Latest Youtube Videos

Author Profile: Elizabeth Bass

Author Name: Elizabeth Bass

Website: http://elizabeth-bass.com/

Bio: The youngest of four children, Elizabeth Bass grew up outside of a very small town in East Texas in pre-NetFlix days. The first loves in her life were animals and Humphrey Bogart. Had it not been for a father who kept the house full of books and some tireless elementary school teachers, she could have happily remained an illiterate rabbit caretaker addicted to black-and-white films on the late late show.
Before writing Miss You Most of All, she published thirty romance and women’s fiction novels under the name Liz Ireland and co-authored two Regencies with her sister as Alexandra Bassett.
She lives with her husband in Montreal, where she writes and does freelance editing. An elderly cat or dog (or two…or four) can usually be found in her apartment, and during the busiest day she can often find time to sneak in an old movie.
Recent Titles: Miss You Most of All and Wherever Grace is Needed
See my review of Wherever Grace is Needed
Bio Retrieved from elizabethbass.com

Debut Authors and Titles: July/August 2011

Debut Authors and Titles: July/ August 2011

Title: Twenty-eight and a Half Wishes

Author: Denise Grover Swank

Available: July 12, 2011
Synopsis: For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She’s had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone’s toilet’s overflowed, but she’s never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn’t enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.
Rose realizes she’s wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She’s well on her way with the help of her next door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking, but won’t help with number fifteen– do more with a man. Joe’s new to town, but it doesn’t take a vision for Rose to realize he’s got plenty secrets of his own.
Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all.

Title: Idol

Author: Carrie Duffy

Available: August 2011

Synopsis: A hugely entertaining and glamorous debut, perfect for fans of the X-Factor, from an exciting new voice in young women’s fiction. A hugely entertaining and glamorous debut, perfect for fans of the X-Factor, from an exciting new voice in young women’s fiction. Meet Jenna Jonsson and Sadie Laine: two gorgeous, glamorous twenty-somethings fighting to make it to the top of their chosen professions. Beautiful and talented, Jenna is an international pop star, determined to take her career to the next level. And when a chance meeting leads to an opportunity for Jenna to work with world-famous rock band Phoenix, Jenna is quick to agree – although her decision is somewhat influenced by Nick Taylor, the drummer with Phoenix and the most gorgeous man Jenna has ever met…Meanwhile, Sadie is a struggling dancer and a childhood rival of Jenna’s. Ambitious and passionate, she is determined to fulfil her dreams. And a move to Las Vegas yields an unmissable career opportunity and a chance at true love. Jenna and Sadie’s lives are about to collide but will sparks fly? Or will they be able to put the past behind them?

Title: The Whole Package

Author: Cynthia Ellingsen

Available: August 2, 2011

Synopsis: It’s a man’s world-but in this outrageous debut, the girls aren’t playing by the rules.

For lifelong friends Jackie, Cheryl, and Doris, life hasn’t turned out according to plan. But after a drunken night sampling the delights at a strip club for women, the ladies stumble upon an ingenious idea and open up The Whole Package-the world’s first restaurant staffed exclusively by very attractive men. Mixing business with pleasure can be risky, but for these three best friends, getting a little bit outrageous just might be what it takes to make their mark in the world.

Beauty Review: Maybelline Define-a-Line Eyeliner

Maybelline has been my go-to makeup line for the last few products I have bought, especially when it comes to eyes. Recently, I picked up their Define-A-Line eyeliner, and am very impressed by the results. The first thing I noticed with this eyeliner was how smooth it went on. No hard pressing, no going over the line multiple times, just one swipe and I get a perfect line. The second thing I noticed was how long lasting it was. This eyeliner stays on from when I first apply it in the morning, all the way until I take it off before bedtime. My only complaint is a very common one with eyeliner that is applied to the upper lash line: it smudges above the eye. A few times a day I have to wipe the smudged liner off, but it comes off quickly and easily, so it’s not too terrible. The liner also comes with a built-in smudger, so you can easily have a more relaxed look if you choose. Overall, I really love this product and will definitely be buying it again. I think the next mascara I will try will be Maybelline’s Define-A-Lash Lengthening Mascara. Crossing my fingers for the same great results!
[Rating: 4.5]

In My Mailbox: Week of July 17

In My Mailbox: Week of July 17, 2011

Title: Twang
Author: John Schlimm
Received: From Ann-Marie @ Get Red PR
Synopsis: In TWANG: a novel, former Country Music publicist John Schlimm peels back the industry-crafted cliché of Nashville and its beloved superstars. He takes readers backstage of the sold-out concerts, inside the homes and heads of Nashville’s elite, and introduces them to a side of show business that has yet to be revealed. Readers are whisked away on a wild ride to a provocative and quirky place with fictional characters, who seem strikingly familiar, and who will leave the readers shocked, titillated, laughing, and realizing that the real world of Country Music is far more compelling and scandal-ridden than they could ever have imagined.

Title: One Flight Up
Author: Susan Fales-Hill
Received: From Cristina @ Simon and Schuster
Synopsis: What happens after happily-ever-after fades? Can the answer be found one flight up?
India, Abby, Esme, and Monique have all been friends since their days at Manhattan’s Sibley School for Girls. From the outside, these four women—all grown up now—seem to be living ideal lives, yet each finds herself suddenly craving more.
India Chumley is a whip-smart divorce lawyer who routinely declines the marriage proposals of her charming French boyfriend, Julien. She’s taking the first plunge by moving in with him, but she’s keeping her own apartment—and keeping it a secret from him.
Abby Rosenfeld Adams is an irrepressibly upbeat gallery owner who married her WASP college sweet heart, a passionate but tormented sculptor. When she suspects he is cheating on her, she realizes that perhaps there’s more to life than reassuring her husband of his artistic brilliance.
Esme Sarmiento Talbot is a Colombian Scarlett O’Hara, bored with her proper Connecticut life and her tame, all-American husband. In order to satisfy her sensuality, she escapes to Manhattan and distracts herself with casual encounters.
A card-carrying member of Harlem’s thriving buppie-ocracy and a successful gynecologist, Monique Dawkins-Dubois is married to a powerful but dull financier who barely notices her anymore. When an attractive coworker beckons, Monique can’t help but be flattered.
The most straitlaced of them all, India is dismayed by her friends’ illicit activities. That is, until her ex-fiancé, the love of her life and the destroyer of her heart, reappears in New York— and she finds herself caught between the dependable man she thought was her future and the man she never quite let go of.
Dazzling and sexy, One Flight Up is an irresistible comedic romp through the boardrooms, bedrooms, and ballrooms of Manhattan and Paris.

Title: The Whole Package
Author: Cynthia Ellingsen
Received: From Erin @ Penguin Group
Synopsis: It’s a man’s world-but in this outrageous debut, the girls aren’t playing by the rules.

For lifelong friends Jackie, Cheryl, and Doris, life hasn’t turned out according to plan. But after a drunken night sampling the delights at a strip club for women, the ladies stumble upon an ingenious idea and open up The Whole Package-the world’s first restaurant staffed exclusively by very attractive men. Mixing business with pleasure can be risky, but for these three best friends, getting a little bit outrageous just might be what it takes to make their mark in the world.

GIVEAWAY: Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier by Lisa Dale

Fifteen years ago, Garret Sorensen’s family, trust, and heart were destroyed when Thea Celik betrayed him and married his brother. Now they are divorcing. Garret’s ready to finally mend his relationship with his brother. But being back in Newport, Rhode Island, triggers a lot of memories-all leading back to Thea.

Thea’s not ready to let go of the Sorensens-even if it means being around Garret. As they cautiously circle around each other-finding themselves drawn together-they realize following their hearts could cast them adrift.
I have one paperback copy of Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier by Lisa Dale for giveaway. To enter, please leave a comment below with why you would like to win. US/Canada residents only. The winner will be chosen on Friday, July 22nd. Thank you to Erin at Penguin Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony Split

Anyone else surprised by this news? After seven years of what seemed to be a happy marriage, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have decided to end their marriage. People.com broke the news, which included a joint statement from the musical couple, “We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time for all involved, and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time.” Lopez, 41, and Anthony, 42, were married in 2004 in Beverly Hills. They have two children together- 3-year-old twins Max and Emme.

Author Profile: Jennifer Coburn

Author Name: Jennifer Coburn

Website: http://www.jennifercoburn.com/

Bio: Jennifer Coburn is an award-winning journalist who has written for magazines and newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
She is a native New Yorker and a graduate of the University of Michigan.
She currently lives in San Diego with her husband, William, and their daughter, Katie.
Recent Titles: The Wife of Reilly, Tales From the Crib, Reinventing Mona, The Queen Gene
See my reviews of Tales From the Crib, Reinventing Mona
Bio Retrieved from jennifercoburn.com

On Trend: The Blues

I just wrote an article recently on a hot spring/summer trend being lace and sheer. There is one more color that we can add to our shopping bags- blue! In particular, darks blues or sapphire. Can anyone take a guess why this color is so popular? The Royal Wedding and Duchess Catherine of course! Kate Middleton’s sparkling engagement ring, the eighteen carat oval sapphire surrounded by fourteen diamonds, which of course belonged to Prince Williams’s late mother, Princess Diana, is the envy of many young women around the world. The day Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement, Kate complimented her new piece of jewelry with a blue wrap Issa dress, a style that is said to compliment almost any figure. The day following her wedding, where she wore two custom design gowns, Kate rocked a $90 Zara cornflower-blue shift dress. Since her engagement and dazzling fashion choices, sapphire blue is becoming one of the hottest colors to be seen in for the Spring and Summer of 2011. I think I also need to pick up a similar wrap dress to add to my wardrobe! What do you think about this color being on trend? Do you love seeing what Kate Middleton is going to where next, or are you over the Royal Hoopla?

Beckham’s Welcome Baby Girl

The Beckham’s finally have another girl in the house! UsMagazine.com reported that Victoria and David Beckham welcomed their baby girl, Harper Seven, at 7:55 a.m. Sunday morning at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. This is the first daughter for the couple, who have been married for twelve years and have sons Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, 8, and Cruz, 6. Baby Harper weighed 7 lbs. 5 oz., and a rep for the family released this statement: “David and Victoria Beckham are delighted. Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz are excited to welcome their new baby sister to the family.” Wondering about the name choice? The middle name, Seven, is in reference to David’s old soccer jersey number when he played for Manchester United. Do you like the name?