Review: The Friend Zone by Tabetha Thompson

Title: The Friend Zone
Author: Tabetha Thompson
Publication: March 24, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Format: eARC

Source: IMR Promotions via Smashwords

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Tormented by a past relationship that she can’t seem to escape, Chloe feels like her only option is to swear off men completely. Two years later, the self-imposed “man-ban”is still going strong, but then Skye walks back into her life. Skye left Bartow thirteen years ago an awkward, pimple-faced boy who didn’t quite fit in, but the man that returns evokes a white-hot fire of desire in her.

Chloe is the only woman Skye has ever loved and he’s not about to let her slip through his fingers again. She may want to put him in the friend zone, but he knows her desire for him is simmeringjust below the surface. Just when Skye thinks he’s finally broken down the walls of stone around Chloe’s heart, something happens that will leave them both devastated and broken. Are they strong enough to survive?

When I said that I don't really read blurbs, I made an exception on this one. I read its blurb before I signed up for the blog tour and I must say, it captured and lured me in. I, however, missed out the bit that says this is a New Adult title. I wouldn't know until the chapters toward the end though. And I tell you, I am now 24 but New Adult really isn't for me. I still have the kid inside and I'm accustomed to just reading Children's Lit to Young Adult and Chick Lit, with the exception of my Philippine Lit collection, and I read them just because I feel a certain connection with works written by my fellowmen, so when I learned that I'm faced with a task to read about intimacy and love making, I stopped for a while but then realized that I must go on for I never want to leave any book unfinished.

"Aw, how sweet. A man who blushes. I thought they were just mythical creatures." 

This is a story of two individuals who could have been together in high school, only if situations are any better. It is written in changing points of view so as to take us into the minds of our main characters, Chloe and Skye. I like Chloe very much, she is the quintessential alpha female, strong-willed and confident. Skye though is your typical hot guy in the band, I can't fathom the fact that their band don't have a lead guitarist however. Changing POVs is the one thing I liked in Cohn and Levithan's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist which is one of my favorite books of all time, it didn't work that way in this book, unfortunately. It came to a point that it has become confusing. It didn't help that while changing the POVs, the book keeps repeating scenes previously narrated by the other main character. That might work for others but it didn't sit well with me. The changing POVs just served as an instant affirmation. Chloe is very confident to the point that she thinks that Skye is going crazy over her. Now, we have Skye's POV telling us what Chloe thinks is true. I don't know about you, but that's cheating to me. It's understandable when Chloe says Skye ignored all the 'desperate' women because of her, but when it's Skye turn to tell us the story and he refers to the women as desperate, all hell broke loose inside me.

"Rugged and tough, he's one of those people you either love or hate." 

Another thing bothering me is the fact that Tom, Chloe's bestfriend is the character I like most in this book. Is it my underdog syndrome again or is it because the author built up a connection between them that you can't just help but root for them to end up with each other even the bestfriend-turned-lovers trope is everywhere nowadays. The way Chloe talks to Tom, the way she reprimands her bestfriend by calling him by his full name, even the time she said that Tom has been her savior more than once - these are things that actually makes a real relationship only to get crush by the way Chloe and Skye talks about Tom, making us think he's not straight.

I'm rating this with the New Adult market in mind, though. The steamy scenes I must say, is nothing but hot and if that's what you want then grab this right away. I'm giving this three stars for its potential. I think I'd like this more without the sizzling scenes, but maybe, just maybe, New Adult really isn't for me.

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Review: Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

Title: Flat-Out Love
Author: Jessica Park
Format: Kindle Edition

Publication: April 11, 2011

Source: Own Copy, Bought from Amazon

Flat-Out Love is a warm and witty novel of family love and dysfunction, deep heartache and raw vulnerability, with a bit of mystery and one whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees romance.
It's not what you know--or when you see--that matters. It's about a journey.

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Flat-Out Love comes complete with emails, Facebook status updates, and instant messages.

My Review

Why this book?
I asked bookish and author friends for book recommendations for the Love Month and of one of my favorite authors, Mina V. Esguerra, suggested this book. I remember I purchased it off Amazon during the #BuqoSteamyReads period because she also included Flat-Out Love in the list of books we can read to get us started. I read it amidst the other 6 books I'm currently reading because books like this is my brand. I'm originally a Chick Lit Monster before Philippine Lit lured me into her cave. And also because, I need something light and does not involved analysis or blood.

The Plot
Told in third person narrative, this is a story of the fun and witty Julie Seagle and her one year saga with the Watkins Family. Julie just got off from high school and can't wait to be a college girl, but life isn't that easy especially in College (cranky teachers, annoying classmates, braggart officers - no, you won't see them here haha), so when she learns that she got scammed and have no where to go in Boston, she turns to Erin, her mother's College buddy for help, Erin lets her stay in their house in Cambridge and you will find out about the rest when you read this book.

Who were the main characters?
There's the headstrong Julie, the hot guy Finn, his sister, the adorable-yet-crazy girl, Celeste, the other brother also known as the swoon-worthy Matt and the almost too typical Watkins couple.

Favorite character?
Seth would be my favorite character. He is not a main character as you can see above but you know, who wouldn't love a cute and crazy-over-you barista?

What did you like most about the book?
Definitely the witty banter! It's as if the characters in this book studied the language of sarcasm and word play all their life. Their Facebook statuses (yes, this book is so advanced it has Social Media!) inspired me to think before I click, to not just blurt out anything that came to mind right away when I can mull things over so I can pretend I am very smart. Ha! Not that I'm saying that Julie isn't smart or pretending to be one, she sure is very brilliant, I on the other hand is the pretender. Get it? Haha. Okay, let's cut the pretenses.

What did you like least?
I hate that this book proved to me that I'm completely dysfunctional that I already know all the twists and turns (spoiler much?) without it unravelling before me.

What did you think of the writing style?
Oh, I'll definitely read more of Jessica Park!

If you could change something, what would it be?
The cardboard characters and I'm not pertaining to the cut-out. I just feel they all talk alike and that lead me to all the spoilers! But if I changed that, we won't have a story, would we?

What did you think of the ending?
I like it so much. Not too over the top and definitely something believable.

Some thoughts
Flat-Out Love is more than your typical crazy in the head romance. It speaks of insecurities, responsibilities and family ties. It not only tells you how to fall in love but of how some homes deal with everyday life as well. It tells us, life isn't perfect but guess what, someone will come along and will make it less painful, less stressful, and more 'livable' because yes, you are finally enjoying it.

Favorite Quotes

“Then she did what any girl would do: she Googled him.” 

“I 'Facebook like' you, but I'm not IN 'Facebook like' with you.” 

“He just wasn’t the guy, you know? I want the guy. The everything guy. Not the dumb Prince Charming, nauseatingly-perfect everything guy. That’s pathetic. I want the flaws-and-all everything guy.” 

“It's a calm like you've never known before, and you don't want it to end.” 

“You were focusing on the facts instead of the feeling.” 

“Christ, now was not the time to turn into a thesaurus.”

“Maybe you're missing something obvious. Don't overanalyze.”

“I'd just have to meet the right guy. Someone who isn't ordinary. Someone who get someone I fit perfectly with. I want heat, chemistry, an undeniable connection. You know what I mean? I want it all. I'm done with ordinary and mediocre.” 

“Love is a portion of the soul itself, and it is of the same nature as the celestial breathing of the atmosphere of paradise.” 

Check out all my Flat-Out Love inspired tweets:

Oh eto na. Note to self. Must finish: Scan, FMNCE, Breaking All The Rules and then I'm free. So, why am I still reading Flat Out Love? Haha

— Biena Magbitang (@bienamichelle) March 24, 2014

Julie, Julie, Julie. Why so witty?

— Biena Magbitang (@bienamichelle) March 24, 2014

I remember my first time in Starbucks, I asked the barista for an SBC Javakula. "The one with brownies please" She gave me java chip instead

— Biena Magbitang (@bienamichelle) March 24, 2014

Guest Blog: Cora Cade + Ebook Giveaway

The Library Mistress welcomes our guest, Cora Cade, author of Morning Light, a Contemporary Romance about risk and sexual tensions as the protagonists embattles for the greatest conquest of their lives, their fight for love.

My debut release MORNING LIGHT was a fairly uneventful project.   Basically I put my butt in the chair and bled all over my laptop.  For a year.  Then I pitched it to an editor and almost vomited on her awesome shoes due to my uncontrolled nerves.  She contracted it three months later and I ugly cried at my day job when the email arrived.

Like I said, not very exciting.

But today we're going to talk about five facts that might surprise you about MORNING LIGHT.  You know, in an effort to make things more interesting.

1.  By day I work in Human Resources.  While I was writing MORNING LIGHT I was also doing massive amounts of interviewing for the day job.  I secretly catalog names in my head for future use.  Last names are of special interest, because they can be more difficult to decide on.   If we meet and you introduce yourself, your name is fair game.  You've been warned.

2.  I'm a huge Mumford & Sons fan.  NO.  Really.  Mumford's 'I Will Wait' had just released ahead of the album when I began writing MORNING LIGHT.  And then I listened to that song, and only that song, while I wrote the entirety of the book.  My husband is very thankful that I work with headphones in place.  As you read MORNING LIGHT you'll see my nod to Mumford & Sons-- and that nod carries through the entire series.

3.  Our heroine, Tennyson Sharpe, rescues a neglected yellow Lab early in the book.  This was something I knew Tenn would do before I ever wrote a word of the story.  It's no secret, or even interesting, that I have four rotten dogs.  Our oldest heathen is a yellow Lab mix named Truman and he's aging.  When it came time for our heroine to adopt a dog that needed love, there was no question that her Bo would be a representation of my Truman.  Because someday he'll be gone and I wanted him to always live on.

4.  Tenn's BFF is our hero's little brother Chris.  Chris drives a classic 1969 Chevy Camaro, a fact that will come in to play later in the series when he gets his very own book.  Since I grew up with a deep appreciation for classic American muscle, I knew one of my heroes would also share my love of the classics.  Turns out his heroine will also share his love of a classic car, only she'll drive a classic Mustang.  Just one more thing for them to disagree on when the time comes.

5.  I write under a pen name.  Not because my real name is not interesting (but it's not) or because I felt a deep need for privacy (I don't).  It had more to do with the uncertainty of how being published would affect those around me.  My husband teaches sixth grade, we live in a small town, and I wasn't sure how my in-laws would receive the information that I write pretty steamy romances.  Picking my pen name involved a fire, an alcoholic beverage or two, and my husband and I flipping through a baby name book.  After we had a short list I emailed my inner circle and asked for their opinions.  Then I picked the name no one liked.  In the end I had to pick the name I loved the most, because I was the one living with it.  Now my closest friends call me Coco and my real name doesn't even enter the picture anymore.

You can find me on Facebook at:  www.facebook.com/CoraCade  or you can check out my website at:  www.coracade.com.

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