Pretty Little Pages: LGBT

Showing posts with label LGBT. Show all posts

Tour + #Giveaway: Under the Lights by @MissDahlELama

Under the Lights (Daylight Falls #2)
by Dahlia Adler
Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary
Release Date: June 30th 2015

Genre: GLBT, Young Adult/New Adult, Contemporary
Rate: 5 Stars

Synopsis:

Josh Chester loves being a Hollywood bad boy, coasting on his good looks, his parties, his parents' wealth, and the occasional modeling gig. But his laid-back lifestyle is about to change. To help out his best friend, Liam, he joins his hit teen TV show, Daylight Falls...opposite Vanessa Park, the one actor immune to his charms. (Not that he's trying to charm her, of course.) Meanwhile, his drama-queen mother blackmails him into a new family reality TV show, with Josh in the starring role. Now that he's in the spotlight—on everyone's terms but his own—Josh has to decide whether a life as a superstar is the one he really wants.

Vanessa Park has always been certain about her path as an actor, despite her parents' disapproval. But with all her relationships currently in upheaval, she's painfully uncertain about everything else. When she meets her new career handler, Brianna, Van is relieved to have found someone she can rely on, now that her BFF, Ally, is at college across the country. But as feelings unexpectedly evolve beyond friendship, Van's life reaches a whole new level of confusing. And she'll have to choose between the one thing she's always loved...and the person she never imagined she could.

You guys! I adored this book. If every YA LGBT book was as good as Under the Lights, I'd never read anything else. It was such an authentic approach that I greatly appreciated. The inclusion of young Hollywood also added another element to this book that I found really interesting. It's not something I read about often, so I was really intrigued about the behind the scenes aspect.

The chemistry between Vanessa and Brianna was perfect. I loved the slow build of their relationship. No insta-love here, y'all! They really are a great couple. As the book progresses, their relationship really shines. The secondary relationships were so fun, too. Dahlia Adler got the friendship dynamic so right in this book. Often times, I'm left wanting more. Not this time! The author delivered witty and realistic friendships that enhanced the book and characters so much.

All in all, you can't go wrong with Under the Lights! If you love YA and LGBT, you'll be hard pressed to find a better book! I'd encourage people who aren't fans of LGBT literature to give it a try, too. It transcends the typical stereotypes and tells a great story without being heavy handed. It'd be an excellent book for someone to discover how great YA LGBT literature is or to reinforce their love of the genre!

Shin Min Ah as Vanessa Park

Colton Haynes as Josh Chester

Ashley Greene as Brianna

Follow the Under The Lights by Dahlia Adler Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

I'm an Associate Editor of Mathematics by day, a Copy Editor by night, and I blog at The Daily Dahlia, YA Misfits, and the Barnes & Noble book blog. I also write contemporary YA (The Daylight Falls duology) and NA (The Radleigh University series). Rec-ing books is approximately my favorite thing in the universe, with macarons being a close second. Come say hi on Twitter, where I'm @MissDahlELama!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour + Review + #Giveaway: Summer Confessions by Lynn Vroman

Summer Confessions by Lynn Vroman

Release Date: 03/10/15

YA Contemporary

Untold Press

162 pages

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Macy Diaz has managed childhood friend Jeb Porter’s
crush for years. However, his infatuation turns to
obsession, even putting a kid in the hospital just for hitting on her. In the past, Macy brushed it off, explained his bizarre acts away. But now she harbors a secret. She’s in love…with Jeb’s sister, Rachel.
By some miracle, Rachel loves Macy back, and despite the small minds polluting their sleepy southern town, they’re sticking together. Unfortunately, making sure Jeb never grows suspicious proves harder every day—until everything falls apart.

As a sick, unstable Jeb starts to threaten all Macy values, she is reminded of what has always been perfectly clear. Macy belongs to him, only him, and he won’t let her go. Ever.

If only Macy could’ve loved Jeb, she wouldn’t have to worry about surviving him now.

I was really excited whenever I started this book because it's set in the town next to mine. It's somewhere I go often and consider my home. I've never read a book set here before, so my expectations soared immediately. But it became very clear from early on that the version of Gatlinburg in Summer Confessions was very much fictional. This weighed really heavily on me while I was reading and played a huge part in my enjoyment of this book, I think.

The main character, Macy, is Hispanic. Many times it's pointed out how the "locals" gave her family a hard time for being Hispanic. But that could be farther from the truth for Gatlinburg and the surrounding area. We're farmers around here and have TONS of migrant workers whom we respect SO MUCH. It made me a little upset to read the same old recycled trope of closed minded hillbillies. Some of us have weird ways, sure. But the one thing you have to know about the south is that we respect hard work and integrity regardless of your heritage.

Less soap box, more review. Macy, the main character, really struggled with her identity as a lesbian. I get that. Been there, done that. (Less lesbian, more pansexual.) But I hate how her struggle was simplified. It's a gut and heart wrenching thing to discover yourself and grow into your sexual identity. This book revolved more around the close minded nature of the locals and their acceptance instead of Macy growing into her own skin. It bummed me out a bit. But I recognize Macy's struggle and I'm glad she had her papaw to support her. I loved him dearly like my own papaw, and I was so happy to see his parts of the story.

The romance between Macy and Rachel is a forbidden love, slow burn type of story. I enjoyed it. I didn't always believe it, but by the end I was rooting for them. The overbearing presence of Rachel's brother, Jeb, who's obsessed with Macy was frightening. The author did an excellent job of putting me on the edge of my seat in suspense of what he would do next.

All in all, Summer Confessions was enjoyable. In the moments I was able to separate reality from fiction, I loved the story of Macy and her relationship with Rachel. The setting lends it a very different tone than most contemporaries out there, and I think it'll be an enjoyable break from the norm for YA fans.

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

Born in Pennsylvania, Lynn spent most of her childhood, especially during math class, daydreaming. Today, she spends an obscene amount of time in her head, only now she writes down all the cool stuff.

With a degree in English Literature, Lynn used college as an excuse to read for four years straight. She lives in the Pocono Mountains with her husband, raising the four most incredible human beings on the planet. She writes young adult novels, both fantasy and contemporary.

[Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook]

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour + #Giveaway: My Favorite Second Chance by Rue

Presented by:

Sparkle Book Tours

My Favorite Second Chance

The Lake Effect Series # 2

by Author Rue

Audience: NA and Adult - Genre: Romance/Contemporary; LGBT - Formats: E-book and Paperback - Publisher: Sittin’ On A Goldmine Productions - Cover by: Regina Wamba, Mae I Design - Editor: Jazmine Hale- Pages: 328 - ISBN-13: 978-0-9860627-3-5 (Paperback) - ISBN-13: 978-0-9860627-2-8 (eBook) - Date Published: 10 March 2015

Have you ever wished for a second chance?

The Hutchinson sisters are out of the frying pan and into the fire—just like their mother always threatened!

Gwenn is floating in the dreamy, fragile glow of her new relationship with wealthy artist, Daniel Gregory, when a blast from her past makes a triumphant return. Sure he ran out on her over a decade ago, but can she turn her back on a war hero?

Rachel is on the brink of having everything she ever dreamed of, but that’s not how things work out for Hutchinson girls. Her rock-star girlfriend is leaving for a lengthy tour and something is afoot at the bakery. The righteous hand of her mother, Shirley, can orchestrate tribulations from halfway across town.

The sisters think they can run away from their troubles on a quick trip to the heart of Mexico, when an unexpected phone call shatters that illusion.

Filled with intriguing characters, plenty of steamy romance and lovely plots twists, MY FAVORITE SECOND CHANCE will have you flushed with anticipation, blinking back tears, laughing out loud and cheering for your favorite characters.

Amazon / Amazon Series / Goodreads

CLANG!

He woke with a start.

A flaccid sliver of grey light had infiltrated the dank blackness. The comforting numbness in his right shoulder convinced him that he had survived the night. He listened carefully and played his second favorite game—how long until they got to his cell and tossed in what he had come to call “breakfast.”

A key twisted in the lock. The door screeched open, the light blinded his nocturnal eyes and a metal tray scraped across the filthy concrete floor.

His hand searched toward the sound. Treasure found, his fingers encircled the spoon handle.

Slowly, painfully he crawled to the corner and scratched a hatch mark on the wall as he recited his “sanity” mantra.

“I am Sergeant Steven Hays. Today is day 2,189 of my captivity. I am engaged to Gwenn Hutchinson and I will return to her. God. Country. Corps.”

Steven slid the bowl over and forced himself to consume the foul slop it contained. He was emaciated and his mouth burned from canker sores. One thought kept him alive—his last, sweet, searing memory of her. Gwenn was his guardian angel and he intended to live long enough to tell her.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL58rl-VV_qmCRPXuH-Xy7g0Xa2p7zzpxd

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rue graduated from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, with a degree in Journalism. Her intimate knowledge of the Midwestern United States, the inordinate amount of time she spent in its churches’ pews and her unique parentage make her an expert on life after religion. Having moved 17 times by the time she graduated from high school Rue has seen more than her share of the Great Plains. She never stayed in one place long enough to make lasting human friends. Her best friends were all characters from her beloved books; and the love of reading led to a lifelong passion for writing.