Tag Archives: YA Romance

by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | August 24, 2023 · 5:00 am

Does Love Always Win? Virtual Book Tour

YA romance

Date Published: 06-20-2023

Publisher: Creative James Media

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Does Love Always Win is a sapphic coming of age young adult novel that
explores coming out and understanding one’s sexual orientation.

Sam “Shorty” Daniels has a plan for her senior year, but her
romantic life being a hot mess was not part of the agenda. Shorty quickly
discovers she’s not attracted to her newest boyfriend and fellow marching
band member Zack, despite her many hours of daydreaming of what it would be
like to date him. Their previous flirting had been so intense that those
feelings have to come back again, right?

When Shorty’s asked to show the snarky new girl around high school,
Shorty’s instantly intrigued by Kristy’s wit, and they bond over their love
of writing. They quickly become inseparable, and Shorty has a breakthrough
moment realizing why none of her other relationships worked out.

Just as Shorty is about to break up with Zack, her bitter ex-boyfriend
Bryan threatens to out her to the entire school and Shorty’s conservative
parents. Will Shorty be able to overcome Bryan’s ridiculous blackmail scheme
and get her dream girl?

EXCERPT

I moved closer to her, and she wrapped her arms around me. I buried my face into her neck as she ran her hands through my hair. What was I doing? I was fairly popular at school, had a good-looking boyfriend, amazing best friend, and supportive parents. Why would I want to throw it all away to be with this girl that I had just met? What would people say if they found out? I wanted to stay in this room forever and not face the real world. Kristy pulled me back and gazed into my eyes. “It’ll be okay, I promise. I get that this is scary. How could it not be? Everything you thought about yourself has changed. But I’m here to help you figure things out and we can take this slow.” I took a deep breath. “Okay. Thanks. I think I’m having a minor freak out, but I’ll be better soon, I’m sure.” Kristy smoothed out my hair. “I’ve been wanting to ask you. Should I call you Shorty or Sam? I felt weird when we first met calling you by your nickname, but now I feel like we might be more in nickname territory.” “Honestly, I answer by both names, so whatever you feel like calling me. After last night though, you for sure have the right to call me Shorty.” Kristy nodded. “What about going to breakfast? Maybe that will take your mind o everything.” I gave a small smile and nodded.

About the Author

Diane Billas lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son. When
she’s not writing she can be found reading multiple books at once,
performing the French horn and piano, or dreaming of the next country
she’s going to visit. Diane can be found at dianebillas.com, on
Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook @dianebillas, and on Instagram
@dianebillaswrites.

Diane Billas is the author of the YA contemporary romance LGBTQ+ novel DOES
LOVE ALWAYS WIN? releasing June 2023 and the YA superhero LGBTQ+ novel
SUPERFICIAL releasing September 2024.

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by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | December 11, 2021 · 5:00 am

The Academy Saga Blitz

The Academy Saga, Book One

YA Romance

Publisher: BrandlyLight Ink

My mother always taught me to trust my instinct.

And now it’s telling me those two hot guys, sitting nonchalantly in that diner booth, have a hidden agenda. What are they even doing in this town that doesn’t make a dot on the map? And why are they giving me such a hard time?

I already know that pretty and poor is a bad combination; it just seems to unleash the monster in some people. But I grew up strong, resourceful, and with a fierce pride that makes me fight back. Even when I’m outclassed.

From the moment Ranger stared right through me, I know I’ve seen those icy eyes before. And the moment I peer into Pete’s deep brown eyes I know I’m done for. But he just happens to be a cadet from that “elite” academy that’s after my gifted little brother. Coincidence? Mama said there’s no such thing, and to never let Daddy sign us up for special schools. The Academy will stop at nothing to get what they want. And for some inexplicable reason they want us. But these elite cadets have finally met their match.

Because when all you have in the world is your family, you’ll do whatever it takes to save them.

Other Books in The Academy Saga:

The Academy Saga, II: Cadet-in-Training

The Academy Saga, III: CAP & Gown

Amazon

Excerpt

“Ranger Danger”

My panicked eyes looked up to see the man grinning victoriously down at me. I was trapped, and we both knew it.

“Come on, sweetheart, let’s go,” he directed with a sharp nod.

I was just about to dive down the blank alley when my situation turned from bad to worse—one of the dogs finally managed to hook his front legs over the top of the fence. Crap! I closed my eyes, preparing to leap into the back of the man’s truck, when a sharp whistle pierced the darkness. Momentarily startled, the dog stopped his struggle to heave himself over the fence, lost his momentum, and fell back down. Almost faint with relief, I looked around for the source of the sound. Headlights from the street penetrated the darkness, haloing another large vehicle that had just pulled up beside the man in the truck.

Oh, thank God! Someone needed to get through the alley. This was my break! Words were being exchanged between open windows, but it was hard to hear because the dogs started up another furious round of barking, their attention now evenly divided between me and the two trucks parked side-by-side in the street.

Something about that voice sent a vibration down my spine. That can’t be right. Unfortunately, nobody knows where I am.

The stalker in the truck stuttered, turned red, took one last accessing look at me plastered against the fence before slamming the door shut. “Good luck with that one!” he spat before roaring off into the night.

Shaking, I ducked down to take a couple of deep breaths while I waited for the big black Jeep to pull through the alley so I could run. But it didn’t move. Holy cow! I just realized I’d seen this Jeep before. Only it wasn’t a Jeep; it was a Hummer. A black Hummer, and I’d only seen one of those once before . . . My eyes traveled up the large, knobby tires and into the open window, where a pair of glacier eyes was looking down on me crouched in the weeds. Disbelief momentarily stunned me stupid. No Way! I blinked. Sure enough . . .

“Good evenin’, Glasses!” A familiar mocking voice greeted me.

It just couldn’t be. Could it?

I stumbled upright to get a closer look. What I saw made my face blanch and my feet scrabble backwards like I’d seen a ghost.

What’s he doing here? Nothing good.

“Get her in the truck,” someone directed from the driver’s seat. I thought that voice sounded familiar, too, but couldn’t be sure because my ears were ringing, and I was faint with fear and near exhaustion.

I must’ve been taking too long to process what was going on, because the door sprang open. A very large, very muscular guy stalked my way, with a determined look upon his face. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I registered the fact that he was also very good looking.

Oh man . . . not again! It suddenly occurred to me that I’d just jumped from the frying pan into the fire!

About the Author

CJ Daly grew up on the scrabbly plains of eastern New Mexico. When she was supposed to be helping her six siblings with chores on the family ranch, she was really sneaking behind dusty haystacks to read. And dreaming about adventures with mysterious, handsome strangers.

After graduation CJ moved to Big D, where she quickly put herself through college while trying to rid herself of her country accent. She had better luck with college, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in English literature. After a humorous stint teaching seventh-graders how to appreciate poetry that doesn’t rhyme, and pausing to have back-to-back boys, she began writing during those sleepless, slap-happy nights.

A few months later, The Academy Saga was born. Upon its debut, it became an instant Amazon Bestseller and earned a Readers’ Favorite seal of approval. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find CJ running from one athletic field to another to cheer on her boys or feeding the wild animals that show up at her back door. When she isn’t writing, she likes to kick back with her gal pals and sip Texas-sized cocktails while gabbing about favorite books and TV series. But CJ’s greatest pleasure is sharing The Academy Saga journey with you.

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by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | March 28, 2019 · 5:00 am

Someday Maybe – Blitz

Someday Maybe banner

YA Romance

Date Published: March 2019

It’s okay to be different.

Ha. That’s what people are supposed to say, supposed to pretend in this new age, hipster reality that I live in. Except for high school students aren’t accepting and having my life up for debate in the halls, well . . . it really—really—sucks.

Then a single conversation with my dad shatters all of my childhood memories and my mom copes with his news by spending every hour losing herself in work. Suddenly, it’s not just my high school’s hallways that have become a freaking horror film. Just traversing the relationship between my parents is more dangerous than crossing a minefield.

So I’ve been keeping my head down, hoping to just survive my senior year. That is, until Jason Monroe waltzes into my life and invites me to Homecoming. The soccer god is popular, hot as hell, and my every teenaged fantasy come to life.

And for some insane reason, he likes me. Me. The Harry-Potter-loving, pajama-wearing, bookworm nerd who is too lazy to spend much time on makeup and hair. Somehow Jason Monroe likes me.

But my life falling apart means that I’m a terrible bet and Jason couldn’t possibly want to run the gauntlet of high school or my home life with me.

Except . . . what if he does?

Excerpt

“Dance?”

My eyes slid closed. How did he always know?

I turned, the same distant, friendly smile I’d perfected curving my lips.

His perfectly polite one greeted me in response.

And we stood there like two idiots, fake smiles on our faces and not knowing how to move forward.

Finally, I pointed to my shoes and said, “I don’t think my feet can take it.”

Real amusement crept into his expression. “That bad?”

I made a face. “Worse.”

“Here.” Before I could figure out what he was doing, Jason had knelt in front of me and slipped off my black four-inch pumps.

I would have protested, except it felt so good.

He set the heels aside and pulled me into his arms, instantly finding the song’s gentle beat. I relaxed against his chest, content to let him guide me to the music. There was no struggle, just wholehearted surrender.

Jason was second nature and my body, my mind, my heart recognized that.

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About the Author

Aside from writing romance, Elise’s passions are chocolate, Star Wars, and hockey (the order depending on the day and how well her team — the Sharks! — are playing). She and her husband also play as much hockey as they can squeeze into their schedules, so much so that their typical date night is spent on the ice. Elise is the mom to two exuberant boys and is thoroughly addicted to Dancing With the Stars.

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Tagged as blitz, elise faber, Someday Maybe, YA Romance

by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | July 20, 2017 · 5:00 am

Raise the Curtain – Blitz

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YA Romance

Date Published: June 2017

Seventeen-year-old Alexa Cross is desperate to get to Broadway, but when she receives a failing math grade, hopes of a scholarship disappear. Now she’ll need her father’s help to achieve her dream. The only problem is he doesn’t consider her choice of careers to be sensible and after the pain her family has suffered, Alexa can’t go against his wishes. Trapped between a family she loves and her love of the stage, Alexa will have to find another way to achieve her dream or settle for what her father wants.

West Howell does his best to keep his head down and go unnoticed. It’s easier to be cut off than to try to explain to people why he’s so screwed up. After all, he can’t afford to get into any more trouble. When he’s recruited to tutor the hot, prissy girl from math, he never expects to fall in love with her. Or that she might be the one person who can relate to him.

Together, they may find a way to heal each other and get what they both desperately need, as long as Alexa’s father doesn’t decide that the one thing worse than his daughter’s love of the stage is her love for West.

Excerpt

Mr. Guin gave her a moment to adjust to the news and then continued. “Now, I know you’re capable of doing the work. You’re a smart girl, but you’re going to have to buckle down and put in some serious hours or you won’t have enough time to pull your overall grade up before the end of the semester.” He stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m afraid you need more help than I have time to give, and that’s why I’ve spoken with the person in the class with the highest average. He’s going to be tutoring you at my request.”

He. Please don’t let it be West Howell. Please don’t let it be West Howell. Of course, it wouldn’t be. He wasn’t smart. Or was he? The truth was she had no idea. She didn’t know anything about him.

A shadow filled the doorway, and she didn’t have to look up to know her worst nightmare had come true. She could sense his presence like a deer in the woods can sense a predator.

“Ah, here he is now. Miss Cross, I believe you know Mr. Howell?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat and sat up straighter. “Yes, sir.”

“West, I’ll leave it up to the two of you to work out your own schedule.”

West nodded, but remained quiet. Alexa was working hard not to stand up and pull her hair out like some sort of animated character in a cartoon while laughing hysterically. This could not be happening.

Mr. Guin continued on, unaware she was one step away from hysterics. “I’ll expect the two of you to work together four days a week.”

Alexa’s mouth dropped open, but no sound came out.

“I’ll evaluate your progress by the extra assignments you’ll be required to turn in at the end of each week. Also, if Mr. Howell feels you aren’t doing your absolute best to succeed or if he feels you aren’t taking this second chance seriously, he’s been told to report to me immediately. You will not fail this class because you weren’t given every opportunity to succeed. The only way to fail is to give up.” Mr. Guin leaned down toward her. “And we both know you’re not a quitter.”

While she appreciated the chance and his opinion of her work ethic, she was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than having to spend time outside of class with West four days a week. And now, he also knew she was an idiot. Perfect.

About the Author

Christina Kirby is the author of the Warm Springs Trilogy, A Face In the Crowd, and writes YA under the name Kirby Hall. She holds a degree in Public Relations from Auburn University and is currently a stay at home mom to two sons. An avid reader of romance and obsessed with good TV, Christina likes nothing more than to talk pop culture with other fans. She also believes a copy of Entertainment Weekly and a chocolate chip cookie can cure anything. Christina writes young adult romance novels under the pen name Kirby Hall.

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