phishbowl's bookshelf: Blog Tour: When We Met by A.L. Jackson, Molly McAdams, Tiffany King & Christina Lee

Today’s premiere New Adult authors combine their talents to tell four original stories from inside one house.

When four girls decide to live off campus together as juniors at a college in Michigan, they expect it to be their best year yet. Little do they know, it’s a year that will change the rest of their lives.

BEHIND HER EYES by A.L. Jackson
Unable to live down her ex-boyfriend’s deception, Misha is determined to avoid betrayal. When, the new guy next door, Darryn starts to get under her skin, her defenses start to crumble. But trusting Darryn seems impossible, especially if he’s not sure he can trust himself.

SAVING ME by Molly McAdams
On the outside, Indy is always ready for a party—but inside she’s breaking. Kier makes a weekly routine of saving the girl next door from herself on Saturday nights… but when will she be ready to remember him on Sunday morning?

FOULING OUT by Tiffany King
Working at a sports bar, Courtney has become a pro at sidestepping propositions from arrogant jocks—which makes her a more elusive catch for campus basketball star Dalton than he expected. But when he falls for the saucy waitress, Dalton will have to rethink his game plan to prove he’s not the jerk Courtney expects.

BENEATH YOUR LAYERS by Christina Lee
In order to ace her fashion internship, Chloe must team up with local college dropout and set builder, Blake—much to her chagrin. But after some "hands-on" experience, Chloe will have to ask herself if Blake factors into her carefully laid plans…

When We Met is available for purchase:

Behind Her Eyes by A.L. Jackson was a bit farfetched, possibly because of the crazy obsession Darryn has for this girl next door that he does not know (and who doesn't know him). It was a weird feeling from the get-go but if you look past that, the story is steamy and intense from the get-go.

Saving Me by Molly McAdams was a different kind of story from the rest. I felt it had more of an air of mystery to it that you really had to read onwards to figure out. I don't know if I loved or hated that about the book. Kier was too secretive about a lot and I found Indy quite a bit of a mess and hard to relate to. I found that at many points in the story, many questions were raised which made it a read where I found myself going "...and???" a lot.

Fouling Out by Tiffany King was a cute story about two friends who lost touch over the years but are reunited in college. Dalton is a top-tier basketball star who's used to getting everything he wants and Courtney plays the object of his affection--she also happens to be someone he used to be friends with (who had written him off, might I add). You can see where the story is going but it was a not a bad story to get to the end. It's a fairly cute and light story which was a nice change from the other novellas.

Beneath Your Layers by Christina Lee was a sweet story about two very different people put into a situation where they have to work together. Inevitably, getting to know each other, Chloe and Blake find that there's a lot more than meets the eye than what they've assumed of each other. An enjoyable story of two people finding that they are, unexpectedly attracted to each other despite any preconceived notions of "they're not my type".

I don't usually love novellas because I find that stories aren't developed enough. I was somewhat skeptical when I picked this one up but a couple of the blurbs caught my eye so I committed. I am glad that I did because I thoroughly enjoyed each of the four very different stories in the When We Met anthology. The only thing that I didn't love is that they ended so soon. I wanted more of each of the novellas--they weren't poorly developed, I just felt like they were cut off prematurely and left a lot of room for "what next?"!

Excerpt

Beneath Your Layers

Christina Lee/When We Met Anthology

I motioned for the bar. “Want me to get you a soda or a water?”

Chloe stared at me for another long moment before she said, “No, thanks.”

We listened to the next song quietly standing beside each other, lost in our own thoughts. Until she turned to me and said, “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” I said, almost breathless. Given her mood, maybe she’d give me something good this time.

“Your turn, Blake,” she said. “Do something spontaneous.”

My fingers trembled from wanting to touch her so badly and all I could think about was doing just that.

“You sure that’s what you want?” I said, turning and backing her against the wall.

“Yes,” she breathed out.

“Something spontaneous or something I’ve been thinking about doing for days?” I said, my lips coming closer to hers. “Maybe weeks?”

Her breath caught. “It . . . it’s your call.”

My head swung forward, our foreheads practically touching. Fluttery breaths were escaping her lips. I place my arms on either side of her head and she bit down on her lip.

My heart thrashed in my chest and all I could think about was how desperate I was to kiss her, but how nervous I was to blow this opportunity.

So I attempted to read her signals and they were definitely mixed. Her eyes flitted between panic and lust.

When I pinned my hip against hers, I could’ve sworn I heard a low moan in the back of her throat.

“Please,” she rasped out. “Please . . . don’t . . . Blake.”

My stomach was in my throat. Fuck, either I’d scared her or I’d been reading her wrong.

I leaned back to give her space, but her fingers suddenly skimmed across my waist, clenching my shirt and drawing me nearer.

“Don’t what?” I asked in confusion. She was so fucking messing with my head.

“Don’t . . .” She was panting now. “Don’t stop.”

About the Authors

A.L. Jackson

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Come to Me Quietly, Come to Me Softly, Pulled, When We Collide, and If Forever Comes.

She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.

Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.

To stay up to date with important news on A.L. Jackson, including new releases, sales, and exclusive specials and excerpts, text “jackson” to 96000 to subscribe!

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Molly McAdams

Molly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband and furry four-legged daughters. When she's not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach … which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes. She has a weakness for crude-humored movies and fried pickles, and loves curling up in a fluffy comforter during a thunderstorm ... or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren't really happening.

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Tiffany King

USA Today Bestselling author Tiffany King is a lifelong reading fanatic who is now living her dream as a writer, weaving Young Adult and New Adult romance tales for others to enjoy. She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iPhone and iPad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, zombies and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.

For information on any of Author Tiffany's titles, visit her blog at www.authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com

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Christina Lee

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys.

She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK and WHISPER TO ME available now, PROMISE ME THIS on October 7th, 2014.

Also Adult contemporary romance TWO OF HEARTS coming from Peguin/NAL on May 5th 2015.

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