Saturday, October 13, 2012

LOSING IT by Cora Carmack Blog Tour w/a Giveaway and Excerpt




Losing It by Cora Carmack
Already available from B&N, should be on Amazon soon!
Add to Goodreads
Reviewed by: AmyG (big sis)
Sister's Say: Laugh Out Loud Wonderful


**Warning: this is not a YA book. It is a New Adult Book and is intended for readers 18 and older.**
For a quick definition of the New Adult genre, I would say simply that it's books about that transition period between being a teenager and beoming an adult.


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Losing It
Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

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I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that there has been such an insurgence of books in this New Adult genre.  Let me just say first off, that I love New Adult books.  I love that the characters are older and more matrue, facing real life stuggles. Plus, you don't feel like such quite a perve if you think the guy is dreamy because, guess what?!?!? he's not sixteen!!!!  Also, these books tend to be stand alones which means, no tortuous cliffhanger ending, no waiting years between books, and you get your happily ever after sooner rather than later!

With all that being said, if you were are wanting more of what I mentioned above, then LOSING IT is for you!  I flew through this book 0.9 seconds, with the wind blowing through my hair, smiling all the way!  Bliss Edwards is a theatre major in her senior year of college and also happens to be the queen of awkward!  I'm sure you've met those people who just find themselves in awkward situations.  They say something about their crush while he's standing right behind them, they get sick on a roller coaster while on a date or they pass gas while being tickled.  If you have ever met someone like that then you've met Bliss!  Only Bliss could possibly take it to the extreme!  One night she decides she is tired of being the resident innocent, so goes to the local bar to "pick up a guy."  Only she freaks out mid-makeout leaving him underclothed in HER apartment.  Then the next morning she walks into class only to find that her hot date from the night before is her new professor!  AWWWKWARD!  But aren't these the type situations that you would want to crawl under a rock and die if it happened to you, but you giggle hysterically if it's someone else?!?

As you can guess, there are plenty more awkward situations and an abundance of laughs through the novel.  The heart of the story is Garrick and Bliss though.  It's a story of forbidden love and perfect chemisty.  Losing it is a character driven novel, and I couldn't help but fall in love with Garrick right along side Bliss.  The first thing about Garrick, he's British!  And, that's pretty much all I have to say and most American girls are already yelling, "SOLD!"  However, he is more than just a sexy accent.  He knows his literaute!  There are references to Shakespeare, Pride and Prejudice and more that will leave all our fellow book lovers cheering.  He makes literary references without being nerdy!  He's basically a book bloggers incarnation of a perfect man!  Garrick is a struggling actor turned temporary professor.  He cares about Bliss and her classmates, giving them a dose of reality while at the same time encouraging them to follow their dreams.  He wants to do the honorable thing in the eyes of the school and leave Bliss alone.  But, we all know that if that once in a life time love staring you in the face, you don't just stand there biding your time!  I love that about Garrick.  He is stubborn (having a little of that alpha-male gene), but he's not afraid to take what he wants!

Bliss on the other hand is a mess!  I basically want to kidnap her and make her be my best friend.  She would make my life seem a whole lot simpler!  Her heart knows what she wants, but she's scared.  She's terrified of the future (as most college seniors are), of her own judgment and of heartbreak.  Bliss is so unbelievably relatable and real.  Every woman will find Bliss's stream of conscienceness achingly familiar.  Those doubts that you face when you are on the verge of going out into the world completely on your own and start making those decision that set you on the course for the rest of your life.  So, some people might not have as many freakouts as Bliss, but we've definitely at least had them in our minds.  She's sweet and endearing and will make you laugh outloud at the crazy things life throws in her path.

The theatre scene in this novel is perfection.  I lived in the theatre through high school and was a theatre major in college for 2 years (until I met my now husband, and he wasn't too fond of me kissing other boys in plays).  Cora captures the atmosphere, the relationships and the high of acting beautifully!  In chapter 26 this quote expresses it perfectly, "That was what the theatre was about--that kind of experience.  We would never be able to recreate that again.  Only the people here tonight would ever know what that show was like.  Theatre is once in a lifetime... everytime." (page 219)  If you have ever done any kind of theatre you know how perfect this quote is.  The high of the moment, the emtions and the people who lived it with you will forever be burned into your mind, heart and soul.  So many times I found myself saying yes, yes, yes, this is so true!!!  For those of you have done theatre you will find this book a wonderful trip down memory lane and for those who have not, you will get a realistic sneak peek inside the world of theatre.

I really did love every part of this book.  Those books that can take you away from reality are the special ones, and for a few precious hours I was completely swept away into a familiar world that made me laugh, cry, cheer, melt and fall in love all over again!  You rock Cora Carmack!!!

To see future stops on the tour, check out the Blog Tour Tab at the top or go here.


About the author: 

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She’s done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working at Target), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She loves theatre, travel, and anything that makes her laugh. She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. 




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Read Chapter 1 of LOSING IT right now! Just click below!

  
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