Romancing YA - Paula Stokes

by 1:00 PM 25 comments
Welcome to Romancing YA!

Big massive humongous shoutout to Hannah Reads Books for helping me organise such an amazing event! Unfortunately she is having blog problems and couldn't be a part!



Our second stop for the Romancing YA event, on this blog, is Paula Stokes!

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Hi everyone! I’m psyched to be hanging out here on Romancing YA and celebrating the month of loooove. In honor of fabulous February, I’ve compiled for you a list of my favorite fictional couples. Warning: I am not into dusty, classic books, so there will be no Mr. Darcy (whoever that is) and his lady, etc.

But first, here’s a little bit about my YA romantic comedy, THE ART OF LAINEY, releasing in May:
Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is used to getting what she wants, and when her boyfriend Jason breaks up with her for no reason, what she wants is to win him back before the start of their senior year. Lainey and her friend Bianca check the interwebz for tips and tricks, but the online dating advice is all pretty lame. Then the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. Didn't someone once say that love is a battlefield? Jason isn't going to stand a chance once Lainey and Bee go all Zhou Dynasty on him... Old school strategy and subterfuge meet modern-day dramarama in the story of a girl who sets out to win at all costs and ends up discovering what's really worth fighting for.

If you like fluffy, funny books with flawed characters and happy endings, you should definitely check it out. Now for my top ten favorite fictional couples:

1. Cas and Anna from Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares. Their relationship is anything but normal, but there’s something utterly compelling about the ghost-killer and  the ghost finding comfort in each other.

2. Cole and Isabel from the Shiver trilogy. Cole is a junkie musician turned emotionally volatile werewolf. Isabel is a snarky ice princess who can take care of herself. For me, this couple stole the entire trilogy. Maybe I’m not the only one who thinks so, because Maggie Stiefvater is releasing Sinner, another book featuring these two, in July 2014.

3. Wren and Connor from Reboot. Wren is a reanimated, government-sanctioned, bounty hunter and killer. Connor is slightly more in touch with his human side. When Connor tries to befriend Wren she is suspicious and surprised, but then begins to soften.

4. Eli and Auden from Along for the Ride. Eli is a former dirt-bike champion who is dead inside. Auden is a “teenage grownup” who has never really lived. Can they help each other find purpose in life?

5. Ash and Natalie from Black City. Ash is half-human and half-Darkling. Natalie comes from a family that views Darklings as enemies of the state. Their love is ignited by bizarre circumstances, but can they manage to stay together as they fight to survive a bloody civil war?

6. Katniss and Gale from The Hunger Games. Yeah, I know, and I don’t care. Katniss and Gale are perfect together. If Peeta is nice, he can bake their wedding cake.

7. Tana and Gavriel from The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. OMG, this relationship between a mortal girl and a centuries-old vampire sizzles way hotter than the average girl-vamp hookup.

8. Less and Austin from A Tale of Two Centuries. Less is a girl from the Renaissance, trying to master the present-day complexities of thong underwear, contractions, and taxicabs. Austin is a smoking hot surfer boy who takes pleasure in giving her trouble.

9. Cam and Dulcie from Going Bovine. When slacker Cameron gets diagnosed with fatal mad cow disease, a punk-rock angel named Dulcie starts appearing to him in visions, guiding him in a quest to find a cure for his illness and save the world at the same time.

10. Dante and Charlie from The Collector. Devilish soul collector Dante Walker is…mine. But I guess geek-girl Charlie can borrow him for a while. Just until the end of the trilogy, though :)

Honorable mention: Odd and Stormy from Odd Thomas. Technically they’re an NA couple in an adult book, but Odd is a short-order cook who sees dead people and Stormy is a goth girl who works in an ice cream parlor. You might say they’re a match made in Heavenly Hash.

I hope you enjoyed my top ten fictional couples. Looking back at the list, it’s no wonder I’m single! I don’t know any werewolves, vampires, soul collectors, or reanimated killing machines. Happy February, everybody!

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The Art of Lainey - Paula Stokes

Released: May 20, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
SynopsisSoccer star Lainey Mitchell is used to getting what she wants, and when her boyfriend Jason breaks up with her for no reason, what she wants is to win him back before the start of their senior year. Lainey and her friend Bianca check the interwebz for tips and tricks, but the online dating advice is all pretty lame. 

Then the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. Didn't someone once say that love is a battlefield? Jason isn't going to stand a chance once Lainey and Bee go all Zhou Dynasty on him... 

Old school strategy and subterfuge meet modern-day dramarama in the story of a girl who sets out to win at all costs and ends up discovering what's really worth fighting for.


~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ The Book Depository ~


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The Author...




Paula Stokes is half writer, half RN, and totally thrilled to be part of the world of YA literature. She started out writing historical fiction under a pen name and is now branching out into other YA genres. When she's not working (rare), she's kayaking, hiking, reading, or seeking out new adventures in faraway lands. She's petted tigers, snuggled snakes, snorkeled with stingrays, and once enjoyed the suction-cuppy feel of a baby elephant's trunk as it ate peanuts from her palm. Paula loves interacting with readers. Find her at www.authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.

~ Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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25 comments:

  1. LOVE Paula's choices (she's such an awesome author and person and she's so funny - she'll rock contemporary!!)

    I'd add Etienne and Anna from Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door, Hannah and Noah from Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt :)

    Thank you:)

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    1. Ha. Thanks :) I have a murder mystery out after the contemp. Just the ticket for people who find LAINEY a little too fluffy and predictable.

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  2. Your book sounds awesome and I love the fictional couples you chose, although I am team Peeta. ;)

    Thank you!

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    1. Ergh. Maybe it's just me, but Peeta totally felt like her little brother for books 1 and 2. And then the movies made it worse. Thanks for the comment :)

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  3. Your books sounds awesome and I love the fictional couples you picked, even though I'm team Peeta. ;)

    Thank you!

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  4. Adrian and Sydney from Bloodlines,Dimitri and Rose from VA - these are my favorite couples from YA books :)
    Thanks for the wonderful post Paula :)

    Thanks for the chance!

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    1. You're welcome :) And thanks to Claire for the giveaway!

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  5. Anna and Etienne St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss
    Four and Tris from Divergent
    Prince Kai and Cinder from the Lunar Chronicles
    Will and Layken from Slammed
    Landon and Jamie from A Walk to Remember
    ...and a lot more! :D

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  6. That list is amazing! I would add Rose and Dimitri from VA, Gwen and Logan from Mythos Academy, Violet and Pheonix from Embrace, Anna and Kai from Sweet Evil, and Megan and Ash from The Iron Fey!

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  7. "If Peeta is nice, he can bake their wedding cake." I LAUGHED SO HARD AT THIS. Exactly my feelings for Peeta as well haha! So yeah, Katniss & Gale would definitely be in my top 10 as well. Other YA couples I love are Aria & Perry from Under the Never Sky, Chaol & Celaena from Throne of Glass and Cath & Levi from Fangirl. Thanks for the giveaway :)

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  8. I have not read enough YA to have a list.

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  9. Thanks to all of you for naming all these couples I don't know :) *adds books to TBR mountain*

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  10. There are so many and there's one that I adore but it's a spoiler. (from the Soul Screamers series!)

    Others are Anna & Etienne, Perry & Aria, Karou & Akiva! Ah, I love the them! Also, I ship myself and Micah ;)

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    1. Ooh I forgot about me and Akiva :D I think he got a raw deal so far. Okay, so technically he was involved in a mass murder, but for some reason I can't hold that against him.

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  11. omg I love Wren and Callum (I'm pretty sure it's Callum and not Connor...?)
    I really need to read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown! I've heard so many great things about it, and yet it's still sitting unread in my TBR pile...

    I'd probably add Percy and Annabeth from the PJO/HoO series by Rick Riordan :D Love them!

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    1. Whoops, Wren and Callum--you're right :-) I should know that. I had a Callum in LAINEY at one point.

      Coldtown is one of those books you might read straight through--it's delicious :D

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  12. Meghan & Ash from the Iron Fey series or Varen & Isobel from Nevermore.

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  13. I agree with most of those! Most because I haven't read some of them, haha. I love Katie McGarry's couples. <33

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  14. 1. Daemon and Katy
    2. Ash and Meghan
    3. Will and Layken
    4. Edward and Bella (ha)
    5. Calla and Shay

    Those are my top 5. It was really fun and interesting to read everyone else's otps. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  15. Rose and Dimitri from vampire academy, best couple ever.

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  16. Rose and dimitri from vampire academy are my favorite couple ever!

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  17. Rose and Dimitri from vampire academy, best couple ever.

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  18. I'm gonna have to agree with Mary Preston. Unfortunately, I haven't read enough YA novels to have a top ten.

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  19. Dimitri and Rose from Vampire Academy and Entienne and Anna from Anna and the French Kiss. Thank you for the giveaway :)

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  20. In no particular order - Rose and Dimitri (Vampire Academy), Tris and Four (Divergent), Edward and Bella (Twilight), Aria and Perry (Under the Never Sky), Clara and Tucker (Unearthly trilogy by Cynthia Hand), Penryn and Raffe (Penryn and the End of Days by Susan Ee), Ruby and Liam (The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken), Lila and Alex (Lila by Sarah Alderson), Alex and Aiden (The Covenant)..
    Thanks for a giveaway! :)

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Ooh yes, comments puh-leaaase :D