Finding It (Losing It, #3) by Cora Carmack

Title: Finding It: A Novel (Losing It)

Series: Losing It

Classification: New Adult Fiction

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format: Paperback; 320 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (October 15, 2013)
ISBN-10: 0062273280
ISBN-13: 978-0062273284

Author's Website: http://coracarmack.blogspot.com/

Notes: Received an eARC from the publisher via Edelweiss.

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” ~ Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Kelsey Summers was on a one way trip to self destruction. After losing it, faking it, she was attempting to find it--happiness-- in all the wrong places. She's entered a dark place within her soul that she may never be able to crawl out of. That's when he walked into her life. A guy who seems to see what she tries to hide from everyone behind her ever present party girl smile. A guy who makes her see that what she is doing will never gain her what she's looking for. A guy who will show her how to face her demons and want more. A guy who will make her  realize "the best parts of life are the things we can't plan. And it's a lot harder to find happiness if you're only searching in one place. Sometimes, you just have to throw away the map. Admit that you don't know where you're going and stop pressuring yourself to figure it out. Besides...a map is a life someone else already lived. It's more fun to make your own."

Kelsey's about to discover that home isn't always a physical place, but where you're the happiest. For home truly is where the heart is.

This is the third book of the Losing It series. You can read this one as a standalone, but I'd recommend you read them all in order. I like the way Cormack focused on a group of friends their senior year of college and then tracked them as they make their way into the brave new world of adulthood. As Cormack states, "This funny thing happens when you graduate college. You hear so much about being an adult that you start to feel like you have to become a different person overnight, that growing up means being not you. And you concentrate so hard on living up to the term "adult" that you forget growing up happens by living, not by sheer force of will."

I read this book while my mom was residing in the ICU after heart surgery. She remained there till just this past week, over a month after her surgery. Cora Carmack's book offered me a nice escape from the worries and fear that I might lose my mom as her health seemed to be spiraling down hill. Perhaps that is why I could relate to Kelsey. There are situations in life that affect a person deeply and give one a sense that things are out of one's hands, and out of our control, leaving us to feel vulnerable and defenseless. Emotions, when bottled up for an extended length of time, have a tendency to make us act irrationally and lash out as we try to find a way to curb the pain and memories. If a person doesn't cry, scream or find some means and/or support to constructively deal with one's feelings, they have a tendency to do things that are reckless and self destructive. Kelsey is well on her way to doing something that could pull her down lower than she's ever gone before--to a place she may never be able to find her way back from.

Jackson Hunt knows where Kelsey is coming from, but he keeps his emotions and secrets close. He sees a little something of himself in Kelsey, and by helping her, he also helps himself. While the two may have different circumstances, he sees that self destructive nature for what it truly is--a cry for help--and it stirs something in him he thought was dead.

Overall, I gave this one 5 out of 5 roses. I love the way Carmack eloquently makes her characters come to life and burst off the pages by blending her trademark brand of humor and drama with a good dose of reality. She creates characters that are imperfect/broken, thereby, perfecting their humanity and capturing the raw emotions on her paperback canvas. I adore the way she ties her descriptions with her character's emotions giving us insight into their mindset without having to blatantly spell it out. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this book gets STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.

Order of the series:

Faking It (Losing It, #2) by Cora Carmack

• Title: Faking It (Losing It)
• Classification: New Adult Fiction
• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Format: Paperback; 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 4, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 0062273264
• ISBN-13: 978-0062273260

Author's Website: http://coracarmack.blogspot.com/
Notes: Picked up a signed copy at BEA and let me just say, there was a reason why the line was so long. :)

Sometimes the hardest thing in life is letting go...

Mackenzie “Max” Miller has never liked seeing disappoint in her parents' eyes. She hasn't yet figured out how to introduce them to the "real" Max who sports tattoos and colored hair. She's a musician in a band and she's determined to make a career out of  her love for music. They've been helping to support her financially over the last couple of years as she attempts to make a go of her musical career. She's afraid they might cut her off if they got a look at the real her. She knows her parents will never understand as they are ultra conservative and would be horrified that she, in their eyes, branded herself. So when they unexpectedly tell her they're in town and are coming to see her, she ducks for cover, and the nearest cover is that of guy sitting at another table. He's got that "your parents are gonna love me" look to him and that's exactly what she needs. Armed with a killer smile, she locks on to her target and makes her move.

"I'm going to ask you something and its going to seem crazy. (...) My parents showed up in town uninvited, and they want to meed my boyfriend. (...) I know this is crazy, but I would really appreciate  it if you would pretend to be my boyfriend until I manage to get rid of them." 

Cade Winston has just lost his best friend to another man. He'd revealed his true feelings for her a little too late. Unbeknownst to him and everyone else, she'd secretly been dating their teacher and had fallen in love. Now things between them are awkward and seeing her with another guy is painful. When Max approaches him and makes her request, he's both amused and surprisingly attracted to the young woman who isn't anything like Bliss or his usual type. Weighing the pros and cons of spending of Thanksgiving alone or pretending to be Max's boyfriend, he decides it might be fun to masquerade as her boyfriend. After all he is an actor. He just has one simple request in return...

"I'll do it. In exchange for a date."

Sometimes letting go of our past, of our fears, and of our guilt are the hardest things to do, but it's also a part of growing up. Sometimes all you need to get through the rough times is the right person to give you a little push and hold your hand. While they don't know it yet, Max and Cade actually have more in common than they know. The two will end up understanding each other like no on else could.

They say some of the best things in life are those that are unexpected and in this case it couldn't be more true.

  

'Faking It' is the second book of the Losing It series. It begins during the epilogue of 'Losing It'. Cade, Bliss Edward's best friend, had just done the one the that could ruin their friendship. He confessed he had feelings for her other than friendship. The sweet guy who'd written her a song and had sung it for her had been rejected in favor of another. So when I found out that 'Faking It' would contain Cade's story, I couldn't help but squee a little.

One of the hardest things to do in life is to separate ourselves from our parents. To realize we can't please them all the time. To realize at some point we need to be true to ourselves even if it will dash all their wishes for us. We need to let them know who we are and that can be difficult if it's the opposite of what they want. Max has been hiding her true self from her parents for years. In high school, Max tried to be the perfect daughter, but that was never her at all. When she went off to college she finally found herself, but she 'faked' being her parents' ideal image of a daughter when they came around. So in a way Max will blindside her parents if she ever gains the courage to show them her true self. Of course we all know that sometimes you need to just rip the band aid off and let the air circulate to clear things up.

Max is a free spirit and a touch wild. She's a strong individual who tends to become quite the opposite when her parents are around. Because Max doesn't really see Cade as boyfriend material or herself, he gets to see a rare side of Max. One she tends to hide from the world. He sees her vulnerable side and in that revealing glimpse he sees a kindred spirit. He understands what makes her tick. He just gets her.

Cade doesn't have a close knit family and was raised by his grandmother. In many ways he's the polar opposite of Max. He's tried to mold himself into his own ideal image and it shows. Through Max, he'll learn a lot about himself. She'll help him realize he needs to just be himself, and she'll help him question what he really wants instead of what he thinks he should. They say opposites attract and with good reason. Sometimes what we need the most in a partner is the exact opposite of what we are because they're the ones who will challenge us and help us see things in a new way.

Overall, I gave this one 5 for 5 roses. I love Cora Carmack's writing style and adore the way she breathes life into the characters who live within the pages of her books. They give voice to the emotions just about everyone has experienced at one time or another in their life making them easy to relate to. Cora is definitely an author to watch. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.

Order of the series:

Losing It (Losing It #1) by Cora Carmack

Title: Losing It

• Classification: New Adult
• Genre: Comptemporary Romance
• Format: eBook
• File Size: 383 KB
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (December 5, 2012)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
• ASIN: B00AHCRQPI

Author's Website: http://coracarmack.blogspot.com/

Bliss Edwards was your typical college student in her senior year of college. Her mother called regularly and it was pretty much standard protocol for her to inquire whether or not she'd met anyone. The answer more often then not was "No." She hadn't dated much in the past 3 years of college content just to study and hang out with her friends, but everything changed when she confessed to one of her best friends that she was still a virgin. Her friend, Kelsey, being the good friend that she is, decides to make it her mission to help Bliss cash in her V-card. So after arming her in an outfit which showcased Bliss' best assets, she dragged her to a bar that held the highest potential for finding a willing participant. She then proceeded to try to help her find her perfect one night stand.

"What about him?" Kelsey asked, pointing to a guy at a nearby table.

"Too preppy."

"Him?"

Too Hipster."

"Over there?"

"Ew. Too hairy."

After going through a long succession of refusals and sounding like a fussier version of Goldie Locks, she decided the process was hopeless. That's when Bliss came across a guy sitting out of the way reading a book... 

"If that's supposed to be a way to pick up girls, I would suggest moving to an area with a little more traffic."

He looked up from his reading, and suddenly I found it hard to swallow. He was easily the most attractive guy I'd seen tonight--blond hair falling into crystal blue eyes, just enough scruff on his jaw to give him a masculine look without making him too hairy, and a face that could have made angels sing."

Bliss had just found the guy who was just right.

Too bad when the two had started getting hot and heavy she started having a panic attack and, after babbling an outrageous excuse, had run away. She thought nothing could be more mortifying  than that, but the next morning upon going to her first class she found out she was wrong. For the new professor of her acting class turned out to be none other than the man she'd ran away from and left naked in her bed nearly 8 hours ago. Awkward just doesn't even begin to cover it.  

   

__________________________

Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I wanted to read it because it was one of the first books a publisher had approached me to read with the 'New Adult' classification attached to it. Plus, I always love reading books by new authors so I thought I'd give it a try. I am happy to say I really enjoyed it.

Bliss has a sort of girl next store type of feel about her. Truth be told, she's kind of how I'd envision a younger, more modern version of Lucy from I Love Lucy would be. She's sweet, hysterically funny in how she deals with situations, and endearing. She doesn't always do the wise thing, but her heart is in the right place and I couldn't help but like her. She's got a lot of friends, but hasn't had much luck finding Mr. Right. For the most part, she wasn't really looking, but at certain times during our life, like when we're about to graduate from college, you start reflecting about what you would have done differently, what you wish you'd had the guts to do, and if you have enough time, what can you still cross off your bucket list. While I don't think losing her V-card was high on Bliss' list of 'Things I Must Do Before I Graduate,' when she tells her friend Kelsey, things sort of escalate. What I loved about this book is it captures the camaraderie you experience only in college. Where you're friends push you to do things you would never do all on your own.

Garrick was the type of guy you can't help but wonder why someone hasn't already snatched up. He's smart, handsome, sweet, and sports a British accent. While Bliss may be embarrassed by the events that transpired, it's rather obvious that Garrick is still scratching his head and wondering what exactly went wrong. When he realizes the next morning that Bliss is one of his students he tries to distance himself from her, but the two share an attraction that keeps pulling them back together. 

Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. I thought it a sweet and charming story that had me laughing and giggling. It reminded me of some of my own college experiences and made me wish I'd kept in touch with some of my college friends. if you're looking for a cute romance that will leave you smiling, then you may want to check this one out. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a FAN--the temperature in the room seems to have suddenly gone up a couple of degrees and a fan would be nice.

  

 Available in eBook format on Amazon and Barnes & Noble