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High school senior Victoria “Tori” Reeve has it pretty good. She’s rich, she’s smart, and she’s popular. What more could a girl ask for? Sure, she’s a little lonely, what with being single and her best friend going off to college and all, but she’s got her work at the Spaulding Crisis Center to keep her busy. When she gets a new boss in the very easy on the eyes form of Isaac Larsen, suddenly her volunteer work feels a lot less like work. Even if he does seem to cause Tori to break out into spontaneous fits of foot in mouth disease. Somehow in spite of her blunderitis, Isaac still seems to be interested in her in a more-than-employer or even more-than-friends kind of way.
So really she should have known that things would go sideways.
Trouble comes to Spaulding, and that trouble seems to be centered on Tori and the Crisis Center. Is she really the focus? Or does this all have to do with the new mysterious man in her life? In her efforts to find out, Tori stumbles across some secrets. Skeletons that might have been better off left in the closet. As it turns out, Spaulding is a hot spot for bad blood…
Toot's review
So here's my little synopsis for you.
Our heroine, 17 year old Victoria "Tori" Reeve is pretty much the perfect daughter, student and all around good kid. She's popular, friendly and even works at a teen help line at the Spaulding Crisis Center. One night, her boss announces that he needs to move to the day shift and introduces the new night supervisor for the center, the hunky Isaac Larsen. Tori is immediately smitten with Isaac but then in the same breath realizes his last name.....Larsen. As Tori puts it "The Larsens were members of an "alternative religion", aka cult, that had a "homestead" on the edges of town. There was an unspoken arrangement between the Larsens and the town of Spaulding. You ignore us, and we'll ignore you. It would appear that Isaac was about to break that uneasy truce." He is also a wee bit older, 21 verse her 17, or so she thinks. Immediately, Isaac is also showing all the signs that he's noticed her too. And wouldn't you know it, sparks fly! When he finds out later on that she walks to work, he offers to escort her home. Tori takes note that he's very old fashioned and she is flattered by such a gentleman. And soon begins their budding romance.
Quickly though little red flags are showing up in their whirlwind romance. Little things that make it seem like Isaac is staking a claim on her, like programming his phone number into her cell without permission. So who does she confide her worries to? Her lifetime BFF, Drew! As in Andrew. Who is by no means Gay either. He's just gone away to collage but is always there for his BFF. They are in constant contact. At first you feel they have an almost brother/sister relationship but after awhile, you realize that there's way more chemistry between them but both are scared to ruin their friendship. Anyways, she confides in him and Drew is immediately accepting of this new man but also is aware he needs to step up his game. As the romance between Isaac and Tori progress, weird things start to happen, one of her school friends goes missing, she's attacked in a park and her mom is being very cryptic when discussing Isaac and doesn't even want her to mention him to her dad.
So that's where I'm going to leave off this little synopsis because I really want you to read this book and not because I'm in love with Drew!
Hmmmm, so Bad Blood by Ginny Lurcock. Let me think of how to put this......I TOTALLY ADORED THIS BOOK. I wasn't quite sure how I would like it. There wasn't a whole lot of info on it and all I knew about it was from the blurb but I dove right in because I had a review due for this tour stop *yay me!*. I will tell you this, I blew through it in less than a day. I couldn't put it down and honestly when it was over, I was like, where's the next one! I truly hope this book becomes a series. I absolutely loved all the characters *Drew, sigh, my new book crush*. They were well rounded and really jumped off the page and into full vivid detail for me. There was some wonderful dialogue between all the characters which made me laugh out loud at the antics and sigh heavily at the more dreamy/steamy scenes. Oh and yes, this book is listed as Urban Fantasy/Mature YA but I'd probably categorize it as PNR/NA. It's main paranormal element is Vampires. The story is technically a YA but I'd say it probably falls more into the new, New Adult category. There's no sex scenes but it is definitely spicier then any YA I've read. I think both adults and teens alike will enjoy the read. And let me just say this, Ginny Lurcock knows the Vamp genre. She not only adhered to some of the more classic elements of the genre but even tips a comical hat to some of the veteran authors (i.e. Stephanie Meyer, Anne Rice and others). It was a nice homage to the others who've walked this Vampire path before. All in all I really enjoyed the read and highly recommend it.
5 out of 5 books!
Guest Post
Holy
Mother of God, I Am Old
I’m not so sure why I decided to write a mostly, sort of, a
little bit YA title. (Okay, its NA, but
I intended to write it as YA…) I mean,
sure, I love YA as a reader, but the reality is I curse like a sailor and spent
the first season of Glee telling anyone that would listen that it would be
better with graphic sex*. Not only
that, but I’m old.
I mean, I’m not super old in the grand scheme of
things. I don’t even turn thirty until
April 1st.** And lord knows that I act
like immature enough when I’m almost late to work because I got caught up in
reading, giggle at dirty words and have to leave meetings because my boss is
making an analogy regarding the manufacturing of sausage…
Like you could keep a straight face for that one…
No, what I mean is that I am “old” to those that are
“young”.
I’m an adult.
I used to wonder what this would mean. What would it feel like? How would I know that all of the sudden I was
a grown-up? Up until very recently I
assumed that I would never feel like an “adult.” That it was some mythical illusion that
adults tell teenagers because I honestly felt just like I did when I was
younger… I just had bills and responsibilities.
So maybe that was it.
Maybe that was the secret of the universe.
Adults are really just kids who can reach the top shelf.
Or maybe I’m just an idiot.
Because really, I didn’t feel the same at all. The change was just so gradual I didn’t
notice it. You know, kind of like when
your hair grows out and you don’t notice it because you see it every day and
then you run into someone you haven’t seen in six months and they’re all “DAMN
YOUR HAIR GOT LONG.” And then once they
point it out you can’t help but notice it and feel like an idiot for not
getting it trimmed weeks ago like you’d been meaning to.
Well I noticed how long my hair was (that’s a metaphor for
being old) when I recently tried to re-watch “Empire Records” and “My So-Called
Life.”
I loved these back when I was a teenager. More
so “Empire Records” than “My So-Called Life.”
I mean, I used to watch “Empire Records” on like a weekly basis. If not more frequently. I so badly wanted to be as cool as the
characters in that movie. (Stop
laughing, I can hear you from here. In the
past. At my computer. Where I’m writing this.)
So no one was more surprised than me when I started shouting
“are you fucking kidding me with this?
You’re fucking teenagers. What
the fuck makes you think you can get away with this shit?” Actually, in the
case of “My So-Called Life” it was more like “It’s fucking Thursday. You can’t go to a fucking party on a fucking
Thursday…” and then remembering all the times I went out on a fucking Thursday…
My chest actually felt tight when the words registered. I’m not kidding. It was so traumatic that I actually turned to
my husband and said “Holy shit, I’m fucking old…”
***
What does this mean for Bad Blood? Well I hope it means that even though I’m an
adult telling a story through the voice of a teenager, that voice is
genuine. Or as genuine as any character
in a novel can be. Hopefully she acts
like a teenager would. Without acting
like one of those little shitbag kids that make me feel old while vowing to
home school my daughter…
Hopefully.
I guess you’ll just have to read Bad Blood and see for
yourself.
*By the by, turns out you can tell a lot of people that if
it’s your conversation opener. They just
might avoid talking to you after that.
**I actually had to take a break from writing the post at
this point, so if it seems disjointed that’s why. Turns out that even writing about the
upcoming anniversary of my rather dramatic liberation from the womb makes me
scowl. Not because I’m turning thirty,
but because it means I’ll have to make plans for some sort of celebration where
my awkward ass will be the center of attention.
***It was at this point I realized I had no idea how to wrap
this post up… Just kind of winging it from this point forward.
Interview with Bad Blood author Ginny Lurcock
Author Ginny Lurcock was wonderful enough to sit down with Toot's for a quick interview and answer a few questions about her wonderful new book as well as some fan related questions.
Thank you so much Ginny!
Enjoy~
What drew you to this genre?
I've always had a thing for fantasy and monsters, especially
vampires, so writing a vampire book just seemed to fit with my sort of kind of
morbid monster obsessed personality.
Any thing you'd like to share with your fans about this
book?
Originally I almost had to change the rating on this book,
but I bowed to peer pressure and edited a scene between two of the characters
so it was even vaguer then it was before.
I’m sure there should be more here, but my brain is fixated on that fact
and refuses to let me think about anything else.
Who are your favorite characters to write?
Anyone quirky. I love quirks.
What are your plans for future books? Any new releases on the horizon besides this
one?
Officially, no. I'm
working on finishing my serial "The Adventures of the Dread Pirate
Lydia" and will publish that when it's done, but after that I am
remarkably unfocused.
Who are your favorite authors?
Of the top of my head RIGHT NOW, Stephen King, Ilona
Andrews, R.A. Salvatore, and Ray Bradbury
What are you currently reading?
I'm currently reading "Dearly, Beloved" which is a steampunk zombie YA romance. Love.
I'm currently reading "Dearly, Beloved" which is a steampunk zombie YA romance. Love.
Any books you'd recommend to your fans besides your own *grin*?
Jeebus, there's a lot. Out of what I read recently, my favorites
have been Riveted, Just Breathe, The Night Circus, The Taken, Mr. Real, Down To
You, Mia's Heart, Nights of Steel, anything by Tessa Dare... to name a few.
Of course because it's now a Toot's tradition, I have to ask...
What are 10 things your fans don't know about you?
That this is probably my least favorite question, because
keeping my own secrets does not happen.
Ask my close friends and they'll tell you how much they know about my
life. And how little they enjoy it.
- I love romance because I adore watching other people find the other half of their soul.
- Hockey is my shit.
- I used to be a guild leader in WoW. It was how I spent my free time before I started writing.
- I love all kinds of music, but deep down I'll always be a punk rock girl.
- I snort when I laugh. Frequently.
- I think most monkeys are jerks. Along with dolphins, most whales, and several other animals that normal people love.
- I have a mild obsession with Jack the Ripper
- I make pop culture references constantly, but always to the wrong audience so no one gets them.
- I have a horrible tendency to talk about bodily functions as if it’s no big deal.
- I believe in Santa Clause (like I believe in love… crap, now that song is going to be stuck in my head)
About the Author (taken from the back of Bad Blood)
I am so bad at these, that it causes me physical pain. No wait, that was a splinter… Never mind.
Ginny Lurcock lives in New Hampshire with her husband whom she adores, her daughter, whom she also adores, and their cat. Who she likes alright.
Oh, and her father, his two cats, her sister and her sister’s boyfriend.
When not writing she enjoys playing games (of the board and video variety) or reading to the point of obsession (she’s not an addict, she can quit whenever she wants), watching intelligent television, mindless television, sports, movies and listening to music.
Basically, she likes all the things.
ALL.THE.THINGS
And somehow she still manages to find the time to be bored.
She also breaks the seal.
Links
Bad Blood on Goodreads
Ginny Lurcock Website
Ginny Lurcock on Goodreads
Ginny Lurcock Facebook
Ginny Lurcock Twitter
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