Future Tour: Between Friends by Amanda Cowen
June 18, 2013 by Samantha
Filed under CLP Blog Tours
Amanda will be on tour July 29-August 19 with her contemporary romance novel Between Friends
The only way to have a friend is to be one…especially between the sheets…
When neurotically challenged and unlucky in love Megan Daniels is propositioned by her life-long friend Ben Romano with a coin toss (heads, they sleep together, tails, they don’t) the night before they are about to attend a destination wedding, she drunkenly accepts his challenge. But when Megan wakes up the next morning with a bad hang-over and Ben in her bed, she is more than mortified. It isn’t until the tropical heat begins to ignite emotions Megan never believed or thought she could possibly have, when she starts to question if risking their friendship is the answer to finding true love.
A cute and contemporary debut novel, BETWEEN FRIENDS faces one girl’s struggle between the fine lines of friendship and love and the risk of opening up her heart to the possibility of forever.
Please visit CLP Blog Tours for the full tour schedule!
**Anyone who purchases their copy of Between Friends before August 19 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five entries in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon gift card!!**
Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Psycho-Mommy by Mira Harlon
June 18, 2013 by Samantha
Filed under Chick Lit Authors, Updates
CLP is excited to share the cover of Psycho-Mommy by Mira Harlon!
Jessica Reed, a vibrant type-A-psychologist, is the ultimate planner:
Acceptance to the Ivy League school of her choice … (check!)
Graduating Summa Cum Laude and securing the ultimate post, as a sought after psychologist at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the world…. (check!)
Marrying Nolan, the man of her dreams (check!)
All is going according to the plan, UNTIL… is it possible? She’s pregnant right after her honeymoon! But, that’s not part of the plan. There are so many more things that are supposed to happen before babies. Are her dreams to start a private practice or Nolan’s dream to work for the Philadelphia Flyers crushed?
When Jess finally accepts the obvious, she starts to unravel. Hold on for a wild ride through Jess’ brilliant yet quirky mind as she obsesses about all things pregnancy – morning sickness, weight gain, proper nutrition, kegels, home baby-proofing, pure exhaustion and honing her sexiness (let’s just say it gets a bit awkward). Along the way Jess’s zany patients, friends, family members and colleagues, manage in ways, both big and small, to contribute to her pregnancy fixations. Does her obsession turn her into “psycho-mommy”?
With incredible wit and amazing perception into the human psyche, Mira Harlon keeps you coming back for more. This ironic, feel-good read will have you laughing and crying and wondering if we don’t all have a little psycho-mommy in us!
About Mira:
MIRA HARLON has worked for over 15 years in the healthcare industry, specializing in the neurosciences. Her career has focused on diseases of the brain and on related treatments and drug discovery. She holds an undergraduate and doctorate degree in pharmacy sciences. Mira’s career has taken her on a journey about the human psyche and affective disorders. Mira draws on her professional career and from her life experiences as a mother to bring you “Psycho-Mommy!”
Mira, born and raised in Philadelphia, now lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.
Visit Mira at:
http://miraharlon.com
Giveaway!
Win a Kindle copy of Psycho Mommy - it’s easy to enter! Just follow Mira on Twitter (@miraharlon) and tweet that you saw the cover here! The winner will be chosen on June 20. Good luck!
Book Review: The Unexpected List by Chrissy Anderson
June 18, 2013 by Samantha
Filed under Chick Lit Review, Samantha's Favorites
I received a copy of The Unexpected List by Chrissy Anderson in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Chrissy Anderson’s The Unexpected List delivers another charismatic combination of romance and anguish, peppered with large doses of wit. In this second novel from THE LIST TRILOGY, Chrissy, who is now divorced from her husband, Kurt, is finally free to pursue a “truly, madly, deeply” relationship with the man of her dreams, Leo.
And it looks like Chrissy is finally going to be able to have her wedding cake and eat it too as Leo valiantly tries to make all of her dreams come true. But once again, Chrissy’s world, and her relationships, are turned upside-down as someone else close to her dies. And, an unexpected gift forces her to grow up– fast. For a second time, Chrissy is pushed to make a choice between love and obligation. What will she choose this time?
Your favorite characters from The Life List are back. Dr. Maria, Slutty Co-worker, and Chrissy’s best friends from high school, Courtney and Nicole, continue to laugh and cry with Chrissy as she learns how to pick herself up and move on to achieve the life she’s always wanted, and now knows she deserves.
As in The Life List, not everyone will agree with Chrissy Anderson’s decisions, but all will pause as they follow along on her journey to ask, “What would I do if I were her?”
Review:
I was super excited times ten to read this book, as I just loved the first in this trilogy, The Life List. I found myself thinking about the characters and if Chrissy ended up Leo, as we are left with a cliffhanger. Now, this is going to be an interesting review. Why? Because I didn’t love all the aspects of this book. I struggled with some of the editing. For example, I don’t like sentences like this: Smiling from ear to ear, “So what?” Taking my hands, “I see very beautiful things.” My editor self was cringing when I read these types of sentences. Also, the beginning threw me off a bit. I thought the prologue was a bit too long, and too much of trying to keep an air of mystery. I just wanted the story to start all right, and stop with all the mysteriousness of it. Now, even after that being said…I’m giving this book a 5 star review. If I ever find something wrong with the editing it’s an automatic no 5 star, a 4.5 at best. So why would I have two things about the book that I dislike and still rate it 5 stars? Because I absolutely loved this story, and did not want to put it down (after I got through the prologue). The ending had me practically panting, and I actually felt crushed – crushed! – when the book ended at yet another cliffhanger. I felt even more crushed when I saw the third and final installment won’t be here until winter. These books are having a profound effect on me, and I’m talking to everyone I know about them. I think the about the characters, wonder about their lives, and find myself continuing the stories in my mind how I hope they will end. Very rarely, and I mean VERY rarely, does this happen. So yes, while I might find aspects that I didn’t totally like, in all I loved this book as a whole. I highly recommend this trilogy!
5 stars
Blog Tour Sign Up: The Unraveling of Bebe Jones by Roje Augustin
June 17, 2013 by Samantha
Filed under CLP Blog Tours
Roje will be on tour in September with her fiction novel The Unraveling of Bebe Jones. I am looking for book bloggers to post reviews, guest posts, interviews, and excerpts for this tour. eBook copies and print copies will be available if you would like to review the book. Please fill out the form below if you would like to be included. Thank you!
Summary:
When Desiree Washington ventures into the darkly glittering world of legendary singer Bebe Jones, she gets more than just a job. She gets a family in crisis, a diva meltdown, and a head full of stitches…
The Unraveling of Bebe Jones revolves around the rich and famous Jones family and the people who work for them as they cope through an array of personal dramas. The story begins at the height of the Global Financial Crisis, when 23-year-old Desiree Washington lands a job with her idol, legendary R&B singer Bebe Jones. Desiree quickly discovers that the outwardly perfect Bebe is in fact a troubled and lonely diva reeling from a career in decline and a marriage in tatters, and that behind all the money, glamor and fame, there are skeletons in the family closet. Throughout all of this Desiree seeks support from her best friend Sean Minton, an aspiring music producer who hails from the insulated world of New York’s black elite burdened with secrets of his own. Rounding out the cast are Bebe’s husband, Magnus Chadwick, a British hedge fund manager who cares more about money than family; her disgruntled household staff — all with strange ties to Bebe; and her children, brave casualties of their mother’s nightmare.
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Aggravated Circumstances by Michele Shriver
June 17, 2013 by Samantha
Filed under Chick Lit Review
Michele Shriver is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Aggravated Circumstances
Summary:
A family can be torn apart in an instant. Putting it back together is a harder task.
A relapsed addict opens the door to find a cop with a search warrant, setting off a chain of events that will cause four lives to intersect.
Devin Lenox has already lost one child to the system and this time she vows it will be different. If she’s going to make it, though, she’ll need something she’s never had before- someone on her side.
Her battle with depression behind her, Elisa Cahill looks forward to resuming her legal career. Devin’s case seems like the perfect opportunity to do that, and bury her own past demons in the process, at least if old grudges don’t prove to be her undoing.
Child protection worker Taylor Ross struggles to balance a social life with her demanding job and has little sympathy for people like Devin, at least at first. When Taylor starts to see Devin in a new light, she finds herself at odds with her superiors. Will she be willing to go to bat for Devin, and what price will she pay if she does?
Sarah Canfield is a compassionate judge who is not afraid to make difficult decisions, but will her past link to Devin undermine her objectivity and cause her to put her own family at risk?
A look inside the child welfare system, the people who work in it and the lives it impacts, Aggravated Circumstances is a story of despair, hope and recovery.
Review:
This book was fascinating, and quite hard to put down. An emotional and deep story, I found myself talking to my friends and family about the situation of the women involved, about the system, and about the processes that come along with a parent who struggles with addiction. I loved getting a POV from all involved, and think it worked really well to have Devin’s POV in first person. She would definitely be the hardest to relate to and not the easiest character to stand behind, so I think that format worked out really well. This is a novel that will make readers become emotionally invested in the story, and I highly recommend.
4.5 stars
Amazon/Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C479UY4
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/16xlk23
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Aggravated-Circumstances/book-x4_MarE7O0CtQInTYi4t_Q/page1.html?s=n-FXjxY1SEyjlbBvMTgzzw&r=1
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Aggravated-Circumstances-Michele-Shriver/dp/1483955087/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
a Rafflecopter giveaway
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Crime & Passion by Chantel Rhondeau
June 17, 2013 by Samantha
Filed under Chick Lit Review
Chantel Rhondeau is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Crime & Passion
Summary:
A decorated police officer, more intent on justice than following the letter of the law, lands in trouble when a schoolteacher finds a dead body on the beach.
Officer Donovan Andrews knows how to have a good time—ask any woman in town. But when it comes to men abusing their wives or children, Donovan takes it upon himself to make them regret it.
Madeline Scott is unlucky in love. All she wants is a quiet place to heal, away from cheating, womanizing men. However, her life is far from peaceful once she stumbles across the body and witnesses someone fleeing the scene.
Terror spreads in Pleasant View when the small community hears a killer is on the loose. All evidence points to Donovan, and he realizes someone is trying to frame him. When troubling suspicions from his past surface, even fellow officers believe he’s guilty. Madeline might be the only person who can clear his name, but first he has to win her trust.
The body count rises and no one is safe. The murderer makes it clear Madeline is next. Soon, Donovan’s whole world is focused on protecting her and keeping himself out of prison. The more time he spends with her, the harder it is to fight his growing attraction. Since she’s been burned by love, convincing Madeline he’s interested in something more than hot sex may prove harder than keeping her alive.
Review:
I don’t read a whole lot of romance books, but romantic suspense novels are ones that usually catch my eye. I enjoy a bit of mystery in my reading, and that is definitely the element that kept me invested in this story. We start out right away with Madeline discovering a body, and it wasn’t until the end that I really felt confident in figuring out who the murderer was. There is a great plot twist that really kept me on my toes and kept my mind open to all the suspects. The love story is good too, not quite as much my thing and sometimes I got a bit impatient with all the false starts, but overall an intriguing read and one that I enjoyed.
4 stars
Connect with Chantel!
Buy the Book!
Amazon, Smashwords, KOBO, ARe, and Goodreads
Future Tour: Masterpiece of Murder by Evelyn Cullet
June 16, 2013 by Samantha
Filed under CLP Blog Tours
Evelyn will be on tour August 12-19 with her romantic suspense novel Masterpiece of Murder
Heartbroken art student Charlotte Ross, intent on locating her errant fiancé, follows him to Bariloche, Argentina. But her fiancé has his own reasons for being in Bariloche which complicate Charlotte’s life and threaten her very existence, as she quickly stumbles into a downward spiral of deceit, art forgery, and murder.
Please visit CLP Blog Tours for the full tour schedule!
Blog Tour Sign Up: Killer Image by Wendy Tyson
June 16, 2013 by Samantha
Filed under CLP Blog Tours
Wendy will be on tour in October with her mystery novel Killer Image. I am looking for book bloggers to post reviews, guest posts, interviews, and excerpts for this tour. eBooks will be provided via NetGalley if you would like to review the book. Please use the form below if you would like to be included. Thank you!
Summary:
Philadelphia image consultant Allison Campbell is not your typical detective. She’s more familiar with the rules of etiquette than the rules of evidence, prefers three-inch Manolos to comfy flats and relates to Dear Abby, not Judge Judy.
When Allison’s latest Main Line client, the fifteen-year-old Goth daughter of a White House hopeful, is accused of the ritualistic murder of a local divorce attorney, Allison fights to prove her client’s innocence when no one else will. But in a place where image is everything, the ability to distinguish the truth from the facade may be the only thing that keeps Allison alive.
Book Review: The Time Between by Karen White
June 14, 2013 by Samantha
Filed under Chick Lit Review
I received a copy of The Time Between by Karen White in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Eleanor Murray will always remember her childhood on Edisto Island, where her late father, a local shrimper, shared her passion for music. Now her memories of him are all that tempers the guilt she feels over the accident that put her sister in a wheelchair—and the feelings she harbors for her sister’s husband.
To help support her sister, Eleanor works at a Charleston investment firm during the day, but she escapes into her music, playing piano at a neighborhood bar. Until the night her enigmatic boss walks in and offers her a part-time job caring for his elderly aunt, Helena, back on Edisto. For Eleanor, it’s a chance to revisit the place where she was her happiest—and to share her love of music with grieving Helena, whose sister recently died under mysterious circumstances.
An island lush with sweetgrass and salt marshes, Edisto has been a peaceful refuge for Helena, who escaped with her sister from war-torn Hungary in 1944. The sisters were well-known on the island, where they volunteered in their church and community. But now Eleanor will finally learn the truth about their past: secrets that will help heal her relationship with her own sister—and set Eleanor free….
Review:
I highly enjoy and often recommend White’s titles because they bring that element I gush about so much – entwining the past and present. This book does exactly that, and also will give readers a history lesson; never a bad thing! The relationship between both set of sisters in this book is intriguing to read about. Since both sisters are alive and we can get both POV’s I was drawn more to Eleanor and Eve’s situation. It’s difficult to imagine the guilt that both sisters carried and for how many years they clung to it. Something that kept sticking out to me though while reading was a niggling feeling that I had already read this story, or else one extremely parallel to it. I’m not sure if I’m thinking of a past White title that involves sisters or a different author, but I kept finding it challenging to submerse myself into the book because of that. Still a solid read though, and I would continue to recommend her books!
4 stars
On Tour: Tainted Love by Erin Cawood
June 13, 2013 by Samantha
Filed under CLP Blog Tours
Erin will be on tour June 17-28 with her novel Tainted Love
Is it possible for a heart to survive twenty five years of abuse on the most intimate level?
For anyone in a relationship, the words ‘we need to talk’ can only mean one thing. In the last twenty-two years, the McKenzies have been through it, survived it, learned by it, and grown stronger from it, because life didn’t stop for breath when they needed it. Amongst the tears and the tragedies, the hopes and happiness, they’ve built something amazing: a happy family, a luxury lifestyle and a booming empire. Don’t they deserve to have it all?
But for the perfect wife, those four sinister words mean something entirely different. They’re a summons into a private world where what happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors.
Faith has no doubt in Calvin’s undying love for her. It’s what kept her sane in the darkest hours. If only she could figure out what it is she does wrong… because it’s rapidly becoming apparent their tainted love is running out of time.
Tainted Love is an intimate look at a side of marriage many people never see.
Please visit CLP Blog Tours for all the tour stops!
Author Bio:
Erin Cawood is a commercial women’s fiction author, with a taste for dramatic storylines and a passion for strong lead characters she really gets behind, cheering on right to the very end of their story. Her focus? Taking romance into the darker, edgier side of contemporary fiction.
Erin lives in Leeds, UK, with her partner of thirteen years and their fourteen year old cat. She spends her days somewhere between the fiction world and the student world. Fascinated by web design and digial communication, Erin is studing a BA(hons) in New Media at the University of Leeds. Before returning to full time education two years ago, Erin worked at a theme park, a convenience store, a public house/restaurant both in the kitchen and waitressing, as an insurance agent and currently works part time in a customer contact centre.
Connect with Erin!
Website: http://www.erincawood.co.uk
: erin@erincawood.co.uk
Beyond My Writing Space: http://www.erin-cawood.blogspot.co.uk
: http://www.facebook.com/authorerincawood
: http://www.twitter.com/erincawood
: http://www.goodreads.com/erincawood
