Camp
Boyfriend (Camp
Boyfriend #1)
by J.K. Rock
Release Date: 07/02/13
From Spencer Hill Press
Summary from Goodreads:
The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.
They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.
But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?
by J.K. Rock
Release Date: 07/02/13
From Spencer Hill Press
Summary from Goodreads:
The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.
They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.
But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?
Excerpt
#1:
…Seth continued
to grip my hand. “Please hear me out, Lauren. This will only take a
minute.”
“Fine. But just
for a minute. That’s it.” I plunked down on the rooftop and swung
my legs over the edge, back hunched, arms crossed.
All around us
slept campers in lean-tos. By the moon’s low position, I guessed it
was well past midnight. An owl hooted from a nearby pine, then took
flight in a blur of white and grey.
“Strix
varia,”
Seth breathed behind me. “Must be after a frog. Look at him dive.”
I tracked the
bird to the river. The current made a soft shhhhh
sound as it flowed over and around rocks and boulders. I’d
forgotten how much I loved this time of night- the peaceful, natural
feel of it.
Seth’s shoulder
brushed mine as he lowered himself beside me. Goosebumps broke out on
my skin, every molecule in my bloodstream screaming to life. I took a
steadying breath.
He wrapped an arm
around me. “Cold?”
I shook my head
and edged away. “You said this would take a minute, so…?”
His finger
pressed against my lips while the other hand pointed. My eyes widened
at the sight of a portable field telescope set up to our left.
Stargazing. As science geeks, it’d always been one of our favorite
things to do together. I couldn’t believe he lugged the collapsible
apparatus on the trip. Given the limited gear we were allowed to
pack, he’d made some sacrifices to have this moment with me.
“C’mon.”
Seth scrambled across the roof, peered into the eyepiece, and focused
the lens. He looked up. “Last year we talked about seeing the
Perseids together and tonight’s a good clear night for viewing. I
didn’t want you to miss it. Have a look.”
He remembered
this meteor shower that only an astronomer would love. My heart
leaped. Say
no,
I told myself sternly in spite of its sudden jump.
“Okay,” came
out instead.
My eyes flew to
the sky. I hadn’t forgotten about the meteor shower and our promise
to watch the skies together, but I’d put it out of my mind when I
brought Matt to camp. But now… this was science, right? We could be
nerds for a few minutes without acting on our hormones, couldn’t
we? This was exactly what I needed. To rediscover my passion for
astronomy, a part of me that I’d ignored all year, mostly because
my dad had checked out of my life.
And didn’t that
make me a lot like Matt—spiting myself to get back at my dad for
ignoring me? I felt ashamed of myself and my pettiness.
Now, I knelt
behind the telescope and looked down into the eyepiece. My breath
caught at the otherworldly view. A streak of white light shown
against an onyx sky dotted with twinkling stars. Behind it blazed
another stream of periwinkle and azure blue.
Wonder filled me.
I was transported, aware of the vastness of life and my tiny place in
it. The familiar, otherworldly feel brought back my Aerospace Scholar
ambition and memories of planetarium trips with Dad.
I grabbed Seth’s
hand, wanting him to share this amazing moment. But then his arms
wrapped around me and he stared into my eyes, the stars reflected in
his gaze.
Our breaths
synchronized. He exhaled against my temple, making my chest flutter.
I turned to tell him I had to go. But before I could speak, his lips
captured mine.
My feelings for
Seth rushed back with a pull as unstoppable as gravity itself. We
tumbled against the roof, every nerve-ending awakening at his
familiar touch. He was fantasy come to life. A forgotten dream
remembered.
Seth pulled back
and looked down at me with his expressive eyes. “I’ve missed you
so much, Lauren.”
“Me too,” I
admitted.
He rolled us over
so that I was on top. My hair hung down like a curtain, the dark
strands blotting out the world….
Visit http://campboyfriend.net to learn more about the series and the free prequel novella, CAMP KISS, which you can download here. ***Author Links*** Author Website / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / Karen's Twitter / Joanne's Twitter / Facebook
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Sounds like an interesting love story! I want to find out who Lauren picks!
ReplyDeleteKitty Iecvan