The Heart’s Journey Home by Nikki Jackson
Publication date: September 12th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Synopsis
California Blend Summer Vacation is the first book of this series.
As book one it introduces the three main characters: Tori Logan, AJ Reynolds and Kalea Kinimaka.
It’s summer vacation, and all seventeen-year-old Tori Logan wants to do is hang out with her two best friends, practice her mixed martial arts and go to FBI spy camp. Summer means freedom (mostly from adults) and Tori plans to fill every spare moment of her last summer before graduating from High School with all the fun things she and her best pals can come up with.
The Heart’s Journey Home Book CoverTori, whose mom died of breast cancer when she was young, has always relied on her own strength to get by – especially because her Archeologist father tends to leave her behind with his live-in girlfriend while he gallivants around the world on digs. Thankfully, Tori can take care of herself. She knows exactly who she is and what she wants to do with her life. Her Lakota Sioux grandfather, a former Navy SEAL, trained Tori in self-defense from a young age. Now, as a teenager, Tori excels at mixed martial arts and the use of various weapons. During the summer she will be attending an FBI sponsored Summer Camp which she hopes will lead to her dream job – becoming an FBI serial killer profiler.
With her two best friends at her side, Tori believes she can handle anything. And with summer vacation stretching before them, the trio plans to find plenty of adventure.
But while Tori is determined to be independent, life has other plans for this fierce young woman, and they include coming to grips with some hard – and surprising – truths about both her past and her future.
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AUTHOR BIO
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Excerpt
Tori moved in sweeping his left leg out from under him. He fell backwards with a thud landing square on his back. As for Tori, she was standing full on her feet dancing in front of him. He came to his feet quickly, lunging. Tori side-stepped, took his lead arm and gave his momentum a healthy shove. Off balanced he went flying across the ring and bounced off the ropes landing hard on the canvas.
They’d drawn a crowd by now, half hooping for Tori. The noise trickled over to the Community House and Harald left Fletcher to investigate. As he rounded the side he stopped short to see his granddaughter going toe to toe with the Grant boy.
“Oh my goodness.” Rachael said stepping beside Harald.
Mitchell came at Tori, snatching her arm quickly and shoving a hip at her getting her off the ground. Tori was surprised he could move so quickly for a tall thick guy. As she came around his hip she turned slightly, grabbed his wrist and knocking him off balance enough with her hip she flung him over her head. Mitchell landed hard but rolled to his feet and advanced and so did Tori.
Tori met his karate blows, blocking them with responsive blows of her own and every kick, which she saw telegraphed ahead of time, was slapped away with a hand or blocked with her feet. Frustrated Mitchell attacked with a barrage of punches and throws only tohave each one deflected or trapped in a maze of Tori’s blurred arms, legs and hands. He couldn’t believe it. It was like some sick scene from The Matrix where Neo was fighting Smith with one hand while looking at the fingernails on his other hand. All the time Smith was punching and throwing everything he had at him. Mitchell got the sick sinking feeling that Tori was Neo and he was cooked.
Desperate, he lashed out and swept Tori’s leg. Surprised and off balance she hit the canvas and he was on her before she could roll out and get to her feet. He tried frantically to get an arm, a foot, something trapped but she was slippery quick. Maybe if he grabbed her hair, he thought. It was in a large braided ponytail. Mitchell grabbed her hair jerking it back and then maneuvered an arm around her neck.
“Tori!” Rachael gasped moving forward. Harald grabbed her arm pulling her back.
“Be still woman.” He whispered loudly. Rachael stopped and stood, shocked. She stared at him. He was smiling. That brute of a boy was trying to choke his only grandchild and the old loon was smiling.
Rachael scanned the ground for a brick or cement block to throw but Harald’s chuckling brought her eyes back to the ring. Tori was on Mitchell’s back, her right arm around his neck. As he flailed about trying to get loose, they rolled over which allowed Tori to cinch her choking arm under Mitchell’s chin. She clasped her left hand in her right and applied more pressure to his neck.
While he fruitlessly struggled she moved her left leg over his chest, then moved her right over the left shin locking her legs in place. Mitchell rocked helpless back and forth, but he couldn’t get loose.
The crowd was yelling instructions to Mitchell and to Tori. She bent her mouth close to his ear.
“Your choice Mickey.” she whispered loud enough for only him to hear. “I’m not gonna make you tap out in front of everybody, just blink your eyes.” she said. “Blink’em quick, outside of that you’re going to sleep.”
Mitchell felt his head getting foggy and he started seeing stars. He was grabbing madly with his hands but he couldn’t get himself free. He was starting to lose consciousness and he knew it. He would never be able to live down being choked out by a skinny girl. His life would be ruined.
While he still could he blinked his eyes with everything in him and he felt the hold loosening. With his last ounce of strength he rolled over shoving Tori hard, as far away as he could, gasping for breath as he came to his feet.
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)
$15 Amazon or iTunes gift card + a signed copy of The Heart’s Journey Home.
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