Today, as part of the official launch of her newest book, Paradise Misplaced, I have the pleasure of hosting Lisa April Smith, Great to have you here, Lisa.
Crystal: Paradise Misplaced is the sequel to Exceeding Expectations and I understand that fans have been begging you to hurry up and release it. I’m not surprised. Reviews for Exceeding, including mine, have been amazing. If you haven’t read it, people, do it now!
LAS: Reviews have been wonderful. Overwhelming! The book (EE) hadn’t been out more than a week or so before I received a Facebook post telling me that she “LOVed” Exceeding Expectations and that I should “not waste time.” I needed to “get busy and finish the sequel.” So many readers have been good to me – with reviews, e-mailing fun and fabulous comments. It’s a high better than chocolate.
Crystal: Frankly, the first thing I was drawn to were the covers of both books. Great choices.
LAS: Thank you. Frankly, I obsess over my book covers. Let’s just say that the graphics designer and I have many animated conversations over each cover before we finally agree.
Crystal: I hear you have another exciting announcement for us. Something for readers who prefer the paper-and-ink books they can hold, or don’t own a Kindle, Nook, iPad, etc.
LAS: I do. Very exciting! Keeps me up at night exciting. Exceeding Expectations is now also available as a paperback on Amazon.com. And if it isn’t available as a paperback at Barnes&Noble.com today, it will be very soon.
Crystal: What about Paradise Misplaced? Will that be available in paperback too?
LAS: Absolutely! We’re working on that as well. It’s all part of my grand mission to become America’s Next Top Author.
Crystal: If you haven’t read Exceeding Expectations, avid reading Friends, do it today. It’s always more enjoyable to read a series in the order it came out. Now you have a choice to read EE either as an e-book or paperback. Great having you here, Lisa. I’ve included a brief description of Paradise Misplaced below. But for more about all your books, I recommend visiting your website http://www.LisaAprilSmith.com.
LAS: Many many thanks, Crystal, and to your loyal followers – my favorite kind of people, people who enjoy reading.
Crystal: We’re all wishing you the best of luck on your goal to become America’s Next Top Author.
Paradise Misplaced
the sequel to Exceeding Expectations
by Lisa April Smith
Launch Date: Sept. 15, 2012
All the unexpected twists and suspense, danger and crime, romance and sizzle, that kept readers of Exceeding Expectations turning the pages long into the night, are back in Paradise Misplaced, along with Charlie, Jack and Naomi – three unforgettable characters.
In Manhattan, being recently dumped by her soulmate becomes the least of Charlotte (Charlie) Morgan’s problems after she is shoved off a subway platform in front of an oncoming train. Her modeling career seems over and she may not walk again. Throughout her lengthy hospital stay the police have no success finding her assailant or determining a motive. A handsome detective recovering from similar injuries is assigned to be her physical therapy partner. Fearing that her unknown attacker will try again he urges her to draw up list of possible suspects – anyone she might have angered or rejected. Eliminating those who don’t fit a compiled description leaves just one possible suspect, an untouchable power broker with a famous art collection.
In Buenos Aires, Jack, the loveable lothario/conman, in his quest for his next wealthy wife, is romancing wealthy women he meets at a fashionable hotel where he isn’t a registered guest. To finance these activities he ever-so-gently exploits tourists and the local land barons. But whether he succeeds, falls short or fails miserably, readers can rely on sexy Jack to be entertaining.
In Israel, understandably bitter Naomi, working on an archeological dig, seeks temporary relief from her demons in hot casual affairs. Unwilling to be yet another in a series of her lovers, a rough-hewn widowed farmer relentlessly pursues her.
Will Charlie, Jack and Naomi meet? Will a story that begins on three continents end in triumph or disaster? No predicable ending here. You’ll have to read the book to find out.
My Review:
Lisa has done it again. I loved the first book, Exceeding Expectations (see my review) and if it's possible I think I loved Paradise Misplaced even more. Exceeding Expectations comes first, but Paradise Misplaced can be read on it's own. I do recommend reading both books though because they are excellent books and I know I enjoyed learning as much as I could about both Charlie and Jack in the first book and getting all the back story, though Ms. Smith does a good job explaining some of it in Paradise Misplaced.
I have to say that this book had me enthralled. I found it hard to put down and often found myself reading for hours at a time. I have had a hard time doing that lately with school starting back so that says a lot for Paradise Misplaced. But I would get very sucked into the lives of Charlie, Jack and Naomi and how things were getting weaved together and the what-ifs that were forming that I could hardly put the book down even to sleep.
The characters are once again amazing. I really enjoyed learning more about Naomi and Jack in this book. Jack is a charmer and one step ahead at all times. Naomi is bitter, and a bit like Jack, not charming but knows how to use situations to her advantage. Seeing them in their settings was fascinating and adding to it the fact that Ms. Smith uses exotic settings of Israel and Argentina for them made it more fascinating. Then of course there is Charlie. I love Charlie and I cheered for Charlie in this book. The resilience she finds in Exceeding Expectations stays with her in this book and though she has some down moments I love how she always tries to find a way to shine. And though this book really did feature her prominently I really felt this was more of Jack and Naomi's story with enough Charlie to weave everything together. And I liked that. I think it was a perfect balance. I loved all three stories and loved how Ms. Smith switched between the stories.
The plot moved along wonderfully. The stories of the characters switched between the chapters, but it never felt forced and I never felt confused about which character the chapter was about. Each character truly had their own voice and their own plot that pushed the book along. Ms. Smith masterfully keeps their plots separate yet weaves them together in a way that is completely believable. Again nothing in this book felt forced to me. Everything was smooth, just like Jack. ;)
Overall this was an amazing book to read. Perfect for these first cool fall afternoons. Great for lazing around on your porch swing with a cup of tea and enjoying a great book. This is that great book. Ms. Smith weaves a marvelous story of a family separated and living their lives. There are unexpected twists and turns, great character moments and some very interesting secondary characters. Paradise Misplaced is a book that should not be missed.
My Rating: 5.0/5.0
Lisa has done it again. I loved the first book, Exceeding Expectations (see my review) and if it's possible I think I loved Paradise Misplaced even more. Exceeding Expectations comes first, but Paradise Misplaced can be read on it's own. I do recommend reading both books though because they are excellent books and I know I enjoyed learning as much as I could about both Charlie and Jack in the first book and getting all the back story, though Ms. Smith does a good job explaining some of it in Paradise Misplaced.
I have to say that this book had me enthralled. I found it hard to put down and often found myself reading for hours at a time. I have had a hard time doing that lately with school starting back so that says a lot for Paradise Misplaced. But I would get very sucked into the lives of Charlie, Jack and Naomi and how things were getting weaved together and the what-ifs that were forming that I could hardly put the book down even to sleep.
The characters are once again amazing. I really enjoyed learning more about Naomi and Jack in this book. Jack is a charmer and one step ahead at all times. Naomi is bitter, and a bit like Jack, not charming but knows how to use situations to her advantage. Seeing them in their settings was fascinating and adding to it the fact that Ms. Smith uses exotic settings of Israel and Argentina for them made it more fascinating. Then of course there is Charlie. I love Charlie and I cheered for Charlie in this book. The resilience she finds in Exceeding Expectations stays with her in this book and though she has some down moments I love how she always tries to find a way to shine. And though this book really did feature her prominently I really felt this was more of Jack and Naomi's story with enough Charlie to weave everything together. And I liked that. I think it was a perfect balance. I loved all three stories and loved how Ms. Smith switched between the stories.
The plot moved along wonderfully. The stories of the characters switched between the chapters, but it never felt forced and I never felt confused about which character the chapter was about. Each character truly had their own voice and their own plot that pushed the book along. Ms. Smith masterfully keeps their plots separate yet weaves them together in a way that is completely believable. Again nothing in this book felt forced to me. Everything was smooth, just like Jack. ;)
Overall this was an amazing book to read. Perfect for these first cool fall afternoons. Great for lazing around on your porch swing with a cup of tea and enjoying a great book. This is that great book. Ms. Smith weaves a marvelous story of a family separated and living their lives. There are unexpected twists and turns, great character moments and some very interesting secondary characters. Paradise Misplaced is a book that should not be missed.
My Rating: 5.0/5.0
***I received this book from the author for an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free. ***
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