BIR2010
Welcome to back to the BEST I'VE READ 2010! BIR2010 will run from December 6th through December 14th. This will be a annual event and this year its compromised of 9 blogs. Each day each blog will have multiple post and giveaways happening each day until its over. Then on the last day there will also be a Grand Prize Giveaway on the BIR2010 Blog.
We start off this great Saturday with a excerpt from Simone Elkeles book Return to Paradise. Enjoy and let us know what you think.
Excerpt:
"I'm not gonna toss you in," I tell Maggie as I turn into a little bend in the lake for some privacy. Nobody on shore can see us now. "I promise."
She loosens her hold on my neck and leans her head back to look into my eyes. "You're not?" she asks, letting out a sigh of relief.
"No." I hold in my amusement as the next words fly out of my mouth. "But hold your breath or you'll get a mouthful of lake water."
Before she can ask why, I dunk us both. She tries pushing away from me as soon as we come up completely drenched a second later, but I hold onto her tight. I may be pissed at her, but I don't want her drowning from shock, or weighted down because she's wearing long pants.
Maggie comes up sputtering, but not from lake water getting in her mouth. The girl is mad as hell. "How...could...you!"
"It was pretty easy, actually," I tell her, still holding her tight while she tries to push me away.
She splashes my face.
"Don't do that," I tell her.
She does it again, so I let her go. She maneuvers to stand a few feet in front of me, her hands already underneath the water. She's definitely ready for a splash war. I play dirty, though, and splashing is a kids' game. We're not kids anymore.
Maggie is about to get a dose of what it's like to play in the big leagues.
I wade closer to her. She starts splashing, but I don't reciprocate. I'm soaking wet, but I ignore the water hitting in my face and stinging my eyes. I just keep moving closer until I'm close enough to reach out and grab her wrists so she can't splash me anymore.
I hold her hands behind her back and pull her snugly against my body. She's so close I feel her breasts pressed against my bare chest. When she looks up at me, our lips are inches apart. Her hair is dripping wet, her face has droplets of water glistening from the sun reflecting on them, and her lips are shiny and wet.
I don't know how I ever could have thought of this girl as plain.
"What are you gonna do now that I'm helpless?" she asks.
I lean down and whisper in her ear, "You've got it all wrong, Maggie. I'm the helpless one here."
She loosens her hold on my neck and leans her head back to look into my eyes. "You're not?" she asks, letting out a sigh of relief.
"No." I hold in my amusement as the next words fly out of my mouth. "But hold your breath or you'll get a mouthful of lake water."
Before she can ask why, I dunk us both. She tries pushing away from me as soon as we come up completely drenched a second later, but I hold onto her tight. I may be pissed at her, but I don't want her drowning from shock, or weighted down because she's wearing long pants.
Maggie comes up sputtering, but not from lake water getting in her mouth. The girl is mad as hell. "How...could...you!"
"It was pretty easy, actually," I tell her, still holding her tight while she tries to push me away.
She splashes my face.
"Don't do that," I tell her.
She does it again, so I let her go. She maneuvers to stand a few feet in front of me, her hands already underneath the water. She's definitely ready for a splash war. I play dirty, though, and splashing is a kids' game. We're not kids anymore.
Maggie is about to get a dose of what it's like to play in the big leagues.
I wade closer to her. She starts splashing, but I don't reciprocate. I'm soaking wet, but I ignore the water hitting in my face and stinging my eyes. I just keep moving closer until I'm close enough to reach out and grab her wrists so she can't splash me anymore.
I hold her hands behind her back and pull her snugly against my body. She's so close I feel her breasts pressed against my bare chest. When she looks up at me, our lips are inches apart. Her hair is dripping wet, her face has droplets of water glistening from the sun reflecting on them, and her lips are shiny and wet.
I don't know how I ever could have thought of this girl as plain.
"What are you gonna do now that I'm helpless?" she asks.
I lean down and whisper in her ear, "You've got it all wrong, Maggie. I'm the helpless one here."
Thank you to Simone for sharing today with us part of her book.
Return to Paradise
Author: Simone Elkeles
Publisher: Flux
Released: September 1st 2010
Summary: The Sequel to LEAVING PARADISE
From the New York Times Bestselling Author of RULES OF ATTRACTION
Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything.
Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She’s determined to make a new life for herself.
But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie’s accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them.
Praise for Leaving Paradise:
"Elkeles writes convincingly about family tensions, retreating from painful reality, and teens outgrowing their old skins." —School Library Journal
"Elkeles creates raw emotions, dialogue, and high-school ambience that’s just right… [A] delicate, delicious love story."—Booklist
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Posts
I must get the first book!!!
ReplyDeleteSounds really good. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteomg!!!i so want to win this!!!i'm a fans of Simone Elkeles after i've read the Ruined series...thanks for this!!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read this book great giveaway thank you for the chance !
ReplyDeleteI have not had a chance to read this one yet, thanks!
ReplyDeleteLove this series!
ReplyDeleteHuge Simone Elkeles fan. she my favorite author I just love all her books :)
ReplyDeleteMary D
ReplyDeleteWonderful excerpt! I want to read this one, too - these beautiful YA romance novels are such fun to immerse yourself in (as I'm *deliberately ignoring* a growing pile of laundry lol) ~ :D
Wonder how many of us book lovers out there have put off chores in favor of a good book?!
I have heard so many good things about her books and yet I still have yet to read any. EEEK!
ReplyDeleteCant wait to read it!
ReplyDelete