Review and Giveaway: A Little Too Far

Book One in the A Little Too . . . series
By Lisa Desrochers
Available Sept. 17 (ebook) and Oct. 1 (paperback) from William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Review copy

I think Lisa Desrochers' Personal Demons series is an underrated gem, so I was excited when I heard she had a new book coming out.  And as I like it when authors play around with different genres and I've been meaning to read more New Adult, I wasn't put off by the fact that A LITTLE TOO FAR was neither a paranormal nor YA.

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At the beginning of A LITTLE TOO FAR, Lexie Banks sleeps with her stepbrother, Trent.  Their parents married when they were fifteen, and they've always been close, but best friends close.  They don't even have time to talk about what happened before Lexie is off to Rome for a semester abroad studying art history.  This creates an odd structure for the romance, since the heroine and hero rarely interact.  At the same time, it puts the focus squarely on Lexie's feelings and her struggle to determine whether a romantic relationship with Trent is what she really wants.

However, A LITTLE TOO FAR isn't all about a boy.  Lexie is, after all, in Rome.  She makes friends with an English girl studying abroad who gets too little page time.  She also makes friends with a soon-to-be priest, Alessandro Moretti, after she goes to church to confess her sins.  Lexie isn't particularly religious, but going through the Catholic rituals helps her with her guilt.  And working with Reverend Moretti gives her a chance to see even more art and to discover that her career path might be different than she expected.

There is a love triangle in A LITTLE TOO FAR, which didn't quite work for me.  I think Desrochers' did an amazing job with the Personal Demons love triangle, so I had high expectations.  I got why there was an attraction between Lexie and Alessandro - two good looking people who are friends - but I never felt that they were endgame and thus it was awkward that their relationship received so much more attention in the book than Lexie's relationship with Trent.

New Adult has a reputation for being sexy, but I think Desrochers struck a nice balance of sex and plot.  There were fewer than I expected (based on the marketing), which I preferred.  I don't mind explicit sex scenes, but I definitely don't want to read a book that's mostly sex.  Most of the nudity in the book is comedic!  When there are sex scenes, Desrochers neither resorts to ridiculous synonyms nor makes it overly clinical. 

I think A LITTLE TOO FAR will appeal to fans of New Adult looking for a book with a well-developed heroine and few difficult issues.  (Is it just me or does every other New Adult book involve rape or abuse?)  There are also some lovely descriptions of art, for any art fans out there.

About the book:

“More than a ridiculously sexy, HOT read, Desrochers takes you on a wild ride of self-discovery and bittersweet romance.”

— JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Have you ever gone just a little too far?

Lexie Banks has.

Yep. She just had mind-blowing sex with her stepbrother. In her defense, she was on the rebound, and it’s more of a my-dad-happened-to-marry-a-woman-with-a-super-hot-son situation. But still, he’s been her best friend and confidant for the better part of the last few years … and is so off limits. It’s a good thing she’s leaving in two days for a year abroad in Rome.

But even thousands of miles away, Lexie can’t seem to escape trouble. Raised Catholic, she goes to confession in hopes of alleviating some of her guilt … and maybe not burning in hell. Instead, she stumbles out of the confessional and right into Alessandro Moretti, a young and very easy-on-the-eyes deacon … only eight months away from becoming a priest. Lexie and Alessandro grow closer, and when Alessandro’s signals start changing despite his vow of celibacy, she doesn’t know what to think. She’s torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn’t want and the man she can’t have. And she isn’t sure how she can live with herself either way.

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About Lisa Desrochers:

 

Lisa Desrochers lives in northern California with her husband, two very busy daughters, and Shini the tarantula. If you'd told her five years ago she'd write a book, she'd have laughed in your face. As it turns out, she'd owe you an apology. Writing has become an addiction for Lisa and A Little Too Far, courtesy of HarperCollins, is her first novel for adults. She is also the author of the young adult Personal Demons trilogy from Macmillan.

When she's not writing, she's reading, and she adores stories that take her to new places, and then take her by surprise. Connect with her online at www.lisadwrites.com, on her blog at lisadesrochers.blogspot.com, on Twitter at @LisaDez, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LisaDesrochersAuthor. 

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The Giveaway Prizes:

- An iPad Mini - one winner

-  A knowledge pendant, tote bag, and tattoos (Trent’s tattoo!) - one winner

-  A signed copy of HarperCollins’ BETWEEN THE COVERS sampler with the 1st two chapters of A LITTLE TOO FAR annotated, knowledge tote, and tattoos - one winner

-  A signed copy of BETWEEN THE COVERS with the 1st two chapters of A LITTLE TOO FAR annotated, and tattoos - two winners

The Giveaway Details:

-  Giveaway is US/Canada ONLY.

-  There will be FIVE winners total.

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