~BLOG TOUR~ REVIEW: How to Seduce a Band Geek by Cassie Mae

Synopsis

Sierra Livingston’s got it bad for her sister’s best friend, Levi Mason—the boy who carries his drumsticks in his pocket, marches with the school’s band, and taps his feet to whatever beat runs through his head. Sierra racks her brain for ways to impress the sexy drummer, but the short skirts and bursting cleavage don’t seem to cut it.

When Sierra gets paired with Levi’s sister, Brea, for a mentorship program, they strike a deal. In exchange for Sierra keeping her mouth shut about Brea ditching the program, Brea lets Sierra dig for more info on Levi to help get the guy of her dreams.

But when Sierra discovers Levi no longer plays the drums, his family has moved into a trailer, and he’s traded in his Range Rover for a baby blue moped, Sierra’s not sure if she can go through with violating his privacy. She’ll have to find the courage to ask him straight out—if he’s willing to let her in—and explore other ways to seduce the school’s band geek.

ADD TO GOODREADS

BUY: AMAZON ~ KOBO

~MY REVIEW~ 
**ARC provided by author for blog tour.**

The Plot

In How to Date a Nerd we meet Zoe Livingston and were introduced to her sister Sierra. How to Seduce a Band Geek is Sierra’s story.

Just like Zoe, Sierra has always wanted to fit in with her peers. After crashing her sisters car into a tree to prevent her boyfriend from seducing her she becomes the pariah at her school. Day to day is a constant hell as her classmates belittle her because of her choice. As time passes she tries to get through it by trying to be invisible. The only friend she has is a guy that is like a brother and a girl that turns out to be the worst possible friend ever.

As she tries to accept her predicament and get the attention of her sister’s best friend, Levi, Sierra must also deal with the constant hurdles high school throws at you. Until the boy she has had a crush on turns out to be her saving grace. That is when Sierra truly learns what it is to love someone wholeheartedly. To the point where you want to take care of them.

The Characters

Sierra is so much different from Zoe but also the same in their compassion. Zoe was finally able to be herself with her “nerd” and what Sierra finds is that she is able to open herself up to a “band geek”. Both girls find themselves with people they never imagined. In How to Date a Nerd I was angry with Sierra and thought she was a selfish girl. In How to Seduce a Band Geek we see her so differently. She has grown up but still lives with the repercussions of her actions in HtDaN. What I do like is that she learns to let go of that uptight stuck-up girl attitude and just be herself. I found that those were the parts I loved most about her. She was sweet and cared about all the people around her. Even the ones that didn’t deserve it.

Levi was pretty cool too. He had so much going on for someone his age which made me adore him. Zak was wonderful but Levi was so as wonderful, if not more. He was sweet, protective, caring and most of all he was confident of himself. He had to deal with losing everything he had and taking on a lot of responsibility but did so without complaining. He worried about his loved ones more than about himself. I was so sad to see him struggle to take care of everyone and wanted someone to finally take care of him. Which is what Sierra tries to do. I didn’t enjoy him pushing away Sierra when she wanted to help but was glad that he realized she was his beacon of light.

The Romance

If there is something I never complain about with Cassie’s books it’s the romance. She takes a pure and sweet approach to the romance between her characters. So much so that the story has you feeling the excitement of your first love over and over again. The romance between Sierra and Levi isn't any different. It was sweet and pure but also heart wrenching and marred with sadness. I loved how they both found their “home” in each other and wanted nothing more but to be able to love without consequences. I loved their determination to take care of each other and those they loved.

The Wrap-up

So although I enjoyed HtDaN I have to say that I really enjoyed this one a bit more. I loved Sierra and Levi’s characters as well as being able to reconnect with Zoe and Zak. Cassie Mae does an AWESOMESAUCE job with sweet and lovely romances. I cannot wait for the next book in this series to release!

 
HAPPY READING!

~About the Author~

Amazon multi-category and international bestselling author of HOW TO DATE A NERD, HOW TO SEDUCE A BAND GEEK and HOW TO HOOK A BOOKWORM

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. Her angel children and perfect husband fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

Cassie Mae is an Amazon.com bestselling author of the teen contemporary romance novel REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND, which she self-published. In addition to publishing with Swoon Romance, she is published by Random House Flirt.

Author Links: Blog ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest

~GIVEAWAY~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

~REVIEW~ King Sized Beds and Happy Trails by Cassie Mae and Theresa Paolo

Synopsis

Book One in the Beds Series

Written by authors Cassie Mae and Theresa Paolo under the pen names Becca Ann and Tessa Marie

Lexie Boggs needs out of her house… away from her alcoholic mother and far away from the “white trash” label that’s been smacked across her chest. She’s saved every penny from her multiple jobs so she can dart out of there as soon as she graduates. But there's something else she wants so badly she's willing to spend every dime she has. Her senior class trip and the chance to seduce the senior hottie, Sean Dixon.

Ryan Parker knows how much college means to his best friend, Lexie. He also knows Sean is a player on a search for how many girls he can get in his bed. So instead of letting Lexie drain out her piggy bank, he forks out the dough to get her on the senior ski trip. Not only because she’s his best friend, but because he’s face-planted in love with her.

When Ryan and Lexie get jammed in the same cabin, with one king-sized bed and a whole lot of history, Ryan fights to keep his feelings hidden, while Lexie discovers some of hers.

ADD TO GOODREADS

~MY REVIEW~

Do you know how hard it was to rate this book? Extra hard. The reason being that Cassie has written some awesomesauce books. I’ve enjoyed the others I’ve read and when I picked this one up I didn’t have a doubt in my mind I would enjoy it. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

The Characters

Ryan and Lexie both grew up with terrible mothers and both found a connection that brought them close. Ryan although saved by his grandparent never gave up on trying to save Lexie. He was a likeable character and was very protective of Lexie in a way that makes you smile throughout the book. I enjoyed his POV much more than Lexie. Lexie didn’t get away from her mother and deals with her mother’s reputation on a constant basis. Lexie was an okay character to me. She whined a lot, cried a lot and didn’t really have a backbone.  

The Plot

The storyline to this book was “girl and boy are friends, girl likes another boy, girl realizes she loves friend”, and then the end. The drama was typical high school drama and everything was quickly resolved.

The Romance

This was a super sweet YA romance. You got the sweet best friend romance and the really cute moments between the characters. But for once, while reading this book I wish there were more time spent on the conflict then on the romance.

The Wrap-Up

So overall, if you are looking for a sweet and light romance this is the book for you. If I had read this at a different time maybe I would feel differently so I would say give this book a try. And do check out Cassie’s other books as well as Theresa's!

Happy Reading!

~REVIEW~ How To Date a Nerd by Cassie Mae

Synopsis

Zoe has a great pair of legs, perky boobs, and wears exactly what she needs to show it all off. She works hard for the easy sleazy ‘you only wish you were me’ reputation, burying who she really is—an all-out nerd.

The only time Zoe gets to be herself is when she hides under her comforter to read X-Men comics, sending jealousy stabs at everyone who attends Comic-Con. Keeping up her popular rep is too important, and she’s so damn insecure to care about the consequences. But when Zoe’s sister takes her car for a ‘crash and burn into a tree’ joyride, her parents get her a replacement. A manual. Something she doesn’t know how to operate, but her next door neighbor Zak sure as heck does.

Zak’s a geek to the core, shunned by everyone in school for playing Dungeons and Dragons at lunch and wearing “Use the Force” t-shirts. And Zoe’s got it bad for the boy. Only Zak doesn’t want Popular Zoe. He wants Geek Zoe.

She has to shove her insecurities and the fear of dropping a few rungs on the social ladder aside to prove to Zak who she really is and who she wants to be… if she can figure it out herself.

ADD TO GOODREADS

~My Review~

 “Erase the parts that make me unhappy. I guess that means emphasizing the parts that do.”

Zoe has all she’s ever dreamed of. Being popular has always been something Zoe has craved and since entering high school she is in with the “IT” crowd. It doesn’t matter to her that she's in emotionless relationships, is considered stuck up, and is known around school as a slut. Being popular means she isn’t made fun of anymore and doesn’t have to be humiliated. So she portrays the New Zoe.

But when no one is watching, Zoe is snuggled up under the blankets reading her coveted X-men comic books. And recently she's been daydreaming about Zak, her gorgeous but nerdy neighbor.

It isn’t until Zoe comes face to face with the truth of her actions that she realizes that New Zoe isn’t who she wants to be. But the humiliation of middle school stops her from changing anything. Not even Zak with his unwavering patience, charm and adoration can make Old Zoe come back.

The moment Zak threatens to walk away she really considers what a mess she's made with her life. With her "not so nerdy" knight's help, Zoe finds the courage to fight for what she wants more than anything in the world. To just be Zoe.

Read How to Date a Nerd to find out how this story develops and ends. It is a very cute and wonderful read filled with references to Harry Potter, Star Wars, X-men and many more great references! The cherry on top is the cuteness that is Zak, and the relationship between he and Zoe. 

I hope you will give it a try and enjoy it!

Happy Reading!

Reasons I fell for the Funny Fat Friend by Becca Ann

Book Description:It’s stupid to fall for your brother’s ex. It’s even worse to enlist another’s help to win the ex over. But Brody is desperate and Hayley, his partner in American Sign Language, is more than willing to lend him a few tips.

She’s the school’s matchmaker,’ and with her bizarre and positive personality, Brody finds her easy to talk to, even about the most awkward situations. Hayley’s tips seem to be working, but as Brody learns more about his matchmaker, he starts finding reasons to spend time with her, and not the girl he thought he was in love with.

But Hayley isn’t ready to fall for anyone. Labeled the “Funny Fat Friend” within her group, her self image makes it impossible for Brody to share his feelings without Hayley shrugging it off as a joke.

Convincing her Brody can, and did, fall for the “Funny Fat Friend” turns out to be harder than simply falling in love.

Christina's BookReview

“Reason fourteen.” I press my forehead against hers, locking her in my gaze. “You are so beautiful. Inside and out. I don’t just need you. I crave you. Everything about you. You are the only person I’ve felt this way about. You’re my best friend.”

RECAP

Brody Grant has had the hots for his brothers girlfriend for a long time. When the opportunity finally arrives for him to learn how to “woo” her Brody is relieved. That help comes in the form of Hayley. The Funny Fat Friend. But when Brody suddenly finds himself looking forward to the time spent with Hayley he doesn't know what to do.

Hayley is used to being the girl to hook up her friends. Hayley doesn’t mind because she knows that she can never catch the attention of anyone. She doesn’t have the “looks” that every guy is looking for. When the opportunity presents itself to help her ASL partner capture the attention of his degenerate brothers ex Hayley is up for the challenge. She doesn’t do relationships and doesn’t have anything to worry about. 

Brody and Haley are about to find out just how wrong they are. 

MY TAKE

When I saw this book I was excited to start reading it. There aren’t many books where the girl is different than the normal "skinny girl" so I was looking forward to this. I picked up this book and finished it within 5 hours. That's how immersed I was in this story.

Although you don’t find out what “fat” is considered in the book you do see the insecurities that many girls now and days go through. Hayley is used to how she looks and she doesn’t let people see how it affects her when they make fun of her. She is so real and you absolutely love her for it. When some girls read this book they will finally be able to see a protag that is just like them. Hayley is funny, sweet, caring, but very insecure with herself because of what people around her think and say. Seeing her struggle was heartwarming and seeing the way her wicked mother was, breaks your heart.

The relationship between Brody and Hayley grew throughout the book and I enjoyed that. Not many books now and days shows you the growth in a relationship and Becca did just that. Relationships that start off with friendship and grow are my favorite relationships.

Brody Grant, wow.... He is your average teenage boy. The difference is he’s a total sweetheart. Yes, he does have a crush on the typical “hot” girl and yes he’s a lovesick puppy at first but as soon as Hayley enters his life it’s like BOOM! Suddenly he doesn’t want to “woo” the hot girl because he loves spending time with the “funny fat friend”. His struggle to get Hayley to understand his attraction and ultimately his love for her was so heartwarming and so sweet. I had to give it to him because he didn’t give up; he fought to show her just how beautiful she was inside and out. So I have to admit that although Brody was young I was swooning all over the place! :D He was genuine and a sweetie pie.:) He did make me angry at a certain part but made up for it in the end.

Sometimes the FFF gets the guy and Becca Ann shows you that in this book.  She brings her characters to life in a way that will attach you to them.

I also liked that each chapter was titled after a reason why Brody fell for Hayley. And that it was all in Brody’s POV. I think Becca did a wonderful job writing from a high school guys’ prospective. 

BUY this. READ it. LOVE it. 

Happy Reading!