WOW: Waiting on Wed!

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. WOW spotlights forthcoming titles that we absolutely can’t wait to read.

 LOVE STORY
By: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV Books
Release Date: July 19th 2011
SUMMARY:
Erin Blackwell is headed to college in New York City to study creative writing and earn a living as a romance novelist. Her grandmother has other plans: she approves of the college, but she wants Erin to major in business and then come back home to Kentucky to run the family’s famous racehorse farm. There is no way Erin will agree. Studying in New York and writing her way into a career is her escape from the farm and the family tragedy that happened there. So Erin’s grandmother decides Erin really will live life as a starving artist. She takes Erin’s future job running the farm, her inheritance, even her college tuition, and gives them all to Hunter Allen.

Hunter has lived on the farm for years. He’s Erin’s age, he’s the stable boy, and he’s the romantic dream of every girl in her high school. But he was involved in the family tragedy. Erin has always given him a wide berth. And he’s a slick opportunist. She’s furious that he fooled her grandmother into giving him Erin’s birthright and sending him to Erin’s college.

At least she’s free of him in her creative writing class. So she pens a story that has haunted her lately, in which the horse farm heiress at the very first Kentucky Derby starts a forbidden affair with the lowly stable boy. Unfortunately for her, the day she’s sharing this story with her New York classmates, Hunter walks in. He’s switching to her class. And after reading about himself in Erin’s story, he writes his own sexy assignments that lure Erin into dangerous fantasies about what could have been between them, and what might be
 
 
WHY IT IS A WOW:
First of all the cover is amazing!  I love the authors writing and I am a big fan of hers! I can’t wait for this newest book!


(ARC Review) Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

OVERPROTECTED
Author: Jennifer Laurens
Source: Around The World Tours

Paperback: 252 pages
Publisher: Grove Creek Publishing, LLC (April 29th 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 193396300X
ISBN-13: 978-1933963006

SUMMARY:

Ashlyn: A lonely society princess living in New York City.

Daddy hired you to be my bodyguard.

Colin: Childhood enemy, now her protector.

Daddy thought I’d be safe. He thought I’d never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever.

Charles: obsessed with keeping her safe, keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.

Daddy was wrong.

MY THOUGHTS:

After eager anticipation, Jennifer Laurens has brought to us another fabulous book about teen angst, love and determination.  I am a HUGE fan of this author after reading her other books.  She never disappoints me in her writing and creativity.  


In Overprotected, we are introduced to the Adair family.  Ashlyn is 17 years old and rarely gets a taste of freedom.  If she wants to step outside her Security Box that her Father has constructed in the form of a personal bodyguard, she has to sneak away to do it.  The outside world is merely a glance outside her home windows.  When she gets her latest bodyguard fired, Ashlyn thinks that maybe her father will let her be an adult and have some freedom.  Unfortunately, her Father is not willing to give up his control.  He hires Colin.  Colin is an old childhood friend from when they all lived in California.  After Ashlyn was kidnapped in California, the family relocated to New York.  Colin is going to school in New York and is hired as a protective companion for Ashlyn.  At first, Ashlyn is not very friendly to Colin.  Colin used to torment her as a child and she can’t stand to even be around him.  They quickly work past their history, and eventually find that they truly care for each other. 


Some people might think Ashlyn is a bit of a snob in the book.  At first, I though she was just going to be another rich girl who is a spoiled brat.  After reading the first couple of chapters though,  I quickly realized that Ashlyn is not the snob I thought she was.  She has had such a protective and controlled life that she barely can even eat in privacy.  I can see where the frustration comes from and how freedom would be so sought after.  The only relationship with a boy she has ever had has been from reading her romance novels that her friends and previous bodyguards have sneaked in for her.  She is a great pianist and has a future at Julliard to look forward to, but all she craves is love and freedom.


Colin is very professional with his new job.  While he is attracted to Ashlyn and very caring towards her, he is constantly fighting the urge to be more than just a bodyguard to her.  Colin was sweet and protective, yet professional and calm.  I love how he is always put into the awkward moments with Ashlyn’s Mother and friends.  He is always relieved when Ashlyn rescues him from the attention. 


When Ashlyn’s ex-bodyguard keeps making sneaky reappearances in her life, she is naturally scared and suspicious.  When Ashlyn is kidnapped again, you can’t help but cheer her on at kicking some butt!  What floored me the most was the extremes her Father has gone to though when Ashlyn is rescued.  What he did was over the line and he deserved what Ashlyn does to him.  


Another wonderful read by an outstanding author.  Each book she writes just keeps on getting better.  Overprotected was wonderful and I can’t wait what to see what the author will bring to us next! 


MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!  5 STARS


Secret COVER REVEAL!!! Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

by ⋅ Leave a Comment
YAY! Today marks the day for the reveal of Venom by Tera Lynn Childs!! I have been waiting to post this along with 100 other bloggers chosen by the author! 
VENOM
Author: Tera Lynn Childs
EXPECTED RELEASE DATE: October 4th, 2011 
TEASER:
Three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in a world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Sweet Venom Author Page: http://teralynnchilds.com/books/sv.htm 
Look for a fun giveaway next week for this new and exciting series by Tera Lynn Childs!
Congrats Tera on the new gorgeous cover and for letting My Overstuffed Bookshelf join in the fun of showing it off!
 

DISCUSSION POST: Teens and Censorship

by ⋅ Leave a Comment
I have been wanting to do a discussion post on the topic of Censoring reading for teens for a while now.  So I thought today was a good day to post it and hopefully we can all discuss our feelings on this subject.



Are you a parent who censors what your teen reads?

I am a mother of 3 girls and my oldest is 15 years old.  She loves to read Manga, but she also reads books that I read and review on the blog.  I will answer my own question above and you might be surprised at my answer.  Growing up, my parents didn’t really censor the books I read.  They didn’t read a book first to make sure it was okay for my age level.  With children of my own now, I follow the same principles.  I never read a book and tell my daughter she is not allowed to read it.  If she has questions about a book, I am glad to answer them, but I don’t get upset about any book she chooses to read.  My library at home is in an open area.  Whenever she wants to read a book she is welcome to grab one and read it.  Some people disagree with this because I do have some erotica books on my shelves.  My daughter may ask about those books, but once I tell her what kind of book they are she passes it by.  I asked her one day if she is ever tempted to read them.  She always tells me no and she also tells me how she appreciates me not hiding them from her. I feel that my daughter is smart enough to know what is right and wrong, and she also has the smarts to choose what is appropriate to read.  If she happens to read a young adult book that touches on subjects that are geared more toward the older teens, she knows she can ask questions about it and not feel like I am going to be hard on her for reading it.  This isn’t to say I would approve of her reading some of my racy books, but I certainly am not going to hold her back in reading.  There is too much censorship in schools to have to be scared to read a book at home.

Are you a teen who’s parents censor what you read?

How does this make you feel?  Do you wish your parents would give you more freedom in what you read?  How do you feel about the censorship of books in your school?  Maybe I have given my daughter too much responsibility in choosing what she is comfortable reading, but I feel to tell her not to read a book due to content is a form of censorship.  I guess what it boils down to is I trust my daughter and her choices.  I know that most of the stuff we read in these books is the same stuff they are discussing and sometimes participating in with people at school.  

What are your thoughts?