BLOG TOUR: A Tale of Two Centuries by Rachel Harris

I going to start this post off by saying I FREAKING LOVE RACHEL HARRIS!!! Yes, I do! She makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And I'm so thrilled that we get to be part of her A TALE of TWO CENTURIES blog tour. I can hardly stand it. *giggles giddily* So I want to thank Rachel for granting me my coveted ARC, and Rockstar Book Tours for hosting this SUPER SWEET tour. ;)

Check out my review and all the deets on Rachel and her books along with a GIVEAWAY at the end. BUT FIRST...

***A very special release week special deal: Rachel is offering to anyone who buys a copy of A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES during release week AND sends their receipt to
rachelharris1@gmail.com, EXCLUSIVE swag including an AUSTIN *fangirl squeal* MICHAELS(!!!!!) trading card AND a ticket to Alessandra's play, along with an "Austin
Makes Me Blush" pin AND a signed book plate. HOW COOL IS THAT???

I hope you enjoy my review. Kathryn and I thank you for stopping by. Don't forget to enter the giveaway. And please check out the rest of this awesome tour for all kinds of fun. The links are below.

Happy reading! ~Shelley

Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.
One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.
With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

Rachel Harris grew up in New Orleans, where she watched soap operas with her grandmother and stayed up late sneak reading her mama’s favorite romance novels. Now a Cajun cowgirl living in Houston, she still stays up way too late reading her favorite romances, only now, she can do so openly. She firmly believes life’s problems can be solved with a hot, powdered-sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.

When not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, she homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches reality television with her amazing husband. Taste The Heat is her adult romance debut. She’s the author of MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY and A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES. She loves hearing from readers! Find her at www.RachelHarrisWrites.com.

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Rachel's debut, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century was one of the last books I read in 2012. I LOVED it and deemed it one of my favorites of the year. I fell in love with Rachel's eloquent and vibrant style. Her heroine Cat's bright and sassy voice. The beautiful pictures she painted of Italy's landscape, it's people, the food and culture. I felt as if I was there right with Cat. The story was wonderfully lyrical, fun and exciting and at times hilarious.

I fell in love with the characters and I couldn't wait for the sequel. I wanted MORE. Like NOW. Learning it was Alessandra's turn to shine, I was stoked. I adore Alessandra. She is without a doubt the most delightful character I have had the pleasure to read. I was so excited to start her journey and eager to see where Rachel would take it. And I was not disappointed. This story brought me- even days later- absolute joy.

Let me attempt to express how much I LOVED this book. As I mentioned, I adore Alessandra. ADORE. HER. She is such a refreshingly sweet and innocent girl, with aspirations that reach far beyond what her sixteenth century life would allow. This girl dreams BIG. But what I like most about Less (as her "cousin" Cat affectionately calls her), is her fierceness. Sure she has her doubts and weaknesses, and a million questions, but Less has no fear. She made a wish, took a chance, and jumped into Cat's modern world with both feet. Wide-eyed and eager to see what she would find. Despite the cultural and language differences she quickly assimilated herself into the L.A. high school scene and boy did she make a splash.

That's not to say she didn't fumble, become flabbergasted, lose her footing, or panic- and make a fool. Oh she did all of those things. And then some. But with her savvy and fashion forward, and very modern cousin by her side, she takes the plunge and spreads her wings. Her dreams of acting and finding love take her on a wildly fun and fascinating ride.

Opportunity is knocking. The world is at her feet. And with fervor she's taking on it's challenges. Learning from her mistakes. Honing her talent. And love... well, love has a language all it's own. It's much more complicated than Less imagined. And more thrilling than she dreamed.

Which brings me to the aforementioned complication. Austin Michaels. Gorgeous.
I can't even begin to explain Austin. I didn't like him initially. I wanted to hate him. And I wanted to know why he was such an arrogant ass. Why was Less drawn to him? Was he drawn to her the same way? It was all very titillating. And awkward. And charming. Silly. Romantic. And intense.
LESS + AUSTIN = SPARKS. And not necessarily the shooting stars and sparklers kind. These two both have a lot to learn about life, love and each other. And how much time does Less really have to explore a relationship of any sort? Can you imagine teenage angst across the centuries? Such different customs and expectations. It's at times sad. And at other times, laugh out loud funny. I found the entire story captivating, but theirs were the scenes that kept my eyes glued to page, rushing to see where and how far they would go.

Well, I could go on and on. I really could. But the bare bones of this story for me was Alessandra's strength and tenacity. Her willingness to grow and learn. To listen to her heart and follow her dream. And never once lose an ounce of her integrity. She certainly crosses boundaries for a sixteenth century lady, but she doesn't compromise her beliefs. And her loyalty knows no bounds.

While the story focuses on Less and her dreams, we get to spend a bit of time with Cat and Lucas, as well as meet some new and interesting characters. We get to see more of Cat's friends and family. And witness the changes Cat has gone through after returning from her trip across time. I loved that Cat is essentially the same smart and snarky girl from MSSSC. And I love her relationship with Less. They balance each other well.

AToTC has a lot of ups and downs. Misunderstandings. A lot of action and adventure. A lot of smiles, giggles and chuckles, a lot of FUN. A LOT of SWOONING. A few tears. And a lot of real. It's Rachel after all. She always manages to bring real life to the pages. Get ready to open your heart and mind for a most excellent adventure with Less, to a world full of magic and possibilities. Comedies and tragedies. And a lot of thrilling and surprises. A TALE of TWO CENTURIES is my favorite Just-for-Fun YA book of the Summer. It was a total treat. 

Giveaway Items:

Tarot cards

"Keep Calm and Call On Reyna" T-shirt

a signed poster of the cover

swag pack including magnets, bookmarks, and "Austin makes me blush" pin

Pastel "Crazy" color hair chalk so they can be like Less

Drama Queen sign

a Rafflecopter giveaway