Guest Post by Debbie Dyke
First of all, thank you for the opportunity to share my writing background with you and your interest in The Bloody Mary Club! I appreciate…
Blog Tour Sign Up: In Search of a Love Story …
Emily Donovan doesn’t have a romantic bone in her body.
At least, that’s what her friends Ryan and Ashley keep telling her. They’re convinced her bad luck with men is directly related to her life-long lack of interest in all things romantic. When Emily’s latest relationship crashes and burns, she decides to go along with her friends’ plans for a romance research project. Sure, the idea that she’ll have better luck if she learns about the great romances of literature and film seems a little silly, but Emily figures it can’t hurt.
In no time at all, Emily finds herself buried under a mountain of romance novels, chick flicks, and sappy love songs, hopeful that her hard work will pay off with true love. When she meets Greg, Ashley and Ryan are convinced she’s found prince charming—after all, he’s rich, handsome, and totally into Emily. What more could she want? And why does it seem that her friend Elliot isn’t exactly happy for her?
Faced with misunderstandings, miscommunications, and a seemingly endless string of missteps, she is nevertheless determined to give true love a try. In doing so, Emily will eventually find that true romance, the kind that lasts, has little to do with stereotypes or clichés, and everything to do with finding out what’s in her own heart.
Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee
I received a copy of Diary of a Mad Fat Girl in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Graciela “Ace” Jones is mad-mad at her best friend Lilly who cancels their annual trip to Panama City for mysterious reasons; at her boss Catherine for “riding her ass like a fat lady on a Rascal scooter;” at her friend Chloe’s abusive husband; and especially at Mason McKenzie, the love of her life, who has shown up with a marriage proposal one year too late. Ace is never mad, though, at her near-constant companion, an adorable chiweenie dog named Buster Loo.
Ace’s anger begins to dissipate as she takes matters into her own hands to take down Chloe’s philandering husband-and to get to the bottom of a multitude of other scandals plaguing Bugtussle, Mississippi. Then, she starts to realize that maybe Mason deserves a second chance after all.
With a sharp and distinctive voice, Stephanie McAfee delivers a hilarious and fast-paced tale about Ace Jones and her two best friends-thick as thieves and tough as nails-navigating Southern small-town politics and prejudices, finding love, and standing up for each other all the way.
My Review:
What a hoot! The concept reeled me in, the execution was flawless, and I loved all the Southern talk. I swear, I think in a past life I was a southern belle, because I am just addicted to these types of books! Ace was a hysterical main character, and I enjoyed every minute of going on an adventure with her. I loved Bugtussle, Mississippi and the characters that filled the town. And Buster Loo? I am seriously trying to persuade my fiancé to let me name our future pup after this chiweenie. (Would probably work better if we didn’t live in Iowa.) This is a must-read, and I am just as ecstatic to currently be reading the sequel, Happily Ever Madder!
[Rating: 5]
Challenge 2012:Post Reviews:November
November Reviews
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Prize for October: One (1) winner will receive a print copy of Home for Christmas by Cally Taylor and one (1) winner will receive a print copy of The Queen Gene by Jennifer Coburn. This will be open to US/Canada residents only. In order to qualify, you must post the link to your review in the Mister Linky below. This can be to your blog, GoodReads page, or other sources such as Amazon.
My Challenge: Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred
I have decided that the month of November will be the month where I finally partake in Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred Challenge. I bought the DVD well over six months ago, and while I’ve done the workout a handful of times, I had yet to challenge myself to complete the DVD once a day every day for thirty days. I started on Thursday, November 1, and I am excited to see how I do. The DVD has three levels on it, each one with a thirty minute workout. I’m starting with level one, of course, and hope to move to level two after 10 days and then level 3 after another ten days. Each workout has three circuits to it and each circuit has the same layout–– 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. How am I doing so far? Day 1 I felt great – strong and fit and ready to do this. I woke up on Day 2 with my arms screaming at me. I rarely do a lot of upper body workouts because I have skinny arms that tone very easily, so my workouts mostly focus on lower body and cardio. Because of this, my arms were not used to the workout I gave it – pushups and chest flies being the two that really got me. Day 3 my arms hurt so bad I couldn’t lift them long enough to put mascara on.
I’ll be blogging hopefully every week about my 30 Day Challenge. I took my weight and measurements the morning of Day 1 and plan on retaking them each Monday, and hopefully I will notice a difference at the end!
In My Mailbox: Week of November 4
In Samantha’s Mailbox:
Title: Battle-Born Love
Author: Lynda Bailey
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: LOVE BORN FROM BATTLE. . .
Spirited repo owner Rory Dawson agrees to be what she isn’t–the girlfriend of a handsome banker–in order to save her father from a prison sentence. Now Pop is safe, but is her heart?
Kane Williams has made a deal with a most provocative devil in hopes of securing a coveted promotion. All his life Kane has endeavored to be the best, to erase the failure of his father. Will years of work be forfeited for a woman, albeit the sexiest one he’s ever known?
From opposite sides of the tracks, Rory and Kane forge an unlikely friendship. Soon, that friendship becomes a steamy relationship. Through trial and pain, they battle to have the love of a lifetime.
Title: Becoming Mrs. Walsh
Author: Jessica Gordon
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Shoshana Thompson is 26 years old, miles from home, and engaged to be married into one of Washington D.C.’s wealthiest families. Andrew Walsh, her fiancé, is Shoshana’s vision of the perfect man. Throughout their engagement, she becomes enamored with his privileged lifestyle.
Rumor has it: when you marry a Walsh, you’re set for life. Her socialite sisters-in-law show her how to live in a Walsh-style world, but just as she is starting to get acclimated, this world introduces her to someone who may shake up her perfect wedding plans.
While Shoshana navigates the tricky world of in-laws and societal wedding planning, she desperately tries to ignore her growing feelings for another man. She knows that exploring this love will threaten her existence as a Walsh. But, when she discovers the feelings may not be one-sided, she knows things are about to get a lot more complicated, especially because this man is absolutely off-limits.
As Shoshana learns, the view from the top is not always the clearest.
Becoming Mrs. Walsh is a story of relationships and the richly layered complexity of family, in-laws, and love.
Title: You Tell Your Dog First
Author: Alison Pace
Received: From Penguin Group
Synopsis: You Tell Your Dog First…
About the date you just had…about the questionable results of a medical test…about the good and the bad…about everything.
For years, award-winning author Alison Pace was a dog person without a dog. And then, she got Carlie—a feisty and fluffy West Highland white terrier. She could weed out bad boyfriends with a sniff of her button-black nose and win the hearts of lifelong friends with an adoring gaze. Suddenly, Alison had a constant companion and confidante, who went with her on long morning rambles in Central Park, on trips to the country and the beach, and on her search for inner peace, love, and happiness. Through Carlie, Alison found herself connected to the world as never before.
With her trademark warmth, wit and humor, Alison shares her stories…the tales of a dog person who found her dog.
In Samantha’s Mailbox:
Title: Battle-Born Love
Author: Lynda Bailey
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: LOVE BORN FROM BATTLE. . .
Spirited repo owner Rory Dawson agrees to be what she isn’t–the girlfriend of a handsome banker–in order to save her father from a prison sentence. Now Pop is safe, but is her heart?
Kane Williams has made a deal with a most provocative devil in hopes of securing a coveted promotion. All his life Kane has endeavored to be the best, to erase the failure of his father. Will years of work be forfeited for a woman, albeit the sexiest one he’s ever known?
From opposite sides of the tracks, Rory and Kane forge an unlikely friendship. Soon, that friendship becomes a steamy relationship. Through trial and pain, they battle to have the love of a lifetime.
Title: Becoming Mrs. Walsh
Author: Jessica Gordon
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Shoshana Thompson is 26 years old, miles from home, and engaged to be married into one of Washington D.C.’s wealthiest families. Andrew Walsh, her fiancé, is Shoshana’s vision of the perfect man. Throughout their engagement, she becomes enamored with his privileged lifestyle.
Rumor has it: when you marry a Walsh, you’re set for life. Her socialite sisters-in-law show her how to live in a Walsh-style world, but just as she is starting to get acclimated, this world introduces her to someone who may shake up her perfect wedding plans.
While Shoshana navigates the tricky world of in-laws and societal wedding planning, she desperately tries to ignore her growing feelings for another man. She knows that exploring this love will threaten her existence as a Walsh. But, when she discovers the feelings may not be one-sided, she knows things are about to get a lot more complicated, especially because this man is absolutely off-limits.
As Shoshana learns, the view from the top is not always the clearest.
Becoming Mrs. Walsh is a story of relationships and the richly layered complexity of family, in-laws, and love.
Title: You Tell Your Dog First
Author: Alison Pace
Received: From Penguin Group
Synopsis: You Tell Your Dog First…
About the date you just had…about the questionable results of a medical test…about the good and the bad…about everything.
For years, award-winning author Alison Pace was a dog person without a dog. And then, she got Carlie—a feisty and fluffy West Highland white terrier. She could weed out bad boyfriends with a sniff of her button-black nose and win the hearts of lifelong friends with an adoring gaze. Suddenly, Alison had a constant companion and confidante, who went with her on long morning rambles in Central Park, on trips to the country and the beach, and on her search for inner peace, love, and happiness. Through Carlie, Alison found herself connected to the world as never before.
With her trademark warmth, wit and humor, Alison shares her stories…the tales of a dog person who found her dog.
In Sara’s Mailbox:
Title: Pursuing the Times
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Received: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Synopsis: All that popular Chick-Lit author Mercury Lauren wants is to have one of her books reviewed by the New York Times Book Review – just one – and she’ll do almost anything to get it. In this contemporary romantic comedy, with a nod toward Pride and Prejudice she crosses swords and hearts with the Editor-in-Chief of the NYTBR in a madcap adventure that takes her from her home in Westport to a yoga retreat to a golf course in Florida. Will she get what she wants and will she finally be happy if she does? Only one thing’s for certain: nothing will stop her from Pursuing the Times.
Title: Kismetology
Author: Jaimie Admans
Received: Jaimie Admans
Synopsis: Finding the perfect man isn’t easy. Especially when it’s for your mother…
Mothers. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them, can’t live three doors down the road without them interfering in every aspect of your life.
Mackenzie Atkinson’s mother has meddled in her love life once too often and something has to be done. Mackenzie decides to turn the tables and find love for her lonely mother. Her lonely and very fussy mother. Surely finding an older gentleman looking for love won’t be that hard, right? Wrong. If you’ve ever thought that boys grow up, here’s the problem: They don’t. Ever. And Mackenzie is about to learn that the hard way.
Faced with a useless boyfriend, dressed up dogs, men who wear welly boots on dates, men who shouldn’t be seen outside in daylight, and men who make reptiles seem like attractive company – will she ever find the perfect man for her neurotic mother?
In Samantha’s Mailbox:
Title: Battle-Born Love
Author: Lynda Bailey
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: LOVE BORN FROM BATTLE. . .
Spirited repo owner Rory Dawson agrees to be what she isn’t–the girlfriend of a handsome banker–in order to save her father from a prison sentence. Now Pop is safe, but is her heart?
Kane Williams has made a deal with a most provocative devil in hopes of securing a coveted promotion. All his life Kane has endeavored to be the best, to erase the failure of his father. Will years of work be forfeited for a woman, albeit the sexiest one he’s ever known?
From opposite sides of the tracks, Rory and Kane forge an unlikely friendship. Soon, that friendship becomes a steamy relationship. Through trial and pain, they battle to have the love of a lifetime.
Title: Becoming Mrs. Walsh
Author: Jessica Gordon
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Shoshana Thompson is 26 years old, miles from home, and engaged to be married into one of Washington D.C.’s wealthiest families. Andrew Walsh, her fiancé, is Shoshana’s vision of the perfect man. Throughout their engagement, she becomes enamored with his privileged lifestyle.
Rumor has it: when you marry a Walsh, you’re set for life. Her socialite sisters-in-law show her how to live in a Walsh-style world, but just as she is starting to get acclimated, this world introduces her to someone who may shake up her perfect wedding plans.
While Shoshana navigates the tricky world of in-laws and societal wedding planning, she desperately tries to ignore her growing feelings for another man. She knows that exploring this love will threaten her existence as a Walsh. But, when she discovers the feelings may not be one-sided, she knows things are about to get a lot more complicated, especially because this man is absolutely off-limits.
As Shoshana learns, the view from the top is not always the clearest.
Becoming Mrs. Walsh is a story of relationships and the richly layered complexity of family, in-laws, and love.
Title: You Tell Your Dog First
Author: Alison Pace
Received: From Penguin Group
Synopsis: You Tell Your Dog First…
About the date you just had…about the questionable results of a medical test…about the good and the bad…about everything.
For years, award-winning author Alison Pace was a dog person without a dog. And then, she got Carlie—a feisty and fluffy West Highland white terrier. She could weed out bad boyfriends with a sniff of her button-black nose and win the hearts of lifelong friends with an adoring gaze. Suddenly, Alison had a constant companion and confidante, who went with her on long morning rambles in Central Park, on trips to the country and the beach, and on her search for inner peace, love, and happiness. Through Carlie, Alison found herself connected to the world as never before.
With her trademark warmth, wit and humor, Alison shares her stories…the tales of a dog person who found her dog.
In Sara’s Mailbox:
Title: Pursuing the Times
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Received: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Synopsis: All that popular Chick-Lit author Mercury Lauren wants is to have one of her books reviewed by the New York Times Book Review – just one – and she’ll do almost anything to get it. In this contemporary romantic comedy, with a nod toward Pride and Prejudice she crosses swords and hearts with the Editor-in-Chief of the NYTBR in a madcap adventure that takes her from her home in Westport to a yoga retreat to a golf course in Florida. Will she get what she wants and will she finally be happy if she does? Only one thing’s for certain: nothing will stop her from Pursuing the Times.
Title: Kismetology
Author: Jaimie Admans
Received: Jaimie Admans
Synopsis: Finding the perfect man isn’t easy. Especially when it’s for your mother…
Mothers. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them, can’t live three doors down the road without them interfering in every aspect of your life.
Mackenzie Atkinson’s mother has meddled in her love life once too often and something has to be done. Mackenzie decides to turn the tables and find love for her lonely mother. Her lonely and very fussy mother. Surely finding an older gentleman looking for love won’t be that hard, right? Wrong. If you’ve ever thought that boys grow up, here’s the problem: They don’t. Ever. And Mackenzie is about to learn that the hard way.
Faced with a useless boyfriend, dressed up dogs, men who wear welly boots on dates, men who shouldn’t be seen outside in daylight, and men who make reptiles seem like attractive company – will she ever find the perfect man for her neurotic mother?
In Samantha’s Mailbox:
Title: Battle-Born Love
Author: Lynda Bailey
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: LOVE BORN FROM BATTLE. . .
Spirited repo owner Rory Dawson agrees to be what she isn’t–the girlfriend of a handsome banker–in order to save her father from a prison sentence. Now Pop is safe, but is her heart?
Kane Williams has made a deal with a most provocative devil in hopes of securing a coveted promotion. All his life Kane has endeavored to be the best, to erase the failure of his father. Will years of work be forfeited for a woman, albeit the sexiest one he’s ever known?
From opposite sides of the tracks, Rory and Kane forge an unlikely friendship. Soon, that friendship becomes a steamy relationship. Through trial and pain, they battle to have the love of a lifetime.
Title: Becoming Mrs. Walsh
Author: Jessica Gordon
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Shoshana Thompson is 26 years old, miles from home, and engaged to be married into one of Washington D.C.’s wealthiest families. Andrew Walsh, her fiancé, is Shoshana’s vision of the perfect man. Throughout their engagement, she becomes enamored with his privileged lifestyle.
Rumor has it: when you marry a Walsh, you’re set for life. Her socialite sisters-in-law show her how to live in a Walsh-style world, but just as she is starting to get acclimated, this world introduces her to someone who may shake up her perfect wedding plans.
While Shoshana navigates the tricky world of in-laws and societal wedding planning, she desperately tries to ignore her growing feelings for another man. She knows that exploring this love will threaten her existence as a Walsh. But, when she discovers the feelings may not be one-sided, she knows things are about to get a lot more complicated, especially because this man is absolutely off-limits.
As Shoshana learns, the view from the top is not always the clearest.
Becoming Mrs. Walsh is a story of relationships and the richly layered complexity of family, in-laws, and love.
Title: You Tell Your Dog First
Author: Alison Pace
Received: From Penguin Group
Synopsis: You Tell Your Dog First…
About the date you just had…about the questionable results of a medical test…about the good and the bad…about everything.
For years, award-winning author Alison Pace was a dog person without a dog. And then, she got Carlie—a feisty and fluffy West Highland white terrier. She could weed out bad boyfriends with a sniff of her button-black nose and win the hearts of lifelong friends with an adoring gaze. Suddenly, Alison had a constant companion and confidante, who went with her on long morning rambles in Central Park, on trips to the country and the beach, and on her search for inner peace, love, and happiness. Through Carlie, Alison found herself connected to the world as never before.
With her trademark warmth, wit and humor, Alison shares her stories…the tales of a dog person who found her dog.
In Sara’s Mailbox:
Title: Pursuing the Times
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Received: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Synopsis: All that popular Chick-Lit author Mercury Lauren wants is to have one of her books reviewed by the New York Times Book Review – just one – and she’ll do almost anything to get it. In this contemporary romantic comedy, with a nod toward Pride and Prejudice she crosses swords and hearts with the Editor-in-Chief of the NYTBR in a madcap adventure that takes her from her home in Westport to a yoga retreat to a golf course in Florida. Will she get what she wants and will she finally be happy if she does? Only one thing’s for certain: nothing will stop her from Pursuing the Times.
Title: Kismetology
Author: Jaimie Admans
Received: Jaimie Admans
Synopsis: Finding the perfect man isn’t easy. Especially when it’s for your mother…
Mothers. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them, can’t live three doors down the road without them interfering in every aspect of your life.
Mackenzie Atkinson’s mother has meddled in her love life once too often and something has to be done. Mackenzie decides to turn the tables and find love for her lonely mother. Her lonely and very fussy mother. Surely finding an older gentleman looking for love won’t be that hard, right? Wrong. If you’ve ever thought that boys grow up, here’s the problem: They don’t. Ever. And Mackenzie is about to learn that the hard way.
Faced with a useless boyfriend, dressed up dogs, men who wear welly boots on dates, men who shouldn’t be seen outside in daylight, and men who make reptiles seem like attractive company – will she ever find the perfect man for her neurotic mother?
Future Tour: Battle-Born Love by Lynda Bailey
Lynda will be on tour January 21-28 with her contemporary romance novel Battle-Born Love LOVE BORN FROM BATTLE. . . Spirited repo owner Rory Dawson…
Author Profile: Kristina Knight
Author Name: Kristina Knight Website: http://www.kristinaknightauthor.com/ Bio: Once upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from car crash to fire to meetings with…
Fake Perfect Me by Cari Kamm
I received a copy of Fake Perfect Me in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Isabella Reynolds has the perfect life … or does she? Maybe there is a grand illusion behind all the glamour.
Isabella Reynolds seems to have it all–the former Southern belle with big dreams is the head of her own skin care company and is the self-proclaimed queen of all things beautiful in New York City. Then her world comes crashing down, and she is stripped of everything she loves–her man, the Italian litigator ”Saint” Santo; her company, and even her beloved dog, Potato. With her penchant for bingeing and purging, how can she turn her life around when she still feels the need to maintain her ”perfect” facade?
Fake Perfect Me, author Cari Kamm’s heart-warming–and often heartwrenching–tale of a successful New Yorker and her inner circle, offers an inside look at a world of excess. Isabella Reynolds may seem unlike anyone you’ve ever known, but at her core, she’s instantly recognizable. Her trials and tribulations, her ups and downs, are much the same as anyone’s. Her world may have a high price tag, but its true value comes from its losses and lesson… to love one’s self.
Review:
I had a fabulous time reading this book. Isabella and I might not be anything alike, but she didn’t turn me off at all. I thought it was fascinating to read about her lifestyle choices. She was clearly a little lost, and even though from the outside it could seem she has it all, behind closed doors it’s a different story. She battles heavily with binging and purging, and it seemed so normal for her that it took me second to realize that she actually had a serious disorder. The synopsis says that at the core Isabella is a normal person, and I definitely saw that. She was dealing with a lot of personal issues – a break up, a bust business, and who could forget her puppy Potato – awesome name by the way. I was hooked by her story and found the plot to be quite compelling. I would recommend to chick lit fans!
[Rating: 4]
