Welcome to The Bookish Babe's stop on the My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century Blog Tour. I'm super excited! My stop includes my review of the book, a guest post from author Rachel Harris, and a tour giveaway.
Series: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #1Publication Date: September 11, 2012
Format: eARC
Pages:
Source: Received from publisher for review.
On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.Full of charm and heart, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is one girl's magical journey towards finding herself.
Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.
Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?
My Super Sweet is a book that I had been looking forward to since I first read the synopsis, and I'll admit it, the cover totally hooked me. I'm so happy that I got the chance to read it early because I simply adored it.
Author Rachel Harris did a phenomenal job of recreating Sixteenth Century Florence. So many details that could have been easily overlooked, such as the silverware and plumbing used, helped lend a nice touch of authenticity. The manners and speech of the Sixteenth century felt real. I loved that Cat continually struggled throughout the story to behave in a manner that reflected that era.
The characters in My Super Sweet all hit the right notes. Cat was lovable, awkward, funny and charming. Alessandra was a doll. I love that she openly embraced Cat and gave her no choice but to love her. Lorenz was super swoony, everything you expect in an Italian gentleman, without coming on too strong.
I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the story. Cat's journey towards trust, being open to love was one any of us can learn from. But besides the lesson, My Super Sweet was fun! The setting provided the perfect opportunity for an escape. In fact, it's the best Italian getaway you can hope for,short of actually going there. The ending was absolutely perfect. I think I may have even cackled with glee. I can't wait for the next adventure!
Whether you're looking for a story with depth, a sweet escape, or better yet, both, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is a book that will find your sweet spot.
Favorite Quote:
"Standing up, I cup my hands around my shrunken waist. It has to be at least three inches smaller, and my boobs are pressed flat, creating mounds of cleavage where there never was any before.
At least I can look like a Kardashian while hyperventilating all over the dance floor." (eARC, pg 163)
Guest Post with Author Rachel Harris
You’re in a gypsy tent. The eerie, cool girl standing
opposite you is casting some kind of hocus pocus spell, and you don’t know how
but you know that soon you’ll be transported to another country, another time.
You close your eyes and picture the exact moment and place you want to go.
Where is it?
In My Super Sweet
Sixteenth Century, that’s not exactly what happens. Cat Crawford doesn’t
believe in all the magic nonsense, and frankly thinks the chick in the veil is
a little whacked. But when she exits the tattered green tent in what she
believes is modern day Florence, she discovers she’s no longer in Kansas—err, I
mean, the twenty-first century. She’s in the sixteenth.
But if Cat did have
a choice, I think she would’ve chosen exactly that. See, she’s been obsessed
with the Renaissance and her Italian heritage all of her life (it’s the one
good thing about her birthmother), so while she certainly turned making
cultural missteps into an art form, she wasn’t as unprepared as many of us
would be.
Cat pretty much got her wish, had she known to make one. So
I ask you, dear blog reader, where would you
wish to go?
I admit my own fascination with Renaissance Italy is one of
the reasons I wrote this story, so it would definitely be at the top of my
short list. I tell my husband all the time that when we hit the lottery, we’re
buying a house in Tuscany, and I’ve loved the Renaissance since freshman year
in high school when I read Romeo and Juliet.
But ultimately, if I really had to choose only one place to go, I think it would
probably have to be Regency London.
Why Regency London?
Well, because I’m a book addict (can I get an Amen from the
house?), and I love me some historical romance, and most of my all-time
favorites are set during this time. The world is familiar, the language
understandable, and the pageantry of it all touched with magic.
And let’s not forget…it’s also the land of Mr. Darcy.
Ahh, Mr. Darcy. You will always be my ultimate book
boyfriend.
Besides the men, and their yummy English accents, I love the
clothing and style of the Regency period. It’s in the past and a different
world, yet not so long ago that all of their ideas are completely foreign.
And did I mention it’s the land of Mr. Darcy???
So that’s where I’d go if Reyna, Cat’s gypsy girl, suddenly
landed on my doorstep, whispering a mystical chant. And now I turn it on
you….where would YOU go?
Let Andrea and I know in the comments!
Tour Giveaway
You can purchase My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century at:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
As a teen, I threw raging parties that shook my parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels.
As an adult, I read and write obsessively, rehash said embarrassing fodder, and dream up characters who become my imaginary friends.
When I'm not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find me homeschooling my two beautiful princesses, hanging out with my amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate.
MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY is my first novel. I did have my own fantabulous Sweet Sixteen in high school. Sadly, it wasn’t televised.
Connect with Rachel at: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
