My Year in Reading + My 2019 Favourite Books

2019 was overall a good year for reading, but a bit of a strange one too. I had more DNFs than ever before, and I'd go through stretches where every book I read was just meh. My Goodreads goal for the year was 80 and I hit that a month or so ago. I realized today I would have read more if not for two things: I ended up in the hospital in the spring for a week and a half, and although I did some reading, I was exhausted all the time and found it hard to concentrate and also to hold a book with an IV in my hand. I honestly can't remember if I read much during my recovery because the brain fog and exhaustion were no joke and much of that time is a blur. Then I spent six weeks with my best friend and didn't get much reading done because we were so busy doing other things. No regrets there!

Now, on to my favourite books of the year! I was going to do a Top Ten post, but I couldn't narrow it down to ten, so I'm breaking down my favourites by genre and in no particular order.

Favourite Contemporary Romances and RomComs:
☆Happy New You by Brenda St John Brown & 10 other romance authors
☆Hold Me Today by Maria Luis
☆The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea by Jaimie Admans
☆My Life in Shambles by Karina Halle
☆Irresistible by Melanie Harlow
☆Roomies by Christina Lauren
☆Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams
☆Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
☆Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren
☆Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
☆The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
☆Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
☆The Forbidden Man by Karina Halle

Favourite Historical Fiction:
☆City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
☆At the Mountain's Edge by Genevieve Graham

Favourite Young Adult (a mix of genres, as you can see):
☆The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane
☆The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding
☆Now a Major Motion Picture by Cori McCarthy
☆The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett
☆An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
☆Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco
☆Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw

Favourite Christmas Romances:
☆Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm by Jaimie Admans
☆One Week Til Christmas by Belinda Missen
☆Faking Under the Mistletoe by Ashley Shepherd

To see a complete list of the books I read in 2019, visit my Goodreads challenge page. Please note I do count DNFs because I always give them a fair shot, and I also count my own books, which I have to read multiple times before publishing so it only seems fair that I get to count them toward my overall goal!

As you can see, adult contemporary romance was my most-read genre of the year. I did manage to mix in a bit of historical fiction and paranormal, and I rekindled my love of YA, which made me really happy. I discovered a ton of new authors, found a few new favourites, and returned to some favourite tried-and-true authors. I'm excited to see what the next year of reading holds! Speaking of which...

My 2020 Reading Goals:
☆I'll be participating in KimberlyFaye Reads' 2020 Tackle My TBR Challenge, as well as attempting to do Romanceopoly.
☆Goodreads goal: 85 books.
☆Read more diversely - more books by marginalized voices, and definitely more LGBTQ books.
☆Diversify a bit in my genres. I adore contemporary romance and romcoms, but I'd like to read more historical fiction and some mystery. I've decided 2020 is my year to finally read Agatha Christie, and I bought Murder on the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd during pre-Christmas sales.
☆Read more books by indie authors. When I went through my list of books I read in 2019 I was pleasantly surprised by the number of fellow indies I read, but I want to read even more next year.
☆Read more backlist books and books I already own.

What were some of your favourite books of 2019? Do we have any in common? Did you meet your reading goals for this year? Will you set any reading goals for 2020?

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

*Please note I'm an Amazon affiliate, and some of the links in this review are affiliate links. All income made through affiliate sales goes directly back into maintaining Ramblings of a Daydreamer. Thank you for your support!  

Review: The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Series: Shades of London #2

Published: February 26th, 2013

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

290 pages (hardcover)

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Acquired this book: From the library

Warning: May contain spoilers

{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

{Read my review of The Name of the Star}

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Deveaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to get back to her friends. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades--the city's secret ghost-fighting police--are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late.

 

I had high hopes for The Name of the Star. It was one of those books I was ridiculously excited about from the moment I saw it, mostly because I have a bizarre fascination with Jack the Ripper. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, but when I finally did, I was slightly disappointed. Not like ‘Nooooooo, whyyyyyyyy?!’ disappointed - the book was good, and I liked the unique concept, but it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. I went into The Madness Underneath with no expectations. I was curious what would happen to Rory and the squad next, but I didn’t have high hopes like I did when reading the first book…and that’s a good thing, because this book was very meh for me.

It started out well. The initial scene was wonderfully creepy and intriguing, but after that it took forever for anything else to happen. The story had moments of excitement that basically went nowhere and were kind of pointless. Not much happened in the entire book, and when something did happen, it was kind of random, and again, didn’t lead anywhere. It felt like a bunch of things thrown together and tied loosely, but not much actual plot. I wasn’t able to get interested or invested until toward the end, but when I finally got emotionally invested it was because something drastic and awful happened (which I’ll get to in a minute).

As with the first book, I liked Rory for the most part. She had a great voice. She’s funny and kooky, and while some people might not appreciate the almost ‘stream of consciousness’ feel to her thoughts, I found it all believable, plus amusing. There was quite a lot of angst in this book, which was mostly understandable, considering a) Rory went through hell in the first book, and b) she’s a teenager. She was impulsive, self-centred, and made some horrendous mistakes, but it was mostly believable. I keep saying ‘mostly’ and that’s because there were some things she did that seemed really weird and out of character, and went beyond impulsive and into ‘what the hell is wrong with you?’ territory. There wasn’t much development or growth on her part, and the book was basically The Rory Show - all about her and very little about the other characters. In the first book I loved the secondary characters, but with the exception of learning a bit more about Stephen, the secondary characters seemed to just sort of…be there.

Then there was the ending. *sigh* An ending like that should make me absolutely itch to get my hands on the next book, but it doesn’t. I was upset (half sad, half pissed), but it was almost a ‘too little, too late’ situation for me. It took so long for anything interesting to happen, and then when it did it was like a simultaneous punch to the gut and slap to the face. I’ll read the third book, but I’m not dying to get my hands on it like I feel I should be after an ending that dramatic.

Overall, The Madness Underneath was just okay for me. I still like the setting (*goes all heart-eyes over London*) and the unique concept of the ghost police, and it had a few creeptastic moments, but that didn’t make up for the lack of plot or character development, or how the secondary characters, who were wonderfully vivid in the first book, seemed to get shoved aside in this book.
 

Have you read The Name of the Star or The Madness Underneath? What did you think? If you haven't read them, do you plan to? Do you have a favourite story or series about ghosts? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

 {Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Instagram || Pinterest || Author blog}

Review: Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler

Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler 
Series: Daylight Falls #1
Published: June 24th, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary
328 pages (ebook)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Acquired this book: Bought
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

 

{Read my 5-star review of Last Will and Testament}

High school senior Ally Duncan's best friend may be the Vanessa Park - star of TV's hottest new teen drama - but Ally's not interested in following in her BFF's Hollywood footsteps. In fact, the only thing Ally’s ever really wanted is to go to Columbia and study abroad in Paris. But when her father's mounting medical bills threaten to stop her dream in its tracks, Ally nabs a position as Van's on-set assistant to get the cash she needs.

Spending the extra time with Van turns out to be fun, and getting to know her sexy co-star Liam is an added bonus. But when the actors’ publicist arranges for Van and Liam to “date” for the tabloids just after he and Ally share their first kiss, Ally will have to decide exactly what role she's capable of playing in their world of make believe. If she can't play by Hollywood's rules, she may lose her best friend, her dream future, and her first shot at love.
 

I had my fair share of celebrity crushes as a teen (oh, who am I kidding, I still have a ton of celeb crushes and I’ve been out of my teens for ages), so a book about a regular teen girl dating a hot celebrity totally appealed to me. I liked that Adler put a new twist on the trope by having Ally actually live in Hollywood and be friends with a rising starlet, so her meeting/dating Liam wasn’t a chance encounter or a case of ‘girl stalks celeb, celeb happens to notice her, they have a meet cute, and start dating’. The story was also about a lot more than just their romance and the angst surrounding it; it had all the elements of what I adore most in YA: friendship, family, real life issues, genuine emotion, and character growth.

I really liked Ally. She was smart, funny, and driven. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. I enjoyed her relationship with her family, especially her dad. I really connected with her on that, since I lived through two years of my dad being in and out of hospital with cancer before he died. Her fear and uncertainty came through really well, and it broke my heart whenever she thought of the future without her dad, because I had so many of the same thoughts when my dad was sick. I also really liked her friendship with Vanessa. It was great to see them maintaining a friendship despite Van’s bursting schedule and rising popularity. Like a lot of Ally’s life, her friendship with Van couldn’t be ‘normal’, but they made it work. I loved how loyal they were to each other, how they stood up for each other, and considered each other in so many decisions, big and small. 

And then there was Liam. I loved Liam. He was the kind of celebrity I would have crushed on as a teen and hoped he was as awesome in real life as Liam actually was. He was smart, patient, and sweet, and he cared so much about Ally.

It’s hard to explain how I felt about certain parts of the book. On one hand, I understood Ally’s reservations and issues about dating Liam, and why she got upset about some things. But on the other hand, she said from the beginning she didn’t want anything to do with people in Hollywood other than Van, and she didn’t want to date a celebrity because she wanted a normal life, a normal boyfriend., etc...but she starts dating Liam and then gets upset that they can’t have a normal relationship, even though she knew that would be the case. She drove me nuts at times because she knew how things were and how they needed to be, but she kept freaking out. And yet, I could always sort of rationalize her behaviour in a way, between her age, and the fact she really liked Liam and wished things could be different. It was the weirdest feeling while reading - being incredibly frustrated with Ally while going ‘well she is eighteen, it’s hard enough being a teenager, then throw all this other crap in...’ Despite those odd and sometimes confused mixed feelings on my part, it didn’t take away from the fact that Ally was a good person, and I appreciated that she was flawed and realistic.

Overall, I really enjoyed Behind the Scenes. Ally had a great, authentic voice, tons of growth, and was easy to connect to. She had great chemistry with Liam (who’s one of my new favourite swoony book boyfriends), and her relationships with her family and Vanessa added so much to the story. This book made me giggle, tear up, and swoon. If you’re a fan of contemporary YA, especially ones that explore a relationship between a celebrity and a non-celebrity, be sure to pick up Behind the Scenes!

Have you read Behind the Scenes? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you have a favourite book about a 'regular' person dating a celebrity? Who was your biggest celeb crush as a teenager? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

 {Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Instagram || Pinterest || Author blog}

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.”

 

Buy The Complete Angel Island Series now

Amazon US

Amazon Canada

Amazon UK

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 {Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Instagram || Pinterest || Author blog}

Blog Tour Review: Leading Lines by Chantel Guertin

A big thank-you to ECW Press for asking me to be part of the Leading Lines blog tour!

Leading Lines by Chantel Guertin
Series: Pippa Greene #3
Published: October 13th, 2015
Publisher: ECW Press
190 pages (ARC)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Acquired this book: From the publisher in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

 

{Read my review of The Rule of Thirds || Read my review of Depth of Field}

After two drama-filled weeks in Manhattan, Pippa Greene is back. Despite a romantic reunion with boyfriend Dylan, she can’t seem to shake the emotional aftermath of New York. As she navigates parental drama at home and her charged dynamic with Ben Baxter at school, Pippa finds that Dylan is more wrapped up in his post-high-school life of bands, shows, and new friends than in their relationship. Will it survive?

Written with the same humour and heart that made Chantel Guertin’s first two Pippa Greene novels instant favourites, Leading Lines offers a fresh and charming perspective on friendships, family, and first love.

Leading Lines is the third book in the Pippa Greene series. Pippa is a young photographer navigating high school, family life, the death of her father, her first love, and family secrets. I adored the first book in the series, Rule of Thirds, and liked the second book, Depth of Field, but it was so different from the first it felt like reading an entirely different series. I attributed this to the fact Pippa’s boyfriend and best friend, who had featured prominently in the first book, weren’t in the second book. They were back in the third book, but this time it was Pippa herself that prevented me from loving this book.

I have mixed feelings about Pippa. On one hand, her voice feels authentic and the situations she’s in are realistic. I like flawed, realistic characters, and I get that teens are often driven by emotions and hormones...but Pippa is a bit over the top at times. I understand her hurt and anger over the secrets her mother kept, and I know from experience how hard it is to lose a parent, but if I’d treated my mum the way Pippa treats hers, I’d have had my ass handed to me. I was also really irritated by the stuff with her boyfriend, Dylan. I didn’t mind their instalove in the first book, but didn’t like or understand his complete absence in the second book. Then he’s finally in this book but he treats Pippa like crap and she just takes it for half the book. I could understand the reasons for them growing apart - or, more aptly, him distancing himself from Pippa - but Pippa’s behaviour and attitude rubbed me the wrong way a lot of the time. With so much changing in her life, she didn’t want her relationship with Dylan to change; she wanted them to grow together, but they were growing separately while growing apart, and it was painful and confusing for her. I felt for her there, and as annoyed as I got I could admit it felt realistic in many ways - hence my mixed feelings!

One of my complaints about the first two books was the cliffhangers endings and how nothing was wrapped up in the second book. Things were mostly wrapped up neatly in this book, although I believe the series is continuing. I liked that Pippa had some growth and eventually realized she needed to change things and carry on with life. I also liked that there were a few small unexpected things throughout the story. Again, this is where my mixed feelings come in - Guertin crams a lot of stuff into very short books (all of them are around 200 pages), and while some things irritate me, it’s more personal preference things that might only bother me, while the other part of my brain says ‘but you have to admit this is realistic for a 17-year-old’. 

If there is a fourth Pippa Greene book in the series, I’ll read it out of curiosity. Even though I didn’t enjoy Leading Lines as much as I'd hoped to and had mixed feelings about Depth of Field, I really enjoyed Rule of Thirds, and I think Pippa has potential to grow into herself and become a well-rounded character. 

Chantel Guertin is an author, beauty expert and magazine editor. - See more at: http://chantelguertin.com/about/bio/#sthash.dFg3Njko.dpuf

Chantel Guertin is an author, beauty expert and magazine editor. - See more at: http://chantelguertin.com/about/bio/#sthash.dFg3Njko.dpuf

Chantel Guertin is an author, beauty expert and magazine editor. Chantel is currently the Editor-at-Large of TheKit.ca, a monthly digital fashion & beauty magazine & weekly print feature in the Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette & Vancouver Sun, a beauty expert on  The Marilyn Denis Show and faculty at Centennial College in the Book & Magazine publishing program, where she teaches magazine writing and editing courses.

Follow the Leading Lines Blog Tour!

• September 5: Tour kickoff, Review, and Giveaway, Booking it with Hayley G, http://www.bookingitwithhayleyg.blogspot.ca/
• September 6: Giveaway, Chapter by Chapter, http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/ 
• September 7: Review, Books Etc, http://booksandstuff-kstar.blogspot.ca/
• September 8: Review, Read my Breath Away, http://readmybreathaway.blogspot.ca/
• September 9: Review, One More Page Reviews, https://kmn04books.wordpress.com/
• September 10: Review, Sukasa Reads, http://sukasareads.blogspot.ca/
• September 11: Guest Post, Dear Teen Me, http://dearteenme.com/
• September 12: Review and Excerpt, Brains Books and Brawn, https://brainsbooksandbrawn.wordpress.com/
• September 13: Review, Musings of a Writer, http://musingsofawriter.com/
• September 14: Review, Ramblings of a Daydreamer, http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca/
• September 15: Review and Giveaway, The Book Bratz, http://thebookbratz.blogspot.ca/

Have you read any of the Pippa Greene books? What did you think? If you haven't read them, do you plan to? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

 {Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Instagram || Pinterest || Author blog}

Meet River Maracle from the Angel Island series

My friend and critique partner, Molli Moran, asked me to be part of a blog hop for authors where we interview one of our characters so that readers can get to know a bit more about them. Molli interviewed Reece Walker from her Walker Boys series; you can read the interview here. Thanks for asking me to go next, Molli!

The character I’m interviewing is actually a secondary character, but he was the first one that came to mind when Molli asked me. I seriously love River Maracle, and I hope you will, too. He’s from After the Storm, which came out this past April, and he’s also in my upcoming book Take Them by Storm, which comes out in January.

Ready to get to know a bit more about this lovely boy?

I take the ferry from Kingston to Angel Island, where River and Ella are waiting to pick me up. I’ve known Ella for a couple years now, and when she introduced me to her boyfriend, River, last year, we became friends instantly. There’s just something about him - he’s serious and intense, almost to the point of being a bit intimidating, but when he smiles at you it feels like the sun coming out after endless days of rain. He’s beautiful, with his dark hair and eyes, copper skin, and boyish grin, and he’s beautiful inside, too - funny, sweet, loving, and a real gentleman.

He greets me with a smile and a hug, and when he wraps his arms around me, I have to remind myself that not only is he over a decade younger than I am, he’s also madly in love with my friend Ella. *sigh*

We drive to the O’Dells’ beach house with the windows down and the music blaring. I love the feel of the lake-scented air whipping through my hair, and I can’t help but grin as I watch River and Ella holding hands in the front seat and sneaking secret smiles at each other. These two give me hope for my own love life…as do Ella’s sister, Charlotte, and her boyfriend, Ezra, who are waiting outside the house when we pull up. There are hugs all around before I’m ushered inside.

I intend to get the interview out of the way first thing so we can enjoy the rest of our weekend together, but it’s like a reunion in here, with not only the O’Dell sisters and their boyfriends, but our friend Sadie and her girlfriend, too. We sit around and talk for hours, eating pizza from the island’s famous pizzeria. These guys have welcomed me into their makeshift family, and as I sit and talk with them, I know it’s a privilege to be part of something so special.

Finally, River offers me his hand and I take it, letting him lead me out onto the back deck. The sun is starting to sink toward the horizon, and the sky is a riot of colours. People down the beach are setting up for the nightly bonfire, which we’ll be joining later tonight. River and I sit in the big wooden swing between the O’Dells’ house and Ezra’s, and he sets us rocking lightly. 

Me: Ready to do this? You sure this isn’t weird since we’re friends? 

We’ve already talked about how he should answer questions as if I don’t already know the answers (which I do). I’m beginning to think I should have sent someone else to do this interview, but River just smiles and pats my leg. Have I mentioned how much I love his smile? 

River: I’m ready. Let’s do this.

Me: Can you tell us your full name? 

River: River Darel Maracle. 

Me: Are you a fictional or historical character? (He gives me a raised eyebrow look and I shrug.) What? I didn’t come up with these questions.

River: (laughs and pokes my leg) Feel that? I’d say that makes me real, not fictional. Although I do believe you took some liberties with my ‘character’ while writing the girls’ books.

Me: Hey, creative license. It’s part of the job. (We both laugh.) Anyway, moving on…when and where is your story set?

River: I’m actually in two stories—my girlfriend Ella’s story, After the Storm, and my best friend Sadie’s story, Take Them by Storm. After the Storm takes place on Angel Island, Ontario, and happens during our last year of high school. Take Them by Storm is set partly on Angel Island, but mostly in Bellevue, during our first year of college.

Me: What should we know about you?

River: Well, I was born and raised in Tyendinaga, a Mohawk reserve about an hour from here. My dad died before high school started, so when my mom was offered a counseling job at the high school on Angel Island, we moved here. I just finished my first year of college at Loyola, taking Addictions and Community Service Worker, with the hopes of becoming an Aboriginal Outreach Worker.

Me: What's the major conflict of your story? What's going on with you?

River: I’m pretty much a supporting role in both books. In After the Storm, Ella is dealing with a lot - the death of her mother, trying to patch up her relationship with her sister and dad, trying to get past people’s perceptions of her. She kind of…fell apart when her mom got sick, and she did a lot of things she regretted. I just tried my best to be there for her and let her know a second chance was possible and that she could be whoever she wanted to be. Having lost a parent myself, we bonded over that, and I tried to help her as much as I could. In Take Them by Storm, Sadie’s going through some…well, let’s just say some transitional stuff. She has to deal with a lot of changes all at once, and she’s feeling like an adult for the first time. She’s trying to forge ahead on her own, figure out her place in the world, and what she wants in life. I was there for her as much as possible, while also trying to find my own path with school and my future career, plus handling a long-distance relationship.

Me: What are your personal goals?

River: I want to help people and make a difference however I can, especially on the reserve. It makes me so sad that when a lot of people think of Aboriginals (or Natives/Native Americans/however they’re known in the rest of the world), they think of alcoholism, addiction, riots and protests, and people living in squalor. Unfortunately there is a lot of addiction among my people, but that’s not all we are. We’re a strong, resilient people. I want people to see that. I want to see positive representation in the media, and I want more accurate portrayal in movies and on TV. I’m proud of my heritage, and I want to give back to the community I came from, and help preserve our legacy - language, customs, beliefs, etc.

Me: When can we read more about you?

River: After the Storm is already out, and Take Them by Storm comes out January 6th. I really can’t wait for people to read Sadie’s story. She’s such an amazing person - so strong and funny and driven - and even though we had some issues this past year, it was an honour and a pleasure to watch her grow and become the person she is now. She’s never been happier, and our friendship has never been stronger. I’m a lucky guy.

 

Now that you know a bit more about River, here’s a scene from Take Them by Storm:

On the first Friday of school, River and I finally have class together. Today we’re in an actual lecture hall, since both our groups are combined. We’re taking different courses, but they’re similar enough in some ways that a few of our classes overlap.

The room is like something straight out of every college-set TV show I’ve ever seen: tiered seating leading down to an open space with a small podium on either side, plus two long desks, and the biggest whiteboard I’ve ever seen. The differences between high school and college have been coming at me from every direction, but this is the first time all week I’ve really felt like I’m in college. It’s such a silly little thing, but this lecture hall has sealed the deal—I’m a college student.

“What are you grinning about?” River asks as we find seats about halfway down. “I thought you would hate being in such a big room with so many people.”

“Well, that’s not my favourite part, but I’m…adjusting,” I tell him. “It’s kind of weird, but it’s part of the experience, you know?”

He nods. “I’m proud of you, Sades.”

“Aww, you’re giving me the warm fuzzies.” I lean over to kiss his cheek, and he chuckles.

“Seriously. I didn’t know how this whole thing would be for you. Coming from a small town, living a somewhat sheltered life, plus living in your own little world…” I’m not sure what my expression is, but he quickly adds, “That’s not a bad thing. You’re artistic, and artists tend to live inside their own heads a lot of the time. It’s what makes you you.” He pauses and sighs. “This isn’t coming out right.”

“No, go on.”

“What I mean is…you’ve been surrounded by the same people your whole life. When I came to Angel Island, I was the first new person in your life in a really long time. Then Ella and the others last year. A lot changed after that, but it was still a small-town life with the same people, same school, same high school drama.” He has his thinking face on when he stops, like he’s trying to decide what to say next, where to go with this.

“I think I get what you mean,” I say. “Now it’s my time. For the last four years, I’ve had you by my side, and then Ella this past year. And you’re still here, but it’s different. I have to do stuff on my own. I have to make new friends and learn to deal with crowds without always running to you to hold my hand. I have to be a big girl.”

This gets the grin I was hoping for. “Basically, yeah.” He’s quiet for a minute as he looks around the hall, which is almost full of people now. “I hope you know you can still come to me anytime.” His eyes return to mine, and they’re dark and serious and full of so much warmth, I just want to squeeze him. “No matter what. No matter how old we get, or how many new friends we make, or how good you get at being independent, I’ll always be here for you. If you need me to hold your hand, if you need someone to talk to, if you need a shoulder to cry on, whatever, I’ll be here.”

I lean against him, closing my eyes. Voices buzz around us and someone jostles my seat as they move down the aisle behind me, but I tune it all out. I needed to hear what River just said. I needed to know that no matter how much things change, he’ll always be my best friend. “Thank you.” I tilt my head so my chin rests on his shoulder. “Same goes for me, you know. You’re never getting rid of me.”

He laughs quietly, his breath ruffling my hair. “Good.”

 

Want to see more of River? 

Add After the Storm on GoodReads

Add Take Them by Storm on GoodReads

Buy After the Storm: Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Smashwords

Pre-order Take Them by Storm on Kindle (pre-order links coming soon for Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes)

 

~Up next~

Next week, my friend Lilly Avalon will be interviewing the oh-so-sexy Devlin Pierce from her novella, Resist, and her upcoming follow-up novel, Longing. 

About Lilly:

Lilly Avalon is the author of the erotic romances Here All Along and Resist, and the upcoming novella More Than Words. She's somewhere in the midst of her twenties and lives mostly in the stories in her head. When she's not enveloped in the worlds she creates, she's out in the real world making stories happen. That or reading other romances. It's a toss-up.

Find Lilly on Facebook, Twitter, and GoodReads

 

~Giveaway~
Want to win the very first complete swag set for the Angel Island series? No one else has one of these yet (well, except my mum *wink*)! It includes postcards, mini bookmarks, and stickers for all three books. Open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 {Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Instagram || Pinterest || Author blog}