NOW LIVE!!! Drummer Girl by Ginger Scott! + Excerpt + My Review

Posted on by Gin



We’re celebrating the release of DRUMMER GIRL by Ginger Scott! One-click your copy on all platforms today!

Drummer Girl by Ginger Scott

Mature YA/New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release day: July 30, 2019

Drummer Girl
A mature YA/New Adult contemporary rock star romance by Ginger Scott

Arizona Wakefield was a beat without a melody. Living a half-breathing life in a half-finished neighborhood with parents who always wore half-hearted smiles, the high school senior only had one thing that let her color outside her family’s perfectly drawn lines—her drums.

Jesse Barringer was a song without a chorus. The son of a washed-up rock star who’s also one hell of a deadbeat dad, he was given two things from his father—musical genius and a genetic link to the bipolar disorder that drives him mad.

One night in a garage at the end of a cul-de-sac in the middle of a bankrupt California neighborhood, Jesse’s melody found Arizona’s rhythm. An angry boy with storm-colored eyes found a blonde angel in Doc Martens with missing lines in her own story. Where her rhythm stopped, his words took over, and together, they wrote one hell of a story.

** Drummer Girl is a mature YA/New Adult romance that touches on mental health, drug abuse and includes mature sexual situations.

EXCERPT:

Drummer Girl, Copyright Ginger Scott 2019“That’s the first time I’ve played that song. I like it. We should add it to our set,” he says, pulling the strap from around his neck before setting his guitar at the foot of his bed. “What do you think?”

He twists so our knees are touching and our shoulders are squared.
“I think you’re a showoff, one. And two…I totally think we should close with that at our gig. People love retro shit like that at shows.” I don’t really know what people like at shows because the only kinds I’ve ever been to have been for high school marching nerds or jazz geeks. I probably don’t even deserve to utter the word gig yet. I’m a gig virgin. I do know movies, though, and if this life was a movie, our band would close with that.
Jesse’s eyes linger on my face, making me warm.
“Okay then,” he says, finally. “And I’m not a showoff.”
His lips pucker with his smirk and mine follow suit until a laugh seeps through.
“You so are!” I shove at him playfully, and his hands wrap around my wrists and shove back gently but don’t let go.
“No, I’m a great example. That’s a totally different thing,” he says, pulling me toward his chest until my fingertips meet the hard surface of his pecs under a well-worn white T-shirt.
“I’m pretty sure it’s just a synonym for showoff how you’re using it. In fact, now you’re just being arrogant!” I gripe back through laughter, a wry smile playing at one side of my mouth. Jesse remains quiet, though. His head leaned a tick to the right. My lips vibrate with this sudden change in atmosphere, and without even helping myself, I bite my bottom lip. There is just enough light in the room to see these small things we’re doing, these…signs. At least, I’m giving a sign. I hope I’m not imagining Jesse’s.
At least three full breaths pass between us without words. I count mine, and I guess how many he takes because really, I can’t see much beyond the dark centers of his eyes and the top curl of his lip. I wait for him. Even though I’m dizzy and happy and excited, I don’t want to be eager and desperate. I wait for him to move closer…to do something.
I wish for him.

“Would it be okay if I kissed you now?”

MY REVIEW:

Another masterpiece of storytelling and characters that destroyed my heart in the best way! There’s no other author that gives us the authenticity and realism in this genre that Ginger Scott does. She’s a go-to for me and I’m a few years past the age market for YA/NA but her writing is just spectacular. There’s so much emotion and, of course, angst because what’s teenage love without some angst, but it’s wonderfully subtle and not overdone. This story is a beautiful tale of first love between two teens bombarded with tragedy at a young age and dealing with the fallout and the ongoing battle with mental illness. The author’s treatment of mental illness is spot on and she does a terrific job of showing the heartbreak and daily struggle that accompanies the disease. But the best part for me is the music in the story. So good! Love the Cowboy Junkies! Arizona and Jesse had my heart thumping hard and I was easily drawn into their connection built on music. I really love the bad boys and add the rockstar element…outstanding! And later when the heartbreak of mental illness and family dysfunction was introduced to their relationship it went to another level. Ari was wonderful with Jesse and his problems, while coming to terms with her own past trauma. Ari’s growth from shy band geek to “Bruiser” and badass drummer was exceptional. I really like how teen sex is portrayed in the story as a natural progression of a normal teen relationship. A few swoon-worthy moments but nothing too graphic. The secondary characters from the parents to the friends and family were all fabulous. Dad was the bomb! And when the evil Dad got his comeuppance I was cheering. I love the way this author wraps up her stories and the ending is terrific. Great epilogue! You don’t have to be a fan of YA/NA to love this story. You just have to love fantastic storytelling that tugs on your heartstrings with gut-wrenching emotion, family drama and a teen romance that is to good to pass up. Loved it!

About the Author:

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams, The Hard Count, Hold My Breath, and A Boy Like You.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.When she’s not writing, the odds are high that she’s somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork ’em, Devils).

Social Media Links:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GingerScottAuthor
Twitter: @TheGingerScott
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/thegingerscott/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GingerScottAuthor
Google: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GingerScottAuthor/posts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/GingerScott
Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com

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Published by Gin

I love books! I have been reading for as long as I can remember. I was the kid with the flashlight under the covers reading until the wee hours. Books were my refuge. I was delighted to discover tree climbing. I would take a book and climb to the top of a Mimosa tree and read for hours...and of course ignore my mother calling for me to do chores. I was committed to reading all of the Nancy Drew stories. Ned was my first book boyfriend. When I was in my early teens I discovered Harlequin romances. I feel in love and it changed my life. I was in love with Love 💕 That’s something for a girl who hadn’t been kissed yet. When I read “he thrust his throbbing member into her womanhood” I was lost to discovering more about this particular brand of romance. But I don’t just enjoy romance reads. My father-in-law introduced me to the high fantasy genre and I loved it. When I bought my first Nook the world of books really took me by surprise. I was enthralled with all the available genres and to my delight I discovered erotica. In most cases, I was with family on visits to bookstores and you don’t peruse those even if they carried them. Oh the shame of it! ;) Thanks to Nancy Drew I still enjoy mysteries along with romance, fantasy, erotica, paranormal, steampunk, thrillers, and well, most anything except a horror of a horror. My favorite might be romance suspense but it’s hard for me to pick just one. I had a serious health issue a few years ago and was forced to quite working after building a career I could be proud of. It was devastating and depressing. I lost myself in books and now spend my days (and nights) reading. I am so appreciative of authors and the wonderful storytelling I’ve found in books. It takes me away from my troubles and introduces me into a world like no other. I love books!