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Book Review: Bad At Being Bad by Mark Barber

I received a copy of Bad At Being Bad by Mark Barber in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:

Thirty-something and living with his parents – rent-free, jobless, and on the dole – life is stress-free and easy. However, watching the world go by has not made Steve any less opinionated, especially on important and pressing issues such as social networking sites and daytime TV.

But fate is about to deal another hand. Motivated by the fear of losing his benefits and precious beer money, and enticed by an exotic-sounding location, Steve takes a job that is not quite what it seems . . .

Thrust into a surreal world where international organised crime is regulated by red-tape bureaucracy and health and safety gone mad, Steve finds himself employed by a megalomaniac boss who is hell bent on that old cliché of world domination.

Can Steve find an inner emotional maturity and self identity? Does anyone who doesn’t read GQ magazine even know what that means?

Guns, girls (well, a girl!) and paperwork – Is it possible to be bad at being bad? Steve is about to find out.
Review:

It is authors like Mark that make me a fan of reading the “Lad Lit” genre. This book begins with Steve who really isn’t living and who spends most of his time sitting around on the couch and doing nothing. Then, out of nowhere, he ends up in unfamiliar territory and from there on, that is where the good times start. I found Steve to be odd yet very comical and I loved Mark’s witty writing and his fun play on words. I found the title to be very punny once I realized what the book was actually about. Overall though, this book is a good time and I really enjoyed it. If you are looking for a quick read with a male narrator, then this book is for you.
Rating: 4/5

Book Review: The Power Trip by Jackie Collins

I received a copy of The Power Trip by Jackie Collins in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
A luxurious yacht in the Sea of Cortez, a birthday cruise for one of the world’s most beautiful women and an invitation no one can refuse. The Power Trip—take it if you dare.
From Hollywood icon and mega-seller Jackie Collins comes a thrilling new novel, The Power Trip, set on a state of the art luxury yacht off the coast of Cabo San Lucas. A tropical getaway with a cast of global power-hungry elites turns sour when they find out maybe they don’t control as much of the world as they thought . . .

In The Power Trip you will meet Aleksandr Kasianenko, a billionaire Russian oligarch, as he sets sail on The Bianca. You’ll meet his sexy supermodel girlfriend, whom The Bianca is named after, and five dynamic, powerful, and famous couples invited on the yacht’s maiden voyage: Hammond Patterson, a driven Senator, and his lovely but unhappy wife, Sierra; Cliff Baxter, a charming, never-married movie star, and his ex-waitress girlfriend, Lori; Taye Sherwin, a famous black UK footballer and his interior designer wife, Ashley; Luca Perez, a male Latin singing sensation with his older decadent English boyfriend, Jeromy; and Flynn, a maverick journalist with his Asian renegade female friend, Xuan.

You will also meet Russian mobster, Sergei Zukov, a man with a grudge against Aleksandr. And Sergei’s Mexican beauty queen girlfriend, Ina, whose brother, Cruz, is a master pirate with orders to hold The Bianca and its illustrious rota of guests for ransom.

The Power Trip explorers the decadent playgrounds of the super-rich . . . and leaves you hungry for more.
Review:
Oh, Jackie Collins is a naughty lady. I just can’t get enough of her books! While I was initially bummed out that I wasn’t going to be visiting Lucky in The Power Trip, I soon got over that qualm. What a juicy tale! There are so many characters and we get a POV from each of them, but in signature Collins style it’s effortless to keep them apart. You never know what one of them is thinking or what the next action is going to be. This is a seriously big book, but it took me less than two days to read. It’s impossible to put down, and the writing is so smooth yet captivating that you can’t help but devour it quickly.
5 stars

On Tour: Someone Else’s Fairytale by E.M. Tippetts

E.M. will be on tour March 18-April 8 with her novel Someone Else’s Fairytale Jason Vanderholt, Hollywood’s hottest actor, falls head over heels for everygirl,…

Book Review: The Wicked Wives by Gus Pelagatti

I received a copy of The Wicked Wives by Gus Pelagatti in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:

When I was an eight year old boy I overheard adults in my South Philadelphia neighborhood discussing 17 disenchanted and unfaithful neighborhood wives who murdered their husbands for insurance money, love and lust. This was a fascinating topic for an eight year old boy eavesdropping on adult conversation. The adults were discussing the true story of Philadelphia’s infamous 1938 murder scandals. My fascination led to obsession. I knew that I had to write about these wicked wives someday.

After I became a trial lawyer in 1964, I researched the poison murder cases in the law library and obtained newspaper accounts of the scandals dating back to October, 1938. Thereafter I conducted interviews with judges, lawyers, police, witnesses, sheriff deputies and neighbors who knew the defendants.

One of the chief conspirators was a tailor who seduced, then persuaded at least twelve wives to poison their husbands for insurance. The setting for his seductions was the couch in the rear of his tailor shop, located two blocks from our family home.

A fascinating conspiracy unfolded in these murder cases. The poison gang’s colorful and hilarious characters helped to deep-six a minimum of 20 husbands. The supporting cast includes Giorgio, “The Don Juan of Passyunk Avenue. ” Aside from scheming Lillian, “the society wife”, the wives include Rose, the “Kiss of Death Widow, ” Eva “the nymphomaniac” and the “hopelessly in love, ” Joanna.

After many comical episodes, intriguing detective work and two suspense filled high profile trials, 12 wives plead or are found guilty of murdering their husbands. Two male conspirators were executed in the electric chair.

“The Wicked Wives” gleefully explores the sins of lust and greed, and the disappointments that love often brings. The characters, although they commit murder and adultery, are extremely likable, and often amusing. Writing “The Wicked Wives” was a true labor of love.
Review:

The one word that pops into my mind when describing this book is wicked. The Wicked Wives is an appropriate title for a riveting book that definitely keeps you on your toes. I had such a hard time putting this book down and I often times had the story lingering in my mind when I wasn’t reading. This book has everything: lies, deceit, sex, murder … and the list goes on. Gus does a fabulous job at crafting crazy circumstances and even crazier characters. Overall, this book is a really good read and is visually appealing too – I often times thought to myself, “this book would be great as a movie.” If you are looking for an all around great book full of thrills and chills, then this one is for you.
Rating: 4/5

Book Review: A Place For Us by Liza Gyllenhaal

I received a copy of A Place For Us by Liza Gyllenhaal in exchange for an honest review. This is a captivating and beautifully written novel that will draw readers in from the beginning. We meet Brook Bostock and her family – husband Michael, son Liam and daughter Tilly. Brook comes from a prominent family and is extremely wealthy, but never likes to flaunt that fact. She wants to be accepted into the community as a normal family, but her happy existence is shattered when a teenage girl is assaulted in their home. Lawsuits are brought up, the town is giving the cold shoulder to the Bostock’s, and Brooke is wondering how to keep her family – and her marriage- together.
I enjoyed this book because of how complex this situations are, yet how effortless it was to follow along and be drawn into the story. It is teenagers we are dealing with, and while sometimes I just wanted to scream for the truth to come out, I could understand with all the emotions they were feeling. I actually felt sick to my stomach when it came to one father in this book; his actions were downright horrendous. There are a lot of questions that arise, including moral questions that I asked myself along the way. This was a book that I wanted to tell people about, to get their opinion on what they would do and how they would handle a situation, and that is what makes this book a true favorite of mine.
5 stars

Future Tour: To Catch a Bad Guy by Marie Astor

Marie will be on tour May 27-June 10 with her novel To Catch a Bad Guy Janet Maple’s stellar career ended with a layoff and…

Book Review: Out of Sight Out of Mind by Evonne …

out of sightI received a copy of OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND by Evonne Wareham in exchange for an honest review.

On the way home one night, Madison Albi stumbles upon a homeless man with whom she feels an instant connection. She tries hard but she can’t resist the impulse to help him, only she has a secret. Turns out that Madison can feel things with her mind and that makes things a little complicated when she gets to know J, a man who can’t even remember his own name. He has no future and literally no past, so can she help him restore hope and bring back his past? With a little hope, she agrees to help him recover his memory but as she digs a little deeper, she uncovers some dark secrets and she begins to wonder what she has gotten herself into – turns out somethings are better left in the dark.

I was taken aback by this book and could not get over the amount of secrets and suspense that are brought about in the novel. The book is fast paced and Evonne has such a wonderful skill at creating such amazing characters with special skills that it was very, very enjoyable. Like Madison, I too felt an instant connection to J and was glad when she decided to take him on, only I was quite surprised to find out some of his dark and dirty secrets. But, turns out that Madison has some as well. In an attempt to try to keep things hush hush, I am going to leave my review at that because I would hate to spoil the book for everyone else … but it is definitely a great read.
Rating: 4/5

Book Review: The Girls’ Guide to Love and Supper Clubs …

I received a copy of The Girls’ Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate in exchange for an honest review. What a terrific read! From page one I was hooked into Hannah Sugarman’s life. She works in a think tank in Washington, D.C., lives in a gorgeous apartment with her handsome boyfriend, and can be just as successful as her academic parents. Problems: she hates her job, her boyfriend won’t accept her as who she is, and she doesn’t want to be a professor like her parents – she wants to cook. Hannah has a dream of running an underground supper club, just another item her and her boyfriend disagree about. But when the inevitable breakup happens, Hannah decides to do what she wants for once – try to have a cooking career.
This book had me laughing, cringing, and cheering for Hannah all the way throughout. When she starts using her new landlord’s apartment as the location for her supper club I just wanted to wave my hands in the air and yell, “Danger!” But of course, the book wouldn’t have been as much fun if that didn’t happen. Hannah is down-to-earth, a loveable main character, and someone who I wanted to find happiness. I really enjoyed the romance in this book, and it actually might have been my favorite part. Right away, I thought I knew who Hannah would end up with. Then my mind changed. And then changed again. And then again. I love that! I’m also a big fan of foodie books, so with all the menu-planning, grocery-buying, and underground supper clubbing that was happening, I sure was happy. A 5 star book!
5 stars

Fab-U-Wish Launch

I saw something today that made me so excited I just had get on here and help spread the news! I was eating my dinner and watching E! News when I saw Giuliana Rancic introduce her latest venture, Fab-U-Wish, and my fork literally dropped and I ran to my laptop. Giuliana discovered she had breast cancer in her quest to get pregnant, with a pre-IVF mammogram showing she had early stages of cancer. Her journey was documented for her reality show with her husband Bill Rancic, Giuliana and Bill, and Giuliana was very vocal with her story, sharing each step of the way with the public. Now, healthy and also a mom to Baby Duke, Giuliana has teamed up with Lindsay Avner, who runs the fabulous company Bright Pink, to form Fab-U-Wish. Women under forty-five and who are undergoing treatment for breast and ovarian cancer can submit a wish to Fab-U-Wish and possibly have that granted! And Giuliana wants you to go all out with your wishes – a walk down the red carpet, designer shoes, lunch with celebrity – can you imagine? I just love this idea, and hope you will nominate someone you know – or maybe even you! All you have to do is submit a 150-word essay about why you want some fabulous in your life, and maybe you will get picked. Please head over to Fab-U-Wish for all the details, how you can help, and how to submit your essay. As someone whose life has been touched too much with cancer, I get so excited when I see things like this. Oddly enough, I have my “Fight Like a Girl” breast cancer T-shirt on today – how bizarre is that? Now go – make your wish!

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