REVIEW: Fearless Flying by Karen Gordon

REVIEW:

Shel: Fearless Flying is book one of a monthly serial, ending around the new year with book 7. This first book introduces us to Vivienne, her bestie, and her crush. We get to see Vivienne try her damnedest to control the world around her and while she does an amazing job of it at work, her personal life is a little bit of a mess and beyond her control--which must be maddening for her. It was equal parts funny, frustrating, and sad to see her struggling and adapting to how to manage situations and people who just couldn't do what she wanted, the way she wanted; it'll be interesting to see how she copes with the situation she finds herself in and to see what's up with the mysterious meeting she sets up on the very last page. Court: I thoughtth at Vivienne was a little OCD at first, and as you get to know her you see more and more of why she likes everything to have a plan. And to be honest, I can definitely relate to that side of her. Whether or not it is going to help her in her quest for love remains to be seen, though, and I had some frustration with how much faith she puts into the people she holds dear. You'll have to read it to see exactly what I'm talking about, but her expectations are high y'all.

Shel: This first book leaves you with less of a cliffhanger and more of a to be continued and we'll definitely be continuing; we're both very curious and have ideas about where this all could go. For such a short and quick read, Karen Gordon does a fine job of weaving in enough background and detail to feel like you know the characters and their wants and motivations; it'll be fun to see how these characters and possible plot lines will pan out over the course of the next books. Court: That too, well said Shel, because while we're dropped into her world we are quickly caught up in a nice way plot wise to find out who the players are, and how they all connect. I am sticking around at this point because she legit has the best, best friend ever. BEST! It was an enjoyable time, and I'd really like to see where it goes.

Want to know more? Read the synopsis below:

Vivienne Ramsey is fearless at work and in love. She gives 110% to everything she does, sure that she can always reach her goals by sheer will and determination. But life can surprise you, plans change, and all her over-thinking skills can’t bring back the man she loves or make her future more predictable. She needs a new plan, new dreams and the right people around her to help her (if she’ll let them). 

She’s the boss babe you’ll cheer for as she rises to the top of the all-boys club of private jet sales in this innovative chick lit series. Vivienne represents every woman working to push past the glass ceiling, balance work and home life, and find love with a man who’s her equal.

COVERS REVEALED: The Burnouts Series by Karen Gordon

NEW COVERS REVEALED:

Series: Burnouts Series

Book 1 - Suburban Love Song 

Blurb: 

Ben Gorman and Carrie Gould live in different worlds, right next to each other. For Ben high school is good grades, Jr. ROTC, and a steady girlfriend. For Carrie it’s sex, drugs and rock and roll. But on Carrie’s sixteenth birthday they cross the lines to meet in the middle over cake, then a church picnic, then a game of strip poker, until finally the lines are blurred and they can’t remember why they never connected before.

A clever, cheeky, romantic, gritty and fun story of first love, neighbors and opposites attracting.

They both need what the other has to offer—“You keep me safe I’ll make you wild.” 

Book 2 - Catch You If You Fall

Blurb: 

Steve Shrader is the only guy at prom with four dates. Other guys high five him and congratulate him. Guys who would normally never even talk to him. Not that it really matters because he’s got his friends, they’re all girls and they all love him…except MG.

Wherever MG shows up she brings the party. In high school she befriended Steve, made him laugh , cared for him, became his sole reason for actually showing up at school…then she left him behind to chase her dreams of big money and celebrity in New York. Only things aren’t always what they seem, and it’s easy to fall down in the fast lane. When that happens you can only hope you have someone there to catch you if you fall. 

**Both are NA contemporary romances**

Author bio: 

Supporter of strong, sexy women in fiction and in life.

I was born and raised in the suburban paradise of St. Charles, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis. Growing up there started my love of extraordinary stories about ordinary places and people, finding excitement in the mundane. I currently write romance and chick lit but you never know what I might do next. In all my stories the women are smart, sexual and strong and you’ll never find a woman-hating “bad boy” hero.

I currently live with the loves of my life, three very kewl, geeky men and one perfect puppy, just outside of Memphis, TN.

Social media links: 

website: KarenGordonAuthor.com

Facebook: KarenGordonAuthor

Twitter: @joiedemidvivre

Pintrest: Joiedemidvivre

**From June 16th - June 20th, Suburban Love Song will be on sale for 99 cents. Both books are also available on KU.  

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: POPSTARS FRIENDS + LOVERS: a dream's tale BY KAREN GORDON

“The poorest man is not the one with no penny in his pocket, but the one who has no dream.”

– The Burnouts, Class of ‘99

For two weeks Steve Shrader lived a dream. A dream that he didn’t even know existed until he felt it. For two weeks the kid with no mom had good food, clean clothes and sheets and Christmas. For two weeks he had love - in the form of Hello Kitty bandaids and hot soup and his best friend, MG. Then he screwed up, like he always did, and the dream he was living went away.

Now school is over, MG is gone and he’s headed down the same path as all the adults in his life; drifting along, dodging or dealing with one sh*t-storm after another, numbing themselves with cigarettes, drugs and alcohol. But he’s seen a better life. He’s seen what he wants. He wants MG. The question is how to get to her from where he is now.

MG dreams of living large in New York City. (OK, to tell the truth, it’s her mom’s dream, and she is just along for the ride.) But she’s gonna make it work - in a kick-ass, cool apartment, with a glam fashion job and photo shoots with rich friends in magazines – or not. She left everything she was sure of back home in St. Louis and almost everything she thought she knew about Manhattan and life isn’t turning out to be true.

When her false dreams crumble and fall though her hands she’s left with what’s real. A real life with a real job and real love; and it can all be hers if she’s brave enough to believe in herself and go after what she truly wants.

Their love story started in Burnouts, Geeks & Jesus Freaks: a love story, now it continues in Popstars, Friends & Lovers: a dreamer’s tale. MG, the best friend with a talent for trouble, and Steve, the most laid back hero in romance novel history, are back. With old friends from high school and a crazed array of new ones they go for a win in the game called life.

Kindle Edition
Expected publication: November 2nd 2014

Add to Goodreads

Also by Karen Gordon 

Burnouts, Geeks and Jesus Freaks

Our Review

About Karen Gordon

Karen Gordon was born and raised in the suburban paradise of St. Charles, MO, on the outskirts of St. Louis. She earned a B.S. in English from the University of Central Missouri (BS being the operative term) and a M.A. in Media Communications from Webster University, where she graduated in a hot pink mortar board because she didn’t like the school colors.

She currently resides in Olive Branch, MS (formerly Cow Pen) on the outskirts of Memphis, TN with her 2.5 super-smart kids, and an amazingly-funny, cute, geeky husband.

When not writing, she is a stay-at-home mom (chick in charge) and part-time teacher. Any down time is spent reading, catching up with friends and obsessively worrying about every little thing.

“Burnouts, Geeks and Jesus Freaks: a love story” is her debut novel. She is now frantically trying to recall her college years to write the sequel, “Popstars, Friends and Lovers.” 

Find Karen: Goodreads | Twitter

REVIEW: BURNOUTS, GEEKS, AND JESUS FREAKS BY KAREN GORDON

They’re burnouts - a little short on parents, money and plans for the future, but they’ve got each other and a whole lot of fun. With a world of crazy at home, Carrie Gould needs them to keep her sanity. To stay in their world she needs to keep dating the guy with the party house, which would be fine, if she hadn’t fallen in love with someone else.

He’s such a geek. Ben Gorman is obsessive, smart, strong-willed and on the fast track to his dream of becoming an Army Ranger. He’s also the only geek with a girl. Joelle Welker is perfect for him; a self-proclaimed Jesus freak, who is dedicated to her beliefs and to building a future with Ben. But those plans don’t include his neighbor, Carrie, or Ben’s dedication to her.

Their friendship started by chance. Their love started with trust.

This is a sweet, silly smart-sexy story of first love and first lovers.

Kindle Edition
Published March 4th 2014 by Self Published (first published February 24th 2014)
Copy provided by author for an honest review

Buy it: Amazon | Goodreads

OUR REVIEW:

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this novel but the title covers a lot of it. You have the 'burnouts" Carrie's friends --a little less on the ambitious side (understatement) and fairly anti-school/establishment. You have "geeks": Ben and his friends. And, you have the "Jesus freaks" Ben's girlfriend Joelle and her friends. As we all know from high school, though, these labels are really just silly ways to try to keep people out or in...and there's a lot of crossover between groups. Carrie and Ben are evidence of this; somehow they manage to merge groups and, eventually, leave those labels behind. Funny how when I was in school, I would've probably been in Ben's group at first...now, however, I'm much more like Carrie (the anti-establishment part). Hah.

How do they do this? Well, they're neighbors and close friends..and eventually things change between them and as these shifts occur, new friends are made or exchanged or merged. I loved that we get the background and build up of their relationship from when they were little. 

The first half to 60% of this book is really dedicated to the high school part of their story. How Carrie escapes the strangeness of her house to have fun with MG and Steve and others. We also get to know Ben and the story of his mom/dad/grandparents and the struggles he has with Joelle. It's in this first 60% that we get to know these characters but I found it to be slow going until about 40% or Carrie and Ben's first Christmas break. Ditto. Christmas Break was definitely the turning point. 

*** pausing here to say that both of the Christmas breaks that are shown are some of my favorite and really some of the sweetest scenes...as is the camping scene..so sweet*** ***Agree, Ben is really sweet.***

Once Christmas hits and prom drama happens we are zooming quickly to the end. The years pass swiftly and with many unexpected events happening. I was pleasantly surprised at Carrie's maturity at how she handled some things, especially considering how crappy her adult role models (her parents) were. I was a little unpleasantly surprised with some of Ben's choices too, even if I respected them and understood them. I think this is where a) my heart broke for the characters and b) my heart sort of broke for me. I don't mean that I didn't enjoy the book very much, but Shel is right. The last part went way faster in time after we had built up a certain pace and timeline from the beginning. I thought the story was going one way, and definitely went another...which is on me as a reader. 

Notice I'm being vague here so I don't spoil things...let's just say that I didn't always see where or how things were going to play out.

There were a few things I think I needed: a quicker pace in the beginning and a slower pace at the end, a little more explanation about Carrie's family--why and how ...I felt like I wanted to engage with that more and while I did feel for her, I was more annoyed with her mom and dad. That part definitely felt unfinished to me. But...I had a wise person (Cece Carroll) tell me once that just because parents suck, doesn't mean that there is ever a big resolution or showdown. I can't always get what I want! Haha. So, I am still working on that. I always want the showdown! 

I wanted to know more about Ben when he was gone..and more about Carrie..that last 40% would have huge chunks where time was a blink of an eye and then it would slow down and I wanted to understand more. I had questions. Truth. 

Overall, it was a sweet, fun novel and you'll have a chance to find out more with these characters when MG and Steve get the next story. We have to find out more about them. It was so foreshadowed all along in this one. Oh, how they will be tormenting each other I bet! 

Shelley: 3 stars

Courtney: 3 stars

About Karen Gordon

Karen Gordon was born and raised in the suburban paradise of St. Charles, MO, on the outskirts of St. Louis. She earned a B.S. in English from the University of Central Missouri (BS being the operative term) and a M.A. in Media Communications from Webster University, where she graduated in a hot pink mortar board because she didn’t like the school colors.

She currently resides in Olive Branch, MS (formerly Cow Pen) on the outskirts of Memphis, TN with her 2.5 super-smart kids, and an amazingly-funny, cute, geeky husband.

When not writing, she is a stay-at-home mom (chick in charge) and part-time teacher. Any down time is spent reading, catching up with friends and obsessively worrying about every little thing.

“Burnouts, Geeks and Jesus Freaks: a love story” is her debut novel. She is now frantically trying to recall her college years to write the sequel, “Popstars, Friends and Lovers.”

Find Karen: Goodreads | Twitter

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