Review: Meant to Be

MEANT TO BE
Lauren Morrill
Contemporary Young Adult
304 pages
Delacorte BFYR
Available November 13th
Received from publisher via NetGalley for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

MY THOUGHTS
Meant to Be is a story we pick up knowing exactly how things are going to play out between the characters in the end, but it is that very predictability that draws us to it in the first place. Julia’s story is safe; one with a familiar plot arc we know is going to increase the number of laugh lines around our eyes and cause our cheeks to start twitching thanks to the permanent grin splitting them for the duration of our reading experience. It’s the perfect comfort read, with humor ever-present as a result of Julia’s various ineptitudes and Jason’s outrageous attention-garnering behavior, and while we can’t help but sit back and shake our heads at Julia’s obliviousness to the nature of Jason’s outlandish antics, we’re also able to understand that our view from the outside looking in is unimpeded by the confusion and warring emotions clouding Julia’s vision.

Julia is an adorable klutz of a heroine, her social butterfly’s wings so underused they’ve begun to atrophy, leaving her often clueless and floundering when she’s forced to interact with those around her. Her romantic idealism is endearing, the concept of a “meant to be” and her unwavering belief in a perfect relationship consisting of only love and laughter perhaps a bit naïve, however, it’s easy to get swept up in her search for a dream when it’s so glaringly apparent how desperately she wants to turn the ethereal and intangible into something she can physically wrap her arms around. Sometimes the death grip she maintains on her notion of perfection can wear on us a bit, particularly when we she remains stubbornly blind to what Jason is practically screaming at her with his body language, and she allows herself to be highly susceptible to suggestion–often believing things without much prompting and suddenly finding herself jumping to the wrong conclusions. Despite her flaws though, she’s charming and lovable, and by the end we want nothing more than for her to find that elusive happiness.

Jason is a character who based on the synopsis we think might easily get on our nerves, his over-the-top behavior something that has the potential to test our patience after only a short time, but because it’s so obvious to us what he’s trying to accomplish with Julia, we instead find ourselves encouraging his each and every move. Because Julia’s nose is almost permanently stuck in one of her many guide books to the wonders of London, we more than understand why Jason feels the need to up the ante whenever he’s dealing with her. His desire for her to actually see him rather than simply notice him is something we can practically reach out and touch, and the weight of his disappointment when she misinterprets the situation or disregards him in general is crushing, our stomachs plummeting every time he shuts down before gearing back up to try and break through her fairy tale fog in the hopes that, this time, her heart will see what her eyes so clearly do not.

Overall, Meant to Be is a joy to read, a light story full of humor and misunderstandings that leaves us with a broad smile just as we knew it would when we first cracked the spine.

Rating: 4/5

Author Interview: Jennifer Armentrout

I'm beyond thrilled today to welcome author Jennifer Armentrout back to the blog to answer some questions about the latest novel in her Covenant series, Deity. I'm a huge fan of these books, and also more than slightly in love with Aiden, so if you haven't had a chance to pick them up yet, I hope they make their way to the top of your list soon! For me this series just keeps getting better, and Deity had me riveted from action-packed beginning to action-packed end (read my review for both Pure and Deity HERE), so be prepared to set aside a solid block of reading time if and when you pick this one up.

Let’s say Alex, Aiden and Seth are accompanying you to a book signing for Deity. What introductory question might Alex ask each boy so the audience could get to know them better?
 
I’m not sure any question Alex would pick would serve any true purpose other than to amuse her. She would probably ask Seth why he thought he was so awesome and ask Aiden why is he so fascinated with James Bond.

If you had to pick a single scene from any of the books to write from Aiden’s point of view just to get in his head, which would you choose and why?

There’s a certain scene in Deity I’d love to do in his POV. Well, two scenes. One involves Linard and, well, there is another one. 

If you were at the Covenant and had to undergo all the training that Alex and company do to learn to fight and kill Daimons, in what area do you think you’d excel (hand to hand, particular weapon specialty, strategy etc.)?

I would love to say something with knives and daggers, because that sounds super cool, but I know I would suck at that. You should see me playing darts. RUN! I think I would be good at grappling.

Neither Seth nor Alex love the bond between them that allows them to occasionally pick up on the emotional state of the other, but what might each of them say is one positive thing about their connection?

They both would agree it lets each of the know when the other is in trouble—typically. Sometimes distance lessens the bond, but it helps them know if something is going down.

You can bring in one villain from another book for Alex and Aiden to test their mettle against. Who do you think they’d enjoy facing the most, and who would best give the two of them a run for their money?

I would bring in a truck load of demons from any book that had demons running amuck in them. I think both Alex and Aiden would need a lot to test their skills. Outside the demons, I think Alex would enjoy fighting dementors from Harry Potter (did I spell that right???) and Aiden would like to square off against a dragon. He’s got a thing for fire.

What’s your single favorite element of the world you created in the Covenant series?

The society. It’s something that a lot of readers dislike, but they’re supposed to dislike the society. I based it on ancient Greek civilization during the time they worshipped gods. It was a really stratified society that wasn’t fair. It creates the perfect backdrop for the story.

Deity concludes on a rather epic cliffhanger. What book has the most intense cliffhanger you’ve ever read and how long was the wait until the next installment?

Oh gosh, I’m trying to think here. I usually hate cliffhangers… when I’m not writing them. Ha! I can’t think of one, but it always feels like a thousand years before the next one comes out.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions Jennifer! More information on Jennifer and her books can be found here:

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Buy Deity on Amazon

DEITY 

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden.

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

Review: Lord's Fall

LORD'S FALL
Novels of the Elder Races #5
Thea Harrison
Adult Paranormal Romance
304 pages
Berkley
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

*Books 1-4 in the Elder Races series can all be read as stand alone paranormal romances, but it should be noted that this 5th book is a direct sequel to book 1, Dragon Bound. Readers can read Dragon Bound and skip directly to Lord's Fall without missing out on too much, but I highly recommend trying the entire series.

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
In the latest Novel of the Elder Races, two mates find themselves on different paths, torn between their duty to the Wyr and the passion that binds them…  

Before she met Dragos, half-human/half-Wyr Pia Giovanni was alone and on the run. Now she’s mated, pregnant and heading south to repair the Wyrs’ frayed relationship with the Elves. Being separated from Dragos is painful, but for the good of the Wyr demesne they need to figure out how to be partners—in more places than just the bedroom. 

In New York to preside over the Sentinel Games, Dragos is worried about his mate, but knows that finding two replacement sentinels is essential to show the rest of the Elder Races just how strong and brutal the Wyr demesne can be. But as the Games heat up, Pia’s negotiations with the Elves take a turn for the dangerous, straining her bond with Dragos and threatening everything they hold dear…

MY THOUGHTS
Lord’s Fall returns us to the life and love of the couple that kicked off the Novels of the Elder Races in such spectacular fashion, delighting us with extra time spent alongside Dragos and Pia as they settle into true partnership after their quick and combustible mating in Dragon Bound. Though some of the tension that accompanies the courtship dance between two characters who are taking the first tentative steps toward a relationship is missing given our hero and heroine are an established couple, there’s something equally intriguing about reading as emotional intimacy is deepened, and the complexities of making a relationship actually work are brought to the forefront.

The first half of this story is a bit slower in nature as Dragos and Pia must physically separate to deal with two of the many varied problems the Wyr demesne faces, but though we spend the entirety of those first 150 pages wishing for them to be reunited in more than just the dreams Dragos casts for them, we can see how necessary the separation is to help build the foundation for their partnership. The force of Dragos’s immense alpha personality as well as the Power he radiates are things that could easily consume Pia whole, and if she doesn't stand and fight for her place by his side rather than in his shadow, he could simply (though not intentionally or maliciously) overwhelm her and drastically skew their relationship in his favor.

Once the two are reunited the story picks up in speed, and we’re not only granted the time with our leading couple we’ve been craving since the beginning, but we’re also treated to all the secondary characters who go where Dragos goes, charming us with their antics, fascinating us with their distinct personalities, and making us fall a little more in love with them as we desperately await their books. Graydon, Quentin, and Aryal all hold particular interest, as does new character Alex (a Pegasus!), with Ms. Harrison allowing us to see just a few of the facets these gems of characters possess, successfully baiting us until we can’t bear the thought of having to wait until we get to know them as well as we’ve gotten to know Dragos and Pia.

Overall, while this is not the strongest addition to this outstanding series, it’s still highly enjoyable, and it’s my sincere hope that we might continue to get snippets from Dragos and Pia even as his sentinels step into the spotlight moving forward.

Rating: 4/5

Swell Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

Today kicks off the second week of the promotional blog tour for Swell, a contemporary young adult novel by Julie Rieman Duck. Julie is joining me on the blog today to talk a little bit about what life was like for her as a teenager, and how those experiences influenced her writing. Welcome to Supernatural Snark Julie!

People ask me where I come up with the ideas for my books. The first place I look – and have always looked – is my heart. See, in there you will find the secrets of my past when I was a young adult.

It was a magical time, because I had autonomy and was allowed to decide things for myself to some extent. While my parents weren’t strict with me (in fact, I was never grounded, restricted, or held back in any way and I know you’re jealous), I did have a few rules, like come home by midnight.

Looking back, I think that was about it, which would have been enough if I hadn’t had my heart shattered like ice crystal glass by the guy Christian Rusch is based on.

There is something about heartbreak and rebellion with teenage girls. We are so full of hope for the perfect love, the perfect look, the acceptance of our peers and ability to be grown-up. When these things are shot to hell by that cute guy who flirts with you, gets whatever he wants from you, and then leaves you, you can bet it matches the worst case of PMS devastation known to mankind. I think girls go nuts. We either cover our hearts with a shield and hide from the world, or we do what I did – pretend we were tough and covered our fears with something. In my case, it was alcohol.

Oh, I drank when I could. Pimping beer wasn’t always easy, but looking back it gave me great and truthful insight into what Beck does in SWELL. I wanted to hide so bad from my pain, and I am sorry to say I used alcohol to do it. Not everyone went my route, though. A girlfriend who went through something similar decided to sleep with every guy she met, which is on par with drinking as being dangerous for a young girl’s health. In any case, turning to something destructive usually results in destruction of the individual.

What were the consequences of drinking to hide my teenage heartbreak? Bad grades, bad decisions (like being all alone on the beach in the middle of the night, drunk and being followed by a strange man), and a loss of self. Who was I? Doing what I did certainly wasn’t the way to find out. But because I had a solid foundation before I messed up, I found my way out of the darkness eventually and went to college (and toward good grades, Dean’s List, decent boyfriend, et cetera).

The meaning of all this prattling (and I do love the word prattle) is that if you are young and life deals you a majorly big lemon, you might not have lemonade right away. Just stick a few of the seeds in the ground and sooner or later they’ll grow for you. One of them might even produce a book!

Thanks so much for stopping by Julie! More information on Julie and Swell can be found here:

Website
Blog
Goodreads
Amazon Buy Link

SWELL

 

When Christian Rusch plucks Beck Ionesco from the freshman ranks for himself, she’s tempted with parties, popularity, and love. But as the free-flowing booze that soaks his world seeps into her own, Beck begins using liquid courage as a way to ignore Christian’s dark moods… and cover her anxiety about his flirtatious friend Hillman.

However, when Christian breaks up with Beck, and Hillman makes a dangerous move, no amount of alcohol can stop the pain or keep her out of trouble. And just when it seems like she’s lost everything, Beck is partnered with Jesse Leary for an art project. After spending time with him, Beck realizes it’s more than a study date… and Christian’s not happy about it. Then again, Beck’s not sure she’s happy with him, either.

But only after plowing through a bottle of wine, a wild fight, and one guardrail that becomes Christian’s last call, does Beck admit to her problem and ask for help from the one whose life secretly parallels her own.

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to CBB Book Promotions, I have a very cool giveaway to share with you today, see all the details below, and don't forget to check out the full blog tour schedule HERE so you can check out all the fun upcoming reviews, interviews, and guest posts still to come. Good luck everyone!

This is a tour wide giveaway and ends 12/18/12.
 One person will win:
 (Open to US only)

- Paperback of Swell by Julie Rieman Duck
- Paperback of A Place in This Life by Julie Rieman Duck

 One other winner will win:
 (Open Worldwide)

- 1 ebook of Swell by Julie Rieman Duck
- 1 ebook of A Place in This Life by Julie Rieman Duck
- 1 ebook of The Joy and Torture of Joshua James
- 1 ebook of Earrings of Ixtumea by Kim Baccellia
- 1 ebook of Cornerstone by Misty Provencher
- 1 ebook (kindle) of There Comes a Prophet by David Litwack

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Home Run Blog Tour: Review of Stealing Parker

STEALING PARKER
(Catching Jordan #2)
Miranda Kenneally
Contemporary Young Adult
256 pages
Sourcebooks Fire
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

MY THOUGHTS
Ms. Kenneally initially impressed with Catching Jordan, showing a unique proficiency for wrapping up an emotional story in a deceptively simple package, and she continues to illustrate that gift in Stealing Parker. What could have been a cute and fun coming-of-age story with an adorable (and at times naïve) teenage heroine turns into a captivating tale that touches on a wide variety of issues to wring from us every drop of varied emotion we possess. While not entirely religious in nature, there is a stronger undercurrent of faith and God than was seen in Catching Jordan, but Ms. Kenneally manages to feature Parker’s struggles with her Christianity somewhat prominently without tossing it in our faces. Though some may balk at the portrayal of those who tend Parker’s church, the beautifully tense and infinitely layered relationships between Parker and a myriad of hugely appealing secondary characters are highlights, drawing us in even when certain elements may throw up a red flag.

Parker is an endearing young woman, someone we can see is battling with herself and those around her after her mother’s very public departure from her life after admitting she was gay to her family and friends. Those who claim to be Parker’s friends – as well as the church community that seems to hide behind the word “Christian” as though being labeled as such automatically makes them good people – abandon her, her brother, and her father, casting them out and rescinding their precious stamps of approval to leave them in emotional tatters. Parker then has our automatic support, our desire to stand at her back and bolster her against a torrent of ignorance and hate for something completely out of her control strong from page one, and while we often want to shake her for her sometimes willing blindness to how her actions affect her and those around her, our connection to her never wavers in its strength.

One of the most appealing aspects of this story is the growth we see in Parker in such a short number of pages, going from a confused, hurt, and somewhat oblivious girl to a still confused young woman, but one who has her eyes and heart open far wider than when she started. She makes a myriad of mistakes, allowing the opinions of others to drive her actions rather than acting for herself, but while the actions themselves are those of girl lacking a bit in maturity, her handling of the repercussions of her decisions is that of someone far older. She accepts the pain she causes and does her best to remedy it, never whining or breaking down even when we are tempted to drop to our knees in dejection on her behalf. She recognizes and owns her poor judgment when it boldly confronts her, learning from the experience and leaving us with the knowledge that she’ll be more self-aware moving forward.

As with Catching Jordan, the romance takes a more meandering route to get to its final destination, delighting us with tension while also sometimes cruelly playing with our fragile hearts to keep us coiled tight the entire time we’re reading. Ms. Kenneally is quickly becoming a favorite contemporary young adult author, and I am more than eagerly anticipating what romantic roller coaster she’ll take me on next.

Rating: 4/5

Don't forget that Miranda is a part of Get Real: Contemps on Tour with fellow YA authors Janet Gurtler and Lisa and Laura Roecker, so be sure and check the full schedule HERE to see if they're stopping in a city near you!

Easy Blog Tour: Interview with Tammara Webber + A Giveaway

Today is an exciting day. Do you know why? I'm thinking you might be able to wager a guess based on the above cover, but I'll tell you anyway. Today author Tammara Webber is stopping by the blog as part of the promotional tour for her New Adult novel, Easy; a book that absolutely blew me away. I loved everything about this book, and while I haven't written a review for it, it has my highest recommendation and I hope anyone that hasn't given it a try adds it to their list immediately! Tammara was nice enough to answer a few questions for me, and thanks to the amazing people at Penguin I also have a giveaway for you at the bottom of the interview.

If Lucas was to sketch something that depicts who you are as a person without drawing your actual facial features, what might his portrait of you look like?

This is really cryptic question! Hmm. I think he’d draw something featuring water – depending on my mood at the time – a river, lake, pond… birdbath? LOL. I’m a Pisces girl, very much a water sign - and in no part of my life does that show up more intensely than my creative writing. I think if he was going to depict me without using physical features, Lucas would be perceptive enough to discern that part of my personality, and he would sketch something water-based.

Like me, you are a huge fan of books with happy endings. What novel has your all-time favorite ending? 

Where She Went (Gayle Forman). It zinged me all the way through and made me swoon and cry at the same time. As much of a sucker for HEA as I am – it was a powerful end to their story that it just melted me emotionally.

What one aspect of the writing, marketing, publishing process has been the most challenging or surprising to you? 

I had no idea how much “not noveling” I would have to do. I’ve never done much, promotionally, but I do interact with readers. It shouldn’t be surprising that the more readers I have, the more interacting I’m doing… but I guess I never expected to have so many that the interaction time would exceed the writing time, if I let it. If I’m going to write, I have to withdraw and submerge in the story. I don’t toggle between writing and social networking well.

What one piece of music might Jacqueline choose as an appropriate reflection of her emotional journey through Easy? 

Jacqueline would undoubtedly choose something from Esperanza Spalding – I Know You Know, possibly. But I think Erin would choose Kelly Clarkson’s What Doesn’t Kill You for J. We seldom see our own brave fight and personal heroism, while those close to us may witness it very clearly. Jacqueline could be knocked down, but she got back up, every time – and every time, she came up stronger.

If you could give the Tammara Webber who just opened up a blank document to start writing Easy one piece of advice regarding the ride she was about to get on, what would you say? 

I wouldn’t. It was better that I didn’t know – from the emotional drain of writing this particular story to the shocking (to me) success of it. I wrote Easy because I had to write it. If I’d known what was coming, I might have been too freaked out to do it.

Thanks so much for stopping by Tammara! More information on Tammara and Easy can be found here:

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The blog tour for Easy has just kicked off this week, so in order to not miss out on all the fabulous reviews, interviews and giveaways to come, be sure and check out the full schedule at Tammara's site. Next up is a stop at Total Bookaholic tomorrow!

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Penguin and Tammara I have one paperback copy of Easy to give away on the blog today. YAY! To enter, please just leave a comment on this post with a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. Giveaway is open to US residents only and will run through midnight on Friday, November 9th after which time a winner will be chosen and emailed. Good luck everyone!

ABOUT EASY

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night--but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.