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Book Review: The Boy Next Door by Annabelle Costa
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Boy Next Door by Annabelle Costa

I received a copy of The Boy Next Door by Annabelle Costa in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:

Through middle school, high school, bad dates, and an ill-advised punk phase, Tasha has always been able to count on Jason. Since the day he moved in next door, he’s gone from the weird kid in a wheelchair to Tasha’s most trusted friend. But lives change and the friends are going in different directions. When Jason and Tasha rekindle their friendship, sparks fly. After years of being a wild soul, now the ex-lead of a band turned music teacher is just looking for a relationship to last.

When none other than Jason introduces her to a man who can give her what she wants, Tasha is on the verge of throwing passion and love away just so she can forget her troubled past and settle down. But Jason isn’t ready to give her up just yet.
Review:

I had so much fun reading The Boy Next Door and thought that Annabelle did such a fantastic job crafting such fun characters that are honest, flawed and easy to relate to . I loved the romance and thought it was very light and sweet. I also really, really liked the flashback scenes and thought that Annabelle did such a great job at going back and forth between time, which isn’t easily done and many authors struggle with. Overall, this book is really good and full of details. I was very impressed with this book and will definitely check out this author in the future.
Rating: 4 stars

April 5, 2013
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Book Review: The Bad Girls Club by Kathryn O’Halloran
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Bad Girls Club by Kathryn O’Halloran

I received a copy of The Bad Girls Club by Kathryn O’Halloran in exchange for an honest review.

When three women are seated together randomly at a wedding, they don’t know yet what fate has in store for them. With nothing in common but dissatisfaction with their lives and resentment toward the beautiful bride, Poppy, they are brought together by a risque prank. Together Imogen, Juliette and Beth decide to form the Bad Girls Club. They put into play a few simple rules – and each girl must complete a dare that takes them out of their comfort zones. Imogen flutters with danger as she dares to have the one man that she shouldn’t. Juliette has a complete transformation. And Beth enjoys being in control and being a bad girl. Are they ready to finally take the leap and become bad girls forever?

I had so much fun reading The Bad Girls Club! When Kathryn originally contacted me, she mentioned that her book was a cross between Sex and the City and the Fifty Shades franchise, and she hit it spot on. This book is hilarious and has some really great scenes that will leave you laughing out loud long after you’ve finished reading the lines. I think Kathryn did such an amazing and fun job creating such great female characters that form such a wonderful bond with one another. These gals are a riot and I loved their friendship! Overall, this book is really fun and I think that any gal looking for a fun and slightly raunchy read will definitely enjoy this book!

Rating: 4/5 stars

April 4, 2013
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Book Review: Marriage Matters by Cynthia Ellingsen
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Marriage Matters by Cynthia Ellingsen

I received a copy of Marriage Matters by Cynthia Ellingsen in exchange for an honest review. This story follows three lovely ladies – June, Kristine, and Chloe – as they prepare for their wedding. For June this will be her second marriage, after her husband’s passing years prior. For Kristine, a vow renewal after twenty-five years of marriage with husband Kevin, and for Chloe, her first trip down the aisle. The three women are also family, June being the grandmother to Chloe and leader of the pack. It is her idea for a triple wedding, but she doesn’t realize both her daughter and granddaughter are having doubts. Kristine is worried that her marriage to Kevin won’t survive if he keeps traveling for work, and Chloe wonders if fiancé Geoff loves her for her – or wants her as a mother for his young daughter. She also keeps having feelings for her best friend Ben…
What a sweet story! I really took a liking to June, who is clever, loving, and quite the prankster! I loved reading about her sly ways, but it was also clear she loved her family deeply. Kristine I wasn’t always so crazy about. She just seemed too ready to throw in the towel on her marriage, and I didn’t quite always get her reasoning. Poor Chloe was just confused, and found herself caught up in the excitement of wedding planning, trying on dresses, and taste-testing cake. It was fairly obvious who she was supposed to end up with, but watching her journey was a fun one. I had a great time reading this story, loved the family values that are written in, and think you should read this one!
4 stars

April 4, 2013
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Book Review: An Inquiry into Love and Death by Simone St. James
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: An Inquiry into Love and Death by Simone …

I received a copy of AN INQUIRY INTO LOVE AND DEATH by Simone St. James in exchange for an honest review.

Oxford student Jillian Leigh works day and night in hopes of keeping up her grades and excelling in school. She finds out one day that her uncle Toby, a renowned ghost hunter, is killed and reluctantly, she must leave at the beginning of the school term in order to head to Rothewell to pack up his belongings. Almost immediately eerie things start to take place and they gradually worsen until they reach a terrifying new level. Jillian becomes convinced that an evil spirit is trying to enter the house … and is it relevant to her uncle’s death? She begins to wonder if he possibly uncovered something that he shouldn’t have. But, just as she begins to dig in deep into investigating, the handsome Scotland Yard inspector, Drew Merriken, leaves her with more questions than answers – and a little something else, too. Will she ever track down the answers and uncover the truth?

I really, really enjoyed this book and definitely appreciated the historical aspect and feel of an era that is unlike today. An Inquiry Into Love and Death is reminiscent of an old timey ghost story, filled with ghosts, secrets, suspense, conspiracy and heart stopping romance. Simone does a great job at creating really great characters that jump off the page and I was a fan of Jillian from the get go. Now, I have to be honest and say that I am not a fan of scary stuff in the slightest and thought that this book would be too much for me, but I was pleasantly surprise to see how much I enjoyed it. The details and the scenery are vivid and I loved the suspense/mystery factor. Overall, this book was a very enjoyable read that I think most people would enjoy. I definitely think you should give it a try.
Review: 4.5 stars

April 3, 2013
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Book Review: Jane Austen’s Guide to Thrift by Kathleen Anderson & Susan Jones
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Jane Austen’s Guide to Thrift by Kathleen …

I received a copy of Jane Austen’s Guide to Thrift by Kathleen Anderson & Susan Jones in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Embrace your inner Jane and find a new way of life in thrift!

Jane Austen knew that wealth and grandeur had little to do with happiness, and that fashionable new dresses and reticules to impress Mr. Darcy simply were not the path to fulfillment—especially when one accrues debt in the process. It’s as true today as it was then . . .

Whether you have a fortune or not, you’re well advised to make the most of your income—and save for your future. Now, using the timeless wisdom and example of Jane Austen’s memorable heroines, this book offers everything the modern lady needs to know about:

*Clever investing
*Keeping up appearances on a budget
*Giving and receiving graciously
*Finding treasures at flea markets and church rummage sales
*Planning a party that only looks extravagant
*And more

Jane Austen’s Guide to Thrift shows how to make your circumstances significantly less reduced, and how to live a life of elegant economy and joyful generosity—whether you’ve as much as Emma Woodhouse or as little as Miss Bates.
Review:
I was looking forward to the book, thinking it might be a fun twist on self-help or how-to books, but unfortunately I found it a little dull. I couldn’t stay interested and really struggled to stay focused on the tips. My favorite sections were probably the wedding and hosting categories, but all the others just kind of blended into one. I like the concept of the book, but the delivery just wasn’t there for me.
2 stars

April 3, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Elly in Bloom by Colleen Oakes
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Elly in Bloom by Colleen …

Colleen Oakes is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Elly in Bloom. Elly Jordan makes a new life for herself after catching her husband in bed with another woman. She flees from Georgia and ends up in St. Louis, where she finally stops running and decides to stay. Along with the help of new friend Kim she opens her own flower shop, as flowers and creating masterpieces from them has always been her passion. Two years later Elly and her shop Poises is thriving, and she thinks she might be finally moving on from her past. But when she takes on a wedding that would not only allow her to pay off her apartment but boost her business exponentially, Elly comes face-to-face with the people she was trying so hard to forget.
I really enjoyed Elly in Bloom, and just loved the writing and the crisp descriptions that made me feel like I was a part of Elly’s world. Elly is a pretty comical character, who has a knack for being klutzy and talking too much. But she is very loveable, someone whose past clearly left a huge mark on her, and I commend her for uprooting herself like she did and trying to start over and stand on her own two feet. I imagine that could not be easy! There is a romance in the story between Elly and Isaac that left me in stitches from time to time. Their whole relationship was just awkward, but it made it that more funny to read about. Snarky Teenager was actually one of my favorite characters because of her spunk, and Kim was such a good friend to Elly that is was impossible not to love her. A very cute read with such an adorable cover, and I recommend!
4 stars

April 2, 2013
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Book Review: Cut and Run by Traci Hohenstein
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Cut and Run by Traci Hohenstein

I received a copy of Cut and Run by Traci Hohenstein in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:

When Matt O’Malley turns up at a truck stop with a nasty concussion and no recollection of what happened to him or his family, investigator Rachel Scott knows she and the Florida Omni Search team have to act fast. Whoever attacked him still has his wife and children, and a gruesome piece of evidence points to deadly possibilities.

While Matt sweats under the scrutiny of the FBI, his shattered memory slowly pieces together disturbing details. Afraid to trust even his brother with this new information, he turns to Rachel, who scours southern Louisiana for clues. Along with retired police detective Red Cooper, Rachel searches everywhere from a voodoo parlor to an eerie Houma swamp, unearthing troubling secrets about the O’Malleys…and a shocking truth behind the disappearance of Rachel’s own daughter.

Traci Hohenstein picks up her suspenseful Rachel Scott series with its third entry, Cut and Run—a gripping thriller that captures the haunting spirit and intoxicating mystery of New Orleans.
Review:

This is the third installment in the Rachel Scott adventure series and although I haven’t read the first two books in the series, I feel confident in saying that you can pick up this book solo and enjoy it without the other two. You find out pretty early on that the underlying subject of the novels is the search for Rachel’s daughter, Mallory, who has been missing for over five years. Ironically, her life revolves around searching for missing people – and when she isn’t occupied in the pursuit of a stranger, she spends every moment looking for her daughter. I really admired her go-get-them attitude and thought that Rachel was fairly determined in her pursuit. I often times put myself in her shoes as a mother and thought about what I would do if I were in the same situation. I thought she handled the situation well and to be honest, I was really rooting for her to find Mallory. This book is filled with tons of secrets and hidden clues and that made me enjoy the story even more. Cut and Run was really well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a suspenseful read.
Rating: 4.5 stars

April 2, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: When Girlfriends Make Choices by Savannah Page
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: When Girlfriends Make Choices by …

Savannah Page is on tour now with CLP Blog Tours and When Girlfriends Make Choices. I have also read When Girlfriends Step Up from this series and I highly enjoyed it. I was eager to get back into the lives of six very different friends, and get to know Lara a bit better from this novel. Now, this is where the book gets tricky. I could tell something was up with Lara from Step Up¸ because she becomes a bit shady when it comes to her work. She works as an advertising executive and logs in long hours, but you could just tell there was something else going on in her life. Turns out she had been having an affair with a co-worker – a married co-worker. In Lara’s defense, when they first started sleeping together she had no idea Paul was married. He never spoke of a wife at the office and didn’t wear a wedding ring. By the time he fessed up to Lara that not only was he married but had two children, she had already fallen in love with him. But then they pick up their affair again, and Lara is fully aware that he is someone else’s. She becomes a bit obsessed with Paul, wanting to do whatever she can to make him choose her. Her friends (once she finally admits about her double life) aren’t supportive of the choices she is making, but Lara just can’t let Paul go. For once, she wants to fall in love and be happy – but at what cost?
I had so many conflicting emotions throughout this story, because as someone who is walking down the aisle in five months, I don’t want to read about infidelity. But it was really interesting to get the perspective from the mistress. And like I said, Lara had no idea Paul was married when they first got together, and I do believe her when she says she never would have welcomed his advances if she had known. So I could understand why she was already in love with him and why she didn’t want to let him go, but it was still hard to swallow. I again loved the girlfriend angle, and how close the friends are and how they support one another. Looks like the next book follows Claire, and I’m really looking forward to reading that. So even though I didn’t quite love the affair angle, Page still writes with honesty, makes the story very realistic and easy to read, and I still recommend this series to chick lit readers!
4 stars

April 1, 2013
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Book Review: The Crooked Branch by Jeanine Cummins
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Crooked Branch by Jeanine Cummins

I received a copy of The Crooked Branch by Jeanine Cummins in exchange for an honest review. This is a book that I can say made my spine tingle – tingle! – while reading. There was so much mystery, intrigue, suspense, emotion, that it was impossible to put down. I finished this within a day, and was telling all my friends about it at dinner. Majella is our main character, who is a new mom to daughter Emma, and struggling with her new role that she just can’t seem to connect with. She lives in Queens with her husband Leo, a chef, in the house that she grew up in. While restless one night, she discovers a diary in the attic from her ancestor Ginny – and is shocked when she reads that Ginny was murderer.
Majella wonders if perhaps she is a bad mother because of this Ginny, that maybe she is genetically programmed to fail at motherhood. After all, Majella and her mother don’t have a great relationship, so maybe she is she destined to have the same with Emma. But as Majella continues to unravel the mystery that is Ginny and her Irish family, she forms a new connection with her mother, forges a possible friendship with another new mother, and starts to regain some of her sanity.
There is so much to love about this novel. Readers get a taste of Majella’s life in New York, but also get to see Ginny’s life back in the late 1800’s during the terrible famine times in Ireland. It was fascinating to travel back in time, and so heartbreaking to read about the famine, the fever, and the pure anguish so many suffered during that time. Majella’s journey into motherhood actually scared me a bit (as someone who hopes to have babies within the next couple of years) because she really seemed to be suffering from post-partum depression, and it was incredibly difficult to read about. But the entire novel is so realistic, I could almost imagine myself right there along with Majella. As I mentioned above, this is a story that I talked to about with many of friends – either about the famine and those trying times, or about motherhood and the difficulties some of them faced after giving birth. This is one of my favorite books of the year by far, and one I highly recommend!
5 stars

March 29, 2013
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