Thursday, October 24, 2013

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen

Just Ella Tour
Just Ella Just Ella
by Annette K. Larsen
Publisher: Hidden Falls Publishing
Publishing Date: Aug. 14, 2013
ASIN: B00EK7R5ZW 

Book Summary:
A Proper Romance 

 Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she’d imagined.

"I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me." 


My Review:

In many romances it’s all about the love. In this one, there is actually a plot. Larsen develops the characters to be fairly believable and likeable, or unlikeable as the case may be.

Ella meets a young man, Gavin, working in the gardens on the palace grounds. He is a commoner and she is royalty. Royalty is supposed to barely notice the commoner except 

for issuing commands. But Ella is lonely and develops a friendship with the young man. She visits with him daily as he works and begins to fall in love with him.

When Ella’s father bans Gavin from the palace grounds Ella is devastated. But out of her despair she finds strength inside her to carry on and learns to be herself, not just what everyone expects her to be and do what everyone expects her to do as a princess of the kingdom. I liked that Ella didn’t just wither away in her despair until she got what she wanted. She knew she couldn’t have Gavin, so she pulled herself together and attempted to do something useful with her life.

I did notice a few errors in grammar in the book, but not enough to put me off reading the book. I liked the pacing of the book and the evolution of the plot. Larsen did a good job with the twists in the plot.

The book was filled with humour, joy, sadness, and all of it well done. Watching Ella as she ventures outside the palace for the first time in some ways was like a parent watching their young child encounter a new experience because of the child’s innocence.

This was a lovely, clean romance. I enjoyed reading knowing that there wouldn’t be an explicit scenes of foreplay or sex. This book is suitable for everyone from ages 12 – 99.

I highly recommend this book with 5 stars.

 
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review. A free product does not influence my opinion. All thoughts are my own.

Book Blast/Blog Tour Special
Grab your copy of Just Ella
   
annetteAuthor Annette K. Larsen I was born in Utah, but grew up in Flagstaff Arizona and St. Louis Missouri, the fifth of seven children. I attended college at Southern Virginia University and Brigham Young University where I studied English and Theater. I now live in Idaho with my husband and four children. I have Charlotte Bronte to thank for the courage to write novels. After being bombarded with assigned reading about women who justified abandoning either their families or their principles in the name of love, I had the great fortune of reading Jane Eyre. And that was it: finally a heroine who understood that being moral and making the right choice was hard, and sometimes it hurt, but it was still worth it. After rereading it several years later, I realized that if I wanted more books to exist with the kinds of heroines I admired, then I might as well write a few myself. My books are about women who face hard choices, who face pain and rejection and often have to sacrifice what they want for what is right. The consequences are often difficult or unpleasant, but it the end, doing what’s right will always be worth it. I believe there is no substitute for good writing or good chocolate. Fortunately, one often leads to the other.  


    Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 11/5/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.  
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