Review: We'll Always Have Paris: A Mother/Daughter

We'll Always Have Paris: 
A Mother/Daughter Memoir

Author: Jennifer Coburn

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Travel

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Publication Date: April 8 2014

Format: ebook

Pages: 391

Source: France Book Tours / NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Amazon CA | B&N
Indigo | iBooks | Kobo

Rating: ★★★

How her daughter and her passport taught Jennifer to live like there's no tomorrow.

Jennifer Coburn has always been terrified of dying young. So she decides to save up and drop everything to travel with her daughter, Katie, on a whirlwind European adventure before it's too late. Even though her husband can't join them, even though she's nervous about the journey, and even though she's perfectly healthy, Jennifer is determined to jam her daughter's mental photo album with memories?just in case.

From the cafes of Paris to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Jennifer and Katie take on Europe one city at a time, united by their desire to see the world and spend precious time together. In this heartwarming generational love story, Jennifer reveals how their adventures helped vanquish her fear of dying...for the sake of living. [Provided by the author] (Goodreads)

***

Opening Lines

"Jail?!" my husband William shouted through the telephone.
"We were never actually in a jail cell," I explained, now safely back in our hotel room. "It was just a warning."

I remember when I first came across this book and how I was looking forward to reading something that had travelling and a mother-daughter experience all bundled in one! I read the first part of the Introduction and was happy for the humour and then that was quickly striped away by the second part of the introduction revolving around Jennifer's father. 

Once you start reading We'll Always Have Paris you start to realize why Jennifer is so afraid of dying young and is trying to make the most of this trip, just in case. I understand that authors don't put everything into the synopsis but I wish the meaning behind Jennifer's fear of dying was. When the tidbits about her father popped up I started to feel like it was random information just shoved in their to fill space, but I came to understand it's importance and how it's shaped Jennifer into the women she is today and why it was so important for her to make the most of memories for Katie.

Unfortunately, We'll Always Have Paris didn't keep me interested although out. I had to take many breaks from reading it, I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if maybe we had different perspectives or maybe a diary entry or something. I just felt flat being told from first perspective from start to finish. The writing style fell into a couple of awkward ruts of rambling but I really loved the descriptions given. This is one aspect Jennifer excelled at! I felt like I was with them while they were travel, all their experiences and what they were seeing felt so real! It made me want to pack a bag, grab my mom and passports and travel all of Europe.

Fear of dying is something almost every can relate to, or at least I think. We'll Always Have Paris had the potential to deliver a powerful message of living your life to the fullest no matter what, but I felt like it didn't give it's all. I'm not saying that message wasn't conveyed at all, I just felt like to got lost at times. A couple of things just didn't work for me. I was expecting a happy, humorous read with a great life lesson and that's not completely what I got.

Overall, We'll Always Have Paris was interesting travel read. It show cased a mother wanting to make the most of her time with her daughter, the closure of losing a father and a calm husband who clearly loves his family.

GIVEAWAY!!

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***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Coburn is a USA Today best selling author of six novels and contributor to four literary anthologies. Over the past two decades, Coburn has received numerous awards from the Press Club and Society for Professional Journalists for articles that appeared in Mothering, Big Apple Baby, The Miami Herald, The San Diego Union-Tribune and dozens of national and regional publications.

She has also written for Salon.com, Creators News Syndicate and The Huffington Post. Coburn lives in San Diego with her husband, William, and their daughter, Katie. We'll Always Have Paris is her first memoir.

Visit her website.

Follow Jennifer Coburn on Twitter | Facebook

Get in touch

Buy the book | on Amazon | on Barnes & Noble

***

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Cover Reveal: Past Haven

Today we're revealing the cover for PAST HEAVEN by Laura Ward! Check out the cover and excerpt below and let us know what you think!

Past Haven

Author: Laura Ward
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: Jan 26 2015
Designer: Okay Creations
Source: WordSmith Publicity

Not every love story has a happy ending. Some just change your life.

Liz Atwater’s happily ever after was torn from her the instant her husband, Jack, was murdered. She is forced to pick up the shattered pieces of her life and raise her three young sons alone.

Reynold Carter’s picture perfect Hollywood life ended the moment the paparazzi got hold of his girlfriend’s cheating scandal. As he watches his life unfold in the tabloids, he comes to a crossroads in his career and his purpose.

When Reynolds takes on the challenge of a new project, his world collides with that of Liz. Neither of them expected their professional relationship to evolve into friendship, or love.

But life is never simple.

Faced with complications from family, friends, and colleagues, Liz and Reynolds are left to decide whether two people from such different worlds can find happiness together.

Can they get past the pain, fear, and guilt and risk their hearts to love again?

Not every love story is just a happy ending. Some completely change your life. (Goodreads)

Excerpt

He smiled and reached out to hug me. I again tried to swallow around the lump in my throat. After several run-ins with over-zealous fans, I hesitated whenever a stranger tried to hug me. Today I met people that cared so much about each other that handshakes weren’t enough.

Elwood’s voice was shaky. “My whole life I was called a retard. Told I was stupid, worth nothin’. At Caldwell, they would hit me if I didn’t eat fast enough, make my bed right, or clean the bathroom correct. Took my things, laughed at me when I couldn’t speak, and gave me no respect. Hated it there. I’ll never forget Jack. He met me. Shook my hand. Treated me like a man. He saved my life, and I love him.”

I could only nod as Elwood turned and walked up the stairs to the bus. He waved from his seat as it pulled away. I stood, unable to move, as I watched the bus turn down the street. My thoughts were all over the place while everything around me moved in slow motion.

Liz turned toward me, and our eyes met. She looked concerned. “Are you okay? Too much?”

I couldn’t answer her. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it as we walked to the car. It was too much, but it was all the right kind of too much.

About the Author

LAURA WARD is the author of New Adult novel, Not Yet, She lives in Maryland with her loud and very loving three children and husband. Laura married her college sweetheart and is endlessly grateful for the support he has given her through all their years together, and especially toward her goal of writing books. When not picking up toy trucks, driving to lacrosse practice, or checking spelling homework, Laura is writing or reading romance novels.

Contact Laura at:

Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook

Email — laurawardauthor@yahoo.com

Release Day Blast: You and Everything After

Thank you for joining us for the You and Everything After Release Day Event, with Ginger Scott, and hosted by Wordsmith Publicity. Visit the tour homepage for a complete list of events and blogs.

You and Everything After

Author: Ginger Scott
Series: Falling, #2
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Ginger Scott
Publication Date: December 5 2014
Format: ebook
Pages: 274
Source: WordSmith Publicity
Purchase: Amazon | Amazon CA | B&N
iBooks | Kobo

I’m that teenaged girl who has MS. You haven’t met me, but you’ve seen me around. You probably know my sister. We’re twins, and she’s the pretty one. Maybe you’ve heard about my reputation, how much I like to hook up at parties—how easy it is to get me in bed, get what you want, and forget about me after.

Forget what you think you know. I’m leaving that girl behind.

College is all about new beginnings. So from now on—I’m just Cass. And the rest…it isn’t written yet. And no one else gets to write my story for me.

--------

“Tyson Preeter doesn’t do can’t.”

That’s exactly what I want people to think when they see me. I am strong, invincible, confident, intelligent—arrogant. I’m the man who always finds a way around, over and through—until there’s nothing left. Since losing my ability to walk six years ago, I’ve relearned life. I don’t need sympathy. I don’t want charity. And I don’t do love.

It’s better this way, saves my disappointments for me, and me alone, and it saves my strength for everything I want.

But Cass Owens is about to wreck everything. She’s about to steal all of my strength away from me, because she needs it more. She’s about to break all of my rules, and break down all of my walls. She’s about to own me…completely.

And I’m about to let her.

**This is the second book in the Falling series. Each book can be read as a standalone and will focus on a different couple.** (Goodreads)

Excerpt 

I thought I felt foolish about being younger. But that was before I made a floor display of every cliché low-self-esteem brochure printed in the state of Oklahoma. Naturally, the most embarrassing one is in Ty’s hands right now.

“How to Love Yourself So Others Will Too,” Ty reads, flipping the book in his hands and skimming his eyes over the description on the back. I take this opportunity to scoop everything else up in my arms and sit on the floor with my legs crossed, quickly stuffing things back in my bag. “Oh, this is good. Wait, listen to this one…”

He starts to quote a few of the passages, mocking the stereotypical affirmations and examples in the book. I know they’re stupid—and hearing them now, I’m not sure why I picked the book up. But reading it made me feel good an hour or two ago. “Wow, what class is making you read this shit?” he asks, finally putting the book down. His laughter cuts short when he sees me, my eyes buried in my lap.

“It’s not for a class,” I say, looking up long enough to get the book from him. “My stuff’s in the dryer. Just…just knock on my door when it buzzes done.” I leave quickly, clutching my things close to my chest and feeling ridiculous.

I don’t bother to zip my bag up again, instead carrying it all into my room and letting everything spill out into a pile on my bed. I don’t know what made me check all of these things out. It all started with the book Ty was reading, actually. My hands gravitated to it while I was looking through some of the health and wellness books. At first, my attraction was the same as Ty’s—I found the book amusing. But some of those cheesy sayings actually rang true, especially the ones about feeling inferior to siblings and how we use self-deprecating humor as a crutch. Next thing I knew…I had two books, four magazines, and a dozen brochures.

Ty’s knock on my door is soft. I hadn’t shut it all the way when I walked in, so he takes advantage and comes all the way into my room with little warning.

“Dry already?” I ask, doing my best to pretend none of that happened. I pick the pillow up from my lap, laying it over the embarrassing evidence.

“No,” Ty responds, moving closer until he’s at the foot of my bed. Without pause, he slides from his chair to the bed until he’s sitting next to me. He picks up the pillow, and my stomach sinks. His smile is soft as he scoops everything into my bag, and slides it all to the floor, closing the distance between us even more until his hand is suddenly cradling my cheek.

“Just so we’re clear here, I mean this,” he says, pressing his lips softly against mine as his other hand moves to my chin, tilting my mouth toward him. I’ve been kissed by some pretty convincing boys in my life, each one wanting to make me believe something by the way their mouth worked against mine, the way their tongues coaxed their way inside. This one kiss from Ty was like removing a blindfold.

-------

This Is Falling

Author: Ginger Scott
Series: Falling, #1
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Ginger Scott
Format: ebook
Pages: 281
Purchase: Amazon | Amazon CA
B&N | iBooks | Kobo

First, I had to remember how to breathe. Then, I had to learn how to survive. Two years, three months and sixteen days had passed since I was the Rowe Stanton from before, since tragedy stole my youth and my heart went along with it.

When I left for college, I put a thousand miles between my future and my past. I’d made a choice—I was going to cross back to the other side, to live with the living. I just didn’t know how.

And then I met Nate Preeter.

An All-American baseball player, Nate wasn’t supposed to notice a ghost-of-a-girl like me. But he did. He shouldn’t want to know my name. But he did. And when he learned my secret and saw the scars it left behind, he was supposed to run. But he didn’t.

My heart was dead, and I was never supposed to belong to anyone. But Nate Preeter had me feeling, and he made me want to be his. He showed me everything I was missing.

And then he showed me how to fall.

*This is a standalone in a three-part series that will focus on different characters. Each book can be read on its own.* (Goodreads)

Giveaway!!

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About the Author

Ginger Scott is a writer and journalist from Peoria, Arizona. She is the author of four young and new adult romances, with her fifth title, This Is Falling, set to release in late August 2014.

Scott has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scott is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Links: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Review: Just Not Ready Yet

Welcome to my tour stop for Just Not Ready Yet by Brooklyn James!!

Check out the schedule for more stops.

Just Not Ready Yet

Author: Brooklyn James
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Arena Books
Publication Date: Nov 1 2014
Format: ebook
Pages: 286
Source: CBB Book Promotions
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Rating: ★★★ . 5

Charlize 'Charlie' McCloud, widow and mother of two young children, is agonizingly content living in the past. Her secluded life on a sprawling central Texas ranch provides the perfect dreamscape to obsessively reconnect and reminisce about her college sweetheart—her first and only love—Cash McCloud.

When intern, Hunter Bowie, arrives on the ranch to work for the summer, his handsome and engaging ingress into her world threatens the safekeeping of her treasured reliving. Her interest in moving on as departed as her late husband, Hunter's youthful exuberance revives dreams she once laid to rest.

Hunter's presence stirs up everyone around the ranch, including her late husband's older brother, Cage McCloud. Charlie continuously pushes him away. A near replica of Cash, Cage's very existence is a painstaking reminder of how much she has lost.

Unintentionally revealing the truth about Cash's death, Cage sets off a firestorm of emotions, ultimately propelling Charlie to face her future—hopefully one that includes him. (Goodreads)

Opening Lines

“Keep on…keep on keepin’ on,’ Jack Ingram & The Beat Up Ford Band floods out of the speakers of a 1972 convertible Ford Bronco.

Hunter Bowie, a sandy-haired blue-eyed Texas A&M student, sits at the wheel of the customized maroon and white Bronco, proudly touting his school colors. Flagrant decals―Gig ’Em, I Bleed Maroon and Fear The Aggies―line his bumper.”

Just Not Ready Yet was a book that blew me away. I love reading a good romance story but this one just had elements to it that I wasn't expecting. This was my first read by Brooklyn James and I'm definitely interested in reading more of her future work.

When I first read the synopsis I gathered the fact that she's still dealing with the lost of her husband, but the flashbacks throughout this book were beautiful, my eyes were constantly watering! Trust me when I say those weren't the only moments my eyes were watering. Although the writing style was a bit hard for me to follow at times, the way Brooklyn James sheds light on her character is just amazing. I wanted happy endings for everyone!

Here I thought I would be getting a cute romance story with the Western setting. This did have the Western setting, but there was nothing cute about the romance! Now, let me elaborate on that before you get the wrong idea. I thought Charlie would experience a simple romance, something obvious and one that she would have to second guess if it was worth opening her heart again. What I wasn't expecting was to be so emotionally invested in Just Not Ready Yet! I didn't want to put this book down, every chance I got I read a couple of chapters needing to know who she would end up with and how the story would all tie together in the end.

I couldn't even imagine going through what Charlie went through, plus the "secrets" that come out. The life lessons and hidden message throughout Just Not Ready Yet were so inspiring. Overall, Just Not Ready Yet was a great romance read! This book had get characters, was emotional, great life lessons, and add in sprinkle of hotness!

Giveaway

$15 Amazon Gift Card (INT) | Ends Dec. 10th

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About the Author

Brooklyn James is an author/singer/songwriter inspired by life in the Live Music Capital of Austin, Texas. Her first novel, The Boots My Mother Gave Me, has an original music soundtrack and was chosen as a Quarter Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. This book has ranked in Kindle's Top 100 Coming of Age and Women's Fiction.

When she is not writing books, she can be found playing live music around Austin as part of an acoustic duo. Like most everyone, she treasures her time spent with family and friends. She and her husband welcomed their first child this past Christmas. Brooklyn has been in a Weezer video, met Harry Connick Jr. as an extra on the set of When Angels Sing, and she was Mira Sorvino's stand-in on Jerry Bruckheimer's Trooper pilot for TNT. She enjoys reading, dancing, working out, fishing with her hubby, and a good glass of kombucha.

Brooklyn holds an M.A. in Communication, and a B.S. in both Nursing and Animal Science. Her nursing career has seen specialties in the areas of Intensive Care and Postpartum. She serves as a Guest Speaker with a focus on awareness and prevention of Domestic Violence and Suicide.

Find her on her Website or Facebook. You can also find her music on Amazon, iTunes, CDBaby, YouTube, and Pandora.

Webpage | Facebook | Amazon | YouTube | Twitter

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.