(The Paradise Diaries #1)
by Courtney Cole
Release date: June 24th, 2012
Published by: Self-published
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Romance
Format read: eBook
SUMMARY
I have spent every summer since I was ten years old with my father in London. Every summer, since I was ten years old, has been uneventful and boring.
Until this year.
And this year, after a freak volcanic eruption strands me far from home, I have learned these things:
1. I can make do with one outfit for three days before I buy new clothes.
2. If I hear the phrase, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” even one more time, I might become a homicidal maniac.
3. I am horribly and embarrassingly allergic to jellyfish.
4. I am in love with Dante Giliberti, who just happens to be the beautiful, sophisticated son of the Prime Minister of a Mediterranean paradise.
5. See number four above. Because it brings with it a whole slew of problems and I’ve learned something from every one of them.
Let’s start with the fact that Dante’s world is five light-years away from mine. He goes to black-tie functions and knows the Prime Minister of England on a first name basis. I was born and raised on a farm in Kansas and wear cut-off jeans paired with cowboy boots. See the difference?
But hearts don’t care about differences. Hearts want what they want. And mine just wants to be Dante’s girl.
My heart just might be crazy.
And this year, after a freak volcanic eruption strands me far from home, I have learned these things:
1. I can make do with one outfit for three days before I buy new clothes.
2. If I hear the phrase, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” even one more time, I might become a homicidal maniac.
3. I am horribly and embarrassingly allergic to jellyfish.
4. I am in love with Dante Giliberti, who just happens to be the beautiful, sophisticated son of the Prime Minister of a Mediterranean paradise.
5. See number four above. Because it brings with it a whole slew of problems and I’ve learned something from every one of them.
Let’s start with the fact that Dante’s world is five light-years away from mine. He goes to black-tie functions and knows the Prime Minister of England on a first name basis. I was born and raised on a farm in Kansas and wear cut-off jeans paired with cowboy boots. See the difference?
But hearts don’t care about differences. Hearts want what they want. And mine just wants to be Dante’s girl.
My heart just might be crazy.
FAVORITE QUOTE
"... I've missed him more than a PMS'ing woman misses M&M's."
"So I tell him that."
~ Dante's Girl, page 174
MY REVIEW
Dante's Girl has it all - drama, romance and amazing characters...
Reece is on her way to visit her father in England for the summer when she bumps into a tall dark and very handsome gent with, of course, the perfect smile and accent and knows that she will never see him again. That is until she discovers that he, Dante, is on her flight and they begin to chat before take-off... when a horrifying accident occurs and the airport begins to shut down, Dante is being taken away by men in dark suits and he asks Reece to go with him. Against her better judgement, but following her gut-instinct, she goes with Dante, not knowing at the time, that she will be off on the biggest adventure of her life: Dante is the Prime Minister of Caberra, Greece, son.
I adored Reece and her all-american ways, her sarcasm and wit. She was realistic with every situation that came her way and was quick to step-up when she needed to. But lets not forget, Reece is also a teen who thinks Dante is beautiful, and is swooning over him big time - add a little jealousy, insecurity and a few hysterics, and we have one very well rounded, likable and relatable girl.
And just like Reece, I instantly got caught up with the beauty of the island, the prime minister's castle and of course, Dante.
Dante is handsome and charming and so smitten with the lovely Reece, we can definitely see why Reece is so alluring to him - Reece is like no other person he has met before. It is so refreshing for him to be around someone who doesn't know exactly who he is, what he stands for, who he is suppose to be... Reece is someone that he can let his guard down and just be himself. He doesn't have to worry about her judging him or having any high expectations from him. But at the same time, Reece is making things difficult for him too. He is torn between doing what he thinks his father wants him to do and what he really wants to do.
Can Dante be who he really wants to be without disappointing his father? His country?
Can Reece let go of her fears and believe in the fairy-tale that she's been living in?
Is it possible that a farm-girl and a (kinda) prince be together???
There were other aspects to the story that I felt were drowned out by the romance. While other parts where so obvious. And the ending was quite predictable. It still made for a fun fast paced and light-hearted read that I know I would enjoy reading again.
I will definitely be keeping my eye on Courtney Cole
and her next novels in The Paradise Diaries Series, Mia's Heart
and the third one that is yet to be titled but will be released in 2013!
Reece is on her way to visit her father in England for the summer when she bumps into a tall dark and very handsome gent with, of course, the perfect smile and accent and knows that she will never see him again. That is until she discovers that he, Dante, is on her flight and they begin to chat before take-off... when a horrifying accident occurs and the airport begins to shut down, Dante is being taken away by men in dark suits and he asks Reece to go with him. Against her better judgement, but following her gut-instinct, she goes with Dante, not knowing at the time, that she will be off on the biggest adventure of her life: Dante is the Prime Minister of Caberra, Greece, son.
I adored Reece and her all-american ways, her sarcasm and wit. She was realistic with every situation that came her way and was quick to step-up when she needed to. But lets not forget, Reece is also a teen who thinks Dante is beautiful, and is swooning over him big time - add a little jealousy, insecurity and a few hysterics, and we have one very well rounded, likable and relatable girl.
And just like Reece, I instantly got caught up with the beauty of the island, the prime minister's castle and of course, Dante.
Dante is handsome and charming and so smitten with the lovely Reece, we can definitely see why Reece is so alluring to him - Reece is like no other person he has met before. It is so refreshing for him to be around someone who doesn't know exactly who he is, what he stands for, who he is suppose to be... Reece is someone that he can let his guard down and just be himself. He doesn't have to worry about her judging him or having any high expectations from him. But at the same time, Reece is making things difficult for him too. He is torn between doing what he thinks his father wants him to do and what he really wants to do.
Can Dante be who he really wants to be without disappointing his father? His country?
Can Reece let go of her fears and believe in the fairy-tale that she's been living in?
Is it possible that a farm-girl and a (kinda) prince be together???
There were other aspects to the story that I felt were drowned out by the romance. While other parts where so obvious. And the ending was quite predictable. It still made for a fun fast paced and light-hearted read that I know I would enjoy reading again.
I will definitely be keeping my eye on Courtney Cole
and her next novels in The Paradise Diaries Series, Mia's Heart
and the third one that is yet to be titled but will be released in 2013!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Courtney Cole
Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could.
She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. Every Last Kiss is her debut novel and she followed it with the rest of The Bloodstone Saga (Every Last Kiss, Fated, With My Last Breath and My Tattered Bonds).Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.
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