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Book Review: Don’t Tell the Groom by Anna Bell
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Don’t Tell the Groom by Anna Bell

I received a copy of Don’t Tell the Groom by Anna Bell in exchange for an honest review. Since my wedding is only six months away, I haven’t been able to say no to a book revolving around weddings as of late. Fortunately for me, I seem to be loving them all! In Don’t Tell the Groom, our blushing bride-to-be is Penny, who finds herself in a bit of a sticky situation. Penny and fiancé Mark have been building up their wedding fund so they could afford a fab shindig. Penny took up online bingo to help pad the account – only she lost more than she won, and now the account has been cut it half. Penny doesn’t want to admit her mistake and risk losing Mark, so she now needs to figure out how to have their lavish affair on a tight budget…and make sure Mark doesn’t find out!
What a hoot of a book! I was able to relate to Penny from the get-go, and I thought the spin on her gambling addiction was unique and really interesting. Poor Penny wasn’t trying to harm anyone by her bingo ways, she really, well naively, thought she was helping. I thought it was admirable that she got help, and what I really liked is that she wouldn’t accept help from others in order to get by. She realized she made the mistake and she really owned up to it. Of course if she would have told Mark that would have been the best for everyone, but then we wouldn’t have had a fun novel to read, right? I recommend this one!
4.5 stars

March 19, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Staged by Ruby Preston
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Staged by Ruby Preston

Ruby Preston is on tour now with CLP Blog Tours and Staged. I was super excited to get this book, as I highly enjoyed the first in this Broadway series, Showbiz. Scarlett Savoy is back and ready to conquer the Broadway biz – for real this time. She is now a producer for her own company, has financial backing thanks to a good friend, has a hit show on her hands, and even more pieces fall into place when she snags a sought-after director and a Hollywood starlet to play the lead. The only thing she needs now? A theater.
Oh, there is so much more to Staged than just Scarlett trying to find a theater and making her show a success. The most intriguing part to me was the romance – just who was Scarlett going to end up with? I hate to drop a (very minor) spoiler, but it looks like we won’t know that answer until the third and final book in this series. I’m not sure you would absolutely need to read Showbiz in order to catch on to this book, but I actually like the first just a smidge more, so I would recommend it anyway! And I’m definitely looking forward to the third and seeing how Scarlett’s journey comes to an end.
4 stars

March 18, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Schoolgirl Cinderella by Priya Narendran
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Schoolgirl Cinderella by Priya Narendran

Priya is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Schoolgirl Cinderella. This story is a bit of a modern-day Cinderella story, with Briony Duke as our leading lady. Her parents are killed in a car accident when she is ten, and her guardian is set to be an old friend of her fathers, who is not a good person. Mrs. Eyres treats Briony terribly, forcing her to cook and clean for her and her daughter Lucy, who is just as mean-spirited. But Briony tries not to let them beat her, and at seventeen even thinks she finds love with the wealthy Tom Logan. But Mrs. Eyres is set on Lucy nabbing Tom, and is prepared to fight Briony to make sure her daughter lands the eligible bachelor.
I will say that the style Schoolgirl Cinderella is written in through me off at times, but I was actually really invested in the story. It was a cute read and I was constantly intrigued on what Briony was going to do and what her next action would be. Sometimes I couldn’t quite tell what the time period the book was supposed to take place in and there were a few inconsistencies, but I still give it 4 stars because I really enjoyed the story.
4 stars

March 18, 2013
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Book Review: Nothing Comes Close by Tolulope Popoola
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Nothing Comes Close by Tolulope Popoola

received a copy of NOTHING COMES CLOSE by Tolulope Popoola in exchange for an honest review from CLP BLOG TOURS.

The book begins as Lola, the wonderful sassy and confident career girl meets Wole, the calm, cool and handsome hunk at a party in London. There is an instant spark and they get together and begin a romance. But, it is not all that it seems. Wole is holding back some fairly dark secrets and eventually his past catches up to him. Things start to unravel and Lola must decide if she thinks Wole is worth the issues. She tries to decide what to do, and while doing so, the two must overcome quite a bit in order to make it … or will they just go their separate ways and will their romance end?

I really enjoyed NOTHING COMES CLOSE by Tolulope Popoola and had a really nice time watching Lola and Wole fall in love in the beginning of the book and then watch as their love evolved as they met a few obstacles. There are a lot of twists and turns in this novel and a really nice taste of mystery as well. I thought Tolulope did a really good job at creating characters that were likeable and believable and I also think she did a good job at creating such a powerful connection between the two main characters. The story has a really solid flow and I often times tried my best to keep up with everything that was going on. Overall though, this story is enjoyable. Not your typical chick-lit but definitely worth reading!
Rating: 4/5 stars

Author Bio:

Tolulope Popoola was born in Lagos, Nigeria. She moved to England for her university education where she studied BA Accounting and Business Economics and a Masters in Finance and Investment. She started blogging in 2006, which rekindled her love for writing and telling stories. A few writing classes and an online fiction series soon followed and Tolulope quit her Accounting career to write full-time. She now writes short stories, flash fiction, and articles for many print and online magazines. Nothing Comes Close is her first novel. Tolulope lives in London with her husband and daughter.

You can interact with Tolulope online via:
Blog: www.onwritingandlife.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TolulopePopoola
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TolulopePopoola
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/TolulopePopoola
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tolulopepopoola

Where to buy the ebook:
Kindle US, Kindle UK, Kindle Europe (Germany, France, Italy, Spain)
Kobo , Apple iStore , Sony Reader store , WH Smith , Smashwords,
To buy the paperback
Amazon US , Amazon UK, Waterstones, Barnes and Noble, BOOKS etc. , Book Depository, Foyles , Blackwells
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March 18, 2013
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Book Review: Bad At Being Bad by Mark Barber
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Bad At Being Bad by Mark Barber

I received a copy of Bad At Being Bad by Mark Barber in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:

Thirty-something and living with his parents – rent-free, jobless, and on the dole – life is stress-free and easy. However, watching the world go by has not made Steve any less opinionated, especially on important and pressing issues such as social networking sites and daytime TV.

But fate is about to deal another hand. Motivated by the fear of losing his benefits and precious beer money, and enticed by an exotic-sounding location, Steve takes a job that is not quite what it seems . . .

Thrust into a surreal world where international organised crime is regulated by red-tape bureaucracy and health and safety gone mad, Steve finds himself employed by a megalomaniac boss who is hell bent on that old cliché of world domination.

Can Steve find an inner emotional maturity and self identity? Does anyone who doesn’t read GQ magazine even know what that means?

Guns, girls (well, a girl!) and paperwork – Is it possible to be bad at being bad? Steve is about to find out.
Review:

It is authors like Mark that make me a fan of reading the “Lad Lit” genre. This book begins with Steve who really isn’t living and who spends most of his time sitting around on the couch and doing nothing. Then, out of nowhere, he ends up in unfamiliar territory and from there on, that is where the good times start. I found Steve to be odd yet very comical and I loved Mark’s witty writing and his fun play on words. I found the title to be very punny once I realized what the book was actually about. Overall though, this book is a good time and I really enjoyed it. If you are looking for a quick read with a male narrator, then this book is for you.
Rating: 4/5

March 15, 2013
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Book Review: The Power Trip by Jackie Collins
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Power Trip by Jackie Collins

I received a copy of The Power Trip by Jackie Collins in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
A luxurious yacht in the Sea of Cortez, a birthday cruise for one of the world’s most beautiful women and an invitation no one can refuse. The Power Trip—take it if you dare.
From Hollywood icon and mega-seller Jackie Collins comes a thrilling new novel, The Power Trip, set on a state of the art luxury yacht off the coast of Cabo San Lucas. A tropical getaway with a cast of global power-hungry elites turns sour when they find out maybe they don’t control as much of the world as they thought . . .

In The Power Trip you will meet Aleksandr Kasianenko, a billionaire Russian oligarch, as he sets sail on The Bianca. You’ll meet his sexy supermodel girlfriend, whom The Bianca is named after, and five dynamic, powerful, and famous couples invited on the yacht’s maiden voyage: Hammond Patterson, a driven Senator, and his lovely but unhappy wife, Sierra; Cliff Baxter, a charming, never-married movie star, and his ex-waitress girlfriend, Lori; Taye Sherwin, a famous black UK footballer and his interior designer wife, Ashley; Luca Perez, a male Latin singing sensation with his older decadent English boyfriend, Jeromy; and Flynn, a maverick journalist with his Asian renegade female friend, Xuan.

You will also meet Russian mobster, Sergei Zukov, a man with a grudge against Aleksandr. And Sergei’s Mexican beauty queen girlfriend, Ina, whose brother, Cruz, is a master pirate with orders to hold The Bianca and its illustrious rota of guests for ransom.

The Power Trip explorers the decadent playgrounds of the super-rich . . . and leaves you hungry for more.
Review:
Oh, Jackie Collins is a naughty lady. I just can’t get enough of her books! While I was initially bummed out that I wasn’t going to be visiting Lucky in The Power Trip, I soon got over that qualm. What a juicy tale! There are so many characters and we get a POV from each of them, but in signature Collins style it’s effortless to keep them apart. You never know what one of them is thinking or what the next action is going to be. This is a seriously big book, but it took me less than two days to read. It’s impossible to put down, and the writing is so smooth yet captivating that you can’t help but devour it quickly.
5 stars

March 15, 2013
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Book Review: The Wicked Wives by Gus Pelagatti
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Wicked Wives by Gus Pelagatti

I received a copy of The Wicked Wives by Gus Pelagatti in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:

When I was an eight year old boy I overheard adults in my South Philadelphia neighborhood discussing 17 disenchanted and unfaithful neighborhood wives who murdered their husbands for insurance money, love and lust. This was a fascinating topic for an eight year old boy eavesdropping on adult conversation. The adults were discussing the true story of Philadelphia’s infamous 1938 murder scandals. My fascination led to obsession. I knew that I had to write about these wicked wives someday.

After I became a trial lawyer in 1964, I researched the poison murder cases in the law library and obtained newspaper accounts of the scandals dating back to October, 1938. Thereafter I conducted interviews with judges, lawyers, police, witnesses, sheriff deputies and neighbors who knew the defendants.

One of the chief conspirators was a tailor who seduced, then persuaded at least twelve wives to poison their husbands for insurance. The setting for his seductions was the couch in the rear of his tailor shop, located two blocks from our family home.

A fascinating conspiracy unfolded in these murder cases. The poison gang’s colorful and hilarious characters helped to deep-six a minimum of 20 husbands. The supporting cast includes Giorgio, “The Don Juan of Passyunk Avenue. ” Aside from scheming Lillian, “the society wife”, the wives include Rose, the “Kiss of Death Widow, ” Eva “the nymphomaniac” and the “hopelessly in love, ” Joanna.

After many comical episodes, intriguing detective work and two suspense filled high profile trials, 12 wives plead or are found guilty of murdering their husbands. Two male conspirators were executed in the electric chair.

“The Wicked Wives” gleefully explores the sins of lust and greed, and the disappointments that love often brings. The characters, although they commit murder and adultery, are extremely likable, and often amusing. Writing “The Wicked Wives” was a true labor of love.
Review:

The one word that pops into my mind when describing this book is wicked. The Wicked Wives is an appropriate title for a riveting book that definitely keeps you on your toes. I had such a hard time putting this book down and I often times had the story lingering in my mind when I wasn’t reading. This book has everything: lies, deceit, sex, murder … and the list goes on. Gus does a fabulous job at crafting crazy circumstances and even crazier characters. Overall, this book is a really good read and is visually appealing too – I often times thought to myself, “this book would be great as a movie.” If you are looking for an all around great book full of thrills and chills, then this one is for you.
Rating: 4/5

March 14, 2013
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Book Review: A Place For Us by Liza Gyllenhaal
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: A Place For Us by Liza Gyllenhaal

I received a copy of A Place For Us by Liza Gyllenhaal in exchange for an honest review. This is a captivating and beautifully written novel that will draw readers in from the beginning. We meet Brook Bostock and her family – husband Michael, son Liam and daughter Tilly. Brook comes from a prominent family and is extremely wealthy, but never likes to flaunt that fact. She wants to be accepted into the community as a normal family, but her happy existence is shattered when a teenage girl is assaulted in their home. Lawsuits are brought up, the town is giving the cold shoulder to the Bostock’s, and Brooke is wondering how to keep her family – and her marriage- together.
I enjoyed this book because of how complex this situations are, yet how effortless it was to follow along and be drawn into the story. It is teenagers we are dealing with, and while sometimes I just wanted to scream for the truth to come out, I could understand with all the emotions they were feeling. I actually felt sick to my stomach when it came to one father in this book; his actions were downright horrendous. There are a lot of questions that arise, including moral questions that I asked myself along the way. This was a book that I wanted to tell people about, to get their opinion on what they would do and how they would handle a situation, and that is what makes this book a true favorite of mine.
5 stars

March 14, 2013
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Book Review: Out of Sight Out of Mind by Evonne Wareham
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Out of Sight Out of Mind by Evonne …

out of sightI received a copy of OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND by Evonne Wareham in exchange for an honest review.

On the way home one night, Madison Albi stumbles upon a homeless man with whom she feels an instant connection. She tries hard but she can’t resist the impulse to help him, only she has a secret. Turns out that Madison can feel things with her mind and that makes things a little complicated when she gets to know J, a man who can’t even remember his own name. He has no future and literally no past, so can she help him restore hope and bring back his past? With a little hope, she agrees to help him recover his memory but as she digs a little deeper, she uncovers some dark secrets and she begins to wonder what she has gotten herself into – turns out somethings are better left in the dark.

I was taken aback by this book and could not get over the amount of secrets and suspense that are brought about in the novel. The book is fast paced and Evonne has such a wonderful skill at creating such amazing characters with special skills that it was very, very enjoyable. Like Madison, I too felt an instant connection to J and was glad when she decided to take him on, only I was quite surprised to find out some of his dark and dirty secrets. But, turns out that Madison has some as well. In an attempt to try to keep things hush hush, I am going to leave my review at that because I would hate to spoil the book for everyone else … but it is definitely a great read.
Rating: 4/5

March 13, 2013
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