Book Blitz: Leap of Faith di Jamie Blair

Buongiorno ^^ Eccoci ad un nuovo book blitz, ideato come sempre da Giselle di Xpresso Book Tours; questa volta vi presento un new adult contemporaneo :) Come sempre spero possa piacervi ^^

Titolo: Leap of Faith

Autore: Jamie Blair

Genere: New adult contemporaneo
Trama: Can true love be built on lies? A teen on the run seeks relief and redemption in this gripping, romantic read.
Leah Kurtz has finally found a place to call home, a town where she and baby Addy can live in peace, far from the drug-infested place she grew up. Chris is one of the best parts of her new life, the only person who’s ever made her feel safe. And now that she’s found him, there’s no way she can tell the truth:
Her real name is Faith, not Leah. She’s seventeen, not nineteen. And the baby isn’t hers—Faith kidnapped her.
Faith’s history catches up with her when a cop starts asking questions and Chris’s aunt spots her picture in the newspaper. She knows it’s time to run again, but if Faith leaves, she’ll lose Chris. If Chris is in love with a lie, though, did Faith ever really have him in the first place?

Jamie Blair spent most of her teen years choreographing moves for her dance team routines, kissing boys on the couch after her mom went to bed, and pondering the mood enhancement qualities of Lemon Heads when consumed with Diet Coke. Writing under Kelli Maine, she’s the USA Today bestselling author of Taken. Leap of Faith is her debut New Adult novel.

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ESTRATTI

#1

“I’m Chris.” His eyes are hazel. They’d be bluer or greener depending on what he wore.  His gray shirt keeps them the in-between shade.  He plays a few more chords and sets his guitar on the couch beside him.  “Well?  What do you think?”

I glance around.  There’s not much to it, but it works.  “How much?”

He rubs his chin.  It’s covered in stubble.  I imagine how it would feel against my cheek, and my face gets hot. 

Addy squirms and lets out a small shriek.  Chris’s eyes dart to her.  This could be the deal breaker.

She squawks again.  “What time is it?” I ask, realizing she’s probably hungry. 

He shrugs.  “Around five or six.  She need to eat?”

“Yeah.  Guess I better go so I can feed her.”  I take a step toward the door.

“Here,” he comes forward, reaching his arms out.  “I’ll hold her.  Go on out and get her a bottle.  You have one with you, don’t you?”

I nod, watching him take Addy out of my arms, place her against his chest, and rub her back.  “Do you have kids?”  It seems like a dumb question, but he’s a natural with Addy.

He laughs.  “No.  Fortunately, I’ve never been in that predicament.”  He looks from Addy to me, and his face falls.  “I mean…” 

Right.  He thinks I got knocked up.  I’m a teen mom.  “It’s okay.  Don’t worry about it.”  I smile, trying to put him at ease.  “I’ll be right back.”

After opening the door to the stairs, I glance over my shoulder.  He’s running his fingers over the top of her head and bouncing her gently.  “Shh, baby, don’t cry.  Mommy will be right back.” 

#2

Halfway to 356 Maple, a black pickup truck pulls into the driveway.  Music blares from the open windows.  Chris’s hair blows around in the breeze. 

My heart jumps to life. 

How have I become so hooked on a guy I met yesterday?  But watching him park his truck and hop out, I know how.  Nobody’s ever done half as much for me, and he doesn’t even know me.  He’s a good person, and I haven’t known many of those.

On his way to the front door, he stops when he spots us.  “Hey!” His smile’s genuine, and fills his whole face.  He jogs across the yard to meet us. 

After seeing his room, I half-expect him to be wearing a superhero t-shirt, but there’s none today, just a plain white t-shirt covered in dirt.  He’s filthy.  “All moved in?” he asks.

“Yeah.”  I watch his tall frame moving toward me, his jeans shifting with each stride, his shirt hugging his chest.  I stop the stroller as he reaches us.  “I love the paint color and the privacy wall.  Thanks.”

He bends down, leaning his head in the stroller.  His fingers wrap around Addy’s arm. “You’re welcome.  Listen, I’m really sorry about what happened.  My dad can be…I don’t know what’s wrong with him sometimes.  Do you need help moving anything in?” 

I ignore the jab in the pit of my stomach at the mention of Chris’s dad.  “No, we’re good.  We don’t have much, so it wasn’t difficult.”

He unbuckles Addy and lifts her out of the stroller. “Is it okay if I carry her in?”

I cringe at the dirt on his shirt, but he’s already got her pressed against his chest.    “Sure.”  I can always give her a bath.

She turns her head toward his neck and snuggles into a ball.  Somehow she feels what I do with him. 

Safe.

Secure.

#3

After a few minutes of Chris flipping through the channels with the remote while we eat, I have to break the silence again.  “How was work?  Where do you work, anyway?”

“I have a glamorous job roofing houses for RJ Roofing.”  He leans back and rubs his stomach.  “I’ve been there a couple of years.  It’s not bad.  They’re good people to work for.”

“That sounds horrible to me.” 

He lifts one eyebrow.

“I’m terrified of heights.  I couldn’t ever go up on a roof.  Plus it has to be about a hundred and fifty degrees up there.”

He chuckles.  “It is.  And you come home covered in tar and dirt.  But the pay’s good.”

“How long have you played the guitar?”  I look down at my hands. 

I can’t stop asking questions. 

I hate that he won’t ask me his own questions even if I won’t answer them anyway. 

He stretches both arms over his head and yawns.  “About five years.” 

I nod and tuck my hair back again.

“Here.”  He reaches into his pocket and shoots me with a rubber band.  “For your hair.  It’s not going to stay behind your ears.”  His smile’s easy. 

Tonight, his eyes match his dark blue shirt.  I like his chin length hair down.  It makes the angles of his face softer.  Faint stubble has grown on his chin.  No wonder I’m obsessed with him.  He’s hot.

My eyes make their way back to his, and I can tell he knows what I’m thinking.  I shift to peer at the TV, feeling my pulse race.  I ball my hair on top of my head and wrap the rubber band around it.

“Faith,” he mumbles. 

I jerk around.  “What did you say?”

“The tattoo on the back of your neck, it says hope and faith.”

I reach around with my hand, covering my tattoo.  It’s a banner inside angel wings with our names on it.  Hope and Faith.  My sister and I got them last summer.  It took me forever and five days to talk her into it.  She got hers as a tramp stamp, thinking she could hide it.  More people have seen hers than mine since her track pants sit low on her hips.

“Yeah.”  I swallow my fight or flight instinct.  “Do you have any tattoos?”

In one swift movement, he whips off his t-shirt.  There, in the middle of his tan chest, beside a smear of paint, is a cross with two dates inscribed on it.  One across, one down.  Its intricate design has my fingers itching to touch.  Instead, I crawl on my knees around the table to get a closer look.