Showing posts with label Emery Lord. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emery Lord. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Boldly Bookish Blog Tour and Giveaway!


Welcome to the Boldly Bookish Tour! Today, I'll be sharing with you the responses of four wonderful ladies, as well as information about their books, and a chance to win a great prize! Check it out below!

What is something bold that one of your characters does in your book that you couldn't see yourself doing?

Tiffany Schmidt:


I have an overactive sense of ‘stranger danger.’

I blame my mom—but also hold her completely blameless. When I was little, I was the type of kid who didn’t hesitate to try and climb in the mail truck and leave with the mailman—so that I could finish telling him the story about the inchworm I found on my porch. Or, I’d wander out of my yard and into the neighbor’s kitchen to show her a picture I painted. Clearly my mom had to do something. And that something was to borrow EVERY safety video our local library had and make me watch them on repeat until I had every ‘Don’t talk to strangers’ song memorized and internalized. To this day, my first reaction to strangers is to think please don’t abduct me and start mentally humming ‘Stranger Danger,’ which naturally makes me the world’s smoothest small talker.

In Hold Me Like a Breath, Penny Landlow’s mother doesn’t need to do any brainwashing by PSA—because Penny’s not allowed to leave her family estate. When Events Transpire in the book and Penny ends up alone in New York City, she talks to everyone.  EVERYONE. Just the thought of this many stranger interactions gives me the panics.  I definitely need to learn to channel some of Penny’s boldness when it comes to meeting new people.

Emery Lord:


My main character in The Start of Me and You, Paige, is pretty reserved. But her best friend Tessa often attends concerts alone—because she’s just there for her own, personal experience with the band. I never would have been secure enough in high school to go to a show solo!! It may not be swashbuckling or skydiving, but I think doing things entirely for yourself, by yourself, can be not only bold but empowering.

Trish Doller:


Any one thing I would pick would be a spoiler, so I think everything Cadie does in THE DEVIL YOU KNOW is something I would not have been bold enough to do at her age. But that's kind of why I wrote her. In some ways, she's the girl I wish I had been when I was eighteen.

A.C. Gaughen:


Well, there’s the whole climbing around trees thing—Scarlet seems to do that a lot and the last time I tried to, like, roller skate, I ended up doing this thing where I stuck my butt out and put my hands out in front of me and then couldn’t figure out how to move forward without falling, so…yeah I’m not the most athletically coordinated. 

That and having crazy fighting skills.  I would REALLY like to have crazy fighting skills, but I’m more of the “use my words” type. 


About the Authors:

TIFFANY SCHMIDT is the author of Send Me a Sign and Bright Before Sunrise. She lives in Pennsylvania with her saintly husband, impish twin boys, and a pair of mischievous puggles. Visit Tiffany online at www.TiffanySchmidt.com and on Twitter @TiffanySchmidt.

EMERY LORD is the author of Open Road Summer. She lives in a pink row house in Cincinnati, with a husband, two rescue dogs, and a closet full of impractical shoes. Open Road Summer is her first novel. Visit her online at www.emerylord.com and on Twitter @emerylord.

TRISH DOLLER is the author of Something Like Normal and Where the Stars Still Shine. She's a former newspaper reporter and radio personality who now works as a bookseller at the Ft Myers B&N. She lives in Fort Myers, Florida, with her two mostly grown children, two dogs, and a pirate. (For real.) Visit her online at www.trishdoller.com and on Twitter at @TrishDoller.

A. C. GAUGHEN is the author of Scarlet and Lady Thief. She serves as the Director of Girls’ Leadership for the non-profit Boston GLOW, creating opportunities to encourage and engage teen girls in the Greater Boston area. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from St. Andrews University in Scotland and a Masters in Education from Harvard University. Visit A. C. online at www.acgaughen.com and on Twitter at @acgaughen.


About the Books:


Penelope Landlow has grown up with the knowledge that almost anything can be bought or sold—including body parts. She’s the daughter of one of the three crime families that control the black market for organ transplants.

Penelope’s surrounded by all the suffocating privilege and protection her family can provide, but they can't protect her from the autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise so easily.

And in her family's line of work no one can be safe forever.

All Penelope has ever wanted is freedom and independence. But when she’s caught in the crossfire as rival families scramble for prominence, she learns that her wishes come with casualties, that betrayal hurts worse than bruises, that love is a risk worth taking . . . and maybe she’s not as fragile as everyone thinks.


Following her pitch-perfect debut Open Road Summer, Emery Lord pens another gorgeous story of best friends, new love, & second chances.

Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?


Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it's just the risk she's been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions. 

A road trip fling turns terrifying in this contemporary story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.


The eagerly-awaited conclusion to the Scarlet trilogy delivers another action-packed and romance-filled adventure.

Scarlet has captured the hearts of readers as well as the heart of Robin Hood, and after ceaseless obstacles and countless threats, readers will finally find out the fate of the Lady Thief.

Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince's clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?


The Giveaway:

This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of any of the four books featured on this tour: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord, The Devil You Know by Trish Doller, Lion Heart by A.C. Gaughen, and Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt. This is a US only giveaway and entrants must be 13 years or older to enter.



Follow the Tour!

May 19th -- The Eater of Books!
May 21st -- Jessabella Reads
May 22nd -- Blue Sky Shelf
May 26th -- Mundie Moms
May 27th -- Reading Teen
May 29th -- The Quiet Concert

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Review: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord


The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: March 31, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

What I Liked:

I never read Open Road Summer, but I hear it's a great road-trip book. I LOVE road-trip books. I don't read nearly enough of them though. I want to read Lauren Barnholdt's road-trip book. Anyway. I never read Emery Lord's smashing debut, despite its instant popularity. I was sent a review copy of this book (unsolicited), and so I decided to give it a try. I liked what I read.

Paige is known as That Girl Whose Boyfriend Died. Her boyfriend of two months, Aaron, drowned about a year ago. Paige is ready to try new things during this new school year. She wants to start swimming again, join a new group, and date Ryan Chase. But going into a pool know scares Paige, she joined Quiz Bowl, and Ryan seems interested in her friend Tessa... not to mention that Ryan's cousin Max is really nice. Dorky, but nice. Plus Paige has other problems, like her divorced parents dating. Doesn't a girl have enough problems already?

One thing I really liked about this book is the depth of the relationships, and not just a boy-girl in love (or "in like") type of relationship. There are so many friendships in this book, as well as a sister-sister relationship, parent-daughter relationship, etc. The author does a great job of developing and challenging these characters and their relationships.

I especially liked Paige's relationship with her female friends (Tessa, Morgan, Kayleigh... I might be missing one. Or maybe not. Actually, I think it's just three of them. I'm unsure though). FINALLY, a Young Adult that has a group of girls who are friends and who are friends that aren't in competition with one another. It always seems that way in YA books, whether the authors mean it or not. In this book, the girls really love each other and care about each other and look out for each other. Tessa and Paige happen to be crushing on the same guy (Ryan), but Paige doesn't actually like him like she thinks she does (you'll see). 

Which brings me to the romance. I really liked the romance in this book. Paige begins the book wanting her old childhood crush, Ryan, to like her back and they fall in love and ride off into the sunset. But she meets his cousin Max, and they develop a friendship. They're both total nerds - the bond started in English class, and then Paige joined Quiz Bowl (I WAS IN QUIZ BOWL IN HIGH SCHOOL! All four years. I was even the captain!), Paige is comfortable around Max from the start, whereas she gets tongued-tied and embarrassed around Ryan. 

I love how the romance progresses. Literally there is no physical ROMANCE until the very end of this book, but the entire book is charged with emotions and unrequited feelings and love. It's so great how the author constructs a contemporary romance story without the two main characters ever really touching or talking about their feelings or giving each other major signals. And yet, both of them know, eventually. It was very believable, and incredibly powerful.

There are so many subplots within the plot, and I love how every little thing ties together and intersects throughout the story. Paige's parents, Paige's relationship with her sister, with Max, with her friends, her experience with Quiz Bowl, her English class... I like how everything comes together. The ending is really sweet. Like, right down to the end, everything is so sweet. I liked this one!

What I Did Not Like:

I definitely wanted more (of the physical nature) from Paige and Max, but that's just me. I should just go read an adult book, right? In any case, there's plenty of development in their relationship, on the emotional side. But it's like they aren't attracted to each other at all, which is kind of important to me. Ideally, I would want my ideal man to be someone I both love and am attracted to physically (and intellectually and emotionally, etc.) I don't think Max and Paige are disgusted with each other physically or anything. And I'm not saying they have to be supermodels or anything. But I don't think they're physically attracted to each other. Which makes me sad. But no relationship has it all, I suppose!

Would I Recommend It:

Contemporary fans will LOVE this book. Heck, I'm not even a contemporary fan, but I liked this one a lot. It's a great mix of tough-issue contemporary and sweet romance. I can see why everyone loves this author - she creates a wonderful, likable story. Wonderful, lighthearted fluffy read!

Rating:

4 stars. I'll be looking out for more of this author's books in the future! And hey, I might read Open Road Summer. So much contemporary though. We shall see.


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