Northanger Alibi by Jenni James Giveaway

Okay people, here it is!  This is the first of many great giveaways for this week all in celebration of our 1 year blogoversary!

For this giveaway, I'm calling all Jane Austen and Twilight fans everywhere!  This is one for you!  I had the priviledge of reading and reviewing an arc of this in January and really enjoyed this book!  It was such a lighthearted, fun read.  You can check out my review of Northanger Alibi here.  You can also go to Jenni James's website and see all the fun she has planned with her Jane Austen Diaries.  Northanger Alibi is out now and if you don't win our giveaway, you can snag your own copy on Amazon or if you prefer an ebook here.  Here's a little bit about the book:

This modern Gothic remake of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, and nod to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series, will leave you in stitches--literally.
Seattle Washington, and the Russo family, are no match for Claire Hart and her savvy knowledge of all things vampire related. Thanks to her obsession with the Twilight series--if there is anyone who would know a vampire when she saw one, it's Claire. And she's positive totally hot Tony Russo is a vampire, she just has to prove it! Follow Claire's hilarious journey on her first summer adventure away from home, where she learns everything isn't what it seems, and in some instances, reality is way better than anything she'd ever find in a book.

It's Our 1 Year BLOGOVERSARY

Guys! It’s hard to believe that Amy and I started the YA Sisterhood one year ago. I remember sitting on my couch, working on that background, asking Amy which book covers we should include in the background. I remember posting that first review (the wonderful Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini) and being ecstatic over the 10 hits we got. I remember screaming when Josephine herself tweeted about the review on twitter. 


We’ve come a long way since then (but I still scream every time we interact with an author). On a whim, last summer (after only a few months blogging), we decided to hold a tournament pitting hot YA boys against each other. We grew up in a sports household, but talking about Jace and Peeta is much more entertaining for us than talking about UT and OSU. The next thing we knew, our hits exploded, and people all over the world were chiming in with their favorite YA Crushes. Authors that we obsessed over in private were tweeting about it on Twitter and mentioning it on their blogs. Our blog grew exponentially, expanding from about 100 followers to a 1000 within two months time. We made some fantastic blogger friends (here’s looking at you advocates!), formed relationships with some of our favorite authors, added a sister-in-law and a few honorary sisters, and had more fun than we ever could have anticipated. You guys know how the story goes from there… we continued blogging and strengthening those relationships. Then we held the Heroine Tourney, which allowed us to celebrate the counterpoints of those YA Crushes that had started it all. And now we’ve come full circle. In a year, we’ve had over 900,000 hits, and are approaching that big MILLION mark. 


This blog has become so much more than we ever planned. And we have you all to thank for that! Seriously, we love opening our emails to see comments from you guys. We can waste hours talking books with you on Twitter. And to thank you all for your wonderful support, we’re holding our SUPER MEGA GIGANTIC AWESOME BLOGOVERSARY GIVEAWAY!  We’ve got ARCS! We’ve got signed books! We’ve got SWAG! And we want you all to have a chance to win it! So, thanks again for everything you’ve done!!!


Starting this weekend, we will start celebrating!  Be sure to come back tomorrow to enter our 1st giveaway to thank all of you for such an amazing year!

Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith

Kiss Crush Collide

By Christina Meredith

ARC received from HarperTeen

Reviewed by Sis-in-law Sarah

Kiss 
What Leah did—only she really shouldn’t have—one hot night at a country club party.

Crush 
What Leah has—only she really shouldn’t have—on the guy with the green eyes, the guy who is not her perfect boyfriend, the guy who does not fit in her picture-perfect life, the guy her sisters will only mock and her mother will never approve of. Not in a million years.

Collide 
What happens when everything you always thought you wanted—having cool friends, being class valedictorian and homecoming queen—runs smack into everything it turns out you really do want.

Kiss. Crush. Collide.
For Leah and Porter, summer is only the beginning.

Summary from barnesandnoble.com

When I picked up this book, I was looking for a quick read that still had me falling in love with the characters, and that's exactly what I got with this one!

Leah is THAT popular girl.  You know the one...the one that everything seems to just magically happen for her without her seemingly having to lift a finger.  She has the perfect family (her mother has made sure that everyone knows this too...after all, appearances ARE everything), the perfect grades (easy to do when you're the youngest of three and your two older sisters were valedictorians), the perfect boyfriend (he's popular too...that's all that matters, right?)  Like I said...the perfect life.  And she hates it.  But then again, wouldn't you?  Even though we all still tend to fall into the trap of believing attaining the perfect blah-blah-blah will make us truly happy, we've seen over and over again that this simply doesn't work.

So, Leah finds the solution to quitting her perfect life...and he has crazy gorgeous green eyes.  And what a romance fling this is!!!  I really enjoyed the story of Leah and Porter...how they find each other and use each other to escape their, though totally opposite, equally imprisoning lives.

Yet, my favorite part about this book is all the family dynamics.  Leah has two older sisters.  Being from a family of three girls (as are Big Sis Amy and Baby Sis Brittany), I could identify with so much of the dynamics between them.  Now, I will say they kind of have a mucho crazy mom, which, thankfully, I do not.  But the dynamics between three sisters was very familiar!  It's the job of the oldest to plow the way through for the younger ones, the job of the middle to bend the rules just a little, and the job of the youngest to find that path that makes her just a little different from the others so she is not just the last sister in a line of three.  Throughout the book, Leah is trying to figure out who she is, because she is not sure if the life of the older two is what she wants.  I loved having this new perspective...as Leah is the youngest and I am the oldest.  I felt like it gave me a little insight into being the baby of the family!

I'd definitely recommend this one, especially if you're looking for that quick weekend read!  And I know the cover looks especially juicy (or, as my baby sister exclaimed when she saw it sitting on my coffee table, "Sarah! What KIND of books are you reading?!?!), but this one's relatively clean with a few steamy makeout scenes and some talk about sex.

Teaser Tuesday: If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!) 

 Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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I actually read this book last week, in fact I read books 2-5 in this series last Wednesday through Saturday. I couldn't make myself stop!  I also keep going back to read this one, heart-stopping, stomach clenching, squee-worthy quote!  So, I must share it with all of you, in hopes that if you haven't read this series, you will and come squee with me!  If I Die is the 5th book in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent and is on shelves now!

"I fell into that kiss like Alice into Wonderland, headfirst and flailing, heart pounding the whole time.  The world spun around me and still I fell, and I only crashed down to earth again when someone called my name." (p. 206)

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Cover Reveal & Excerpt of INBETWEEN by Tara Fuller

We're excited to reveal to you the cover for an upcoming release by Entangled Publishing! Entangled is sort of a new kid on the block, but they are already making a HUGE splash. Remember OBSIDIAN by Jennifer L. Armentrout? Remember how I gushed uncontrollably? Same Publisher. We sisters have also had a chance to read two more Entangled books (reviews to come soon), and adored them both. Not to mention, they've got numerous books scheduled to release that sound absolutely amazing! We're so excited to be able to help spread the word about one of those new releases! So, here it is, ladies and gentlemen! The cover for INBETWEEN (Kissed by Death, #1) by Tara Fuller, scheduled for release on August 7, 2012! 

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s

life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving

“accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so

Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling

in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who

makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate

has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him

hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn't let her die before,

and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves

from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the

only thing he has left…his soul.

Here is a special exerpt from Inbetween:

Chapter 1

Finn

Sometimes Emma made me feel so alive, I almost forgot I was dead. 

Almost. 

I sank down onto the side of her bed, amazed by the blazing wildfire that swept through me whenever Emma was near enough to touch. I took a deep, unneeded breath, and settled down on my side next to her. The mattress didn’t sink. The springs didn’t groan with the weight of an extra body. The distance between us was an impossible void. Inches that might as well have been miles. Miles that left me wanting in so many ways that I ached.

Even the sun couldn’t resist her. Its glowing rays caressed her skin, and stained her hair the satiny color of summer wheat. Before I knew what was happening, my hand followed their lead. Cells ignited. My skin burned, screaming with the agonizing need to touch— 

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

I jerked my hand away just as Easton melted up from the polished hardwood floor beneath the window. Like an oil slick coming to life, he unfolded his long, shadowy legs until he was just an ink blot against the square of tangerine sunrise behind him. His violet eyes pinned me like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. 

Which, I kind of was.

“Nothing,” I lied.

“Yeah, looked like nothing.” He strolled across the room accompanied by a wave of sulfur and smoke, the black serpent tattoo on his neck glinting. “What were you planning to do, recite her poem? I swear to God, if you were still alive I’d confiscate your man card.” 

I ignored the barb and scrunched up my nose. “Jesus, Easton. Don’t they have a shower somewhere between here and the afterlife?” 

“Screw you. You didn’t just have to tow somebody’s grandpa to Hell.” He brushed something chalky and grey off of his cloak and a shudder worked its way down my spine. God only knows who or what it belonged to. “Besides I wasn’t the one about to feel up a sleeping human.” 

“I wasn’t—”

“Save it.” He waved his hand. “We have work to do. I don’t have time for your useless obsession with the human today.”

 “Will you please stop calling her that?”

“What?” Easton glanced up from Emma’s vanity, where he’d been inspecting the various lotions and bottles like he was on some alien planet. Then again, Easton had been dead for something like four hundred years, so all of her stuff probably was sort of alien to him.

“The human. You make me sound like a freak. It’s not like we’re a different species for God’s sake. We were humans, too, or don’t you remember that far back?”

“Were. Past tense.” 

We could have gone back and forth like that for hours, but the call came. It always did. It started in my bones—a cold so cutting that it sliced through me like a machete. When I looked up, Easton’s jaw was clenched, his muscles taut and ready. He slowly closed his hand around the handle of his scythe that burned black and softly smoked at his side. I flexed my fingers as the icy ribbons of death worked their way through each one of my limbs.

“Can you take this one for me?” I asked. “You’re already going to be there, and I just got back—”

“No,” Easton said. “Hell no. I have my own job to do. I can’t keep covering for your sorry ass. Besides, you’re already on thin ice with Balthazar. Don’t push your luck, Finn. Just keep your nose down, collect your souls, and thank the Almighty that you don’t have my job. Now let’s go.”

“Yeah, but…” My eyes returned to Emma. Sleeping. Perfect. Safe.

“For the love of God. She’ll be fine, you pansy.” Easton clamped a hand over my shoulder and dragged me from the bed.

“How do you know?”

He shrugged. “I don’t.”

 With that he vanished, consumed in a flash by the keening wails of the damned. The screams beckoned. Clawed at me from the inside out. 

Rule one as a seeker: Death doesn’t wait for anyone. 

And it sure as hell wasn’t waiting for me now.

Paperback Available for Pre-Order from Amazon.

Add to your Goodreads.

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

The Gathering Storm 
By Robin Bridges
Reviewed by: Sis-in-law Sarah
ARC received from: Random House Publishing
Release date: Just released January 10, 2012!

Summary from goodreads.com

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue. 

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn. 

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

Having enjoyed Russian literature in the past, loved movies such as Anastasia and Dr. Zhivago, and visited Russia and Montenegro, I was very much drawn to this book.  There is such an eeriness to Russian culture that truly lends itself to the supernatural, making this book a perfect blend of historical fiction and paranormal.  Well done, Robin Bridges, in choosing such an awesome setting for such a creepy mysterious story!

Basically, the author has taken the Russian fairytales of how the tsars were very much involved in the paranormal (faeries, vampires, werewolves, and such) and combined them with the story of a young girl who, like all young girls, is seeking to find her true self and her purpose.  And how often in that seeking we find things within ourselves that we feel make us unacceptable and unloveable!  Katerina is no exception!

Katerina (or Katiya) is born with what she and others believe is a dark curse...the ability to raise the dead.  Once she discovers this about herself she will do everything in her power to conceal it from those she loves, knowing full well that if her power is revealed, she will be cast out...perhaps even killed.  What she doesn't know, is that she is desperately needed to defeat the darkness that threatens the Russian tsar and his family.  What an awesome premise for a creepy book filled with undead soldiers, blood drinkers, mysterious spells, extravagant balls, and handsome young men!

And handsome young men it has!!! Of course Katiya has attracted the attention of two royal princes, Danilo, the crowned prince of Montenegro, and George Alexandrovitch, the second son of the Russian tsar.  (Don't you wish these things happened in real life? Not one...but two princes?! Really?!)  One prince she seems not to be able to stay away from, the other she desperately needs.  So realistic...doesn't love tend to be confusing at times?! The romance is a definite plus in this book! And those who prefer to stay on the clean side of romance can feel comfortable reading this one!

I did have a hard time with the names in this book.  Obviously, they are all Russian.  And everyone has like...three or four names.  And since it is Russian nobility, many of the characters are related to each other somehow.  It makes it kind of difficult to keep up with who's who.  However, I can understand this, having never successfully made it through a Tolstoy novel actually knowing whom everyone is from beginning to end.  Yet, I do feel like the author did the best she could with this, keeping to the Russian tradition of names (which she explains in the beginning of the book), yet making it accessible to the young reader.

This is definitely the beginning to an exciting new trilogy you're gonna want to get your hands on!  I'm most certainly anxious for book #2!

Cover Reveal: Gravity by Melissa West

Today we have the honor of revealing a beautiful new cover, for an upcoming book from Entangled Publishing.  We love Entangled and everything that we have read thus far from them, and we have a sneaking suspension that we are going to fall hard for this book also!  With a beautiful cover, a great setup, and a dreamy boy named Jackson, count us in times a thousand!  Gravity is by Melissa West and will be released in October of 2012.

In the future, only one rule will matter:
Don't. Ever. Peek.
Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the lastperson she expected hovering above her bed - arrogant Jackson Locke, themost popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kindof freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: helphim, or everyone on Earth will die.
Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes herquestion what she's been taught about his kind. And against her instincts,she's falling for him. But Ari isn't just any girl, and Jackson wants morethan her attention.  She¹s a military legacy who¹s been trained by herfather and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one canknow - especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson theinformation he needs will betray her father and her country, but keepingsilent will start a war.

Pre-order Gravity from Amazon.
Add Gravity to Goodreads.

Waiting on Wednesday: Shadows (Lux #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.  It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today!  This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout! This is technically a novella prequel, but it comes in at a fantastic 179 pages! We love all things JLA, and we're certain that Dawson will be just as delicious as Daemon. 

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The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane. Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in. Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

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And *GASP* that COVER!

Raise you hand if you want SHADOWS now? Keep your hand raised if you want to keep the guy on that cover, too!

And do you know what the best part of this Waiting on Wednesday is? SHADOWS releases in LESS THAN A WEEK! 

Get your ebook of the novella on Tuesday, February 21st!

Valentine's Day Special: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Several weeks back I signed up to be apart of Rachel's (over at Fiktshun) Soul Screamers Reading Challenge. Tod and Nash were both in our YA Crush Tourney this summer, and Tod was one of the dark horses that came close to taking the whole thing!  He has some huge fans, and he won some pretty amazing matches.  I kept telling Rachel that I was going to read them, but other books kept pushing their way in front.  So, a few days back, I finally set down to start My Soul to Take, the first book in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent.  And...yep....hmmmm.....what to say....because I am still stinkin' SPEECHLESS!!!!  I'm so glad that my review is going up on Valentine's Day because I have some new very worthy crushes in Tod and (the worthy part might come in to question here) Nash!  I fell hard for both these guys!  I'm squeeing under my breath right now just writing about them! And the best part is, I still have 4 more books to go!


My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
Harlequin Teen
In stores now!
Reviewed by: AmyG (Big Sis)
Sister's Say: It's a Stunningly, Sensational, Screamin' Good Time!


 

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally. 
Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

When I started reading this book, I had concerns that it couldn't possible be as good as all the twitter hype.  I've read some pretty amazing books lately, so it had some big shoes to fill.  From the plot, to the characters, to the setting, Rachel Vincent hit a home run!  

The plot was an exciting, unique experience into the bean sidhe or banshee folklore.  As a female bean sidhe, Kaylee "sings" souls into the afterlife.  However, it only sounds like singing to male bean sidhes.  To them it is a hauntingly beautiful song that seductively draws them in, but to the rest of us, it sounds like a rippingly painful screech.  The plot Rachel Vincent weaves around this ancient lore of bean sidhes, trapped me from the very start and refused to let go until the last page.

I loved all the characters--even the terrible Sophie!  She's one of those girls that I love to hate!  Kaylee on the other hand, is an amazing, likable, heroine surrounded Nash and Tod, 2 VERY crush worthy heroes.    The chemistry between all of them keeps the pace of the novel moving.  I was on the last page of the novel way too soon!

Lastly, as a Texas girl, I must mention the setting of the great Lone Star State!  There should be more books set in Texas!  It was incredible to already have a picture of the setting in my mind as soon as she spoke of it.    I hope everyone has read a novel where they get to experience that!  I love to know that these characters and I have walked the same streets and seen the same sights.  It made me feel that I had a special connection with Kaylee, Nash and Tod.

I highly recommend this book, and definitely, read it before the next Crush Tourney!   For those wanting to know the maturity content, I would suggest this book for older YA's.  There is some sexual content, and the characters deal with some pretty mature issues regarding death and souls.  

I am in the process of reading this entire series, so stay turned for more reviews of the next books.  Also, if you want to join this Soul Screamer's Challenge, go check out more on Fiktshun's blog.  We need more people on these boys' teams!

Because of Low Blog Tour: Willow's POV

We, at the YA Sisterhood, love us some Abbi Glines. You might recall our review of her first book Breathe or her next book The Vincent Boys or her next book Existence. Did we mention we love how prolific she is too! And her latest book actually features a character we already know and love-- Marcus Hardy from Breathe! BECAUSE OF LOW is told in alternating POV between Marcus and the girl who catches his eye, Willow or Low. If you liked Breathe, you'll definitely like this one! And if you enjoyed the way Vincent Boys was aimed at a slightly older audience, you'll like it even more! Without further ado... here's a sneak peak at Willow from BECAUSE OF LOW. Be sure to check out the bottom of this post for more info about the tour and how you can win a copy of all of Abbi's books!

Marcus Hardy had hoped to enjoy a year away at college while he put the summer he’d rather forget behind him. But instead, he’s jerked right back to the coastal town of Sea Breeze, Alabama due to a family crisis. His dear ol' dad found himself a girlfriend only a few years older than Marcus. So now his sister needs help dealing with their mother who is mentally falling apart. The only bright spot to returning is the fascinating red head who sleeps over several times a week. The problem is she's sleeping in bed with his new roommate, Cage Watson.

Willow “Low” Foster needs a place to live. Running to Cage’s apartment every time her sister kicks her out isn’t exactly a long term solution. Juggling her courses at the local community college and a part time job doesn’t produce excess income. But Cage has a new roommate and suddenly sleeping over at her best friend’s apartment isn’t such a bad thing. Not when she gets to see those sexy green eyes of Marcus Hardy’s twinkle when he smiles at her like he wants her there.
Even though Cage seems a little territorial where Low is concerned, Marcus finds time to spend with Low without upsetting his roommate. Cage may use his small college baseball star persona to sleep with every hot female in his path but he’s still under the disillusion that when he’s through sowing his wild oats, he’s going to marry Low. Marcus intends to change that assumption for both Cage and Low. Until his carefully laid plans come crashing down with a revelation he never expected. He’ll have to choose between Low or his family. Because once the truth comes out.... there’s no other choice.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Willow's POV

 I took the quilt off the bed as I stood up and gently covered Cage’s half naked body. He’d stripped down to his boxers last night in his attempt to get rid of his smoke, whiskey, and cheap women infested clothing. Didn’t matter he still smelled like all those things. The ridiculously chiseled body of his was always a golden brown. His mother had been one hundred percent Indian and it was obvious in his features. The pale blue eyes of his had to be the only thing his dad gave him genetically and physically. That was one of the many bonds Cage and I shared, absent fathers. 

  My suitcase held the only three clean outfits I currently had. My dirty clothes were piled up over in the corner of Cage’s room in a plastic laundry basket. I really needed to make time to do the laundry. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a “Hurricane’s Baseball” t-shirt Cage had given me from my meager supply of clothing, I dressed quickly and quietly. After I’d brushed my hair, I closed my suitcase and threw my clothing from last night into the dirty clothes basket. 

  Gently closing the bedroom door behind me so I didn’t wake him, I turned and headed for the fridge. I needed some coffee and I wanted to leave some ready for Cage when he woke up. Lord knows he’d need it after his late night. 

“I thought you left last night.”

I spun around to see Marcus Hardy sitting at the kitchen table with a newspaper and a cup of coffee already in his hands. I really wish he wasn’t so dang gorgeous. Marcus Hardy wasn’t in my league or even my atmosphere. How Cage had landed a Hardy for a roommate, I had no idea. Preston must be really tight with Marcus which seemed odd since Preston grew up much like Cage and me. 

“Um, no, that was Cage that left last night.” 

Marcus frowned that disapproving frown I’d seen last night again. He really didn’t get Cage and me at all. I wasn’t sure if he was judging me or Cage but it annoyed me. Even though he had the prettiest green eyes I’d ever seen on a guy in my life. 

“Cage isn’t here?”

I shook my head, “No, he’s back. He had a um, call last night and he went out. He got back a few hours ago.”

“So he left you here while he went... out”

I sighed and reached for a coffee cup. 

“Yep”

“I was going to make me some eggs and toast. You want some?” 

That hadn’t been the response I’d expected. I was sure he was going to beat this thing with Cage and me into the ground. Instead, he was offering to fix me breakfast. 

“No thanks, I’ve got to go keep my niece today.” I held up the coffee mug in my hand, “I take mugs full of coffee with me when I leave but I always bring them back.” 

Marcus shrugged, “No worries. They aren’t mine anyway.”

“I know. I bought them for Cage when he got this place.”
Marcus stood up and walked over to the fridge and began getting eggs and butter out. If I was honest with myself I really wanted to stand here and watch him cook. Then eat breakfast with him and see if I could make him smile. I felt sure he had a really nice smile. Those green eyes would probably twinkle. 

“If you’re sure you can’t stay. My cooking is pretty damn impressive.” 

Marcus reached over to open the drawer beside me. The clean soap smell mixed with coffee and something else that reminded me of warm summer days met my nose. I fought the urge to grab his shirt and take a deeper whiff. He’d think I was crazy. I’d always thought the way Cage smelled when he came home from celebrating a victory game was the best smell in the world. But Cage’s sweat, beer, and cigarettes couldn’t compete with clean Marcus Hardy. 

Okay, I needed to go. 

“Um, okay, I gotta run. Thanks again and I’ll take you up on breakfast another time. I’ve got to get to my sister’s place before she comes over here with my niece in tow.”

Marcus glanced up and a small frown puckered his brow. He seemed concerned. If the guy only knew this was the least of my problems. I wondered what he would think if he knew I actually had nowhere to live. My sister’s couch and Cage’s bed were the only options I had for now. Somehow I knew he’d want to fix that and it warmed me. Shaking my head from my illusions of Marcus, I stepped around him and his yummy goodness then headed for the door. 

“You gonna be okay?” he called as my hand touched the handle. A smile tugged at my lips. I was right. He did care. But then guys like Marcus wanted to save the world. 

“Yep,” I replied glancing back over my shoulder to flash him a smile before stepping outside and heading to my reality.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Giveaway: 

Abbi is supplying each blog on the tour an ebook copy of Because of Low and a signed bookmark to giveaway.

To enter all you have to do is comment below. You can get more entries by tweeting about this post and adding a link back. If you tweet about it be sure to add @abbiglines to the post so Abbi can keep up with how many entires you have. 

Grand Prize:

1. Signed copy of Breathe by Abbi Glines
2. Signed copy of The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines
3. Signed copy of Existence by Abbi Glines
4. ebook copy of Because of Low

ONE person will win all three copies of Abbi’s other books that are now in print signed by the author along with an ebook copy of Because of Low. To enter for the grand prize be sure to leave a comment at a minimum of five of the blog tour stops. 

Don't forget to check out more stops on the BECAUSE OF LOW Blog Tour by clicking the banner below: