{Blog Tour} Book Reviews + Giveaway: Camp Boyfriend & Camp Payback - J.K. Rock

Title: Camp Boyfriend (Camp Boyfriend #1)

Author: J.K. Rock

Release Date: July 2nd 2013

Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: NetGalley

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The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.

They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

Camp Boyfriend is one of those books wherein the characters kept me reading even when they irritated me to no end. Wtf moment, I know. But there's something good to be said when I get engrossed in a book enough to feel so much for the characters, right? Right. Of course.

As I type this review I'm in the middle of reading Camp Payback *points below* so I can say that at this point in the series the characters are all quite immature and narrow-minded, hence why I disliked almost all of them. First of all: Lauren. I hated how she strung Matt along for months, even when her feelings for him had changed and she knew she wanted her relationship with Seth, her camp boyfriend, to last for all seasons. It was unfair to Matt and totally ruined the Lauren/Seth relationship for me, which is sad because I loved them in the novella Camp Kiss.

But the root of Lauren's problems was her inability to stand up for herself. Unconsciously, she tried to please everyone - be it her family or her friends - in expense of herself. The combination of unapologetic nerd and sassy cheerleader that she'd become over the past year suffered greatly when she came to summer camp where everyone knew her as just the nerd, and I really pitied her.

Aside from Lauren, the people around her irritated me so much more. Her insensitive mom and sister I could handle, but her camp friends who were her lifelong besties? They turned up their judgmental noses when they found out she'd become pretty and was dating a jock. And they were all so freaking unbelievable! People change the same way Lauren did, but for some reason her friends didn't and they resented her for being different? They only liked the version of her that kept them happy and fit the mold they'd made for her, not the new and real her she'd turned into. God. I just wanted to Lauren to find better friends.

Camp Boyfriend didn't impress me much, but don't get turned off by all the ranting I did because I assure you, a ton of character development happens in this book. If you're patient with characters and are not too particular with your contemporary, then this is the one for you.

MY FAVORITE PART was a certain someone singing a song he wrote himself <3

RATING:

Title: Camp Payback (Camp Boyfriend #2)

Author: J.K Rock

Release Date: April 29th 2014

Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: NetGalley

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Alex has big plans for camp this year, starting with making it the best summer ever. Having fun and breaking some rules will get her the payback she wants against her parents and her ex-boyfriend. Because of his disgusting texts, she's headed to a super strict all-girls school in the fall.

Then she meets Javier and revenge doesn't seem nearly as important as getting to know the troubled loner determined to keep a low profile at camp. But Alex's trouble-magnet personality and Javier's need to stay in the background don't mix nearly as well as their irresistible chemistry.

With her home life eroding under her feet and her last year of summer camp speeding to a close, Alex wants to make her mark on the world and squeeze every bit of fun out of her time with Javier. Too bad her old plans for revenge turn back on her just in time to ruin everything. Will she lose Javier too?

I lowered my expectations for Camp Payback because Camp Boyfriend wasn't as amazing as I'd thought it would be, but that turned out to be absolutely unnecessary because, oh my lord, this book packed the feels and swoon that just entertained me for hours.

While its predecessor was also filled to the brim with drama, this sequel just got it perfectly. And it also helped that I loved the main characters individually and as a couple. Alex, the not-so-rebel whose family saw nothing but her mistakes, is actually a brave and straight-forward girl who only wants to live a real life, not be known as the troubled kid of the family behind the Wholesome Home blog. With all the criticisms she's had to face, it's been ingrained in her mind that she's useless and problematic, and I'd have gone crazy a long time ago if I were her.

Whereas her previous summers at camp were nothing but fun, this time Alex has to face a crazy ex who pushes her so hard on the first day that she just loses it and saunters to a complete stranger... and kisses him. Javier, the new kid at Camp Juniper Point who only wants to keep out of trouble, isn't too thrilled when one of the camp girls walks up and kisses him point blank, but he can't deny the attraction he feels for her, especially when she's like a walking sun to his dark life. I loved how their relationship got off a rocky start and then turned into friendship-slash-romance. A lot of people were against the two of them being together, but that only made me love them more.

A far cry from Camp Boyfriend, this book was so easy and so fun to read. The story was very romantic and full of swoon, what with Javier being a fantastic chef - and humming while he cooks! Camp Payback truly is the perfect summer read and until now I grin whenever I think of Alex and Javier.

MY FAVORITE PART was the ending. Sigh <3

RATING:

About the authors:

J. K. Rock is the pseudonym for YA writing partners - and sisters-in-law - Joanne & Karen Rock. Although they started out sharing an annual shopping trip, they ended up discussing their favorite films and books, joining the same book club and talking about writing... a lot. Their debut novel, Camp Boyfriend, is the first in a three-book series plotted during family pool parties. Their creative partnership is unique in that they enjoy passing a book back and forth, each adding a chapter and fine-tuning the chapter before. Years of friendship has yielded a shared voice and vision for their work that makes writing a pleasure.

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{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: Third Degree - Julie Cross

Title: Third Degree

Author: Julie Cross

Release Date: March 25th 2014

Publisher: Flirt

Age Group: New Adult

Source: NetGalley

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Fans of Monica Murphy and Tammara Webber will savor this novel about coming of age in the heat of the moment from Julie Cross, the internationally bestselling author of the Tempest trilogy.

I used to be “Isabel Jenkins, child prodigy.” As lame as that sounds, at least it was an identity. But now I’m not sure what I am. I just failed the most important exam of my life—the emotional readiness test required to get into a medical residency program—and it turns out my parents can’t stand each other. Now I’m trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces of my life, and that means re-enrolling as a college freshman, but this time I’m shutting the books and majoring in being eighteen.

But so far, my roommate hates me and I’m not into the party scene. The only good thing about school has been getting to know my insanely hot RA. Marshall Collins makes me wonder about everything I missed while I was growing up too fast. Pretty soon we’re hanging out constantly, but for the first time, I find myself wanting more than a no-strings-attached physical relationship. And the lesson I really need is one Marsh definitely can’t teach me: love. Because I’m going to be alone forever if I don’t learn fast.

Going into Third Degree, I had no idea what to expect because the premise is just so unique. I only knew that I had to read it because Julie Cross, author of the Tempest series which I really love, wrote it and as expected, Julie didn't disappoint.

"You're always observing people, but maybe you're studying the wrong things."

Isabel is the type of character that, if not portrayed well, could be hated so easily, but Julie did a very good job of presenting her character's case that I loved her instead. Isabel's the doctor we all hate, the one who obviously doesn't give a damn about her patients, who's only there to do her job. Her lack of sympathy for what others feel would be infuriating if I were at its receving end but at the same time, it wasn't something I could take against her because she couldn't help but be that way given her personal history. She learned from an early age to distance herself emotionally from everyone to avoid getting hurt, and she never thought it would get in the way of her being a doctor. I really pitied her when she honest-to-God couldn't get along with anyone in her new, trying-to-be-normal life. The struggle was real.

And then in walked Marshall, Isabel's RA. Gorgeous, kind, and understanding, he, on the other hand, is easy to love. Instead of treating Isabel like a nutcase, he agreed to teach her how to interact with other people without driving them away with the smell of her weird, but beneath the happy facade lurked something sad, something that also kept him away from anyone. I was so eager to bring that to light because I wanted to know just what was wrong with him, but when it did... *sadface* Yet that was when Isabel truly shone. With her background, Marshall's issue wasn't enough to drive her away, and seeing them together was truly a delight. They're what each other needs and they knew just how to help with the other's problems.

Sweet, hilarious, and emotional - sometimes all at the same time - Third Degree is a remarkable novel about accepting people for who they are beneath the surface. It was so easy to read this book because it never bored me. If you're looking for a breath of fresh air in the NA genre, then you'll want to pick this up.

MY FAVORITE PARTS were Isabel and Marshall's exchange tutoring sessions <3

RATING:

About the author:
Julie Cross lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She’s a former gymnast, longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former gymnastics program director with the YMCA. She’s a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and New Adult genres. She’s also a committed (but not talented) long-distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar weather survivor, expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym shoe addict.

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{Blog Tour} Spotlight + Giveaway: Coming Home - Priscilla Glenn

Title: Coming Home

Author: Priscilla Glenn

Release Date: January 21st 2014

Publisher: Self-published

Age Group: Adult

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Leah Marino hasn’t been on a date in two years. After discovering the man she loved had manipulated and deceived her, she refuses to even entertain the idea of a relationship. Instead, she focuses her attention on taking care of her family, a role she’s assumed since the death of her mother and the one place she knows her kindness won't be taken advantage of again.

When a nostalgic trip back to her childhood home results in a chance encounter with Danny DeLuca, a smart-mouthed mechanic who’s as attractive as he is mysterious, Leah's carefully cultivated walls begin to crumble. She finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Danny, despite his unreliable behavior and mixed signals.

But Danny has a secret...

One that could shake Leah's already precarious foundation and bring her world crashing down around her. Suddenly, she's faced with an incredibly difficult decision--is she willing to risk everything for the chance at finding the love she's always wanted? Or are some obstacles just too big for the heart to overcome?

About the author:
Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three children. She has been teaching English at the middle and high school levels for the past twelve years while moonlighting as a writer, mom, coach, student, and professional laundry-doer.

If you catch her when she's feeling sophisticated, she'll tell you her favorite things are great books and good wine. In the moments in between, she'll admit her love for anything Ben and Jerry's, UFC fights, and Robert Pattinson.

Glenn is the author of the contemporary romance novels Back to You, Emancipating Andie, and Coming Home.

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{Blog Tour} Spotlight + Giveaway: Fast Forward - Marion Croslydon

Title: Fast Forward (Second Chances #2)

Author: Marion Croslydon

Release Date: December 19th 2013

Publisher: Carlux Publishing

Age Group: New Adult

Goodreads | Amazon

A moving story about love, redemption and what happens when life switches to fast forward.

Cassie learned the hard way: Love forgives… in the end.

In No Reverse, Josh and Cassie’s epic love story went from the brink of destruction to a fragile new beginning. Now they must mend their broken family and win back the son they gave up five years ago.

But second chances need to be earned and the road ahead is rocky. With Cassie on tour and Josh trying his hand at a political career, the struggle becomes clear. When the adoption takes a bad turn, Cassie and Josh are prepared to give up everything for the fight of their lives.

Will this young family finally heal the years of heartache, or will they be torn apart for good?

About the author:
Marion loves to share happy vibes, talk book crush, fictional boyfriends and sexual chemistry with like-minded people. And because she spends most of her days on her own deep inside her writing cave, you are welcome to come and say “hello” from time to time. Just to make sure she doesn’t sink into insanity. Her friends, family and arch-enemies (there are quite a few) will be forever grateful for your help.

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{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: No Reverse - Marion Croslydon

Hey, guys! Welcome to my stop for the No Reverse blog tour! You can view the tour schedule here.

Title: No Reverse

Author: Marion Croslydon
Release Date: August 12th 2013

Publisher: Carlux Publishing

Age Group: New Adult

Source: eARC for blog tour

Goodreads | Amazon  

A girl who needs to undo the past.
A boy who wants to forget it.
In love, there’s no way back.

At high school in Steep Hill, Kansas, Cassie O’Malley and Josh MacBride were the poster couple for quarterback/cheerleader romance until they starred in their own tale of teen pregnancy. No need to say: their shotgun wedding was low-key. But when there was no baby anymore, they went their separate ways.

Five years later, Josh has breezed through Georgetown and is about to finish his post-grad degree at Oxford University. He is set to join a lobbying group on Capitol Hill, owned by his new fiancée’s father. For Josh, the sky is now the limit… only he must first take care of a tiny legal matter: technically, he’s still married to the girl who broke his heart.

Meanwhile, Cassie has been waiting tables in Steep Hill to pay for her sick grandmother’s care. On the day of the old lady’s funeral, Cassie is served with two sets of papers. Josh is asking for a divorce. Her heart squeezes, but, well, he moved on a long time ago. But the second envelope shakes Cassie to the core. So, for the first time, she leaves Kansas and heads to good ol’ England.

There, Cassie finds that Josh has not just “moved on,” he’s freakin’ engaged to some blue-blooded heiress. The feelings Cassie had buried deep rush back to her. But no matter if he keeps thrusting the divorce papers under her nose, she needs him to save the only person she loves more than Josh, more than life itself...

No Reverse is one of those books that had me at the blurb. It sounded so unique and mysterious, and I knew I just had to read it. Unfortunately, it's left me underwhelmed.

The first problem I encountered in this book was the main characters. They were both indecisive and grudging, and they kept pushing then pulling each other, but let me discuss them in detail.

I don't like the choice that Cassie made years ago because she really should have trusted Josh to know what he wanted, but at the same time, I understood why she did it. It was stupid but selfless of her. Ugh, go figure.

Josh,on the other hand, was said to be this perfect guy, smart, ambitious, driven, blah blah blah, but I never really saw that brightness. He was actually reckless most of the time, but he had an undeniably good heart. And I pitied him when Cassie finally told him the truth—a truth that's not very hard to guess, but I'll keep my mouth shut anyway.

Apart from the main characters, the secondary ones shined. They were infinitely more interesting, particularly Josh's and Cassie's other love interests, and no worries because they'll be getting their own books. Or at least Sam will.

Even though I wanted to thump the MCs on the head a lot of times, I still enjoyed No Reverse, and that's saying a lot because my liking of the characters usually determines my enjoyment of a book. But what did this book in for me was the ending. It was so abrupt and solved almost nothing. I'll check out the sequel for sure, but I won't be rushing to do so.

MY FAVORITE PART is Josh and Big Fat Spoiler's touching first meeting.

RATING:

 

About the author:

Marion’s parents are terribly disappointed with her...

They wanted her to have a serious job, providing financial stability and social standing. For years, she really tried to make them happy; she studied hard, got into top schools, graduated with honors and found a high-achieving job.

But deep down, Marion was miserable. She never wanted to be a top executive, brokering deals in New York, London or Tokyo. Marion wanted to be… a ROMANCE WRITER. She wanted to spend her days in that good ol’ tracksuit of hers, in front of her laptop, popping down Oreos like there was no tomorrow. She wanted to fall in love with a different man each time she wrote the first line of a new book (while being happily married to the most handsome man in Great Britain).

That’s exactly what Marion does these days, and it makes her incredibly happy. She loves to share these happy vibes, talk book crush, fictional boyfriends and sexual chemistry with like-minded people. And because she spends most of her days on her own deep inside her writing cave, you are welcome to come and say “hello” from time to time. Just to make sure she doesn’t sink into insanity.

Her friends, family and arch-enemies (there are quite a few) will be forever grateful for your help.

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{Blog Tour} Spotlight + Giveaway: Three Daves - Nicki Elson

Hi guys! Welcome to my stop for the Three Daves blog tour! You can see the full tour schedule here.

Title: Three Daves

Author: Nicki Elson

Release Date: February 16th 2010

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

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Jennifer Whitney was the last American virgin. At least that’s what she felt like in 1986 as she began her sophomore year at Central Illinois University. She was proud of her decision to wait for the right guy, and yet she was getting restless. It seemed like everyone around her was doing it... and having fun doing it, too. She didn’t want to become the campus slut or anything, but surely there was a difference between a trashy skank and a nice girl with a little experience. Perhaps it was time to stop relying on fate to guide her and instead take matters into her own hands. And with that realization, Jen decided to find “the one” and lose her virginity, although not necessarily in that order...

About the author:

Writing wasn't something Nicki set out to do; it just sort of happened when she realized writing reports was by far her favorite part of her investment consulting position. She traded stock allocation and diversification for story arcs and dialogue and now weaves her creative writing time in with the other activities of her busy life with her family in the Chicago suburbs.

Nicki writes with two goals in mind: #1 to keep the characters realistic, even when their circumstances are anything but, and #2 to make the reader feel. Her published works include Three Daves, a light-hearted romantic romp through a 1980s college campus, Divine Temptation, a romantic novel of angelic proportions, and short stories “Sway” (available as a single), “I Don’t Do Valentine’s Day” (part of A Valentine Anthology), and “Impressionism 101” (included in the debut issue of Insatiable: The Magazine of Paranormal Desire).

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: The Last Hour - Charles Sheehan-Miles

Welcome to my stop for The Last Hour blog tour! You can follow the tour here.

Title: The Last Hour (Thompson Sisters)

Author: Charles Sheehan-Miles

Release Date: April 19th 2013

Publisher: Cincinnatus Press

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Contemporary

Source: eARC for blog tour

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Twenty-seven year old Carrie Thompson-Sherman has the life she always wanted: her PhD, a prestigious fellowship, and an amazing husband.

Her life begins to unravel as a jealous colleague puts her fellowship in jeopardy and a haunting secret Ray Sherman carried home from Afghanistan comes to light.

Hounded by a federal investigation and the ensuing media feeding frenzy, Carrie and Ray desperately lean on each other, until a disastrous accident puts both Ray and her sister's lives at risk.

In the last hour, Carrie and Ray will each find themselves faced with a choice.

A choice that will change everything.

Attention, reader. If you want a light romance read for a plane ride or a day-off, The Last Hour isn't the book for you. Why? Because it's the most tear-jerking book I have ever read. The opening scene immediately took hold of my attention. How could it not when it felt like the climax already? And then in less than four chapters, the waterworks started. 

As was the case in A Song for Julia, the first Thompson Sisters book I read, I really admire how well the author sculpted his characters. He wrote the book from both Carrie and Ray's perspectives, and he was able to mold two fleshed-out characters with their own distinct voices. Also, his ability to portray every little emotion that goes on between his numerous characters is nothing short of amazing. 

I really admired Carrie. She was obviously a strong and smart woman, hardened by having to look out for her sisters because of their emotionally-absent parents. Even in the hardest times, she still looked out for them. She never bothered with wasting time on unimportant crap like a jealous co-worker or a spiteful future mother-in-law. Ray, on the other hand, was deeply traumatized because of his time in Afghanistan. I pitied the poor guy but at the same time admired him, too, because he still chose to do the right thing - kinda spoiler-y if I say more on this - and tried his best to live. 

While dealing with serious issues in the family, work, and even the military, the story still centered on Carrie and Ray's sweet and heart-wrenching romance as they struggled to go through everything together. This was mostly shown in the flashback chapters which were, basically, the only reprieves in this intense story. I don't know when I'll get to read Just Remember to Breathe but I'm sure looking forward to it because only God knows how much I enjoy revisiting these characters and how I wish the author won't leave the three younger Thompson sisters with their stories untold. 

MY FAVORITE PARTS were every happy moment which I'm glad I savored.

RATING:

 

About the author:
Charles Sheehan-Miles has been a soldier, computer programmer, short-order cook and non-profit executive. He is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, including the indie bestsellers Just Remember to Breathe and Republic: A Novel of America's Future.

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Giveaway!

Cover Reveal: The Last Hour - Charles Sheehan-Miles

Title: The Last Hour (Thompson Sisters #3)

Author: Charles Sheehan-Miles

Expected release date: May 15th 2013
Publisher: Cincinnatus Press

Cover Designer: Okay Creations

  

Twenty-seven year old Carrie Thompson-Sherman has the life she always wanted: her PhD, a prestigious fellowship, and an amazing husband.

Her life begins to unravel as a jealous colleague puts her fellowship in jeopardy and a haunting secret Ray Sherman carried home from Afghanistan comes to light.

Hounded by a federal investigation and the ensuing media feeding frenzy, Carrie and Ray desperately lean on each other, until a disastrous accident puts both Ray and her sister's lives at risk.

In the last hour, Carrie and Ray will each find themselves faced with a choice. A choice that will change everything.

About the author: 

Charles Sheehan-Miles has been a soldier, computer programmer, short-order cook and non-profit executive. He is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, including the indie bestsellers Just Remember to Breathe and Republic: A Novel of America's Future.

Charles Sheehan-Miles | Facebook | Twitter

{Blog Tour} Book Review: Scarlette - Davonna Juroe

Thanks for dropping by my stop for the Scarlette blog tour! You can follow the tour here.

Title: Scarlette

Author: Davonna Juroe

Release Date: October 12th 2012

Publisher: BumbleB Media, Inc.

Source: ecopy from author

Goodreads | Amazon

Scarlette, an 18-year-old peasant, lives under a dark threat. A nightmarish creature lurks in the surrounding forest, killing the villagers one by one. When Scarlette's grandmother survives an attack, Scarlette learns that her grandmother hasn't suffered the bite of just any normal animal.

Now desperate, Scarlette searches throughout her province to find a cure. But there are those who want to keep their pasts hidden. As she begins to uncover the dark secrets of her village, Scarlette is befriended by a local nobleman and a woodcutter who share a gruesome history with the beast. To save her grandmother, Scarlette must unravel their mystery and solve an age-old crime. But as she pieces together the clues, Scarlette finds herself torn between the two men, both of whom want to be more than friends and hold the key to the cure.

What if Little Red Riding Hood was Real?

Based on both the Grimm and Perrault versions of Little Red Riding Hood and set against the terrifying, historic Beast of Gévaudan attacks, this dark YA retelling blends two epic legends, giving the fabled girl-in-the-red-cloak a new, shockingly real existence.

I'm not sure, but I think Scarlette is the first fairy tale retelling that I read. Based on Little Red Riding Hood, I expected something simple, so this one's a very nice surprise.

Scarlette lived with her hateful mother and loving grandmother. Times were hard in their little town because of wolf attacks, but they survived. At least until her grandmother became the next victim.

Scarlette was an okay character for me. She had a good heart and a wise mind, but problems kept coming for her one after another, testing her resolve to save her grandmother and complicating her already tragic circumstances even more. Still, I felt like I wasn't able to connect to her. 

My mind probably skipped through it when I read the blurb, so I was surprised to find the romance that later turned into a love triangle. Don't be put off by that, though, because it's very minimal, not occupying even a quarter of the book I think, but it was good. Scarlette wasn't torn by love more so than trust, but as the reader, truths were more transparent for me than her.

Up until the end, Scarlette was full of mystery and suspense, and almost everyone of the secondary characters became prime suspects for me. The ending was a little bit rushed, but it still had me at the edge of my seat.

MY FAVORITE PART was the epilogue.

RATING:

About the author:

Davonna Juroe stays up way too late, has a severe garlic food allergy, and loves all things 80’s. She wonders if all this could actually mean she's a vampire. 

In high school, she wore way too much glitter eye make-up. And in between many Disneyland visits and reading R.L. Stine’s Fear Street Series, she joined the high school drama department and may have developed crushes of the serious kind on many a theater boy. After many a broken heart (*sigh*), Davonna moved to the quaint, wooded village of Kalispell, Montana. 

When she’s not writing, she shops @ thrift stores for hot-pink-Jem-and-the-Holograms-inspired-outfits, eats gluten free desserts, drinks tea out of antique teacups, and spends too much time on deviantArt, Pinterest, and Goodreads. 

Scarlette is Davonna’s debut novel of epic-historical-fairy-tale-proportions, which she knows the Brothers Grimm would say is wicked cool. 

Currently, she's represented by fabulous independent agent Roxanne McHenry who is waving wands to make all of Davonna's dreams come true. 

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Shelfari | Pinterest

Instead of a giveaway, Davonna has something better. On the last day of this blog tour, March 23rd, Scarlette will be free on Amazon! Make sure to mark your calendars for that ;D

Book Review: A Song for Julia - Charles Sheehan-Miles

Title: A Song for Julia (Thompson Sisters #1)

Author: Charles Sheehan-Miles
Release Date: December 4th 2012

Publisher: Cincinnatus Press

Source: AToMR Tours

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

Everyone should have something to rebel against. 

Crank Wilson left his South Boston home at sixteen to start a punk band and burn out his rage at the world. Six years later, he’s still at odds with his father, a Boston cop, and doesn’t ever speak to his mother. The only relationship that really matters is with his younger brother, but watching out for Sean can be a full-time job. The one thing Crank wants in life is to be left the hell alone to write his music and drive his band to success. 

Julia Thompson left a secret behind in Beijing that exploded into scandal in Washington, DC, threatening her father's career and dominating her family's life. Now, in her senior year at Harvard, she's haunted by a voice from her past and refuses to ever lose control of her emotions again, especially when it comes to a guy. 

When Julia and Crank meet at an anti-war protest in Washington in the fall of 2002, the connection between them is so powerful it threatens to tear everything apart.

I admit, I got into this book thinking it was going to be an easy read, light and cute and fluffy. Yep, I ignored the blurb. Again. And I was pleasantly surprised. Again.

Julia Thompson and Crank Wilson both had tough teenage lives. Now in their twenties, they were still at odds with their parents and keep everyone at a safe distance to protect themselves from the hurt they'd tried so hard to run away from, so just what would happen when the lives of these two very similar yet very different people converge?

Julia was a woman to look up to; smart, beautiful, and confident. Unfortunately, that strong-willed persona was a mask to hide her tragic past, not overcome it. But still, she was slowly trying to build a life of her own and stop following her parents' plan for her. It was really fun to see her little bouts of rebellion against them.

Crank's facade couldn't be farther away from Julia's. He was the sexy, womanizing lead singer of Morbid Obesity who was realizing that he wanted something more than the one-night stands. It was fun to see him show his funny, sweet, thoughtful, and basically just freaking lovable side. This dude plastered a lot of stupid grins on my face.

The chemistry between these two was immediate and palpable, so it made me really sad to know that there were a lot more hindrances than I thought to their being together, especially for Julia because she certainly had worse experiences than Crank. And although he jumpstarted her healing process, he still got hurt along the way. I didn't like how, up until before the end of the book, Julia still hadn't gotten over her trust issues even when Crank did nothing but show his love for her. At one point, she said this:

Never again would I watch my own lifeblood pouring out of me into a bathtub because I needed people in my life. I was going to live life on my own terms or not at all.

I pitied her by then because she thought she was living on her own terms by pushing away everyone who cared about her, when really she was living it on her past's terms.

A Song for Julia wasn't a simple romance novel. It was heavy on family drama and touched on some sensitive topics that I won't name to avoid being spoiler-y. It was the story of two broken people coming together hesitantly and finding love. The romance fell to the side towards the end because of Julia's self-realization, but the story's closure was very satisfying... and it might have pulled out some tears from me.

MY FAVORITE PART was Crank sleeping at Julia's dorm XD

RATING:

(cover and summary from Goodreads.com)