Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Blog Tour - Full Steam Ahead by Valerie Chase Review and Giveaway




Title: Full Steam Ahead
Author: Valerie Chase
Published: January 14, 2014
Series: Sea Swept #1
Format Read/Pages: eBook/166
How I Acquired It: IFB Tours
Date Finished: February 2, 2014
Find at: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

*This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Seven days aboard a luxury cruise.
The perfect getaway from it all.
At least, that’s what Georgia Cantwell was hoping for.

Georgia wishes she could run away from the nightmare that has consumed her life, but she can’t. With her inbox filling with menacing emails, all she can do is try to get through her sorority’s winter break cruise without anyone realizing how wrecked she is. So she really doesn’t need Jace McLaren seeing through her tacked-on smile when no one else seems to notice.

Growing up with a father in jail, Jace knows from experience that if you’re going through hell, there’s no way out but through. He has always steered away from girls like Georgia with her ice-queen attitude, but she’s in real trouble, and despite himself he pushes past her walls.

As much as Georgia tries to ignore it, Jace won’t let her pretend with him. But she can’t risk telling him the truth. Her past would ruin his trust, her family, her future—everything.

But out on the open ocean, there’s nowhere to hide. And when Georgia’s secrets come tumbling out, it might take more than Jace to save her. 

~

Going into this I really did not know what to expect. There were a multitude of ways that this could have turned out, but I was extremely happy with what was actually presented. Chase gives us a quick, sweet new adult read that is refreshing in a genre that can be a hit or a miss.

Full Steam Ahead starts with Georgia almost missing the cruise she is supposed to be on with a few of her sorority sisters over their winter break. We learn that she is reluctant to even go on the trip, as it will have her in close proximity with her ex-boyfriend, Hunter, that she recently split from. After a bit of a roommate shuffle she ends up rooming with mysterious and alluring Jace, who had a bit of a reputation. Georgia is also struggling with the fact that her family has lost their wealth and is pressuring her into thing that they think will make everything right again.

I found her hardship to be very realistic. Now, some people might condemn her and ask why she is going on such an extravagant vacation if she has no money, but in reality people will go to many lengths to hide the issues that they are dealing with. We later find out that a lack of money is not her only problem and that there are more serious problems that she has to deal with, so spending money on a cruise she can’t really afford is the least of her worries.

I really wish we could have explored Jace a little more. I really like him as a character and would have been interested in learning more about him. I do feel as though the issues he had with his father were a little too perfectly wrapped up, just because he had to get over the feelings of resentment to be able to accept Georgia for who she really is. Overall, I really liked both of the main characters and feel as though they complimented each other well. Not to mention the fact that they make one hell of a steamy pair.

Something that I really enjoyed was the setting. I thought that it was a great idea to have it be set on a cruise ship. It gave the characters plenty to do and see, while not getting in a routine of doing the same things over and over again. It also set a good timeframe for the story and a plausible reason for two people, who are not that good of friends, to be around each other so much.

The ending was wrapped up a bit to neatly for me, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of the story at all. Chase really provides all the makings of a great story and does not disappoint. I am looking forward to checking out more of her work in the future!

4 Stars

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Valerie Chase is an author of New Adult Romance. She currently lives in the Washington, DC area. Full Steam Ahead is her debut novel.
As for her writing style, Valerie loves sexy banter and guys whose hearts are in the right place, even if their heads sometimes aren't. She loves discovering strong, awesome characters, putting them in entertaining situations, and watching them argue their way to love.


Make sure to check out all the stops on the Full Steam Ahead tour!
The full schedule is available at Itching for Books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to Shane at IFB and Valerie Chase for the chance to participate in this tour!!

No comments:

Post a Comment