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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Crime & Passion by Chantel Rhondeau
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Crime & Passion by Chantel Rhondeau

Chantel Rhondeau is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Crime & Passion
Summary:
A decorated police officer, more intent on justice than following the letter of the law, lands in trouble when a schoolteacher finds a dead body on the beach.

Officer Donovan Andrews knows how to have a good time—ask any woman in town. But when it comes to men abusing their wives or children, Donovan takes it upon himself to make them regret it.

Madeline Scott is unlucky in love. All she wants is a quiet place to heal, away from cheating, womanizing men. However, her life is far from peaceful once she stumbles across the body and witnesses someone fleeing the scene.

Terror spreads in Pleasant View when the small community hears a killer is on the loose. All evidence points to Donovan, and he realizes someone is trying to frame him. When troubling suspicions from his past surface, even fellow officers believe he’s guilty. Madeline might be the only person who can clear his name, but first he has to win her trust.

The body count rises and no one is safe. The murderer makes it clear Madeline is next. Soon, Donovan’s whole world is focused on protecting her and keeping himself out of prison. The more time he spends with her, the harder it is to fight his growing attraction. Since she’s been burned by love, convincing Madeline he’s interested in something more than hot sex may prove harder than keeping her alive.

Review:
I don’t read a whole lot of romance books, but romantic suspense novels are ones that usually catch my eye. I enjoy a bit of mystery in my reading, and that is definitely the element that kept me invested in this story. We start out right away with Madeline discovering a body, and it wasn’t until the end that I really felt confident in figuring out who the murderer was. There is a great plot twist that really kept me on my toes and kept my mind open to all the suspects. The love story is good too, not quite as much my thing and sometimes I got a bit impatient with all the false starts, but overall an intriguing read and one that I enjoyed.
4 stars

June 17, 2013
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Channing and Jenna Dewan-Tatum Share First Baby Photo!
Chick Lit Plus

Channing and Jenna Dewan-Tatum Share First Baby Photo!

I won’t lie – I’ve been waiting for this shot! Channing Tatum and wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum shared a photo today of their new baby girl, Everly, on their Facebook accounts. The shot was posted on Sunday, also Father’s Day, which is a first for the family. Dewan, 32, and Tatum, 33, welcomed their first child on May 31. Cute photo and an adorable name to match!

June 16, 2013
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Future Tour: Masterpiece of Murder by Evelyn Cullet
CLP Blog Tours

Future Tour: Masterpiece of Murder by Evelyn Cullet

Evelyn will be on tour August 12-19 with her romantic suspense novel Masterpiece of Murder Heartbroken art student Charlotte Ross, intent on locating her errant…

June 16, 2013
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Blog Tour Sign Up: Killer Image by Wendy Tyson
CLP Blog Tours

Blog Tour Sign Up: Killer Image by Wendy Tyson

Wendy will be on tour in October with her mystery novel Killer Image. I am looking for book bloggers to post reviews, guest posts, interviews,…

June 16, 2013
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In My Mailbox: Week of June 16
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of June 16

Title: Thirty-Two Going on Spinster

Author: Becky Monson

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: Julia Dorning is a spinster, or at least on the road to becoming one. She has no social life, hates her job, and lives in her parent’s basement with her cat, Charlie.

With the arrival of Jared Moody, the new hire at work, Julia’s mundane life is suddenly turned upside down. Her instant (and totally ridiculous) crush on the new guy causes Julia to finally make some long-overdue changes, in hopes to find a life that includes more than baking and hanging out with Charlie.

But when the biggest and most unexpected change comes, will the new and improved Julia be able to overcome it? Or will she go back to her spinster ways?

Title: Lake Como

Author: Anita Hughes

Received: From Anita Hughes

Synopsis: Hallie Elliot has a perfect life. She is an up-and-coming interior designer in one of San Francisco’s most sought after firms, and has just recently become engaged to Peter, a brilliant young journalist. But when she stumbles upon Peter and her boss in what seems to be a compromising position, her trust in her perfect life is shaken.

So Hallie escapes to Lake Como, Italy to spend time with her half-sister, Portia Tesoro, an Italian blueblood dealing with the scandal of a public estrangement from her cheating husband. While staying in the Tesoro villa, Hallie falls in love with the splendor and beauty of Lake Como, and finds work designing the lakeside estate of a reclusive American tech mogul. The caretaker of this beautiful estate is a handsome man named Angus, and Hallie finds herself drawn to his charm and kindness, despite hints of a dark secret in his past.

But just as Hallie is beginning to find her footing on Italian soil, she uncovers a family secret that upends all the truths she’s believed about herself, and calls into question the new life she’s built in Lake Como.

Sisterhood, family, career, and sumptuous descriptions of Italian life fill the pages of this newest offering by Anita Hughes. Lake Como is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story of love, self-discovery, and the quest for truth.

Title: Being Me

Author: Lisa Renee Jones

Received: BrookTrib

Synopsis: Fascinated by the dark fantasies in the journals she’s discovered, and the two men who have now found a place in her life, Sara McMillan finds herself torn between her new life and her past. Now, more than ever, Sara identifies with the lost journal writer, Rebecca, and is certain that something sinister has happened.

In the arms of the sexy, tormented artist Chris Merit, Sara seeks answers about Rebecca and ends up discovering things about herself she never knew existed. Chris forces Sara to reconsider who she is and what she truly wants from life, but not before his dark desires threaten to tear them apart. Her boss, Mark Compton, offers her the shelter to understand just what those needs mean to her, and what they might have meant to Rebecca, but can she trust him to lead her to a final conclusion to Rebecca’s story?

Title: Undeclared

Author: Jen Frederick

Received: From Jen Frederick

Synopsis: For four years, Grace Sullivan wrote to a Marine she never met, and fell in love. But when his deployment ended, so did the letters. Ever since that day, Grace has been coasting, academically and emotionally. The one thing she’s decided? No way is Noah Jackson — or any man — ever going to break her heart again.

Noah has always known exactly what he wants out of life. Success. Stability. Control. That’s why he joined the Marines and that’s why he’s fighting his way — literally — through college. Now that he’s got the rest of his life on track, he has one last conquest: Grace Sullivan. But since he was the one who stopped writing, he knows that winning her back will be his biggest battle yet.

June 16, 2013
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Book Review: Walking with Elephants by Karen S. Bell
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Walking with Elephants by Karen S. Bell

I received a copy of Walking With Elephants by Karen S. Bell in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Suze Hall is at a crossroads. Her nemesis at work, Wanda, has been promoted and now will be her boss. Her husband, Bob, is leaving her and the three kids for a six-month sabbatical down under. To top it off, her best friend, Marcia, is missing in action—playing footsie with some new boyfriend!

Adding to this disaster stew, David, the gorgeous hunk who broke her young-girl’s heart has coincidentally popped back into her life and has something she desperately needs to keep her job.

Walking with Elephants, a lighthearted slice-of- life story, brings to the table the serious work/family issues facing women today. It explores the modern dichotomy of a workplace that is filled with homemakers who still must cook, clean, carpool on nights and weekends, shop for prom dresses, and “create” the holidays—such as Suze. But it also is filled with women who have the same drive as men, have no family responsibilities, and will do what ever it takes to get ahead.

So step into the shoes of Suze Hall and commiserate over workplace politics, titillate your sexual fantasies, ride the wave of a working mother, and fall-down laughing.

My Thoughts:

I really, really enjoyed this book and found the story very relatable and thought it was literally just like something that would happen to one of my girlfriends. Suze is a really great literary character that I was instantly drawn to and I really enjoyed watching her tackle every day tasks. Karen speaks from the heart and it is easy to see why so many people enjoy this book and why it is so highly rated on Amazon. If you are looking for a quick, light and enjoyable read, then this one is for you.
Rating: 4 stars

June 14, 2013
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Book Review: The Time Between by Karen White
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Time Between by Karen White

I received a copy of The Time Between by Karen White in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Eleanor Murray will always remember her childhood on Edisto Island, where her late father, a local shrimper, shared her passion for music. Now her memories of him are all that tempers the guilt she feels over the accident that put her sister in a wheelchair—and the feelings she harbors for her sister’s husband.

To help support her sister, Eleanor works at a Charleston investment firm during the day, but she escapes into her music, playing piano at a neighborhood bar. Until the night her enigmatic boss walks in and offers her a part-time job caring for his elderly aunt, Helena, back on Edisto. For Eleanor, it’s a chance to revisit the place where she was her happiest—and to share her love of music with grieving Helena, whose sister recently died under mysterious circumstances.

An island lush with sweetgrass and salt marshes, Edisto has been a peaceful refuge for Helena, who escaped with her sister from war-torn Hungary in 1944. The sisters were well-known on the island, where they volunteered in their church and community. But now Eleanor will finally learn the truth about their past: secrets that will help heal her relationship with her own sister—and set Eleanor free….
Review:
I highly enjoy and often recommend White’s titles because they bring that element I gush about so much – entwining the past and present. This book does exactly that, and also will give readers a history lesson; never a bad thing! The relationship between both set of sisters in this book is intriguing to read about. Since both sisters are alive and we can get both POV’s I was drawn more to Eleanor and Eve’s situation. It’s difficult to imagine the guilt that both sisters carried and for how many years they clung to it. Something that kept sticking out to me though while reading was a niggling feeling that I had already read this story, or else one extremely parallel to it. I’m not sure if I’m thinking of a past White title that involves sisters or a different author, but I kept finding it challenging to submerse myself into the book because of that. Still a solid read though, and I would continue to recommend her books!
4 stars

June 14, 2013
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On Tour: Tainted Love by Erin Cawood
CLP Blog Tours

On Tour: Tainted Love by Erin Cawood

Erin will be on tour June 17-28 with her novel Tainted Love Is it possible for a heart to survive twenty five years of abuse…

June 13, 2013
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Book Review: Tattered Innocence by Ann Lee Miller
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Tattered Innocence by Ann Lee Miller

I received a copy of Tattered Innocence by Ann Lee Miller in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

A tale of passions indulged, denied, and ultimately forgiven:

On the verge of bagging the two things he wants most—a sailing charter business and marrying old money—Jake Murray’s fiancée/sole crew member dumps him. Salvation comes in the form of dyslexic, basketball toting Rachel Martin, the only one to apply for the first mate position he slapped on craigslist.

On a dead run from an affair with a married man, Rachel’s salvation is shoving ocean between her and temptation.

Rapid fire dialogue and romantic tension sail Jake’s biker-chick of a boat through hurricanes, real and figurative. A cast of wannabe sailors, Rachel’s ex, Jake’s, a baby—go along for the ride.

The many-layered story weaves together disparate strands into a seamless cord. Mother and daughter look eerily alike—down to their lusts. Their symbiotic bond, forged in the blood of childbirth on the kitchen floor and cemented by their secrets, must be cracked open. A son must go home. Sin must be expunged.

Tattered Innocence is for anyone who’s ever woken up sealed in a fifty-gallon drum of their guilt.

My Thoughts:

Over the past year, I have become a big fan of Miller and her writing, and this book is no exception. In short, this book is about forgiveness and I absolutely loved the way the story conveyed such a powerful message to the reader. Jake is a torn character and I really enjoyed watching him grow and come to. This story is layered and complex and definitely isn’t as simple as you might imagine while reading the synopsis. I thoroughly enjoyed it and really appreciated the value of forgiveness that it conveys, especially because it is not only an aspect applied to others but to ourselves as well. Overall, very well done! I can’t wait to see what Ann Lee Miller comes out with next!
Rating: 4 stars

June 13, 2013
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