Thursday, May 30, 2013

Blog Tour: Geoducks Are For Lovers by Daisy Prescott {Review + Excerpt + Giveaway}


Welcome to our stop on the Geoducks Tour hosted by Tasty Book Tours! Be sure to follow the rest of the stops on the tour by clicking the banner above and don't forget to enter the Kindle eReader giveaway at the bottom! 


Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: May 15th 2013
Pages: 274
Format: Kindle purchased from Amazon




Food writer Maggie Marrion is just getting back on her feet after a horrible year, or two, or three. With their twentieth reunion approaching, she invites four of her closest friends from college for a weekend at her beach cabin. What she doesn’t expect is her best friends, artist Quinn Dayton and part-time erotica novelist, Selah Elmore, to play matchmaker. The two plot a surprise that will make the weekend, and her life, a lot more interesting. Gil Morrow, former grunge musician turned history professor, joins them as Selah’s date for the weekend. After coming face to face with the one who got away, he decides he's waited long enough to get the girl. With the support of old friends, a few wishing rocks, the world’s largest burrowing clam, and a hot lumberjack thrown into the mix, Gil reminds Maggie that forty-something isn’t too old for second chances. Can we learn to love the life we have and let go of who we expected to be? What happens when the generation from The Breakfast Club and Reality Bites meets The Big Chill? Come spend a weekend with these Generation X-ers as they share laughter, tears, life’s ups and downs, old stories, and new beginnings. 


My Take:
Ok So you may be asking yourself "Hootie, What the hell is a Geoduck?" In layman's terms, it's a Dick Clam. (See Illustration)


Via Wikipedia it's a large saltwater clam that looks incredibly phallic and suspect. How this strange Bi-Valve creature fits into the book is pretty hilarious with it being their school mascot! Yes the school actually exists and YES someone really does dress up as a giant glittery penis looking thing and dances!

 

This book was sweet, romantic and fun with Maggie and her college friends reuniting after not seeing each other for several years. Maggie has spent the last several years after her mothers death alone on Whidbey Island in Washington where she works as a food blogger. She learns that her old flame Gil will be spending the weekend with at her place also. After hooking up with Gil once in college she freaked the hell out and ran to France for her semester abroad leaving him heartbroken. He was determined to wait for her to come back to tell her how he felt but she came back engaged to Frenchie and ended Gil's chance. After twenty years and both of their marriages ending in divorce they have a chance to be together.

I was really excited about this book mainly because it's fun to say Geoduck. I enjoyed the romance between Gil and Maggie due to the fact that I love sweetheart stories. These two being college friends turned lovers who eventually grew apart and were thrust back together again was a nerve wracking experience. The tension between them had me frustrated and excited to see what would happen. Maggie's character aggravated me a little throughout the book the way she would yo-yo with her feelings towards Gil. It seemed one moment she was flirty and into him then she would pull back. I understood why she was scared and ran when she was younger, not wanting to hurt her friendship but with her being older I expected a little more maturity on her part. It irked me that she went back and forth all the way until the end which I honestly felt was off putting in general. I would have liked a little more time to see her settled with Gil than what was given.

Gil was my favorite part of the book. He was absolutely amazing! His adoration of Maggie from college until present was very apparent in the memories that the friends share and remember, not only between the group but between Maggie and Gil as well. It broke my heart for him to lose her all those years ago even though the story only gives you brief glimpses of their past. I think the author did a wonderful job of illustrating their chemistry for each other throughout the years and I loved how well written Gil's character was. He knew he wanted Maggie back and that they had wasted enough time apart and fought to make her see the light. He was charming, sexy, fun, and mainly a gentleman. He was the kind of character you stand behind and root for until the very end!

Maggie's group of friends were highly entertaining and fun throughout the entire story. Between a naughty Scrabble game and drinking and joking the story between them all felt like reading about my own group of friends and the fuckery that ensues when we get together. The author captured the authenticity of the characters that made up this crazy group of friends and makes the reader feel like they are a part of the story and I loved that. One of the main things I could have used more of was the whole Geoduck thing. Aside from a few quips here and there, you really didn't get much Dick Clam action. I thought maybe the characters would dig for them or at least try and eat them but that wasn't the case sadly. Overall though, Geoducks was a quick, fun and romantic read I would recommend to anyone who likes a good love story with characters that you wish were real.


Quotes:
“Some of us aren’t meant to be lobsters, Maggie. Lots of fishes and lots of seas, but you need to have your hook in the water to fish,” Loc. 928

“Ugh, can we not go down the ‘We’re so old do you remember blah blah’ road? It’s bad enough we all even remember what records are,” Loc. 1343

“What happened last night wasn’t a one-off thing for me. This weekend has been more than I could’ve hoped for. You need to know this. This wasn’t about sex for me. Not after all this time. Not now, not twenty-two years ago.” Loc. 3177


Excerpt:

“We’ll see how the night goes.”
“Is that a challenge, Maggie May?” Gil leans forward and catches her eye, then puts his hand on her leg above her knee, and squeezes.
The heat of his hand warms her and her muscles clench.
“Maybe.” 
Gil licks the corner of his mouth. “Good to know.” Leaning back, he keeps his hand on her thigh.
Mentally, Maggie fans herself. The fire in front of her isn’t the only one she’s playing with tonight. 
Quinn and Ryan eventually make their way out to join the group on the beach, carrying the s’mores supplies along with metal skewers from the kitchen.

“I can’t believe I’m offering this after the meat feast, but who wants dessert?” Ryan gestures the platter of goodies.
“I’ll never turn down chocolate or Nutella.” Selah gets up to grab a skewer and marshmallow.
“I need to taste Maggie’s Nutella s’more,” Gil says, squeezing her leg. “Mind making me one?”
“If I can stand, sure.” She pushes off the sand, using Gil’s leg to prop herself up.
“Charred or not charred?” She waves a marshmallow in front of Gil.

“Charred, of course.” He grins.
“Heathen,” she teases and sticks the marshmallow directly into the flames. Pulling the flaming ball of goo out of the fire, she blows on it before handing the skewer to Gil. ‘Hold this, and no eating it.”
  Carefully grabbing a graham crack, she smears on a dollop of Nutella, and then places the charred marshmallow on top before adding another cracker.
She licks a big dollop of Nutella off the side, getting some of the warm chocolate on the corner of her mouth. 
“Here.” She hands him the sticky mess, noticing that Gil shifts his legs and squirms. 
“You missed a spot.” He gestures to her lips before biting the s’more.

Maggie licks her lips, trying to get off the Nutella. She glances at Gil, who closes his eyes and moans.
“Good?” 
“Mmmm…. Hhmmmm… mmmmm” is all that comes out of him. Still with his eyes closed he reaches up to swipe off the Nutella from chin with his thumb. It’s Maggie’s turn to quietly moan as she watches him lick his thumb.
“Food porn as foreplay?” Quinn asks as he sticks his own marshmallow into the flames next to Maggie.
“What?” She asks, completely unaware of where she is.
“You have it so bad.” Selah chimes in from behind her. “Move out of the way or toast another marshmallow.” She bumps Maggie with her hip.

“More,” Gil says, opening one eye as he pops the last of the s’more into his mouth. 
“Best s’more ever?” Maggie asks, grabbing another marshmallow.
“Best ever.” Gil winks. “More.”
“Greedy.” She chars another marshmallow.
The rest of the gang is likewise toasting and moaning over their creations. 
“Where was this when I used to smoke pot?” Quinn asks.
“I’m grateful Nutella wasn’t around in college. I’d be as big as a house,” Jo says, eating a perfectly toasted but not charred marshmallow.
Maggie hands Gil another s’more, which he snatches from her like a starving man.

“You okay there, big guy? Can I make one for myself now?”
Gil gives her a stink eye but nods his head, his mouth too full to respond verbally.
Maggie sits back down next to Gil with her own s’more. She takes a bite, closes her eyes and moans. She can’t help herself.
When she opens her eyes, she catches Gil licking the s’more right before biting it.
“What the hell?” She tries to save her s’more from his greedy mouth, but he is too quick.
“It was dripping and going to land on your shirt. I was trying to be a gentleman and protect your clothing.” 
Maggie stares at him.
“Not buying it?”

“No.” She licks her lips where the melted marshmallow makes them sticky. She watches Gil staring at her lips.
“Can I help you with that?” He offers, his eyes flicking to her mouth, then back up to her eyes.
“I think I’ve got it.”
“I’m not sure about that.” He reaches out his index finger, swipes under her bottom lip, and shows her the chocolate. 




Giveaway:
Enter for a chance to win a Kindle eReader!



About The Author:
Before writing full time, Daisy Prescott worked in the world of art, auctions, antiques, and home decor. She earned her degree in Art History and endured a brief stint as a film theory graduate student. Baker, art educator, antiques dealer, blue ribbon pie maker, blogger, content wrangler, freelance writer, fangirl, gardener, wife, and pet mom are a few of the other titles she’s acquired over the years. Born and raised in San Diego, Daisy and her husband (aka SO) currently live in a real life Stars Hollow in the Boston suburbs with their dog, Hubbell, and an imaginary house goat. Geoducks Are for Lovers is her debut novel. She is busy researching her second novel.

Links:

13 comments:

  1. on my TBR list, can't wait to get to it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ps. am still besties with some of my old college friends...7 years later!

      Delete
  2. Great Review Globug and Hootie! Thank you so much for hosting today!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I thought you were doing this tour with us. Anywho...I really liked the quotes. I bought this while it was free. I'll get to it at some point. Nice review. GEODUCKS HOLLA

    ReplyDelete
  4. Apologies for not enough "Dick Clam action". <<< Totally stealing that.

    You made me laugh and made my day.

    Thanks for reading and the review!

    x

    Daisy

    ReplyDelete
  5. All the time, we're actually planning a summer camping trip as we speak!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hangout with my college friends all the time. WE live close by, so that convenient, and I've always though Geoducks looked like penises, too! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love the quotes and excerpt! I'm excited to read this. Glad you liked it. Geoducks, FTW!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm still in college and do keep in touch with them :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I dont get to spend as much time with my old college friends as they live far away, but thanks to FB, we still keep in touch.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AHAHAH...I love this post...and thank you for the Geoduck illustration and lesson! =)

    and i married my college best friend. =) so i hang out with him a LOT

    ReplyDelete
  11. No, but thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I had no idea what GeoDucks are! This sounds like an interesting book... I have a lot of change in my life now and something like this could be just the reading escape I need :D have liked on FB and followed on twitter now about to enter the give away x

    ReplyDelete

We love getting your comments so lay it on us! Thanks for stopping by!