Release Blitz + Review: When It’s Real by Erin Watt

Posted on 05/30/2017 by shellbellereads

When It’s Real

By Erin Watt

Genre: Mature YA

Synopsis

Wealth, fame and a real-life romance she never expected—seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett lands it all when she agrees to become a pop star’s fake girlfriend in this smart, utterly addictive novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Erin Watt

Under ordinary circumstances, Oakley Ford and Vaughn Bennett would never even cross paths.

There’s nothing ordinary about Oakley. This bad-boy pop star’s got Grammy Awards, millions of fangirls and a reputation as a restless, too-charming troublemaker. But with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley needs to show the world he’s settling down—and who better to help him than Vaughn, a part-time waitress trying to help her family get by? The very definition of ordinary.

Posing as his girlfriend, Vaughn will overhaul Oakley’s image from troublemaker to serious artist. In return for enough money to put her brothers through college, she can endure outlandish Hollywood parties and carefully orchestrated Twitter exchanges. She’ll fool the paparazzi and the groupies. She might even start fooling herself a little.

Because when ordinary rules no longer apply, there’s no telling what your heart will do…

Michel’s Review

The dynamic writing team known as Erin Watt has delivered another entertaining and compelling mature young adult romance. With the latest release of When It’s Real, readers young and old will enjoy this modern day fairy tale romance.

Although this book is classified in the YA / Mature YA genre, I feel like this book is more appropriate for ages 16 and up. It does have mature situations without being graphic. Although most teens are exposed to quite a few of these situations daily in school, among peers, and through social media, I think older teens have the right amount of maturity to read this book.

A modern day Cinderella story where the ordinary girl lands the pop star prince.

Oakley Ford is a jaded pop star on the road to destruction. His manager and PR team has been doing too much damage control. It’s time for Oakley to buckle down and get back to his music rather than partying and making tabloid headlines. Oakley has been on his own since he was fourteen. He divorced his Hollywood Royalty parents when his career took off. He has always lived a spoiled and pampered life. His indulgences are out of control.

Oakley’s manager and PR team hire Vaughn Bennett, a mature ordinary teenage girl to pose as Oakley’s girlfriend for one year. The idea is to project a positive image of Oakley’s life and get Oakley back in the studio. Vaughn and her family are in desperate need of money and this situation seems to be the answer to their financial problems. Vaughn will have to make a lot of sacrifices in order to fulfill her contract. The biggest sacrifice of all is giving up her long time high school boyfriend.

Vaughn is at crossroads in her life. She doesn’t know what she wants for her future. Oakley is also at crossroads in his life. He doesn’t want to be the pop star Prince. He wants to make a different kind of music. Music that isn’t canned. He’s reached a block and something has to change. After meeting Vaughn he begins to see a different side of life. A life outside of the Hollywood glamour.

Vaughn may have been hired to save Oakley’s reputation but she has really saved his soul. Oakley may have been the dream Prince every teenage girl wants but he taught Vaughn how to dream again and reach for the stars.

Erin Watt has delivered a compelling teenage fairytale romance that explores many issues and feelings that all teens experience on their road to becoming mature adults. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think most teen readers will too.

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About Erin Watt

About Elle Kennedy

A USA Today bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a BA in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Newsletter

Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog. She’s been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at jensfrederick@gmail.com

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Trust by Kylie Scott

Posted on 05/05/2017 by shellbellereads

We are so excited to share the cover for Kylie’s Scott’s first ever YA and Indie published book TRUST releasing JULY 18th!

Cover by Hang Le

Being young is all about the experiences: the first time you skip school, the first time you fall in love…the first time someone holds a gun to your head.

After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen year old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.

While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.

An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.

Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.

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kyliescottimage Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://www.kylie-scott.com/

New Release + Excerpt + 5 Star Review: Forever by Monica Murphy – Friends Series – Book 3

Posted on 04/06/2017 by shellbellereads

Forever by Monica Murphy

Release Date: April 4th, 2017

Series: Friends

Genre: Young Adult

Forever, an all new Friends story from Monica Murphy, is available now!!

She’s all I could ever want…

I have a reputation around school. Cold. Untouchable. Unfeeling. Only one girl could ever make me want to change and that’s Amanda Winters. Too bad I broke her heart and drove her away.

So to get through the rest of my days in high school, I tell myself I need to focus on more important things. Like taking our football team to championships. Get accepted to the college of my choice. And finish my senior year without wanting to run away from my problems.

But your problems chase after you no matter where you go. And it’s a lot harder when you fight them alone. The longer I go without Amanda, the more I miss her. Her smile. Her laughter. The things she said. How she looked at me like I was the only person who mattered. The way she made me feel…

Why can’t I have everything, including the girl? I’m determined to make things right. And make Amanda mine…

Forever.

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Excerpt:

I’m walking through the senior parking lot when I spot Jordan standing near his black Range Rover, leaning against its side. He’s wearing a white Henley shirt, his arms crossed and his biceps bulging beneath the long sleeves. The breeze ruffles his dark hair across his forehead and he stares off into the distance, every inch the troubled, broody boy that he is.

He looks so freaking good, I’m momentarily distracted by him. I stop and stare, my lips parted, my breath becoming shallow. It’s still hard for me to believe that this guy, this gorgeous, sweet, annoying, smart, strong, wonderful, awful boy likes me. That he might even care about me.

“Hey.” His deep baritone knocks me from my daze, and I head over, stopping just in front of him. “Where’s Livvy?”

“She made last minute plans. With someone else.” I don’t say anything else. Livvy’s secret isn’t mine to tell, and I’m afraid if I start talking about it, I’ll get really pissed. So I leave it alone. “Guess I don’t need to drive your car after all, but thank you for offering. I sense it was huge deal.”

“It is,” he agrees, tipping his head toward me. “But you’re worth it.”

Oh. He says things like that and I’m left speechless.

“You don’t have any plans?”

“No.” I shake my head, feeling tongue-tied.

Jordan grabs my hand, lacing our fingers and giving them a squeeze. “Then let’s go to lunch together.”

“Don’t you want to stay here?” He usually does. He’s always out at the quad, holding court over his loyal subjects. I used to sit out there with him, with all of them, just basking in his presence. But once we had the so-called breakup of our so-called relationship, I stopped going. One, because I couldn’t stand to be near him knowing he wasn’t mine anymore. Besides, most everyone who would hang out with Tuttle is annoying. Frustrating. Awful.

All of the above.

“No, not if I can sneak off campus somewhere with you.” He tugs me closer, his expression serious, his voice low. “Let me treat you to lunch, Amanda.”

When he talks to me like that, looks at me like that, I tend to give in easily.

“Okay,” I say softly, a jolt pulsing through me when he runs his thumb over the top of my hand. Sometimes the simplest touch has the most devastating effect.

Read Today!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2nAEZ3a

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/QERv5Z

iBooks: https://goo.gl/UAZVXQ

Nook: https://goo.gl/dD6RqO

Kobo: https://goo.gl/3jz6Cc

Add to Goodreads: https://goo.gl/6bJPbN

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Michel’s Review

Forever, the powerful conclusion of Jordan and Amanda’s angsty high school romance has released. Readers have anxiously awaited the release to find out if Jordan and Amanda are finally going to get their lives in check. For Amanda, it was never a question of staying on the right path but whether she would end up with a broken heart before she began her college career. For Jordan it was a question as to whether he could rise above his own insecurities, get past his family problems, and become a man rather than a spoiled boy. And then there are the group of friends who equally have their own problems and insecurities.

Monica Murphy captured the teenage world in the Friends series. As a parent of teenagers and freshman college student, I could easily follow this story. It was like watching parts of my kids lives line up in the pages of these books. Monica clearly showed the emotional struggle of leaving childhood and becoming an adult. Taking responsibility for oneself as well as learning to co exist with others in the same boat. Growing up isn’t easy but it’s memorable. Falling in love for the first time is exciting but can also be traumatic. Becoming a mature, responsible adult is scary but a reality. Learning to trust oneself and not rely on others opinions is freeing. Monica portrayed it all and gave the readers a solid young adult romance.

I would highly recommend this series to teenagers as well as adults. Romance is timeless and touches us all no matter the age..

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About the Author:

Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both self-published and published by Random House/Bantam and Harper Collins/Avon. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance.

She is a wife and a mother of three who lives in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.

Connect with Monica:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonicaMurphyauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5934418.Monica_Murphy

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1YUl0Vm

Website: http://monicamurphyauthor.com

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/IW5U0y