Book Blitz: Withering Hope by Layla Hagen

Withering Hope

by Layla Hagen

Publication date: January 19th 2015

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Aimee’s wedding is supposed to turn out perfect. Her dress, her fiancé, and the location—the idyllic holiday ranch in Brazil—are perfect. 

But all Aimee’s plans come crashing down when the private jet that’s taking her from the U.S. to the ranch—where her fiancé awaits—defects mid-flight and the pilot is forced to perform an emergency landing in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. 

With no way to reach civilization, being rescued is Aimee and Tristan’s—the pilot—only hope. A slim one that slowly withers away, desperation taking its place. Because death wanders in the jungle under many forms: starvation, diseases. Beasts. 

As Aimee and Tristan fight to find ways to survive, they grow closer. Together they discover that facing old, inner agonies carved by painful pasts takes just as much courage, if not even more, than facing the rainforest. 

Despite her devotion to her fiancé, Aimee can’t hide her feelings for Tristan—the man for whom she’s slowly becoming everything. You can hide many things in the rainforest. But not lies. Or love.

Withering Hope is the story of a man who desperately needs forgiveness and the woman who brings him hope. It is a story in which hope births wings and blooms into a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is forbidden.

- AIMEE'S POINT OF VIEW -

I wake up covered in cold sweat and something soft that might be a blanket. I can't tell for sure, because when I open my eyes, it’s dark. When I try to move, a sharp pain in my temple makes me gasp.

"Aimee?"

"Tristan." The word comes out almost like a cry. In the faint moonlight coming in through the windows, I see him leaning on the seat in front of me, hovering over me. I imagine his dark brown eyes searching me worriedly.

"Are you hurt?"

"Just my temple, but I'm not bleeding," I say, running my fingers over the tender spot. I assess him next. It’s difficult given the dim moonlight. His white uniform shirt is smeared with dirt, but he appears unharmed. I turn my head toward the window. I can't gauge anything outside in the darkness.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"We landed," Tristan says simply, and when I turn to look at him he adds, "… in the rainforest."

I nod, trying not to let the tight knot of fear in my chest overtake me. If I let it spiral out, I may not be able to control it.

"Shouldn't we … like… leave the plane or something? Until they rescue us? Is it safe for us to be inside?"

Tristan runs a hand through his short, black hair. "Trust me, this is the only safe place. I checked outside for any fuel leaks, but we're good."

"You got out?" I whisper.

"Yes."

"I want—” I say, opening my seatbelt and trying to stand. But dizziness forces me back into my chair.

"No," Tristan says, and he slumps in the seat opposite mine on the other side of the slim aisle. "Listen to me. You need to calm down."

"How deep in the forest are we, Tristan?"

He leans back, answering after a long pause. "Deep enough."

"How will they find us?" I curl my knees to my chest under the blanket, the dizziness growing. I wonder when Tristan put the blanket over me.

"They will," Tristan says.

"But there is something we can do to make it easier for them, isn't there?"

"Right now, there isn't."

"Can contact someone at base?" I ask weakly.

"No. We lost all communication a while ago." His shoulders slump, and even in the moonlight, I notice his features tighten. His high cheekbones, which usually give him a noble appearance, now make him look gaunt. Yet instead of panic, I’m engulfed in weakness. My limbs feel heavy. Fog settles over my mind.

"What happened to the engine?" I whisper.

"Engine failure."

"Can you repair it?"

"No."

“There is really no way to send anyone a message?”

“No.” As if in a dream, I feel Tristan put a pillow under my head and recline my seat.

My name is Layla Hagen and I am a New Adult Contemporary Romance author.

I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later.

I write romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world.

And I drink coffee. Lots of it, in case the photo didn’t make it obvious enough.

Win (1) ebook copy of Withering Hope by Layla Hagen (INT)

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Book Blitz: After I Fall by Amity Hope

After I Fall

by Amity Hope

Release Date: 12/15/14

Synopsis:

When EmLynn’s dad loses his battle with cancer, the last thing she wants is to move across the country to live with her Mom. Her mom left her dad years ago to start a new, improved family with her new, improved husband.

When Eric finds himself in the middle of a mess of someone else’s making, the last thing he wants is to be dumped into the foster care system. He’s spent most of his life on his own, so he doesn't see the point of having a pretend family now.

A chance meeting has them both thinking that maybe their new town of Roseville isn’t so bad. But as they grow closer, an unknown enemy, along with a tangle of secrets and a web of little white lies, may just be enough to make their newfound love unravel completely.

AFTER I FALL 

by Amity Hope

As we rounded a corner I glanced back to make sure the twins were right behind me. In the instant that I looked away, I collided with a solid, masculine body. His hands flew to my elbows to steady me.

“I’m so sorry!” I exclaimed the same moment he said, “Are you okay?”

I stepped back and found myself looking into a pair of espresso colored eyes. His espresso colored hair was hopelessly rumpled. It was a bit too long and…perfect, really.

“I’m fine, just clumsy,” I admitted.

“She’s not good at paying attention,” Madison informed him.

He chuckled, setting a single dimple free. “I’ll have to remember that.”

“Sometimes she crashes into my dad and makes him spill his coffee,” she somberly explained.

“Madison, hush! That happened one time!” I said with a laugh.

“He didn’t get mad though. My daddy likes EmLynn,” she continued on. “He says we have to be patient with her because she can be kind of moody sometimes. But he says that she still loves us. Even when she’s grumpy.”

Of course I loved them.

And I wasn’t that grumpy. At least not lately.

Natalie, who was standing a step behind Madison, nodded in wide-eyed agreement.

“EmLynn, huh?”  he asked. “Pretty name.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m Eric.” 

“And you’re new around here,” I added.

“Yeah, I am.” He didn’t look too pleased about it.

After what I’d seen today, I couldn’t really blame him.

I slid a glance toward the pool area, scowling at Jace when I realized he was watching our interaction.

“Well, don’t let them get to you,” I said as I vaguely motioned toward the pool area.

His frowned. “You saw all that?”

I nodded sympathetically. “I wish I could say they weren’t all bad. But that whole group is. I do my best to avoid them.”

“Emmm,” Madison said as she tugged on the hem of my shirt, “can we go home now? I want to see if my Daddy’s home yet.”

“In a minute,” I assured her. I turned back to Eric. “So was this your first day?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s my third.”

“Have all the days been like this?”

“Nah, just the first day and today.” He shook his head, realizing how bad that sounded.

Two days out of three? I shook my head in sympathy.

A little bit about me...

I live in beautiful northern Minnesota with my two sons, two cats and our Rottweiler.

If I'm not writing, or spending time with my kids, I'm most likely reading.

My next planned releases are: After I Fall in mid-December and Avenge (Malice #2) will be out late January.

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Book Blitz: The Choice Series by Sydney Lane

Choices (Choices #1)

by Sydney Lane

Release Date: June 22nd 2013

Synopsis:

Choices is a new adult contemporary romance intended for audiences 18+. Although Choices is included in a series, each book can stand alone. 

Choices 

Fate brought her here, but will her choices destroy her dreams?

Quincy Priest made all the right choices in her small town, black-and-white life. But being perfect is tiring. So. Very. Tiring. 

Wanting desperately to step out of her sister's shadow, Quincy jumps at the opportunity to attend college with her best friend. The quiet bookworm with family secrets comes out of her shell. But when Quincy meets not one, but two perfect guys, she has to make a choice. In doing so, she might forfeit the relationship she secretly longed to find. 

Declan. Sweet, handsome, and perfect. He makes her feel cherished for the first time in her life.

Brody. Sexy, hot, and irresistible. He could tear down her carefully built walls.

Before she can become the woman she wants to be, Quincy will make mistakes. And suffer one unimaginable loss.

Fate (Choices #2)

by Sydney Lane

Release Date: November 19th 2013

Synopsis:

I'm used to getting what I want. I've always taken what I wanted. No apologies. No excuses.

I know what it feels like to be betrayed, when someone else is calling all the shots. I've been down that road, and I'm not going there again. I've got my family, my friends, and the brotherhood. That's all I need.

I believe in Fate. Everything happens for a reason. But what do you do when Fate kicks you in the gut, plays a cruel joke on you?

When I met Quincy Priest, she was a flame I couldn't put out. A freakin' wildfire. She blew in to my life, burned it to the ground, then left me standing in the ashes. Gone as suddenly as she came. I'm not sure if I should love her or hate her… But I don't hate her. I could never hate her.

What do you do when the person who broke you may be the only person who can put you back together?

Can you run from Fate? 

Do you even want to?

This is Brody's story.

Patience (Choices #2.5)

by Sydney Lane

Release Date: March 14th 2014

Synopsis:

Jenna Ryan is the kind of girl everyone wants for a friend. Her spunky and carefree outlook on life often leads to trouble of the best kind. She's not afraid to speak her mind, and when it comes to her friends, she's fiercely loyal and protective. When she met Eric, she knew immediately he was her forever, but why was he holding back?

Eric James is the epitome of a Greek God. He parties hard while trying to meet the expectations of his overachiever parents. When he met Jenna, sparks flew, and he knew he'd met his match. 

But Eric is hiding a small secret. When Jenna finds out, these two will embark on a wild and hilarious journey to torture each other into submission.

Who will win? And who will learn the true meaning of... Patience?

***Patience is a Jenna and Eric novella with approximately 30k words. It can be read as a stand alone but is much better after reading Choices or Fate.

Hope (Choices #3)

by Sydney Lane

Release Date: October 20th, 2014

Synopsis:

She's the high school softball star. He's the fraternity chaplain.

He's the good guy. She's the wild child.

Eliza Nichols has a secret. After one night, one mistake, she throws away her softball career, walking away from everything she loves. Broken and damaged, the last thing she needs is someone making her question everything she knows.

No one has ever made her want to be so good.

Declan White is the stereotypical nice guy. When his fraternity brother betrays him with the girl of his dreams, he struggles to be the man he wants to be without losing the man he is. Eliza may be exactly what he needs.

No one has ever made him want to be so bad.

When these two come together, their lives collide in a battle of wills. One moment can change the rest of your life. You can accept it... or you may find hope where there appears to be nothing at all.

Author's Note: Hope is the third installment in the Choices series. All novels can be read stand alone with no cliffhanger. Intended for mature audiences 18+.

Hope

by Sydney Lane Scott

Declan's POV

"Do a shot with me?" She sways against me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and I wonder how much she's had to drink.

"Can't. I'm driving tonight."

"Oh, come on." She pinches her fingers together, saying, "Just one little shot?"

"One." I give in but not without a price. "If I get to do it my way."  Her brows shoot up, her eyes swirling with questions. She has no idea what those red lips do to me, that if we weren't in the kitchen in the middle of a party, I'd throw her down and ravish her right this instant.

"Yeah? What's that?" Breathy. Soft. Sensual.

"Body shot." I push her backwards until she's propped up on her elbows.

I reach for a shot glass, filling it to the rim with tequila. Once I'm done, I push her skirt high up on her thighs and place the shot glass between her legs. My hands linger, burning from her heat. Her eyes darken as her breathing hitches in anticipation. Next, I reach for a lime, running it down the top of her thigh, lingering when she gasps and closes her eyes. I add salt, sprinkling it down the wet line drawn in lime juice. Bending my knees, I lean down. I look up at her, our eyes meeting in one, brief heated moment. Ever so slowly, I lick the salt and lime from her leg, trailing my tongue over the soft skin there. She gasps when I move upward, my face nestled between her legs as I take the shot glass between my teeth and stand. I tip my head back and swallow the contents, a slow burn blazing a path down my throat. Without using my hands, I bend and drop the glass onto the counter.

"I should've known," she whispers, her eyes half-closed as her hand grips the edge.

"What?" I smile knowingly. I'd bet my car I know exactly what she's thinking right now.

"You don't do shots like a nice guy. You had to go and make it all sexy and shit."

I smile knowingly, her assessment unleashing a week's worth of pent-up frustration. I'm trying, with all my might, to treat her right, but she's not making it easy.

"That's because you're all sexy and shit." I lean in, stealing one more kiss before she pushes me away, giggling. I push off the counter, standing in front of her. I take her hand, helping her down, her body sliding down mine one inch at a time. She backs away, her gaze never faltering.

She can pretend that she doesn't want this, but her body doesn't lie.

Sydney Lane lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and children. Growing up in Smalltown, USA, Sydney dreamed of being a writer. After spending an outrageous amount of money to go to college, Sydney finally decided to follow her heart. With her babies in bed and husband neglected, she worked by the light of her laptop and wrote Choices. Sydney is very active in charity work for anti-bullying and depression awareness groups.

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