Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Gateway Books/ Authors in my Reading Journey1/4/14

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. I'd love to share my lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

This is a really interesting top ten to do. Before I actually had to sit down and think about it, I didn't realise there were so many authors/books that had acted as gateway books in my reading life but there are very definite moments in my life where I was taken to a new genre or allowed to rediscover books again after a period of not reading and these were led by one author/book in particular. Here goes...

1. Judy Blume. I was in the last year of primary school and had read every thing that my school had to offer and was bored with it all quite franky. Then, that summer I disocovered Judy Blume and literally had to get my hands on everything she had written! 

2. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding. I was in my third year of secondary school. I didn't really red a lot other than in the summer holidays, again the books we were reading at school weren't really thrilling me, then my friend lent me this-I found myself, suddenly back into reading! 

3. Secret Dreamworld of a shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, Yet again I found myself in a bit of an inactive reading period then my dad bought me this novel for my birthday and would you believe it? I found myself hooked on chick lit-I've never looked back. The first book to make me laugh since I read Bridget Jones! 

4. I've Got your Number also by Sophie Kinsella. This was the book that got me reviewing books. I was suddenly doing guest reviews over on The Sweet Bookshelf and henceforth, a blogger was born (another awesome book by the way!)

5. Notes From a Big Country by Bill Bryson. The book that got me hooked on travel writing. 

6. Losing it by Cora Carmack. The book that opened my eyes to the New Adult Genre.

7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. The Book that gave me an appreciation of YA fiction! 

8. Fifty Shades of Grey. The books that got me back into erotic fiction. I had fallen out of love with erotic fiction whilst at uni and hadn't really returned to it being so busy with reading my chick lit. But then I picked this up and the other two when they came out and realised that I quite liked this genre too-as cliched as that may be! 

9.  Lindsey Kelk. The author who made me want to meet all the other authors. Lindsey was one of the first authors I met at a book signing when I got back into reading again after uni. Since then I've been seeking out book signings and author events and now am lucky enough to go to blogger events of course, but she was the one who started it all off...

10. Miranda Dickinson. She is a gateway author in more than one sense. I read her first novel during a very difficult time in my life and it was then that I discovered that reading could be such an awesome form of escapism. She also encouraged me to write. Fair enough I haven't finished my novel yet but I got a massive way into it thanks to her encouragement and she also came into my school to try and inspire my kids as well (something which they are all still talking about!) she is definitely a massive gateways author in that she has had such a big influence on me! 

Review: Away by Barbara Wolfe

This review is my stop on the New Adult book tour organised by Faye over at A Daydreamer's Thoughts  

Make sure you check down at the bottom of the page for your scavenger hunt code and rafflecopter entry.

What good is running AWAY when you only end up lost? 

Cassandra Pierce had her whole "perfect" life planned out by her parents. One night of pure weakness and lust has her running away from it all and seeking refuge in Alamosa with her best friend. But it seems life has other plans for her when she finds herself lost in the small town of Keaton. 

Jason Bradley is a charming country guy. He lives a simple life that’s nothing like what Cassandra is used to. A single moment in life changed everything he thought he once knew, leaving him with a broken heart and an unplanned future. 

What happens in Keaton is nothing Cassandra or her heart could have ever prepared for. The instant connection she shares with Jason is no secret, but what they're keeping hidden from one another is. Will these two be able to find a way to trust each other or will their secrets tear them apart?

Review: wow, there we no words to describe how I felt when I finished this novel. I had to save myself to write this review, I'm glad I didn't leave it until the last minute otherwise the page would be somewhat tear stained! I had no clue what to expect from this novel. I know I like the New Adult genre and this sounded like a cute story. The beginning of the book was definitely that. You are dropped right into the action which is the way I like to begin most good reads. We meet Casandra and learn that she is running away from something but we are not sure what yet. Suddenly everything changes,she is involved in a minor accident in a town she doesn't know and is helped by a lovely family she has never met before. 

The storyline continues beautifully from there. She gets to know People, goes out and discovers new things and we as readers get to know just some of her secrets and also the secrets of her new friend Jason. All the things she gets involved in sound really fun and I was just thinking what a lovely easy read it was, when BAM! Everything changed. You don't see it coming, it gets your from nowhere. I was literally sobbing for the last 10% of this book, not just weeping, not crying, sobbing. My advice would be not to read this in a public place or on your own, or when you have to look presentable at any stage, cos your eyes are going to be red/puffy! 

The characters in this story were just lovely. Casandra is the perfect mixture of mature and naive and so I never felt at any point that I wanted to shout at her to sort her life out and start running away. I defy anyone not to fall in love with Jason and his family, he is just unconditionally kind and loving and helps Cassie discover so much about herself as well as helping her after her accident. I love Cassie's friend Mel because she reminded me of my own best friend, she was so protective of Cassie and looked out for her, right up until the end of the book! 

If you're a fan of the New Adult genre then you will definitely enjoy this book. If you like reading books where cowboy boots are involved, you'll love this. And if you're looking for a book that'll let you have a good cry at the end then go for it! I really did enjoy this book but I'm still feeling emotionally scarred by the ending and so the book definitely does come with the warning that you will cry somewhere in the vein of One Day or The First Last Kiss (both of which definitely make it onto my favourite book list). So yes, a lovely novel with a killer twist, as must for new adult fans! 

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Review! Finding It by Cora Carmack

Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find where you truly belong...

Most girls would kill to spend months traveling around Europe after college graduation with no responsibility, no parents, and no-limit credit cards. Kelsey Summers is no exception. She's having the time of her life . . . or that's what she keeps telling herself.

It's a lonely business trying to find out who you are, especially when you're afraid you won't like what you discover. No amount of drinking or dancing can chase away Kelsey's loneliness, but maybe Jackson Hunt can. After a few chance meetings, he convinces her to take a journey of adventure instead of alcohol. With each new city and experience, Kelsey's mind becomes a little clearer and her heart a little less hers. Jackson helps her unravel her own dreams and desires. But the more she learns about herself, the more Kelsey realizes how little she knows about Jackson.

Review:

I am massive fan of this author’s writing. Her novels so far, I have devoured in one day and her novella was just a wonderful dip back into the world of Bliss and Garrick, so I was very very excited about the release of this, her third novel. I definitely wasn’t disappointed with this offering! This novel deals with a character from Cora’s First novel-Losing It-Kelsey Summers. It begins straightaway with her in the middle of her travels that she went off on when Bliss left and went up to Philly with Garrick. I was always very intrigued by Kelsey as a character and so was pleased that this novel deals with her and lets us into her world a little bit more. I liked the fact that she became her own character and not Just Bliss’s friend!

Kelsey is an interesting character and straight away, you know that there is more to her than meets the eye. The wonderful thing about the way that this book is written is that the other side to her character, the one that is most definitely hidden in Losing It, is revealed slowly and takes the whole of the novel to completely come to light. I really liked this about the character development but it does mean that the pace of this book is a lot slower than Carmack’s previous offerings… The other character we are introduced to is Hunt. He is a smouldering hunk if ever there was one. He comes into Kelsey’s life and you know, as a reader, that something is going to happen between them. Like Kelsey, his full character isn’t revealed until the very end of the novel, and whilst we know there are hidden depths, I was pretty surprised to find out just what his secret was!

I really enjoyed the storyline. The Love interest between Kelsey and Hunt was definitely a slow burn. An agonisingly slow burn, you are left right until the end wondering what is going to happen between them and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way. Kelsey does have a few chats with Bliss throughout this novel, but this story is most definitely about her and I really liked that. Whilst the pace of the book was definitely slightly slower than Losing It and Faking It, this didn’t take away from the enjoyment and I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Cora Carmack. It also works well as a stand alone novel, you can pick Kelsey up whether you have read the other novels or not, although it does contain a spoiler for the ending of Losing It-as does my review-woops!

Review: Keeping Her by Cora Carmack

Garrick Taylor and Bliss Edwards managed to find their happily-ever-after despite a rather . . . ahem . . . complicated start. By comparison, meeting the parents should be an absolute breeze, right?

But from the moment the pair lands in London, new snags just keep cropping up: a disapproving mother-in-law-to-be, more than one (mostly) minor mishap, and the realization that perhaps they aren't quite as ready for their future as they thought.

As it turns out, the only thing harder than finding love is keeping it.

Review: a fabulous new novella from this great New Adult author! This is a brilliant novella because we get to have a quick catch up with Bliss and Garrick from Losing It-wonderful! Bliss and Garrick are headed to London to meet Garrick's parents and so you know trouble is going to ensue. It was grata to catch up with these characters and find out what they are doing now they have both left the college where they met. We learn that Garrick isn't quite sure about his career change, i thought this was brilliantly realistic and so really enjoyed that part of the writing.

The characters haven't changed a bit, apart from being further on in their lives and relationships, Bliss is still as insecure as ever and Garrick is still so lovely and supportive of her. When Bliss goes to London with him, she becomes particularly anxious about meeting his family, and it is lovely the way he supports her. Something else also happens in London which is incredibly exciting, but I'll leave you to find out about that one yourself! 

We get to meet some of Garrick's friends as well as his family and they are written as typically British Lads, I thought this was great. I did find myself wanting to tell Bliss to pull herself together at points,but again I found her incredibly real, we often can't see how good we've got it in a relationship because we are too close to realise! This is a must for any fans of Cora Carmack, and a great New Adult Novella in its own rights. I wouldn't recommend reading this if you haven't read Losing It but both a fabulous to grab your copies now!

To get your copy of Keeping Her click here.

You see my reviews of Cora Carmack's previous novels by clicking the links.

Losing It

Faking It

Review! Fallen too Far by Abbi Glines

To want what you’re not supposed to have…

She is only nineteen.

She is his new stepfather’s daughter. 

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother. 

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

Review: this was another novel that I read as part of the New Adult Readathon. It was the Readathon that really gave me the push to read this, having had it sitting on my kindle for far too long! First of all this was an incredibly easy read. I read 60% of it one afternoon when I was ill and the remaining 40% on two train journeys the next day. It was fast paced, the characters were easy to recognise and their interactions well described.

Blaire is a good strong female character. She has good values, she wants to stand on her own two feet, get a job, a place, earn her own money. She also knows how to work with what she has and I loved her for that. She also has a habit of sometimes overreacting, but I can forgive her that! Love interest and new landlord (or sorts) Rush is initially cold and therefore hard to like, but he really warms up over the course of the novel and I found him really quite fun to read towards the end! There are a host of other characters who are also really well written and really add to the depth of the story!

I thought the choice of plot for this novel was really interesting but I really enjoyed it. The story about rush and Blaine families I thought cld have been developed a little further, but I imagine we learn a bit more about these in subsequent novels. The sex scenes over the course of the story were really steamy. I thought they were realistic and well written but definitely not for the faint hearted!

Overall I really enjoyed reading this novel and I'm not sure why I waited so long to do so. If you're not a fan of in depth sex scenes then this one probably isn't for you, but other than that I think this would appeal to most readers and given its lace and easy reading style, it would make the perfect summer read! 

To get YOUR copy, just click here...

Review! On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare ...

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well - until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street, where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he's determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won't be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her . . . down to the very soul.

Review: I read this novel as part of a New Adult Readathon and also because it was being discussed in a twitter book club hosted by Sophie Hart but I actually really enjoyed it although i wouldn't have picked it up independently. I loved the opening of this book, I thought it was really fast laced and I loved the concept of someone losing every thing and then moving to Edinburgh and finding a fabulous new housemate. The fact that this novel is set in Edinburgh is a real bonus for me, I love being able to picture where characters are when they are travelling around in a novel, and this was really nice for me to experience. The style of the flay is also typical of a tenement building just like those found in Edinburgh and Glasgow city centres.

Joss made a really good main character, although she did annoy me at points. She seems to mostly know her own mind although occasionally she will come out with things or make moves that I really didn't understand, or see where they were coming from. She seems to fly off the handle quite easily, something which seems to be indicative of young females in novels these days. She doesn't let herself be take advantage of though and I really liked that. She also comes to really appreciate family values and I was really pleased about this.

I really loved the character of Ellie-Joss's flatmate, she is bubbly and provides a very good platform for joss to push her boundaries. Ellie goes through a lot in the novel too and I would love to see a spin off featuring her, and telling her story, during or even post, on Dublin Street. Now Braden, opinions on Braden seem to differ somewhat. As the love interest in this novel, I wouldn't be able to describe him. I found him very one dimensional,with a very selfish personality and I really think that perhaps Joss ended up falling for him more out of convenience than any other reason. I'm really not a Braden fan, although this didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel as a whole...

I would definitely recommend this novel to others, it was an enjoyable read, had good pace and a good plot line. The characters and the setting are very believable and I even found myself crying at points. The sex scenes in the novel really aren't too explicit meaning that those of a more delicate nature will still enjoy this for the quality writing that it is...

You can get yourself a copy of this novel by clicking here!

Giveaway! Faking It by Cora Carmack SIGNED! (UK only)

Ok so I've had a bit of a Cora Carmack theme to the blog this week and because I loved Faking It as much as I did I decided to do a giveaway.

I have a copy of the FABULOUS Faking It, which Cora personally signed-I handed her the book, she was lovely enough to sign it and I'm giving you the chance to win it!

All you have to do is comment on this post and I will draw the winner one week from today.

I will notify the winner as soon as I can get in touch with them. This giveaway is UK only I'm afriad, but i promise to have an international giveaway at some point over the summer!

Get commenting!

If you don't win a copy of the book, you can always grab yourself a copy here.

Faking It Making it event with Cora Carmack

On Thursday 13th June I hot-footed it to Random House publishers to a fabulous event hosted by Ebury with Cora Carmack. She was there to talk about her latest book Faking It which was released the week before. The event was very popular and the room was filled with fans an bloggers as she spoke to us about her latest book Faking It as well as her first novel Losing it. It was a real treat to hear her talking about her writing process and the inspiration behin both novels.

She told us that she wrote Losing it in just three weeks, and that was after writing it by hand! She found that there was a gap in the market between YA and adult fiction, she wants dot write something about college age people because when she was in college, she really struggled to find anything out there for her as a reader. She then read from both books and much laughter and appreciation from the audience ensued...

Bloggers and fans were then able to ask questions. Cora was so detailed in her answers, it was lovely to see an author taking so much time out for her fans! She was asked about whether she found it harder to write as a male or as a female. She said that initially, Faking it was going to be written entirely from a male point of view, but that she felt too intimidated to do this and so that's how it ended up as a dual narrative. She was asked a very though question about whether she would go for Garrick or Cade and she very diplomatically decided that she would like a bit of both!

Cora then went on to talk about what she's working on at the moment. She told us about her novella which is written from Kelsey's point of view (Bliss's friend from Losing It) and that full novel number 3 will come out in October, with another novella out in January. Exciting times ahead for Cora Carmack Fans then!

We were then treated to some drinks and activities in the other room which included a Faking It booth, revealing things we had or hadn't faked. Decorating Faking it covers with famous faces as well as pretty shiny things. There were cupcakes and cava, and Cora mingled with her fans, signing books and talking about her plans for future novels! We were lucky enough to take home goody bags containing copies of the books, a condom in a Losing It cover, love hearts, and a fabulous Barry M nail varnish (Barry M sponsored the event).

It was a fabulous evening. Thank you to Ebury for hosting it, and that you very much to Cora for being lovely and singing my book!

You can follow her on Twitter @CoraCarmack and don't forget to check out both of her best selling novels. I have recently posted reviews of both!

Keep your eyes on the blog for a giveaway of Faking it coming soon!

Losing my Book Group Virginity

Confession: I have never been part of a book club before-online or otherwise! I know this might seem hard to beleive, the amount of reading that I do, but I've never found anything that suits me. I moved to this area about two years ago now, but don't really know anyone here and so the thought of joining a book club here is slightly intimidating and before I moved here, the only book clubs around me were for the kind of books that I don't enjoy reading!

The ironic thing is that I love reading books about book clubs. Elizabeth Noble's the Book Group, The Jane Austen Book Club  and now the new Naughty Girls Book Club by Sophie Hart, which you can read my review of soon, have all been fabulolus books (although they did lead to me buying a load of new books to read alongside them) and so why had I never managed to find a book club for me?

Well that all changed one night on Twitter! I had downloaded The Naughty Girls Book Club to read on my Kindle and followed the author on Twitter. I knew that she had started an online book club, held once a month over Twitter. The last two books they had been talking about, I hadn't read and didn't reallty have time to start by the time I found out about it happening, but this month's book was Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire which was at the very top of my TBR pile anyway (as fans of the blog will know!) So I decided to take the plunge, read the book and take part in the book club over Twitter!

This was on Wednesday and, let me tell you, it was exhilerating! The most interesting thing for me was that my opinions on the book differed from some of the others. I'm not sure it would have worked with many more people because it would have been hard to keep up with the tweets, there seemed to be just the right number! I really enjoyed exploring the different aspects of the book. We explored the characters, the violence in the book, the naughtiness in the book and also touched on the book's sequal, Walking Disaster. Sophie Hart was hosting and was asking some excellent questions!

So now I've lost my book group virginity, and I can tell you... A good time was had by all. The next question is-what will we be reading next? If you have any thoughts on the matter, let me know! I LOVE to hear your comments! 

Review: Losing it by Cora Cormack

As far as Bliss Edwards can tell, she's the last virgin standing, certainly amongst her friends. And she's determined to deal with the 'problem' as quickly and simply as possible.

But her plan for a no-strings one night stand turns out to be anything but simple. Especially when she arrives for her first class and recognises her hot new British professor.

She'd left him naked in her bed just 8 hours earlier...

Review: Wow! What a whirlwind of a book! I started it and literally couldn't out it down. You get right in on the action straight away with bliss getting ready with friend Kelsey to go out and loose her virginity-straight to the point or what? She meets the fabulously British male lead almost straight away, no messing. I loved those first few scenes between them, it was so well-written that I could feel the slightly drunken awkwardness oozing from the page as I read!

Bliss is a character who, although she is in her final year of college, knows what she wants, lives alone and has friends whom she socialises with, but does not rely on entirely to get by on a day to day basis. I admire this in a character. I was unsure whether I liked the fact that she saw her virginity as something she must loose and was going to do so at any cost, just to get it over and done with, but thankfully she does loose this attitude some way through the novel and so goes right back up there in my estimation. I even love the fact that she has spare sheets and b,anklets for when her friends drunkenly crash at her place.

Male lead Garrick is also a strong character although he is significantly quieter than Bliss in the novel. I quite like that the male character doesn't take over in this case. It is  never really him playing with her emotions, but her blowing a bit hot and cold with him throughout the novel. I love the fact that the male is the first to declare his feelings as well-a great stand for feminism without being obviously so!

I love the supporting characters in this book too, best friend Cade is fabulous. He is understanding and yet reacting realistically when Bliss hurts him. I can't wait to find out what happens to him in follow up novel Faking it! I even love the fact that Bliss ends up acquiring a cat who is completely standoffish and only seems to respond to Garrick-hilarious.

The whole storyline is realistic and remind me of the first series of Greys Anatomy with Meredith and Mcdreamy, a good thing! I particularly love how realistically the scene where both characters have glandular fever, or mono, is written. Having had glandular fever, the writing made me feel like I was actually back there suffering again alongside the,. At the same time, is piece of the novel underlines how important swing someone when they are at their worst and not caring, actually helping them, is in a developing relationship.

I wasn't even expecting to like this novel as much as I did but I read it cover to cover in practically one go! The sex scenes were realistic without being overly graphic, the relationships between the characters, equally so, and I loved the whole idea for the storyline. I think that this is something anyone could enjoy and I can't wait for the sequel! 

A special thank you to Amanda at Onemorepage for this copy!