Review: All You Need Is Love by Marie Force

All You Need Is Love (Green Mountain #1) by Marie Force
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: February 4th 2014
My rating:  4.5 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Hoping to take the magic of the island and move it to the mountains with the Abbot family, purveyors of the odd and hard to find relics of a time long gone by in small-town Vermont. Hope you'll come with me to the Green Mountains! Watch for the first book in the series in early 2014!

The family-run Green Mountain Country Store is cherished by locals as a reminder of simpler times. The Abbott children are determined to keep it that way—but their father has different plans…

When Cameron Murphy heads to Vermont to build a website for a new client, she imagines a more relaxing trip than she gets. After wrecking her car by colliding with the town moose, she meets the most handsome hero she’s ever seen. Unfortunately, her savior, Will Abbott, is also the son of her client—and he wants nothing to do with the new website or the city girl creating it.

For all Will cares, Cameron can march her fancy boots right out of town and out of his family’s business. But he can’t seem to get her out of his head. As his family’s dispute heats up, so does the chemistry between the two, leaving them wondering if simple is better after all—especially when it comes to matters of the heart.

My Thoughts:

All You Need Is Love is such a lovely small town romance.  It captured my heart and made me wish I lived in Vermont!   

Cameron is on her way into Butler, Vermont to pitch a website design to the Green Mountain Country Store at the request of Abbott family head Lincoln.  Unfortunately, none of his ten kids are on board with propelling the store into the modern times with online commerce.  They all believe the store is doing just fine the way things are.  Cam desperately needs to land this job in order for her company to survive, and is determined to give a great pitch. She never counted on falling in love with the quaint town, charming and family or Will Abbott.  Will Abbott is ruggedly handsome, supremely thoughtful and firmly entrenched in his life in Vermont, running the store with his family. Cam can’t resist this caring and sexy man but how can things ever work when she’s bona fide city girl?  Her business, friends and father are all in New York so Cam’s afraid to give into her intense attraction, fall hard and then go home nursing a broken heart.

Will has loved and lost a girl to the city before and isn’t eager to repeat that experience, but Cameron is too tempting to resist.  She’s so different from the spoiled city girl he thought she would be, and the fact that she sees the rare beauty of his close knit family and the business they’ve put their heart and soul in, touches him to the core. 

I adored this romance! I’ve read a few small town romances that were a little disappointing lately, but All You Need Is Love met my expectations completely.  A small, beautiful town I’d love to escape to with friendly faces, delightful and quirky secondary characters and a big loving family I want to be part of were just a few of the things that charmed me.  Will Abbott tops my list: he’s kind and chivalrous without even thinking about it, and loves his family fiercely.  No wonder Cameron was a goner!  Cameron was pretty wonderful as well.  I’m happy that Ms. Force didn’t write her as the typical snooty city girl who learns what’s important by coming to a small town.  Cameron already knew the importance of good friends and a supportive family even though she was definitely lacking in the family department.

I loved that Will and Cam didn’t let the obstacles they faced blank out the possibilities, rather they let love in and worked things out. 

“If you fall in love with me, Cameron Murphy, I’ll never let you go.”

Each was willing to make a sacrifice to make things work. And wow! Their romance was steamy! Lusty kisses and more made my pulse race!

All You Need Is Love is an “opposites attract” romance that is sure to capture and warm your heart. After you finish be sure to read the free short story with Will and Cameron you can find HERE.

Seeds for several different romances were planted.  Let’s face it, with ten Abbott children there’s a lot of potential, but Hannah Abbott and Nolan are up next in I Want to Hold Your Hand which I plan on devouring soon. 

The Green Mountain Series:

(Click on title for Goodreads link)

     

Connect with Marie Force:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Come Back to Me by Mila Gray

Hi everyone, today I have the wonderful cover of Mila Gray (Sarah Alderson's) upcoming New Adult cover for Come Back to Me to share with you. So without further ado...

Home on leave in sunny California, Marine and local lothario Kit Ryan finds himself dangerously drawn to his best friend's sister, Jessa - the one girl he can't have. But Kit's not about to let a few obstacles stand in his way and soon Jessa's falling for his irresistible charms. What starts out as a summer romance of secret hook-ups and magical first times quickly develops into a passionate love affair that turns both their worlds upside down. When summer's over and it's time for Kit to redeploy, neither Kit nor Jessa are ready to say goodbye. Jessa's finally following her dreams and Kit's discovered there's someone he'd sacrifice everything for. Jessa's prepared to wait for Kit no matter what. But when something more than distance and time rips them apart they're forced to decide whether what they have is really worth fighting for. A breathtaking, scorchingly hot story about love, friendship, family and finding your way back from the edge of heartbreak. 

Goodreads | Amazon 

So what do you guys think? Having been lucky enough to read this book this week, I think the cover goes perfectly with this story, also I had many ideas of how Kit would look like and I'm loving the model on this cover! Come back to Me will be available as an ebook on the 19th of June and as Paperback on October 23rd. You should definitely pre-order your copies as there's lots of great swoon to look forward to! 

Having spent most of her life in London, Sarah quit her job in the non profit sector in 2009 and took off on a round the world trip with her husband and princess-obsessed daughter on a mission to find a new place to call home. After almost a year spent wandering around India, Singapore, Australia and the US, they settled in Bali where Sarah now spends her days writing and trying to machete open coconuts without severing a limb. 

She finished her first novel Hunting Lila just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel, Losing Lila, on the beach in India, and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they reached Bali. 

Since then she has published a further four novels and several short stories. Her latest novel The Sound, will be published in the US in May 2014. 

As well as Young Adult fiction, Sarah writes New Adult fiction for Pan Macmillan under the pen name Mila Gray. Her first novel Come Back To Me will be out in summer 2014. Sarah has co-written the Hunting Lila screenplay, an adaptation of her upcoming YA novel Out of Control, and is working on several other books and screenplays (multi-tasking is one of her favorite things).

Goodreads | Twitter | Website | Facebook | Amazon

Cover Fever #9: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Jasprit and I are back with Cover Fever and this week I thought I'd feature If I Stay.  I loved this series even if it did make me cry in parts and it's been made into a movie. I'm always nervous when this happens, especially when I love the book so much because I don't want to be disappointed. Wasn't sure about the character choice of Jaime Blackley for Adam until I watched the movie trailer. Wow!  Anyhow, let's look at the cover choices:

                   US Hard Cover                            UK Cover

               US Paperback                                 Indonesian

Jasprit: 
I am so excited about this film being made into a movie and although the first book wasn't my favourite, I remember it was one of the first books I picked up based on a recommendation from Goodreads, anyway I digress. I have see so many different editions to this book, especially over here, that I'm not even sure which is my favourite. I'm usually a fan of covers with models on the front, but I'm not really feeling the UK or US paperback editions. I do like the simple design of the US hard cover, its simple, but not that memorable. I am however hugely fond of the Indonesian cover, its pretty, it reminds me of the Winter months and something I could curl up with when its cold.

Jasprit's Final Verdict: 

Indonesian cover.

Rachel: 
I HAD the US Hardcover until I lent it to a friend and haven't seen it since. It's a signed copy *sobs* but I've never been all that fond of the cover.  The US Paperback seems more appropriate for the story but I'm not sure I like her face taking up half of the space. Something about it just doesn't click with me.  The Indonesian cover has sort of grown on me. The winter setting and empty bench agree with the feelings of melancholy you feel throughout the story.

Rachel's Final Verdict:

Tie between the US Paperback and the Indonesian cover.

Which book cover would you like to have on your shelves?

Cover Reveal: Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park

  I loved Flat-Out Love and Flat-Out Matt by Jessica Park so I'm thrilled she's decided to write a story centering on Celeste. She was awkward but endearing and now apparently she's grown up! Look at this amazing cover and take a peek inside FLAT-OUT CELESTE!

COMING SOON!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Whether you were charmed by Celeste in Flat-Out Love or are meeting her for the first time, this book is a joyous celebration of differences, about battling private wars that rage in our heads and in our hearts, and—very much so— this is a story about first love.. 

For high-school senior Celeste Watkins, every day is a brutal test of bravery. And Celeste is scared. Alienated because she’s too smart, her speech too affected, her social skills too far outside the norm, she seems to have no choice but to retreat into isolation. 

But college could set her free, right? If she can make it through this grueling senior year, then maybe. If she can just find that one person to throw her a lifeline, then maybe, just maybe.
Justin Milano, a college sophomore with his own set of quirks, could be that person to pull her from a world of solitude. To rescue her—that is, if she’ll let him. 

Together, they may work. Together, they may save each other. And together they may also save another couple—two people Celeste knows are absolutely, positively flat-out in love.

Excerpt

There was a knock at the door and Matt leaned in, swinging a brown paper bag in her direction. “I heard Mom made stuffed peppers tonight. Last time she made those, I nearly died from flatulence. I assume she stuffed them with her usual repulsive ground chicken, quinoa, Brussels sprouts, and pomegranate seed mix?”

Just the sound of Matt’s voice made Celeste relax. She smiled at him. “Based on the smell, I believe you’re right.”

“So you didn’t eat then? I was right!” Matt flopped onto her bed and lay down, his long body scrunching up the neat white comforter that she spent ten minutes arranging before she’d gone to school this morning. “I thought I’d take a break from studying and bring you something edible.”

“It smells like a burger from Mr. Bartley’s,” she said as she got up and took a seat next to Matt. “Hand it over, thoughtful brother.”

He tightened a hand around the top of the bag. “You have to guess which kind I brought you first.”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“Close your eyes.”

She did as instructed and felt him move the bag under her nose. Sweet, spicy... a bit garlicky. “Aha! Boursin cheese and bacon! The Mark Zuckerberg burger!”

“And sweet potato fries and a bottle of iced tea, but you win. A burger named after ‘the richest geek in America,’ as the restaurant calls him.”

“You will be the richest geek in America after you finish your Ph.D. Program,” Celeste said through a mouthful of fries.

“If M.I.T. doesn’t land me in a psych unit first.”

“You only have this year left to endure. And you will hardly find yourself in need of psychiatric care, Matthew. You are doing stupendously.”

“I’m scraping by.” Matt reached into the bag and grabbed a handful of fries and opened her iced tea.

“You are not ‘scraping by.’ You are assistant teaching classes, excelling in your own, and in all ways performing to standards that exceed even the high ones our mother set for you.” She frowned as he chewed on the fries. “Did you not eat?”

“I did. A Big Papi burger and a Fiscal Cliff. But you can never have enough sweet potato fries.”

“I have a finite amount of my own from which you are stealing. But I shall not complain because this was very kind of you.”

Matt chewed and studied her. “Are you okay?”

“Why do you ask?”

“No contractions. When you’re stressed out, they disappear.”

“I know. But most days I do not care to use them. If it is an effort, then I do not push.”

“Okay. I get it.” He chewed for a minute. “I heard your presentation went well. Did your friends like it?”

“It went marvelously. My friend Dallas took me aside to share quite the flow of compliments.”

“That’s great, Celeste.” He was downing half her iced tea.

“And then I bitch slapped her.”

Matt choked on the drink and desperately tried to clear his airway. “I’m sorry. You did what?”

She cocked her head. “I bitch slapped her.”

“That... that can’t be right,” he sputtered. “I mean, I hope it’s not.”

“I slapped my hand against her hand. Up in the air.” She looked at Matt blankly. “Is that not the right term?”

“Thank God, no, it’s not. I think you mean a high-five.”

“If you say so. Well, either way, it happened. You know I have trouble with colloquialisms, so I resent your shocked reaction.”

“I do know that about you, and I apologize.”

“Since we are on the subject, there is something else I would like for you to clarify.”

“Shoot.”

“What is meant by ‘nut bag’? Is that a testicular reference or merely the identification of a satchel of cashews or pecans?”

Matt groaned. “This conversation has gotten really weird. Could we just talk about— Wait a minute. Why are you asking me this? Did someone say that to you?” He looked angry.

Celeste picked at her fry. “No. Certainly not. I heard the term and had a natural curiosity.”

“Okay then...” Her brother crumpled up the paper bag and then smoothed it out in his hands. Then crumpled it again. “It’s the same as ‘nuts.’ You know, crazy.”

“Thank you for the definition.” She took the last bite of her burger and wiped her hands on one of the paper napkins. It shouldn’t matter what her classmates thought of her. Celeste would just be strong about this. She would move on.

PURCHASE--> FLAT-OUT LOVE and FLAT-OUT MATT on Amazon. FLAT-OUT LOVE at B&N.

About the Author:

Jessica is the author of LEFT DROWNING, the New York Times bestselling FLAT-OUT LOVE (and the companion piece FLAT-OUT MATT), and RELATIVELY FAMOUS. She lives in New Hampshire where she spends an obscene amount time thinking about rocker boys and their guitars, complex caffeinated beverages, and tropical vacations. On the rare occasions that she is able to focus on other things, she writes.

Please visit her at jessicapark.me and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicapark and Twitter @JessicaPark24

Author Event Recap & Giveaway: Tammara Webber & Abbli Glines

 

Last Tuesday I had the privilege of meeting Tammara Webber and Abbi Glines at the Barnes & Noble in Glendale, California.  I had a great time! I had met Abbi Glines before, and she's quite nice and lively, but I'd never met Tammara Webber.  I LOVED Easy so I was thrilled to meet Tammara in person. I'll share some fun tidbits I learned, but don't forget to scroll down to the bottom because I have a SIGNED copy of Easy & Breakable by Tammara Webber and Fallen Too Far, Never Too Far, and Rush Too Far by Abbi Glines to giveaway!

Tammara Webber & Abbi Glines

  

• Both Tammara and Abbi have self-published and have traditionally published, and because of this they seem to get a little more consideration because the big publishing houses know they can go it on there own if they're not happy.

• Tammara may write stories centering on side characters from Easy. She doesn't have any deals yet, but she has some ideas. If that happens we'll probably get glimpses of Jacqueline and Lucas in the future. Yay!! 

• Tammara doesn't outline when writing and Abbi does it with every book.  Abbi didn't outline her first book Breathe, and she's never been completely happy with the way it turned out.

• It takes Tammara roughly four to five months to write a book and it takes Abbi SEVEN days! She doesn't do anything else beside write straight through. Wow!

• Abbi hasn't made any film deals, but she's had offers. Once you've sold your rights they have control for sometime and may not even make a film, so your book could be held up for years.  She's holding out for a TV series deal because she feels her books/series have more going on than you could squeeze into a movie and she feels that format would is better suited for her stories.

• Tammara's son, Zachary Webber narrates Breakable as well as a few other books like Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover and Red Hill by Jaime McGuire (total recommend!).  Tammara listened to the audio version of Breakable with him while on a road trip, and said it was an emotional experience in parts.

• Abbi plans on closing out the Sea Breeze series, but doesn't see an end yet with Rosemary Beach.

• Abbi might write another Vincent Boys book, a prequel in all three POVs, Bo, Ashton and Sawyer. 

• Nan may have a something set up in (slowly) One More Chance.  Hmm...haven't read this series yet, but Nan's infamous (bitchy) reputation precedes her.

• Tammara never planned on writing Lucas's POV. She never heard his voice when she wrote Easy until about a year after Easy was published. Bits of him starting coming through to her, and it was because of Landon's story she ultimately decided to go forward. 

This was the first time I attended an event at the Glendale Barnes & Noble. The store is huge (three stories) and quite nice.  The YA section alone was several aisles. Four or five? Forgot to count, but here are a couple of pictures:

Glendale, CA Barnes & Noble

One of the VERY long YA aisles

Now for the good part.  I had my books signed, but I want to share the love so I have two amazing giveaways here.  One for a Signed Copy of Easy and Breakable by Tammara Webber, and another for a Signed Copy of Fallen Too Far, Never Too Far, and Rush Too Far by Abbi Glines.  This giveaway is restricted to US Residents Only, and entrants must be 18 years or older. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway