Thursday, October 25, 2012

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Texting Tyler, by Rebecca Rembish

Synopsis:
In a time where people rely on their cell phones for everything, a romance like this was bound to happen.

Christopher Clarke is the nicest guy Amy Fallon has ever met. He is sixteen, handsome, smart, funny…an all-around great guy. Tyler Clarke is hot. So why is Amy, one of the smartest girls in school, so clueless when it comes to realizing who she is truly falling in love with? Or better yet, who’s falling in love with her.

Amy is forced to spend the week at her grandmother’s house in Arizona. She returns home to New York with a closer bond to her grandmother, a best friend she adores, and a boyfriend she believes is everything she has ever dreamed of.

After months of sporadic long distance texting, Amy’s infatuation with Tyler continues growing. She shares evening video chats with Chris, while convincing herself Tyler is the brother she truly cares for. Things finally seem to be falling in to place for Amy…that is, until she starts to realize whom her heart is truly longing for.

When she returns to Arizona almost a year later, things don’t go quite as planned. Amy is blindsided not only by the death of her grandmother, but she learns the truth behind the text messages from Tyler.


***

This book was super cute.  I love contemporary romance and this one was right up my alley.  It was a light read about a teen girl in a long distance relationship(s).  Rembish was brilliant at including texts as part of the story and helping it move forward.  

While the story is mostly told from Amy's perspective, it does flip over to Chris every now and then to give his view.  I really enjoyed that aspect of the book.  It was fun to see how both characters were dealing with the relationship and how the other was reacting.

I really liked Amy.  She is a very believable teenage girl.  She is pretty, smart, insecure, and a little clueless.  She falls for a lousy guy just because he showed interest in her, all while developing real feelings for his brother.  The way their relationship plays out was entertaining and kept me interested the entire time.  I felt like this book wasn't as predictable as most YA books, so I didn't ever reach a point where I got bored.

I fell head over heels for Chris.  Sometimes I thought that maybe he was a little too perfect, but he was an awesome guy and just right for Amy.  

My one and only complaint about the book is the language that is used.  There is a lot of cursing, and some of it is really strong.  I am a firm advocate for clean teen reads, and while this one was perfectly clean romantically, the use of foul language really threw me for a loop.  I realize that most teens probably use that type of language, but I really wish the author had chosen to leave it out of the story.

Interview:

1. What inspired you to write Texting Tyler? 
I read an article on how texting was taking away some of the romance in YA books. I thought it would be funny to write a whole book based on texting. The first two words I typed were…Texting Tyler.

2. Will there be a sequel? 

YES! I am so excited. It’s in the review process and will be released in December 2012.

3. What do you enjoy most about writing Young Adult novels? 

I love ANGST!! I love DRAMA!! And being able to create it (without having to actually live it) is so much FUN!

4. Are you working on anything new? 

I am currently working on another technology driven romance. Here’s a glimpse…butt dialing. LOL!

5. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? 

Make sure you have a tough skin! And if you figure out how to do that, let me know. I’m still working on getting one.

Excerpt:


“I can’t wait.” Amy was genuinely excited.
They walked out to the parking lot and said their goodbyes.
“See ya tomorrow!” Dana shouted to them as they were walking away. 
“Okay!” Amy yelled back. They had just left and she already couldn’t wait to see them again the next day.
“They’re cool, right?” Chris asked. 
“Very,” Amy answered right away. 
Chris puffed his chest out. “I knew you’d like them. I could tell they really liked you too.” 
They waited by the car for Tyler, who took his time walking over to join them. He moved slowly, clicking the doors open with his key chain. They were all about to get in the car when Tyler turned to Chris. 
“Hey man chuck this for me.” Tyler held out the soda cup he was slurping on during the movie.
“Chuck it yourself,” Chris said.
“Then walk home,” Tyler said matter-of-factly.  
“Just give it to me.” Chris huffed as he took the soda cup from his brother and walked over to the trashcan. 
Amy and Tyler got in to the car shutting the doors. She heard a click and looked over at Tyler who was laughing. “Watch this,” he said to her.
A moment later Chris came back and opened the door to the car. Clunk, it wouldn’t open. 
“Unlock the door,” Chris said through the window. 
Tyler ignored him.
“Open the door,” Chris said impatiently.
Tyler clicked the button back and forth quickly. Chris went to open the door. Clunk, it wouldn’t open. 
Amy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Tyler looked over at her and lifted his eyebrows at her as he continued to laugh. 
“Tyler, I swear to God man. Why you doing this?” Chris asked shaking his head. 
Amy felt bad for him. Tyler continued to ignore him and started the car. Amy looked out the window at Chris giving him a sympathetic look. Tyler put the car in drive and drove forward a few feet. Chris walked forward a few feet and knocked on the window. 
“Come on man please,” Chris begged. 
Tyler clicked the door and this time Chris was able to get in. “You’re such a puss Chris. I shoulda made you walk home.” Tyler laughed at him before turning the volume of the music up high so that no one was able to talk the entire ride home. 
Amy felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she slid the phone out to see a text from Chris. 


 

Giveaway!

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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Book Review: Highland Sactuary, by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

From Goodreads:
Gavin MacKenzie, a chieftain heir who is hired to restore the ancient Castle of Braigh, discovers a hidden village of outcasts who have created their own private sanctuary from the world. Among them is Serena Boyd, a mysterious and comely lass, who captures Gavin's heart in spite of harboring a deadly past that could destroy her future.

The villagers happen to be keeping an intriguing secret as well, and when a fierce enemy launches an attack against them, greed leads to bitter betrayal. Then, as Gavin prepares a defense, the villagers unite in a bold act of faith, showing how God's love is more powerful than any human force on earth.


***

A friend of mine recommended this book to me.  Historical Fiction has always been one of my favorite genres to read.  Add a little romance and I'm hooked.

This was such an unusual story.  In a lot of ways it was predictable and very similar to most other books on the market.  But there were other things that were new to me and took me completely by surprise. 

The predictable elements included the love story.  It was very obvious what was going to happen and who Serena was going to fall in love with.  They had the typical "forbidden love" that all nobility/peasant romance stories have.  In spite of it's predictability, I still enjoyed the love story. It was clean and sweet.  Gavin was a gentleman and I adored him completely.  Serena loved with her whole heart, and was good to the core.

The not so predictable aspects were pretty interesting.  Serena has a secret, but even she doesn't know the whole of it.  She lives with her mother in the Village of Outcasts, a community of misfits that find sanctuary living together in the woods.  Serena suffers from seizures, or "fits" as they are called in the book.  Her father wanted to abandon her when she was a newborn because he believed she was possessed of an evil spirit.  Her mother took her and fled to the Village of Outcasts where she was able to keep her daughter safe.

As Serena's relationship with Gavin develops, he is curious to know what her big secret is.  He is introduced to it at the market when Serena has one of her fits in public.  The townsfolk think she is a witch and possessed.  They want to burn her at the stake.  

There were more surprises as the book went on, but I don't want to give everything away.  I found it very interesting and had a difficult time putting it down.  The writing wasn't perfect, and the use of dialect was pretty heavy and made some of the reading frustrating. 

It is available in both Kindle and paperback formats.


Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Abingdon Press (October 2011)
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