The nominees for Best Supporting Character:
Suze, The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella
Kelly, Love in Mid Air by Kim Wright
Dot, The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross
Jessica, Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella
Candace, Reunion by JL Penn
Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!
The nominees for Best Villain in a Novel:
Miranda Priestly, Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Olga , Moonlight in Odessa by Janet Skeslien Charles
Cici, I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk
Patty, The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross
Valerie, Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines
Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!
Ansley is your classic sorority sister with loads of money, class- and a terrible attitude towards others. Though she has pursued a college eduction, this diva in the making plans on settling into the happy life of a housewife: getting married, popping out adorable children, and spending her time planning parties and other highly important functions in the neighborhood. Her plans are dashed when her adorable and successful fiancée, Parish, dumps her- in the middle of a party! Humiliated and distraught about the gossip that is sure to fly about her, Ansley flees the comfort of her hometown of Dallas and hightails to New York City to live with her grandmother until she can recover and get a game plan going.
Ansley’s grandmother, Vivian, is a feisty older woman who is juggling her own set of problems. Her husband has recently passed away, and left Vivian in hot water with the IRS over his finances and some risky tax moves he had been hiding from her. Making the situation even more uncomfortable is the fact that Vivian left Dallas when Ansley was young girl, estranging herself from her own daughter and granddaughter- not speaking to either in years. With her sudden houseguest, Vivian is hoping to make a family connection after so many years, but the question surrounds why she left her family in the first place…
The Icing on the Cupcake is a delicious and fluffy read from Jennifer Ross. Ansley’s character is easily disliked in the beginning, but after she sets up shop in New York and starts to have a personality change, she is extremely relatable. Vivian is a riot- a woman who is not afraid to talk about her sex life and her wishes to bed the IRS agent she is working with on her late husband’s finances. There were two things I particularly liked about this story- the mystery that keeps going strong throughout about why the family is separated and the not so expected love ending for the heroine. I enjoy when books veer away from the norm, and I think this is definitely one of those. I can only hope for a sequel to see how Ansley’s love life turns out! For all you bakers that love to read- check out the delicious recipes that end each chapter.
In My Mailbox: Week of April 18th
Title: The Icing on the Cupcake
Author: Jennifer Ross
Received: From Jennifer Ross
Synopsis: In this delectable novel—complete with recipes—Jennifer Ross frosts a sweet story of a young woman fulfilling her dreams, one delicious cupcake at a time.
In Ansley Waller’s world of Southern belles and gentlemen, getting a diamond ring isn’t just important—it’s the ultimate goal. So when her fiancé, Parish, unceremoniously kicks her to the curb and cancels their upcoming wedding, Ansley is so ashamed that she decides to leave Dallas and make a fresh start. In a surprise move, she heads to New York City to live with her recently widowed grandmother, Vivian, whom she’s never met. In turn, Vivian gives Ansley a no-nonsense ultimatum: Rather than wallow in misery, either get a job or go home.
The Waller women have a tradition of baking their way out of sorrow. So Ansley mixes batch after batch of creative cupcakes—Black Bottom Heartache, Moving Blues Banana Caramel, Tres Leches Made Small. Before long, she’s opening up her own cupcake shop and even trying her hand at dating. But the ways of Manhattan’s eligible bachelors are altogether different from their Southern counterparts, and Ansley’s nearly fail-safe tactics fall flat. And worse, someone’s got a half-baked scheme to sabotage Ansley’s new life. It’ll take a cup of courage and a dash of Southern charm, plus a few secret ingredients, if Ansley hopes to pull off her recipe for success.
Title: On Folly Beach
Author: Karen White
Received: From Karen White
Synopsis: To most people, Folly Beach, South Carolina, is simply the last barrier island before the Atlantic. To some, it’s a sanctuary, which is why Janie Hamilton’s mother encourages her to buy the local book store, Folly’s Finds, hoping it will distract Janie from the loss of her husband in Afghanistan.
Janie is at first resistant, but intrigued after finding love letters and an image of a beautiful bottle tree in a box of used books from Folly’s Finds, and decides to take the plunge. The store’s seller insists on one condition: Janie must allow Lulu, the late owner’s elderly sister, to continue selling her bottle trees from its back yard. Historically, bottle trees were brought by African slaves to the American South, and Janie had grown up with one in her backyard, and it has always been a symbol of refuge to her.
Janie generally ignores Lulu as she sifts through the love letters, wanting to learn more. But the more she discovers of the letters’ authors, the closer she feels to Lulu. As details of a possible murder and a mysterious disappearance during World War II are revealed, the two women discover that circumstances beyond their control, sixty years apart, have brought them together, here on Folly Beach. And it is here that their war-ravaged hearts can find hope for a second chance…
Title: Best Friends Forever
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Received: From Jennifer Weiner
Synopsis: Some bonds can never be broken…
Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That’s what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they’re both nine years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her school’s scapegoat.
Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents’ house in their small hometown of La Prairie, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She’s just returned from Bad Date #6, when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, with a terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. “Something horrible has happened,” Val tells Addie,…
