Aced by Jennifer Lane Release Day!

Title: ACED
Series: Blocked #2

Author: Jennifer Lane

Release Date: December 2, 2015

Genre: New Adult Sports Romance 

Length: 80,000 words

Cover Artist: Coreen Montagna 

Synopsis:

Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in Jennifer Lane’s Blocked series, it could be her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love.

Medical student Alejandro’s hot Latin looks get him plenty of attention, but his deep faith and admiration for his father keep him on a righteous path, with no time for something as frivolous as love. He strives to do the right thing—study diligently, take care of his siblings, represent the family well—so why does he feel so unfulfilled?

Enter Lucia’s friend and teammate Maddie Brooks, who shines at blocking the ball and acing the serve. Too bad this graduating senior isn’t so confident about her life off the court. Her longtime boyfriend has just bailed on her, and med school applications loom large. Oh, and a nerve-wracking tryout for Team USA also approaches.

Maddie meets Alejandro when he visits Lucia at school, and she’s soon drawn to his sharp mind. Alejandro is similarly intrigued by Maddie’s talent and strength. But will personal biases and family politics smother the slow burn of their attraction? Unless Maddie can learn to believe in herself, and Alejandro can become his own man, their kindling romance hardly stands a chance.

Will either of them be bold enough to try something new? Find out in this emotion- rich story that refuses to shy away from life’s hardest questions. Because love is worth the risk.

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Reviews for Aced

“Jennifer's characters always interact with each other in a very comfortable pattern of easy and witty banter. She is exceedingly good at dialogue. Aced is a very brave book. Like Blocked, it is not simply a fluffy, sweet and cozy romance."
~Teresa from Goodreads

"Lord forgive me for I have sinned and lusted over the hottie known as ALEJANDRO. Yup, dibs he's all mine, chicas."
~Nelly from Romance Bytes

"The plot is so well paced, I was reading until the wee hours of the morning."
~Karie Deegan from My Reading Reality

"Blocked captivated my attention from start to finish and Aced does not disappoint. Hotheaded Alejandro meets his match in stubborn and confident Maddie."
~Aaliyah from Goodreads

Giveaways

1) Join us for the Facebook party 12-2-15 HERE. Over 25 Authors with prizes!

2) Leave a review on Amazon on 12-2-15 for a chance to win $25 gift card.

3) And enter the Rafflecopter Release Giveaway:

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About the Author

Get psyched for romance with psychologist/author (psycho author) Jennifer Lane! By day she’s a therapist, and by night she’s a writer. She can’t decide which is more fun.

Jen adores creating sporty heroines and hot heroes in her college sport romances. Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in the Blocked series, it’s her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love. Aced launches in December 2015.

A swimmer and volleyball player in college, Jen writes swimming-based romances as well: Streamline, a military mystery, and the free New Adult novella Swim Recruit.

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love. She is also the author of The Conduct Series, a romantic-suspense trilogy that includes With Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, and On Best Behavior.

Ultimately, whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and visiting her sisters in Chicago and Hilton Head.

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Cover Reveal - Aced(Blocked #2) by Jennifer Lane

Today I 'm so excited to be a part of the cover reveal for the second book in the Blocked series by Jennifer Lane. Jennifer is an amazing author with an excellent insight into what makes people tick. This helps her character to pop off the page and root themselves in the readers mind. You'll find yourself thinking about her stories long after you put the book down.

Title:  Aced

Series:  Blocked #2

Author:  Jennifer Lane

Genre:  New Adult Sports Romance

Cover Design:  Coreen Montagna (coreenm@gmail.com)

Release Date:  December 2, 2015

Blurb

Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in Jennifer Lane’s Blocked series, it could be her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love.

Medical student Alejandro’s hot Latin looks get him plenty of attention, but his deep faith and admiration for his father keep him on a righteous path, with no time for something as frivolous as love. He strives to do the right thing—study diligently, take care of his siblings, represent the family well—so why does he feel so unfulfilled?

Enter Lucia’s friend and teammate Maddie Brooks, who shines at blocking the ball and acing the serve. Too bad this graduating senior isn’t so confident about her life off the court. Her longtime boyfriend has just bailed on her, and med school applications loom large. Oh, and a nerve-wracking tryout for Team USA also approaches.

Maddie meets Alejandro when he visits Lucia at school, and she’s soon drawn to his sharp mind. Alejandro is similarly intrigued by Maddie’s talent and strength. But will personal biases and family politics smother the slow burn of their attraction? Unless Maddie can learn to believe in herself, and Alejandro can become his own man, their kindling romance hardly stands a chance.

Will either of them be bold enough to try something new? Find out in this emotion-rich story that refuses to shy away from life’s hardest questions. Because love is worth the risk.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Book one BLOCKED on SALE for a limited time!

Excerpt from Aced

I’d only seen Alejandro on TV, but his presence seemed magnified in real life. He was Jaylon’s height but probably weighed thirty pounds less. He moved like a panther, sleek and long in a black suit “dressed down” with no tie. His short black hair shone in the arena lights, and he appeared freshly shaven. Hot damn! He sure looked more suave than any college boy I’d encountered. Was that the typical dress for medical school at Johns Hopkins? Probably not. Something told me Alex did things his own way.

As Alejandro approached, Lucia stood to hug him, shaking her head. “Hey, what’re you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

He smiled. “Could we go somewhere to talk?”

She glanced at me. “I don’t want to leave Maddie. I dragged her here, so it’d be rude to abandon her.”

“So this is the famous Maddie.” When Alejandro reached across to shake my hand, his dark eyes burned into me. “I’ve seen you play, but it’s good to finally meet. I’ve heard great things about you.” His handshake was firm, but his hand was soft and warm, zinging a surprising thrill right through me. I realized that for at least a few moments, I hadn’t thought about Jaylon. Alejandro let go all too quickly.

His expression sobered as he looked back at Lucia. “I want to talk to you about something in private.”

She folded her arms across her chest as they both sat. “I already said no, thank you. I can’t right now.”

He frowned and squared his shoulders. Then he leaned in to Lucia’s ear and spoke to her in Spanish. She bristled next to me.

“How dare you?” she hissed.

I leaned back. What had just changed my sweet Rez into a pissy hellcat?

Sign up for ACED Review Tour HERE.

Author Bio

Get psyched for romance with psychologist/author (psycho author) Jennifer Lane! By day she’s a therapist, and by night she’s a writer. She can’t decide which is more fun.

Jen adores creating sporty heroines and hot heroes in her college sport romances. Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in the Blocked series, it’s her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love. Aced launches in December 2015.

A swimmer and volleyball player in college, Jen writes swimming-based romances as well: Streamline, a military mystery, and the free New Adult novella Swim Recruit.

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love. She is also the author of The Conduct Series, a romantic-suspense trilogy that includes With Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, and On Best Behavior.

Ultimately, whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and visiting her sisters in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Author Links

WEBSITE

NEWSLETTER

AMAZON

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

INSTAGRAM

Giveaway

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Streamline Book Birthday Bash–Interview with Jennifer Lane

Today we are celebrating the book birthday of Streamline by Jennifer Lane. The book birthday is happening over a number of blogs this week. For details of other posts, check here. Stay tuned for a giveaway at the end of the post. First, I got to pick Jennifer’s brain about writing and her work as a psychologist.

 

Interview with the Author

How about we start with a little background. With your background as a psychologist, what inspired you to turn your hand to writing romantic suspense?

Jennifer: I loved my job as a psychologist at the university. It was a dream job. Then my bosses changed and the job became less dreamy. When reality sucked, I turned to fiction! I'm single and I've never been married, but I guess I'm a romantic at heart because I can't imagine writing anything other than romance. And I like a snappy plot with intrigue and danger, so romantic suspense is my preferred genre.

What was the biggest difference in writing YA after writing adult books? Did you find the transition difficult?

Jennifer: Streamline was actually my first novel, and I had no idea I was writing a YA/NA novel at the time. I was simply fascinated by the transition into adulthood, with all its change and growth, so that's the age I chose for my characters. I also had a wonderful time swimming at that age, and wanted to share my experiences. When I started my adult romantic suspense series, I enjoyed writing more realistic dialogue that included "F" bombs for Mafia and military men, as well as the freedom to explore physical intimacy in sexy detail.

I'm fascinated by psychology. While my brother studied it, I read through a lot of his books and enjoyed many late night discussions about my writing process and my characters. I found it brought a lot to my character development. I'm dipping my toes into my first psychology course this summer to continue. How much do you draw on your experience of how the mind works to develop your characters?

Jennifer: I'm "psyched" you're taking a psychology course this summer!  We must chat about what you're learning. It's hard for me to know how much my psychologist training seeps into my writing. I do know I have shared many intense emotional experiences with psychotherapy clients, and I hope to honor that intensity by getting character emotion right. I think good characterization is making the reader really feel for the characters through understanding their motivation and internal experiences.

Do you ever find yourself pausing because as a psychologist you can't agree with the course of action a character will take, even though you know allowing them means staying true to the character? How did this affect your process for Streamline?
I really struggle with showing compassion, both in real life, reading, and writing. I find it very difficult to see the good in people who I find morally repugnant. Child abuse is my hardline. This is something I struggled with while reading Streamline, especially in scenes where the abused character interacted with the abuser while trying to repair their relationship. You handled those scenes with an intense realism and heart that kept me turning pages. Were they as difficult to write are they are to read?

Jennifer: Carol, thank you for that lovely feedback! I'm a big believer in personal responsibility, and I think there should be consequences for individuals who hurt others and/or break the law. Any sort of abuse can be devastating, and there's no excuse for that. But one gift of being a therapist is the opportunity to understand why people do what they do. And if you get down to it, people almost always have a good reason for their behavior. To understand reprehensible behavior isn't to condone it, but it does allow some compassion.

I don't like James, Leo's abusive father. And I tried to write him as a somewhat sympathetic character--as a damaged man who believed he was helping Leo. James has Narcissistic Personality Disorder, which is an egotistical exterior hiding a wounded, fragile interior. Despite all the times James hurt Leo, James is his father and Leo can't walk away. Leo has such integrity that he won't let his father wallow in depression. Instead Leo reaches out his hand to help. I'm sure many readers were thinking, "No, Leo! Don't do it! Let him rot." I went through many tissues writing those scenes.

You don't shy away from difficult subjects, do you intentionally push the bar when writing or does it come naturally? What other subjects would you like to tackle that you haven't yet?

Jennifer: Life is difficult (and beautiful), so it comes naturally to write about difficult subjects. I also want to represent the beautiful part of life by infusing love an humor into my stories too. One of the most horrifying human experiences is sexual abuse, and I've started a story about twin brothers where one was abused and one wasn't, to explore their different trajectories. Sexual abuse leads to such pervasive pain that I tread lightly in exploring it. But I did read a recent novel that covered sexual abuse in an honest, hopeful manner. (I don't want to spoiler anyone by naming the book).

Tell us more about your next release and are there plans for more YA?

Jennifer: I just finished On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3), which Omnific Publishing will release perhaps this autumn. It feels wonderful to finish a series! I'm enthralled by New Adult right now but YA will always have a special place in my heart, so I definitely hope to return to it.

Thank you for chatting with me today, Jennifer.

Now for the Giveaway

Streamline turns one-year-old this week! We're celebrating with a giveaway.

Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He's captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother's crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father's abuse, battered and alone.

Leo's girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida's top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there's an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number one supporter--her father--is in prison for murder.

Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything's on the line...streamline.

"What an emotional journey! I don't think I have ever cried over a character so much in my life."

~Dani from Paulette's Papers

"The issues that are touched upon in the story: family, substance abuse, teen relationships, trust, honor...they are dealt with in an amazingly realistic, unglossed manner."

~Andrea from The Bookish Babe

"Overall, Streamline is a wonderfully, emotionally complex story about the ones we love, the ones we hurt, the mistakes that break the human heart, and the unconditional love that puts the pieces back together."

~Dani from Refracted Light Reviews

Streamline at Amazon for $2.99

Streamline at Barnes & Noble for $2.99

Author Jennifer Lane is giving away one signed print copy of Streamline to a US winner and three ebooks to international winners. To enter, complete the Rafflecopter form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dear 17-Year-Old Me

Dear Carol,

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

So, now you are seventeen at last. You are keeping your head above water in school, you have a job, a little money and lots of friends. Everything is going good, although sometimes you have moments of panic about the future. It is a bright ball of flames just within your grasp. All you have to do is learn to reach for it.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

This is the time you will discover boys. There will be lots of boys. There will be some losers and some you will still be in touch with years later in one way or another. They are not all bad so please don’t treat them like they are. You are a good girl with a warm heart. Be kind and, most of all, be honest and be loyal. Playing games doesn’t ever work out well. I’d would love to tell you who you should stay away from, but I don’t need to. You already know… sadly, you love the drama.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

The perm that you think you will just give one last go, don’t. A perm is not a good look for you.

You are a creative soul, learn to stretch the muscles of your imagination. You don’t want to spend your life in a 9-5, shuffling papers. That isn’t you. Don’t let anyone tell you what career you should choose and what direction you should follow. Make your own decision and follow your own path for what makes you content and not for what others expect. Learn to walk in your own shoes instead of trying too hard to live up to other peoples expectations. Don’t wait to be happy.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

Your mother is not your enemy. One day you will realise she is simply doing the best she can with what she has. Go easy on her and the occasional hug wouldn’t go astray, she won’t be around forever. Likewise with your friends. Enjoy the time you have together now before life sucks you all off in vastly different directions.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

You are stronger than you think and braver than you feel right now. There are wonderful things ahead of you, places you’ve read about and new experiences. Don’t forget to stop and breathe once in a while.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

Kindest regards,

Me

Excerpts from Oh, the places you will go! by Dr, Seuss.

 

Today’s post is to celebrate the release party for Jennifer Lane’s new Young Adult Novel, Streamline.

Amazon

Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He’s captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother’s crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father’s abuse, battered and alone.
Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter--her father--is in prison for murder.
Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything’s on the line . . . streamline.

Follow along to the other participants for your chance to win prizes:

A Diary of a Book Addict

A Trail of Books Left Behind

Amaterasu Reads
The Bookaholics

Cherie Colyer, Author

Chick Lit & Wine
Hannah Downing, Author
I Am a Reader, Not a Writer

Jennifer DeLucy, Author

Maji Bookshelf

Feather Stone, Author
Nicki Elson, Author
Nose in a Book
Refracted Light Reviews

Smash Attack Reads
The Shelf Book Reviews

Find Jennifer Lane

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