Author Name: Teegan Loy
Book Name: Love Complicated
Release Date: May 11, 2015
Blurb:
Life is all about making choices. Some are complicated. Some are simple. But for eighteen-year-old Jalen Marten, none are easy. Jalen has managed to stay invisible for his entire high school career. He has a small group of friends, and it’s enough for him. He doesn’t want or crave attention from his peers. All Jalen wants is to survive high school.
Austin Suter is the hot, talented tennis player who has the entire school bowing at his feet. Girls routinely throw themselves at him, and boys like Jalen stay the hell out of his way. Austin is destined for greatness on the world stage of professional tennis. I wonder if Austin ever took Tennis Lessons Baltimore.
The kiss between them wasn’t supposed to happen. Falling in love definitely hadn’t been part of Jalen’s plan.
And when Austin turns pro, Jalen begins to realize that the choices he makes will affect Austin’s life. One wrong choice and Austin’s career could be over before it really begins. Jalen is not sure where he fits, or even if he fits at all in Austin’s life. But the more complicated things become, the less the idea of being apart appeals. Love should simplify things, not complicate them.
Pages or Words: 280 pages
Categories: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Excerpt: The locker room reeked of socks that hadn’t seen the inside of a washing machine since the beginning of the semester. This place was the second worst part of my day in high school. The first was walking through the front door.
But gym class was its own private hell. I didn’t dislike sports; I just wasn’t any good at them. The kids loved to humiliate me on the court, in the water, on the field, or wherever the teacher had us. I’d been smashed in the face with a basketball, volleyball, soccer ball, and every other ball invented by humans.
Today my class was playing tennis, which was worse, because not only was there a ball, but also a racket. It increased my chances of getting hurt by tenfold. And I really wanted to survive my final year of high school and not die from embarrassment in gym class. I’d made it through the first sport of the year, soccer, by sticking to the sidelines and pretending to participate by running away from the ball.
This morning my mom came home from work as I was leaving for school, and I begged her to write me some sort of note to excuse me from tennis. She declined and told me to get more involved at school. What good was having a surgical nurse for a mother if she wouldn’t help her only kid out of a jam? And what did participating in gym class have to do with getting involved at school? I couldn’t get involved if I was in a coma or dead.
I started to argue with her, but the dark circles under her eyes and the heavy sigh that fell from her lips made me ease off. I kissed her on the cheek and told her to get some rest.
So now my only hope of not playing tennis was a freak rainstorm, and from the way the sun was shining, I knew it wasn’t going to happen. I had no choice but to change, hide among my classmates, and hope Mr. Tames, my sadistic gym teacher, didn’t pick me to play.
Most of the kids were excited to be outside and acted like monkeys just released from their cages. They jumped on one another and hollered all the way out to the courts.
I hoped my quiet demeanor would help me blend into the background. Unfortunately my stellar plan didn’t work. Mr. Tames handed me a tennis racket and paired me with a hockey player named Kasey. Our first opponents were another music nerd and a regular kid. I stayed out of Kasey’s way as he raced around the court, destroying them. We won the match, and Kasey high-fived me by smacking me on the forehead. I scowled at him, because if we had lost, I could have sat down and celebrated getting out of gym class unscathed.
Our next match was against a soccer player and Austin Suter, who had been pegged as the next Wimbledon champion. At least that’s what he told everyone.
He was a pretty boy with full lips and light brown wavy hair that brushed his shoulders. Girls routinely threw themselves at him, and boys like me stayed the hell out of his way. One smoldering look from him and I’d have to walk around school with a book in front of my crotch. Admiring him from afar was the best I could manage.
“Hey, Austin,” my partner shouted across the net. “I’m going to shove this ball down your throat.”
“You’re going to be eating yours,” Austin shot back. His partner gave him a fist bump. Kasey and Austin exchanged a few more verbal warnings. I fiddled with the strings on my racket, and pretended to listen to Kasey’s game plan. Austin’s partner dutifully held his racket while Austin pulled his hair into a ponytail.
“Gentlemen,” Mr. Tames warned. “Enough trash talk. Start the game.”
I groaned and resisted raising my hand to ask to be dismissed. They spun a racket to see who served first. Austin sneered and Kasey growled.
It was supposed to be a friendly game, but the testosterone roared, and the game quickly turned cutthroat. I managed to stay out of Kasey’s way and every ball hit in my direction. I even accidentally returned one. The shot startled Austin and he missed. Mr. Tames whooped and pumped his fist. I should have taken the moment to demand an A.
“Lucky shot, blondie,” Austin shouted at me.
Kasey flipped him off and got yelled at by Mr. Tames again. The students surrounding the court yelled for someone’s head on a platter. I was pretty sure it was me they wanted served up for lunch.
The intensity of the game increased with each returned ball and I started to fear for my life when one zinged by my ear.
“Take it easy, Austin,” Mr. Tames shouted when Austin tried to nail Kasey in the balls. “Jalen, you don’t move this well when you’re playing dodgeball. The point of this game is to actually make contact with the ball. At least attempt to use your racket.”
I rolled my eyes and readied for the next point. Austin served to Kasey, who somehow got his racket on the ball and it popped over the net. The ball seemed to hover in the air, giving me time to figure out I had a bull’s-eye painted on my forehead. Austin raised his racket and connected with the ball, which connected with my face. Who knew a tennis ball felt like a giant rock when smashed into your eye socket. My racket clattered to the ground, and I covered my face to make sure my eyeball didn’t actually fall out.
Austin must have hurdled the net, because he was suddenly kneeling next to me and breathing down my neck. I tried to crawl away from him and his stupid apologies, but he caught me and helped me to my feet. Tames barked orders to set me on the bench while he went for medical supplies. Austin put his arm around my waist and I limped to the bench. The other guys hooted and hollered at me until Austin shot a scowl at them and quieted the entire gym class.
“Is your ankle okay?” Austin asked.
“My ankle is fine,” I snarled and sat down. “Limping makes my eye feel better.”
Christina’s Review:
Love Complicated by Teegan Loy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
oh my gosh. i absolutely loved this book…like i’m about to go buy every teegan loy book, school-girl giddy, loved it kind of love. i picked it up and didn’t put it down until i was finished…i almost didn’t blink while reading it. it would be really incredible for there to be a follow up story with how jalen’s life pans out or a follow up picking up right where this one leaves off but this book is definitely in my top 5 favorites of the year so far.
i’m going to try to review this without spoilers so it may have holes in it.
teegan’s writing was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC…i loved it pretty much from the word go. the character development was superb…i almost loved a secondary character more than the 2 main characters. clark (a secondary character) might be my favorite character in the book – he is just awesome! the remaining supporting cast is amazing too – even the characters you hate!
i’m going to start with jalen because i think i loved him the most. he is a shy wallflower that has absolutely no idea what an impact he has made and will make on people. he lacks self confidence but when let lose he has an adorably feisty personality. he is beautiful without seeing or knowing it. you can’t help but fall in love with him. he has the potential to do great things but really just wants to be happy with austin, doing whatever it is that means they can be together.
austin on the other hand has been groomed to be a professional athlete and in the public eye. he doesn’t lack self confidence when he’s on the court and because he is so good has never lived a normal life. his home life hasn’t been great and when he gets parental attention from jalen’s mom you can see how much he craves the love and approval of a parent.
together, austin and jalen are beautiful and their story is heartwarming to the core. the ending is abrupt and leaves the door open for more to the story (which i will hope and pray for every day) but this is an ABSOLUTE must read book.
i cannot wait to read more of everything teegan has written!
Sales Links: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6370
About the author: Teegan Loy began writing a long time ago. Notebooks filled with ideas were stacked around the house. One day, she sat down with renewed ambition and something fantastic happened; she completed a story. (unbelievable, but true) Now most of her time is spent writing, but she takes an occasional break to go to the movies, where she imagines her stories on the big screen. She also enjoy watching hockey (love, love hockey) filling her iPod with music, and driving her daughter around town (amended…around the country) to various activites.
Q: Which sport do you love more—hockey or tennis? Why? Do you play any sports yourself?
A: Worse question ever. But if I have to choose between them, I’d have to pick hockey. I grew up in a hockey town where everyone knows how to skate and the weekend is for going to hockey games. I love the skill, the speed and the competitiveness of hockey. The only sport I actively participate in now is curling. I still play catch with my daughter or bump the volleyball around with her. I cannot keep up with her on the tennis court, but I’m an awesome ball feeder and retriever.
Q: Since you love music, tell us your favorite bands.
A: There’s so many. One Republic, Linkin Park, Adele, The Fray, the Goo Goo Dolls, One Direction(yes, One Direction. Don’t judge me) I could go on and on.
Q: What is your favorite instrument?
A: Piano and violin. Actually any instrument played well.
Q: What is the best concert you’ve ever attended?
A: Again with the tough questions. Seeing The Cure was fantastic. Rod Stewart puts on a great show. Adam Lambert was fabulous. One very special concert I recently attended was R5. The show was my daughter’s first. She got to meet the band and watching her fall in love with live music was a joy. Plus I caught a guitar pick. Probably because I was the only mom dancing and singing along with the music. This summer we’re going to see One Direction if they manage to stay together.
Q: One of your previous blog posts mentions your struggles to name this book. How did you finally figure out the name for it?
A: The book is about making tough choices and my main character’s love interest plays tennis. I wanted to somehow use the game of tennis in the title of the story. I played with so many tennis terms I drove myself crazy. For the longest time, I called the story The tennis boy & the Pop Star, which was a terrible title. I always knew there would be two books so I needed two titles. The idea came to me in the car while I waited for my kid to get out of school. In fact, the post is still in my notes on my phone. I wrote down The Complication of Love and The Simplicity of Love, which turned to Love Complicated and Love Simplified.
Q: What is your favorite place to write? What is your favorite time of day to write?
A: I write whenever I get the chance. In the morning after I work out and everyone has left the house is a wonderful time for me. I also like to write sitting in the basement with my cat curled next to me while a hockey game is playing on the TV.
Q: If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
A: There are so many places I want to go, but if we’re playing what pops into your mind first, it’s always London during Wimbledon where you’ll find me at all the tennis matches.
Where to find the author:
Facebook.com/teegan.loy
Twitter.com/teeganloy
Teeganloy.wordpress.com
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449698.Teegan_Loy
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Christy Caughie
Tour Dates & Stops:
11-May
Because Two Men Are Better Than One
12-May
13-May
14-May
Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
15-May
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
18-May
19-May
20-May
Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My
21-May
22-May
Rafflecopter Prize: A book from Teegan’s backlist