Blog Tour - The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen + Giveaway!

Title: The Way to Game the Walk of Shame

Author: Jenn P. Nguyen

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Release Date: June 7, 2016

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

Taylor Simmons is screwed.

Things were hard enough when her single-minded dedication to her studies earned her the reputation of being an Ice Queen, but after getting drunk at a party and waking up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seems intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip.

Desperate to salvage her reputation, Taylor persuades Evan to pretend they’re in a serious romantic relationship. After all, it’s better to be the girl who tames the wild surfer than just another notch on his surfboard.

I’m a sucker for a book that does a trope I love really well. And I always get excited when I find a book featuring one of my favourite tropes. Jean P. Nguyen’s All the Feels was both of those things. And I loved it.

I’ve said this before but I’m a total sucker for stories that feature fake relationships that turn into real ones. There’s just something about seeing two people who didn’t think they belonged together realized that what they thought they were faking is actually something real. It totally gets to me every single time and I can’t get enough of those kinds of story. I just can’t ever picture myself ever getting tired of them. So needless to say that Jenn P. Nguyen’s The Way to Game the Walk of Shame sounded like it would totally be up my alley. And having now read it, I can say that I was absolutely right. The Way to Game the Walk of Shame was just a fun story that often had me smiling. But it also surprised me by going deeper than I thought it was going to go. It added another layer to the story and made it that much more interesting to read. But the best part of this story? Taylor and Evan.

Though it could have felt like I was reading a clichéd story about the good girl falling for the school’s bad boy, it wasn’t like that. There was just something about Evan and Taylor that made me forget about that cliché. And I think that’s because neither one of them was really who I initially thought they were. Despite what everyone thinks, Evan isn’t actually a bad boy and Taylor isn’t the Ice Queen her whole class believes her to be. They were just two people with a lot going on in their lives who were just happy to let people believe what they wanted. So it was really nice to see them embrace who they were and who they wanted to be as they spent more time with each other. And that’s just my very wordy and roundabout way of saying that I really liked Taylor and Evan and I loved peeling back the layers to their characters and getting to know them better over the course of this story.

Jenn P. Nguyen’s The Way to Game the Walk of Shame was the fun story I hoped it would be while also going beyond what I thought it would do. Sure, it was a fun story, but it also had it’s fair share of deeper moments that only made me love it more.

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Blog Tour - All the Feels by Danika Stone + Giveaway!

Title: All the Feels

Author: Danika Stone

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Release Date: June 7, 2016

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life…and her last tangible connection to her deceased father. Thus, when her favorite character, Captain Matt Spartan, is killed off at the end of the last movie, Liv Just. Can’t. Deal.

Tired of sitting in her room sobbing, Liv decides to launch an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. With the help of her best friend, Xander, actor and steampunk cosplayer extraordinaire, she creates #SpartanSurvived, a call that ignites the fandom. But as her online life succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, Liv is forced to balance that with the pressures of school, her (mostly nonexistent and entirely traumatic) romantic life, and her disapproving mother’s new boyfriend. A trip to DragonCon with Xander might be exactly what she needs to get away from it all…and figure out what (and who!) she really wants.

I knew from the moment I first heard about it that I wanted to read Danika Stone’s All the Feels. It’s a story all about fandoms and how important they can be in your life. Throw in a touch of romance and this was just my kind of story!

Thanks to Danika Stone’s All the Feels I now want to read all the books that involve fandom in some way. Seriously, I loved all the nods to being in a fandom that were throughout the story. So many times while I was reading I would find myself nodding at some of the things Liv said or did because I’ve totally been there before when it comes to some fandom things. Just not quite to the same extreme as Liv. But still. It was a lot of fun reading a story that I could more than relate to I mean, who has’t cried over the death of a favourite movie/tv/book character and wished they could somehow bring it back? Let’s be honest, we’ve totally all been there. And that’s what made All the Feels so great. It was like I was reading a story that could have been about me if I’d been more active in fandoms as a teenager. Oh also, All the Feels has convinced me that I need to go to a big comic con-type event at least once in my life. It’s something I feel like I need to experience.

Liv will be really relatable for anyone who has ever been part of any fandom. So really all of us book people. Whenever she was describing her online friends, or trying to explain how they were more real to her than people in her real life. I’ve totally been there. Hell, some of my best friends are people I wouldn’t have met if not for having been involved in different online communities. Beyond the fandom stuff, Liv was someone who was really easy to like and easy to root for. Or at least I thought so. And then there was Xander. At first, I was a little taken aback when I was told that Xander was always dressed in steampunk garb. But the more I read, the more charming that made him. I think it would have been almost impossible for me not to be charmed by Xander. So I was surprised it took so long for the romance between Liv and Xander to be played up. I mean, I could see it right from the beginning. Heck, you would have to be blind not to see it. But it took a while for the romance to take off and I wish there could have been more of it throughout the story. 

Danika Stone’s All the Feels is the perfect book for anyone who’s ever been involved in a fandom. You’ll find yourself nodding along to so much of the story because you’ve been there. And if you haven’t, you’ll laugh because it’s something you could see yourself doing it. Or at least, that’s how it was for me.

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Blog Tour - Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally + Giveaway!

Title: Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks #6)

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: July 7, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / B&N / Indigo

Practice Makes Perfect.

Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol.

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He’s as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he’s accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya’s lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse’s pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya’s playing back up to other people’s dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart—and go solo?

It should be no secret by now that any time Miranda Kenneally’s name appears on a book, I will read it. In the last few years, she’s become one of my favourite authors and I eagerly await each one of her new releases. It was no different with Jesse’s Girl and, no surprise there, I loved reading it.

Maya Henry has always been into music. In fact, she wants to make a career out of it. So when career mentoring day comes around, Maya says she wants to be a rock star. Everyone at school knows, the day is a bit of a joke and Maya never in a million years expected they would pair her up with an actual rock star. Well, country music star. It would all have the makings of a fantastic day if Maya were actually a Jesse Scott fan. But the more time she spends with Jesse, the more Maya realizes that the Jesse the world knows is not the same Jesse she’s getting to know. And the more she’s around him, the more Maya realizes that maybe she doesn’t need other people’s help to make her own dreams happen, that she’s capable of doing it all on her own.

In my books, Miranda Kenneally can do no wrong. Everyone of her books I read, I love and I will keep reading her stories as long as she keeps writing them. It’s as simple as that. So, yeah, I was totally excited about reading Jesse’s Girl. Though I was a little worried because Breathe, Annie, Breathe, Miranda Kenneally’s previous release, it pretty much my favourite out of all of her books and I was scared that whatever book would follow it just wouldn’t be as good. But I was worried for nothing. Miranda Kenneally just knows how to write a story that is both fun but also goes a little deeper than you might expect. And Jesse’s Girl was all of those things and it should go without saying that it absolutely did not disappoint me. I got sucked into the story right away. The music aspect of the story totally did it for me with this book. It was just so fun and I loved all the references to the 80s music Maya would make throughout the story. And like with any good Miranda Kenneally book, my favourite part was of course the romance. Jesse and Maya didn’t particularly like each other when the story started but it grew to be something more (obviously), and that’s one of my favourite tropes to read about it romance. So yes, the romance was exactly what I wanted when I read Jesse’s Girl.

I loved Maya Henry. And yes that last name should look familiar if you’ve read Miranda Kenneally’s other books, because she is Sam Henry’s little sister (more on that momentarily). Maya was interesting to read about. When you meet her one on one, she comes across as this super confident, comfortable in her own skin girl who knows exactly what she wants to do in life. But then you put her in front of a group of people and that all seems to melt away. It’s like she didn’t trust herself and her abilities anymore when she was in front of a crowd. So I loved seeing her growth over the course of the story, see her gain confidence and become more sure of herself when performing by herself. And that’s where Jesse comes in. Jesse was able to help Maya see herself in the way he saw her. And with Maya, Jesse was able to realize that he could still have fun while playing music, something he’d sort of forgotten about as his career got bigger and bigger. And they were just adorable together and they put a smile on my face. But as much as I loved Maya and Jesse, one of my favourite parts of Jesse’s Girl was how much I got to see Jordan and Sam. Every time they would make an appearance in the story, I would just get this goofy smile on my face, and five books later I still love them as much as I did when I first read Catching Jordan.

If you’re thinking that I loved Miranda Kenneally’s Jesse’s Girl, you totally guessed right. I got sucked into this story and didn’t want it to end. I loved getting to know new characters while also getting to reconnect with some familiar ones. Jesse’s Girl was the romance I was looking for and it absolutely delivered.

About Miranda Kenneally

Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead, she writes and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband. 

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Blog Tour - Blue Notes by Carrie Lofty + Giveaway

Today I have the pleasure of being part of the blog tour for Carrie Lofty's upcoming New Adult novel, Blue Notes. Keep reading to find out what I thought of the book and for your chance to win some pretty sweet prizes!

Title: Blue Notes

Author: Carrie Lofty

Publisher: Gallery Books

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Source: eARC for Blog Tour

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

For fans of Jamie McGuire and S.C. Stephens, a sizzling new adult novel featuring the tumultuous relationship between a young piano prodigy and a reluctant billionaire playboy--set against the vibrant backdrop of a New Orleans college campus.

After being bounced from foster family to foster family, Keeley, a talented pianist, is ready to start over as a junior at Tulane. But when she plays a small concert that attracts the attention of Jude, a brooding playboy and heir to an enormous fortune in the wake of his parents' tragic death, suddenly Keeley's life is thrown off balance once again.

Jude is the first person to confront her about the pain behind her music, and she struggles with whether or not to let him into her life or to keep protected herself from the hurt that relationships have caused her in the past. But Keeley's about to learn that the melancholy young billionaire who appears to have everything he wants can open her eyes to exactly what she needs...

Because it’s still so new, I’m never really sure what I’m going to get when I pick up a New Adult book and I’m always afraid when I pick one up that the story will be more about the sex than the plot. And as nervous as I may have been, the synopsis for Carrie Lofty’s Blue Notes really piqued my curiosity. And once I started reading, I didn’t take long for me to get sucked into the story and fall in love with the characters. 

For the last six years, Keeley Chambers has finally been able to be who she really wants to be. Even after all this time, it’s still not easy going. Now, though, Keeley is starting her junior year at Tulane University, improving her skills as a pianist and composer. If only she could get over her fear of playing in public, things would be great. When Jude Villars, a local playboy, overhears her playing in a rehearsal room, things start to change. Now, Keeley finds herself wanting to outdo herself, pushed out of her comfort zone by this man she barely knows. But Jude challenges Keeley in ways no one ever has before and as much as she wants to trust him, she’s afraid that letting him in all the way could also mean losing him forever. Could being with Jude be exactly what Keeley needs?

As I’ve already stated, New Adult books always make me a little nervous. I have a few authors whose books I’ve read and loved and generally trust, but whenever I encounter a new NA author and book, I never know what to expect. It’s happened a few times that the story ended up being more about sex than actual plot and I’ve been disappointed. But I really shouldn’t have worried about Carrie Lofty’s Blue Notes. I loved this story. Right from the start, I was completely pulled in. I wanted to find out more about Keeley and her past, as well as what the future could possibly hold for her, all things considered. And so I was sucked in. I couldn’t seem to turn the pages fast enough, and every time I told myself I would stop after just one more chapter, I would keep going. The next thing I knew, it was 3 AM and I was finished the book. But there was just something about this story. It was a lot darker and even deeper than I initially thought it would be and I loved that about Blue Notes. But, as they often do, what really made this story for me were the characters.

Right from the start of the story, I loved Keeley. Saying she had had a tough life would be a major understatement. But despite how bad things had been in the past, she was actually moving forward with her life, going after her dreams. And even though I only knew her very little, I still wanted what was best for her. And if I’m being honest, at first I didn’t think that was Jude Villars. Keeley and Jude’s wasn’t exactly healthy when it first started out. Keeley became borderline obsessed with Jude and in return it kinda felt like Jude was just toying with her. But then the more I found out about Jude, the more I started to think that maybe he needed Keeley just as much as she needed him. And that feeling just kept growing as I kept reading. By the end of the book, I was pretty much convinced that Jude was as good a guy as they come. And yeah, I was a little bit in love with him. 

Carrie Lofty’s Blue Notes took me by surprise. This was a story that I knew I would enjoy, but one I didn’t think I would end up loving as much as I did. If you’re looking for a good romance with some deep characters, than I would strongly recommend giving Blue Notes a try.

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