GUEST POST + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY ~Rival by Penelope Douglas~

Title: Rival

Author: Penelope Douglas

Series: Fall Away #2

Release Date: August 26, 2014

My Rating: 5 Stars

From the New Adult sensation and New York Times bestselling author of Until You

Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war…

She’s back.

For the three years she’s been away at boarding school, there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night.

I was stupid then, but now I’m ready to beat her at her own game…

I’m back.

Three years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he’s better than me.

But I won’t be scared away. Or pushed down. I’ll call his bluff and fight back. That’s what he wants, right? As long as I keep my guard up, he’ll never know how much he affects me….

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Top 10 Best Moments of Madoc’s Life

10. First time I ever touched a piano.

9. The first soccer game my father ever made it to.

8. Driving my car for the first time. Jared bought his Boss just so he could keep up. 

7. When Tate broke my nose. I knew things were going to be very interesting that year. 

6. That split second in Jax’s office when he showed me Fallon’s bill. That moment right before I realized it had been taken away. For a moment, I was happy. 

5. When Fallon came home again. Seeing her was like new life coming into me. 

4. After my parents’ divorce, Addie and I had a party. Just the two of us. We messed up the house, ate junk food, and then she cleaned it all up before my mom got home. 

3. My first time—being so close to her, finally, was so good. 

2. When she said “yes”.

1. When she said “I do”.

The only thing keeping me from claiming Madoc as my own is that fact the Fallon could kick me to Timbuktu. Rival takes a hate/love relationship to a whole new level. Madoc and Fallon thrive off of their contempt for one another... at first. Until they see there's more to their relationship, if they can just put the past behind them. 

Rival brings all the feels. Madoc and Fallon were just beginning to explore their relationship when they were torn apart. Or in their eyes, when the other turned their backs on them. After being lied to, and a long heartbreaking road in front of her, Fallon as put the pieces back together and come back to exact revenge on everyone. Until she learns the truth. The truth that could alter how she views Madoc, and that could excuse her guilty feelings of still being head over heels for this tough guy. As the story unfolds, they continue to hurt one another based on the lies the past has been built on. As Fallon, continues with part of her revenge plan, the dominoes fall and her life with Madoc is once again put on shaky ground. Even at their age, can they survive the hurt and betrayal, and with their family still be there to support them when it's all over?

I love that Fallon is equal parts a bada*s and softy. As she begins to feel the emotions that only Madoc can evoke, she lets her guard down, and we see a glimpse of the girl that has experienced a very tough few years and has had no one to shoulder the pain and guilt with her. I may have loved Madoc throughout thse series so far, but when he was clued in to Fallon's difficult past, oh the admiration I had for this guy. I FLOVE them both. So much. Their story was much more emotional, and heated than I was expecting. Definitely a pleasant surprise. And of course, Ms. Douglas has me absolutely enamored with Jax and I can't wait for his story!! All around, an absolutely FANTASTIC addition to this amazing series! Could not have loved it more!

Happy Reading!

*ARC provided by the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

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Title: Bully

Author: Penelope Douglas

Series: Fall Away #1

Release Date: June 17, 2013

My name is Tate.

He doesn't call me that, though. He’ll barely refer to me at all, and he’ll hardly ever speak to me.

But he still won't leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got worse as time wore on. I even went to Europe for a year, just to avoid him.

But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way I'll allow him to ruin another year. He might not have changed, but I have.

It's time to fight back.

When one brave young woman stands up to her best friend Jared, now tormenter, the consequences go beyond anything either of them ever would have imagined….

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Title: Until You

Author: Penelope Douglas

Series: Fall Away #1.5

Release Date: December 5, 2013

Have you ever been so angry that hitting things felt good? Or numb to all emotions? The past few years have been like that for me. Traveling between fury and indifference with no stops in between. Some people hate me for it, while others are scared of me. But none of them can hurt me, because I don't care about anything or anyone.

Except Tatum.

I love her so much that I hate her. I hate that I can't let her go. We used to be friends, but I found out that I couldn't trust her—or anyone else. So I hurt her. I pushed her away. But I still need her. She centers me. Engaging her, challenging her, pushing her—it’s the one last part of me that feels anything anymore.

But then she went and screwed everything up. She left for a year and came back a different girl. Now, when I push, she pushes back…and I’m not sure either one of us will ever be the same.

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Meet Penelope:

Penelope Douglas is a writer and teacher in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to "just get the degree!" She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she hated Public Administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later they were married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, the show Sons of Anarchy, and she shops at Target almost daily.

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For more exclusive content and excerpts follow the rest of the Rival blog tour (click the picture)

BLOG TOUR: GUEST POST + GIVEAWAY ~Serendipity by Janet Nissenson

Title: Serendipity
Author: Janet Nissenson
Series: Inevitable #1
Release Date: December 10, 2013

SYNOPSIS

Was meeting again an unfortunate twist of fate? Or was it just serendipity?

Julia McKinnon was convinced she’d found the one – the man of her dreams, the most seductive, experienced lover she’d ever known – and the night they’d spent together in New York was the stuff erotic fantasies were spun from. But with the dawn of a new day came only heartache and betrayal, and her dreams were snuffed out like so much fairy dust.

Nathan Atwood felt like the lowest sort of life form after seducing the incredibly beautiful girl he met in New York, only to break her tender heart with the confession that he was already involved with someone else. Leaving Julia was the hardest thing he’d ever done, and the memory of their passionate night together haunted his dreams for months afterwards.

Now fate has brought them together again, and they are forced to work alongside each other. Will Julia be able to put aside the feelings she still has for her handsome boss and forge a new life for herself in San Francisco? And how long will Nathan be able to resist the gorgeous woman he’s never really stopped thinking about or wanting?

EXCERPT

“How did you find me?”

Julia’s head swung to meet his gaze in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

Nathan leaned back in his desk chair, regarding her across the wide expanse of mahogany, with an expression of barely checked anger. “Come on, Julia. You don’t really expect me to believe that you working here is some sort of wild coincidence, do you? The only logical explanation is that you somehow found out who I was and where I worked, and was lucky enough that there was a job opening. The only real coincidence is that you happen to be an interior designer and that I co-own an architectural design firm.”

She stared back at him, appalled by his arrogance. “Are you kidding? Even assuming that I was able to figure out who you were – Mr. No Last Name, No Occupation, No City of Residence – why would you think I’d want to see you again, much less work with you?”

He shrugged, but his composure looked a bit less cocksure than it had. “Revenge, obsession. Maybe a little of both.”

Julia smirked. “Really? You think I somehow managed to find out your name – by what means I have no idea – then stalked you several thousand miles across the country because I wanted to get back at you? Or worse, because I craved another fuck? Sorry, you weren’t that good.”

Nathan’s eyes narrowed and shot out sparks of light blue fire. “That’s not what you said that night.”

Enraged, she got to her feet, leaning over his desk. “As I recall, both of us said a lot of things that night. But one of us intentionally neglected to say the one thing that would have instantly put a stop to everything else – something along the lines of ‘by the way, I’m already spoken for’.”

He winced at the angry lash of her words. “I deserve that, I suppose. But that still doesn’t explain how you found me or why you followed me cross country.”

She let out a rather undignified hoot of laughter. “For real, Nathan? You’ve still got me pegged as some Fatal Attraction-like stalker? Well, think on this one. I’m normally not a vain person, but I’m not naïve, either. I know I’m hot. Men have been telling me that since I was twelve. If I wanted a man that badly all I’d really need to do would be to walk inside the nearest bar or club or even a grocery store, and let nature take its course. It would take little to no effort on my part to get whatever man I wanted. And he sure as hell wouldn’t be one who’s already taken.”

GUEST POST

Writing In First Versus Third Person
It seems that the majority of the books I read these days are told in first person, either strictly in the POV of the heroine or alternate chapters in the POV of the heroine and hero. I’m not sure when this trend started but it’s not one that I’m really a fan of, either as a reader or as a writer.

As a reader, I like to know what’s going on with both sides – no guessing games, no mystery, no wondering. It can also be somewhat emotionally exhausting to always be inside the head of just one person, especially if said person has a lot of angst and drama and stuff going on inside. It’s a nice break to read a different POV and get a better overall picture of the story. Maybe I’m just nosy, but I want to know what the hero thinks of the heroine, how he sees her, what he’s feeling when they’re together, etc.

In Serendipity, the story is told from third person, the style that I was most comfortable writing in and that I had done the majority of my reading in. I’ve been reading romance for a long time, going back decades, and cut my teeth on such notable authors as Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, and Judith McNaught, all of whom have always written in third person. When writing Serendipity, it just felt natural to write in third person POV, and gave me the flexibility to also include POV’s from additional characters beside the hero and heroine. Not only does this make – in my opinion, at least – an overall better-rounded story, but it provides additional material for the book without having to pad it with unnecessary dialog, characters, etc.

This isn’t to say that one day if the characters and plot seem right that I wouldn't consider writing in first person. But for now, at least, I’m perfectly happy being inside multiple characters heads and sharing their thoughts, emotions, etc. with readers.

Back to blogger:

I just wanted to thank Janet so much for stopping by and sharing her opinion on the Third Person POV vs. First Person POV debate! So for you guys: comment below with your opinion. I want to know what you guys think about the perspectives in books. Whether it takes away or adds something to the mix depending on the POV. 

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Meet Janet:

Janet is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently resides on the northern California coast with her husband Steve and Golden Retriever Max. She worked for more than two decades in the financial services industry before turning her focus to producing running events. She is a former long-distance runner, current avid yoga practitioner, is addicted to Pinterest, likes to travel and read. She has been writing for more than three decades but Serendipity is her first official published work. She plans five more books in the Inevitable series, with each one a standalone with new lead characters, so no cliff-hangers or waiting months to see what happens next!

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GUEST POST: Drew Callahan's Top 5 Bands ~Second Chance Boyfriend by Monica Murphy~

Title: Second Chance Boyfriend
Author: Monica Murphy
Series: Drew + Fable #2
Release Date (Paperback): November 5, 2013

From breakout New Adult author Monica Murphy comes the exhilarating conclusion to Drew and Fable’s story—the star-crossed young romance that began in One Week Girlfriend.

Lost. Everything in my life can be summed up by that one sickening word. My football coach blames me for our season-ending losses. So does the rest of the team. I wasted two whole months drowning in my own despair, like a complete loser. And I lost my girlfriend—Fable Maguire, the only girl who ever mattered—because I was afraid that being with me would only hurt her.

But now I realize that I’m the one who’s truly lost without her. And even though she acts like she’s moved on and everything’s fine, I know she still thinks about me just as much as I think about her. I know her too well. She’s so damn vulnerable, all I want to do is be there to help her . . . to hold her . . . to love her.

I just need her to give me one more chance. We may be lost without each other, but together, we’re destined to find a love that lasts forever.

So, I have a treat for my readers today. We have a special post from Drew Callahan! Today, he's discussing his Top 5 Favorite Bands. I want to thank Monica Murphy and Drew so much for stopping by and also thank my readers for dropping by to help celebrate the Paperback Release of Second Chance Boyfriend. Make sure to go grab your copy, I hear the cover is SO gorgeous in person! I'll turn it over to Drew now, enjoy :)

Hey, this is Drew. First, a big thank you to the Same Book, Different Review blog for having me here today. Second, I’m flattered you want to hear about my top five favorite bands. Honestly? I had to think long and hard to come up with five bands. I listen to music. I have favorite songs. But five favorite bands? Yeah…I had to ask Fable for some input so she helped me out.

She’s always helping me out. But I digress.

So here are my top five favorite bands in no particular order:

1. The Fray: They’re a cool band that can somehow have romantic songs that don’t make you feel like you’re giving up your man card when you listen to them. I may be a closet romantic but I don’t want to feel like a total loser if you get my drift.

2. As Tall As Lions: I don’t think many people have heard of them but maybe that just ups their cool factor? In any case, one song particular of theirs reminds me of Fable whenever I hear it (Love, Love, Love). Considering it’s on one of my phone’s playlists, I hear it quite often, which I like since that means I’m thinking of Fable often. But when do I not think of Fable? Yeah, I sound like a stalker. On to the next band.

3. The Rolling Stones: Mentioning them is purely for my father who I am still trying to mend our relationship with. It’s not perfect but it’s getting better. The Stones were his favorite band when I was growing up so their music takes me back to when I was a little kid. Before…a certain someone came along and ruined everything. I think you know who I mean.

4. Colour Revolt: I love their music, specifically from their first EP that came out back in ‘05. They’re awesome. Enough said.

5. Brand New: I think they might be my all time favorite band. They are constantly changing their sound and every time they do, I worry. Like I’ll hate their new CD or whatever. Never happens. I’ve seen them live—Fable and I went and saw them. Awesome concert. When I was really down and out and missing Fable like crazy, with no one to blame but myself, I listened to their song Jesus Christ on freaking repeat. Yeah. Love that damn song, even if it is a downer.

(Hi! This is Monica – every one of these bands have songs that are on the SECOND CHANCE BOYFRIEND playlist on Spotify. You can find the playlist here: Second Chance Boyfriend)

Hey everyone, it's Emily again. I've also embedded the player so you can have a look-see right now :) Make sure to leave a comment below to say thank you to Monica and Drew for stopping by!

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<-- Drew + Fable's FB Page!

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Meet Monica:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite. A wife and mother of three, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance for Bantam and Avon. She is the author of One Week Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend.

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