Blog Tour of Shelf Life (The Publicist #2) by Christina George -- REVIEW

Title: The Publicist (The Publicist #2)

Author: Christina George

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Women's Fiction

Publication Date: August 22, 2013

Published by: CreateSpace

Source: Copy Given by Author and Tour Organizer

(NOTE: May contain a few spoilers.)

ARA'S NOTE:
I've never been a fan of love triangles. They're messy, someone always ends up getting hurt, and you don't know which guy you'd side on because they're both amazing in their own way! The reason I'm ranting about this, is because Shelf Life's story revolves mostly around that -- a love triangle. Yup. Because putting a Mac-Dreamy (see what I did right there?) is just not enough, they had to add in another women-all-over-the-world-will-kill-to-be-with-him kind of man. Damn you Kate Mitchell.

SYNOPSIS:

It’s an industry of out-of-control egos, unrealistic expectations, and unfulfilled promises.

This is publishing and it’s Kate’s world, but maybe not for long.

When one of Kate Mitchell’s star authors is carted away in handcuffs, it’s only the beginning of her troubles. As her world crumbles around her, Kate desperately looks for anyone to hold onto but finds that happy endings are truly works of fiction. With the shelf life of her career and her love affair quickly expiring, Kate sets off on a new adventure…

Starting over in California is easy but Kate soon learns that leaving her old life behind isn’t. Nick Lavigne is eager to help her forget but two things still own her heart, the dream of discovering the next great American novel, and MacDermott Ellis.

As Kate tries to rebuild her life she finds a surprising gift that reboots her career in a new and unexpected direction. Suddenly her name becomes synonymous with one of the biggest bestsellers publishing has seen in ages and she's welcomed back with open arms.

But at the height of her success the ghosts of her past come back to remind her of the world she'd been trying to forget and the man who never let go of her heart.

Behind the book, there’s always more to the story. Welcome to Publishing, the ego has landed.

BUY LINKS:
http://www.amazon.com/Christina-George/e/B00AB0CHJQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:
Kate Mitchell is confused, happy, hurting, doubtful. She experiences a myriad of emotions, and it leaves her broken and confused as to what she should do. She experiences great loss and great success. But she also ends up hurting someone. Someone who loves her deeply.

Mac Ellis loves Kate more than anything. He now knows that he needs to have her in his life to make him happy and his life complete. He'll do everything to get her back and make things right.

Nicholas "Nick" Lavigne believes in fate. And for him, the first time he met Kate, he already fell in love. This charming boy-next-door from California knows that he needs to give Kate time to sort out her feelings. But he's about done with giving her space. He's now making his move.

TO LOVE:
I earlier said -- okay, ranted -- how much of an anti-love triangle I am. Hasn't changed, but in this book, I almost didn't mind it. It was quite interesting because you see Kate being very involved in the relationship no matter who she's with. Sure, emotionally she wasn't giving 100% of her love to Nick, but she wasn't consciously holding back either.

Let's now talk about the men:
Mac is much more...*sigh* He did such an a-hole thing to Kate, that's a given, nut the things he did to make it up to her...whew! There's no way a person would question his love for our heroine.

Nick is the perfect man. He's successful, has the biggest heart, freaking gorgeous, uncomplicated, and irrevocably in love with Kate. He understands Kate's baggage and is willing to wait. He knows that Katie is his future, and he's willing to do everything to keep her by his side.

Don't even get me started on the story. I have no idea if the publishing world is truly that dramatic. But if it is, then there are two things I need to do now: 1st, I need to start reading the "Acknowledgement" section. I'm sorry! I just don't get around reading it. It's a lot like the credits after a movie...it's there but most people walk out the theater while it's rolling. Anyway, 2nd point, I have to start doing some research on the people behind the books I'm going to buy before I make the purchase. I don't want to support bad people, you know what I mean? Character growth is amazing. Kate, Mac, and Nick have all grown substantially; Career-wise, emotionally, mentally, and in general. The change of setting is also great, from New York to California. It was a good break.

TO BLEH:
This book focused more on the characters' personal lives, and the world of publishing sort of took a back seat. I wanted to see more, especially since Kate's life has changed...a lot. It would've been great to see how she is as a *bleep* because she was such an amazing publicist.

I just also need to say that I hated the cliffhanger. Motherf*!! It's the exact reason why I hate love triangles!!! Someone got hurt (of course), then said person got hurt some more, and then then the last few pages happened, giving off the impression that there will be more pain and confusion in the next book! It's absolutely maddening!!

SUMMARY:
Nevertheless, I give Shelf Life 5 stars. Did you see that coming? I loved the second installment to the series more than I did the first. It's more exciting, intriguing, and would definitely have readers on the edges of their seats -- or in my case, the floor. Wonderful book that would almost make you afraid of reading the third and last part.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Christina George has worked in publishing for twenty years (give or take). Here’s what this book isn't. It’s not a slam against publishing (though it is broken) and it’s not a slam against authors (though some of them are crazy). This book is not autobiographical though many of the stories are true. No you won’t know which ones, cause it’s more fun to guess, right? George continues to work in publicity and helps authors because at the end of the day she does love books, she loves publishing, and she loves authors. She hopes you’ll enjoy this romp through Kate’s world as much as she enjoyed creating it.