Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Review: The Vincent Boys

The Vincent Boys - Abbi Glines
Genre - Young Adult Contemporary
Released - October 12, 2011

Being the good girl isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Ashton Gray has grown weary of playing the part to please her parents, and to be worthy of the town’s prince charming, Sawyer Vincent. Maybe That’s why she’s found herself spending time with Sawyer’s cousin, Beau, while he’s away for the summer camping with his family. 


Beau is nothing like her perfect boyfriend. He’s the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, dangerous in ways she’s only day dreamed about, and the one guy she should stay away from. Beau never envied Sawyer his loving parents, his big nice home, or his position as quarterback. He loves him like a brother. Which is why he's tried everything in his power to keep his distance from Sawyer’s girlfriend. Even if he has loved her since the age of five, Ashton is Sawyer’s girl, so therefore she’s off limits. 


But when Sawyer leaves for the summer, Ashton, the one girl Beau would move Heaven and Earth for, decides she wants to get into trouble. Stabbing the one person who’s always accepted him and stood by him in the back, is the cost of finally holding Ashton Gray in his arms. Is she worth losing his cousin over?.... Hell Yeah.

Sigh. It has been a long time since I've read a book this good. I mean, I cannot tell you how amazing this novel is. What I really loved about this book was (let's be honest) Beau. He is so passionate and rebellious and dreamy. He was the perfect male lead for all of us to swoon over.

The other great thing about The Vincent Boys was how it was written in first person from both Ashton and Beau's perspective. This dual narrative allowed us better insight into the characters heads and we got to see how they both felt about each other and their actions.

Even though Beau and Ashton betray Sawyer, we still loved them and the credit should go to the author for making us invested in what happens to her characters. Despite Ashton cheating on Sawyer, I still wanted her to have her happy ending with Beau and I still cared about what happened to her.

This book has everything. An amazing romance, two hot boys, drama, tears and a satisfying conclusion. You must pick up The Vincent Boys if you're a fan of YA contemporary romance. This one is for you!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Author Interview: Michelle Flick

I am delighted to welcome the amazing Michelle Flick to my blog today. Her debut novel, The Owens Legacy: Revelations, came out in March and she is currently working on the sequel.
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First off, could you tell us a bit about The Owens Legacy: Revelations? 
The Owens Legacy is about a set of twins who have the telepathic ability to communicate with each other. Piper is an irrational teen that is the reason people say: Think before you speak - and in her case, act. Ryder is the rational part of the equation. She tries to be the voice of reason to Piper, with little success. The girls love each other very much and are unwilling to separate for any reason. And above all else, they are looking for a home.

What was the inspiration behind Revelations? 
I experience writing like scenes from a movie in my head. Nope, not crazy. I just can visualize it so clearly and one day, "the movie" just started to play. I had dabbled in writing on multiple occasions in my life, and this time I was compelled to write. So was there a moment that was like: Wow this would make a great story? No. It was more like: Wow this idea won't get out of my head.

The majority of the book is written from Piper’s POV, but Ryder’s thoughts are also largely present in the story. Was that hard to balance?
It was extremely hard. Piper's voice is extremely strong and very defined in my head. But Ryder, is much softer that Piper, and unintentionally, she can be comical. I was really nervous that when I shared Ryder's thoughts and voice that it would come across very much like Piper's. And while they are twins, they are very different characters. I had several people look primarily at the voice of the girls to make sure that there was a balance and a separation.

Will there be a sequel to Revelations and are there any upcoming projects you are working on?
There is a sequel! I am working on it right now, slowly. Life is a bit crazy but it is my hope to have the draft done by summer so I can focus on it for my summer break. I do have another story that I have been drafting as well. I am a panster so I have typed out multiple scenes for this novel. It's about a girl who unwilling gets sucked into people's dreams and then there is a whole serial murder thing that she has to figure out. :)

What was your publishing journey like?
Very much like everyone else's, TOUGH. A little more clarification? So I edited a lot. I edited some more as people tore into my book. I edited some more. I Q-ed a lot of people. Oh, yeah, I edited some more. After a few rejections, I decided to start researching self-published. At that point, I pursued both the traditional and self-publishing paths. I just happened to not get any agent/publisher requests, so instead of being patient I focused more strongly on the latter of the two. I thought I knew a lot about self-publishing, but when I was doing it - there were a lot of things I was unprepared for. If you ever want to know more about it - shoot me a line. I promise you I can help.

Do you have any routines you follow during the writing process?
I write a lot of random scenes and then eventually I throw it all together. I, then, grump about all the editing. Not very professional, is it? 

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Someone said this to me. It may even be a famous quote but it fits. "If everyone could write, they would." Not everyone can. It's a special talent and if you have that talent, write. 

- FUN FACTS -

Whose personality is similar to yours: Piper or Ryder’s?
Piper! She and I are very outgoing and my mom and dad are still trying to get me to think before I act/speak.

Fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction. I like that possibility of it all.

Pen or keyboard?
Keyboard. My brain functions faster than I can write. Typing allows me to move through my words faster so I don't miss out on anything.

Book or e-book?
Book. I love books. I love the smell. I love the look. I love to cuddle up with them.

Book shop or Amazon?
Depends. A book shop means I am spending at least 50 bucks on books. Amazon means I know what I want, so I go in and I buy it. It's more efficient for me.
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You can find out more about Michelle and her debut novel at the following websites: