Review + Giveaway: The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft by Lola Salt

Book Description:
The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft by Lola Salt
(Lara Craft Saga #1)
Publication date: October 7th 2014
Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

From bestselling authors Becky Wicks (Before He Was Famous, Before He Was Gone) and Sarah Alderson (Hunting Lila, Fated, Come Back to Me) comes a new romance with a difference…

After losing her job and her boyfriend on the same day, Lara’s beginning to wonder if her life can possibly get any worse. Then along comes Jamie, a childhood friend, offering her a job delivering mysterious packages to random destinations around the world and suddenly things are looking up.

Lara packs her bags and sets off on an epic adventure, meeting billionaire Arabic Princes, rugged cowboys, a sparkling wannabe vampire, a love guru with sex on the brain and Angelina Jolie’s bodyguards along the way. But though trouble always seems to find Lara, it seems love is rather more elusive.

Pack your bags. The adventure’s about to begin!

Goodreads | Amazon

Reviewer's Copy: E-ARC

Source: Xpresso Book Tours (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft was definitely one of the craziest, most unique New Adult novels I have ever read so far. I didn't know what to expect in the beginning but I was happy and satisfied with the story in the end.

Let me start with Lara: smart, funny, a bit out of control, impulsive at times and a whole lot of crazy. At first, I had laughed, startled and panicked at her little acts of living the life and making the most out of everything. She was quite the imperfect heroine, getting into all sorts of mess from running away from a cowboy who wanted to marry her, to getting high and getting caught, and to reading too much into actions that she did not see the truth in front of her. I liked how Lola Salt brought Lara's character so far down, into the depths of being broke, feeling lost and feeling just plain hurt, and then moving her through a series of reflections about life and about herself. She turned out to be a girl with a golden heart who made the right decisions, for the things that really mattered.

While Lara worked for Calibre Concierge, she was immersed in various cultures and societies. This was the part that I liked the most out of the book, aside from the humor. It was a feast for one's palate, in terms of the culture. Lara traipsed around UK, LA, Dubai, Australia, Bali and Somalia, delivering packages and meeting new people and friends. I particularly liked how Lola Salt captured the uniqueness and eccentricities of the cultures involved. In traveling, Lara found her true self and the right path for her.


Jamie was Lara's knight and shining armor. Gone were the nerdy looks. He was handsome, charming and thoughtful. I just felt that it would have been better if I had come to know him better, the same way I knew Lara by the end of the novel. He was such an intriguing character; despite the exotic cast in the book, he stood out for me.

The entire cast of characters were alive. I felt that they were not just stuffed into the novel, but actually served a purpose. They felt real to me. Alf, the startling and cursing Aussie; Tyler, the sexy Christian cowboy - I just found him to be adorable with his innocence and newfound interest in expressing his feelings; CP, the gay Arabian prince - he was my favorite secondary character, full of life and surprises.

Injected with craziness, whimsy, sexual and emotional tension, hesitation and humor, The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft would not fail to entertain. It had the humor of Confessions of a Shopaholic, coupled with the craziness and whimsy, hot-and-cold romance, travels and adventures. Exotic and culturally flavorful, The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft would appeal to different reader appetites. I recommend this to readers who would like to read about travelling, adventure and humorous contemporary New Adult.

Rating:

4 Cupids = Strong book love.
I really enjoyed this. I recommend this!

About the Authors:
Lola Salt is the pen name for two bestselling authors: Sarah Alderson & Becky Wicks.

Becky has written several non-fiction travel diaries for Harper Collins; Burqualicious, Balilicious & Latinalicious, and the new adult Starstruck Series featuring Before He Was Famous, Before He Was Gone and Before He Was a Secret.

Sarah is better known for her Young Adult novels, particularly the critically acclaimed Hunting Lila series (published by Simon & Schuster), as well as the Fated series. She also wrote the new adult romance Come Back To Me under another pen name of Mila Gray.

The two authors met in Bali. Come visit us sometime and we’ll buy you a coconut.

Author links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


Giveaway Alert!

Open internationally. 15 ebook copies of The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft

a Rafflecopter giveaway