Literary, etc

I enjoy reading parodies and when the opportunity came to review Lucy V. Morgan’s TOUSLE ME, I couldn’t pass up the chance! I’ve read a handful of New Adult books and the plots can be clichéd and the characters carbon copies of each other.

We have good character development. I adored each of Morgan’s characters in TOUSLE ME. Our main heroine is Cammibelle Hicks, who like most New Adult heroines is a virgin. She’s also shy and doesn’t think she’s beautiful. Unlike our usual heroines, she has a unique hobby. She’s a book blogger! That’s right folks and I loved how Morgan incorporated this into her novel. Then we have Hunter von Styles who is your typical bad boy, but he’s a jack of all trades. Finally we have a hero who is not only a billionaire, but an ex-rocker and an occasional cage fighter with his own secrets. Did I mention he’s British? Talk about swoon worthy! We have a few secondary characters that play a vital role including Lebron, Hunter’s personal assistant and friend. Of course we have to have a character who suffers from unrequited love and that’s Archer who is friends with Cammi. Finally, we have Enid who sleeps around and is secretly in love with Archer.

I won’t go into detail regarding what Morgan’s book is about since the synopsis pretty much sums it up. I really enjoyed TOUSLE ME! Readers of New Adult will easily recognize well known books published in the past year. Morgan cleverly uses various character names, book titles, and plot lines throughout TOUSLE ME that even a casual reader of New Adult will be able to identify. I loved how she inserted these titles. For example, there’s a Gabriel’s Wrapture for a restaurant instead of GABRIEL'S RAPTURE. There’s a pet octopus named Rule. The list could go on and on, but I’ll leave it up to you to find the hidden Easter eggs to enjoy.

If I can take a moment to talk about Morgan’s mention of book blogging…I had fun reading this aspect! As a blogger, it’s difficult at times for others to take what we do seriously and I think many of us have been in that situation where people can’t quite understand why we blog about books. I really liked how Morgan inserted the situation regarding Goodreads deleting people’s reviews and of course Hunter’s solution was one of a kind.

Overall, TOUSLE ME is an enjoyable read. At times, I felt Morgan tries a little too hard to make certain situations funny, but despite this, I had fun reading it. There are a few Britishisms that sound a bit odd when you take into account that the story takes place in America. For some, it may throw you off, but I think it’s slight that you won’t notice right off the bat. Though, I have to say, I really enjoyed how unique Hunter’s nickname for Cammi was. I can’t wait to read the rest in the series and see what’s in store in for Enid and Archer.

If you’re a fan of New Adult, you’ll enjoy Lucy V. Morgan’s TOUSLE ME. If anything, you’ll at least enjoy the unicorn.