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Blame It on the Fame by Tracie Banister
Chick Lit Review

Blame It on the Fame by Tracie Banister

I was so excited to read Blame it on the Fame from my fellow author friend Tracie Banister. You got celebrities, award shows, glitz and glamour, backstabbing, romance, frenemies – and a bit of love and true friendship underneath it all. From the moment I started reading I could not put it down. This is one of the best chick lit books I’ve read this year, and a new addition to my Favorites list!
The story follows the lives of the five women nominated in the Best Actress category for the Oscars. You have the sweet-as-pie from the outside seasoned actress who is the biggest bitch behind closed doors, an ex-model turned actress who can’t stay away from the drugs and alcohol – or keep her pants on, an indie queen who tends to stay away from the limelight, a has-been making a comeback, and the outsider from the UK who no one knows in America. This insane cast of characters, along with some delectable supporting characters – make up Blame it on the Fame and make this an irresistible read!
The book moves at a fast pace, starting with the day the Oscar nominees are announced and give readers a glimpse into each of their lives. The peek into Hollywood made this book read like a juicy, juicy celebrity tell-all book, and I was actually holding my breath when it came down to announcing the winner. I loved the wrap-up at the end on what happened after that Oscar night to the leading ladies, and some stories had me laughing out loud. It got just a tad unbelievable at the end, as I’ve never really seen a celebrity drop bombs like what happened on the Oscar stage, but hey – could happen, right? Still a 5 star novel in my opinion!
[Rating: 5]

May 23, 2012
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Prince Charming, Inc by Jamie Brazil
Chick Lit Review

Prince Charming, Inc by Jamie Brazil

Prince Charming, Inc. by Jamie Brazil is a hilarious, enchanting tale that follows Elyse Tobin, matchmaker extraordinaire. Unable to fix her own love life after disastrously falling for Nick Salvatore, Elyse creates a manual for the perfect man and begins refurbishing them … then marketing them to the wealthy socialite women who are desperate for the perfect man, and tired of looking on their own. After numerous successful re-makeovers of men, Elyse creates quite the niche market for her product and soon enough becomes the talk amongst the single women. But, one unfortunate day, she gets an unfortunate call from the IRS, and they’re looking to audit her. She is at risk for losing her house and her sanity … and the one man that she least expected, is the one that comes through and saves the day.

I absolutely adored Prince Charming, Inc. I found Elyse witty and became enamored with Nick not long after his introduction. Sure, at first you are supposed to loathe him, but I was able to tell pretty quickly what was really going on and couldn’t help but to root for him. This was a really fun read and I thought Jamie Brazil did a fabulous job at creating an enchanting tale about love and the heart. Plus … how can you go wrong with all of the mentions and descriptions of cheesecake?!?

Overall, a sweet and charming love story.

[Rating: 4/5]

May 22, 2012
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What’s Your Number? by Karyn Bosnak
Chick Lit Review

What’s Your Number? by Karyn Bosnak

While I haven’t seen this movie, when I received a copy of the book I was looking forward to it. I had seen the previews and I thought Anna Farris (one of my favorite actresses) made this movie look hilarious! Well, I might have to watch the movie now after reading the novel, because it didn’t do much for me. The story is based on Delilah Darling, who is horrified after reading in the New York Post that the average person has 10.5 sex partners – and she’s just notched number twenty. On the brink of thirty, recently unemployed and now convinced she’s a mondo slut – Delilah is determined to find those past twenty guys and see which one is Mr. Right for her. She can’t get to twenty-one, that is just wrong. Someone in her past is the one for her – she just has to find him.
The story follows Delilah as she goes on a cross-country road trip searching for ex-boyfriends, old flames, and one-night stands. While parts were funny, the humor just wasn’t there for me. Delilah was loveable enough as a heroine, but for the most part I was just thinking she was missing a screw – no pun intended! The book was a really slow read for me, and I eventually starting skimming pages to keep it moving. I think I will still check out the movie sometime, but the novel definitely fell flat for me.
]Rating: 3.5]

May 21, 2012
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Taking Shots by Toni Aleo
Chick Lit Review

Taking Shots by Toni Aleo

Toni Aleo is on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Taking Shots, the first novel in her hockey series. I was excited to read a book that focused on hockey. Something different, and something that interested me. I was a big hockey fan in middle school and high school, and attended many games for the local team in my hometown. So I was looking forward to reading!
Elli Fisher can’t get over that she is going to be the photographer for the Nashville Assassins, her favorite NHL team. While shooting, she meets her biggest crush- the captain, Shea Adler. When sparks fly between Elli and Shea, Elli can’t quite believe it. Why would someone like Shea – who can have any girl he wants – be interested in her? She struggles with self-confidence and self-worth, but after a string of dates with Shea, she slowly begins to feel more comfortable with herself. But can Elli really let go of all the insecurities that have been haunting her for so many years? Will she find her happily ever after with Shea, or miss her shot at love?
I struggled a bit with Taking Shots simply because it was too long. At over 400 pages, that’s just too long for a full-length novel, and there were a lot of scenes, characters, and even just words (‘basically’ appeared way too much) that could have been cut. Looking past that, I liked the story and the romance between Elli and Shea. This is a romance novel for a reason – there are a lot of sizzling sex scenes between the two. It was nice to see a growth through Elli and even her best friend Harper, who added a lot of humor to the book. Going back to the length, I also think a few of the scenarios where Elli seemingly gives up on Shea could have been cut as well. It started to get frustrating after so many times. I will be looking forward to book number two though and a new cast of characters to meet.
[Rating: 3]

May 18, 2012
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The Summer of Secrets by Alison Lucy
Chick Lit Review

The Summer of Secrets by Alison Lucy

The Summer of Secrets by Alison Lucy starts off in Mexico in 1989, following newlyweds Danny and Harriet on their honeymoon. Days letter, Harriet realizes that her heart isn’t in it and returns home, leaving Danny behind in Mexico. He finds comfort in the arms of two separate women, and nine months later, three baby girls are born. The story follows the three women as they grow up and in 2010, set off on their own respective adventures to uncover the secrets surrounding their father whom they’ve never met. What they find instead is a past filled with mystery and intrigue and one that may take them to places they never thought possible.

I found the Summer of Secrets to be full of suspense and mystery. All three of the girls who were raised very, very differently must all journey to the same place in their hearts and find out the truth about their long lost father. Is he alive? He hasn’t been seen since 1989 and is presumed to be dead, but what really happened? And how will that impact the three women? They each have their own issues but are able to put them aside in search of Danny- and I loved being apart of their quest for the truth. Another big factor in this book is love- and for one of the girls specifically, the lack of love. I found Alison Lucy’s first novel to be a solid, great read full of everything that one wants in a good summer book- love, mystery, honesty, and romance.
[Rating: 4/5]

May 18, 2012
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Taking Charge by Mandy Baggot
Chick Lit Review

Taking Charge by Mandy Baggot

Taking Charge by Mandy Baggot follows Robyn Matthers as she goes back home to Michigan when she learns that her father is ill. With him in the hospital, the world he has created is falling to pieces. With his roadhouse in ruins and the hockey team in the dumps, things haven’t looked worse. So, Robyn takes the helm and takes charge and unexpectedly falls into the arms of Cole Ryan, hunky hockey player. With everything going down in flames around her, does Robyn have it in her to take on a relationship on top of everything else on her plate? Will she survive all of the new responsibilities? Will she be able to revive the life that she left behind?

Taking Charge is a very cute novel about going back to the place you grew up in. In a way, I was slightly reminded of the movie Sweet Home Alabama in all of its hick-glory and painful memories from the past. Robyn obviously escaped this place once already, and I can only imagine how difficult it was for her to return. But, with her dad in the hospital and things looking grim, she had no choice. I really enjoyed this novel and thought it was great fun. Plus- I thought Cole was the perfect guy to come in and rock her world…and that is exactly what he did.

Overall, a fun, light read.

[Rating: 4/5]

May 17, 2012
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Point Click Love by Molly Shapiro
Chick Lit Review

Point Click Love by Molly Shapiro

A new one for the Favorites list! I adored Point, Click, Love, the debut from Molly Shapiro. I started this book one night while curled…

May 16, 2012
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Stiletto Safari by Kate Metz
Chick Lit Review

Stiletto Safari by Kate Metz

Stiletto Safari by Kate Metz follows glamorous and gorgeous, Zara Hamilton. Zara has it all: a sexy boyfriend, a gorgeous apartment, two fabulous girlfriends, and a job with a prestigious law firm in New York city. But one day, that all comes crashing to a stop when she gets a call in to see her boss, where he informs her that she must take a leave of absence because Nick (the love of her life) is being accused of insider trading. Lost and confused, she turns to the aid of her girlfriends, and somewhere along the way, they convince her to take advantage and do some “good” with her situation and suggest she volunteer in Africa. Soon enough, she finds herself in Namibia, which couldn’t be further from home. Tempted to flee and return home, Zara decides to give it a real shot and try her hand as a volunteer. Soon enough, she makes friends and meets the British Hunk Hamish and begins to fall for him.

I found Stiletto Safari absolutely delightful. Kate Metz creates an endearing character in Zara and you can’t help but to root for her as the book goes along. I was a little disappointed that things didn’t work out with Nick in the beginning (he actually sounded like he really loved her and just got caught in a bad situation), but I was glad to watch her grow and give into her heart again with Hamish. Overall, this book was so much fun that I had a hard time putting it down. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, light read with a sassy, quick-witted main character.

May 16, 2012
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Flipping by Mary Ellenton
Chick Lit Review

Flipping by Mary Ellenton

Flipping by Mary Ellenton is the scandalous story of young mortgage broker, Fay Famaghetti, as she becomes an unstoppable real-estate agent by capitalizing on needy individuals. Lured by money, Fay steps into the sub-prime lending culture moments before the real estate bubble bursts, and in doing so, she makes a lot of money at the misfortune of others, loses her husband in the process due to an steamy affair with a co-worker, and puts her fate (and freedom) at risk. She faces ethical and moral dilemmas left and right and we watch first hand as they impact her life. Was it worth it? You will have to read to find out.

As many Americans know by now, anything dealing with the “housing crisis” or the “financial crisis” is no joke. We all know someone greatly impacted and have curiously thought about those selfish individuals behind the catastrophe. In Flipping, we meet Fay and watch as she (and her co-workers) cleverly try to beat the system. At first, I was appalled by Fay and her behavior, whether it be because of her role in the housing crisis or because of her outrageous affair, I’m not sure … but I was quite surprised as I watched her actively attempt to change her life and get out before things got even more out of hand.

Overall, Ellenton provides very realistic details about the creative financial “loopholes” and about the lending market. And oddly, does so with a woman at the helm (instead of the stereotypical older male). I was quite surprised that I enjoyed this book so much.

[Rating: 4/5]

May 15, 2012
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