Blog Tour ~ "Reality Check" by Karen Tuft (review/giveaway/guest post)

Many thanks to Karen Tuft for providing us with a guest post today!  Read below for the guest post, my review, and how you can enter her giveaway.

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To Spoil or Not to Spoil—That is the Question!

Roughly a million years ago when I was five, my parents took us to see a movie, a musical. You know—singing, dancing, a love story.

It began with flashy color and edgy music. There were boys dancing in alleyways and suave Puerto Ricans doing the mambo. Sassy girls swished their brightly colored skirts. And to top it off, there was this girl named Maria and this boy named Tony. And they fell in love—just like that! I was lost in a magical world of color and music and romance.

Then suddenly on-screen two boys, Riff and Bernardo, were stabbed and died bloody deaths. I barely had time to get over my horror when Tony was shot. Not Maria’s Tony! Maria sang softly to him as he died in her arms. He couldn’t be dead! I didn’t want to believe it!

The movie ended. I was devastated.

West Side Story won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, that year. Watching West Side Story at the age of five taught me that I really didn’t like bad surprises or sad endings. I think it got embedded into my DNA that day.

As a result, I read the last pages of a novel if I suspect I’m being set up for something bad. I like books with optimistic endings. And I read spoilers. :)

My family HATES that I read spoilers! My kids have been known to plug their ears and sing “lalalala” as loudly as they can if they think I’m talking about something that might give away an ending.

What about you? Are you someone who likes spoilers, or do you like to be surprised? Is your enjoyment ruined if you learn the final score before watching the big game? Do you curse RealitySteve if you learn who gets the Final Rose on the Bachelorette before the season’s halfway over, or do you pour over his website spoilers before the first show even airs?

All I know is, for me, the relief in knowing I can handle the outcome offsets any joy I may have received in being surprised. Crazy? Maybe. Blame it on West Side Story.

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Reality Check by Karen Tuft

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received from the author to review
Genre: Contemporary Romance with religious emphasis

Book Description: After college graduation, Lucy Kendrick heads home with big plans for work, travel, and relishing her freedom—which means no romantic entanglements. But her two best friends have other ideas. Lucy is seriously steamed when she realizes they’ve signed her up to be a contestant on the reality dating show Soulmates, but she decides not to renege and soon finds herself in Los Angeles—a small-town Mormon girl vying for the love of millionaire bachelor Ethan Glass. At first this cute, smart, fun young woman, who would rather pray than party, bewilders Ethan. But his interest and admiration grow with every encounter. However, the conniving associate producer is determined to stir up some made-for-TV drama and takes strides to make this reality television show anything but real. When the show finally airs, Lucy has been recast as someone she unquestionably is not. Lucy is left humiliated in front of the world, and Ethan is left wondering who the Lucy is that he was falling in love with. Will the duplicities that have created this humiliation ever come to light? And will the truth emerge too late for the would-be soulmates?

My thoughts: This book for me was a pleasure read. Sometimes I love to just escape into the story and enjoy the characters. This is a great book to take with you to the beach or pool and relax in the sun with.

Lucy has just graduated from college and is looking forward to starting her career. She borrows one of her friends computers to send a few resume's out and do online searches. She tells her friends that if they find anything interesting, to send in a copy of her resume.

Her friends find something interesting. A new reality tv show, similar to "The Bachelor" is on the horizon. They are searching for eligible young women to be cast in "Soulmates". What good friend could possibly resist that kind of opportunity for a BF.

Needless to say, Lucy is picked for the show. This is a dilemma for her. She is LDS and the format of the show may not stay within her standards. She decides to pray and feels like this is an opportunity that she should pursue. So she packs her backs and heads out for an adventure in California.

There are many situations that are quirky and typical of this kind of a book. Nevertheless, I found it to be a fun and quick read.  This was a clean read.

About Karen: Karen Tuft was born with a healthy dose of curiosity about pretty much everything, so as a child she taught herself to read and play the piano. She studied composition at BYU then graduated from the University of Utah in music theory as a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda honor societies. In addition to being an author, Karen is a wife, mother, pianist, composer, and arranger. She as spent countless hours backstage and in orchestra pits for theater productions. She also has a 75 percent success rate when it comes to matchmaking and is a big believer in happy endings. Among her varied interests, she likes to figure out what makes people tick, wander through museums, and travel, whether by car, plane, or paperback.


Check out the contest going on Karen's blog this summer at http://kktuft.blogspot.com/2012/06/where-did-you-have-reality-check.html

Where can you find Karen?

• A Tuft Act to Follow Blog
• Lyrics Without the Chord Changes Blog
• Facebook

Giveaway information!

Karen is generously donating a paperback copy of Reality Check plus a starfish charm bracelet to one lucky reader. All you have to do to gain entries is to leave a comment on any of the tour stops. Each comment will gain you an entry. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

For those readers who prefer a non-LDS read, I am also giving away an ARC copy of The Selection by Kiera Cass. It is such a cute book with a reality based dating show as well.

Make sure you leave your email address and which book you are entering for in your comments (i.e. Reality Check, The Selection, or Both).

Check out the Schedule below for a full list of the tour stops.

July 9: Book Bug - Tour Kickoff + Sneak Peek + Giveaway + “Bachelorette” Polls
July 9: "Bachelorette" Episode - The Final 3
July 10: Getting Your Read On - Review
July 11: A Tuft Act to Follow - “Bachelorette” Episode Recap
July 12: Book Bug - Update + "Bachelorette" Thoughts
July 12: Getting Your Read On - “Bachelorette” Post
July 13: Fire and Ice - “Bachelorette” Post
July 14: Why Not? Because I Said So! - “Bachelorette” Post
July 16: Book Bug - “Bachelorette” Post
July 16: "Bachelorette" Episode - The Men Tell All
July 17: Bookworm Lisa - Review + Author Guest Post
July 18: A Tuft Act to Follow - “Bachelorette” Episode Recap
July 19: Fire and Ice - Review
July 20: Why Not? Because I Said So! - Review
July 22: "Bachelorette" Episode - Finale and After the Final Rose
July 23: A Tuft Act to Follow - "Bachelorette" Finale Recap
July 23: Book Bug - Review
July 24: I Am A Reader, Not A Writer - Author Interview
July 25: Book Bug - Wrap Up

Where can you  buy the book?

Amazon:Reality Check / Barnes and Noble /  Deseret Book / Seagull Book