Simply Irresistable Prize Pack Winner!

I know I haven't been around, but I'm working on a million reviews, so expect real content soon. Sorry that the blog has been so lame . . . but real world fun comes first.

And speaking of fun . . . Wanda is the winner! Oddly, she only had one entry in the hat. I love it when the underdog wins. In fact, my next contest (coming in just a week!) will have no bonus entries. (Mostly because I'm tired of numbering contest entries.) So be prepared for everyone to have a single chance!

And though I couldn't get it done before the contest finished, expect an interview with Jennifer Banash.

One Contest Ends, Another Begins!

The winners of the Harry Potter contest are:
Leigh
Reawarded to Crystal Adkins
Beeb
towerofbooks
Already won, reawarded to Katie
Paradox
Already won, reawarded to Kimberley Derting
teenreadersgather (Princess Ashley)



Blurry cell phone pic of Millenium Bridge, destroyed in the opening of the HP6 movie.



Gloomy photo of people waiting to tour Christ Church, where the Great Hall scenes are filmed.

NEW CONTEST!

Some serious loot is up for grabs, including:



Complete ELITE series thus far-
and the second season of Nip Tuck on DVD-
and Sara Zarr's Story of a Girl-
and Audrey Wait! by Robin Benway-
and Don't You Forget About Me (the final Gossip Girl novel)-
and a Jamba Juice gift card!

No lie, that's some serious winnage.

To win, leave a comment here telling me your beverage of choice. For extra entires, comment on my review of SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE, Jennifer's TV appearance, link to the contest, and follow mine or her blog. Capice?

Give away ends August 17th.

Review: Simply Irresistible

By Jennifer Banash

I was apprehensive picking this one up. As far as I know, it's the last book in the Elite series. I enjoyed the first two, and was thus wary of the goodbye. The ending is open, ripe for a fourth book. Some characters do not end the story happily. But others are moving up and moving on. Casey McCloy's arc does come to a kind of conclusion, and I imagine she has a satisfying life, since she has a good personality. I likewise imagine good things for Phoebe and Sophie, and hope Madison one day figures out how to express herself better.

But. oh. my. stars. Drew annoyed me so much in this book. It really is hard to imagine how much distance is between twenty and seventeen, but . . . I know I had a different view of open relationships then. (Still can't imagine one for myself. Just, no.) But there's a much bigger difference between two married adults who know and do nothing about the other having an affair and cheating on your girlfriend. I'm not trying to glorify Drew's father by any means. I'm just trying to point out how much of a douchebox with wings Drew is in SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE.

Of course, this makes me take some issue of the fact Madison and Casey are still girlfighting over him. Both of the girls deserve better. (Luckily, Casey has a totally adorable rocker boy waiting for her to drop Drew.) As for Madison . . . well, she's getting her comeuppance. And ouch. Jennifer Banash has always done a great job of getting in Madison's head and fleshing her out instead of leaving her motivelessly malicious. It makes it painful to see her get hurt even as you know she needs to take a few knocks to facilitate a personality adjustment.

So here's my goodbye to the Elite series. I vote it a member of the "good trash." Yeah, there's brand-dropping and ridiculously rich teens. But there's also a reality: parents, bargain racks, and being too awkward to tell the guy/girl what you're feeling. (Just jumping into SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE might be confusing. I do recommend starting at the beginning, with THE ELITE. Three books won't kill you.)

LINKS:
Jennifer's blog
SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE trailer
Review of THE ELITE
Review of IN TOO DEEP
Interview with Jennifer
Jennifer guest blogs on IBWB about her 20s
Jennifer guest blogs on IBWB about her favorite purse

The Elite Series (and more) Winner!

Book Spot, you are the winner! Please e-mail your address to inbedwithbooks AT yahoo DOT com. Thanks to everyone who entered and shared the link. I hope ya'll enjoyed the trailer and plan to give Jennifer Banash a chance.

THE ELITE and IN TOO DEEP are available now; SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE releases July 7.

Simply Irresistible: Trailer Premiere and Contest

The book isn't available until July 7th, but the trailer for SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE, the third book in Jennifer Banash's Elite series, is hot off the presses.



Did you enjoy it? If you did, here's your chance to win a huge prize pack. One winner will receive:



-the complete Elite series, including THE ELITE, IN TOO DEEP, and SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE
-the eleventh Gossip Girl novel DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME by Cecily von Ziegesar
-the third Luxe novel ENVY by Anna Godbersen
-BONUS! JUST LISTEN by Sarah Dessen (Nice girls represent!)

It's a mean girl bonanza, and all you have to comment with a reason why your life would make a good reality TV show*. Bonus entries will be given to those who repost the trailer (2), make a widget for SI (2), link to the contest (1), subscribe/follow to IBWB (1) or Jennifer's blog (1), and those who say something in reaction to the trailer in their comment (1).



Contest ends in two weeks, on June 28th.

*And it doesn't even have to be something really cool, like your town has been taken over by colorful zombies and you're trying to stay alive by painting yourself to blend in.




For more information about the series, check out my reviews of THE ELITE and IN TOO DEEP, as well as Jennifer's two guest posts and my interview with her.

Coming Soon . . .

The third Elite book - SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE - won't be on shelves until July 7th.

Before that, the book trailer will premiere here on In Bed With Books, to make ya'll want the book even more.

But Jennifer's already put one of the ARCs up for grabs . . . along with an entire prize pack.

Check it out. You can't resist it.