Monday, November 18, 2013

Book Tour, Review & Giveaway: Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls by Tellulah Darling




Title: Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls
Author: Tellulah Darling
Publisher: Te Da Media
Date of Publication: October 17, 2012

My Review:
This book is a lot of fun.  It is a little crass but you know that from reading the blurb so it's not shocking.  But if you get past that (and I had no problem with it, it really works within the plotline of the book) it is such a fun book to read. It's the perfect YA romantic comedy.

Sam's point-of-view is first in the book and honestly I didn't think I would like him.  Yes he explains he is the typical teenage boy, but he kind of comes off as a dog.  But set him with Ally as her best friend and Sam becomes something more.  He's a real friend, he's good to Ally, he doesn't try to change her (until she asks) and he's incredibly protective of her.  So Sam immediately became a good guy in the second chapter.  Ally is sweet, nerdy and has had a somewhat boring boyfriend for the last two years.  Now that somewhat boring boyfriend has dumped her for another girl so Ally wants to change, not to get boring boyfriend back but to get her self-esteem back up and in a way to get back at the male species. She wants to become the female equivalent of Sam and enlists him to help her. 

Makeovers ensue and then mayhem ensues.  Ally becomes like Sam even when they eventually get involved, but now Sam is acting like a girl and it's really confusing for both of them.  Hilarity then ensues and the book just keeps on moving.  I won't give away any more.  I will say that once you start reading it's hard to put down.  Yes it's predictable, but that is the fun.  There are still bumps and lots of other things along the way that make the book extremely funny and enjoyable to read. 

Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls is funny, cute, romantic and just plain adorable.  Tellulah Darling has managed to make sex and teenagers amusing and real with characters that are easy to relate to for both sexes.  Who doesn't want a best friend like Sam or Ally?  Who doesn't want to transform themselves like Ally?  Who doesn't want the perfect soulmate?  It's just incredibly cute and well-done.  I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Ms. Darling.

My Rating: 4.75/5.0

Blurb:

Why the hell can’t chicks be more like guys?

That question plagues high school senior Sam Cruz. Sam is perfectly happy being a player. He just wishes girls wouldn’t change the game from sex to relationships. It makes him look like an asshole. But when Sam’s best friend, Ally Klinger, gets dumped, she begs him to transform her into someone who can screw around then screw off. No risk of heartbreak that way. It’s Sam’s chance to create the perfect female AND cheer up his best friend. Armed with Sam’s Three Step Guide to Backseat Success, Ally gets the game better than Sam thought she would and before long, Sam has his wish: the female version of himself. Too bad it’s driving him nuts. Told from Sam’s and Ally's alternating POVs, Sam Cruz’s Infallible Guide to Getting Girls is a fast-paced YA romantic comedy that follows these teens as they navigate the minefield of sex, love, and friendship. 

This contemporary teen romance contains strong language, drinking, euphemisms, and lots of “bow chicka wow wow.”


Purchase links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

About Tellulah Darling

Tellulah Darling
noun

Sassy girls. Swoony boys. What could go wrong?

1. YA romantic comedy author because her first kiss sucked and she's compensating.
2. Alter ego of former screenwriter.
3. Sassy minx.

Geeks out over: cool tech.
Squees for: great storytelling.
Delights in: fabulous conversation.
Writes about: where love meets comedy. Awkwardness ensues.

Tellulah Darling is a firm believer that some of the best stories happen when love meets comedy. Which is why she has so much fun writing young adult romantic comedy novels. Her tales span contemporary, teen fantasy romance, and YA Greek mythology, and range from stand alone books to series. For Tellulah, teen romance is the most passionate, intense, and awkward there is – a comedy goldmine. Plus smart, mouthy, teen girls rock.



Tour-wide giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway




***I received this book from Oops I Read it Again for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Author Interview: J. S. Marlo (Cold Sweat)

Today I welcome J.S. Marlo author of Cold Sweat, a Heat and Endurance Series novel. Check out Cold Sweat and enjoy the interview with the author!



Cold Sweat
    Can they conquer the mountains and the past in time to save Hope?

       Seventeen-year-old Hope Craig is deaf and training hard to make the biathlon Olympic Team. But when is kidnapped from the groomed trails and taken into a remote cabin in the mountains, she must battle more than the elements to survive.

        On the hunt for her daughter's abductor, Colonel Amelia Matheson enlists the help of Richmond Morgan, a local Sheriff who once hurt her. To find Hope, Sheriff Morgan and Colonel Matheson must untangle a web of secrets, including their own.

        Using her wits and skills, Hope sets out to escape the mountains and save the man her mother had sent to rescue her—a man who is not who he appears to be.

What 3 things do you need in order to write?
laptop, peace, and quiet.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

Iceland, and I'm hoping to go there for a week of hiking in the near future.

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

For as long as I remember, the dream has been there. I've always been scribbling and imagining stories, but about five years ago, I decided to take the next step and I started sending queries. And next week, my fifth novel is being released. It's been an amazing journey, and it's not over.

What's the first sentence of Cold Sweat?

Blistery fire, Hope. What possessed you to name your father?

Tell us what Cold Sweat (Heart & Endurance Series) is all about.
The Heart & Endurance Series revolves around high performance athletes. These young people are driven and passionate individuals whose spirits are not easily broken and whose choices are not always what one would expect. In Cold Sweat, Hope is a 17-year-old deaf biathlon athlete who's training for the Olympics trial.

When Hope disappears without a trace from the snowy trails during a routine practice, her mother, an army colonel with one too many secrets to hide, enlists the help of a local sheriff, a man who once hurt her, to search for her only child.

Dish, who’s your favorite character?
I don’t know if "favorite" is the right adjective, but there are two characters that stayed with me for the longest time after I read their story.  Meggie and Father Ralph in The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough.

What would you say is Col. Amelia Matheson most prized possession?

Her daughter Hope.

What book would Hope Craig have on her nightstand?
A Star Trek novel.

For all of us impatient readers, what is up next for you?
I'm currently working on two more books. One will be part of the Heart & Endurance Series, the other will be my first dip into the paranormal. I'm not sure which one will be ready first, but it's spookily fun to work with ghosts.

What one book that turned you on to reading?

I read my first "real" novel when I was about 10 or 11 years old. It was during the summer and I was at my grandparents' cottage. On the second floor, there were hidden crawling spaces between the closets which I loved exploring. One day, I found a book in a dark corner, covered with dust bunnies. It was a Harlequin novel with the pages all yellowed and wrinkled. I can't remember the title, but there was a nurse in a white dress and nursing hat on the cover. The story was about her and one of her patients. It was the first romance novel I read, and I read it hidden in the closet with a flashlight. I can still see the book in my mind. I don't know what became of it, but it hooked me on reading.

What book(s) are you reading right now?
I just finished When Love Calls by Lorna Seilstad, and I'm about to start the new Nikki Heat from Castle.

Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
I have too much imagination. I'm married to a great guy. I have three wonderful kids and a little granddoggie. And I'm French Canadian. 

What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t writing?
I love to walk, to travel, to do puzzles, to knit, and to read.

Thanks for having me here today. It was fun!
Hugs,
J.S. Marlo

www.sites.google.com/site/JSMarloAuthor
www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=55







Cover Reveal: Seeking Her by Cora Carmack (A Finding It Novella)




About SEEKING HER by Cora Carmack
A few months after being honorably discharged from the military, Jackson Hunt is still struggling to adjust back to the real world. He needs to get a job and find a sense of normalcy if he’s going to keep his own demons at bay. The job that falls into his lap, though, is anything but normal. 

Bodyguard (and baby-sitter) to spoiled-rich-girl Kelsey Summers isn’t exactly what he’d been looking for, but it’s a chance to travel, to get away from the home that has felt stifling ever since his return. It would be a pretty sweet gig if it weren’t for the fact that Kelsey’s father doesn’t want Kelsey to know she’s being followed. Hunt feels guilty (and a little bit creepy) as he watches her from afar. She’s vibrant and infuriating, exciting and reckless, mysterious and familiar. When he sees her falling into the same patterns that he suffered years ago, he decides it’s time to stop watching and help her instead. But getting to know her is more difficult than he thought, especially because the more he knows her,the more he wants her.



Links to Buy:
Amazon
B&N
Apple

Google Play