Today I get to take part in the blog tour for IN THE MIDDLE, a YA Paranormal Romance by S.J. Henderson.
Here's the blurb:
Girl moves to new town.
Girl meets Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.
Cue Happily Ever After.
That’s how the story goes, right?
Except this is Lucy. The same Lucy whose stellar driving
skills single-handedly wiped out both of her parents, leaving her with nothing
but the suitcase in her hand and the screws in her skull. Not to mention that
Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome—AKA Oliver—is just as annoyingly bossy as he is
hot. According to Oliver, Lucy’s not safe in her new hometown, but he refuses
to say why. He just gives her some lame warning about not going out after dark,
like that’ll stop her.
When several townspeople vanish, the lethargic community
springs to life, fearful of the danger lurking among them. The problem is that
Lucy’s the last person to have seen any of the missing. Doesn’t exactly qualify
her for the Neighbor of the Year Award.
Lucy’s already given up on Happily Ever After, but now she
has two choices left: find out what’s happening in her new home, or become the
next victim.
Sounds pretty awesome right? Well I can tell you it is! I read this book in two days. It was a fast read, engrossing, the characters were vivid, and best of all the romance was swoony! Not only that, it was a very interesting take on life and death, and a touching story to boot.
Wanna read an excerpt? Of course you do!
“Do you trust me?” he asks. He’s closer to me.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not really. We’ve got to get you back to the mansion before
. . .” His voice trails off. I want to slug him in the arm for being spooky
again, but I’d have to find his arm first.
He swoops in without warning, whisking me from my feet.
Again, I cry out. He sucks in a sharp breath that catches between his teeth.
“Lucy, I’m not kidding—stop making noise.”
My blood simmers beneath my skin. “Warn me next time you’re
planning on picking me up, then.”
“Sorry,” he fires back, his mouth too close to my ear.
I want nothing more than for the strength in my legs to
return so I can get away from him and his nerve, but Oliver is in control now
and holds me pressed unnecessarily tightly to his body. Turning my head from
him is my only means of escape. I’d shown him, all right.
With a little more energy than necessary, he heaves me up
into the blackness. My bottom connects to something soft yet solid—Jasper’s
back—and pain spikes down my spine. I gasp as my body starts to curl in on
itself.
“Okay,” Oliver says. “Slide your right leg over to the other
side. I’ll keep you steady.”
My mouth flops open and I wonder if he can see the
ever-growing whites of my eyes. Or maybe he’s picked up on the stampede going
on between the valves of my heart, because he softens. “Lucy, I’m not going to
let you fall. Trust me.”
“The only people I’ve ever trusted are dead,” I shoot down
to him as I claw around for something, anything, to keep me from falling on my
face.
Oliver snorts, which sends me over the edge.
“What? You think that’s funny?” I challenge him, no longer
concerned about keeping quiet. His hand clamps on my leg in piercing reproof.
I’ll have bruises there tomorrow, for sure. Through locked teeth, I order,
“Let. Go.”
“Please stop,” he says. “I’m trying to keep you sa—”
A rumble beyond us, where the orchard fades into the rest of
the forest, interrupts his plea. Even though I sit astride stoic Jasper, I can
feel the ground vibrating beneath us.
“What in the—?” I cry, whipping my head in the direction of
the growing commotion.
“Slide back,” Oliver commands. I know better than to take
offense at his bossy tone. I’d made a big mistake, one he’d been trying to
protect me from. The fear of horses leaves my body, only to be replaced by the
fear of the unknown. Ignoring the bite of pain in my hip, I throw my leg over
Jasper’s withers and shove myself backward, using my palms for leverage. A
second later, Oliver sweeps himself upward and in front of me on his horse’s
back.
“Hold on,” he yells over the thunder moving our direction.
And a bit about the author:
S. J. lives on a
farm with her husband, four boys, two dogs, and cat. When she’s not writing,
you can usually find her riding one of her family’s three horses. She loves to
sing and is slowly learning to play the ukulele.
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