***The Starry-Eyed Revue***: lisa desrochers

Title: A Little Too Far
Author: Lisa Desrochers
Series: A Little Too Far #1
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: September 17th, 2013
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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..

A Little Too Far was just okay for me. I knew this was New Adult going into it. I’ve heard some good things, and since this was picked up by a publisher, I figured I’d give it a try. I’m always wary though, because that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be good these days.

Lexie and her step brother Trent are really close. He’s been her best friend for years, and though they’ve been brought up as brother and sister most their lives, there has always been an underlying sexual tension between them. Lexie is having a bad day, she’s on the rebound and happens to run into her scummy ex. This leads to confiding and crying on

Trent’s shoulder over the worthless douche. What happens next? Boinking obviously!!

This is okay, they are not blood related, but it’s awkward. They are both confused about how to handle it all. They decide to sweep it under the rug for now, since college is about to start back up.

Lexie is going for a year abroad in Rome. This was my favorite thing. I loved the descriptions of the art and museums. After confessing to her sins at a nearby catholic church, she starts working with Deacon Moretti to educate local children. Deacon Moretti is a hottie and his name is Alessandro. If that doesn’t spell do me, I don’t know what does. lol Things get a little sticky from here.

The things I liked about A Little Too Far, was that it isn’t all sex. There are other things going on. She’s schooling in Rome because of the art, and that’s a decent part of the story. Both Alissandro and Trent are nice guys! Imagine that.

I would like to say there is a bit of a love triangle but honestly it’s no contest. You know straight away where her true feelings are. She knows too, but she chooses to ignore what is so obviously in front of her. I was not a fan of the games she played.

Also, all the religious stuff. I’m not religious at all so I find it hard to connect with characters who are. That’s just me. There was nothing preachy about this book though, so have no fear.

I think I may read the next one, just because I’m curious about the character it follows.

About the author:

Lisa Desrochers is the USA Today bestselling author of A LITTLE TOO FAR , courtesy of HarperCollins, and companions, A LITTLE TOO MUCH (Nov 12, 2013), and A LITTLE TOO HOT (Jan 21, 2014). Also in stores is her YA PERSONAL DEMONS trilogy (Macmillan).

She 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.

Find Lisa:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Labels: A little Too Far, harper-collins, lisa desrochers, new adult, reviews

Awhile on the Pile/From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday but was also inspired by Rachel at My Reading Pile/Fiktshun. The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review -- or any book that you own and really want to read/review -- but haven't yet got around to reading in order to give the book some extra publicity.

Here's the book I chose to give some extra love this week:

Title: Last Rite
Author: Lisa Desrochers
Series: Personal Demons, book 3
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: May 8, 2012
Source: traded ARCs with fellow blogger, also won a signed copy from the author

In this final installment of the thrilling, edgy Personal Demons series, the battle between Heaven and Hell has become critical, and Frannie Cavanaugh is right at the center of it.

With the help of the powerful angel Gabe and demon-turned-mortal Luc, Frannie has been able to stay one step ahead of the forces of Hell. But when the demons killed Frannie's best friend and destroyed her brother, they raised the stakes. If Frannie wants to keep her family and friends safe, she knows she has no choice but to go on the run.

Their best defense is the power Frannie has been struggling to master, but her attempts to hone her skill go horribly awry. If Frannie doesn't learn fast, the consequences could be devastating--even apocalyptic.

What happens when you can't outrun Hell...or trust the ones you love?

I was dying to get my hands on this book before it was released, and then I did and here it is two months after the release and I still haven't had the time to read it. *sigh* Review books come in spurts for me. Seems like it's either all or nothing, though, with physical ARCs. And that's when I find myself spending way too much time perusing Netgalley's offerings. :P Anyway, that's why this one has been left collecting dust...it's definitely not for lack of trying to get to it.

I promised myself in May that June would be the month I caught up on all the books I wanted to read for me, but then June came and went and I'm still trying to catch up on review books, all the while stock-piling more and more books for my personal, when-I-have-time-for-them stash. It's a never-ending battle.

I did manage to completely reorganize and alphabetize my bookshelves while I had some time off, so that counts for something, right? I mean, I even took the time to label them with color-coded stickers distinguishing those that hadn't been read and in what order they needed to be read. Call me crazy, but I'm well on my way to that library I've always dreamed of. :D