Series: Choisie

Titles included: Contessa, Olivia, Dear Jon, and Livvy

Author: Lori L. Otto

Released: Feb 2014

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Series Synopsis:

The Choisie series is a Young Adult/New Adult story following a teenage girl as she struggles to find her footing under the scrutiny of local media and the cautious eye of her overprotective father.

Livvy Holland was adopted by a generous and wealthy couple as a child. Now sixteen, she is a burgeoning artist, encouraged by her mother and inspired by a man she was never able to meet. Feeling estranged from a loving father whose mind works much differently than her own, she questions whether or not she was paired with the right guardians. In her plight for independence, she reconnects with a fellow art student who grew up alongside Livvy.

Jon Scott has led anything but a privileged life. After his father passes away, he is left to care for his two half-brothers while his mother’s alcoholism threatens to tear his family apart. All he wants for himself and his brothers is a better life. His dreams for an Ivy League education are coming to fruition, thanks to a lifetime of hard work and ambition. This is not only important to Jon himself; he also knows that the man who will win Livvy’s heart has to be someone exceptional. Her father would accept nothing less–and Jon believes that Livvy deserves the best of everything, too.

That may be the only thing Jon and Livvy’s father agree upon.

Over the course of their courtship, these two teens will experience the bliss of true love, but their immaturity and differing lifestyles will also threaten to tear them apart. They both begin to question the other’s devotion and commitment; only time will tell if their first love is meant to last a lifetime.

This series, comprised in totality of four books, allows the reader to experience first love for a second time. The first three books–Contessa, Olivia, and Dear Jon–are available now, with the fourth book–Livvy–slated to be released December 9!

Buy Links:

Contessa – Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Olivia – Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes

Dear Jon – Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes

Livvy – Coming Dec 9, 2014 – Amazon | iTunes

Excerpt

Jon shakes his head. “It’s weird, because I’d never really thought about ‘love’ when it came to my dad. It wasn’t something I’d ever really looked for. I knew some kids had that–hell, I knew you had that, with the way your dad doted over you–but I just assumed you were all lucky, or special, or somehow extraordinary. I never knew it was something I should expect. I mean, my dad never even told me he loved me. And when Will and Max came along, their dad was the same. Emotionally dead.

“And Mom wasn’t much better. She was too hurt by my dad–and then too drunk in the wake of what happened. She’d tell me she loved me, but it was rarely when she was in a coherent, sober state.”

“I love you, Jon,” I tell him spontaneously, moved to say so by his story and by my own genuine compassion for him. “How could anyone not love you?” Sadness overwhelms me as I look into his eyes, and I feel myself begin to cry. “Don’t believe it for a second. Just because they didn’t say it doesn’t mean they didn’t feel it.”

Another tear falls down his cheek, but he never breaks down. He looks at me for a few seconds, his thumbs wiping away the wetness from my face, and returns my involuntary verbal outburst with an instinctive physical one of his own. His lips crash hard against mine, moving quickly as his hands lace through my hair and rest at the nape of my neck.

Both of us in need of a breath, he turns his head to the side slightly, resting his temple against mine. My hands press on his chest, feeling the fast rise and fall of his breathing that mirrors my own. His left hand trails down my right arm until it reaches my hip. His fingers grasp my hipbone as his right hand gently caresses my cheek.

“I need you,” he whispers in my ear. I nod my head against his, and I know he can feel my response. He continues to stroke the corner of my mouth with his thumb. I kiss it sweetly, and he lets it linger over my lips. I kiss it a few more times before I grasp his t-shirt in my hands and start to take it off. He lets go of me to pull it over his head.

His eyes trained on mine, he stands up in front of me, offering his hand to help me to my feet. Once standing, I kiss his lips, then his jawline, then his neck, and he turns his shoulder like clockwork, bending down ever so slightly so I can kiss the dream and the sleep.

Robin’s Review

Contessa by Lori Otto

If you have not read the Emi Lost & Found series, this review may contain spoilers.

Do you remember your first true love? Do you remember the passion, the overwhelming feelings that you experienced? For me, everything felt incredibly intense. I felt completely safe in the arms of my partner, as if nothing from the outside world could hurt me. I existed in an imaginary bubble. I felt protected. Imagine experiencing your first love at the age of sixteen. When you couple the experience of falling in love with teenage hormones, you have a real recipe for drama, angst and heartbreak. The immaturity and inexperience of a teenager makes it especially hard to maintain an ongoing relationship. Author Lori Otto has done a fantastic job of capturing this scenario in Contessa as Livvy Holland falls in love with Jon Scott.

Although not required, I recommend reading the Emi Lost & Found series before beginning Contessa. There are events, family history and background information found in that series that is extremely relevant to the Choisie series. Reading the Emi Lost & Found novels will help you to appreciate and better understand the family dynamic found in Contessa. As an extension of the Emi Lost & Found series, the Choisie series focuses on the adopted daughter of a wealthy philanthropist and his wife who live in Manhattan.

Olivia Sophia Holland was adopted by Jackson and Emi Holland at the age of four. At the beginning of Contessa, Olivia is nearing the age of sixteen when she is reunited with Jon Scott. Jon and Livvy previously shared a workspace at Nate’s Art Room, a program for underprivileged kids who show promise with the arts. Livvy is a talented and flourishing artist. Although clearly not from an underprivileged home, she has been allowed to attend classes because both of her parents are part of the foundation for Nate’s Art Room. Jon is two years older than Livvy, but his age difference doesn’t deter him from approaching her father to ask for permission to date her when she turns sixteen.

Relationships are a primary focus in Contessa. Livvy is young, but she is at the age where she wants to exert her independence. She has always had a close relationship with both of her parents, but more recently, she seems to be growing closer to her mother, while simultaneously pulling away from her father. Jacks is a wealthy philanthropist, well-known in Manhattan, which places their family in the crosshairs of the paparazzi. Jacks can be overbearing and protective as he struggles for some semblance of control over her social life, preferences and decisions. This includes micromanaging time and experiences between Livvy and her first love, Jon. Livvy has also developed a fatherly-type of affinity for a talented artist whom she never met, which further drives a wedge between her and Jacks. All of this combined has created a division between them that seems too great to overcome.

I have mixed feelings for Livvy in Contessa. She is a hard character to love in this novel, but I do. She can be impulsive, selfish and hurtful towards her parents, but I also see the good in her. There are moments that her inner beauty shines through. This leads me to believe that Livvy will grow by leaps and bounds as this series progresses. Her relationship with Jon is both intense and extremely sweet. Because of his age and family obligations, Jon is more mature than Livvy. He has lifelong goals and sees Livvy as a part of his future. I can only wonder what Lori Otto might have planned for this couple.

Contessa is the first novel of this series, the main characters are young, and there is a whole lot of story that remains to be seen for Jon and Livvy. There is plenty of room for character growth for many of the characters, including Jacks and Emi. Novels written by Lori Otto tend to bring out the strongest emotions in her readers – anger, sadness, joy and satisfaction. Lots of tears. To this day, Otto is responsible for the ugliest cry that I have ever experienced from reading a novel, and I totally mean that as a compliment! With Contessa, she was able to bring out the best and worst of my emotions, and that is a sign of a great book. Contessa is most definitely a 5-star read! Congratulations to Lori Otto for an outstanding start to her new series!

Author Bio:

After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Lori Otto worked in the billboard industry for ten years. Frustrated with trying to communicate entire messages in “seven seconds or less,” she decided to leave outdoor advertising and return to her love of creative writing.

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