Tasty Review & Giveaway: Lost Without You by Heather Thurmeier

Zoe Oliver never wanted to be on another reality TV show… until Chip Cormack made an offer too good to refuse. He’s guaranteed her a payday this time and a chance to redeem herself in America’s eyes. But Zoe worries she won’t be able to focus as her desire for Chip grows and her strength to resist him weakens. When she learns she’ll be roughing it in the woods with Chip and without luxuries like indoor plumbing and electricity, she’s instantly on edge, feeling naked and terrified that her scars will be exposed and her secrets revealed. When Zoe’s past turns up on the show, she fears she’ll lose not only the life she’s sacrificed everything else to have, but also the affections of the only man she’s ever trusted with her heart.

Buy links:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lost-without-you/id657434468?mt=11

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Without-Crimson-Romance-ebook/dp/B00D5X0504/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1370599974&sr=8-11&keywords=lost+without++you

***My REVIEW***

I've read all three books now in the reality TV show series and despite my dislike of reality tv in general, I actually really enjoy these books. For some reason, while I may not like watching them, I love reading about them. Lost Without You brings back the villain of the last two: Zoe, and we finally get to see why she's the way she is. She's scarred, inside and out.

The show is about roughing it in the wilderness. Thankfully Zoe is a host, not a contestant. This was an interesting twist. At first I was bummed because there wasn't enough interaction with the contestants and not much drama when they did challenges, but this changed in the end as the action picked up and the drama got intense. There's a romance with the producer, a sort-of-stalker-guy, and a blackmailer.

I had a hard time with Zoe's trauma...I didn't feel it warranted the huge deal she made of it the rest of her life, and as someone who has been on the receiving end of extreme bullying, I found it questionable that she would turn around and bully others...but hey, "'till you've walked in her shoes", right?

I didn't care for Chip, the love interest. He came across as way too pushy for me, but I get most women like those types now.

I totally, not for a second, bought the whole "I got my hair stuck around a post" thing.

But despite the above quibbles, I did enjoy this book. I was hooked and kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. I didn't see some of the things coming, a huge plus. I was on the edge of my seat in the last 20% especially. Ms. Thurmeier delivered a very satisfying conclusion to this series.

Author bio:

Heather Thurmeier is a lover of strawberry margaritas, a hater of spiders, and a reality TV junkie. She was born and raised in the Canadian prairies, but now lives in upstate New York with her own personal romance hero (aka her husband) and their two little princesses. When she's not busy taking care of the kids and an adventurous puppy named Indy, Heather's hard at work on her next romance novel.

"Heather Thurmeier's hunky heroes and feisty heroines will have you laughing out loud, falling in love ... and coming back for more!" ~ Carly Phillips, NY Times Bestselling Author

"Heather Thurmeier writes sweet, funny romances that capture your heart!" --NYT and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Probst.

Author Links:

Website:  http://heatherthurmeier.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/HeatherThurmeierAuthor?ref=hl

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/hthurmeier

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5211580.Heather_Thurmeier

Pinertrest:  http://pinterest.com/hthurmeier/

email:  heatherthurmeier@gmail.com

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Stuck on You (Reality TV Romances) by Heather Thurmeier

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first one: Falling for You. The TV show itself in this book...was a bit a dull. It's just people driving and hiking all day...and one dramatic injury by another team.


But Heather throws in some drama: a romance between competitors Paige and Miles, a prosthetic leg and a tragic story in the past that has Miles feeling loads of guilt and responsibility, a secret brother/sister relationship that just throws a surprise twist.

I wasn't as entertained though. As I said above, the challenges and the show itself just struck me as boring. I'd have liked to have seen some trivia questions, riddles, or something a bit more challenging than simply driving and walking thrown at these people.

The thing that irritated me the most though is Paige, the heroine. She's a feminist's worst nightmare. She risks her ankles everyday hiking in 5-inch high heels just to get a man's attention, not to mention buys a bra that shows off her assets. I just lost a lot of respect for her. I don't have much respect at all for women who want me checking out their bodies constantly rather than respecting their minds. So this really put me off and got on my nerves after a while. I mean, I'm not adverse to dressing nic and donning some heels, but a hiking expedition? Um...errr...dumb much?

However, I'm sensing a real interesting story behind Zoe despite her also being one of those ditzy women in heels. I'm feeling there's more to her than meets the eye so I'm looking forward to book three.

Three bikes. 

Falling for You (Reality TV Romances) by Heather Thurmeier

I don't watch much reality TV--only Ink Master and a few car shows, but I love reading about these shows. I can't compare this to the Bachelor cause I haven't seen it, but this was neat. It had a unique twist too.


Cassidy doesn't fall for the "bachelor", but a cameraman! Her very own cameraman who follows her around. And the man she's "dating" on national TV is her ex-boyfriend! I loved this. I also loved the look into "behind the scenes", what it's probably like: wearing voice boxes, cameras in the bedroom, cameramen walking backwards.

There are challenges and I thought it was interesting that they weren't really about what Brad liked/who Brad (the bachelor) was, but all things they felt viewers would enjoy. There's jealousy. The cameraman gets jealous cause his new girl is smooching the bachelor. The women get jealous of each other. Drama!

The ending was surprising..I confess I was doubtful that Cassidy and Evan were getting away with what they were doing...I mean, you have four cameras in your BEDROOM. Someone is bound to notice you've gone into the adjoining room and not come out til morning. LOL. BUT I wasn't expecting it the way it was played out. Thumbs up for surprising me. It was a terrific ending and romantic.

There were oddball times I wondered if Cassidy was having feelings for Brad again too. It did sorta of keep me guessing. 

Quibbles: I'd have liked more interaction with the other contestants. I didn't fall in love with Paige as viewers did. There wasn't enough of her. I didn't get this "we're best friends" probably because the interaction btw them was supposedly happening, just not on the page. Some parts felt rushed, like more could have been done. Cassidy has an intense fear of water...but isn't the least scared when she falls into a river. I thought that was strange.

But those are little things. Overall the book was good. It was FUN. I've had one of those weeks when I've disliked everything I picked up, but this one, I smiled, chuckled along, and read till the end. I'll be reading book two and I'm looking forward to it.

Four bikes.