Jade C. Jamison's Bullet Blog Tour

 

Some of you may remember my Rock Star Week ~ where I featured a different author of a Rock Star Romance per day? Well, Jade was one of those authors and I love ALL her books~ Now, BULLET I freaking adored and I'm going to share my review again with you in case we have anyone that didn't get a chance to see exactly HOW MUCH I adored Bullet! But I was lucky enough to get a Playlist out of Jade for Bullet! See one thing I have in common with Jade besides living in the same state and very near one another, is that I too am a HEAVY METAL girl! I love ROCK always have always will ~

 

Now without further adieu here's Jade's Playlist for Bullet:

Playlist for Bullet

I always play music when I write, and Bullet was no exception. In this playlist, some of this music I was just listening to some of it was for inspiration (which I note below):

Full CDs: 

New American Gospel-Lamb of God (just because I’m a huge LoG fan!) 

Blood-In This Moment: This album is crucial for many reasons. First off, if the character of Val in full metal persona should remind you of anyone and she doesn’t remind you of Lita Ford, she should remind you of Maria Brink. More than that, though, there are two songs that I played a lot while writing particular scenes. The song “Burn” helped me when I wrote the scene where Val realizes who she really loves (“There was a song in my head that played, one that would never be written, one I’d never sing, but one that my soul was singing for him, crying for him, one that would never not need him”—chapter 36) and “Adrenalize,” for the HOT scenes before—chapters 35 and 36). 

Shadows are Security-As I Lay Dying: In case you hadn’t already heard, former bassist for AILD, Clint Norris, was the inspiration for Jet’s look, so I had to channel that through the music, especially the songs where he sings clean vocals: “Through Struggle,” “Confined,” and “The Darkest Nights.”

No Time to Bleed-Suicide Silence (fueled writing the scenes where Ethan and Val first meet). Also “…and Then She Bled”—the feel of that song goes well with the scene where Val was drugged (chapter 26).

The Black Crown-Suicide Silence: Because I imagined Fully Automatic to sound a lot like Suicide Silence, I listened to all their music, especially when I wrote the scenes where Val first meets the band (honestly, I listened to all three CDs while writing the first five or six chapters of the book!)

The Cleansing-Suicide Silence

Songs: 

“Tempest”-Deftones (various Brad and Val scenes, not to mention that this is one of my new fave songs!)

“Moon Baby”-Godsmack (Ethan on guitar having an alpha male moment when Val first meets the band)

“So Hott”-Kid Rock (Sweetheart Dance)

“Gone Sovereign/Absolute Zero”-Stone Sour (Another new fave song, and a little angry, good for channeling Ethan)

“Still Swingin” and “Where Did the Angels Go”-Papa Roach (more new favorites)

“Pleasure and Pain”-Gemini Syndrome (Good for channeling how Val feels about Ethan)

“Soldierhead”-Newsted (Another new favorite song!)

“Chalk Outline”-Three Days Grace (Fave)

“Forgive and Forget” and “Relentless Chaos” Miss May I (More for channeling the “feel” of Fully Automatic) 

“Hollow”-Alice in Chains (Fave)

“Crewcabanger”-Chelsea Grin (Ethan and Val get NASTY in the hallway! Also reminiscent of Fully Automatic’s sound) 

“94 Hours,” “Parallels,” and cover of Judas Priest’s “The Hellion/ Electric Eye”-As I Lay Dying (one of Val’s favorite bands, so I had to listen!!!)

“Open Your Eyes”-Guano Apes (Wake up, Valerie!!!) *********************************************************************************

Hmmmm I'm sure some of you ladies may have found a few "new" songs to add to your Playlist! If you haven't had a chance to check out Bullet I'm strongly encouraging you to add this to your TBR ASAP~

 

 



 

An Epic Rock Star Novel

What if you discover the man you want is toxic?

She tasted a little bit of heaven with him, and now they’ve gone through hell and back, but can their relationship take anymore?

Valerie Quinn is a naïve college freshman when she meets on-the-rise rock star Ethan Richards. He’s an idealistic, handsome, reckless young man, but he’s captured her heart. She doesn’t give up on him and eventually his walls crumble down. By the time Valerie has given herself to him completely, she discovers he’s damaged and may be beyond help. Can she save Ethan and their relationship before he implodes, or will he self-destruct and take her with him?

******************************* My Review of Bullet *******************************



I've been reading Jade's books for quite awhile now so when I was offered and ARC of Bullet I was all over that...It had ROCK STARS in it and the cover is SMOKING!!!!!!!!!! As soon as I started reading I was already........................................ This book is told from Valerie's POV! "Val" has left home to attend college! As most freshman entering college this is the first time she's ever been away from home. Val was raised by her two loving church going parents! She's had a stable home life albeit a bit "sheltered." Val is the first to admit that along with her naiveity! When she arrives at her dorm that first day she finds her roommate Charlene! Oh yes, Charlene! I knew from the first description of their encounter what I was going to feel for Charlene and I have to give props to Val for "trying." I think I would've done this.................... It's not long before Val notices a "HOT" guy in one of her classes! Yep, the hottest guy she's seen on campus thus far. Val comes up with an excuse to introduce herself to said guy and we are then introduced to Ethan!!! My first impression of Ethan had me........... Well Val & Ethan have something in common and folks that's their love for heavy metal music! They become instant friends and start hanging out together! Ethan invites her to a show at and that's all she wrote!!!! When he admits to Val he's a guitarist in band, Bullet, he takes her back to his "hometown" and introduces her to the "GUYS." Okay when Val lays eyes on Brad, the other guitarist & lead singer, my first thoughts were HECK YES........oh another gorgeous creature!!! Dear Lord, I definitely would've........................... The guys ask Val to sing a song while they are "jamming" and we learn that Val can SING! We also learn during this trip that when Ethan's playing guitar he's lost, completely, in his own world and he is unaware of anything/everything going on around him but really that's not a big deal to me it's the little glimpses we start getting of Ethan and what appears to be some "dark" secrets that sets the stage for the rest of the book. See even though Ethan & Val are really close friends Val also has fallen in love with Ethan but he doesn't know that! That left me a little................................. But also hopeful because perhaps Ethan will notice. Ethan ends up taking another girl to a dance so Zane asks Val to go and after some hesitation and Zane telling Val that Ethan already asked someone else Val agrees. Well Ethan has NEVER seen Val all gussied up so his reaction was described as something like this............ Zane and Val go back to his dorm room after the dance and a little bit of this.......................................... goes down and once Val essentially puts a stop to it, she really only considers Zane a friend, guess who walks in? Yep, Ethan that's who. Guess who starts to give Val the cold-shoulder, Ethan that's who. Guess who pissed me off ~ Ethan that's who, lol! Remember Charlene? well don't forget about her okay? She is a piece of work and there was a part of the book where I wanted to .................................... I think I gave you a little background information at least enough to get you going! I don't want to reveal too much with "words" cause I love to try and draw you in with how I was feeling while reading the book! I will tell you this Val finally finds the courage to admit things to Ethan and he has some notion she's too good for him since she is his "muse." They do start "dating" and well after a little bit the book made me do this (for the first time)............................. Val returns home at the end for her freshman year and ends up catching a show that Ethan and the guys in, . Val ends up being invited into the band by Brad and the rest of the guys as their lead singer! She accepts and the FUN begins!!!! Oh yes, you see this is where Jet/Clayton, a guitarist in another band, enters into Val's life after a little bit ;) This book had parts where I was.............................. there was A LOT of this...................................... trust me that's a great thing! Of course, there was................. Sadly Ethan seemed to spend more time............................. I spent a lot of time doing this................................ as well as.............................................. and probably equal times being................................. and the ending? Well the ending was FANFREAKINGTASTIC it was AWESOME it was EXACTLY the way this book needed to end! It HAD to end this way! I was so......................................................... Jade has written a powerfully emotional story that will stay with you for a very long time after you have finished it! I finished it days ago and read plenty of books since and I still can't shake it from my thoughts! I had to "sit" on it before I did my review! I find that the more emotional a read is for me the more time I need to process my feelings. To say I LOVED this book is such an understatement!!!! I did laugh, I cried, man did I cry, I was angry, spitting mad, and I got to the end sat back in my chair for a second then looked at my two dogs, hopped up and was doing this........................................ This book was BEYOND 5 STARS for me! Jade thank you so much for knocking my socks off!!!! As soon as Bullet was released I purchased it! I had to OWN this one it definitely is a kick ass book! I recommend you purchase this one immediately and start reading it, but a word to the wise don't expect to be able to put it down so you better have some "free" time or expect NO sleep cause once you start there is no stopping!!!!!!
*********************************************************************************

 

Jade C. Jamison was born and raised in Colorado, moved from one city/town to the next, and she’s decided she likes it so much she wants to stay…although travel is not out of the question.  She lives in a big town in Colorado (not unlike Winchester!) with her husband and four children.  She is working on becoming a crazy cat lady.  Okay, so maybe not.

Still want more?  Jade has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Theater, a master’s degree in English, and a master of fine arts in Creative Writing.  Obviously, she loves school and the student loan folks love her.  She works in human services by day, teaches English and creative writing at night, and—in between playing soccer mom and community leader—writes like a fiend.  Someday soon, she’ll narrow it down to just writing, but let’s get all those kids off to college first.

Website http://www.jadecjamison.com/

twitter username https://twitter.com/JadeCJamison

Facebook page  http://www.facebook.com/#!/JadeCJamison?fref=ts

Goodreads Page http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4876604.Jade_C_Jamison

Goodreads book link http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17182172-bullet

************************************ GIVEAWAY **********************************

Jade is giving away 2 signed paperback copies of Bullet and a $15 Amazon or B&N Gift-Card ~ See Rafflecopter below to enter this giveaway~

Now for those of you who stopped by today if you haven't read Bullet yet then Jade is gifting an e-copy of Bullet to one lucky winner that stopped by my blog. All you have to do is comment below about any part of this blog post as well as leaving your e-mail address and winner will be chosen no later than April 1st and notified via e-mail.

*************************************************************************************

To purchase Bullet follow one of these links:

 

Amazon -  http://www.amazon.com/Jade-C.-Jamison/e/B004XO696S

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/jade-c-jamison?store=ALLPRODUCTS&keyword=jade+c+jamison

Smashwords –  http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jadecjamison

************************************************************************************

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Flat-Out Love & Flat-Out Matt by Jessica Park 

Ladies do I have a treat for you!!! My awesome friend and amazing author Brei Betzold is my "GUEST REVIEWER" for Flat-Out Love & Flat-Out Matt by Jessica Park. Now I haven't read either of these books despite being told by Brei that I HAVE TO READ NOW! I have both books and after reading Brei's reviews I have moved both of these books to the TOP of my TBR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm thinking if some of you haven't read this we should totally have a little "read-a-thon" and all read these two TOGETHER ~ wouldn't that be fun? What an awesome way to get to know one another and share our thoughts why we are reading? I know I would love to have a "freaking out" buddy while I read.

So let's learn a little bit about these two books that Brei claims I need to read now because I'm seriously MISSING OUT ~

Flat-Out Love is a warm and witty novel of family love and dysfunction, deep heartache and raw vulnerability, with a bit of mystery and one whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees romance.

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it.

When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Flat-Out Love comes complete with emails, Facebook status updates, and instant messages.

********************************************************************************
Okay I'm intrigued ~ so what it's not what some think I normally read ~ a "smexy" book that has us drooling but I've found that some of the BEST books I've read are outside of the stereo-typical books that we see day in and day out.

So what is Flat-Out Matt? Well it's the latest release from Jessica Parker that is also getting a lot of attention and after reading this synopsis I think some of you might be adding another couple books to your TBR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Matt is a junior at MIT. He’s geeky, he's witty, he's brilliant.

And he’s also very, very stupid.

When beautiful, cool, insightful Julie moves in with Matt’s family, why (oh why!) does he pretend to be his absent brother Finn for her alleged benefit?

It seems harmless enough until her short-term stay becomes permanent. And until it snowballs into heart-squeezing insanity. And until he falls in love with Julie, and Julie falls in love with Finn.

But … Matt is the right one for her. If only he can make Julie see it. Without telling her the truth, without shattering them all. Particularly his fragile sister Celeste, who may need Julie the most.

You saw Matt through Julie’s eyes in FLAT-OUT LOVE. Now go deeper into Matt’s world in this FLAT-OUT MATT novella. Live his side of the story, break when his heart breaks, and fall for the unlikely hero all over again.

Take an emotional skydive for two prequel chapters and seven Flat-Out Love chapters retold from his perspective, and then land with a brand-new steamy finale chapter from Julie.

*******************************************************************************

A book told from the male's point of view ~ well heck COUNT ME IN and a little steaminess at the end ~ I'm so hooked!  To add both these books to your TBR on Goodreads follow these links:

Flat-Out Love: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11096647-flat-out-love

Flat-Out Matt: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17611379-flat-out-matt 

To follow Jessica Park on Goodreads and check out her other published books follow this link:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22159.Jessica_Park

To purchase Flat-Out Love & Flat-Out Matt on AMAZON click here:

Flat-Out Love: http://www.amazon.com/Flat-Out-Love-ebook/dp/B008DZTE60/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1364574509&sr=8-1 

Flat-Out Matt: http://www.amazon.com/Flat-Out-Matt-ebook/dp/B00C1HD61U/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

For those of you with a Nook (I have both :) ) here's the B&N purchase links:

Flat-Out Matt: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flat-out-matt-jessica-park/1114922328?ean=2940016189765  

Flat-Out Love is not listed on B&N which is quite odd ~

Now for the BEST PART of this entire post ~ Brei Betzold's AWESOME review of BOTH Flat-Out Love  & Flat-Out Matt:

****************************************************************************

You cannot have a review for Flat-Out Matt without also discussing for Flat-Out Love so lets start there at the beginning.

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park is one of my all-time favorite stories, she wrote a story full of hope, love, secrets, misery, joy, self-discovery in a way that made you feel it as if you were living it.  It’s a rare find to read a book that can draw you in to the point that you no longer realize what reality is and what is written words in front of you.  I do love this book, it has so many twist and turns, it makes you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will break your heart over and over again.  Each of the characters are damaged in their own way trying to live life to the best of their abilities, even if that means dragging a life sized cut out around Boston with them.  It’s the story of a girl just starting out in life on her own, Julie has left her home in Ohio for the big city life of Boston to attend college, and after a few mishaps she finally finds her place.  She finds a home and a family that is broken, full of secrets and sadness, but Julie is a fixer.  She sets out to help this family, to help the young girl who is far from normal, Celeste is a character that you can’t help but love and want to help.  From her odd speech patterns to her even odder choice of clothing Celeste is not a normal 13 year old girl, but the most disconcerting of her afflictions is her strange attachment to a life sized cardboard cutout of her older brother Finn.  Julie sets out to help but without fully understanding what is going it makes things difficult, add in the odd mathematician geeky older brother Matt, who needs help of his own and absent parents this family is unlike any other.  Matt, sigh, Matt is an odd one himself, he has shouldered the care of Celeste while attending MIT, and is close to his breaking point, he doesn’t know how to heal or parent his young sister, he’s doing the best he can.  The thrill seeking Finn his older brother is off exploring the world, or that’s what Julie has been told, in her attempt to help she falls in love with the older brother who’s never home but emails back and forth with Julie.  Though everything isn’t as it seems with any of these quirky siblings, and everything soon self-destructs, secrets are unveiled, truths are told and trust is broken.  

Flat-Out Matt by Jessica Park is a novella from Matt’s perspective, it begins before Flat-Out Love and then some chapters throughout Flat-Out Love are told from his perspective.  I fell in love with Matt during Flat-Out Love, Finn is great he is the all American boy, but Matt is a warm hearted, geeky, stressed, young man who is real.  I think that’s why I love these books so much is because they are real characters, they have flaws, they fight, they bicker, they laugh, they are fractured.  Matt’s perspective is a bit of an eye opener in some cases and makes you look back at the same chapters in Flat-Out Love and realize that your first impressions were not correct, that he didn’t do this or that to be mean, but mostly out of fear.  The first chapter had me both sobbing and smiling, it’s a catch 22 you want to laugh, but since you know the outcome you can’t help but think what if.  It was going through the roller-coaster ride of emotions all over again, and it hurt just as much if not more the second time. The second chapter is gut wrenching, the things that we did not see in the first book, things that happened before Julie arrived you wonder how he kept it together as well as he did.   Seeing the other people in the book from Matt’s point of view made you realize just how much he had taken upon and in himself, and you couldn’t help but wish to lift some of that burden.  The ending was the perfect ending for both sides, it left you with a great amount of hope that they will eventually mend and find their way.  If you have read Flat-Out Love this is a must read, if you haven’t buy them both you will not regret it.

******************************************************************************

So what do you think? Well, I'm thinking I need to get my arse in gear and get reading some Jessica Park's. Now you know me I can't recommend a book without giving my amazing FOLLOWERS a chance to WIN the book ........

Here's the GIVEAWAY ~ 

Grand Prize Winner ~ Paperback Copy of Flat-Out Love

I'm also going to giveaway 2 copies of Flat-Out Love & Flat-Out Matt to 2 lucky winners so that means you have the COMPLETE set :) Now if you've read Flat-Out Love don't worry you can still enter to win Flat-Out Matt you will just need to tell me if you have the first one! 

Here's the Rafflecopter to enter to win! Winner's will be chosen on March 31st! Good Luck Ladies!!!! 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life Blog Tour by Michelle Pace & Tammy Coons

 How often do you read a book that it pull's you in and you actually feel like your a part of the book? Well, I can say "rarely" and that's EXACTLY what happened when I read The Perpetual Quest of the Perfect Life. This book was amazing ~ to see the different ways people process grief and secrets well it was so honestly written I didn't feel like I was reading something "fiction." This book has officially made one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES list and I encourage you to read this as soon as possible! Trust me you will not be disappointed!

 

 Tourists flock to Jefferson Point for the antique shops and riverboat tours. Everyone knows everyone and secrets are impossible to keep. Or so it seems...

Dr. Ryan Harper's brutal slaying stuns the picturesque river town. High school football star, Prom King, and on his way to finishing his residency, Ryan was their golden child.

After a two-year struggle to care for their young son alone, his widow, Nicole, reluctantly returns to Jefferson Point. Her homecoming reopens old wounds, as Ryan's family and friends struggle to adapt to life without his dynamic presence.

The last person Nicole expects to reconnect with is Aaron Foster, Ryan’s best man and reluctant keeper of his secrets.

With opinions circulating on Nicole’s post-Ryan existence, she must maneuver the rapids of past loves, new expectations, and haunting dreams of her fallen husband.

The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life is a frank story of questionable decisions, small town politics, and love after loss

***************************** My Review ******************************

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review of The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life. Honestly, I really didn't know much about the book and when I started reading it I was immediately "sucked" in~ Ladies I was so freaking excited that I had this that I totally............................................................ yes I was so psyched I had this in my hands I didn't know what to do with my little self. I'm going to refer to the book as "Quest" throughout the remainder of my review. There are not enough words in my very little limited vocabulary to described HOW IN LOVE I am with this one ~ This book made me feel like I was part of it and to make me feel like I was part of the book as well as having me feel like I was reading something that wasn't fictional was BEYOND what I expected. Quest is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE READS~ that's how brilliant this book is but let me share a little bit about it to entice you to get your hands on this book ASAP. The book surrounds some of the residents in Jefferson Point. We have Nicole who is a beautiful young widow with an adorable toddler named Isaac, but she calls him "Ike." She lost her "love of her life" Ryan in a senseless act of terror when he was working at a Chicago Hospital and a gunman gunned him down. He was completing his residency and was one of those men that had it all ~ or so it seemed! He had been with Nicole since high school although he was a couple years older than her ~ people gravitated to his magnetic personality and good looks. Picture yourself doing this if you were introduced to him............. Yep, that was Ryan~ But we soon learn that there were painful secrets that some knew and some didn't and how they coped with those secrets and their grief of losing a loved one is what "Quest" walks you through and it is done in the most beautiful way. It's real ~ not oh I loved him and next chapter I'm over him no Quest takes the time to really delve into each characters life and bring a piece of each of them to you that by the end they will be your friends too! Avery is Ryan's little sister and Nicole's BFF. Avery is essentially the gorgeous "bad ass" businesswoman who is independent and has it ALL together ~ or does she? She is still grieving the loss of her older brother Ryan ~ the golden child ~ but how does she react to the secrets she learns about her own family. Avery was once engaged to the egotistical Jason who will both amuse you and disgust you will struggle with trying to figure out sometimes with how he acts, at least I did. Well Avery needs to move on an what better way is there to move on than with Shilah~ one helluva a gorgeous man who will make you................................................................ Avery & Shilah immediately connect and it was fun watching their relationship develop but also see how different they were at times. Shilah seems to have it all together as well as Avery but do they? Will Avery realize in time how much she needs to let go and let someone truly into her heart? Well READ this one and you will find out!!! We are also introduced to Lauren & Jack, married for four years with two adorable daughters. The hot Texan Jack has ladies doing double takes all the time but this man loves his wife! Lauren is gregarious, popular, and beautiful but is her life what it seems? Is she the open book that seems to be portrayed? She owns her own coffee shop with Jules, the tattooed, pierced and seemingly quiet woman who really is insightful and when her mouth opens you better open your ears!! I would be remiss if I didn't mention the gorgeous Irish Hunk Colin...He comes onto the scene with a crush on Nicole since High School and I literally.............................................. Oh yes, I couldn't, hell wouldn't, turn that man away but Colin isn't the only one interested in our Nicole. See we have Ryan's BFF and Best Man in his wedding, Aaron. The side-kick that spent his high school and college days with Ryan & Nicole. Yes the gorgeous Aaron has a little obsession with Nicole that has lasted years and to see him fight that attraction will leave you.............................. Will he wake up and smell the coffee and man-up when it comes to Nicole? or will he fill his bed with the Joy's of the world where he gets what he wants in bed but doesn't have to really emotionally invest. Well again READ THE BOOK. There were parts of the book where I definitely ...................................................... and then parts where I was.......................................... actually there are several parts where you will be laughing ~ a certain little Halloween party will have you laughing but what happens later on with Lauren had me........................................ there were moments in the book where I simply...................... and others where I was.............................................. but when I finished the book I totally was ......................... This is another book that is BEYOND 5 stars for me ~ it blew me away with the storytelling which is simply magical. I feel like I spent the past few days with some very good friends and I don't want to say goodbye because I'm invested in the lives in Jefferson Point and I want more. I would encourage you read this one ASAP! You won't be disappointed with this brilliant read about how we process grief, deal with secrets and ultimately let ourselves love again. I sure hope we see a lot more from Michelle & Tammy because I'm seriously HOOKED and totally in love with their combined writing style and I need more NOW!!  

How about an "excerpt" of the book?

"Nicole Remembers Ryan"

Nicole sat straight up in bed, her heart galloping in her chest. Momentarily unsure where she was, her eyes darted around the room and panic set in. Sunlight streamed through the curtains; it was obvious she’d slept the entire night. After a terrifying moment, she realized she was in her new bedroom. She gulped several deep breaths of air and pushed her blonde hair out of her face. Covering her eyes, she tried to block out the images from the reoccurring dream about her late husband.

Ryan, dressed in green scrubs, stood drinking a cup of coffee at the nurses’ station. Red-eyed from no more than two hours of sleep, he was the resident on-call. He’d picked up a shift for a friend, leaving Nicole home on maternity leave. Though he was granted two weeks off for the birth of their son, after only six days, Ryan joked that he’d get more sleep on a crappy on-call cot than at home with their newborn. Nearing the end of his second-year residency, he lived and breathed medicine. Scoring brownie points with the staff docs was his number one goal. Nicole often wondered how different her life would be if he’d only stayed home another week as originally planned.

He’d been showing off Ike’s baby pictures when the ER doors slid open and a hooded man stormed in and began shooting. He gunned down two nurses close to the entrance, then an orderly. He took out a patient who attempted to flee in her wheelchair. Always the hero, Ryan sprang into action. He tackled the gunman from the side, taking him down. The shooter managed to fire two shots on his way to the ground.

Ry hadn’t died instantly; he slowly bled out over the next few minutes as the ER erupted in chaos.

Nicole rubbed her eyes, trying to erase the vision her subconscious had concocted of her husband’s last moments. She reached into the bedside table and pulled out her bottles of Zoloft and Xanax. Swallowing two tiny pills, she looked over her shoulder. In the center of her bed, her son slept soundly, his thumb firmly in his mouth. Over two and a half years old, Ike was the spitting image of his father, except with Nicole’s fair hair and skin. He would have no memory of his dad, and she wondered if that was going to be a blessing or a curse.

*******************************************************************************

WHEW, that ladies is just a SMALL taste of the emotional roller coaster this wonderful book will take you on!  Yes I cried, like a baby, but I laughed too! I also "related" and if book can get me to relate then the author's have done something most books can't; they've given me a book that I will never forget, resides in my minds still and that I will re-read! That's the highest praise I can ever give a book is to re-read it~ I don't re-read many and to make that list ~ well that in of itself is amazing but don't just take me word ~ READ IT!!

Now let's meet the "cast" of Jefferson Point, the town that The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life is based in.  First off the ladies ~ Nicole the widow, beautiful, mother of Ike (who is adorable) and had the strength to move forward with her life after "Ryan" died. Then we have Ryan's sister, Avery, oh yes this beautiful, strong willed woman who thinks she doesn't need anyone will soon find out what's missing in her life. That brings us to Lauren, gregarious, fun-loving, mother of 2 little girls and the wife of Jack ~ but is Lauren all she seems? Then we have Jules, Lauren's business partner, tough as nails speaks very little but when she does you LISTEN and lastly Joy ~ not sure I can praise Joy as much as the other ladies at one time she was Aaron's girlfriend but I don't think she was meant to be in his life for that long ~

Here's the beautiful ladies of Jefferson Point:

Now we must talk about the GORGEOUS men of Jefferson Point. We have Aaron who is gorgeous, Ryan's best friend and best man in his wedding, harbors secrets that he needs  to let go and loves Nicole. Shilah O.M.G. I think I would drop to my knees if I met Shilah in real life ~ he seems to have his "shit" together but will he be able to bring Avery the happiness she needs. Oh Jack married to Lauren this Texan will steal your heart with the love he has for his "girls." Colin crushed on Nicole all through high school well guess who grew up and is FINE, but you need to read to see what happens with the playboy Colin. Finally, Ryan, the all together "good guy" had it all, residency at Chicago hospital beautiful wife, Nicole and newborn son Issac (Ike) but you will find that what we present on the outside isn't always what is really going on with the inside.

Now a look at the picturesque town of Jefferson Point. The gorgeous river views, the small town atmosphere and a town where EVERYONE knows your business. Be sure to check out the cute picture of little Ike :)

Some of you may recognize authors Michelle Pace & Tammy Coons names ~ they are the co-authors of Fury a little story with ROCK STARS~ I have the book and I so need to read it soon! Let's see what some of Michelle & Tammy's FAVORITES are :

Tammy Coons is the youngest of 7 children and lives in Illinois with her husband, Casey and three children Skyler, Sawyer and Savana. Tammy graduated from Scott Community College in 2010 and holds a diploma in Health Information Technology. In order to pass time while seeking employment in 2010 she decided to update Fury, one of the many stories she and Michelle have written together in the past 20 years.

Michelle Pace is a RN living in Texas with her husband, Les. She has two daughters, Holly and Bridgette, and one son, Kai. A singer and actress in her youth, Michelle has always enjoyed entertaining people and is excited to continue to do so as a writer.

Michelle:

    Live Music

    CAFFEINE

    All things British

    People watching at airports

    Josh Holloway

  

Tammy:

    Writing

    Reading

    Spending time with friends and family

    Bonfires

    Antique shopping

Wow, I have some of the same FAVORITES :)

****************************************************************

This little "extra" about the character favorites is probably one of my favorite things ~ even though you may not have read the book this gives you a little insight into some of my most favorite book characters!

Aaron:

   German Shepherds

   Easy listening/top 40

   Corona with a lime

   Chicago style pizza

   His best friend’s girl

Nicole:

   Charcoal Pencils

   Alternative/punk music

   Post breakfast cartoons

   Cherry Garcia

   Dimples

  

Shilah:

   Hunting

   Marlboro Reds

   Protecting the environment

   Partying

   Garter belts

Avery:

   Shopping

   Manicures

   Diane Von Furstenberg

   Black Puma running shoes

   Silver Dodge Charger

 ********************************************************************

Now you've gotten a look at two of the "main" couples in The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life you have to grab the book to learn the ins and outs and about the rest of the "ladies & men" of Jefferson Point!!!!!

I encourage you to get to know these wonderful authors because I sure hope we see so much more from the two of them ~ they truly have the gift of "storytelling" and I'm honored to have read The Perpetual Quest of the Perfect Life.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichellePaceAndTammyCoons

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6584652.Michelle_Pace 

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Pace/e/B00AD65TMU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1363392021&sr=8-1

To add The Perpetual Quest of the Perfect Life to your Goodreads TBR:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17381698-the-perpetual-quest-for-the-perfect-life?ac=1 

Purchase links:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Perpetual-Quest-Perfect-Life-ebook/dp/B00C1RYELQ/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364497075&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=The+perpeutal++quest+of+the+perfect+life

Now for the GIVEAWAY these two amazing authors are offering the following GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY (Rafflecopter up below):

  Grand Prize- 1 Winner $200 amazon giftcard. Signed copy of Quest. Gift-basket of book-related goodies.

But that's NOT all you can also enter here on my blog to win an e-copy of The Perpetual Quest of the Perfect Life!  Also 2 winners will be drawn to win a signed bookmark of The Perpetual Quest of the Perfect Life and 1 winner will get a singed bookmark of Fury.  To enter please leave a comment with who you think would be your favorite characters listed above along with your email address. I will be choosing the winners on March 29th.

Here's the Rafflecopter to enter the GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway