ROAD RASH: MARK HUNTLEY PARSONS

How does a book that so perfectly describes life on the road as a drummer in a band while at the same time stays innocent, sweet, and earnest? Seems like an impossible balance to maintain, but this book delivers just that. I just thought this was a delightful little book, especially if like me you enjoy a male POV and rock band boys. If you ever wanted to fall in love with the cute drummer in "that" band, here is your chance.

BOOK BLURB:
After being dropped from one band, sixteen-year-old drummer Zach gets a chance to go on tour with a much better band. It feels like sweet redemption, but this is one rocky road trip—filled with jealousy, rivalries, and on-stage meltdowns.

Mark Parsons has written a fast-paced, feel-good novel about a boy finding his place in the world, in a band, and in the music. Zach is a character teens will stand up and cheer for as he lands the perfect gig, and the perfect girl.

Read more about it HERE.

THE SHADOW PRINCE: BREE DESPAIN

Full disclosure, Bree is one of my best friends in the world. She is one of the nicest and coolest girls around in case you are wondering. She has done her homework and this is one well written book. I never wanted to leave the world or the characters she created in this book. I always get so excited when secondary characters shine as much as the main characters. There are so many well rounded great secondary characters in this book that add so much to the whole feel of the story.

The book is in dual perspective and it is done WELL. I can't say that happens all the time when this style is used. But it has purpose here and adds depth to the story. Bree's style is this: she loves big epic stories with a bit of humor. I adored Haden and loved getting a laugh while he tried to figure out what in the world we humans mean by the things we say.

The Shadow Prince lays down the ground work for a very exciting trilogy unlike anything else I have read before. Bree wanted to write this as a stand alone, but "her people" convinced her that the story could not be contained in just one book. So if you are thinking: "Ugh, another trilogy? I can't take it!" Then just know that there is a method to the madness, and sometimes it takes a few books to get good and involved with characters that are easy to love.

BOOK BLURB:

Haden Lord, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing as a student at Olympus Hills High—a haven for children of the rich and famous—Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race.

Daphne Raines has dreams much bigger than her tiny southern Utah town, so when her rock star dad suddenly reappears, offering her full tuition to Olympus Hills High’s prestigious music program, she sees an opportunity to catch the break she needs to make it as a singer. But upon moving into her estranged father’s mansion in California, and attending her glamorous new school, Daphne soon realizes she isn’t the only student in Olympus who doesn’t quite belong.

Haden and Daphne—destined for each other—know nothing of the true stakes their fated courtship entails. As war between the gods brews, the teenagers’ lives collide. But Daphne won’t be wooed easily and when it seems their prophesied link could happen, Haden realizes something he never intended—he’s fallen in love. Now to save themselves, Haden and Daphne must rewrite their destinies. But as their destinies change, so do the fates of both their worlds.

This book is totally clean. I read so much crap these days and this book really felt like a little beacon of light in this little world. There are just so many things Bree does well in this book, and I am so relieved she is such a talented writer. How awkward would that be if I didn't like her books? :)

Here are some pics I took from Bree's book release party at The King's English bookstore in Salt Lake City, Utah. That last one is of my cute daughter who can't wait to learn to read enough to read Bree's books.

LIFE IN OUTER SPACE: MELISSA KEIL

How to know if you might like this book:

1. You think geeky things are cool. Or you like to read about geeky cool boys.

2. You like Aussie books.

3. You like a good male POV.

4. You like when the "gay best friend" isn't the typical "gay best friend".

5. You love a romance built on friendship.

If any of those points appeal to you, you'll probably really enjoy Life in Outer Space. This book is pretty funny and clever...sometimes the cleverness made the read less easy and smooth for me. However, I am not sure if that is a bad thing. Anyway, I was charmed by our hero from the first few pages. Reminded me a bit of Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, and Elenor & Park. Great last line BTW....

BOOK BLURB:

Sam Kinnison is a geek, and he’s totally fine with that. He has his horror movies, his nerdy friends, World of Warcraft – and until Princess Leia turns up in his bedroom, he doesn’t have to worry about girls.

Then Sam meets Camilla. She’s beautiful, friendly and completely irrelevant to his life. Sam is determined to ignore her, except that Camilla has a life of her own – and she’s decided that he’s going to be part of it.

Sam believes that everything he needs to know he can learn from the movies ... but now it looks like he’s been watching the wrong ones.

Read more about this book HERE.

FANGIRL: RAINBOW ROWELL

I have been so excited for this release, and folks it did not disappoint. This is just as delightful but completely different from Rowell's last book, Eleanor & Park. I loved them both and I can now officially add Rowell as an author to watch. Try not to get too excited but here in the pages of Fangirl you will find a story about a girl in college who doesn't act trashy, meet the hottest guy ever, and have crazy sexy times while she falls in love to said hottest guy who tends to be a bit abusive all wrapped up in a terribly written book! (Ugh! So sick of those!)

I don't know if I can say enough wonderful things about this book. It has amazing quotes galore, it has the most satisfying believable sister (twin) relationship I have ever read, it is freaking swoony and wonderful, and our heroine...she is terribly awesome! She's a self proclaimed nut but you love her, you just love her.

The only thing that pulled me from this was the inserted Fanfic moments. They are well done but, for me, I just wanted to get back to Cath's story. A story that honestly consumed me from beginning to end. Why? Because Rowell paces this perfectly revealing little by little the story of Cath's new and old life making it such a full and enjoyable read.

BOOK BLURB:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

When I received this through NetGalley I did a little happy dance, so thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read. I'm going to have to buy a hard copy though as well so I can hold it close as I fall asleep. Read more about it HERE. Read my review and love for Rowell's first YA release, Eleanor & Park HERE.

DOMESTIC VIOLETS: MATTHEW NORMAN

There is a scene in Sex And The City when Carrie meets Burger and finds out he is an author who "relates to men the way her writing relates to women." And then Burger makes some comment how men don't want to read books like that. Do you know that scene? Every time I watch it I wish that weren't true, that there were more books by men that were light funny books about what it was like to be a guy. So discovering Domestic Violets, a chance to get in the head of a sarcastic, almost middle-aged guy, was a huge treat.

Norman had me from the first page with this line: "At least I think that's ironic, that word gets misused a lot." This book is seriously honest, so much so that it could make you blush. It is also seriously hilarious, I was laughing throughout the whole thing. Norman wrote the voice of a character that I was kind of in love with while simultaneously being glad I wasn't this man's wife.

Overall, this book is funny, touching, and sad while being real and full of forgiveness. Every character was bright and full of life. They were a bit exaggerated for drama and laughs but still felt like real people. If you are someone like me who wished there were more books that were about what it is like to be a guy then you will probably love this book.

BOOK BLURB:

In the tradition of Jonathan Tropper and Tom Perrotta comes Matthew Norman's Domestic Violets--a darkly comic family drama about one man's improbable trials of love, loss, and ambition; of attraction, impotence, and infidelity; and of mid-life malaise, poorly-planned revenge, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Read more about it HERE.

CARTER FINALLY GETS IT: BRENT CRAWFORD

Last year, after delightedly laughing to myself during my first read of Carter Finally Gets It, I wondered this: Who else is going to like this book? It is irreverant, crude, and kind of offensive, so anyone who I share this book with is going to think I'm nuts. But at the same time, it is all those things while also being hilarious, smart, sweet, and touching. In the end I had to admit it: I freaking fell in utter love with Carter. As I have shared this book with a few trusted friends, I have found that I am not the only one falling for his charms.

BOOK BLURB:

Meet Will Carter, but feel free to call him Carter. (Yes, he knows it's a lazy nickname, but he didn't have much say in the matter.)

Here are five things you should know about him:

1. He has a stuttering problem, particularly around boobs and bellybuttons.

2. He battles attention devicit disorder ever minute of every day...unless he gets distracted.

3. He's a virgin, mostly because he is not good at talking to girls (see number 1).

4. He's about to start high school.

5. He's totally not ready.

Join Carter for his freshman year, where he;ll search for sex, love, and acceptance anywhere he can find it. In the process he'll almost kill a trombone player, face off against his greatest nemesis, get caught up in a messy love triangle, suffer a lot of blood loss, narrowly escape death, run from the cops (not once but twice), meet his match in the form of a curvy drill teamer, and surprise the hell out of everyone, including himself.

Take a hilarious walk into the mind of the most real 14 year old male voice I have ever read. A boy who talks like he is a lot older than he is, but acts just his age. Carter is so darn endearing because he is so aware of what makes him uncool, which only makes him more popular in school and cool to the reader. 

I just re-read this because the third Carter book was just released. The two sequels are not as great as the first, but my friends who are true Carter fans still love them.

Read more about it HERE.

PILGRIMS DON'T WEAR PINK: STEPHANIE KATE STROHM

 There are several cutesy books about girls working in reenactment camps, but this one stands above the rest. I was laughing out loud in the first few pages and kind of fell in love with Libby's sassy sweet voice. The plot is still kind of predictable, and the gay best friend was maybe a bit too cliché for my tastes. However, it is sweet and fun and I really enjoyed myself while reading it. 

BOOK BLURB:

A story of crushes, corsets, and conspiracy

Libby Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-around history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s Oldest Living History Museum. But at Camden Harbor Libby’s just plain out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset. Her cat-loving coworker wants her dead, the too-smart-for-his-own-good local reporter keeps pushing her buttons, her gorgeous sailor may be more shipwreck than dreamboat — plus Camden Harbor’s haunted. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always what they seem.

This would have been a completely innocent read if it wasn't for a very few scattered harsh swear words. I am not really sure why the author felt like they needed to be in there at all since the rest of the book is so sweet. 

I was excited to find this was going to be the beginning of a series, because I was excited to read more with these characters (rare for me these days).

Read more about it HERE.

I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER: SOPHIE KINSELLA

Sophie Kinsella is kind of hit and miss with me, so I wasn't super on the case to read this right away. Honestly, I am not sure what made me decide to pick this up, but I am so glad I did. I loved it. I found myself giggling my way through it, and from the beginning there were moments my daughter asked: "What is so funny mom?" This book a typical romantic comedy WITHOUT being a typical romantic comedy. How did Kinsella do that? 

The plot is unique and has twists and turns that keep you frantically turning the pages. You can kind of hope you know where the story is going, but you are not sure. Also, there are no trashy obligatory love scenes, and the book is better for it. The whole thing reads like a movie, and I won't be shocked to see a movie version of this in theaters in a few years.

This kept me up late (easy), and woke me up early (not easy).

BOOK BLURB:

I've lost it. The only thing in the world I wasn't supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It's been in Magnus's family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I've lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!!

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry the ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her 'happy ever after' begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring but in the panic that followed, she has now lost her phone. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton doesn't agree. He wants his phone back and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other's lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents... she soon realises that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

At first I was worried that I might find Poppy as exasperating as the heroine in the Shopoholic books, but that was not the case. Check out more about this book HERE.

THE DIARY OF A CRUSH TRILOGY: SARRA MANNING

I have discovered another favorite author and I have been found drowning myself in her British tales for some time now. After reading and loving Sarra Mannings' Let's Get Lost, I dug up a copy of one of her adult novels (which I will review here soon) and realized that I freaking love the way she writes.

But today I am going to chat about the Diary of a Crush series which first started out as something she wrote for a magazine and then after the end of the magazine run they were published into books. All three of these were desperately hard for me to put down. Especially since it is in a diary format and I kept thinking: "I'll just read another entry." Then that entry would turn into another one, and another one, and another one. It got a little out of hand at times.

BOOK BLURB: (From book #1)

When Edie and Dylan first see each other in photography class, an instant attraction draws them together. But true love never does run smoothly—the two spar as much as they can’t keep their hands off each other. Then comes the college trip to Paris: Edie’s willpower will be tested to the limit! In between furious arguments and trips to the Louvre, the two share some passionate moments—but will it last?

I think Manning's later stuff is more polished, but I'll tell you why these were so great to me. First of all I love Edie who is our voice for the three books. I love how she grows up and matures in the books. I love that she has the same weakness for moody art boys that I had when I was her age. I love all the kissing. I love the Britishisms that Edie uses in sassy ways to make me laugh. I love that this is a story about two people you cheer for, but aren't quite sure they are that good for each other either. 

Ok I am going to say it: I have a crush on these books. 

Check out book one HERE on goodreads.

AWKWARD: MARNI BATES

I was out of town this week and I took a big pile of paperbacks with me. I got a lot of reading done and there was only one standout in the mix. Awkward is adorable. It is kind of silly, but not in a bad way. Mackenzie is so likeable and very awkwardly hilarious. I don't know, I just kind of loved it and devoured it in almost one sitting.

BOOK BLURB:
Mackenzie Wellesley has spent her life avoiding the spotlight. At Smith High, she's the awkward junior people only notice when they need help with homework. Until she sends a burly football player flying with her massive backpack and makes a disastrous - not to mention unwelcome - attempt at CPR. Before the day is out, the whole fiasco explodes on YouTube. And then the strangest thing happens. Suddenly, Mackenzie is an Internet sensation, with four million hits and counting. Sucked into a whirlwind of rock stars, paparazzi, and free designer clothes, she even catches the eye of the most popular guy at school. And that's when life gets really interesting..

There is going to be a follow up book following a character in this book, and I am looking forward to it.

Read more about it HERE.

THE QUEEN OF KENTUCKY: ALECIA WHITAKER

So many books attempt what this adorable book succeeds at doing for the reader. It plops you right in the head of a loveable character and reminds you what it was really like to be 14. I loved this. Ricky Jo is adorable and strong, but still young and stupid. I found myself wanting to stand up and cheer for her when things were going well and hide under a rock with her when she was humiliated. I would love this book to become a series, because it would be a treat to see Ricky Jo or Erica as she wants to be called, grow up.

BOOK BLURB:
Fourteen-year-old Kentucky girl Ricki Jo Winstead, who would prefer to be called Ericka, thank you very much, is eager to shed her farmer's daughter roots and become part of the popular crowd at her small town high school. She trades her Bible for Seventeen magazine, buys new "sophisticated" clothes and somehow manages to secure a tenuous spot at the cool kids table. She's on top of the world, even though her best friend and the boy next door Luke says he misses "plain old Ricki Jo."

Caught between being a country girl and wannabe country club girl, Ricki Jo begins to forget who she truly is: someone who doesn't care what people think and who wouldn't let a good-looking guy walk all over her. It takes a serious incident out on Luke's farm for Ricki Jo to realize that being a true friend is more important than being popular.

I recommended this to my librarian and she told me yesterday that she was loving it.

Read more about it on goodreadsHERE.

SIGNED MIDNIGHT IN AUSTENLAND GIVEAWAY

Time for the next giveaway. A signed copy of Shannon Hale's new book Midnight in Austenland. If you loved Austenland, you will be equally happy with this follow up book with a little mystery twist. Full of Hale's signature sass this book was a very fun read.

BOOK BLURB:
When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?

The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world. How could it not turn out right in the end?

To enter:

1.Become a follower of my blog, and leave a comment on this post that you are now a follower. (if you are already a follower, all you need to do is leave a comment.)

2. To get more entries you need to talk about this giveaway on a blog, facebook, or twitter with a link to this contest, and then leave a comment on this post that you did it. You get an individual entry by promoting my blog and contest using all three social media devices.

I am closing this contest Friday, Februrary 10th. Winner will be announced on Saturday the 11th here on the blog.

I love supporting my fellow Utah authors so thanks for spreading the word about Midnight in Austenland. Oh and of course thanks for following my little new little blog, who as of tomorrow will be one month old. Ah, they grow up so fast.