EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
On Thin Ice
(Juniper Falls Book 3)
(Juniper Falls Book 3)
by Julie Cross
On Thin Ice is the third book in the Juniper Falls series by Julie Cross. Also available: Off the Ice (read my blog post) and Breaking the Ice (read my blog post).
Description
Brooke Parker never expected to find herself in the tiny town of Juniper Falls, Minnesota. Of course, she also never expected to lose her dad. Or for her mom to lose herself. Brooke feels like she’s losing it … until she finds Juniper Falls hockey. Juniper Falls girls’ hockey, that is.
Jake Hammond, current prince of Juniper Falls, captain of the hockey team, and player with the best chance of scoring it big, is on top of the world. Until one hazing ritual gone wrong lands him injured, sitting on the sidelines, and - shocking even to him - finding himself enjoying his “punishment” as assistant coach for the girls’ team.
As Jake and Brooke grow closer, he finds the quiet new girl is hiding a persona full of life, ideas, and experiences bigger and broader than anything he’s ever known. But to Jake, hockey’s never just been a game. It’s his whole life. And leveraging the game for a shot at their future might be more than he can give.
Excerpt
It’s not that I can’t speak. Or that I don’t want to or don’t have anything to say. I do. But I’ve recently become addicted to listening. And it’s extremely difficult to talk and listen at the same time.
But try explaining that to a small-town high school guidance counselor and see where it gets you.
It got me regular—and mandatory—Friday appointments in Mr. Smuttley’s office (yes, that’s his real name, though I keep hearing other students call him a bunch of variations of it, most of them pretty nasty), where I continue to not talk about my feelings.
“How is your mother doing?” Smuttley asks.
I shrug. Not to be evasive, but because I have no idea. She doesn’t talk to me. All the pills the psychiatrist prescribes have turned her into a zombie version of my mother… Except, this isn’t completely true. A few days ago, she must have woken up from her drug-induced haze and decided to go to the store…in her pajamas. Then she got there, couldn’t remember what she came for, and broke down crying. The shop owner called my grandmother, who promptly came to pick her up. And now everyone in town either gives me this look of pity or they avoid eye contact altogether. Or, in Smuttley’s case, they try to get me to talk about the incident in a productive, helpful manner.
“How about we try something new today.” Smuttley stands and walks around his desk, heading for the door to his office. I’m still seated in my designated student chair when he swings the door open, gesturing that I should follow him out.
I stare at the name placard on the door: Joseph Smuttley.
If he just dropped one of the Ts, he’d have way less nicknames from the student body.
“Come on, Brooklynn,” he says, trying to look enthusiastic about his plan. “It’s my duty as guidance counselor to make sure you’ve been shown all the best places around the high school. Which includes the coffee shop next door.”
Brooke, not Brooklynn.
Only my grandmother calls me Brooklynn.
Sighing, I stand up and follow him out of his office and eventually outside. The October air in Minnesota is crisp, and even without us talking, the leaves crunching under our feet kill the awkward silence.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“I fall more and more in love with this series with each book. Once again Cross delivered a story with substance that incorporated family, friendship, romance, and left me hungry for the next book.” ~ Sam K.
“On Thin Ice was one of those books that had me not wanting to stop reading, even when I should.” ~ Tara Peters
“I love this book so much. It is such a sweet and heartwarming story about teenagers who are trying to make the best decisions in life. […] It is a very well-written story. I enjoyed it a lot and I think all YA fans will love it!” ~ Fizza Younis
“I absolutely loved this book. On Thin Ice is the third book in the series, and though you'll care more about the secondary characters here in the book's most dramatic scene if you've read their stories too, you don't have to have read the other books to get its impact. Though this seems like a good place to end the series, my fingers are crossed that there's more to come!” ~ Beckymmoe
“I started this one late last night and stayed up way too late because I had a hard time putting it down (though I did eventually). There’s just something about the way Ms. Cross writes that sucks me in and has me compelled to read just one more chapter.” ~ Lenore Kosinski
About the Author
Julie Cross is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of New Adult and Young Adult fiction, including the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, and Timestorm (St. Martin’s Press).
She’s also the author of the Letters to Nowhere series, Whatever Life Throws at You, Third Degree, Halfway Perfect, Chasing Truth, the Juniper Falls series, and many more to come!
Julie Cross was a longtime resident of central Illinois but has recently moved her entire family across the country to continue her academic studies at Stanford University.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win one of three copies of On Thin Ice by Julie Cross (US only).
Links
Books featured in this post:
