April Book Club: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Cath has spent a good part of her life living in the world of Simon Snow. She and her sister, Wren, are not only fans, but also fanfiction writers. And Cath feels comfortable in the world they've created. But now they're headed to college and Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be her roommate. So Cath is left to fend for herself in the scary and unpredictable world of new roommates, class schedules, and cafeteria food. She can handle writing thousands of words for her Simon Snow fanfiction, but can she handle writing assignments for her fiction writing class? And she might be deft at dealing with the relationship between Simon Snow and Baz, but can she figure out her feelings for Nick and Levi? And when real life drama threatens to derail her life can Cath manage to work out her own happy ending?

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What we thought:

NaomiRuth: Overall I really enjoyed Fangirl. It was easy to read and written in a very fluid manner. I liked that while some of the story was about Cath's first relationship, it was more than just a love story. It was about family and relationship dynamics and exploring the changes that occur when someone moves from an in-home place to an on-school place. I liked the exploration of fanfic. But that's also where I was a little uncomfortable. I still have a difficult time with fanfic. Sometimes I felt like there was a little too much of Cath's fanfic included. I understand this was a large part of her life, and I doubt many other people (if any) had the same kind of problems I did with the included fanfic. I was just more interested in her life, her real life, and sometimes got annoyed that I had to wade through so much un-real life. But I'm sure that's just because fanfic in general makes me queasy. So I was glad to read this book, because it helped me understand where people who enjoy fanfic are coming from.

Jenn N: Like Naomi, I liked that Fangirl was a new adult novel that didn't revolve solely around a romantic relationship. My favorite parts of the novel were the parts that dealt with Cath's relationship with her father and sister. I didn't find the fanfic sections excessive. I thought they showcased both Cath's passion for Simon Snow and need to escape while also demonstrating her growth and talent as a writer. While I don't write fanfic, I do create elaborate daydreams in my head about my fictional life in Port Charles (the city where General Hospital is set). So I could relate to Cath immersing herself in a fictional world to escape reality. I don't want to spoil anything, but while I appreciated that Wren's drinking issues were addressed, I think they were resolved a little too quickly. Overall though, I think Fangirl was a realistic portrayal of both the exhilarating and overwhelming highs and lows that one experiences when first leaving home for college.

Rebecca T: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought it was a great exploration of that move from high school to college, particularly for a main character who is a bit socially awkward. The stress Cath deals with in the changes of this period of her life make this a true New Adult book that grapples with solid New Adult issues. I loved the development of the characters and the overall arc of the story. Like Naomi I felt there was a bit too much Simon Snow stuff. Some of it from the fictional books and some of it from Cath's fanfic, but a lot of times it felt superfluous to the actual plot. I understand trying to establish its presence (since Simon Snow isn't a real series), but I would have liked to see less of that and more of Cath and Wren and Levi and Reagan.

Hard Glamour by Maggie Marr

 

Today, we're proud to be one of the stops on the "Glamour Series" blog tour as hosted by AToMR tours.  "Hard Glamour," is the first book in the sexy "New Adult," series.

 

"A promise to keep….

Honoring her mother’s last wish, Lane Channing vows to follow her dreams. She takes the ‘big risk’ and leaves her small Kansas town behind and heads to LA, the city of dreams. She’s got a stellar job lined up, an old jeep, and 20 bucks to last her to her first paycheck. Her hopes shatter when she arrives to find her job’s been given to someone else. Now she’s broke and will soon be living on the streets if she doesn’t do something fast. Welcome to cutthroat – Lane is most certainly not in Kansas anymore.

On the cusp of success…

Dillon MacAvoy has one goal–to become a star–whatever it takes. Even if it
means honing his bad-boy can’t-be-tamed-and-forever-single image. Besides the image isn’t far from the truth. Dillon cares only about his younger brother and his career. He’s on the brink of superstardom if he can just decide on the next right script. But for that, he needs a script reader he can trust.

In a strange twist of fate…

Lane Channing is Dillon’s last chance. If Lane lasts the summer without becoming MacAvoy’s latest conquest, she’s guaranteed a job in entertainment. No problem, as long as she can ignore the heat that pulses through her every time Dillon is in the room. After all, love and commitment with a sweet, hometown girl would only ruin the Dillon MacAvoy brand." 
- summary provided by AToMR tours.

This is a quick, entertaining and very hot read.  If it was summer time, I'd say it would make the perfect beach read. 

I loved the initial premise.  When I was in high school, I had similar goals to Lane's.  I always dreamed of going to LA and working as a television producer.  Lane took the leap that I was too broke and chicken to make. So, it was fun to live the LA dream vicariously through her.   Lane is a very strong and intelligent character.  However her initial naivete about what exactly an internship entails and doesn't entail seemed improbable to me but perhaps her age excuses that. 

While Dillon had his charms and a back story that explained his flaws, I found that his issues didn't always justify his actions.  I also had a hard time understanding how the success of his career seemed to rest solely on his wild bachelor image.  Despite this, I found Dillon to be a likeable leading man in this tale.

I was also really intrigued by the subplots and secondary characters such as Amanda, Lane's LA friend and Dillon's brother Choo. The second, forthcoming novel in the "Glamour," series, "Broken Glamour," features Amanda.  I suspect and hope subsequent novels in the series will focus on additional characters mentioned in "Hard Glamour," as I'd love to re-visit them and learn more about them.

As "Hard Glamour," contains explicit sexual scenes, I'd recommended it for New Adult and adult Romance fans only.  For additional reviews of "Hard Glamour" by Maggie Marr, please visit the rest of the stops on the tour and for more information on Maggie Marr and her books please visit her blog. 

Please note that I received no financial compensation for this review.  I received an advanced reader's copy of the novel from the tour hosts in exchange for a fair and honest review.
 
If you're a resident of the USA or Canada, you can enter to win a copy of "Hard Glamour," by Maggie Marr from our tour hosts!!

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Fighting Fate by Linda Kage

Today, we are proud to be one of the stops on the blog tour for "Fighting  Fate," by Linda Kage, as sponsored by AToMR Tours.

Forgiving your brother's murderer may be noble, but falling in love with him borders on betrayal.

When Paige Zukowski enrolls at Granton University in honor of her dead brother, she has no idea fate will land her on the same campus with the very guy who killed him. But Logan Xander isn't quite the murderer she's always believed him to be.

A day hasn't passed since the tragedy that Logan doesn't wish he could go back and undo everything. It doesn't take Paige long to realize he's suffered as much as she has. Forgiving him for ruining her life might not be so impossible after all. But when she actually starts to like him and realizes he likes her in return, their true anguish begins.

What I loved most about "Fighting Fate," was the way the novel showcased the importance of forgiveness.  Failing to forgive oneself and others will only bring you more grief.  This is evident in the depiction of Logan's angst and remorse for his role in the death of Paige's brother and Paige's father's struggles with alcohol.  Similarly, Kage did a great job of illustrating how holding on to grief can hold one back.  In order to grow as an individual, Paige had to move past the grief she carried since her brother's death.  I also appreciated the fact that Paige worked with a "grief group," rather trying to resolve things by herself. 

I also enjoyed the realistic way that Paige and Logan's relationship grew as the two of them strengthened and grew as individuals.  The progression of their relationship was slow and natural.

I could've done without the subplot involving Paige's friend "Einstein."  This plot point seemed over the top to me.  I would've liked it if the author explored a particular incident that Paige had a party more.

Regardless, "Fighting Fate," was a great read with some important life lessons.  I'd definitely recommend it to teens and college-age readers. I look forward to reading more by Linda Kage.

If you'd like to win a copy of "Fighting Fate," by Linda Kage, head on down to the Rafflecopter for a contest sponsored by our tour hosts.

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For more information on Linda Kage, please visit her website.

Finally, for alternate reviews, excepts and interviews with the author, please check out the rest of the tour stops.

Please note that I received no financial compensation for this review.  I was provided with a digital ARC of "Fighting Fate," by the tour hosts in exchange for an honest review.

10 Things I Loved About Forged by Fate by Amalia Dillin

I met Amalia on Twitter (@AmaliaTd if you are interested) a while ago and we've had fun singing Disney songs and making random hashtag conversations and sharing Thor love. So when I heard that her book was going to be published I was so ecstatic for her. I knew that she was going to be writing about Norse mythology, but the tag-line on the cover of the gorgeous book initially gave me a little pause.

It wasn't that it didn't look interesting or intriguing. It's just that I'm always a little nervous when someone writes a book adapting stories from the Bible.

Behold! Gorgeous cover!

However, I loved the book so much. So here are my top 10 favorite things about Forged by Fate.

1. The way Amalia weaves together her transformation of the Biblical creation story along with Norse, Egyptian, and Greek mythology (to name a few).
2. Thor. I loved his place in the story and I am dying to see how it plays out in the next book!
3. Eve. Definitely Eve. Strong, compassionate, humble, and the mother of everything.
4. Mia! Amalia and I met through the lovely and hyper Mia Hayson so seeing Eve's sister named Mia gave me all kinds of happiness. Also Mia the character cracks me up.
5. The multiple story lines. I really like how it rotated between present day, creation, and the progression of time as seen by Thor. It moved the story line along well and helped to pull all of the threads together in a very unique way.
6. Garritt. I loved his passion for protecting Eve. And of course that leads me to
7. Reu. And the whole story of the tribe of the Lions. So cool.
8. The lions! I want a pack of lions to follow me around and protect me!
9. Ra and Athena. Though they were only minor characters they just popped on the page. Nothing flat about these characters!
10. The ending! It left me wanting more without being too horrible of a cliffhanger. Nothing was resolved, but it didn't leave me angry like a lot of books that end quite openly.

So hopefully you are a little bit intrigued about this story and will go buy it and read it yourself! I say you won't be disappointed at all :)