ESCAPING REALITY and Defining the New Adult genre

If you're old school like me, you are scratching your head trying to figure out what New Adult (NA) literature is.  At first it was explained to me as YA, but a bit more grown up.  That worked for me:  a bunch of young 20 year old college kids as characters.  But then I found out that Beautiful Disaster was labeled as NA.  That sounded like a LOT MORE grown up.   I was back to square one.  So when steamy romance writer Lisa Renee Jones announced her first New Adult title, I had to know.  You see, I had avoided reviewing NA books since I didn't have a firm understanding of the genre.  But I would be reading The Secret Life of Amy Benson and writing a review.  Somewhere between fleeing forest fires and arriving at RWA, Lisa found time to explain it to me.

"The difference in New Adult and Adult is the coming of age storyline. For instance with Escaping Reality Amy is not only 24 vs Sara's late 20's because she was forced into hiding at 18 and unable to truly live, she is truly sheltered and learning to live. The thing I love about New Adult is the angst and overcoming adversity that is always present. Of course, I favor those things anyway as most of my INSIDE OUT readers and even my Tall, Dark and Deadly readers (Blake!) know. In New Adult, sometimes an older character helps advance the growth of the younger character as in Liam(31) and Amy. Often both characters are young and growing together though." - Lisa Renee Jones

Armed with this definition, I created my definition:

• young, but past the age of traditional YA teens
• delayed Coming of Age storyline/learning to live
• angst (probably held over from teen not coming of age yet)
• overcoming adversity
• optional: mentor/teacher or partner in growth

And then I read ESCAPING REALITY, the first book in The Secret Life of Amy Benson storyline by Lisa Renee Jones.  In one day.

Conclusions?  Lisa's romance is still steamy and she is still the queen of the cliff hanger.  Nothing was diluted.  In fact, the added pressure on the heroine may have even upped the ante as she is overcoming adversity and learning to live at the same time.

Escaping Reality Blurb 

(releasing AMZ July 22)

 Infinite possibilities….

Infinite passion…..

Infinite danger….

His touch spirals through me, warm and sweet, wicked and hot. I shouldn’t trust him. I shouldn’t tell him my secrets. But how do I not when he is the reason I breath? He is what I need.

 At the young age of eighteen, tragedy and a dark secret force Lara to flee all she has known and loves to start a new life. Now years later, with a new identity as Amy, she’s finally dared to believe she is forgotten–even if she cannot forget. But just when she lets down her guard down, the ghost’s of her past are quick to punish her, forcing her back on the run.   

On a plane, struggling to face the devastation of losing everything again and starting over, Amy meets Liam Stone, a darkly entrancing recluse billionaire, who is also a brilliant, and famous, prodigy architect. A man who knows what he wants and goes after it. And what he wants is Amy. Refusing to take “no” as an answer, he sweeps her into a passionate affair, pushing her to her erotic limits. He wants to possess her. He makes her want to be possessed. Liam demands everything from her, accepting nothing less. But what if she is too devastated by tragedy to know when he wants more than she should give? And what if there is more to Liam than meets the eyes? 

 


Whatever Liam is, I WANT TO LICK HIS TATTOO!!

 

pearls' Review

You are on the edge of your seat from page 1.  Amy (if that is her real name) is in danger.  You don't know why or from whom, but it is grave danger.  She is (one again) on the run.  And she is just as clueless as the reader. The reader and Amy decipher the clues together.  Liam is the right guy in the right place at the right time.  Coincidence or Fate?  Either way he promises to teach her to control her fear rather letting it control her.  By the end of the story, we have more questions than answers to her plight, but Amy has matured into a woman no longer content to let others shelter her.  She wants the answers and is willing to swim with the sharks to get them.  Her angst and paranoia have grown into determination. A wild ride for the reader, full of mysteries and danger and steamy scenes.

Meet Lisa Renée

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT TRILOGY which has sold to more than ten countries for translation with negotiations in process for more, and has now been optioned by STARZ Network for a cable television show, to be produced by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland).

Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than 30 books with publishers such as Simon and Schuster, Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, NAL, Berkley and Elloras Cave, as well as crafting a successful indie career. Booklist says that Jones suspense truly sizzles with an energy similar to FBI tales with a paranormal twist by Julie Garwood or Suzanne Brockmann.

Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by Dallas Women Magazine. In 1998 LRJ was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her through her website and she is active on twitter and Facebook daily.

Connect with Lisa:

Website:  http://www.lisareneejones.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisaReneeJones

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaReneeJones?fref=ts

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/73977.Lisa_Renee_Jones

TOUR GIVEAWAY:

Lisa is giving away a canvas bag with Escaping Reality on one side and Revealing Us on the other side, and a package of signed INSIDE OUT and ESCAPING REALITY goodies to one lucky winner when the tour ends.

a Rafflecopter giveaway