[Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway] Mia and the Bad Boy by Lisa Burstein

(Check out the rest of the tour stops HERE!)

Title: Mia and the Bad Boy (Backstage Pass #2)
Author: Lisa Burstein
Publisher: Entangled: Crush
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Goodreads
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This good girl’s about to meet her match…

Ryder Brooks is living the dream—he’s famous, loved by millions of girls, and miserable. All he really wants is to write his own music, not Seconds to Juliet’s sugary sweet pop. In order to do that, though, the “bad boy” of the band will have to play by the rules. And that includes behaving with his new—and super cute—über-good-girl tutor.

Mia Reyes is in fangirl heaven. Tutoring her favorite member of her favorite band? It’s a dream come true…until it turns into a complete nightmare. Ryder is nothing like she thought. He’s crude, arrogant, and pretty much a total jerk. And the worst part? She’s roped into pretending to be his girlfriend so that no one finds out he’s being tutored. Fake kisses, plenty of PDA, and even sharing his hotel room…

But sometimes even the baddest of bad boys needs a little redemption.

THOUGHTS:

A bad boy - every band has one. There's that one member brooding in the background of all the videos, and that one member that makes your breath catch whenever he stares straight at you. (Well, he's actually looking at the camera, but you get my drift!) He may or may not be covered in tattoos, but one thing is for sure - he is shrouded in mystery, and every single detail you find about him, you devour. He doesn't even have to be your favorite, you just want to know more about him!

After reading Mia and the Bad Boy's blurb, I knew deep in my heart (whoops who's getting a wee bit dramatic here) that I had to have this book... because I have to find out just who on earth Ryder is. I just have to know who he is beneath that bad boy persona, and I really wanted to see how his story would unfold. It's always interesting to get a behind the scenes look at how famous people act without the cameras shoved in front of their faces, and just who are the people responsible for their very fame.

Also... isn't its premise the cutest thing ever!? Come on - just imagine getting the chance to tutor your favorite member of your favorite band. I would have erupted in squeals... and I would have probably made him fail even more at that subject he's already failing...

And other than that.. a fake relationship. A FAKE RELATIONSHIP. 

MY FAVORITE TROPE OF ALL TIME.

But I digress.

From the first few chapters, we find out straight away that Ryder is not so different from the rest of us. He has big secrets that he's desperate to keep, and he's unable to do that one thing he really loves - he just wants to perform his own music, but he can't really do that when the music that made him a household name is so different from his own. He wants to go to college to learn more about music and writing, and to do that, he needs to graduate high school first. Mia is hired to help him, and the two slowly learn that things are never as simple as they seem...

I liked how the romance between Mia and Ryder player out. It was properly built up but not too drawn out, and the serious conversations and the flirty banter balanced each other out. The dual POVs helped flesh out the development of both Mia and Ryder, as well as how their relationship progressed. We learn so much more about their dreams about the future, and at the same time, we learn about their fears that have stemmed from expectations. Both Mia and Ryder are relateable characters that I had no problem connecting to.

While Mia and the Bad Boy works as a stand alone, I think it would be best that you read the first book in the series. I hadn't had the chance to do so, and as a result, I felt that I was missing out on a few things here and there. There were times wherein something that happened in the first book was touched upon, and while I did understand the general gist of what occurred, I still think that nothing beats actually reading something as it actually transpires. Nothing that vital, let me hasten to add, but ultimately, I feel like reading the previous book would have had me enjoy Mia and the Bad Boy more.

All in all, If you're looking for a cute, fun read with a little drama (AND ONE HOT ROCK STAR), Mia and the Bad Boy is the book for you. It's the perfect book to read after that difficult exam, or even after that long, hard day at work. I had no problem breezing throught it in one sitting, and I can't wait for the rest of this addicting series! 

Rating: 3.5 Stars

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[Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway] A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

ACOTAR is one of the best YA fantasy books of 2015. Yeah, no, I don't care that it's only May and I rationally shouldn't be make such a bold statement. Please just believe me when I say that it's an amazing book, because it's THAT AWESOME. So... I bet you can just imagine my excitement in being able to say that I have Sarah J. Maas on the blog today. (!!!) Yes guys, I was able to interview SARAH J. MAAS. I'M STILL FREAKING OUT (Thank you to Louisse of Throne of Glass PH for this opportunity!)

Okay, enough of me blabbering - check out the interview and the giveaway below!

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Goodreads

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

INTERVIEW:

1.) Please describe ACOTAR in 5 words.

Romantic. Dark. Sexy. Brutal. Lush.

2.) Let's say you got shipwrecked in an island, and you get to pick one ACOTAR character to save you. Who will you pick, and why?

Rhysand. One, because he’s yummy, and two, because his power allows him to jump between places. So, he’d literally be able to take me anywhere I wished.

3.) If you were given the chance to collaborate with an author, who would she/he be and why? Also, what series would consider doing a crossover with, if possible (TV series, movies, books, etc.)

My best friend and fellow YA author, Susan Dennard. She and I have already co-written a bunch of stuff, including The Starkillers Cycle, which is a free serialized space opera on tumblr: http://thestarkillerscycle.tumblr.com

As for crossover series…. I’d love to do an Alien franchise crossover. I’m obsessed with those films (my phone case is a meditating xenomorph). Celaena hunting xenomorphs would be the definition of Epic.

4.) If you were to belong is a faerie court, which one would you be in and why?

So hard to answer that question without spoiling future books, since we get to see some of those courts (and the secrets they contain)!

5.) Hi Sarah, Rhys here. Lyra is forcing me to ask... Maybe you could give the readers a hint of what's in store for me in the coming books....?

Many things. Awesome things. Terrible things. But you’re going to start off by calling in that bargain you made. And you’re going to have to fight to keep all your secrets hidden once you do.

6.) Last, but not the least, if you had the chance to cook for someone you don't personally know and invite him/her over dinner, who would that person be, and why?

I love this question! Cooking for someone is so different than going out for dinner, isn’t it? So much more intimate and personal! So, honestly…. Sharon Hinn. She’s perhaps my favorite fantasy author (up there with Megan Whalen Turner, Anne Bishop, and Patricia A. McKillip), and I’d just love to get to tell her how much of an impact her books have had on me, and how much inspiration they’ve given me as a fellow writer of romantic fantasy. I’d also want to learn about how she creates such intricate, unique worlds, compelling and real characters, and how she basically just…does everything. I wish more people knew about her work, because she is second to none.

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