Book Review: The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
Reviewer: Kate I received a copy of The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In 1942 Paris, gifted architect…
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: The Mountain’s Shadow by …
Cecilia Dominic is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and The Mountain’s Shadow Summary: Some mistakes can literally come back to bite you. The…
Book Review: Coming Home For Christmas by Jenny Hale
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a sweet story centered around Christmas time…the time of miracles, sometimes a miracle is something as simple as someone getting a broken family to heal and remember how much they love each other. Sometimes the miracle is disguised as a strong headed woman that doesn’t understand why a family that obviously loves each other so much can’t seem to mend broken fences. Allie is the miracle in the story and her part in their story was refreshing.
This was also a sweet love story, one that throughout the book it is hard to tell which brother Allie will end up falling in love with. In the end, it is of course the one meant to be.
This was a great read and refreshing from so many that I often read that are listed as romance. There was true romance in this story and it was a refreshing innocent one that you can help but fall in love with.
Book Review: When Girlfriends Take Chances by Savannah Page
Reviewer: Sara Palacios
Disclaimer: I received a copy of When Girlfriends Take Chances by Savannah Page in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
A novel about exploring love and life’s path, and taking chances along the way.
Emily Saunders has never thought twice about grabbing her passport, rucksack, and camera and trekking across the globe. If there’s an NGO, a study abroad program, or simply the travel itch, Emily’s on the first plane out. Free-spirited, open-minded, and eager to explore, it’s no wonder Emily’s hardly in one spot (or relationship) for long.
For the past year-and-a-half, though, Emily’s found herself planted in her college hometown of Seattle. She’s surrounded by her best friends, has steady work as a photographer and at her friend Sophie’s café, and is certainly kept busy by the wild antics of her BFF Jackie. Life’s enjoyable, but Emily’s looking for something more. She’s ready for a change, for adventure!
But when Emily tells her girlfriends she’s ready for something new she does not expect Operation Blind Date!
Sure, Emily’s single. Sure, she hopes to some day find true love. But being thrown into an insane challenge like this is not exactly the adventure she had in mind! Couldn’t she just travel and focus on her photography? Or volunteer in Africa? Will a string of eligible bachelors lined up by her friends–a shot at finding a real and lasting love–really be that change she’s searching for?
This is a spirited story about seeking adventure while being true to yourself, wherever you are in life. It’s a story about love, risk, and self-discovery. About what happens when girlfriends take chances.
Review:
I have been reading the Girlfriends series from Savannah Page for a while now and always really, really enjoy each book. Although each book is similar, they are also very different and focus on a different theme each and every time. This novel focuses on Emily Saunders. Emily has all the money she could ask for and doesn’t need to work but works part time at a cafe and also freelances as a photographer. One of the main perks? Travel! Emily loves to travel but fears that she will never be able to settle down because she has a hard time staying put anywhere. When her friends pick up on it, they intervene and set her up on a blind date and that is where things really start to pick up. I am such a fan of Savannah and her writing because her characters are so fun! I hear that she is currently working on her sixth novel, to be released next year, and I cannot wait!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Book Review: Going Home Again by Abby Cavenaugh
Alyssa Jones has never forgotten her first high school crush. As a freshman, she was certain that senior Michael Day never knew she existed. But now that high school is twenty years behind her, she has the opportunity to interview Mike for a magazine she works for in Wilmington, NC. Mike hit it big after high school as a musician, and Alyssa has secretly followed his career since graduation. When she agrees to meet Mike at his rented ocean front home for the interview, she learns that he is on the brink of divorcing his wife. Flirty, fun, passionate and real, “Going Home Again” is a great story of two adults who find themselves falling for each other when they least expect it. Alyssa, knowing that Mike is still married, desperately wants to be with him – but doesn’t like being the “other woman.” Mike doesn’t want to jeopardize his relationship with his son by divorcing his wife, even though their marriage has been over for quite some time. He wants to be with Alyssa, but once his wife finds out that he’s ready to move forward with divorce and another woman, decides she wants to give their marriage a second chance. Will Mike follow his heart that remains with his son and stay in a loveless marriage, or does he decide to risk it all for a once-in-a-lifetime chance with a woman and love that he never thought even existed?
I enjoyed “Going Home Again” and liked the real emotions that all characters had. Even the secondary characters were good. Although I wanted Alyssa and Mike to end up together, I also felt the sting of how the wife felt – from anger to jealousy to rage. I read it in 2 days, and couldn’t wait to see how it would end. Good from page one to the final page!
Book Review: Christmas Carol by Michele Gorman
I received a copy of Christmas Carol by Michele Gorman in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
One winter wedding, two happy couples, three ex-boyfriends… And a very uncomfortable weekend.
Carol hates Christmas. Being recently dumped, she’s not crazy about weddings either. So her sister Marley’s nuptials, over the Christmas weekend, are making her positively Scrooge-like. When she arrives for the weekend at the stately home in rural Scotland to find her three ex-boyfriends in attendance, Carol has no choice but to face her ghosts to discover what really happened in those relationships, learning a lot about herself in the process. As the snow falls outside and the fire crackles in the hearth, might one of the wedding guests become the harbinger of Christmases to come?
Review:
I’m a big fan of Michele Gorman, and I’m happy to review her latest novel Christmas Carol. While I’m not always a huge fan of novellas, I felt fairly confident Gorman would make this an enjoyable read – and I was right! This was short and sweet, direct and to the point, and I finished it in one day. What a cute little story that breezed by. We got just enough of the characters lives to be interested, but nothing was too in-depth. I would have loved to see this as a full-length novel, though I am that way with all books. I love reading – I can’t help it! But if you are looking for a fun and quick read, check this one out!
4 stars
Available globally in paperback and eBook. Here are the sales links to use as you’d like.
• Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/15SFTd9
• Amazon US: http://amzn.to/17QLuPu
• Amazon Canada: http://amzn.to/19OELVb
• Barnes and Noble in the US: http://bit.ly/1gm1rB3
• Barnes and Noble in the UK: http://bit.ly/1gQ6EBh
Michele on social media:
twitter: @expatdiaries
facebook: www.facebook.com/MicheleGormanBooks
website: www.michelegorman.co.uk
Book Review: Looking for La La by Ellie Campbell
Reviewer: Allie I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Summary This British Chick Lit story is about Cathy,…
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Killer Image by Wendy Tyson
Wendy Tyson is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Killer Image
Summary:
As Philadelphia’s premier image consultant, Allison Campbell helps others reinvent themselves, but her most successful transformation was her own after a scandal nearly ruined her. Now she moves in a world of powerful executives, wealthy, eccentric ex-wives and twisted ethics.
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 unraveling the truth brings specters from her own past. And in a place where image is everything, the ability to distinguish what’s real from the facade may be the only thing that keeps Allison alive.
Review:
Ooh, this is a clever book! Filled with plot twists, intrigue, and plenty of charm, I have just added Wendy Tyson as a mystery writer to watch for! I loved this book, from the psychological thrill ride many of the characters put us through, the mixed up romances, and the ending that I really didn’t see coming. This book is well-written, thoughtful, and made to keep readers hooked on the story. There is plenty going on to keep us engaged, and the depth left me feeling like one happy camper once I closed the book. I’ll be watching for the second novel in the series – MURDEROUS LOOKS – set to be released May 2014!
5 stars
**Everyone who leaves a comment on the tour page will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of Killer Image before October 21 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Author Bio:
Wendy Tyson wrote her first story at age eight and it’s been love ever since. When not writing, Wendy enjoys reading other people’s novels, traveling, hiking, and playing hooky at the beach–and if she can combine all four, even better. Originally from the Philadelphia area, Wendy has returned to her roots and lives there again with her husband, three kids and two muses, dogs Molly and Driggs. She and her husband are passionate organic gardeners and have turned their small urban lot into a micro farm. Killer Image is Wendy’s first novel in the Allison Campbell mystery series.
Wendy has also authored The Seduction of Miriam Cross, a mystery that will be released by E-Lit Books on November 1, 2013.
Find Wendy at:
www.WATyson.com and on twitter (www.twitter.com/wendytyson) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/wendytysonauthor).
Book Review: The Good Wife by Jane Porter
Reviewer: Samantha
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Is it possible to love someone too much?
Always considered the beauty of the family, the youngest Brennan sister, Sarah, remains deeply in love with her husband of ten years. Boone Walker, a professional baseball player, travels almost year-round while Sarah stays home and cares for their two children. Her love for her husband is bottomless—so much so that her sisters say it will end up hurting her.
Living apart most of the time makes life difficult, especially since Sarah often wonders whether Boone is sharing his bed with other women on the road, even though he swears he’s been true to her since his infidelity three years ago. While she wants to be happy and move forward in her life, Sarah constantly fears that Boone will break his promise. Now with Boone facing yet another career change, tension rises between the two, adding more stress to an already turbulent marriage. Emotionally exhausted, Sarah can’t cope with yet another storm. Now, she must either break free from the past and forgive Boone completely, or leave him behind and start anew . . .
Review:
I have been steadily reading all the novels in the Brennan Sister’s collection, and was eagerly waiting for the third. As a lover of sports, I was curious to get a peek in on Sarah’s life, the wife of a pro athlete. It was really just as interesting as I thought it would be – the travel, the unknown, the other women, the infidelity that she and Boone had to deal with. I really did like Sarah, but her issue was clear and the focus of the book – she loved her husband so much she stopped caring about herself. It was an intense journey to read through, watching as she sunk further and further until her breaking point, and then how her family rallied around her to help her get back to being herself. It’s always interesting to read about affairs and what becomes of the husband and wife because of it. I really didn’t know how Sarah and Boone’s marriage would survive but I wasn’t sure I could see it ending either. I thought the ending of the book was great, though.
There’s another story embedded through the book, that of Lauren Summer. At first I was really confused at to what her story was about and how it had any relevance to Sarah’s journey. But as the book continued on I saw how the women’s lives crossed paths, and really enjoyed reading about Lauren’s life as well. This book was hard to put down, and I really recommend this series.
4 stars
