Book Review: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Goodreads says: 

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

Here is another book that has been waiting patiently for me on my Nook and I finally got around to reading it.  The timing was perfect considering it has been extremely cold and I starting to wish for warmer weather.

The first thing that I noticed that Lilah aka Dee is that she reminds me of Taylor Swift.  Matt Finch who was in band called Finch Four reminds me of the Jonas brothers.  (I am not familiar with Jonas, but I know who they are).

A scandal arises threatening to ruin Lilah's image, and Matt is brought in to save it by posing as her fake boyfriend.  Honestly, it took me some time to wrap my head around how this would help.

What I liked about this book is that it focuses on friendship not just centered around romance. Maybe that after Reagan's breakup, she was guarded. However, she falls for Matt but fights it.  Maybe because he is different from other guys she's dated.

Open Road Summer also takes a look at what it is like to be famous.  It is clear that it is not as glamorous as it looks-people always want to be in the know about your personal life and your whereabouts.

I never had an interest in country music.  But now I feel like I should give it a chance.  I have heard a lot of positive reviews for this book, despite not knowing much about the author, I wanted to give the book a chance.

4 out of 5 Stars 

Personal digital copy from Barnes N Noble

Happy Pub Day!!!

Happy pub day!!! So it's official. Taking on the Writing World: The Ups and Downs of the Writing Life is officially out today.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

To celebrate, until January 31, 2014 I am offering 10% at Smashwords.  If you purchase the book from Smashwords, you can get 10% off  by entering code: JR27F.   How can you support the cause? Here's how?

1. Like me on Facebook 
2. Follow me on Twitter @lbyrdwrites
3. Follow me on Google+
4. Follow me on Goodreads.
5. Add it to your Goodreads to read list.  

Reviews and comments are always welcomed.  Happy reading!!!

Book Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Goodreads says:

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. 

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.
I am finally back with a brand new book review of Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins.

I have been reading the novel off and on for a month or so because I have been distracted by reading other books. However, I decided to buckle down and focus on finishing this book.

Why the detour?  It took awhile for the story to pick up speed. The book didn't get interesting until after the first hundred pages.

So we are back in Paris at SOAP-School of America in Paris.  At first, I thought that the story was going to solely take place in New York. Actually, the setting is divided between Paris and NYC.

Josh and Isla have been crushing on each and they finally get together senior year.  So their relationship should be smooth sailing. Well not exactly.

Spoiler Alert: A trip to Spain lands the couple in hot water with SOAP.  Josh gets expelled and Isla gets attention.  Now the couple has to deal with maintaining a long distance relationship.

The thing that worries me about Isla is that she over thinks things and is afraid to take risks.  She also feels that she is unlovable.  Isla's only friend is Kurt.  It takes some time for Isla to break out of her comfort zone-well she is forced out of her comfort zone.  Josh and Isla break up, but can they find their way back to each other?

Readers will see cameo appearances from Meredith, Anna, Cricket, Lola, St. Clair, Sanjita, and Nate from Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door.  Fans of the series will be pleased to know that Anna and St. Clair are still together.  There is a big surprise in the book. Hint, hint.

Isla and the Happily Ever turned out to be a good book. I have heard positive reviews around the web. Stephanie Perkins tied everything together nicely.  At first, it's sort of hard to see how all three books connect, but once you read all three books, you will see the connections.

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Personal digital copy purchased from Barnes N Noble

Cover Reveal: Taking on the Writing World

Thanks to the cover creator on Amazon KDP, I was able to create a professional cover that I am absolutely happy with!  Drum roll please...

Note: I made a change in the subtitle.  The book with be called: Taking on the Writing World: The Ups and Downs of the Writing Life.

I can't wait to finish the book and put out there for readers to read.  Stay tuned for an excerpt.  

WIP: Taking on the Writing World

Hi, I guess that it is not too early to announce that I have been working on a new book project.  I have been reading a lot of books about writing and reading about experiences from different writers. Reading those experiences inspired me to tell my story.

I wanted to write about my experiences with writing contests, classes, rejections from publications, and other adventures and misadventures and share some words of wisdom I picked up through the years.  I still consider myself  a newbie although I have writing online for almost five years.  I still have a long way to go, but I am not as green as I use to be.

I am not so quick to enter just any contest promising money and publication.  I am not in a big hurry to hit to publish button.  Case and point, I wish that I would've taken my time with the short stories on Smashwords.  There have been times when I have caught mistakes and had to upload a new version.  I hoped to make money off my stories, but it took me nine months to earn $11.03.  The lesson here is don't publish to make a quick buck.  These things don't happen overnight.

I am half way through the book and I have written almost seven thousand words.  That is a world record for me.  It is more than the word count of the failed unfinished novel that I attempted.  What's different this time around?

I have been writing out each chapter by hand in a notebook and when I am ready, I type it on the computer.  This strategy cuts down on getting distracted by the Internet.  I feel more productive when using this method.

I plan to publish through Amazon's KDP to reach a wide audience.  I can't wait to publish, but I don't want to rush it.  I am so glad that KDP has a book cover creator so I will have a professional looking cover.

The working title for my first full length non fiction book is Taking on the Writing World: The Ups and Downs of Getting Published.  I hope to have it on Amazon by January 2015 at the latest.

Stay tuned for updates!

Book Cover Make Over!

I have exciting news!

I thought that it was time to get more professional looking book covers for the eBooks I currently have on Smashwords.  I have learned a valuable lesson: don't make your own book cover if you don't know what you are doing or if you do not have the right tools.

I am still learning the ins and outs of the self publishing business.  I think that having a lack of professional covers for my books is the reason why the aren't selling so well.  In order to reach a wider audience, I plan to publish them on Amazon as well.  Not everyone knows about Smashwords.

There is a new project in the works.  Stay Tuned!

Book Review: The Last Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Goodreads says:

"Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions."

It has been months since Ginny's return from Europe.  When she was in Greece, her backpack was stolen along with the letters from Aunt Peg.  Without the last envelope, Ginny  was unable to complete the final task.

Months later, Ginny receives an email from someone in London who found her backpack and envelopes. Ginny heads back to London to retrieve her stolen items.  When she arrives, she encounters plenty of surprises and the opening of old wounds.  When Ginny visits Keith, she finds out that he has a girlfriend. 

Ginny meets Oliver who is willing to help her find Aunt Peg's remaining paintings.  The catch is that Oliver wants to split the profits with Ginny. Ginny was all geared up to travel to Paris with Oliver alone.  Sensing that Oliver was out to use Ginny, Keith decides drive Ginny and Oliver to France himself.  (Thumbs up for Keith).  

Ginny is off on another European adventure with Keith, Ellis, and Oliver.  Thank goodness that she doesn't have to do it alone.  The group travel to Paris, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Ireland.  Another advantage is that Ginny can have her phone, computer, maps, and guidebooks if necessary.  

I was eager to read The Last Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson because I was curious to find out what happens to Ginny.  I wanted to know if Ginny simply moved on and forgot about the envelope.  I also was curious to know if Ginny and Keith were girlfriend and boyfriend.  

In my review of 13 Little Blue Envelopes, I wrote about  how the author ended the novel with a lot of loose ends.  At least the follow up novel tied up a lot of these loose ends.  I can't help but wonder what Ginny's parents have to say about all of this.  (Just a thought).  At least Richard gets to make a few appearances.  

On an additional note, I wanted to read The Last Blue Envelope because a friend of mine went to London a few weeks ago.  I wanted to feel like I was there.  Reading about Ginny's adventures and misadventures makes me wish that I could have taken a similar trip to Europe when I was her age.

Another positive aspect of this novel is that it was stronger than the last novel in terms of showing not telling.  Maureen Johnson doesn't just simply tell us what happens.  I got a better sense of what was going on within each scene.  For instance, there is a scene were Keith's car was traveling down the road. It was described as "farting and spitting."  Yes, I know it sounds disgusting, and we all know cars don't does things, but this description gave the Keith's beat up car human like charracteristics.  Also, there was a lot of humor between the characters.  For me, that is always a plus.