So who already preordered their copy of Opal???? *raises hand and shouts me! me! me!*
But I'll still be entering the big giveaway that JLA is hosting here on her blog! I definitely want a copy of that sucker ASAP! Go check it out if you havent already!!
And for the love of all things holy, if you havent already checked out the Lux series, what are you doing???!! Go get a copy of it right now. Or if you arent already convinced by my constant ramblings about it, you can read my review of Obsidian, the first book in the series here
My thoughts: I dunno about this trailer you guys. Im not feeling it at all. What about you? Makes no difference to me tho, I'll still be picking up Opal the minute its released on December 18th!!!!! Cannot wait for that sucker, Im seriously counting down the days!
Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn My rating: 4 of 5 stars Synopsis from Goodreads:
Madison Daniels has worshipped her brother's best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can't stop bickering.
Forced together for her brother's wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they're forced to shack up in a tacky 70’s honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of "accidents" as the family tries to prove their "spark" can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don't strangle each other first…
My Thoughts:
It has been months since I've read an adult series, and after reading and loving Jennifer L Armentrout's (J Lynn) YA Lux series, i really wanted to try her adult stuff.
And i was not at all disappointed.
The Gamble Brothers series follows three brothers, Chase, Chad and Chandler Gamble. Courtesy of their crappy upbringing, they are all a little emotionally scarred when it comes to women. Tempting the Best Man, is youngest brother Chase's story.
Maddie Daniels has pretty much grown up with Chase, but for a long time has felt more than sisterly towards him. But after being rejected by him once, Maddie has spent years trying to avoid him. Paired up as bridesmaid and best man at her brothers wedding, held on a week long trip to a romantic winery, Maddie is mortified to have to spend so much time in close contact with Chase. It's not long before the pair's true feelings start to surface, but with plenty of obstacles, misunderstandings and swoon worthy moments along the way!
I knew JLA could write some heat, but this was beyond expectations!Smexy, Smexy, Smexy! Never corny, or cringeworthy. Just great chemistry between the two main characters, Maddison and Chase. Maddie is a great mix of fiesty and sweet. Chase is funny and smokin hot, and the way he cares for Maddie is endearing. They quickly became one of my favourite couples!
The story is just fun and fluffy. Nothing that makes you think too hard. I was sucked in from the very first page, which Im sure is due to the way JLA writes, because im always sucked in from page 1 in her books. My only complaint is that this book was just not long enough! Only 170-something pages i believe! I read it in a few hours as i just could not put it down.
Definitely one to read if you're a romance fan, as long as you dont mind some pretty full on sex scenes.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Marquel is a retro early 90's novel that travels from Florida to the glitz of Hollywood and back again. A high-velocity story of glamour and celebrity in the tradition of Jackie Collins and Harold Robbins.
My Thoughts:
Where to start! Its going to be so hard to review this book without giving away spoilers!
Marquel is Hollywood superstar. But she is fragile and damaged from events in her past that she cannot remember. Mark Collins is a tabloid reporter, looking for his big break, and determined to get it. He knows Marquel is hiding a story that could make his career and nothing is going to stop him from uncovering it and making it public. As Marquel begins to spiral even further into herself, her agent Ken fears he will loose his biggest star and sends her to a therapist. There Marquel begins to find happiness in the arms of her doctor. But the secrets Marquel has been keeping, even from herself are so shocking that her whole way of life, and the lives of those around her is about to change dramatically.
Marquel had me hooked from the very first page. Its been many years since ive read a book in this style (think Jackie Collins), and I had forgotten how much i enjoy them. The story changes perspective from character to character every few pages, which I loved, because it meant the story never felt slow. It was a little confusing early on, as there really is quite a large cast of characters to keep track of, but once you know who's who, it isn't a problem. My only real complaint with the book lies in this area. There are so many characters introduced early on that i didn't really feel were necessary. They might have been mentioned once or twice later on in the book, but overall, they didn't add anything to the story, and i think to save confusion, they probably could have been left out completely.
The main story of course, is the mystery surrounding Marquel's past. It had me guessing the whole time. I changed my mind multiple times, trying to figure out what had happened to her, and when i did finally find out i was stunned. I truly hadn't seen that coming! It was so cleverly done!And that ending! I really had no idea what to feel! I was both happy and sad and then happy again.
Overall, i really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Emily's work. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fast moving story, or who enjoys the hollywood romance/mystery genres.
Thankyou to Emily for providing me a copy of this book to review. This in no way affects my opinion of the book.
Q: Do you mind books with similar ideas to other books? Similar concepts, backgrounds, retellings or pulled-to-publish fanfic?
No, i don't. Honestly, i think if i did mind, i probably wouldn't get much reading done, because practically every book has some sort of similarity to another book or series. A truly original idea seems quite impossible to me. Even unintentionally, i think all writers are influenced by other writers and other stories.
I don't want an author to completely regurgitate another authors work though. A great book should take influence from many sources, not just retell whatever werewolf story happens to be the flavour of the month.
I dont have much experience with fanfic, but if all fanfic to published novel is like 50 shades..........then that should definitely never happen ;-)
What about you guys? Dont forget to comment and follow the blog! I'm doing giveaway once i hit 50 followers :)
Eep! I am so excited to have Lauren Morrill, author of one of my new favourite contemporary YA books, "Meant to Be", answering a question here on the blog today! But first, here's what you need to know about the book and the author.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.
It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").
But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.
Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.
Lauren Elizabeth Morrill is many things, including, but not limited to, a writer, an educator, a badass roller derby skater, a former band nerd, an aggressive driver, and a die-hard Mac person. She also watches a lot of TV, eats a lot of junk food, and drinks a lot of Coke. It's a wonder her brain and teeth haven't rotted out of her head.
Her first novel, Meant to Be, sold in a two-book deal to Wendy Loggia at Delacorte for Paper Lantern Lit.
And now, here's a question for Lauren to answer: In Meant To Be, Julia is obsessed with The Beatles (and who could blame her?) What’s your all-time favorite band? "Here's an instance of life imitating art: The Beatles are my all-time favorite band as well! When I was in college, I took an entire course on them (Z401: Music of the Beatles, for anyone at Indiana University!). Most of the references in Meant to Be come from that class, and I even thanked Professor Gass in the acknowledgements to the book. Some of the references are really from my own life. I walked down the aisle to Here, There and Everywhere, which is Julia's parents' song."
And now, here's my thoughts on Meant to Be! Or you can watch my video review below if you prefer! Just be warned, its 9 minutes of me rambling on about MTB's awesomeness. There are some minor spoilers of the first few chapters to give you a more in depth idea of what the book is about, nothing major tho!
Before i say anything else, how awesome is this cover! I love the colours so much, i would seriously print this and hang it on my wall. Gorgeous!
I'm not normally the biggest fan of YA contemporary novels. With the exception of Anna and the French Kiss. So imagine my surprise when about 3 pages into "Meant to Be", i already knew that this book was going to be awesome. I really don't think the synopsis does it justice. I don't think i could do a better job, so i wont try, but just know there is too much going on in this story for it to be wrapped up in a few paragraphs.
For me, its all about Lauren Morrill's writing. The way she writes reminds me A LOT of Stephanie Perkins, which in my opinion, is a huge compliment. The book is so well paced. Never a dull moment, but never feeling rushed, or like scenes were just thrown in with no contribution to the overall story lines. I found many parts laugh out loud funny, and was highly amused much of the rest of the time. But i also felt the character's pain and sadness when it was appropriate.
Speaking of the characters, Julia has the type of personality that would usually annoy me in a main character - clumsy (why are female YA protagonists ALWAYS klutzy?),a bit of a know it all, big on correcting other people over every little thing, just generally a bit annoying. But Lauren Morrill has given her enough personality and good qualities to reign it in tone down the irritating.
Jason is the class clown, jerky guy who calls Julia names and generally acts like a 5th grader. At first i thought i was going to really dislike him, but literally within the first chapter, he had me laughing and i couldn't help but like him, even tho he was being an ass. And gosh, does he ever grow on you throughout the book.
The main story line is of course the unlikely relationship that grows between book nerd Julia, and the boy she finds repulsive. But the romance is never cheezy or cringe worthy like i find in most contemporary novels. There were so many great scenes that contributed to the gradual build up of their relationship, that just made it so relatable and real. I actually felt like i was watching two real people interact with each other, just doing real stuff, that any american teenager would do on a whirlwind trip to London.
Woven throughout the main story line, are a bunch of subplots.Each of them as interesting as the main relationship story. I think this is why the book flows so well, without slow points. The reader gets a great tour of London, seeing the touristy things that Julia is interested in, and also going on some adventures courtesy of Jason's more wild side.
Overall, there is nothing groundbreaking about Meant to Be, but it doesn't matter. Its fun, and quirky and likable, with very little to complain about. I wish i could turn back time a few years and read it as a 17 year old, because although I really really enjoyed it as an adult, i think teenagers would relate to it even more. At least, i would have at that age.
If you're a fan of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, you're going to want to pick this one up. I certainly didn't want to put it down, and i will definitely be looking forward to reading more of Lauren Morrill's work.
***I received this book for free from the publishing company in exchange for review. This does not in any way affect my judgement of the book***
SO guys, I hope you've been convinced to go out and preorder Meant to Be. It's released November 13th. It is completely worth your time and $$$! Thankyou to Lauren for stopping by the blog today and to Paper Lantern Lit for asking me to be a part of this tour.
Im a bit late this week! But since its still Friday in the states, i thought I'd play along anyway! Follow my book blog Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
This week's question:
Q: What is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you abhor love triangles? Or can't deal with bad editing?
There are a lot of things I don't like in books, such as love triangles and insta love. But neither of those things are deal breakers for me. Bad editing is definitely one though! I'm happy to read self published books if I think it sounds interesting, but if i'm confronted with typo after typo I'm not going to continue with it, no matter how fantastic the story might be.
Writing style can be a deal breaker for me also. Writing that is overly wordy, overly descriptive and therefore SLOW will loose my interest within a few chapters. I don't need you to go on for a paragraph about all the different ways a black stone gleamed in the light. I don't need a page about the way the rain fell and how it was a metaphor for this that and the other. Truly, just tell me what it looked like in a sentence or two and move on to the action.
