Different Roads Blog Tour & Giveaway

Titles: Different Roads

Author: Lori L. Clark

Release date: January 24, 2013

Age Group: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tour organized by: AToMR Tours

It's been said that when we look back over our lives, we are able to recognize the pivotal moments that in some way, shape, or form have led us to where we are today.

When Jacqueline Carter is fifteen, she crosses paths for the first time with Seth Thomas, a young man who unwittingly alters the direction of her life forever.

Jaq plans to break-up with her boyfriend on her sixteenth birthday. Instead, she is date-raped, and left emotionally broken. She builds a wall around her heart and begins spiraling downward on a road filled with drinking, drugs and physical abuse.

When Seth re-enters her life a few years later, the walls around her heart slowly come down and the two of them fall in love.

Unfortunately sometimes, fate has other ideas, and we're forced down a different road from which we initially set out.

 

My Review

Different Roads is all about a girl and the things that make her who she is. Jaq goes through a lot during her life and a lot of it isn't good. In fact she deals with way more than any girl should have to deal with. 

Different Roads is a good story that touches on a lot of emotional and difficult topics such as rape, drugs, drinking, death, and abuse. I read Different Roads in just a few hours because I had to know what fate awaited Jaq. After going through so much she was really due a happy ending.  

While I felt bad for Jaq throughout most of this book I was never really able to connect with her on an emotional level. I felt like the author told us Jaq's story instead of letting us feel the story. While the story line was excellent I felt the execution was slightly lacking. 

* * * 3 Stars

Author Social Media Links:

Book review blog: http://justbookinaround.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoriLClarkAuthor

Author blog: http://www.shewritesbooks.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6093884.Lori_L_Clark

Twitter: @clarklori

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To visit the rest of the Different Roads tour click here

NeuroticThoughts on Raven's Kiss

Raven's Kiss
Author: Toni LoTempio
Released: April 11, 2011
Available from: amazon b&n smashwords
Target Age: Adult due to some sexual content
Source: I received this book for an honest review as part of the Book Lovin' Bitches ebook tour
Summary from Goodreads:

Raven Grace was a college senior with ambitions of a career in law enforcement when she met the demon Aega, whose bite turned her from mortal to Shapeshifter. Now a member of the Recovery Organization, Raven keeps the peace between humans and errant Hellhounds, trolls, wizards and the like while trying to track down Aega and bring him to justice. After a particularly dicey encounter one night with a Hellhound, she goes to the aid of a girl who’s been attacked and near death—and is amazed to find Aega’s bite mark on the girl’s arm. Determined to get to the bottom of this, she revisits the victim’s apartment and there discovers her closet is a portal to a parallel universe, where people she knows lead vastly different lives. She also gets a glimpse of the Recovery Captain there—a six foot, redheaded Scotsman named Finn McPhee, whose sexy accent and even sexier bod sets her senses aflame. Seeking answers, Finn takes Raven to the magickal underworld, where an ancient fae informs them the demon’s quest is rooted in Scottish mythology and magick. As they delve deeper into legend, the truth comes to light—Aega is only a pawn, subservient to another, darker demon…a being who knows the truth about Raven’s heritage, and who orchestrated her return to this parallel universe for the ultimate showdown. Now, Finn and Raven find their passion for one another must take a backseat to Raven’s battle with a dark force who won’t be satisfied until he’s claimed her soul for his very own…

 

                                                    I LIKED IT!

Raven's Kiss started out the tiniest bit slow, but  picked up wonderfully once Raven discovers the portal to a parallel universe. The idea of the same people in a parallel universe isn't a new idea, but I really loved the way Toni LoTempio wrote the characters in the bizarro universe. Raven's character is tough, brave, and just a little messed up. She harbors a raging hate for the demon Aega, with good reason, and is letting her feelings about him run her life. Finn McPhee is a sexy, fun character that despite not really believing Raven's story of being from another universe, still sets out to help her. I love reading a book that has a man with an accent, I can just hear it in my head the whole time. Once Raven and Finn started working together in the book, I was hooked. The two of them had great chemistry, and I loved their banter. My biggest and really only problem with Raven's Kiss was at the end of the book when Raven and Finn got up close and personal. I the found scenes to be a little crass and not really sexy.  I think I would have liked this to have been the kind of book where they had a super, steamy hot kiss and then the lights go out and we know what happened, but we aren't told what happened. I would recommend this book to the ADULT, urban fantasy, paranormal romance lovers out there.