**Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ Stay with Me ~ Elyssa Patrick**

Happy Friday, y'all and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Elyssa Patrick's Stay with Me. My stop includes my review, Elyssa's Stay with Me playlist, and a giveaway! To follow all the stops on the tour, click here.

Additionally, I'm able to offer an ecopy of Stay with Me to one lucky commenter. Yay! Simply leave a comment for a chance to win. This giveaway is open internationally and ends on September 6th. The winner will be chosen randomly.

This blog tour is presented by Book Crush Book Reviews.

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Stay with Me by Elyssa Patrick

With Me #1

Release Date: August 30, 2013

Genre: NA Contemporary

Synopsis:
With one look, I’m his . . .

With one touch, he’s mine . . .

With one kiss, it changes everything between us . . .

I’ve been famous since I can remember. Singing, acting, dancing—I’ve done it all. The tabloids cover my every move, but I don’t want that anymore. I want to be normal, whatever that is.

When I leave Hollywood for college in Vermont, I’m on my own for the first time in my life. This is my chance to figure out who I am and what I want in life.

But it’s a lot harder than I expected. I can’t escape my image. Classes are difficult, and I’m struggling. And then there’s Caleb Fox.

Sexy, intriguing Caleb Fox.

Caleb is the one man who doesn’t want to use me. He breaks down my walls. He challenges me. He wants me. And I just don’t know if I can give him the same—or if he’ll stick around when he finds out my shameful secret that the tabloids haven’t managed to uncover.

Dating him is risky enough, but loving him could break me.

Stay With Me is such a sweet story. It made me smile and it warmed my heart. And it delivered on all those elements I love so much about the New Adult genre.

Hailey Bloom has been a celebrity since becoming the Gerber Baby. That launched a career in acting, singing/playing the guitar. Living in Hollywood, she grew up way too fast and at 18, she had a startling eiphany. She didn't want this life anymore. Actually, she didn't know if she ever did. So she defies her mother, whom has always pushed her in this life of celebrity, and her friends, whom she finds aren't truly friends, and heads to Vermont to attend college and more importantly, find herself.

I really liked Hailey. She's a very strong young woman, which is evident in her surviving her celebrity life. But it's also evident in her leaving that life to figure out what she really wants. She's independent and has been for awhile but like anyone her age, she has moments when she wants someone else to take care of her, reassure her. I liked seeing the two sides of Hailey - the celebrity side who's confident and witty as well as the real Hailey, who's not quite as self-assured and trips over her words with Caleb.

Caleb Fox *sigh* is incredible. From their first encounter, he steps in as Hailey's protector - but not in the typical hero way. By that I mean, he doesn't act like a caveman or treat her like a helpless girl. He sees something special in Hailey, herself, not the celebrity and he sets out to get to know her. One thing I love about Caleb is he unknowingly gives Hailey something she's never really had - stability. He's always there for her, always stands by her - shows her she's not alone. He's such a loyal guy! Oh, and ladies, he just made me swoon so often with some of the things he did with and for Hailey.

Since this is the first in a series, we are also introduced to a colorful cast of characters. Ms. Patrick did an outstanding job of fleshing out these people while remaining true to the story she was telling. I adored Daphne, Caleb's younger sister (he actually has 3). She made this perfect best friend for Hailey in that they'd both experienced things no one their age should but it made them kindred spirits. They were both trying to figure it out - because their lives had kinds derailed. Then there are Caleb's roommates, Jamie and Nick, and their friends Griff, Kai and Dylan. We don't see Kai and Dylan too much but Jamie, Nick and Griff - well, I can't wait for their books. ;) They each stole a little piece of my heart.

As for the drama, it was created with this secret Hailey had. A secret that, when revealed, she was certain everyone would hate her - particularly Caleb. I have to say that I was proud of how Caleb handled things when the secret was revealed. But I also have to admit to feeling kinda letdown by the secret. I didn't see it as quite the big deal Hailey thought it was. And I felt like everything was tidied up a bit too quickly and neatly. It didn't pack the emotional punch I thought it would. But now that I think about it, maybe it didn't bother me too much because, like Caleb, I'd gotten to know the real Hailey and understood she wasn't that person.

Stay With Me was a feel-good read for me. I was pleased with how it ended and knowing I'll be seeing Hailey and Caleb in the future books makes it even better. And I eagerly await reading everyone else's story!

On a side note, I really appreciated Ms. Patrick's nods to both Amelia Peabody and the question to who is the best Mr. Darcy...I am forever firmly planted on the side of Colin Firth! ;)

**I received an ecopy of this book, as part of the tour, in exchange for an honest review.

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Playlist for Stay With Me

Someone Like You - Adele

Gravity – Sara Bareilles

Starry, Starry Night – Don McLean

Dancing Queen - ABBA

Catch My Breath - Kelly Clarkson  

Make You Feel My Love - Kris Allen

Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley

Everything I Do I Do It For You – Bryan Adams

Falling Softly – from the Broadway musical, Once

My Life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarkson

Something – George Harrison

To Show Me Your Love – Mike Schmid 

(this is the song that plays in the book trailer)

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Elyssa Patrick writes sexy, emotional contemporary romances and New Adult. She is currently working on her next novel. 

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