BLOG TOUR REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: For Real

Welcome to my stop on the FOR REAL blog tour, organized by Inkslinger PR. Read on for my review, then be sure to enter the giveaway. And, don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour!

For Real, by Chelsea Cameron
Published November 20, 2013
Publisher: CreateSpace
Format: e-galley, obtained from the author and Inkslinger PR
Genre:  New Adult Contemporary Romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating:  3.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Two people. One fake relationship. What could go wrong? When virgin Shannon Travers gets fed up with her friends demanding that she find a boyfriend, she enlists the help of tattooed, mohawk-rocking graphic design student Jett. He's more than happy to play along with their Fake Relationship, including the Ten Rules of Fake Dating that control-freak Shannon comes up with. Even if he likes to violate them. Repeatedly. But what happens when Fake Dating starts to feel... not fake anymore? Will Shannon be willing to let go and embrace the first thing in her life that's ever felt REAL?

Origami cranes, sexy dragon tattoos and a list of rules that are fun to break. For Real has a lot going for it, although organizing my overall thoughts has proven to be more difficult than I thought it would.

Shannon is tired of her overbearing "friends" constant ragging on her about being a virgin. One night, she ropes a practical stranger into pretending to be her boyfriend. Jett is all too happy to go along with the plan, and as the two become real friends under the facade of being a fake couple, Shannon realizes that perhaps having a real boyfriend isn't as bad as she thought it would be. 

I've got to be honest. Shannon was really tough to love. I gathered that she didn't have a great relationship with her family of underachievers. The dynamics there were never very fully explained or developed, but we're led to believe that Shannon is overcompensating for their lack of motivation, and in her quest to become a stellar academic and make tons of money at a great job, she's lost interest in boys. 

Although her friends' methods leave much to be desired, it's clear they're concerned for her and want to help her to find love. Pretty much everyone in this book was completely effed up in the head. Except for Jett. He was awesome. More on him in a bit. For someone so smart, Shannon was pretty oblivious to what was standing in front of her the whole time. She treated her friends badly. She treated Jett very badly. I didn't have much love for Shannon. 

Jett, though, was my favorite part of For Real, hands down. He likes to make origami paper cranes, and he uses them to leave messages for Shannon and to decorate their crappy apartments. It was such a sweet and unexpected touch. Brilliant, really. I loved that a lot. Jett was sheltered his whole life, and is now just busting out of his shell. He should've spoken up sooner than he did. But, this boy was so infinitely sweet. I think it'd be impossible not to love him.

Javier, Jett's BFF and roomie, was my second favorite character. He was crass and rude and he was the most real character in this book, I think. He kept surprising me, which I loved. You think you have him pegged after first meeting him. But, you really don't. 

The virgin aspect got played up a bit too much, I thought. Shannon finally finds a boy she likes, and they do nothing physical besides kiss. I mean, NOTHING. Then, one day, they get a wild hair and get it on in the backseat of her car. Really? It was not romantic nor sweet. It was kinda weird and embarrassing. Okay, well, perhaps that's more true to life anyhow. Touche, Chelsea Cameron. :) It was definitely NOT the norm for the new adult genre, anyhow. 

For Real was a pretty short book. I finished it very quickly. The pacing is a little off, stalling some in the middle and getting choppy. But the ending was sweet and the cranes, Jett and Javier make this a cute book that's worth 12 hours or so of your time. 

About the Author

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)

Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, Listen coming out in 2014.

Giveaway

Grand prize winner receives a $100 Amazon Gift Card and Crane bracelet. 5 Runners up receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card and Crane bracelet. US Only!  

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BLOG TOUR REVIEW, GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY: Sweet Surrendering

Welcome to my stop on Chelsea Cameron's Sweet Surrendering blog tour, organized by Inkslinger PR. As part of the tour, Chelsea Cameron is going to tell us about her favorite Halloween movies! Then continue reading and enter an amazing giveaway!

Sweet Surrendering (Surrender Saga #1), by Chelsea Cameron
Published October 15, 2013
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author and Inkslinger PR
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  3.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) She’s his boss. He doesn’t care. This office isn’t big enough for the two of them…

When Rory Clarke ends up hiring the guy she spent one steamy night with to be her administrative assistant, she's determined to keep things professional.

Lucas Blaine has other plans for her. He wants Rory, and it’s hard to resist his stunning blue eyes, chin dimple and the way he fills out a suit. Everywhere she looks, there he is, giving her a panty-melting smile and pulling her away for the most amazing (and satisfying) sex she’s ever had in her life.

What starts off as one sexual encounter turns into multiple trysts in and out of the office and the lines she’d tried to draw so carefully are blurring. But the closer they get, the more Rory realizes that there are things about Lucas she doesn’t know, things he’s hiding from her. She’ll have to decide if she can surrender to her feelings or get out while she still can.

I have read one other book by Chelsea Cameron, and I had no idea she was such a comedian! Sweet Surrendering was such a surprise to me. It was a sweet story punctuated by hilarious inner monologues and witty banter that kept me laughing and snorting in between rants at the MC's fits of ignorance. I love a good story that keeps me waffling back and forth between funny and frustrating.

Rory is a VP at her father's company who happens to be sleeping with her new hot assistant. Lucas is complex and brash and really good at his job - er, both of them. Neither was really in a position to fall in love, but it happens anyway and complicates an already complicated situation. Now, all of a sudden, Rory's job is becoming more of a problem, as is all the secrets that Lucas continues to keep from her.

For the most part, I loved Rory. She is smart and driven and not a size 2. I got the impression that she was very confident and didn't take much crap from people - especially men. She has a fantastic relationship with her parents (and what a refreshingly wonderful thing THAT is!) and with her BFF and roomie, Sloane. I love the way Chelsea Cameron painted Rory. It was like love transformed her into a caricature of herself. Someone she didn't quite recognize. And, while she delighted in it, it also pissed her off.

Stupid love. Love made you want to punch yourself in the face. It also made you so distracted that you didn't get as much done at your job as you should because you were too busy fantasizing about your stupid guy and his magical penis. It made you spend meetings trying not to draw little hearts, or see what his last name would look like with your first name. Love made you into a fucking twelve-year-old girl.

Lucas was all snark and sass right from word one, so in the moments when we saw him vulnerable, it made me want to hold on to them and savor every word. Most of the time, he was funny and sharp, though. But, boy, is he good with his words when he uses them.

"I don't want just nights. I want mornings. And mid-mornings and late mornings and noons and afternoons and evenings and everything in between. Sunrises and sunsets and twilight. I want it all. I want to be with you. Definitions and everything. I want to call you mine."

Lucas' big secret wasn't that much of a secret. I figured it out pretty early, and it left me wondering what the hell Rory was doing that she couldn't see it either. I get that she was caught up in the relationship and in being in love and all that. But, really? She couldn't see that coming? Not only that, but every time she asks him to open up and talk to her about the things he was hiding. he flat out refused, and she was totally okay with that. I call BS. No woman I know in a new relationship with a guy would stand for that, no matter how good the sex is.

There were elements of the story that weren't entirely believable. The pacing seemed a bit off at times too. There were times in the middle when the story stalled a bit. And, the last 15% went at lightning speed - so fast, it almost seems like we were missing something.

Despite that, I was intrigued and keep engaged with the dangling carrot of when Lucas' secrets finally would come out and blow up in his face. It was good when that happened, but I felt it was resolved too quickly. I wanted Lucas to stew for awhile. Sweet Surrenderings was told only from Rory's POV. I think I would've liked to have seen Lucas' too. But, it was a good story with a good HEA. I look forward to the next book in the series - perhaps about Sloane?

Guest Post

It's that time of year. The leaves are turning colors and falling. Kids are back in school. EVERYTHING is pumpkin flavored. Even the pumpkin is pumpkin-flavored. I love fall. But the thing I think I love MOST about fall is that it's finally time to watch some of my favorite movies! I'm not the kind of person who can watch a movie "out of season". Except for Elf. That can be watched anytime. Because of reasons. So, without further ado, my top five favorite Halloween movies!

5. Night of the Living Dead (The original): This is a classic, yo. The original, in black and white. It's so bad that it moves from terrible to terribly AWESOME territory. My favorite thing about this movie is the fact that the blonde chick's hair remains almost PERFECT for the entire movie. Priceless. Plus, you can't beat the fake zombies eating the fake guts.

4. Casper: Two words, kids. DEVON SAWA. I had the biggest freaking crush on him when I was a kid. He's just… yeah. "Can I keep you?" *Chelsea swoons away* Plus Christina Ricci has a ridiculous forehead. It's like a fivehead. And you can't beat the crazy ghosts. I may also have a thing for BIll Pullman.

3. Practical Magic: Apparently, I have a thing for Sandra Bullock. So many of the movies she's in are some of my favorites. But I think this is the best. PLUS, it has Stockard Channing and Diane Wiest. They're total badasses and let you have cake for breakfast. It's also one of the most romantic Halloween movies, I think, ever.

2. Hocus Pocus: If you haven't seen this movie, we can't be friends. My mother would never let me watch it at home, so I would go over to my best friend's house and we'd marathon it. You CANNOT go wrong with this movie. It's also one of the most quotable Halloween movies ever. "I am beautiful! Boys will love me!" Yeah, this movie is made of win.

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas: I know what you're going to say. "But Chelsea, this is a CHRISTMAS movie. It has CHRISTMAS in the title." After I smack you, I will inform you that Jack Skellington lives in HALLOWEEN TOWN and this movie can be watched on EITHER holiday. Or both, which is what I do. This is one of Tim Burton's masterpieces, and my favorite of his films. The part when Jack is singing and he walks over that hill thing and it unfurls gives me chills. Every time. And this one also has an earth shattering love story. What can I say? I like a little love with my scary.

About the Author

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)

Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, LIsten coming out in 2014.

Learn more about Chelsea --> Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Giveaway

Grand prize winner: Will get to name a character in a future book, win a signed inspiration collage, and a red shoe charm bracelet. Four (4) runners-up will receive a red shoe charm bracelet. Contest is international.

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BLOG TOUR REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise #1)

I'm so happy to be a part of the Deeper We Fall, by Chelsea Cameron blog tour. This book was so captivating and heartbreaking! Read on for my full review, plus a chance to win copies of Chelsea Cameron's books and a Kindle Paperwhite or a Nook Simple Touch Glowlight!

Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise #1), by Chelsea Cameron
Published January 24, 2013
Publisher:  DRC Publishing
Format: e-book - provided by author and Xpresso Book Tours
Genre:  new adult contemporary romance
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) Two years after her best friend was involved in a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, Lottie Anders is ready to start her freshman year of college. Ready to move on. Ready to start forgetting the night that ripped her life apart.

Her plans come to a screeching halt when not one, but both brothers responsible for the accident end up back in her life again.

Zack is cruel, selfish and constantly rubbing what happened to her friend in Lottie's face.

Zan is different. He listens to her awkward ramblings. He loves "To Kill a Mockingbird" as much as she does, and his dark eyes are irresistible. His words are few and far between, but when he does speak, she can't help but listen.

The trouble is, Zan was the driver in the accident, and now Lottie's discovered he lied to her about what happened that night. Now she must decide if trusting him again will lead to real forgiveness, or deeper heartache.

Deeper We Fall was a fantastically heartbreaking book. Like many books in the new adult genre, it addresses a really tough issue - what happens when one drinks and drives in this case - and speaks a lot about forgiveness and love.

Two years after a horrible accident changed her best friend's life forever, Lottie is still reeling from it. She has come to college along with her twin brother Will to try and run away a little bit from what has become her reality. She still harbors such hatred and resentment toward the brothers who caused the accident, that when the brothers turn up, not only at the same college, but in the same dorm building as Lottie, she doesn't even know what to do with herself.

Zack and Zan are as different as night and day. Zan, the driver of the car that caused Lottie's best friend's permanent brain damage, has done his time and is now looking for any kind of redemption he can find. Zack, the real reason Lexie got in the car that night in the first place, is an even bigger douchebag than he was two years earlier. He uses people, abuses them and then throws them away without a care.

Lottie's path to forgiveness was the most captivating part of Deeper We Fall. When she first sees Zan and Zack, the familiar loathing sets in. But, as Zan slowly chips away at her hatred, Lottie starts to experience other feelings - mostly guilt for actually liking him and wanting to be with him, despite what he has done. The development of these characters was done so well. The reader really has no choice but to feel so badly for both Zan and Lottie. And, it's easy to understand how they both feel the way they do and to see Lottie struggle with her confusion.

Thank goodness for Will and Simon! There are so many deep issues and feelings being thrown around in Deeper We Fall. There is an intense need for some comic relief, which we get in the relationship between Lottie and Will and Will's BFF Simon. I especially appreciated all of Will's corny Star Wars references. If Will was a real person, I'd definitely want to be friends with him.

The romance between Lottie and Zan is very slow to develop, but in this case, that's a very good thing. Given the circumstances in their history, I would've called BS if there had been some sort of insta-love or quick fix. It takes Lottie a long while to get to a place where she can even comprehend some sort of relationship with Zan. And, it takes equally as long for Zan to feel worthy of her love. The pacing was just right.

Although I didn't review Faster We Burn (which is the story of Skyler, Zan's BFF, and Katie, Lottie's BFF), it's already on my wishlist. I hope both these books are on yours now too.

I also hope you check out the other blogs on the tour for more reviews, interviews and giveaways!

The Giveaways

Enter to win one (1) e-book set of both Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise #1) and Faster We Burn (Fall and Rise #2). Also enter the tour-wide giveaway of either a Kindle Paperwhite or a Nook Simple Touch Glowlight. 

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About the Author

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times and USA Today Best-Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is. Find Chelsea on her website, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.