Tuesday, September 10, 2013

A Little Too Far Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway


Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers hosted by Rockstar Book Tours
------------------------------
Review: 

I don’t know how Lisa Desrochers pulled this one off, but she totally did. This book is awesome in so many ways. I was pulled in and I was able to totally suspend all my ideas of the place of rules in society and just completely give in to emotion and action. I feel like there’s a lot in this book that could have easily had me running in the other direction, and any other author would have probably made this way weird, but it felt so right the way Desrochers wrote it. My first reaction upon finishing was – I feel dirty, but I like it. I think I’d like to amend that. Upon reflection, there’s a lot on the surface of this novel that should be wrong (stepbrothers and priests and such), but really there’s just a cast of characters exploring their options and discovering who they are. And there’s nothing wrong with that. And this book - I don’t just like it, I definitely love it.
Lexi is one of the few characters I’ve come across that doesn’t overthink things to death before she acts on them. She completely follows her instincts and then deals with the emotional fall-out that occurs after the fact. She’s incredibly action driven, and you could say that gets her in trouble, but by the end you can really see how she’s a testament to everything-happens-for-a-reason. Lexi is on an incredible journey and I love that you can see the way she changes as well as the role she plays in changing the lives of the other people close to her. This is definitely a story where the MC is not the only dynamic character, and that just really brings the whole thing right off the page where it can breathe on its own.
It’s really hard not to focus on these things, because they’re a desperately needed shock to the NA category, so the stepbrother and the priest… they both seriously played with my emotions. Lexi is confused about her feelings for both of them, which made me confused. I was in a place where I wanted her to be with one and then she’d see the other one and I’d change my mind. But I loved that it came to a point where she had to choose and she actually had to make a decision (there was no divine intervention or random circumstance to drive her one way or another). But just because of who both guys were, this was a fresh story and it really stands out to me in the NA field.
And let’s not forget that the majority of the story takes place in Rome! It’s easy to get caught up in the shocking aspects of this book, but there’s so much more awesome going on here. I’m excited that NA is starting to move overseas. Lexi moves to Rome at the same point in her life that I moved to Madrid for a year, so there were a lot of ways I related to her experiences. She's going to school, creating new relationships and exploring a new country all while dealing with her feelings and relationships back home. It's tough to balance, but it completely opens life up and gives you perspective - an aspect of living abroad that is captured here very well. 
There's much more to this book than you'd think and it will definitely charge your emotions, make your heart race, and just let you melt into a world where desire rules. I completely blew through this book because Lexi manages to get herself into such a crazy situation and I had no idea how she was going to get herself out of it. I could't predict anything. Which was surprisingly refreshing. This is an amazing book and I highly suggest you let yourself get wrapped up in this one for awhile. 
------------------------------
About the Book: 

"More than a ridiculously sexy, HOT read, Desrochers takes you on a wild ride of self-discovery and bittersweet romance."
-JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
-------------------
Have you ever gone just a little too far? 

Lexie Banks has.

Yep. She just had mind-blowing sex with her stepbrother. In her defense, she was on the rebound and it's more of a my-dad-happened-to-marry-a-woman-with-a-super-hot-son situtation. But still he's been her best friend and confidant for the better part of the last few years ... and is so off limits. It's a good thing she's leaving in two days for a year abroad in Rome. 

But even thousands of miles away, Lexie can't seem to escape trouble. Raised Catholic, she goes to confession in hopes of alleviating some of her guilt ... and maybe not burning in hell. Instead, she stumbles out of the confessional and right into Alessandro Moretti, a young and very easy-on-the-eyes deacon ... only eight months away from becoming a priest. Lexie and Alessandro grow closer, and when Alessandro's signals start changing despite his vow of celibacy, she doesn't know what to think. She's torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn't want and the man she can't have. And she isn't sure how she can live with herself either way.

Coming Soon: 
A LITTLE TOO MUCH (A companion novel coming November 12, 2013)
A LITTLE TOO HOT (coming January 21, 2014) 

Buy Links: Goodreads :: Amazon :: Barnes & Noble

------------------------------
About the Author:

Lisa Desrochers lives in northern California with her husband, two very busy daughters, and Shini the tarantula. If you told her five years ago she'd write a book, she'd have laughed in your face.  As it turns out, she'd owe you an apology. Writing has become an addiction for Lisa and A Little Too Far, courtesy of HarperCollins, is her first novel for adults. She's also the author of the young adult Personal Demons trilogy from Macmillan. 

When she's not writing, she's reading, and she adores stories that take her to new places, and then take her by surprise. Connect with her online at www.lisadwrites.com, on her blog at lisadesrochers.blogspot.com, on Twitter at @LisaDez, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LisaDesrochersAuthor.

Find Lisa Online: Website :: Blog :: Twitter :: Facebook :: Goodreads
------------------------------
Giveaway:
Giveaway is US/Can only
Prizes: 
-An iPad Mini - one winner
-A knowledge pendant, tote bag, and tattoos (Trent's tattoo!) - one winner
-A signed copy of HarperCollins' BETWEEN THE COVERS sampler with the 1st two chapters of A LITTLE TOO FAR annotated, knowledge tote, and tattoos - one winner
-A signed copy of BETWEEN THE COVERS with the 1st two chapters of A LITTLE TOO FAR annotated, and tattoos - two winners


Thanks for stopping by!
Tour also stops at A Glass of Wine with an interview today!
 

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

A Little Too Far Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway


Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers hosted by Rockstar Book Tours
------------------------------
Review: 

I don’t know how Lisa Desrochers pulled this one off, but she totally did. This book is awesome in so many ways. I was pulled in and I was able to totally suspend all my ideas of the place of rules in society and just completely give in to emotion and action. I feel like there’s a lot in this book that could have easily had me running in the other direction, and any other author would have probably made this way weird, but it felt so right the way Desrochers wrote it. My first reaction upon finishing was – I feel dirty, but I like it. I think I’d like to amend that. Upon reflection, there’s a lot on the surface of this novel that should be wrong (stepbrothers and priests and such), but really there’s just a cast of characters exploring their options and discovering who they are. And there’s nothing wrong with that. And this book - I don’t just like it, I definitely love it.
Lexi is one of the few characters I’ve come across that doesn’t overthink things to death before she acts on them. She completely follows her instincts and then deals with the emotional fall-out that occurs after the fact. She’s incredibly action driven, and you could say that gets her in trouble, but by the end you can really see how she’s a testament to everything-happens-for-a-reason. Lexi is on an incredible journey and I love that you can see the way she changes as well as the role she plays in changing the lives of the other people close to her. This is definitely a story where the MC is not the only dynamic character, and that just really brings the whole thing right off the page where it can breathe on its own.
It’s really hard not to focus on these things, because they’re a desperately needed shock to the NA category, so the stepbrother and the priest… they both seriously played with my emotions. Lexi is confused about her feelings for both of them, which made me confused. I was in a place where I wanted her to be with one and then she’d see the other one and I’d change my mind. But I loved that it came to a point where she had to choose and she actually had to make a decision (there was no divine intervention or random circumstance to drive her one way or another). But just because of who both guys were, this was a fresh story and it really stands out to me in the NA field.
And let’s not forget that the majority of the story takes place in Rome! It’s easy to get caught up in the shocking aspects of this book, but there’s so much more awesome going on here. I’m excited that NA is starting to move overseas. Lexi moves to Rome at the same point in her life that I moved to Madrid for a year, so there were a lot of ways I related to her experiences. She's going to school, creating new relationships and exploring a new country all while dealing with her feelings and relationships back home. It's tough to balance, but it completely opens life up and gives you perspective - an aspect of living abroad that is captured here very well. 
There's much more to this book than you'd think and it will definitely charge your emotions, make your heart race, and just let you melt into a world where desire rules. I completely blew through this book because Lexi manages to get herself into such a crazy situation and I had no idea how she was going to get herself out of it. I could't predict anything. Which was surprisingly refreshing. This is an amazing book and I highly suggest you let yourself get wrapped up in this one for awhile. 
------------------------------
About the Book: 

"More than a ridiculously sexy, HOT read, Desrochers takes you on a wild ride of self-discovery and bittersweet romance."
-JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
-------------------
Have you ever gone just a little too far? 

Lexie Banks has.

Yep. She just had mind-blowing sex with her stepbrother. In her defense, she was on the rebound and it's more of a my-dad-happened-to-marry-a-woman-with-a-super-hot-son situtation. But still he's been her best friend and confidant for the better part of the last few years ... and is so off limits. It's a good thing she's leaving in two days for a year abroad in Rome. 

But even thousands of miles away, Lexie can't seem to escape trouble. Raised Catholic, she goes to confession in hopes of alleviating some of her guilt ... and maybe not burning in hell. Instead, she stumbles out of the confessional and right into Alessandro Moretti, a young and very easy-on-the-eyes deacon ... only eight months away from becoming a priest. Lexie and Alessandro grow closer, and when Alessandro's signals start changing despite his vow of celibacy, she doesn't know what to think. She's torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn't want and the man she can't have. And she isn't sure how she can live with herself either way.

Coming Soon: 
A LITTLE TOO MUCH (A companion novel coming November 12, 2013)
A LITTLE TOO HOT (coming January 21, 2014) 

Buy Links: Goodreads :: Amazon :: Barnes & Noble

------------------------------
About the Author:

Lisa Desrochers lives in northern California with her husband, two very busy daughters, and Shini the tarantula. If you told her five years ago she'd write a book, she'd have laughed in your face.  As it turns out, she'd owe you an apology. Writing has become an addiction for Lisa and A Little Too Far, courtesy of HarperCollins, is her first novel for adults. She's also the author of the young adult Personal Demons trilogy from Macmillan. 

When she's not writing, she's reading, and she adores stories that take her to new places, and then take her by surprise. Connect with her online at www.lisadwrites.com, on her blog at lisadesrochers.blogspot.com, on Twitter at @LisaDez, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LisaDesrochersAuthor.

Find Lisa Online: Website :: Blog :: Twitter :: Facebook :: Goodreads
------------------------------
Giveaway:
Giveaway is US/Can only
Prizes: 
-An iPad Mini - one winner
-A knowledge pendant, tote bag, and tattoos (Trent's tattoo!) - one winner
-A signed copy of HarperCollins' BETWEEN THE COVERS sampler with the 1st two chapters of A LITTLE TOO FAR annotated, knowledge tote, and tattoos - one winner
-A signed copy of BETWEEN THE COVERS with the 1st two chapters of A LITTLE TOO FAR annotated, and tattoos - two winners


Thanks for stopping by!
Tour also stops at A Glass of Wine with an interview today!