This tour is presented by AtomR Tours. To see all the participating blogs on the tour, click here.
Thanks to Omnific Publishing for the eARC that was provided to me in exchange for my honest review.
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Romancing the Bookworm by Kate Evangelista
Release date: July 9, 2013
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary romance
Synopsis:
Sometimes, even the best-laid plans can unravel.
It's spring break, and Tamara Winters would rather stay on campus and read romance novels than flaunt her size-fourteen body on a beach. But her best friend, Rony, has other ideas. Against her wishes, Tamara is whisked away to picturesque Maverick Bay, where she's wrangled into waiting tables with Rony at the Shore Shack for its busy week leading to Maverick's Surf Invitational. There she meets fellow schoolmate Xavier Solomon, the Invitational's organizer and campus womanizer by reputation. From the moment Tamara sees him emerging from the waves like a hero in of one of her romance novels, all she wants to do is run away from the feelings he inspires in her.
Little does she know Xavier has been watching her for weeks now. In fact, after failed attempts at asking her out on campus, he's concocted a crazy plan: fabricating romantic situations straight out of her favorite books. Xavier quickly realizes that if Tamara gets a whiff of his designs, he might as well spell CREEPER across his forehead. Yet as they grow closer, he's convinced it's a risk worth taking. What he hasn't planned on, of course, is his drug-addicted, alcoholic stepbrother, who decides to join the fun and put a wrench in Xavier’s scheme.
Spring break is proving hotter than Tamara expected. Will her romance novels be able to compete?
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Trailer
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My Review
I went into Romancing the Bookworm thinking it was going to be a light and fun romance, the perfect beach read. And it totally is. But it had some emotional depth too that was a pleasant surprise. It isn't a deep read nor does it really offer any life lessons, but it was enjoyable.
Tamara Winters is a total bookworm. She spends every spare moment she has immersed in the pages of a romance novel. Interacting with fictional characters is so much easier, safer, that interacting with real people and there's always a happy ending.
Her friend, Ronni Flynn, thinks she's missing out on life though. So she agrees to help with a scheme to get Tamara out to Maverick Bay over Spring Break in order to get Tamara's nose out of her books and into the real world.
Xavier Solomon is the master mind behind this romantic (?) scheme. He only wants the chance to get to know Tamara. At Maverick, he hopes he won't have to compete with her books for her attention.
Watching as Tamara relishes life outside her books was delightful. Seeing her relationship with Xavier develop was also a pleasure. As they spent time together they found they had much in common that they could bond over. One personality trait they shared was compassion. And their compassion towards Xavier's brother Zander caused some things to come to light for them both, and had Tamara wondering if living in the pages of her book was the safer way to live.
Tamara learning that there's more to life than romance novels was pleasant to see. Especially her realization that even though real life can be difficult, messy and sometimes painful, she was missing out on so much.
Xavier liked having control. His carefully laid plans didn't take into account real life's habit of unpredictability. I liked watching him roll with the punches. He's used to taking control and coming to the rescue. Things didn't go according to his plan, but he learned to deal with that and adapt.
The added emotional depth created by the rocky relationship between Xavier and Zander was a bonus. Their interactions added tension between all the characters and even played a roll in the outcome of Xavier's grand plans for Tamara. It just added an element to the story I wasn't expecting and made it a little richer.
My only real issue with this book is Tamara's obliviousness to life due to her obsession with reading. I understand the love of reading and need for escape. But Tamara has been friends with Ronni for 3 years and didn't know she had a brother. That was a bit extreme.
Romancing the Bookworm is not deep or angsty. Some of the situations are silly and seem to parody romance novels. But if you're looking for a book to indulge in for quick and fun read, you can't go wrong with Romancing the Bookworm.
Tamara Winters is a total bookworm. She spends every spare moment she has immersed in the pages of a romance novel. Interacting with fictional characters is so much easier, safer, that interacting with real people and there's always a happy ending.
Her friend, Ronni Flynn, thinks she's missing out on life though. So she agrees to help with a scheme to get Tamara out to Maverick Bay over Spring Break in order to get Tamara's nose out of her books and into the real world.
Xavier Solomon is the master mind behind this romantic (?) scheme. He only wants the chance to get to know Tamara. At Maverick, he hopes he won't have to compete with her books for her attention.
Watching as Tamara relishes life outside her books was delightful. Seeing her relationship with Xavier develop was also a pleasure. As they spent time together they found they had much in common that they could bond over. One personality trait they shared was compassion. And their compassion towards Xavier's brother Zander caused some things to come to light for them both, and had Tamara wondering if living in the pages of her book was the safer way to live.
Tamara learning that there's more to life than romance novels was pleasant to see. Especially her realization that even though real life can be difficult, messy and sometimes painful, she was missing out on so much.
Xavier liked having control. His carefully laid plans didn't take into account real life's habit of unpredictability. I liked watching him roll with the punches. He's used to taking control and coming to the rescue. Things didn't go according to his plan, but he learned to deal with that and adapt.
The added emotional depth created by the rocky relationship between Xavier and Zander was a bonus. Their interactions added tension between all the characters and even played a roll in the outcome of Xavier's grand plans for Tamara. It just added an element to the story I wasn't expecting and made it a little richer.
My only real issue with this book is Tamara's obliviousness to life due to her obsession with reading. I understand the love of reading and need for escape. But Tamara has been friends with Ronni for 3 years and didn't know she had a brother. That was a bit extreme.
Romancing the Bookworm is not deep or angsty. Some of the situations are silly and seem to parody romance novels. But if you're looking for a book to indulge in for quick and fun read, you can't go wrong with Romancing the Bookworm.
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Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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About Kate
When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. Ms. Evangelista lives in the Philippines.
Author Social Media Links:
I've had my eye on this one, but hasn't read any reviews. I'm glad you liked it, despite the being oblivious part. I like a light read every now and then. Great review, Brandee!
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot of fun to read, Andrea! I hope you like it! Thanks!!
DeleteI think it would be hard to romance a bookworm because... we have read it all! Unless, of course, he becomes a bookworm too. In that case, I totally marry him :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree, Lectus. Xavier pulled out all the stops in this one, though! :)
DeleteGreat review! I love that you got more out of the book than you were expecting :D What you said about the bookworm and her not knowing about the brother was hilarious though! Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jaclyn! This is a great read as long as you go into it knowing it's just fun. And it was totally fun! I did have to mention the oblivion though...I love to live inside a book but I'm not that out of touch with reality! LOL
DeleteI've been wanting to read this book for the longest time. What a wonderful review. I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karina! The book is definitely a lot of fun! ;)
DeleteI like that you get to watch the guy loosen up with his control issues. Sometimes I wish I could be oblivious to the outside world and just hide away in my books. I don't know how some people actually manage it. Great review, Brandee. I'm kind of crushing on Xavier.
ReplyDeleteI know, right? I'd like to ignore the world around me sometimes too, Robyn. :) And I do spend a lot of time with my books. But some little people around here depend on my not getting too lost. ;) Oh, and Xavier is DEFINITELY crush-worthy, believe me! Thanks for stopping by, Robyn.
DeleteI am so excited to read this one, so your review has me even more excited. I plan to read it while on vacation as it just looks like a vacation book haha. Awesome review!
ReplyDeleteTeresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives