Handbags and Homicide by Dorothy Howell

I was looking forward to reading back to back chick lit mysteries. After finishing up the Lacy Fields novels from Janice Kaplan, I moved on to the Haley Randolph series from Dorothy Howell. The first, Handbags and Homicide, sounded like it could provide enough entertainment, but it definitely fell flat with me. The heroine Haley reminded me of Sophie Kinsella’s shopaholic, Rebecca Bloomwood, but without the likeability. She’s in massive debt, has an addiction to designer handbags, and working at a minimum wage position in a low scale retail store. Instead of finding some sort of work ethic and paying off debts, she continues to slouch through life, racking up extreme credit card purchases and showing no sign of changing. That alone put me off, but then comes the mystery part. When Haley finds the retail store’s assistant manager dead in the stockroom, she becomes a suspect in the crime. She sets off her own half-assed investigation, which I found to be pointless and overly long-winded, and eventually the real killer was uncovered and I could finally stop reading this book. I knew right away I wasn’t going to like this story when Haley finds her deceased boss, then walks away from him and decides she needs to buy another purse. What?? The supporting characters were not well written, most times I couldn’t decipher between characters or couldn’t remember who they were and why they were being talked about. I couldn’t finish this novel fast enough, and have zero interest looking into any of the other Haley Randolph books.

Rating: 1/5

Sophie Kinsella is Pregnant

Sophie Kinsella announced today on her Facebook page that she is expecting another baby next month! Click Here to read her Facebook announcement.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Lara is having a problem: she is being haunted by her 105 year old great-aunt’s ghost. Sadie, who was a daring flapper back in her time of the Roaring 20’s, keeps appearing alongside Lara, but as a younger version of her deceased self. She has some unfinished business and needs Lara to help her find her necklace before she can pass on. At first Lara is frustrated and fed up with trying to help Sadie, who is making her wear ridiculous flapper clothes and makeup and go on dates with boring men just so Sadie can feel “alive” again through the only person that can see her. But as time goes on, Lara realizes how much she and Sadie have in common, and strangely, how Sadie can help with her floundering love life and equally dismal career as a headhunter.

Twenties Girl from Sophie Kinsella was a favorite of mine- which shocked me. Though I am a huge fan of Kinsella I was thinking this novel sounded too out there for me. A ghost haunting her great-niece? But I was proved wrong, and could not put it down! The novel was engaging, humorous, inspirational, and even had a few fun twists thrown in as well. I honestly think Kinsella is one of the few authors that could have pulled this plot off, and she did it with a comedic twist and a bit of mystery throw in. A must read!

Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella

Becky Brandon, loveable shopaholic, is back for her biggest adventure yet- motherhood! Readers may be wondering if being pregnant calms her urges  for all things fashion, but of course it doesn’t! Becky quickly goes overboard with her purchases, buying all the things a new baby doesn’t need- fashionable cribs, non-practicable prams, a closetful of designer clothes, and too much more. And what would a pregnancy be without the most sought after obstetrician that all the celebrities go to- Becky wisely name drops her own husbands PR firm to get a slot with the stunning Venetia Carter.

Becky’s pregnancy gets complicated when she figures out Venetia is actually Luke’s ex-girlfriend from college, and starts to suspect an affair brewing between her OB and husband. (The late night dinners and text messages in Latin really makes wonder.)She hires an off-key private detective to snoop around, and the results are not what Becky was hoping to hear. Meanwhile, she is trying to snag the perfect house for her growing family, trading the owner a pair of the “most coveted” boots for the keys and the lease.

Shopaholic and Baby, the fifth installment from Sophie Kinsella’s popular series brings the usual laughs and wild antics from the heroine, but I felt this one gave even more. With the pregnancy and the possible affair, I felt that I couldn’t put the book down. I had to keep reading to find out the sex of the baby, if Luke truly was unfaithful, and where the Brandon’s would eventually settle down after losing their perfect house. The ending may come as a surprise to some, but I think it is perfect to pick up for a sixth novel- which Kinsella has recently announced she is working on. All chick lit lovers will love this novel and leave you asking for more.

Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella

Becky Brandon is loving her honeymoon. She and new husband Luke are traveling the world, and the last ten months has just been like a never ending shopping spree filled with exotic goodies. Only hitch- Luke is slightly unaware of the extreme purchases Becky has being shipped to their home. Such as huge giraffe statues. But who doesn’t  need them? When the newlyweds decide it is time to get back to London and real life, Becky is slightly jilted on her return. Her best friend Suze has found a new BFF, the horrible condescending Lulu who seems to keep pushing Becky out of the way. But even more shocking- she has a sister! Turns out Becky’s father had a fling with a train stewardess back in the 70’s and Jessica is the result of that. Becky is thrilled! She now has someone that she can shop with, have sleepovers with, and have sister’s night out together. What isn’t great about that?

Well, it isn’t so great if your sister turns out to be a frugal environmentalist that – no!- hates shopping? How can that be? But it’s true- Jess has no interest in designer labels and worse, doesn’t seem to have any interest in getting to know Becky. Becky is crushed- but is also trying to untangle herself from another messy situation involving her, a purse, and Luke’s professional reputation.

Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella will bring you the usual laughs from Becky’s antics, but the ending will also teach a nice lesson on the importance of friends and family. This installment was actually one of my favorites; my interest was held until the very end with all the different situations playing out in the chapters. If you love the ‘Shopaholic’ series, this novel will not disappoint.

 

             Buy Shopaholic and Sister Here!

Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella

Becky Bloomwood is back and life can’t be any better for the loveable, albeit sometimes clueless shopaholic. She has found her perfect career as a personal shopper at the respectable Barney’s department store, she is living next door to a fashion designer, and her successful, though workaholic, boyfriend has just proposed! Becky cannot wait to be Mrs. Luke Brandon, and quickly begins planning their nuptials.

Only one snag- her mother is going into wedding overdrive that her only daughter is getting married, and is planning a beautiful ceremony at the house Becky grew up in. But Luke’s high-society mother is insisting on a blow out wedding at the Plaza in New York City. Becky can’t find it in her to let her mother or her soon to be husband down, and finds herself planning two different weddings on two different continents.

Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella will not disappoint. You can’t help but laugh at the wacky situations Becky keeps finding herself in- including not being allowed to her own wedding shower- and you just want to peek to the back to find out where exactly she has her wedding. There is plenty of drama to go along with the fun- what is the real story behind Luke’s frosty mother anyways- but I couldn’t help my growing impatience towards the end. With the wedding a mere 14 days away, there is still no decision on where the wedding will take place, and I found myself getting frustrated with the indecision. But in the end, there is a happy ending for everybody, and I think all chick lit lovers will continue to adore the ‘Shopaholic’ series.

New Book from Sophie Kinsella

I am excited to share that Sophie Kinsella is working on a new ‘Shopaholic’ novel! Kinsella posted the news on her website, not offering any details yet but saying she is excited to get into Becky’s world again. I will be sure to post any updates as soon as they come!

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Samantha Sweeting is about to make partner at the prestigious law firm Carter Spink- something she has worked her whole life on becoming. Samantha really doesn’t have a life anymore because of it, she has put her all into her career;  almost no friends, no love interest, living off of take out orders, barely even knowing her neighbors in her apartment complex. But this ambitious 29-year old doesn’t care. Partner is what she wants, and partner is what she will get.

Until she finds an untouched, overlooked memo on her desk, signaling her mistake and costing her company 50 million pounds. She stumbles out of the office, her second home, and slips onto the first train she sees. She gets off somewhere in the country and knocks on the door of the first house she finds, intending to ask directions to the nearest hotel.

Instead, she is met by Trish Geiger, a spacey but kind housewife who thinks Samantha is her new housekeeper. Samantha is still confused about all the sudden changes taking place in her life, and decides to play along as housekeeper until she can sort things out. Only problem is- she has no domestic bones in her body. She gives it her all though, trying to master laundry, cooking, and cleaning, while trying not to let the Geiger’s stumble upon her true identity.

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella has funny elements and charming characters, but the plot is a little out there. Kinsella finds a way to pull it off though, easily drawing me into the story and Samantha’s love interest with the gardener who knows she is not truly a housekeeper, and the element of mystery surrounding that unseen memo costing Samantha her career and promotion. Another witty novel from Sophie Kinsella.

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Emma Corrigan couldn’t be more humiliated. In hopes of being promoted to marketing executive at Panther Cola, Emma completely ruins a high priced deal, and more in likely dashes her dreams of that promotion, even possibly putting her job on the line. On her way back home to London, Emma’s flight experiences dangerous turbulence, causing her to think she is living her last moments. The handsome American stranger sitting next to her gets an earful of all of Emma’s most intimate secrets, including how much she hates her job, she’s not sure she loves her boyfriend who, on paper, seems perfect, how she ruined a business deal, she hates her flatmate, the snobby Jemima, and so on and so on.

Well, the plane doesn’t crash. Everyone is alive and well, and Emma bids a shaky and somewhat awkward goodbye to the American passenger, embarrassed of her rambling tirade. She gets real embarrassed the next day when she is introduced to Jack Harper, CEO of Panther Cola- aka the American passenger from that awful flight. The head of the company knows that she hates her job, the deal she blew, how she lies about her real weight, and just about every other secret Emma had been keeping.

Can You Keep a Secret? from Sophie Kinsella, author of the Shopaholic trilogy, serves up another humorous novel that will make you laugh and want to cry all within a few pages. The stories of deceit, love, and scandal will hold your attention, rooting for the heroine who is incredibly believable and easy to sympathize with when her secrets are spilled to the public. I didn’t think the love story was quite as believable, mainly because Jack’s character was a little too in shadows. That aside, the novel was still entertaining and irresistible to put down.

Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella

One day, she’s Lexi Smart: shy, crooked teeth, frizzy hair, with a  no-good boyfriend and life seeming to go nowhere. The next, she is Lexi Smart: powerhouse businesswoman with glossy hair, manicured nails, and a fast car. Remember Me touches on a classic case of amnesia with Lexi being a victim of a car crash, causing her to lose her memory of the past three years. The last she remembers is her old self, getting ready for her fathers funeral, furious with her low life boyfriend and dumpy assistant’s job. She doesn’t remember how she got to this amazing place in her career, why she is suddenly so beautiful, and worse- who her husband is.

It seems as thought Lexi has gotten everything she every wanted, seemingly overnight for her. Money. Power. Love. But something is wrong. Her best friends hate her. They won’t even speak to her after she’s been in the accident. All the employees that work under her seem to despise her. And she’s feel no connection what so ever with her fabulous rich husband. How did she possibly marry him? And why does his colleague, Jon, keep trying to tell her that Lexi should be with him?

Sophie Kinsella nails it again with Remember Me. Not only is there humor, a light hearted spirit, but the reader feels the frustration and urgency Lexi is struggling with throughout the chapters. We want her to regain her memory; we want to know just as bad as she does how she got to this unfamiliar place. The characters are relatable and the plot is witty and fast paced, a real page turner while new events and surprises are uncovered.

 

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