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!

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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

Love Like We Do - Side A & B by Lori L. Otto - ARC Review

 

 

Four narrators

Two books

One story of LOVE

Blurb: Side A

 

 

Released: 20th October 2015.

The odds were stacked against Max Rosser when he was born sixteen years ago. A month before his birth, his father was put in jail for breaking parole, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest. His single mother was an alcoholic, struggling to keep her job and her home. Already, she could barely take care of eight-year-old Will and twelve-year-old Jon.

Max's older brothers hid their mother’s disease from him as best as they could, and they made sure Max had everything he needed to be a normal, well-adjusted kid, despite the fact that they lived at or below the poverty line for much of his childhood. When his oldest brother became engaged to Livvy Holland, the daughter of the richest man in the state, Max befriended her little brother, Trey, and the two remained best friends even though their home lives couldn’t be more different.

Through Trey, Max made more friends, including star athlete Callen McNare. Over the years, the boys played team sports, went on group dates, and worked summer jobs together. They became close; closer than anyone would have guessed. Before a real relationship could even begin, Max and Callen were forced apart when their secret was discovered.

In LOVE LIKE WE DO - SIDE A, family and friends reevaluate their associations with the boys. Callen’s parents are in denial. Trey feels betrayed by his two closest buddies and wonders how their friendship will change. Jon struggles to keep his family together, despite his mother’s devout beliefs and his brother Will’s immoral ways. Interactions with the people around them could bring enlightenment and understanding, or they could keep Max and Callen apart while doing irreparable damage to their families.

This is Trey and Jon's side of the story.

Kristine's Review: Side A

Reviewed: October 2015.

It's an interesting concept to have two books for essentially the same story, companion novels are not a new occurrence, to be honest some I have enjoyed and some have missed the mark for me, but Love Like We Do side A and B was definitely nothing like a companion novel. This story is split up into two full length books for very good reason, Ms Otto has given the reader four narrators, side A focusing on Jon Scott and Try Holland's POV. The reader is able to immerse themselves in the reactions of those around Max and Callen, as opposed to the thoughts and emotions of the central characters, the stories true hero's.

This style of book was risky for sure, would the author be able to capture the attention of the reader with two separate full size books addressing largely the same story? To answer that, in my opinion not only did Ms Otto capture my attention, she had me completely and utterly invested in all the key players, in their thoughts and emotions, in their moments of weakness and their triumphs, and she proved without a doubt while side A and B focus on one central story, there is definitely more than just two sides to every story.

While Love Like We Do can be read as a dual stand alone, that being you must read both sides here, I would also recommend reading both the Emi: Lost and Found and the Choisie series, not because you won't understand Love Like We Do without it, but because they are both series that stay with you long after you turn the last page, they will leave footprints on your heart, they will steal a little piece of your soul.

What I adored so much about Love Like We Do side A is that we see everything from an outsiders point of view, while the main characters remain Callen and Max, it was refreshing to see everything unfold from Max's older brother Jon Scott and Jon's younger brother in law/Max's best friend Trey Holland's eyes.

So many books that deal with coming out at whatever stage in life generally steering towards either end of the spectrum for peoples reactions, one of shame, revulsion, hatred and even violence, or one of joy and acceptance, we very rarely see the middle ground, we very rarely see the confusion, the what ifs, the questioning of every touch, every hug, every conversation and every smile being examined under a magnifying glass. Even when those people come from a very tolerant upbringing, one in which they don't judge others based on their sexual orientation, where being gay is no more of a choice of being straight, there's an important lesson here, one that even the most tolerant of us in society may not even realise.

Many years ago, when I was in high school, at my fairly conservative all girls school, I had a group of best friends, we'd been together since primary school, nothing could break us, when rumors starting circulating that one of us seemed to be sexually ambiguous, feathers were ruffled, people were confused, not because someone being a lesbian was against our beliefs or our moral compass, not because we believed that she has a choice in whether she was attracted to men or women, but because members of the group started to feel uncomfortable, what about all of those slumber parties - sharing sleeping bags and beds, all of those times we changed in front of each other before and after swimming classes, what about all those hugs, and cheek kisses, and school girl conversations about kissing boys, and high school crushes and just how far you'd go with a boy you liked...all of a sudden their was a pink elephant as the newest member of our tight knit group, because could this girl, who was once our closest friend still do all those same things, could we still share a bed without her thinking more of it, was she attracted to all or any of us now because she liked girls, even as a 16 year old girl I remember not even considering it, thinking so few boys showed me any attention, chances were a girl wouldn't be interested either... but what I do remember is the rift it caused in friendships that we once believed to be infallible, because even the most liberal thinkers, those who wave a rainbow flag touting equal rights, are human, please don't mistake me saying this means I condone any form of homophobic feeling, but what I adored so much in Side A is that Lori took a much beloved character, one who was raised in a family that held a steadfast belief that love is love, regardless of race, gender, or background, and explored these feelings and situations like the one I experienced in high school, she gave voice to all these feelings and emotions that we sometimes don't want to address, she didn't just cast characters into two categories of hero and villain, but she had beloved characters wading into the grey in between as well.

 

"He is your son, and he was put on this planet for you to love unconditionally. Do that."

Our world is a grey place, it's not always right and wrong, we're human, with feelings and emotions, even the best of us can have moments we'd rather forget, we have moments where fear and curiosity win out over what is right, sometimes what we know isn't always what we thought we believed, there's a beautiful, heartfelt message here about the human condition, about friendship, about family - not just the ones we are born into but the ones we create, there's a hopefulness for a time when who someone loves won't be the source of pain and fear and destruction, when love is given freely and is unconditional.

 

 

Purchase Links:

Side A
Amazon US:  http://amzn.to/1FLMRD5
Amazon AUS: http://bit.ly/1KWQCC9
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1PawPoa
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1LZrYFr
iBooks: http://apple.co/1L9zm0d


 Blurb: Side B

Released: 21st October 2015.

In the second book of the LOVE LIKE WE DO series, SIDE B, Max experiences the excitement of first love and the crushing disappointment of rejection when he realizes that the person he cares for is too ashamed to be with him. For Callen to be honest with himself and to live the life he wants to live, he knows he risks becoming ostracized by his own parents and society. For someone who’s always been strong and confident, he’s never felt so weak or afraid to stand up for what he believes is right for him.

This is Max and Callen’s side of the story. This is not a standalone. Side A should be read first!

Purchase Links:

Side B
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1FLOFMh
Amazon AUS: http://bit.ly/1Odx826
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1FNBIBn
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1ONqeRn
iBooks: http://apple.co/1jEGZ4h

Kristine's Review: Side B
Reviewed: October 2015.

"I am everyway I'm intended to be..."

My heart sat in tatters at the end of Side A, not because it broke me, or but because my heart was over full, bursting at the seams, I felt every emotion ravage me while reading, I felt anger for the hatred people spew in the name of religion, I felt pain and hurt for those who stood by doing nothing more than just trying to support their loved ones, I felt shame that anyone could make another feel so low that they would consider living anything but an authentic life, for them being willing to sacrifice what they truly know will bring them happiness and joy in order to appease others, I felt deflated knowing with certainty that even in the 21st century we live in a world with enough fear and bigotry, that love which should be the purest of emotions can bring about so much hatred.

 

 "You make me a lot less ashamed."

"I don't want you to be less ashamed, Callen...I want you to be proud of who you are"

 

In side B we finally see Callen and Max's side of the events that transpired, we see the fear, confusion,  shame and regret that both Callen and Max have felt at some point, we see two sixteen year old boys face something that so many of us take for granted, I know with certainty that I will never have to justify why I am attracted to men, I'll never be questioned or looked down on because I'm a heterosexual woman, because it isn't a choice, I was born this way, it doesn't define who I am, it doesn't change or affect the way people view me. I have a large network of friends, some of which are homosexual, I've had them come out to me at different points in their lives, and it's never been an issue, I remember many years ago, when I was still a teenager sitting on my front porch, anxiously waiting for my friend to come over, he had messaged me saying we needed to talk... it sounded cryptic and ominous, he pulled up in my drive way and we hugged each other, we sat across from each other on uncomfortable metal chairs and chain smoked nervously while making do with small talk, I didn't know what was about to be said, he sat there fidgeting when he blurted out "Kris I need to tell you something....basically I'm a fag" I blinked, looked him in the eye and said  "yeah I know but what do you have to tell me?" tears formed, we hugged, him relieved, he told me later that he was nervous, scared of my reaction, he was the first close friend to come out to me, he wasn't the last and every time single time when I've had the same conversation with another friend scared and nervous waiting for my reaction, I still feel the same things I felt all the way back then... joy because in those split seconds they look as though a weight is lifted from their shoulders, I'm one more person they don't have to be fearful of their reaction, but also full of sorrow, that they were scared in the first place... I'll never know what it feels like to carry that burden, I've seen the devastating effects of hiding who you truly are, hiding your authentic self from loved ones in fear they can't accept it, but I will never truly know how it feels to think that you should be ashamed of who you love, that that one facet of the person you are somehow holds more credence over everything else, that being attracted to the same sex is somehow wrong.

 

 "For the record, I don't love any differently than you. The love I feel is the exact same love you feel."

Side B was honest and raw, and heartbreaking and poignant, I felt every single word of this story, I felt pain and shame, and hurt, and anger, heartbreak and weariness, I felt it all in spades, not just for Max and Callen, but for so many friends who have lived through this, for friends still living through it, for people struggling to live a life in which they have to sacrifice their own dreams for the future in order not to upset or anger those around them, being a teenager is hard enough, in the day and age of social media, body shaming and rape culture, where differences are scrutinised instead of celebrated, we live in a world that is slowly becoming more enlightened, but for anyone who has held a friend while they sobbed their way through the shame and confusion they wear as a cloak, where they believe that ending it all is an easier option than living an authentic life, we know it's not changing quick enough.

Side B has a beautiful message about coming out, being yourself and finding acceptance from within, it's message of strength, and healing and acceptance moved me in a way not many books have, it made me hopeful for a brighter future, and kinder world, where bullying of any kind will be a distant memory, but mostly Love Like We Do reminded me that love is love, and when you find it, it's glorious.

About Lori L. Otto:

After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Lori Otto worked in the billboard industry for ten years. Frustrated with trying to communicate entire messages in “seven seconds or less,” she decided to leave outdoor advertising and return to her love of creative writing.

Website