Monday, February 2, 2015

Defenseless Tour + Cheer Instagrammers


Defenseless (Diamond Girls #3)
by Elisa Dane 
Release Date: 01/17/15
Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:
High school senior, Claire Reilly’s world revolves around All-Star cheerleading. The Diamond Girls, are gearing up for a major competition, which, if they win will allow them to compete at Worlds for the first time. But the unimaginable happens, and both Claire and her team are rocked by a devastating loss. Determined to get to Worlds any way she can, Claire finds help from the last person she imagined would give it—up and coming UFC fighter and notorious bad boy, Ryker Vaughn.

Fouled out of the octagon by a dirty opponent and a vicious kick to the head, Ryker loses control when he learns he may never fight again. Angry over the loss of his mother, an unsupportive family, and the world in general, he gives up, gives in, and unleashes his rage—destroying part of his cousin’s cheer gym in the process. Things go from bad to worse when Ryker is given an ultimatum: help the Diamond Girls compete for a bid to Worlds, or go to jail.

Overwhelmed with anger, sadness, and grief, the unlikely pair learn that what you see is not always what you get, and that the most difficult losses sometimes open the door to a frightening, yet amazing new future.


Excerpt:
If I were Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy, Tayla was my Christina Yang. She was my person. She got me like no one else, was my soul sister and the person I went to for everything. The idea I couldn't just pick up my phone and call her anymore, that I wouldn't see her standing alongside my locker at the beginning of school, sent my world tumbling off its axis. For as I long as I could remember we'd always been "Claire and Tayla." A two-for-the-price-of-one special. A packaged deal. I knew, deep down, I could still be me without her, but I wasn't sure I wanted to.

I caught Livvie's reflection in the mirror when I looked up after washing my hands and face. "I know you're blaming yourself for Tayla's accident and you've got to stop. It wasn't your fault."

I drew my brows in, the anger that simmered just below the haze of numbness I desperately clung to erupting like a dormant volcano. "Wasn't it, though?" I snapped. "If I hadn't sent her that text she'd still be here."

Livvie leaned heavily against the doorjamb and sighed. "I know it's easy to think that way, and you're not going to want to hear this, but the truth of the matter is, nobody forced Tayla to text while she was driving. She knew better, but she did it anyway. She … " Lips mashed
together, Livvie shook her head, a single tear rolling down her left cheek. "God!" She balled her hands into fists and raised them in front of her body with a growl. "The whole thing just … makes me so mad. I mean, come on! How many of those It Can Wait commercials have we all heard recently? What was she thinking?"

The air in my lungs fizzled out of my body as I sank back against the bathroom counter with a breathless sob. I swiped at my face, the skin around my eyes burning from my round-the-clock onslaught of tears. I felt sick and dehydrated. Just how was my body producing enough liquid to cry, anyway? My tongue felt dry and heavy, but I forced myself to speak regardless. "I sent her a text telling her to hurry up because there were guys over at Bodie's. She knew I was excited and probably wanted to assure me she was on her way." My stomach rolled again, a warm, sticky sweat breaking out across my skin. "She died because I'm a lonely, pathetic, boy-crazy loser who got excited over a couple of college freshmen.”

Buy Links:

Links for Ex-Factor:

Links for Unbreakable:

About the Author
I'm a lover of books (YA & Adult romance), chocolate, reality television, and am a proud mother to three All Star cheerleaders. Woot!
I write Contemporary YA romance with cheerleaders. Yep. I write what I know, and it's my hope that my stories will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but that you'll find a new respect and interest in the sport of Cheerleading you may not have had before.

Author Links:

Okay...is it a secret that I LOVE cheerleading? I coached a HS team for 9 years...until halfway through this season when a super bored, evil mom forced me and my head coach out of the program. And I find out today (1/31/15) that my team took FIRST PLACE at state in the medium non-tumble division!! GO COUGARS! Suuupper excited! And I love how it coincides with this fun book, 'Defenseless'.

I just have to share some of my fave Instagram Cheer accounts :) FYI: Just because I share doesn't mean I endorse. 

Top Gun Girl: @tg_kiki

Purple Royalty: @camibranson1

Former Cheetah girl goes SOT: @sot_katiee 

Coaches Perspective: @Kgerleve

Stunting Vids: @for.the.love.of.stunting

Kentucky Cheer. 'Nuff said: @KentuckyCheer

The Best and Only: @ColtonDurbin 


Book Tour Organized by:


Love cheer? Have any fave instagrammers I need to follow? Which team do you LOVE?


 

2 comments:

  1. Cheerleading is so far removed from what we have here in Australia, it's strange to see the US shows that have cheerleading in schools, is that exaggerated? This sounds like a pretty unique series, will have to check it out. Thanks for sharing Alyssa <3

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  2. oh goodness, yes! It is GREATLY exaggerated. Most of what you see on TV is just ridiculous. Like Bring it On?? Nope. Maybe in Cali or Texas, but not here in Minnesota :)

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