BLOG TOUR: North to Nara by Amanda Marin

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Amanda Marin's North to Nara, the first title in the Crimson Sash series! Today, on our tour stop, we have an exclusive excerpt AND a character interview to share! We also have a cool tour-wide giveaway to share! Check out this great new dystopian romance and grab your copy today! Follow the tour... The tour schedule can be found at the end of this post!

Genre:

Young Adult

Dystopian

Series:

Crimson Sash, #1

Publish Date:

March 20, 2019

Publisher:

Inkspell Publishing

Synopsis:

Neve Hall has always admired the good works of the civil servants who brought prosperity back to the Nation. She especially respects the Sufferers—empaths who, with the help of technology, anonymously bear others’ troubles for them. But when her assigned empath is abruptly retired, she uncovers certain secrets. Like the identity of her new Sufferer, Micah Ward... and the fact that behind his kind smile is a life filled with loneliness and pain.

The closer Neve grows to Micah, the more desperate she becomes to protect him from a cruel and gruesome fate. But in a world where only a few are allowed the luxury of love, saving Micah comes with a price: Neve must choose between her loyalty to the Nation or her heart—a decision that will take them both on a race for their freedom, and their lives.

      

  

*Excerpt*

Frantically, I glance around the darkened street, trying to think of something to say to postpone our inevitable goodbye. Each second that passes is like wind blowing through my fingers—impossible to hold on to no matter how hard I try.

“For what it’s worth, I admire how you always do the right thing, even when others say it’s not. I hope you never lose that,” I tell him. “I’ve never met anyone who seems as alive as you do, either. And I guess… I’ve never felt as alive as I do when I’m with you.”

“And you’re curious about everything—I like that about you,” he replies. Delaying, just like me. Desperate, just like me. “You also have this quiet strength within you. You’re braver than you think you are—you should trust yourself more.”

As I look at Micah, I try to remember everything about him. The angle of his jaw. The persistent stubble on his chin. The wildness of his hair. After tonight, I may never see him again—and if I do, he’ll look older, more tired and weak from carrying others’ troubles. In time, I may not even recognize him. Realizing this, I reach up to touch his cheek, to help me map the way he looks right now, tonight, in my mind.

“There are laws against this,” he says quietly. “We’re not even supposed to know each other… And I signed a contract when I was seventeen—a thousand years of service to the Nation.”

He’s right: this is wrong. Being here together, talking like this—it’s all illegal. Every moment we’ve spent together over the last few weeks has been. A blatant disregard for his civil service contract. We’ll be punished if we’re caught. It’ll be even worse for us if we continue.

“Of course,” I agree. I pull my hand back and glance away. “Nation first.” I say our refrain, but for the first time in my life, it brings me no comfort.

“Nation first,” Micah echoes.

His voice is little more than a strained whisper, though, and as I look back up at him, I’m sure he feels the same reluctance tugging at him that I do, so I take a chance.

“I’m not ready to give you up, Micah,” I murmur.

Relief flickers through his features. “I don’t want to give you up, either.”

He leans closer then. A sliver of moonlight crosses his face. His eyes are warm like the pelt of an animal, and his lips look soft and hungry. He puts his arm around me, and his fingertips graze the back of my neck, then work their way up into my hair. I can’t hear anything but the sound of my heart thundering in my chest—I can’t even hear my breath, if I’m breathing at all. And then Micah’s mouth is pressed to mine. His kiss is cautious at first, shy in a way I didn’t expect from him. Then, when I kiss him back, he grows braver, more powerful and confident. Like the lion I’ve always seen in him.

*Love Is Always Enough: A Character Interview with Neve Hall*

Meet Neve Hall, the narrator of North to Nara. She’s 17, enjoys nature and animals, has a promising future working at the local museum… and is in love with the one person forbidden to her: Micah Ward, her Nation-assigned Sufferer. When following her heart is an act of treason, she’s forced to make one tough choice after another.

Q: What was it about Micah Ward that made you fall for him?

A: Micah is pretty much the exact opposite of my last boyfriend. Kael—my ex—wasn’t a good listener and could be selfish. I wasn’t a priority to him at all, and he really hurt me. I think that’s part of what drew me to Micah. He sees through to the real me, and he makes me feel safe. He loves me with his whole heart. If only all girls could date an empath!

Q: What was the scariest part of your adventure in this story?

A: Without giving anything away (of course!), there were so many moments where my heart was beating so fast I still can’t believe it didn’t burst. The obvious answer is toward the end, when Micah and I tried to escape the Nation. Yes, being chased through the mountains was definitely terrifying on the surface—but Micah and I were together, so it wasn’t the worst thing we went through. Instead, the most frightening time for me was when he was attacked during his sentencing. I thought he’d been killed. The idea of a world without him in it was horrifying.

Q: On a happier note, what was your favorite date with Micah?

A: We had to be pretty unconventional with our dates, since… you know… we were forbidden by law to see each other. There was a lot of sneaking around. A lot of close calls. That made everything more exciting, too. My favorite date with him, though, was just slow dancing together in his apartment on a rainy night. He played this old song from before the Nation was formed—“The Very Thought of You” by Billie Holiday. I didn’t expect him—this strong, distinguished guy—to do something sweet and vulnerable like that.

Q: What’s next for you and Micah?

A: We have a long road ahead of us before we can really have our happily-ever-after. For one thing, we’re on our own now, and we have to figure out how to survive in a completely different place, with no one to fall back on for help and a completely different language to learn. It’s intimidating, and everywhere we turn, the challenges keep racking up. We have each other, though, and I hope that’ll be enough. Love is always enough, I think.

The romance and adventure of North to Nara continues with its sequel, Sky to Sea, coming January 2020.

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**About the Author**

When Amanda Marin was a child, her father traveled frequently for business, always bringing her back a book as a present. Whether she was getting lost in the pages of a tale about far-away knights, girls with supernatural powers, or kindly giants, she was quickly hooked on stories.

Over the years, Amanda has followed her own yellow brick road of reading and writing, and although her adventures haven't involved sword fights or saving the planet from certain annihilation, they have involved jobs in scholarly publishing and marketing, a modest amount of travel, and a lifelong love of novels.

Amanda holds degrees in English from Salve Regina University and Boston College. Her favorite things include Starbucks lattes, lazy summer afternoons at the beach, and books with characters that make you go "awww." She lives in New Hampshire with her family and furbaby, Snickers the Poodle.

Stay connected with Amanda Marin

      

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***The Giveaway***

Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tour Schedule

May 28th

Another Book Hangover - Excerpt

Rock Hard Romance - Excerpt

Lisa Book Shelf - Excerpt

May 29th

Cat's Guilty Pleasure - Excerpt

cupcakesandbookshelves - Excerpt

Smokin' Hot Reads Book Blog - Excerpt

May 30th

iris blobel - Excerpt

Sab The Book Eater - Excerpt

May 31st

Adventures in Writing - Excerpt

A Soccer Mom's Book Blog - Excerpt

June 1st

Movies, Shows, & Books - Excerpt

PBC - Excerpt

June 2nd

I Smell Sheep - Excerpt

Once Upon a Book Blog - Excerpt

June 3rd

Reese's Reviews - Review

Ilovebooksandstuffblog - Excerpt

June 4th

Jennifer Mitchell, Bibliolater - Review

Moonlighting Scrivener - Review

June 5th

AC Squared Book Blog - Excerpt

Nerdy Dirty & Flirty - Excerpt

June 6th

The Romance Reviews - Review

TaSTy WordGasms - Excerpt

June 7th

3 degrees of fiction - Excerpt

Teatime and Books - Excerpt

Book Butterfly in Dreamland - Excerpt

Blog Tour Organized by

BLOG TOUR: Best Kind Of Broken by Chelsea Fine

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Best Kind Of Broken, book 1 of the Finding Fate series, by Chelsea Fine!

Genre:

New Adult Contemporary Romance

Series:

Finding Fate series

Publish Date:

March 4, 2014

Publisher:

Forever

(Grand Central Publishing)

Synopsis:

SOMETIMES MOVING ON MEANS MOVING IN

Pixie Marshall wishes every day she could turn back time and fix the past. But she can't. And the damage is done. She's hoping that a summer of a free room and board working with her aunt at the Willow Inn will help her forget. Except there's a problem: the resident handyman is non other than Levi Andrews. The handsome quarterback was once her friend-and maybe more--until everything changed in a life-shattering instant. She was hoping to avoid hi, possibly forever. Now he's right down the hall and stirring up feelings Pixie thought she'd long buried...

Levi can't believe he's living with the one person who holds all his painful memories. More than anything he wants to make things right, but a simple "sorry" won't suffice--not when the tragedy that scarred them was his fault. Levi knows Pixie's better off without him, but every part of him screams to touch her, protecte her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss away the pain. Yet even though she's so close, Pixie's heart seems more unreachable than ever. Seeing those stunning green eyes again has made one thing perfectly clear--he can't live without her.

   

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*Character Interview*

Interview with Sarah Marshall (Pixie)

1. Hi Pixie, first off thank you for giving up some of your time for this interview. Tell me a little bit about yourself...say in five words.

Thank you so much for having me here today! Describe myself? Hmm… Messy, artist,

2. Being an Art major, what inspires you to paint?

Music! Many other things inspire me, like books and nature and other paintings, but music is what fuels my creative energy most often.

3. How did you get the nickname Pixie?

When I was six years old and Levi was eight, I put on my fairy Halloween costume and tried to jump of the roof—because I thought I could fly. Levi freaked out and he told on me. That day, he called me a crazy pixie and the name stuck.

4. You and Levi have known each other since childhood, what can you tell me about your history with him?

Levi was my best friend’s older brother. We grew up together, and even though he’s two years older than me, he was always a good friend of mine. But when we became teenagers and found ourselves attracted to one another, our friendship became more and more complicated. Until one day we kissed. Everything went downhill after that.

5. This is probably a touchy subject, can I ask how did you get your scar?

Last year, I was involved in a car accident with both Levi and my best friend. A large piece of jagged glass cut through my chest and left me with a scar that runs a full diagonal across my torso.

6. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Levi?

Safety.

7. If you could change anything in your past, what would you change?

I wouldn’t have let Charity and I get into her car that night we got in the accident.

8. Looking back, would you change anything that has happened, or not happened, this past summer?

Ooh! Good question. Hmm… No. I don’t think I’d change anything. I think Levi and I needed go through all that tension and awkwardness in order for us to heal and become close again. Moving into Willow Inn this summer was one of the best decisions I ever made.

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**About the Author**

Chelsea Fine lives in Phoenix, Arizona where she spends most of her time writing stories, painting murals, and avoiding housework at all costs. She's ridiculously bad at doing dishes and claims to be allergic to laundry. Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee, sleeping-in, and crazy socks. She lives with her husband and two children, who graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete lack of skill in the kitchen.

Stay connected with Chelsea Fine

Website

    

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*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains no spoilers

A story of best friends since childhood torn apart by tragedy. Pixie and Levi has not spoken or seen each other for almost a year since the accident. Then, they end up working and living in the same place. Day after day, awkward moments becomes an everyday routine for these two. And, everyday, they are reminded that they are "broken." When both Pixie and Levi are suffering the same loss in their own way, life and love finds a way to bring them together so they can heal.

Pixie's and Levi's struggle to live with this kind of loss definitely rocked me to the "core." I was brought to tears and laughter with every turn of the page. Told in both their points of view, I got a glimpse of how each of them are coping. Sometimes, I got frustrated with their ridiculous banter at trying to annoy each other...which in turn, I got a laugh out of it as well.

Chelsea Fine navigated these emotionally-marred characters smoothly with each chapter in which the story transitioned between characters. I didn't feel the urge to say, "huh?" I'll have to admit that this style of writing is somewhat new to me, but I liked it. I found that it worked in this telling of Pixie's and Levi's path to healing and finding friendship and love in the midst of all the heartbreak, heartache, guilt, and loss. I seriously could not put the book down...I was totally immersed in Pixie's and Levi's pain and guilt of that moment in time that changed everything. 

I could almost say that, in a way, Best Kind Of Broken is a coming-of-age story for the new adult genre. It brought me to tears, then brought a smile to my face...even some laugh out loud moments. A book worth reading.

My rating:

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***The Giveaway***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Organized by

BOOK BLITZ: The Shadow Soul by Kaitlyn Davis

Welcome to the Book Blitz for The Shadow Soul, the first book in the A Dance Of Dragons series, by Kaitlyn Davis!

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Game Of Thrones meets Graceling in a new fantasy series by bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis.

Genre:

Young Adult Epic Fantasy

Series:

A Dance Of Dragons series

Publish Date:

February 20, 2014

Summary from Goodreads:

Jinji has been haunted by the death of her twin brother for ten years. Now, on the dawn of her joining, the nightmare that claimed him has returned for her.

Prince Whylrhen is determined to prevent the past from repeating itself. His kingdom is expecting a new heir, and he will stop at nothing to keep the child safe.

Though they've never met, the two share a deep secret—magic. Jinji can weave the elements to create master illusions and Whylrhen can pull burning flames into his flesh. But neither of them knows what they are truly capable of until a chance encounter brings them together. For their story has played out before, in a long forgotten time—an age of myth that is about to be reborn…

   

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World Map

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Character Interview – Jinji

Please welcome Jinji, the female protagonist of The Shadow Soul who has come all the way from her fantastical world to speak with us today!

Me: Thank you so much for stopping by.

Jinji: You’re welcome. It’s a relief actually.

Me: A relief? Why is that?

Jinji: Well, it’s Rhen. At first, I thought traveling with him would be the only solution, but now I’m not so sure. He’s getting too suspicious, asking too many questions. It’s like he knows I’m keeping a secret…well, secrets…

Me: What secrets?

[Jinji looks around nervously. Her short black hair barely moves, but her eyes flick around the room, almost as though she fears we’re not alone. She leans in, whispers.]

Jinji: He doesn’t know I’m a girl. He doesn’t know about my powers. He doesn’t know about the shadow. He doesn’t…

[She shakes her head, biting her lip and tucking her knees into her chest, curling into a tight ball. Nerves have clenched her body, have halted her midthought. A darkness seems to seep into her vision. A sadness removes the golden light from her eyes. I reach out my hand in comfort, but she retreats.]

Me: Are you all right?

Jinji: I just miss them. Miss it. Home. The trees. My family.

Me: Why did you leave?

[The grief thickens, haunting her eyes, scrunching her forehead. She looks away, pausing, reading memories in the air. Suddenly she looks up, straight into my eyes with a hard look, a calculated stare.]

Jinji: Vengeance.

Me: Against who? For what?

[She shakes her head, standing, walking away from me and looking at the door. She is small, but I sense strength and determination in her stance.]

Jinji: I must leave. I’m sorry.

Me: Wait—

[But she is gone. Panic hangs heavy in the air behind her.]

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**About the Author**

I've always been a writer. I grew up duct taping my novels together, started writing complete manuscripts in high school and studied creative writing at Johns Hopkins University. Upon graduating, I decided it was finally time to actually give my dream career a chance. So, of course, I started writing a young adult paranormal romance series -- and no, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon. I've been a true paranormal supporter for my entire life! I blame my obsession almost completely on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my all-time favorite television show. And, before you ask: Yes, I own every season... even the post WB ones! I especially challenge anyone to watch the first three seasons and not fall in love with Angel, securing a lifelong love of vampires! Other culprits of my paranormal obsession are some of my favorite authors: JK Rowling, Raymond Feist, Meg Cabot, Richelle Mead, Lynne Ewing and Tamora Pierce.

Stay connected with Kaitlyn Davis

Website

   

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***The Giveaway***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast Organized by