Cover Reveal: Girl With Guitar by Caisey Quinn <-- LOVE this book!!

I'm so stinking excited!

Not too long ago, I started chatting with this girl on Twitter. She seemed like a total sweetheart, and her bio completely grabbed me. She wrote books about Southern girls and romance and music. Check, check, check. I told her that I was absolutely impatient to read her story, and then she sent me an advanced copy.

~dances~

But see, this is where my story could go two different ways. It could've met my expectations and I could've loved it...or I could've been let down, or not been pulled in as much as I liked, especially since my expectations were so high, and then I'd be in that uncomfortable situation of having to back away quietly.

Can I say what a relief it was when not only did I freaking LOVE Girl With Guitar by Caisey Quinn, but that it stayed with me, so much that I've pretty much hounded Caisey for the sequel ever since???

So what's it about already, Rachel?

Okay, okay. I was getting to that. 

Sheesh.

After Kylie’s dad dies in a freak accident, he leaves her with nothing other than her crazy stepmother, Darla, and the ability to play guitar. When Darla kicks Kylie out and she loses her job all in the same day, she hops a bus to Nashville determined to make her late father’s dreams come true.

Waitressing and saving her pennies to record a demo, her big break comes when she’s asked to join a tour going down the tubes with once platinum album-selling country music superstar Trace Corbin. But touring with Trace is hardly a dream come true since he’s pretty much drinking his career down the drain.

If Kylie can’t pull Trace out of his rut, he’ll pull her and her dreams down with him.

As fabulous as that synopsis sounds, it still doesn't do this book justice. Girl With Guitar is filled with heart, humor, swoony romance, and even some tears, all set against the fun world of Country Music. It was EXACTLY what I was looking for when she sent it to me. 

That does sound good, Rachel. I wish there was an excerpt.

Well, wouldn't you know, I have one!!

“Evenin’ y’all,” Kylie drawled into the microphone. “I had a song I was gonna sing and then my friend Tonya, she might be your waitress, she told me it sucked—so I guess I’m just gonna play this here guitar and see where it takes us.” She grinned at the audience and then leaned closer to the mic once more. “Oh, and I go right back to serving after this, so if you don’t clap when I’m finished, I can’t be held responsible for what might happen to your drink between the bar and your table.” Kylie winked and strummed a few cords. “Okay, here we go.”

Laughter? Did she hear laughter? She thought she did.

I know you wanna tie me down, know you wanna put a ring on it, but I ain’t never been that kinda girl, not for all the money in the world.

Kylie launched into her modified version of Trace Corbin’s latest hit, Not That Kinda Man.  It was the famous bachelor’s latest lovin’ and leavin’ single and she was attempting to turn the thing on its ear. He’d written and sang it as a sad break up ballad and Kylie had remixed and reworked it into the single girl’s party anthem.

You wanna own me but you don’t know me. Guess what darlin’? When you wake up I’ll be gone.

Kylie flashed her sexiest grin and wiggled a little at the crowd. Then she shouted, “Sing it with me girls!” into the mic and picked up the tempo, launching into the chorus.

Several waitresses, Tonya included, stopped what they were doing to sing along. Not that Kylie could really see them, but the girls in the crowd joined in too. She sang to the guitar player, whose name she was pretty sure was Andy, and he played right along, smiling and winking at her the whole time. Well I’m not that kinda girl, don’t wanna play these games, not gonna wake up in your bed or take your name. She gave Andy a playful smack on the ass and he blew her a kiss. Shrieking whistles radiated from the audience.

The music hummed and pulsed against her and somewhere in Kylie’s mind a little voice said, Holy shit you’re doing it!  

When the number was over, she practically flew off the stage, painfully aware of the pounding in her chest. Oh well, if I have a heart attack and die right this moment, I’ll die happy. The applause was loud enough to be heard over the ringing in her ears and she wanted it more than oxygen.

Clive was leaning on the bar, shaking his head but smiling. Tonya shot her two thumbs up. Kylie let out a little squeal of happiness and sent a silent thank you up to her daddy, feeling certain she was higher than any drug could ever take her.

She would let Tonya go home early tonight and do the rooms herself. She had enough energy to clean ten green rooms. When she told Tonya that, the woman hugged her. Hard. “You knocked ‘em dead, girl! That was amazing!”

“Yeah, well, I got some really good advice,” Kylie told her, unable to keep the permagrin off her face.

The next act stepped out of the shadows and took the stage. Kylie heard a deep male voice with a sexy southern drawl say, “Damn. Just my luck to have to follow that.”

The audience was still shrieking and screaming and Kylie knew she’d done well, but seriously?

“I apologize for standing y’all up a few weeks ago. Musta got my dates mixed up. Probably time to fire that manager of mine,” the handsome man on stage drawled.

Who was this guy? Whoever he was, the women in the audience were going crazy over him.

“Well, since that good looking waitress stole my number, guess I’ll have to sing something else. Where is that girl anyways?”

Oh God. Oh God, please no. Kylie’s heart sank and her high evaporated instantly. She turned to face the man on stage. Trace freaking Corbin was standing there with a guitar in one hand and the other to his eyes, scanning the crowd for…her. 

Awesome, right?? You know you want to add this bad boy to your HAVE TO READ list on Goodreads, so here's the link, where you'll also find a giveaway going on. 

GIVEAWAY TIME!

That's right! Caisey is giving away an ebook copy of GIRL WITH GUITAR!! Since my blog and Rafflecopter don't play nice (boo), I can only give you the link...but you know you want to click and enter. Right?? :) 

So, meet my girl, Caisey:

Caisey Quinn is a wearer of cowgirl boots, writer and avid reader of New Adult romance, lover of wine, and is addicted to chai tea lattes. She’s the brand spanking new author of soon to be released books including Girl with Guitar and Keep Me Still. (Which may or may not include spanking).

Caisey lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, daughter, and other assorted animals. Girl with Guitar is her first novel. 

Stalk her on Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Act Like You Love Me by the fantabulous Cindi Madsen

I freaking adore Cindi Madsen. Like, adore her. I have met so many amazing authors the past few years, and I've made some incredible friendships, but there's a core group of girls who I respect like crazy, who I turn to whenever I've had a sucky day or a really awesome one, and who I cheer for whenever something awesome happens for them as if it's happening for me.

Cindi Madsen is one of those girls.

For my loyal, amazeballs followers, you know we got to know Cindi well last year in our first official Flirt Squad challenge for her YA debut, Demons of the Sun. Then she released her second YA a few months later, the freaking cool All The Broken Pieces, followed by her adult romance debut, Falling For Her Fiance. 

If you haven't read Falling... you must. Seriously. Sexy, witty, cute as all get out, it is just a fun ride. And guess what?? She has another one coming out next month!!!

~dances~

I got a sneak peek at this one, and y'all, it's another for your must read list. So what is it about?? Glad you asked.

All’s fair in acting and amore...

Brynn McAdams isn’t the awkward drama geek she was in high school—she’s grown up and confident, or at least she likes to think so. But when her old crush, the impossibly handsome and impossibly unattainable Sawyer Raines, comes back to town to direct her community play, Brynn finds herself determined to be someone other than the girl he doesn’t even recognize. Good thing she’s an excellent actress.

After his bad breakup in NYC, the last thing Sawyer wants is to get involved with another actress. But the glamorous and beautiful Brynn draws him in, even though as her director, he knows she’s off-limits. There’s just something about the woman that feels…familiar. Like home.

As Brynn’s lies start to snowball, she struggles to stop acting and come clean. But what if Sawyer is already falling for the fake Brynn, not the Brynn she truly is?

 As if THAT didn't already have you headed off to pre-order this bad boy, I also have an excerpt for you :)

“Cut, cut cut!” Sawyer stood. “Was that supposed to be more passionate? Because it sucked.”

“This is supposed to be the eighteen hundreds,” Brynn said. “It can’t be too passionate or it would seem inappropriate for the time.”

The next instant Sawyer was charging up the steps to the stage. “I’m not saying it’s got to be a kiss with tongue, I’m saying you’ve got to look at each other like you’re in love so the audience will want it to work out. Our modern audience.” Sawyer shook his head. “Take it again, from before the proposal.”

It was impossible to concentrate with Sawyer standing right there, so close she could hear every shift of his body and feel his gaze on her like a weight. All her lines were swimming together.

Leo knelt, told her she was an angel. She said her line, trying to peer into his soul like she wanted to be with him, and then Leo kissed her. And it was sloppier than usual.

She did her best to not jerk back, though it was her first instinct.

“Okay, that was just…” Sawyer moved in front of her. He looked at the playbook, then lowered it by his side and stared into her eyes. The air thickened around them and she could feel every thump of her heart. “What a perfect angel you are, Cecily.” He said it so tenderly, his smile close-lipped but full of joy.

“You dear romantic boy,” she said, all out of instinct because thoughts were getting fuzzy.

He leaned in and kissed her, a soft kiss with his lips barely parted. The pressure of his lips increased for a delicious moment, and then they were gone. A quick, simple kiss, but when his mouth left hers, she felt its absence so strongly that she couldn’t think about anything else for a couple seconds. Her breath was stuck somewhere in her lungs and her lips still tingled, living the sensation over and over again. Heat wound through her body, her hands itched to reach out and touch him. And then she remembered she was supposed to. She ran her fingers through his hair and felt the whisper of his breath on her wrist as he exhaled.

“Wow, that was good,” Wendy said from the front, breaking Brynn from her trance.

Brynn stepped back and swallowed, but her throat wasn’t working right. Sawyer’s eyes never left hers, and one corner of his mouth curved up in a smug, self-satisfied way.

“It was all right, I suppose,” Brynn said, working to keep her voice steady. She crossed her arms and shrugged. “For a first-timer, anyway.”

That only made Sawyer’s smile grow wider.

Brynn couldn’t help but watch Sawyer as he jumped off the stage. Funny how she’d dreamed of kissing him all the time in high school, but her fantasy wasn’t even close to the real thing. Her heart felt like it’d just been wrung out and shoved back in her

And her scene with Leo was better. She was sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she closed her eyes and pretended it was Sawyer kissing her again.

Nope. Nothing at all.

So, how can you ensure you have this yummy book on your favorite e-reader the very moment it comes out??

Pre-Buy Links!

ACT LIKE YOU LOVE ME 

First, add to your Goodreads shelf, then head over to Amazon or Barnes & Noble.   

Then while you wait, if you haven't read FALLING FOR HER FIANCE yet, get on that pronto!

Goodreads / Kobo / iTunes / Amazon / Barnes and Noble 

Meet My Girl Cindi

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA novelsAll the Broken Pieces and Demons of the Sun, bestselling short romance Falling for Her Fiancé and the women's fiction novel Cinderella Screwed Me Over.

Stalk her on Twitter / Facebook / and her Website

In Which I Drool Over My New Cover . . .

So yesterday kinda rocked. It was the Cover Reveal for A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES, and so many bloggers joined the party to help show the world :) The feedback has been wonderful. I'm so glad you love it as much as I do!! And even better, I love all the comments I've gotten on the excerpts!

There are four different snippets floating around out there.

• There's the "meet cute" with Austin, though in this case, while Austin is more than cute, his intro is... well, let's just say Alessandra wouldn't describe his attitude as cute. (he he). 
• Then there's one of my favorite scenes, again with Austin and Alessandra, but this time out on a Jet Ski and it just captures a really awesome moment for her. 
• The third excerpt is just pure fun... a shopping excursion with Cat in a modern day mall where she gets her first glimpse of twenty-first century undergarments (ha!)
• And finally, there's the "Welcome To The New World" scene, where Alessandra first realizes she's in the future. This one is also one of my favorites.

To not take away from the amazing bloggers who helped me, I'll let you discover those on their blogs--a list of participants can be found on Entangled's site HERE. Be sure to enter the GIVEAWAY while you're at it.

A paperback (US) and ebook (Int'l) copy of A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES (as soon as it's available) is up for grabs!

BUT I will share with you my beautiful cover and the blurb for the story that I can't wait for you guys to read. 

Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

Y'all, I admit it. I LOVE my cover! It's so stinking pretty :) And it fits Less perfectly. The skirt of a sixteenth-century dress paired with a top from modern day. The soft look about her that seems to capture her innocence with the hint of a smirk that shows her spirit and desire for more. The busy, modern day craziness in the background. And Austin. Yeah. I like me some Austin. I kinda fell for him myself writing this book (*grin*)

What do you guys think? And did you find all the excerpts out there? What was YOUR favorite???

Olivia Twisted: A Wicked Cool Cover Reveal from Vivi Barnes + Giveaway!

So it's established I love cover reveals. I also happen to adore Vivi Barnes. She's my Entangled Publishing AND agency sister, and believe me, this girl rocks.  

Having a little inside intel, I got a sneak peek at this cover a short while ago and I've been DYING to share it ever since. It's just so... freaking cool.

Don't believe me? Look for yourselves ;)

Olivia: 

 He tilts my chin up so my eyes meet his, his thumb brushing lightly across my lips. I close my eyes. I know Z is trouble. I know that being with him is going to get me into trouble. I don’t care.

 At least at this moment, I don’t care.

Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite—break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv…

Z: 

 I can picture Liv’s face: wide-eyed, trusting. Her smooth lips that taste like strawberry Fanta.

It was just a kiss. That’s all. She’s just like any other girl.

Except that she’s not. 

 Thanks to Z, Olivia’s about to get twisted.

Cool, right??? Since I know you're dying to read this, you can add it to your Goodreads shelf or preorder on Amazon. Go ahead. I'll still be here.

Now that you're back, we have a GIVEAWAY!!

One blogger who participates in the cover reveal will win a $10 Gift Card to Amazon. 

Five people who fill out the Rafflecopter form will win a $10 Gift Card to iTunes.

Unfortunately, Squarespace doesn't play nice with Rafflecopter, BUT here's the LINK for you to enter for all the goodness. Good Luck!!

About The Author:

Vivi Barnes was raised on a farm in East Texas where her theater-loving mom and cowboy dad gave her a unique perspective on life. Now living in the magic and sunshine of Orlando, Florida, she divides her time writing, working, goofing off with her husband and three kids, and avoiding dirty dishes. 

Stalk her on her Blog, Twitter, and Facebook

A Tale Of Two Centuries Cover Reveal AND Quick Sneak Peek :)

Who loves cover reveals?

You know I do! And when it's a reveal for one of my books, I get positively giddy.

On March 6th, the cover, blurb, and several exclusive excerpts of A Tale Of Two Centuries, the companion novel to My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, will be revealed to the world. *happy twirl* And I'd LOVE for you to be a part of it :)

No lie, I'm very excited about this book. It's full of humor and has a whole lots of steamy moments, two of my all time favorite things in books. And when you can make yourself laugh and swoon, it's always a good thing, right?

If you'd like to be a part of the reveal, you can sign up HERE! 

 If the link above gives you any difficulty, you can also leave me your email address and blog URL below, and my publicist will be in contact with you soon!

And now, just because I love y'all so much, here's one quick little sneak peek at A Tale of Two Centuries:

I watch his slow saunter, my body poised with tension. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but I wouldn’t trade the delicious expectation for anything. Austin doesn’t stop until he is right in front of me, close enough that I have to look up to meet his demanding blue gaze, and so close that warmth fans across my face as he says in a low voice, “Careful, girl. You’re playing with fire.”

*Grin*