FFBC: Magnolia by Krisi Cook + GIVEAWAY!



Magnolia
by Kristi Cook
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: August 5th 2014
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Synopsis:

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.



As a child, Kristi Cook took her nose out of a book only long enough to take a ballet class (or five) each week. Not much has changed since then, except she’s added motherhood to the mix and enjoys penning her own novels as much as reading everybody else’s. A transplanted southern gal, Kristi lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

That’s the official version–here are some other fun facts:

~ As an undergrad, I majored in History and minored in English at the University of Southern Mississippi. While at Southern Miss, I was a member of Phi Mu sorority, and I was a Dixie Darling. And yep, Brett Favre was our quarterback at the time!

~ I studied American History in grad school at Columbia University. I *love* history, especially the Civil War era (U.S.) and Regency- and Edwardian-era British history.

~ My all-time favorite book *and* movie is GONE WITH THE WIND. My favorite literary characters are Rhett Butler, Atticus Finch, and Mr. Darcy. I kind of want to add Peeta Mellark to that list!

~Weirdly enough (or maybe not so weirdly?) I’m also a big fan of STAR TREK (the original series). I never can remember if I’m supposed to call myself a “Trekkie” or a “Trekker,” though!


GONE WITH THE WIND



Favorite current TV show is The Walking Dead. Past favorites include Battle Star Galactica (the newer version), Star Trek (Original Series), LOST, and The Office.



Gone With the Wind (again!)



OMG, I can only pick one?! I have *so* many favorites. I guess I’ll go with a classic—“Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve. 



Vaca Frita—it’s a Cuban dish!


Ahhh, only one?! From books, I’ll probably go with Peeta Mellark (though Augustus Waters is a close second). From TV (that counts as fictional, right?!), Lee Adama aka Apollo.



Way too many things! Right now I’m still stuck in The Fault in our Stars movie fangirl mode-- I’ve seen it five times in the theater (so far!). And it’s weird, because I didn’t love the book—somehow the movie works *way* better for me.



Hi Kristi! We are really happy to host you in our FFBC. We are super excited to have Magnolia as part of our FFBC.


Magnolia is kind of a reverse of Romeo and Juliet—instead of feuding families trying to keep their kids apart, the families in Magnolia (the Caffertys and the Marsdens) absolutely adore each other, and have for generations dating back to the Civil War. So, they are *desperate* to get their kids together—to “join” their families. Jemma and Ryder—next door neighbors and born just six weeks apart—are their best hope. Only problem is, Jemma and Ryder absolutely hate each other. Or so they think. Throw in a family emergency, a massive hurricane, and some devastating tornadoes, and Jemma and Ryder learn that the line between love and hate is pretty thin.


Jemma: Stubborn, frustrated, self-reflective, feisty, and kind. Ryder: Frustrated, honorable, charming, talented, and selfless.


I would have to say the balcony scene--or perhaps I should say the reverse balcony scene, LOL! Though, the scene with the snake was pretty fun, too!


My 13-yr. old daughter and I already made a “dream cast” list, but it isn’t complete! This is what we have so far:


Ryder—Ansel Elgort, who just happens to be 6’4”, the exact same height as Ryder! Also, those brown eyes. ‘Nuff said.

Jemma—Anne Winters

Lucy—Aeriel Miranda

Morgan—Sasha Pieterse

Nan—Madison Beaty

Mason—Brandon Jones

Patrick—Lucas Till

And….

Jemma’s Dad—Norman Reedus (of course!)


I would have to pick Too Close by Alex Clare. I pretty much wrote the entire book with that song on loop!


Follow the FFBC Magnolia Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.



Win (1) $25 gift card to an online bookstore of choice (Amazon or BN) plus an entire paperback set of the Winterhaven series (Haven, Mirage, and Eternal)
Giveaway is open to INTERNATIONAL | Must be 13 or older to enter 








18 comments :

  1. I'm WAY past my dating years but I'm not sure if I would date someone my parents picked or not. It's not exactly the same situation, but, I did know my father-in-law way before I married his son. My father-in-law was my 8th grade science teacher and he would always talk about his twin boys. Years later, I met and married one of those twin boys!

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  2. If I would be single and they would pick someone nice sure, why not :).

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  3. He'd have to be one hell of a catch!

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  4. I would not want to be set up, not my thing! Thanks for the chance :)

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  5. I'd go out on a date just to see if we have any sort of connection, so yes, I'd date someone my parents hooked me up with. Not saying that it would last though. LOL

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  6. It honestly depends on the guy himself if I would. If he seems nice, sure, okay. But I don't think it would work in the long run...

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  7. I most likely would. I'm really close to my parents and know that they would never set up someone with me unless they knew I would at least be comfortable with him.

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  9. I might. If they think he's a good guy, I'd go on one date to see what he's like.

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  10. I would like to meet him or observe him first. Parents would have your best interest at heart, and would want to see you happy.

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  11. Well, I'm married so I wouldn't date anyone. lol BUT with that being said, if my parents had set me up when I was single, I totally would've gone for it. Why not? What would there have been to lose, you know?

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  12. I completely trust my parents' judgement (they've been right about all of my ex boyfriends!) so I would definitely date someone they set me up with!

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  13. Thank goodness I am beyond my dating years! Yet, even so.. probably not.. yeah, most likely not.

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  14. I'm 90% sure that no, I wouldn't. Now, I don't know what from that 10% would tempt me...

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  15. Sure...we might be perfect for each other or become good friends.

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  16. Yes, I would, I may not want to go on more than one date, but I would be willing to at least go on one date with a guy they picked out for me :)

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