Ramblings From This Chick: My Favorite Book Couple with Lea Nolan

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

My Favorite Book Couple with Lea Nolan

Lea Nolan writes books for young adults featuring bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. She also pens smart, witty contemporary stories for adults filled with head-swooning, heart-throbbing, sweep-you-off your feet romance. With her heroically supportive husband and three clever children, she resides in Maryland where she scarfs down crab cakes whenever she gets the chance.

Places to find Lea:

Hello everyone! I’m so happy to be here, and ginormous thanks to Danielle for having me!

I’m so excited to talk about my favorite YA couple this year, Cara Sweeny from Planet Earth, and Aelyx, the hot alien from Planet L’eihr. They appear in the fantastic ALIENATED by Melissa Landers. Full disclosure: Melissa’s one of my friends and critique partners, but that shouldn’t keep you from taking my word it, this couple is out-of-this-world awesome. Did you see what I did there? ;)

Seriously. I could have chosen any couple, from any book, and this is the one I picked. Why? Well, read on…

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | IndieBound |

Doesn’t that sound awesome? I think so! Here are my top five reasons for loving ALIENATED:

1) This book has got it all: a smart, strong heroine, a super hot hero, humor, fast-paced action, suspense, and most of all, swoony romance. Come on, what more could you want?

2) Cara Sweeny is brainy and ambitious, and a little bit on the nerdy side, a rare combination, and one I adore. She isn’t a shy retiring wuss, either. She stands her ground and speaks her mind and that makes me root for her.

3) Beyond being super hot, Aleyx is a complicated guy who’s struggling with a whole lot more than sharing a bathroom with a human girl. As a clone, he’s trying to learn human ways and deal with emotions that don’t exist back on his home world. Plus he’s got a deep, dark secret.

4) Cara and Aleyx should wear white coats and work in a lab because they’ve got some serious…chemistry.

For reals, if this book doesn’t get your pulse revving, you need to see a doctor for a check up. ‘Cause you’re probably dead.

5) This book cracks me up. Here’s just one of a million snippets I could have chosen (okay, maybe not literally a million, but you get the idea):

“Your long, shiny hair, healthy skin, and bright eyes show that you’re well-nourished.”

“Uh, thank you?”

“You’re clearly intelligent.” Then he felt the need to add, “For a human.”

“But Eric was probably most attracted to your waist-to-hip ratio.” For a split second, Aelyx resembled a human boy as he leaned back and peered at her caboose. “Hips of that width are likely to pass live offspring without complications.”

And here’s one more bonus reason to read ALIENATED. I had the honor of beta reading the sequel, INVADED and believe me when I tell you it’s hand dipped in honey, rolled in sugary coated crumbles, deep fried and drizzled with awesomesauce! You won’t want to miss it.

And now for the giveaway. It’s my great pleasure to give away one (1) digital copy of ALIENATED and one (1) digital copy of my latest YA book, ALLURE, the second installment in The Hoodoo Apprentice series, to one lucky winner. This contest is open to International, and the winner must specify either Kindle or Barnes & Noble format.

To enter, leave a comment below and answer the following question: Would you ever let an alien live in your house? If so, what?

And be sure to check out Danielle’s Grand Prize giveaway as well. I’ve included a signed paperback copy of CONJURE, the first book in The Hoodoo Apprentice series to that awesome prize pack.

Emma Guthrie races to learn the hoodoo magic needed to break The Beaumont Curse before her marked boyfriend Cooper’s sixteenth birthday. But deep in the South Carolina Lowcountry, dark, mysterious forces encroach, conspiring to separate Emma and Cooper forever. When Cooper starts to change, turning cold and indifferent, Emma discovers that both his heart and body are marked for possession by competing but equally powerful adversaries.

Desperate to save him, Emma and her twin brother, Jack, risk their lives to uncover the source of the black magic that has allured Cooper and holds him in its grip. Faced with the horror of a soul-eating boohag, Emma and Jack must fight to resist its fiendish power to free Cooper long enough to join their strengths and face it together, before it destroys them all.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | IndieBound |

Check out The Hoodoo Apprentice series: