Review + Guest Post: I See London by Chanel Cleeton

Author: Chanel Cleeton

Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Number of Pages: 319

Synopsis:

"Maggie Carpenter is ready for a change— and to leave her ordinary life in South Carolina behind. But when she accepts a scholarship to the International School in London, a university attended by the privileged offspring of diplomats and world leaders, Maggie might get more than she bargained for. 
When Maggie meets Hugh, a twentysomething British guy, she finds herself living the life she always wanted. Suddenly she’s riding around the city in a Ferrari, wearing borrowed designer clothes and going to the hottest clubs. The only problem? Another guy, the one she can’t seem to keep her hands off of. 
Half French, half Lebanese, and ridiculously wealthy, Samir Khouri has made it clear he doesn’t do relationships. He’s the opposite of everything Maggie thought she wanted…and he’s everything she can’t resist. Torn between her dream guy and the boy haunting her dreams, Maggie has to fight for her own happy ending. In a city like London, you never know where you stand, and everything can change in the blink of an eye."

This book is fabulous. I adore it. I reread it, and I'm probably going to do it again.  

I don't know what is was about this book that really hooked me. I don't know whether it was London, the characters, plot, romance or what. All I know that all of them were amazing. I'm actually kind of dying to read the sequel and I'm trying to be totally cool about it but I know I'm failing.

The whole entire book takes place in London and you might say, "What's so cool about that? It's just setting like any other book." The cool thing is that you get a newbie's version of what the place is like. It is almost like experiencing London for yourself.

She gives us a newbie's view of what London really is like. 

The characters overall great. The only real problem I had was with Hugh. I didn't really like him or anything about him. I mean he's hot but a bit too old for my taste. Samir was my favorite character! I love his name and he has a really great personality. 

Once again the only real problem I had with the plot is Hugh. If you guys don't like Hugh or do like him let me know...I want to know your thought!! 

Overall this book is amazing and I'm dying to read the sequel. I really think the you will enjoy this book!!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!!

*A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Buy Links:

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1cQXjYm
Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/1khLGx1

Guest Post

My Inspiration behind I SEE LONDON

By Chanel Cleeton

  

I moved to London when I was seventeen years old to attend an international university. It was a life-changing experience. Like my heroine, Maggie, I’d lived a pretty sheltered and somewhat boring life up until that point. Moving across the ocean was a huge risk, but also an important journey that made me who I am today.

Attending an international university was also an incredible opportunity; independent from all London had to offer. I learned as much from my classmates and their life experiences as I did from my professors. It was an amazing chance to learn about other cultures and in doing so, discover so much more about myself.

When I began writing I SEE LONDON I wanted to combine the “coming of age” theme with a setting where you’re a fish out of water, learning to adapt to a completely new environment. It was an opportunity to take what I love most about New Adult and add the adventure of traveling to a new country and stepping outside of your comfort zone for the ultimate journey of self-discovery. I found myself in London and I loved writing the opportunity for my heroine, Maggie, to do the same.

Author Bio

Originally a Florida girl, at seventeen Chanel moved to London to attend an international university.  In the four years that followed, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, learned how to dance, travelled through Europe, and made lifelong friendships.  Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever.  But fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise, when an American fighter pilot with smooth dance moves, swept her off her feet.  

Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure in South Korea.  An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she is happiest curled up with a book.  She has a weakness for handbags, puppy cuddles, and her fighter pilot husband.  Chanel writes New Adult contemporary romances and Young Adult thrillers.  Her New Adult debut, I SEE LONDON, will be released by Harlequin (HQN) on February 3, 2014, followed by a sequel, LONDON FALLING, later in the year. 

Author Links:

Website: www.chanelcleeton.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorchanelcleeton
Twitter: www.twitter.com/chanelcleeton
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/chanelcleeton

Cover Reveal: Out of Mind by Jen McLaughlin

Out of Mind

By Jen McLaughlin

Release Date: April 29, 2014

Synopsis:

"Reaching for sunlight...
Finn survived the ambush and came home to me, but in his head, the battle is still raging. He’s falling apart and I’m trying my best to pick up the pieces of him, to find the us we used to be. I love him as much as I ever did, but love isn’t enough to fix this. I thought telling my father about our relationship would be the hardest thing we’d ever have to face. I was wrong.
Lost in shadows...
All I wanted was to be worthy of Carrie. One mission, just one, and I’d be able to give her the future she deserved. Then everything went wrong, leaving me tainted and broken. Carrie wants me to be who I was, but all that’s left is what they made of me. I’m no good for her. No good for anyone like this. I have to figure out how to move forward. Alone.
Sometimes love isn’t enough…"

Add to Goodreads 

Special Contest:

Jen McLaughlin (aka Diane Alberts) is also offering up a special contest. If OUT OF MIND hits 3,000 adds on Goodreads before it releases, she will post the first 2 chapters from the book! So see that Goodreads button up there? Click it and add OUT OF MIND to your reading lists!

Author Bio

Jen McLaughlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She writes steamy New Adult books for the young and young at heart. Her first release, Out of Line, came out September 2013. She also writes bestselling Contemporary Romance under the pen name Diane Alberts.Since receiving her first contract offer under the pen name Diane Alberts, she has yet to stop writing. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Author Links

Website: http://dianealberts.com/
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/DianeAlberts6
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeAlberts 
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6921962.Jen_McLaughlin 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting On Wednesday #21: Bad For You by Abbi Glines

This week's "Waiting On" Wednesday is...Bad For You by Abbi Glines!

Release Date: April 1, 2014

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Number of Pages: 288

Synopsis:

"Innocence was never meant for the addictive… 
Addiction was something Krit Corbin accepted as part of his nature a long time ago. He decided to embrace it and flip his finger at the rules. Women had always been the number one thing on his list of addictions. He couldn’t get enough. Being the lead singer in a rock band had only made access to his favorite addiction that much easier.
Being alone was the only thing Blythe Denton understood. The small town minister’s family that raised her hadn’t accepted her as their own. The minister’s wife had always made sure Blythe understood just how unworthy she was of love. When Blythe is sent away to college and given a chance to finally be free of living as an unwanted burden, she looks forward to having peace in her life. Being alone isn’t something that bothers her. She escapes reality in the stories she writes.
However, the ridiculously sexy tattooed guy who keeps throwing parties in the apartment above hers is driving her crazy. For starters, he doesn’t treat her like she would expect a guy with a different woman always hanging on his arm to treat someone as uninteresting as her. She looks nothing like the gorgeous women she sees parading in and out of his apartment, but for some strange reason he keeps showing up at her door.
During a party at his apartment, Krit’s new neighbor comes to the door with her long brown hair pulled up in a messy knot and a pair of glasses perched on her cute little nose. She wants him to turn down the music, but he convinces her to stay.
Krit Corbin may have just found his biggest addiction yet. And Blythe Denton realizes too late that she’s finally been claimed."

What book are you "Waiting On"?

Top Ten Tuesday #13: Favorite Books In X Genre

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Today I will be doing my Top 10 Favorite Books in the Contemporary Genre!

        

10. From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer

9. The Vow by Jessica Martinez

8. Bully by Penelope Douglas

        

7.While It Lasts by Abbi Glines

6. Dare You To by Katie McGarry

5. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

        

4. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

3. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

2. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

1. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

What are some of your favorite books?

My EXTREME Apologies

So I just wanted to tell you guys how sorry I am posting nothing for a very long time. I'm really, really, sorry. I haven't had all that much time to post anything and nor have I had the motivation to.

I've been kind of depressed for a while now, and I'm finally starting to get out of that depression. My best friend has cancer and things at home has been hectic, and it just all led to me not feeling very good about my life and myself. It's changing slowly but I'm starting to get out of this slump.

I turned 16 last month (as some of you might have noticed the posts) and I'm now in a relationship and it has all just cheered me up a ton. I've finally started reading enough that I can post reviews now too so look for those.

I just want to tell you all how thankful I am for all you who didn't unfollow me and decided to stick around. To all of you who unfollowed me-I don't blame you.

I will definitely start posting some review starting tomorrow or Monday, but tomorrow look for a post showing off all the new books I've gotten since my last Stacking the Shelves post (December 2013 :/ ). 

Some reviews to look for:

• Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
• Searching For Beautiful by Nyrae Dawn
• The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Thank you all for staying with me and not leaving! I love you all to death!