Data Books

Sometimes it takes crossing an ocean to figure out where you belong.
It's been two years since twenty-year-old Jordan had a boyfriend�which means it's been forever since she, well, you know. But now she�s off to spend her junior year in Aberdeen, Scotland, the perfect place to stop waiting for Mr. Right and just enjoy Mr. Right Now.
Sexy, sweet (and possible player) Griffin may be her perfect, no-strings-attached match. He�s fun, gorgeous, and makes her laugh. So why can�t she stop thinking about Noah who, minutes after being trapped together outside the train�s loo, kisses Jordan like she�s never been kissed before? Never mind his impossible blue eyes, his weathered, annotated copy of The Great Gatsby (total English-major porn)�oh, and his girlfriend.
Jordan knows everything this year has an expiration date. Aberdeen is supposed to be about fun rather than waiting for life to happen. But E. M. Forster, Shakespeare, and mistletoe on Valentine�s Day make her reconsider what love is and how far she�s willing to go for the right guy.

If Only is a study abroad romance that will be lots of fun for literature lovers. Jordan hasn't had a boyfriend in a long time, and her best friend makes her promise that on her study abroad experience that she will just let loose and let herself have some fun for once. Insert two other american guys also doing study abroad and you know that they will spice things up for Jordan. There is Griffin, the fun loving and no commitment type of guy that has charm to spare. And then there is Noah, who has so much in common with Jordan but does have a few strings attached. So who will she pick?

I really liked how Authors E.M Forester and Shakespeare played a big role in this book. The classes she takes are very interactive and we get to see the literature interwoven into the storyline. I think that was my favorite part of the book. The writing is great and the characters are all very engaging.

I had a lot of ups and downs with this book. I absolutely loved Griffin and I was disappointed that he didn't play a bigger role in the story. I would love to see him get a follow up story of his own. I liked If Only, but with A.J. Pine's writing and Griffin's personality, I think that would be a story that I would LOVE.

I just wasn't sure about Noah. I went back and forth with him so much. A few of his decisions rubbed me the wrong way. I loved the chemistry that him and Jordan shared, but there were so so so many ups and downs between the two of them. It was tiring. I think the ending of the book was great, and I like the way it ended up working out. I think it was best for the characters. I loved the international setting of the book. I think a lot of people that weren't as attached to Griffin as I was, would really fall in love with this book. It is so well written and very cute.

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Savannah. Courtney. Peyton.
The three sisters grew up not knowing their father and not quite catching a break. But it looks like their luck is about to change when they find out the secret identity of their long-lost dad�a billionaire Las Vegas hotel owner who wants them to come live in a gorgeous penthouse hotel suite. Suddenly the Strip's most exclusive clubs are all-access, and with an unlimited credit card each, it should be easier than ever to fit right in. But in a town full of secrets and illusion, fitting in is nothing compared to finding out the truth about their past.

Wow! This book was so much fun. It made me feel like I was living it up on the Las Vegas Strip right along side with Peyton, Savannah, and Courtney. The three Diamond sisters are each so unique. The book was split up into multiple different characters views. The chapters each alternated between the diamond sisters and the resident "it" girl at their soon to be high school, Madison. There were also little sections scattered throughout from a school online website, where people were posting rumors and things that were going on. It reminded me of part Twitter, part Gossip girl blog. I thought it was a perfect add in to the atmosphere that the Diamond sisters found themselves living in.

Peyton, Courtney, and Savannah are uprooted to live with their absentee father in Las vegas, and overnight their whole lives changes. I appreciated how well the girls each handled this huge change. Sure Peyton was a little grumpy, and sure Savannah was a little spend happy with all of her new money, but I thought overall, they handled themselves really well in this tough situation. I also thought that the celebrity lifestyle was portrayed to a t! Michelle Madow did such a fantastic job creating an atmosphere that seemed to realistic to how teenage/celebrity lifestyle seems to be. It is like the Las Vegas Gossip Girl. I ate it all up.

I really liked all of the Diamond Sisters because they were each so different and I feel like we got to know each of them really well, but if I had to rank them I like Courtney the most and Peyton the least. Courtney seemed like the most level headed of the three and i thought she made the best decisions overall. I liked Savannah, but I wish she was just one year older. She seemed so young at just 15, and everything she was doing just made her seem so much older. I think that is why I like the idea of her with Nick because he seemed to treat her the best. Peyton just seemed like such a sourpuss all the time and in some ways she acted the most immaturely. I understand where she was coming from, but attitude still bugged sometimes. At the end of the story, I started to get a glimpse of a much nicer Peyton, and that made me like her a lot more.

And then there is Madison. I have no idea what to think of her. I guess she was the "mean girl". And by I guess, I mean that she can be one heck of a B, but for some reason, I just want to believe her soft underbelly. I'm still deciding on who the real Madison is. I will have to get back to you on that one after I read the next book. And you better believe, I will be reading the next book. I am hooked on the world of the Secret Diamond Sisters and I can't wait to go back for more.

 

Michelle Madow wrote her first novel, Remembrance, in her junior year of college. Remembrance is the first book in the Transcend Time Saga, a three part series about reincarnation and true love that Michelle successfully self-published. The series was inspired by Taylor Swift's "Love Story" music video. Michelle's upcoming YA trilogy, The Secret Diamond Sisters, about three sisters who discover they are the secret heirs to a Las Vegas billionaire casino owner will be published by Harlequin TEEN in Spring 2014.
Michelle graduated from Rollins College in 2010, cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the International English Honor Society Sigma Tau Delta. She received the Charles Hyde Pratt Award for Excellence in Creative Writing in 2010.
She lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she is writing more novels for young adults. She loves reading, spending time with family and friends, traveling, shopping, sunshine, Disney fairy tales, Broadway musicals, and spends way too much time on Facebook and Twitter (@MichelleMadow)
You can visit her at http://michellemadow.com

Welcome to my stop on the Run To You Series blog tour
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL TOUR SCHEDULE

Part One in the riveting romantic thriller about a family on the run from a deadly past and a first love that will transcend secrets, lies and danger�

Sarah Spencer has a secret: her real name is Tessa Carson, and to stay alive, she can tell no one the truth about her psychically gifted family and the danger they are running from. As the new girl in the latest of countless schools, she also runs from her attraction to Tristan Walker�after all, she can�t even tell him her real name. But Tristan won�t be put off by a few secrets. Not even dangerous ones that might rip Tessa from his arms before they even kiss�

RUN TO YOU PART TWO: SECOND GLANCE
Part Two in the riveting romantic thriller about a family on the run from a deadly past and a first love that will transcend secrets, lies and danger�

Tessa Carson has unlocked her heart and her secrets to Tristan Walker�but Tristan has secrets of his own, and his might just mean the end of Tessa�s family. Unaware, Tessa embraces falling in love and being herself for the first time since she was attacked when she was only eight years old. But secrets can�t be run from forever, and sometimes love is too good to be true�

RUN TO YOU PART THREE: THIRD CHARM
(available February 15, 2014)
Part Three in the riveting romantic thriller about a family on the run from a deadly past and a first love that will transcend secrets, lies and danger�

Betrayed, heartbroken, and determined to save her family, Tessa Carson refuses to give in to Tristan Walker�s pleas for forgiveness. But her own awakening psychic gift won�t let her rest until she uncovers the truth about her family and her past. And Tristan is the only one who can help her sift through the secrets to find the truth hidden in all the lies�

This review is for Run To You parts 1, 2 and 3. This is a serial series, and so far the first three parts were released together. The next three parts (parts 4, 5, and 6) will be coming out together in June 2014. Each of the three parts is short, like a novella, but together they made a good sized book. I am loving this series! I would easily read right on to the next three parts back to back (to back) if I had them. It is addictive. I felt like I was on a netflix binge and I just couldn't stop watching the next episode.

Run To You features a family that has different psychic abilities, that is on the run. Tessa is the only one without any gifts and even though she is the "normal" one of the family with the least to hide, she is the most guarded of the bunch. She never gets close to anyone. I loved getting to know her whole family and learning about each of their gifts. But soon the focus of the story shifted to Tristan. He is always so kind and great to Tessa, or Sarah, as he knew her. I loved watching her become close to someone outside of her family for the first time ever. Their romance was just so sweet and full of promise and hope. All the exciting things from a first love.

The cool thing about this series is that you get two great stories. You get the sweet and adorable romance and you also get the pulse pounding mystery/action/intrigue plot from the family always on the run from this Dennis Connelly. I can't tell which aspect of the story I enjoyed more. If I had to pick, I would say the romance because Tristan just melted my heart. I thought the pacing and plot twists and reveals were excellently spaced out. The only thing I can be critical on, was I thought that the author waited too long to explain what exactly was going on with the "fog". I found myself thinking that I had missed something once or twice when it was mentioned. But it was eventually explained and I thought it was really cool.

Parts 1 and Part 2 each ended with a bombshell dropping. I didn't really see either of them coming, which was such a great surprise for me. And the cliffhanger ending of the second part set up what pretty much the whole third installment would be about. It was like a mini mystery in and of itself. While I did kind of see where the third book was going, it was still full of twists and turns and information reveals for me to be totally riveted. This book was different than anything I have read in a while, and I absolutely loved that about it. This is a series that I will be continuing for sure. I highly recommend it.

Clara Kensie grew up near Chicago, reading every book she could find and using her diary to write stories about a girl with psychic powers who solved mysteries. She purposely did not hide her diary, hoping someone would read it and assume she was writing about herself. Since then, she�s swapped her diary for a computer and admits her characters are fictional, but otherwise she hasn�t changed one bit.

Author Links:

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To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to enter

 

You can win:

3 winners will receive a package of Harlequin TEEN books which includes:

• PUSHING THE LIMITS by Katie McGarry (print)

• INDIGO AWAKENING by Jordan Dane (print)

• a SOUL SCREAMERS volume by Rachel Vincent (print)

• All three parts of RUN TO YOU Book One (ebooks)

  • Part One: First Sight

  • Part Two: Second Glance

  • Part Three: Third Charm

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Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 18 or else have parent or guardian�s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner�s name will be selected. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.

 

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