The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life Blog Tour by Michelle Pace & Tammy Coons

 How often do you read a book that it pull's you in and you actually feel like your a part of the book? Well, I can say "rarely" and that's EXACTLY what happened when I read The Perpetual Quest of the Perfect Life. This book was amazing ~ to see the different ways people process grief and secrets well it was so honestly written I didn't feel like I was reading something "fiction." This book has officially made one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES list and I encourage you to read this as soon as possible! Trust me you will not be disappointed!

 

 Tourists flock to Jefferson Point for the antique shops and riverboat tours. Everyone knows everyone and secrets are impossible to keep. Or so it seems...

Dr. Ryan Harper's brutal slaying stuns the picturesque river town. High school football star, Prom King, and on his way to finishing his residency, Ryan was their golden child.

After a two-year struggle to care for their young son alone, his widow, Nicole, reluctantly returns to Jefferson Point. Her homecoming reopens old wounds, as Ryan's family and friends struggle to adapt to life without his dynamic presence.

The last person Nicole expects to reconnect with is Aaron Foster, Ryan’s best man and reluctant keeper of his secrets.

With opinions circulating on Nicole’s post-Ryan existence, she must maneuver the rapids of past loves, new expectations, and haunting dreams of her fallen husband.

The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life is a frank story of questionable decisions, small town politics, and love after loss

***************************** My Review ******************************

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review of The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life. Honestly, I really didn't know much about the book and when I started reading it I was immediately "sucked" in~ Ladies I was so freaking excited that I had this that I totally............................................................ yes I was so psyched I had this in my hands I didn't know what to do with my little self. I'm going to refer to the book as "Quest" throughout the remainder of my review. There are not enough words in my very little limited vocabulary to described HOW IN LOVE I am with this one ~ This book made me feel like I was part of it and to make me feel like I was part of the book as well as having me feel like I was reading something that wasn't fictional was BEYOND what I expected. Quest is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE READS~ that's how brilliant this book is but let me share a little bit about it to entice you to get your hands on this book ASAP. The book surrounds some of the residents in Jefferson Point. We have Nicole who is a beautiful young widow with an adorable toddler named Isaac, but she calls him "Ike." She lost her "love of her life" Ryan in a senseless act of terror when he was working at a Chicago Hospital and a gunman gunned him down. He was completing his residency and was one of those men that had it all ~ or so it seemed! He had been with Nicole since high school although he was a couple years older than her ~ people gravitated to his magnetic personality and good looks. Picture yourself doing this if you were introduced to him............. Yep, that was Ryan~ But we soon learn that there were painful secrets that some knew and some didn't and how they coped with those secrets and their grief of losing a loved one is what "Quest" walks you through and it is done in the most beautiful way. It's real ~ not oh I loved him and next chapter I'm over him no Quest takes the time to really delve into each characters life and bring a piece of each of them to you that by the end they will be your friends too! Avery is Ryan's little sister and Nicole's BFF. Avery is essentially the gorgeous "bad ass" businesswoman who is independent and has it ALL together ~ or does she? She is still grieving the loss of her older brother Ryan ~ the golden child ~ but how does she react to the secrets she learns about her own family. Avery was once engaged to the egotistical Jason who will both amuse you and disgust you will struggle with trying to figure out sometimes with how he acts, at least I did. Well Avery needs to move on an what better way is there to move on than with Shilah~ one helluva a gorgeous man who will make you................................................................ Avery & Shilah immediately connect and it was fun watching their relationship develop but also see how different they were at times. Shilah seems to have it all together as well as Avery but do they? Will Avery realize in time how much she needs to let go and let someone truly into her heart? Well READ this one and you will find out!!! We are also introduced to Lauren & Jack, married for four years with two adorable daughters. The hot Texan Jack has ladies doing double takes all the time but this man loves his wife! Lauren is gregarious, popular, and beautiful but is her life what it seems? Is she the open book that seems to be portrayed? She owns her own coffee shop with Jules, the tattooed, pierced and seemingly quiet woman who really is insightful and when her mouth opens you better open your ears!! I would be remiss if I didn't mention the gorgeous Irish Hunk Colin...He comes onto the scene with a crush on Nicole since High School and I literally.............................................. Oh yes, I couldn't, hell wouldn't, turn that man away but Colin isn't the only one interested in our Nicole. See we have Ryan's BFF and Best Man in his wedding, Aaron. The side-kick that spent his high school and college days with Ryan & Nicole. Yes the gorgeous Aaron has a little obsession with Nicole that has lasted years and to see him fight that attraction will leave you.............................. Will he wake up and smell the coffee and man-up when it comes to Nicole? or will he fill his bed with the Joy's of the world where he gets what he wants in bed but doesn't have to really emotionally invest. Well again READ THE BOOK. There were parts of the book where I definitely ...................................................... and then parts where I was.......................................... actually there are several parts where you will be laughing ~ a certain little Halloween party will have you laughing but what happens later on with Lauren had me........................................ there were moments in the book where I simply...................... and others where I was.............................................. but when I finished the book I totally was ......................... This is another book that is BEYOND 5 stars for me ~ it blew me away with the storytelling which is simply magical. I feel like I spent the past few days with some very good friends and I don't want to say goodbye because I'm invested in the lives in Jefferson Point and I want more. I would encourage you read this one ASAP! You won't be disappointed with this brilliant read about how we process grief, deal with secrets and ultimately let ourselves love again. I sure hope we see a lot more from Michelle & Tammy because I'm seriously HOOKED and totally in love with their combined writing style and I need more NOW!!  

How about an "excerpt" of the book?

"Nicole Remembers Ryan"

Nicole sat straight up in bed, her heart galloping in her chest. Momentarily unsure where she was, her eyes darted around the room and panic set in. Sunlight streamed through the curtains; it was obvious she’d slept the entire night. After a terrifying moment, she realized she was in her new bedroom. She gulped several deep breaths of air and pushed her blonde hair out of her face. Covering her eyes, she tried to block out the images from the reoccurring dream about her late husband.

Ryan, dressed in green scrubs, stood drinking a cup of coffee at the nurses’ station. Red-eyed from no more than two hours of sleep, he was the resident on-call. He’d picked up a shift for a friend, leaving Nicole home on maternity leave. Though he was granted two weeks off for the birth of their son, after only six days, Ryan joked that he’d get more sleep on a crappy on-call cot than at home with their newborn. Nearing the end of his second-year residency, he lived and breathed medicine. Scoring brownie points with the staff docs was his number one goal. Nicole often wondered how different her life would be if he’d only stayed home another week as originally planned.

He’d been showing off Ike’s baby pictures when the ER doors slid open and a hooded man stormed in and began shooting. He gunned down two nurses close to the entrance, then an orderly. He took out a patient who attempted to flee in her wheelchair. Always the hero, Ryan sprang into action. He tackled the gunman from the side, taking him down. The shooter managed to fire two shots on his way to the ground.

Ry hadn’t died instantly; he slowly bled out over the next few minutes as the ER erupted in chaos.

Nicole rubbed her eyes, trying to erase the vision her subconscious had concocted of her husband’s last moments. She reached into the bedside table and pulled out her bottles of Zoloft and Xanax. Swallowing two tiny pills, she looked over her shoulder. In the center of her bed, her son slept soundly, his thumb firmly in his mouth. Over two and a half years old, Ike was the spitting image of his father, except with Nicole’s fair hair and skin. He would have no memory of his dad, and she wondered if that was going to be a blessing or a curse.

*******************************************************************************

WHEW, that ladies is just a SMALL taste of the emotional roller coaster this wonderful book will take you on!  Yes I cried, like a baby, but I laughed too! I also "related" and if book can get me to relate then the author's have done something most books can't; they've given me a book that I will never forget, resides in my minds still and that I will re-read! That's the highest praise I can ever give a book is to re-read it~ I don't re-read many and to make that list ~ well that in of itself is amazing but don't just take me word ~ READ IT!!

Now let's meet the "cast" of Jefferson Point, the town that The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life is based in.  First off the ladies ~ Nicole the widow, beautiful, mother of Ike (who is adorable) and had the strength to move forward with her life after "Ryan" died. Then we have Ryan's sister, Avery, oh yes this beautiful, strong willed woman who thinks she doesn't need anyone will soon find out what's missing in her life. That brings us to Lauren, gregarious, fun-loving, mother of 2 little girls and the wife of Jack ~ but is Lauren all she seems? Then we have Jules, Lauren's business partner, tough as nails speaks very little but when she does you LISTEN and lastly Joy ~ not sure I can praise Joy as much as the other ladies at one time she was Aaron's girlfriend but I don't think she was meant to be in his life for that long ~

Here's the beautiful ladies of Jefferson Point:

Now we must talk about the GORGEOUS men of Jefferson Point. We have Aaron who is gorgeous, Ryan's best friend and best man in his wedding, harbors secrets that he needs  to let go and loves Nicole. Shilah O.M.G. I think I would drop to my knees if I met Shilah in real life ~ he seems to have his "shit" together but will he be able to bring Avery the happiness she needs. Oh Jack married to Lauren this Texan will steal your heart with the love he has for his "girls." Colin crushed on Nicole all through high school well guess who grew up and is FINE, but you need to read to see what happens with the playboy Colin. Finally, Ryan, the all together "good guy" had it all, residency at Chicago hospital beautiful wife, Nicole and newborn son Issac (Ike) but you will find that what we present on the outside isn't always what is really going on with the inside.

Now a look at the picturesque town of Jefferson Point. The gorgeous river views, the small town atmosphere and a town where EVERYONE knows your business. Be sure to check out the cute picture of little Ike :)

Some of you may recognize authors Michelle Pace & Tammy Coons names ~ they are the co-authors of Fury a little story with ROCK STARS~ I have the book and I so need to read it soon! Let's see what some of Michelle & Tammy's FAVORITES are :

Tammy Coons is the youngest of 7 children and lives in Illinois with her husband, Casey and three children Skyler, Sawyer and Savana. Tammy graduated from Scott Community College in 2010 and holds a diploma in Health Information Technology. In order to pass time while seeking employment in 2010 she decided to update Fury, one of the many stories she and Michelle have written together in the past 20 years.

Michelle Pace is a RN living in Texas with her husband, Les. She has two daughters, Holly and Bridgette, and one son, Kai. A singer and actress in her youth, Michelle has always enjoyed entertaining people and is excited to continue to do so as a writer.

Michelle:

    Live Music

    CAFFEINE

    All things British

    People watching at airports

    Josh Holloway

  

Tammy:

    Writing

    Reading

    Spending time with friends and family

    Bonfires

    Antique shopping

Wow, I have some of the same FAVORITES :)

****************************************************************

This little "extra" about the character favorites is probably one of my favorite things ~ even though you may not have read the book this gives you a little insight into some of my most favorite book characters!

Aaron:

   German Shepherds

   Easy listening/top 40

   Corona with a lime

   Chicago style pizza

   His best friend’s girl

Nicole:

   Charcoal Pencils

   Alternative/punk music

   Post breakfast cartoons

   Cherry Garcia

   Dimples

  

Shilah:

   Hunting

   Marlboro Reds

   Protecting the environment

   Partying

   Garter belts

Avery:

   Shopping

   Manicures

   Diane Von Furstenberg

   Black Puma running shoes

   Silver Dodge Charger

 ********************************************************************

Now you've gotten a look at two of the "main" couples in The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life you have to grab the book to learn the ins and outs and about the rest of the "ladies & men" of Jefferson Point!!!!!

I encourage you to get to know these wonderful authors because I sure hope we see so much more from the two of them ~ they truly have the gift of "storytelling" and I'm honored to have read The Perpetual Quest of the Perfect Life.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichellePaceAndTammyCoons

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6584652.Michelle_Pace 

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Pace/e/B00AD65TMU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1363392021&sr=8-1

To add The Perpetual Quest of the Perfect Life to your Goodreads TBR:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17381698-the-perpetual-quest-for-the-perfect-life?ac=1 

Purchase links:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Perpetual-Quest-Perfect-Life-ebook/dp/B00C1RYELQ/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364497075&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=The+perpeutal++quest+of+the+perfect+life

Now for the GIVEAWAY these two amazing authors are offering the following GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY (Rafflecopter up below):

  Grand Prize- 1 Winner $200 amazon giftcard. Signed copy of Quest. Gift-basket of book-related goodies.

But that's NOT all you can also enter here on my blog to win an e-copy of The Perpetual Quest of the Perfect Life!  Also 2 winners will be drawn to win a signed bookmark of The Perpetual Quest of the Perfect Life and 1 winner will get a singed bookmark of Fury.  To enter please leave a comment with who you think would be your favorite characters listed above along with your email address. I will be choosing the winners on March 29th.

Here's the Rafflecopter to enter the GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway