Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Blog Tour Stop: Beside Your Heart by Mary Whitney


Title: Beside Your Heart
Author: Mary Whitney
Genre: New Adult Romance
Publish Date: June 17, 2013
Event organized by: Literati Literature Lovers


Synopsis
Late one night Nicki Johnson plays with emotional fire and Googles her high school love, only to find his name splashed across the British gossip columns. Back in his native England, Adam Kincaid is successful and dating a woman from an aristocratic family like his own. With a career in politics, Nicki’s no slouch, but she knows Adam is living a world away from her life. Yet there was a time he was no farther than the next locker. Nicki will never forget their year together in high school—the year of her sister’s death, the year her mother checked out. Adam helped Nicki through suffocating grief, and she led him through a coming of age. Was it just high school, or was it something more? 

Teaser

My Take
We begin Beside Your Heart with Nicki Johnson being reminded of her first love when she comes across someone with his same name on the Illinois voters list. She decides to Google him to see where he is in the world. That coupled with her best friend Lisa's story of running into him sends her back to the past, back to the place where she and Adam fell in love, and to the place where she lost her first love.

We flash back five years where Nicki is mourning the loss of her younger sister, Lauren. She's also crushing on sexy, swoon-worthy Adam Kincaid, the British soccer star who just so happens to  be her locker neighbor. Left with scars from the car accident that stole her sister from her, Nicki's broken and lost. Adam is immediately drawn to her, and over time pries his way into her heart. Although Nicki is initially hesitant to start anything with him, he quickly wears her down, and they fall into an easy, playful, sexy relationship. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, as Adam's family is moving back to England at the end of the school year, and neither of them know what this means for them
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Beside Your Heart took me by surprise as I did not realize that it was going to be a series. The majority of this book is placed in the past, giving us the full story of the first chapter in Nicki and Adam's story. I was expecting more of them in the future, but looking back, I think it was important for us to get the whole picture  of their falling in love, and this book definitely delivered.

This book had a good mix of sweet romance, angst, and steam. I definitely felt both of their emotions and may have teared up a few times (I won't admit it!). I loved both Adam and Nicki, and I was rooting for them the entire time. At first, I felt like their love came a little too quickly, but I remember being 17 and falling in love for the first time. When you're a teenager, it really doesn't take long. So, in retrospect, I'm okay with the progression of their relationship. I cannot wait for the second book to come out so that I can read the continuation of their story. I need to know what happens and where they end up. 

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Author Bio 

Even before she graduated from law school, Mary knew she wasn't cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she's spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, D.C., Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband. 



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5 comments:

  1. Tessa, I always enjoy your review. This sounds good and will be sure to add it to my list. Thank you for the great giveaway.

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  2. Thank you so much, Tessa! I appreciate it. Here's some news on that sequel : )

    http://literatiliteraturelovers.com/2013/06/18/deleted-scene-from-beside-your-heart-by-mary-whitney/

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  3. Cannot wait to read this! Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  4. It sounds like the series is going to gradually lead you up to current day time. I sometimes find it hard to get thru the history but think this one might be a good read. Thank you for the giveaway.

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  5. Sounds sweet...who can't sympathize with Googling your high school love and wondering "what if"? Thanks for the chance to win :)

    ReplyDelete