All the Boys I Ever Kissed by Marilyn Kelly – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway
Link to purchase All The Boys I Ever Kissed: Amazon
Description:
Lana Patterson wants a husband, but she’s striking out online and with blind dates. Her sister suggests she look to her past to find her future, and Lana starts contacting old boyfriends. She’s been practically housebound since her husband died, so she starts local, in Washington DC.
Captain CPR is Chippendale firefighter hot, but other than his incredible body and compatible sense of humor, Lana doesn’t find him the ideal bedmate or potential husband. Pierce Abrams runs into burning buildings for a living, and she wants a husband who will be there to walk her daughter down the aisle.
Lana grew up as a Foreign Service child and is now a travel writer. Her sister and daughter insist she hit the road, so Argentina and England are her next stops. The first boy she ever kissed is athletic, adventurous, intelligent, wealthy, and the most amazing Latin lover. Unfortunately, Sergio Salazar has a closet full of girlfriends that he claims he’s willing to give up. Lana has her doubts.
Her high school boyfriend has more potential, since his current girlfriend is on the wane. Duncan Claymore is a baron with a castle, and oh so tempting, even introducing Lana and family to the Duchess of Cambridge. It would be a fantasy life, but his conniving sister threatens to derail their renewed love affair.
Three amazing men are all having adventures of their own. Which one will capture Lana’s heart? The reader gets to choose!
Review:
If you love fantasy romance, adventure larger than life, excitement beyond the normal this book is a must read. Marilyn Kelly has written a wonderful tale of a mid-aged widow with a teenage daughter who has just gotten over the worst of her grief and is on a quest to fulfill a promise to her now deceased husband; finding another husband for her and father for their daughter.
It’s well written, intriguing and humorous all at the same time. Told from Lana’s point of view, it’s interesting and incredibly emotional. The stories are larger than life, leading to wonderful entertainment and fantasy. The love making scenes range from comical to OMG!
Go ahead, give yourself a wonderful adventure, and I do mean adventure! Exotic locations, swoon-worthy lovers, heroic situations, what’s not to love? Very entertaining and so worth the time to read.
The story progresses to almost the end, then you get to choose your ending (not a favorite style for me) if you like the style. I had to read all three endings I just couldn’t stand not to! LOL Personally, I like to have the complete story from the author’s choice, but I found this this was interesting. There is also a bonus of the men’s POV’s at the end, equally entertaining.
My advice, grab your favorite beverage, some snacks and settle in for an interesting ride and read! Enjoy everyone, I certainly did!
Reviewed by Georgianna
Copy provided by Author
Why I Love Romance Reader Conferences
I love reader conventions because I am an extroverted author who loves the romance genre, and sharing that joy in a welcoming, validating atmosphere is empowering. Before I started writing novels, I was a voracious reader of historical romance (now I mostly read books on writing and promotion.) I thought authors were born knowing how to write, and they stayed at their desks like automatons cranking out great prose. I had no idea they gathered together to discuss their craft and socialize. If I had known there were conferences where romance readers and authors mingled, I might never have started writing, because I would have come home with a hundred free books (not exaggerating) and a dozen new authors on my must-read list.
Fortunately, I didn’t discover reader conferences until after I’d written my first manuscript and was dedicated to being published. I’d already attended RWA (where the romance readers are also writers), so I’d gotten over the awesome feeling of meeting my favorite authors and learning some of their writing secrets. But my first Romantic Times Booklovers Convention (2008), where readers and writers socialize, was revelatory. Many authors and readers are FUN!
Heather Graham and her talented family sang and acted out a mystery, and she provided dinner and dancing to boot. Anne Elizabeth dressed in a corset and historical costume and displayed her ample cleavage like a romance heroine. Jade Lee threw a reader party and entertained with her witty humor. Delilah Marvelle, Sharon Page, and others danced until the DJ stopped playing. Amazing workshops for reviewers, bloggers and readers, handsome cover models who entertain, and tons of freebies. The list goes on. This doesn’t happen at writer-only conferences, where authors are focused on learning craft, business, and selling books to agents and editors.
And readers are integral to the fun. Writing is a solitary activity, and it’s beyond thrilling to meet readers who have enjoyed our stories. Reading is just as isolating, so stepping outside the comfort zone to get out and meet favorite authors is a worthy adventure. Even pre-published authors are lauded (good to have a website or Facebook page to keep future fans updated.)
My goal as an author is to make women feel empowered and fulfilled (and for men to learn how to accomplish their part of the process.) I can’t do that without readers.
I’m currently at the 2014 RT Booklovers Convention in New Orleans, and this is my first year with books to promote, which makes the week doubly exciting. Even though this convention is my favorite time of the year, the preparation and event are exhausting. There are giveaways to design and implement, promotional materials to write, and the packing alone takes me days. I write super sexy historical romances for Ellora’s Cave and have a closet of costumes from my connection to Renaissance festivals (my daughter-in-law grew up a ‘Rennie’ and her artisan parents are dear friends), so now I also wear a flowing gown with corset some days of the convention.
I also have a contemporary romantic women’s fiction, All the Boys I Ever Kissed, that I am publishing independently, and there is no better place to promote a book than where the readers gather to celebrate the romance genre. Who else is more likely to retweet my promotional posts and tell their friends about my unusual concept? (All the Boys is a choose your own ending novel, with three hot guys to pick from.)
So, I love reader conferences because I feel my work is valued here, and I hope to see more of you at next year’s RT, or Romanticon, or whatever reader-writer gathering is most accessible to you. Google romance reader conventions and you’ll likely find one near you. Anyone want to share their experience at a reader conference? Do you love them, dislike them or never been to one?
Happy reading!
I write super-strong women, which is no surprise. Growing up with five brothers, my theme song was Anything They Can Do, I Can Do Better! I’ve traveled the world, visited over forty countries and lived in three, earned a Master’s in Microbiology, obtained a patent, and trained thousands of emergency responders internationally. My creative side constantly knocked, and I beaded, faux painted and entertained as a wedding DJ on weekends. A few years ago, I started writing sexy historical romances and my college sweetheart husband jumped in, helping me with research and grinning all the way.
My Wanton Widows series, published by Ellora’s Cave, is about three accomplished women in Victorian England who are all searching for love, respect, and passion. The first in the series is Sounds of Love about a matchmaking novelist, a scholarly widow and an arrogant earl.
All the Boys I Ever Kissed (A Choose Your Ending Novel) is my first contemporary romantic women’s fiction. If you like The Bachelorette or Mamma Mia, I hope you’ll love this book! There are three amazing men – a DC firefighter/paramedic, an athletic Latin millionaire, and a British baron. Which one will win Lana’s heart? You choose your favorite! I follow the steamy romance with The Men Tell All Q&A.
I love lists and I’m the creator of the Eleven Senses – Who Knew? word-list book available on Amazon. If you’re looking for a way to add more sensory details to your writing, or to understand how the reading mind works, this book will come in handy.
My goal is to make thousands of readers happy and fulfilled. Please let me know if I’ve succeeded. If you would like to receive my newsletter and participate in contests, visit my website, www.MarilynKelly.net or email me at marilyn@marilynkelly.net
Website / Pinterest / Facebook / Twitter / Sounds of Love buy links
Free Kindle version of All the Boys I Ever Kissed through May 18th – download it now: Amazon
If you missed the above free copy, Marilyn is graciously offering e-copies (Kindle) of her book, All the Boys I ever Kissed to five (5) lucky commenters at The Reading Cafe. Just comment that you missed the free book, and we wiill pick 5 winners from those comments.
1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page.
2. If you are using a social log-in such as Twitter or Facebook, please post your email address with your comment.
3. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.
4. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.
5. Giveaway open Internationally
6. Giveaway runs from May 18 to May 21, 2014
