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Review: My Not So Super Sweet Life by Rachel Harris (Blog Tour + Giveaway)

Apr23

I received this book for free from Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: My Not So Super Sweet Life by Rachel Harris (Blog Tour + Giveaway)My Not So Super Sweet Life by Rachel Harris
Series: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #3
Published by Entangled Teen on April 21, 2014
Pages: 250
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Cat Crawford just wants to be normal—or at least as normal as a daughter of Hollywood royalty can be. And it looks like fate is granting her wish: she’s got an amazing boyfriend, Lucas; her fabulous cousin, Alessandra, living with her; and her dad planning his second marriage to a great future stepmom. That is, until her prodigal mother reveals on national television that she has something important to tell her daughter…causing a media frenzy.

Lucas Capelli knows his fate is to be with Cat, and he’s worked hard to win her over once and for all. Unfortunately, Lucas has his own issues to deal with, including a scandal that could take him away from the first place he’s truly belonged.

As secrets are revealed, rumors explode, and the world watches, Cat and Lucas discover it’s not fate they have to fight if they want to stay together…this time, it’s their own insecurities.

Well, and the stalkerazzi.

Super Sweet Banner copy
Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the My Not So Super Sweet Life blog tour! I’m very excited to be a part of this blog tour! Rachel is AMAZING and I absolutely loved My Not So Super Sweet Life!! I hope you enjoy my review!

Rachel Harris has done it again! My Not So Super Sweet Life (MNSSSL) was an amazing journey filled with beloved characters and timeless lessons. I’ve loved every book that Harris has written and she will continue to be on my auto-buy list for a long time to come.

Cat has grown so much since My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century (MSSSC, book one). In the beginning, she kept her feeling and emotions well guarded. She didn’t trust anyone and didn’t let anyone get too close. She didn’t have many friends because of this and she refused to let herself fall for anyone, for fear she would end up heartbroken. So much of this changed after her trip to the past, but she still had a lot of trust issues. In MNSSSL, she really worked through a huge chunk of those trust issues. I definitely think having Alessandra around helped. She also never forgot the lessons she learned in the past and she constantly tried to remind herself of those lessons. I wasn’t a huge Cat fan in MSSSC but I really grew to love her in MNSSSL.

Lucas… Wow, Lucas… Can I just say I swooned over him and leave it at that? No? You want more details? Okay. Lucas is amazing, kind, sweet, patient, loving and wonderful. Like all of Harris’ swoon-worthy guys, he makes you grin like an idiot and wish fictional boys were real. He knew when to be there for Cat and when to give her space. He was always a gentleman and always seemed to say the right thing. I LOVED LOVED LOVED having his POV in this book. Getting into his mind took this book to a whole new level. I felt like we really got to know him and feel for him and we got to see a whole new side of Cat by seeing her through his eyes.

I still adore Austin to pieces and I’m glad he was in MNSSSL as much as he was. He and Alessandra are amazingly adorable together and I loved how he had Cat’s back and the ways in which he was there for Lucas.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED Ransom. Before reading MNSSSL, I saw a lot of friends reading and commenting on how amazing he was – they even asked, begged and pleaded for a book with him. Now that I’ve read it, I can see why!!! And I truly hope he gets his own book, as well!!! I’d love to learn more about him, get inside his head and find out about his past.

I also loved the little bit we got from Reyna’s perspective and I’d absolutely love to see her get her own book, too. She’s a fascinating character. Until now, we’ve only seen her as a Gypsy guide. She’s constantly helping others, but I’d love to see her help herself for once. She deserves a happily ever after and, as a reader, I’d love to go on that journey with her.

There were some really intense, emotional scenes in this book. And I feel like I went through every single emotional upheaval that the characters went through – When they were happy, I was happy; when they were crushed, I was crushed. My heart broke for them at times; yet, at times, my heart soared with joy for them. The ending felt like it went full-circle from the first book, too, which gave closure to everything.

Overall, I adored this book so much; I could go on and on, gushing about it for hours. But I’ll leave you with this: Rachel Harris is amazing. Everything she writes is amazing. All her guys are swoon-worthy and hot. If you haven’t read her books yet, DO IT. What are you waiting for?!?! I promise, you won’t be disappointed!!

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As a teen, Rachel Harris threw raging parties that shook her parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels. As an adult, she reads and writes obsessively, rehashes said embarrassing fodder, and dreams up characters who become her own grown up version of imaginary friends.

She grew up in New Orleans, watching soap operas with her grandmother and staying up late sneak reading her mam’s favorite romance novels. Now a Cajun cowgirl living in Houston, she still stays up too late reading her favorite romances, only now, she can do so openly. She firmly believes life’s problems can be solved with a hot, powdered-sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.
She homeschools her two beautiful girls and loves watching reality television with her amazing husband. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult Fun, Flirty Escapes, and LOVES talking with readers!

Find Rachel Online:

Website | Blog

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

And finally, we also have a giveaway going on for this blog tour! Up for grabs?
-One handmade sterling silver necklace that retailed over $130. It is an eight petal rose and a replica of the one Lucas gives Cat for Valentine’s Day in the book.
– One rare, signed paperback. US Only.

necklace 1 necklace 2

Please enter by using the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Full Tour Schedule:

Week One:
4/21/2014- Jenna Does Books– Review
4/21/2014- Coffee, Books and Me– Interview
4/22/2014- Meredith & Jennifer’s Musing– Review
4/22/2014- Vi3tbabe– Excerpt
4/23/2014- Pandora’s Books– Review
4/23/2014- Stuck In Books– Guest Post
4/24/2014- The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club– Review
4/24/2014- Library of a Book Witch– Excerpt
4/25/2014- Every Free Chance Book Reviews-– Review
4/25/2014- Book Loving Mom– Excerpt

Week Two:
4/28/2014- The Book Belles– Review
4/28/2014- Mercurial Musings– Excerpt
4/29/2014- Mundie Moms– Review
4/29/2014- The Cover Contessa– Guest Post
4/30/2014- Book Angel Booktopia– Review
4/30/2014- Swoony Boys Podcast– Interview
5/1/2014- Bookaholics Anonymous– Review
5/1/2014- TSK TSK What to Read– Excerpt
5/2/2014- Once upon a twilight– Review
5/2/2014- Fantasy Book Addict– Guest Post

five-stars

Review: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

Apr13
Review: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel HarrisMy Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris
Series: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #1
Published by Entangled Teen on September 18, 2012
Pages: 260
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

I’ve had My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century (MSSSC) sitting on my TBR since August 2013 when I was lucky enough to score an eARC of A Tale of Two Centuries (ATOTC), the sequel. I had heard that ATOTC was more of a companion and could be read on its own, so I read ATOTC and then planned on reading MSSSC soon after – Well, it’s not exactly “soon after,” but I DID finally read it and man, oh man – Rachel Harris has done it again! A gorgeous story, amazing characters and a swoon-worthy guy, all set within the breathtaking back-drop of sixteenth century Renaissance Italy.

I loved Cat almost from the beginning. At first, I even thought I liked her more than Alessandra (from ATOTC). In the end, I still like Alessandra more (sorry, Cat!) but Cat was an amazing character. She was strong-willed and defiant, the exact opposite of what a sixteenth century girl should be. But when she’s thrown into the past, she has no choice but to do what she can to fit in and not draw attention to herself. Along the way, she has some lessons to learn.

I loved, loved, loved seeing Alessandra in her own time-period, considering that in ATOTC, we *Spoiler alert* almost exclusively see her in the twenty-first century. She was the same kind-hearted, generous person, if even more modest and demure in MSSSC than she was in ATOTC (since she has yet to come out of her shell). She embraces Cat from the start and even believes and trusts her later on, when Cat confides her in.

Lorenzo!! We met at last, Lorenzo. I can see what everyone was swooning over now! And wow… Let me just say, wow! Rachel Harris sure knows how to write swoon-worthy hotties! Lorenzo, Lucas, Austin, Jason and Cane = all swoon-worthy! However…. Don’t hate me Lorenzo fangirls, but I think I like Lucas better! *Hides from the egg-throwers and mob with pitchforks* HEAR ME OUT! Because I read ATOTC first, I met Lucas first. I fell head over heels for him and I saw how things ended for him and Cat. So though I LOVED Lorenzo, I do like Lucas more and I like Lucas and Cat together more! I just do! *Nods firmly*

I knew who Lucia was almost immediately. I loved, loved Aunt Francesca – she was so kind and loving, something Cat definitely needed. I adored Cirpriano – he was the over-protective big brother where both Alessandra and Cat were concerned.

Now, I think I’ve mentioned this before. But I want to say that Rachel Harris renewed my faith in time-travel stories. Before I read ATOTC (and now MSSSC), I read a HORRIBLE book with time travel. It was pre-blogging, but if I were to rate it as a blogger now, it would probably have been 2 stars, if not lower. After that book, I swore off reading time-travel books because I was just too scared to. Well.. Clearly Rachel Harris fixed that problem! She does such an incredible job, I can’t help but love everything she writes. Her characters are amazing and lovable and her plots are intriguing. I also wasn’t a fan of romance until I started reading her books. So, yeah, that all says a lot!

Overall, once again, Rachel Harris wrote a gorgeous, fun, amazing tale of time travel, love and self-discovery. She is one of my favorite authors – one of my auto-read authors. I highly recommend her books. If you haven’t read them, definitely check them out ASAP! You won’t be disappointed, I promise!

four-stars

Review: A Tale of Two Centuries by Rachel Harris

Aug6

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: A Tale of Two Centuries by Rachel HarrisA Tale of Two Centuries by Rachel Harris
Series: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #2
Published by Entangled Teen on August 6, 2013
Pages: 320
Format: eBook
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

Rachel Harris has written a touching and heartwarming love story with this sequel to My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century. It is beautifully written, both vivid and descriptive. Alessandra’s voice feels authentic, making the reader feel as if they truly have time-traveled to the sixteenth century.

Alessandra is everything you can possibly want in a main character. She is a proper young lady who yearns for more, but feels trapped in her own time. She wants “passion, equality and freedom,” all the things women in her time period cannot have. All she has to look forward to is a loveless marriage and a life of propriety and society rules. Until fate intervenes and sends her to the twenty-first century, where her distant cousin, Cat, lives.

There’s definitely an adjustment period for Alessandra. Her exploits in the twenty-first century were hilarious. My favorite moment was when she identified a Hooters as an owl shop. It’s amusing seeing how Alessandra’s sixteenth century mind views the twenty-first century technology, dress and ideals. She’s adorably clueless, and so fascinated by simple things – it makes her seem humble and lovable.

So… Austin. Ahhh, Austin. Normally, male characters as cocky as Austin would turn me off. He’s just so full of himself in the beginning, thinking he’s some kind of bad-boy rebel. But, he’s so adorable while teasing Alessandra and her absolute cluelessness makes it that much funnier. So, despite my reservations, Austin won my heart almost immediately. Alessandra’s outrage over Austin (she call’s him the “embodiment of evil” and likens time with him to the symptoms of an illness) only make you root for Austin even more. He takes the prim and proper lady and turns her into a typical outraged teenager.

The whole time I was reading, I pretty much alternated between laughing hysterically and crying (Sometimes just a few tears, and sometimes lip-trembling sniffles). Honestly, I wish I could go into greater detail here, but I don’t want to accidentally go into spoiler territory. Just trust me and make sure you have tissues by your side at all times!

The other couple to take note of in this book is Cat and Lucas. I know you Cat and Lorenzo fans are probably ready to egg my blog for this, but trust me, you’ll love how it all turns out for Cat!

The ending was absolutely perfect. My heart was in my throat for most of it, and I was pretty much close to tears the whole time, as well. But it was awesome, amazing, and perfect. Overall (if you couldn’t tell from my gushing review), I loved this book so much and I would highly recommend it.

Honestly, before I began reading Rachel Harris’ books, I wasn’t a huge romance fan. It kinda bugged me… It was too mushy and rainbows and kittens for me – I prefer science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, etc. I liked romance that had vampires in it… Does that count at all? Anyway, I won an advanced eBook of Taste the Heat, Harris’ adult romance (published July 8, 2013) from Foreward Lit. Not only is she an amazing and talented writer, but she really pulls you into a world with characters you care about, who feel real and relatable. The romances are always genuine, and the plots are well thought-out. For those reasons, among others, I would recommend Rachel Harris to anyone and everyone – especially to those who want to read romance, but aren’t sure where to start.

five-stars