Day 16 of the Magical Christmas with Vivi Barnes + 3 Print & 1 E-copy Giveaway

We are going to celebrate day 16 of the Magical Christmas with Vivi Barnes.  Don't miss the previous giveaways!

Day 1 with Amalie Howard + Paperback Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 2 with Karla J. Nellenbach + 10 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 3 with February Grace + 10 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 4 with CJ Lyons + Print copy Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 5 with A.J. Aalto + 20 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 6 with Anne Perry + Hardcover Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 7 with Natalie Damschroder + $5 Gift Card & short story Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 8 with Holly Webb + Paperback Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 9 with Helen Docherty and Bill Cotter + 2 Print Copies Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 10 with Jessica Shervington + Print Copy Giveaaway (US/Canada)
Day 11 with Ophelia London + Swag Pack Giveaway
Day 12 with Mark D Evan + 5 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 13 with Callie Hutton + $25 Gift Card Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 14 with Miranda Kenneally + Print copy Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 15 with Vivi Barnes + 3 Print Copies & 1 ecopy Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)

And Entangled Publishing is giving away $50 Gift Card (Amazon or B&N) for the winner of today's giveaway.  The giveaway will run till December 31st, 2013 and the winners will be announced on January 1st, 2014!  But, before that, don't forget to read Susanna's great post about what a regency Christmas wasn't!

Original Title: Olivia Twisted
Author: Vivi Barnes

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Release Date: November 5th 2013

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Romance

Olivia

He tilts my chin up so my eyes meet his, his thumb brushing lightly across my lips. I close my eyes. I know Z is trouble. I know that being with him is going to get me into trouble. I don’t care.

At least at this moment, I don’t care.

Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite—break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv…

Z

I can picture Liv’s face: wide-eyed, trusting. Her smooth lips that taste like strawberry Fanta.

It was just a kiss. That’s all. She’s just like any other girl.

Except that she’s not.

Thanks to Z, Olivia’s about to get twisted.

Deleted Scene from OLIVIA TWISTED

- Guest Post by Vivi Barnes

The holidays are a magical time for most people—lights, gifts, family gatherings. Heck, for my family I think we end up doing an event of some sort every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas, including kids’ orchestra concerts and daughter’s preschool Santa party.

I won’t even get started on the smorgasbord of gifts on Christmas Day.

Of course, not everyone is so lucky. Many have a difficult time providing enough to keep their families fed, much less worrying about buying presents. Others associate the holidays with something tragic, such as a death of a loved one. My own father passed away the day after Christmas, which makes the holidays a little harder for us.

Similarly, in OLIVIA TWISTED, the reader learns why Z is so hardened. His anger issues stem from a few different aspects of his life—mostly around his parents. Without giving significant parts of the story away, the one thing I can share is a scene that wasn’t included in the final story, but one I had as part of my backstory on Z. So here’s the deleted scene (the deleted segment is indicated below as “New”) which explains why Z doesn’t have the same attachment to the holidays and gift-giving as others.

“I have something for you.” I reach back to my nightstand and lift the small blue box. Her eyes widen as I open the lid to reveal a thin gold bracelet.

“Oh, Z, it’s beautiful.” She lifts it up to gaze at it.

“It was my mother’s,” I whisper as I watch the gold strand flex through her slender fingers. “It’s the only thing I kept of hers.”

<NEW> It’s strange, giving Liv a gift. I don’t do presents—don’t do Christmas, birthdays, anything. Everyone knows it. On Christmas Day, while the rest of the house celebrates with a Secret Santa gift exchange, I’m on my Ducati, riding through the bitter chill to the cemetery where my mother is buried. It’s the one time of year I make that visit, though it does nothing to get rid of my demons. It was Christmas night that I found her—

I swallow hard and squeeze my eyes closed for a moment, forcing away the memory that forever haunts me. No amount of therapy, legal or otherwise, has helped me deal with this. But as Liv’s eyes light up, something inside me lifts slightly—as a wave shifts a heavy stone. Maybe giving her my mother’s bracelet is the first step to getting over this. <END NEW>

I take the bracelet and gently fasten it above her hand, then kiss the inside of her wrist. The one thing I have that means something to me now rests on the only person who means everything to me.

Her hand strokes my cheek. “Thank you,” she says softly.

I have a strong suspicion that Liv will help change Z’s views on holidays. Creating new memories is an effective way to get rid of old demons.

Happy holidays!

GIVEAWAY

That was a great post, Vivi!

Entangled Publishing will be awarding the following three print books to the winner of the below Rafflecopter widget.

- OLIVIA TWISTED
- INK IS THICKER THAN WATER
- ALLURE

This is for residents of US/Canada only.  Also, 1 PDF copy of OLIVIA TWISTED will be provided to International residents.

Come back tomorrow for more giveaways!  And did you enter the previous giveaways?

Day 1 with Amalie Howard + Paperback Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 2 with Karla J. Nellenbach + 10 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 3 with February Grace + 10 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 4 with CJ Lyons + Print copy Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 5 with A.J. Aalto + 20 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 6 with Anne Perry + Hardcover Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 7 with Natalie Damschroder + $5 Gift Card & short story Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 8 with Holly Webb + Paperback Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 9 with Helen Docherty and Bill Cotter + 2 Print Copies Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 10 with Jessica Shervington + Print Copy Giveaaway (US/Canada)
Day 11 with Ophelia London + Swag Pack Giveaway
Day 12 with Mark D Evan + 5 Books Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 13 with Callie Hutton + $25 Gift Card Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)
Day 14 with Miranda Kenneally + Print copy Giveaway (US/Canada)
Day 15 with Vivi Barnes + 3 Print Copies & 1 ecopy Giveaway (INTERNATIONAL)

a Rafflecopter giveaway