Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Blog Tour: A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers {Review + Giveaway}



Genre: New Adult Romance
Publication Date: September 17th 2013
Publisher: Harper Collins
Series: A Little Too Far #1
Format: Mobi/Kindle
Source: Provided by publisher for tour
Rating: 5 Stars



Have you ever gone just a little too far? Lexie Banks has. Yep. She just had mind-blowing sex with her stepbrother. In her defense, she was on the rebound, and it’s more of a my-dad-happened-to-marry-a-woman-with-a-super-hot-son situation. But still, he’s been her best friend and confidant for the better part of the last few years … and is so off limits. It’s a good thing she’s leaving in two days for a year abroad in Rome. But even thousands of miles away, Lexie can’t seem to escape trouble. Raised Catholic, she goes to confession in hopes of alleviating some of her guilt … and maybe not burning in hell. Instead, she stumbles out of the confessional and right into Alessandro Moretti, a young and very easy-on-the-eyes deacon … only eight months away from becoming a priest. Lexie and Alessandro grow closer, and when Alessandro’s signals start changing despite his vow of celibacy, she doesn’t know what to think. She’s torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn’t want and the man she can’t have. And she isn’t sure how she can live with herself either way.



My Take:

First of all THIS:


A Little Too Far was one of my MOST ANTICIPATED books of the year. After reading an excerpt I knew in my gut this book would be amazing. I was right. Easily my favorite book of the year A Little Too Far was filled with angst, love, lust, hot sex and deeply heartfelt romance. 

So Lexie just had hot rebound sex with her brother. Sounds creepy? yeah, to some this might wig you out a little but to me the way it was handled was believable and realistic. I understood where Lexie was at in her relationship with Trent. I had an almost step brother at one time who I had a huge crush on. Nothing happened thank God because years later he became a gnarled up deranged meth head. Anyway, Thankfully though Trent was not only an amazing friend he was her rock. The one person she felt she could always talk to no matter what. You can't predict where love will find you or the circumstances surrounding it. The relationship between Lexie and Trent was always a strong connection. From their first meeting there was something there that neither was ready to admit. Everything changes for them after they have sex and when Lexie leaves for Italy she has to sort through her feelings.

Growing up in the Catholic church I could understand everything Lexie was going through. It seems like me everything in the eyes of the Catholic church is considered a sin so poor Lexie beats herself up relentlessly over what she did. She feels guilty for sleeping with Trent even though she didn't feel like it was wrong in her heart. Her main issue is their parents and how it will affect them all not to mention her friendship with Trent may be ruined. The guilt and shame she feels drives her to avoid Trent and the awkwardness they find themselves in. I hated how tormented she was daily by her feelings. I felt everything right along with her and wanted so desperately for them to clear the air between them as quickly as possible. It was crystal clear to the reader that they both felt the same way and wanted to be with each other. One thing I loved about Lexie's character was that she didn't just blurt out how she felt. She really took the time to sort out everything she's ever felt for Trent since they first met. Instead of rushing into something she got to know herself and what she wanted for her life and where she saw herself down the line. I loved how the author showed two sides to Lexie. She wasn't just a one dimensional character. Her faith and beliefs often times warred against her human nature for dominance as she struggled to figure everything out. That push and pull within her was what made me like her even more. During her stay in Italy for school she meets aspiring priest Alessandro Moretti. 

This is the reason I was salivating for a copy of this book. A hot priest with a sexy accent and a passion for God? Why is that so sexy you might ask yourself? I'm not sure about you but for me the allure of Alessandro was the fact that he was young, attractive and human. Most men who enter the priesthood never know what it's like to be with a woman so the temptation isn't as strong. With Alessandro though there was just something about him that screamed SEX to me. The temptation that Lexie brought to the table for him made my mouth water. There is something wickedly sexy about being able to tempt a man away from God however wrong that may be. After reading this book I can totally understand the whole Adam and Eve scenario. Lexie was the apple of temptation for Alessandro and I loved the underlying tension between them that was totally palpable on every page. At any moment it felt like their chemistry would combust and ignite into a blind, passion filled fuck fest. Or at least that was my hope.

 Alessandro was a very down to earth and charming character and I fell instantly in love with him. He ends up showing Lexie all the beautiful art pieces she's dreamed of seeing while there and the two share some really simple and sweet moments together. I really enjoyed getting to know his character a little bit and the struggles he's faced that lead him to the priesthood. Throughout her stay in Italy Alessandro befriends her and for the most part does his level best to fight his attraction to her and just be a friend. He listens to her and helps her flesh out her feelings for Trent. I have never been one to enjoy any form of love triangle but I found myself rooting for both guys in this book. I loved Alessandro and could see he had potential to be an amazing partner in life just by getting to know his character the more time he spent with her. He was another deep character with so much potential I honestly wouldn't mind an entire book solely about his life and where he's headed.

While I loved the sizzling temptation of the Priest I have to say my favorite thing about this book was Trent. I love a man who is passionate, tender and just off the charts sexy. Trent was one of the best things about A Little Too Far for me. I loved his relationship with Lexie, how he was always there for her when she needed it, his passion for music and mostly his overall vulnerability once he was finally able to have what he wanted with Lexie and realized his feeling for her were stronger than just family ties. I loved that Lexie brought out a side in him he didn't show anyone else. She helped him follow his heart and passion for music even if it would disappoint her dad, who wanted him to be a star athlete. I really hated that he started dating Lexie's friend Sam. I was nervous the entire time because Sam was a very strong willed woman who went after what she wanted. While I liked Sam's character I didn't like how forceful she was about telling Lexie all the details of their relationship. Granted she didn't know how Lexie felt it was just one of those layers of angst that made this book that much more amazing for me.

 Trent doesn't get as much attention throughout even though Lexie talks to him occasionally so you never know exactly what will happened between them until everything builds up to a turning point close to the end. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time hoping it would end the way I wanted it to. Watching Lexie work through her feelings all while knowing she might lose Trent to her best friend but at the same time feeling something for Alessandro was an amazing whirlwind that kept me wrapped up in the story until I was finished. This is definitely a book you won't be able to put down. I didn't want it to ever end, I wanted it to keep going. To say I loved this book is completely inaccurate. I ADORED this book, I want to be INSIDE this book! It not only met my expectations it far exceeded them. The characters were relatable and honest, the scenery was beautifully descriptive and the writing transported me to every location right along with the main character and had me feeling every single emotion as well. I'm usually not a first person, one POV type of reader but I was so lost in this world I didn't even care. I will say that while there were several religious references and undertones this book in no way had an underlying message or tried to push religion on you. This was my first experience with this author but it won't be my last by far because I am looking forward to A Little Too Much just as much as I was for this one. Final thoughts on a Little Too Far.... AMAZE-BALLS! GO READ IT!!!



Quotes:
Never during any of it, even once we're both naked on my bed, does any part of me feel like we shouldn't be doing this. All of a sudden, he isn't my stepbrother. He's everything I've ever needed. ARC 9%

God, why can't I breathe? Because he's an attractive man. A very attractive man. It's normal to feel attracted to an attractive man, white collar or not, right? ...Even though half the time I want to wring that collar right off his neck. Which is something else I'm sure I need to add to my list for confession -- both the wanting to wring his white collared neck part, and the lusting after his bones part. I am so burning in hell. ARC 41%

Our tongues swirl together in an attempt to somehow blend into one. My pulse pounds through my body so hard that I vibrate with it. After long enough that my lips are swollen, he nips at my lower lip and looks at me with feral eyes, like a starving animal. "If you'll have me, I want nothing more than to be your lover." ARC 83%


{Click the banner to follow the tour}

Giveaway:

Lisa is hosting a tour wide giveaway - Prizes include an iPod Mini, pendant, tote bags, temporary tattoos, and annotated chapters of ALTF



a Rafflecopter giveaway




About The Author:
Lisa Desrochers lives in central California with her husband and two very busy daughters. There is never a time that she can be found without a book in her hand, and she adores stories that take her to new places, and then take her by surprise. Look for her New Adult novel, A LITTLE TOO FAR , courtesy of HarperCollins Sept 2013, and the first companion, A LITTLE TOO MUCH , in Nov 2013. Also in stores is her YA PERSONAL DEMONS trilogy (Macmillan).

Links:

7 comments:

  1. Anxious to read this book after hearing about all the great reviews! Sounds like a great read!

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  2. I am so getting this book soon. I need to know what all those hot priest sex tweets were about. lol.

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  3. This is one of your best reviews yet! You truly did the book so much more justice than I did. Love it.

    !!!!!OMG TRENT!!!!!

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  4. Frack! Sex with the step-brother! The scandal! The taboo! OMG I want to read this for that alone!

    I totally get your priest crush, I'm catholic too and I have a few friends who went to priesthood and I have to admit I can't help but crush on some of them. BUt that's a conversation for a different time.

    I can see how much you love this, the cover is less than stellar but I can tell the content is very meaty... in more ways than one.

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  5. I love when you add your personal experience to your reviews like you did with this one! This book is so intriguing, but since I'm not religious at all, I'm afraid I'll get annoyed with the priest character even if he is sexy... But I guess I'll see!

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  6. Wow! High praise. I have it and I'm excited to get to it even more now.

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  7. I skimmed, because I know I HAVE to read this book.

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