Things to Do When It's Raining by Marissa Stapley

Two families are torn apart by secret pasts and broken hearts—from Globe and Mail-bestselling author Marissa Stapley.

When secrets tear love apart, can the truth mend it?

Mae Summers and Gabriel Broadbent grew up together in the idyllic Summers’ Inn, perched at the edge the St. Lawrence river. Mae was orphaned at the age of six and Gabe needed protection from his alcoholic father, so both were raised under one roof by Mae’s grandparents, Lilly and George. A childhood friendship quickly developed into a first love—a love that was suddenly broken by Gabe’s unexpected departure. Mae grew up, got over her heartbreak, and started a life for herself in New York City.

After more than a decade, Mae and Gabe find themselves pulled back to Alexandria Bay. Hoping to find solace within the Summers’ Inn, Mae instead finds her grandparents in the midst of decline and their past unravelling around her. A lifetime of secrets stand in the way of this unconventional family’s happiness. Will they be able to reclaim the past and come together, or will they remain separate islands?

From the bestselling author of Mating for Life comes a powerful story about guilt, forgiveness and the truth about families: that we can choose them, just as we choose to love. 

Things to Do When It's Raining is a more somber story. It touches on a lot of mental health issues as well as that of abuse. Mae and Gabriel are brought back together to their childhood home out of coincidence--or is it fate? Together, they help each other fight through the trials life has thrown at them and together they heal and try to forge a path together. It's not a cheery, rosy tale but a very real one that is tough to sit through at times. The point of view works well, the story is there, but I felt like it could be flushed out that much more. There was a lot about their past, how Mae's and Gabriel's parents (and grandparents) lives were intertwined and how it affected Mae and Gabriel's childhood and relationship. I think, at times, I felt like I wanted to know more, though--like what happened with Mae's fiance and more about Mae's grandparents' own tumultuous relationship. I found bits of the book slower moving but was still a good read--definitely not your average,  lighthearted read.

Blog Tour: Rebel by Rebecca Yarros

She’s Penna Carstairs.

The Renegade they call Rebel.

FMX-treme Magazine’s sexiest female athlete of the year.

There’s no rule in extreme sports she hasn’t broken. No gender barrier she hasn’t demolished.

She’s the woman I met in a bar in Vegas.

The woman I illegally BASE jumped for.

The woman I spent one insane, incredible night with.

But now I’m screwed.

Or rather…not screwed.

Because the woman I can’t get out of my head is the one woman I can never touch again.

I’m Dr. Cruz Delgado—the youngest professor on this campus,

And Penelope Carstairs just walked into my class.

Rebel is available for purchase:

EXCERPT

“Oh God, don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“That.” He pointed toward my mouth. “Everything I told you in Vegas is still true. You’re still gorgeous, still sexy as hell, still everything that draws me in like a damned magnet, but you’re also everything I can’t have. Don’t you get that? When you pull shit like that on the dance floor, you successfully drive me batshit crazy, watching you in some guy’s arms.” A small laugh escaped him. “Like that kid has any idea what to do with you if he actually managed to catch you.”

“And you do?”

His eyes darkened. “Don’t challenge me like that.”

The tension stretched between us for a quiet moment until I broke the silence. “I didn’t kiss him.”

“I’m well aware, because if you had, I’m not sure if I could have let him walk out of here, and that’s dangerous, Penelope. You are dangerous to me.”

“I’m sorry,” I said truthfully. “Logically, I know nothing can happen between us. I get it. But I see you, and all I can think about is the way you kissed me in Vegas. The way you touched me. I can’t just erase those memories, Cruz. Like I said, somehow you make me do stupid things.”

“You? I make you do stupid things?” he nearly yelled, and I was thankful for the loud, driving beat of the music beyond the office doors. “Woman, I got into a strange car for you. Illegally BASE jumped off a Ferris wheel to stay close to you. Went to jail for you, and I make you do stupid things?”

He stalked forward, his movements smooth like a predator, and a low hum filled my stomach, growing stronger with every step he took.

“I let you stay in my class. Stupid. I look for every reason to run into you, while simultaneously praying you’ll stay far away because I need this job. Stupid. I take one look at you in that fucking dress, and I’m so hard I’m afraid I can’t hide it in a room full of students. Stupid. I can’t stop thinking about the way you taste, the way you open up under me, the way your nails left little half-moons in my shoulders when I found how wet you were for me.”

If he got his hands anywhere near me, he’d find out I was just as wet now. God, his words were the biggest turn-on I’d ever experienced. Next to his abs. Or his arms. Or his mouth. Crap, the man was one giant sex package begging to be unwrapped.

“Cruz,” I whispered as he cupped my face with one hand, his thumb rubbing over my lower lip, while he caged me against the desk with the other.

My tongue licked across the tip of his finger, unable to help myself.

“God, Penelope. You could cost me everything, and yet I’m still in here with you. And this might be the worst choice of all.”

His mouth met mine in a kiss that sent my senses reeling. His tongue swept in, claiming every curve he might have missed last time, until it felt like my mouth belonged to him.

To say that this series ended off on a high note would be somewhat understated. Rebel jumped right off the top  and only continued onwards and upwards from there. I loved the Xtreme sports aspect as I did with the first two novels in The Renegades series. This one was no less packed with BASE jumps and motocross elements. If those weren't enough to peak your interest, the author totally hooks you with this whirlwind romance between Penna and Cruz. What more can we say about Cruz? Penna, literally, picked him up in Vegas and then, by a twist of fate and a splash of destiny, Cruz happens to end up as the professor of a class she's taking during her year aboard/abroad a cruise ship. Penna can't keep Cruz off her mind, and vice versa, but what can they do? This is a story of star-crossed lovers--is it finally Penna's turn to find her happily ever after just as her best friends have or will this be the worst crash and burn she'll experience to date with her heart being the casualty? I've always enjoyed this author's style of writing and this installment was just as enjoyable. The story has quite a bit of depth to it. It's jammed with action, it's fast paced and, yet, she takes the time to loop in characters you're already familiar with from the previous stories. The base characters actually play a pivitol role in this story. I also like how she took time to fill in some secondary characters' stories and developed them a bit. All in all, a fantastic novel and end to an XTREMEly enjoyable series (hah. #thepunlife)!

DON’T MISS THE FIRST TWO RENEGADE BOOKS

I’m Paxton Wilder.
Motocross phenom & adrenaline junkie.
I have more tattoos than scars.
And I’ve never seen a stunt I couldn’t pull off—
Or a girl I can’t get off.
Until she walks in.

My new tutor is sexy, smart, more stubborn than I am, and one hundred percent off limits.
That’s right—the only rule this semester is Don’t Touch the Tutor.
For the first time in my life, I want someone I can’t have.
She’s the girl who obeys every rule.
I’m the guy who breaks them.
Our biggest risk is falling for each other,
But I live for risk…

Wilder is available for purchase:

The only heart he wants is the one he already broke…

He’s Landon Rhodes.
The Renegade they call Nova.
Sinfully gorgeous, broody, tatted-up, professional snowboarder.
Four-time X Games medalist—
Full-time heartbreaker.

They say a girl broke him once—
That’s why he’s so reckless, so driven, so careless with his conquests.
But I’m that girl.
They can call me his curse all they want.
He and I both know the truth—
He’s the one who destroyed me,
And I’m not the sucker who will let that happen again.

Nova is available for purchase:

About the Author

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and a lover of all things coffee, chocolate, and Paleo. She is the author of the Flight & Glory, Renegades, and Legacy series. She loves military heroes, and has been blissfully married to hers for fifteen years.

When she’s not writing, she’s tying hockey skates for her four sons, sneaking in some guitar time, or watching brat-pack movies with her two daughters. She lives in Colorado with the hottest Apache pilot ever, their rambunctious gaggle of kids, an English bulldog who is more stubborn than sweet, and a tortoise who might be faster than the bulldog. They recently adopted their youngest daughter from the foster system, and Rebecca is passionate about helping others do the same.

Connect with Rebecca on:

         

Wilder by Rebecca Yarros

He’s Paxton Wilder.

Twenty-two-year-old, tattooed, smoking-hot leader of the Renegades.

Five time X Games medalist.

The world is his playground—especially this year—and for the next nine months I’m stuck as his tutor on the Study at Sea program.

He’s too busy staging worldwide stunts for his documentary to get to class.

But if I can’t get him to take academics seriously, I’ll lose my scholarship…if I don’t lose my heart first.

Six unlikely friends on a nine-month cruise with the Study at Sea program will learn that chemistry is more than a subject and the best lessons aren’t taught in the classroom…but in the heart. 

Wilder is available for purchase:

Wow. What can I say about Wilder? Not enough. Rebecca Yarros, yet again, throws one hell of a Book #1 to us for this new Renegade series. I absolutely loved Yarros' Flight & Glory series...so much so that I didn't think anything could come close to it. Boyyyyy was I wrong. Paxton Wilder held my attention from the first pages of this story. Yarros' storytelling is paralleled by none. I haven't come across this sort of depth and intricate storytelling in the new adult world. She spins a great tale and her series only seem to get better with each book.

This novel sets up the rest of the series very nicely, we are introduced to the cast we're going to become familiar with in this series--The Renegades. A team of adrenaline-seeking-extreme-sports-enthusiasts aboard a cruise ship as a part of a Study at Sea program for nine months. The best friends are also filming a documentary of all their stunting from places all over the world.  Each of the friends have distinct personalities but the common bond of lifetime friendship, loyalty and love. The first of this series, this is Wilder's story. There's something about the bad boys that make us all swoon. Their edge, perhaps? The draw is undeniable. Everybody wants a piece of what's not good for them. Leah is no different. She meets Pax in a once-in-a-lifetime situation--she's tutoring Pax during a nine-month stint in a Study at Sea program. Knowing he's everything that's no good for her, Leah tries to steer away from Pax and his adrenaline junkie ways but there's something about him that just pulls him to her. Both with their secrets and mysterious pasts, Leah and Pax try to tread lightly around each other, trying not to get too close. Can they resist the chemistry and attraction they can't seem to fight?

Release Day: Because of Lila by Abbi Glines

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Prim, proper, classic good girl, and her least favorite label – icy.  

Lila Kate Carter has heard them all. The last one, being the newest. She is not icy. She just doesn’t care for Cruz Kerrington and his spoiled, selfish, careless ways. That doesn’t make her icy, that makes him a jerk!  

Tired of being labeled and doing what is expected of her, Lila Kate leaves Rosemary Beach, Florida ready for an adventure. Wanting to recreate herself, find a new path, and become something more. 

 Eli Hardy is tired of women who always act the same, do the same thing and expect the same thing. He’s ready to swear off women until he can get the rest of his life together. 

 Two weeks into his no-women-rule he meets Lila. She’s so damn sweet and polite. Like she walked right out of an etiquette book. But he’d already been drunk before she walked in so there was a good chance she might not be as stunning and perfect as he thinks. He’s just too drunk to worry about that.

  The next morning, he swears he can still smell her on his skin. He just can’t remember why or what happened after that third dance. 

 Their worlds are about to collide, and so are the secrets and lies.

 

 

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Photo Credit @PopKitty

Photo credit @huxley.sbae

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Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Field Party and Existence series. She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. 

Don’t judge.  

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.

 

 

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