ARC Review: Finding It (Losing It #3) by Cora Carmack

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: October 15, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
304 Pages

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.

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Man, I am so bummed. After reading and enjoying Cora Carmack's first two novels in the Losing It series, I was expecting to adore the characters and plot of Finding It. I hate to say that for me, book three did not live up to the first two books and their characters. While I loved the awkward Bliss, and the adorable (and surprisingly sexy) Cade, I was unable to form any attachment to Kelsey.

Kelsey is traveling across Europe, living in drinks, pleasure and sexy men. Spending her daddy's money comes easily, but nothing can erase her childhood traumas and the loneliness she feels. When she meets the sexy, albeit mysterious "Hunt," she begins to realize that she was looking for adventure in all the wrong places and that sometimes you need to just stop and smell the roses. But the secret he's keeping may just bring her newfound happiness crumbling down.

Firstly, I could not connect with the main character, Kelsey. Her backstory is extremely sad, but I think a lot more could've been done with it to make for a fuller story and the ending--where nothing was truly resolved for her--really ticked me off. I wanted to see a hash out between Kelsey and her parents, but instead was extremely disappointed by the direction the author took. That's not to say that the direction the author took is unrealistic, it is, but it left me unsettled. Kelsey, as a character, never had my full attention either. She frustrated me constantly with her immaturity. She's selfish, and bratty. I could not get on board with this protagonist, besides in a few scenes where she really stuck it to Hunt. 

Secondly, it took forever to figure out these characters and most of their actions still have me scratching my head. The end of the book came before any kind of connection was formed, so I spent almost the entire novel with no interest in what happened to them. It took most of the story to learn anything about their backgrounds, and what we do learn felt very… forced. I had trouble lending my emotions to these characters, and that made Finding It very difficult to read.

Thirdly, I did not find Hunt swoony, rather the opposite. He annoyed me to my wits end because the author tried to make him so perfectly flawed. Something about him just nigged at me. There were several times when I wanted to smack this almost "holier-than-thou" attitude out of him. I did not understand why Kelsey was immediately so attracted to him. Plus his "secret" was obvious from the get go--and that did not help the book at all.

I liked the idea of this story, but I think the execution and characterizations were off. It didn't sit well for me, and I'm extremely disappointed because I loved the author's previous works. Will I read more of Carmack's work? Most likely. I think she writes a very entertaining story. Finding It just wasn't for me.

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review via Edelweiss.

ARC Review: Keeping Her (Losing It #1.5) by Cora Carmack

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: August 13, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
100 Pages

Garrick Taylor and Bliss Edwards managed to find their happily-ever-after despite a rather . . . ahem . . . complicated start. By comparison, meeting the parents should be an absolute breeze, right?

But from the moment the pair lands in London, new snags just keep cropping up: a disapproving mother-in-law-to-be, more than one (mostly) minor mishap, and the realization that perhaps they aren't quite as ready for their future as they thought.

As it turns out, the only thing harder than finding love is keeping it.

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Keeping Her was exactly what I needed after the end of Losing It. I'm a big fan of epilogues, and insight into the future lives of characters I know and love. That is exactly how I would describe Keeping It. It's short, sweet and reminds you why you love these two so much. 

Garrick and Bliss are getting married, but before that can happen, it's time to meet the in-laws. As if going to England and being introduced to your fiancee's parents isn't stressful enough. Add in exes, job offers, and a bunch of other mishaps and Garrick and Bliss' trip will turn into one they won't soon forget.

This is a very fast-paced story. It gets straight to the point with a romantic tale that is anything but perfect (because really, who has the perfect relationship?). Keeping Her is a quick read that will have you hooked from start-to-finish. I know that personally, I only planned on reading a chapter or two before I went to bed and ended up reading the entire story. I'm so glad that I did though because it helped me fall asleep with a smile on my face (and gave me dreams about my future hubs, Garrett Hedlund).

I love these characters--especially Garrick. It was so nice to be in their minds again. And we not only rejoin Bliss, but we get part of this story from Garrick's point-of-view as well! That was great, and I only wish we had been given more. I wasn't sure how the rest of the minor characters would work for me, but they tied in very well with the story, and I even found myself wishing we could see more of Garrick's mother.

This isn't very angsty, and it isn't extremely original, but it is a great read for anyone who is wondering what's to come for Garrick and Bliss. Keeping Her is an adorable view into the progressing relationship we were introduced to in Losing It. It's hard to say good-bye to these characters as they are ones that I can relate to (on that super awkward, college relationship level).

If you haven't read this series, I would highly recommend it. The Losing It series is one of the few New Adult romances that I've been able to read and love. Keeping Her  is a great little taste of this "world" that will hopefully last us until the third book in the series is released (Finding It aka Kelsey's story--I cannot wait!).

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review via Edelweiss.

Release Day Launch: Finding It (Losing It #3) by Cora Carmack

I am so thrilled today to help promote the release of the third book in Cora Carmack's Losing It series, Finding It! I have been with this series since the very beginning, and while I am sad to see it end, I loved experiencing each book and learning more about these characters!

Finding It (Losing It #3) by Cora Carmack

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: October 15, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
320 Pages

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.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Big congrats to Cora on the release, and make sure you go out and snag a copy from Target ASAP! Some copies have a special surprise! And thank you to Ink Slinger PR for allowing me to participate in today's launch post!

Cover Reveal: Finding It (Losing It #3) by Cora Carmack

Today, we are happy to join HarperCollins in releasing the cover of Cora Carmack's third installment of her Losing It series, Finding It!

Finding It (Losing It #3) by Cora Carmack

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins

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.

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It ties in so well with the other books! And we're loving the green! How do you like this cover?

Book Review: Losing It (Losing It #1) by Cora Carmack

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow
288 Pages

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren’t embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She’d left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

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After reading several negative reviews from people who usually have the same bookish opinions as I do and seeing many positive reviews, I wasn't sure whether or not I would like Losing It. If I'm being honest, it's not usually the kind of book I enjoy--one that takes sex so lightly and makes virginity seem like an offense. So it seemed like a real hit-or-miss book. I wanted to love it, because I've struggled a lot with the new adult novels I've read and I made the decision to quit if Losing It didn't pull my faith back into this new age group. Luckily I found this book to be cute and fun, just what I needed to relax after a stressful week!

Losing It is not a mind-blowing, heart-wrenching novel, but it was so fun and so entertaining that when I read it with my reading buddy, Jen, we ditched our schedule to finish it. (We have very little self-control.) But who can blame us with this book as addicting as it is!

This is a very fast read, not just because it is somewhat short, but the pacing. It didn't drag like I've seen several new adult novels do. I really appreciated that. Though the plot and characters were a bit shallow, I couldn't stop reading! It's a nice book to read and a total guilty pleasure. Though the most obvious theme in this book is sex, there is more to it than that. It's about relationships of both friends and lovers and how growing up can change them. It's really about figuring out who you are, what you want and what's best for you--or really, the main character, Bliss. She learns a lot about herself in this book and watching her grow into herself was awkward, but so amusing.

This is the story about a girl named Bliss Edwards, who is almost done with college and still a virgin. After deciding to finally get rid of that pesky little thing, she meets Garrick Taylor and though she plans to lose her virginity to him, things don't go quite as planned and she leaves him… In her bed… In her apartment. As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, she sees him again, in what she considered to be the least likely place. Turns out he's her professor, which means even though she's falling for him, she doesn't stand a chance. The rest of the book is a comedic ball of awkwardness and wit that will humor those who read it!

The characters are not exactly the sharpest crayon in the box, but rather than constantly annoy me, I found it entertaining. Their reactions are overall genuine and realistic, making it a pretty relatable story. Bliss and Garrick were a cute couple, and the fact that he was British made him even easier to swoon over. I admit, I have a fondness for men from the UK. I also really liked Cade and I am excited to see him getting his chance at a happy ending in the next book! He's a sweetheart and he deserves it.

I'd recommend this for fans of new adult, definitely! It's definitely not for a younger audience though. Losing It is sure to keep the attention of its readers and leave them eager for the next installment--which I am! SO EAGER!

Teaser Tuesday: Losing It (Losing It #1) by Cora Carmack

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•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! (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!) 

 Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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"If my mother heard my thoughts, she'd tell me that I needed to be humble, but humility had gotten my nowhere.
Bliss Edwards, you are a freaking catch."
Chapter 1, 1%
Losing It (Losing It #1) by Cora Carmack

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Cover Reveal: Faking It (Losing It #2) by Cora Carmack

Faking It (Losing It #2) by Cora Carmack

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins

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.

VISIT THE AUTHOR:

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FIND THE BOOK:

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I am currently reading the first novel in this series with my good friend, Jen from The Starry-Eyed Revue! We are both loving it! I am really looking forward to the release of book two! Ms. Carmack writes a fun story and perfectly fantastic boys!

What do you think of the cover? Have you read the first book in this series? If so, what did you think?

Cover Reveal: Losing it by Cora Carmack

Losing It by Cora Carmack

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: October 16, 2012

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

VISIT THE AUTHOR:

Goodreads.Twitter.Website

FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads

This novel is considered "New Adult" and is not recommended for teenagers younger than eighteen years old. Read at your own discretion.