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Book Review: Grounded by Angela Correll
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Grounded by Angela Correll

Reviewer: Sara

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Grounded by Angela Correll in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

New York City flight attendant Annie Taylor is grounded. Turbulence in the airline industry leads to her job loss—putting a halt to her weekends in Rome and independent city life. Just when she needs him the most, she loses her boyfriend and her apartment. Annie flees the city for the family farm in Kentucky. Her arrival is met by a shotgun-wielding grandmother, a suspicious stranger moving into the old stone house, and her attractive childhood friend Jake about to make the biggest mistake of his life. Struggling against her grandmother’s stubborn ways, Annie disagrees with her on the fate of the family farm but stays on to help her grandmother through a knee surgery by tending the garden and learning how to can the vegetables. Through the summer’s trials, Annie is forced to face her own past mistakes and the consequences. When the phone call comes from New York earlier than expected, Annie must choose between coming to terms with her deep roots or leaving it all behind for a return to the city.

Review:

When I was first contacted to review this book, I wasn’t sure what to think. I am a big fan of “going back home” types of books, but this one sounded a little different and I was unsure what to think. But, I am pleased to say that I absolutely loved it. Grounded is warm and cozy, like a cup of warm tea. I found Annie’s tale heartwarming and charming and couldn’t really get enough of it. I found parts humorous but mostly, this book just warms the soul. The characters are great and the writing is even better. Overall, Grounded is sure to charm the pants off you as well as teach you a thing or two about good ole’ country living.
Rating: 5/5 stars

October 18, 2013
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Book Review: The Debt and the Doormat by Laura Barnard
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Debt and the Doormat by Laura Barnard

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I started reading this, I wasn’t sure I would like it. The book begins with the main character Poggy getting upset with her friend over a pillow…..seemed a bit shallow to me and I was thinking, boy I am not going to like this one….
Well let me tell you this book was amazing! I loved it so much I read it all in one sitting! The story is about 2 single women who decide to “switch” lives in order to get the other to see that they could do better. Pog’s and Jazz are the best of friends even though they are as different as 2 people could be! Pog’s sees herself as this klutzy accident prone average looking push over. Jazz is your typical blonde bimbo that parties too much and spends more than her monthly allowance from her rich Mum allows her…This is where the switch comes in, Pog’s wants her friend to be more responsible and Jazz wants Pog’s to loosen up and enjoy life! So they switch homes and agree to let the other tell them what they can do.
This is where the story gets good…Pop’s meet’s the housemates, people who most assuredly change her life. Jazz appears to buckle down and take it easy and even gets a job!
The story continues and you find that Pop’s is a disaster waiting to happen! From a sprained ankle to gash on her head to getting a housemate shot, she truly finds trouble everywhere she goes! You honestly feel bad for her and her bad luck throughout the book!
The dynamic relationships in this story are just fun! I love them all…some I love to hate, but others are seriously just so much fun! Pop’s seems to really question her relationship status with everyone in her life. Growing up with a drunken demanding Mum is probably a large reason why. She really seems to come into her real self as the story continues and even learns to stand up to many people in her life.
The love story part of this book is probably my favorite! These two are generally cute! They seem to really struggle with the feelings they have for each other but just can’t seem to stay apart. I love how strong their friendship develops long before the love drops into play. There’s no chance Pop’s won’t keep him on his toes for years to come!
Based on the way the book ends, I will not lie in saying that I am looking forward to reading book 2 and cannot wait to see what trouble these two ladies get into next! Great read and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a fun romantic comedy!

October 17, 2013
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Book Review: Render (A Recompense Novel) by Stephanie Fleshman
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Render (A Recompense Novel) by Stephanie Fleshman

Reviewer: Andrea I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.  Summary: A betrayal born of blood A curse for a…

October 17, 2013
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Book Review: A Hunka Hunka Nursing Love by Kathryn Maeglin
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: A Hunka Hunka Nursing Love by Kathryn Maeglin

Don’t judge a book by its cover, no pun intended. This book is and is not what you think. Valerie is the main character. Businesswoman. Divorcee. Caregiver to her mother. Best friends and business partner with Pam. She spends all her time and energy focused on work and loses her husband. She ventures into a second business of home health aides = health hunks. During her journey she reassesses her life and her priorities. She cares for her elderly mother and finds a new love interest Keith. In the end, Valerie realizes she is not really living her life to the fullest and may be missing out on what she truly wants. When she finally takes control and sells her second company, focuses on her mother’s needs and really pays attention to Keith, things start to turn around. This book is humorous and dramatic with a surprising ending.
Some of my favorite lines:
-“don’t dip your pen in the company ink.”
-“you’re a barracuda in the business world. But when it comes to matters of the heart, you’re chicken little.”
-“so do I get to dip my breadstick in the olive oil?”
-“my favorite was the time this man came in and wanted to buy a brassiere for his wife. Helen asked him what size she wore, and he said he didn’t know. So she said, ‘would you say they’re plums, apples or cantaloupes?’ and the man said, ‘I don’t know, I’ve never tasted them!’”

October 16, 2013
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Book Review: The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from SheReads
Summary:
France, 1916: Artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his young wife, Sophie, to fight at the front. When their small town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, Edouard’s portrait of Sophie draws the eye of the new Kommandant. As the officer’s dangerous obsession deepens, Sophie will risk everything—her family, her reputation, and her life—to see her husband again.

Almost a century later, Sophie’s portrait is given to Liv Halston by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. A chance encounter reveals the painting’s true worth, and a battle begins for who its legitimate owner is—putting Liv’s belief in what is right to the ultimate test.

Like Sarah Blake’s The Postmistress and Tatiana de Rosnay’s Sarah’s Key, The Girl You Left Behind is a breathtaking story of love, loss, and sacrifice told with Moyes’s signature ability to capture our hearts with every turn of the page.
Review:
How did I describe this book to my mom? “OMG.” What an outstanding read, and I think this is not just a favorite of 2013, but my favorite of the year so far. I love how story starts out, giving us a big chunk of Sophie’s life in 1916 during the German occupation of France. From reading the synopsis I knew we would be getting both past and present, and most books like that give a chapter or two then switch for a chapter or two, then back. I thought this was great to give so much of the past storyline, because when we finally start reading about Liv Halston and how she comes across Sophie’s painting, my mind was always on Sophie. What happened to her? Did she find her husband? Or did she die? I was so hooked that I was bringing my Kindle everywhere with me so I didn’t have to stop reading. Towards the end of the novel I was walking on my treadmill (while reading, yes) and I remember goosebumps springing all over me when a new characters is introduced in the present – but someone from the past. I really don’t want to give anything away, because clearly it had quite the impact on me. From there, I started bawling – not crying, not sniffling, but full-out sobbing – when we finally learned of Sophie’s fate. And yes, I was still on the treadmill. What a magnificent book, and one I will recommend to everyone!
5 stars

October 15, 2013
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Book Review: Bargain Fever by Mark Ellwood
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Bargain Fever by Mark Ellwood

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Discounts are no longer the exception, they’re the norm. But is that bargain really a bargain?

Paying full price is so passé. A quarter of the population will only open their wallets if something is on sale. Everyone wants a deal, a steal, a hookup with a discount or a way to cut costs. People don’t only want a deep discount, they expect it and won’t settle for anything less.

They’re lucky, then, that almost half of everything sold in America is listed at some kind of promotional price. It’s a seismic shift that has made shoppers more savvy than ever, generating phenomena like extreme couponing, flash sales, and Groupon.

So there’s never been a better time to be a buyer, right? Perhaps. Sellers have developed their own tricks to protect profit margins amid such markdown mania—ones that include secret sales, shifting prices, and shredding perfectly good clothes.

In this playful, deeply researched book, journalist Mark Ellwood takes a trip into this new landscape. He shows how some people are, quite literally, born to be bargain junkies thanks to a quirk of their DNA, and uncovers the sales-driven sleights of hand that sellers employ to hoodwink unsuspecting buyers.

Ellwood takes us from the floor of upscale department store Bergdorf Goodman to the bustling aisles of a Turkish bazaar, from the outlet Disney world of rural Pennsylvania to a town in Florida that can claim to be couponing’s spiritual capital. We meet savvy buyers trying to wring value from every cent—stalking fashion editors’ tweets to learn about sample sales or camping out overnight for a cut-price computer.

Ellwood also uncovers the dark side of discounting: how organized crime steals coupons en masse and how certain boutiques limit discounts to VIPs,
running secret sticker promotions from which the ordinary shopper is excluded.

Bargain Fever is a manual for thriving in this new era, when deal hunting has gone from being a sign of indigence to one of intelligence. There’s never been a better time to be a buyer—at least if you know how the game works.
Review:
I thought this book offered a lot of good insight and explanation of the retail world – even touching on items such as airlines, hotels, and of course – the coupon craze that has birthed reality shows and the popularity of sites such as Groupon and Living Social. Sometimes I paged through quickly, my interest not being kept high enough to really get the background of past retail stores and the like. The sections that did interest me were the ones that pertained to me – Groupon, travel discounts when flying, even hotels. It was interesting to get a predication of the future of these coupon-like sites, and some background on them in general. While I didn’t really take away what I thought I would (firm tips on how to save while shopping) it was a unique take on the Bargain Fever our country seems to have.

October 14, 2013
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Book Review: Kiss of Fire by Rebecca Ethington
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Kiss of Fire by Rebecca Ethington

Reviewer: Andrea I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Summary: Joclyn Despain has been marred by a brand on…

October 11, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: The Unraveling of Bebe Jones by Roje Augustin
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: The Unraveling of Bebe Jones …

Roje Augustin is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and The Unraveling of Bebe Jones
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.
Summary:
I found this book to be pretty fascinating. I stay up-to-date in the celebrity world, and I’ve ready plenty of books that takes readers behind the scenes into the “real” world the rich and famous lead. Some can be pretty bizarre, and it didn’t shock me (well, that much) to read about Bebe’s life. I felt empathy for her throughout the book. I understand that maybe she didn’t treat everyone the best (bit of an understatement there) but what a different life she lead at the end of her glory days. I’m not saying it’s right or that celebrities have it rough, but I found it difficult not to feel for Bebe at times. To have it all come crashing down around you had to be insanely difficult for her to adapt to. Her story was really the show here, but it was interesting to read about Desiree as well, and her interactions with the Jones family. It was clear to see she truly loved the children, and wanted to help protect them from the downward spiral their mother was on. Her friendship with Sean I did wonder about, he didn’t seem to be much of a friend really, and I thought he was more shady than anything. The ending was almost a little too rushed. I enjoyed reading the snippets about Bebe’s life, but the situation with Desiree didn’t seem to really get resolved. Really strong book other than that, and I one I found myself chatting about to friends.
4 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 The Unraveling of Bebe Jones before October 21 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Connect with Roje!
Website: rojeaugustin.com
Blog: onewomansmeat.wordpress.com
Facebook page:facebook.com/rojesbook

Twitter: @rojeaugustin

October 9, 2013
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Book Review: Hush Little Baby by Suzanne Redfearn
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Hush Little Baby by Suzanne Redfearn

Reviewer: Samantha I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Summary: If I stay, he will kill me. If I…

October 8, 2013
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