Excerpt + Giveaway: Evolve by Josefina Gutierrez



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This is my stop during the book blitz for 3volve by Josefina Gutierrez. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 6 till 12 July, you can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.

This blitz features 3volve and another book by this author: The Shadow of Loss. Both books can be read as standalones although the characters from The Shadow of Loss make a small cameo appearance in 3volve.

3volve cover3volve
By Josefina Gutierrez
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Multicultural
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: July 14, 2015

Blurb:
From author Josefina Gutierrez, of “The Shadow of Loss”, comes a new New-Adult contemporary love story.
I thought my life began when I graduated high school and moved far, far away—okay three hours away. But I was wrong. My life didn’t start until it almost ended.
I’m Cristal Escobedo, twenty-two years old and a former wild child who favors tequila far too much. But that all changed when life happened, and I ended up being responsible for my younger brothers. To top it all off, I think I’m falling in love with my best friend—dammit.
This is my not-so-happy story of how I grew up and got my shit together. My story isn’t filled with a bunch of pretty analogies or hyperboles. The people are real, the hurt is deep, and the love is complicated. People are flawed in the ways that matter; it’s what makes us human.

You can find 3volve on Goodreads  

You can buy 3volve here:
- Amazon  

The Shadow of LossThe Shadows of Loss
By Josefina Gutierrez
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Multicultural, Romance
Age category: Young Adult


Blurb:
Evelyn Gonzalez keeps losing people, which is always hard, but has she lost something much more?  Has she lost her soul?  Evelyn has a nervous breakdown and is institutionalized, after months of sorrow and pain she is thrust back into the world.  The world of teenage angst and Calculus.  Can she trust people again?  Especially after hurtful assumptions and judgments made her miss her junior year of high school.  Evelyn is just trying to heal what she lost and graduate from high school.


You can find Shadow of Loss on Goodreads

You can buy Shadow of Loss  here:
- Amazon  
- Kobo

Author Photo JosefinaAbout the Author:
Josefina Gutierrez is a Young Adult eBook author, who resides in San Antonio. Josefina writes Young Adult Multicultural, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy literature in her free time when she’s not embarking on adventures with her son and gnomes Fitzgerald and Bartholomew. Her current projects in the works are a Fantasy dystopian series, a Mystery-Thriller eBook, and New-Adult Contemporary Romance.

You can find and contact Josefina here:
- Goodreads  
- Pinterest  

There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of 3volve. These are the prizes you can win:
- 2 amazon gift cards of 20$

Enter the giveaway for a chance to win:


EXCERPT
Charlie turns to his side, reaching out for me. I huddle closer to him. “Soon,” he says and I rest my head on his chest. “I’m really tired.” He closes his eyes and a silence overtakes us. 
His face looks so gaunt. The afternoon sun blazing against his cheekbones. Whatever it is he’s keeping from me, it’s keeping him exhausted. I know he’ll tell me eventually, I just hope it comes sooner rather than later. 
I place my hand over his heart. The gentle thumping of his heart soothes my discomfort. I almost forget the reason why I haven’t slept in this room. I haven’t slept in here in over a year, because it felt so empty, an unknowing abyss of guilt. Except for now. Except when he’s sleeping next to me. I focus intently on his steadied breathing, how his chest upheaves with every intake of breath. I close my eyes, more calmed than I was this morning. 
Without knowing it, I fall asleep and drift off into my dreams. A peaceful dream world. A forgiving and heavenly dream where my parents comfort me. It isn’t just a repeat of the past. It isn’t about regret or grief. It’s just a moment where we sit on the living room playing Pictionary and eating pizza. Jeremy and Jeremiah are laughing, finishing each other’s sentences.It’s the best kind of dream where you don’t know there is an end. 
But there is. 
And when I wake up, it hits me. 
All that I’ve lost.


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BLACK WOLF BY J. A. REDMERSKI RELEASE



Adult Crime/Suspense/Mystery
Releasing July 1, 2015
Since devastating secrets were uncovered by Nora Kessler, NiklasFleischer and Victor Faust have been divided as business partners and brothers.But ultimately Niklas is persuaded to lead a mission to Italy, and he sees itas an opportunity to set in motion forgiveness—or retribution—for his brother’sbetrayal. 
The mission: play the role of a wealthy German investor andkidnap a beautiful, notorious madam named Francesca Moretti. No stranger tothese types of roles, Niklas is the best man for the job, but this time therisks will be much greater as he will not be doing it alone. Izabel Seyfried,still fresh out of a life of imprisonment and sex slavery, could be negativelyaffected by the things she will see in Moretti’s mansion, and Niklas must keepher in line so she does not blow their cover and get them killed. 
But Niklas isn’t the only one who must play a role—Nora takes onthe humiliating task of playing Niklas’s slave, and Izabel must play the roleof his lover. 
On one hand, Niklas couldn’t be enjoying himself more. On theother hand, the emotions that continue to rage inside of him may be too muchfor him to control, and it may be Niklas—not Izabel—who needs to be kept inline. He cannot forget what Victor has done, and this mission may just be the beginning of his downward spiral. 
Can the blood bond that Niklas and Victor share as brothers bestronger than resentment? Or will vengeance dig the blade so deep that theirbond be eternally severed?
***** 
Previous titles in the The Company of Killers: 
KILLING SARAI (Book #1)
REVIVING IZABEL (Book #2)
THE SWAN AND THE JACKAL (Book #3)
SEEDS OF INIQUITY (Book #4)

*****
About the Author
J.A. Redmerski, New York Times, USA
Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children, two cats and a Maltese. She is a lover of television and books that push boundaries and is a huge fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead.
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BLAST + GIVEAWAY: Making a Comeback by Kristina Mathews



Enter to Win a $15.00 Amazon or B&N eGift Card

MAKING A COMEBACK
More Than a Game #3 by Kristina Mathews
Releasing July 7th, 2015
Lyrical Press: Shine

*****
With a divorce in the works, Annabelle Jones heads out to Southern California, the land of sun and starting over. She wants to prove to herself and her young daughters that she still has what it takes to turn heads as a swimsuit model—that she doesn’t need a man to take care of her. Until an accident forces her to rely on the hunky, yet mysterious man next door…
Nathan Cooper is trying to revive his own career. Once a top left-handed relief pitcher, he tried to get over a hidden injury with the aid of banned substances. Not only was he caught and suspended, he was traded and missed out on winning the championship. Now he’s a free agent without a contract, and that means life is ready to play ball…
***** 

BUY NOW
Amazon | B &N | iTunes | Kobo
Today was a good day. A glorious day. Sitting at the stoplight in the Southern California sunshine, Annabelle Jones did a drum solo on the steering wheel of her convertible Mercedes. She didn’t care if people stared at her singing along to “Don’t Stop Believing.”  
She hadn’t stopped believing, and look at her now, fresh off her first modeling job since filing for divorce. So it wasn’t the cover of Sports Illustrated, still, it was a job. Something she could be proud of. Her daughters could be proud of her. 
It wasn’t about the money. The income she earned from this modeling job was more about pride. Having something to offer the world, even if it was just her face. 
Annabelle wanted to show her daughters that a woman didn’t need a man to take care of her. She could stand on her own two feet, and return to the career she’d given up when she married Clayton Barry. She might not fly off to exotic locations or work with the world’s most famous photographers, but she was working. 
She lifted her face to the sun, soaking in its warmth. It was as if the fog of the last few years had finally lifted. Nothing but blue skies ahead for her and her six-year-old twin daughters. 
Today’s shoot was just the beginning. Her agent had two more jobs lined up for her before the end of the month. He’d also scheduled her to attend the televised celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. She hadn’t been able to make the photo shoot last fall in New York for the magazine, but he thought making an appearance on the live show would give her plenty of exposure. 
Hopefully, she’d be able to juggle it all. Part of what appealed to her about today’s job was that it was close enough that she’d be able to shoot for a few hours and still get home in time to meet her daughters when they got off the school bus. 
Annabelle glanced at the clock. If the light didn’t change soon, she wasn’t going to make it to the bus stop in time. 
The song ended and Annabelle turned down the volume. She’d started listening to Journey during the Goliaths’ World Series run. So the song was five years older than she was, the message still rang true. It was about hope. Starting over. Believing. 
The traffic light turned green, and she pulled into the intersection. A flash of yellow appeared out of the corner of her eye. She turned in time to see an SUV blow through the stoplight. Before she could react, the vehicle struck her Mercedes just behind the driver’s side door. 
Her head slammed into the side window. Glass shattered and she looked down at the blood on her blouse. A thousand black pixels danced before her eyes. 
And then nothing.
Kristina Mathews doesn't remember a time when she
didn't have a book in her hand. Or in her head. But it wasn't until she turned
forty that she confessed the reason the laundry never made it out of the dryer
was because she was busy writing.
While she resigned
from teaching with the arrival of her second son, she's remained an educator in
some form. As a volunteer, parent club member or para educator, she finds the
most satisfaction working with emergent and developing readers, helping foster
confidence and a lifelong love of books.

Kristina lives in

Northern California with her husband of more than twenty years, two sons and a
black lab. A veteran road tripper, amateur renovator and sports fanatic. She
hopes to one day travel all 3,073 miles of Highway 50 from Sacramento, CA to
Ocean City, MD, replace her carpet with hardwood floors and serve as a “Ball
Dudette” for the San Francisco Giants.

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Guest Post: Find Me In Manhattan by Shealy James



Find Me in Manhattan is a stand-alone spin-off novel from the Finding Series.
Sarah Grant is finally living her dream in the Big Apple. While working to achieve her life’s ambitions, she becomes ensnared by the charming and charismatic Jameson Carmichael. Just when Jameson threatens Sarah’s safety, a dream-worthy hero falls in her lap making her question everything she had ever believed about herself.
Sergeant Michael Pearson is merely existing in this nightmare he calls life. He is attempting to have a normal existence, while struggling to discover who he is after the army. When an opportunity save someone arises, he doesn’t hesitate, but Michael doesn’t realize that he is rescuing the one woman in a city of millions that can make him want to truly live again.
Sarah and Michael discover a connection that runs deep, but can they find love in a city known for heartbreak?

~~~~~
Shealy James is a Georgia native who teaches middle school by day and disappears into the world of fiction at night.  She is an avid reader and writer who hopes to one day write full time and leave the world of middle school angst behind. A sucker for love and happy endings, Shealy likes to combine humor and drama to create stories that are both emotional as well as entertaining. 


GUEST POST
10 favorite books 
**These are not in any particular order 
1. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – Who doesn’t love a good southern story about stubborn women and irreprehensible men? I’m from Georgia, and this book is practically as common as sweet tea and buttered biscuits. Rhett Butler doesn’t hurt either. I have always been a Rhett kind of girl. He may have been the first alpha male that I fell for.  
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Like most people, I was forced to read this in high school. I didn’t enjoy it then, but years later when I read it a second time, I had developed an appreciation for what my English teacher was trying to show me. There is a beauty in this story that comes with a tragic love story. We can only hope to feel a love so powerful that it could destroy everything else, or maybe not. Either way, F. Scott Fitzgerald made me feel something profound with this novel. 
3. Beautiful Disaster by Jaime McGuire – Few books enthrall me like this one did. I loved Travis Maddox with a weird he’s-not-real-but-he-seems-so-real kind of passion. The story wasn’t particularly shocking. The minor characters were just as good as most, but it was the leading man that has everyone oohing and ahhing over this book. There is something captivating about him that has me reading this book over and over again. 
4. Fake Boobs by Ryan Ringbloom – I always love when an author tackles a sensitive issue like I attempted to do in Find Me in Manhattan, and Ryan Ringbloom did just that in Fake Boobs. This is a story about a girl with zero self-confidence. She does everything to change her including investing in some fake tatas. I can’t tell you what happens, but I will say that it left me wiping my eyes and swelling with pride. This is a great read for all women who have ever felt less than perfect. 
5. This Man by Jodie Ellen Malpas – I read Fifty. I read the Crossfire Series, and I read others just like them, but nothing compares to the Lord of the Manor. This book was shocking, exciting, intriguing, and dare I say, hot, hot, hot. I loved Jesse Ward and struggled finishing the series because I knew one day their story would end. I wanted to live in his world, but I am certain there is no real man quite like him. 
6. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - I know this seems like an odd choice, but he is really the reason I read romance. I read a ton of R.L. Stine and Babysitter’s Club novels when I was younger but refused to read anything my teachers assigned until The Scarlet Letter. I was so hooked by the dark romanticism of the love triangle that my love for all things romantic.  
7. Play by Kylie Scott – The whole series is amazing, but I can honestly say I have never read a character quite like Mal. He is consistent throughout all of the books, and the creativity behind the development and continuation of this character is something I am incapable of. For that Kylie Scott deserves serious respect, and this book is a favorite solely because of Mal. 
8. The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher – This book was dark, and what you want to happen just doesn’t, not in Tarryn’s books anyway. She writes from the other side, a side that I don’t understand, but I love and respect it all the same. Everyone is a villain in her world, and no one is inherently good. Her world is fascinating and a place I will be visiting every time she will let me. 
9. Cherry Girl by Raine Miller – Start with Naked, and make your way to Cherry Girl. I promise it’s worth it. This book was sweet, well written, and offered a spin off story that kept me coming back for more. 
10. Take me with You by Melyssa Winchester – All of her books hit on sensitive issues, but this particular story was a story of redemption as well as a way of teaching people how to love those who seem different. All of Melyssa’s characters are unique and have touching stories that have you wanting more.


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