THE COLOR OF US IS NOW LIVE!

The Color of Us is now live and as a gift to our readers, Laura and I are making the ebook available for $.99 for one day only through Amazon. This book can be read as a standalone, so buy it while deal is hot!

Eighteen year old Alexis Sinclair is lost in the darkness of grief. Since the death of her sister in a car accident, she can’t find the will to get out and enjoy life again. When she’s forced to face her biggest fear and take a summer Driver’s Ed course, she’s surprised to find hope in the most unlikely person.

Liam O’Connell is trouble. He isn’t proud of his dark past, and he knows Alexis is the one girl he has no business pursuing. Doing the right thing has never been easy for him, but this time, it just might be impossible.

The perfect girl and troubled boy are all wrong for each other, but as Liam helps Alexis cope with her grief, they realize nothing has ever felt more right.  

That is, until Alexis uncovers a secret about Liam that breaks her heart.

Liam knows he can’t allow the one good thing in his life to walk away without a fight, and he’s determined to convince Alexis they can find their way out of the darkness together.

Can he prove he’s worthy of her, or is some love too tainted to be saved? 

BUY THE COLOR OF US ON AMAZON!

AUTHOR BIOS & LINKS

Laura Ward lives in Maryland with her loud and very loving three children and husband. She married her college sweetheart and is endlessly grateful for the support he has given her through all their years together, and especially toward her goal of writing books. When not picking up toy trucks, driving to lacrosse practice, or checking spelling homework, Laura is writing or reading romance novels. Her debut novel, NOT YET, is a Top 100 Amazon Bestseller.

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The first thing Christine does when she's getting ready to read a book is to crack the spine in at least five places. She wholeheartedly believes there is no place as comfy as the pages of a well-worn book. She's addicted to buying books, reading books, and writing books. Books, books, books. She also has a weakness for adventure, inappropriate humor, and coke (the caffeinated, bubbly kind). Christine is from Forest Hill, Maryland where she lives with her husband, three kids, and her library of ugly spine books. 

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Cover Reveal for The Color of Us!

Today is the day to reveal the cover of The Color of Us! Laura and I are so excited to share this story with you. Scroll down for the cover, synopsis, teaser, excerpt, and full cover wrap. Let us know what you think. And don't forget to add it to Goodreads!

Title: The Color of Us (College Bound #2)

Authors: Laura Ward & Christine Manzari

Release Date: June 20, 2016

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Eighteen year old Alexis Sinclair is lost in the darkness of grief. Since the death of her sister in a car accident, she can’t find the will to get out and enjoy life again. When she’s forced to face her biggest fear and take a summer Driver’s Ed course, she’s surprised to find hope in the most unlikely person.

Liam O’Connell is trouble. He isn’t proud of his dark past, and he knows Alexis is the one girl he has no business pursuing. Doing the right thing has never been easy for him, but this time, it just might be impossible.

The perfect girl and troubled boy are all wrong for each other, but as Liam helps Alexis cope with her grief, they realize nothing has ever felt more right.  

That is, until Alexis uncovers a secret about Liam that breaks her heart.

Liam knows he can’t allow the one good thing in his life to walk away without a fight, and he’s determined to convince Alexis they can find their way out of the darkness together.

Can he prove he’s worthy of her, or is some love too tainted to be saved?

He took a deep breath. “Our lives are completely different, Lex.” He raised his hand in a loose fist, running the backs of his fingers along my jaw. My breath caught in my chest as his thumb stroked over my skin in slow, gentle circles. “So different.” He stared into my eyes, and I leaned forward, mirroring his posture. I placed my hand on his jaw. His chin was rough with stubble and tight with worry.

“Help me understand.” My voice was needy, begging, but that’s only because I was desperate to figure him out, to unlock the secrets he kept close. I wanted to know how he could be the sweet, patient boy who taught me to drive and then beat the living hell out of his friend a few days later. It didn’t add up for me.

He reached up to grab my fingers that were still touching his cheek, and he adjusted them so that he was holding my hand. “I didn’t grow up the way you did. The only thing I could ever depend on were my fists. That’s how I protect myself and those I care about. Yeah, Adam’s my boy, but he crossed a line. Said something he shouldn’t. And in my world, when that happens, you teach a lesson. That lesson usually means blood.”

I cringed at his bluntness and then felt guilty about it. He’d said our lives were different, but that didn’t mean mine was better than his. I had no right to look down at him. Too many people already did that. In my world, there were lessons and punishments too. They were more calculated and less physical, but they were no less vicious. Like Melissa’s threat to get her father to have Liam fired from the country club. When I thought about it, I wasn’t sure which lesson was more cruel—fists or social war.

“What did Adam do to make you so mad? Was it because you wanted to hang out with me instead of going to the levees?” God, I hope not. That’d be the overreaction of the century.

Liam shook his head and traced patterns on my jaw with his thumb. “It’s not important, angel. Just know that when you’re with me, you’re safe. No one hurts you. No one touches you.” He leaned forward, letting his lips hover next to mine. “If anyone tries to hurt you, I’ll make them pay. I mean it.”

A chill skittered down my spine. The passion in his words was so strong that the air around us was charged with unspoken promises. Why would Liam feel such a fierce need to protect me? It frightened me that I enjoyed it so much. I swallowed. “Why did you call me angel?”

He tilted his chin up and pressed his lips to my forehead and then trailed kisses down my face, stopping to press his mouth to the corner of mine. He leaned back to let his eyes scan the length of me, head to toe, as he grinned. “It’s hard not to think of you as an angel when you’re dressed all in white and looking so goddamn perfect. You’re so… good.” He shook his head with a sad smile. “I have no right to want you as much as I do.”

His eyes darted to my lips, and then his mouth was on mine again, stealing the words I wanted to say—I’m not perfect… I’m not good… I want you too. He sucked on my lower lip, pulling it into his mouth with such gentleness I thought I might melt into a puddle on his floorboards. How could so much rage be wrapped up in this much tenderness?

My hands snaked around the back of Liam’s neck, and I moved to bring his mouth back to mine, grazing the tip of my tongue against his. I could faintly taste the smoke of his cigarette, but I could also taste the sugar of the funnel cake we’d shared. He was a heady mix of danger and sweetness that was so uniquely Liam it made me crave more. I slid my tongue against his again, and Liam’s groan was the only warning I got before his mouth was devouring mine, demanding kisses from me that I was only too happy to return.

“You even taste good,” Liam murmured against my lips before dropping his face to the curve of my neck where he nibbled along my skin, leaving goose bumps in his wake. “I want to taste every single inch of you. I think I’m addicted.”

His lips pressed against my pulse point, and I was sure he could feel the frantic beating of my heart. My entire body felt like it was vibrating for him. I couldn’t decide what I wanted more—for him to keep whispering his precious thoughts against my neck, or for him to go back to worshipping my lips.

As if he knew my inner turmoil, Liam trailed a slow pathway of kisses up my neck toward my greedy mouth.

“You look like an angel,” he said, whispering a kiss under my ear. His quiet words trickled down my neck in a delicious shiver. “You act like an angel, too good to be true.” He left a kiss on the side of my jaw before turning my face to his, his lips hovering over mine with so much heat I thought he might burn me when he finally kissed me. “You’re my angel, Lex. And I think you just might save me.”

Laura Ward lives in Maryland with her loud and very loving three children and husband. She married her college sweetheart and is endlessly grateful for the support he has given her through all their years together, and especially toward her goal of writing books. When not picking up toy trucks, driving to lacrosse practice, or checking spelling homework, Laura is writing or reading romance novels. Her debut novel, NOT YET, is a Top 100 Amazon Bestseller.

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

The first thing Christine does when she's getting ready to read a book is to crack the spine in at least five places. She wholeheartedly believes there is no place as comfy as the pages of a well-worn book. She's addicted to buying books, reading books, and writing books. Books, books, books. She also has a weakness for adventure, inappropriate humor, and coke (the caffeinated, bubbly kind). Christine is from Forest Hill, Maryland where she lives with her husband, three kids, and her library of ugly spine books. 

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

TAKE A RISK FOR LOVE

Hooked is a year old this month! Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I'm celebrating Hooked's birthday by hosting a contest that will run the entire month of February. Check out the rafflecopter below and enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card, signed paperback, and swag!

ONCE YOU'RE HOOKED, WHAT WOULDN'T YOU RISK FOR THE CHANCE AT MORE?
Hooked is all about taking the risk to fall in love. I'd love to hear your story about how you took a risk for love. Take the time to write your story below, and at the end of the month I'll pick one story to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

HOOKED IS ON SALE FOR A LIMITED TIME!
Hooked will be on sale on Amazon for $.99 from February, 8 - February 14, 2016. Get a copy for yourself or gift one to a friend. Click here to buy Hooked.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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COVER REVEAL FOR THE PLEDGE!

I hope you love this lovely cover as much as I do! It's the first book in a new adult romance series that I co-wrote with my sweet friend, Laura Ward. The Pledge comes out July 27, 2015.

Can two people who are destined to be opposites ever find common ground?

SYNOPSIS:

Taren needs a do-over. She’s decided the best way to put the high school bullies behind her is to pledge a Taylor-Swift-lip-syncing, beer-guzzling, sorority. Sisterhood helps Taren find the acceptance she’s always craved, but not the love she needs.

Alec wants freedom. To escape his father’s iron fist and unrealistic expectations, he pledges a campus acrobatics club where he finds that drugs and alcohol aren't the only ways to get high. His addiction to danger helps him gain his independence, but it comes at a heavy price.

When the two cross paths, Alec fears his undeniable attraction to the party girl just might threaten everything he's worked so hard to earn. Taren hasn’t forgotten that Alec humiliated her back in high school, but she also can't deny the chemistry they share.

Alec and Taren have nothing in common, but fate is bound and determined to bring them together. They know falling in love is a risk, and yet it’s too hard to ignore. When their worlds clash and they both end up suffering, will they fight to stay together? Or are some pledges too hard to keep?


EXCERPT:

“I dreamt about this.” Alec dragged his fingertips down my neck and to my hair that lay splayed across his pillow. He leaned over me, and his weight rested on his forearms. “I pictured you just like this. Laying in my bed, your hair spread out on my pillow, your scent on my skin.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Your lips begging to be kissed.” Alec slipped his tongue along my lower lip. “I missed your taste. I missed…you, Taren.” He dipped his tongue inside my mouth, pulling me in for a deep, slow kiss.

The words coming from his lips were too much. I moaned into his mouth as emotion stung the corners of my eyes. He was hard as he pressed against me, and my eyelids fluttered shut as I lifted my hips into him. My hands ran all over his arms, and my fingers molded themselves to the muscles of his shoulders and back. I would never have enough time to feel him. Never.

Alec’s kisses were eager, his lips pressing against mine with such intensity I hardly had time to catch my breath. He moved down, trailing his lips along my neck until he reached my chest. Every place he left a kiss felt hot, and I felt flushed.

“I missed the way you tuck your hair behind your ear when you’re nervous.” His lips branded my right shoulder. “I missed the way you smile when you know you’re out-debating me.” His mouth traced the words into my skin before leaving a scorching touch on my rib cage. “I missed the way you can get lost in a book and fall into its pages.” His kiss settled between the swell of my breasts, and his breath feathered across my skin.

A tear rolled down my face as emotion overwhelmed me. I wasn’t just another body. He saw me. The real me.

He looked up and propped himself up on his elbow. He reached up and wiped the tear away with his thumb. He left his hand on my face and gazed down me. “What’s wrong?” His fingers stroked my cheek.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath. “I’m so happy we get a second chance.” Another tear escaped me, and his face pinched as he reached up to wipe that one away, too.

“Second chances don’t change the past. They just prove we can learn from our mistakes.” He pressed his face into my neck, his mouth just below my ear. “I’m not the same guy I was in high school. I’m going to prove that to you.”

Visit Christine Manzari at www.christinemanzari.com
Visit Laura Ward at www.laurawardauthor.com

Books by Laura Ward and Christine Manzari:

NEW RELEASE - HOOKED!

Hooked, my first new adult romance, released on February, 3, 2015! Hooked was inspired by a trip I took to Venice Beach, California a few years ago. I fell in love with the gritty charm of Venice—the graffiti art, the street vendors on the boardwalk, the skate park, the Santa Monica pier, and Muscle Beach. I just had to write a story about the kind of girl who would not only live there, but fall in love with a place like that.

Hooked is almost a month old and I'm very excited about the reviews it's getting. Interested in reading it? Here is the synopsis and some of my favorite teaser images.


SYNOPSIS:
If you ask the confident and snarky skater girl, and she’s in the mood to share, she’ll tell you her name is Cat. She might even tell you that she’s hooked on graffiti, 80s movies, and having fun—the riskier the better. Cat will share a good time with you, but she won’t ever trust you enough to share her heart. It’s protected by secrets and she’d like to keep it that way. 

Cat knows one thing for certain: Love isn’t really her thing. 

If you ask the confident and rich pretty boy, he might tell you his name is Huck. He might even tell you he loves a challenge and is used to getting his way. He won’t tell you that his life is a mess because he risked his heart by trusting the wrong girl. Huck is ready for a change, he just wasn’t ready to get hooked on someone like Cat. 

Huck knows one thing for certain: Love hasn’t done him any favors, but Cat just might be worth the risk. 

Cat and Huck think a one-night stand seems harmless, but when all the little secrets they didn’t share turn out to be toxic truths, they realize how easily a one-night stand (or a few) could ruin everything. 

The thing is, you can be ruined in more than one way. Once you’re HOOKED, what wouldn’t you risk for the chance at more?


TEASERS:

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Book Review - Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

Title: Best Kind of Broken
Author: Chelsea Fine
Series: Finding Fate #1


SYNOPSIS:
Pixie and Levi haven't spoken in nearly a year when they find themselves working―and living―at the same inn in the middle of nowhere. Once upon a time, they were childhood friends. But that was before everything went to hell. And now things are... awkward.

All they want to do is avoid each other, and their past, for as long as possible. But now that they're forced to share a bathroom, and therefore a shower, keeping their distance from one another becomes less difficult than keeping their hands off each other. Welcome to the hallway of awkward tension and sexual frustration, folks. Get comfy. It’s going to be a long summer.


MY REVIEW:
I have a snooty reader confession to make. I don't usually read books if they don't have at least a 4-star rating on Goodreads. I've learned that anything less than 4-stars on Goodreads usually disappoints me. However, a friend suggested I read Chelsea Fine's books and when I went to the book store, this was the only one they had on the shelves. I liked the description on the back and so I took a risk.

And....what the heck is wrong with people? This book is so much better than the rating it got on Goodreads. It's funny, touching, romantic...with so much anticipation woven into the story that I couldn't put it down. I liked this book. I liked Levi and Pixie. Sure, they're both a hot mess and they make terrible, whacked out decisions...but what fun would it be to read about them if they were perfect? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and just added the rest of Chelsea's books to my TBR list.


SUM IT UP:

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Deviation, Conviction, and Hooked Cover Reveals!

It's been a busy week for me . . . THREE COVER REVEALS!!!

In August, I asked VLC Productions to redesign the covers for the first two books of my Sophisticates Series, Deviation and Conviction. Vania Stoyanova did a photo shoot to capture the personalities of my main characters and she came up with a new design that really showed off the dystopian feel of the story. She will also be designing the last book in the series. The cover reveal for those two books occurred last week and it was so exciting to finally be able to share them after having them finished for so many months. I'm really happy with the way that they turned out.

DEVIATION
Cover Design: VLC Productions
Cover Photo: Vania Stoyanova
Cover Model: Krista Gibson

CONVICTION

Cover Design: VLC Productions

Cover Photo: Vania Stoyanova

Cover Model: Hart Morse

And tonight I revealed the cover for my NEW ADULT romance that will be published February 3, 2015!!! I love this cover so much and I hope you do too!

HOOKED

Cover Design: VLC Productions

Cover Photo: Vania Stoyanova

Cover Models: Chandler Steele and Damien Michael Chase

HOOKED SYNOPSIS:

If you ask the confident and snarky skater girl, and she’s in the mood to share, she’ll tell you her name is Cat. She might even tell you that she’s hooked on graffiti, 80s movies, and having fun—the riskier the better. Cat will share a good time with you, but she won’t ever trust you enough to share her heart. It’s protected by secrets and she’d like to keep it that way. 

Cat knows one thing for certain: Love isn’t really her thing.

If you ask the confident and rich pretty boy, he might tell you his name is Huck. He might even tell you he loves a challenge and is used to getting his way. He won’t tell you that his life is a mess because he risked his heart by trusting the wrong girl. Huck is ready for a change, he just wasn’t ready to get hooked on someone like Cat.

Huck knows one thing for certain: Love hasn’t done him any favors, but Cat just might be worth the risk.

Cat and Huck think a one-night stand seems harmless, but when all the little secrets they didn’t share turn out to be toxic truths, they realize how easily a one-night stand (or a few) could ruin everything. 

The thing is, you can be ruined in more than one way. Once you’re HOOKED, what wouldn’t you risk for the chance at more?


Put Hooked on your TO READ list on Goodreads!

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Check out my website for information on my books, giveaways, and other fun stuff.

www.christinemanzari.com

Book Review — Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Published: August 7, 2012


SYNOPSIS:
In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. 

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.


MY REVIEW:
An enjoyable read, lots of interesting characters, plenty of action and suspense. I would have enjoyed seeing more of the competitions, but since the book was already hefty (which is fine in my opinion), I'm glad Maas gave us more character depth and less action. I'll take that trade. I've always been a fan of Xena, so this was awesome for me to see a female warrior character who had a dark past.


SUM IT UP:

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www.christinemanzari.com

Book Review – Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Title: Ugly Love
Author: Colleen Hoover
Published: August 2014


SYNOPSIS:

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly


MY REVIEW:

Brilliant. Heart-wrenching. Sexy. Addictive. Rewarding. Flawless. Butterflying Awesome.

Colleen Hoover is an amazing writer. She never writes the same thing twice and I find it mind-boggling that she is so consistently flawless in every book. I butterflying love everything she writes. I know I've said this before, but I'd freaking read her grocery lists if I had the chance to because they'd probably have some sort of hidden genius and humor in them too. I always think there is no way CoHo can top the last book she wrote. But then I crack the spine of her new release and her words are so perfect and I want to hold her characters in my heart forever and I can't put the book down. 

Ugly Love...it was so beautiful. At first I thought that the use of water and liquid as a theme in Tate's and Miles' storylines was just clever, a nice little juxtaposition of their feelings and emotions for each other. But then when I got to the end of the story and finally knew the full truth of what water meant to Miles and his broken heart....I wanted to fall to my knees in front of CoHo and worship the perfection of her writing.

And it wasn't just the words and language of CoHo's writing that was so lovely together, it was the way that those words were placed on the page. Cascading, centered, repeated, emphasized...the layout of the words was just as poetic as the words themselves. This book was poetic, truly poetic.

I'm in love with this story and the characters. I want to jump right back in and read it all over again


SUM IT UP:

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Visit my website for information on my books, giveaways, and other fun stuff.

www.christinemanzari.com