Samantha Hastings's Blog, page 12

A YA Sweet Romance Giveaway!

Enter on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (go to all three for more chances to win!) Comment if you’re Team Jane (Austen) or Team Charlotte (Bronte) for a chance to win: -Signed copy of THE LAST WORD-DANGEROUS ALLIANCE by Jennieke Cohen (seriously THE most charming Regency romance)-Jane Austen socks-Tote bag-Bath bombs-Spoon earrings-Quill pen-Scrunchie
US only. Ends 6/19.
Stay tuned, because I will be doing giveaways all month until THE INVENTION OF SOPHIE CARTER comes out on July 14, 2020.

Lies, Love, and Breakfast at Tiffany's

Lies, Love, and Breakfast at Tiffany's by Julie Wright
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s a delightful romcom set in Hollywood. Silvia is an amazing film editor, but she’s overwhelmed because she’s doing her boss’s work too. By chance, she meets an old co-worker from another studio and he helps her with the finishing touches of her project. Sparks fly, but he’s dating someone else. Can Silvia find her own happy ending in Hollywood?

The Bone Thief by Breeana Shields

The Bone Thief by Breeana Shields
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everything I wanted it to be and more. I can’t recommend this duology enough!

Saskia is intent on revenge. She’s returned to Ivory Hall (a magic school) but with another version of hers memories. Including, a deep love for a boy who doesn’t love her in this reality. She and a team of friends are a part of the Bone Games. A dangerous competition that will require their wits, strength, and consciences. Leading to a heartfelt, satisfying conclusion without being schmaltzy.

Saskia’s growth as a character and her acceptance of her choices, bad and good, was one of my favorite parts. The romance was full of longing and the perfect amount of slow burn. The friendships were such a beautiful part of the story. You couldn’t help but love her Bone Games team. The fantasy-world was unique and well-developed. A must read!

View all my reviews

Far from Normal is exactly that!

Far from Normal by Becky Wallace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Squeals! More squeals! The most squeals! I utterly adored and entirely loved this book and I’m just starting on my overuse of adverbs.

Maddie is a normal girl from Normal, Illinois. She goes to Chicago for the summer to work as an intern at a PR company so that she can get a recommendation letter for college. Her summer starts with a crash thanks to her aunt’s dog and her slim bicycle skills. Luckily the accident results in an charmingly awkward meet cute with a handsome boy named Gabe. The sparks and soccer balls fly from there when she’s tasked by the PR firm to help improve his image. But someone is trying to sabotage her at work and she worries about getting her heart too involved with a client.

I honestly loved it so much that I went back and read my favorite parts, twice.

The voice is believable and relatable. The twists are fun, some expected and others you crash in to. The romance is sweet, but steam is coming off that Chinese food if you know what I mean (#wink). This is a book you’re going to want to buy so that you can reread it often. I can’t wait for my hardback to arrive in September.

View all my reviews

The Vinyl Underground and How Music Connects Us

Book Description: During the tumultuous year of 1968, four teens are drawn together: Ronnie Bingham, who is grieving his brother’s death in Vietnam; Milo, Ronnie’s bookish best friend; “Ramrod,” a star athlete who is secretly avoiding the draft; and Hana, the new girl, a half-Japanese badass rock-n-roller whose presence doesn’t sit well with their segregated high school.
The four outcasts find sanctuary in “The Vinyl Underground,” a record club where they spin music, joke, debate, and escape the stifling norms of their small southern town. But Ronnie’s eighteenth birthday is looming. Together, they hatch a plan to keep Ronnie from being drafted. But when a horrific act of racial-charged violence rocks the gang to their core, they decide it’s time for an epic act of rebellion.
Interview with author Rob Rufus.Samantha: There’s not a lot of YA books about the Vietnam War. What drew you to this era in history and to its music?Rob: My dad is a Vietnam Vet, so I have always been a little obsessed with the era.  The music. The literature.  All of it.  I believe it is disturbingly relevant to what young people are going through today, and it really sort of disturbs me that more people aren’t seeing the correlation.
Samantha: If your book was a song what music genre would it be?Rob: Rock-n-roll all the way!
Samantha: I love the unlikely friendships in The Vinyl Underground. How does music connect them (and us) to each other? Rob: Music is such a powerful connector because it often says what we are feeling but afraid to say.  That’s especially true for young people, who often have trouble expressing their emotions.  Also, it is open to interpretation, which I think allows people from different backgrounds to connect to the same piece of art.
Samantha: If you could put one character ‘on repeat’ who would you choose?Rob: Hana, for sure. Everyone needs a rock-n-roll badass in their life.
Samantha: Music plays such an important role in your story and in the resolution/conclusion. What is the connection between rock music and rebellion?Rob: Music has a magical way of stoking you up.  I think it echoes feelings of rebellion and amplifies them, encouraging the listener to raise their voices and fists even louder.  It lets listeners known they aren’t alone in their feelings, anger, etc.  That’s why I think it is the perfect catalyst for changing ideas and ideals, it can be turned up too loud to ignore.
Samantha: Now, for the most important question, which is your favorite song from the book?Rob: The most important song in the book to me is Eve of Destruction.  It captures how the characters (and country) are feeling at the time, and also captures the feelings in the country right now.  Especially during this pandemic. Give it a spin, it’ll trip you out.
The soundtrack for the book is on Spotify!Add The Vinyl Underground by Rob Rufus to your Goodreads TBR.

Goodreads Giveaway!

Read The Invention of Sophie Carter BEFORE it's published! Win one of 15 advanced reader's copies on Goodreads! Open until May 22, 2020.

The Last Word

Where one story ends, another begins.
1861. Miss Lucinda Leavitt is shocked when she learns the author of her favorite serialized novel has died before completing the story. Determined to learn how it ends, Lucinda reluctantly enlists the help of her father’s young business partner to track down the reclusive author’s final papers.
Mr. David Randall is overwhelmed by his workload. He's eager to prove to the world—and to himself—that he's capable of following in his late father's footsteps. He doesn’t have the time for this endeavor, but Lucinda is not the type to take no for an answer.
Their search for the elusive Mrs. Smith and the rightful ending to her novel leads Lucinda and David around the English countryside, but the truths they discover about themselves—and each other—are anything but fictional.
Goodreads  *  Amazon  *  IndieBound  *  Target  *  Barnes and Noble  *  Walmart  *  BooksaMillion  *  Book Depository  *  Get a Signed Copy from The King's English 
A Junior Library Guild selection.
"Witty, spirited, and utterly swoon-worthy. ... Filled with fierce feminism, impeccable period detail, and a charming romance that's sure to stay with readers long after the last word." ―Addie Thorley, author of An Affair of Poisons
"Hastings’ debut is a charming period piece with all the romance and scornful nods to high society any Austen fan will love. Lucinda moves beyond the cliché of being a young woman who chafes at the restrictions of a sexist world, as she’s elevated by her true passions―numbers and accounting. The Last Word is the perfect read for anyone who wants to spend a few hours in Victorian England in the company of a girl who understands that the entire country is being led by a Queen." ―Booklist
“Refreshing ... Lucinda, a young Victorian woman with a modern sensibility well ahead of her time, has plenty of pluck and determination. Hastings' breezy prose and crafty plotting will leave readers racing to uncover her own last installment.” ―BookPage
The Last Word Book Group Questions

A Royal Christmas Quandary

Readers looking for a light, fun read full of holiday mischief will be delighted by Samantha Hastings' A Royal Christmas Quandary, perfect for fans of A Christmas Prince.
When you spend Christmas in a castle, anything is possible.
1860. Lady Alexandrina Gailey is looking forward to a cozy holiday at Windsor Castle with her best friend, Princess Alice, and her long-time crush, Lord George Worthington. But Drina's plans are all but dashed when Alice's parents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, declare that Alice must choose one of two royal princes to become engaged to before Christmas.
There's just one problem: George, a junior member of the Foreign Office, has accidentally misplaced one of the princes.
Together, Drina and George scour the town of Windsor for the missing prince, desperately hoping to deliver him to the royal dinner party with the queen and king none the wiser. They might just need a royal Christmas miracle to pull it off.
Goodreads   *     Amazon    *     Barnes & Noble     *     Apple iBooks     *     Kobo     *     Google Books     *     eBooks.com 

The Invention of Sophie Carter is a Junior Library Guild Selection

I am tickled pink to announce that my second book, THE INVENTION OF SOPHIE CARTER, has been selected by the Junior Library Guild!

My book will be arriving at libraries and bookstores on July 14, 2020!

How to make a mug!

The first 50 people who enter their preorder receipts for THE INVENTION OF SOPHIE CARTER will receive a teapot necklace and a vinyl quote. What can you do with a vinyl quote? One thing I like to make are mugs! ☕️☕️☕️