Release Day Blitz & Review ~ Everything ~ Melissa Pearl

Happy Release Day, Melissa Pearl!
Everything releases today. 
To celebrate, you can grab Fever for only 99 cents!

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Everything

A Songbird novel, Book 3

April 23, 2015
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4 Bookworms
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Synopsis

Jody Pritchett had a dream...but life had other plans. Instead of singing and dancing on Broadway, Jody's a twenty-year-old single mom, living at home with her disapproving father and overbearing sister. The choice to keep her little Angelia came with a high price and although she adores her baby girl, it doesn't take away the sting of kissing goodbye her chance at a career on the stage. 

Leo Sinclair had his own dream...but got lost along the way. After a failed marriage that left him hollow and downtrodden, the Australian songwriter wonders what joy his future could possibly hold. Encouraged by the one family member who doesn't think he's a failure, Leo decides to stop living the life everyone expects him to and start chasing his dreams again. 

When the perfect opportunity comes knocking, Leo leaves Australia behind and hops a flight to LA. With his sights set on selling a musical to a Broadway producer, Leo is determined to finally realize his life-long dream. But life gets in the way again, when he spots a young mother outside his apartment in tears. He never realized how one person, one voice, and one Angel could have him contemplating abandoning his dreams once again. 

As these two burned hearts wrestle to overcome their past struggles, Leo and Jody must decide what dreams are worth clinging to...because, sometimes, everything you want is not everything you need. 

The Songbird series continues to be a delight to read. It hits all my NA buttons and I was excited to be getting Jody's story in Everything.

I met Jody in the earlier novels, as she's Ella's best friend and Morgan's little sister, from Fever and Bulletproof respectively. Jody is an incredibly talented singer and was in school bound for Broadway until she got pregnant. My heart broke for her having to give up her education, her dreams to raise her baby. But I also really admired her decision to keep her baby and figure out a way to make a new life for herself. That took so much courage and for the most part, Jody remained positive about her situation -- a ray of sunshine.

Leo Sinclair has come to the States from Australia for a clean start and a chance to pursue his dreams. He's a composer and has his sights set on Broadway. Things seem to be falling into place but he happens upon a sad, single mom. Things change -- for the better -- at that point as Jody sparks his creative light and maybe something else.

I enjoyed Jody and Leo's story. The dynamics between them and Jody's little girl, Angel, made for an engaging read. Having Ella and Cole, and Morgan and Sean, Mr. Pritchett, and Grandma Deb also added to the realistic feel. I have to admit to not liking Mr. Pritchett, Jody's dad, all that much for awhile, as he wasn't as supportive for Jody as I felt he should be. I also felt like things moved a little too quickly for Jody and Leo, even though chronologically it didn't. I can't put my finger on why I felt that way -- it just did.

Even though this is a romance, I feel like it was more a story of Jody's finding a way to balance her wants, needs, and those of Angel. She made me very proud as she took charge of her life -- all on her own. She's a good mama and handled motherhood at her young age with maturity.

Once again, Ms. Pearl drew me into a comfortable story, with great characters. Her use of music -- a song for every moment, really ties everything (ha!) together. Music has played an important part throughout this series, but especially in Everything. And I adored the songs and their placement, as well as the original lyrics for Leo's musical. I also liked that Ms. Pearl took two characters, who were afraid their past choices meant the future they'd dreamed of was unreachable, and proved that there is always a chance to get everything you need.

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has continued to produce a steady stream of books. Recently she signed with Evatopia Press and her first Evatopia book is coming out in February 2014 - True Colors, The Masks Series #1. She is very excited to be trying out new things this year while continuing to publish under her own name as well. She has six books planned for 2014 and is excited about writing each and every one of them.