Blog Tour Review: The Wedding Date by Zara Stoneley

Book info

Title:  The Wedding Date
Author:  Zara Stoneley
Genre: Adult contemporary romantic comedy
Release Date:  April 20th, 2018
Source:  Digital copy from Rachel's Random Resources book tours
My rating:  4 stars

The Wedding Date

One ex.
One wedding.
One little white lie.

When Samantha Jenkins is asked to be the maid of honour at her best friend’s wedding, she couldn’t be happier. There are just three problems…

1) Sam’s ex-boyfriend, Liam, will be the best man.
2) His new girlfriend is pregnant.
3) Sam might have told people she has a new man when she doesn’t (see points 1 and 2 above)

So, Sam does the only sensible thing available to her… and hires a professional to do the job.

Actor Jake Porter is perfect for the role: single, gorgeous and cheap! Sam is certain it’s the perfect solution: no strings, no heartbreak and hopefully no chance of being found out.

But spending a week in the Scottish Highlands with Jake is harder than she imagined. He is the perfect boyfriend, charming, sexy and the hottest thing in a kilt since Outlander! And his dog Harry is quite possibly the cutest things Sam has ever seen!

As the wedding draws closer, Jake plays his part to perfection and everyone believes he is madly in love with Sam. The problem is, Sam’s not sure if Jake is acting anymore…

Purchase Links - Amazon  iBooks  Waterstones

My Review:

This romance is as sweet as the piece of cake on the cover suggests.  But it's not just a sweet story, it is also very real, and very funny.  It was hard to put down.  I was a little disappointed that there weren't actually any steamy scenes because it pretty much faded out as they began.  It was just a little disappointing as there was a lot of really good sexual tension and build-up throughout, so I'd have loved to get the relief our characters did by at least reading about it.  Other than that, I loved the story.  Sam is so much like me in many ways, one line from the story that fits me perfectly was:

"I'm never quite sure that anything I eat or drink should be green. Apart from M&M's." 

If you ask anyone in my family, they'll tell you I don't eat anything green.  I loved her take on life, and how she felt also fit what it feels like to be single these days.  And then there was Jake.  I couldn't help but love him and want my very own Jake.  He was playful, and perfect in how he thought Sam was perfect just as she was.  The way the author played off the secrets he kept was perfect, and even kept me on the edge of my seat as I read, trying to figure out just what could actually be going on with him and his back story.  The author also got me at the end with what I assumed meant there was not going to be a happily ever after, even though I just knew there had to be.  And that made how it came about even better.  

I'll probably go on to read more books by this author when I get the chance, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a sweet romance with a build-up of the sexual tension, but without getting into the actual sex itself.   

Author Bio –

Born in a small village in Staffordshire, Zara Stoneley wanted to be James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up. Writing novels means she can imagine she is all these things, and more!

Zara’s bestselling novels include 'The Holiday Swap', 'Summer with the Country Village Vet', 'Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage' and the popular Tippermere series - 'Stable Mates', 'Country Affairs' and 'Country Rivals'.
She lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a naughty cockapoo, and a very bossy cat, and loves spending time in sunny Spain.


 

Where you can find her-

Website: http://www.zarastoneley.com
Twitter: @ZaraStoneley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zarastoneley/

 

-->

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Bookish Settings that I'd Love to Visit

Top Ten Tuesday is sponsored by The Broke and The Bookish.

Okay,  let's see what are the top 10 places I want to visit because I read about them in a book, and if I can remember exactly which books made me interested.

1.  Ireland 

Hmm, can't remember exactly which books, but I know there were some!

2.  Forks, Washington

 Because of Twilight, obviously.

3.  Scotland

Many books, all of the On Dublin Street series by Samantha Young.  The Harry Potter castle is actually in Scotland as well.

4.  England

So many books take place in England.  A lot of them by Amy Daws.  Of course, the Harry Potter series.  

5.  New York City

Okay, this might be a little bit cheating, but NYC was always on my list, because of all kinds of books, like Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz to name one.  And I did get to go there several years ago, and have now been 4 times. 

6.  New Orleans

Another one I've already gotten the chance to visit. And because of books like the Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole or the Wicked saga by Jennifer Lynn Armentrout, I totally wanted to go.

7.  Mexico

I've always been interested in old ruins from ancient civilizations, and after the book The Ruins by Scott Smith, Mexico became high on my list.  I made that come true about 10 years or so ago, when I visited the ruins in Tulum.  My first, and so far only, time out of the US.

8.  Egypt

Egypt is one that is from many, many books, among other things.  But a few that I can remember for sure are the Time Travelers series by Caroline B. Cooney, the Blossom Culp series by Richard Peck, as well as newer books like Reawakened by Colleen Houck.

9.  Germany, Amsterdam

I have wanted to see the house, attic really, that Anne Frank and her family had to hide out in.  I also feel like I want to visit a concentration camp, and pay my respects to those whose lives were lost in the holocaust.

10.  Australia

I think the first time I really thought I wanted to go was after reading Pride of the Peacock by Victoria Holt.

So, have you been to any of these places?  Are you from one of them?  What are some locations you want to visit after reading a book that took place in that setting?

Blog Tour with Author Interview and Giveaway: Wheeler by Sara Butler Zalesky

Book info:
Title:  Wheeler
Author:  Sara Butler Zalesky
Publication date: July 4th, 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance, Sports, Suspense

Synopsis:

Known as the Ice Queen of the peloton, pro cyclist Loren Mackenzie rarely shows emotion in the heat of competition; she leads her team with quiet strength and determination. But her successes have not come without suffering, and her tragic past is hidden inside tarnished armor.

While out on a training ride with her cycling team near Enfield, England, a chance meeting quickly develops into an unexpected whirlwind romance. But a relationship with an A-list celebrity brings with it the microscope of tabloid-media attention, which expose jealousy and rivalry that threaten to undermine Loren’s leadership of her team.

The new romance also reveals a dangerous obsession, culminating in a terrifying confrontation with someone from Loren’s past. Her injuries not only put her chances at the World Championship in jeopardy but also bring forth memories of a life she had long buried – for good reason.

Can Loren open her heart to the love she has held at a distance, or will her fear ultimately defeat her?

The follow up novel in the Wheeler series is coming soon.

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Interview:

1.         What does your writing process look like? Do you know the whole story when you start, or do you just start writing and go with it?

I’m a total by the seat of my pants kind of writer; very character driven. I had no clue what I was doing - I still don’t, but I had an idea of where the story was headed, until it changed halfway through and spawned two books.

2.         How did you come up with the idea for your story? 

I’ve been writing off and on for a majority of my life, little stories here and there but nothing ever stuck, until this story exploded in my brain. Cycling is a big part of my life; it’s my stress relief and how I keep fit. The proverbial ‘they’ tell you to ‘write what you know and that I should write the kind of story I wanted to read. So I did.

3.         What tips do you have for aspiring writers?

First and foremost, hire an editor. Great freelance editors who don’t cost an arm and a leg are out there, it just takes time to find them. Do this favor for yourself and spend the money. In the long run, it will be worth it because you won’t have put crap out there. That is my Number One regret.

4.         What are your favorite:

            Authors/books/genres: While I write romance/women’s fiction, I read sci-fi, fantasy and suspense/mysteries. Some of my favorite authors are Dan Brown, Orson Scott Card, Mercedes Lackey, Rick Riordan and of course, JK Rowling.

            Movies/TV Shows:  I don’t watch TV too much but when I do, it’s usually on-demand. I gravitate toward action movies, but not too many chick-flicks. LOTR, the Hobbit, anything Marvel, the Wonder Woman movie was awesome. Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, all that good stuff. The latest binge has been Kevin Probably Saves the World.

            Music: My tastes are eclectic, from post-rock instrumentals to 80’s pop.

            Food/Writing snack: I eat far too much of Oreos and Good & Plenty candies.

Author Bio:

Sara was born in the wee hours of a November night in New York City. When her family moved to a small borough in northwestern New Jersey, she had little choice but to move as well. Self-sufficiency is a tough thing for a toddler.
The dichotomy of being the middle child of three, but the only girl, was difficult, as typically no one really pays attention to a middle child. Mostly, Sara spent her time creating fanciful stories in her head when she should have been focused on other things, an issue that continues to this day.
Most of these stories have never been shared, let alone completed. This all changed in the spring of 2015, when Sara was encouraged by a friend to expand upon a short story she had accidentally emailed to him. The result is 'Wheeler’, a romantic, women's fiction/sport novel, which combines the author's romantic inclinations and her passion for cycling.
Sara currently resides in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, with her loving husband and their son. She is a paralegal for a boutique law firm in Chester County, Pa, an avid road cyclist and indoor cycling instructor at a national chain.
Follow the author’s blog at sarabutlerzalesky.wordpress.com or on Twitter @sarazalesky. She does a little dance every time someone ‘follows’ her on Twitter. Really.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review and Giveaway: The Tempest by Brit Constantine

 Book Info:

Title:  The Tempest
Author:  Brit Constantine
Publication date: May 26th, 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

They call him “The Tempest.”
England’s most feared heavyweight-boxing champion.
He despises the fame and glory, but it’s nothing compared to the hate he inflicts on himself. All he wants is to be left alone to live on his boat in misery.
When I line up for his autograph, it’s instant fireworks. But not the beautiful stars-shine-bright kind. He’s rude. Heartless. A ticking time bomb of rage.
Luckily, I’m not afraid to put a lit match to his fuse.
I upload a private video of him to my one-million-subscribers channel. The video goes viral.
The ex-Royal Marine nearly breaks down my studio door to flag me inappropriate…
…while I’m in the middle of a live streaming event.
I don’t tell him. I don’t switch off the camera. I keep recording, secretly playing to my audience. He should have checked if the camera was rolling, right?
It should be a shipwreck from the moment the storm hits.
It is.
And then … it isn’t.
Our attraction is painful, undeniable, and it’s like I am Eve and his lips are the apple, and damn if his tongue isn’t the snake.
I am the only girl who can put this broken man back together again.
But he knows the secret he is keeping will tear us apart. He knows it’ll force my hand to break ties with the only family I have left in the world.
But once The Tempest, the man with the iron heart, falls in love … he’ll crush anyone who dares to take me away from him.
I have no choice but to go down with his ship.
Hook, line, and goddamned sinker.
—
The Tempest is a contemporary romance story of love, comedy and treachery.
No cheating. No OW/OM. Standalone. HEA. 18+

Goodreads / Amazon

My Review:

My rating:  4 stars   

This was a very intense story.  I really did enjoy it though. The main character is Felicity.  The way she starts out you pretty much expect her to be a bad-ass sexy, get the guy she wants type of girl.  Which she pretty much is.  But, as the story goes on, and we get to know her through her time with her friends, as well as her nervousness/bashfulness around Lenic, we do learn that there is a softer side to her.  When we finally get her background, we can see just why she has always been the way she is about relationships and trust.  Lenic comes off as a pretty big egocentric jerk at the beginning of the book, in that same scene where we get our first impression of Felicity as well.  It is good to know, though, that the author really develops these characters to where you know that isn't who they really are. That they both put on a show for the others around them in their lives.  Lenic has a horrible past, but his past ends up being connected with Felicity's best friend West, in a way more complicated than just the fact that they are rival fighters, and have a big match coming up.  

The sex scenes, after all the build up through the first half of the book, are hot and steamy, and totally worth the wait.  Pretty sure I was just as physically frustrated as Felicity by the time they actually got to that point.   And it wasn't just a physical relationship, there were definite intellectual connections between the two.  And the snark and humor in their relationship was fun as well.  And then we have the friends.  Felicity calls her best friend Delphine a c---blocker, and let me tell you, she totally is! And not just her, but Lenic's friend is as well.  It's so funny every time those two pop in at exactly the wrong moment.  But, Delphine is rooting for Lenic when she finds out how perfect the two of them are together.  Now, even once things get to where they seem to be going perfectly, there will still be obstacles in their way.  And they will have to work through it.  This was a very good book, very intense in that you had to actually read, no skimming, but it was very good in that it kept your attention so that you did become lost to the world around you as you read.  A fun, sexy read, a new author for me to keep an eye out for new reads.

Author Bio:

Brit Constantine is a twenty-something author of The Tempest, her first published novel. Writing and ballet are the two things she lives for … next to cheesecake and firemen. When she’s not writing, or randomly bidding for useless items on the Web, she’s either earning bruises at her boyfriend’s mixed martial arts club or sipping on a perfect glass of Pimm’s with her girlfriends. She lives in London with her ever-growing collection of shoes. It’s a woman’s right to shoes.

Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review and Giveaway: Everyday Magic by Emily Albright

Everyday Magic (Untitled #2)
by Emily Albright
Publisher: Merit Press
Release Date: December 2nd 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source:  ARC received from author for review

Synopsis:

For once, Maggie McKendrick just wants to control her own life. Her overbearing Hollywood director father has it all planned out for her: UCLA, law school, then working as an entertainment lawyer, preferably for him. But Maggie has other, more creative-spirit friendly, plans. Namely, Thrippletons School of Fashion and Design in England, and then onto becoming a designer, preferably a wildly successful one. The big snag in her plan? Getting it past her dad.

A movie shoot takes the family to the Scottish Highlands for the summer, and closer to Maggie’s dream school. While there, she runs into the charming Preston Browne. Maggie is intrigued and decides to bend her no guys rule—instituted after her ex used her to get close to her dad. Forced to keep secrets from Preston in order to protect the future plans she’s made, Maggie finds herself falling for the tall Brit. And for once in her life she knows that he’s interested in her, not her Hollywood connections. When Maggie's father blackmails her into dating his lead actor, she isn’t left with a choice. The biggest problem isn’t having to date hunky, mega-hottie, Ben Chambers. No, it’s praying she doesn’t lose Preston in the process.

Excelling at her dream school, Maggie’s personal life is a tangled mess. She needs to decide if living a lie is worth losing Preston or chance going against her father and facing his wrath. When the tabloids expose the truth of her fake relationship with Ben, Maggie's world is thrown into a tailspin. Ultimately, Maggie must find the courage to take risks and forge ahead on her own path.

Review:
My rating:  4 stars

When the author got in touch with me and asked if I'd like to read this sequel to The Heir and the Spare, a book that I loved, I was so excited I immediately said yes.   While it did take me a chapter or two to get back into the story and remember exactly what happened in the other book, once I did, I was hooked again.  

The story is told from the viewpoint of Maggie.  Since we didn't really have her in the first book, that is probably what took me a bit to get into it, new character.  Maggie is in Scotland with her family, while her father, a famous Hollywood director, is filming a movie there.  Her mother is also a part of the movie, as always helping their father out.  Sounds like a wonderful time, right?  Well Maggie's family life isn't great.  Her father is a horrible, abusive man.  So much that Maggie is unsure to tell him how she has applied to a fashion design school in England, instead of going back to UCLA to be an entertainment lawyer like her dad wants her to.  

While spending time away from the house, to get away from her dad, she runs into a very cute guy named Preston.  We know Preston from the first book.  She definitely is interested in Preston, and he is obviously interested in her.  But she doesn't tell him at first who her father is.  In the past, boys have used her to get to her father for their own purposes, and then left her in the dust.  But when her father decides that she needs to date the current star of his movie to help promote the movie, and he basically blackmails her to do it, in exchange for "letting" her go to Thrippletons School of Fashion and Design.  When she tells Preston about the deal, he says he will be able to deal with it.  But soon, after the pictures of Maggie and the movie star, Ben, are all over the papers, of them kissing and dating, he decides he can't really take it and makes a break.

All the while her fashion dreams are coming true when her design is chosen for the prince's girlfriend's dress to a formal charity event.  This is when our characters from the last book start to join in.  Evie is who the dress is for, and Prince Edmund, Preston's roommate from before, is her boyfriend.

There is a lot of emotion in the story, and Maggie's dad, wow, he's just a total jerk, and it's nice when you see him get what he deserves.  The romance is sweet, and I love Preston and Maggie together.  I love all of Maggie's friends at the school as well.

I was left hoping for maybe more books, either with Preston and Evie and Edmund's friends, or maybe some of Maggie's friends, or even her brother.  I loved how Maggie went ghost hunting with Preston's sister.  Such a neat part of the story.  Definitely this is a highly recommended book for me!

Check out the schedule for the rest of the tour HERE.

Emily Albright's debut novel, THE HEIR AND THE SPARE, released January 18, 2016, from Merit Press.

She's a writer, a major bookworm, a lover of romantic movies, a wife, a mother, an owner of one adorable (yet slightly insane) cockapoo, and uses way too many :).

A Reading Nurse and The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club - Welcome Post

GIVEAWAY! 

Win (1) of  (3) Signed ARCs of Everyday Magic 

US/CAN only!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour and Review (Giveaway): The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright

Book Details:

The Heir and the Spare 
by Emily Albright 
Publisher: Merit Press 
Release Date: January 18th, 2016 
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit, British Literature, New Adult

Synopsis:
 Family can be complicated. Especially when skeletons from the past pop up unexpectedly. For American Evie Gray, finding out her deceased mother had a secret identity, and not one of the caped crusader variety, was quite the surprise. Evie’s mom had a secret life before she was even born, one that involved tiaras.
 
In this modern day fairy tale, Evie is on a path to figure out who her mom really was, while discovering for herself what the future will hold. Charged with her late mother’s letters, Evie embarks on a quest into her past. The first item on the list is to attend Oxford, her mom’s alma mater. There, Evie stumbles upon a real life prince charming, Edmund Stuart the second Prince of England, who is all too happy to be the counterpart to her damsel in distress.
 
Evie can’t resist her growing attraction to Edmund as they spend more time together trying to unravel the clues her mother left behind. But, when doubts arise as to whether or not Edmund could ever be with an untitled American, what really ends up unraveling is Evie’s heart. When Evie uncovers all the facts about her mom’s former life, she realizes her mom’s past can open doors she never dreamed possible, doors that can help her be with Edmund. But, with everything now unveiled, Evie starts to crack under the pressure of new family responsibilities and the realization that her perfect prince may want her for all the wrong reasons.

BOOK LINKS:
Goodreads 
Amazon paperback
Barnes and Noble 

 Review:

I have to thank Merit Press and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title.  You probably have noticed if you are a regular reader of my blog, that I don't read a lot of contemporaries.  But this had the little extra bit of a prince in it. And that did the trick for me.  I really enjoyed this book.  I liked Evie, and I feel like for the most part she really acted the way I would probably have acted in the same situation. So to me, that is realistic enough.   I loved the way that Evie's mother had left her envelopes to open every year on her birthday, including one that was a secret, that led her to research  her mother's family over in England while she went to school.  I feel like for the most part the Prince acted as you would expect, but also like he did really like her, and didn't want to give her up.  There were a few things that were kind of standard for this type of story, a picture showing him with a girl that he didn't like, but that Evie knew liked him.  And of course the way the picture was taken it looked like they were kissing, although in real life she had kind of kissed him, and he immediately pushed her away.  There was the whole thing about someone keeping a secret from the other one, and that caused a big issue.  I always feel like that is not that realistic.  A secret would suck, but I feel like I would understand why the person had kept it if they explained it. But I guess that is the thing that causes the extra drama in a story, whether it is a book, movie, or TV show.

The romance was sweet, wasn't too insta-love, although instant attraction was cool.  And the hanging out and enjoying each other before any of that physical stuff started was really great too.  A great read for anyone who is an anglophile, or loves a fairy tale type of story.  Of course there was the secret in Evie's background that will lead to some of the issues she has with the Prince, but will also solve some of the problems for them to date.  I will definitely see about purchasing this one for my school library.

PROMOTIONAL POSTS:
Evie and Edmund's playlist

Pinterest Board inspiration

Places mentioned in The Heir and the Spare

About the Author:

Emily Albright's debut novel, THE HEIR AND THE SPARE, is releasing January 18, 2016 from Merit Press.

She's a writer, a major bookworm, a lover of romantic movies, a wife, a mother, an owner of one adorable (yet slightly insane) cockapoo, and uses way too many :).


AUTHOR LINKS:
Website: http://www.authoremilyalbright.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13955925.Emily_Albright
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_EmilyAlbright_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorEmilyAlbright
Pinterest: https://es.pinterest.com/EmAlbright/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AuthorEmilyAlbright/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AuthoremilyalbrightYA/about 

GIVEAWAY:

• Win (1) of (2) finished copies of THE HEIR AND THE SPARE by Emily Albright (US Only) 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

 You can check out the rest of the tour HERE.

Review: Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

First, thanks to Delacorte Press and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this.  I got a bit nervous when someone said they'd seen some not so good reviews. But then I really enjoyed it.  It reminded me of the book Amber House by Kelly Moore, Larkin Reed, and Tucker Reed.  I also think that the comparison to Downton Abbey was fair, in that the main character had to learn about all the different things the English peerage does.  And they talked about other abbeys so that was cool as well. 

The main character is Imogen, and while her father is from a wealthy English family, he's the son of a duke actually, they live in New York City.  But they do go visit their family every summer.  Imogen loves her cousin Lucia, who is a few years older than her, but close enough in age that they are still great friends and confidantes whenever they're together.  There is also the family friends who have two sons, Sebastian and Theo.  Sebastian is Lucia's age, but Imogen feels like they always have a connection.  Things are wonderful until the summer that Imogen is seven years old.  This year something weird happens, when she touches the ground, a flower just grows out of nowhere, in seconds.  And then later she creates fire with her hands.  She begs Lucia and Sebastian not to tell anyone else.  But later during their stay, there is a fire in the maze on the property, and the tragedy is that both Imogen and Lucia's parents are in their and they don't make it out.  Imogen is so upset that she only wants to go back to NYC where she will now live with her parents' friends the Marinos.  She lives the next 10 years, only thinking about the family home when she has nightmares about her parents' deaths.  But this end of her senior year, things will change.  She gets a call from someone in England, and then there is a letter that shows up.  But her guardians tell her it is someone who is harassing her, as her family are quite the celebrities in England. 

She finds out that not only did her cousin Lucia pass away a year ago, but now her grandfather has died, which leaves Imogen as the only heir to the property.  And they need her to come back to England and be the duchess.  But when she gets there she finds that her cousin's death may not have been an accident, not to mention there may be more to the story of her parents' death.  She is nervous about seeing Sebastian again, as the last she had seen online, he and Lucia had been a couple.  And it seems that there are others around the estate that are not happy to have here there either. 

The end twist was pretty good.  I didn't catch it, and I like that it was such a shock.  I love that it also ended in a way that it is a standalone book.  A great mystery, with a fun look at the workings of an English estate from the point of view of an outsider, like I would be.  Definitely recommended to people who enjoy romantic suspense for YA.  A tiny bit of supernatural with the touching the soil to cause growth and some fire production, but not so much that it made it a supernatural type of story.  And I don't say that's bad, I like both types of stories.

Austenland by Shannon Hale

So I guess I'm glad my sister in NYC ran out of things to read and called or texted and asked me for some ideas of books to get, because she bought Austenland and so I got to read her copy and loved it!  I'd wanted to read it for awhile.  Especially since I saw the ads for the movie.

After having read the book, I would say that the part of Miss Charming must have been written with actress Jennifer Coolidge in mind, because she fits exactly what the character is in the book, based on seeing her in other shows, not to mention her looks.  I'm not sure that Keri Russell fits my image of the main character Jane.  According to the book I imagine someone not skinny or with no figure, which to me is Keri Russell.  The guys can look like however, I'm good with that.

So basically the story is about Jane Hayes who is obsessed with Jane Austen stories, Pride and Prejudice especially.  She is looking for her own Mr. Darcy.  A very old great aunt sees Jane's obsession and when she dies, she leaves something for Jane in her will.  What it turns out to be is a trip to Austenland.  Austenland is a theme park?  More like a resort, in England of course.  Where women can go and have their own Austen story experience.  And it is an experience!  You have to wear the clothing, you have to give up your modern day technology, etc.  And you have to act according to the rules, which includes how you talk to others, including the opposite sex.  Jane arrives and finds that she is not the normal kind of client.  Normally they are rich women who are there, and will return.  The lady in charge, Mrs. Wattlesbrook, lets Jane know right away that she is not who they normally have, and that she is just looking for anything to kick her out for.  At first Jane finds it hard to get into the spirit.  The clothes aren't comfortable, and the men, eh.  There are enough for everyone at first, until Miss Heartwright shows up.  As nice as she is, now Jane ends up on her own.  Until, Captain East shows up.  It seems Captain East and Miss Heartwright must have a past.  And then soon Miss Charming begins complaining that she is not getting her money's worth, and soon Colonel Andrews begins to make a play for her.  Now early on in the trip, Jane notices one of the gardeners, Martin.  She is careful about going to his cabin/apartment in the "staff" ground area so that she won't get herself in trouble, or him.  But soon she realizes that he isn't real either, and decides to immerse herself in the experience.  Mr. Nobley is pretty much playing Mr. Darcy.  Now, Jane doesn't seem to see this, at least not to me, while it is so obvious that is exactly what his part is.  Soon, Mr. Nobley begins showing interest in Jane, and while it is exciting, Jane is sure it is all just part of the experience, and tries to keep herself from getting her hopes up.
The book is very good, humorous, romantic, etc.  While there are things Jane does that I'm like, STOP!  Give him a chance!  Don't be stupid!  I guess if you're in that type of situation and not sure what is real, I can see doing that.  Of course Jane has to sneak her cell phone in, and of course it almost gets her kicked out, except she is saved by Miss Heartwright unexpectedly.  The ending is pretty much what you'd expect.  Now, I will admit I've only ever read one Jane Austen story, Sense and Sensibility.  I chose to read that during my phase of reading classics instead of Pride and Prejudice, because I'd seen that movie.  I wasn't a fan of Sense and Sensibility, so I think I'll stick to the movies which will get me past the hard to read books themselves.  And that's okay.  Now, I'm really excited to see the movie!

Undead by Kirsty McKay

Another cool ARC I got from BEA last summer, and just hadn't been able to get to until now.  Unfortunately, it's not autographed.  So that means I'll take it in and put it on my "check out" shelf in my classroom for my students to borrow.
This is a book for people who like zombie stories, as you can definitely tell from the title.  Although I guess it could be about vampires too.  It has some good humor, the zombie back story is pretty good, and it goes back even further than we know until the end.
The main character is Bobby, at first you know it's a girl, but then the name throws me for a bit, and some of the way the story goes is a bit gender neutral.  Bobby is not the cheerleader on the cover, that is Alice, or Malice as she is called by Smitty, kind of the bad boy of the school group.  And the other main character is Pete.  Bobby has just moved back to England from living with her family in the States.  And her parents idea is to send her on a school field trip right away!  They're heading home from a ski trip in Scotland.  The bus stops at a roadside restaurant to get some food.  Bobby doesn't want to get off and deal with the other kids who have been so rude to her the entire time.  She ends up left on the bus with Smitty, who is made to stay there because of his behavior.  Their teacher goes in to get Smitty some food, and it seems that is when all hell breaks loose.  Everyone inside the restaurant all of a sudden has turned into zombies, which Smitty and Bobby don't quite realize for sure until Alice shows up at the bus banging on the door to let her in.  The bus driver goes out to try to help, but gets attacked and falls.  They think he's okay, so let him back on and try to help him.  While barricading the bus doors to keep themselves safe, they stay there and kind of watch as things seem to go from bad to worse, to kind of calm.  They attempt to go to the gas station for help, and end up finding Pete hiding there.  They blow up the gas station to try to clear any zombies out there.  Then they head back to the restaurant, and after checking it to make sure they're safe, they set up what they think is a safe area to stay.  Pete thinks it is all a set up, that everyone ate something in the cafe and got turned into the zombies.  They find the restaurants security cameras and do some investigating.  They figure out what might be going on, just as another zombie shows up and chases them back to the bus.  From there they end up adding two more to their group, a girl a bit older than them and her younger brother, and soon they even have to leave the bus. They walk on looking for a safe place, and find a castle.  But the castle soon turns out not to be as safe as hoped.  They run into the people who may have begun this whole epidemic, and learn things about each other that are important to the whole story.
Okay, good story, but I had a bit of confusion with Bobby's family.  At the beginning it is Bobby's father telling her to go on a trip, so that would be right before the trip, right?  But then at the end we find out that Bobby's father died, so the timeline on that is a bit confusing.  But other than that a pretty good, edge of your seat, zombie tale.  There is going to be a sequel, good thing because you're totally left hanging.  I'd call this a quick, fun read for people who enjoy zombie stories.