Blog Tour: Review of Mia's Heart by Courtney Cole

Today I am hosting a stop on the Mia's Heart tour!  I also really enjoyed Dante's Girl, the first book in the series and you can find my review HERE.  A big thank you to Kismet Book Touring for including me on the tour!

Mia's Heart (The Paradise Diaries #2) by Courtney Cole

Published: November 13th, 2012 by Lakehouse Press

Source: Kismet Book Touring and the author
 goodreads | amazon | B&N

My name is Mia Giannis.
I am seventeen years old.
I live in Valese, Caberra.

This has become my mantra and my lifeline, having recently lost my memory due to a scary natural disaster.
Yeah. I have amnesia. Messed up, right?

You don't know the half of it.

Not remembering anything has turned my world upside down. My parents try their hardest to “remind” me of who I was, but it doesn't feel right. Or, if what they're saying is true and that really was me, I'm not sure I like that person very much.

And then there’s my love life. Apparently, Gavin Ariastasis is my oldest and best friend in the world. Also, apparently, we’ve never dated. But now, noticing him for what feels like the first time, he’s making my heart do somersaults. He knows me inside and out—the real me. Plus, he’s sexy and charming as hell. Sounds perfect, right?

But then... there’s the new guy. Quinn McKeyen – tall, gorgeous and deliciously American. His mischievous grin and slow Midwestern drawl turn my insides to mush in two seconds flat making me question who I really am and what I really want.

Seriously. What am I supposed to do with all that?! I feel torn between them, but I barely even know who I am, let alone what I want.

I just hope my indecisive heart will clue me in. And sooner rather than later…before I lose what little of my mind that I have left.

Mia's Heart is the second book in The Paradise Diaries series and is a companion to Dante's Girl.  These books are pure enjoyment as long as you go in knowing that it's fluff.  It's a little bit too perfect (or too good to be true) and all that.  There are issues presented though, so it's not like it's this perfect romance without obstacles. But for me it's definitely just a fun ride.

This book is about Mia, obviously, and she's Reece's best friend (Reece from Dante's Girl) so we know her a bit from before, but once we're in her head we know her in a different way, of course.  We start seeing things a bit differently and understand her rebellious streak.  Mia loses her memory toward the start of the story and so we are with her as she starts anew and tries to find her true self.

There are two boys in this one, Gavin, an old friend who she sees with new eyes and Quinn, Reece's friend from Kansas who Mia finds delicious.  So yes... there's a bit of a love triangle as Mia has to decide who she wants, but it's not one that really bothered me too much.  I sort of 'got it' and was happy with how it played out.  And to be honest I wasn't exactly sure who she would pick... I thought I did, but then I started having doubts.  The issue I had was the same one I had with Dante's Girl, I needed more 'moments' between them to fully feel the connection.  It wasn't a huge issue, but it was a tad bit of a disappointment.

I love that the book takes place outside the US.  It's a made up country but it's exotic and I feel like I can really see the island and can imagine it clearly in my head.  I think this is actually a huge bonus for me and am glad that she stuck to the island for this one instead of it being somewhere else.

I definitely do recommend the book, just remember that this one is for the fun ride!

I would say 3.5 may be more accurate about my feelings for this one but since I need to round one way I'm rounding up as it's more 4 star book rather than 3.

Disclosure: I received this book free of charge for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.


Check out Dante's Girl - the first book in the Paradise Diaries Series  
goodreads | amazon | B&N


 About Courtney Cole

website | twitter |  facebook | facebook fan page

Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could.
She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds.
Every Last Kiss is her debut novel and she followed it with the rest of The Bloodstone Saga (Every Last Kiss, Fated, With My Last Breath and My Tattered Bonds).
Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.
Learn more about Courtney and her books at www.courtneycolewrites.com

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Mia's Heart Book Blizz with Excerpt & Giveaway!

I'm excited to be part of the Mia's Heart tour and the release blizz!

Mia's Heart Description:

My name is Mia Giannis.
I am seventeen years old.
I live in Valese, Caberra.
This has become my mantra and my lifeline, having recently lost my memory due to a scary natural disaster.
Yeah. I have amnesia. Messed up, right?
You don't know the half of it.
Not remembering anything has turned my world upside down. My parents try their hardest to “remind” me of who I was, but it doesn't feel right. Or, if what they're saying is true and that really was me, I'm not sure I like that person very much.
And then there’s my love life. Apparently, Gavin Ariastasis is my oldest and best friend in the world. Also, apparently, we’ve never dated. But now, noticing him for what feels like the first time, he’s making my heart do somersaults. He knows me inside and out—the real me. Plus, he’s sexy and charming as hell. Sounds perfect, right?
But then... there’s the new guy. Quinn McKeyen – tall, gorgeous and deliciously American. His mischievous grin and slow Midwestern drawl turn my insides to mush in two seconds flat making me question who I really am and what I really want.
Seriously. What am I supposed to do with all that?! I feel torn between them, but I barely even know who I am, let alone what I want.
I just hope my indecisive heart will clue me in. And sooner rather than later…before I lose what little of my mind that I have left.

About Courtney Cole

website | twitter | facebook | facebook fan page

Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could.
She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds.
Every Last Kiss is her debut novel and she followed it with the rest of The Bloodstone Saga (Every Last Kiss, Fated, With My Last Breath and My Tattered Bonds).
Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.
Learn more about Courtney and her books at www.courtneycolewrites.com

Review: Dante's Girl by Courtney Cole

 Dante's Girl by Courtney Cole

ebook, 356 pages

Published: June 24th, 2012 

Source: Purchased

I have spent every summer since I was ten years old with my father in London. Every summer, since I was ten years old, has been uneventful and boring.
Until this year.

And this year, after a freak volcanic eruption strands me far from home, I have learned these things:

1. I can make do with one outfit for three days before I buy new clothes.
2. If I hear the phrase, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” even one more time, I might become a homicidal maniac.
3. I am horribly and embarrassingly allergic to jellyfish.
4. I am in love with Dante Giliberti, who just happens to be the beautiful, sophisticated son of the Prime Minister of a Mediterranean paradise.
5. See number four above. Because it brings with it a whole slew of problems and I’ve learned something from every one of them.

Let’s start with the fact that Dante’s world is five light-years away from mine. He goes to black-tie functions and knows the Prime Minister of England on a first name basis. I was born and raised on a farm in Kansas and wear cut-off jeans paired with cowboy boots. See the difference?

But hearts don’t care about differences. Hearts want what they want. And mine just wants to be Dante’s girl.

My heart just might be crazy.

When I was a teenager I spent a lot of time daydreaming.  Laying around in my room dreaming up unlikely but droolworthy scenerios.  Ones just like this book actually...  Wouldn't we all love that?  Go on a trip and somehow end up on a Mediterranean paradise with some seriously hot guy who just happens to basically be the Prince? So, I wish this book had been around when I was a teen because it would have added a bit more variety to those daydreams of mine...

Reece was such a fun character!  She had a strong voice and a strong personality.  She was afraid of making a fool of herself, but yet she never really held back what she was thinking.  She wasn't shy and she was a lot of fun.  She had conversations in her head that really gave me the giggles.  While at first I liked this and felt like it was just a quirk of her personality, I did find that it started to get a tiny bit annoying.  Just her little sayings she had to herself.  It wasn't anything that bothered me too much though.

Dante was pretty awesome.  He was a gentleman, but still let down his guard occasionally and we could catch him saying something with a little innuendo, which was almost shocking since he was so polite.  He was terrified of letting down his father though and this made him a bit stiff and reserved.  As the book continues on and Reece encourages him to feel what he feels and not try to do everything to please his father he starts to let down his guard and come out a bit more with his true feelings.  I really liked him a lot, but I kind of think maybe he was a bit too perfect.  Again, not a big deal, but something that crossed my mind.

The romance between the two was sweet.  A lot of people have said it happened too fast and I have mixed feelings.  First of all, they had a few days together and some intense moments and they kind of ignored their feelings.  Reece pushed them aside because she didn't feel she was good enough, and Dante because things were 'complicated'.  But once they came out and realized they liked each other their relationship progressed quickly.  I didn't mind the initial stuff.  Attraction is one thing, kissing and really liking each other is perfectly natural.  But then towards the end of the book you see that they are in love and that felt maybe a bit fast.  I think I needed more 'moments' between them.  However, I do think that it's possible.  I think that there is maybe such a thing as love at first sight, but fortunately these two get a summer together (or a big chunk of one) to have their feeling toward each other grow and I think it was enough time for it to happen. 

There was a side plot with some stuff and I think it added a lot to the story.  It added some additional mystery and tension and had me wondering what was going on.  I kind of had it figured out pretty quickly, but it was still something that added to the story.

This might be an improbable thing to happen, but we all like to dream, and there's nothing wrong with dreaming big!  It was a fun read with some very heartfelt moments and I found myself enjoying it all the way through.  And I was afraid for the end to come because I was just sure it wouldn't satisfy me, but I wrong!  It was completely satisfying!  Now I'm excited to read the next book, which is a companion called Mia's Heart.