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.
People.com has reported today is wedding day for reality star Melissa Rycroft. Rycroft, 26, will tie the knot with fiancé Tye Strickland in Mexico, to be attended my family and close friends. Rycroft has appeared on a season of The Bachelor, where she was picked by Jason Mesnick only to be dumped on national TV while Mesnick went back to runner up Molly Malaney. She also competed on Dancing With the Stars, coming in third place in her respective season. Rycroft and Strickland met three years ago in their hometown of Dallas, and dated briefly before splitting and Rycroft went on The Bachelor. They rekindled in January, and Strickland, 28, proposed in June.
Carey Hart got inked. The motocross star got a tattoo of wife Pink- a skeletal looking Pink with a black eye and a fedora- on his leg. Carey wrote on his website that the tattoo was done in a “day of the dead style.” People.com reported that he got his new addition done at the Huntington Tattoo shop inside the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Pink and Hart have been married since 2006, but separated in 2008. They announced this past May that they were getting back together. Pink is currently on tour in Germany.
Carole Matthews was born in St. Helens, Merseyside, and became an avid reader as a young girl. She had many career dreams- being a teacher, travel guide, hairdresser, but never thought of being a writer. She moved to London from Liverpool and worked a flurry of unsatisfying jobs- secretary, shop assistant, ice cream lady, and had the first thought of writing a book about her experiences when she was working at a mad holistic clinic. Though she never got around to writing that book, she did enter a short story competition for a magazine- and won! She used her winning money on taking a writing course, fell in love with everything about it, got an agent, and sold her first book- Let’s Meet on Platform 8- a week later. Now, Carole Matthews is an international bestselling author, appearing on the Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller lists. She has won multiple awards, and her books have been published in 24 countries. Her titles include: The Chocolate Lover’s Club, Welcome to the Real World, With or Without You, More to Life Than This, A Minor Indiscretion, Let’s Meet on Platform 8, The Sweetest Taboo, The Scent of Scandal, Bare Necessity, For Better for Worse, Girls Night In, and Girls Night Out.
Hallie has been dumped. And not just dumped. Her husband of 21 years has left her- for the younger, perkier, cellulite free Ashlee. With her husband gone and children off to college, Hallie wallows her pain away in massive amounts of Oreo’s at her empty house. But she needs to snap out of it and move on. She is a successful lawyer living in New York City with a fabulous best friend and a handful of kooky neighbors, and moving on is exactly what she is going to do. By visiting her past. Hallie gets the idea to go looking for her ex-boyfriends; the men she didn’t marry. Maybe that can help her figure out how she chose Bill, her soon to be ex-husband who doesn’t seem to realize that you can’t just have a ‘second act’ with a younger woman when you are married. First up is Eric, a college boyfriend who has now become an extremely rich investment broker, but he seems more interested in himself, his money, and his Blackberry. Next is Barry, who Hallie met while backpacking across Europe. His experience turned out to be on the ...quiet side, and a whole lot different than Hallie could have imagined. And finally, Kevin. Hallie travels to the beautiful island of Virgin Gorda to find her high school boyfriend, and thinks she may have found love again. The Men I Didn’t Marry by Janice Kaplan and Lynn Schnurnberger is ferociously funny, a fabulous and witty tale that will keep your interest until the end. The main character’s motivation to keep her head up and not give up on happiness is inspiring and thought provoking for readers. And the flair of mystery- what exactly did happen to Hallie’s sister and who is the mysterious fourth ex-boyfriend- will keep you wrapped up until you can happily mark this must read novel as finished.
The Dugger family has welcomed their 19th child- daughter Josie Brooklyn on 6:27 Thursday night in Arkansas. The baby was born early, weighing in at only 1 lb 6 oz. Michelle Duggar was taken to the OR for an emergency C-section, People.com has reported. The baby is currently in the NICU for extended care and in stable condition. A rep for the couple said that Michelle is resting comfortably.
Hank Randall Baskett IV has arrived! Reality star Kendra Wilkinson and her husband, NFL star Hank Baskett, have welcomed their first child together, People.com has confirmed. The baby was born via C-section at 12:37 Friday morning in Indianapolis, weighing in at 9 lbs, 5 oz, and 22 in. Her due date was set for December 12th.
The Scent of Scandal by Carole Matthews revolves around Rose Stevens, who has fled busy London to settle down in the small village of Great Brayford. After finding out her lover was already married, Rose is crushed and in need of getting away from everything that reminded her of him. She works as an aroma-therapist, but some of her neighbors believe she is doing much more scandalous deeds, and take to spying on her 24/7. What they really should be spying on are the other neighbors- the one who is a hooker, the one who may or may not be addicted to sex, and one who is a Peeping Tom! Before she knows what has hit her, Rose finds herself falling for the sexy local builder, Dan, but still can’t let go about the affair that left her fleeing London. And now to make it even worse- her ex Hugh has somehow found Rose in her quaint village, and he is single and wants her back! Rose struggles with her feelings as the many twists and turns keep throwing apart the characters that you know should be together. I enjoyed the romance and the humor in the novel, but there really wasn’t any ‘scandal’ as the title may lead you to believe. Still another good read from Carole Matthews.
