Uncategorized – Page 27 – Jennifer Lane Books

I’m excited to share the cover for my New Adult volleyball romance:

New Adult Contemporary/Sports Romance

Releasing October 21, 2014

College freshman Lucia Ramirez has a secret crush on Dane Monroe. He’s a tall drink of water — blond, brash, and one hell of a volleyball player. Hijole. Lucia hopes her volleyball scholarship to his school will make him notice her.

Too bad what’s noticeable is Dane’s obvious hatred for Lucia. Her family’s politics contradict everything he stands for. And politics are front and center in both their families. Dane’s mother is about to face Lucia’s father in the race for US President.

When Secret Service throws them together, Dane can’t deny his frustrating attraction to Lucia’s athletic curves and sweet faith in the world. Amid the intense pressure of college athletics and presidential politics, can opposites not just attract, but overcome overwhelming odds to be together? Or do their differences block their match from the start?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22573624-blocked

If you would like to participate in the Release Event and/or Request to Review BLOCKED, you can find out more information HERE.

GIVEAWAY

I’m giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card and an Advanced Reader Copy of BLOCKED! You can enter HERE:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Get psyched for romance with psychologist/author (psycho author) Jennifer Lane! By day she witnesses growth in her psychotherapy clients, and by night she wrangles misbehaving fictional characters as she writes sports romance and romantic suspense with a psychological twist. She can’t decide which is more fun.

A swimmer and volleyball player in college, Jen wove some of her own experiences into Streamline—a military mystery about swimmers. And readers can dip their toes into Jen’s world of swimming romance by sampling her free New Adult novella Swim Recruit.

College volleyball romance Blocked is Jen’s newest release, launching 10-21-14. Peek inside big-time college sports and even bigger national politics when the offspring of two presidential candidates find out whether opposites really do attract, or their match is blocked from the start.

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love. She is also the author of The Conduct Series, a romantic suspense trilogy that includes With Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, and On Best Behavior. Ultimately, whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry.

In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, hanging out with her plus-size, “I’m not fat, I’m big-boned” Izzie cat, and visiting her sisters and their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Cover Reveal is Coming 8-25! Blocked by Jennifer Lane #NA #Volleyball #Romance

August 22, 2014 Jennifer Lane

Julie from AToMR Tours is hosting the cover reveal for BLOCKED in three days! Over 40 blogs will participate and there will be a big giveaway–check back here for the Rafflecopter link on 8-25-14.

Heroine Lucia Ramirez is excited for you to see the cover.

She thinks the cover is caliente!

Blocked is a New Adult sports romance.

College freshman Lucia Ramirez has a secret crush on Dane Monroe. He’s a tall drink of water — blond, brash, and one hell of a volleyball player. ¡Híjole! Lucia hopes her volleyball scholarship to his school will make him notice her.

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Box Set Release & #Giveaway: The CONduct Series

August 19, 2014 Jennifer Lane

Thank you to Omnific Publishing for launching a BOX SET of my babies to the world!

Enter the giveaway HERE. Thank you to these bloggers for celebrating the release with us:

Grace at Sweet Spot Book Blog

Darcia at Quiet Fury Books

Autumn at Autumn Review Blog

Michelle at Book Briefs Blog
Sophia at Delighted Reader Blog
Mandy at I Read Indie Blog
Jessica Subject at Mark of the Stars Blog

The CONduct Series
Can Two Ex-Cons Find Love?
Will the Mafia Let Them Live Long Enough to Find Out?

Romantic Suspense with a Psychological Twist: Now Available in a Boxed Set!

BOOK ONE – With Good Behavior:

In a world gripped by organized crime, family dysfunction, and dim hopes of redemption, can
true love persevere? For Sophie Taylor, a beautiful psychologist who lost everything when she violated an ethical boundary, and Grant Madsen, a handsome naval officer who sacrificed everything to protect a loved one, finding that love may carry an unbearable cost.

Starting their lives over in Chicago, both are fighting influences from their family and running as fast as they can to escape the past. When their paths cross outside the parole officer’s door, the attraction is instantaneous. But a hidden connection may not only shatter their fledgling love, but prove deadly to them both.

BOOK TWO – Bad Behavior:

Grant Madsen’s got issues. He’s still battling his Mafia family and doing everything possible to keep his loved ones safe. With the cruising season coming to an end, he has to find another job soon or he’ll rejoin his father in prison. And he’s trying to convince his rebellious teenage nephew to stay away from their criminal relatives (you can imagine how that’s going). But worst of all, Grant’s parole officer has mandated that he attend therapy.

The only saving grace is that they’re couples sessions with his girlfriend, Sophie Taylor, a fellow parolee who’s struggling with a few issues of her own. Sophie desperately hopes her past with
Grant’s brother won’t destroy her future with him. There’s a sleazy professor at work who revels in sexually harassing women in the psychology department. And her father still hates Grant.

Their psychologist has his work cut out for him.

When Grant’s ruthless father hints at a plot to get out of prison, Grant must use everything he’s learned in therapy and beyond to try to stop him. It’s a race against time and a race to rescue Sophie from the Mafia’s clutches once again. But this time McSailor and Bonnie refuse to play victims. This time the cuffs are coming off.

BOOK THREE – On Best Behavior:

Planning a wedding is never easy—especially when the Russian Mafia wants you dead.

On Best Behavior—the third and final book in The Conduct Series—finds our favorite couple moving forward, despite the odds. Following a pardon by the Governor of Illinois, excons Sophie Taylor and Grant Madsen are finally free to pursue their love and the life that lies ahead for them. Grant now fights the forces that have hurt his loved ones by working undercover for the FBI, and he has infiltrated the Russian Mafia in Chicago. Sophie dives into swimming with Grant’s nephew, Ben, and into her career as a psychology professor. Thankfully, now it’s Ben’s turn to heal through
therapy sessions with Dr. Hunter Hayes.

With so many things going right for Grant and Sophie, it’s too bad the Russians aren’t their only threat. When Grant’s father, Enzo Barberi, discovers his own son thwarted his plan to break out of prison, his overdeveloped sense of vengeance flares to life. As Sophie scrambles to save her fiancé, it’s impossible to say who will kill Grant first—the Russians or his Italian family. Can love triumph over evil? Are hard work and a pledge to be on best behavior ever enough?

Once again, author Jennifer Lane brings a harrowing tale of romantic suspense with a psychological twist, and it’s sure to leave readers breathless.

Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes and Noble

Author: Jennifer Lane
Title: The CONduct Series Boxed Set
Genre: Romantic Suspense
ISBN: 9781623421694
Release Date: August 19th, 2014
Author Website: http://www.JenniferLaneBooks.com
Twitter:

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The Work In Progress #WIP Blog Tour

August 14, 2014 Jennifer Lane

I’ve been tagged by the lovely Maria Savva for this blog tour. Maria is a prolific author and I loved her collection of short stories Fusion (my review is HERE.)

The rules: Provide the link back to the post by the person who nominated you. Write a little about and give the first sentences of the first three chapters of your current WIP, then nominate four other writers to do the same.

My current WIP isn’t actually in progress anymore; it’s FINISHED. Yahoo! The release date for Blocked is 10-21-14 and the cover reveal is just around the corner: 8-25-14.

College freshman Lucia Ramirez has a secret crush on Dane Monroe. He’s a tall drink of water — blond, brash, and one hell of a volleyball player.¡Híjole! Lucia hopes her volleyball scholarship to his school will make him notice her.

Want to sign up for the cover reveal, release blitz, and/or blog review tour for Blocked? Head over to AToMR Tours.

Blocked has alternating points of view. The odd chapters are Lucia Ramirez and the even chapters are Dane Monroe.

Chapter One

As I plopped down on the bleachers and scanned my new teammates around me, one word came to mind: heaven.

Chapter Two

I can’t fucking believe it…I thought for sure Brad was shitting me when he said Lucia Ramirez was coming to play volleyball here.

Chapter Three

Sweat poured off Dane in a steady stream, but he didn’t even look like he was breathing hard.

**********

I’m nominating the following 4 talented writers to reveal their WIPs 🙂

Nicki Elson – http://nickielson.blogspot.com

Beck Anderson – http://authorbeck.com/category/blog-post/

Elisa Dane – http://www.elisadane.com

Carol Oates – http://www.caroloates.com/p/home.html

Check out their blogs and their books!!

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New Release & #Giveaway : Seven for a Secret by Rumer Haven

August 12, 2014 Jennifer Lane

Seven for a Secret

1920’s Historical Fiction Meets Contemporary RomCom

Available August 12th

on Amazon, BN.com, or ask for it

at your local bookstore!

It’s the year 2000, and twenty-four-year-old Kate moves into a new apartment to find a new state of independence in a new millennium. Almost immediately, she starts crushing on a hot guy who lives in her building. Deciding to take a break from her boyfriend Dexter, Kate believes the only thing now separating her from the fresh object of her sexual fantasies is the thin wall between their neighboring apartments.

A former 1920s hotel, Camden Court has housed many lonely lives over the decades—and is where a number of them have come to die. They’re not all resting in peace, however, including ninety-year-old Olive, who dropped dead in Kate’s apartment and continues to make her presence known.

For Olive has a secret she’s dying to tell. One linking her to the sex, scandal, and sacrifice of a young dreamer named Lon. As the past haunts the present, Kate’s romantic notion that the thrill-of-the-chase beats the reality-after-the-catch unexpectedly entwines her modern-day love life with Lon’s Jazz Age tragedy.

With a little supernatural and a lotta’ razzle-dazzle, Seven for a Secret is where historical fiction meets contemporary rom-com—from the Roaring Twenties when the “New Woman” was born, to the modern Noughties when she really came of age.

Enter to win fabulous swag and ebooks, just by tweeting about the book! Check out the Rafflecopter:

http://tinyurl.com/kq2zgg2

Goodreads

Author Website

Twitter: @RumerHaven

Rumer Haven is probably the most social reclusive person you could ever meet. When she’s not babbling her fool head off among friends and family, she’s pacified with a good story that she’s reading, writing, or revising—or binge-watching something on Netflix. A former teacher hailing from Chicago, she presently lives in London with her husband and probably a ghost or two. Rumer has always had a penchant for the past and paranormal, which inspires her writing to explore dimensions of time, love, and the soul. Seven for a Secret is her debut novel.

***This book looks fabulous! I’ll be on Facebook at noon EST today chatting about Seven for a Secret and other awesome reads.***

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#IWSG Reaping the Rewards of Our Hard Work

August 6, 2014 Jennifer Lane

Writer Support Group Time! Thanks to our host Alex Cavanaugh.

So much of what we do consists of long, drawn-out, plodding hard work — writing each chapter, editing, developing a timeline, editing, creating layered characters, editing, consulting with critique partners, editing, conducting research, editing…

Once in a while we get to launch our babies out into the world, and that time is nearing for me.

I’m excited that August is the time to PARTY!

August 19th, Omnific Publishing launches a box set of my romantic suspense trilogy The Conduct Series.

And then on August 25, Julie from AToMR Tours hosts a cover reveal for my college volleyball romance Blocked. Here’s one image that’s inspired me:

Sign ups for Blocked’s cover reveal, release blitz, and review tour are HERE. Please join me if you’d like to be part of my long-awaited release party!

Whatever part of the process you’re experiencing, I wish you inspiration and creativity.

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Cover Reveal: Seven for a Secret by Rumer Haven

August 5, 2014 Jennifer Lane

Seven for a Secret

1920’s Historical Fiction Meets Contemporary RomCom

Author: Rumer Haven

Title: Seven For A Secret

Genre: Supernatural Romance

ISBN: 978-1-623421-09-0

Release Date: August 12th, 2014

Available in Paperback and eBook

Goodreads Link

Author Website

Twitter: @RumerHaven

Author Bio:

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New Release BREAKING FREE by SM Koz: Review, Interview, FREE on Amazon

July 31, 2014 Jennifer Lane

I had the pleasure of reading the ARC of Breaking Free, a YA/NA contemporary romance by SM KOZ.

It’s free on Amazon 8/1 and 8/2…get after it HERE.

First is my review, then an interview with the author.

Breaking Free by S.M. Koz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love Blooms in Wilderness Program

This New Adult romance will be released 8-1-14, and the psychological aspects of the story enticed me to read an advanced copy.

Kelsie is a 17-year-old cheerleader who’s a hot mess. Her best friend died in a car accident, and Kelsie unfairly blames herself. To numb her emotional pain, she starts self-injuring. While cutting oneself is horrifying, I didn’t fully appreciate the horror until I was right there with Kelsie, feeling her pain and her disgust from taking it out on her body.

To try to curb her harmful behavior, Kelsie’s father sends her to a wilderness therapy program. She is ill-prepared and ticked off, with her huge suitcase and even bigger attitude. But the counselor Chris knows just how to handle her, and Kelsie settles down enough to get through the first day, eventually growing closer to the other teens in the program.

JC is the young man who captures her attention the most. He’s athletic, light-hearted, and also blames himself for a loved one dying.

Keslie tells her story to the woman hired to keep her safe—Marta—after she finishes the program. Therefore, the novel consists of flashbacks, which might not have been the best choice for the pacing of the plot. I thought the story took a while to get going. Also, the nicknames Kelsie bestows on each program participant seemed to interfere with clarity and my connection to the characters.

But once the plot kicks into gear, I was riveted. Another boy in the program has it out for JC, and a brewing storm threatens the safety of the group. That’s when Kelsie is forced to grow up fast, discovering that people may not be what they seem.

I dislike when parents are portrayed as incompetent twits in YA and NA stories. Though Kelsie’s stepmother is a shrew, I’m glad her father works hard at redeeming himself.

Kelsie’s interactions with JC provide much-needed lightness given the darkness they’ve experienced. The characters seem to be their age, which I appreciate.

I grab a handful of shirts and organize them by type, short-sleeved or long-sleeved, and color. After a few minutes, JC stands behind me and places his hand around my waist. “You really are OCD.”
“Is that a problem for you?”
“Yes, that is the final straw. I can handle everything else, but putting my shirts in rainbow order is too much.”

I loved the ending, which left me with a relieved, buoyant feeling. This is a wonderful debut novel!

View all my reviews

And now an interview with SM Koz:

Jennifer Lane (JL): Welcome to the blog, SM! How did you get started as an author?

SM Koz (SK): Thanks for inviting me! Technically, I first started writing about nine years ago. The story was a murder mystery that took place on a cruise ship and one of the main characters had an English bulldog named Penelope. I wrote two pages, realized it was too hard, and then never looked at it again for five years. After my husband and I moved to a sleepy little village, I found myself with a lot of free time. One day while I was cleaning up computer files, I ran across my story with Penelope and was somewhat impressed by what I read. Having lots of time on my hands, I decided to write a full-length YA novel. That one was about a girl who moves to the beach to live with her older sister for the summer and falls in love with a boy as they help a stranded dolphin, named Maurice, recover from a mysterious illness. That one will never be published, but it’s fun to go back and see what my first attempt at a novel was like. Since then, I’ve been writing about one book a year, some fanfiction and some original. Breaking Free is the only one I feel compelled to publish at this time, though.

JL: Blogger Christina Rodriguez recommended I read Breaking Free for the psychological elements, and I’m grateful she did! What inspired the therapy aspect of this story?

SK: I love Christina’s blog! Not many people are aware of this, but she helped me with my translations. As you know, I have a couple Hispanic characters, so I wanted to make sure my rudimentary Spanish made for realistic dialogue. She was a huge help!

As far as the inspiration for the story, I have a friend and a family member who have both cut in the past. When I first learned about self-injury, I didn’t understand why people would purposely hurt themselves and, therefore, I thought it was to attract attention. I ended up spending quite a bit of time researching the topic, which opened my eyes. Most people who cut don’t do it for attention. In fact, like Kelsie in the book, they try to hide what they’re doing. They’re ashamed, but it’s beyond their control as it has become an addictive coping mechanism to try and deal with their overwhelming emotions, whether it’s depression, anxiety, whatever.

After learning so much about self-injury, I wanted to help others who were in my position—wishing to help their friends, but not understanding how to or even why their friends did what they did. That’s when I decided to turn it into a story. Because I typically write adventure-filled books, I knew immediately that the main characters would be in the wilderness for their therapy and run into some unexpected hurdles along the way. I think it ended up being a nice mix of emotion, suspense, and romance with a couple plot twists to keep things interesting.

JL: You’re getting some lovely reviews. What has been your favorite comment about your debut novel?

SK: Thanks. It’s hard to pick just one, but there have been a couple people who have commented on the realistic nature of the story. Furthermore, some of these individuals have indicated they themselves have experience with cutting. Although I did an incredible amount of research for this book, it’s always challenging to write about something that you have no firsthand experience with. So, receiving this type of feedback provides me with a great deal of satisfaction. If people who share similar backgrounds are able to relate and connect to Kelsie, then I hope they’ll find strength in her story and learn better coping methods for their own self-injury behaviors. With Breaking Free, if I prevent or help stop one person from cutting, then I’ll feel like it was a success.

JL: I see on Goodreads that you’re planning a Young Adult novel next. What draws you to YA?

SK: Initially, I thought it would be easier. My story with Penelope was meant for adults, but I felt like my plot wasn’t complex enough for that audience. So, I switched to YA for my next one, but after writing the entire thing, I determined that plot was way too simplistic even for teen readers. That’s when I realized YA isn’t differentiated from adult fiction by complexity or writing quality, it’s about the type of story, the characters, and unique conflicts.

I enjoy slipping into the complex minds of teenage characters. They don’t always do what you’d expect or behave the way you’d like them to, but that’s okay. It’s all about their underlying nature. Everyone makes mistakes as they grow into the person they want to be. I enjoy playing with that because I think it allows for more interesting characterization and a lot of internal conflict as well as external.

Breaking Free is my first book that really focuses on the emotional complexities of the main character as the major plot line, though. I thought I might have a difficult time writing this type of story, but the words flowed relatively easily. In fact, I wrote this three time faster than anything else I’ve written. I’m not sure, but think I might have found my niche 🙂

JL: Thanks for visiting the blog, SM, and best of luck on your writing career!

SK: Thanks so much for having me!

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Charity Anthology: Rise Up Volume Two

July 21, 2014 Jennifer Lane

Help out a book blogger by purchasing this anthology!

“We all know how fragile life is, especially when faced with a life threatening illness.” ~Nic, Flirty and Dirty Book Blog.

Fiction introduced us. Reality binds us together.

Stephanie Thomas — co-founder of The Indie Bookshelf — has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma. Stephanie isn’t only a blogger; she’s a loving wife, and mother to three young boys.

In the independent author community, we have an extraordinary network of fellow authors, and readers. A special group of people who bridge this gap—helping authors connect with readers—is book bloggers. These men and women dedicate hours upon hours to reading and reviewing our works, and spreading the word to help us reach new readers.

Now, one of these women needs our help.

100% of the proceeds of the Rise Up anthology (volumes one and two) will go directly to Stephanie and her family to help them on this unexpected leg of their journey together.

Inside the pages of this collection, you’ll find amazing works of fiction. But please remember the reality, and help support Stephanie and her family.

Included in Volume Two of this collection are the following novels:

* 1. Always There – Carol Ann Albright-Eastman

* 2. Republic – Charles Sheehan-Miles

* 3. Seeds of Hate – Melissa Perea

* 4. In The Fields – Willow Aster

* 5. Bar Crawl – Andrea Randall

* 6. Totaled – Stacey Grice

* 7. Running from Forever – Ashley Wilcox

* 8. Crossing Paths – Melanie Stinnet

* 9. Going Home – Rhonda Dennis

* 10. Never Goodbye – Kerri Williams

* 11. Without Boundaries – CJ Azevedo

* 12. Binds – Rebecca Espinoza

* 13. The Forgotten Ones – Laura Howard

Add Rise Up to Goodreads

Buy Rise Up on Amazon and Kobo

Thank you!

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Three Intriguing Aspects of Sports Romance

July 18, 2014 Jennifer Lane

Sports Romance! What do I love about it? I’m at Willow Star’s blog today discussing my three favorite aspects of sporty love:

1. Learn something about different sports.

2. Sporty love scenes. Underwater kisses, anyone?

3. We shall overcome! Taking characters battling conflict to a whole new level.

What do YOU love about sports romance?

In addition to my swimming romance Streamline, my college volleyball romance Blocked will launch 10-21-14.

First will be Blocked‘s cover reveal tour on 8-25-14, hosted by A Tale of Many Reviews Tours.