48Fourteen Scavenger Hunt Featured Book: Change of Pace

48Fourteen Scavenger Hunt!!!!

Hop between each author’s blog/website and collect the highlighted clues.Then go to the link above and enter the raffle.

 The book which I am featuring on my blog today is Change of Pace by Sofia Essen.

I read this book back in April of 2012 when it was first released. Here is my original review:

Essen’s debut novel is a wonderfully light beach read. The synopsis begins: “What do you do when you get dumped, fired, and turn thirty in a single unfortunate week?…”

While the beginning moved a bit slow with relaxing shopping trips and drinking wine, this worked well as it mimicked the life that Essen was describing on Crete compared to Anna’s previous life in New York. The novel is written in first person, so the reader won’t always know what is going on with other characters and why, but Anna is an interesting narrator and it adds to the fun of watching her learn about Crete, her family and herself.

If you want a book that is upbeat and an enjoyable read, this is the book for you.

Now, I would also like to add that I have sometimes thought of Essen’s descriptions of life on Crete and the relationships between the characters over the past nine months. Though it is a wonderfully light book, the images stick with you.

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Synopsis:

What do you do when you get dumped, fired, and turn thirty in a single unfortunate week?

You book the last available ticket on the next plane to Greece. Or at least that’s what the normally unadventurous Anna Cox does in a moment of uncharacteristic spontaneity. When she panics as she belatedly realizes that not booking a hotel room in a country she knows nothing about might not have been the best or smartest idea, the charming and easy on the eyes Englishman in the seat next to her comes to her rescue – he takes her to the rural island village in Crete that he calls home.

As Anna settles into village life, she learns that change, even the unwanted and unexpected kind, can be a good thing. She begins to see that there is always more to any story or person than meets the eye, including herself. In Crete, where time moves differently and days float and blend into one another, Anna finds the courage to discover who she really is, open up to strangers, and to fall in love without holding back even though she might get hurt.

Praise for Sofia Essen and Change of Pace:

“Sofia Essen’s vivid descriptions of Crete, its culture, cuisine, and people, transported me there and made me feel like I was on a free holiday.” ~ Lady Jayne’s Reading Den

 

“The writing was simply brilliant, especially during the first half of the book…It was sarcastic, witty and emotional when need be.” ~ Fani, Goodreads

 

“The writer’s brilliant use of irony as a structural element of the plot ushers in an aura of unpredictability…”~ Malcolm Livera, Amazon

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“This is a wonderful story of love, change, letting go, and taking a leap of faith.” ~ Eva’s Sanctuary

About the Author:

Sofia Essen has spent twenty years as an expatriate. She is presently on an indefinitely extended vacation on a Greek island. Living in a place that is as inspiring as it is perplexing is what made her pickup a pen and write Change of Pace. Her other interests include long walks with her Yorkshire Terrier.

Connect with Sofia:

Blog: http://diversereader.wordpress.com/

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5819497.Sofia_Essen

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DiverseReader

48fourteen: http://www.48fourteen.com/users/sofia-essen

Where to buy Change of Pace:

48fourteen: http://www.48fourteen.com/catalog/change-pace

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Change-of-Pace-ebook/dp/B007UKXE06/

Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Change-of-Pace-ebook/dp/B007UKXE06/

Excerpt from Change of Pace:

Tiny nudges my leg with his nose impatiently. He wants his walk, and he wants it now. I put his collar on him and we head out. Instead of turning right outside the gates, I turn left on impulse and begin to trek up the steep hill behind the village. Half an hour later, I stop and look down at the village. I spot the bed and breakfast—it looks like a dollhouse from up here. As my eyes rove over Drapanias, my mind stops spinning at last. When I ask myself the same questions that I’ve been asking myself for days, I finally have some answers.

Why am I still on this island? I’m still here because I’ve fallen in love with the village below me and its inhabitants. Should I go home? They say home is where the heart is. So I’m going to trek back down the hill to the village. I don’t have everything figured out yet. But knowing where I want to be is a start. I want to stay in Drapanias for as long as I can, which means I’m definitely going to start looking for a job. And even though Daisy is right about me craving consistency in a relationship, at the moment, I crave Alex more.

Feeling both mentally and physically refreshed, I practically skip downhill. I jog up Villa Drapanias’ driveway behind Tiny who is in a hurry to get his breakfast, which Jane should have ready and waiting for him by now. I unclip Tiny’s leash from his collar and he zooms toward the main house while I continue to my guesthouse. When I open the door and step inside, I’m greeted by a sight that evaporates every remaining ounce of angst I’ve harbored over the past few days – Alex standing in the middle of room, wearing nothing but a threadbare towel around his waist.

Our eyes meet across the room. Without a word, he comes toward me and suddenly I’m forgetting everything but the feeling of his arms around me and his lips on mine. His touch ignites a fire in me and a hunger for him that makes me dizzy. When he lifts me up and carries me to the bed, I feel like I’ve been drugged. Alex is the drug, and I want more. And knowing he wants me just as much as I want him when we’re together like this is a powerful high.

Readers can win a copy of seven books featured, and two runners up will get a book of their choice! Check out the rest of the great books and blogs at the 48Fourteen Scavenger Hunt!!!!