Release Blitz! I Know Lucy by Melissa Pearl

I Know Lucy (A Fugitive Novel, #1) by Melissa Pearl
Genre: Young Adult
Date Published: April 20, 2014
Publisher: Evatopia Press

Lucy Tate is on the run. After witnessing the brutal murder of her parents, she's spent five years in hiding -- taking on different personas and faking her way through life. The authorities can't be trusted, so she remains in the shadows, always one beat ahead of the man who is forever hunting her. That is, until she meets Zach Schultz, a senior at Monte Vista High and the one guy she can’t bear to leave. Suddenly her natural instincts to lie, steal, and run are overshadowed by something else...the desire to stay. It’s her one shot at a normal life.

Curious by nature, Zach is immediately drawn to the new girl at school. How can a person look both confident and vulnerable all in the same moment? Determined to learn more about her, he tries to get close, but is thrown into a world of lies and confusion. The only thing that becomes apparent is that discovering the truth may get him killed.

ZACH...
"This is different, you guys." I shook my head. "I mean yes, she is gorgeous. And yes, I'm attracted to her, but it's not just her looks. There's something about her. She's intriguing. It's like she's not all she appears to be or something."
"You can tell that after two minutes of interacting with her? Give me a break." Elliot balled up his napkin and threw it on the table.
"I know I don't know her at all yet, but I can tell there's something more there." I rubbed my bottom lip.
"She looks normal to me." AJ shrugged.
"I think she's pretty. She looks sweet, but..." Liesl turned to spy her quickly. "AJ's right. She looks like any other transfer student. What makes her so different?"
"It's something about her eyes. There's a story in them. I can't even explain why I think that. I just feel like she's got a lot of layers and I want to peel back every single one of them."
"I bet you do." Elliot raised his eyebrows.
"Not like that." I threw him a droll look. "I just want to solve the mystery that is Danielle Harrison."
"Dude, there is no mystery." Elliot slapped his hand lightly on the table.
"Yes there is. I can feel it."
"Careful, Zachy, your Nancy Drew is showing." Jaeda's green eyes were large and round as she gave me a playful look.
"I don't care." I shrugged, confident in the truth that I really didn't. "That girl over there has secrets and I'm gonna figure out what they are."

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan… not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. “Best. Year. Ever!!” She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has produced four more books and has a YA fantasy trilogy coming out this year. Unknown and Unseen (The Elements Trilogy) out now!

“I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love.”

To learn more about Melissa Pearl and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads and Twitter.

Tour!! A Review of Betwixt by Melissa Pearl, Plus a Top 10 List!

Betwixt (Betwixt #1) by Melissa Pearl 
Genre: Mature Young Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: November 5, 2012
Publisher: Self

Beautiful, wild-child Nicole Tepper is hit by a car and left for dead. But when she wakes the next morning, Nicole finds herself in bed without a scratch. Perhaps she was more intoxicated than usual, as her mother is giving her the silent treatment and her friends are ignoring her as well. 

Things take a turn for the weird when Nicole soon discovers she is actually hovering between life and death. Her body is lying in the forest while her spirit is searching for anyone who can hear her. Unfortunately the only person who can is Dale Finnigan, the guy she publicly humiliated with a sharp-tongued insult that has left him branded.

Desperate, Nicole has no choice but to haunt Dale and convince the freaked-out senior to help her. Will he find her body before it's too late? Or will the guy who tried to kill her with his car, beat him there and finish her off before anyone finds out?

 Betwixt is the first book in the Betwixt series by Melissa Pearl. The main characters, Nicole and Dale, are two people who've had a lot happen in their young lives. Their friendship was one of necessity on her part, but I loved watching it grow. They were both on the wild side before something traumatic happened to them. Dale was already getting his life together before helping Nicole. She wasn't very nice to him before her accident, but I think he knew where she was coming from and related her more and more as he got to know her. In a similar way, I liked both of them more and more as I learned more about them. They both had spunk. The story offered romance, humor, and some definite suspense. This was a wonderful story about starting over and moving on.

Betwixt by Melissa Pearl was provided to me by Xpresso Book Tours for review. The opinions are my own.

Check out my reviews of Before (Book 0.5) and Beyond (Book 1.5)

Top 10 Places I've Visited by Melissa Pearl

 1. Te Anau (a little town in the South Island of NZ, just near Queenstown)

2. Washington DC ­ loved all the memorials and museums. Very cool layout too.

3. San Francisco ­ such a funky city. So interesting.

4. Burlington, Vermont ­ it's lovely ­ beautiful, peaceful. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I

was allowed to :)

5. Vancouver ­ it reminds me of Auckland, but cooler because it has these wicked mountains nearby. My husband and I spent two weeks there and loved it.

6. Boston ­ probably because we watched a free performance of Taming of the Shrew on the Boston Common. It's one of my favorite memories from our USA road trip.

7. New York ­ like one of the coolest cities ever! Time Square? Need I say more :)

8. London ­ so much history and another wicked city that you could spend days getting lost in and remain entertained and happy the whole time.

9. Las Vegas ­ LOVED it. We stayed up until 3 am one night just walking up and down the strip. There's no other town like it.

10. Savannah ­ the architecture and layout of that city was so completely cool. We had such a fun time exploring.

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan… not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. “Best. Year. Ever!!” She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has produced four more books and has a YA fantasy trilogy coming out this year. Unknown and Unseen (The Elements Trilogy) out now!

“I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love.”

To learn more about Melissa Pearl and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads and Twitter.

Book Review: Beyond by Melissa Pearl

Beyond (Betwixt #1.5) by Melissa Pearl 
Genre:  MatureYoung Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: October 20, 2013
Publisher: Self

Have you ever been so in love with someone, but not had the courage to tell them?

Nicole Tepper is that girl. She loves her boyfriend Dale, but fearing rejection, keeps her feelings buried deep. She can’t even let on how heartbroken she is when Dale begins applying for colleges thousands of miles away from her; never even whispering a word about how much she wishes he would stay close.

But, when Dale is rejected from Columbia University in NYC, due to a police record that follows him wherever he goes, Nicole soon discovers that love can drive her to do things she never thought possible.

There's more than one way to say, I love you and Nicole Tepper is about to prove to Dale that she loves him beyond all common sense.

Beyond is the sequel to Betwixt by Melissa Pearl. This novella gave us a glimpse into the lives of Nicole and Dale after Betwixt. They are an adorable couple. Dale's past is coming back to bite him as he applies for colleges. Nicole is determined to help, but doesn't know how, plus she's afraid of what will happens once he leaves. I wouldn't mind hearing more from Dale and Nicole in the future, but while looking around on the author's blog it looks like this is the final book for them. Beyond wrapped up this story line nicely.

Beyond by Melissa Pearl was provided to me by Xpresso Book Tours for review. The opinions are my own.

Check out my reviews of Betwixt (Book 1) and Before (Book 0.5)

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan… not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. “Best. Year. Ever!!” She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has produced four more books and has a YA fantasy trilogy coming out this year. Unknown and Unseen (The Elements Trilogy) out now!

“I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love.”

To learn more about Melissa Pearl and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads and Twitter.

Book Review: Before by Melissa Pearl

Before (Betwixt #2) by Melissa Pearl 
Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: September 2013
Publisher: Self

Dale Finnigan is a teenage rebel; he lives for parties, girls and joy riding in stolen cars. In spite of his uptight parents' constant warnings and lectures, he continues to run wild. His crazy lifestyle is the only way he can live and feel free… Until his reckless behavior takes him down a path where there is no going back.

In this prequel to BETWIXT, find out who Dale Finnigan was before he became known as“scar-face”—the unassuming hero everyone underestimates.

WARNING: This book is intended for mature teens due to coarse language and mature content.

Before is the prequel to Betwixt by Melissa Pearl. Before gives you a look at Dale's life before his accident. It fully details the crowd he ran with and how he let them influence him, the trouble he caused, family life, and all the big and small things that turned him into the person he is in Betwixt. For such a small book, it really gives you everything you need to know about Dale. Even through all his shenanigans, you can tell he is a really good guy at heart. I enjoyed getting to know the "Before" Dale. It made me really appreciate the "Betwixt" Dale.

Before by Melissa Pearl was provided to me by Xpresso Book Tours for review. The opinions are my own.

Check out my reviews of Betwixt (Book 1) and Beyond (Book 1.5)

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan… not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. “Best. Year. Ever!!” She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has produced four more books and has a YA fantasy trilogy coming out this year. Unknown and Unseen (The Elements Trilogy) out now!

“I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love.”

To learn more about Melissa Pearl and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads and Twitter.