Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page, and BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

He gives me that special glare concierges always give you when they figure out that you're American, or that you don't speak the language, like he ate a bad nicoise salad. Like I'm supposed to speak every language in Europe.
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

And now, for my Tuesday Teaser...For those of you who don't know, I do my Tuesday Teasers differently (and yes, I add this disclaimer every time). Each week, I feature two sentences (or more) of something I've written, leave it up all day, then remove it around 11 PM. You're welcome to comment on it, love it, hate it, or simply read it at your leisure...if you'd like, of course. This week's teaser is from my current WIP, RACE.

The Tuesday Teaser is down! Check back next week for more :)

Maggie and Caleb just went through the worst year of their lives. Hit by a car and starting life over with a limp, Maggie never thought she would forgive Caleb. But she did—and fell in love. What they shared was real. But Caleb wanted to be free from the past—and a terrible secret: he wasn't the one who hit Maggie. So he left Paradise—and Maggie—forever. When Maggie and Caleb run into each other in a different town, they can't deny their true feelings. Will Maggie let Caleb get away again? Or will Caleb face the truth and return to Paradise?
Taken from GoodReads.

Return to Paradise is the second half of Maggie and Caleb's journey. They hated each other, found each other, loved each other, and lost each other, all in one year. Now the circumstances are different, and in a new town and place, Caleb and Maggie have found each other again. Only this time, Caleb has gotten himself into a new mess of trouble, and Maggie has found her confidence - and her voice. Are they brave and strong enough to weather their mutual struggles and learn to live with and love each other again?

I read Return to Paradise in about five hours straight, much like I did with Leaving Paradise, but I have to say that I don't feel as satisfied with this installment as I did with the first. That's not to say that the writing of Return to Paradise is any less emotional or exceptional as before, but I'm going to be honest. Simone Elkeles is an amazing author with the unique ability to paint a story with environments and characters that are tangible, true to humanity, and relevant. That said, I almost think the story was better left with the inconclusive story line of Leaving Paradise. Ever hear that statement, less is more? In my humble and brutally honest opinion, sometimes I think authors need to remember that.

I'll start with the strengths of Return to Paradise. Written in alternating POVs, I can honestly say that this book holds true to the character voices developed in book one. Caleb and Maggie are easily distinguished, and their own voices make it easier to relate to them. I have to be honest though, while I enjoyed the character development for Maggie - she was stronger, braver, and more assertive - I felt that this was almost the same journey as we watched them go through before. The same questions were posed in my mind...do they love each other? Will their love overcome obstacles? Will the truth come out after all? That, I felt, was a little tedious. Delving into some of the minor characters from the last book definitely helped the book along though.

I think that Return to Paradise is a good book, don't get me wrong, but I don't think I absolutely had to read it. I almost prefer how it played out in my head. Either way, it's a strong read with a great voice and cast of characters. I'll give it a 4 out of 5, and I'd recommend this to fans of YA, contemporary fiction, and those who loved Leaving Paradise.

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

The Art of Racing in the Rain - (Gift) - Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

The Girl Who Played With Fire - (Gift) - Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government. But he has no idea just how explosive the story will be until, on the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered.

Devoured - (Bought) - Megan’s twin sister Remy died in an accident nine years ago, and she’s been haunting her ever since. Knowing how crazy that sounds, Megan keeps this secret to herself and tries to lead a normal life. But when she takes a summer job at Land of Enchantment to keep an eye on her new boyfriend and his lovesick best friend, Samantha, she meets fellow employee Luke who can see Remy, too. Things get even twistier because Megan’s new friend Ari is sporting a massive crush on Luke, who seems to be developing a massive crush on Megan…making for a love triangle that’s positively possessed.

Breathless - (Bought) - When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school by her distant father and overbearing mother, it doesn’t take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She’s smart, she’s cute, and she’s an Olympic-bound swimmer who has a first class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what her new friends, roommate, and boyfriend don’t know is that Katie is swimming away from her past, and from her schizophrenic older brother, Will, who won’t let her go. And when he does the unthinkable, it’s all Katie can do to keep her head above water.

What did you get in your mailbox this week? Leave me a link, and I'll be sure to check it out!