Laura McCarthy Benson's Blog, page 13
April 1, 2013
Book Review: Walking Disaster, Jamie McGuire
Reading Level:Contemporary Romance/New Adult
Format:
Ebook (ARC)
Publisher:
Atria 4/2/2013
Rating:
3.5
Walking Disaster is Jamie McGuire's follow up to her wildly successful self-published novel Beautiful Disaster. Only this time we get into Travis "Mad Dog" Maddox's head. This book is so anticipated that we who got early copies were lip-locked. Embargoed if you will.
I think Jamie had a good idea, but the I feel the construction failed. We know the story. We know what happens and seeing it from Travis' point of view doesn't give us insight into him at all. Yeah, we get a few bit of his interaction with his mom, but really how many three year old's remember vividly what happened? Losing a mom is momentous, but when you're three you don't quite understand the significance of it all. So I found the prologue, first chapter a bit weird.
I wanted more Travis-centric scenes with people other than Abby. I know what happens, I know they fall in love, fight, break up, are a beautiful disaster of a couple. But I wanted to see more of what was making Travis tick. There were a few scenes with him and Shepley that were nice. One scene with his dad that I wish there were more of. I really would've liked to have seen more interaction with his dad and brothers.
The saving grace of this book for me was the last chapter and the epilogue. Jamie could've written a book on that alone and I would've been extremely happy because she went into uncharted territories that is brought up in BD, but skimmed over. It was a very interesting twist and I thoroughly enjoyed that. Makes me wonder if she'll continue on with that story line? I think it would work.
For me, 3/4 of the book didn't work. I was bored, wondering when I was going to learn something new. But alas, it never came.
People will gobble it up and love it. I know that I'll be in the minority on this. I just wish there was more fresh material.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's wish Travis Maddox a very Happy Birthday as well!
Our favorite fighter boy was born on April 1!!!!
March 28, 2013
Cover Reveal: Thursday Night's, Lisa N. Paul and GIVEAWAY!
Book Summary:
“Pain can leave even the strongest of people weak and hollow
Max DeLucca has spent seven years trying to forget the betrayal of his past.
He lives his life from day to day never looking forward and never looking back.
The walls around his heart keep anyone from getting too close and prevent him from feeling too much… until he meets her.
Her entire life, Janie Silver searched for the kind of love that wouldn’t leave her broken and more importantly, wouldn't leave her behind. She longs for a love that can heal the wounds of her past and give her the future she knows she deserves.
She thought she was looking for something that just didn’t exist…until she meets him.
Danny’s on Main is where their story begins.
A neighborhood bar where strangers become friends, friends become family
and some … become lovers
… it all started on Thursday Nights”
Book Title: Thursday Nights (The Charistown Series, Book #1)
Author: Lisa N. Paul
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Expected Release date: May 13, 2013
Cover Designed By: Okay Creations
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17185521-thursday-nights
Lisa N. Paul (Author) Facebook | Website | Goodreads
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March 27, 2013
Blog Tour: Book Review: Connected, Kim Karr
Reading Level:Contemporary Romance/New Adult
Format:
Ebook (ARC)
Publisher:
Self Pubbed 3/20/2013
Rating:
4
I was contacted by Kim Karr on Facebook asking me if I'd be willing to read her debut novel. I jumped at the chance because I was excited that I would be reading something new and fresh. I've managed to chat with Kim a bit and I hope that I've become a friend to her during our conversations.
I read CONNECTED a few weeks ago and I instantly fell in love with it because it was different. It wasn't anything I'd read recently or even ever. Kim takes you on a roller coaster ride that doesn't want to let you off. At first when it starts, you think, 'oh I've read this'. but then it goes into uncharted territories that you'll be clamoring for the end to see where it's all leading up!
The story starts with Dahlia dating Ben Covington while they're at Stanford. It's Halloween and Dahlia is not one to celebrate the holiday (I'm with her!). Her reason is more doable than mine. I hate it, she lost her parents and a beloved aunt in a horrific plane crash on that day. So yeah, she's not dressing up. However, she does promise a friend that she'll head to the local bar to listen to an up-and-coming band.
So leaving her inebriated boyfriend behind, she heads to the local bar and there she meets an enigmatic stranger who practically begs her to stay. When she finds out that he's the lead singer of the band performing and she knows that she's about to make a big mistake, she bails.
We flash forward a few years later. Ben and Dahlia are living together and engaged. She's a photographer and he's a hard-hitting journalist who is about to win a prestigious award for a story that he's been working of for a few years. En route to the banquet, the car holding Ben and Dahlia is carjacked and Ben is killed. Leaving Dahlia broken and brokenhearted.
Two years go by before she's able to go back to work and even function. When her best friend Aerie, offers her a job in Vegas to interview a rock star and grab some photos. Her surprise is complete when she's told its River Wilde that she'll be meeting in Vegas. See this is the same person she met oh so long ago and never acted on it.
Kim tells a tightly knit story that will break your heart, have you cheering and pretty much leaving your panties in a bunch. She sucker punches you just when you think Dahlia and River will finally live their happily ever after. I fell in love with River. He's a guy who pulls no punches, he knows what he wants and he goes after it. Dahlia is broken. Afraid to open her heart because whenever she does the person she has opened it to leaves.
With the influx of new adult/contemporary romance/self-published authors, this book is highly recommended. I could read it over and over again because it's just that good.
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March 24, 2013
Asylum, Jenny Miller. NOW LIVE!
I haven't read this yet, but I'm going to because it sounds really fantastic! She sent me an email last night letting me know that this book is live right now a few days early! So go here:
Paperback
Kindle
How to find Jenny!
jennyemiller.com
Twitter
Facebook
Synopsis taken from Goodreads:
June Foster’s summer is limping along. Her life on a 1950′s farm in eastern Washington is boring–full of milking cows, picking apricots and tending to the chicken coops. Her only friends are her record player and her books. But when gorgeous, turquoise-eyed Frank falls into her world, her life becomes anything but ordinary.
June falls for Frank hard and fast–he’s beautiful, impossibly strong, and capable of things ordinary humans are not. But she’s wary about his father Jonas, a creepy man with an agenda. She should be. Suddenly June is deathly ill, falling in and out of consciousness. When she recovers, June and Frank discover Jonas’s deadly plans for her–and June takes revenge.
Convicted of murder, declared insane and sentenced to life at Washington Pines Sanitarium, June is stuck. Jonas’s plans are reaching her beyond the grave, and she suspects that there’s a lot more going on in the sanitarium than group therapy and electric shocks. Something evil has followed her here, or maybe it was waiting for her all along. If Frank doesn’t break her out soon, she’ll lose her mind–and her life.
Paperback
Kindle
How to find Jenny!
jennyemiller.com
Synopsis taken from Goodreads:
June Foster’s summer is limping along. Her life on a 1950′s farm in eastern Washington is boring–full of milking cows, picking apricots and tending to the chicken coops. Her only friends are her record player and her books. But when gorgeous, turquoise-eyed Frank falls into her world, her life becomes anything but ordinary.
June falls for Frank hard and fast–he’s beautiful, impossibly strong, and capable of things ordinary humans are not. But she’s wary about his father Jonas, a creepy man with an agenda. She should be. Suddenly June is deathly ill, falling in and out of consciousness. When she recovers, June and Frank discover Jonas’s deadly plans for her–and June takes revenge.
Convicted of murder, declared insane and sentenced to life at Washington Pines Sanitarium, June is stuck. Jonas’s plans are reaching her beyond the grave, and she suspects that there’s a lot more going on in the sanitarium than group therapy and electric shocks. Something evil has followed her here, or maybe it was waiting for her all along. If Frank doesn’t break her out soon, she’ll lose her mind–and her life.
March 22, 2013
Blog Tour: My Life After Now, Jessica Verdi
From Jess Verdi:
My writer friends always tell me they can spot a “Jess book” a mile away.
[Jess � Book (jes-boo k) noun : A young adult novel that approaches a super serious subject in a light, hopeful way.]
My Life After Now is the epitome of a Jess book. Because it’s about HIV/AIDS, it is of course extremely serious and sad at times, and some would say even envelope-pushing, as HIV—particularly HIV contracted from unprotected sex—isn’t a topic that has been covered very much (or at all) in YA thus far.
But here’s the thing: the book is not just about HIV. It’s about a character. A character who has a very full life. And I felt strongly that if I was going to write a story about this issue, I had to do my character justice—she couldn’t just be a walking statistic.
My main character, Lucy, is very involved in theater. So one of the main settings of the book is her high school drama club—and all that entails. A Diva with a capital D, a Broadway chorus boy turned director, and the gorgeous male lead who all the girls—and some of the boys—lust after. Lucy also has some amazing friends—from hopeless romantic Courtney to sassy, boy-crazy Max. And then Lucy meets Roxie—a girl who’s so damn upbeat all the time that you’d never guess how tough her life has really been.
Additionally, I tried to infuse even the most serious of scenes with bits of lightness and humor, to balance out the intensity of the moment and explore what a teenage girl might actually be thinking in these sorts of situations. One of my favorite moments in the book is when Lucy is in line, waiting for her HIV results. The woman in line ahead of her asks Lucy to watch her two little kids while she goes in to get her own results, and suddenly Lucy, who has never babysat before, finds herself having to rein in two very lively, curious young children while she’s waiting for what may be the biggest news of her life.
Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy Lucy’s story!
RT Book Reviews is calling MY LIFE AFTER NOW “a gem of a novel” told with “unflinching honesty and unfaltering compassion,” while Publishers Weekly is praising Verdi’s ability to tell Lucy’s story with “realism and hope.”
Informative and uplifting, MY LIFE AFTER NOW tells the intensely relatable story of Lucy, a sixteen-year-old who makes a mistake – and the consequences that follow. How will Lucy face her family? What will she tell her friends? Will anyone ever be able to love her again?
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March 21, 2013
Blog Tour: Priya Narendran Schoolgirl Cinderella Spotlight
Seventeen year old Briony Duke lives in a manor house with her guardian Mrs. Eyres and Eyres's daughter Lucy. Mrs. Eyres makes Briony sleep in the kitchen, cook, clean and do the laundry. One day Briony meets nineteen year old Tom Logan,the sixth richest man in the country. Tom is intelligent, articulate and incredibly attractive. The only problem is. Mrs. Eyres and Lucy have also set their sights on him
Author Bio:
My name is Priya Narendran and I
have been a fan of paranormal fiction and fairy tales for years. I
started writing when I was 7 years old and haven’t stopped writing
since. So far I have written mainly fairy tale themed stories but I hope
to branch out into paranormal romance and fantasy in the near future.
As well as writing I’m an avid film buff and my favourite films include
My Fair Lady, Amadeus, Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Shining. I tend
to write mainly fairy tale re-tellings mainly because I find it
fascinating to look at fairy tales through a modern lens. I hope you
enjoy reading these books as much as I have enjoyed writing them.
Connect with Priya!
GoodReads
March 18 – Chick Lit Plus – Review
March 18 – Reader Girls – Guest Post
March 19 – Free eBooks Daily – Guest Post
March 19 – eBook Addict – Q&A
March 20 – Samantha March – Q&A & Excerpt
March 21- eBook Addict – Review
March 21- Laura’s Review Bookshelf –
March 22- Ai Love Books – Review & Q&A
March 25 – Storm Goddess Book Reviews – Review & Guest Post
March 20, 2013
Teaser and Picture. LIGHT, Michael Grant
I WANT THIS BOOK NOW!!!!
March 17, 2013
Boston Author Event 3/16/13
I went to the Boston Author Event yesterday at the Omni Parker Hotel right on Tremont Street in Downtown Boston. I had such a wonderful time meeting all these amazing authors that have started out as self-published authors and have made it big. SC Stephens hit #1 on the NY Times Best Seller list with RECKLESS. I wish I had taken more pictures, I don't know what I was thinking!
I got a really big hug from Colleen Hoover who instantly recognized me (I was recognized by quite a few authors). It was simply amazing and I bought SLAMMED (for ME) and she signed it. Normally I don't have them personalized because I've done this rodeo before with BEA. I got to talk to Tina Reber for a little while and she does have a new book coming out but she didn't say when :(.
I got to meet J. Sterling (who wrote THE PERFECT GAME) and let me tell you, Mets shirt aside, she was awesome. I was able to talk to her for quite a while and she signed my bag! (Bloggers got a free bag from Denise Grover Swank, which included her book AFTERMATH and some really cool swag. Jenn was having a great time, and has a kick-ass tattoo on the back of her neck that I instantly fell in love with. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out!
From there I got to talk to Tarryn Fisher for a few minutes. She was exceptionally busy as everyone wanted to meet her. She is absolutely gorgeous. Simply stunning.
I stopped by to meet Kendall Grey who has become my BFF on Facebook, she understands me and knows that I'm not a terrible person at all. I was a bit nervous with this bunch of authors because well I managed to piss off one (she wasn't there), but still, word travels. I also got to talk to Jessica Park who brought her son and he is an adorable little boy. He looked bored, but he had his iTouch so I think it was all good for him. If you haven't read FLAT-OUT LOVE, well get on it. (It starts off in my hometown of Jamaica Plain, which is a section of Boston, MA.) She's got a novella coming out soon (no date I think) called FLAT-OUT MATT, which I want in my hot little hands like yesterday.
From there I met Kyla Linde (KA Linde). Who wrote the AVOIDING Series. She flat-ironed her hair and looked absolutely gorgeous! (I flat-ironed my hair and think I looked pretty cool too!) I didn't get to talk to her too much because there were people waiting to chat and get books signed (I only bought two books).
From there I got to meet the Goddess of Authors (In my mind), SC Stephens. I absolutely do not want any bad blood between us and hope that she knows this. My interview with the D-Bags in November remains my second-most popular blog post behind my review of Gayle Forman's WHERE SHE WENT. I admire Shannon beyond words and think she has an amazing career ahead of her. I wish that happened a few months ago, didn't happen. I think some people like to use certain things as leverage, and maybe that is what happened. I still have a great repoire with my contact at her publisher and they have been very amenable. So with this I say, Shannon, you rock!
Madeline Sheehan. Absolutely effing gorgeous. Her book UNDENIABLE was probably one of my favorites last year, and it has a new cover! We got to talk and I met her sister who is equally as gorgeous. Madeline has asked me to review another book of hers that is a trilogy: THE SOUL MATE. I will be getting to that soon. It's part of the HOLY TRINITY series. I cannot wait to DIVE in!
Georgia Cates. Another gorgeous southern belle. Her accent just won me over, but I think she appreciated my Boston accent just as much (although, I try hard to NOT sound like I'm from Boston.) She was a busy bee signing books and as soon as she saw me, she instantly knew who I was. I've adored Georgia since I first read GOING UNDER sometime last year and I saw that she was a Blue October fan. Since then we've become Blue October buds and I'll be holding a contest with her in the upcoming weeks.
I stopped by RL Mathewson's table and of course, she had NO clue who I was even though we chat on FB all the time and she likes my posts ALL THE TIME! Especially when they have to do with Lily. (Inside joke for RL. :)
I never got to stop by Katie Ashley's table, CJ Roberts, although her books THE DARK DUET, are AMAZING. Never saw Tara Sivec either. All those tables were so packed!
I wish I had taken a picture of the line of people waiting to get inside! It was beyond ridiculously crazy. I waited 90 minutes outside (yes, it was cold), but I met the most incredible people outside. We all have the love of reading and it was so nice to know that I'm not the only one who's obsessive about books! I need to give a shout out to Livia, Melissa, Heidi, Rachel, Dawn, Kristina, and Amy! Who made the wait in the cold bearable. Plus I got to have lunch with Heidi, Lori and Rachel. It was a great time. I understand that there were people who could not get inside, and I feel badly for them. It really was a magical time.
I wish I took more pictures. I don't know WHAT I was thinking! But here are two:
Tina Reber with Autumn (From Autumn Reviews)
Georgia Cates signing a poster she had (why didn't I grab one?)
I got a really big hug from Colleen Hoover who instantly recognized me (I was recognized by quite a few authors). It was simply amazing and I bought SLAMMED (for ME) and she signed it. Normally I don't have them personalized because I've done this rodeo before with BEA. I got to talk to Tina Reber for a little while and she does have a new book coming out but she didn't say when :(.
I got to meet J. Sterling (who wrote THE PERFECT GAME) and let me tell you, Mets shirt aside, she was awesome. I was able to talk to her for quite a while and she signed my bag! (Bloggers got a free bag from Denise Grover Swank, which included her book AFTERMATH and some really cool swag. Jenn was having a great time, and has a kick-ass tattoo on the back of her neck that I instantly fell in love with. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out!
From there I got to talk to Tarryn Fisher for a few minutes. She was exceptionally busy as everyone wanted to meet her. She is absolutely gorgeous. Simply stunning.
I stopped by to meet Kendall Grey who has become my BFF on Facebook, she understands me and knows that I'm not a terrible person at all. I was a bit nervous with this bunch of authors because well I managed to piss off one (she wasn't there), but still, word travels. I also got to talk to Jessica Park who brought her son and he is an adorable little boy. He looked bored, but he had his iTouch so I think it was all good for him. If you haven't read FLAT-OUT LOVE, well get on it. (It starts off in my hometown of Jamaica Plain, which is a section of Boston, MA.) She's got a novella coming out soon (no date I think) called FLAT-OUT MATT, which I want in my hot little hands like yesterday.
From there I met Kyla Linde (KA Linde). Who wrote the AVOIDING Series. She flat-ironed her hair and looked absolutely gorgeous! (I flat-ironed my hair and think I looked pretty cool too!) I didn't get to talk to her too much because there were people waiting to chat and get books signed (I only bought two books).
From there I got to meet the Goddess of Authors (In my mind), SC Stephens. I absolutely do not want any bad blood between us and hope that she knows this. My interview with the D-Bags in November remains my second-most popular blog post behind my review of Gayle Forman's WHERE SHE WENT. I admire Shannon beyond words and think she has an amazing career ahead of her. I wish that happened a few months ago, didn't happen. I think some people like to use certain things as leverage, and maybe that is what happened. I still have a great repoire with my contact at her publisher and they have been very amenable. So with this I say, Shannon, you rock!
Madeline Sheehan. Absolutely effing gorgeous. Her book UNDENIABLE was probably one of my favorites last year, and it has a new cover! We got to talk and I met her sister who is equally as gorgeous. Madeline has asked me to review another book of hers that is a trilogy: THE SOUL MATE. I will be getting to that soon. It's part of the HOLY TRINITY series. I cannot wait to DIVE in!
Georgia Cates. Another gorgeous southern belle. Her accent just won me over, but I think she appreciated my Boston accent just as much (although, I try hard to NOT sound like I'm from Boston.) She was a busy bee signing books and as soon as she saw me, she instantly knew who I was. I've adored Georgia since I first read GOING UNDER sometime last year and I saw that she was a Blue October fan. Since then we've become Blue October buds and I'll be holding a contest with her in the upcoming weeks.
I stopped by RL Mathewson's table and of course, she had NO clue who I was even though we chat on FB all the time and she likes my posts ALL THE TIME! Especially when they have to do with Lily. (Inside joke for RL. :)
I never got to stop by Katie Ashley's table, CJ Roberts, although her books THE DARK DUET, are AMAZING. Never saw Tara Sivec either. All those tables were so packed!
I wish I had taken a picture of the line of people waiting to get inside! It was beyond ridiculously crazy. I waited 90 minutes outside (yes, it was cold), but I met the most incredible people outside. We all have the love of reading and it was so nice to know that I'm not the only one who's obsessive about books! I need to give a shout out to Livia, Melissa, Heidi, Rachel, Dawn, Kristina, and Amy! Who made the wait in the cold bearable. Plus I got to have lunch with Heidi, Lori and Rachel. It was a great time. I understand that there were people who could not get inside, and I feel badly for them. It really was a magical time.
I wish I took more pictures. I don't know WHAT I was thinking! But here are two:
Tina Reber with Autumn (From Autumn Reviews)
Georgia Cates signing a poster she had (why didn't I grab one?)
March 13, 2013
Blog Tour for Connected by Kim Karr
This will be fun!
March 9, 2013
Book Review: Reckless, S.C. Stephens
Reading Level:Contemporary Romance/New Adult
Format:
Ebook (ARC)
Publisher:
Gallery (S&S) 3/5/13
Rating:
4
I've been holding on to reviewing this since I read it just before Christmas. I was so happy to get an early copy of this. Everyone loves Kellan Kyle and the D-Bags. In fact, I interviewed them back in November HERE.
RECKLESS pretty much starts right where EFFORTLESS left off. Kiera and Kellan vowed to each other during her graduation party and declared themselves husband and wife. But we should all know that being with Kellan is anything but a piece of cake. He's got a biological dad he's getting to know, his band is starting to really do well and they're recording an album. And he's got a mad-as-hell ex-roommate who is looking to milk him for some money. With a sex tape.
However, the sex tape is neither here nor there. It's quickly relegated to dead and we're off to California for recording time. Kiera absolutely refuses to leave Kellan's side this time, so she's touring as well. Anna decides to come along as well. Since she's pregnant with Griffin's child. (um, sidenote, who'da thunk?)
Of course nothing will go smoothly for this couple. With an oily manager and a less than nice publicist, they become embroiled in tabloid fodder for the ages. An aging popstar who wants to rekindle her fame, decides that Kellan is exactly what she needs to catapult her to the stratosphere. Unfortunately, Kellan isn't buying it.
Throughout the whole book, he always let people know that he was married. But that didn't matter to the record executives, they saw some gossip that would keep both groups in the spotlight. But at what cost is fame worth it? Kellan grew leaps and bounds in this book. Every time an opportunity appeared or what seemed to appeared for him to fall back into his manwhore ways, he managed to sidestep it. He's particularly unhappy when Sienna Sexton becomes a little too grab happy for him especially when they have to shoot a steamy love scene for a music video.
Kiera wants to be anonymous. She's happy being the wife who supports her husband by just being there for him. She's writing a memoir about her incident that took place in the first book. It's a carthartic, soul-cleansing thing for her. But with her staying out of the limelight, it's very easy to trick the public into a KELL-SEX frenzy.
The book did get a little draggy toward the middle. Some unnecessary scenes, but it's neither here nor their. I adored Anna in this book. She was absolutely adamant that she was having a girl. But when the ultrasound doesn't go her way, she must settle with having another little Griffin. The transformation for both of those characters, Griff and Anna, was amazing. I found myself wanting to read a story about their courtship or whatever you call it.
Back to Kiera and Kellan. With fans asking for more Kellan/Sienna pairings, the record company pulls them off their current tour and puts them on Sienna's comeback tour. I wish at times that Kiera was a bit stronger especially when it came to Nick and Sienna. She was always willing to take a ribbing from those two. But again, Kellan was the one who put his foot down time and time again.
When paparazzi catch Kiera and Kellan in a sentimental moment, she realizes that being in the background is no longer going to happen. But she's also not ready to be called a homewrecker, Kellan's mistress and every other bad thing in the book. Kiera finally decides that coming forward and being there in the open for her relationship is what needs to happen. She's tired of listening to people speculate that Kellan and Sienna are a couple.
Kellan's adoration of Kiera is absolute. We know that. She's finally learned to accept it. But it's not until she almost loses him in a coincidental accident, that she realizes that they are soul-mates. Finally marrying legally, they begin their life together. The backlash of the staged relationship with Sienna and Kellan doesn't affect the band as hard as it hits Sienna.
With an epilogue to make even the strongest of women weep, we see into what happens when Kiera becomes a published author, The D-Bags win a grammy, Denny and Abby get married. Everything is as it should be.
