I'm starting a new section on the blog - Mini reviews. Here I'll publish my shorter reviews, usually of novellas and short stories, but sometimes also of full-length novels. Until now I posted these reviews only on Goodreads but I've decided to share them on the blog as well.

Title: Seeking Her (Losing It 3.5)

Author: Cora Carmack

Date of publication: 28 Jan 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Novella

Author's links: 

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

My rating: 2 stars

Goodreads Blurb

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.

My Mini Review

Finding It was my least favourite book in Lost It series. I couldn't really connect with Kelsey but if there was one thing I liked in it, it was Jackson Hunt. We didn't get to learn much about him or his background in Finding It, so I was excited to read his story in this novella. 

Sadly, I was disappointed. We do learn more about him, but I felt the reader's attention was focused again on Kelsey. This book is a prequel to Finding It and it tells of the events that happen form the moment Hunts starts following Kelsey up to the point they meet in he beginning of Finding It. 

The story is told from Hunt's POV and reveals his emotions, still it was centered on Kelsey and the things she did. The problem was that there was nothing new as regards to her, nothing that we already didn't expect after reading her story. 

Overall, I didn't see the point of having Hunt's story told in a separate book. It would have worked better if his POV and back story were included in a couple of chapters in Kelsey's book.

My reviews of other books in this series:

Faking It (Losing It #2)

Finding It (Losing It #3)

Title: Finding It (Losing It 3)
Author: Cora Carmack
Date of publication: 15 Oct 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Author's links: 

Website / Facebook /Goodreads

My rating: 3 stars




This is the third book in the Losing It series by Cora Carmack and I have read and enjoyed the previous two so I was pretty excited about this one. Some of my GR friends praised it as the best so for but unfortunately, I was disappointed with it.

I like the general premise and the idea of travel (in this case across Europe) as metaphor of the journey of self-discovery. When it is done well it can be a very entertaining read. As much as I enjoyed the adventures of Kelsey and Jackson, I really couldn't really connect with the characters. 

I found Kelsey rather immature and some of her actions were just stupid and irresponsible. She was suffering from emotional trauma and had distant and overbearing parents but that didn't justify her misguided attempts to have a great adventure which would help her feel better about herself. 

Jackson was a likeable character - sexy and mysterious, with secrets of his own. Together he and Kelsey set to experience the beauty of Europe. They formed a deep emotional connection, yet they preferred to ignore each other's issues rather than deal with them. For a long time their relationship was all about pleasure and escaping real life, very much like their journey. 

I felt cheated with the big reveal which came with a plot twist I was naive not to see it coming. Things felt just rushed through and at the same time Hunt's story was presented far too briefly. There will be novella about him, but I think his background and POV should have been included in this book instead. 

It is a typical NA story, a bit clichéd and for me, not engaging enough. What I liked in book 1 of this series, Losing It, was Bliss' unusual character - her awkwardness was endearing and fun to read. Then, Max and Cade in Faking It (my review) were also rather entertaining - opposites attract, faking a relationship, etc. Here, I liked Jackson, but I didn't get enough of him. The story was too focused on Kelsey and I couldn't relate to her at all. 

In the end, all their issues were rather neatly dealt with coming to a very happy ending. It was hasty and abrupt, but nevertheless, it was sweet.

This is a promotional release day post for Finding It (Losing It 3) by Cora Carmack. It is the third full-length novel in the Losing It series which also include a novella, telling the story of Bliss and Garrick's (Losing It) wedding. I loved both Losing It and Faking It (my review), so naturally I am excited about reading Finding It, as well. Now the wait is over and I will be reading this book as soon as I can get my hands on it. Look for my review on the blog in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, if you are a fan of romance stories with strong likeable heroes and heroines coupled with a touch of heartbreak and some humour, this series is definitely a recommended read. 

FINDING IT 

Synopsis:

Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find where you truly belong...

Most girls would kill to spend months traveling around Europe after college graduation with no responsibility, no parents, and no-limit credit cards. Kelsey Summers is no exception. She's having the time of her life . . . or that's what she keeps telling herself.

It's a lonely business trying to find out who you are, especially when you're afraid you won't like what you discover. No amount of drinking or dancing can chase away Kelsey's loneliness, but maybe Jackson Hunt can. After a few chance meetings, he convinces her to take a journey of adventure instead of alcohol. With each new city and experience, Kelsey's mind becomes a little clearer and her heart a little less hers. Jackson helps her unravel her own dreams and desires. But the more she learns about herself, the more Kelsey realizes how little she knows about Jackson.

Cora Carmack Bio:

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

You can get your copy in ebook form or papreback here: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

The celebrate the release of Finding It, you can participate in a giveaway for signed copy of Losing It, Faking It and Keeping Her for 1 winner, just enter the Rafflecopter below.

This event is organized by InkSlinger PR Blogger

Here is the preview package for Cora Carmack's next book, the novella Keeping Her, which completes the story of Garrick and Bliss.

If you have questions you want to ask Cora Carmack, check these two events: 

Ms Carmack together with Jay Crownover (author of Rule and Jet (Marked Men series) will be participating in a Goodreads chat on June 26. 

There will also be a FAKING IT book club on Cora’s facebook page on June 27 from 3-4 p.m. EDT

Preview Package: Cora Carmack's KEEPING HER by AvonBooks

My rating: 4 stars

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. I learned about it from my friend Nix at Unraveling Words. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! 

• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

"I smiled, swished my frilly skirt, and glanced at the front entrance as the door swung open. Another cloud of smoke rolled in through the door. Like he was stepping out of the fog, Cade appeared. My twenty-four-hour, pretend-we-met-in-a-library, mom-hugging, golden-boy-boyfriend. "

Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.