Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

Latest Youtube Videos

Book Review: The Lion Is In by Delia Ephron
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Lion Is In by Delia Ephron

I was provided with a copy of THE LION IS IN by Delia Ephron in exchange for an honest review.

The Lion Is In tells the tale of three gals. Tracee is a runaway bride and kleptomaniac. Lana’s is beautiful but also a recovering alcoholic. Rita is a holy-roller minister’s wife, who is tired and wants out of her marriage. One warm summer night brings the three ladies together and they go on the lam together. During the ride down a rural highway in the great state of North Carolina, their car breaks down and they are forced to seek shelter. They end up finding refuge in an abandoned nightclub. And, unexpectedly, they run into Marcel, who just happens to be a lion. This change encounter changes everything for the three ladies.

This book is absolutely unforgettable and I loved every second of THE LION IS IN. When I first received the review request, I read the title and thought that the lion was symbolic of something – but no, I was wrong. – because there is actually a lion in this book. Delia does an amazing job at crafting three wonderful female characters that are witty and beautiful in their own respective ways. I loved their journeys to self discovery and I loved Marcel’s role in helping the women. This book is truly great and so very smart! I highly recommend it!
Rating: 5 stars

February 13, 2013
Leave a comment
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Confessions of an Alli Cat by Courtney Cole
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Confessions of an Alli Cat …

Courtney Cole is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Confessions of an Alli Cat. OMG – this is one funny book. And a bit on the dirty side, but still super hilarious. The MC is thirty-five year-old Allison “Alli” Lancaster, who is living a great life. She has money, a fab job, a terrific daughter, a great bestie and a killer house in Las Vegas. Alli is happily single after divorcing her cheating ex-husband, but her best friend Sara thinks it’s time to spice up her life. What does that entail? A sex toy, a bikini wax and – hiring a much younger gigolo to satisfy her like she’s never been satisfied before. Alli is enjoying her new life until a man that could be something serious comes along – and a whole new can of worms is opened.
This book is a must-read and one of my favorites so far this year! Fast-paced, witty, a bit raunchy and oh so scandalous! I loved being surprised by the twists that Cole sprinkled in, and I found myself telling all my girlfriends about this book and how they must get their own copy. This is definitely an R-rated read but so worth it in my opinion!
5 stars

February 13, 2013
Leave a comment
Book Review: Sophie’s Run by Nicky Wells
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Sophie’s Run by Nicky Wells

I received a copy of Sophie’s Run in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Her famous star remains her rock while life takes her on a little detour…

Who says that the road towards true love is straight and even? Sophie is certainly discovering that it is anything but.

So she has finally found the man of her dreams! Well…she knows who he is, even though she hasn’t actually quite met him yet. But she misses her opportunity, and then her life goes crazy. Rock star and ex-fiancé, Dan, keeps getting in the way of her new romance—even if he is just trying to be helpful. A fire, an impromptu mini-trip with Dan, and a dreaded wedding later, Sophie is still struggling to meet the love of her life. Then, just as she is getting it together with her perfect man, best friend Rachel commits an act of unspeakable betrayal.

Sophie has had enough. Confused and distraught, she decides that it is time for a radical change. Surprising herself and shocking her friends, she embarks on a secret journey and eventually gets her life back on track.
My Review:
I was so excited to catch up with Sophie once again. I highly enjoyed Sophie’s Turn, and was curious where life had taken her. But things aren’t too grand in her life. A fire destroys her flat on her birthday, she meets the man that causes her to have a thunder and lightning moment but then can’t track him down, and an act of betrayal by her best friend is the final straw. Once again, I was invested in the story right off the bat, and felt like Sophie could be one of my best friends. I was enthralled by her love life and curious up until the end how everything would play out. I enjoyed the sub-plots as well, especially with her friend Rachel, and liked the sneak peek into the minds of some supporting characters about halfway through the book. I highly recommend both these novels from Nicky Wells!
4 stars

February 12, 2013
2 Comments
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Bring Me Back by Karen Booth
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Bring Me Back by Karen …

Karen Booth is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Bring Me Back. Claire Abby is a music critic and single mom, who gets not only a killer assignment but the chance to meet a British rock legend and the man of her teenage fantasy in one fell swoop. Claire meets Christopher Penman and her world changes. While he makes her work to get him to open up, eventually Claire gets enough to write a killer story for Rolling Stone – and seems to capture Chris’s attention as well. Once she returns home to North Carolina a long-distance relationship starts between the two. But could their relationship ever work? Claire lives a normal life raising her seventeen year old daughter and striving to improve her writing career, and Chris is followed by paparazzi and working on a new album. But now that Claire has had Chris in her life, can she really pretend she hasn’t?
I had a lot of fun reading this book. Claire was very easy for me to relate to even though she is forty and I am twenty-five, and I often actually thought she was even younger! She was down to earth, a great mom, and someone just trying to stay afloat in the game of life. The chemistry between her and Chris heated up the pages, and I was really fascinated by their relationship and how people with two very different lives could possibly make it work. Sometimes the book stretched a bit long for me, but I still recommend this book, especially if you are a music fan!
4 stars

February 11, 2013
Leave a comment
CLP Blog Tours Book Review – Holding On by Karen Stivali
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review – Holding On by Karen Stivali

Karen Stivali is on tour now with CLP Blog Tours and Holding On. This is the sequel to Meant to Be, a book I absolutely loved. I was very eager to jump back into the lives of Marienne and Daniel, as they won me over completely in the first book. The couple are happily married, and are both overjoyed when Marienne finds out she is pregnant. A lot happens during her pregnancy, and one large part is Daniel writing a screenplay that gets offered to be produced. The family also moves to a new town when Daniel gets offered a position at Dartmouth, and they meet a neighbor that is a little too friendly towards Marienne. With Daniel traveling due often to the screenplay jealousy starts to spark between the two, especially when Daniel’s manipulating ex-wife reappears back his life. Their marriage is suddenly on shaky ground, and both Marienne and Daniel have to dig deep to understand their love, trust, and partnership to make their marriage work.
I really enjoyed Holding On, maybe not as much as the first book, but I still really liked it. It was so nice to see a couple that really belongs together be together, though there were plenty of rough spots for them. The writing and scenes are very realistic, and I liked that Stivali was able to make me think about my own soon-to-be marriage through her characters and their issues and how they resolve them. The only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was Marienne and Daniel’s sex life, which can probably make a lot of people feel inadequate. It felt like they were having sex in every third scene which got to be a bit much for me, but overall I really did enjoy this book. I would definitely recommend both Meant to Be and Holding On.
4 stars

February 11, 2013
Leave a comment
Book Review: No Such Thing as Immortality by Sarah Tranter
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: No Such Thing as Immortality by Sarah Tranter

I was provided with a copy of No Such Thing as Immortality by Sarah Tranter in exchange for an honest review.

No Such Thing as Immortality is a vampire tale. A vampire does not have to feel any emotion not of his choosing. And Nathaniel Gray has spent two hundred years choosing not to feel. But when he accidentally runs Rowan Locke off the road, he is inexplicably flooded with everything she’s feeling, and that’s rage, and lots of it. He has an uncontrollable need to want to protect her and is consumed with it, even if it means doing it at all costs … even if it means that he must protect her from himself as well. Blown away by this desire, he is at a loss but he can’t control himself.

Although this book is about vampires, it isn’t like Twilight or the Sookie Stackhouse books. Yes, there are some similarities but the writing style is completely different and I definitely appreciated that. Sarah does a great job at crafting Rowan and Nathaniel Gray and I really enjoyed their instant chemistry. The two have an undeniable spark and I really liked watching Nathaniel suffer through feelings that he hadn’t experienced in such a long time. Overall, this story was very enjoyable, and at times, quite comical.
Rating: 4 stars

February 8, 2013
Leave a comment
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Mad World: Sanctuary by Samaire Provost
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Mad World: Sanctuary by Samaire …

Samaire Provost is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Mad World: Sanctuary. This book is the follow-up to Mad World: Epidemic, a book I surprisingly loved. I say surprisingly because I’m not a big fan of zombies and that is the focus of this series, but I was hooked from the beginning. Sanctuary picks up a couple years after the Black Plague infection swept through the United States and the gang – Alyssa, Jacob, DeAndre, Caitlyn, Risa and new addition Luke – are still just trying to survive. While survival is the main focus, protecting five year old Luke (who was born as his mother was turning into a zombie) from scientists who are trying to find a cure for the infection is a big issue as well. The odds seem against them, but can continue to survive?
Ooh, this book gave me the chills. My fiancé is a big fan of all the zombie shows, so I enjoyed talking to him about these books. There is one part in the book with a farmer couple that really got a rise out of both me and him, and was really surreal to think about. Again the writing was fast-paced and there was action on every page. Just like in Epidemic there is a cliff-hanger, and that makes me really anxious to get to the next books! I know there are two more set to come out, and I will be anxiously waiting for them!
5 stars

February 8, 2013
3 Comments
Book Review: Goodnight, Brian by Steven Manchester
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Goodnight, Brian by Steven Manchester

I received a copy of Goodnight, Brian by Steven Manchester in exchange for an honest review.

Goodnight, Brian is all about family and the deep love that lies inside. Little Brian Mauretti was born with a special condition called Metabolic Alkalosis. The food that was meant to nourish him was poisoning him instead, and the doctors said things didn’t look good. But, that is when his grandmother, Angela DiMartino steps in and cares for him. She gives him everything that she has and tries her best to fight against fate. Mama and Brian are very courageous in their efforts and between the two of them, fate has no idea what it is in for.

I was first introduced to Steven Manchester when he contacted me a few months ago to review his first novel, and I fell in love with Twelve Months. So naturally, I was overly excited to read his latest, and Goodnight, Brian doesn’t disappoint. Sure, the subject matter is different but the emotional writing and the raw feelings are still there. I loved that Steven touched on the strength and perseverance of love and family and I thought the did such a wonderful job at crafting such an unbreakable bond between Brian and his grandmother. Overall, this story is really good and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a touching read.

Rating: 4.5 stars

February 7, 2013
Leave a comment
Book Review: Wedlocked by Bonnie Trachtenberg
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Wedlocked by Bonnie Trachtenberg

I received a copy of Wedlocked by Bonnie Trachtenberg in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:
On what should be the happiest day of her life, Rebecca Ross is panic stricken. Rebecca has just wed Craig Jacobs, but she realizes she put more thought into choosing her florist than she did in choosing the man she’s just pledged to love for the rest of her life.

Before Craig, Rebecca, a talented Long Island girl, dreamed of following in her grandmother’s footsteps with an acting career. Unfortunately, she was cut down to size by years of disappointment, and by her first love—a Hollywood director. She returned to Long Island a lost and broken woman, and ended up in the last place she ever wanted: her old bedroom at her parents’ house.

But Rebecca’s mother, an overzealous convert to Judaism, has a long held dream too: marry off her three daughters to Jewish men. So no one is more thrilled than her when Rebecca meets and marries bon vivant Craig Jacobs, the man who has won over the whole family. Too bad they’re all about to discover that underneath his charismatic shell, this Prince Charming is anything but!

My Review:
Wedlocked is broken down into two parts – Rebecca’s time living in LA where she strived to become an actress, fell in love with a director, and got her heart broken. The second part is her marriage to Craig, and the disaster that turns out to be. I thought the first part moved too slow, and it was hard to keep my interest. The second section was much more fast-paced and I enjoyed reading about her terrible honeymoon and how she gets saved from the awful Craig. Sometimes I wondered if all the back story about LA and her ex was really needed for the overall plot, but I still found this book enjoyable.
3.5 stars

February 7, 2013
Leave a comment