*Book Blitz* Looking for Trouble by Stacey Mosteller

Looking for Trouble
Stacey Mosteller
(Nashville U #1)
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: September 20th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

She’s:
Uptight
Sheltered
Allergic to fun
He’s:
Cocky
Crude
Unapologetic
He’s all dirty jokes and curse words, while she’s quiet and shy. She blends into the background, while he is the center of everyone’s attention.
Clay Mitchell never expected to fall in love. Especially not with a girl he’s known all his life and one who’s always been off-limits.
Opposites might attract, but in this case of explosive chemistry, someone’s heart is bound to be shattered.
As enemies become friends and friends morph into more; Clay has definitely met his match.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

On sale for 99¢ for a limited time only!

—

EXCERPT:

Kat

     Finally, Clay takes my hand, forcing me to stop and meet his intense gaze. "Chill," he says in a scratchy voice. "I'm not going to hurt you." I snort in disbelief and his eyes go flat. "I mean it, Kat. You've had a rough night, and I wouldn't make it worse..." he trails off, thinking. "At least, not on purpose." One side of his mouth tips up in a small grin, and I feel myself smile back at him.  

     "Sorry," I tell him sheepishly. He shrugs, but doesn't say anything, so I take the shrug to mean "don't worry about it." 

     Silence falls between us, but for once it's not an uncomfortable silence. After a minute or so, I'm unable to keep my eyes on his. It feels too intimate, especially tonight. My stomach feels like a thousand butterflies have taken up residence inside it, a feeling I've never had before, and one that definitely isn't one I would associate with Clay. The Clay sitting across from me though is someone completely foreign to me. He's being nice, sweet even, and it's disconcerting. The tension in the room becomes thick, and it feels like something important is about to happen.

     Where before, I was the one unable to sit still, now it's him. The longer we sit not speaking, the more he moves, trying to get comfortable. He shifts from side-to-side, straightens, so he's no longer hunched forward, then rubs the back of his neck with one hand like he's got a crick in it. 

     "So," he starts, "uh...are you sure you're okay?" I nod, my throat feeling like there's a knot inside it. God, this is so awkward. At my nod, he does the same, then stands. Clay shoves his hands back in his jeans' pockets and looks longingly towards the door. 

     I stand, and he moves closer to the door. "I guess I'll see you later?" he asks, opening the door and sighing visibly in relief when he's standing in the hallway. I walk to the doorway too and look up at him. 

     "Yeah, see you in class, Clay. Thanks for...you know...coming to check on me tonight." I smile up at him, and he gives me one in response. Then, before I can anticipate it, he leans down, so his mouth is close to my ear, and I instinctively turn to see what he's doing. He was aiming to kiss my cheek, but I don't figure that out until it's too late, and instead, he kisses my lips. 

     Frozen in shock, neither of us move. Our lips are barely touching, but it's enough that I feel like mine are on fire. His eyes are as wide as I know mine are, and I gasp, pulling away quickly. I raise a suddenly shaking hand to my lips, and he straightens, standing stiffly. 

     "Sorry," he mutters, before turning away and practically running down the steps. I'm left standing in my open doorway, staring after him like an idiot. The only thing I can think? Ohmigod, I just kissed Clay! What's next? Is the world going to end? A blizzard? A hurricane in the middle of Tennessee? 

Author Bio:
Stacey is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of Second Chances and Shadows of the Past (co-authored with H.M. Ward), the Nashville Nights, Two Sisters and Nashville U series (coming late 2015 from Swoon Romance).
She is also a wife, mother, writer and self-professed bookwhore – not necessarily in that order! As the mother of three growing boys, her Kindle has become her temporary escape from the insanity of boys, dogs and her husband. Stacey can usually be found curled up with her iPad when she’s supposed to be writing or creating endless Spotify playlists!

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NC Book Blogger Link-Up

I'm linking up with Cafinated Reads for the North Carolina Book Blogger link-up.  If you're a book blogger in North Carolina, feel free to click on the button above to be taken to the link up and join us!  

Weekly Wrap-Up 5-14-17

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Hosted by Tynga's Reviews

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG

• Release Blitz + Review - Confessions of a Former Puck Bunny by Cindi Madsen
• Bout of Books 19 TBR
• Interview with author Ginna Moran
• Release Blitz + Review - Out of the Ashes by RC Boldt
• Spotlight - Bad to the Bone by Linda O Johnston
• Review - #Poser by Cambria Hebert
• Book Blogger Hop
• Review - Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich
• My To-Be-Read List - winner

THIS WEEK ON THE BLOG

• Book Blitz - Looking for Trouble by Stacey Mosteller
• Release Blitz - Swear by Adriana Locke
• Guest Post from Lesley A Diehl
• Interview with Jessica Titone

BOOKS IN MY MAILBOX

The only new book this week is a signed copy of The One by Kiera Cass

OFF THE BLOG

We got Chris' 5th grade graduation pictures this week.  The school had their spring pictures taken about a month or so ago and they took graduation pictures for the 5th graders.  I had no idea they were doing the graduation pictures, so this was a complete surprise!  I'm so happy with how they turned out so we bought a few sheets from the package.  I can't wait to frame it and hang it up! 

Tuesday night at work, we had 13 kids (ranging in age from 8 months to 10 years old) for childcare for the prayer service.  It was an absolute madhouse in the room, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love those kiddos and they sure know how to make things interesting LOL!

On Friday I got a letter from the college saying that they FINALLY received my financial aid application from FAFSA.  Now I just have to go up there on Monday to fill out a form that they require and then wait on the approval from the college.  Then I can register for my fall classes.  I'm really excited now that I'm not stuck in limbo with the financial aid.  I'm ready to start my classes and start working toward my degree (I'm going for Early Childhood Education).

Yesterday we took Chris and Logan to Toys R Us for their Pokemon trade event.  Whenever they have one of those events, they usually hand out a special Pokemon card and sometimes a figure.  Chris and Logan have built up their cards enough now that they have a lot of duplicates and are able to trade with other kids.  The last time we went to one of those events, they were just starting out with collecting the cards, so they didn't have anything to trade.  The boys had such a blast looking through everyone else's cards and making trades.  <3 

Also, Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there! <3

WEEKLY FUNNY

Do you loan out your books to friends or family?  After several instances of getting my things back in horrible condition, I'm extremely picky about who I lend my books out to now.  

My To-Be-Read List.... we have a winner!

Last week you all voted between these 3 books to choose which one of them I would read and review this month.  

It was neck and neck for a while, which was pretty exciting.  I was anxious to see which one would win.  

the winner is........

My review will be up on the 27th, so be sure to check back and see my thoughts on it.  :) 

*Review* Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich

Synopsis:

Something big is brewing in Trenton, N.J., and it could blow at any minute.

Stephanie Plum might not be the world's greatest bounty hunter, but she knows when she's being played. Ken Globovic (aka Gobbles), hailed as the Supreme Exalted Zookeeper of the animal house known as Zeta fraternity, has been arrested for beating up the dean of students at Kiltman College. Gobbles has missed his court date and gone into hiding. People have seen him on campus, but no one will talk. Things just aren't adding up, and Stephanie can't shake the feeling that something funny is going on at the college - and it's not just Zeta fraternity pranks.

As much as people love Gobbles, they hate Doug Linken. When Linken is gunned down in his backyard it's good riddance, and the list of possible murder suspects is long. The only people who care about finding Linken's killer are Trenton cop Joe Morelli, who has been assigned the case, security expert Ranger, who was hired to protect Linken, and Stephanie, who has her eye on a cash prize and hopefully has some tricks up her sleeve. 

My Review:

5 out of 5 stars

★★★★★

I got into a romance reading binge last year so it has been quite a while since I picked up a Stephanie Plum book. I quickly remembered why I love them so much though. These characters have such funny and quirky personalities - I found myself laughing out loud several times throughout the book. 

The mystery and suspense behind the secondary storylines kept me interested in the book and had me flipping pages quickly to find out how everything would turn out. 

The ending shows some great promise that I'm hoping we will see go further in the next book. All I have to say is....it's about time!! I blew through this book in less than a day and am looking forward to diving into the next book. 

Book Links:
Goodreads
Amazon


Author Info:

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O'Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.
Website

Book Blogger Hop 5/12 - 5/18

Book Blogger Hop

This week's question is: 
If you read a book you ended up hating, would you stay away from future books by that author, or would you give them a second chance?


If I read a book by an author and end up hating or really not liking it, more often that not I don't read anything else by that author again.  It mostly depends on why I hated the book so much.  

If I didn't like the book because of the writing style of the author, I won't pick up a book by that author again. There are just some writing styles that don't work for me, and I avoid books by those authors.  

If I didn't like the book because of the characters or the plot, I might try one more book from that author at some point.  If I end up not liking that book either, then I won't read anything else by them again.  

What about you?  What are your thoughts on this?  

*Review* #Poser by Cambria Hebert

Synopsis:

Posers gonna pose 

I am a man who had nothing, but found everything.
I'll never go back to nothing ever again.
I vowed to protect her, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do.
The pictures I stumbled upon haunt me still, the secret I shoulder is heavy.
They say secrets put distance between two people, but the truth is far more destructive than keeping it will ever be.
I won't ever tell. She can't ever know.
When I look in the mirror my reflection is of who I'm afraid I'll become and not the man I am.
It makes me feel like a poser, no better than all the others pretending to be exactly who they aren't.
How does a man keep it together when everything is unraveling right here in his hands?
I didn't start any of this.
I never asked for it.
But it came knocking at my door.
When secrets and threats knock, I don't hide.
I open the door.
Because the best way to take down a poser is to be one. 

My Review:

5 out of 5 stars

★★★★★

Wow! These books just keep getting better and better. I've enjoyed watching these characters grow throughout this series and am looking forward to where the next story will take them. I'm going to be honest, there were parts of this book that were extremely difficult to read. If you've read the previous books, you know what happened to Ivy. My heart broke for her while she struggled internally. I can't even begin to imagine going through something like that. I also had a little trouble with the decision Braeden made, but ultimately I understand why he decided what he did. Zack's POV in this book took me completely by surprise. I wasn't expecting that. It wasn't easy being inside his head and there were times that he actually made my skin crawl and my stomach lurch. Honestly, I don't believe Missy is much better than Zack, either. I don't think I have ever hated two characters as much as I hate those two. I loved getting little glimpses of Romeo and Rimmel. I am so proud of Braeden and Ivy for sticking together and fighting to get through the tough times instead of letting it tear them apart. You can feel the love they have for each other coming up from the pages and it is so sweet to read. The same can be said for Romeo and Rimmel. Those two couples have such strong love for each other. While this book dealt with some difficult topics, there is also so much love, loyalty, friendship, and sense of family. You really feel like you know these people and like you are a part of their tribe.

Book Links:
Goodreads
Amazon

Author Links:
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