Friday, March 28, 2014

Review and Giveaway: Star Crossed by Luna Lacour










Disclaimer: This work contains explicit sexual content, language, and delicate subject matter. It is intended for mature readers.

It started with a game - seduce the new teacher.

Eighteen-year-old Kaitlyn Laurent is living the American Dream. Born into a wealthy, socialite family with more opulent surroundings and material things than any girl could even fathom, Kaitlyn is the fresh, young face amidst a sea of morally-amiss Manhattan Debutantes. She is educated, poised, and on the outside - entirely virtuous. Her life, in short, is perfect.

Or so it would seem.

Inside the walls of her Upper East Side mansion, Kaitlyn is struggling. After her parents' divorce and her father's remarriage to a beautiful but otherwise utterly vapid woman, Kaitlyn quickly finds herself living in a realm of self-created fantasy, completely detached and entirely clashing with her new family – particularly, her classmate-turned-stepbrother, Marius. Arrogant and with a penchant for playing games, he is intrigued and infatuated by Kaitlyn's faux-chaste outer facade that she uses to cover an otherwise calloused heart.

When the two of them enter into into their final semester at Trinity Prep, and the buzz around campus is that a gorgeous new teacher has set foot in the classroom, Marius makes Kaitlyn a bet: seduce the man who is now her Literature teacher.

If she wins, she gets his trust fund. Money that she can use to finally escape a life that she has come to loathe.

If Marius wins...he gets her virginity.

When an initial spark turns into full-blown obsession, and her affections are inevitably returned – Kaitlyn learns that there are no actions without consequence, and some affairs are simply star-crossed.



4.5 Fabulous Stars
 
Review by Jen Hagen
 
Ever read a book where you are so captivated by the writing that once it ends you really don’t want to enter your world of non-adjective living?  This writing was superb.  I don’t believe the same descriptive word was used twice in this book.  The author found several ways to describe a feeling/situation without repeating herself.  It was simply amazing.  I feel so simple using such a vague word when the author could put together pages and pages of thought-provoking words, and all I can come up with is amazing; however, I think that describes the book in so many ways from the writing to the storyline and all the characters in between.   Seldom am I in a trance while reading; my mind is always wandering.  With this book I was embedded into the story and there was no chance for my mind to go elsewhere.  I needed to be in the story and I didn’t want to miss one word.

 


Kaitlyn’s blood comes from descendants of a superior clothing line.  Kaitlyn lives the life of a distinguished socialite, but she doesn’t want that life.She is currently an 18-year-old senior at a preparatory school and her future has been dictated to her that she will be attending Yale in the fall.  Kaitlyn’s parents are divorced and her father has remarried.  With the new marriage came a playboy step-brother, Marius.
Although Kaitlyn’s family has an abundant source of money, Kaitlyn has no savings to her name.  She has nothing other than what her father has bought for her.  She has no choice but to do the things he demands because she has no money to fall back onto.   Kaitlyn does not want to attend Yale, but if she doesn’t she will be forced to leave with nothing to her name. 

Marius sees a way to help Kaitlyn acquire funds to help her escape this life.  The wager is simple…she seduces the new literature/theater teacher and she gets his trust fund, and if she fails then Marius gets her virginity. 
 
William is a 28-year-old teacher who claims to be a “proper, well-intentioned man” before knowing Kaitlyn and he is unaware that he is being played.  William is sweet and kind.  He is giving of his heart and would be devastated if he ever found out the truth.  William is simple, not expecting much out of anybody.  He is willing to put his job and future on the line for a relationship with Kaitlyn. 

“I’m still learning to love,” he said.  “I’m still stumbling…We keep stumbling until we find that one person who is willing to hold our hand and walk with us…”


Kaitlyn tends to be a loner, keeping much of herself hidden from everybody.  The only ones who truly know her are William, and Tyler – a boy from the other side of town attending on scholarship.  Tyler is also alone as nobody wants to associate with the poor.  Tyler befriends Kaitlyn against her shield of silence and a beautiful, loving friendship is formed.  There may be some extra feelings of friendship being developed, but not reciprocated.  

“So, I’m just a little bit in love.” 

As in any student/teacher romance we, the reader, are just waiting for the bomb to drop and their secret relationship to be discovered.  But when this bomb drops, there is more than just their futures at stake and destruction is imminent.  

The worst followed after, as Mr. Tennant proceeded to let his face fall, hunch forward as if crippled by some agonizing stab, and let out a low, sorrowful cry.  Hot tears rolled down his cheeks.  He was crying. 

If I wasn’t completely infatuated with William before, I was now at his mercy.  There is just something about a man crying that can break down my inner stronghold and cause my heart to grieve with him.  Kaitlyn needs to atone for her actions, but will it be enough to grant forgiveness?  Are words enough to heal the damaged heart and soul?

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