Blog Tour Feature: Isabel Jolie’s LOST ON THE WAY, plus Q&A and big gift card giveaway!

Hi, readers! We have a real treat in store for you today, a spotlight on a book by Isabel Jolie, a talented author! 


Isabel, an author I met on my journey, has a blog tour running right now.


Let's check out the details, shall we?

 


About the Book:

Lost on the Way (West Side Series, Book 4):

 


 Blurb:

 

They were friends—just friends. Now they’re something else entirely…

Jason
Maggie was my best friend’s girl. When he died… I don’t have the words. Indescribable pain.
But we healed. Together. She got me through my illness and became my friend, my confidante, my family. She’s everything to me.
And I ruined it all last night.
One drunken night. That’s all it took. Now I’m lost.
I want her with everything I am, everything I have, but she can’t be mine. She deserves someone with better odds than the doctors gave me.
Now, if I can’t figure out how to go back to the way things were, I’ll lose the most important relationship I have. The only one that truly matters.

Maggie
Last night was the best—and worst—night of my life.
He’s made it clear, more than once, that he only wants a friendship.
Then last night happened.
And now he knows how I feel.
He’s my best friend. I love him —mind, body, and soul. We have a visceral connection others can’t understand.
The problem? He’ll always see me as his best friend’s girlfriend, no matter how many years pass.
I can’t lose him. If he wants to stay in the friend zone, I’ll need to somehow accept that and move on. I know it’s true.
But convincing my heart…well, that’s another story entirely.

One night of excess tequila changes everything for two codependent best friends. Will they lose all they had, or can they find their way to something even better?

 

 Genre:  Adult, Contemporary Romance


Publication date: September 21, 2020


Fabulous cover! Congratulations!


 

Universal Reader link:  https://books2read.com/u/31qpxD


So, what are readers saying about this book?


☆☆☆☆☆
"Great story! I enjoyed reading the novel, although many times Jason’s behavior towards Maggie made me mad. He was saying he wants to be just friends with her, but then keep going back for more and acting like a jerk afterwards. Then, reading his point of view, I was feeling sorry for him. But that is what makes the novel great because it makes the reader feel all these emotions and mixed feelings." - Anna G, Amazon


☆☆☆☆☆
"Stuck in the friend zone for so many years has taken its toll, and with the craziness of the last few weeks before the headhunter’s call has solidified Maggie’s painful decision to leave behind the man she loves.
Will Jason be able to see what he needs to do to be able to break free of his mind and go after the woman he loves? Will he stick with his therapy and try to get through the Survivor’s Guilt he’s been carrying for almost a decade? You’ll have to read to find out.
This story made me cry multiple times. It’s stirring and poignant. Your emotions are over the place, and you’re taken on one heck of a roller coaster ride. This was the first book by Ms. Jolie I’ve read, but I guarantee it won’t be your last. This book has also landed on my Top 10 reads for 2020.
" - Crystal W, Amazon


☆☆☆☆☆
"At the beginning of this book, their relationship has taken a turn and they are both concerned that this might affect their friendship. There is a lot of back and forth with their relationship that shows how difficult this could be for both of them. As the story progresses, Jason listens to Maggie and goes to see a therapist to help him deal with his feelings. At times I found Jason annoying, because he would not just go for it with Maggie, but I felt this made the story more realistic. Great story and characters that I really enjoyed them finding their way! " - Lauren, Amazon


☆☆☆☆☆
"Without even realizing it, apparently when I picked up this book I basically said to the author,'go ahead. Go on and break my gooey, marshmallow heart. I dare you!' Well, she took me at my word and did exactly that. It felt like my heart bled for Maggie and Jason over figuring out what to make of their relationship. The push-me/pull-you dynamic made me dizzy watching them fight the attraction only to give in to it, to fight it again. The ending was absolutely adorable. " - Kristen Lewendon, Amazon


☆☆☆☆☆
"I absolutely loved this book!
Adam and Maggie were college sweethearts, but Adam died at a young age due to cancer. Their friend Jason was a cancer survivor and very close friends with the couple.
After Adam's death, Jason remained there for Maggie and she for him as they faced moving on after their cherished friend was gone.
Never moving out of the friend zone, they became significant others. They knew everything about each other and spent all of their free time with each other, but they chose not to take that next step.
After a drunken night, they shared unexpected intimacy and they individually struggled with how that changed their friendship. Did they want more? And at what cost?
I have never read from this author before, but I certainly will again! She has a phenomenal way of describing the hardships associated with the transition from friendship to the uncertainty of something else.
I don't usually cry over a book, but this story had me in tears multiple times. Not because the book was sad, but because the writing was so powerful, the emotions actually leapt off the pages. You will not be disappointed.
" - Lisa1974, Amazon




Let's take a quick peek.

 


 

Woo! 


Let's chat with the author for a bit...
 


Isabel, nice to have you here on Writing in the Modern Age! Glad you could stop by!


Can you tell us a little bit about your life or background? When did your first book come and where can we get it?

 

I’m originally from North Carolina, but I’ve also lived in New York and California. I’ve worked in a wide variety of industries, ranging from advertising to financial services to entertainment. I currently live on a lake in NC with my two young daughters, a big, fluffy dog, a short-haired feline, and a goofball lovable husband.  

Lost on the Way is a new September release and it’s available at all the big e-book retailers - Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo, as well as at libraries through Overdrive.

 

Wow, that's great!

A lot of readers love origin stories. What inspired you to start writing in the first place?

 

I considered writing as a career when I was in high school, but my father encouraged me to pursue a more lucrative career. So, even though I went to Journalism school at Chapel Hill, I graduated, moved to New York and took a job at an ad agency. For a long time, that dream of writing remained forgotten.

Then I read an afterword from one of my favorite authors, Jewel E. Ann. In it, she mentioned that she was an avid reader, and one day she decided that hey, maybe she’d try writing. That planted a seed. I signed up for a Gotham writing class and started playing around with writing. I started a blog to better learn the ins and outs of the industry. And I kept writing and eventually, I actually finished a book. That book isn’t published but I kept writing. I took more classes and at some point I decided to really try and see if I could do it. I published my first book in January of this year...the year no one shall ever, ever forget.

 

Nice! 

So, let me ask a different question...

How did you get into writing romance?
 

 

Romance has always been my personal favorite to read. So, it felt like a natural genre to choose. Throw in some of the other great things about this genre, such as it has the highest percentage of e-book readers of any genre and it also has the most avid readers (meaning romance readers on average read more books in a year than readers of any other genre) and it was really a no-brainer.

 

That's fantastic! I write romance too, but I've never considered those advantages.

 

In any case, I say do whatever makes you happy. ;)


So, what, do you feel, sets Lost on the Way apart from other books in the romance genre?

 

Lost on the Way is a twist on the friends-to-lovers trope. At times in the story, the reader won’t want Jason and Maggie to be together. They’ve been friends a long time, but the relationship has become unhealthy. When they step outside of the “friendship box”, the relationship becomes toxic. Both characters have to work through various issues. Jason goes through months of therapy and Maggie must stop being his crutch. It’s an emotional journey.

 

All the best ones are!
 

Thank you for visiting us, Isabel! Your book sounds so compelling!

Readers, you'll have to check out this read! Or, add it to your Goodreads bookshelf!




 


Enter for a chance to win a $25 gift card to the retailer of your choice. A winner will be randomly selected through Rafflecopter. Click the link below to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Rafflecopter Link



Awesome! Thanks so much, Isabel!

Let's also give kudos to Isabel's sponsor:

 


 

Grab a copy of this one! And don't forget to participate in the cool giveaway!

Discover the rest of the book tour here...

Thank you, Isabel, for letting us know all about your adult contemporary romance novel! It sounds like an emotional, steamy read! ;)

 


 

 

 About the Author:

 

Isabel Jolie, or Izzy to her friends, is an Amazon bestselling indie author with an unquenchable thirst for a good, sexy love story. Izzy’s heart pumps faster for stories with strong heroines, down-to-earth realism, and an unexpected twist.


When she’s not writing or reading, she can often be found with a glass of wine in hand relaxing with her husband, daughters, and good friends lakeside.

Izzy fills her Instagram feed with funnies, inspirational “brain candy”, and anything that meshes with her mood of the day.
#mood

 

Author Links:


Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Isabel-Jolie/e/B082LVT5PM

Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/isabeljoliebooks/



Isabel's Books:

 




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