Monday 31 March 2014

Tempus Blog Tour: Holly Lauren talks Fave Couples in YA +++ Win a Copy of Tempus (International!)


Tempus by Holly Lauren || Release date: November 25th 2013

Chapel Ryan isn't crazy. At least, that's what she's been trying to convince herself of for most of her life. But after being hallucination-free for three years, Chapel finds herself facedown on her English classroom’s gritty linoleum floor. When she looks up, everyone around her is suspended in animation. Mouths hang open mid-yawn, feet hover mid-cross, Ms. Freeman’s arm flexes mid-sentence diagram. It's another hallucination. Or, is it?

Chapel prepares to tear herself back to reality when something happens. Something that has never happened before in any of her hallucinations--someone moves. And not just any someone—it’s the new guy with a scar over his lip and a reputation as black as his perfectly styled hair. And all of the sudden Chapel's white-knuckle grip on her life has slipped, and with it, her assurance that what she's experiencing isn't real.

**********


Guest Post:  Holly Lauren talks YA Couples



My sister and I are always highlighting scenes and quotes on our Kindles and sharing them with one another. I am going to share 5 of our favorites “couples” scenes below. So, actually, that title should say we love instead of I love. (But if my sister were writing this, she’d probably take all the credit.)



BE WARNED. WE ARE GIRLY AND SILLY AND BASICALLY LAME.



1. Jace and Clary from City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

"How did you know I had Shadowhunter blood? Was there some way you could tell?"

The elevator arrived with a final groan. Jace unlatched the gate and slid it open. The inside reminded Clary of a birdcage, all black metal and decorative bits of gilt. "I guessed," he said, latching the door behind them. "It seemed like the most likely explanation."

"You guessed? You must have been pretty sure, considering you could have killed me."

He pressed a button in the wall, and the elevator lurched into action with a vibrating groan that she felt all through the bones in her feet. "I was ninety percent sure."

"I see," Clary said.

There must have been something in her voice, because he turned to look at her. Her hand cracked across his face, a slap that rocked him back on his heels. He put a hand to his cheek, more in surprise than pain. "What the hell was that for?"

The other ten percent," she said, and they rode the rest of the way down to the street in silence.



2. Tris and Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth

“You think my first instinct is to protect you. Because you're small, or a girl, or a Stiff. But you're wrong."


He leans his face close to mine and wraps his fingers around my chin. His hand smells like metal. When was the last time he held a gun, or a knife? My skin tingles at the point of contact, like he's transmitting electricity through his skin.


"My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how hard I have to press." he says, his fingers squeezing at the word break. My body tenses at the edge in his voice, so I am coiled as tight as a spring, and I forget to breathe.”



3. R and Julie in Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

As she dampens my shirt with sadness and snot, I realize I'm about to do another thing I've never done before. I suck in air and attempt to sing. “You're . . . sensational . . . ,” I croak, struggling for a trace of Frank's melody. “Sensational . . . that's all.”

There's a pause, and then something shifts in Julie's demeanor. I realize she's laughing.


“Oh wow,” she giggles, and looks up at me, her eyes still glistening above a grin. “That was beautiful, R, really. You and Zombie Sinatra should record Duets III.”

I cough. “Didn't get . . . warm-up.”



4.  Mara and Noah in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

“Have you kissed many boys before?" he asked quietly.

His question brought my mind back into focus. I raised an eyebrow. "Boys? That's an assumption."

Noah laughed, the sound low and husky. "Girls, then?"

"No."

"Not many girls? Or not many boys?"

"Neither," I said. Let him make of that what he would.

"How many?"

"Why—"

"I am taking away that word. You are no longer allowed to use it. How many?"

My cheeks flushed, but my voice was steady as I answered. "One."

At this, Noah leaned in impossibly closer, the slender muscles in his forearm flexing as he bent his elbow to bring himself nearer to me, almost touching. I was heady with the proximity of him and grew legitimately concerned that my heart might explode. Maybe Noah wasn't asking. Maybe I didn't mind. I closed my eyes and felt Noah's five o' clock graze my jaw, and the faintest whisper of his lips at my ear.

"He was doing it wrong.”



5. Peeta and Katniss in Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins

“Peeta and I grow back together. There are still moments when he clutches the back of a chair and hangs on until the flashbacks are over. I wake screaming from nightmares of mutts and lost children. But his arms are there to comfort me. And eventually his lips. On the night I feel that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that. So after, when he whispers, "You love me. Real or not real?" I tell him, "Real.”



And, because I am a shameless writer, here’s one of my favorite scenes from my debut novel, TEMPUS, out now:



BONUS: Zay and Chapel from Tempus by Holly Lauren

Chapel made a complete circuit, peeking through the breaks in the stream, but she still didn’t see him. Had he left her there? The thought burned a hole through her excitement.

The song changed again. This time it was something more current. A woman singing about going around and around.

Tell me now, tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know.

Chapel pulled her hair over her shoulder and wrung it out. She felt cold for the first time.

Don’t know how to feel about it. Something ‘bout the way you move.

She backed up to the center of the ring, making herself visible. She wondered if she should leave.

Makes me think I can’t live without you, and it takes me all the way.

“Chapel.” His voice was right behind her.

I want you to stay.

She turned slowly. Met his eyes.

I want you to stay.

All pretense of play was gone as his fingertips brushed against her chin.

"You're not at all what I thought you'd be,” he said.

Her heart thundered in her ears, along with the pulsing water around them. "What did you think I'd be?"

He drew his dark eyebrows down. "I thought you were just another girl."

She swallowed. "But instead I’m . . .”

Not." He dropped his hand, stared at his fingers.

His breath was warm against her cheek as he stepped even closer and leaned his mouth toward hers.

She was paralyzed.

Not by fear. Not by indecision. But by the feeling that the moment was unique. That it was monumental for them both. That they were lowering their shields, holstering their weapons—at least for that perfect span of time.

He kissed the side of her temple, just over her trio of freckles. When he leaned back and studied her, water droplets from his hair showered her like rain.

“Zay,” she whispered, and her voice, her always sure, always steady voice, shook. “I want—” She didn’t finish.

“I want, too,” he said simply.

Then she closed her eyes. His hand came around the back of her neck, and with his thumb, he angled her jaw toward him.

“So beautiful,” he whispered. 


**********

Want to know more about Zay and Chapel?

Well, now you can. Thanks to GMTA Publishing I have TWENTY e-copies of Tempus up for grabs. 
Available formats are: .mobi, PDF and ePub. ---> If you don't have an ereader but still want to enter you'll be able to read the book on Adobe Editions and Kindle for PC.
Competition is open Internationally.
Competition Closes: April 11th 2014.
Read my review of TEMPUS by Holly Lauren.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

*This is a sponsored giveaway.
 *Please be advised that books/prize will be sent out via the sponsoring body.
*Books may take up to 28 days (longer if sent from overseas) to arrive.
 *Please note that I cannot guarantee delivery of prizes and cannot take responsibility for books lost in the post.**
 ** Alternative prizes may be offered.  

18 comments :

  1. Great guest post! I haven't read Warm Bodies (I've seen the movie though) but I must agree with all of these fictional pairings :)

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  2. Oh, I LOVE the sound of this one! It's exactly my cup of tea, and I'm so glad you put it on my radar! :)

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  3. I am loving Karou and Akiva from Daughter of Smoke and Bone at the moment. There's something so beautiful about their story. And though I havn't read Mortal Instruments yet, I really, really liked Jace and Clary in the film. Is that slanderous? I hope not :S

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  4. I love Tris and Four and they are one of my fav couples. Peeta and Katniss are great because they toss up the gender roles and it just makes them really interesting. R & Julie, I really liked but didn't fully buy. I mean R is a zombie! A cute one but still a zombie!
    Fun post :)

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  5. I am really excited to read this one! I love the cover and it sounds amazing!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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  6. ChristinaBookAddict1 April 2014 at 02:23

    Fantastic guest post. I agree with Jace and Clary…love that series! I also completely agree with Mara and Noah. That scene is to-die-for. I am looking forward to reading Tempus. If Leanna loved it, there's no doubt I will, too! Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  7. Meredith Richardson1 April 2014 at 16:22

    Thanks so much for posting this I love all the couples you shared with us. It's soooo hard to choose though!! I think Katniss and Peeta are my favorite couple because he would do anything for her and it took her ages to realize that she feels the same yet she does everything in her power to keep him safe and then get him back.

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  8. Is it bad that some of these passages made me squee and grin and want to cuddle something? WHY ARE THESE COUPLES SO ADORABLE!?

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  9. Tris and Four are one of my favorite characters but I also love Jace and Clary together. Also Tempus sounds amazing and I cant wait to read it.

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  10. It's so good! I hope you get to read and enjoy! :)

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  11. That is one of my fave Mara/Noah scenes also!

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  12. Tempus is pretty amazing! I can't wait for the next book already! :)

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  13. I've had this on my wish-list since you first mentioned it. I trust your opinion and we share the same taste in romance - so I'm guessing this is going to be good ;)

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  14. popprincess56785 April 2014 at 16:00

    I read your review of this the other day and thought it sounded great so I am thrilled there is such a great giveaway for it and I will keep my fingers crossed.
    I actually love all of the pairings that Holly has picked (she must have amazing taste in books), at the moment I am re-reading Delirium by Lauren Oliver and am loving Lena and Alex so much.
    By the way I am Caroline Taylor (@CazLFCGleek) on twitter, for some reason this post is under one of my many usernames.

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  15. I hope you like it as much as I did! :)

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  16. Hi Caroline! I've seen your comments on here but didn't know it was YOU! :) I think you'd really like this one - it's such a fun story! Good luck in the giveaway!

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  17. awesome guest post!intriging couple moments but there is something about Tempus that makes it desperately temting to read...need to catch it...love

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  18. love the couple guest post but was intrigued by the desperately tempting nature of the presentation in Tempus...a must read

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