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Don’t Kiss the Messenger (Edge Lake High School, #1)

by Katie Ray

Publication Date:  April 10, 2017

Publisher:  Entangled Teen Crush

Synopsis:

For most of her teenage life, CeCe Edmonds has been dealing with the stares and the not-so-polite whispers that follow her around Edgelake High. So she has a large scar on her face—Harry Potter had one on his forehead and people still liked him.

CeCe never cared about her looks—until Emmett Brady, transfer student and football darling, becomes her literature critique partner. The only problem? Emmett is blindsided by Bryn DeNeuville, CeCe’s gorgeous and suddenly shy volleyball teammate.

Bryn asks CeCe to help her compose messages that’ll charm Emmett. CeCe isn’t sure there’s anything in his head worth charming but agrees anyway—she’s a sucker for a good romance. Unfortunately, the more messages she sends and the more they run into each other, the more she realizes there’s plenty in his head, from food to literature. Too bad Emmett seems to be falling for the wrong girl…

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book involves one fiercely scarred girl who wants the new guy in town, the new guy who thinks he wants the new girl, and the new girl who really isn’t sure what she wants, and the misunderstanding that brings them all together. You’ll laugh, you’ll swoon, you’ll fall in love.   

Excerpt:

Bryn let herself in through the front door. I had been drowning my sorrows in hot chocolate and An Officer and a Gentlemen. I looked up as Bryn unzipped her coat.

“How did it go?” I asked.

“Awful.”

“You broke up?” I tried not to sound hopeful.

“Worse.” She sighed and sat down next to me on the couch. “Emmett told me he loved me. Sober. To my face. Most guys at least text that kind of stuff.”

Her words hit my heart like arrows. I slumped deeper into the couch, aching from the blow. I had been disillusioned enough to think that one day he would confess those words to me.

Tuba walked in the room and one look at me was enough to catch her up on the conversation.

“He said these weeks were torture to be away from me,” Bryn complained. “He said he had to taste the words that come out of my mouth. He actually said that! What the hell, CeCe?”

Tuba looked over at me. “Looks like we have a budding Danielle Steele on our hands,” she said. Bryn just stared between us, completely missing the reference.

“It gets worse,” Bryn said. “He told me he first fell for me because I was beautiful, but then he said none of that even mattered anymore. That my thoughts are more beautiful than anything and that’s what he loves most about me.”

I looked up at Bryn.

“He said that?” I asked.

She nodded. “That really pissed me off,” Bryn continued. “So I asked him what he would think if I was ugly and he told me he wouldn’t care.” She huffed and stuck her hands on her hips. “That is the biggest line of B.S. I have ever heard. Guys totally care about looks.”

Tuba nodded, slowly. “Yeah, but they care about other things, too.”

“Looks are most important,” Bryn shot back.

“But they’re not the only thing that’s important,” Tuba argued.

I was barely listening. Was it true? Did he really mean it? He loved her more for her mind than her looks? It didn’t take a rocket scientist to fill out the answer to the equation, then, on who he was in love with.

“So, he likes you for your mind, and it’s a problem?” Tuba asked.

“I’m proud of the way I look. I like being noticed. The way he wants me, it’s too much pressure.”

I sighed and ran my hands over my face. Bryn looked over at me.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m so sorry, Bryn. It started off so harmless, just some texts. Then it became something more. I couldn’t stop. It felt so good to be desired for once, it was like a drug.”

I held up my hands in defeat. Finally, I came clean.

Bryn’s mouth fell open with realization. “Oh my God, CeCe. I can’t believe I didn’t see it. This whole time, you’ve been falling for Emmett.”

“No—”

“You’re in love with him,” Bryn stated. She fell down next to me on the couch.

“That’s not—no, I’m not,” I stammered.

Bryn slapped her hand over her mouth as another idea took hold. “Oh my God. Emmett is in love with you!”

I shook my head, denying the words and throwing them back.

“No, he loves you. He wants you. He could never think about me like that. It was your face that he fell for, not mine.”

“Oh my gosh, CeCe. This is such a mess.”

“He’s still your boyfriend, Bryn,” I said. I swallowed because I knew my next words were a lie. “We can fix this.”

Purchase Links:

Amazon |Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

About the Author:

Katie Ray (also known by her previous author name, Katie Kacvinsky) writes teen and new adult fiction novels. Her books have been nominated for YALSA awards, and First Comes Love was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Her screenplay, A High Note, was a semifinalist in the Austin Screenplay Competition in 2015. She currently lives in Ashland, Wisconsin with her husband, two children, and a slightly insane dog.

Author Links:

Author Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Giveaway:

Signed Copy of Don’t Kiss the Messenger

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Black Dawn
by Mallory McCartney
Genre: YA/A Fantasy
Release Date: February 14th 2017
Clean Reads Publishing

Summary from Goodreads:

The end of an Empire, The rise of a Queen

Emory Fae enjoys leading a quiet, normal life. That is until two mysterious, and handsome soldiers show up at her apartment, and the life she knew is instantly whisked away. Memphis Carter and Brokk Foster come from the magical and war ridden world of Kiero, and upon Emory’s arrival she will discover she is the long lost heir to the Royal Line and is thrown into the Black Dawn Rebellion with a dynamic role to ignite the rebels and reclaim her throne.

With both men being darkly woven in her past Emory uncovers hidden secrets, a power held long dormant, and will soon realize there are worse things than supernatural humans, love, loss, betrayal, and a Mad King.

Some things are better left in the shadows.

Buy Links:

Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | Indigo

Excerpt:

Chapter Four: Memphis

The scream tore through his mind, ringing as Memphis watched Brokk stalk out of the room, his hurt plain across his face. He glanced at the now panting Emory, her anger dissipating to confusion once more. Her movements were impatient as she perched on the edge of the bunker and cradled her head.

“Emory? My name is Memphis Carter. Do you know who I am?” He could feel Nyx’s eyes burning into his back.

With a slight nod of her head, Emory peeked up at him through her fingers. “Vaguely. That still doesn’t answer where I am, and what he was doing here.” Her voice was like crystal, smooth and commanding. The voice of a Queen.

Guilt twanged in his gut, and he chose his next words carefully. “I realize what this is going to sound like, and that’s insane. Brokk and I brought you here to this world. This is the Academy—our home. You came from Earth, but this world, our world, was your home first. Kiero. We grew up together. Your family built our government. To us, you are the rightful heir to their lineage.”

It was like walking on ice—too much pressure at once and her mind would break. Memphis had to dance around the edges. Especially to protect what he had done. He asked softly, “How much do you remember?”

Her eyes were daggers as she shakily stood up. “Why should I remember this place? This world? So you’re telling me that you just kidnapped me and transported me to another world? This isn’t freaking Star Trek! It feels like my mind is being split in two. I remember my life—going to work, my apartment…but now…now it’s like someone has drawn back the stage curtain and all these broken memories have come into play. I see myself as a little girl and instead of being raised in an orphanage, I’m with parents…? And we had abilities…like supernatural abilities. Which just proves that I have lost my mind from stress because I’m being held hostage—” She choked on panic and laughter. Emory searched his eyes for an explanation.

“Show her.” Nyx’s quiet voice resonated in his mind. He stared back at Emory, narrowing his eyes. He could gently feed more memories to her. It was the only way to make her see the truth. Reaching toward Emory, he placed his palm against her temple. Her skin was cool and soft, and he could feel the adrenaline rushing through her.

About the Author

Mallory McCartney currently lives in London, Ontario with her husband and their two dachshunds Link and Lola. Black Dawn is her debut novel, the first in a series. When she isn’t working on her next novel or reading, she can be found dog grooming, book shopping and hiking. Other favorite pastimes involve reorganizing perpetually overflowing bookshelves and seeking out new coffee and dessert shops.

Author Links:

Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Instagram

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Excerpt:

Clink!

Durgan stopped and whirled around, and found another Downer, not as pale or thin, standing in the entranceway to the street. Clenched in his hand was an iron rod with a tip sharp enough to pierce flesh. Durgan eyed it and, without a weapon of his own, felt vulnerable. He knew he would have to get through one or both of the men to make it out of the alley alive with the bread still in his possession. Even if he gave the loaf to them, however, there was no guarantee they would let him walk out of there. Not waiting for another Downer to arrive, Durgan spun on his heels and barreled toward the pale Downer. He ran him over and knocked him into the wall with a thud! The Downer, dazed, slid to the ground, and Durgan burst out of the alley into the broad daylight.

The other bigger Downer chased after him, swinging the iron stake in his hand. “Get him!” he cried. “Don’t let him go!”

Several more Downers, who must’ve been hiding in the alleys, appeared and began chasing Durgan. He wound his way through the people now crowding the street, skirting around those who just stood and watched. After a few minutes of running, Durgan realized there was no way he would be able to lose them. There were too many. I’m going to have to face them, he thought, and I’m going to have to do it alone. He needed a weapon though, something that would give him a chance.

Up the street, Durgan noticed a small opening between the buildings. Once he reached it, he slid his body in the gap and began shimmying through the crevice. The space was so tightly enclosed, his nose grazed the bricks as he inched along. He moved as quickly as he could, and just as he was about to come out of the other side, he heard the voice of the pale Downer.

“Now we’ve got you,” he snarled. “You’re running out of places to go.”

Durgan forced his right foot out of the gap, but as he brought the left one up, it became wedged. He crashed into a puddle. His hands, face, and hair were drenched. He pushed himself up and pulled on his foot with such force he could feel the skin scrape off as he wrenched it free. It sent him back into the puddle with a piece of the brick. A loud cackle ricocheted through the alley.

“You’re not moving fast enough,” taunted the sickly Downer.

Standing up to run, Durgan felt pain surge through his leg. The Downer was right. He wasn’t moving quickly enough. He was out of time. This was where he had to make the stand. Bending down, he fished through the puddle and pulled out the piece of brick. He had his weapon.

“If you think you’re ready,” said Durgan, water running down his sleeve. “Come on through.”

The pale, sickly Downer, who had a lone trail of blood dripping down his head, paused. A look of hesitation flashed across his face.

“I’m waiting right here for you,” continued Durgan. “As soon as that ugly head of yours pops out of that alley, it’s going to taste brick. What’s the matter? You don’t seem so brave anymore.”

“I’m just waiting as well,” said the sickly Downer, now smirking.

“For what?”

“For us,” said a voice from the other end of the alley.

Durgan twirled around and saw the group of Downers, the one with the iron spear standing in the front, brandishing it.

“So this is how it’s going to be?” said Durgan. “One against a dozen.”

“This is how it is in the Waste,” said the sickly Downer. “In my kingdom.”

Durgan ripped off a thin piece of his shirt and wrapped it tightly around his hand, securing the brick in his palm.

“Whoever wants to be first let them come,” offered Durgan.

The Downer carrying the sharpened iron rod cautiously approached. In a sudden move, he jabbed the iron rod straight at Durgan, who grabbed the tip and pulled, bringing the brick hard into the Downer’s face with his other hand. The Downer collapsed into the puddle and didn’t move. Durgan didn’t dare lower his eyes to pick up the spear.

“Who’s next?” he asked, trying to appear calm. If only they knew how badly his heart crashed against his chest.

“Everyone,” said the sickly Downer. The smile was gone from his face.

The rest of the Downers rushed toward Durgan, who began swinging the brick. He heard the jaw crack in one Downer and the nose on another break before he was struck and brought down hard against the street. He saw nothing but stone and felt nothing but pain as hands and feet punched and kicked at him. His vision darkened. He could tell he was about to pass out.

“You see?” said the sickly Downer, whose voice sounded tinny and distant. “I am King of the Waste.”

Clink!

Durgan screamed in pain as the iron rod pierced his body and struck the stone street beneath him.

Purchase Links:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble

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