The Publicist by Christina George

Hi guys!

Welcome back to the busiest place in the online bookish world, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!  Okay, so perhaps "busiest place" was an overstatement, but posted by one of the busiest people, I'm right on the mark.  Oye! 

In case you were wondering, yes...I did in fact get the holiday weekend off however like most weekends, it never does seem long enough, you know?  Of course, the Monday after a holiday is always uber busy and with month end and quarter end tagged onto that...let's just say that my theme song of the day has been "The Flight of the Bumblebee"...not unlike the lead character in my latest read.

Today's post centers around a book that will strike near and dear to many a heart reading this.  It takes place in the here and now within the world of the book publishing industry and deals with topics/situations that while outlandish on the outside, surprisingly aren't that hard to imagine.  Was I in love with it?  Umm, not quite...but I was in deep LIKE with it and I'll explain it all in just a second.  First, allow me to introduce you to today's book of choice...

The Publicist, Book 1

by

Christina George

About the book...

Can one woman change an age-old institution like publishing?
Probably not, but Kate Mitchell sure wants to try. As a publicist with a large, respected New York publishing house, Kate finds herself at the mercy of a broken publishing system, books that don't sell, and author egos that are often, well, as big as the island of Manhattan.
Enter the star editor, MacDermott Ellis: Tall, handsome, charismatic, married, and ready to save the day. Then there’s Allan Lavigne, once a revered author—now as forgotten as last year’s bestsellers and his nephew Nick: Tall, gorgeous, sweet, single, and ready to sweep Kate off her feet.
Kate wants to do the right thing but her hormones seem to be driving her decisions. As Kate tries to navigate the landmine of publicity, over-the-top author expectations, and the careful dance of “I'm sorry, your book isn't on the bestseller list this week,” she also finds authors who are painfully overlooked by a publisher wanting more sex, more celebrities, and more scandal. Welcome to the world of publishing. The ego has landed.

For all the reasons already mentioned, I enjoyed this read as I'm fairly certain any adult book lover might, emphasis on adult, but I'll address that in a moment.  It gives you an inside look at the book publishing world, albeit a fictional one relationship wise...supposedly...but more spot on with the actual workings so a few questions and curiosities may be answered that you weren't anticipating.  The setting of the big NYC is fabulous as are all the out of the way places our characters visit in an attempt to step out of the limelight if only for a short while.  One of the places I adored the most...THE BOOK NOOK.  Yep, it's the name of a bookstore within the novel and it's as quaint as the name makes it sound.  The role it plays in connecting two of our main characters is charming but the soft side it brings out in one of them is the heart wrencher.  So touching and sweet.  (Oh and can I order up a cup of Maeve's special hot chocolate, stat please?  Sounds delish!) If it truly existed, I'd love to spend a day lost within their stacks.  *sigh*  Also, I can't forget all the reader indulgences...mentions of works, favorite reads, rants about ebooks and the celebrated glories of print titles; it certainly gave me the warm fuzzies.  Moving more to the surface of things...

Kate Mitchell was a likable character, as were her potential love matches (for those that have read the book,
who would YOU choose?  It's a harder decision than you think!).  She's head strong, doesn't take no for an answer, is not afraid to break out the "big girl pants" and let's her gut feelings be known...after all, in some situations, that's really all you've got.  She may not make it home for the holidays (sometimes by choice, other times by circumstance) but she loves her family, her friends and makes the Big Apple her most desired home away from home.  Her ambition is hardcore, her intentions honorable and her work ethic most desirable.  If ever a person were going to make it with the roadblocks she's been thrown, Kate Mitchell will be the one to do it...though it might help if she didn't create some of those roadblocks...*ahem*

The two potential matches mentioned in passing above are interesting of their own accord, though I shall only introduce the one who shares the limelight with Kate most often...MacDermott.  Mac is...a character.  From his description, he's handsome alright, but a handful as well.  His heart and intentions seem good, but his actions are still not 100% on the up and up and that my friends is where choosing a match to root for becomes sticky. If only he'd straighten his current situation out and be the man he claims to be, I'd have no problem with being on his team, but in the mean time...I'm gonna have to plead Switzerland.  Option number two for Kate is a fly by entry into her world towards books end, hence the lack of intro here, but one to certainly consider...especially with his lack of attachments...moving on...

A few pet peeves though that I must mention in passing at the very least.  First, her name is Kate Mitchell.  No, I don't have a problem with the name in the least, it's the other characters (specifically MacDermott Ellis') use or misuse of her name.  She's called both Kate and Katie (and maybe Kathryn, can't remember on that one) throughout the book and while I understand one is sort of a nickname to most that bear this name, do we really have to switch the use up in the same sentence?  Sometimes it felt like there were two different girls with the switches.  Second,  though most scene transitions are good, there's one that didn't seem to fit quite right to me.  It occurs when a particular character dies, someone that Kate was actually fairly close to, and the news is delivered, received, and processed.  Yeah, I know grief strikes us each differently but initially the scene played out like...oh, they died; kay, we'll make arrangements...NEXT!  It was solved in a snap and with the relationship she had with the deceased (almost like a parent), I would have expected more.  Last but not least, how to mention this one...it's a novel yes, meant for adult readers, yes, but it was breaching the land of hardcore romance with one too many mentions of "wetness" and other things that I shan't repeat here.  No, I'm not a prude and I still enjoyed the read but some may prefer to know going into it that it's not all innuendos if you know what I mean.  *ahem*  Moving on...

In conclusion, a book I am certainly glad to have become acquainted with and most definitely will be seeking out the second installment when it hits published status. (The teaser at the end of the book has me on pins and needles and if that wasn't enough, I really want to see who she ends up with!  So, dear author if you are reading this...book 2?  When? ^_^)  It centers on one ambitious, smart, and funny girl making her way through the landmines of the publishing world all in an effort to bring to light some great reads that should not be missed...how could I not like it?  You'll laugh, you'll smile, you'll spare a tear for the smart aleck friend that passes away on their terms (love this guy!)...you'll even shake your head as Kate falls deeper and deeper into something she knows better than too and yet still can't help herself.  Cheer for her career moves, choose a fella you think would be best for her and make friends with her friends as you step into a world you'll be both surprised by and in love with by the final page.

Review copy received courtesy of Paula at Author Marketing Experts and author Christina George.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as their other new and upcoming promotions, be sure to visit them online or check out Paula's Twitter feed for the latest and greatest! Bookmarks up to the author for bringing into vivid living color a world many of us desire in one way or another....to connect with her or the series in general, seek thee out the official website, pin it on Pinterest, like them on Facebook or follow along on Twitter. This book is the first in a planned series, so be on the lookout for it and it's forthcoming companion on a bookstore shelf near you.

Until next time...happy reading!