BOOK BLITZ: Race Girl by Leigh Hutton

Race Girl
Leigh Hutton
Series: The Go Girls Chronicles #3
Publication date: April 3rd 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Fresh on the heels of Michelle Payne’s historic Melbourne Cup win, comes a blockbuster Australian story about a Queensland girl and the ‘race that stops a nation’ . . .

Tully Athens has always dreamed of following in the footsteps of her hero Michelle Payne. Of living up to the Athens name and becoming the third generation of women from her family to rule the track. But Tully’s never been sure she’s got the nerve, and when her mother is killed in a racing accident, her whole world is shattered.

Six months later, in the heat of a Queensland summer, sixteen-year-old Tully is ready to face her fears. But getting back in the saddle leads to a whole lot more than she bargained for, with an out of control crush on the boy from their rival thoroughbred farm – the gorgeous but cocky larrikin Brandon Weston – and a forgotten filly with stardom in her eyes . . .

When faced with the most difficult decision of her life, will Tully choose to train and race her new filly in Melbourne? Or will she sacrifice it all to fight for love on the land that feeds her soul?

It’s only when tragedy rips everything from her that Tully finds a strength and courage she never knew she had, in this action-packed novel of passion, adventure and determination.

RACE GIRL is the highly anticipated third book in The Go Girls Chronicles – bestselling stories of gutsy girls in action sports, by Leigh Hutton!

*A PORTION OF EVERY #RaceGirl book sold goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, and to horse-welfare charity, Equine Action Qld*

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Tully scanned the shadows as she reached the shimmering water. He didn’t turn up . . . She thought with a stab of panic. He’s playing me!

I’m an idiot!!

She’d spun around, ready to bolt back to the house, when a rustling in the tall, dead grass around the jetty made her heart stop. Bear bounded out, barking and grinning like mad.

OMG!

‘Shhhh, mate—please!’ Tully whispered, cursing herself for forgetting to pull the wooden back door shut when she’d left the house. Tully scooped up the warm, wriggling body, rushing down the slope to the bank of the wide dam where she prayed they’d be out of sight from the house or the cottage on the far side of the track. She collapsed on the bank, cradling Bear in her lap, her arms wrapped around him.

‘Nice dog,’ a deep, rough voice said from behind her.

‘Holy—sit!’ Tully grabbed the front of Brandon’s T-shirt and pulled him down next to her. Bear leapt up, licking his face.

‘Whoa, whoa!’ He chuckled, leaning down to help Tully contain Bear in her lap. ‘I was hoping for that kind of reception from her—’ he nodded down at Tully.

‘God, shush!’ Tully pushed her face against Bear’s smooth head, her eyes drifting across the sparkling dam to the violet outline of the mountains, and up into the silver diamonds – bright and full across the sky. Tully took a long breath to calm her thumping heart, when suddenly her whole body was swirling like wonderland – her mind lost, struggling to comprehend what that rich-wonderful-earthy-soapy-manly-scent could possibly be. Oh, she realised, opening her mouth so she could block off her nostrils. Him; of course he’s got the best cologne . . .

Just get down to business . . . ‘So,’ Tully said, clutching to Bear’s smooth body. ‘Brandon, did you know your dad’s trying to buy our farm out from under us?’




Author Bio:

Leigh Hutton is a former Courier-Mail journalist, dirt bike racer and horse show jumper. Leigh was born in Canada and lives on rural property in southeast Queensland, Australia, with her husband and three young children. When she isn’t writing, managing the relocation and restoration of historic ‘Queenslander’ homes, wrangling the kids or swilling coffee, she loves to read, watch smart TV and movies, ride her motorbike and daydream about gorgeous horses. Her family spell racehorses at their property and making friends with each one is also a favourite pastime of Leigh and her children. Leigh is especially passionate about promoting the growing number of girls and women in all action and equestrian sports, and is thrilled to be drawing on her experiences to bring you the exciting novels of The Go Girls Chronicles . . .

Book one, REV GIRL, OUT NOW!

Book two, JUMP GIRL, OUT NOW!

Book three, RACE GIRL, out April 3rd, 2016!

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JUMP GIRL Book Blitz: Interview with the fabulous Leigh Hutton!

Hello, everyone! Today I'm honored to be taking part in the book blitz for the release day of JUMP GIRL, the second book in The Go Girls Chronicles! Since the books follow some amazingly strong, young adult characters, Leigh recently took the time to answer a few questions about her own time as a teenager. 

When I was a teenager, my…

Favourite movie was:

Everafter, Clueless, Black Beauty, Crusty Demons, The Candy Man - sorry, I guess that's a few, lol.

Favourite singer/band was:

Hmmm, I had so many favourites! I loved Disturbed, Nirvana, Eminem, AFI, Dixie Chicks, and in my late teens, P!NK (still do).

Favourite place to go was:

My husband's going to laugh at this one, as he's always called me a "mall rat", but I reckon that's a toss up between the local motocross park and the mall.

Dream job was:

Working at a motorcycle dealership as an accessories/clothing salesperson, which I did from the age of 16.

Most treasured possession was:

My Chevy truck and my dirt bike.

Worst habit was:

Chewing nails.

Celebrity crush was:

Josh Hartnett and Heath Ledger!

Favourite book was:

The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank.

Most embarrassing moment was:

Crashing multiple times at a stadium motocross in front of several of the most popular guys from my school. Never lived that one down.

Thank you, Leigh, for the great answers! 

You can read my review of Jump Girl here. Scroll down for more information on the book, Leigh, and a super awesome giveaway!

Show jumping is an extreme sport with a dress code, one this girl doesn't follow... Imagine being dumped by your mother as a newborn and shifted between foster homes your entire childhood. Imagine being taken in and offered hope for your future by a kind, loving show jumping socialite. Imagine falling in love with some of the most gorgeous horses in the world, and making a life in the thrilling and glamorous sport of international show jumping. 

Now imagine it all being taken away.  Ebony Scott Harris is painfully close to making her dreams a reality when the only mother she has ever known mysteriously dies. She’s forced from their home to live with the gold-digging aunt, who takes her in only to ride the prized show jumpers she claims are now hers.

Teetering on the edge of a hopeless depression, Ebony is saved by the discovery of a forgotten horse nearly starved to death, and an unlikely partnership with a handsome stranger, whom she must learn to trust if she is to uncover the truth about her mother’s death and reclaim her home.

But with the evil aunt selling her best and beloved horse, a maniacal ex-coach out for revenge and more savage competitors than she can count, Ebony has a lot more at stake than proving the truth, saving her horses and jumping for gold at the World Equestrian Games...

The highly anticipated second book in The Go Girls Chronicles - stories of gutsy girls in action sports, by Leigh Hutton.

"I am excited for the Jump Girl book because it will be something that riders can actually relate too. It’s nice that there is a book that reveals the excitement of the sport while showing there can still be problems and a lot of times things won’t go as planned!"

Shelby Edwards

Real Life Jump Girl

"Leigh has a talent for making the reader be captured in their imagination. I was able to imagine scenes, accents, and how people looked. It was different and refreshing."
[review of Rev Girl]

Angel Reads

Book Blogger

"[Jump Girl] gives us a look into the fierce yet glamorous world that is Show Jumping, as well as; Love & Romance, Action & Adventure, Murder & Mystery, Redemption & Self Discovery, all woven together beautifully in this fast paced coming of age novel. I have been lucky enough to read Jump Girl before its release and let me say it is brilliant. Awesome job Leigh. It made me yearn to have a Monster or Gallant of my own. I immediately fell for Ebony. Her life felt so real and I was drawn into it heart first. I could not put the book down. I practically read it in one sitting... Five of five stars for Jump Girl."

Sarah Fairbairn

Author and Goodreads Reviewer

Amazon Australia   Amazon UK   Amazon US   Amazon CA

Also available on iBooks and Nook from Barnes and Noble

Paperback available from The Book Depository

The paperback edition will be available via Amazon, and check out Leigh's Blog for more
information where to purchase Jump Girl.  

A portion of every JUMP GIRL book sold goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Leigh Hutton is a former News Ltd journalist and champion dirt bike racer and horse show jumper. She was born and raised in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and now lives with her husband and three young children in southeast Queensland, Australia. When she isn't wrangling the kids, swilling coffee, or writing, she loves to read, watch good TV and movies, shop, hit the beach, ride her motorbike and daydream about gorgeous horses.

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Book Blitz: Winter Angel by Mia Hoddell!

Winter Angel
by Mia Hoddell

Genre: YA Romance
Release date: 25th June 2014
Length: Novella

Blurb:

She was on holiday. He was tricked into returning.
Neither of them wanted to be there, but neither could avoid it.

Amy wants to be back under the sun in Portugal. However, when her suggestion is overruled in favour of a skiing holiday, even she can't turn it down. What she couldn't have predicted is that the holiday could make her break the one, and only, rule she has: not to get into a serious relationship again.

When Amy first sees Luke, she knows something is wrong. He's struggling to cope with everything and her need to help people makes him the perfect distraction from the cold. He hasn't been to the Alps in five years and he swore to never ski again. But as his defences are broken by Amy's persistence, the winter paradise begins to reawaken his desires.

However, with constant flashbacks triggering his anxiety, he's torn, battling conflicting emotions as he becomes increasingly captivated by Amy. She has a rule though. She didn't go on holiday to fall for someone and the last thing she needs is to ignore her own advice. Whether or not she can move past her insecurities will depend on whether Luke can face his biggest fear.

Winter Angel is a standalone, young adult romance novella, but is the second book in the Seasons of Change series.

Download in now for FREE!

Only free 19th & 20th of July

Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

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You can also download Summer Demons: the
first, bestselling, standalone novella in the Seasons of Change series for
99c / 77p.

Excerpt

White. Gazing out of the small, circular window, it
was the only colour he could see surrounding him. The bursts of light—which had
broken through the heavy, grey clouds—were reflected back as the ground grew
closer with each passing second. Not too long ago he had been blissfully
unaware of the location his sister was dragging him to for a holiday. A bubble
of excitement had surrounded him throughout the early morning as he got up, and
stayed with him through travelling to the airport and catching the flight. However,
it had burst as soon as the icy tips of the mountains appeared and the plane
began its descent. Until that moment, he had hoped his guesses had been wrong.

His sister had carefully planned
the trip, making sure to hide all clues as to where they were heading, and as
she glanced across at him, it seemed as if she had been successful. Luke’s
knuckles were white on the arm rests. He had claimed both of them, gripping
them so hard they looked like they would snap under the force, or at least be
moulded to the shape of his hands when he removed them.

Ellie watched as he took in a
shaky breath, but she heard no exhale.

“Luke?”

The silence that filled the space
around them was icier than the Alps they had just flown over. Her brother’s
gaze remained fixed on the window, watching as the ground, and his fate, drew
ever closer. Deep, ragged breaths steamed up the window, which was almost
touching his nose. Desperately, he tried to control the tremors shaking his
body, and his pounding heart, from the fear that washed over him in waves.

“Luke, please, say something.”
Worry had crept into Ellie’s tone. She had thought her idea would do him good,
that forcing him to face everything would turn him back into his old self.
Ellie missed the brother she had grown up with and wanted him back. However,
seeing his eyes wide with fear, his jaw clenched in anger, and his arms tense
with both, suddenly she wasn’t so sure about her plan.

“You promised, Ellie. You swore
you wouldn’t pressure me, and I trusted you with that. You know how I feel
about this.” His voice was sharp and curt as he spoke through clenched teeth,
trying to keep a hold on his emotions.

The urge to flee surged within
him. He wanted to go home, to get off the plane and board the next flight
straight back to England, but he couldn’t. Not only was the plane still minutes
from landing—trapping him in the confines of economy class, which felt even
smaller as realisation forced him to understand Ellie’s plans—but he also
refused to waste more money on the pointless trip Ellie had conned him into
taking. If he was going to use the money he had earned from before everything
changed, it would be on his own terms.

“You’ll enjoy it when you’re
there,” Ellie stated, brushing off his comments like they meant nothing to her.

“That’s easy for you to say. You
don’t have to live with, or through, what I have.” Luke was trying hard to
control his voice. Had they been in private, he would have already been
shouting. The cramped environment meant that Ellie was getting off lightly, but
he swore that when they reached their chalet, he would not hold back. She had
no right to interfere with his life.

“Never tell me I didn’t live
through it, Luke. I was there when it happened, in the hospital, and when you
got home. I was there through it all. It may not have been me, but it wasn’t
like it had no effect on my life,” Ellie hissed. It was the only way she could
convey her anger without disturbing other passengers.

“Why though, Ellie? Why is this
such a big deal to you?” Luke’s eyes were full of sorrow as he turned to face
his sister for the first time, begging to understand her reasoning for putting
him through something she knew would hurt him.

About the Author

Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything paranormal and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of

the morning.

With three poems published before the age of sixteen, Mia moved on to short stories but finding she had too much to tell with too little space, Mia progressed to novels. She started her first series (The Wanderer Trilogy) at the age of fourteen and since then hasn’t stopped writing. Elemental Killers is her second series and with an ever growing list of ideas, Mia is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination
generates them.

Connect with Mia:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Google+ | Amazon Author Page

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