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Pamela Ann – Chasing Beautiful Series Reading Order

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This series has been recommended over and over again, along with another one of her series (Torn), so I must catch up!! And considering the latest “reader question” had me all excited (that was QUITE the synopsis – very angsty indeed), and I was told the book in question was book #1 for THIS series, I knew I had to put this series on my TBR list ASAP.

Kristin: Have you read chasing beautiful part of the chasing series? If you haven’t its a mist read!! Absolutely hot! It’s still free up on a amazon. Read it on Monday night and finished and immediately bought the 2nd one tues morning and can’t wait for the 3rd later this month!! Thought I would share!!!!

Amy: I did the exact same thing this week! I can’t wait! Love Pamela Ann!

Erin: I loved it too!!! Pamela Ann can write some hot ass stuff

About book #1:

What would you do if you had two hot men fight over you?

An orphan at the age of seven, there was one thing that Sienna Richards didn’t do easily–give her heart. She made that mistake once by trusting and giving her heart to her childhood best friend and ex-boyfriend, Kyle Matthews. When Sienna left for London to study, she was taken aback when Kyle told her that he’s been seeing someone else.

Hurt and betrayed, Sienna decided to fly back to LA to confront him. The whole idea of “closure” was definitely a bad idea. She immediately left, deflated and aggrieved. Back in London, Sienna was surprised when her very good friend, the magnetic Blake Knightly, seemed to be determined to have her. Blake was relentless but will not settle until he gets ALL of Sienna.

Women clamored to be the handsome aristocratic Blake. Who could possibly resist a compelling man that drew such power and commanded attention by simply just breathing?

When Sienna was about to give in, fate stepped in and muddled her mind and heart once again. Kyle moves to London to be close to her. If Sienna thought her life was in shambles before, she should think again.

Author says in regards to the delay for book #3 (quoted from her Facebook page):

“With deepest regret, Chasing Paradise will not come out tomorrow, July 5th. I have postponed this book for the umpteenth time and I apologize for that. The novel will come out very soon. It’s still in the first stages of editing and this may take until mid to the end of next week, roughly. I don’t want to give out a specific day because I don’t want to let anyone down in any case the novel won’t be ready by then. I have added more of Blake’s POV and changed much of the ending again, so that shifted a lot of things for me. At the same time, I don’t want to put out a book that I’m not comfortable with just to appease the situation. You guys deserve more than that.”

   

Reader Question – The book where he calls her Poppet…

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Okay this one was a bit spoiler-y (even though reader doesn’t remember how it ends) so skim this at your own risk. I’mblanked stuff out to help alleviate potential spoilers and still try to keep enough info to help her find the book. Did it work? 😉

Lisa asks:

“Please help! I read this book a few months ago and I think there is a second book but I can remember what book it was. Here’s the synopsis:

Girl lives with her abusive aunt and uncle. Falls in love with the boy next door. She decides to move to England ( I think). Her boyfriend doesn’t want her to. While in England her roommate introduces her to her boyfriend’s friend. He hot but she just sees him as a friend because she loves her boyfriend in the states. They become really close.

*spoiler* *spoiler* *spoiler* 😉

Can’t remember how it ends but I really need to know what book this is!! One more thing. Just remember the guy is always calling the girl poppet.”

This sounds like a few books I’ve read (especially the spoiler-y parts) but I’m not sure what this one is. Anyone else?

Reader suggestions:

Latest Paranormal & Contemporary Romance Book Releases – July 9th 2013

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Here are today’s (and yesterday’s) latest book releases!! Colleen Hoover’s “Losing Hope (Holder’s POV from Hopeless) is firing up the charts as we speak. Also, Fifth Grave Past the Light is out, and there are a few on here that have me very “read-happy”.

Some of the latest additions to my TBR list (and very high up on it): Emerge, Pulse (Collide), Dear Rockstar, Left Drowning (coming out next week but I’m very excited for this one), Out Of Breath, Captured, Ransom, Otherwise Occupied (author of Surviving Raine that I loved SO much) and a few others. Hehe. Quite a few. 😉

sidenote: I have to make these weekly “TBR mini-lists” on my blog posts so that I remember which ones made me *squee* when I read the synopsis. My attempt at keeping track of my ever-changing TBR list. LOL! It works. Sorta. 😛

A FEW BARGAINS (these are too good to pass up!): 🙂

    

PARANORMAL

    

CONTEMPORARY

                                            

Already knowing if the book has an HEA ending… spoiler or not?

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Everyone knows I’m 100% anti-spoiler. In fact, for me… just knowing a book has an “HEA” (happily ever after) is, well… sort of a spoiler for me. Not a deal-breaker like some spoilers I’ve come across, but if I already know “all’s well that ends well” in the end, the drama and turmoil that leads me by the nose as I read it, might not be as intense. ‘Cause I already know… they get back together in the end. Or… nobody dies. Or she gets rescued etc etc… I dunno. I mean, what’s the fun in that?

Jeannie: I’m kind of upset because a review gave away a major spoiler for ***. Now the book is just not going to be the same – I really wish people would give spoiler warnings.

Maryse’s Book Blog: I’m so anti-spoiler that I don’t even want to know if there’s an HEA in a book. I know many decide on their reading choices choosing only those they are certain have an HEA, but to me it’s almost kind of like giving away the ending. I enjoy it more if I’m worried the entire time that the author might NOT give me the ending I want… you know? Makes it more intense for me, feeling-wise if I don’t already know “they get back together in the end”.

Jeannie: I know! But it’s kind of like weighing myself everyday, I know I shouldn’t, but I just can’t help myself.

LOL Jeannie! I know. It’s hard going into a book not knowing how you’re going to react by the end. I’ve been devastated a few times, that’s for sure. But still… not devastated enough (in the long run) to want to keep protecting myself under the “HEA veil”.

In fact, I was chatting with an author friend over supper a few days ago, and we were discussing exactly that. At first she seemed to be “good” with knowing a book had an HEA beforehand. It didn’t appear to bother her at all (actually, like most of my reading friends it would seem). She reminded me that true romance has to have an HEA so it was just assumed… accepted… that what you’re reading must end well. True.

But most of what I (we) read isn’t traditional romance, and in fact, that’s what I love about the authors today. They really change things up, trick us, hurt us, throw in some seriously twisted angst and sometimes leave us hanging (and/or… make it all work out in the end). The fun is not already knowing where my current ride  (read 😉 ) will end up.

So I gave her an example from her very own book. One that had me inside-out for the whole second half. I recounted a few moments of  extreme “drama”, and reminded her about my volatile reaction to those moments. How intensely I connected and memorized every single detail because at that moment, all I knew, was what I was reading at that moment. Nobody told me that it works out for them in the end, and as I was reading the angst, I didn’t see how they could overcome the issues. So I *felt* it more. I was present in that moment and I couldn’t remind myself (ease myself) that all would be okay, because I didn’t already know.

Knowing it’s an HEA is a bit of a cheat for me. Again, not a deal breaker, but I prefer going in blind (example: in love triangle situations, I may know “it ends well” from an HEA alert, but who it ends with is still up in the air. So knowing it’s an HEA in times like that doesn’t mess with my reading experience too badly).

And I know there is a growing trend (and it’s perfectly acceptable in our reading community) to announce a new great read, and let everyone know beforehand that it has an HEA. And I get you guys. I really do. There seems to be nothing worse (in our reading world) than reading a book, getting attached, putting that much time and emotion only to have your heart obliterated in the end. But really… there IS something worse than that. And that’s having an idea beforehand how it ends, keeping you from fully feeling it every step of the way. Or worse yet, keeping you from reading it (’cause you already know it doesn’t end well). Robbing the reader of that full-on life experience. Anything that can make one feel THAT intensely (HEA or not) just can’t be a bad read, now can it?

I also find that I think hard (and for days) on some of the more shocking or “ambiguous” endings. Almost as if those books resonate on a deeper level. They become… unforgettable to me.

Plus, we all get over the sad endings eventually. 😉 And once we do, we can’t stop talking about, and thinking about those books. They mark us. Become a huge part of us. And even though we fear recommending them because of the whole “HEA or not” issues, it would be a travesty to judge a book on it’s ending. In fact, I need to buck up and read a book that I myself, have been avoiding, knowing it might not end as perfectly as i’d like. ‘Cause it would seem the world LOVES this book and I’m just hurting myself by not picking it up.

Mind you… I love the adamant “OMG YOU MUST read this, I cried, I yelled, I swooned, I freaked out, best book ever, this book is CRAZY” recommendations. Anything like that is not a spoiler for me. That kind of honest reaction from a fellow reader… the obvious all out love-fest/hate-fest for a book, only serves to entice me. Just don’t tell me how it ends. 😉

So that’s it. My trouble with the “HEA alert” spoiler. What about you? To HEA alert or not to HEA alert? That is the question.

P.S. Don’t even get me started on movie trailers. They’re practically the whole movie in scenes (at least the most important parts), minus the very ending. But I can usually figure it out by then (and I’m usually right). Grr!

Book Bash 2013 Chronicles – Part 1 (Thursday June 27th) + a Book Bash “swag bag” giveaway!

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I’ve been living, breathing and eating (okay maybe not eating ;))  Book Bash for months now, and it ended up being everything I hoped it would be and more! I can honestly say that I have never had so much fun in my life. The most fun I’ve ever had condensed into three (no… four) days of what seemed like 24-hour non-stop excitement. Sleep? What sleep? If I slept, I don’t remember. 😉

Such amazing energy, non-stop hugs, finally meeting my fellow readers that I’ve been conversing with for months (years?) on my Facebook and blog. And finally meeting so many of our favorite authors. There are no words for that. Being surrounded by such a happy, enthusiastic bunch of like-minded people.

I was home.

Pair all of that with the non-stop *squees* and bear-hugs, photo after photo, I just couldn’t help but beam throughout. I wondered if my cheeks would hurt from smiling so hard, but nope. The constant adrenaline kept me from feeling anything but elated.

So here’s how it went:

Wednesday night, was my last night to get all of my final ducks in a row (packing all of the badges, t-shirts, swag, last minute shipments that arrived, printouts, banners and signs etc..) I had list after list of “to do’s” and “lists to print”. Guest lists, assistant lists, volunteer lists, t-shirt pickup lists, lists, lists and more lists. Considering how much of a listmaker I am, you’d think I was in my element. And I was! LOL!

Book Bash “stuff” 🙂

All of the major details were in place and already handled, but this was the “fun stuff” that I thought would be easy to complete the day before we left. HA! That is until I realized it was 3am and I was still running around like a chicken without a head, clucking… er… I mean checking off my lists. Stuff that was printing out wrong, double printing, not printing… getting a call from my Pak ‘n Post service letting me know that I had a bunch of boxes that had just arrived.”Great!!” I said, “more fun stuff for everyone!” And when I got there, it looked like an entire van-load! OMG! YAY!!! and OMG GAH!!! 😉

That’s okay, Thursday morning with the van fully loaded, we were happy to realize that we managed to get pretty much everything in, and one of our best friends (whom many of you have met as he was one of the camera guys) would stop over and pick up the rest.

All was right with the world!

And let me tell you, once I arrived at the hotel, I was SO nervous. I knew a bunch of authors and readers were already there (vacationing before the big day as I had been seeing their tweets), and I was full of anticipation. Who would I see? Who could I hug? Who would I know? Well… as it turns out, I hyped myself up for an early hotel lobby party already in progress and showed up to… perfect calm. Which calmed me.  *phew*

I opened the box to see one of my all time favorite books staring back at me!

So I moseyed on over to where my husband was unpacking and I could finally start sniffing around those mystery boxes. I just had to see what was inside. Books? But of course! Who’s books? I couldn’t help but open one.redface Tee hee! Hey! What? They were addressed to me, so it’s okay, right? I couldn’t help it, and anyway, I knew I’d be having to open them sooner or later to figure out where they went.

(side note: these boxes held the books that would be given to the authors in their very own “Book Bash” swag bags, sponsored by Forever Romance (Grand Central/Hachette)!! They sent some AWESOME totes and fun stuff for the authors! AND!! There were cases of books that were for the Book Bash volunteers, sponsored by HarperCollins!)

And look at the gorgeous surprise waiting for me! Whoa. The Edge of Never!! They used my quote on the cover!! Now THAT… I wasn’t expecting, but what a way to start off my Book Bash experience! *thud!!!*

Then, as I was finalizing some paperwork with the hotel event manager in the lobby… Colleen Hoover saunters on by. I say “Hi Colleen!” and she comes over for hugs. I introduced her to two members of my event team (Eddie and Jill) and off she went. As Jill (the hotel manager) and I continued chatting, Jill admits to being an avid reader but wasn’t sure if I’d know any of the books she likes. I ask her to name her favorite, and do you know what title she gives me?

“Ummm… well a book called… Slammed?” eek

LOL!!! YES!!!! I said OMG, do you know who you just met? Ahhhh that reaction (from both her AND my own, was priceless). After naming a few more of her favorites (including “The Secret of Ella and Micha“) I knew we were at the right hotel, and I think she was pleased, too.

Yep! Thursday was as easy going as could be, and I was so happy to have met a bunch more of “us” that night. It made going into the big day that much easier ’cause I got by with a little help from my friends. 😉

What I learned that night?

  • I’ve been pronouncing Karina Halle’s name all wrong!! WHAT!?? I was appalled at myself. I’ve been pronouncing it “Karina Hall” when actually “Halle” is pronounced like “Halle Berry”. Karina Hall-ie. *whoops* 😉
  • The reason that Chelsea M. Cameron uses her initial “M” in her name is so that her search results are not confused with in another popular “Cameron” in the search engines.
  • Kristen Ashley has an awesome sister that I ran into about a gazillion times throughout the weekend, and she even saw me at my worst, one morning. I had a surprise super-early start to my Friday (a mis-delivery), and her offer of help was so sweet (that story to come…). I feel close to her. 😉 May I have her as a sister, too, Kristen?
  • Fellow reader (and so fun!!) Leanne, and Maryse

    Fun and gorgeous Australian fellow-readers are a blast! They even wanna stick out their tongues with you for goofy photo ops!

  • CJ Roberts is WAY cool. Wait. Right. We already knew that one. But she totally is!! 😉
  • Never shovel Harry Potter jelly beans into your mouth aimlessly unless you know what flavor your eating, first. “Popcorn” looking-flavored jelly beans might not actually BE popcorn flavored. I heard there was some serious gagging going on… 😉
  • Maryse and Sherry! She was there for me, first thing Thursday afternoon, and held my hand (and my stuff) the entire weekend! *hug* Thank you, Sherry!!

    My mom likes to tell childhood stories about me every chance she gets. neutral MOOOOMMMM!! eek

  • Our mini-van can hold MUCH more than we expected (thank goodness for that!!)
  • When my friend Sherry promises to hold my hand throughout the entire event, she MEANS it!! (Thank you, Sherry!!!)
  • Our GPS is good at getting us to the airport to pick up friends, but not so good at getting us back to our hotel. Scenic route through Orlando, anyone? Sure! But at 1am? Not so much.
  • Book Bash official Day 1: Feeling Good!

More to follow… (see the photos from Thursday night, below).

Book Bash “Swag Bag” to giveaway!

Ready for that giveaway? We came home with a few extra Book Bash t-shirts, swag bags and a WHOLE LOTTA swag. I’m giving away a Book Bash “swag” kit tonight!

A couple of books (I received a few books in duplicate so I keep one, and you get one!), a Books-a-Millions tote bag, a Book Bash t-shirt (with the attending authors listed on the back – you choose what size you want!), signed bookmarks and postcards, free ebook codes, lipgloss from Sylvia Day, cute stuffed turtle from Turtle Tear Island (Kelli Maine), a steamy 😉 hand fan from Kallypso Masters– tons of goodies! A fun Book Bash prize package for us book-lovers!.

How to enter for a chance to win it? Just leave a comment below (any comment will work, but if you want to let me in on a secret, let me know what you were doing on Thursday June 27th 2013 ;) ), and tomorrow night (Tuesday July 9th, 2013) by 10pm EST, I will randomly select one winner.

The winner will be contacted and will have 48hrs to respond with a mailing address, so if you are picked, do not delay or you will lose your chance. This is a open to U.S. & Canada only (but you’re welcome to comment and join in any time!!).

Check out BOOK BASH CHRONICLES PART TWO (Friday’s setup and pre-registration party) and BOOK BASH CHRONICLES PART THREE (Saturday’s main event!).

Here are some of Thursday’s highlights (it was like a pre-mini-bookbash at the hotel bar!):

Maryse, author Karina Halle and author Chelsea M Cameron. I LOVE ’em! (photo courtesy of Karina Halle)
Maryse & author Kristen Ashley (she truly is the ultimate “Rock Chick”! Love her!) (photo courtesy of Kristen Ashley)
Maryse & author Maggi Myers. 🙂
Maryse & author Kelli Maine!
Author Kristen Proby, Maryse & author Nyrae Dawn.
Maryse & author CJ Roberts
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