The Keeper (Jillian Liota)

thekeeper

Soccer goalie Rachel Jameson is in her final year at Glendale College on academic and athletic scholarships. It’s quite the achievement for a young woman who grew up in a home filled with drunken abuse, who barely made it out of high school alive. 

But she’s smart, dedicated, and has her eyes set on that cap and gown next spring. Nothing’s going to get in the way of a hard-fought battle for the freedom and independence she’s so desperately craved.

Until she meets Mack.

He stumbles into her world with a flirty smile and warm eyes – a man that pushes Rachel out of her comfort zone and into his arms. Their chemistry is swift and undeniable, and soon after meeting the two recognize the depth of their connection.

But an unfortunate circumstance forces the two to abandon their romance before it has truly begun. Rachel’s carefully planned life begins to shake like an unstable house of cards, and when she risks losing Mack completely, she has to decide what’s more important.

Her future.

Or theirs.


I was asked to review this book by the author, and usually I have a pretty good sense of the book, based on previous reviews, but this one had very little… I read it anyway, and OMG guys, I’m so glad I did.

I really liked the writing! You guys know I love dual POV in my romances, and this didn’t have it. Yeah, no dual POV, just Rachel’s POV in the first person. Normally that might have bothered me, but it didn’t, at all. I really really liked it. I didn’t think I was missing a thing by not adding Mack’s POV to the mix.

I absolutely loved the main characters. Both RJ and Mack had some serious shit in their past, but while Mack had been able to deal with it, Rachel hadn’t, because she felt like she couldn’t really burden other people with it, and it was heartbreaking. But they were both strong and determined people. I really liked how unapologetic Rachel was about who she was, though it hurt me to see that she doubted her self worth so much.

Although this is a bit of an instalove story, the connection is there, and it’s always about way more than the physical aspect of things. Actually, I think you could probably count the heated moments in one hand, and there is no explicit scenes… at all. But the amazing connection is there, and it’s so well done. I have to say that I was 100% blindsided by the reason they couldn’t be together… I did not see that one coming! And although it was sort of a forbidden romance, they both try to do the right thing and they talk about it. Yeah, even though at times they think the worst of each other, they don’t let it sit and rot, oh no, they are brutally honest with each other.

I loved how Mack was always willing to fight for her! Even when she didn’t and didn’t think she could. I also really liked that there was no unnecessary drama, like at some points I thought there might be.

Also, Rachel and Jeremy’s relationship is beyond great, it’s a great example of amazing siblings in novels. And now I really want a book about Jeremy and Charlie, because there has to be a lot more to their story.

I really liked this one, it was deep and emotional, and it dealt with so much raw and important issues. Give this one a chance and read it. NOW!

Release Day Blast: Hold My Breath by Ginger Scott

hmbrelease

We’re celebrating the release of HOLD MY BREATH by Ginger Scott! Check out the excerpt, teasers, and giveaway below!

hmb_ebookfinal

HOLD MY BREATH

NA Contemporary Romance-Stand Alone

Scheduled to release: November 18, 2016

Goodreads | AmazoniBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Google

hmbteaser1


BLURB:

Fractions of seconds can do lots of damage. One decision can ruin lives. A blink can be tragic. And loving a Hollister…can hurt like hell. 

I would know.

They say the average person can hold their breath underwater for two full minutes when pushed to the extremes. Will Hollister has been holding his for years. The oldest of two elite swimming brothers, Will was always a dominant force in the water. But in life, he preferred to let his younger brother Evan be the one to shine.

Evan got the girl, and Will…he got to bury all of the secrets. A brother’s burden, the weight of it all nearly left him to drown.

The daughter of two Olympians, my path was set the day my fingertips first touched water. My future was as crystal clear as the lane I dominated in the pool—swim hard, win big, love a Hollister.

My life with Evan burned bright. He gave me arms to come home to, and a smile that fooled the world into believing everything was perfect. But it was Will who pushed me. Will…who really knew me.

And when all of the pieces fell, it was Will who started to pick them up.

In the end, the only thing that matters are those few precious seconds — and what we decide to do while we still have them in our grasp.

hmbteaser2


Excerpt:

“I need you to stay, Will,” she says. “No matter what…if you lose, if I lose. If this gets hard, whatever this is. I need you to stay until we figure it out. And even then, I just think…” 

She lifts her head, and I cup her face in my hands, her eyes locking on mine.

“I think I just need you to stay,” she says.

I stare at her for several seconds, holding my breath, my mind racing with all of my demons, with everyone else’s demons, too. I fear none of it is possible. I’m going to break her heart. Those demons — they’ll destroy her.

But I can’t give her up. I need her to stay, too. Even though I can’t promise it; even though I shouldn’t, I say exactly what she needs to hear.

I let myself believe it for the breath it takes to speak. 

“Okay,” I say, bringing her lips to mine, kissing her softly then closing my eyes as her forehead rests against mine. “Okay,” I whisper again.

I may have to break this promise, but for right now…for right now, I mean it.


hmbteaser3

hmbteaser4


GIVEAWAY:

Click on the link below for a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

rafflecopter

hmbteaser5


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

GS photo

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams and The Hard Count.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she’s not writing, the odds are high that she’s somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork ’em, Devils).

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Youtube | Google

hmbteaser6