Early Book Review: Get Real by Tellulah Darling

Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: Get Real #1
Publisher: Te Da Media
Release Date: September 26th
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Get Real is a New Adult romantic comedy with sass, sex, and swoon, set in the world of “Cadabras"–humans with magical powers.

Francesca Bellafiore is a good Jewish girl, living up to family expectations that she use her magic to heal others. Underneath, she’s a wannabe badass with her heart set on becoming a detective and solving magical crimes. But nice girls don't disappoint their moms.

Party boy Rafael Muñoz does everything possible to publicly disappoint his high profile father. Privately, it's a different story. His carefully crafted bad boy reputation masks the fact he’s a master illusionist, forced into solo covert ops. The role is wearing thin and Rafael longs to be part of a team.

When Francesca meets Rafael at a friend's party, she's taken by the sexy stranger. Until he speaks. Beautiful plumage doesn't compensate for spectacular ego. Rafael finds Francesca's sweetness a turn-on. For about five minutes. Judgmental golden girls are more trouble than they're worth. Then a terrified girl with reality warping powers, locked and loaded on their destruction, whisks the pair to Manhattan. Francesca and Rafael are caught in a web of magic, minions, secrets, and enough sexual tension to power NYC. Desperate to prove themselves, their only chance to save the city and survive is to team up, trust each other–and maybe even fall in love.

Provided they don't kill each other first.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Te Da Media and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret that I love Tellulah Darling's books. So it should not surprise anyone that I adored Get Real.

Francesca was such a funny heroine. I loved her sense of duty. I was so sad for her because she was willing to give up her dreams to keep her family traditions alive, but in a way I also understood her and her reasons. I loved her relationship with her friends. I can't wait to read more about her in the next books and see how other characters perceive her.

Rafael....Oh my. He was cute. It was interesting to see things from his perspective too. It also helped me like him a lot, because I feel like I wouldn't have been too fond of him had the story been told only from Francesca's POV. This way I got to understand his reasons and I really felt bad for him.

What was interesting about this book was how the subject of sexual orientation was approached. It didn't give me the impression that it was something out of the norm and it wasn't taboo or something that needs to be kept a secret. Which was great and I really want to read more books like this. It was also refreshing to see how certain relationships are mended in a way, how sometimes we have the wrong idea about a person really close to us and how we can judge them harshly for something they didn't do. Lots of cold truths in there and I really enjoyed that.

At times the story moved a little too fast, but while a bit confusing, it also helped experiencing a little of what Rafael and Francesca were experiencing. I loved the phrases in other languages. It made the characters feel real in a way. It helped that I knew what the phrases meant, I know, but for me it made it real that these characters have a multicultural background.

I did not expect that ending. I really, really want to know what happens next.

Book Highlight - My Ex From Hell by Tellulah Darling

Title: My Ex From Hell
Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #1
Genre: Young Adult, mythological

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Bloom wishes she’d been taught the following:
a) Bad boy’s presence (TrOuBlE) + teen girl’s brain (DraMa) = TrAuMa (Highly unstable and very volatile.)
b) The Genus Greekulum Godissimus is notable for three traits: 1) awesome abilities, 2) grudges, and 3) hook-ups, break-ups, and in-fighting that puts cable to shame.

Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie figures her worst problems involve adolescent theatrics, bitchy teen yoga girls, and being on probation at her boarding school for mouthy behaviour. Then she meets bad boy Kai and gets the kiss that rocks her world.

Literally.

This breath stealing lip lock reawakens Sophie’s true identity: Persephone, Goddess of Spring. She’s key to saving humanity in the war between the Underworld and Olympus, target numero uno of Hades and Zeus, and totally screwed.

Plus there’s also the little issue that Sophie’s last memory as Persephone was just before someone tried to murder her.
Big picture: master her powers, get her memories back, defeat Persephone’s would be assassin, and save the world. Also, sneak into the Underworld to retrieve stolen property, battle the minions of Hades and Zeus, outwit psycho nymphs, slay a dragon, rescue a classmate, keep from getting her butt expelled from the one place designed to keep her safe …

… and stop kissing Kai, Prince of the Underworld.

My Ex From Hell is a YA romantic comedy, Greek mythology smackdown. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book one of this teen fantasy romance series. Compared to Kai and Sophie, Romeo and Juliet had it easy.

My Ex From Hell will be on sale for 99 cents from November 28th to December 12th!

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When the going gets desperate, the desperate send email 

          To: ????
          From: bloomingoddess@gmail.com
          Subject: Seriously?

          Dear Your Royal Imperialness Demeter, Goddess of Grain and Fertility, Preserver of Marriage, and Bringer of Seasons,
          Or can I just call you Mom?
          Bet you never thought you’d be hearing from me. Sorry for not having written sooner, but until about twelve hours ago, I didn’t know you existed. Nothing personal.
          See, yesterday, I was plain old Sophie Bloom. My life sucked in your typical 16-year-old ways. I was stuck here at Hope Park Progressive School on probation again (“mouthy behavior”), dealing with cliquish poseurs, rampant hormones, blah blah blah.
          Then I met a guy. I know that’s the worst cliché ever. But sadly, it’s true. And of course, me being me, he couldn’t be just any bad boy. No. He had to be Kai, son of Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Anyway, he was really hot and there was this bone-melting kiss and … whatever. The point is, before he showed up, I thought I was human. Afterward, well, let’s just say everything changed. Who knew when I was cramming Greek mythology for my English final, I was studying the family tree?
          They say when you die, your whole life supposedly flashes before your eyes. When Kai and I kissed, here’s what flashed before mine—Mount Olympus, Zeus, the Underworld, Hades, and you. But that wasn’t my life. Or was it?
          Here’s the Wiki version. (Do you have Wi-Fi on Mt. Olympus?) Turns out I’m Persephone. Me, Goddess of Spring and Embodiment of Earth’s Fertility? Ew! Which makes me your kid, Hades’ target, and totally screwed. In the myth version, I’m the innocent maiden, you’re the grieving mother, and we’re reunited with great joy. Guess that’s why they call it a myth.
          I know I sound like a nut bar. And maybe I’ll wake up in a padded room restrained for my own safety. But in that moment with Kai, it felt real. Like I knew who I was. Or used to be. Those were my memories flashing before my eyes—not some fantasy or hallucination. Part of me remembered those moments. But where do I go from here? And is there an online tutorial I can take?
          I don’t exactly have your email. But if you’re a goddess, maybe you’ll know I’m writing. That I really need my mom right now. And if not—well, I guess I’ll save this for my obituary. Which I’ll probably need pretty soon because of the gods-wanting-me-dead thing.

          Take care.
          Sophie
          a.k.a. Persephone
          a.k.a. Goddess of Spring
          a.k.a. Your Daughter

Tellulah Darling

noun

1. YA romantic comedy author because her first kiss sucked and she's compensating.
2. Alter ego of former screenwriter.
3. Sassy minx.
Geeks out over: cool tech.

Squees for: great storytelling.
Delights in: fabulous conversation.
Writes about: where love meets comedy. Awkwardness ensues.

Sassy girls. Swoony boys. What could go wrong?

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Early Book Review: My Life From Hell by Tellulah Darling

Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #3
Publisher: Te Da Media
Release Date: March 20th 2014
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

To say that Sophie Bloom is at the top of her game with one only week until spring equinox and the final showdown with Zeus and Hades would be, well, lying. The Goddess of Spring feels more like the Goddess of Bzz Thanks For Playing than the savior of humanity. And could her relationships be any more messed up?

Good times.

Sophie is convinced that things can’t get any worse than crawling back to her mother Demeter and begging for help. But she’s about to find out how very wrong she is.

It’s a race against time for Sophie to implement the big battle strategy in the YA romantic comedy/Greek mythology finale My Life From Hell. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book three of this teen fantasy romance series. Save herself; save the world. Humanity may be screwed.

It's always bittersweet to read the last installment of a series, especially when it's of a series that I loved as much as I loved The Blooming Goddess trilogy. I remember the first thing that struck me and that made me want to keep reading this series was the fact that it used mythology as a starting point, but it made it in such a great way that it didn't feel like a caricature, like something I couldn't believe in. Reading about Kai and Festos and all others, I really believed they were gods and that's something that to me seems a bit difficult.

Sophie grows a lot in this book. I think by the end of it we see her being a mature young woman, one that has accepted her past and her role and her obligations, as well as her needs. She's come to terms with what it means to be a goddess, but also with herself as a person. There was such a great scene towards the end where she accepts certain things about herself and it's like she becomes a better version of herself in an instant. It's one of my favorite scenes, even though it was a little bit sad.

I liked that there were a lot of questions from the previous books that got their answers. It was a great thing, seeing all the things I've wondered about get answers. There were also some aspects of the story I never even thought of, some interesting facts I never expected to get.

There were a lot of emotional scenes in this book, some of them downright painful and most of them were completely unexpected. I loved the ending and I thought it was the perfect way to end Sophie's story. I can't imagine a better way to say goodbye to her and to her friends *sniff*sniff*

Early Book Review: My Date From Hell by Tellulah Darling

Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #2
Publisher: Te Da Media
Release Date: October 31st 201
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: e-ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Sophie Bloom’s junior year has been a bit of a train wreck. After the world’s greatest kiss re-awakened Sophie’s true identity as Persephone (Goddess of Spring and Savior of Humanity), she fought her dragon-lady guidance counselor to the death, navigated mean girl Bethany’s bitchy troublemaking, and dealt with the betrayal of her backstabbing ex, Kai (sexy Prince of Darkness). You’d think a girl could catch a break.

Yeah, right.

With Zeus stepping things up, it’s vital that Sophie retrieve Persephone’s memories and discover the location of the ritual to stop Zeus and Hades. So when Aphrodite strikes a deal that can unlock Sophie’s pre-mortal past, what choice does the teen goddess have but to accept?

The mission: stop media mogul Hermes from turning Bethany into a global mega-celebrity. The catch? Aphrodite partners Sophie and Kai to work together … and treat this suicide mission as a date. Which could work out for Sophie’s plan to force Kai to admit his feelings for her–if she doesn’t kill him first.

Add to that the fact that BFF Theo’s love life and other BFF Hannah’s actual life are in Sophie’s hands, and suddenly being a teenager—even a godlike one—seems a bit like … well, hell. Whatever happened to dinner and a movie?

The YA romantic comedy/Greek mythology fireworks continue to fly in My Date From Hell. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book two of this teen fantasy romance series. Breaking up is easy; dating is deadly.

I've been sitting in front of my computer for twenty minutes, staring at the screen and trying to find a better way to start off this review, other than "OMG!!". See, I'm learning and/or trying! I get cookies for that, right?

You all know how much I loved My Ex From Hell. To say I was impatient to read what happened next is an understatement. I couldn't wait and I had really high expectations. I'm happy to say My Date From Hell does not disappoint.

Sophie is still the same funny, cool and slightly devious girl we met in the previous book. Only now she's a little more mature and more aware of what her responsibilities are or should be and what she needs to do in order to keep the people she loves safe. She has some insecurities, but those are more than normal, especially if you think about her being torn between her past as Persephone and her present as Sophie. She's also discovering things about herself in this book, things she didn't know she had before.

I also understood Kai more in this second book. There's a side of him that was hidden in the first book. He's still bad ass and he's still sexy and dangerous and funny as before, but he's also a little bit vulnerable and more mature than I thought he was at first. Also, there are things about his past that helped me understand him a lot better.

There are a few new characters, some good, some not so good. There's an addition to the group that I love and adore. He's a great, amazing guy and I hope to see more of him in the next book. Hannah is still as funny and smart as she was previously and Theo is still as loyal and he's still willing to sacrifice himself to protect Sophie.

There were so many funny moments in the book, I couldn't count them all. There was one that made me laugh so hard, I think I actually woke up a neighbor or two (sorry, neighbors!). There were also very serious, deep moments. And also some huge surprises that left me gasping.

Remember in the beginning when I said my first thought was to start this review with something other than "OMG"? Well, here's why: cliffhanger. Seriously, I have no... I'm speechless. Basically, I can't even express how I feel after that cliffhanger. I didn't even see it coming. I thought something else might happen but not THAT! I actually resisted the urge to scream, I was so surprised by it. And I have to wait until next year to see what happens next with these great characters. *pout*

If you haven't read My Ex From Hell, go ahead and read it before this book comes out at the end of this month. If you have read the first book, be prepared to love this one as well and to be very, very surprised.

#SassyGirlSwoonyGod Tourney: Challenge #1

Ruby = Mermaid

It's time for the first challenge in the Sassy Girl Swoony God tourney. You can watch the video or you can head out to Tellulah Darling's website and read all about it there.




Before we get to my answer to the challenge though, let me tell you more about My Ex From Hell, the first book in the The Blooming Goddess Trilogy.

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Bloom wishes she’d been taught the following:

a) Bad boy’s presence (TrOuBlE) + teen girl’s brain (DraMa) = TrAuMa (Highly unstable and very volatile.)
b) The Genus Greekulum Godissimus is notable for three traits: 1) awesome abilities, 2) grudges, and 3) hook-ups, break-ups, and in-fighting that puts cable to shame.

Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie figures her worst problems involve adolescent theatrics, bitchy teen yoga girls, and being on probation at her boarding school for mouthy behaviour. Then she meets bad boy Kai and gets the kiss that rocks her world.

Literally.

This breath stealing lip lock reawakens Sophie’s true identity: Persephone, Goddess of Spring. She’s key to saving humanity in the war between the Underworld and Olympus, target numero uno of Hades and Zeus, and totally screwed.

Plus there’s also the little issue that Sophie’s last memory as Persephone was just before someone tried to murder her.

Big picture: master her powers, get her memories back, defeat Persephone’s would be assassin, and save the world. Also, sneak into the Underworld to retrieve stolen property, battle the minions of Hades and Zeus, outwit psycho nymphs, slay a dragon, rescue a classmate, keep from getting her butt expelled from the one place designed to keep her safe …

… and stop kissing Kai, Prince of the Underworld.

My Ex From Hell is a YA romantic comedy/Greek mythology smackdown. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book one of this teen fantasy romance series. Compared to Kai and Sophie, Romeo and Juliet had it easy.

Now, in case you haven't yet read the book *narrows eyes* you should go ahead and do it. It's very, very good. And funny.

Now for the challenge.

Photo courtesy of  Wikipedia

I chose the Mahé Island from Seychelles. It looks like a great spot to go to, especially if a sexy, charming guy is with you *swoon*.

See you next week in the tourney, for the second challenge!

Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney

Have I ever mentioned how much I love books about ancient gods? Well, I do. And one of the amazing authors who write amazing stories about them is Tellulah Darling. Her second book in the Blooming Goddess Trilogy,  My Date From Hell, will arrive on October 31st.

To celebrate the upcoming release, Tellulah wants to have some fun, so Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney was born. There will be a number of challenges in the next weeks. A lot of great bloggers are participating and there will be some fun prizes too. To check out Tellulah's post on the Tourney, go here. I can't wait for the fun to start. By the way, if you're wondering, I'm leading Team Mermaid. Hey, a girl has to have her dreams right? :D

Early Book Review: My Ex From Hell by Tellulah Darling

Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #1
Publisher: Te Da Media
Release Date: April 1st 2013
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Source: NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Bloom wishes she’d been taught the following:

a) Bad boy’s presence (TrOuBlE) + teen girl’s brain (DraMa) = TrAuMa (Highly unstable and very volatile.)
b) The Genus Greekulum Godissimus is notable for three traits: 1) awesome abilities, 2) grudges, and 3) hook-ups, break-ups, and in-fighting that puts cable to shame.

Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie figures her worst problems involve adolescent theatrics, bitchy yoga girls, and being on probation at her boarding school for mouthy behaviour. Then she meets bad boy Kai and gets the kiss that rocks her world.

Literally.

This breath stealing lip lock reawakens Sophie’s true identity: Persephone, Goddess of Spring. She’s key to saving humanity in the war between the Underworld and Olympus, target numero uno of Hades and Zeus, and totally screwed.

Plus there’s also the little issue that Sophie’s last memory as Persephone was just before someone tried to murder her.

Big picture: master her powers, get her memories back, defeat Persephone’s would be assassin, and save the world. Also, sneak into the Underworld to retrieve stolen property, battle the minions of Hades and Zeus, outwit psycho nymphs, slay a dragon, rescue a classmate, keep from getting her butt expelled from the one place designed to keep her safe …

… and stop kissing Kai, Prince of the Underworld.

I read this book a few days ago and the first thing I did after I finished it was to pray to the gods of books and release dates to give me a time machine to travel in the future and get the second book in the series right away because I need it *sniffle*.

I think you all know by now how much I love mythology and Ancient gods and stories about them. So I needed to see what this book was about. Persephone and Hades and Zeus *swoons* I thought "this is a MUST READ book".

I'm very happy I read it. I laughed like a lunatic at some scenes and I stood on the edge of my bed at others. My Ex From Hell was a very funny read. I'd share some quotes with you, but they're funnier in the context of the scene. Just be ready to laugh.

Sophie was a very cool character. She was a little devious, but then if you think of who she was in her previous life, it makes perfect sense. She's also funny and she usually says something totally inappropriate in some scenes that require complete seriousness. I loved that about her.

I loved Kai, the Prince of the Underworld. Even though I'm kind of mad at him right now for...well, you'll see (*grin*), he is quite charming. And very mysterious. He's hiding something, something big I think. And even though I understand why (he explains it very well to Sophie when she keeps asking him), I still want to know.  But yes, he's as sexy and dangerous and lovable as you might think. And he's the Prince of the Underworld! That's like having the belt for Bad Boy Of The Entire Universe.

The book ends with a cliffhanger that is quite big and I think it's safe for me to say that once you finish reading the book, you'll be left biting your nails and impatiently waiting for book 2, My Date From Hell.

So. If you love Ancient mythology and YA mark your calendars on April 1st, when this book is released and read it!