Review:Romancing the Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Title: Romancing the Nerd

Author:  Leah Rae Miller
Publisher: Entangled Teen 

Publishing Date: April 15 2016

Pages: 352
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Series: Companion Novel to The Summer I Became A Nerd.
Source: ARC

 

Dan Garrett has become exactly what he hates—popular. Until recently, he was just another live-action role-playing (LARP) geek on the lowest run of the social ladder. Cue a massive growth spurt and an uncanny skill at taking three-point shots in basketball and voila…Mr. Popular. It’s definitely weird.

And the biggest drawback? Going from high school zero to basketball hero cost Dan the secret girl-of-his-dorky dreams.

A tuba-playing nerd with an eclectic fashion sense, Zelda Potts’s “Coolness” stat is about minus forty-two. Dan turning his back on her and the rest of nerd-dom was brutal enough, but when he humiliates her at school, Zelda decides it’s time for a little revenge—dork style. Nevermind that she used to have a crush on him. Nevermind that her plan could backfire big time.

It’s time to roll the dice…and hope like freakin’ hell she doesn’t lose her heart in the process.

I totally enjoyed The Summer I Became and Nerd, and was so excited to see another one was coming out. I am sure most of us readers and bloggers of books are nerds. I am a super nerd and the the first book really hit home for me. So I just grabbed at the idea to read another one. It was so good. I loved it. I enjoyed it just as much maybe more than the first one. It for sure did not disappoint.

Dan is a nerd that has turned popular. All by accident and he doesn't know for sure if he fully enjoys it. The one thing he does know is that the girl of his dreams is not popular but a nerd form his former circle. The problem lies with in is that she hates his guts. For reasons he is not quite sure of but she doesn't want to give him the time of day. 

Zelda is the girl of Dan's dreams but since he left her behind and she feels dumped since he became popular she does nothing but gives him grief. Well she has a plan to really mess with him good. The problem that lies within... she never expected to fall for him. Now she has no idea what to do. She fears his hatred of her and realizes all this time she has been wrong about Dan. Now she has to fix it all to get the boy of her dreams. 

I just adored this book. It was just as cute as the first one. A super easy and fun read. Perfect for the summer read list. Just pop it in your beach bag and enjoy it by the pool or beach. This book was cute and fun but also filled with self discovery, acceptance, and forgiveness. I love the mixture of light and fluffy with a bit of depth.  I am not usually much on contemporary romances but this author just knows how to get me. 

Zelda is a pretty cool character. In some ways I loved her. She was independent, not afraid to be herself, outspoken, and takes matters into her own hands. But... yes there is a but.... But.... she is also a bit superficial. She is a once chance kind of girl when she gets hurt and she judges hard. So I loved her but I didn't. She was real and flawed and in the end she won me over. 

Dan is just the best. I adored him with every bit of my heart and soul. He was in the popular crowd by accident. He went for nerd who larped to basketball star.. all because of a growth spurt and natural talent. He doesn't mind being popular but doesn't really enjoy it either. He has mixed feelings about it. The hardest thing for him has been Zelda. She was his best friend and he has been in love with her for a while.But .... she is super nerd and he tried to incorporate her into his new life at school but it never worked. Not to mention is bugger of a dad made him drop all things not basketball. So he couldn't hang out with her any more. 

The romance is cute. Dan already knew what he wanted but Zelda didn't and she had to have a lesson in her own heart matters. It was sweet and slow and how it came about was just fun and real. It was perfect in my book. 

The family matters worked in this book too. Zelda had a wonderful home unit and was taken care of and loved. Dan had it a bit harder because his dad was so hard on him. This book addressed both sides and even though Dan's dad was a bit of a jerk, it was handled well and worked out in the end. 

The nerd talk was just so super delicious for me. Not sure if that is the word to use but I am a big time nerd and geek and don't hid it . I love to role play, I love to dress up. I have never larped but would love to try. I love graphic novels, superheroes, and all stuff in between. So this really hit home for me. I so loved it. 

So this book had it all for me. Romance, family drama, friendship, nerd talk, fun, and just all out goodness. 

Just my kind of book. Perfect summer, easy, breezy romance read. 

Mother, wife, and YA author living on a windy hill in Natchitoches, Louisiana. I love fuzzy socks, comic books, cherry coke, and brand new office supplies. THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD coming Summer 2013 from Entangled Teen. Stay cool! Contact me at leahraewrites(at)gmail(dot)com

For questions about ARCs, blog tours, interviews, etc. please contact my publicist, Heather Riccio heatherriccio (at) entangledpublishing (dot) com

Review: The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

Title:  The Book of Ivy 

Author: Amy Engel 

Publisher: Entangled Teen 
Publishing Date:  November 4th 2014

Pages: 304
Genre:  YA Dystopian Suspense/Thriller

Series: The Book of Ivy #1
Source: ARC 

  

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.

This year, it is my turn.

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power.

But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

This book kind of came out of nowhere for me. I found it on Netgalley and decided to request. I hadn't heard anything about it, hadn't seen it on any blogs, it was brand new to me. I was approved and I sat down to read it. I didn't get up. This book was a complete sleeper for me, I really didn't expect it to be a grand slammer for me, but it was. I couldn't put it down. Great characters, great story, wonderful writing, excellent pacing. I loved it from cover to cover.

Ivy was destined to marry Bishop. Marriage that was planned for 2 generations. Two feuding families, two political sides that were at war, now at peace... First generation to have one boy and one girl on each side. Expect it wasn't supposed to be Ivy, she wasn't the first daughter, she was the second. It was passed down to her, Ivy never had a chance for anything else in life. She knew for a long time that she would marry the president's son, her families enemy, a boy she was meant to kill. what Ivy wasn't prepared for was falling in love.

I really don't know were to start  with my review. I am totally obsessed with this book. I read it in one night. Once I started, there was not quitting. It had been a long time since a book grabbed me the way this one did and I can't tell what grabbed me the most... The story, the characters, the writing. It was all so good. I just couldn't put it down. 

Ivy was a great character. The character building in this book was phenomenal and I absolutely adored Ivy. She was two sides of one coin. She was tough but vulnerable, loyal but independent, brave but scared. She was real and I just loved her. Her character made sense for the life she lived and the world she was brought up in. She wanted to be her own person but the weight of her family weighed on her heavily. 

Bishop.... what to say about Bishop. I fell for Bishop right away. I was amazed by his character. He was nothing as I expected and what I did get was just all awesome. He was sweet, patient, kind, generous, honest, and so much more. 

The romance was so so perfect. It was slow building but not. The intensity was slow, the realization was slow, the bond was slow, the falling off the edge, was not so slow. But it wasn't quick either. It was just right. Ivy never knew where she was headed until she was there and Bishop well, he knew what he wanted from the very beginning even if he never admitted it. I am not sure that makes sense, but I think once you read this book, and you must read this book, you will completely understand. The relationship between Ivy and Bishop was slow burning, loving, romantic, and sweet. There was never a big bang moment just a steady build. 

The story was wonderful. Yes it was a dystopian and so yes all the predictable elements are there, but there was also an intense suspense that left me breathless with a quickly beating heart on more than one occasion. It stood out for me because of the small differences in the writing style and direction. It was written as a dystopian, a romance, and a suspense thriller. The pacing of course added much to the suspense thriller part of the story. It was very fast paced, very much a sitting on the edge of my seat kind of read. 

The only complaint I have...which really isn't a complaint... the ending. Talk about cliffhanger. Argh!!! I have to wait an entire year to get more. I don't like that at all! But I will survive and try to find something to keep me occupied until the next book comes out. 

So much awesome in such a small package. In my top reads of the year. 

I was born in Kansas and after a childhood spent bouncing between countries (Iran, Taiwan) and states (Kansas, California, Missouri, Washington, D.C.), I settled in Kansas City, Missouri where I live with my husband and two kids. Before devoting myself full time to motherhood and writing, I was a criminal defense attorney, which is not quite as exciting as it looks on television. When I have a free moment, I can usually be found reading, running, or shoe shopping.