The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

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From Forever Romance:

"I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they'll think I am tomorrow. I guess it depends on what I do next."

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become.

Which is how she gets into trouble.

Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

The Bad:

This book was loooonnngg.  It felt like it should have been two books.  There's a perfect breaking point and everything.  I also thought it would be more humorous, like the Fug Girls' YA book, but it's not really a humorous story.

The Good:

Prince Charming of course!  Honestly, I could take or leave Bex, I mean she's great - a fairly strong, capable woman, but, I really loved Nick and Freddie.  Nick is the honorable good guy, and then there's the lovable rogue, Freddie, our Princes Charming.  *sigh*

We LOVE the Fug Girls!  Their blog keeps us endlessly entertained and can perk up the worst days.  If you haven't read their books yet, you really need to!

The Royal We is about real relationships in a fairytale setting.  You cannot have a more fairy tale scenario than the ordinary girl becoming a Princess, but Bex, Nick, Freddie and Lacey are dealing with real relationship issues.  Outside influences and expectations, compromise, loss of identity, lies, jealousy, bitterness, loss, really the whole host of human relationships...  The contrast is actually fascinating - real relationship problems in a fairy tale setting, because more often than not, romance novels are fairytale relationships in a more real world setting.  It's the relationships that kept me engrossed in this book.

TRW is good read and if you are mad about Will and Kate, or just love a Cinderella story, this book is for you.  

~Shel

That's What HE Said Thursday #26

Image courtesy of Kei at The Lovely Pages Review

That's What HE Said is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful ladies at Chapter Break. It's a chance for us to spotlight and gush over a quote from our current book crush to the object of his desire. We like to pretend it's us ;)

What better way to celebrate our book boyfriends?

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Oh do we have something special for you!! We are huge, HUGE fans of Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan aka The Fug Girls. We love their site, www.gofugyourself.com which can always be relied upon for a good laugh. And we've loved their two previous books, Spoiled and Messy. Recently, Shel read their new adult novel, The Royal We. As we have come to expect from them, it was hysterical and tons of fun! 

So for That's What HE Said Thursday this week, we're not only sharing Shel's favourite quote from the book, we're also giving YOU the chance to win yourself a copy of the The Royal We. 5 copies are up for grabs people! (Quick shout out to Grand Central Publishing for generously providing the copies.) Giveaway is open to US residents only.

Read below, enter and help us spread the joy! Good luck!

"It doesn't matter.  It can't matter," he said "Because I am completely, utterly, irrevocably in love with you.  And if you feel the same, then please don't ever get over me and go back to normal."  
His left hand snaked around my waist.  
"Besides, Bex, you've never been normal."

~ Nick to Bex

The Royal We by

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (142)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.

There are so many great books coming out over the next few months that our heads are spinning!

By Karina Halle
Publication Date: March 31, 2015

A new adult novel that perfectly captures the existential angst of your early twenties with raw wit, fresh insight, and true feeling from a critically adored USA TODAY bestselling author.

Joshua Miles has spent his early twenties spinning his wheels. Working dead-end jobs and living at home has left him exhausted and uninspired, with little energy to pursue his passion for graphic art. Until he meets Gemma Henare, a vivacious out-of-towner from New Zealand. What begins as a one-night stand soon becomes a turning point for Josh. He can't get Gemma out of his head, even after she has left for home, and finds himself throwing caution to the wind for the first time in his life.

It's not long before Josh is headed to New Zealand with only a backpack, some cash, and Gemma's name to go on. But when he finally tracks her down, he finds his adventure is only just beginning. Equally infatuated, Gemma leads him on a whirlwind tour across the beautiful country, opening Josh up to life, lust, love, and all the messy heartache in between. Because, when love drags you somewhere, it might never let go even when you know you have to say goodbye.

By Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Publication Date: April 7th, 2015

"I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they'll think I am tomorrow. I guess it depends on what I do next." 

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become.

Which is how she gets into trouble.

Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

By Jill Shalvis
Publication Date: April 7, 2015

Darcy Stone is game for anything — except sexy Navy veteran and physical therapist A.J. Colten, the guy who'd rejected her when she'd needed him most. Now the shoe is on the other foot and he needs her to play nice and help him secure grants for his patients. Unfortunately, Darcy can't refuse. She needs the money to fund her passion project: rescuing S&R dogs and placing them with emotionally wounded soldiers.

A.J. admits it — Darcy is irresistible. But he's already been battle-scarred by a strong-willed, vivacious, adventurous woman like Darcy, and he's not making the same mistake twice—until he and Darcy are forced to fake a relationship. Growing closer than they'd ever imagined possible, Darcy and AJ have to ask themselves: how much between them is pretend? What's the real thing? And where does it go from here?

Messy by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

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After a rocky start in Spoiled, Brooke Berlin and her newly discovered half sister, Molly Dix, have settled into something like sisterly love, but the drama is far from over.

Now that Brooke's caught a taste of fame and her movie star father's attention, she wants to launch a blog that will position her as the ultimate Hollywood insider. But between schoolwork, party-planning committee meetings, and spa treatments, she hardly has the time to write it herself...

Enter Max McCormack, an aspiring author with a terrible after-school job pushing faux meat on the macrobiotic masses of La-La Land. Max reluctantly agrees to play Brooke's ghost-blogger for an impressive salary, and the site takes off, but how long can their lie last? In person, Brooke can't live up to the intellectual wit of openbrooke.com, and Max soon begins to resent hiding her genius behind a bandage dress-wearing blonde. Can the girls work together to stay on top, or will the truth come out and ruin everything they've built?

If you’re in serious need of something ridiculous and outlandish, then look no further. Messy is the companion novel to Spoiled and in my opinion, it’s even better!

What makes Messy a treat is the antagonistic relationship between Brooke and Max – Brooke being the total Hollywood package with her blonde hair and deep knowledge of shoewear and Max being the antithesis with her standout green hair and astute understanding of normal humans. When Max agrees to be the ghostwriter for Brooke’s blog, it’s really a means to an end. That end being a summer writing program in New York that she’s been unsuccessfully saving money for. Needless to say, Max struggles with feeling like a sellout for working with Brooke but at the same time can’t help but be a little awestruck by Brooke’s world.  Somehow, the two manage a passable friendship that seems to call for carting Brooke around from one casting call to another. Max must  have missed that in the fine print. It’s when Brooke’s blog lands her a lead in a brand new movie version of Nancy Drew that things turn hairy and utterly nonsensical. Not only are people’s perception of Brooke more positive because of the blog but expectations are also higher. They actually think she has substance and intelligible things to say!  But the bonus is that Brick Berlin, Brooke’s famous actor dad is finally paying attention to her. His approval is what she has always wanted and she’s not about to squander this achievement.

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan have a blast poking fun at all that’s ostentatious and trendy in and about Hollywood. They have plenty of ammunition considering how successful they are with their own celebrity fashion blog gofugyourself.com. You know how you hear people say, “You can’t make up this stuff”? It does make me wonder how true some of the more insane scenarios in the book are. Try as you might, Brooke is hard not to like. She’s not as shallow and brainless as she appears. Every scene she's in is amusing because she's so unabashed about who she is. She's never malicious – oblivious may be but I look forward to whatever she has to say. And thanks to Max, my new favorite phrase is “mind bitch” as when she, through her own internal process, serves up bitchy responses to a conversation currently taking place. I think it’s brilliant! Mostly because I do it all the time. Now while Hollywood is the backdrop, the story does essentially come down to friendship, honesty and may be some humble pie.  Oh and boys. Don’t forget, there’s always a boy or two involved.

So yes, definitely give Messy a read. It's quick, smart and just simply entertaining. For me, it was just the perfect thing to take me out of the doledrums of a hellish couple of weeks recently. I needed laughs and that's exactly what I got. Now I'd also like to suggest an idea for their next book. How's this for a scenario? Brooke encounters the creatures from Jersey Sore (no, that's not a typo. I despise reality shows and consider that one in particular to be an example of an evolutionary glitch). Anyway, it would be interesting to see if Brooke could bring a little bit of class to that unkempt set. Just a suggestion ...

~ Bel

A Peek in the Biblio-Bin (31)

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the Biblio-Bin) has been created by the lovely ladies at Tynga Reviews.

Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.

This is what we have in our bin this week. Tell us what's in your Biblio-bin!

Messy by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Silence by Michelle Sagara

It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake

Soulbound (Legacy of Tril #1) by Heather Brewer

Spoiled by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

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Description from the book:

"Sixteen-year-old Molly Dix has just discovered that her biological father is Brick Berlin, world-famous movie star and red-carpet regular.  Intrigued (and a little terrified) by her Hollywood lineage, Molly moves to Los Angeles and plunges headfirst into the deep end of Beverly Hills celebrity life.  Just as Molly thinks her life couldn't get any stranger, she meets Brooke Berlin, her gorgeous, spoiled half sister, who welcomes Molly to La-La Land with a smothering dose of "sisterly love".  But in this town, nothing is ever what it seems.

Set against a world of Red Bull-fueled stylists, tiny tanned girls, popped -collar guys, and Blackberry-wielding publicists, Spoiled is a sparkling debut from the writers behind the viciously funny celebrity blog GoFugYourself.com."

If you’re someone who loves following celebrity news and gossip, you’d certainly get a kick out of this.  At the start you’re hit with an onslaught of name brands and name-dropping.  It’s a bit much at first but when put in context it’s easier to swallow.  It is L.A. and lord knows which A to D list celebrity is lurking about on every corner. 

Shortly after her mother’s untimely death, Molly decides to move to L.A. to be with her father, Brick.  Molly hopes this move will give her some semblance of a family that she has lost. Brooke, the other daughter who is accustomed the glitzy Hollywood lifestyle, is self-centered and spoiled.  She is appalled at the thought of welcoming someone from an undesirable time zone and does everything she can to make Molly feel unwelcome. This includes feeding her to the paparazzi and giving her nonsensical fashion advice.  After Molly’s less than stellar public debut at a party, thanks to no help from Brooke, Brick is determined to have his daughters get along and instructs them to share a bedroom together so they can bond.  Oh and they have to share the car as well. But only Molly can drive since Brooke only has a learner’s permit.  Yeah, that doesn't go doesn't go down well.

The whole arrangement has disastrous results.  Brooke already feels slighted by her father’s preference for his work and his long, lost daughter. Molly just wants to fit in and create a new home for herself.  Unbeknownst to her, Brooke is now ready for war to defend her territory.  There is no way she is going to share what’s rightfully hers with someone who can’t appreciate the importance of a pair of Manolos. 

It’s easy to think that you’d hate Brooke’s character because she's self-centered but she’s hysterical.  You realize she’s not as narcissistic as she appears.  She does feel moments of guilt for her behavior towards Molly.  And she herself has her own mommy issues.

Molly’s reactions to L.A. and the people are fun.  The great thing is that she doesn’t come across as judgmental.  She’s just someone taking mental notes of the oddities of the Hollywood-type folk.  Brick as the hapless dad who can't function without his Blackberry, doesn’t have a clue what his girls are going through but you can’t really hate him either.  Every time he speaks, he reacts as if he’s just written an Oscar-winning script and reaches for his Blackberry. 

What can I say?  I had a blast reading this book.  It was fun, nonsensical and light-hearted.  I especially loved the mention of my Hollywood crush, Chris Pine, hurting his hamstring during a stunt for the next Star Trek movie.  Brick’s reaction to this was to get on his Blackberry and arrange to send Chris Pine a ham.  Really?  Or when Brooke starts to question what's important, she muses: "Blood was thicker than smartwater, wasn't it?" You wonder if people really think like this out there!

My entire reason for reading Spoiled is that I'm a fan of the Fug Girls and their celebrity fashion-skewering blog.  Many times I've found myself in uncontrollable fits of laughter because of them. Much like their blog, the book was very entertaining.  And if you're at all familiar with them you know they've seen plenty to draw upon!

- Bel