Review: The Road to You by Marilyn Brant

From the publisher:

~Sometimes the only road to the truth...is one you've never taken.~

"Until I found Gideon's journal in the tool shed -- locked in the cedar box where I'd once hidden my old diary -- I'd been led to believe my brother was dead. But the contents of his journal changed all that."

THE ROAD TO DISCOVERY

Two years ago, Aurora Gray's world turned upside down when her big brother Gideon and his best friend Jeremy disappeared. Now, during the summer of her 18th birthday, she unexpectedly finds her brother's journal and sees that it's been written in again. Recently. By him.

THE ROAD TO DANGER

There are secret messages coded within the journal's pages. Aurora, who's unusually perceptive and a natural puzzle solver, is hell bent on following where they lead, no matter what the cost. She confides in the only person she feels can help her interpret the clues: Donovan McCafferty, Jeremy's older brother and a guy she's always been drawn to -- even against her better judgment.

THE ROAD TO YOU

Reluctantly, Donovan agrees to go with her and, together, they set out on a road trip of discovery and danger, hoping to find their lost brothers and the answers to questions they've never dared to ask aloud.

"In that expectant space between silence and melody, our trip began…"

Review:

Two years after her brother and his best friend, Jeremy, disappeared, Aurora Gray still refuses to believe that Gideon, her brother, is dead, especially now in light of discovering his journal. But it’s not merely discovering the journal’s presence that gives Aurora pause; it’s that the journal has been written in…two weeks ago.

Needing some expert help in decoding Gideon’s mechanic talk in the journal, Aurora seeks out the one person who she knows can help, the one person she has avoided these past two years, Donnovan, Jeremy’s older brother and Aurora’s teenage crush. Aurora knows there has to be a hidden message amidst the steps for changing one’s oil and radiator fluid, but what is it? What is Gideon trying to tell her? And can she keep her feelings for Donnovan simmering below the surface, or will they ignite and combust along Route 66 like a Fourth of July firecracker?

As Aurora sets out on a cross-country journey, she will discover that it is not just a physical journey she will embark on; Aurora will also head down the road of self-discovery. Uncovering the truth behind her brother’s disappearance will finally allow Aurora to ask herself what she wants in life…and how Donnovan may fit into that plan.

Similar to Jane Austen, Aurora Grey is a great studier of character, and she uses this to her advantage on her journey. She can read those she meets, understand their stories, and decipher their feelings just by momentarily observing them—everyone except Donnovan, that is. It is this intrigue along with the aura surrounding them that make the tension, both sexual and emotional, between the two tangible.

From the dark wood paneling, muscle cars, classic rock, pay phones, and TV antennas, Brant captured the tone and mood of the late 70s in such a way that I thought I truly was transported back in time. Couple this with the amount of research conducted to write such a realistic story, and I was wishing this were a true story, one I didn’t want to end.

As with any historical novel I read, I enjoy comparing that time to present day. I love seeing how things have changed. As I read The Road to You, I enjoyed comparing the differences between 1978 and now: gas was only $0.61 per gallon, a Chicago theater played 4 movies—and that was a lot!—and it only took a dime to make a call on the pay phone…a payphone! (are they even around anymore?) My how times have changed!

There are several attributes I have encountered with each Marilyn Brant book I have read: true-to-life characters—perfectly flawed and dynamic—descriptions that easily transport readers to the present setting, a gamut of feelings felt, analogies and other figurative language that connect to the plot on several levels, all woven together so masterfully it creates a remarkable web, sure to trap any reader.

Every facet of The Road to You was meticulously executed. If you enjoy reading about days of old, self-discovery, travel, romance, mystery, or the new adult genre, I can’t recommend The Road to You enough.

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FTC disclaimer: Review copy provided by author for my fair and honest review.

Cover Reveal: The Road To You by Marilyn Brant

I am super excited to be participating in Xpresso Book Tours' cover reveal for Marilyn Brant's latest novel, The Road to You. Whenever I hear Marilyn Brant is publishing a new novel, I get antsy with anticipation; I know her novels bring many layers of depth, even her fun and flirty The Sweet Temptations Collection has hidden depth. I hope you are just as eager as I am for Brant's latest!

Sometimes the only road to the truth...is one you’ve never taken.

Until I found Gideon’s journal in the tool shed — locked in the cedar box where I’d once hidden my old diary — I’d been led to believe my brother was dead. But the contents of his journal changed all that.

The Road to Discovery...
Two years ago, Aurora Gray’s world turned upside down when her big brother Gideon and his best friend Jeremy disappeared. Now, during the summer of her 18th birthday, she unexpectedly finds her brother’s journal and sees that it’s been written in again. Recently. By him.

The Road to Danger...
There are secret messages coded within the journal’s pages. Aurora, who’s unusually perceptive and a natural puzzle solver, is hell bent on following where they lead, no matter what the cost. She confides in the only person she feels can help her interpret the clues: Donovan McCafferty, Jeremy’s older brother and a guy she’s always been drawn to — even against her better judgment.

The Road to You...
Reluctantly, Donovan agrees to go with her and, together, they set out on a road trip of discovery and danger, hoping to find their lost brothers and the answers to questions they’ve never dared to ask aloud.

In that expectant space between silence and melody, our trip began...

AUTHOR BIO

Marilyn Brant is a national bestselling and award-winning author of contemporary fiction, and she was recently named the 2013 Illinois Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English.

She wrote ACCORDING TO JANE, the story of a modern woman who receives dating advice from the spirit of Jane Austen (October 2009); FRIDAY MORNINGS AT NINE, a tale about three suburban moms, their marriages and what happens a decade or two after the "Happily Ever After" (a Doubleday Book Club and Book-of-the-Month Club pick in 2010); and A SUMMER IN EUROPE, a novel about a woman's journey of self discovery as she travels through Europe with her adventurous aunt's Sudoku & Mahjongg Club (a Literary Guild and BOMC2 featured alternate in 2011, and a Rhapsody Book Club Top 20 Bestseller in "Fiction & Literature" in 2012), all women's fiction releases from Kensington Books.

She's also a #1 Kindle Bestseller and has written a series of fun and flirty contemporary romantic comedies, available as original ebooks. Both ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAE and PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT MATCH were Top 100 Bestsellers on Barnes & Noble and Amazon. DOUBLE DIPPING was a 2012 International Digital Awards Finalist for Best Contemporary Novel and HOLIDAY MAN was a RONE Award Contestant. Her next novel, THE ROAD TO YOU, is a coming-of-age romantic mystery and will be out in October 2013.

So what are your thoughts on Marilyn's latest novel? Are you planning on reading this? Do you like the New Adult genre? 

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Review: This Love by Nazarea Andrews

Needing money to attend her sister’s destination wedding and for rent, Avery Emili searches for a summer job—not how she planned on spending the summer before her senior year at Branton University. When Avery comes across a research assistant’s position, she could not be happier. If she is going to have to work this summer, why not do something up her ally? The summer position sounds perfect, until she meets her boss, Professor Atticus Grimes.

Atticus Grimes needs to find a research assistant for the summer or face losing his research grant.  The minute he sets his eyes on Avery, he knows this is a bad idea. How can he have a research assistant who looks like that and manage to keep the business strictly professional?

Avery and Atticus, both, are broken and have unresolved pasts. When their past relationships refuse to let go peacefully, they each must find a way to help the other overcome the pain and the past before they can move forward.

As I read, I began wondering if Nazarea’s characters had a limited vocabulary. The amount of expletives used was staggering. The F-bomb, or a derivative of, was used a total of 139 times in this 331 page novel. And that’s not mentioning the cornucopia of other colorful words repeatedly used. Now, I do not mind swear words or crass language in a novel; I am fully aware that this is how some people talk. And if it is used for effect, even better. However, the superfluous swear words became grating.

Andrews gives her readers one steamy novel. I enjoyed seeing the lack of restraint Avery and Atticus have. In spite of their efforts to keep their relationship strictly professional, their closeness and desires get the best of them. I kept finding myself asking how, exactly, their relationship was going to work out. While I feel any girl would be lucky to have Atticus as a boyfriend—the dude has some mad skills—I wasn’t a fan of every juicy detail each time they copulate. Sometimes more is less. It would have been nice to have had something left to the imagination, but that was taken away by each detailed scenes.

While I have these two issues with This Love, they are not too deterrent as I am eager to read Andrews’s second Branton University novel, Beautiful Broken.

This Love is a fun summer novel. I suggest reading it by the pool, so when things get too hot, you can take a dip and cool off.

FTC disclaimer: review copy provided by author

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Review: Between Friends by Amanda Cowen

When I am in between manuscript edits, I like to enjoy in a quick reading fix. Usually, I tend to pick up Regency romances or contemporary women’s fiction. These tend to be quick and enjoyable for me. I can also take a long, steamy bath while reading these, whereas I can’t edit a book in the bathtub—more's the pity. Over the weekend, I decided a need a quick, fun summer read to celebrate summer. I hope you enjoy my review.

Megan Daniels and Ben Romano have been best friends ever since freshman year in high school. Now, ten years later, Megan and Ben work for the same company. While having drinks the night before their friends’ destination wedding, Ben challenges Megan with a coin toss: heads they sleep together, tails they don’t. Slightly inebriated, Megan agrees. Finding Ben in her bed the next morning, Megan’s mind fills with questions.  If it is true that drunken words are sober thoughts, then is it equally as true that drunken actions are sober desires?

That’s just the beginning. Once in Costa Rica for the wedding, things become even more complicated. Throw in a potential suitor for Megan and a hidden secret from Ben’s playboy past, and the drama abounds. Will Megan and Ben be able to keep their budding emotions in check or will their passion, which has lain dormant for so long, be unable to be contained?

As I was reading this book, I was easily brought along to the coastal resort with the rest of the characters. I felt as if I were jet skiing, turtle watching, relaxing by the pool, and getting caught up in the drama right along with Megan and company. This gang is your quintessential carefree twenty-somethings, who spend their days as professionals and their nights as wild partygoers. The beach, bikinis, and liberal libations create a perfect, yet typical, backdrop for this New Adult novel.

That was one of my main quibbles with this novel. While I usually enjoy a best-friends-turn-lovers trope, this one, more often than not, was predictable. Yet despite the plot’s predictability, as the climax approached, I found myself completely sucked in and my emotions were fully engaged.

If you’re looking for a fast, fun, and flirtatious summer read, I suggest throwing a copy of Between Friends into your beach bag!

* FTC Disclaimer: I purchased this book for free on Amazon

**Mature Content

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