Blog Tour: Shark Bait (Grab Your Pole #1) - Guest Post

Shark Bait (Grab Your Pole #1) by Jenn Cooksey
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 15, 2012
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Previously homeschooled Camie Ramsey is being shoved into the shark-infested waters of public high school, where even helium filled, penguin bespeckled arm floaties likely won’t help keep her inexperienced, fifteen-year old head above water in that rip current of hormones and emotions.

Camie’s worldly wisdom might be severely lacking (i.e., the closest she’s come to being kissed was sitting too close to the TV whilst Jake Ryan leaned in to give Samantha that fateful 16th birthday kiss), but she does understand her only hope for survival is if she’s thrown some kind of “social” life preserver before she sinks like a freaking rock. 

However, what will her fate be when she endeavors to flag down the only lifeguard on duty, the enormously popular and ridiculously beautiful Tristan Daniels? The most sought after and virtually most unattainable guy in school who not only makes Camie’s heart flatline on a recurring basis, he’s also the one guy who seemingly doesn’t know she exists.

Feeling like an inept piece of chum that could ultimately be swallowed by Jaws, can Camie get Tristan to rescue her from floundering in the treacherous deep, or is she destined to be Shark Bait?

♥ ♥ ♥



Pete

“Because you’re eventually gonna wake up and it’s gonna be tough for him to trust you again as it is, I’m gonna do you this one favor…I’m not gonna tell Tristan you let his girlfriend go off with some guy none of you even know, but if I were you, I’d start praying right fucking now while you’re down there to every fucking God who’ll listen that nothing happens to her and that she makes it home tonight without a single hair out of place, because if something happens, you and I both know, no witness protection program, no amount of running or hiding will stop him or Jillian from hunting you down and when, not if, when they find you, nothing on this earth will keep you even remotely safe.” ~ Shark Out of Water, Chapter 6 – Subchapter; Let’s get ready to RUUMMMMBLLLE!

Review: Oxford Shadows (The Oxford Trilogy #2)

Oxford Shadows (The Oxford Trilogy #2) by Marion Croslydon
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Romance, Paranormal
Release Date: May 6, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

When death is a new beginning and love an old curse.

Still recovering from her last tango with the afterlife, Louisiana-born Madison LeBon struggles not only with her life as an Oxford postgrad but also with her budding love for Rupert Vance, aristocrat extraordinaire. One thing is certain, though: she won’t run away from her powers anymore. From now on she’ll face the music …

… literally!

When a sixteenth-century ghost makes an appearance during a classical concert Madison attends and threatens her boyfriend’s family, she sets out to explore the dark mysteries of the Tudors, even if that means confronting their most royal and homicidal character.

Her plans take an unexpected turn when her voodoo heritage catches up with her. With horror, she understands what her fate was always meant to be.

The question now is: Can Rupert be part of it?

♥ ♥ ♥

Gah!

Madison and I are not friends anymore! I cannot believe her!

*huffs*

Okay, before we get into my love hate relationship with Madison, let me tell you how awesome Oxford Shadows was. I definitely enjoyed it more than Oxford Whispers, which was really good. Croslydon does an amazing job of diving into Madison’s abilities in this book. We meet several new characters that really rounded out what Madison’s life is like and what her abilities are all about.

I felt pretty bad for Ollie who is still mourning the death of their friend even though she tried to off Madison in the last book while she was possessed. I, of course, as always love Rupert. I teeter between wanting to swoon at his feet and slapping him upside the head for wanting to shelter Madison instead of making her his partner and handling things together, but that’s just typical male behavior.

Review: Date Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #3)

Date Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #3) by Jillian Dodd
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 9, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

I’m not scripting my life anymore.
I’m living it.
I’m done with the God of all Hotties.
I’m going to give my heart to the boy who I think deserves it.
The boy whose kisses are hotter than molten lava.
The boy who offered me the key to his heart.
The boy who asked me to Homecoming in a big, sexy way.

There are so many things to look forward to.
Parties at the Cave. Homecoming festivities. Drama Tryouts. Shopping trips to NY.
But things aren’t always as perfect as they seem.
I find out that my best friend has been keeping a secret from me.
Not that I can blame him.
I have secrets too.
But, for now, I’m going to pretend I’m just a normal girl.
I’m going to pretend he’s not still out there.
I’m going to pretend he’s not getting desperate.
I’m going to pretend I’ll never see him again.
But, I will.
And this time, I might not get away.

♥ ♥ ♥

I think Date Me might actually be my favorite novel so far out of all three Keatyn Chronicle books. The ending literally blew me away and made me super gleeful, but since I don't make a habit of ruining the ends of books for people, my lips are sealed.

But it's good. So very good.

Let me back track a bit to the beginning of the story, which picks up immediately where the last book left off. That is one thing I really enjoy about this series. There aren't any huge gaps that have to filled, we get to see what's going on when it happens.

Date Me is filled with parrying, creative sex, and drama. I think sometimes I forget how full of drama things were when I was in high school, which is why some of the things Keatym freaks out about makes me roll my eyes. I complained in the last book that I felt Keatyn was acting a little smutty and while she has her moments in this book too I think as a character she really grew.

Review: Kiss Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #2)

Kiss Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #2) by Jillian Dodd
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 28, 2012
Buy Links:

Amazon

*This book was given to me by AToMR in exchange for an honest review.

Book Description:

I've always written scripts for my perfect life. 
But no way could I have ever scripted this. 
My life is so far from perfect, it’s not even funny. 
All because of a stalker.

I’m at a boarding school where I have to lie about who I am. I can’t see my family. 
I’m tutoring a Hottie God that tortures me with his smile. 
The most popular girl already hates me. 
But there’s this boy. 
This hot, sweet, sexy boy. 
So I’m going to stop trying to script my life and just live it. 
Because who knows how long I have left.

♥ ♥ ♥

This is going to sound horrible I know, but it needs to be said. Keatyn is a slut. Okay, okay maybe that’s a little harsh how about we go with she’s acting slutty. I mean really who kisses three different guys in one night? She just left town after her relationship with Cush and then Brooklyn went bad and all of a sudden she’s in love?

No, I don’t think so. This girl falls in love more than any teenager I’ve ever met. I remember what it was like to be sixteen and sure I had crushes, but I didn’t go around making out with three different guys in a night and claiming to be in love with every new hot guy I met. If my best friend is reading this she’s probably rolling her eyes because she knows how boy crazy I was, but still. 

Review: Finding Mia

Finding Mia by Rachel K. Burke
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Coming of Age
Release Date: January 8, 2012
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Intelligent and fiercely independent, sixteen-year-old Mia Marchette has never had a childhood. After her father’s disappearance when she was six, she has alone borne the burden of her mother’s bipolar disorder.

When her mother is institutionalized after a failed suicide attempt, Mia is abruptly forced to live with the estranged father she has not known for ten years. She is shocked to discover that he has created a new, picture-perfect life for himself, and is now living with a stepmother and a half-sister Mia never knew she had. Together, Mia and her new family must face the bitterness, mistakes, and long-hidden secrets that threaten to destroy their precarious happiness.

Finding Mia follows Mia's journey as she searches to find the unanswered questions from her past, leading to her own self-discovery.

Ultimately, this is a story of confronting pain and finding freedom, of letting go and learning to search for love in unexpected places.

♥ ♥ ♥

“What I’ve learned is that any obstacle we are given is a gift, to allow us the chance to grow stronger and to shape the people we are today, as we are nothing without our experiences, and our experiences are nothing if we don’t learn from them.” - Mia Marchette, Finding Mia.

This book was ridiculously amazing! No, this is not an exaggeration or a joke. I can honestly say that I’ve only ever been this effected by a book once or twice, but Finding Mia was heart wrenching, beautiful, and filled with the kind of hopeful tomorrow you want to see after the sadness of the beginning.

Review: Stalk Me

Stalk me. (The Keatyn Chronicles #1) by Jillian Dodd
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 1, 2012
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Keatyn has everything she ever dreamed of. Her life is following the script she wrote for the perfect high school experience. She’s popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most coveted lunch table.

She’s just not sure she wants it anymore.

Because really, things aren’t all that perfect.
Her best friend is threatening to tell everyone her perfect relationship is a scam.
Her perfect boyfriend gets drunk at every party they go to.
It’s exhausting always trying to look and act perfect.
And deep down, she isn’t sure if she has any true friends.

To add to the drama, her movie star mom’s long-time fan has turned stalker. An older man is flirting with her and telling her they should make a movie together. And she’s crushing on an adorable surfer. Dating a guy like him would mean committing social suicide.

So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life will come together in perfect harmony.

But little does she know, there’s someone who will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen.

♥ ♥ ♥

I have been marinating over this review for hours and even after all that time the only thing I can say is I’m totally Team Cush! I love Cush to death he might have actually been my favorite character in this book possibly even more than Keatyn. I think I’m having trouble because I really enjoyed the style of writing in this book and I really liked the characters, except for Brooklyn, but at the same time there were several things that I didn’t like.

The premise of the story is great and Jillian Dodd writes a fast paces and exciting novel. Her characters are very relatable, funny, and snarky, which of course I love. I love the dynamic between Keatyn and her family. Her Mom and Tommy are great and the fact that there are a gaggle of kids in her house is adorable.

Review: Once Upon A Second Chance

Once Upon A Second Chance by Marian Vere
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 6th 2012
Blog Tour: AToMR
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

What happens to your Happily-Ever-After when your Fairy Godmother doesn't show up for work?

Julia Basham’s life was perfect. She was finally done with school, about to start an internship with a prestigious financial company which would lead to a great job and, best of all, she’d just become engaged to her very own Prince Charming, Nicholas Kerkley. Unfortunately, while Nick was warm, intelligent, and completely devoted to Julia, he was also a college dropout, with no job to speak of, and almost completely broke.

While none of his shortcomings were a problem for Julia, they were a big problem for her older sister Lisa, who told her that a guy like Nick wasn’t proper marriage material for a girl on the fast track to success, Julia began to reconsider the relationship. Although she didn’t wholeheartedly agree with Lisa, after some thought Julia decided that she would take her sister’s advice and end her engagement with Nick, convincing herself that it was the right thing to do. Only after breaking Nick’s heart, and her own in the process, did Julia realize what a horrible mistake it was.

As the story opens nearly a decade later, Julia is the quiet shadow of the woman everyone thought she’d be, who’s once fulfilling life has fallen into a stale and safe existence. Her shell of a world is thrown into upheaval when she finds out that the financial planning team she works for has taken on a new client; a now successful and very rich Nick Kerkley. Stuck in a horribly awkward situation, Julia makes a decision–take charge, step up, and find her own happy ending. However, she quickly realizes that fairy tales aren’t as strait forward as we’ve been brought up to believe. Sometimes, to get to happily ever after, you have to stop waiting for fate, strap on a pair of wings, and be your own fairy godmother.

Once Upon A Second Chance, is a modern yet whimsical take on Austen’s classic love story, Persuasion.

♥ ♥ ♥

I loved this book. Yes, I know you hear that from me more often than not, but a lot of times I see a book cover I like or a read a description that sounds interesting and I go into reading a book with little or no expectations. So when I find one that I honestly enjoy to the point of not being able to put it down, I get ridiculously excited because I didn’t expect it to be that good in the first place, so it’s like a treat.

Once Upon a Second Chance by Marian Vere is that book. I thought it would be something cute to get me out of all the paranormal stuff I’ve been reading lately, but I wound up relating to it a lot more than I ever thought I would. Julia Basham’s life was perfect. She was done with school, about to start a prestigious internship, which would lead to a great job, and she was engaged to the man of her dreams, Nick Kerkley.

But when her sister Lisa finds out the two are engaged she quickly talks Julia out of getting married and in with conflicting feelings and a need to follow her sisters advice she winds up breaking off her engagement with Nick, shattering his heart in the process. The story opens up eight years later and we see through flashbacks that Julia is only a shell of the woman she used to be.