Blog Tour: RITA Awards – Best First Book

Posted July 19, 2017 by Cocktails and Books in Blog Tour / 0 Comments

We’re delighted to work with RWA to spotlight some of the RITA Award nominated books.  Today we have the Best First Book Nominees.

THE DISTANCE FROM A TO Z by Natalie Blitt

HarperTeen

Annie Berger, editor

Seventeen-year-old Abby has only one goal for her summer: to make sure she is fluent in French—well, that, and to get as far away from baseball and her Cubs-obsessed family as possible. A summer of culture and language, with no sports in sight.

That turns out to be impossible, though, because her French partner is the exact kind of boy she was hoping to avoid. Eight weeks. 120 hours of class. 80 hours of conversation practice with someone who seems to wear baseball caps and jerseys every day.

But Zeke in French is a different person than Zeke in English. And Abby can’t help but fall for him, hard. As Abby begins to suspect that Zeke is hiding something, she has to decide if bridging the gap between who she is and who he is is worth the risk.

 

About Natalie Blitt

Originally from Canada, Natalie Blitt now lives in the Chicago area with her husband and three sons, where she dreams up young adult novels. Natalie currently works at an education think tank. She knows a lot about baseball. She has no choice.

 

Where to Buy:

HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062433336/the-distance-from-a-to-z

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Distance-Z-Natalie-Blitt-ebook/dp/B00WELVQSI

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-distance-from-a-to-z-natalie-blitt/1121776178?ean=9780062433336

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Natalie_Blitt_The_Distance_from_A_to_Z?id=VttoCAAAQBAJ

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-distance-from-a-to-z/id987479898

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-distance-from-a-to-z

Check it out on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25131078-the-distance-from-a-to-z

 

 

ONCE AND FOR ALL by Cheryl Etchison

Avon, Impulse

Priyanka Krishnan and Rebecca Lucash, editors

The Rangers of the 1st/75th fight hard, train hard and play hard. They are physically strong and mentally tough, disciplined and courageous. But all their military training hasn’t prepared them for falling in love.

Rule #1: Military and matrimony don’t mix.

But if there’s one person Staff Sergeant Danny MacGregor would break all his rules for, it’s Bree—his first friend, first love, first everything. Maybe he likes playing the hero. Maybe he’s trying to ease ten years of guilt. Either way, he’ll do whatever he can to help her.

 Wish #1: A little bit of normal.

Bree Dunbar has battled cancer, twice. What she wants most is a fresh start in a place where she can find a new job, and where people aren’t constantly treating her like she’s sick. By some miracle her wish is granted, but it comes with one major string attached—the man who broke her heart ten years before.

The rules for this marriage of convenience are simple: when she’s ready to stand on her own two feet, she’ll walk away and he’ll let her go. Only, as they both know all too well, things don’t always go according to plan . . .

 

About Cheryl Etchison

Cheryl Etchison graduated from the University of Oklahoma’s School of Journalism and began her career as an oil and gas reporter. Bored to tears and broke as hell, it wasn’t long before she headed for the promise land of public relations. But that was nearly a lifetime ago and she’s since traded in reporting the facts for making it all up. Currently, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and three daughters.

 

Where to Buy:

Avon Books: http://www.avonromance.com/book/9780062471055/once-and-for-all/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016UENEHK/

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/once-and-for-all-cheryl-etchison/1122822016?ean=9780062471055

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cheryl_Etchison_Once_and_For_All?id=2B7FCgAAQBAJ

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/once-and-for-all/id1050664662

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062471048

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/once-and-for-all-5

Check it out on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27246479-once-and-for-all

 

 

SUMMER OF SUPERNOVAS by Darcy Woods

Penguin Random House, Crown BFYR

Emily Easton, editor

Fans of Jennifer E. Smith and Jenny Han will fall in love with this heartfelt and humor-laced debut following one zodiac-obsessed teen as she struggles to find the guy of her cosmic dreams.

As the daughter of an expert astrologer, Wilamena Carlisle knows that truth lies within the stars. So when she discovers a planetary alignment that won’t repeat for a decade, she’s forced to tackle her greatest astrological fear: The Fifth House—relationships and love. But Wil must decide whether to trust her heart or her chart when she falls for a sensitive guitar player whose zodiac sign points to cosmic disaster.

If Wil’s fate is truly written in the stars, then this summer is about to go supernova…

 

About Darcy Woods

Darcy Woods has held an eclectic mix of professions—from refueling helicopters for the US Army to recharging bodies and spirits at a spa—but her most beloved career is being an author. She is a happily-ever-after addict and finds all things metaphysical endlessly fascinating. She lives in Michigan with her husband and cat. The Golden Heart® award–winning Summer of Supernovas is her first novel. You can follow Darcy on Twitter at @woodswrite.

 

Where to Buy:

PRH: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/251543/summer-of-supernovas-by-darcy-woods/9780553537062/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013ZNN1IQ/

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/summer-of-supernovas-darcy-woods/1122536561?ean=9780553537055

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Darcy_Woods_Summer_of_Supernovas?id=o-WiDgAAQBAJ

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/summer-of-supernovas/id1031068810

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780553537048

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/summer-of-supernovas

Check it out on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109094-summer-of-supernovas

 

If you want to follow along on the tour, click the following link:  BlogTour.

 

For a full list of RITA finalists, readers can go to: https://www.rwa.org/page/2017-finalists
The 2017 RITA Award Ceremony will be streamed live from the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort on July 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. ET. Tune in at www.rwa.org to watch your favorite authors decked out in dazzling red carpet looks asNew York Times bestselling author and emcee extraordinaire Ally Carter announces the winners of the romance industry’s most prestigious award. You can find a list of finalists here or follow along our RITA Finalists Spotlight Blog Tour, which runs through 7/21.
What is the RITA Award?
The purpose of the RITA award is to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding published romance novels and novellas.
The award itself is a golden statuette named after RWA’s first president, Rita Clay Estrada, and has become the symbol for excellence in published romance fiction.
For more about the RITA Award, click here: https://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=528