Tour Stop: MILES FROM KARA by Melissa West Review and Giveaway

MILES FROM KARA (The Charleston Haven Series)

New Adult Contemporary

Release: December 2, 2014

Published by Penguin/InterMix

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ iBooks
Google Play ~ Kobo

Kara Marcus is desperate to forget the past and move on. But she can’t escape her choices—especially when she finds herself falling in love…

Since the first day she stepped into her childhood Southern Baptist church, two truths have been engrained in Kara Marcus’s head: sex before marriage is bad and murder is a sin. And that’s why Kara can never forgive herself for what she did at the age of sixteen.

Now, as second semester of freshman year comes to a close, Kara has stood by her high school boyfriend, Ethan. But as they seem to grow further and further apart every day, Kara realizes that she has feelings for someone else: Ethan’s roommate Colt.

Suddenly, Kara’s clear-cut world shifts out of focus, and she’s torn between what her head tells her is right and what her heart is desperately pushing her to do—even if it means committing another undeniable sin...

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Book Review:
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
I don't think I'll ever come across a Melissa West book that I didn't like. I'm starting to sound like a broken record but once again, just like all her other books, I LOVE Miles From Kara.

I wasn't really a huge fan of Kara when we first met her on Pieces of Olivia. But now that we get her story from her perspective, I completely changed my mind about her. Kara did not have an easy life. From an early age, she was forced to handle a very difficult situation she wasn't prepared for. What I liked most about her was how real she felt. I have no idea how I would've handled things if I found myself in her situation so I really admire her strength and determination. I love reading about Kara and Maggie's growing relationship. It shows the emotional, vulnerable and loving side of Kara that she rarely shows. She's a tough girl but she's terrified of letting people in.

And of course, what better way to shake things up than with a guy who has tattoos with a sexy Aussie accent and a "chin-length dirty blond hair had this I-just-got-out-of-bed doing-things-you-wish-you-were-doing look".
Colt is the kind of guy any girl would be lucky to have. He's caring and protective and I love that he never let Kara push him away. He's very understanding, patient and supportive. He has his own issues to deal with but he never fails to come through for Kara and be there for her when she needs him most. The chemistry between these two is way off the charts. I don't think I have ever seen a more perfect couple than Colt and Kara.

I absolutely love Miles From Kara. Everything about it - the complex characters, the genuine storytelling and the smexy romance - was brilliant! Also, I loved seeing Kara's character grow throughout the book. How Preston, Olivia, Rose and Colt all played a role in helping her truly see herself for who she is no matter how many terrible decisions she may have made. How she realized at the end that we are not shaped by the mistakes we made but rather how we learned from those mistakes and made ourselves better because of it.
And can I just say Rose is an awesome character? (I would love to see more of her on the third book.)
I applaud Melissa West for tackling the issues of abortion and teenage pregnancy and writing it in an honest, realistic and heartfelt way.
Must-read!

'This was a new kind of love, so different from what I was used to that I didn’t recognize it at first. I was letting myself be flawed, all open and exposed. This was the real me, the take-it-or-leave-it kind of love.'

I received an e-arc via NetGalley to read and review. 

About the Author:

Melissa West writes young adult and new adult novels for Entangled Teen and Embrace and Penguin/InterMix. She lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two daughters and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction.

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and a M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

GIVEAWAY:

The author is giving away (1) Copy of PIECES OF OLIVIA and (1) $10 Amazon Gift Card - International

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FOLLOW THE TOUR HERE.

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NA Christmas Blog Hop and Giveaway Featuring MEGAN ERICKSON

  It's a New Adult Christmas!

Thanks for joining us as we celebrate the holidays with thirteen New Adult authors. Check out every stop leading up to December 24 to get excerpts, exclusive content, and hopefully a cutie under the mistletoe! Be sure to enter the rafflecopter to win a grand prize pack of an ebook from every author!

Below is a brand new scene featuring characters from Megan Erickson’s Bowler University series. This takes place shortly after the end of Make it Right. Be sure to check out the final book in the series – Make it Last – releasing on January 6, 2015!

Max Payton spat out his half-chewed bite of pecan pie onto his plate. “Why the fuck does that taste like fire?”
Lea Travers dipped her finger into the gelatinous middle of Max’s slice of pie and stuck the tip of her finger in her mouth. Max was not wrong. She could feel the searing warmth down her throat and into her stomach. Her eyes watered and she coughed.
Max leaned into her shoulder. “You all right, doll?”
“Water,” she gasped.
He reached for her glass on the coffee table in front of the couch they sat on in the Payton living room. He handed it to her and then turned to his brothers. Brent stood beside the recliner where their father was drinking a beer, and Cal leaned against the fireplace.
Brent looked pleased, chomping merrily on his pie. “I think it’s delicious.”
“What’d you do to the pie, Brent?” Cal asked.
“I made it delicious.”
“You made it burn the lining of my esophagus,” Max shot back.
Brent rolled his eyes. “You guys just can’t appreciate good Bourbon.”
“How much bourbon did you put in it?” Cal asked.
Brent didn’t answer.
Lea assumed if she checked the recycling, there’d be an empty bottle. That pie was drunk.
And seeing as Christmas Eve in the Payton household wasn’t going too hot, a hangover tomorrow was the last thing they all needed. Lea could tell her boyfriend, Max, and his brothers and Dad were trying, but they didn’t quite seem to have the holiday cheer. She wondered how the hell they got through previous holidays. Or if what she was witnessing right now was as merry as they got.
Which was sad. They were good guys. They just lacked a little finesse. A feminine touch. Their mom had left when Max was a kid.
Cal brooded by the fireplace, Jack drank in silence, and Max picked at his pie with a disgusted look on his face. Lea began to think that her plans for this evening might have been a bad idea.
Her plans that would be here in approximately five minutes.
She began to sweat and fanned her thin sweater off of her chest. Max frowned at her. “You okay?”
She wiped her forehead, like she was sweating. “Yeah, it’s just hot in here, you know? Maybe we can all go out in the backyard?”
Brent looked up from devouring his alcoholic pie. “Outside? Lea, it’s thirty degrees and dark.”
Why couldn’t they all just go with it? She had about – she glanced at the clock on the wall – T minus two minutes to get them out of the house before they heard the doorbell.
“It’s a family tradition of mine to look for shooting stars on Christmas Eve.” She was pretty proud of herself for that lie. It was a damn good one, and she’d made it up on the spot.
Max just stared at her. “What are you talking about?”
She tugged on his sleeve and stood up, bustling around to get their coats together. “Christmas Eve. Stars. Wishes. You know.” She clapped her hands together. “Round up, boys!”
Jack didn’t lower the footrest recliner. Cal was looking at her like she was crazy. Brent was picking a piece of pie off of his shirt…
And then the doorbell rang.
Cal’s head went up and he frowned. “Who the hell is ringing the doorbell on Christmas Eve?”
Lea laughed nervously. “I’m sure it’s just a solicitor or something. Okay, so backyard?”
But Cal ignored her and strode toward the front door. Max followed him and when they swung the door open, she squeezed her eyes shut. And waited.
There was a pause.
A long pause.
And when she cracked an eye open, she saw Cal scowling at the group of carolers Lea had asked to come from the local church. They were staring back at Cal like he was an axe murderer, and Max slowly turned his head to pin Lea with his gaze.
She waggled her fingers in weak wave.
Max sighed and turned back around.
There were five carolers, and the older woman in front was wearing a huge red coat over an ugly Christmas sweater and a massive fur hat. She seemed to gather herself together, and Lea had to hand it to her, because that was a bright smile in response to Cal’s frown.
“Merry Christmas, I’m Theresa and we’re from First Presbyterian over on Oakmont,” the woman said. “Would you like to hear some carols?”
Lea stepped up before Cal could answer. “Yes, please. Yes, yes we would.”
She felt a presence at her back and looked over her shoulder to see Brent, a grin on his face, his eyes on the cute young female caroler in the back. Who was blushing.
Lea rolled her eyes.
“Okay, ready?” Theresa said. “One…two…three.”
They began to sing a somewhat tentative version of “Jingle Bells.” Even so, Lea had to admit they sounded absolutely lovely, with a young guy in the back accompanying with a set of bells.
When that was over, Cal looked like he was going to close the door. But Lea could see Max beginning to smile, Brent bobbing his head, and Jack had even risen from his statue-like state on his recliner to listen to the carolers.
“Another please?” Lea asked.
Theresa nodded and turned to her group. Lea swore she saw a twinkle in Theresa’s eye as she communicated silently with her group.
Then Theresa turned around, and the carolers launched into a rousing rendition of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
And it was lovely. And fun. Brent began clapping and even placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled. Max grabbed Lea’s hand and swayed to beat. Even Cal was smiling, leaning back against the open door, his lips moving as he sang silently along with the carolers. Lea swore she caught Jack tapping his toe.
Lea threw back her head and laughed as Max picked her up and twirled her. He leaned his forehead against hers. “You already made me the happiest guy in the world, and now you’re trying to work your magic on my family?”
“I have no idea what you mean,” she said with fake innocence as she gripped his dark hair tightly.
He lowered her to the ground. “Yeah ya do. And we all appreciate it.”
She ran her fingers along the stubble on his jaw. “Merry Christmas, Max.”
He leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “Merry Christmas, doll.”

Here's a look at Megan Erickson's newest addition to the Bowler University 
series - MAKE IT LAST (out 01/06/15)

Make It Last (Bowler University #3)
Publication Date: January 6, 2015

After graduating from Bowler University, the last place Cam Ruiz ever expected to find himself is his hometown. A bad job as a bouncer and worry over his mom's health make living in Paradise anything but. There's only one thing that can make his return any harder—running into the only girl he's ever loved.

Tate Ellison made a mistake when she was eighteen, one that cost her the best thing she's ever had. She always hoped the pain of losing Cam would fade over time. Too bad it's only grown. She took comfort in the fact that she'd never have to face him again, so his presence in Paradise throws her for a loop.

The pull between them is instant, and when the truth of what happened years ago tumbles out, they share a mind-blowing kiss … which leads to more. But the past has a way of repeating itself. When all the cards are on the table, Cam and Tate must decide what they are willing to do to make it last.

Add to Goodreads
Preorder at Amazon
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Preorder at iTunes

Buy the first two books in the series:
Make it Count (Bowler University #1)
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  iTunes

Make it Right (Bowler University #2)
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  iTunes

About the Author:
MEGAN ERICKSON worked as a journalist covering real-life dramas before she decided she liked writing her own endings better and switched to fiction. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids and two cats. When she's not tapping away on her laptop, she's probably listening to the characters in her head who won't stop talking.
Author website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway:

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Release Day Blast and Giveaway: MILES FROM KARA (Charleston Haven 2) by Melissa West

MILES FROM KARA (The Charleston Haven Series)

New Adult Contemporary

Release: December 2, 2014

Published by Penguin/InterMix

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ iBooks
Google Play ~ Kobo

Kara Marcus is desperate to forget the past and move on. But she can’t escape her choices—especially when she finds herself falling in love…

Since the first day she stepped into her childhood Southern Baptist church, two truths have been engrained in Kara Marcus’s head: sex before marriage is bad and murder is a sin. And that’s why Kara can never forgive herself for what she did at the age of sixteen.

Now, as second semester of freshman year comes to a close, Kara has stood by her high school boyfriend, Ethan. But as they seem to grow further and further apart every day, Kara realizes that she has feelings for someone else: Ethan’s roommate Colt.

Suddenly, Kara’s clear-cut world shifts out of focus, and she’s torn between what her head tells her is right and what her heart is desperately pushing her to do—even if it means committing another undeniable sin...

Add to your Goodreads list!

Book Teaser:

Colt took a step in my direction. “Can I ask you a question, Kara?”

My eyes drifted up to his. He was so close now, close enough that I could smell his woodsy scent. Most guys smelled like cologne or soap, but Colt was all earthy. All male. It was too much. “Maybe,” I said, unwilling to offer more.

“Why do you stay with him?”

Of all the questions I expected to hear out of his mouth, that wasn’t one of them. It was the one question I couldn’t answer, even to myself. I drew an uncomfortable breath and shook my head, my gaze finding the floor. “What do you mean?”

Another step. “You know what I mean.”

“Why do you care?”

He paused, his arms still at his sides, his heart beating noticeably in his chest. “I don’t know.”

Our eyes met, and in his gaze I saw the same war that brewed in my heart. This wasn’t right, yet I couldn’t keep myself away. The moment drew on, an electric charge building all around us. Every nerve in my body ached to close the distance between us, to see if his skin felt as warm as it looked. I wanted to trace the lines of his tattoos. I wanted to hear and feel his breath on my face. I swallowed hard, my resolve to be the good girl my mom raised me to be faltering.

About the Author:

Melissa West writes young adult and new adult novels for Entangled Teen and Embrace and Penguin/InterMix. She lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two daughters and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction.

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and a M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

GIVEAWAY:

The author is giving away (1) Copy of PIECES OF OLIVIA and (1) $10 Amazon Gift Card - International

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is hosted by: