Release Day and Review – RUNAROUND by Jay Crownover

December 14, 2018June 27, 2019 karenjo461 Comment

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Hello lovelies! Today, I want to share my review of Jay Crownover’s next standalone title in her Getaway series, RUNAROUND! Oh and if you’re looking for an awesome series to binge this holiday, then you’re in luck!! The entire Getaway series is in Kindle Unlimited and ON SALE now! So check out the amazing excerpt below, read my thoughts about this book and grab your copies today!

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Can two people perpetually moving in opposite directions ever end up in the same place? Or will love just keep giving them the runaround?

Webb Bryant is intimately acquainted with every type of trouble there is. Trouble is all he’s ever known and the only constant in his life.

Webb’s a man constantly on the move. He’s a drifter. A wanderer. He bolts from one bad choice to the next, never able to put enough distance between himself and the ghosts from his past. He lives hard and fast, until everything comes to a screeching halt the moment he lays eyes on Tennyson McKenna. The stunning woman appeared out of nowhere to save the day, and Webb’s been unable to forget her. The leggy, blonde forest ranger might very well be the one person in the world important enough to finally keep him in one place. Only, Ten isn’t impressed by Webb’s knack for finding trouble. And no matter how hard he tries to shake it, he can’t escape his bad habit of falling into the deep end of questionable decisions. When his newest brush with trouble gets Webb in way over his head, Ten jumps after him into the dangerous waters. It’s possible they’re going to sink so fast they both might drown.

Tennyson McKenna makes it a point to be diligently cautious in all aspects of her life. She learned the hard way that leading with your heart instead of your head gets you nowhere.

Ten’s a woman stuck in a frustrating rut. After a string of failed relationships lands her back home, a pit stop to mend her broken heart becomes a hole she’s lost the will to dig herself out of. Coasting through her days was easy until Webb Bryant crash-landed in her path, complete with bullets, blood, and a grin far too charming for his own good. Webb is anything but safe and predictable. He’s everything Ten swore she would never gamble on again, but it’s impossible to ignore the way trouble follows him around like a shadow. And every single time Ten pushes Webb away, she finds herself chasing after him before he’s gone for good. When Webb’s past finally catches up to him, Ten has to decide if she’s brave enough to put her heart on the line for a man who might be gone tomorrow.

AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED! GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY!

Amazon

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~TENNYSON~

The first time I laid eyes on Webb Bryant he was frighteningly pale from blood loss and nearly delirious from a raging fever. He’d been sporting a hole in his shoulder from a bullet wound and was terrified his brother was dead somewhere in the vast Wyoming wilderness. It was my job to protect and patrol, one I focused on diligently, but Webb was admittedly distracting. I thought he was going to pass out at my feet, a city boy in way over his head. He didn’t. He never wavered or stumbled in the unfamiliar terrain and unknown situation…not once. He’d impressed me with his resilience and his determination to find out what had happened to his older brother. He’d also caught my attention with those burning blue eyes and shock of blond hair, which gave the misleading impression that the man had a single angelic quality about him. Every long, lean line of Webb Bryant oozed playful mischief and bled the promise of wicked things done in the dark…or during the bright light of day. He didn’t seem like the shy type. Even injured and out of his mind with frantic worry for his older sibling, he was the most charming, most flirtatious man I’d ever met. He sent every defense mechanism I had into overdrive, and there wasn’t a second that slid by where I didn’t remind myself he was not my type in the slightest. Besides, once the Warners and I had both the Bryant brothers straightened out, I figured I wouldn’t have to dodge Webb’s advances ever again. He would ramble on to his next adventure and be out of sight and mind.

I breathed a sigh of relief when he went away. He was too tempting. It was too enticing to give in to every single promise made by his easy smile and glinting eyes. Webb was several years younger than me, a man who was obviously lost and still trying to figure out who he wanted to be when he finally grew up. I was a woman who knew exactly who she was and who she could never be. I was never the type to chase after the bad boys, the wanderers, the reckless. No, I fell for the steadfast, the sturdy, and the solid. I gave my heart to the kind of men who held the world up and buffered everyone around them from the raging storm.

I handed my heart to the oldest Warner brother, Cyrus, when we were just kids. Coming to terms with the fact the stoic and serious cowboy would never feel about me the way I felt about him had been one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. We shared similar dreams, knowing our lives were so much bigger than the ranches that had our family’s bloodlines entrenched in the soil. We both wanted more than Wyoming, and for a long time, I honestly believed we were on the road out of our tiny town together. It didn’t happen that way. Sure, we both got out in our own time and in our own way, but we both ended up back where we started. Cy was taking his return home in stride. He was far less resentful about his homecoming than I was. In fact, the wedding Webb was dragged out of two short days ago was Cy’s.

I thought it was going to be hard, damn near impossible, to watch the man I’d openly loved from afar for most of my life promise his forever to someone else. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I envisioned. Mostly because Cy was stupid happy with his fiery city girl. He’d never been that happy with me, before we left or when we both admitted defeat and came back home. He’d never loved anyone like he loved his Leo, so the sting of watching him put a ring on someone else’s finger was minimal.

I would gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon before admitting to anyone, especially myself, that since the start of the wedding most of my attention had been on Webb instead of the happy couple. To my surprise, my heart didn’t feel nearly as trampled as I thought it would. It was too busy stupidly racing over the man I believed I wouldn’t see again and knew I should keep my distance from.

The blond man with a penchant for trouble hadn’t stayed gone like I predicted. Nope. He’d shown up right when Cy needed help on the ranch and offered to stick around. Webb claimed he wanted to learn a new skill, seemed he’d taken a shine to the rough way of life in the Wyoming backcountry and wanted to play cowboy for a while. Cy couldn’t say no, and as badly as I wanted to, I couldn’t stay away. I was caught in an endless game of cat and mouse, and some days I wasn’t sure if I was the predator or the prey. I tracked Webb out of the corner of my eye for months. I expected him to up his game and try to lure me to bed, knowing the wedding was going to lower my defenses. Never in a million years would I have predicted he was going to be led away from the festivities in handcuffs.

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Beautifully Written, Wonderfully Wild and Satisfyingly Affecting

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Jay Crownover knows exactly what she’s doing and I think… No I know I’m going to be a fan of her books forever. Runaround was a fantastically engaging, beautifully written, and satisfyingly affecting story that had me going through a whirlwind of emotions.

I absolutely enjoy reading Crownover’s writing and always find myself emotionally wrecked, and this one was no exception. I thought the storyline was interesting, heart-wrenching, and wonderfully wild. I do have to admit that compared to the other books I’ve read by Crownover, this was a little challenging to get into. It was just different and not what I expected… but definitely not in a bad way. The plot was well-developed and there were plenty of unexpected surprises that kept me on my toes. I thought Webb and Ten were fantastic solid characters. They were far from perfect, but together they brought out the best in each other. And even though I wasn’t a hardcore fan of the romance between them, by the end I was definitely rooting for Webb and Ten to get their HEA. But, what I loved most about this book was how it was gritty, affecting and so full of heart. And, that’s the beauty in Crownover’s writing — the way she just makes you feel is the absolute best!

Runaround was a deliciously wild ride with the right amount of thrill, intrigue, threat, and steam that kept me interested until the very end. While this wasn’t my favorite from Crownover, I still enjoyed the drama, the suspense, the twists, and the swoons. If you’re a fan of this series and Crowover, then you definitely do not want to miss this one!

I recevied an advance reader copy of this book from Inkslinger in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

RETREAT, SHELTER, and ESCAPE are now in Kindle Unlimited and ON SALE for a limited time only! Grab your copies today!

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booksinseries

Getaway Series

Retreat

Shelter

Escape

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abouttheauthor

Jay Crownover is the International and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series, The Saints of Denver series, The Point and Breaking Point series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays, as well as live music and terrible TV shows. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road. For more on Jay and her books, visit www.jaycrownover.com.

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Website | Facebook |Twitter | Goodreads

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Thanks for stopping by and reading. I hope you enjoyed this release day celebration and my review.

Have you read this book? Are you a fan of Jay Crownover’s books? Which one is your favorite? Leave your thoughts and comments down below. Would love to hear what you think so let’s chat.

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sincerelykjologo

Blog Tour Excerpt and Giveaway – Deadfall by Stephen Wallenfels

December 14, 2018December 18, 2018 karenjo46Leave a comment

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Hello Lovelies and welcome to my Blog Tour Stop for DEADFALL by Stephen Wallenfels hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Today, I’ll be sharing an excerpt and a giveaway at the end. Happy Reading!!!

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Deadfall

aboutbook

Title: DEADFALL

Pub. Date: December 11, 2018

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 384

purchaselinks

Amazon, B&N, TBD

synopsis

Twin brothers Ty and Cory Bic are on the run. When they encounter a dying deer in the middle of a remote mountain road with fresh tire tracks swerving down into a ravine, they know they have to help. But when they reach the wrecked car the vehicle appears empty, with signs that the driver escaped.

Until they hear a sound coming from the trunk.

Ty and Cory are escaping demons of their own. But what they discover in the trunk puts them in the crosshairs of something darker and more sinister than their wildest nightmares.

Told through a gripping, lightning-fast narrative that alternates between present and past, this unputdownable survival thriller unravels the tangled circumstances that led Ty and Cory to the deer in the road and set them on a perilous course through the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

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We run the final thirty feet. Inhale the stink of gas and oil and burning rubber. Shattered bits of glass are everywhere. I shed my pack while Ty checks out the driver’s door, which is crushed inward. The window is gone. He crouches down, pokes his head inside. I run to the rear passenger window, which is also gone, and shine my headlamp inside, fully expecting to see multiple dead bodies. But the backseat is empty. I don’t see anyone in the front passenger seat.

Ty says, “Nobody here. But there’s plenty of blood on the airbag and the steering wheel. Oh, and there’s more on the roof. Shit. There’s a lot on the roof.”

Then, “Hey. Check it out.”

Ty shines his headlamp on the seat belt clip. A six-inch piece is hanging down, sliced at an angle. He says, “Looks like the driver had to cut his way out.” “Any sign of a passenger?” “Don’t see any blood. And the airbag didn’t happen.”

I say, “The gas smell is pretty bad back here.” Then I step away from the car and throw up. Ty knows the drill. He waits till I stop heaving, says while I’m wiping my face with my sleeve, “There’s a bloody handprint outside the driver door. And a couple boot prints going that way.”

He points up the slope we just hiked down. “Looks to me like he didn’t want to hang around here with all this gas leaking.” “I know how he feels,” I say as my stomach finally settles and the surrounding trees wind down to a slow spin. He says, “So? What’re you thinking?” “If he’s bleeding as much as you say, he could be hurt pretty bad. Since we didn’t see him up at the road, or on the way down, it could mean he collapsed somewhere between here and the road. With this fog it would be easy to miss him.” “Or her.” “Right. Or her.”

“So? Can we go now, or do you need to search for the body?” “Maybe we should yell first. Do you mind?” “Go for it.” I yell, “HEY! WE’RE HERE TO HELP! WHERE ARE YOU?” We wait. Hear nothing. I yell again. Still nothing. “Well?” Ty says. Then I do hear something. But it’s not coming from the forest. It’s close by. A muffled, metallic sound. I look at Ty. “Did you hear that?” “Hear what?” “A sound. Kind of a clunky metal sound.” “Nope. All I heard is you yelling.”

We wait a couple more seconds. The fog-drenched silence seeps in from the trees, coils in our headlamps, crawls up and over the big rock where the trunk of the car is resting. Whatever the sound was, it’s gone. “And the verdict is . . . ?” I say, “Let’s spread out. Stay about twenty feet apart and hike to the car. If we don’t find the driver, then we’re back to plan A.” Ty smiles. “Okay. Let’s do it. But do it now. I don’t want to kill the battery.”

I put on my pack. Ty finds another boot print. It’s about the same size as his hiking boot, so I figure the driver is our size, six foot, maybe a little more. Ty walks fifteen feet away, starts hiking up the hillside. I walk fifteen feet in the opposite direction, then head straight up, scanning the beam from my headlamp in 180-degree arcs. I walk ten steps, when I hear the same sound again. But this time there’s no question about the source.

I call out to Ty, “Wait! I heard something.” He swings around. I run to the car. Bang on the frame with my fist and yell while scanning the interior, “Hey! Where are you?” By this time Ty is back. He says, “Cory. The car’s empty. We checked. There’s nothing—” Then he hears it. A muffled thump, thump. He looks at me, says, “Oh shit.” The sound is coming from the trunk.

abouttheauthor

Stephen

Stephen Wallenfels lives in Washington state with his wife. He wrote freelance for the Health and Fitness industry for fifteen years before turning writing novels. His passions are family, hiking, cooking, reading, movies, climate change, and especially writing.

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