{Review/Giveaway} THE CHAPEL WARS by Lindsey Leavitt

The First Loves Blog Tour is hosted by Bloomsbury and features YA authors: 
Jillian Cantor, Mandy Hubbard, Lindsey Leavitt, Emery Lord, and Kristin Rae.
 

Blog Tour Schedule

Addicted Readers  Q&A 5/6
Anna Reads  Q&A 5/7
Fic Fare  Q&A 5/8
Andi's ABCs  Q&A 5/9
GReads  Q&A 5/12
Bookish  Q&A 5/13
Yadultreview  Q&A 5/14
Gone Pecan  Q&A 5/15
A Backwards Story  Q&A 5/16
Dear Teen Me: Emery    5/19
Dear Teen Me: Lindsey 5/20
Dear Teen Me: Kristin    5/21
Dear Teen Me: Jillian      5/22
Dear Teen Me: Mandy  5/23
UK: Fiction Fascination   (Fool Me Twice) 5/26
UK: Book Passion for Life (Wish You Were Italian) 5/27
UK: is Bloggers[heart]Books (Searching for Sky) 5/28
AUS: Behind the Pages   (Searching for Sky) 5/28
AUS: Fictional Thoughts (Wish You Were Italian) 5/29
AUS: She Known As Jess (Fool Me Twice) 5/30

Did you see my awesome tour stop this past Friday featuring an interview with all five touring Bloomsbury First Loves Authors on their Best First Date Ever?
Check it out!!!

In addition to the following interview, 
I'm also giving away a book of your choice! 

You can choose from:

SEARCHING FOR SKY by Jillian Cantor
FOOL ME TWICE by Mandy Hubbard
THE CHAPEL WARS by Lindsey Leavitt
OPEN ROAD SUMMER by Emery Lord
WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN by Kristin Rae 


And that's not all! Last week, I reviewed 
FOOL ME TWICE and WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN.


(AND there will be new giveaway entries with each review! ^.~)

O P E N I N G   H O O K:

    INHERITANCE. I HATE THAT WORD. Translation: Sorry someone you loved kicked the bucket; now here's your present. It's like getting hit by a car, only to make a fortune in the lawsuit. People constantly remind you what a financial blessing that accident was, such a sweet silver lining, when the truth is, you still got hit by a car.
    I couldn't possibly find good in a reality so wrong. Grandpa Jim was gone--passed away, no longer with us...dead. Grandpa Jim, the person I shared my good news with before anyone else, who used to send greeting cards or even singing telegrams for the most ridiculous holidays, like an oversized paper card on Arbor Day. Made me wonder what he would send now--maybe a condolence card that played music when opened. I would guess "Celebration" with the inscription, "Just because I'm dead doesn't mean we can't celebrate good times!"

(Page 1,  US ARC Edition)

Lindsey Leavitt has been on my radar ever since there was a buzz around her novel SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD (Which I have on my nook.  And haven't read yet...). When I saw that she was one of the authors whose book I got to read in preparation for the Bloomsbury First Loves Tour,  I was so excited that I read THE CHAPEL WARS first!

Holly is a mess. Her beloved grandfather passed away too soon. In his will, he left her his Vegas wedding chapel. But Holly is only 16 years old. And the chapel has lost a lot of money and is in trouble. And the feuding chapel owners next door who hate her family are trying to sink the chapel once and for all now that Grandpa is out of the way. And to top it all off,  Holly might be falling for the enemy. What's a girl to do?

I like the Romeo and Juliet vibes set to a chapel war in Vegas. It's different, but it works.  Dax goes through a lot of changes in the novel, and really helps Holly out despite the fact that his grandpa is trying to put Hoolly's family out of business.  Vegas is a great location and really makes the novel. It's completely crazy, too, but then again, so is getting married there! It's definitely the best place to go if you want a crazy out-there theme for your wedding, too. Leavitt grew up in Vegas, so she gives readers an insider's glimpse at the chapels: how they survive, their struggles, etc. I really enjoyed this aspect and the crazy measures Holly and Dax take to keep the chapel in business. I never thought about all the problems Vegas chapels, which seem a dime a dozen, face in the real world, before.  I also like the way Leavitt portrayed the effect Holly's grandfather's death had on the entire family, as well as the glimpse of the lengths divorced parents will go to in order to keep a family intact.

If you like books exploring the crazy hijinks of Vegas, you may also want to check out Michelle Madow's recently released novel THE SECRET DIAMOND SISTERS.

C O N T E N T R A T I N G S

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details

Romance: mild ( kissing; sexual references but nothing explicit )
Language: mild ( sexual references; mild seeing/crude )
Violence: mild ( a scene with an out of control secondary character that requires police involvement )
Other: mild ( underage drinking )

***

This is a new system I'm trying out, since I never know how to bring up the fact that younger readers may not be ready for a book without talking about the reasons WHY. This makes it harder to accidentally stumble on that information.

What are your thoughts? Keep it/Alter it/Get rid of it? 

~*~

C O V E R   D E S I G N:

The sign is really fun, and I like that it highlights the title as well as the main design your eye focuses on.  It's cheesy and fun, just like a drive-by "get married instantly!" chapel sign might look! 

~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title: THE CHAPEL WARS

Author: Lindsey Leavitt

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

SUMMARY:

Sixteen-year-old Holly wants to remember her Grandpa forever, but she’d rather forget what he left her in his will: his wedding chapel on the Las Vegas strip. Whatever happened to gold watches, savings bonds, or some normal inheritance?  

And then there's Grandpa's letter. Not only is Holly running the business with her recently divorced parents, but she needs to make some serious money—fast. Grandpa also insists Holly reach out to Dax, the grandson of her family's mortal enemy and owner of the cheesy chapel next door. No matter how cute Dax is, Holly needs to stay focused: on her group of guy friends, her disjointed family, work, school and... Dax. No wait, not Dax.  

Holly’s chapel represents everything she’s ever loved in her past. Dax might be everything she could ever love in the future. But as for right now, there's a wedding chapel to save.

~*~ 

Lindsey Leavitt is a former elementary school teacher and present day writer/mom to three (mostly) adorable little girls. She is married to her high school lab partner and lives in Las Vegas. She is the author of the PRINCESS FOR HIRE series (www.princessforhire.com), SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD and GOING VINTAGE.

Author Links:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

~*~

****Giveaway*****

Ready to check out
THE CHAPEL WARS?

Enter to win your own copy now!

I'm giving away a Bloomsbury First Loves book of your choice this month! 

(New entries added with each post!)

INT if Book Depository ships to you! 

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