Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Book Tour for A First Time for Everything by Isabel Morin (Review & GIVEAWAY)


A young woman who’s always been focused on her studies and her future decides it’s time to live a little and invites a sexy young man to tutor her in the art of making love with their hearts unexpectedly becoming involved in this sweet and sexy contemporary tale.  Keep reading to get a tempting taste of A First Time for Everything by Isabel Morin, along with my impressions of it, then add it to your bookshelf.  In honor of this New Adult romance make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $15 Amazon GC too!

Hannah Bloom arrives on campus for her senior year of college a new woman. No more mortifying acne—though she still bears the scars—and no more trying to be invisible. She has two goals: get into med school and have sex before graduation. But getting into med school may prove easier than having sex, because Hannah has a secret—she’s never even been kissed.
What she needs is a tutor who’ll give her lessons in all the things she’s missed out on, and Casey Grant is the perfect candidate. Her dorm’s resident player, he’s not only the hottest guy she’s ever seen, he already knows her secret.
The only trouble is, nothing goes according to plan. Their lessons don’t feel like lessons, they feel like the real thing. She tries to date other guys, but nothing can compare with what she has with Casey. If she’s not careful she’ll fall for him just like every other girl on campus—and have her heart broken like them, too.

EXCERPT:

Somehow, I end up with my back to the door. Like I’ve been cornered, only I asked for this. I want this, but it’s become real, and the reality of Casey is more than I know what to do with. Standing this close to me he’s so tall I’d have to look up to meet his eye, which I don’t even try to do. I look at his mouth instead, the full lower lip and softly bowed upper one. This man was made for kissing.
I wanted to be shown what I should have learned in high school, but Casey’s no high school boy. “I can see your pulse beating right here,” he says, his voice low and rough as his thumb skims my throat.
I stop breathing, my whole body humming as every cell wakes up. My pulse pounds where he touches me, and in my wrists, between my legs.
He puts his hands on my hips and leans closer, his voice a warm flutter at my ear. “Nervous?”“
He’s so close I could cup his cheek, thread my fingers through his hair. I shut my eyes and nod, trying not to think of Eric, of how I might hate this or ruin it.
“It’s supposed to make you nervous. That’s when it’s really good,” he murmurs, his voice low and rough and so sexy my toes curl into the floor and my body sags against the door.
“What are you waiting for?” I ask, my voice high and breathy. He’s barely touched me, and I’m already beside myself.
“There’s more to kissing than kissing.”
His hands come up on either side of me, caging me in, so close but still not touching me. Then his lips are on mine, soft and undemanding as they graze over me. When he breaks contact, I open my eyes to find him watching me, and the heat in his eyes draws me toward him.
I guess that’s all he needed, because when he kisses me again it’s sure and knowing and I’m already falling under his spell. There’s no demand, just the building of sensations. So easy and natural and necessary. Gradually it changes and his tongue licks into me, a playful, teasing taste before he retreats. He changes the angle and takes more, teaching me how to respond. I follow his lead, taking and withdrawing.
“That’s it, babe, open up for me,” he says, his voice rough and breathless.
The kiss turns slow and deep, like he’s savoring how I taste. I should have known Casey’s kisses would be as potent as any drug. Already I’m an addict. Everything—his hands on me, the texture of his skin, the rasp of his breath — combines to form a universe of our own. He’s all I feel or remember, warm skin and taut muscle, my breasts crushed to his chest as we struggle to get closer.
I drag my hands down his strong back and press myself against him, aching for more. He pulls away. “You okay?”
“Yes, why? Did I do something wrong?” I ask, my heart sinking.
“God, no. You feel amazing. It’s just that you made a sound.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“Don’t be sorry. I just wanted to make sure. I’m having a hard time thinking straight right now.”
“Me, too. You’re an amazing kisser.” I can hear how naïve that sounds, how girlish, but I can’t think how else to say it.
And then, because this is a lesson and I need to know — “Am I doing it right?”
“You’re just about killing me. I don’t think it could be any better.” “Can we do it some more?” I ask him, desire making me bold. “Hell, yeah.”
“This time I want to kiss you.”
Casey goes completely still, like he’s gone on high alert, and he gives a shaky laugh. “Okay, but go easy on me. I’m not made of stone.”
“You could have fooled me,” I tease, because I can feel how hard he is for me.
 “You got that right,” he says, his voice rougher now.
I put my hands on his shoulders and press my lips to his, grazing them like he did to me. Only I already know I need more than this. Excitement kicks my heart into a gallop as I kiss him the way he taught me, open mouthed, slow and savoring.


FIND AT GOODREADS here.

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON (US)  |  AMAZON (UK)  |  AMAZON (CA)  |  AMAZON (AU)  |  iBOOKS  | BN  |  KOBO


MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

From the moment I read this blurb I was hooked!  From its charming and crackling premise to its immensely appealing characters, both main and secondary, this was a story that sucked me in and held me captive until the last turn of the page.  In a story with a bit of humor, a bit of angst, and a lot of heart and soul, readers will find this a gem in the New Adult genre and will be clamoring for Ms. Morin to revisit this world and its easy to relate to characters.

Until her senior year of college Hannah Bloom had always tried to stay hidden, tried to hide her severe acne and battered self-esteem behind a reserved personality.  Smart and studious she’s on course to go to med school where she truly wants to help people, but in her final year of college she wants something else too...a life.  Having never yet been kissed, and with her v-card still intact, Hannah’s starting to feel angry and frustrated and desperate to feel like the strong-willed woman she’s becoming through taking more chances.  After a disastrous first kiss though she turns to the dorm’s playboy, Casey, to tutor her in matters of sex and it’s not long before their hearts become involved.  Hannah’s a wonderful heroine with a kind heart and insecurities that were easy to relate to, years of hurt feelings that had me aching for her while rooting for her to overcome her past.  She pushed through the insecurities though to start experiencing life and started to realize that putting herself out there was worth a few bruises along the way, not only in her interactions with Casey but with her circle of friends too.  She was down-to-earth and didn’t mince words either, a truthful woman that I respected and admired and who I could easily call my friend.  The romance between her and Casey was a slow-burn that had them starting out as friends before becoming oh so much more and their journey was one that warmed my heart and put a smile on my face.

With this story being told from Hannah’s POV, much time is spent digging into her emotions but that doesn’t mean that Casey Grant’s put on the back burner.  He’s far too sexy with a larger than life personality to ignore and with each turn of the page I fell for him even further.  To many on campus he’s a playboy flitting from one conquest to the next, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind, with a smoldering smile and a life that seems carefree.  Behind that facade though is someone far more complex, with doubts about his future, that are slowly revealed through his interactions with Hannah.  Their early scenes were sweet with moments of flirtiness that put Hannah at ease and made her comfortable enough to ask him to be her tutor.  From there their time together turned sizzling with moments that also allowed for heartfelt talks that helped readers become even more invested in them.  Not only did Hannah grow during this story, but so too did Casey.  Things had always come easily to him courtesy of a powerful family name and good looks, but with Hannah he found something that he had to work hard to claim.  He had to earn her love after finally discovering that he did want love and commitment instead of the casual relationships he used to engage in.  There’s a big heart hiding under Casey’s playboy act and it made him a delectable hero that I wish we could’ve spent a bit more time with as he’s a delicious morsel that I’m still dreaming about at night.

This was an entertaining read from start to finish with crackling banter and a scorching romance.  The characters were appealing, both the main ones as well as the secondary ones, and were easy to relate to as they all reminded me of my own college years.  The journey to HEA had a few tiny bumps along the way, as insecurities are hard to overcome, but it just had me rooting for them all the more while hoping that the secondary characters will soon take center stage.  Among this couple’s circle of friends the one who left the biggest impression was Audrey, a strong-willed and straight talking heroine whose demeanor is very similar to Casey.  She enjoys her casual flings, makes no excuses, and is very protective of those she calls friend.  She too has family issues and I’m hoping that Ms. Morin knows was a treasure she has with this heroine and is already plotting out her story.  Readers looking for a sweet and sexy tale where the teacher learns wwwwaaaayyyy more from the student will definitely want to grab this romance the moment you’re done reading this review!

My rating for this is an A-

*I got this book from NetGalley for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

Isabel began reading romances when she was thirteen years old. That’s the year her grandmother came to visit, bringing with her a summer’s worth of romance novels. Isabel was immediately and forever hooked.
Now she writes sensual, emotionally intelligent stories about likable people who discover themselves as they navigate their way to great sex and true love. What could be better than experiencing all that new love and lust just by picking up a book?
She lives in Connecticut with her conveniently tall, dark, and handsome husband.


**********GIVEAWAY**********

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