Finding Olivia by Micalea Smeltzer Blog Tour

 Finding Olivia by Micalea Smeltzer Blog Tour

Goodreads Synopsis:

New Adult Contemporary Romance intended for readers 18+.


How far would you go to find yourself?

That’s the question that’s been haunting Olivia Owens for years.

All Olivia has ever wanted to do is live and make mistakes, but her preacher father has made that impossible. She believes that her years at college will be her ticket into the real world and her chance to be wild and spontaneous.

But she’s never been able to do it on her own.

At the start of her sophomore year, she only has four things crossed off her Live List, but that’s all about to change thanks to a chance encounter with Trace Wentworth. She’s about to learn that there’s more to this reformed bad boy than just his looks and panty dropping smile.

Trace can’t explain what it is that draws him to Olivia.

All he knows is that he wants to get to know the girl with the sad smile but sparkle in her eyes.

When she tells him about her list, he knows that this is his chance to get to know Olivia Owens. Trace is determined to show Olivia that she can do all the things she’s ever wanted to do. So, he begins to help her cross things off her list, even the more outlandish requests.

What happens along the way is more than what Olivia or Trace ever expected.

Love, laughs, and a list.

That’s the name of the game when you’re Finding Olivia.

Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17931161-finding-olivia

Excerpts:

#1.

“No, no, no, no!” I beat my steering wheel with the heel of my hand. “No! You’ve got to be kidding me!” I pulled off the road, my tire bumping along.

I put my car in park and climbed out to assess the damage.

My feet crunched on the gravel scattered alongside the road.

Immediately, the oily burnt smell of my peeling tire met me.

Calling this a flat tire didn’t do it justice. This was complete and utter carnage.

I looked behind me, at the trail of tire pieces leading straight to my car, like a path of breadcrumbs.

It was starting to get dark and this wasn’t exactly the safest road.

I was also a twenty-year-old girl, ripe for the picking.

I kicked the side of my car. “I don’t have time for this!”

I stalked around the back, to the trunk, lifting it and looking for the necessary tools to change a tire.

Which was pointless because, unfortunately, I didn’t know the first thing about changing a tire. My father had made sure that I only knew how to do a woman’s work.

I slammed the trunk closed and stalked back to the driver’s side, pulling at the ends of my hair. I glared at the offending nail, that had to be four inches long, sticking out of the tire. How many nails did people drive over a day and I was the one to get a flat freakin’ tire?

Not cool.

Not at all.

I opened the door and reached for my phone to call my roommate to come pick me up.

The sky was darkening and I didn’t want to be stranded here.

I wrapped my lightweight jacket tighter around my body, as the wind gusted around me, blowing leaves off of the nearby trees. I watched the red, yellow, and orange leaves fall down and scatter over my car. One, unfortunately, got caught in my hair. I reached up and pulled it out before letting it drift to the ground.

Gravel crunched behind me. I turned quickly, to see a guy getting out of a black car that looked like something old, but classic.

I hadn’t even heard him pullover.

I backed a step away, thinking he might be a murderer, or a rapist.

But when I got a look at his face I was stunned.

He was tall, with a lean body, but muscular. He had short, dark brown, almost black, hair and the greenest eyes I had ever seen. Five o’ clock shadow covered his cheeks and chin. My eyes trailed down, over the white t-shirt glued to his chest, and stopped there. I could see black ink underneath the white shirt and licked my lips. The fact that he had tattoos only made him hotter. To protect against the cold, he was wearing a long-sleeved plaid shirt.

“Uh-can I help you?” He asked, smiling pleasantly at me, and putting my earlier fears about him being a murderer or rapist completely to rest.

Help? With what? I needed help?

“Huh?”

He grinned crookedly, tilting his head. “With your tire. Do you need some help?”

He had the deepest, huskiest, voice I had ever heard. I shivered at the sound. I was pretty sure I’d be happy for him to help me with a lot of things, and none of them included my tire.

“Help would be great,” I blushed, ducking my head.

He chuckled. “You do have a spare, right?”

“Yeah, it’s in the trunk,” I pointed, like he didn’t know where the trunk was.

He grabbed the spare, and all the necessary tools and sat down, next to the ruined tire.

“I-uh-would’ve changed it myself, but-uh-my dad never taught me,” I ran my fingers nervously through my wavy brown hair. “He said something about it not being appropriate for a girl to do and if I ever got a flat tire, I better hope Prince Charming came along. My dad’s very-uh-old fashioned,” I stammered.

He looked up at me. “Does that make me Prince Charming?” He grinned.

“Oh-uhm-Prince Charming is fictional, so I guess not, and he-uh-usually rides a white horse or something… I think.”

Somebody, stamp AWKWARD across my forehead already.

The guy threw his head back and laughed. “I guess a shiny black 69’ Camaro doesn’t count as a white horse. You watch a lot of Disney movies or something?”

“No,” I blushed tomato red. “At least not anymore.”

“You’re funny,” he squinted up at me, shielding his eyes from the orange glow of the setting sun.

“I hope that’s a good thing,” I muttered. Unfortunately, I wasn’t trying to be funny.

“It’s a very good thing-” He paused, waiting for my name.

“Oh-uh-Olivia. Olivia Owens.”

“I’m Trace,” he reached a hand up to me and I took it. It was warm and calloused, swallowing mine whole. “Trace Wentworth,” he grinned when my hand jerked at his touch.

 #2.

Christmas music played softly in the background, and the smell of hot chocolate permeated the air, along with the scent of freshly baked snickerdoodle cookies. Not only could Trace cook, but he could bake as well. Was there anything he couldn’t do?

“How many marshmallows do you want?” He asked from the kitchen.

I sat on the couch and turned so I could watch him. “Are they mini’s?”

“No, the big ones,” he looked up at me, and held the bag aloft, shaking it for emphasis.

“Two, then,” I smiled.

He fixed the hot chocolate in coffee mugs, and added the marshmallows, then carefully carried them to where I was. He placed them on the coffee table and winced. “They’re a little too hot.”

Before he sat down, he went back to the kitchen, to grab the plate of cookies.

He held the plate out to me and I took one of the cookies. It was cooked to perfection and every bite was chewy, just the way I liked them.

“You’re Betty Crocker,” I laughed.

“It’s not like I made them from scratch or anything,” he defended, sitting down beside me so that the sides of our legs touched. “It’s not that difficult to heat up the oven and stick em’ in. You just have to watch them so they don’t burn.”

“They’re delicious,” I finished off the first and reached for a second.

“I’m glad you like them, but you haven’t tried my hot chocolate yet. Now, that I do make from scratch,” he grinned, a cookie crumb sitting on the corner of his mouth.

I couldn’t help myself. I leaned over and licked it away.

When I pulled back, his eyes were closed, and his Adam’s apple was bobbing.

“That wasn’t nice,” he whispered and opened his eyes. The green was light and playful.

He pounced on me and my second cookie fell to the floor as I squealed.

He pressed me into the couch as he hovered above me.

“Fair is fair,” he grinned, pinning my wrists to my sides as I squirmed against him. He bent and licked the side of my mouth in the same spot I had licked his.

“Now we’re even,” he gazed down at me and pressed his hips into mine.

“No, we’re not. I didn’t have any cookie crumbs on my mouth,” I panted.

“I can fix that,” he folded both of my hands into one of his and lifted them above my head. With his free hand, he reached for a cookie. He broke a corner off of one and held it above my mouth, crushing it in his palm, and letting go so that the crumbs covered my mouth and cheeks. I’m pretty sure a few went down my shirt but I wasn’t telling him that.

He appraised his handy work, and before I could come back with something snappy, he covered my mouth with his, sucking the crumbs away.

My body responded and my mouth opened underneath his. I felt his tongue nudge its way inside and I welcomed it. He growled low in his throat and released my hands so his fingers delved into my hair.

I grasped his ears in my hands, forcing him closer to me.

“Olivia,” he gasped my name.

“Don’t stop,” I begged, clutching at his shirt.

#3.

The dorm room door opened and I hastily stuffed the piece of paper back into my pocket.

Avery dropped her backpack on the floor and promptly pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

I grabbed my textbook off my bed, and placed it in my lap, pretending to be doing my homework so Avery wouldn’t start questioning me about what I had been doing.

I had never explained my list to anyone, let alone shown them, but I was beginning to think differently. Avery was my best friend but I certainly didn’t plan on showing her. She’d try to cross everything off in one night.

“Have you heard from Trace?” She asked, sagging into her desk chair, dejectedly. I guessed she’d had a hard time in class.

“He texted me,” I shrugged, like it was no big deal.

“Annnnd?” She prompted, perking up.

“We’re having dinner Friday,” I answered.

“Aww, my little Livie is growing up,” Avery cooed, batting her eyes, “and finding herself a man.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I rolled my eyes.

“What? It’s about time you dated, I was starting to think you were a lesbian, and I should stop changing in front of you,” she smirked.

I tossed my pillow at her but she easily deflected it.

“Or maybe,” she laughed, “you’re finally shedding that good girl preacher’s daughter image. Let your inner woman out, girl!” She exclaimed. “Let her roar!” She clawed dramatically at the air.

I cupped my face in my palm. “Do you think before you speak?”

“Rarely,” she grinned. “What do you think you’ll wear for your date?”

“First off,” I held up a finger, “it’s not a date. Secondly, do you only think about clothes?”

“Oh, it’s a date. And no, sex comes before clothes,” she grinned.

“Ugh,” I groaned. “You act like a horny teenage boy.”

“And someone sounds jealous,” Avery twirled around in her pink swivel chair.

“Of the fact that you’re practically a horny teenage boy? Hardly,” I snorted.

“But seriously,” she whined, still twirling, “what are you going to wear?”

She finally came to a stop and swayed dizzily.

“Probably jeans and a sweatshirt,” I shrugged.

Avery made a strangled noise in the back of her throat. “No! You can’t wear that!”

“We’ll be in the park and it’s cold out,” I shrugged.

“You still can’t wear that! A sweatshirt is completely unsuitable!” She gawked at me like I had grown three heads.

“I want to be comfortable,” I reasoned.

“You can be comfortable when you’re dead!” She squawked.

“Avery,” I rolled my eyes, “don’t be dramatic.”

“I am not being dramatic,” she spun in her chair again. “I’m just telling you what everyone with a vagina knows about the rules of dating,” she scoffed. “Everyone, except you, that is,” she added.

“Why does there have to be rules?” I groaned. “It’s stupid,” I complained, falling back on my bed, the textbook on my lap falling to the side.

“There are rules for the sake of our sanity,” Avery answered, striding across the room and sitting on the end of my bed. I kicked at her with my feet, trying to dislodge her.

“I’m wearing a sweatshirt,” I mumbled, “whether you like it or not. I don’t want to be cold.”

“Olivia,” she whined, “that’s the point, you’re supposed to get cold, so he can offer you his coat.”

I sat up, staring her down. “What is this? The colonial age? I swear, what handbook are you reading this from?” I grumbled.

“The one that’s been around since the dawn of time,” she reasoned with a wave of her manicured hands.

“And that’s exactly why it needs to be thrown away,” I pointed out. “Women should be able to stand on their own and not depend on a guy. Let alone these stupid rules that are the so-called guide to dating. It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Avery grinned. “I don’t need to depend on a guy. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I just like to take a ride on their fun stick every now and then.”

“Avery!” I blushed. “You did not just say that!”

“I did,” she smirked, smoothing a finger over her red lips. “I love how when I say dirty things your little virgin ears turn red.”

I reached up, grabbing my ears. “They do not!”

“Oh, they do,” she nodded, grinning. “Back to the important matter at hand, these rules are a means to getting laid. To a guy, a sweatshirt is like practically wearing a chastity belt, telling him that these goods are not for sale.”

“Oh my God,” I buried my face in my hands, my hair falling around me. “When did this turn into a mission for me to get laid? Besides, my goods are definitely not for sale.”

“Girl, you’re a sophomore in college, who’s still a virgin. This has always been a mission to get you some sex, some great sex, and Trace is just the guy to do it. I can tell. It’s in the way he walks.”

I let my hands drop. “I’m not a virgin.”

“What? I thought you-”

“Remember last year, at that party you dragged me to?” I asked.

Avery’s mouth formed a perfect O. “No! Olivia! Not that guy! He looked like an ape!”

“He was pretty hairy,” I snorted.

Avery shuddered. “There’s no way that was a pleasant experience.”

“It wasn’t,” I shrugged. “Is it supposed to be?”

She looked at me like I had completely gone off my rocker this time. “Yes! It’s supposed to be amazing!”

“It lasted like two minutes, how is that amazing?” I asked, avoiding Avery’s gaze by scrunching the bottom of my shirt in my hands.

Avery’s eyes threatened to bug out of her head. “Two minutes? That’s it?!”

“Well, yeah,” I shrugged.

“Oh, girl, you can do sooooo much better than that,” Avery chuckled. “So much better,” she reiterated.

“What did you mean by, it’s in the way he walks?” I asked.

“What?” She asked, looking down at her hot pink nails.

“You said that you could tell Trace would be good in bed, that it’s in the way he walks,” I repeated her earlier statement.

“Oh!” She exclaimed. “Some guys have this walk they do. They don’t even know they’re doing it. If my experience speaks for anything, every guy that I’ve been with, that has the walk, knows exactly what he’s doing.” She rolled her hips and licked her lips to further drive home her point. “Trust me, Olivia, Trace can show you a good time.”

I hid my face behind my hands again. “I think I’ve reached my sex talk quota for the day.”

“Whatever,” Avery hopped up from my bed, scampering to her side of the room, “you suck.”

I turned my attention back to the homework I really needed to finish, and forced myself to stop thinking about Trace’s walk, and wondering if Avery was right.

Author Bio:

Micalea Smeltzer is an author from Virginia. Her name is pronounced Muh-call-e-uh. She is permanently glued to her computer, where she constantly writes. She has to listen to music when she writes and has a playlist for every book she’s ever started. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading a book or playing with her three dogs.

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Stefanie's Review
5 HUGE Stars!!!!!

Yup, I'm def starting off with saying this is so one of my FAVORITE books!!! The minute I read  the synopsis of this story I was hooked, and could not wait to read it. I must tell you.... It was FANTASTIC!!!! I loved all of the characters in this book. 

The story begins with Olivia. The preacher's daughter. He was super strict on Olivia. I felt bad for her instantly. I grew up in a strict household. But, poor Olivia. She wasn't allowed to have her bedroom door shut unless she was getting dressed. No dresses were not allowed. Her father didn't love her. He never even wanted her. 

Olivia went to college. She went FAR away from home. Olivia went to  ''find'' herself. Because, she didn't really have any idea who she was. She did know she was going to make a list of thing's she wanted to do. Her list had my smiling. But, some thing's made me feel bad for her. She was def sheltered while living at home. 

On her way back to the dorm, she ends up with a flat tire. As she's looking for her phone, up pulls Trace Wentworth. OMG!!! I fell for him INSTANTLY!! Trace is tall, with a lean muscular body. Short dark brown,almost dark hair. The sexiest 5 o'clock shadow and the deep, husky voice all us women drool over. OH, I almost forgot. TATTOOS!!! He's got them. I think I fell in love with him the minute Olivia did!! Hahaha.. 

He fixes her tire and takes the broken one. He tells her the name of the shop he works at. She promises to go there the next day to get her tire back. Olivia goes home and tells her best friend Avery what happened.

I loved Avery instantly too!!! Every girl has that 1 friend who's the loud mouth, bold, perverted. And talks about sex..A LOT!!! They always have your back no matter what. That is Avery. She would have me laughing out loud while reading her.

 Avery dressed Olivia the next morning. They go to the shop to see Trace. Trace fixes her tire, while Avery hooks up with his friend. HAHAHA!!! Told you she's crazy. Trace talks Olivia into going out for lunch.

While they're out to lunch Olivia is so frazzled by Trace. Yet, she feels safe with him. And, she trusts him. So, for a reason that she doesn't get herself. Olivia gives Trace her list. She asks him to help her cross everything off. Trace accepts with 2 rules. 1) He keeps the list. 2)He will not tell her what they're doing on the list until they get there. Olivia accepts. No questions asked!

The more Trace and Olivia text and hang out, the more they fall in love.  I love how every time he sets her up to cross something else off her list and she freaks out. He knows just the right thing to say to her to calm her down. When I tell you he's the perfect man..... Trust me. He's perfect. The man has no flaws. LOL

Olivia goes home for winter break. Back to being seen and not heard. Her mother drops a MAJOR bomb on her. After a fight with her father, Olivia and her mom grab everything they need. They have nowhere to go. Avery & her parents take them in and let them stay as long as they need. 

Olivia and Avery go back to school. Trace, Olivia, Avery & Luca (Avery's bf & Trace's best friend) continue to cross stuff off of Olivia's list. I really loved how they all clicked.And, how they didn't make fun of Olivia for being so sheltered. I love how Trace let Olivia know she was beautiful, safe, the only one, that nothing mattered but her. Trace saw something in Olivia that I really don't think she saw in herself. Olivia saw something in Trace. She saw that something happened in his past that scarred him. She knew he was the ''reformed'' bad boy. Olivia knew he had a huge heart, he danced like a fool but loved it anyway, could cook his butt off. He really was her Prince Charming.

They had a couple bumps in the road. But, it is to be expected in a relationship. I really did love watching them grow into something. I loved the relationship of Avery & Olivia. It reminded me of My girls and Me. LOL. If you want to read a book that will have you smiling, laughing, holding your breath & cry... Then, this is the story for you!!! I hope you love it as much as I did!!

Thank you Micalea for giving me Olivia, Trace & Avery!!!

''I wanted to live and spread my wings.
I wanted to be wild and spontaneous.
I wanted to make mistakes.'' 

"Maybe. It's just... I don't expect a thank you. When I do something, it's because I want to,not because I want to be praised for it.''

"What if I'm just this broken girl that can never be put back together? What if I can never find who I really am?"

"I told you I wouldn't let you fall and I meant it. I'm a man of my word, Olivia"

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