Blog Tour: Dare to Kiss by S.B. Alexander

   Hello lovelies,

   Today we have a special guest on the blog: S.B. Alexander, the author of Dare to Kiss. Ms Alexander is going to tell us all about the inspiration behind her story! Enjoy! 

   Baseball has always been a sport I’ve loved. As a little girl my nighttime prayers consisted of two things. I prayed for a better life, and I prayed that when I woke up in the morning I’d be a boy and not a girl. Sure, it was a crazy prayer or wish, but I hated when the boys in my neighborhood told me I couldn’t play baseball or any sport for that matter. “Go play with your dolls,” they had said. I didn’t want to play with dolls or dress up pretty. Nope, I wanted holey jeans, a T-shirt, a bat, a glove and a baseball. I wanted to get dirty, run around bases, hit a ball, and play the game.

   Needless to say, I didn’t get what I wanted, and by golly I fought hard to show the boys I could play. I was good. But growing up in the late sixties and early seventies, society didn’t accept girls to play on little league teams with boys no matter how good they were. Instead, if I wanted to play the game I had to play softball. Now, there’s nothing wrong with softball. My problem—I couldn’t understand why girls weren’t allowed to do what boys did. 

   So, I did end up playing softball. In fact, when I was twelve-years-old I was asked by a coach of the city league to play on their women’s team. Since then I played softball throughout most of my adult life. I even played for the navy team when I was in the military. On top of that I followed the game of baseball by going to stadiums, collecting baseball cards, coaching, and even using the game and how it relates to math when I taught high school. 

   For me though, that wasn’t enough. If I couldn’t play I was going to write a story about who girl who did. Yep, I was going to show those boys in my neighborhood. 

   My first attempt at the story had been twenty years ago. I was sitting in a small town in the mountains of Greece where I opened a blank notebook and began writing. The plot—a high school girl who breaks through the barriers of an all-male game. But I didn’t get far. I came back to the states, started a new job and shoved the story in a safe place. It wasn’t until last October when I decided to dust off that notebook, and finally finish my story. Hence, Dare to Kiss was born. The plot changed, but it still revolves around a girl who plays baseball.

   The protagonist, Lacey Robinson is a girl, who is a lot like myself. She loves the energy of the ball field. She loves hearing the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd. She loves striking a batter out, but most of all she loves the game, and no matter the consequences, and she’s faced with a lot, she pushes through her demons to play the game. 

   In today’s society it isn’t far off that we could see females in the major leagues one day. More girls are stepping up and showing their talent and skills. Case in point would be the seventeen-year-old Chelsea Baker who was the youngest female to ever throw at batting practice for the Tampa Bay Rays back in June of this year, and the first female of Hillsborough County in Florida to make the varsity team. Then there is the incredible Mo’Ne Davis, who at thirteen-years-old has a seventy miler per hour fastball and pitched in the Little League World Series in August. 

About the book: 

Besides her family, Lacey Robinson’s only other love is baseball. She’s on top of the world when Arizona State University approaches her to discuss a scholarship. To be the first girl ever to grace a college boys’ team is beyond what she has ever dreamed.

Her fastball is impeccable, her curveball equally as good, and her slider annihilates anyone who dares to step in the batter’s box. But fate has its own way of throwing curveballs. When she looses her mother and sister to a home invasion, baseball and her dreams die with them. Tragedy has a way of seeping deep into her psyche, causing nightmares, panic attacks and blackouts. Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, her psychiatrist recommends a change of scenery and picking up the things that she loved to do, and for Lacey that is baseball.

After a move clear across the country, only two things matter to Lacey—overcome her PTSD and make Kensington High’s baseball team. But trying out for the team comes with obstacles—the captain, Aaron Seever, doesn’t want a girl on the team.

Her life is further complicated when she meets Kade Maxwell, a tall, sexy and drool-worthy bad boy who has a magical touch that awakens her feminine side and a kiss that slowly erases her nightmares. But getting involved with him may be dangerous when Kade’s archenemy returns to town to settle a vendetta.

To complicate matters, her PTSD has taken a turn for the worse. She has to find a way to heal otherwise she may not have a chance at anything in life, especially love.

Book trailer:

About author:

S. B. Alexander’s passion for writing began when she read her first Stephen King novel, The Shining. Over the years she kept telling family and friends she was going to write a book. Fifteen years later, on the advice of a friend, she sat down and wrote her first novel. One year later, she published two novels with three more slotted for release. Her books are targeted toward the young adult and new adult markets.

Her young adult series, Vampire SEALS, includes two books, On the Edge of Humanity, and On the Edge of Eternity, which have garnered high praise from readers. 
Dare to Kiss is the first book in her new adult series.

Links:

Author Website
Twitter
Facebook

Goodreads

Virtual Tour Page 

Have a great day everyone! 

Happy reading, 

Valia 

Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Beaty in the Ashes by Micalea Smeltzer

Some stories are fairytales...but this isn't one. 

Caelan Gregory's life fell apart the night he went home and opened the door to find his whole family murdered. Since then, his life has held no meaning. He's angry. He's bitter. He's barely human anymore. There's nothing left to remind him of the straight A student, and football quarterback he once was...but he wasn't a good person then, and he's certainly not a good person now. He's retreated into a world where all that exists is numbness and his passion for painting.

When Sutton Hale moves into the apartment across the hall from Caelan she's not prepared for her reaction to him. Something in his broken blue eyes calls to her - after all she's always had an irrational need to fix everything.

But Caelan doesn't do relationships or feelings. He does drugs and alcohol. However, he can't ignore his desire to get to know the raven haired woman across the hall.

Two broken souls trying to mend one another.

But not everything can be fixed.

In the end, Caelan and Sutton will have to learn that there is beauty in the ashes.

From Goodreads.com  

   This book is NOT for everyone. I know Micalea has said it and it's worth repeating. This book is not a fairytale, it's not about two people living happily ever after. At least not in the way conventional books write about. It is a NA Standalone Dark Contemporary Romance. Just a warning :)

    That being said, I found this book amazing. No, I've never had my family murdered or gone through what Sutton has gone through, but at the same time, I can relate to the brokenness of both characters. And these two are beyond broken. They're shattered. It hurts to read their story, it pains you as a reader to see what kind of a life they've lived, but at the same time, it gives you hope that things can get better.
   I think it was particularly relatable for me to read this book because I saw this kind of life in my line of work. I saw first hand how broken people can be. And I saw it when there was no hope. I'm not saying this book will leave you all warm and fuzzy at the end. It probably won't. I will be honest and say that I cried reading the last couple of chapters because they touched my heart.
   Did I want a different ending? A part of me did. But at the same time, I understood the decisions these two had to make and the maturity they both arrived at, at the end.
   That's what I loved most about the book. Is the growth of both Caelan and Sutton. The understanding that sometimes the hardest decision is the best one and that sometimes we need to let go, rebuild, start over.
   It's hard to review this book without giving much away, but I want people to read it, because it's a story that deserves to be read.
   It is DARK and TWISTED and filled with broken people, but just like the title says, there is Beauty in the Ashes and this story has proven that in it's pages. Micalea did a fantastic job, crafting a story that will stay with you long after you've read the last word.

   Because I want everyone to have a chance to read this book, I'm giving an E-copy away!! All you have to do is fill out the form below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway  

   Even if you don't win, I still hope you pick up this book and see what it's all about for yourself. Just be prepared for the feels!


   Much love,

   Valia