Monday 2 March 2015

Book Spotlight & Review: Rebound By Noelle August


REBOUND
a Boomerang novel—
By Noelle August

At Boomerang, one night can change everything…



Adam Blackwood has it all. At twenty-two, he’s fabulously wealthy, Ryan Gosling-hot and at the top of his game in the business world. His life is perfect, until a scandal from his past resurfaces and threatens to knock the tech wunderkind down and throw his company, Boomerang, a hook-up site for millennials, into chaos.

Alison Quick, the twenty-one-year-old daughter of a business tycoon—and the very ex-girlfriend of Boomerang’s former intern, Ethan—has a problem of her own. After nearly flunking out in her senior year of college, she has one chance to redeem herself to her father by proving that she deserves a place in his corporate empire. That means spearheading her father’s plan to sink big money into Adam’s company and launch it into the stratosphere—provided Adam has no skeletons in his closet.
When the two meet, their sizzling chemistry makes it tough to keep things strictly professional. But when Alison discovers Adam’s secret, she knows she should bring it right to her father, who’ll leverage it for his own gain and use it to ruin Adam. The only problem: she’s falling for Adam—hard.


Will earning her father’s approval come at the price of losing her first real love? Or can Adam and Alison leave behind past mistakes and conquer the world—together?

REBOUND will be available wherever books and e-books are sold on February 10th, 2015 (ISBN: 9780062331083 | $13.99 | e-ISBN: 9780062331090 | $11.99).




 Amazon / B&N / IndieBound


Alison POV
I give myself to the music and the movement of my body, but over and over again, I’m drawn back to him. And every time, his eyes are on me. Every time, he greets me with that same devastating grin that cuts right to my core.
Finally, I can’t take it anymore. I give in and dance his way, running my mink tail through my fingers. I smile at him, feeling light and relaxed and like no one in the world would dare deny me a thing.
“Dance with me,” I say.
“Is that a question?” he asks, folding his arms across his chest. His biceps bulge beneath the flowing black fabric of his shirt, and his eyes, which seem to be a deep, penetrating gray, regard me in amusement.
“No,” I reply, still swaying as the music flows through me to wrap around us both. “Come on.”
He hesitates, and the moment stretches between us. What is he waiting for? Doesn’t he understand how much I need to dance with him right now?
Coming up close to him, I feel the pull of his body, like gravity. I press in closer, then closer still. Smoothing a hand against the silken material of his shirt and the hard contours of his torso, I ask, “Pretty please?”
I step back, and his smile broadens. Finally, he reaches out a hand to me, and I take it.

“Okay, Catwoman,” he says. “Let’s dance.”


I was excited to read this new installment in the Boomerang series and it started with a surprise.  I was not expecting the protagonists to be Alison Quick and Adam Blackwood.  There is nothing better than a writer offering up something unexpected.

Alison was one of the characters I didn't particularly like in Boomerang but considering we only got Ethan's point of view on their failed relationship and how it ended it isn't surprising.  In Rebound we get to understand Alison and her motivations and you can't help but feel sympathy for her.  Yes, she's privileged but, groomed and controlled by her father Graham president and owner of Quick Enterprises

Adam Blackwood is successful despite his young age  - he's crammed an awful lot into his short life and that includes secrets from his past that he doesn't want to come to light.  He's built his whole business empire on the foundations of his personal pain. To the outside world he's a young brash player - he dates beautiful women and has a penchant for fast exclusive cars. But underneath that superficial facade is a young man looking for someone to win is heart.

Our protagonists know of each so when leather-clad Catwoman meets Zorro, neither is aware of who the other is.  Sparks immediate fly as both hide behind their masks which ironically makes them relax and behave naturally compared to their usual professional personas.  So after getting up close and personal in the Gallianos' garage, their invisible business masks go on after their identities are revealed to each other.

The author has done a fabulous job by creating these two complex characters in a most believable and mature way. Especially Adam -his thought process and reasoning  shine through so we can see exactly why he is such a success at a young age.  Alison is re-building her life after poor choices knocked her off her axis.  She's torn between pleasing her controlling, ruthless father and following her heart.  It is fascinating to watch how she matures into a young woman with a strong determination to do right by everything and everyone. 

This is a standalone novel and there is no reading order for the books in the series however I recommend reading them in order of the publication date to fully appreciate the ensemble of supporting characters.         


***arc received courtesy of the publisher William Morrow***






Question: What do you get when friends pen a story with heart, plenty of laughs, and toe-curling kissing scenes? 
Answer: Noelle August, the pseudonym for renowned editor and award-winning writer Lorin Oberweger and New York Times bestselling YA author Veronica Rossi, the masterminds behind the Boomerang series. You can visit them at NoelleAugust.com, @Noelle_August, and facebook.com/NoelleAugustBooks.


BOUNCE, the last installment in the BOOMERANG series, will be on sale in August 2015!



Release Day: Dante's Redemption by Jaime Whitley

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Dante Santoro knew he was destined for great things. Growing up with two dead beat parents, Dante was forced to become an adult before his time. Deciding to change the world, Dante distanced himself from the only life he knew, the life of drugs and crime.
After going through school and training, Dante became a detective in the local police force. Keeping focused on getting drugs off the streets, he limited friends and outside connections.

Finding himself the perfect candidate to go undercover, he never anticipated the one person he thought was safe could jeopardize it all.

Will Dante be able to succeed at making the streets a safer place or will his destiny alter the course of the life he lives forever?


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Jaime Nicole Whitley is a wife and a stay at home mom to her two children. She grew up in New Jersey where she continued her education and became a medical assistant. She now lives in North Carolina where her husband is stationed with the Army. Jaime also co-writes novels under the name Lena Nicole.