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Review & Guest Post : From Notting Hill with Love…Actually by …

I received a copy of From Knotting Hill with Love…Actually in exchange for an honest review.
This was the first I have read from Ali McNamara, and I was really excited for it. Everything about it just screamed classic chick lit, and it left me with a smile at the end. Main character and movie fanatic Scarlett O’Brien has an obsession with movies. She loves dreaming about the glamorous and romantic lives some of her favorite leading ladies have had. There is a tiny problem though – her life is quite unexciting and unglamorous. When Scarlett gets the opportunity to house-sit in none other than Knotting Hill, she jumps at the chance. Finally, a way to show her father and boring fiancé that life really can imitate art. But her romantic comedy plans turn out decidedly more complicated than Scarlett ever expected. Will she get her happy ending?
This is a really fun chick lit book, and I immensely enjoyed it. Scarlett is such a fab heroine, a bit mixed-up and clueless but such an optimist you have no choice but to love her. I enjoyed her quite complicated love life, and was really on the end of chair when I was reading the last few chapters. The supporting cast mixed in seamlessly and the minor plot points were interesting and kept the story moving along. One for chick lit lovers to check out!
[Rating: 4]

Big thanks to Ali McNamara for sharing this guest post!

I think one of the most commonly asked questions of novelists is “Where do you get your ideas from?’
And it’s one of the hardest to answer, because usually they spring out of nowhere. What sometimes seems like a great idea when you first think of it, might never actually lead anywhere. Sometimes you don’t even know you’ve had an idea until it keeps banging away in your mind trying to tell you it needs to escape and become something else. And sometimes an idea hits you so hard in the face you feel like you’ve been hit by a clown throwing ‘idea’ shaped custard pies.

‘From Notting Hill with Love…Actually’ was the second of those three. It came to me when I was watching one of those countdowns on one of the music channels on TV – ‘50 greatest movie theme tunes.’
As each of the songs came on to the screen I realised the movies were so well known I knew exactly what was going on in each plot even without dialogue, and I thought wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could get all those great movies into one story, and that’s how the idea began to slowly take shape.
‘Breakfast at Darcy’s’ my second novel was the latter of three. One year I was on holiday with my husband. In a momentary fit of insanity I’d agreed it would be a good idea to take a touring holiday around Ireland in a motorhome, I have no idea why now to this day, I’m much more your luxury hotel sort of holiday-maker. The ‘luxury’ motorhome we hired was not quite the home-from-home we were promised over the Internet, I actually christened it the ‘dustbin on wheels’ it was so bad. But however as we trundled about Ireland, one night when we parked up amongst spectacular scenery in County Kerry, directly opposite the island of Great Blasket, a casual chat about the beauty and remoteness of the island led to one of those random conversations about how you might go about trying to live on an island as isolated as that, and the seed of an idea was immediately planted in my brain for a new novel based around such an island.
So you could say the idea for ‘Breakfast at Darcy’s’ pretty much came from the trashcan!
My third novel is a sequel to my first; it just felt like I had more to tell about the characters and their lives. And my fourth, which I’m writing now, is a story I’ve wanted to write for sometime. It has a music theme this time – with a twist!

Ali McNamara
www.alimcnamara.co.uk
Twitter @AliMcNamara

The Art Of My Life by Ann Lee Miller

I received a copy of The Art Of My Life in exchange for an honest review.

The Art Of My Life by Ann Lee Miller begins as main character Cal is released from jail after being arrested for possession of marijuana. His ultimate goal in life is to become a better man and to have Aly, his life long love, return the feeling. Throughout the course of the book, Cal is faced with many obstacles and he must learn to overcome them if he ever wants to move on and make something of himself. He jumps through hoops to restart his life but nothing compares to what he does for Aly. In an attempt to finally win her over, he uses his grandmother’s old sailing boat to try to lure her in. Will his attempt at starting over be enough to win her over? Or will he never be enough to measure up to the man that she wants?

I really enjoyed reading this story about love, friendship, families, and the path for redemption. I truly believe that everyone deserves a second chance and I was so glad to see Cal trying for his. My heart ached for him throughout most of the story because he definitely paid the price (and then some) for his past mistakes, but it was good to see his determination to succeed and his will to make it all happen. I really enjoyed the characters and I especially appreciated the back story that the author allowed us to visit. Overall, Ann Lee Miller did a great job at creating a solid story about redemption and the power to succeed. It definitely made me think and evaluate my own decisions. A really solid read.

[Rating: 4/5]

Daughters-in-Law by Joanna Trollope

I received a copy of Daughters-in-Law in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
As Anthony and Rachel Brinkley welcome their third daughter-in-law to the family, they don’t quite realize the profound shift that is about to take place. For different reasons, the Brinkleys’ two previous daughters-in-law hadn’t been able to resist Rachel’s maternal control and Anthony’s gentle charm and had settled into their husbands’ family without rocking the boat. But Charlotte—very young, very beautiful, and spoiled—has no intention of falling into step with the Brinkleys and wants to establish her own household. Soon Rachel’s sons begin to think of their own houses as home and of their mother’s house as simply the place where their parents live—a necessary and inevitable shift of loyalties that threatens Rachel’s sense of herself, breaks Anthony’s heart, and causes unexpected consequences in all the marriages. Then a crisis brings these changes to the surface, and everyone has to learn what family love means all over again.
My Review:
I was looking forward to reading Joanna Trollope, as this was my first book from her. Unfortunately, my experience was not a good one. I was not able to connect on any level with the book or the characters. There are a lot of characters, but quite a few were unlikeable or unrelatable. I also thought the plot was predictable overall, and some of the dialogue didn’t seem to match the characters, so that was throwing me off. Very difficult one for me to finish.
[Rating: 1]

The Look of Love by Judy Astley

I received a copy of The Look of Love in exchange for an honest review. Summary: Bella has given up on men. Happily divorced, her…

The Bloody Mary Club by Debbie Dyke

Debbie Dyke is on tour now with CLP Blog Tours and her financial thriller The Bloody Mary Club. I was looking forward to reading this book because I love smart, crafty writing, and that is just what I got! The setting is Historic Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. The time is during the stock market meltdown. Our MC is Gina Van Story, a smart and ambitious investment advisor. She is on the prowl for the last big score before she retires, but she doesn’t expect to run into corruption – and death – while searching. Along with her crew of friends – deemed The Bloody Mary Club – Gina tries to broaden their stock portfolio while dodging threats and still come out on top.
I had a really fun time reading this novel. I loved Gina and her friends – all hilarious in their own ways. They were jut a blast to get to know. I actually even took a few notes while I read the book, because if it is one thing I wish I was more educated in, it’s the stock market! I really enjoyed the dynamic of the friendship between those in The Bloody Mary Club. They had a lot of challenges thrown their way – and money is obviously a huge factor – but they were able to stand united through it all, which I found very satisfying. I loved the mystery aspect – and Gina’s belly-dancing! (Minor plot point, but I thought it was great!) A well-written novel from Debbie Dyke that I would recommend!
[Rating: 4]

Under Her Spell by Eliza Daly

Under Her Spell by Eliza Daly begins with Monica Jackson questioning her self worth after a series of failed romantic relationships and business ventures. When everything she touches goes sour, she begins to question her energy and wonders if it’s her fault that things are the way that they are. She turns to spell casting and hopes that things will change. But when her new event planning company welcomes a new neighbor, things begin to get interesting. Will her spells work? Or will she find that she has had what she’s needed inside of her all along?

I had so much fun reading Under Her Spell by Eliza Daly. Monica is such a hoot and I love the steamy interactions between her and sexy divorce attorney Reed! Such a fun read and it is full of laughs. This book is definitely light and I actually enjoyed that for a change. I also really loved the magic twist. I feel like there have been quite a few books in the past attempt to dabble in magic but fail. This book succeeds in my opinion. I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see what would happen between Monica and Reed and whether or not they would be able to see what had been right in front of them. Overall, a great read.

[Rating: 4/5]

Enchanted by Starlight by Tina L Hook

I received a copy of Enchanted by Starlight in exchange for an honest review.
Three women, Grace, Skylar, and Alina, get a magical detour in life when they are enchanted by a comet in the night sky. Each woman receives a power, a special gift, which feeds off their secret ambitions. Grace is able to make men fall in love with her, Skylar finally achieves peak social status, and Alina always gets her revenge. But are their gifts used for good, or is the power too much to handle?
I was really interested in Enchanted by Starlight. I am always up for a good magical twist, and I thought this one was unique and fun to read about. The POV switches every few chapters between the three women, which I enjoyed. Sometimes though I seemed to get a bit lost. There is a lot going on – a lot of women, a lot of men, a lot plot points and twists – and sometimes I got confused and had to re-read portions of what was going on. Even with that being said, I still found the novel very intriguing and had difficulty putting it down!
[Rating: 4]

Perfect Bait by Michael Fowlkes

Perfect Bait by Michael Fowlkes is a romantic thriller that begins with Corey Phillips in love with his high school sweetheart Karyn. He believes that he has finally found his happily ever after but that all changes when he walks into their house boat one day and sees his wife with his best friend. Devastated and heart broken, he decides to leave that life behind in an attempt to heal his broken heart. He travels along the coasts until he finds new love Jennifer. Ready for a new beginning, he risks it all and dives in head first. He settles in and begins running yacht charters but during one trip out into the open water, something happens that will change his life forever.

When I was first contacted about reviewing this book, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It sounded different than something I would normally pick up but I decided to give it a try and boy, let me tell you, this book is gritty. While I appreciated the romantic/love scenes, I had a hard time making my way through everything else. Now, granted, Michael is a talented writer and he definitely went above in his descriptions but I just had a hard time stomaching a lot of it. Overall, this book is a great read for someone looking for something a little darker and although I hard time with the material, I can still tell that Michael did a great job in creating a suspenseful world and great characters.

[Rating: 4/5]

Diners, Dives & Dead Ends by Terri L. Austin

I am very excited to be kicking off Terri’s tour for CLP Blog Tours with the first mystery novel in the Rose Strickland series, Diners, Dives & Dead Ends. I love mystery, and adding mystery to a fun chick lit novel makes me one happy reader. The MC is Rose Strickland, a struggling waitress and part-time college student, who gets tangled up in a mystery when her best friend Axton goes missing. Rose puts herself on the case, and the next thing she knows she is being watched by one sexy bad guy and finding out a lot of secrets on her once boring town.
I loved this book! I was having a great time with Rose and her friends (loved Roxy’s outfits!) but the ending really put it over the top for me. I was wide-eyed while reading a plot twist that really through me (in a good way) and I was frantically flipping the pages. What an ending – seriously! Now I’m just going to have to be anxious while awaiting the next book! Rose was a fabulous heroine – independent and a bit quirky, but full of love for those who were close to her. I was very intrigued by the obvious attraction between her and the bad guy, and I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes in the sequel. If you enjoy a bit of mystery in your reading, I highly recommend Diners, Dives & Dead Ends!
[Rating: 5]