Blog Tour - Starling by Fiona Paul & Giveaway

Today I have the pleasure of being part of the blog post for Fiona Paul's Starling, hosted by Book Nerd Tours. This is the third and final book in her Venom series, and if you haven't already checked it out, you really should. And as part of today's blog tour, I have the pleasure of having Luca, one of the lovely boys from the story, here to answer a few questions. So without further ado, here is was Luca had to say.

What has it been like being away in France for your studies?

France! That seems so long ago when I think of everything that's happened in the past few weeks. It was…placid, you might say. I went to the university and quietly listened while lecturers and learned men spoke of courts and legalities. I spent most nights studying or writing letters to Cassandra. Returning to Venice, saving her from that wretched madman, it's helped me realize what's truly important. I don't crave excitement quite like Cassandra does, but I feel more alive, more passionate about everything, in her presence.

Did you come back to Venice only to protect Cassandra or were there other forces drawing you back to the city?

I was planning to return to Venice with the opes of setting a date for our wedding, but when I learned of my half-brother's depraved activities, I knew Cassandra might be in danger.

What has it been like reconnecting with Cassandra now that you are both older? Is she still the same Cass you knew before you went to France?

I have enjoyed reconnecting with Cassandra. I only wish it were under better circumstances. She is and she isn't the same girl, if that makes sense. The Cassandra I remember was this impulsive colt-like child. She was all arms and legs and thick wavy hair. Her handmaid was forever shrieking about her mussing her braids or getting her dresses dirty. Now Cassandra is more refined and elegant, but she still has that wild, impetuous streak in her where I never know exactly what she's going to do next.

Why do you think people are trying to hurt you and Cass? Does it have anything to do with the Order of the Eternal Rose and with why you were imprisoned?

It has everything to do with the Order of the Eternal Rose. I will not rest until I see the Order destroyed and its members punished. In the meantime, I will do whatever I must to keep Cassandra safe.

What do you think is going to happen now that you and Cass can't return to Venice? 

Cassandra and I must go in search of the Book of the Eternal Rose. Within its pages lies the evidence we need to destroy the Order. The books was in Florence at one time. Now we are unsure of its location, but we will find it if it is the last thing we do. 

Giveaway!

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About the Book:

The dark, seductive conclusion to the thrilling Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy!

In the final book in the trilogy, Cass and Luca are back in Venice trying to find the Book of the Eternal Rose to clear Luca's name and keep them both out of prison. But the hunters become the hunted when the Order of the Eternal Rose figures out their plan. Filled with twists and turns, danger and torrid romances, this novel brings the Secrets of the Eternal Rose novels to a thrilling, heart-pounding, sexy conclusion. 

Buy the Book:

    

About the Author:

Fiona Paul lives in the midwest but travels a lot since she can't breathe if she spends too much time away from the ocean. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a major in psychology and spent a year teaching English in Seoul, Korea while she was deciding what she wanted to be when she grew up. Answer: everything. In addition to being a teacher and writer, she's also worked as a sauté cook, sporting goods manager, veterinary assistant, and registered nurse. When she's not working, you can usually find her kayaking, reading, or helping turtles cross the road. Her future goals include diving with great white sharks and writing more books, not necessarily in that order. Venom is her first novel.

Connect with Fiona Paul:

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Belladonna by Fiona Paul

Title: Belladonna (Secrets of the Eternal Rose #2)

Author: Fiona Paul

Publisher: Philomel

Release Date: July 16, 2013

Source: From publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiancé, Luca. 

But Luca seems to have his own secrets. When he's arrested by soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass's life is once again thrown into chaos. She must save Luca, and that means finding the Book of the Eternal Rose--the only evidence that will prove he's innocent.

So begins her journey to Florence, a city haunted by whispers of vampirism, secret soirees and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal Rose. And home to Falco, who is working for the Order's eerily stunning leader, the Belladonna herself. 

Can Cass trust her heart to lead her to the truth this time?

Nothing is as it seems in this seductive thriller, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all.

Other than with a few exception, I do this thing with series where I'll read the first book and then promptly forget that there are more books to come. And that's why Fiona Paul's Belladonna had been sitting, unread, on my shelves for the last six months. After having now read it though, I remember why I love this story and these characters so much.

Cassandra is determined to forget Falco, the artist who ran to Florence and took part of her heart with her. After everything that's happened, Cass is ready to start the calm and stable life she had been promised when she was engaged to Luca. But things once again go off course when soldiers come to her aunt's palazzo in the middle of the night to take Luca away. Now it's up to Cass to do what it takes to save Luca before it's all too late. To do so, Cass must travel to Florence in the hopes of finding the Book of the Eternal Rose, the one thing that can help prove Luca's innocence. But in Florence, Cass can also find Falco, but after everything can she really trust him. And will her heart survive it all?

I said this back when I reviewed Venom, but I love the Renaissance. It's always been one of my favourite periods of history to study. So it's almost guaranteed that I'll read any story set in Renaissance Italy. And reading Belladonna, I was reminded of why I love those stories so much. The way Fiona Paul writes, it's almost as if the setting comes to life. As I'm reading, Renaissance Venice and Renaissance Florence take form and I was able to picture both cities as if I were right there. It allowed me to completely lose myself in the story, allowing me to enjoy it that much more. Beyond just the vivid setting, what kept drawing me back into the story was the intrigue and the mystery. This is the kind of story that constantly makes you question everything you know, and everything you're being told. Every step of the way, I felt like I just kept getting more and more confused. Until it was all laid out in front of me, and even then I still didn't trust what I was being told. I guess I'll just have to read the third book, Starling, to find out how it will all end.

Cass has always been a surprising character to me. She's not exactly what you have in mind when you think "Renaissance" and "teenage girl." Basically, Cass is the total opposite of what you would expect. She isn't afraid to do what it takes when it comes to the people she cares about, even when that means putting herself in harm's way. But still, I admired her bravery and her determination. What could use help sometime, is Cass's heart. After Venom, I would have said I was all for Cass being with Falco, but I'm not so sure about that anymore. But that's not to say that I'm completely sold on Luca either. Each boy definitely had his own merits, but it seemed like neither one of them was ever fully honest with Cass. It will be interesting to see how it will all play out in Starling. And hopefully, I'll finally get to see more of Luca. 

If you like intrigue and historical fiction, I strongly recommend you try reading Fiona Paul's Secrets of the Eternal Rose series. I loved reading Belladonna and I can't wait to see how the story will come to a close in Starling.

How (Not) to Find a Boyfriend by Allyson Valentine

Title: How (Not) to Find a Boyfriend

Author: Allyson Valentine

Publisher: Philomel

Release Date: June 13, 2013

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

A funny and smart romantic comedy about getting the guy…and finding yourself.

Sophomore Nora Fullbright is the most talented and popular new cheerleader on the Riverbend High cheer squad. never mind that she used to be queen of the nerds--a chess prodigy who answered every question first, aced every test and repelled friends at every turn--because this year, Nora is determined to fully transition from  social pupa to full blown butterfly, even if it means dumbing down her entire schedule. But when funny, sweet and very cute Adam moves to town and steals Nora's heart with his ultra-smarts and illegally cute dimple, Nora has a problem. How can she prove to her way into Adam's classes that involves her classmates, friends--and her older brother Phil's award-winning AP history paper. But soon, Nora can barely keep track of her trades, and struggles to stay in control of her image. 

In the end, the only thing that can save Nora is a chess tournament--that she has to compete in wearing her cheerleading uniform. Can she prove to everyone that she can be both a butterfly and a nerd?

Allyson Valentine has created a story so full of enamoring characters, pitch-perfect humor, and delightfully frustrating romance that it will leave you cheering. Great for fans of Stephanie Perkin's Anna and the French Kiss, Susanne Colasanti and Sarah Dessen.

Anyone who knows me, knows just how much I love anything contemporary. In fact, it's almost become a bit of a running joke with my friends. All that to say that I'll read, and most likely enjoy, just about any contemporary story. And that's just how I felt about Allyson Valentine's How (Not) to Find a Boyfriend.

Nora Fullbright is smart. Like the kind of smart that can recite facts about pretty much anything. But Nora also happens to be one of the most talented cheerleader on her high school's cheerleading squad. The question though, is how can Nora be both girls? She thought she could get away with hiding just how smart she was, but when Adam shows up in town, the game changes. Because if Nora wants to win Adam's heart, she's going to have to prove she's more than just a cheerleader.

When I first read the synopsis of How (Not) to Find a Boyfriend I thought it sounded like a fun story. After having read the book, I can say that that's exactly what I got. The story Allyson Valentine wrote in this book was exactly what I needed at the time I read it. The story grabbed my attention and it didn't take long before I was pulled into the story filled with cheers and chess strategy. I really enjoyed the way the story was presented, like the plot was a chess match and Nora had to calculate her every more. In a sense, it added a layer to the story. Not that this was a very deep story, but it was still nice to get more out of the story than I originally thought I would.

Here's the thing about Nora, I liked her well enough but the way she hid so much about herself bugged me. She was super smart but she wanted to be part of the popular crowd and she wanted to fit in with the rest of the cheerleaders. As much s there were moments where I could relate to Nora, it annoyed me a little that she had to dumb herself down for her friends to accept her. Until Adam shows up and complicated things. But at least she went for the boy who would appreciated her intelligence. Because, to be honest, Jake didn't do anything for me. Adam was made more interesting by the fact that he had something to offer beyond good looks and athletic ability. And he made it so Nora stopped hiding her intelligence.

Though I may not have been super impressed by the characters, I still really enjoyed How (Not) to Find a Boyfriend. Allyson Valentine wrote a fun story. If you're looking for a "pick-me-up," then I suggest giving this book a try.

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer & David Levithan

Title: Invisibility

Author: Andrea Cremer & David Levithan

Publisher: Philomel

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Stephen has been invisible for practically his whole life--because of a curse his grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen's mother before Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen's NYC apartment building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to figure out a way to break the curse. But things don't go as planned, especially when Stephen's grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how big of a sacrifice they're willing to make for Stephen to become visible--because the answer could mean the difference between life and death. At least for Elizabeth.

Invisibility is one of those books that I've been wanting to read for quite some time for a number of reasons. The premise was different from anything else I've read recently. Though I've had some issues with the stories, I love Andrea Cremer's writing. And I've been hearing for a long time how long how amazing a writer David Levithan is. So why shouldn't I read Invisibility? And in case you were wondering, it was as good as I hoped it would be.

His whole life, Stephen has been invisible. Not just to everyone around him, but also to himself. Stephen has to concentrate just to be able to hold a fork or open a door. It's not easy to go through life without anyone ever seeing you, but it's something that Stephen has had to live with. But then Elizabeth moves into the apartment next to his and all of a sudden someone can see him. And from the moment Stephen realizes that Elizabeth can see him, everything changes. Now Stephen has someone on his side, someone who has the potential to be able to do something to break Stephen's curse. But is all comes down to what sacrifices everyone is willing to make.

As I've already mentioned, there were many factors that contributed to my desire to read Invisibility. For starters, the premise was quite unlike what's currently out there in YA. And invisibility curse clearly suggests paranormal, but for 90% of the story, it reads almost like a contemporary. Which in turn made it so I just flew through the pages. For the most part, the action is concentrated in the last 50-75 pages or so. Before that action picks up, as a reader you get to see so many different relationships develop. And as much as I liked the action packed ending, I loved seeing those relationships develop and blossom. Those relationships were very much different from other relationships you see in books. For starters, there's the whole invisibility thing that kind of puts a wrench in things. But despite the fact that some of the involved parties couldn't actually see each other, the relationships still felt incredibly real and like the whole invisibility thing was a non-issue. But it did make some of the interactions between characters quite interesting.

Having one of the main characters be invisible to all but one of the other characters makes for quite the interesting situations. But having Stephen be invisible also makes you feel for him in a way that you won't necessarily for other characters. With Stephen, you not only feel the pain attached to the loss of his mother, but you also feel the lifetime of pain that comes from having been invisible to everyone who cares about you. Until Elizabeth come along that is. And Elizabeth was definitely a character with many layers. After what happened to her brother, Laurie, I can understand Elizabeth's attitude towards people, not willing to let herself trust anybody, for fear that they would hurt her or the people she cares about. But then when she's with Stephen, you get to see this whole other side of Elizabeth, like he brings out something in her that she keeps guarded around everyone else. So because of all that, the relationship between Stephen and Elizabeth is really interesting to see develop and grow. But I also have to mention Laurie, because he often put a smile on a my or made me snicker. And I also admired him. Because after everything that happened to him before his family moved to New York, to see him act the way he does and have the attitude he does, I just have to respect and admire him. Not a lot of people would be able to come back from what he did so I feel like it is worth mentioning. 

Andrea Cremer and David Levithan's Invisibility was just as good as I had hoped it would be. The story captured my attention from start to finish, and I loved the contemporary feel that was attached to this story despite the paranormal elements. If you want a cross between contemporary and paranormal, I would definitely recommend Invisibility because it has just the right mix of the two genres.