Tuesday 30 June 2015

Blog Tour + Giveaway - Ana of California by Andi Teran










Ana of California by Andi Teran
Publisher: Penguin Books
Release Date: June 30th 2015

Genre: Adult, Young Adult crossover, Fiction, Retellings, Coming of Age, Contemporary


Synopsis:




Appropriate for YA audiences.


A modern take on the classic coming-of-age novel, inspired by Anne of Green Gables.


In the grand tradition of Anne of Green Gables, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and The Three Weissmanns of Westport, Andi Teran’s captivating debut novel offers a contemporary twist on a beloved classic. Fifteen-year-old orphan Ana Cortez has just blown her last chance with a foster family. It’s a group home next—unless she agrees to leave East Los Angeles for a farm trainee program in Northern California.

When she first arrives, Ana can’t tell a tomato plant from a blackberry bush, and Emmett Garber is skeptical that this slight city girl can be any help on his farm. His sister Abbie, however, thinks Ana might be just what they need. Ana comes to love Garber Farm, and even Emmett has to admit that her hard work is an asset. But when she inadvertently stirs up trouble in town, Ana is afraid she might have ruined her last chance at finding a place to belong.




























Music played an important role in the creation of Ana of California. Before I even began writing, I put together a playlist of songs for each of my characters—soundtracks to their pasts, present, and future that often unlocked the secrets to their histories. I immersed myself in Mexican folk songs, classic American rock from the 1960s and 1970s, hair metal from the 1980s, and further explored my current obsession with modern California girl punk bands. The songs often spoke for my characters when they couldn’t express themselves in words, and the collective sound from the combined lists created the sound of Hadley, California. With these character maps, I was able to find my way home—if I ever got lost—to the place where all of these people lived. I’ve created a playlist that is a sampling of what I listened to while writing. I only wish I could have included a song from the Hex, the only fictional band in the book who were an amalgamation of all of my favorite female-fronted bands from the past to the present. If you substitute your own favorites, you’ll still be able to hear their unique sound. I’m sure you’ll recognize a few familiar songs on this list, but I hope to introduce you to artists you may not have heard before, too. Happy listening… 


Link to Spotify.











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Follow the Ana of California by Andi Teran Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.















Andi Teran is a writer and performer originally from the deserts of West Texas. She has written about fashion, film, and culture for Vanity Fair, MTV, New York, and Monocle, as well as written and performed for various New York stages. She lives in Los Angeles. Ana of California is her first novel.












US Only











June Recap

Read:

 

 







DNF:







Favourite:


I'm so sad this series is over!




Reviews:

http://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/review-spelled-by-betsy-schow.htmlhttp://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/review-witch-hunter-witch-hunter-1-by.htmlhttp://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/review-stars-never-rise-untitled-series.html

 
http://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/review-timebomb-timebomb-trilogy-1-by.htmlhttp://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/review-other-me-by-saskia-sarginson.html


http://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/review-because-youll-never-meet-me-by.htmlhttp://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/review-precocious-by-joanna-barnard.html

 (Click on the cover to be taken to the review).

Monday 29 June 2015

Review - Precocious by Joanna Barnard




Title: Precocious
Author: Joanna Barnard
Publisher: Ebury Digital
Release date: 2nd July 2015

Blurb from Goodreads: 

There are some lessons you shouldn’t learn in school…

Fiona Palmer is (un)happily married when a chance meeting with her former teacher plunges her headlong into an affair.

Intercut with the realities of their adult relationship, Fiona remembers first meeting the enigmatic Henry Morgan as a precocious and lonely fourteen-year-old. Her schoolgirl crush developed into an intense relationship, but it was always one which she controlled.

Or did she?

A controversial, compelling debut novel from an award-winning writer.










My Review:
 
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Random House UK, Ebury Press and NetGalley*

3/5 stars

When Fiona Palmer was at school she had a relationship with her teacher Henry Morgan.
The next time they meet, Fiona is unhappily married and it isn't long before they start an affair.
Fiona always thought that she was in control of what happened when she was a schoolgirl but as memories start to return, she wonders if she was wrong.


Precocious is written as if Fiona is talking to Morgan which I enjoyed.
Fiona was an okay protagonist but I didn't really connect with her or like her that much, especially when she threw away her marriage so quickly. True she wasn't happy but from the timescale of the book, one second Fiona was meeting Morgan and then the next she was leaving her husband to move in with him. I thought there could have been a lot more in between this to show us how she felt at his reappearance.
I really didn't like Henry Morgan. Having a relationship with a student was completely inappropriate and he should have known better. What makes it worse is that Fiona wasn't the only one.
Part of the story is told through Fiona's diary entries. I found these parts interesting as it showed how their relationship changed from being merely student and teacher.
Fiona only really hints at things happening when she was younger that she didn't want which I found a bit frustrating. I did feel sorry for her at a certain thing that happened.


Overall this was an enjoyable read. 





Cover Reveal - Scars Run Deep by Helen Boswell




Scars Run Deep by Helen Boswell
Publication date: September 22nd 2015
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis:
 
Good things generally don’t happen to me.
And if they do, it’s not long before something comes around and bites me in the ass. Ten-fold. 


Jase Moretti has been running from a tragedy in his past for almost his entire life. Now at twenty-three years old, he finally has everything going for him – the promise of an exciting career and an engagement ring in his pocket ready to propose to the girl of his dreams. But when his path crosses with Elle Garcia’s during one reckless night in Vegas, he’s forced to revisit his past and the tragedy that he was responsible for. Jase has the rare opportunity to right the wrongs in his life, but in order to do it, he has to help Elle, the girl he’s hated for thirteen years.

A chance meeting.
A chance for redemption.
A chance for his scars to heal.


But Jase’s scars run deeper than he thinks, and he isn’t the only one with old wounds. As he learns more about Elle, he discovers he has to make a choice. Give up his perfect life or keep living the perfect lie?







AUTHOR BIO
 
Helen Boswell loved to get lost in the pages of a story from the time she could sound out the words. Originally from upstate New York, Helen spent much of her early adult life tromping around in Buffalo, NYC, Toronto, and Las Vegas, those cities now serving as inspiration for the dark and gritty urban backdrops of her stories. An author of both urban fantasy and contemporary romance, she loves to read and write characters that come to life with their beauty, flaws, and all.

Helen dedicates her time to raising her family of two boys, teaching college students, and of course, writing. 

 
Author links: