After Reading: IMMORTAL CITY by Scott Speer

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest Angel in a city that revolves around idolizing Immortals like him. He grew up in the spotlight, and in less than a week he'll become the youngest full-fledged Guardian ever. People around the world are lining up to pay for him to keep them safe. His lifelong dream of becoming a hero is finally within his grasp - and he can't afford to let the parties, paparazzi, or red carpets distract him.

But Jackson's high-profile life takes an unexpected turn when he meets seventeen-year-old Maddy. She's smart and down-to-earth, and sees Jackson for who he is and not for his celebrity. They forge an instant - and electric - connection. Their vastly different backgrounds seem like the only obstacle in their path to being together... until something much more dangerous threatens to destroy their chance at love.

Because not everyone worships the Angels: a bitter killer is murdering the Guardians one by one. And it's up Maddy to save Jackson - he's next in the killer's sights.

Set in a reimagined Los Angeles that sparkles with glamour and celebrity worship, Scott Speer's Immortal City is charged with passion and haunted by themes of power and idolatry. (Goodreads)

I am seriously behind on book reviews!! So, for this lovely Friday, I thought I'd share a little of what I've been reading :)
So, I enjoyed Immortal City. It wasn't terribly different from other things I've read (the same girl-meets-supernatural-boy-and-events-ensue plot), but I did enjoy the rather different take on celebrity worship the book kind of pokes fun at. As someone who views our culture's obsession with celebrities with a lot of disgust, it's nice to see something new. Just in general, the book itself wasn't terribly good, or bad, just a middle of the road book with angels (and, yes, I do enjoy a good angel book, I'll admit it). Not much to write about, really. It was an interesting read, and if I can find copies of the next books in the series I might pick them up.
And now, the thing that kind of frosted my cookies: reading the author bio. Speer managed to get an agent without even a draft of this novel. Look, this is not a personal attack, but sometimes it really frustrates me to come across authors with books that, while not selling great, still have agents and a big publisher, from someone who got said agent and publisher just because they were personally connected. I know every author has their own path, but I've polished and worked and queried (and banged my head against the wall) for ages. Don't get me wrong, I am very proud of the books I've release and the publishing houses that I've worked with, but it's not like someone's given me national bookstore distribution or even an advance because I had an idea for a book (not even a draft!!!!) and knew the "right" people. Ugh. Sorry for the rant, but the bio clearly made me a little frustrated. And made me wish I knew these right people to manage to get an agent/big contract/etc. :)