Book Blitz & Author Interview || Giveaway || Scratch || Rhonda Helms

Today is the cover reveal for Scratch
by Rhonda Helms. 

This cover reveal is organized by Xpresso Book Tours.

Scratch
By: Rhonda Helms
Published by: Kensington
Publication date: September 30, 2014
Genre: New Adult Romance

Blurb:
The most painful scars are the ones you never see.

In her DJ booth at a Cleveland dance club, Casey feels a sense of connection that’s the closest she ever gets to normal. On her college campus, she’s reserved, practical–all too aware of the disaster that can result when you trust the wrong person. But inexplicably, Daniel refuses to pay attention to the walls she’s put up. Like Casey, he’s a senior. In every other way, he’s her opposite.

Sexy, open, effortlessly charming, Daniel is willing to take chances and show his feelings. For some reason Casey can’t fathom, he’s intent on drawing her out of her bubble and back into a world that’s messy and unpredictable. He doesn’t know about the deep scars that pucker her stomach–or the deeper secret behind them. Since the violent night when everything changed, Casey has never let anyone get close enough to hurt her again. Now, she might be tempted to try.

 

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Author Interview

Music is a strong running element in SCRATCH, which even includes a playlist at the end. How has music factored in your own life?

I started in music when I was 9—I played clarinet. Stayed involved in band through high school and college. I sang in a jazz ensemble, was a singer in a cover band, and I even DJ’d for a while. In short, music was a huge part of my life for a long time. I miss performing and have even been considering
getting involved in it again!


Where did you get the idea for SCRATCH?

Part of it came from a real-life incident I’d heard that had stuck with me for many years. I always wondered what had happened to the girl who’d gone through such a traumatic event. How did she cope? How did she move on to love and trust again? This book was my exploration of how a woman who’d gone through hell could move forward and find real happiness.

Which scene in SCRATCH was the hardest for you to write?

Oh, it had to be the scene where Casey confesses to Daniel about her past. Finally opens up and divulges the painful truth. I sobbed as I wrote it—her pain was so vivid to me that I couldn’t shake it off for a while afterward. That was actually one of the hardest scenes I’ve ever written in my whole
publishing career.

What is the follow-up book to SCRATCH?

The sequel to SCRATCH is BREAK YOUR HEART, which is her roommate Megan’s story. I can’t wait for you guys to read it—this one’s a little sexier, a little scandalous. And Nick is so foxy. ;-) Coming end of July, 2015! 

You write young adult novels too—what do you have coming out in teen romance?

Next year I have two teen romances coming out with Simon Pulse—SPARKS IN SCOTLAND, which is a Scotland-set story about a girl who falls for a local Scottish boy while on vacation, and PROMPOSAL, which follows a girl and her best guy friend as they navigate love and drama during
prom season. You can go to rhondahelmsbooks.com to find out more about the other teen romances I have out, too!

About the Author:
Rhonda Helms started writing several years ago and loves writing teen and New Adult romance. She has a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. She also freelance edits manuscripts.

When she isn't writing, she likes to do amateur photography, dig her toes into the sand, read for hours at a time, and eat scads of cheese. WAY too much cheese.

Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, two kids, a dog and a really loud cat. Visit her website at http://www.rhondahelmsbooks.com for more information about her and her releases.

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Book Blitz & Author Interview || Giveaways || The Last One || Tawdra Kandle

Today is the Book Blitz for The Last One
by Tawdra Kandle. 

This cover reveal is organized by Xpresso Book Tours.

The Last One
By: Tawdra Kandle
Publication date: September 28, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Blurb:
Meghan Hawthorne is restless. The last year has been a roller coaster: her widowed mother just married a long-time family friend. Her younger brother unexpectedly became a father and a husband. Everyone’s life is changing. . .except for hers. As she begins her final summer of college, Meghan’s looking for excitement and maybe a little romance. Nothing serious; this girl just wants to have fun.

But the only man for Meghan turns out to be the last one she expects.

Sam Reynolds doesn’t need excitement, and he doesn’t want romance. Fun is out of the question. He’s been the steady, responsible one since his parents were killed, and serious is his way of life.

When Sam rescues Meghan alongside a dark Georgia backroad, she falls hard for his deep brown eyes and slow drawl. But making him see her as more than just a party girl won’t be easy. Sam’s tempted by the fiery young artist, even as he realizes that giving into his feelings will mean radical change. . .maybe more than he can handle.

Nobody ever said love was simple.

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Author Interview

Q: THE LAST ONE is the first book in a new trilogy, but apparently Meghan is not a new character to your readers. Tell us where we met her first.

A: Meghan is the daughter of Jude Hawthorne, the main female character in THE POSSE. We got to know her a little in that book, but in THE LAST ONE, we hear her side of things. . .and find out what happened the summer after THE POSSE took place.

Q: Can a reader enjoy THE LAST ONE without having read THE POSSE?

A: Absolutely. Most of my ARC readers had not read THE POSSE. It’s definitely a stand-alone. And although some seeds for the next two books are planted in the first one, Sam and Meghan’s story is complete.

Q: Do you write out an outline for the entire novel before you write it?

A: I do not. I am primarily a pantser: I have a fairly vague idea of the direction a story will take, and I begin by jotting down those ideas, along with pertinent details like setting, names, ages, relationships. These are particularly important if the book is a sequel or has characters from a previous book. I lay down a timeline. And then I just write. At times, the story goes in a different direction, and I let it. When I force it, I find my characters fold their arms over their chests and stand, foot tapping, until I stop and listen to them again.

Q: How long does it take to write a book?

A: It depends, for me. I usually try to get in at least 5,000-10,000 words in the beginning, and then I keep a steady writing schedule until I draw near the end, at which point I usually write all the time for 3-5 days. My family does not enjoy those times. The whole process can take as long as two months or as short as 4-5 weeks.

Q: You write both contemporary and paranormal romance. How do you balance those two genres?

A: It is indeed a balancing act. I enjoy both genres, and I try to have seasons for each. For instance, I usually publish paranormal in the winter/early spring and late fall, and I stick to contemporary in late spring and summer. When I’m writing contemporary, I only read contemporary, and I enjoy the fact that my characters have to act within a certain set of boundaries (most of us call those ‘reality’). When I write paranormal, it’s freeing to knock those fences down. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s okay to kick them over.

Q. Which brings us to the last question. . .what’s your next project?

A: Paranormal! I’m kicking off my adult paramystery series, Recipe for Death. I’m super excited about this series. It started out as a quick also-ran book I began writing back in my critique group days. I always intended to go back and write the rest of it. . .and then last summer, I had to write a short for the anthology ETERNAL SUMMER. I decided to use Cathryn, who had appeared in The King Series and would be in The Serendipity Duet, as the main character. She needed a love interest, and lo and behold, he turned out to be Lucas, the hero from the book I’d always just called Jackie and Lucas. This is a lighter sort of paranormal, and as the genre suggests, it’s also a mystery. I think it’s a lot of fun. The first book is called DEATH FRICASSEE, and it should be out right around Halloween.

About the Author:
Tawdra Kandle writes romance, in just about all its forms. She loves unlikely pairings, strong women, sexy guys, hot love scenes and just enough conflict to make it interesting. Her books run from YA paranormal romance (THE KING SERIES), through NA paranormal and contemporary romance (THE SERENDIPITY DUET, PERFECT DISH DUO, THE ONE TRILOGY) to adult contemporary and paramystery romance (CRYSTAL COVE BOOKS and RECIPE FOR DEATH SERIES). She lives in central Florida with a husband, kids, sweet pup and too many cats. And yeah, she rocks purple hair.

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Release Day Launch & Giveaway || Wild Girls Rule || Rosalie Lario

Today is the Release Day Launch of Wild Girls Rule
by Rosalie Lario. 

This release day launch is organized by Indie Sage PR.

Wild Girls Rule
Everly Brothers #1
By: Rosalie Lario
Publication date: September 29, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:
Wild girls get what they want... 

After moving to New York City, Hailey Thompson lands a job as the assistant to her older brother’s best friend - and her childhood crush - Andrew Everly. Seeing Andrew again both thrills and terrifies her. The lighthearted boy she remembers has grown into an impossibly handsome man, but he’s also become a cold and ruthless businessman. When Andrew agrees to hire Hailey as a favor to his childhood friend, he still thinks of her as the fresh-faced girl that he knew growing up. On the contrary, she’s all woman. Temptation in a short skirt. As alluring as she is though, the little beauty is far too flighty for a man like him...not to mention that he’s her boss. 

As Andrew secretly struggles with his self-control, Hailey does everything in her power to crack his rigid façade. After being forced to spend a weekend away together on business, Andrew’s rigorously sculpted mask of discipline begins to slip, and Hailey gladly takes advantage of the opportunity to educate him in the ways of seduction. He can claim all he wants that he likes his women elegant and controlled, but Hailey knows a dirty little secret...when it comes to matters of the heart, wild girls rule.

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Excerpt 

She could do this. No problem. Hell, if Hailey Thompson could bluff her way through a midnight game of strip poker with Rodney Belson, the reigning King of Texas Hold’em, she could do something as simple as showing up for her first day of work. 

So why did ribbons of anxious energy curl around her stomach like an army of frenetic butterflies?

Suck it up, Hailey. You need this job.Really, really needed it. Like, she’d-be-out-on-her-ass-next-week-if-she-didn’t-pay-rent needed it.

After shoving past a throng of people bustling about on their way to work, Hailey stopped before the reflective glass of a storefront and examined her reflection. 

Her eyes were wild. Too big in her face. Several light brown curls sprang free from the messy bun she’d attempted this morning. She’d have to get better at putting her hair up now that she was going to be working in a professional office every day. 

Tucking the errant strands back into place, she took a deep breath.

Stop it, Hails. No big deal.

After all, she was only about to see the object of her childhood fantasies for the first time in eighteen years. 

Yet, Andrew Everly was no longer the adolescent boy she remembered but a man in his thirties. And thanks to a little groveling by her brother, Evan, he was going to be her new boss.

Well, she’d never been one to back down from a challenge, and she wasn’t about to start now. Even if part of her wanted to hide in shame at the thought that Andrew knew what a royal screw-up she’d grown up to be. 

The offices of Everly Publications were located in a modern, midtown building that could only be characterized as a skyscraper. As she gazed up to the metal spire marking the top, a thrum of excitement sparked in her chest.

“I can’t believe I’m here,” she whispered.

The mouth-watering aroma of soft, baked pretzels and cooked onions wafted from the hot dog vendor on the street corner, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee drifted over from the building’s first floor café. Underneath it all was the faint but unmistakable stench of sewage mixed with cigarette smoke. She wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

Or Tampa, Florida, in this particular case. Though she’d only been here a short time, her hometown seemed like a distant memory.

“Heh.” Grinning, she gave in to the urge to spread her arms wide and yell, “I can’t believe I’m here!”

That earned her a few strange looks, but for the most part, everyone ignored her.Yep, gotta love that New York state of mind.

Three weeks into her new life in the city that never slept and the novelty had yet to wear off. She loved it almost as much as it overwhelmed her, and she desperately wanted to stay. Where else could she randomly break into song without immediately being labeled a lunatic?That thought alone gave her the courage to elbow her way through the crowd 

and into the revolving doors.

About the Author:
Rosalie Lario is the author of the contemporary romance series, THE EVERLY BROTHERS, as well as the paranormal romance series, DEMONS OF INFERNUM and THE FALLEN WARRIORS. Rosalie double majored in Anthropology and Classics as an undergraduate student, and briefly considered becoming an archaeologist before realizing they don't actually live the life of Indiana Jones. So what was a classical geek armed with a lot of useless knowledge to do? Become a lawyer, of course!

After attending law school in Florida, she practiced real estate law for several years before finally admitting to herself that negotiating contracts wasn't nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. When not writing, you can find her on a boat somewhere along South Florida's waterways, chasing down a rainbow or pretending to be
a pirate.

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Release Day Launch & Giveaway || The Vampire's Partner || Jordan K. Rose

Today is the Release Day Launch of The Vampire's Partner
(A Romance in Central City, Novella Two)
by Jordan K Rose. 

This release day launch is organized by Indie Sage PR.

The Vampire's Partner
Central City #2
By: Jordan K. Rose
Publication date: September 29, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Blurb:
With Panthera Laboratories running again The Vampire Guard has no choice but to return to Central City. Pretending to be lovers Hunter and Alice are sent in to do reconnaissance. But pretending to be something they both wish was real proves harder than they expect.

All logical thought tells Alice there’s no reason to mix business with pleasure unless you’re looking for a problem. Like every other girl who notices Hunter, she fantasizes about him. But becoming a member of his haram is not one of her life goals, neither is being forced to return to a life on the street. If there’s one sure-fire way of jeopardizing her career with The Guard and losing everything she’s worked so hard to attain, it’s by sleeping with her partner. The only problem is she can’t get her heart to believe logic or reason.

What is happening to Hunter? Is he losing his touch—his vampire touch? In all his years Hunter has never encountered anyone who could resist his vampire influence. Not until Alice. She’s also the only human to ever best him in a sparring match, but that was beginners luck and had nothing to do with the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking of how he wished she would see him as more than just a partner at work. No woman has ever awakened these feelings and no woman has ever denied him. He’ll do anything to persuade her to be his partner for life, love and eternity.

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Excerpt 

“People need to learn to be responsible for themselves and not expect someone else to take care of them.”


“Did you hear what you just said to me?” Alice’s tone was less than approving. “As I’ve demonstrated several times, I don’t expect anyone to take care of me.” She leaned forward and stared straight into Hunter’s eyes. “Least of all some vampire.”

Deep within Hunter something rumbled. Just the thought of anyone doing anything, good, bad or indifferent, to Alice stoked the fires that fueled his rage. He had no claim to her other than their partnership, but he’d never been a man who liked to share.

He focused on her eyes, raising the intensity of his influence and directing it at her with all his strength. He centered every ounce of his power into mesmerizing her. Relax. Listen to the beating of our hearts. Feel them move as one. He sent the commands to her in the same way he’d done to thousands of women before.

Her eyes softened. She blinked a slow, dreamy blink. Her lips parted. Her shoulders relaxed.

He knew she couldn’t possibly be immune to vampire powers. It just made no sense. He’d never met a woman he couldn’t handle.

He leaned forward and whispered, “That’s right.”

She swayed a bit in her seat.

“Careful,” he whispered and stroked his hand over hers. “Enjoy the peacefulness.”

“I will, if you cut the crap.” Her right eyebrow shot upward and her eyes opened wide. “You’re never going to quit trying are you?” She leaned forward so they were only inches apart. “We’re equals, which means you don’t get to treat me like I just arrived in high school.”

“Equals?” Hunter smiled. “Well, all right.”

He hadn’t thought of her as his equal. He hadn’t thought of her as not his equal. In spite of being the senior partner when Hunter thought about Alice he thought many things, but how they measured up to each other occupationally was not one of them.

“Equals. I’m just as good as you.” She snickered.

He nodded, certain she was just as good as he was at many things. God knew she had better endurance than any other human and she was smart, well, she may have been smarter than him, not that he planned to admit that out loud.

“I can still kick your ass.” Of this, he was certain. She was a girl, a human girl.

He might not have been half as confident if she was a vampire.

“Doubt it.” Alice pressed her sweet lips to Hunter’s. “Lover.” She nipped him, pulling his bottom lip between her teeth and sucking.

Hunter groaned. His cock throbbed, and he gripped the table in an effort to keep from doing anything more. He couldn’t care less about finding out who was recruiting for Panthera or anything about their newest weapon. All he wanted was to rip Alice’s clothes off and take her where they sat.
Shit! He’d lost complete focus.

About the Author:
Jordan loves vampires. But if you know anything about Jordan, you already knew that detail. What you didn’t know was it wasn’t long ago that she began writing about them.

A few years back Jordan received a copy of Twilight from her husband as part of her anniversary gift. By the end of that week she’d read the entire series and moved onto Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Eight weeks and eighteen vampire books later the idea for her first book, Perpetual Light came to her followed very quickly by Eva Prim.

In April of 2014 Prim & Proper, the second Eva Prim Novel released. Also available are The Demon Mistress, the first Eva Prim Novel along with four short stories. For continual 

updates on Eva please join the Snack Of The Week Club at www.evaprim.com.

In August of 2014 Jordan released the first novella in the Romance In Central City Series, Her Vampire’s Promise. Novella two, The Vampire’s Partner follows in September and A Vampire’s Passion is the October Release. Novella four, His Vampire Past is set for a November release.

Jordan is a member of the national Romance Writers of America organization and several chapters.

When she’s not writing about one vampire or another Jordan enjoys spending time with her husband, Ken and their lovable Labrador, Dino on the beautiful beaches of New England.

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RELEASE DAY LAUNCH || Snow the Vampire Slayer || Rebekah R. Ganiere

Snow the Vampire Slayer by Rebekah R. Ganiere 

  Farielle #2 

  Publication Date: September 22, 2014 

  Genres: Fantasy, Romance 

 

 

Synopsis:

Lady Snow Gwyn is tired of playing "mother" to her seven Vampire Slaying brothers. For the past two years, she's yearned to be out there fighting at their side as they hunt for bloodsuckers in the black of night. Snow is as good a fighter as any man, but she wasn't called to be a Slayer. A mere formality in her book. Prince Sageren, Son of Lothar has spent the last fifty years in exile, awaiting the day when he can finally avenge his family and take back his throne. Barely existing, he's forced to face his inner demons and the monster he once was, compelling him to vow to never drink from humans again. A simple enough task--until he crosses paths with a human who makes his fangs ache to drain her. That's why when Snow runs into Prince Sage on a late night trip to the woods, she's torn between the urge to kill him and the desire to succumb to the feeling he stirs within her. And when Snow's life is threatened by the same evil that murdered his family, Prince Sage must enlist the aid of Snow's brothers to not only help him save her life, but to also regain his rightful place as King of the Vampires. If Sage can keep the Slayers from killing him first.

About the Author

Rebekah is an award winning author. Her novel Dead Awakenings, debuted in January 2014. Red the Were Hunter, the first in her Farielle Series, released in May. The second book Snow the Vampire Slayer will be releasing in September 22, 2014. And her trilogy The Society will be released Nov. 17th 2014 by Kensington's Lyrical Press. Rebekah is the VP of Communications of the RWA FFP Chapter as well as a member of her local Los Angeles and Orange County chapters. In her spare time when she isn't writing you can find her moderating on SavvyAuthors.com or hanging out with her husband, four children and her English Bulldog, rabbit, two bearded dragons, and two tortoises. The escaped snake has yet to be found.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

Excerpt

She inhaled the scent of his leather jacket. It mixed with the musky scent of his skin and she was overcome with a sudden longing for him to kiss her. She shook her head at the thought. An aura of danger surrounded him and the risk of the encounter thrilled her. But the graceful way he moved, the way he tracked her with his gaze, stirred a note of warning inside her.

She tried to grab her sword, but his gaze fell upon her heavily and she found she couldn't.

"What are you doing to me?"

He inched even closer, bent his neck and breathed her in. Her stomach clenched. She'd never craved a man's touch so badly. She didn't like it. 

"You're using magick on me. I command you to stop."

"You command me?" He gave her a wry smile that she wanted to smack off his face.

"Are you Fae? A mage? What are you?"

"You're bleeding," he said.

"I fell. You didn't answer my question."

"No, I didn't. Let me see it."

Snow's arm lifted though she willed it to stay down. "You're infuriating."

He took her palm gently in his cool grasp and unwrapped it. "Thank you."

"Why are you doing that?"

"To make sure it heals," he whispered. He lifted her palm, examining it, and let out a shuddered breath.

"Don't touch it. I've already disinfected it." Snow's mind felt cloudy and thick, like she'd taken too
much medicine. She wanted to pull her hand away, but she couldn't. 

His touch was gentle and cool on her skin. Something nagged at the edge of her mind. She should be afraid, but she couldn't concentrate long enough to figure out why. Sage reached down and sniffed her palm. Snow's mind screamed for her to run. When he licked her wound, she sucked in a breath. Somehow the feel of his skin touching hers made her knees almost buckle.

"What are you?" she asked again.

He lifted his mouth from her skin, his eyes glowing brightly in the moonlight. Her brain finally caught up with her. No! It wasn't possible. Her brothers had said that vampires were vile and evil. They were dead, blood-sucking killers. How could this handsome, sensual man possibly be the monster they hunted at night?

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Kiss of Broken Glass- REVIEW

Kiss of Broken Glass

By Madeleine Kuderick
Published: September 9th 2014 by HarperTeen
ebook Edition, 224 pages

Publisher Description: 

After she’s caught in the school bathroom cutting herself with the blade from a pencil sharpener, fifteen-year-old Kenna is put under mandatory psychiatric watch. She has seventy-two hours to face her addiction, deal with rejection, and find a shred of hope.

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My thoughts: 

This book touched my soul in so many different ways. I was a cutter back when I was a teenager and Madeleine nails the emotion, the thoughts, the decisions on the head in this book. However, in this world it was something that 'everyone' did. Kenna's girl friend talked her in to it and it became a competition. It was never like that in my world and this world makes it that much more awful and scary.

"Whoosh!

The skin tears

and I feel this rush

swirling in my brain

like a waterspout.

A finger-tingling,

tongue-numbing,

heart-pounding

rush.

And the pain doesn't feel like pain

but more like energy

moving through my body

in waves.

Rushing.

Cleansing.

Pulsing.

Purging all the broken bits out of me

like a tsunami washing debris to the shore."

This is the most accurate representation that I've seen some one write for what cutting feels like. There is nothing like it. Unfortunately, self harm is extremely addictive. Madeleine approaches this in a very real but sensitive way. The story is told in verse which is unique in itself. It makes it sound like Kenna is legitimately writing the story herself. 

I give this book 4 stars. 

Though I wish the author wouldn't have set this up as a 

"who can cut the most" contest.

4 Coffee Cup Stars
Finished on September 11, 2014

Rites of Passage-- Release Day!

Rites of Passage
By: Joy Hensley

About the author:

Joy N. Hensley is a former middle school teacher. She used to spend her twenty-minute lunch breaks hosting author Skype chats for her students. Once upon a time she went to a military school on a dare. She lives in Virginia with her husband and two children, finding as many ways as she can to never do another push-up again. 

About the book:

Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave
her before he died.

So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting
push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle
course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who
don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But
dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty...no matter
how much she wants him.

As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they
will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every
corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and
active… and determined to force her out.

At any cost.
Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust...and choosing the wrong person could
have deadly consequences.

"I fell hard for this book. Rites of Passage is a powerful YA debut!" 

~ Katie McGarry, Pushing the Limits

"Hensley navigates the bonds of family, patriarchal military traditions, and the meaning of courage in a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Throw in just the right amount of swoon and RITES OF PASSAGE is impossible to put down." 

~Trish Doller, author of Something Like Normal and Where the Stars Still Shine

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Rethinking Normal- REVIEW

Rethinking Normal
By Katie Rain Hill
Expected publication September 30th 2014 by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
ebook, 288 pages
ISBN: 1481418254

Publisher Description:
In her unique, generous, and affecting voice, nineteen-year-old Katie Hill shares her personal journey of undergoing gender reassignment.

Have you ever worried that you'd never be able to live up to your parents' expectations? Have you ever imagined that life would be better if you were just invisible? Have you ever thought you would do anything--anything--to make the teasing stop? Katie Hill had and it nearly tore her apart.

Katie never felt comfortable in her own skin. She realized very young that a serious mistake had been made; she was a girl who had been born in the body of a boy. Suffocating under her peers' bullying and the mounting pressure to be "normal," Katie tried to take her life at the age of eight years old. After several other failed attempts, she finally understood that "Katie"--the girl trapped within her--was determined to live.

In this first-person account, Katie reflects on her pain-filled childhood and the events leading up to the life-changing decision to undergo gender reassignment as a teenager. She reveals the unique challenges she faced while unlearning how to be a boy and shares what it was like to navigate the dating world and experience heartbreak for the first time in a body that matched her gender identity. Told in an unwaveringly honest voice,Rethinking Normal is a coming-of-age story about transcending physical appearances and redefining the parameters of "normalcy" to embody one's true self.

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My thoughts:

Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this as an advanced ebook copy.

This is a fantastic memoir about growing knowing you are transgender. Katie, who was born Luke, was very aware of herself early on. She even specifically states and remembers knowing that she was "different" from the age of 2. The book begins with Katie being a sophomore in college at TU. She recounts different experiences as she accounts for her life now. Through out the book it is a look back at her life, from very early on up to where she was at the time of the writing of the book. 

Katie recounts what it was like to be ridiculed, bullied, and judging by her classmates through school. She also tells about the people that were her friends despite what others said about her. Katie describes what it was like to keep her secret many times throughout her life because of the fear of rejection she had. 

An important part to Katie's story was her relationship with her parents. Once close to her father their relationship became stranded and they were ultimately disconnected. Her relationship with her mother was the complete opposite. Though Katie tried many times to reach out to her mother about feeling different her mom pushed the concern to the side many times. Her mother eventually becomes her number one support system. 

Overall, I believe this is a wonderful read for people of all generations. Whether you are a tween/teen who feels like you can identify with her or like myself, someone who has no knowledge of anything has to do with transgender individuals. 5 Coffee Cup Stars for this amazing piece of literature. 

5 Coffee Cup Stars
Finished August 29, 2014