Sneaking Candy by Lisa Burstein

Sneaking Candy by Lisa Burstein
Release Date: December 9, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Embrace
Pages: 290 (based on ARC)
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

All I ever wanted was to make a name for myself as Candice Salinas, creative writing grad student at the University of Miami. Of course, secretly I already have made a name for myself: as Candy Sloane, self-published erotic romance writer. Though thrilled that my books are selling and I have actual fans, if anyone at UM found out, I could lose my scholarship…and the respect of my faculty advisor, grade-A-asshole Professor Dylan.

Enter James Walker, super-hot local barista and—surprise!—my student. Even though I know a relationship is totally off-limits, I can’t stop myself from sneaking around with James, taking a few cues from my own erotic writing…if you catch my drift. Candy’s showing her stripes for the first time in my real life, and I’ve never had so much fun. But when the sugar high fades, can my secrets stay under wraps?

My Thoughts:
I was so pleasantly surprised by Sneaking Candy. It was fun, which I expected, but it was also so smart. I hope that doesn’t make me guilty of the prejudice against romance novels, but then again it’s not every book that tackles the kinds of issues that this book does. I absolutely loved how it took on the literary snobbish perspective that romance and erotica are dredge. The fact that Lisa Burstein wrote a romance novel about a romance novelist who has to deal with the attitude that the people who write romance aren't “real authors”? Awesome.

I found our main character, Candice, to be relatable. She loves writing and she's in a masters program for it, but she has another side to her, writing erotica under a pen name, "Candy". Candice has these two sides to her, and I don’t think it’s spoilery to say that as the book goes on she learns to embrace Candy. I really liked seeing Candice bringing both sides of her together, pulling the Candy persona into her real life.

I thought the relationships in this novel were really well done. There’s Candice’s best friend, Amanda, who is both Candice’s and Candy’s biggest supporter. There’s the problematic relationship with Professor Dylan who’s supposed to be Candice’s mentor and advisor, but who makes no secret of the fact that he hates romance “hacks”. There’s also a romantic relationship with James who is someone who might finally see and accept the real Candice, including the Candy side of her. This relationship is just what Candice wants, but it’s complicated by the fact that he’s Candice’s student and that everyone around the school thinks she’s involved with Professor Dylan.

Sneaking Candy was a really great read. It provided a swoony romance while also addressing, from a unique angle, the prejudices that romance writers (and readers!) face. I really liked seeing Candice come into her own as she figured out her various relationships.

The Cover:
Not my fave, but I do like it.

Rating:
[4/5]

Purchase Links:
Kobo | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble

Another Little Piece of My Heart by Tracey Martin

Another Little Piece of My Heart by Tracey Martin
Release Date: December 1, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 304
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

What if your devastating break-up became this summer’s hit single? In this rock-and-roll retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, music can either bring you together or tear you apart.

At her dying mother’s request, Claire dumps Jared, the only boy she’s ever loved. Left with a broken family and a broken heart, Claire is furious when she discovers that her biggest regret became Jared’s big break. While Jared is catapulted into rock-star status, another piece of Claire’s heart crumbles every time his song plays on the radio.

The summer after her senior year, it’s been months since the big break-up, and Claire is just trying to keep her head down and make it through a tense trip to the beach with her family. But when Jared shows up, and old feelings reignite, can Claire and Jared let go of the past? Or will they be stuck singing the same old refrain?

My Thoughts:
Despite my lack of musicality (or perhaps because of it?), I always find myself intrigued by books about music, especially those featuring performers. Another Little Piece of My Heart is a great book for this, with Claire, the main character, being a performer aspiring toward stardom, and Jared, her ex-boyfriend, who has catapulted to fame.

I liked Claire, and I really felt for her. I enjoyed the cast of characters over all. This was another YA/NA hybrid type of title, with Claire having just graduated high school and dealing with the “what’s next?” question, while other characters were college students. This is a book about a romantic relationship, but it’s also a book about family. Claire is still dealing with the loss of her mother, and what she feels is a betrayal from her father who has lost the money for her college tuition and is shacking up with his assistant.

On the romantic front, I really did wish for Claire and Jared to work things out. You see how they were as a couple before all this mess, and they had such a great relationship. Throughout the book, even at their worst, the two have great chemistry. There was a little bit too much avoiding each other and acting out instead of actually having a conversation for my liking, but I managed to ignore it enough to truly enjoy the story. I liked that both Claire and Jared felt like the injured parties, and that there was a truth to that. Neither one of them were wholly responsible for what happened to their relationship, so it was easy to see that once they accepted responsibility and atoned for their actions, they could make a good couple once again. What’s interesting is that it could go either way: throughout the book you’re never sure if they’ll actually reach this point.

This was a really fun title, a book about music, boys, family, and growing up. It was a great mix of lightheartedness and more heavy emotions. If you’re looking for a sweet summer tale to read while attempting to beat the winter blues, be sure to check out Another Little Piece of My Heart.

The Cover:
Love!!

Rating:
[4/5]

Purchase Links:
Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

For Real by Chelsea M. Cameron (Tour Review + Giveaway)

For Real by Chelsea M. Cameron
Release Date: November 20, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 210
Series: Rules of Love #1
Review Source: eARC through InkSlinger PR

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Two people. One fake relationship. What could go wrong?

When virgin Shannon Travers gets fed up with her friends demanding that she find a boyfriend, she enlists the help of tattooed, mohawk-rocking graphic design student Jett. He’s more than happy to play along with their Fake Relationship, including the Ten Rules of Fake Dating that control-freak Shannon comes up with. Even if he likes to violate them. Repeatedly.

But what happens when Fake Dating starts to feel… not fake anymore? Will Shannon be willing to let go and embrace the first thing in her life that’s ever felt REAL?

My Thoughts:
For Real features Shannon and Jett, two people who make a very sweet couple. These two fit together awesomely, and I loved eavesdropping on their conversations and seeing them hanging out and watching movies together, etc.

While I got behind the overall plot, I wish there had been more of an effort on Shannon’s part to stay together with Jett for real, to be honest about how she was feeling. As for Jett, he had a very interesting back story that I wish had been explored more, especially with his sister still in that situation.

Overall this was a sweet story, one that I flew through and generally enjoyed, but I did think it was missing something, like the ending was incomplete. I expected more things to be wrapped up at the end, and for the story to continue beyond where it just stopped. Despite this, I definitely think that For Real is worth a read.

The Cover:
It's cute!

Rating:
[3/5]

Purchase Links:
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About Chelsea:
Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)

Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, Listen coming out in 2014.

Where to find Chelsea:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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