Day Seven - ALIENATED + Giveaway!

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Book Profile

Name - Alienated (Goodreads)
Author - Melissa Landers
Genre - Science Fiction
Release Date - February 4th 2014

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.
Available - The Book Depository | Fishpond | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

The Insider's Scoop

Here’s a snippet from my favorite chapter, in which Aelyx and Cara take a giant leap for interplanetary relations. The following scene is shown from the point of view of Aelyx, (pronounced A-licks), an interplanetary exchange student from another galaxy:

“What?” She glanced up from her tea, her eyes like saucers. “You’ve never kissed a girl?”

He shrugged. “That’s not how we show affection.”

“Really?” 

“Truly.”

“Too bad,” she said over the top of her mug. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

“Not much, I imagine. I researched it, and it sounds bizarre to me.”

Cara smiled to herself. “Not if you’re doing it right. Nothing’s hotter than a good kiss.”

“Nothing except sh’ellam. It always leads to more.”

“So does an amazing kiss.”

The challenge in her eyes prompted him to say something he probably shouldn’t have. “Care to put it to a test?”

Her pink lips parted in shock. 

Was she revolted by the idea? Disappointment knotted his stomach. “Don’t worry. If you’re uneasy—”

“I’m not uneasy.” She huffed and set her cup of tea on the floor. “Bring it!”

“You sure?”

“It’s on. You go first.”

Aelyx hesitated a moment, then stood and carried their mugs to the dresser. He offered his hand to Cara and pulled her to her feet. 

“Are you wearing a shirt underneath that sweater?” he asked. 

She cleared her throat again, blushing. “Yeah, why?”

“This’ll work better if more of your skin’s exposed.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the sweater over her head, tossed it onto the bed, and stood before him in a cream-colored tank top. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Nothing. Just stand still, close your eyes, and relax.”

She took a deep breath and nodded, then shut her eyes and let her arms hang loosely at her sides.

Aelyx’s palms had become clammy, and he wiped them on his jeans, grateful Cara couldn’t see how nervous she’d made him. A wave of doubt crested within him. What if she hated it? What if this confirmed that his attraction to her was one-sided? 

“What’re you waiting for?” she asked.

“Nothing.” He stepped forward until their bodies barely touched. 

Closing his eyes, he wrapped his hand around Cara’s fragile wrist, then smoothed it slowly up the length of her arm to her shoulder. He gulped a breath. Bleeding gods, no substance in his world or hers had ever felt so soft. He skimmed two fingers across her collarbone and rested them at the base of her throat, feeling the pulse of her heart beating through the delicate skin. He’d touched her there a dozen times in his dreams, but it didn’t compare to reality.

“Your heart rate is eighty beats per minute,” he said quietly, trying not to let his voice tremble.

“Why does that matt—”

“Shh. Don’t talk.”

With his other hand, he swept Cara’s silken hair out of the way, lightly brushing her neck with his fingertips. Her breathing hitched, and he paused for a moment, stunned by her reaction. Had she actually liked that? Was it possible she wanted him? There was only one way to find out.

~Giveaway~

Melissa is giving away an ARC of ALIENATED

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