

Website