Stuff Your E-Reader With Free Romance Reads (Including MAYBE YOU in Honour of Mental Health Awareness Month)

Today my standalone contemporary romance, Maybe You, is one of over 200 books that are available for free!

This is the first time I’ve ever offered one of my books for free outside of giveaways. It took me awhile to decide which book to offer but I decided on Maybe You for two reasons:

1) This book was originally supposed to be published last May, but then I landed in the hospital for a week and a half and had to push back the publication to June. My recovery was slow and I had major post-surgery brain fog, so when the book finally released, I didn’t promote it as much as I normally would, and I feel like Meredith and Kieran's story never got the attention it deserved.

2) May is Mental Health Awareness Month; throughout the course of the book, Meredith struggles with her mental health. Circumstances have led her to think she’s lost her spark and her lust for life because of grief, but she eventually has to acknowledge the fact she’s struggling with something more: depression.

I love this book so much and I’m incredibly proud of it. Meredith’s struggles with both grief and depression were drawn from real-life experience, and they’re things I think are so important to see in books.

If you enjoy sweet, sexy, funny, heartfelt, and hopeful slow-burn romances that mix a bit of friends-to-lovers with the forbidden (Kieran starts out as one of Meredith’s clients and she has a rule about not dating clients), plus have strong elements of friendship and self-discovery, I hope you’ll download your free copy of Maybe You on Kindle today or tomorrow. And be sure to check out the dozens of other romance freebies at www.romancefreereads.com

♥ Amazon US

♥ Amazon Canada

♥ Amazon UK 

Keep reading for a short excerpt from Maybe You

♥♥♥♥♥

A memory pops into my head from the spring before my mom took a turn for the worst. It had rained for days, and as soon as the sun peeked through the clouds, we ventured out to sit in the backyard of the house I grew up in. The daffodils that sprouted every year had popped up seemingly overnight, and my mom gazed at them for ages in silence, wearing what I always called her Mona Lisa smile. Whenever I saw that enigmatic curve to her lips, I knew she was about to dole out some Mom Wisdom.

“I always liked daffodils, but it wasn’t until after you were born that I truly appreciated them,” she’d said.

“Let me guess. It’s because their sunshiny color reminds you of me?”

Her smile had become wistful as she turned her attention to me. “That...and because of how strong daffodils are. They’re always the first flowers to bloom in the spring, no matter how long or dark or cold the winter was. They stand tall and strong even after taking a beating from the rain. There’s something so hopeful about them.

She’d reached for my hand, clutching it in both of hers. I remember wondering if she suspected things were about to get worse for her and she wanted to plant seeds of a different sort—the kind that would sprout when I needed to remember not only our good times together, but also that I was strong enough to get through anything. “Daffodils are resilient, and so are you, Meredith Cormier. Never forget that.” 

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5 Days of Angel Island Day 4: After the Storm Excerpt

This week is the release of The Complete Angel Island Series, a box set that includes all three of my Angel Island companion novels, Waiting for the Storm, After the Storm, and Take Them by Storm. For this week only you can get the set for just $2.99 - that's all three books for the price of one! If you're curious about the series and haven't started it yet, or if you've read one but not the other two, now would be a great time to give them a try!

To celebrate the release of the box set, I'm dedicating this week to posts about the series. On Monday I kicked things off with fun facts about the series, Tuesday I shared pictures inspired by the books, yesterday I shared an excerpt from the first book in the series, Waiting for the Storm, and today is an excerpt from the second book, After the Storm.
 

A hand settles on my shoulder, jerking me from my thoughts. I’ve been staring into the fire without realizing it, and now the imprint of the flames is burned into my retinas. I angle my head toward the darkness, blinking rapidly until River comes into view. He’s got one hand on my shoulder, and the other is juggling two cans of root beer.

“You okay?” he asks quietly.

My gaze slides past him and lands on Charlotte, who’s sitting just beyond River. Her eyebrows draw together and she cocks her head at me, but I only nod and meet River’s eyes again. “I’m fine. Just daydreaming.” I force a smile, but when he grins, my face relaxes into an easier, more genuine smile. I accept the can of root beer from him and pop the top, clinking it against his can.  

“Do you like living on the beach?” River asks.

“I love it. My parents hated Toronto Harbour—said the water was dirty and they always ended up finding something scary in the sand, like a syringe or a broken bottle or something—so they rarely took Charlotte and me as kids. We really only ever went to the beach on Amherst Island or Wolfe Island, so it was a treat we looked forward to. Now I get to go to the beach every day.” I look over and he’s watching me, his lips slightly curved. “Do you live on the water?”

He shakes his head. “No. We live close, though. There’s a path that goes from my street down to a private section of the beach. My mom knows the owner, and he says we can go anytime, but I don’t go that often. Used to swim all the time as a kid, though.”

“You lived near the water growing up?”

He nods. “We were pretty close to the Bay of Quinte. There were a few creeks around, too. My dad used to take me fishing all the time, and then he’d let me swim for as long as I wanted.” His smile is wistful. I wonder if that’s how I look when I talk about Mom.

“Did you take it for granted?” The question comes from out of nowhere, slipping past my lips. That seems to be happening a lot lately. Like the filter between my brain and mouth is on the fritz. River looks at me strangely, so I clarify. “When you were little, did you realize how lucky you were? To have those days with your dad?”

His expression softens and he tilts his head back and forth. “Maybe. Probably. Does any kid really realize how lucky they are to spend time with their parents? You think they’re invincible and that they’ll live forever. It never occurs to you to make as many memories as possible and then store them away because someday there won’t be more.”

“Exactly.” A flood of Mom-related memories sweeps through my mind like a video on fast forward. I was sixteen when she died, so I’m lucky to have a lot of good memories, but it’s the memories I don’t have that haunt me. The ones I should have started making the second I found out she was sick. The multitude of questions I should have asked her when the doctor told us she was terminal. 

“I think when you lose a parent at a young age, it teaches you a lot.” River moves in closer, drawing up his knees and leaning toward me. His voice is soft, flowing over me in soothing waves, washing away some of the pain. “It teaches you not to take the people you have left for granted. It knocks your priorities into line, and makes the stupid, petty things seem so unimportant. It can mess you up in so many ways, but it makes you stronger too. It makes you want to seize every opportunity and hold onto the things that matter.”

 

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5 Days of Angel Island Day 3: Waiting for the Storm Excerpt

This week is the release of The Complete Angel Island Series, a box set that includes all three of my Angel Island companion novels, Waiting for the Storm, After the Storm, and Take Them by Storm. For this week only you can get the set for just $2.99 - that's all three books for the price of one! If you're curious about the series and haven't started it yet, or if you've read one but not the other two, now would be a great time to give them a try!

To celebrate the release of the box set, I'm dedicating this week to posts about the series. On Monday I kicked things off with fun facts about the series, yesterday I shared pictures inspired by the books, and today I'm sharing an excerpt from the first book in the series, Waiting for the Storm.

Waiting for the Storm is an emotional story that deals with some fairly heavy issues, so I tried to add in humour where I could to lighten the mood and keep things even. I had a lot of fun writing this scene. I hope you enjoy it!

When we got out to the car, Ezra helped Adam into the backseat and ordered him to buckle up. Without a word to me, he opened my door and waited for me to get in before closing it and going around to the driver’s side.

I watched Ezra’s face as he started the car and pulled onto the road. It seemed like he was purposely trying not to look at me. I angled so I could see Adam in the backseat; his eyes were closed, and I thought he must have drifted to sleep, but he called out, “Hey man, turn the radio on. You know I like my tunes.”

Ezra finally glanced at me, shooting me an apologetic half-smile. He flipped the radio on and turned the volume up. The sounds of Coldplay’s ‘Paradise’ filled the car.

“Ah man, this is, like, my favourite song!” Adam shouted, leaning forward and gripping the headrests. “Para-para-paradise! Such a great song.” He leaned back in his seat and continued to sing along, his voice loud and off-key.

My lips started twitching. I couldn’t help it. This was quite possibly the most bizarre situation I’d ever been in.

“Don’t you dare start laughing,” Ezra told me quietly.

I peeked at him from under my lashes. He was staring straight ahead at the road, but his lips were twitching too.

“I’m not sure I can help it,” I answered, my voice shaking slightly with suppressed laughter.

The song changed and ‘Mysterious Ways’ by U2 came on.

“No, this is my favourite song,” Adam said. He leaned forward again and suddenly his head was right between mine and Ezra’s.

I was so startled, a laugh burst from my mouth. Adam started to laugh along with me, and his cluelessness made me laugh harder.

“What’s so funny, man?” he asked after a minute. “Oops, sorry, lady,” he amended, smiling drunkenly.

I shook my head. “I really don’t know.”

“Put your seatbelt on, Adam,” Ezra said.

Adam slid back and I heard his seatbelt click into place. He continued singing, giving it everything he had, waving his arms around and rocking to the music. I soon discovered that every song was Adam’s favourite, and each time he said it I had to bite back another laugh.

Ezra didn’t speak, but we kept exchanging glances every time Adam hit a particularly sour note. He would cringe and look apologetic, as if it were his fault his friend was butchering song after song. I had no idea what was going on, but I didn’t really care.

We seemed to drive the entire length of the island before we pulled into the driveway of a small two-story house. The porch light was on, but the inside of the house was dark.

“I’d invite you and your lady friend in, man, but…you know how it goes,” Adam said, struggling with his seatbelt. He finally got it undone and he reached up to hand something to Ezra. He opened the door and stumbled out, and a second later he was leaning in my open window. With his face so close to mine, his beer breath made my eyes water.

“It was great seeing you again,” he told me, a goofy smile plastered on his face. He pointed at Ezra and thumped his chest right over his heart. “This guy…Ezra’s the best. He’s my guardian angel, you know? You two treat each other right, you hear?” He screwed up his face and blinked his eyes rapidly, and after a second I realized he was trying to wink, but he was too drunk to figure it out.

Suppressing yet another laugh, I winked back at him. “Good night, Adam.”

He waved and staggered off toward his house. He stumbled on the front steps, and called out something that sounded like, “I’m good!” When he had the door open, he waved again, then disappeared inside.

Without a word, Ezra put the car in drive and pulled back onto the road.

“Well…” I ventured. “That was interesting.”

A ghost of a smile touched Ezra’s lips, but he simply shook his head.

 

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Release Day Blitz: More Than Words by Lilly Avalon

Blog Tour ~ Sideswiped by Lia Riley

 
Today I'm excited to be part of the blog tour for Sideswiped by Lia Riley. I've been lucky enough to get to know Lia a bit over the last couple months, and she is amazing - funny, smart, brave, supportive. An awesome writer and friend, and I feel blessed to have her in my life. 

Lia and I met during a Facebook party for the release of Chanel Cleeton's London Falling. We were talking about travels and adventures, and from that seemingly simple conversation came a whole lot of inspiration. I talked about that inspiration a few weeks ago, and will be able to talk about it more (and make a few exciting announcements!) early next year. For now, since Lia and I share a love of travel, I asked her to share her top 5 favourite travel destinations as part of the Sideswiped blog tour. 

Want to know more about Sideswiped?

It was only meant to last the summer . . .

Talia Stolfi has seen more than her share of loss in her twenty-one years. But then fate brought her Bran Lockhart, and her dark world was suddenly and spectacularly illuminated. So if being with Bran means leaving her colorless NorCal life for rugged and wild Australia, then that’s what she’ll do. But as much as Talia longs to give herself over completely to a new beginning, the fears of her past are still lurking in the shadows.

Bran Lockhart knows that living without the beautiful girl who stole his heart will be torment, so he’ll take whatever time with her he can. But even though she has packed up her life in California and is back in his arms for the time being, she can’t stay forever. And the remaining time they have together is ticking by way too fast. Though fate seems determined to tear them apart, they won’t give up without a fight—because while time may have limits, their love is infinite . . .

~Excerpt from Sideswiped~

An hour later I’m zipping the back of Talia’s wet suit at the edge of the tide line. Moonlight glimmers on the black water. The waves line up perfectly, peeling clean. I breathe deep, savoring the air’s briny tang and the musty smell of decomposing kelp. My awareness is sharpened by anticipation, the five senses amplified by the dark.

Talia shuffles at my side, getting antsy.

“You sure about this?”

“Yes. Well, sure enough.”

Another set breaks. The conditions are choice. If she changes her mind, I might need to have a ride—a quick one.

Maybe two, tops.

“What’s that noise?” She stills. “There it is again. Can you hear it?”

I concentrate and smile when a sound like a wheezing donkey drifts from beyond the breakers. “Fairy penguin.”

“Shut up! There are penguins around here?”

“Sure. In the summer they build burrows in the scrub along the coast. If you stand outside a colony right after sunset, things get pretty noisy.”

“Penguins.” She almost whispers the word. “That’s so cool.”

The wash races over the sand and breaks across our toes. I figure out a plan of attack. “We’ll paddle to the left shoulder where the wave’s less steep. Stick with me, okay?” No one else is out and my voice feels extra loud even though I’m speaking quiet.

“Have you ever been to Rome?” She takes my hand.

“No, not yet.”

“Me neither. But I can’t imagine the Sistine Chapel being more amazing than this.”

Besides the moon, there’s zero light pollution. The Milky Way arches in a dazzling band across the sky’s apex. Individual stars are indistinguishable in the brilliant haze.

“You ready?”

She squeezes my hand in reply.

We paddle out.

“Whoa!” She pushes her chest up to better peer over her board’s tip. Around us the water casts a luminous green-blue light.

“Phosphorescence. Cool, eh? It’s blooming phytoplankton, caused by this marine species of dinoflagellates releasing enzymes that—”

“That’s enough, Sid the Science Kid. Let me retain this fairy kingdom illusion a little while longer.”

“Science is cool, Captain.”

“I never said—Oh, crap!”

Instead of duck-diving under the incoming wave, the water wall pounds her in the face. She breaks through the other side, coughing out a lung.

“We can head back to shore, don’t have to—”

“I’m fine. Please. There’s a wave coming. I can feel the pull. Can you?”

“You want it?”

“It’s all yours.”

I take off on a left break and fly down the smooth face. For a few perfect seconds, I’m right here in the moment. Rational thought is eclipsed and with it the aggravating confusion of having everything: Talia, Tasmania, honors, and still hungering for more like a greedy bastard. I paddle back to her.

“You looked great.”

“That was good.”

She sits, bobbing lightly. “It’s not as freaky out here as I imagined.”

“Fucking hell, Captain. You said you weren’t scared.”

“No, I never did. I’m scared by everything. But I want to do this.”

We’re quiet. A few more waves come but I let them go, happy to be with my girl, the stars, and the radiant water.

Hard not to believe in magic on such a night.

She clears her throat. “About what happened back at the house…if this is going to work, you can’t shut me out. You’re not just a you anymore; we’re an us. We have to be there for each other.”

I bob on my board and drag my fingers through the water. The phosphorescence lights from my touch. Finally I speak. “Karma’s got this mate; he’s on the crew of a Sea Alliance vessel. There’s an opening for a gig, with voyages to Japan and Antarctica.”

“You want to go for it?” I can’t decipher her expression.

I almost say no, but honesty’s easier in the anonymous dark. “Yeah, kinda. But I want to be with you more.”

“Oh, Bran, that’s way too much pressure.”

“What do you mean?”

“Imagine coming home in a few months and I’m all vegged on the couch, watching awful reality television. Will you think to yourself, ‘I could be gallantly defending the high seas but instead I’m attached to this boring anchor’?”

“Life with you is bound to be a lot of things, but boring isn’t the first depiction that springs to mind.”

“But life isn’t always night surfing. I…I can’t compete against a fantasy.”

“I never said you had to.”

“Isn’t supporting the other’s goals a fundamental part of the good girlfriend/boyfriend job description? I mean, say I always wanted to volunteer in Africa? Join the Peace Corps.”

“Do you?”

“I used to toy around with the idea. Now? I’m not sure but I don’t want to close myself off to opportunities.”

“We can travel through Africa someday.”

“Peace Corps is one of my dreams, not yours. I want you to have the freedom to pursue your own happiness.”

“You make me happy.” I strike my words like flint before sucking in a rough breath. “Look, I’m not a guy cut out for the long-distance thing. I hated every second we were apart the last two months.”

“Bran…” She reaches out her hand and I take hold. “I won’t let go.”

“Me neither.” I scrutinize the sky, heart clanging. Everything appears so deceptively still. In reality, the Earth careens through space. Talia and I, we’re little specks of cosmic dust in the grand scheme. It wouldn’t take much to blow away from each other.

“But in the future—”

“I hear what you’re saying and I appreciate the support. But the only future I’m willing to discuss is the one where it’s me and you—together.”

Better to orbit far away from black holes.

My review of Upside Down 

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My review of Sideswiped

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Lia Riley writes offbeat New Adult Romance. After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, she scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile and swilling fourex with stationhands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments. A British literature fanatic at heart, Lia considers Mr. Darcy and Edward Rochester as her fictional boyfriends. Her very patient husband doesn't mind. Much. When not torturing heroes (because c'mon, who doesn't love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach combs, daydreams about as-of-yet unwritten books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. She and her family live mostly in Northern California.

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Cover Reveal: As You Turn Away by Molli Moran

Today I'm super excited to be participating in the cover reveal for As You Turn Away by Molli Moran. Why? Well, Molli is one of my best friends, my brain twin, my critique partner (which means I've read a good chunk of AYTA and can tell you it's freaking amazing), and I designed the cover!

So, without any further ado, because I've been itching for the world to see this cover for so long, here it is!

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Coming March, 2014

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When Quinnlan Reynolds left home at 18, she escaped her small, Georgia town and her suffocating upbringing. She started a new life as a ballerina, and tasted freedom for the first time. But four years later, her first visit home turns tragic. Reeling, Quinn tries to piece her life back together again. But doing so is easier said than done when sexy Jonah Walker saunters back into her life.

Quinn shattered Jonah’s heart once, so getting involved with her isn’t something he’s sure he’s ready to do again. He became someone he didn’t recognize when he left home. He’s spent the last years burying his pain by keeping everyone in his life at arm’s length. Now he needs to get to know his family again, and finally become who he wants to be.

But neither Quinn or Jonah can stay away from each other, especially when old feelings resurface. Something is pulling them back together, and they can’t deny their chemistry for long. One Georgia summer could change both their lives forever, if they can work through their past to have a future together. 

~TEASER~

“Quinn?” Jonah stalled when he got within a few feet of her, and Quinn’s heart kicked into a faster rhythm. He was wearing sunglasses, so she couldn’t see if his smile extended to his eyes, but his gaze held steady on hers. “What are you - I mean hi.”

“H-hey.” Clearing her throat, Quinn glanced between him and Ethan; Ethan still looked completely at ease, but Jonah seemed…different. She focused on him, noticing the tense set to his broad shoulders as he crossed his arms, then dropped them. “We were looking for uh…” Jonah’s eyes were on her again, and anything else she’d meant to say vanished as he finally took off his shades.

His eyes were smiling. At her. A slow, all-too-familiar flutter tickled at her stomach.

Molli is a Southern writer who doesn't consider her day complete if she hasn't written. She loves coffee and talking fast, things she attributes to being raised by Gilmore Girls. She's a romantic at heart, and brings that to her books. When not reading or blogging, she can be found obsessing over Doctor Who, cuddling her various pets, or spending time with friends, family, or her girlfriend.  

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 To celebrate the cover reveal, Molli's giving away a $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble!

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Visit the rest of the tour participants for more awesome excerpts!

Jan 4: Books and Writing, Word Spelunking, City of Books, and Ramblings of a Daydreamer

Jan 5: I'm A Book Shark, and Thoughts at One in the Morning
Jan 6: Stephanie Parent, Collections, and BooksLovin'
Jan 7: Adventures in Reading, The YA Bookshelf, Disquietus
Jan 8: Reflections of a Bookworm, and Crystal in Bookland
Jan 9: A Soul Unsung, In Libris Veritas
Jan 10: Ninja Girl Reads, The Whimsical Mama, A Reading Daydreamer 

What do you think of the cover? Will you be adding As You Turn Away to your TBR?

 

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